Slim Hope held on a Slimmer thread

[Bambi Maddox]

Reference thread <a>"Always and Never"</a>
http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39625&highlight=grym+kandle


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(ooc: I took the liberty of bouncing my story off the events in the thread above. Hope this is cool. If not PM me and I will make adjustments. Thanks :))

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Present Day..


Coruscant.

Bambi never thought she'd see this claustrphobic planet-city again. Never thought she'd see any city again, for that matter.

After the incident (the generic term Maddox used for a hit that went terribly wrong-- and wrong, meaning she screwed up big time--which cost her an eye and possibly a promising future as a Black Sun Assassin) she had not been expected to recover.

The odds had been against her, as is usually the case when human body goes up against a thermal detonation. It was only the hand of chance that she had bent to retrive her weapon in order to do the job to which she had been assigned, that she had been spared the full brunt of the explosion hurled her way by a plain-clothed body guard who, apparently, had 'made her' the moment she'd walked in the door. Five surgeries and six months in traction later and she was nearly as good as new. But that was another story, for another time.

And so, here she was - less her right eye and on a mission of a different kind - breathing in the choking Coruscant filth with its miasma of stifling aroma's that smother and permeate every surface of body and soul in this overwhelming megopolis.

"Shoot" Maddox grumbled as she stepped into an oily puddle which left her boot coated in a greasy rainbow and crossed over to the other side of the road.

A gaudy neon sign declared the establishment as "The Starlite Lounge" and an incomplete flashing arrow, whose neon was in long need of repair, flickered spasmodically down the length of a drainpipe to direct would-be patrons to the lower levels entrance.

Maddox followed the garish indicator downward, keeping close to the wall and taking care to keep her hands off the rusted rail.

In the back of her mind, she couldn't help wonder if Grym had travelled in this same wake on the night of his disappearance.

From what little she had garnered since the "incident" Grym had been on a search mission of his own -- one Twi'lek noble Sikkle Vryllonmir, the moneyman behind Bren'lar's mob take over of the cartel Grym had originally worked for. His contact - according to a 10,000 cred transfer made on the night he went missing - was one Valeria Tur'illian and it was this latter whom Bambi was here to get a bead on. Valeria was the last one to see Grym, apparently. The last one whom may have some knowledge of just where the frell he went.

Bambi intended to find her. Find her, then him. It was a simple plan, but one that had been a long time coming.

No one had heard from Grym Kandle in over 6 months.

Too long a time. A lot can happen in 6 months. One body could heal in that amount of time.
Another body could decompose and rot in some unidentified grave in just the same.
Bambi pushed that morbid thought from her mind and stepped into the cacophonic ambiance of the Starlite Lounge, last known whereabouts of one Valeria Tur'illian.

[Valeria Tur'ilian]

How her mind did wander.

It was curious indeed how the past always caught up with you, no matter it's distance or importance considering the circumstances. It had been some time since she had been that greenhorn killer, as it were. She had a nasty little reputation in The Underworld now, that she was quite proud of, notably. It had taken a lot of time, a few meager murder's on a grand scale of low lives, but here she was - feeling a whole lot better about herself and with yet another job to boot - however low paying it was.

The flourishing neon spark of her formal self had dissolved into something more plain - still managing to capture that wild side of Val with her choice in the outfitters department. Her hair, rather than that dreadful teal color, was covered with a natural dye of blackish brown - her eyes were different colored, as per usual since her run-in with a rather wild swinging authority figure. Being half blind wasn't nearly as bad as it sounded though. She hardly tended to notice, especially in the serene pitch of her abode. At least it didn't mar her precious face. That, of course, had been her first assumption and the 'pig' had suffered greatly for it. It was only after she had caught a glimpse in the mirror that her face was still in perfect condition - save for the rather bluish eye in contrast with the orange-pink one. She was so smashingly unique she was almost full of herself.

Anyway.

Presently, around the corner of her favorite hang-out, the Starlite Lounge, Valeria had approached her prey after he had exited said establishment and now had him quite paranoid and cornered within a dead-end, building tight alley way. They exchanged few words for he seemingly knew his time had come. There was no blaster fire. Only a muffled scream as her hand fell across his mouth and her circular blade lashed deeply into his throat.

There was some sick but undeniable yumminess about feeling a man's life flow from his body, across her hands. Those murdering hands. She smiled and cleaned the blood ridden circle of her beloved, Ankil, while strolling around to the back entrance of her haven. The familiar eyes, laced with fear and suspicion, met her own. She removed her leather gloves after sealing up her weapon, not wanting the guilty crimson liquid to be caressed by the thirsty stares of her personal antagonists.

A new face.

Quite shocking, considering the day and time of night. It was still early yet and already some hound had been sicked upon her scent. Placing the leather-bound weapon behind the bar counter, she flashed the barkeep a wicked smile before traipsing over to a black couch, one of three set randomly about the private, empty floor - a rather nice replacement for those chairs that usually ended up broken anyway.

A rather shady waiter, a good friend of hers, brought over the usual and leaned down to whisper some delicious information in her ear. She replied, though not loudly, without hiding that she was present to anyone whom might be interested.

"Tell him that I did what he asked and I shall be checking the accounts in the morning." She answered. The waiter nodded, bowed curtly and made his leave.

"Good boy..."

[Bambi Maddox]

Maddox swirled the clear, stringent gin in its glass before tilting her wrist forward and upending the liquor into her waiting puckered lips.

Slouching on the bar, she had been watching each new arrival with critical interest. Of course, the staff had been generally ignorant of who their regular patrons were. And were likewise, collectively unforthcoming with any information regarding Valeria Tur'ilian, or anyone else for that matter. Nobody knew nobody here, it seemed.

However, the barkeep, inspite of himself, was an easy read. Try as he would, the flicker of averted eyes at the brunette's arrival, followed by Valeria's wicked grin tossed his way made it impossible for him to feign unconcerned nonchalance at her arrival. He wanted to give her a 'heads up" regarding the blonde at the end of the bar who'd come in asking questions about her, but was unable to do so without it being clumsily obvious to anyone trained to see.

That was ok. The girl had friends, as should be expected on her own turf.

Bambi allowed Valeria time and space to get comfortable in a couch before swivelling about on her seat.

She took her glass, and its remaining gin and crossed over in her loping walk to where Valeria sat, sidestepping to avoid the waiter as he passed.

She pulled up a chair and turning it backward, eased her weight down in one smooth, fluid movement, her long legs and arms drapped comfortably about it.

"Mind a bit of company?" she asked congenially. Without waiting a reply, went on to introduce herself, extending her free hand.

"Name's Maddox. You?"