Private The Right Hand and the Left

[Eloise Dinn]

The streets of Necropolis were clouded by a perpetual mist, the result of some specific combination of factors in the planet's atmosphere. The fact that it was a tomb world dotted with thousands of cemeteries enshrouded in that fog was pure spooky coincidence.

Heedless of the low visibility caused by the weather, Eloise drove like a maniac, her speeder tearing through the streets. Diogo was in the passenger seat, having agreed to let her drive for the first (and quite possibly the last) time.

"I didn't know Thelma that well," Eloise said, making casual conversation as she slid around a hairpin turn. "I commissioned her a couple times, but that was pretty much the extent of our relationship. I always thought she was a little weird. It coming out that she and her master were vampires, though—"

They jerked to a sudden stop as Eloise somehow found a parking space amid the mists.

"—I never would've guessed that." She opened the door on her side. "I haven't seen her since her trial before the Council. It was a big pain in the ass finding out where she's been hiding all this time, but this should be the place." She glanced over at Dio and smirked. "Worst case scenario, we bring her back to prison. Best case scenario… we get new fits."

Diogo Talon​

 

[Diogo Talon]

Diogo was half-convinced he was about to meet his end. His cause of death? Eloise, driving like the maniac she was. An adorable maniac, yes, but still a maniac. If they managed to survive, she was being demoted to full-time passenger princess. The worst part was his last moments were going to be on this miserable goth-infested planet. Dark, gloomy, and shrouded in mist... Necropolis was nothing like sun-soaked Niamos.

"I didn't know Thelma that well," Eloise said, making casual conversation as she slid around a hairpin turn. "I commissioned her a couple times, but that was pretty much the extent of our relationship. I always thought she was a little weird. It coming out that she and her master were vampires, though—"

"You think everyone's weird," he commented. It was all he could get out as the rapid hairpin turn caused him to be pinned against his side of the speeder. Without knowing anything else about her, Diogo automatically empathized with Thelma. She had an affliction like him.

They jerked to a sudden stop. Diogo's half-digested lunch—a suspiciously delicious bowl of Necropolitan soup—almost rushed back up his throat.

"—I never would've guessed that." She opened the door on her side. "I haven't seen her since her trial before the Council. It was a big pain in the ass finding out where she's been hiding all this time, but this should be the place."

"What happened? Did she bite someone?" Dio asked, opening the door on his side. He wasn't asking so much because he was worried Thelma was a threat, but more because he wanted to know if she was okay. And was she actually hiding, or was that just a turn of phrase?

"Worst case scenario, we bring her back to prison. Best case scenario… we get new fits."

"Might put you in prison for your driving," he teased. "Fethin' menace to society." After padding around the speeder, Dio pulled her in for a kiss and used the distraction to try and take the keys...

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise actually liked Necropolis quite a bit. She'd always been a bit of a goth at heart, though not enough to dress the part. At least, not on the regular. But she liked the aesthetic and the music and the overall vibe of the planet well enough that she didn't think she'd mind visiting every now and then. Especially on Halloween.

"You think everyone's weird."

"Not everyone," she protested lamely. "I don't think you're weird." Which, all things considered, was a pretty weird thing to say.

"What happened? Did she bite someone?"

Eloise snorted. "I wasn't there to see it myself, I just learned about it afterwards. But from what I remember, Braze overheard Thelma and her master talking about, I dunno, vampire stuff. And you know Braze and his big mouth. They freaked out when they realized he had been eavesdropping, and I think her master attacked Braze. Thelma didn't do anything to try and intervene, so she was hauled in as an accomplice.

"The Council wanted to help her with her vampirism, but she made it sound hopeless. Like she had just given up fighting it." She scratched her head, aware of who she was talking to and to what extent Diogo was likely to empathize with someone like Thelma. But they weren't really the same, right? "She always wore these baggy clothes and long gowns that completely covered her, but you could tell she was really thin and unhealthy looking. I had wondered if she had an eating disorder or something, so I guess she must've been starving herself." Whether to avoid detection or out of moral obligation, she wasn't sure. "What I'm getting at is, for her it isn't like an addiction. She needs to feed to live, unfortunately."

"Might put you in prison for your driving," he teased. "Fethin' menace to society."

"Heh, I like the sound of that." Eloise accepted his kiss, but held her keys out of his reach. "Say 'please' to the menace to society."

Through the fog, the outline of a building could be seen. Just one shop on a strip mall full of other businesses, Thelma's Tailoring was a quaint little place... with a noticeably broken window. "Damn," Eloise murmured as she moved closer, her green eyes picking out bullet holes in the building's facade. "Did this place get shot up recently?"

There was a pretty high chance that Thelma wasn't here anymore, if that were the case. But just to be sure, Eloise crept forward and gently pushed the door open with one hand...

Diogo Talon​

 

[Diogo Talon]

"Not everyone," she protested lamely. "I don't think you're weird."

"Okay, weirdo," Dio teased, but then shifted to a serious tone. "I don't actually think you're weird either, for the record."

"I wasn't there to see it myself, I just learned about it afterwards. But from what I remember, Braze overheard Thelma and her master talking about, I dunno, vampire stuff. And you know Braze and his big mouth. They freaked out when they realized he had been eavesdropping, and I think her master attacked Braze. Thelma didn't do anything to try and intervene, so she was hauled in as an accomplice."

"Fethin' Braze," Dio swore under his breath. Now more than ever, he really wanted to beat the snot out of that kid. "What happened to her master?"

"The Council wanted to help her with her vampirism, but she made it sound hopeless. Like she had just given up fighting it."

"What I'm getting at is, for her it isn't like an addiction. She needs to feed to live, unfortunately."

Dio's chest ached. Thelma feeling hopeless, even after help was offered, struck a tender nerve. They were alike, but for her, feeding was survival, not a moral choice. In comparison, the Anzati boy had it... easy? Shame curdled in his stomach, the last few years of wallowing in self-pity were now making him feel juvenile and pathetic.

"But the Council said they could help her?" Anger flared briefly, but he wasn't sure who it was directed at. "Why the hell didn't she try?"

"Heh, I like the sound of that." Eloise accepted his kiss, but held her keys out of his reach. "Say 'please' to the menace to society."

It wasn't the best kiss 'cause Dio was smiling too much. Plus, he kept reaching for the keys, struggling to snatch them from El's grasp as their mouths were pressed together. Eventually, he gave up, pulling away and holding his hand out. "Fine. May I have the keys, please, Ms. Menace?"

After that was settled, it was time for these two bad banthas to get dripped up. Except, the little storefront was decorated with bullet holes and a smashed window.

"Did this place get shot up recently?"

"Shit," he muttered, creeping behind Eloise. She was moving at a frustrating snail's pace. To hell with this. Thelma might not be here, but if she was—she needed saving. Dio sprung up, found his lightsaber suddenly in his hand, and assertively burst through the door at the same time Eloise pushed it open...

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise smiled a little and pushed her hair back from her face, a nervous but earnest gesture. "Thanks babe."

"What happened to her master?"

“He’s in Azrael.” Azrael Asylum was where they sent violent Force User criminals, including Eloise's mother. “Don’t get me wrong, he deserved it. Attacking a Padawan, even if it's Braze, is no joke. I guess I just feel bad for Thelma.”

"But the Council said they could help her?"

“I don’t think the Council had anything concrete in mind, or if they did it was probably shit she'd already tried before." She shrugged. "I dunno. You'll have to ask her.”

Outside the speeder, she grinned and tossed him the keys. Her smile soon faded when she saw the state of the building. Usually it was Eloise who charged in lightsaber blazing while Diogo preferred a more measured approach. But for once the roles were reversed, with Dio rushing through the battered door ahead of her.

The interior of the shop was a mess, littered with dust and debris from the shootout. Mannequins lay dismembered on the floor, tattered rags clinging to their cracked limbs. Other racks and displays had been shredded by gunfire which tore through the walls.

Eloise removed her lightsaber hilt from her belt, ready to fight. But there was no enemy waiting for them, and though the damage to the shop was extensive, it was also not as fresh as it initially appeared. There were brooms and mops and signs of larger pieces of debris having been moved, the beginnings of an attempt at cleanup. Whatever had happened here, they had missed out on the action.

To the right, a splintered wooden counter marked the spot where the register had once been. Behind it was a backroom that seemed more tidied up than the rest of the building. Eloise made her way over there, stepping around piles of broken furniture, until she spotted a familiar figure.

Silhouetted by the orange glow of a fireplace, Thelma sat in a chair, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her head rested on her arm on top of a table, apparently asleep. Even in the dim firelight, Eloise saw that her face was still full of sharp angles and gaunt hollows. Even her hair looked limp and unhealthy, thin auburn strands trailing down her back. Eloise wasn’t sure whether she should be sad that the girl looked so frail, or be glad that it meant she hadn't victimized anyone lately.

Eloise took a cautious step forward, a piece of debris crackling noisily beneath her foot. Thelma’s eyes opened, her pupils glowing from within with a strange violet light. "Who's there?" she whispered, raising her head.

Diogo Talon​

 

[Diogo Talon]

“I don’t think the Council had anything concrete in mind, or if they did it was probably shit she'd already tried before."

"Maybe," he said curtly, not ready to accept the reality.

...

Diogo burst through the door and was met with an anti-climactic silence. He looked around. The place was practically like a war zone, riddled with bullet holes, trashed with broken furniture, and littered with torn up merchandize. Not all was as it initially seemed, though, as initial stages of clean-up were visible. As Dio traipsed around the shop, he heard a loud crackling from Eloise's direction, then an unfamiliar voice.

"Who's there?"

Diogo's attention snapped to the source. That had to be their vampiress. "We're friends!" he exclaimed, approaching the back room.

Thelma was so... small. Through the dim firelight, he could see how frail and unkempt she was. A disturbing image of neglect, it almost hurt to look at her. Dio's first instinct was to comfort the seamstress. Without thinking, he haphazardly rushed over, glass and debris crunching under his combat boots. He gently knelt beside the chair, scrutinizing Thelma's little face—all sharp, severe, and sleepy—and then gazed into her strange violet eyes. "I'm Dio. You know Eloise, I think." He gestured to El, waiting for a hint of recognition before he resumed. "Are you alright?"

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

"We're friends!"

Eloise shot Dio a look like a deer in headlights, before hastily adding, "Hey, Thelma. It's Eloise Dinn. Do you remember me?"

"I remember—" Thelma started to reply, only for Diogo to suddenly fill her field of vision as he came stomping over, crushing glass and other debris underfoot. When he knelt down beside her, she leaned back slightly, uncertain as to why he was getting so close to her.

"Are you alright?"

"I am... fine," she answered, glancing at Eloise. "It's nice to see you. Sorry about the mess."

Eloise kept her distance, silently hoping Dio would realize he was coming on a little too strong and take a step back. "What happened here?" she asked.

"A shootout."

"I can see that. But why would anyone shoot up a tailor?"

"It's a long story," Thelma murmured. She rose to her feet, removing the blanket from her shoulders. Bony white hands carefully folded it. "But the ones responsible have been taken care of, and the shop is technically open for business again. I just... haven't been keeping the best sleep schedule." She laid the blanket on the counter. As Eloise had described, her dark blue dress covered as much skin as possible. "Can I get you anything? Some water, perhaps?"

Given the state of the place, it was probably all that she had available. "Uh, sure," Eloise answered. "I'll take some water." As Thelma went over to the sink in the back, she shot Dio a wincing look. Doing business with her right now almost felt mean, but at the same time she could use the money to help rebuild the shop... "We were actually hoping to commission you, if you're open."

"Oh?" Thelma's head popped up, clearly interested. If there was one thing Eloise knew about Thelma, it was that the little vamp loved to make clothes. "What did you have in mind?"

Diogo Talon​

 

[Diogo Talon]

Thelma was fine and not in danger. Dio blinked. But she looked so meek and sickly, like she needed help... what gives? His instinct to comfort her didn't disappear, but thinned as the sense of urgency bled away.

Dio backed off, letting Eloise and Thelma converse. Apparently there had been a shootout and the ones responsible had been 'taken care of,' whatever that meant. That begged the questions, who were they after and why? Was Thelma the target, or did she have some shady clientele?

When the vampiress went over to the sink, Eloise winced at Dio. He shrugged in return, then meandered towards one of the dismembered mannequins, stopping to brush his hand across the soft silk of a tattered rag.

"Oh?" Thelma's head popped up, clearly interested. If there was one thing Eloise knew about Thelma, it was that the little vamp loved to make clothes. "What did you have in mind?"

The little seamstress perked up, which elicited a smile from Diogo. Eloise was the fashionista of the relationship, so he left space for her to answer Thelma's question, merely chiming in with a, "I hear Darhtagian fashion is pretty cool."

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise also had lingering questions about what the hell was going on with Thelma. But the vampiress looked so pitiful, she felt sorry for her almost to the point of not wanting to bother. Almost. She was still Eloise Dinn, the bluntest weapon in the Jedi Order’s arsenal. As Thelma handed her a glass of water, she cut straight to the point. “You look like a fething skeleton.”

Thelma hesitated, taken aback by her bluntness. “I eat food every day. It’s enough to keep me alive, but…”

“I get that,” Eloise said, recalling that she had mentioned something along those lines at her trial. She could eat regular food, but it wasn’t all that nutritious for her, barely staving off starvation. “I just thought you’d have figured out a better solution for your, uh… hunger by now.” In fact, Thelma had made it sound like she was going to give in to her urges. That was the whole reason why the Council imprisoned her—not just because she was a vampire, but because she implied she was going to start feeding on people. Yet her present state indicated she was still starving herself.

“There is no better solution.” Thelma sighed. “I don’t do this because I like being weak and malnourished. I do it because the alternative is worse. Not just because people will lose their memories—something they can never get back, unlike blood or energy—but because I absorb the memories I consume. They become a part of me.” Her expression grew incredibly sad, her voice soft and afraid. “My mother went mad because of it. She couldn't differentiate between her own memories and the ones she consumed. I don’t want to end up like her.” Turning away, she hid her face from them, trying to recover her composure. “Now… You said you wanted a commission?”

It was clear Thelma didn’t want to talk about it anymore, and Eloise wasn’t cruel enough to push the issue. “Yeah,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I want something that will help make my hair being two different colors look less weird. A headdress, I guess. Nothing too crazy. Here, I have some pictures…”

While she took out her datapad to show Thelma her ideas, the front door of the shop opened and a cloaked figure stepped inside...

Diogo Talon​