Private Mr. Crowley

[Eloise Dinn]

"You mean those prisons - sorry, rehabilitation centers - that are now all in Sith space?" Eloise quipped sarcastically, impaling the guard at the gate with her lightsaber. "I bet he'd be totally secure--" She lopped the arms off another guard. "--and would never escape from those!"

Or be let loose, for that matter.

Nah, death was the only way to be sure Anton would never hurt anyone ever again. There were other Anzati out there, sure, but this one was gone for good. Eloise was content with that. She was going to sleep good tonight.

Not the least because she was exhausted from this whole affair.

<I'm getting off this planet,> Eloise said telepathically. <My ship is in Hangar 428 at the Rian Starport.>

All that remained once they left the compound was to report the news to Nika... and maybe have a civil conversation with Dio. Provided he didn't simply bolt as soon as the job was done.

Diogo​

 

[Diogo]

"Hmm," Diogo replied, between deflecting blaster bolts. "Maybe not Azreal, then, but the High Republic must have a place like it."

People could - and did - escape from rehabilitation centers, sure, but nothing was set in stone. Which was funny, 'cus he couldn't have pictured himself thinking that even just a few hours ago.

<I'll meet you there,> he promised.

And not just because he was credit-less and couldn't afford to pay his docking fee...

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

At some point Eloise was bound to get tired of public transit. Finding a functional starship she could afford was another matter, but she had managed to scrounge up enough credits for an old freighter. It was small, cramped, and held together by haphazard repairs and hope, but it was all hers.

She arrived roughly two hours after the duel with Anton ended, having taken a few extra steps to make sure she wasn't followed. Sinking into the cockpit, she kicked on the comms and contacted Nika.

"Crowley's dead," Eloise said. "Where's my money?" She had an upcoming payment due on this dump.

"I noticed." Nika's hologram fizzled to life, hovering over the cockpit controls. Her cig was missing and her coat was pulled up to her cheeks as she slumped in her chair. "You could have been more subtle about it."

"I'm not subtle. The job is done, and if that's not enough for you, well..."

Nika sank further into her chair, her expression silently contorting. It reminded Eloise of a hissing loth-cat, lashing out in terror. For all her power and influence, Nika was afraid of the Jedi. As she had every right to be, after what the Jedi had put her through. Deft hands typed and tapped on an unseen screen. "I've transmitted the payment to your account."

"Thanks," Eloise said with a smirk. "Have a nice life." She cut the connection, then leaned back in her chair. Diogo had better hurry his ass up. She didn't want to stay here any longer than she had to...

Diogo​

 

[Diogo]

Diogo input the password: C00LG1RL67

The entry pad buzzed a rejection at him. He could've sworn Eloise used that password for things, but maybe he just misremembered it or she started using something more sophisticated.

"Hey!" he shouted, waving at the freighter door camera. "Let me in!"

Diogo stood there with a large backpack slung around one shoulder, a hand resting on the handle of a hoversled stacked with several crates of nuna jerky.

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

The sound of the door failing to unlock drew Eloise's attention before she saw Dio on the camera. What the hell was he doing, trying to guess the code? And was that a crate he was dragging along behind him? She immediately grabbed the intercom mic. "What's in the crate?" she asked. If he thought he could move in with her after everything, he deserved to be stranded...

Upon learning that it was just foodstuffs, she unlocked the door and let him in. The interior of the freighter showed its age, and not in a trendy vintage way - more like a old person's house with furnishings and appliances that were at least forty years out of date. But it was clean and didn't stink, at least.

She didn't waste any time launching once Diogo was aboard. The ship rose into the air, leaving the atmosphere of Frego behind, then jumped to hyperspace as soon as possible. "I'm headed to the Vonnuvi," she said. "Unless you've got someplace you need to be."

Diogo​

 

[Diogo]

"Nuna jerky!" he said proudly, with a big dumb smile. "And lots of it. Bought it on a crazy good sale."

Eloise's freighter wasn't too shabby, he decided. Outdated certainly, but it smelled nice and had its own little charm.

She hastily put them into hyperspace and Diogo was grateful to see Frego in the rearview.

"Nope, got no place to be," he said, mouthful of stale, stringy jerky. He held out the stick of nuna, "want some?"

Diogo casually sank into a seat with a sigh.

"The Vonnuvi, huh? You've spent a lot of time there, but I've never been. Kind of exciting."

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise turned her chair around to face him. Her expression was stony as he flopped in his seat and tried to make small talk.

"Do you expect things to just go back to the way they were before you left?" she muttered.

She turned away, finding that she couldn't stand to look at him anymore. It brought back too many memories. Instead she stared out the viewport window at the stars streaking past, her brow furrowed in thought.

"I looked for you," she said after several moments of silence. "As much as I could, with a war going on and the Alliance collapsing around me. You covered your tracks well. When I couldn't find you, I threw myself into working as a healer. Took comfort in the old Jedi Code. Attachments make you selfish. They distract from what's important." She shrugged. "When the GA fell, I started looking for somebody new. A new faction, a new boyfriend. After all, I didn't want to end up like my mother, switching loyalties every few years and spending more time waiting for my daddy to come back than she ever actually spent with him."

She was getting off track, uttering the last few words with vehemence born of old resentment. Sighing, she jumped straight to the point. "What I'm trying to say is, it's too late to try again. I've moved on. We're done."

Diogo​

 

[Diogo]

"No, of course not," Diogo replied quickly, then fell silent.

His nonchalance had been a default response. Navigating a moment like this was... not his specialty. Running away was more his speed.

But his mood turned pensive when she began to speak, starting with a summary of her last few months and ending - as most things did with Eloise - on her mother. He felt pity for her, then. Resentment was a schutta.

He wanted to comfort her.

He wanted to tell her I missed you.

But the rift between them had grown too large. A chasm where those sorts of things lost their power.

"Yeah, no," he responded, rubbing his neck. "I wasn't expecting anything different."

Diogo paused for a while, unsure what to say. He still wanted to comfort her, but didn't.

"Well, I plan on stickin' 'round," he said finally. "So, I was hoping we could still be friends... maybe fight together again. That felt good."

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. The last stronghold of her anger was overtaken as he spoke, the understanding in his words defeating it.

"It did," she agreed. He wanted to be friends. She didn't know what she wanted with him. Not yet, anyway. "What will you do now?" she asked, meeting his gaze. A lot would depend on whether or not he was even around, whether his circles intersected even remotely with hers.

She felt exhausted and drained, but surprisingly hopeful. Anton Crowley, Diogo Talon, revenge and heartbreak - it was all over now. She could finally end this turbulent chapter of her life and turn to a new page. Closure is so underrated in this day and age, she thought, her eyelids lowering to half mast as she exhaled a long sigh. I don't know how anybody can just keep going on and on without it.

Diogo​

 

[Diogo]

Eloise seemed to take that well. She wasn't angry anymore, which to call rare would be a massive understatement. She remained tight lipped about remaining friends though. That made things quite awkward, if he said so himself.

His contemplative gaze shifted to the viewport, back to Eloise, back to the viewport.

"Kill Sith, especially The Covenant," he replied after a pause. "They looted a million dead corpses on Tapani, ravaged the Core. That can't go unanswered. I also need to find a master so I can complete my training. If one would even take me. I dunno, maybe I'll head to the High Republic. They got the resources, if nothing else. Added bonus: Southern Systems kinda rolls off the tongue."

The southeastern border of the Republic was also closest to Niamos, to home. But he kept that deeply personal reason to himself. They were like strangers now. He didn't share his personal life with strangers. Most of the time.

"What are your plans?"

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Fighting Sith sounded good to her. She nodded her head. He mentioned joining the High Republic. She shrugged. "The leadership of their Jedi Order don't seem to like me much. But then most people don't like me much." Still, the Republic had its uses, like he said.

"Keep killing bad guys. Keep training. Amani's busy being Queen of Alderaan, but... I don't know that I want a different master." After years of friction, they had finally become friends, she realized. It felt good to know.

"I'm sick of the faction bullshit. I go wherever there's things that need doing. That includes the Republic." So they would be around each other. She chanced a small smile, almost a smirk, but not so arrogant. "I guess we can be friends, then."

She stood up. "I need to sleep. You look like you could use some rest too. There's a bunk on the port side. Sheets should be clean, but there are fresh ones in the drawers if you want them."

Diogo​