Ask Post-Crisis: Doctor's Choice

Dr Ilana Morata

Character
Independent
Rank
MorataCorp CEO

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Killa Ree
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
991
Reaction score
336
Knowing that he didn't mind her chilly touch, and in fact seemed to enjoy it, meant Ilana more often than not would often subconsciously hesitate to touch him, almost as though there would be rejection. Just seeing his reaction to the impulsive touch, however, was still ever a happy small surprise. She was... not comfortable with casual touch yet. But somehow, some way, he was drawing her out of that.

At his words of irritation, she nodded once, rising.
"I'll go call for her--"

The warm touch to her arm still trailed goosebumps; the room itself was chilly, and he was a siren lure of warmth, not just physically but emotionally as well. She paused at his words, and paused uncertainly. It was true, she no longer felt the innate instinctual urge to hover, but... the need to remain stayed firm. And at sensing his emotions, possibly even the turn of his thoughts... she glanced back to his face, to the subtle interplay. The guilt. A subtle tang... was it fear?

She hesitated, and then lightly brushed her own free fingers over his own.
"...You're right, I don't have to stay," she whispered in a low rasp. "But... I... want to. If you don't mind my being here." She glanced over his features, and there was a look. She understood what was playing through his mind.. and when she rose, she came closer. Her fingers ghosted, a feather-light touch, against the line of his jaw, the faintest caress.

"None of it was your fault," she rasped low, almost intimately. "I will be alright. Believe me." She smiled once... then turned away. "I'll grab the nurse, just give me a moment." And with that, she turned away, off to find the nurse that he might have talked to earlier.

Just to confirm... and to help him with the bandages.


@TerranSteel
 

Corran Velt

Character
Rank
Lieutenant

Character Profile
Link
OOC
TerranSteel
Joined
Jan 7, 2020
Messages
800
Reaction score
373
No matter what thought or feeling plagued him, she always knew what to say. That type of intuition could have easily been chalked up to her empathic abilities, but Corran liked to think there was more to it than that. Just because someone knew his worry over her injury didn't mean they would know brushing their wintery fingers over his own would sooth. Ilana confirming her desire to stay was just that much sweeter. A warm smirk barely tugged at the edge of his lips. She wanted to stay. Not to watch over a wounded patient but to be with him. Him. The young man wondered if he'd ever stop thinking how impossibly lucky he was. He hoped that time would never come. Corran took a shallow breath in preparation to tell her he didn't mind if she stayed. Never minded that. Always wanted her to stay.

But she read this thoughts before he could speak them.

Lithe fingers danced across his jaw. The fear and guilt in his chest fled by her touch. Comforting words filled the void they once were. Ilana's golden eyes seemed to cause a fire in his chest that warmed his very heart. It would be alright, he trusted, but a distant dollop of guilt clung on. Corran mirrored her rare smile, but it quickly turned into a forlorn frown as she turned to leave. As the Arkanian's soothing touch left his face, the blond youth reached out to clasp her hand one last time but missed. Only his fingers glided against her own. He recoiled his fingers back into a fist and retracted his arm quickly. That's going to appear needy, isn't it?

Long after the wounded man had watched Ilana leave, he stared at the doorway. He didn't expect her to appear soon. It wasn't even a longing. No sadness gripped him. No, Corran pondered how integral Ilana Morata had become to his existence. Even before the... mutual discovery. What had started as a happenstance on Corellia had expanded to encompass everything. Did she know that she had infiltrated even some of his daily decisions? At the grocery store, he even stopped to consider what type of fruit and brands of bread she would like. How crazy was that? A slow inhale through his nostrils was followed by a long sigh. A brief shake of the head finally broke the spell of the empty doorway. Blue eyes returned to the empty, spartan medical room. Compared to the darkness, it was as lively as a live music concert. "I wonder when I'll get bored of it," the blond ranger wondered aloud. After being what felt so close to death, everything felt so vivid. Alive. He would be alive too. He intended to stay that way. For Ilana. For their child. For himself.

@Killa Ree
 

Dr Ilana Morata

Character
Independent
Rank
MorataCorp CEO

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Killa Ree
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
991
Reaction score
336
Walking away was not as easy as it might have seemed, but part of her wanted some space. Some time to think of all the sudden change. She could still feel the hug from Jersan and the warm touch of Corran. Almost in a few hours span she gained a family. A life.

Even though there was no visible evidence yet... her hand brushed over her stomach when she turned the corner of the hallway, feeling the air leave her chest. Disbelief warred with a faint spark of hope, filling the empty void that she thought she had. She thought she couldn't love, couldn't feel. Like there was something broken in her. She felt it from other beings and their chosen partners, yet this too was... different.

Warmer, somehow.

Swallowing once, she forced herself to keep moving for the nurses' station, head high. Two of them were huddled with a desk, whispering amongst themselves; as she became more visible one of them straightened, the smile vanishing from her lips as Ilana gazed levelly.


"The patient in room 1563 requests a bandage change," she spoke coolly, and one woman nodded, making to rise.

"I'll do that on my way to the next patient. And Doctor Morata, you and I have to discuss some of our findings. In private, if that's all right."

Ilana nodded once, and wordlessly followed the woman into another room, forcing the wince from her features as each step slightly jarred the wrapped arm.

Once the door shut behind her, the woman , cleared her throat slightly, then nodded to her arm. "I'll have to... remove those and change them as well. It might be painful. But there were other findings with our initial blood panels." She hesitated, staring at the doctor, then set down her datapad.

"You are pregnant, Morata. And according to lab reports, they are a healthy child." She nodded once, swallowing back a soft grunt of pain as it frissioned down her arm and spine with even the nurse removing the sling, and the hand began to tremble. The other woman hesitated, staring at the doctor's face. "I can get something to dull the pain if you--"


"No."

The word was flat, calm. "Just keep going. You were saying?"

The woman hesitated... then slowly began to move each layer. Each one, her nostrils flared in a silent hiss of pain, and when the last layer was removed, she forced herself to stare at it.

The raw, ugly twisted scarring, fern-like patterns of where the electricity had struck and traveled up her arm. "The child was fortunate to survive," the nurse replied, slowly beginning to prep the bacta glove. "And you were fortunate to have your arm; however, I would recommend a prosthetic; the risk of infection is still very high."


"Give me time to think on it," she rasped quietly, and the woman nodded, rolling on the new bandage. She exhaled sharply, other hand gripping into her thigh as her stomach churned nauseatingly. "Of course. But be careful." Slipped once more into a sling, she forced herself to keep her head high, though beads of sweat slid down the small of her back from the sheer control it took not to break down and cry from the pain alone. She would bear it.

As the two walked down the hallway, the nurse glanced at her once more.

"It's good you care so much for your patients," the woman remarked, but Ilana remained tightlipped. It seemed gossip spread everywhere.

Once she returned, there was a... warm feeling in her chest just looking at him. Seeing him awake, that light in his eyes. It was more than just affection. There was.. a degree of pride as well. She was fortunate, in more ways than she could contemplate. Her hand hovered lightly over her stomach, and she walked the rest of the way in as the nurse followed, staring between the two.


"Do you want me to stay for the change?" Ilana asked him, uncertain to stay or go. She knew he said he wanted to see her with both eyes... but not everyone wanted their wounds to be publicly seen. She would only stay if he wanted her to.

@TerranSteel
[/cbox]
 

Corran Velt

Character
Rank
Lieutenant

Character Profile
Link
OOC
TerranSteel
Joined
Jan 7, 2020
Messages
800
Reaction score
373
Sterile emptiness had kept Corran company for what seemed like a long time. Either Ilana was having trouble finding a nurse or something else was afoot. The investigative mind of a law enforcement officer gathered up what evidence was in memory and proposed likely scenarios. Pregnancy was the most likely culprit. A nurse from earlier seemed to be aware of the condition and that conversation might take some time. On the other hand, the serious Arkanian wasn't much of a talker. When it came to medical topics, she was quite brief in fact. Injury... her injured arm on the other hand. That might require more discussion. Was it worse than she let on? Maybe... maybe it wasn't so bad. It could be something as simple as needing to wait behind another patient. A mild huff of amusement came from Corran's nostrils. They had only been apart for a relatively small amount of time and his thoughts still dwelled on Ilana. They often did.

Speak of the gorgeous devil, the wintery Arkanian had returned with medical staff in tow. Her eyes were often so strong. Like mountains defying glacial winds. But now they seemed... softer, somehow. The wounded man sighed happily without realizing it. As the nurse made their way to the left side of the medical cot to get the best angle on the bandages, Corran motioned Ilana closer. "Yes, please stay. I need someone to honestly tell me if I'm hideous." His single eye winked at her playfully.

"Please hold still as you can, okay?" The nurse asked sweetly, though with that under-current of a command. Corran was good at following orders. He faced forward and stiffly upright much like the cadet out of the academy many assumed he often was. One wrap loosened soon followed by another and another. Each rotation revealed a bit more of the young man's face. A tuft of blond hair. Pale forehead. With practiced gentleness, the final wrap was withdrawn from the patient and the wound underneath revealed. Green and purple dotted along Corran's upper cheek, across his nose diagonally, and up to his eyebrow. Those two colors, sub-surface remnants of tissue damage, straddled a razor thin slice that looked raw and red in some parts. A few bacta strips still crisscrossed the original cut, as if holding the torn-asunder skin together.

Everything seemed bright again. Both eyes struggled to balance one that had seen the light and the other that had been kept in darkness. The young ranger winced and fluttered his eyes in a natural attempt to shoo away the discomfort. Once equilibrium was restored, he turned his head to look at her. Ilana Morata. Why did she seem more beautiful now than she had moments ago? As if they had finally met after so long apart. Even her visage seemed to sooth the pained wound. "Well," Corran asked with an uncertain grin, "How does it look?"


@Killa Ree
 

Dr Ilana Morata

Character
Independent
Rank
MorataCorp CEO

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Killa Ree
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
991
Reaction score
336
Hearing his happy sigh and expression, just after so brief a previous exit, made her heart beat slightly faster. Did he miss her, somehow? He seemed at odds in such a sterile, cold place as this; for a moment she simply stared at him, unaware that her features softened ever so slightly, shoulders relaxed the faintest degree. At his gesture she slowly moved closer, briefly considering the chair, but... then slowly, gingerly, perching on the right side of the bed.

"Then I'll stay," she rasped softly, watching his features. Every unwound bandage, every second, revealed something about the young man. How like in Starfall, occasionally his hair seemed in riot of the careful professionalism of the Ranger. Dark bruises against pale skin, yet she didn't look away, and when both eyes of sky blue met those of amber, she unselfconsciously smiled, a tender, warm one that seemed to speak, in a flurry of seconds, what words the Doctor couldn't quite say.

Did he know how magnetizing his stare was? Even before, in Corellia, it was the look that could lure you in, the color not unlike a clear sky. Yet not so clear as to be transparent; even he could hide behind those eyes, that professional stoicism. And yet here wasn't a Ranger right now, but a young man, and when he asked how he looked she blinked back into awareness, eyes scanning the diagonal cut, the mottled bruising.

Guilt gnawed at her stomach looking at it. She was his affiliate, a professional physician, yet she couldn't help him in the moment he needed it most. Forcing herself to stare at it, but not as clinically as she could before.

"Always handsome," she murmured throatily, lightly resting her hand over his own. "It's healing well, I think. The threat of infection isn't as severe; we don't have to worry about your vision. It'll heal well." The nurse nodded beside her, getting another bacta tube and rolled gauze.

"I'll wrap just over the cut, to not impede your vision," the woman remarked, and when she was done she left without another word. It was then Ilana tilted her head, regarding him with a faint smile.


"How's your vision, then? As good as you expected?"

@TerranSteel
 

Corran Velt

Character
Rank
Lieutenant

Character Profile
Link
OOC
TerranSteel
Joined
Jan 7, 2020
Messages
800
Reaction score
373
For a few brief moments, Corran feared a serious prognosis. Amber eyes scanned his injury like they were interrogating it. Was it that bad? The fresh air felt good initially but then stung a bit. When she finally declared his appeal remained, he beamed. If Ilana still liked how he looked, then he did too. The positive medical news was nice too. Healing nicely. No infection. Though he wondered if it would leave a scar. Blaster burns didn't seem to but the young man wasn't sure how bacta worked entirely.

At Doctor Morata's subtle command, the nurse began wrapping his head again. Some cool liquid was gently placed over the slice that made its itching and burning fade. That was probably the bacta. Bandages themselves crossed at a diagonal similar to the wound itself. More time to heal was required, it seemed. Corran visibly pouted through the process. He didn't like hospitals generally but he could follow orders. It was only when the medical staff had silently departed and Ilana supplied a subtle smile that a toothless grin dawned on his face again. It was so nice to have her around for the hard stuff.

Corran rubbed his left eye with a balled hand followed by blinking a few times. "I think my vision is good. A little stronger in my right than my left. Hopefully they'll even out." He stared at the wall off to Ilana's right as if trying to use it as a reading chart. Squinting and blinking, closing one eye and then the other. Maybe his vision couldn't focus on as blank as a hospital room wall. Sky blue eyes shifted their gaze back to the Arkanian woman that sad on his bed. Eyelids didn't flutter this time, but instead became half-lidded. Even if his vision struggled to focus on a white wall, they had no issue honing in on a pale doctor. The tee shirt and leggings might have been pedestrian to others, but brought back fond memories from not too long ago.

"So..." the blond youth asked in a low, teasing voice, "Do you know when I get discharged from this place?" It was a practical question flying cover for subtle hints. If he had to be laid up anywhere, he would have preferred it to be somewhere else. Even as something as innocent as laying on the sofa watching holos with Ilana. She liked romantic dramas, if he recalled correctly. "You can get me released, can't you? Doctor Morata?" A single warm finger slid up her knuckles and made circles on the back of her hand. "Come on. Call it necessary Home Care or something," Corran flirted. It wasn't breaking the rules if he had an official discharge.

@Killa Ree
 

Dr Ilana Morata

Character
Independent
Rank
MorataCorp CEO

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Killa Ree
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
991
Reaction score
336
One white brow raised at the low, flirtatious tone he was taking on with her, the touch almost working. It was the combination of blue eyes, the low voice and the tone; he was working an unfair angle, and despite the brief rest she was still too tired to marshal up a full resistance. At first her lips parted, ready for a rebuttal... and then she huffed, giving him a wry, mildly exasperated stare. "After just gaining you back? I think not."

However... her reserve crumbled at his last sentence, and she chuckled, shaking her head once.
"You're not playing fair like this," she muttered, tilting her head to regard him coolly.

"I'll release you tonight--- but," she raised both brows, attempting as stern a face as she could muster, "you will be under my care and we'll notify your mother. And you will follow what I say, or I'll be dragging you back to this hospital bed and tying you into it. I don't... like being in hospitals any more than you do," she sighed, dropping her shoulders. "I haven't had a proper shower in three days, I feel disgusting."

Amber eyes panned over his features, though, a hint of concern denting between her brows.
"How are you feeling though, really? Anything numb, or troubling?"

@TerranSteel
 

Corran Velt

Character
Rank
Lieutenant

Character Profile
Link
OOC
TerranSteel
Joined
Jan 7, 2020
Messages
800
Reaction score
373
A huff followed by a denial did not portend good results for the attempted convincing. When Ilana was set on something, it took a universe to stop her. Corran had almost lost hope of getting out of here with a hall-pass to freedom until a chuckle escaped the Arkanian's pale lips. A blond eyebrow perked up and he leaned forward a tiny bit in anticipation of good news. Maybe there was a crack in that icy armor of hers after all. Not that he would abuse such a vulnerability frequently; no, only for dire situations like this one.

Tonight? The blond youth nearly yelped for joy once again. Even his fist was half-way through the air before the 'but'. A single word doused whatever eruption of jubilee was about to burst forth. Corran's shoulders slouched and glowered as Doctor Morata was more so the doctor looking after a patient than a friend freeing a trapped comrade. The rules were fair and the threat felt very real. It was undeniable that having Ilana look after him was a fate much better than staying in the hospital for another few days or more, at least. Her serious face slid into fatigue. Pouting turned into concern on his end. Here he was, trying to selfishly escape this place while Ilana needed more rest than anyone. Darkness and the void had kept him suspended outside space and time. Resting. That's all he had been doing. She had been a sentinel all that time.

As she asked after his well-being, Corran couldn't help but stare at her with softened, sweet eyes. She still cared so much. Was there ever a bottom? "I'm feeling pretty good. Beyond good. Blessed even," the blue-eyed man replied, though Ilana would get a feeling he wasn't talking about his physical condition, "Really." A warm human hand gently overlaid the white Arkanian one. He let his gaze linger for just a moment linger, clear appreciation and thankfulness in his eyes. Finally, Corran scooted one leg up and rested his left hand on the knee. "A bit numb in the legs. Stiff in the joints. I think that's because I haven't moved much. Some pain near the cut, but nothing bad." In it's own way, it was a wonder how good he felt so soon after waking. Before the void, nothing but pain was his world. To be awake and to be alive was its own medicine. The woman beside him, the best one, was a salve for the rest of it.

@Killa Ree
 

Dr Ilana Morata

Character
Independent
Rank
MorataCorp CEO

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Killa Ree
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
991
Reaction score
336
It was surprisingly cute, watching him pout at her initial refusal. She should have stayed strong, but her mind wasn't up to the task of arguing... and going home to sleep, to shower in her own shower and to get away from the illness appealed especially. In this place of sickness, illness, fear and despair she felt lost in a sea of emotions, and now more than ever, every heartbeat brought up a searing clarity of pain along her arm, along her thoughts, and gave a sharp edge of brilliance to every sense, particularly the senses attuned to others' feelings.

She hated cities, hated hospitals, with about as much loathing as one could muster, yet on a daily basis she could survive them. Focusing on him was like a honing beacon, a direction; she could focus on him, on any flicker or sign of life and the rest faded away. She didn't want to think about anything else, because it meant facing her new reality. It meant accepting a reality where he... wouldn't have woken up. A reality where he pushed her away for what she admitted.

A reality where she would lose everything over again. And this time, there was no focus forward. And yet he was here. He wanted her, and from what she could feel, cared for her. She could easily fall into this warmth if she wasn't careful. So a thumb slid over his own hand, caressing the back with a light wintery touch.

"Blessed," she rasped quietly. "Yes... I feel the same. I..." her words trailed off, her hand slipping out of his to rest over her stomach, giving a faint smile. "...never thought I could have anything like this. Like... you." Her voice was soft, gentle, and yet amber eyes searched his. "We're very fortunate."

At the mention of pain, though, the smile vanished, and amber eyes took a concerned cast.
"How bad of pain? I can maybe get something to ease it."

@TerranSteel
 

Corran Velt

Character
Rank
Lieutenant

Character Profile
Link
OOC
TerranSteel
Joined
Jan 7, 2020
Messages
800
Reaction score
373
An icy thumb brushed the back of Corran's hand. He didn't even glance down to confirm the touch. By the affectionate chill that climbed up his arm, he knew it was Ilana. Her and her alone had a bracing cold that felt tender and warming. Like the first snow of winter with all its wonder and charm. Her hand drifting to her stomach, unlike her caressing thumb, drew his gaze. Like this. Like him. Those words, how she said them, felt dreamlike. Reality hadn't entirely accepted the new additions to his life. It felt so... impossible that Ilana liked him. Liked him enough to carry their child. Sky-blue rose from Ilana's midsection to meet golden amber. Corran smirked instinctively. "Yeah, we sure are lucky," he said in a parched, humble voice.

Affection turned to medical concern at the slightest mention of discomfort. This type of attention was different than it had been before. Less methodical and scientific. More... personal. The blond youth's warm hand reassuringly brushed Ilana's own. "It's a three on a scale of ten. I can manage it. Besides, the bacta wraps will kick in soon." Above all else, she would know that Corran was of stout constitution. Blasters, knives, gutkurrs, and even getting shot down hadn't given him lasting damage. Good thing too. Someone of lesser endurance would have been in more serious straits.

While bacta or any other amount of medicines likely would have fully eased the residual ache, other ailments were more pressing. Getting back on his own two legs and warding off muscular atrophy felt the most urgent. The second was more mental. Being alone in the void for an indescribable amount of time was so... isolating. Getting some social interaction felt like the best salve he could think of. "What I could use," Corran reapproached his earlier plea carefully, "is a nice, quiet evening on a soft sofa, with some good company. And maybe a bowl of ice cream." To press against his head and eat sometimes. The young man's face remained composed, but his blue eyes seemed to beg for a way out of here. Hopefully that was enough of an offer to entice her. A casual, low-key night together. He'd only get out of here with a discharge into the Arkanian doctor's care. Elsewise, it would be staying in this hospital ward for the established Sector Ranger medical recovery minimums. Such were the rules.

@Killa Ree
 
Last edited:

Dr Ilana Morata

Character
Independent
Rank
MorataCorp CEO

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Killa Ree
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
991
Reaction score
336
She sighed. Shoulders slumped. She felt like she could sleep the rest of the day and the night following, and then some. Her vision blurred at the edges, and even just closing her eyes felt like a weight was behind them, threatening to drag her under. "Call your mother first," she rasped tiredly. "Also, where would you like to go? I need to make sure your bandages are changed in time, and that there's no other malignant impact from your long unconsciousness." Perhaps she was talking a slight bit of nonsense, but this sort of tiredness went deep into her bones, and remaining upright and in control was becoming more and more impossible.

Being home sounded nice. Home. Did she even have a home? She wasn't sure if she had one anymore, or that she had one for a long time. All she knew was she needed somewhere to rest her eyes, just a few minutes more. But he wanted to be released... it couldn't be so bad then. She could keep up a strong spine until they got home, then, wherever that place was.

She wasn't sure she could leave him alone just yet. There was an irrational fear that he could just slip out of her life again, all of a sudden, and she didn't have the mental fortitude to bear with another loss. She knew she was just overly tired, but she couldn't rest yet. He wanted to leave, and it was her obligation as a physician to see that he was safe and comfortable.

It was her choice, after all.


@TerranSteel
 

Corran Velt

Character
Rank
Lieutenant

Character Profile
Link
OOC
TerranSteel
Joined
Jan 7, 2020
Messages
800
Reaction score
373
So that was how it was going to be. She had given him a checklist of orders in order to get out of this hospital where he had stayed in the dark void for so long. Inform his mother of relocation. Allow his bandages to be changed. Have Ilana examine him for living in that nothingness for so long. All of those were more than easy to agree to. Corran would have contacted his mom anyway and replacing a dispassionate, nameless nurse with a beautiful Arkanian doctor was the easiest of trades. Besides, he was good at following orders. That only left the actual hard part - where he would like to go.

The Crimson Venture was still parked somewhere near the ruins of the Sector Ranger Headquarters. That event being summoned back from memory hurt more than the tender cut across his face. But that old ship wasn't exactly ideal to house his mother, himself, and have Doctor Morata attending. She looked like she needed her own bed anyway. Fatigue was clearly visible in her clouding eyes. Wait a second. Her own bed. "Hey..." Corran started carefully, his face squinting as if digging through an archive of recollections, "You have a place here, don't you? On Coruscant?" She mentioned having a place here in the past, right? Things were still a bit hazy. "Do you mind if we could go there? It'd be nicer my ship." Come to think of it, had he ever seen a place of hers? Besides the crash down on Starfall, that is.

Luckily, Ilana didn't in much of a mood to argue. Exhaustion from her sentinel-like watch weighed on the wintery woman. The wounded ranger groaned as he stiffly removed himself from the medical bed that had been his tomb. A nurse would bring his clothes that he came in with. What kind of place did Ilana live at, anyway?

--------------

Apparently a high-rise. In the upper levels of Coruscant. Near the top level. Was this a penthouse? It feels like a penthouse. The taxi ride over had been a simple and mostly quiet affair. If the bare medical room had been exciting because of the emptiness that had been his reality, then the busy and colorful skyways and structures of Coruscant were exhilarating. The blond youth had seen many views like it before, but now he saw them with fresh eyes.

That same type of excitement lingered as the pair stood outside Ilana's suite. A clear aura of a kid on Life Day shrouded the young man. Opening the door to her apartment was like opening up a present. Her ship on Starfall had taught him a lot about Ilana and this would be no exception. What treasures and truths lay inside? Not to mention, it was fancy! Another glimpse into the world he could only dream of having. Corran turned his head to look at the sleepy girl by his side. "I'll tuck you in as thanks for letting my stay here for awhile. Sound fair?"

@Killa Ree
 

Dr Ilana Morata

Character
Independent
Rank
MorataCorp CEO

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Killa Ree
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
991
Reaction score
336
During the ride back, Ilana found herself lost in a fog of exhaustion. Every now and then, Corran's voice filtered through her mind and she knew she responded, but how coherently was beyond her recollection. Even now, she was dimly aware. Coming up to the apartment even was a struggle; the pain was still nauseating, but by now it was nothing more than a coppery tang in the back of her throat.

When they arrived, she blinked a few times woodenly, registering he asked something. She had felt his excitement dimly, like it was another planet, but she couldn't really bring herself to talk just yet; instead she nodded once, and then turned away, her voice soft, worn. Still, she managed a half-smile in his direction.

"Sounds fair, Corran," came the low rasp, and she forced her posture to be tall. However, when she stepped towards the entry to the master bedroom she stumbled, and hissed in a breath when her arm brushed against the doorway.

"Just... let me get out of these things, I feel disgusting," she muttered, and when she came through she started tugging half-heartedly at the t-shirt, sighing when it meant she had to move her other arm... a motion she was still gingerly able to do without twinging too many nerves.

"Make yourself at home."


@TerranSteel
 

Corran Velt

Character
Rank
Lieutenant

Character Profile
Link
OOC
TerranSteel
Joined
Jan 7, 2020
Messages
800
Reaction score
373
Ilana unlocked the portal to the other world. The door gave way to a luxurious penthouse suite. Large windows provided a stunning view of the countless skyways and glimmering towers of the Coruscanti upper skyline. Practically a view from the heavens. The furniture and appliances were nothing short of the most modern style and convenience. Tasteful silver and style adorned the walls. Even the most muted wall seemed ritzy and affluent to the former space trader. The young man looked around wide-eyed and in wonder of being in the presence of an apartment likely several times his yearly salary. The only thing that was obviously purely Ilana's was the absolute jungle of ferns, plants, and shrubs that covered the penthouse. He'd really have to stake out a plot for greenery on Starfall just for her.

A wince and a hiss forced Corran to turn his head to see Doctor Morata heading into a large bedroom. She looked like she was struggling to remove her attire. Her words confirmed as such. While Ilana had encouraged him to make himself at home, seeing her have some difficulty in changing and understanding her exhausted state, he couldn't simply ignore her plight. With a mild limp from his weakened leg muscles, the blond ranger followed the Arkanian into the master bedroom. "Here, let me help you with that," he said with nothing but gentle sincerity in his voice. If her pride allowed, Corran would provide two extra hands in removing her shirt and delicately enabling the removal of her wounded arm without much effort on her part.

With the shirt removed, with or without his aid, Corran would shyly tuck his hands in his pockets and look upward to give Ilana some measure of privacy. She was the mother of his child but their relationship wasn't... exactly.... clearly defined. The blond youth cleared his throat, "Do you need anything... else?" That was a genuine ask. If tucking her in was all that was left, so be it. But if her wound required some more bacta paste or she needed some pajamas, Corran would have no qualms. "If not," he tossed a thumb over his shoulder towards the exit of the bedroom, "I'll just... uh... find the sofa. If that's alright." While Jersan Velt was in the city, her son was reminded to be on his best behavior. He didn't want to assume anything and fully intended to avoid her private dwelling as much as an acquittance. That was the... polite thing to do.

@Killa Ree
 

Dr Ilana Morata

Character
Independent
Rank
MorataCorp CEO

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Killa Ree
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
991
Reaction score
336
She didn't want him to see her like this. Struggling. Weak. Small. But as always, he seemed considerate, but distant. Despite all the bridges crossed today, she didn't know where she stood, and that was a panicky feeling. She felt alone, isolated again, and almost without thinking, her free hand moved, resting over his. She couldn't face him just yet.

"...Wait. Please. Don't go yet."

The guilt, the anger, the regret, all of it suddenly pushed to the fore, mingling with the fear of being alone again, a need. Her chest felt tight, and her throat closed, as her hand began to shake slightly, and then she let him go, sighing.

"I don't... want to be alone."

The words were spoken haltingly, slowly. She stepped towards the bed, brushing a hand over the sheets, exhaling unsteadily. Everything teetered towards the edge, everything that went wrong from before spilling into her voice as she swallowed hard.
"If that's all right."

@TerranSteel
 

Corran Velt

Character
Rank
Lieutenant

Character Profile
Link
OOC
TerranSteel
Joined
Jan 7, 2020
Messages
800
Reaction score
373
A solar wind would not have forced Corran to budge after she muttered him to stay. Her touch had anchored him to the ground like roots of the massive trees of Kashyyk, even after it had shakily departed. Blue eyes followed the ethereal, fatigued woman as she floated beside her large bed and glided a hand over it. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came. The young man swallowed hard and tried again. His voice was quiet and gentle, as if speaking too loud would startle some sleeping infant. "I'll stay."

Those two words, a verbal commitment, seemingly supplied their own power. Their own will. His feet began to move before the thought to do so had even crossed his mind. Each step guided the blond youth closer to her. Always closer. When he neared the Arkanian, motion stopped and his words confessed again. "I'll stay with you. You don't ever have to be alone again." That new oath startled even him. But it didn't feel like a comforting lie. It felt... honest. Corran blinked a few times, taking in that realization. As if to distract himself, the ranger gave a quick shake of the head, leaned over and pulled back the sheets as an offer for Ilana to lie down. If she took the invitation, the young man would be true to his word and tuck her in with care. As promised.

Regardless if she took the offer to rest or not, he would rub the back of his head in nervous habit. "Do you... need anything? Water? Another blanket? Bacta for your... injury?" His gaze would briefly glance to where her arm would be, even if he couldn't see it. All the time he had now been conscious, thoughts of what she had relayed plagued him. In pyre of Headquarters, as he tumbled to the floor in agony, Ilana had rushed to his side. Stared down a Sith that he couldn't even scratch. Defeated her and taken the full brunt of an electric attack. One puzzle piece was missing. "Why?" Corran's eyes drifted up from her wounded arm. "Why did you... endure that... for me?

@Killa Ree
 

Dr Ilana Morata

Character
Independent
Rank
MorataCorp CEO

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Killa Ree
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
991
Reaction score
336
She swallowed hard at his promise. She knew that tone. When he said it, he meant it. But... so many people had promised things before, only to break them. And if she hadn't been in the HQ when she had, he wouldn't have been able to fulfill that promise. She wordlessly climbed into bed, too tired to even dress properly, but didn't lay down right away. Instead, she sat up, and looked up at him.

Tears glinted on the edge of white lashes, and she exhaled shakily, swiping a hand over her eyes.
"In my line of work, you work in absolutes. No emotion. No attachment. You can't allow it to overrule your logic. But I... couldn't reach you when I was brought in for the rescue team." Her free hand clenched into the sheets, swallowing hard again. It was so hard to look at his face; it was a personal failure. A reminder that she had broken her own rules.

"I heard your scream, and I felt... cold."

She closed her eyes briefly, gritting her jaw at the weakness she felt. At what he brought. He was her weakness... and now he would see it.

"I broke protocol because for the first time in my life I was terrified. I thought I was too late. Losing you, failing to be there sooner or by your side... I couldn't let that happen, Corran," she exhaled sharply. "And there were all these ladies around you doing things. I couldn't... I couldn't do anything. I thought if you didn't make it, I'd have rather faced down your assailant and died too. My life... it didn't matter. All that mattered was that I felt like I would lose you and I was out of time."

Dark spots appeared on the sheets, but there wasn't a sound. Just silent tears as she fought hard to keep herself under control, but she shook her head. She knew she was running on fumes, but the words had to be said, had to be spoken before it was too late and she lost her nerve.


"I... love you."

@TerranSteel
 

Corran Velt

Character
Rank
Lieutenant

Character Profile
Link
OOC
TerranSteel
Joined
Jan 7, 2020
Messages
800
Reaction score
373
Tears glimmered like icy shards in sunlight. They seemed so... mythical. Corran couldn't help but tilt his head slightly and gaze at the watery eyes in wonder as he listened. Was this all a dream? Was he... still asleep? Ilana hadn't ever display such raw emotion before. Her affections were subtle. Her joy subdued. Her disappointment cold. What was all this? When she closed her eyes for a moment, it broke the young man's hypnosis. He blinked to refocus his vision. What his eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing, his ears couldn't believe what they hearing. The Arkanian Doctor had broke protocol. She feared losing... him. Corran Velt. The nobody from Commenor. The low-level ranger. The guy down the street.

His lower lip quivered, wanting to let slip words that refused to arise. The spacious master bedroom felt like its walls were closing in. Their world shrinking. Tears glided over marble cheeks. The young man's brow furrowed, as if seeing sorrow for the first time. Yet he had the distinct feeling of falling. The way your stomach rises into your chest. Anticipation for something he didn't know was closing in all around him. A pressure. It grew heavier. His shoulders felt like immense durasteel pads were being added with each passing second. More weight. More weight. More.

All at once that weigh vanished. Atomized. Obliterated by three. little. words.

Ilana Morata... loved him.

"What...?" Corran's voice was a whisper. Weak. Quiet. Nigh silent. Time and reality ceased entirely. All the immense weight was replaced by a crushing gravity. Gravity emanated from Ilana. The blond ranger fell to one knee, bracing his forearms against the mattress to stop himself from collapsing entirely. He must have died. There's no way this was real. Ilana Morata was an fantastical beauty. A towering intelligence. An embracing heart. A galaxy with trillions of beings. She couldn't love him. Corran reached out and clasped her free hand that clenched the sheet. His mouth dropped open. "You're... real. This... is real." Sky-blue eyes slowly rose to Ilana's face. Disbelief swelled in them. Disbelief and hope. A spark of it. "You... love me?" The question made his lips feel numb. His heart pulsed in his chest. A hungering warmth. It burned and grew and consumed; a super nova of emotion. It erupted in the form of a quiet prayer. "I love you too, Ilana."

@Killa Ree
 

Dr Ilana Morata

Character
Independent
Rank
MorataCorp CEO

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Killa Ree
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
991
Reaction score
336
She felt so heavy. Her chest ached sharply, as she braced herself. Ilana knew he cared about her, but strong feelings, and handling them, was not her forte. She knew there would be rejection. The best she could hope for was that he cared, but the good Doctor wasn't in the best of her own mind. A sick sinking in her stomach at his unbelieving whisper, but at his words, she froze.

Her breath stilled in her chest; slowly, golden eyes panned his features. Lips parted as though to say something; the warmth from his hand was gentle, almost reassuring. He was with her. He loved her. She exhaled shakily, swiping a hand over her eyes.
"I-I'm sorry..." she muttered hoarsely. "I just... had to say it. Before I couldn't."

She sighed, her voice a soft whisper as sleep dragged at her mind.
"...You love me. Thank the Force."

She gave him a thin, tremulous smile, and for the first time he would see it in the Arkanian doctor's face, as she sank back into the mattress. Fear. Uncertainty. There were so many variables in the galaxy that could go wrong with her, with him. With them. She could lose him, or worse, he could turn on her.
"Stay with me, please," she asked quietly, swallowing hard. "I don't think I could..."

Words struggled, failed. She was slipping into a deep sleep, even the reserves of her strength going fast.

"Stand... being alone again."

And with that, the world grew dark and amber eyes shut.


@TerranSteel
 

Corran Velt

Character
Rank
Lieutenant

Character Profile
Link
OOC
TerranSteel
Joined
Jan 7, 2020
Messages
800
Reaction score
373
A guardian angel found rest. Through the days and nights of watching over him, she had triumphed over all exhaustion until he had awoken. That drive, that perseverance was something Corran greatly loved about her. The pale Arkanian now slumbered, truly lost to her dreams. He still clasped his hand over hers and watched her rest much like she had done for him. How had the foolish young man earned such loyalty? Still her final words before fatigue took her echoed in his ears. Stay with me. I can't stand being alone again. Was it possible Ilana Morata could be... lonely? He huffed out of his nose quietly and smirked. Not likely. She was too powerful for that.

But he would be by her side. Not because she asked. But because he chose. Corran's eyes glided down from her gentle, wintery face to her hand in his. Such a simple gesture and yet meant so much. A warm thumb caressed a cold hand tenderly. "I'll stay with you," he promised in a whisper. With one final squeeze, the blond ranger rose from the bedside and readied himself for sleep as well. His outwear was set aside, folded in a crisp style and organized in a pile for most efficient donning, Corran stealthily climbed into the large bed lest he woke Ilana. The mattress was cold. It was soothing, much like the Arkanian doctor's touch.

For half an hour he laid awake staring at the ceiling. Only periodically would the young man glance at the sleeping woman nearby. Rest wasn't elusive. It tugged and pulled on him like chains, in fact. Everything about his body told him it was still healing. Still recovering. Yet Corran feared. The dark void had taken him once before and he was afraid it would take him again. That haunting nothingness from which he wouldn't wake. Yet he couldn't stay wide awake forever. The blond youth allowed one last glance to his guardian angel. "Wish me luck. I'll see you in the morning." As much a prayer as a promise. With the resoluteness of a man to the gallows, Corran closed his eyes. In moments, his consciousness faded into slumber.

//END THREAD

@Killa Ree
 
Last edited:
Top