(Untitled)

[dancingwillows]

For an island that's supposed to be a new start, sort-of-but-not deserted and kind of a near version of utopia, there was a hell of a lot of what felt like work for Catherine in the past two months, and today, she decided to hell with it

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[neptune_noir]

"You know, there's another PI in Neptune who wears Member's Only jackets," Keith said, ambling up the beach and nodding at her swimsuit. In the 'I am making a joke about couture' fashion, not the ogling one. "He was here, you guys could team up, fight 80s crime."

[dancingwillows]

"Oh, god," Catherine said with a snort, "at least this isn't metallic gold leopard print. Which, for the record, I never wore the first time around."

[neptune_noir]

"Yeah, me neither," said Keith.

Unconvincingly.

[dancingwillows]

Part of Catherine's job was finding out the truth, and she could just tell Keith wasn't. Which just made him a little more interesting than a pirate and his wench for the time being.

"You didn't," she said, on the verge of laughing as she propped herself up a little higher on her elbows.

[headline_maker]

Fate had a peculiar sense of humor, and it was simple timing that had Sacharissa walking past Catherine at that moment, wearing a swimsuit of her own beneath her usual clothes and carrying a bag with a book and her notebook in it. She arched an eyebrow, then squinted at the other woman. "For a moment, Ms Willows," she said, smiling wryly, "I thought you were speaking to me."

[dancingwillows]

When there were no notebooks or crime scenes to talk about, Catherine was just fine giving Sacharissa a wry smile. "No," she said, and held the book up for a moment to show off the artfully windblown and airbrushed pirate and his wench bride. "But even if I was, the sentiment would still stand."

[headline_maker]

"I'll bear that in mind," she promised. Her expression changed in the next instant, eyes widening slightly. "Oh! One of those. I used to find that sort of thing in my desk at the newspaper. They haven't turned up in a while, though." She still wasn't entirely clear on how or why, but some of them had been pretty good.

[dancingwillows]

Catherine made a thoughtful noise and looked back down at the book. "Think I would have appreciated that at work," she said. It beat writing out reports and letting her mind wander during the slower hours in the lab.

[mediumprodigy]

There was some days Gamelon followed Pearl instead of sticking by Bob. She certainly didn't mind it; over the last few months, she had grown as close to the dog as she had grown close to Bob, and she felt like the dog reciprocated the feeling. And while she was far past the age where she could bound around her as she walked, he still kept up with her easily, making sure to never stray too far from her side.

She'd been walking along the beach with the dog for a little while now, and she was passing by a woman she didn't know when she heard her speak. Of course, what she said didn't make sense, but since she was the only one in the area, Pearl thought she was talking to her.

"Really? Mister Nick sleeps real well in bed," she offered, assuming that was what she meant. "He sometimes slept later than even Mystic Maya and me!"

[dancingwillows]

For a moment, Catherine just had to stare and shake her head as she tried to separate the surprise guilt from the confusion on top of even more confusion before she remembered that Nick wasn't exactly a unique name.

"Uh, sorry, honey, didn't see you there," she said, to cover up her surprise as she tried to think up a cover. "Does he snore real loud? Cause then I don't think it counts."

[mediumprodigy]

"I dunno," she admitted as she stood in front of the woman. Gamelon sat herself down next to Pearl, wagging her tail slowly as she panted. "But sometimes Mystic Maya woke him up calling him to see why he wasn't in the office yet."

[dancingwillows]

Catherine couldn't help a little snort at that, and she pulled herself up into something of a sitting position, adjusting her hat as she did. "I'm Catherine."

[apostatesupreme]

Now, in the normal course of a morning stroll, this isn't the sort of greeting your average chap's prepared to answer for.

But I'm sure you have more faith in me than that, darlings, and I did indeed respond with my usual panache as I wandered up behind the lounging Catherine Willows.

'Now, that's hardly a fair assessment,' said I, smiling sweetly as I stepped round her upraised legs. 'Unless, of course, you've actually bedded every man who ever did live. In that case, my dear, you have my sincerest apologies.'

[dancingwillows]

Catherine looked up when she heard the voice, and her eyebrow raised as a thoroughly unimpressed look crossed her face, even if the guy, whoever he was, couldn't see it.

At least she'd heard worse.

She turned to look over her shoulder, and gave him a sweet smile that was anything but. "Call it a hypothesis."

[apostatesupreme]

'Well, see, I wouldn't go and do that unless I was prepared to test it.' I finished my half-circuit around her prostrate and alluringly clad form so as to alleviate the strain on the poor girl's neck from craning back to gander at my charming self.

'Are you?'

[dancingwillows]

Catherine followed the man's movement as he walked around, and for a moment, she had to wonder if she was playing out some kind of Bond film. Considering the way the island worked, she wouldn't have been surprised.

She ducked her head to let out a low chuckle, and shook it as she looked up at him again. "Not with you, honey." Despite popular opinion, Catherine had to at least get to know a guy a little bit first.