Private Wondering about Wonders

[Willow & Ivy]

Willow leaned her head against Ivy's, her brows furrowed with concern as the latter bore witness to the abuse that Miri had endured. The twins knew what that was like, yet they didn't have the gift of being able to throw people like Miri had. Still, the pain that she had felt was all the same, as were the emotions that went along with it. The want to protect ones' self, yet feeling almost powerless to do so, as well as being driven into doing something that they didn't want to do.

But to the task at hand. Ivy was well on her way, having identified the correct strand that led from Miri to Thetis. She followed it, almost hearing the crashes of thunder in her ears as she went. It slowed her down, yet Ivy pressed on.

The club was not entirely different from where Willow and Ivy resided now. The same types of people were in there, the same dynamics of the weak falling prey to the strong, manipulated to serve causes much bigger than themselves. Everyone was a pawn to someone.

And here Thetis was a pawn too. The hidden face and sense of awareness over Ivy's presence was felt, yet it didn't cause her to pull away. Instead she merely remained where she was to observe.

"Ivy's found her. But....something else. Or someone else. It's hard to make out, but whomever it is, Thetis answers to them..."

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Thetis’ partner mentioned a man called the ‘Lord of Doubt’,” Inanna said. “He must be her master. Probably a Sith Lord of some kind...”

In Ivy’s vision, Thetis knelt before the faceless person. “I beg forgiveness,” she said, her head bowed low, almost touching the floor. “I have failed you. I was mistaken… I didn’t realize the significance… and by then it was too late.”

Portions of her speech were clearly missing, having been selectively muted. Her master knew Ivy and Willow were watching and listening, and while he didn’t stop them outright, he was obviously playing with the twins’ perception, only letting them glimpse what he permitted.

When the faceless one spoke, his voice was distorted, sounding neither male nor female, human nor alien. His words, spoken in Basic, could just barely be understood.

“You have done as I hoped you would,” he replied. “So I am pleased. But you failed to follow my orders. For that, I am displeased.”

Sparks flew, striking Thetis where she lay. She cried out in pain as the lightning burned her flesh. While she was still lying limp, twitching in agony, the faceless one snapped his still-smoking fingers. At his summons, an attractive man and a woman appeared, approaching Thetis on either side. Judging by their clothing, both were courtesans employed by the club. They helped Thetis to her feet and carried her away to a private room, muttering soothing words and trying to comfort her.

This bizarre scene unfolded before Ivy’s eyes unhindered. To the uninitiated, the faceless one’s actions must have seemed nonsensical, the ravings of a madman with too much power. But there was a deliberate method to all that he said and did, giving off the impression that he knew exactly what he was doing and why. He simply liked to keep people guessing.

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

Willow trained her eyes on Inanna Harth as she mentioned a Sith Lord. The twins had never been in the presence of one to their knowledge. But they knew that those days would be over soon enough. "Sith Lords are...about as cruel as many of the Crime Lords, and they are each self-serving."

Ivy continued to watch the scene unfold. She moved her consciousness about, trying to get a better grasp. Never before had someone deliberately hidden things from them. ~Willow, I may need you. Be ready...~ Individually the two were strong, yet together that strength doubled.

Her attention rested solely on the faceless one. ~Who are you? Why so shy?~

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Yes.” Inanna nodded in grim agreement with Willow’s assessment. “They wield a great power, but they use it for evil ends. To hurt people and exploit them.”

As she spoke, the Lord of Doubt focused on Ivy.

“You already know who I am,” he replied. “Just as I know who you are. But it does not matter. You are insignificant. A pair of pawns in a Hutt’s game.”

He stretched forward, grasping the thread connecting them in the Force. His touch was cold as ice, freezing the cord.

“Who sent you to find me?” he demanded. The sudden urgency in his tone was a break from his blasé attitude toward Thetis and the twins. “Was it Arimanes? Is he there…?”

When no answer was readily given, the Sith began pressuring Ivy, embedding into her like a thorn in her flesh. But this thorn was seeking information, trying to catch a glimpse through her eyes and use her mouth as his own—perhaps it was more like a worm, burrowing into her mind, seeking to seize control.

“Arimanes, can you hear me? How do you like my gift? A bit unscientific, I know, but you ought to understand by now how things are. I keep hearing these rumors about you, that you’re really taken with the girl… Did I play a part in bringing you two together? Heh, isn’t that sweet. But you won’t be able to control her for long. Why don’t you come down and see me? I’ll hook you up so that you can have that power, too. Be her master as well as her father.”

He had not yet realized that “Arimanes” was not the one who had hired the twins. Inanna’s presence remained unknown to him—so far.

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

Willow felt the call from her sister. She turned her focus away from Inanna Harth , knowing that the lady would probably understand. And as her consciousness dove inward, the same faraway look that was in Ivy's eyes appeared in her own.

While Willow followed the strands that would lead to where her sister was, Ivy narrowed her eyes slightly at the boldness of the Faceless One. ~You're a bully, that's what you are. No better than a Hutt or a weak little crimeboss. You-- ~ Her words were cut off as he touched the strand that connected them. The bitter coldness caused her to let out a little shriek. No one had ever done that before! Ivy didn't know how to react. And as the Faceless one pierced her mind, she cried out the only thing that ever came to mind when she found herself in a situation that she couldn't control by herself. ~WILLOW!!!~

Like a bolt of lightning, Willow appeared, surging through the thread and driving a blast of Force Energy into the Faceless One, meaning to push him back and out of Ivy's mind. ~Leave her alone!!~ Willow was usually the quiet one, yet when push came to shove and her sister was getting hurt, it burned a fire within her that tended to cause her to lash out.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna’s eyes widened in shock and horror as the situation rapidly unraveled. She heard the Faceless One’s speech as it issued forth from Ivy’s mouth. Arimanes… then it was true. He already knew that Nimdok was really Arimanes. That was why he had taken Miri—

The confirming of Inanna's suspicions was undercut by the violent takeover being foisted upon Ivy. Willow fought off the Sith’s assault on her sister, and for a time it seemed to be working. Ivy started to regain control, leaning on her sister for support.

But the dual presences of the twins were now fully apparent to the Sith. They each had individual cords, but they were forever bound together in the Force. The Lord of Doubt needed only to take hold of the thread at the base of the knot to affect them both. The bitter cold was replaced by another extreme—lightning blazing up the strand, arcing toward the sisters.

Inanna sensed its approach. She could hardly believe what was happening, but she couldn’t stand by and let it happen. Without thinking twice, she leaned forward and placed her hands on the girls’ shoulders.

“Get out of there!” she exclaimed. “I’ve learned plenty from this—don’t risk your lives trying to find out more. Save yourselves!”

Even as she spoke, she seized the thread connecting them to the Sith right as the electricity was about to reach them, diverting the energy into herself instead.

Her mind exploded—and yet, it was not as painful as she expected it to be. The Lord of Doubt had noticed the change in target and stopped halfway through his attack, puzzled.

“Who are you?” he demanded. "You're not what I expected..."

Inanna stood paralyzed. She had thought only to take the twins’ punishment for intruding on the Sith Lord’s domain upon herself. Now that she was in there with them, she realized how vulnerable she was in comparison. Weak-minded, susceptible to mental domination, and utterly defenseless despite her sparse Jedi training, she could only stand still and await her fate.

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

Punishment. The twins were used to that. More often than not, they tended to be struck or starved or locked in a room. Yet this was entirely different. First cold and then the heat of electricity touched them through the precious chords they followed that connected everyone through the Force.

That is until Inanna Harth stepped in to take the assault for them. Only one person had ever put their life on the line for the twins before, and that was Shea. Her life was taken, snuffed out by a greedy crimelord that wanted the girls' gifts for profit.

They couldn't let that happen again.

Using the distraction that stopped the Lord of Doubt's attack, the twins held their hands, summoning up their strength and courage. They brought it up like a battering ram, striking a powerful blow on the Sith Lord's chest before gripping Inanna's arms and pulling her back with them into consciousness.

Their flight was quick, the twins popping back into reality gasping for breath. Beads of sweat poured from their foreheads as they held onto Inanna in tight hug as though she was a part of them too.

"...That..was..."

"...exciting!"

Willow looked to Ivy in shock. They had just had their first encounter with a Sith Lord and she liked it? Sure it was different than their usual day to day, but it was also very dangerous.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Just as suddenly as it began, the nightmare ended. Inanna was pulled back to reality by Willow and Ivy, returning to the twins’ suite within the Hutt’s palace. The sisters were physically clinging to her, just as they had mentally dragged her consciousness away from the Sith Lord’s malevolent presence.

Despite the taxing, frightening ordeal, Ivy was almost enthusiastic. Willow less so. The girls appeared shaken, but largely unharmed.

Inanna was similarly breathless, but she was far more stricken then them. After all, she had more of a reason to be disturbed. This sudden hostile encounter with the person she had been looking for—though she had come here seeking his servant, finding the Lord of Doubt had been her ultimate goal—hadn’t been part of her plans.

Since her private investigation into Miri’s abduction had begun, she had relied on the element of surprise. The enemy she was chasing would expect Nimdok to be their pursuer; instead it would be his friend, about whom they knew nothing, who would seek justice. But now, in just one fateful encounter, the Sith Lord had become aware of Inanna’s existence.

“I… I’m sorry,” Inanna said at last, slowly disentangling herself from the twins. Her arms were still human, and her skin was still mauve—her mask remained fixed in place despite the electrical shock she had received. “I had no idea… how dangerous it would be. If I had known, I wouldn’t have asked this of you.”

Willow and Ivy had certainly proved their mettle, facing off against the Sith Lord with their combined strength. But Inanna couldn’t abide placing innocent people in danger. They had nothing to do with Miri, Nimdok, Inanna, or their problems. This wasn’t their fight, and they shouldn’t have to put their lives and wellbeing on the line because of it. At least, not without knowing what they were getting themselves into—though clearly Inanna herself hadn’t known how far this affair would take them in the beginning.

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

The sudden shift in Inanna Harth 's mood drew Willow's attention away from her sister. The empathy could easily be felt, mixed in with the fear, shock and surprise at what had occured. "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself."

"Yes, one of these days we'll encounter one like him in the flesh. We'll have to be prepared. At least we know some of what they can do."

Willow swallowed a growing lump in her throat. As far as they knew, no one else had seen the strands of webbings in the Force like they did. And here was an individual that not only saw them, but touched them as well and used them against the twins. It was a dangerous thought. The twins; with practice; could probably do the very same thing. Yet it would be vengeful and wrong. Perhaps only to protect themselves would they even consider such an option.

"Who was that man?"

 

[Inanna Harth]

Their reassurances were appreciated, but Inanna still felt bad about the whole situation. Much of the negativity stemmed from her own personal stake in the matter, though—she was still in shock at everything they had discovered today.

“I don’t know,” she answered. “I assume it must be the Lord of Doubt. Thetis clearly abducted Miri on his orders. And based on what he said through you, he must have known Nimdok many years ago, long before Miri was born.” She hesitated, realizing some explanation was in order. “Nimdok went by a different name then. He was the ‘Arimanes’ the Sith spoke of. I... I'm afraid they may have worked together at one point.”

The ramifications of what she had learned were truly staggering. What did Nimdok have to do with a Sith Lord, let alone one as vicious as this one? It was clear that the Lord of Doubt saw himself as almost a friend to Nimdok—he certainly seemed convinced he had done the man a favor by kidnapping and experimenting on his daughter, describing her unstable powers as a “gift” and taking credit for “bringing them together”. Not to mention offering him the same power… what kind of awful, horrible business were the two of them involved in?

She would have to find out for herself. And the only way she could see of doing that was to dig her way inside the Sith Empire and seize the information at its source.

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

"Worked together? Was he a Sith Lord too?" Ivy was careful to use the word 'was', for it was clear that that was no longer the case.

Willow was certain that she was going to look for more answers once Inanna Harth left them. And if Ivy wasn't going to help; which she knew wasn't a possibility, then she'd do so in the middle of the night when they were supposed to be sleeping. Not tonight for it was far too soon. But on a later day. She wanted to see how this would all turn out.

 

[Inanna Harth]

At Ivy’s delicately phrased question, Inanna shook her head vigorously. “No, certainly not. He was a scientist. When I say I think they may have worked together, I’m assuming he didn’t know the Lord of Doubt was a Sith at the time—in fact, Nimdok mentioned something about a science experiment he was involved in that was funded by people with bad intentions. They could have been Sith.”

She spread her hands in a bewildered shrug. “I can’t be certain of anything until I find Thetis. You’ve put me on the right track as far as locating her. Thank you for that.”

The twins had accepted her request for their help without discussing payment, and she got the impression that they wouldn’t ask her for anything in return. Still, for all the trouble she had caused them, she felt like she should at least offer a gift of some kind.

At the flick of her wrist, a small violet crystal appeared at the center of her palm. This was not a magic trick, though it looked very similar to sleight of hand—in reality, her species had the ability to hide small objects within their bodies and produce them at will.

“This is a Lorrdian gemstone,” she said, holding the crystal between her fingers. “It’s worth a lot of credits, and it also has many interesting properties for Force users. Having it with you will make it easier for you to predict the actions of others.” She smirked sadly. “It was given to me as payment for doing something I’m not proud of. But since you two have helped me, I'd like for you to have it.”

She held out her hand so they could take the gem from her.

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

Ivy nodded at the answer to her question. Nemdok's behaviour and the warmth of his thread didn't seem to bare any resemblance to the one that the Sith Lord had, which was a good thing. The twins didn't want to be so easily duped by another. That wouldn't bode well for them at all.

"Be careful of Thetis. She's scared and aims to please.That makes her unpredictable, but not entirely a lost cause either. Right now it's hard to say which is which."

As Inanna Harth held out the crystal for them, both twins looked to it and her. Were they supposed to give it to Broka the Hutt ? Surely his cameras caught footage of their whole meeting here. Would he even be interested in it? Or would the twins be able to keep it for themselves? Maybe it was best not to risk it.

"Thank you, but that's far too much for what we had done. Nimdok could maybe use it? Perhaps instead, you could offer us your friendship? We like you and it's not very easy or common for us to find those that we can trust." Outside of Shea, they had never had any friends but eachother.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Oh, she had plans for Thetis… the woman was the key to unlocking this mystery, a way into the center of the web. Yet Inanna could see where Willow was coming from. She didn’t intend to kill Thetis unless her hand was forced, nor did she want to make her suffer. All she wanted was justice.

Inanna blinked in surprise as the twins refused the gemstone and asked for her friendship instead. “Well, people usually grow to be friends over time, at least in my experience…” she murmured, the corners of her mouth curling upwards. “I suppose we’ve had a bonding experience here, and I certainly wouldn’t mind being your friend.”

Her fingers formed a fist around the gemstone, absorbing it back into her body. Then she stood up.

“I’m afraid I can’t stay here any longer,” she said. “If anyone questions you about me, tell them… tell them I’m with Red.”

She was of course referring to Subject 73 Red , who was also involved in the investigation. Red claimed to have connections with the Hutts, so perhaps Broka could be put at ease knowing Inanna was not an enemy sent to infiltrate his palace, but a free and independent agent.

“You can call on me for help if you need it,” Inanna said. “Here, let me give you my contact information…” Even though the twins were incredible telepaths whose minds could stretch across the galaxy and touch other consciousnesses, it couldn’t hurt to have a holonet address or private frequency on hand just in case.

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

Maybe others would covet such a gift, but not the twins. They didn't carry any possessions. No weapons, no jewelry; nothing. They were far too used to having everything stripped from them. The only thing that they could ever count on was eachother.

Maybe a friendship would be a little harder to take away. Inanna Harth surely wasn't going to suffer the same fate as Shea did. And even if Broka denied them the ability to see her again, at least they had their own method of contacting her.

The twins smiled as she agreed, although those smiles faded a little as she informed them of her departure. They got to their feet in unison as she rose, taking the information in hand. "Good luck with your journey. And if you need us, well...you know where to find us."

"Activity will be growing here soon. So be careful." The Galaxy was always rolling with conflicts. The only differences were where theose conflicts took place. And soon it would be here too.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna curtsied, as she always did for people who earned her respect. “Good luck to you too. I’ll be careful. Farewell.”

With that, she left them. Rather than heading back to the atrium to rejoin the other dancers, she slipped away, making for the nearest window. No doubt the cameras would be following her, but she wasn’t concerned about getting caught. She hadn’t been paid yet—if she walked out without a word, the choreographer would perhaps be annoyed by the missing Twi’lek in his next number, but they couldn’t claim she had stolen money.

After opening the window, her body began to shrink in size, sprouting feathers and wings. She became a small common bird and promptly flew away, leaving the palace of Broka the Hutt behind.

Willow & Ivy