Their luggage had once again been placed in their rooms and Saleairy and Carth walked to theirs. Saleairy went into the bathroom to wash her face and shut the door. Carth stretched and looked around the room. It was close quarters and industrial. It was technically a floating space station floating near the surface of Telos. That was why it was plain and unadorned. Carth had never seen so much gray in his life.

He heard the door to the bathroom shut and sighed. They would have lunch and see where they were supposed to go. Carth hadn't found Dustil yet but Dustil had said he wasn't going anywhere.Dustil promised he would stay.

"Inferior statement: Why are you in my Master's quarters?" Carth noticed HK dropped the 'inferior meatbag' from the end of his statement and wondered if he didn't deserve a direct acknowledgement anymore.

"We're sharing a room." Carth said. HK advanced and stood face to face with Carth.

"Inferior statement: I will stop using any microscopic subtlety with you, Commander Onasi. You don't seem to understand much without my Master's help and she does not need to know how I feel."

"And I do?" Carth asked.

"Inferior statement: Indeed. You cannot take a hint so I will make it very clear to you." The droid gripped Carth's jacket and Carth widened his eyes.

"What did you want to tell me, HK?" Carth asked.

"Threat: If you do not stop causing my Master such intense degrees of distress, I will take that distress from your worthless, meatbag flesh."

"Are you sure your Master would approve of such violence?" Carth asked.

"Condescending explanation: Regardless of what my Master approves of, she would be capable of restoring you to a decent state. I have seen her heal your worthless flesh with ease before and having to do so again would not bother her as much as you are so prone to do."

"That's a matter of opinion." Carth said.

"Condescending query: Is what I said clear, disloyal Republic meatbag?"

"Disloyal?" Carth asked.

"Threat: I asked a simple question meatbag and it would benefit us both if you were to answer."

"I understand." Carth said.

"Inferior statement: Good. I would hate for you to ask my Master for clarification, and you too would likely find the results unpleasant." HK dropped him and walked from the room. Saleairy came back out and hugged Carth.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"I think I was just issued a threat from your droid."

"Oh, nothing unusual then." Saleairy chuckled and sat on the bed.

"That's the first I've heard of physical threats that seem so sincere." Carth said.

"You just don't take him seriously. Don't worry. I'll talk to him. I think comparing you to a Gizka will be the best way to make him understand." She said.

"What?" Carth asked.

"He's seen Canderous with that pet Gizka, he'll understand it better that way."

"Explain it to me." Carth asked. He stretched out on the bed and she leaned against his chest, hand resting on his thigh.

"Well, Canderous is a strong meatbag who isn't distressed often or to any extreme extent. But if something were to happen to his pet Gizka, he would be very distressed. We're not sure why, but we suspect there is some sort of attachment, maybe the kind of adoration you feel when something is so ugly, you just have to pity it. We're not sure." Carth flattened his eyebrows and pulled her under him, nipping her shoulder.

"I'm not convinced." Carth said.

"I wasn't finished. So even though looking after the Gizka drives Canderous insane on occasion, he still values the squirt very highly. So if the Gizka, a pitiable life form indeed, were to be harmed, Canderous would likely be more angry than distressed and his anger would be aimed at whomever hurt the ugly, ugly Gizka." Carth glared at her.

"Why did the Gizka get uglier and uglier as the story progressed?" Carth asked.

"Well, HK likes the Gizka and it is cute. He doesn't like you and you aren't." Saleairy giggled as Carth tickled her bare skin.

"You think I'm an ugly, ugly Gizka?" Carth asked.

"It will make the point nicely." Saleairy said.

"So I'm either an ugly, ugly Gizka, or a dead Gizka?"

"Ah huh." She smiled at him and he pinned her hands down with his, kissing her.

"Am I squishing you?" Carth asked.

"A little. I was expecting some respite from the Gizka analogy though." Saleairy said. She looked up at Carth and smiled. "Weren't we just in the worst argument we've ever had?"

"Yes." Carth kissed her and she caressed his face.

"Isn't it weird to be making up so quickly?" She asked as Carth kissed her neck.

"You've obviously never been married." Saleairy laughed and her laughter made Carth look down at her.

"So this is normal?" She laughed until tears rolled from her cheeks and Carth sighed.

"Not exactly. If we were a normal couple, we would've made up all the way by now." She guffawed and shook with her laughter.

"You say that like I'm holding you back." Saleairy said.

"It's hard to concentrate with you're laughing so hard you're shaking." Carth said. "Especially when you're laughing at me being a Gizka."

"You have to admit you like the ear thing. You can't lie to me." She stopped laughing and touched his ear.

"If your droid saw this, I would be one crispy, fried Gizka." Carth said.

"How do you know he would use his flamethrower?" Saleairy asked.

"I've seen him in battle. He's a bloody pyro." Carth said. Saleairy rolled on top of Carth.

"There. No worries now. If he comes in, he'll just assume I'm inflicting some sort of terrible torture on you." Carth groaned.

"You are." Carth groaned. She felt his belt buckle poking into his stomach. She unclipped it and looked at it.

"Why didn't you leave this thing off?" Saleairy asked.

"I didn't think it would be a problem." Carth smiled and blushed.

"I suppose you have a point. If that family of stars line didn't work, nothing would." She chuckled and tossed the buckle from the bed.

"And you are the one to talk about annoyances. You wear your lightsabers to bed unless I remind you to take them off. What happens if they switch on?"

"I guess you really would be less of a manly protector." She grinned.

"Don't say that." Carth said.

"Does the idea upset you?" Saleairy said, smiling.

"More than a little. Although it would suit HK just fine. He would love to see you with Canderous as your manly protector. He wouldn't mind if you punished Canderous-"

"Stop, stop, stop. Bad bad images." She buried her face in Carth's jacket and shuddered. After a long moment, she looked into Carth's eyes. "The only punishment that would make HK happy would be Canderous punishing you because you would run away screaming and HK knows it." Carth shuddered as he buried his face in Saleairy.

"Can we stop talking about punishment?" Carth asked. She smiled down at him and pinned his palms under hers.

"I thought you liked being punished?" She kissed him.

"Don't be kinky." He mumbled as he pulled his mouth from hers.

"I won't." She released his palms and stroked his face. She pushed down closer to Carth and he groaned. She chuckled between kissing him and he held her waist close to his.

"Greeting: Master, did I come at a bad time?" The door opening startled them both and Saleairy felt Carth startle upon seeing HK.

"I'm in the middle of something HK-" Saleairy said.

"Statement: Oh, you're punishing Commander Onasi? Finally Master, honestly you waited so long he likely can't remember what he did wrong." Carth chuckled under Saleairy.

"Yes, I'm punishing Commander Onasi. Stop picking the door locks and knock next time." Saleairy sounded like HK really had interrupted a torture session.

"Query: Could I offer my assistance Master?"

"No." They both echoed.

"Disappointed statement: Very well Master. I will lock the door and leave you to your torture." Saleairy chuckled and the motion pleased Carth.

"If this is torture I can't wait for hell." Carth said.