Private Wondering about Wonders

[Willow & Ivy]

Inanna Harth

The Palace of Broka the Hutt on Nar Shaddaa was immense, with sprawling rooms and high ceilings. Yet that could also be because it was built for a Hutt, well known for their displays of grandieur and wealth.

All of it was quite a lot for Willow and Ivy to take in. Yet they were lucky, for right now the two had only a small portion of the Palace to wander. They weren't even allowed outside but for stepping out onto the porch in their suite. Even then, security cameras kept watch, both hidden and in plain sight. A few guards followed them around whenever they left their suit, most especially when they were in one of the popular atriums filled with guests, courtiers, councellors, bands, dancers and sometimes Broka himself.

Before being employed by the crimeboss, Willow and Ivy were held by a much smaller crimeboss, Nartuck. He didn't treat them well, forced them to use their gifts as though they were some kind of fortune tellers. The lines of people desperate for their help lasted through all the daylight hours. There were no breaks, so the twins often found themselves exhausted.

But here it was different. At the Palace they had so much spare time that they didn't know what to do with it. They helped their newly hired seamstress to make them specialized clothing that allowed them to show off a bit of their individuality.

At the atrium they were starting to get used to being ignored for the most part. At times it was nice to not be bothered. Yet after a while it was starting to get....boring.

Ivy had taken up drinking a glass of whiskey nearly every day, while Willow chose the more non-alcoholic way to pass the time; just by people-watching.

Yet both had the sinking feeling that tiday was going to be a bit different.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna heard about the twins from a friend whose stories she trusted. They were always a step above the usual rumors and gossip. Sure enough, his tale of a pair of powerful psychics literally joined at the hip since birth had proven to possess more than a kernel of truth.

The problem was, the girls were located on Nar Shaddaa, easily Inanna's least favorite planet. Even worse, they were being held—some might say confined—in the restricted palace of one Broka the Hutt. Upon learning this, she determined not only to request the girls’ help, but to offer her assistance in return. If they were being held against their will, she would help them escape.

Her first attempt at getting into the palace didn’t go over very well. In her usual form, she had simply walked up to the gate, flashed some fake credentials, and demanded to be allowed to see Broka. The guards had laughed, then ignored her.

Retreating, she kept an eye out for anything that might give her a leg in. She managed to hear about a casting call looking for a replacement dancer. (It looked like someone had recently been fired, though she didn’t know the exact details.) She assumed the form of a mauve-skinned Twi’lek, and after a coquettish audition, she soon found herself in the Hutt’s palace, wearing an uncomfortable costume. She felt sorry for these poor dancers, having to bump and grind for a giant worm while clad in skimpy torture devices. Then again, she found herself feeling sorry for most people these days…

As she followed the other scantily-clad women into the atrium, her eyes scanned the crowds. There were a lot more people here than she expected—the room was densely packed with guests, servants, and sycophants. She had no choice but to play along, following the dance routine they had rehearsed beforehand. As she spun and leaped around, she kept searching, searching…

There! Two young women sitting very close together. Their clothes were different in style, but their faces were identical. They were surrounded by guards—that might pose a problem. Well, she’d just have to wait and see...

After their performance, the dancers were permitted a break. The other women quickly filed off to the kitchens to get something to eat, or to secret rendezvous with some of the more important guests.

Meanwhile, Inanna approached the twins, hoping she could reach them.

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

Willow and Ivy watched the dancers as they came in and performed, each wondering what it was like to be separate instead of attached together. But such thoughts were always fleeting. They held eachothers hand, interlocking their fingers and knowing that such a thing wouldn't happen. They'd be lost without the other. So much so that they both felt deep inside that when one of them dies, the other would shortly follow. Their physical and spiritual bond was too strong for them to gain any sort of independence.

After the dance was over, they caught sight of one of the dancers approaching them. Ivy tilted her head to the side a bit as she studied her, while Willow squinted her eyes a little. There was something...different about her, yet neither could put a finger on it.

Their guards kept watch, yet didn't make any movements to interfere.

Willow offered Inanna Harth a small smile in greeting. "Hello. You dance very beautifully. What's your name?"

 

[Inanna Harth]

One of the twins spoke.

“Thank you,” Inanna replied, returning the girl's smile. “My name is Inanna. I just started working here today.” She glanced at the other sister, who had remained silent. “Are you two ladies guests of Broka? What are your names?”

So far, the guards hadn’t reacted to her presence beyond watching her closely. She hoped it would stay that way.

Above all, she needed confirmation that they were the psychic conjoined twins she was looking for. If they weren’t, she would have to get out of here fast.

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

Ivy gave Inanna Harth her attention too as she approached. Although it was Willow that spoke up first to her. She was always the gentler of the two.

In response to her questions, the two sat up a little straighter, in unison. Yet it was Ivy that replied. "Oh no, we work for Broka. It's our first time getting paid for anything. Isn't that wild?"

"I'm Willow. This is Ivy. How long have you been dancing for?"

Outside of speaking with Broka when he's called for them, the two hadn't really conversed with anyone since Shea, their caretaker was killed a while ago.

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Very pretty names,” Inanna said, the positive remark as much a reaction to the confirmed identity of the twins as it was a compliment.

Now to get down to business.

“Well, to be honest… not for very long,” Inanna replied to Willow’s question. “I did some dancing on Coruscant, but it was only a small part of my job there.” A shameful job that she preferred not to discuss, even with the anonymity provided by a different face.

“I certainly hope you’re getting paid for your work, especially if you’re employed by someone as rich as Broka—unless you’re only asked to sit here and look lovely.” She winked, but there was a note of sympathy in her tone. The blunt sarcasm of Ivy's words seemed a clear indication of mistreatment at the hands of their previous employers. Perhaps the two young women couldn't help but see their current situation as a vast improvement, even if they were indeed confined to the Hutt's palace, as Inanna had heard.

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

The two smiled at Inanna Harth 's remarks. They hadn't come across anyone so polite and complimentary before. It was strange, yet neither felt the need to distrust it. Yes life had been harsh for them, but there was always hope that it wouldn't always be so.

"For one that hasn't danced for long, you do so wonderfully and with such grace.

"And we aren't paid to just sit here. More so...just to talk to him when he needs our council. That's all. It's not a very demanding job, a far cry from what we used to do. And this is a much better place to live than where we were before. In time we'll be able to go outside and maybe even to travel." Willow and Ivy were barred from many places within the Palace, and even from going out to the markets. Yet they were assured that they'd gain the privileges in the future, so long as they behaved and followed Broka's rules.

 

[Inanna Harth]

"That's certainly high praise, especially considering that I'm not even really a Twi'lek, let alone a trained dancer," Inanna replied quietly to Willow's comment.

Having already let this little secret slip, she decided to risk mentioning that she knew who and what they were.

"Ah, but if I'm not really what I seem, you certainly are exactly as you appear." She dropped her voice still lower. "You're the psychic twins, aren't you? Word of your abilities has spread as far as Wild Space - you've already become legends there," she said. "And I won't lie - part of the reason I approached you is because I knew who you are and what you ladies are capable of. I have my own reasons for seeking you out, but not to worry. I won't try to force you to do anything you don't want to do."

Taking a deep breath, she added, "When you do get a chance to travel - and I certainly hope you can soon, for it's a wonderful adventure - you'll probably encounter many more people who have heard of you. People who will want to exploit you just as surely as..." She paused, glancing up at the guards. "...As your previous employers. But there are ways of getting around that, especially if you're gifted in the Force."

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

Willow took hold of Ivy's hand as Inanna Harth let them know that she wasn't what she appeared to be, interlocking their fingers as though that would assure her that she was there. But such a thing wasn't necessary as they were literally attached to eachother.

Neither had expected that they were known about elsewhere; let alone as legends. The two hardly ever dove into their own future. In a life where everyone asked for their futures to be told or lost items found; they prefered to maintain some mysteries. Afterall, the future wasn't set in stone.

Inanna seemed quite cautious in speaking with them, the atrium not exactly a secrative location. The guards probably didn't help either.

"We are who you suspect we are. And if you seek our help, then it would be better if we were in a quieter room." In unison, the twins got to their feet. This wasn't against Broka's rules, not as far as they could tell.

"Privacy is a luxury we don't have yet. But you may be more comfortable in our suite." Guards were always posted outside of their suite. And cameras kept watch over them at all times. Broka was no fool. He didn't want to lose them.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna breathed a slight sigh of relief as the twins’ shock faded into acceptance. She had dealt with people who were less than thrilled to find out she was a changeling, and she was grateful they seemed to be taking the news gracefully.

More than that, she was in.

Glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching, she followed the twins and their guards out of the atrium. Her “lekku”, which had none of the real thing’s sensitivity or vulnerability, patted her back softly as she walked.

“You have to earn your privacy?” Inanna murmured incredulously at Ivy's comment. Well, wasn’t that just pitiful… although she suspected Willow and Ivy didn’t mind it as much as she would, were she in their place. The twins’ conjoinment meant that they could never have privacy from each other, after all.

Once they were out of the crowded atrium, things got considerably quieter (or as quiet as it could be despite all the decorative beads and jewelry she was wearing clacking together with every step she took). The palace really was a nice place—certainly not bad for the home of a Hutt. Now that was one species she hoped she never had to shift into…

The guards accompanying Willow and Ivy promptly resumed their posts outside the door to their suite. Inanna also took notice of the cameras watching their every move, and decided not to change her form. There was really no reason for her to skinshift here anyway, unless things got hairy for whatever reason. She remained, to outward appearances, just another Twi’lek dancer.

Inside the suite, with the door closed, Inanna tried to stand as still as possible to minimize the annoying noise of her own movements, lest she drive herself insane. She looked at the twins and opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated.

“Your abilities—they don’t do you any harm, do they?” she asked tentatively. “Do you feel any pain or weakness after using them?”

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

"We have to earn everything. Through good work and loyalty, our privleges will increase. Yet the same could be said with others, couldn't it? People earn credits for hard work and it takes time before they can earn enough to travel or shop." At least that was about what they could determine from the things that they had seen in their line of work. A normal life was about as surreal to them as a holomovie. It was forever out of their grasp. They would never experience having families of their own, or love outside of what they shared for eachother. Yet it was being together that saved them from any feeling of loneliness. Such a concept didn't exist to them.

Once they were inside of their suite, the twins seemed more relaxed. They didn't feel the need to hang onto eachother as much. Inanna Harth seemed a little distressed however.

"That depends on the task. Some items we are made to tuch bring pain, but that is if it is in the nature of the item; like if it is a blade of some kind or a blaster. Weakness comes if we have to delve far and deep to seek the answers people want."

"But we have eachother to help ourselves pull through." There were times when they were forced to combine their efforts, thereby doubling their strength and weird of the Force. Yet the twins tried to avoid doing that if they could.

"What is it that you're looking for?" Obviously they were sought out. The question was why the search was worth the effort of seeking them out. Perhaps all other avenues were lost.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna chewed her lip. She wasn’t sure how taxing her request would be, but she had run out of leads to follow on her own.

“I’m looking for someone,” she explained. “A woman who… did some very bad things to my friend’s daughter. I want to make her pay for what she did, and stop her from hurting anyone else.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know much about her. She called herself Thetis Suzerain, but that probably isn’t her real name... Would you need anything else in order to find her?”

Thetis had vanished without a trace. If Willow and Ivy couldn’t find her, the only other option was to go into the heart of the Sith Empire and start asking around—a task Inanna found daunting, to say the least. If the twins could narrow down Thetis’ location, even just to a region or a system, it would give her a place to start looking.

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

Both twins looked to Inanna Harth with the same expression on their faces, one of concern. Most often it was people looking for lost loved ones. Yet here was one lady looking for someone that harmed the daughter of a dear friend. It was sweet. Perhaps that was why she changed her appearance.

Willow and Ivy moved over to their couch and sat down, slipping themselves back so that they could sit a little cross-legged, with Ivy's knee above Willow's. There was a chair nearby, to which Willow gestured. "Please sit down. We'll need to touch you. Have you seen this woman before? If so we'll be able to see her through your memories and get a better connection." Such a thing always made it easier than looking for a needle in a haystack. Yet they were prepared for searching in the haystack as well. To find a needle, one merely needed a magnet. And that was what the twins were.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna sat in the chair across from them, her posture relaxed, but not slouching.

“Actually, I haven’t met Thetis,” she admitted. “I’ve seen pictures of her—blurry surveillance footage, really—but I’ve never seen her in person.”

Her strongest memories associated with the Sith woman were of the anger and pain and fear her friend Nimdok had expressed while telling the story of what happened to his child at Thetis’ hands. His emotions had become Inanna’s emotions. But unlike him, she was determined to act and bring justice down on the vile, cruel woman, preventing her from harming anyone else. Regardless of the lengths she had to go to accomplish that end.

“I know that she asked her partner to meet her on Telos,” she continued. “But she also poisoned him before they separated, so I don’t think she had any intention of actually going there. I’ve run out of leads to follow.” She held out her hands for them to touch, if they still wanted to try using her memories as a guide.

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

Both Willow and Ivy took hold of Inanna Harth 's hands, while also holding onto eachother's. Their hands were very soft, having never done any kind of hard labour at all. Nor had they ever done any chores. So their skin was soft and gentle to the touch.

They closed their eyes, touching on the Force that surrounded them, letting their consciousness ride along with it into Inanna's mind, touching on those memories that she had of Thetis, as well as her friend. The emotions were still raw enough that they were easily felt.

Once they got what they needed, they let go. Willow opened her eyes while Ivy lowered her head slightly. "She's conducting her search now. It'll take a few minutes."

Ivy's eyes fluttered beneath the lids as she moved from each strand of the spiderwebs of pathways in the Force that connected everyone together across space and even time. She jumped from Inanna's path to that of her friend. And from there she continued on her search.

"Having first person knowledge is always easier. But don't give up hope. You gave us enough to work with. Ivy's pretty good at finding certain types of people." All things darker were usually searched for by Ivy. Her desposition usually handled it better. Whereas Ivy was the more gentler and sensative sort.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Spoiler: OOC

Much of the dialogue in the flashback sequences here is copy-pasted from another thread, which you shouldn't have to read to understand what's happening. Just a disclaimer.

With her mauve hands resting in theirs, Inanna let out a slight, stifled gasp as the twins summoned her memories. Being still fairly recent (no more than a couple of months old) they weren’t hard to find, and the emotions coloring them were still very strong.

A dim room with rosy lighting, in a gambling club on Coruscant. The smell of perfume and the faint twang of pheromones. A stranger has asked to see her, using the false name she has begun to go by. “Make sure he pays,” the bouncer reminds her.

They go to a private room. He asks her if she ever had a different name. A name like Inanna.

She is confused and frightened. Suddenly he speaks to her in their language. She hasn’t heard it spoken in decades.

“On Sh-Shuun, many years ago, I knew a woman called Inanna. I was parted from her by foolish ambition. Now I go by a different name."

She can't believe it's him. "Who are you?"

"It has become too dangerous to speak my old name aloud. But know this. If you are Inanna, then I am sorry I ever left you...”

With tears gathering in her eyes at the memory, Inanna hesitated. She knew there was a chance the twins would glimpse things she’d rather keep private, but to actually experience this unwinding of her recollections was… unsettling. Still, she didn’t fight their prying. If it was necessary, let them see everything.

He has changed. He calls himself by a different name now, too. He is Nimdok. She doesn’t understand what he tells her, but she accepts it.

Nimdok has a daughter. Her name is Miri. She is seven years old.

A year ago, Miri was kidnapped. A Sith woman and her partner, a petty criminal, were responsible. They took her offworld in their ship. The woman, Thetis Suzerain, performed experiments on Miri using Sith alchemy and altered the girl's genetics.

“She can use the Force, but it’s all wrong—and it’s far too much for a child.”

Inanna’s vision fills with dark red. She is in a child’s bedroom. The floor, walls, and ceiling are covered in the blood of several Sith agents. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Nimdok pick up the crying little girl and carry her into the bathroom. The girl’s clothes, face, and hair are splattered with blood.

“A little girl with the power to kill at will, tearing bodies limb from limb. It’s getting worse. I need to get her help, someone who can teach her to control her abilities, control her emotions…”

It is days later. They have fled Coruscant, chased by the Sith. Nimdok doesn’t know what to do.

“You need to find out who Thetis answers to, where she gets her resources from,” Inanna argues. “They need to be stopped!”

Nimdok shakes his head. “They’re too powerful for one person to stop.”

“What about two?”

He smiles a little, but still shakes his head. “Not even with your help could I possibly take them down. This runs so much deeper than us...”

In the present, Inanna sensed Willow and Ivy’s presences retracting from her mind. They were following a different pathway, closing in on Nimdok.

***

On another planet far away, Nimdok was jolted awake. He sat up in bed, feeling something tugging at his mind.

“Who’s there?” he asked the darkness.

There was no answer. But the sense that he was being tracked down wouldn’t go away. He turned on the light, got out of bed and rushed to his daughter’s room on instinct, afraid the Sith had come for her again.

He found Miri sound asleep, her arms wrapped around a stuffed animal and her dark curls spread across her pillow. The sight of her made the skin at the back of his neck crawl. Whoever was watching him was interested in her and everything pertaining to her.

Sinking to the floor beside her bed, he couldn’t bring himself to leave the room. He tried to fight whatever it was that was tracing him, shielding his mind and locking himself down tight...

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

Willow let go of Inanna Harth 's hand and then reached over to a box of tissues on an end table. She picked it up and held it out to her. "We know full well what it's like to be kidnapped and exploited. Even at her age. I don't think that she understands the consequences of her actions." She looked to her sister, seeing what she sees through their telepathic connection. "Nimdok will be pivitol in that."

Ivy continued in her search. She spotted Nimdok in the present, sitting there at Miri's bedside and doing his best to block her out. Yet the twin merely sent out feelings of comfort. "I am looking for Thetis. A friend of yours sent me on this search. Your memories will help me locate her. But first...you need to let me in....please..." There was more that Ivy could say, yet for the moment she kept those to herself. It was best to try this first option first.

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna accepted the box of tissues from Willow, wiping away the tears that had already begun to fall. This was proving to be an overwhelming experience, but if it worked, she would be eternally grateful to the twins.

Ivy was still searching, her brow furrowing as if she were facing an obstacle. “Is something wrong?” Inanna asked, concerned.

Even as she asked them aloud, she cautiously tapped into the energies emanating from the twins, just enough to catch a glimpse of what they were seeing. The same vision of Nimdok in his daughter’s bedroom appeared in her mind, although the image was far less clear to her than it was to them.

Ivy was attempting to reassure Nimdok, who had shut himself off from the Force in order to evade her. Amplified by their power, Inanna added her own voice to theirs, a chorus backing up the twins’ duet.

“Nimdok, it’s me, Inanna… she’s telling the truth… please, let them see your memories of Thetis… they can help me find her…”

***

At the sound of voices inside his head, both foreign and familiar, Nimdok stiffened. Was he going mad? Was this all a trick to get him to bring his guard down?

While he kept it hidden from others, Nimdok did have a very weak connection to the Force. He tried to discern whether or not the presences he was sensing were real, and whether or not they were disguised. The presence of Ivy was strongest, but he felt Inanna as well, fainter and less obvious.

He picked himself up off the bedroom floor. “Inanna, if it is you, I told you not to interfere,” he said. His tone was stern with disapproval, but there was a note of begrudging acceptance as well.

“As for you,” he continued, addressing Ivy. “I won’t show you my memories, and that’s final. Don’t try to push me to do it.” He would not give a reason for his refusal, but he was clearly adamant.

“Besides, I don’t have the answers you’re looking for...” Glancing down at Miri, his voice softened. “Look into her mind. She was with Thetis far longer than I. Her memories will be strongest.”

Willow & Ivy

 

[Willow & Ivy]

If Ivy could caress Nimdok's cheek, then she would. Such a gesture usually had a calming affect to both twins. "I'm not going to push you. That's not my way. But thank you for your permission." To go into the mind of a child without warning the parent, especially one that was already fearful of her attempts wouldn't be wise.

The feelings that surrounded them all in the room were nearly as visible to her through the Force as the strands of connection between them. It was one of those strands that Ivy followed, moving to Miri's sleeping mind and touching it gently. "Miri...Miri...I need your help. You don't need to wake. I just need you to think of a face."

A slower alternative would be to follow all of the strands through the Force that led from Miri's form. Yet at least there was more than one avenue available to them.

Willow gave Inanna Harth a small smile. "Ivy knows what she's doing and she's wonderful at it. Don't give up hope because obsticles appear. They can be overcome
"

 

[Inanna Harth]

Having given his permission to Ivy, Nimdok moved closer to Miri, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. The child’s eyelids twitched, her eyes moving behind them as she slept.

She was dreaming, as she so often did, that she was encased in a pod. Tubes and wires were all over her body, covering her mouth and nose, cold against her exposed skin. When she opened her eyes, she could see water droplets trickling across the rounded dome above her. The moisture blurred her view of what was beyond the transparisteel barrier, but sometimes she thought she saw figures moving around her.

Though they were all strangers to her, one of the faces seemed to appear more often than the others—a woman with blonde hair. She would walk past the pod, peering inside or at the control panels operating the machinery. Sometimes she would take notes on a datapad, or press buttons. When she pressed certain buttons, Miri would suddenly become sleepy, unable to keep her eyes open anymore…

I just need you to think of a face.

Face… her cheek was stinging. The blonde woman was looming over her, still holding her hand up threateningly. Miri felt tears burning in her eyes. She hit me. She slapped me. She hurt me.

The woman’s face contorted in shock as Miri lashed out at her, sending her flying across the room without even touching her. She hit the far wall and dropped to the floor, hissing in pain and clutching her back.

“I won’t go!” Miri shrieked, her cries carrying over into waking reality. “I won’t go to Telos! I want to go home!—”

She was screaming in her sleep. Nimdok couldn’t take it anymore. He enfolded Miri in his arms, holding her close and whispering soothing words.

***

Though Inanna couldn’t see or hear clearly what was happening in Miri’s bedroom, she had a basic idea of what was going on. Ivy seemed to have gotten a grasp on a lead and was following it.

The face of Thetis Suzerain, as Miri remembered her, was now visible to the twins. With a cold, hard stare and pale white skin, she wore beauty like a mask, covering up the Dark Side corruption twisting her from within. Following her thread was sure to be an unpleasant experience.

From there Ivy’s search would take her not to Telos, but to another planet within the Sith Empire—Dromund Kaas. The trail led to a silvery skyscraper being pelted by rain during a thunderstorm… inside the building there was an exclusive nightclub filled with powerful people… a red room… Thetis Suzerain was there to meet someone. She was afraid of them, afraid of admitting her mistakes. The child... the man... escaped...

But if Ivy were to try and see who she was meeting with, she would find only a static void—and a sense that they knew she was watching.

Willow & Ivy