"You're simply too good for this place my dear," the withering woman said as she hunched over in her creaking wicker chair, shawl draped over her shoulders guarding against the bite in the morning air. "Stars bless you with all these talents only to have it be wasted on the local wildlife," she said displeased, hand sweeping over to the tall wall that lined the great city in which they resided.
"I like it here, grandma," Deidra answered kindly and mostly honest as she handed the older woman a cup of freshly brewed tea. The steaming vapor of the drink filled the room pleasantly. The different notes and tones of it were familiar, ones she had come to know well. "Besides, who would take care of you?" She asked, emerald green eyes glinting in the low light of the early morning.
"I've raised children, I like to think I can look after myself just as well," the woman added defensively, edge of loss in her voice from the lives that had still been too freshly taken. Deidra was the only family she had left breathing in the galaxy, even among all of her children and grandchildren.
"Well the entire planet knows that much grandma Thea," Deidra chided as she began the mornings task of tending to the plants and herbs. Her collection had become massive, slowly crowding out the allotted space in the greenhouse over the years and edging into their dwelling. After the death of nearly her entire family, there had been more than enough room for them.
Although her collection hadn't grown out of sheer desire. They were the backbone of the small apothecary shop that kept her and her grandmother from begging in the streets. It was the only one of its kind on this side of the city, maybe even the only one on this side of Onderon.
Work meant more to Deidra than the bills that it paid. She had always loved caring for plants and had quite a knack for it. Equally she had always loved helping people. This occupation had been the magical combination of the two. It didn't matter that it was often a thankless job. By the time her patrons had found their way to her it was often a last ditch effort to help cure whatever ailment they might have been afflicted with. People seeking such things rarely were in a good mood. And once they did feel better, they rarely visited again, until they were sick, of course. But Deidra was happy to help people, regardless.
"Deidra," Thea said, seriously, catching her hand in passing as she walked to the other end of the living space to care for another grouping of plants. "If you don't get out of this place and make a life of your own, soon you'll find yourself my age with nothing but a lifetime of regret. Don't worry about me, i've lived my life. Go and live yours." The old woman's eyes looked gravely earnest, steeped in sorrow.
Deidra gave Thea's hand a polite squeeze before withdrawing and continuing her work. "Grandma, I am happy here."
There had been times when she let herself wonder what life might await her out past the stars. She had felt it's pull at a time; the limitless possibilities of the life she might be able to craft for herself. Not to mention all the opportunities to go to school and learn, maybe even become a doctor or some other type of healer. Or perhaps be a garden keeper, the thought sounded glorious. Even better, sometimes she dared to dream of having a massive garden of her own, on some planet where the soil would be rich and fertile, and the skies warm and clear.
It wasn't that Onderon was so bad, and truly it wasn't. Though nothing had ever been the same after the civil war. The people had become different, jaded. But she did her best to keep her chin up despite the circumstances.
"You forget, I'm an old woman who can't be fooled. I know that look you get in your eyes, when you're thinking of being somewhere else. I've seen it too many times." Thea said, holding the cup of hot tea to her lips before she took a sip.
As much as Deidra had indeed dreamt of being elsewhere, she couldn't imagine leaving her grandmother. Not now, after they had lost everyone. She wasn't about to leave the last of her family behind. And besides, it wasn't as if she disliked life on Onderon. She liked it there, loved helping people.
"I don't know how to make you believe me, grandma," Deidra said, turning to face the woman. "I love the apothecary, helping people, you," her brows furrowed for a moment putting a crease in her otherwise perfect porcelain skin. "My place is here. There are worse places to be," she added in an afterthought. It was true, she could have been born into slavery, or in the dregs of a Kessel mine as some other unlucky souls had been.
"Sure there are worse places. But there are most certainly better ones as well." Thea added with a hint of whimsical emphasis in her words.
"Perhaps." Deidra answered back, willfully uninterested. Just before her grandmother might have said something in response, the bell at the front of the shop chimed, signaling an awaiting customer.
It was rather early for anyone to be stopping by, though it was a welcome distraction. Thea could hardly be pestering her when there were patrons to care for.
"Good morning! What can I get for you?" Deidra rang out happily as she rounded the corner to the front of the shop, all smiles and cheer, none of it faked.
A kind face smiled back at her. His hair was dark brown, a handful of rogue graying hairs peppered into the upper right corner of his hairline. Only the smallest traces of lines at the corner of his eyes and mouth. Smile lines, the sign of someone who had lived a happy life.
"Yeah, I've been having trouble sleeping, was hoping to get my hands on your sleep blend. Everyone in my end of town rants and raves about how well it works. I figured I had to try it out myself, to see if it's really true." His bright blue eyes sparkled as he spoke, full of life and vigor.
He was handsome, and looked the sort that knew it as well, though simultaneously not seeming too egotistical. "Sure, let me get right on that," Deidra answered back as she moved to the left side of the counter, where jars with various dried herbs were stored. Quickly she began mixing the different components into a tin. At this point it was all reflex, as this tea had been her most popular among patrons.
"You'll want to pour boiling water over two spoonfuls and let it steep for about ten minutes before you drink it." Deidra said as she walked back over to the register. She could see her grandmother out of the corner of her eye, wandering around the corner from the dwelling space.
"Thank you," the customer said, looking somewhat astonished. By what, she couldn't quite guess. "That was rather quick, quicker than I had expected," he added, looking a bit more nervously as he searched through his satchel for payment. "How much for the tea?"
"Five credits." Deidra answered back simply yet kindly, as she always was friendly with her patrons.
"Only five, are you sure?" The man asked, brows raised in surprise. "I feel like i'm practically robbing you," he laughed, again sounding somewhat uneasy.
"You heard right, only five." She countered, patiently yet frank. He may have been handsome but she was not one for flattery or to be taken so easily by a pretty face.
"As you say then," he said, placing the called for amount on the counter, sliding them over as he picked up the tea tin.
"Say, you're not busy later, are you?" the man asked hesitantly. In spite of his charm, he seemed somewhat less confidant in his entreaty than she had expected, as he appeared to strain for the courage to ask her at all. He looked sweet enough, though his hopeful smile wore thin, eyes growing unsure.
But Deidra hardly had time for friends, dates, or other happenstance excursions. She had to be here to keep up the shop and to care for her grandmother. A romantic distraction was hardly in the cards for her. Not now, maybe not ever. It wasn't something that she had been after, not something she thought she even wanted. She had too many other things to worry about.
"Yes, I am busy, very busy," Deidra said cordially, though without as much as a moment's hesitation.
"When are you not busy?" He asked proddingly.
"I'm always busy," Deidra said in a chuckle with an authentic smile. It wasn't dishonest to say at all. She hardly had a moment to rest in the day.
"I'll just get straight to the point. I would like to take you out to dinner, if you're interested. Tonight, if you're available?" The man asked, putting on one last wide, hopeful smile. Deidra almost felt bad turning him down. He was indeed handsome, and seemed nice enough.
"I'm afraid I can't, I work late." Deidra said in apology. "Maybe some other time."
"Oh nonsense," Thea chimed in, her aged voice rasping in her directness. "I can work tonight instead. Go out and take a night off, for once."
Deidra spun on her heel to face her grandmother, who stood smug looking in the archway behind the counter. She shot Thea an aggravated look only for a moment before she turned back to her well meaning suitor. This time she wore a smile that was more faked than not.
"I suppose dinner would be just fine, then," she said pensively, pursing her lips.
The man's face lit up. "Wonderful, I look forward to it. I'll be back to get you around seven, is that alright?"
"That sounds lovely," Deidra said, waving him off as he headed towards the door.
Promptly he spun back around and walked towards the counter again. "I'm terribly sorry, I never told you my name." He said, genuinely embarrassed as a flush color took over his face.
"Oh?" Deidra said, realizing she hadn't caught the omission, either. Mostly she hadn't cared too much either way.
"Yaron. My name is Yaron." He held out his hand to shake hers.
"I'm Deidra." She said, meeting his handshake with a firm grip. "It's nice to meet you."
"Deidra," he said with a small smile. "I'll see you later, then."
"See you then," she called out after him, significantly less enthusiastic than he had been.
Just as the door shut behind him, Deidra turned to her grandmother who still stood smugly in the corner of the archway. She shot Thea another look of aggravation, as much as she could muster. Though she didn't think she could ever truly be mad at the woman.
"Why did you have to go and do that?" She said, crossing her arms, slumping her back up against the counter.
"You've got to go, get up and live life. He looked nice, the two of you will have fun." Thea insisted stubbornly.
"He was a little old, don't you think?" Deidra said gently, trying to not sound rude. "Besides, has it ever occured to you i'm not interested in being romantically involved? It all feels too forced. If something were to happen, I would want it to be a little more, let's say, organic."
"A young girl like you not interested in romance? Now i've heard it all." Thea said, throwing up her arms. "If you don't find someone, you're going to end up alone."
"I'm not alone, I have you." Deidra answered back in earnest.
"You know that's not what I mean. You need someone. You're already twenty five, not getting any younger last time I checked." Thea said gruffly.
"And what's that got to do with it?" Deidra spat back, frustrated.
"If you don't start living, life is going to pass you by." Thea warned. Deidra only answered with a silent frustrated look. "Well at least appease your poor old grandmother by taking the night off. If you want to make me happy, you'll go out with that nice fellow. At the very least it's dinner and some socialization with someone who isn't as ancient as your grandmother."
"I'll go if you'll just stop with it all, please. A girl can only take so much pestering." Deidra said as she walked away, back to tending another small grouping of plants that stood to the opposite side from their dwelling quarters.
"Alright, alright," Thea said, giving into her request. "That's good enough for me," she said, voice brimming with satisfaction from getting her way.
Deidra gave a huff and a sigh as she kept on. Until that evening, it would be business as usual. Another ring at the door, another customer. It was this, her work, helping people. It didn't matter what her grandmother might say, or what she thought she should be doing. It was this that made her happy. It was a breath of life into her weathered heart that had seen too much death and taken too many losses.
But the day had come and gone all to quickly, as she found herself floundering in the back of her personal quarters, searching for something proper to wear. She hadn't gone out in ages, not for a date or even a casual social engagement. She didn't want to look too showy, but didn't want to appear underdressed, either. It was a taxing process that she was left helpless to, not knowing which outfit to choose.
"I can't decide," Deidra said, fretting. Thea walked over towards her, seeing a pile of different dresses heaped sloppily on her sleeper.
"I think you should wear the purple one." Thea said, pointing to the lavender and plum colored corseted dress crumpled up to the side.
"Don't you think that one's a little too much?" Deidrea said skeptically. "That's the last one on the list, if you ask me."
"Whatever, you're the one who's wearing it. Just hurry up, he'll be here any minute." Thea said, rushing off again to man the front of the shop as the door rang again.
After too much overthinking and far too many second guesses, Deidra decided to wear a dark red dress. It was corseted with black ribbon cinching the sides. She thought it a tad bit too much as well, but planned on hiding under her cloak the entire night so she figured it didn't matter as much as she had thought to begin with.
Just as she had finished dressing and getting ready she walked out to the shop floor to see Yaron there waiting for her in a respectable black and gray jacket with freshly pressed slacks, and a ridiculously childish grin on his well aged face that he couldn't do much to hide.
"Y-you look lovely," he started, already speechless.
Thea shot her a devilish grin that she returned with her own mild look of annoyance, one only brief and faint enough for her grandmother to catch the meaning of before she quickly switched her attention back to her company for the evening. "You look really nice, too," she said politely, but in earnest. He had looked handsome before but now all polished and dressed up, he was quite a sight.
"Shall we make our way, then?" Yaron gestured towards the door, wavering between offering her his arm, and opening the door for her. She nearly laughed at how skittish he appeared.
"Yes, lets," she agreed, stepping forward to take his arm and walk out the door beside him.
Without much conversation, Yaron guided her over to his well kept yet modest speeder and the two of them took off deeper into the city. After a short jaunt, they parked at a restaurant that suddenly left Deidra feeling starkly underdressed.
Just by the look of the establishment, the solid stone slabs that made up the front pillars, the well dressed guests that milled in and out of the lobby, she blanched. She would never be able to afford a place like this. More accurately, she could never justify spending so much on a meal. The price of which, she estimated might amount to well over a week's earnings at the apothecary. Just the thought of it alone felt wrong.
Yaron climbed out of the speeder and walked round to open her door as if nothing was amiss at all, as if this were any other restaurant in town. He seemed to be rather indifferent to the fact that she was still reeling in partial shock.
"Are you ready?" He asked politely, still smiling like a fool to have her company.
"Yeah, lead the way," she said quietly, wishing she felt more sure of herself, more confident. But here, she felt like a fish out of water.
Once they had arrived, they were immediately greeted and ushered over to their own table by wait staff that had been arguably better dressed than the both of them. The menu only consisted of three different choices, though Deidra hadn't taken to reading what they might have been. Instead she starred in awe at the gold lettering the menus had been inscribed with, and the luxurious paper they were printed on. Thick in stock and embossed around the edges, it was just another detail that made her feel incredibly out of place. She was only a few minutes away from her meager home, but she felt like she had landed on another world.
"What looks good to you?" Yaron asked, clearly delighted to have her company.
Deidra seemed phased by the question, still experiencing somewhat of a culture shock. She wasn't sure what to think or say. As to the menu, once she had gotten past the extravagance of it to actually read the print infront of her, she still was just as clueless.
She had never considered herself inexperienced or uncultured, but this place was beginning to make her feel just that. Though Yaron didn't seem to be affected by any of it.
"Ah, I'm not sure. I think i'll just order what you're having... What are you having?" She asked, trying not to show just how uncomfortable she was feeling.
"I think I'm going to get the ukian torbull tail soup, have you ever tried it before?" Yaron asked happily, setting down his menu to pierce through her with his glass blue eyes.
"No I don't think I have." She said, shying away from his gaze, frustrated with herself. It wasn't that he was making her feel bashful, it was this place. She was hardly an outspoken girl, but she wasn't usually so timid, either.
"You'll love it," he said with confidence. She looked back up to smile at him, trying to steal an ounce of that same confidence to emulate back.
"I'm sure I will," she said with a pause, taking a moment as to not phrase her next question rudely.
"So, Yaron. What is it exactly that you do for a living?" Deidra asked, trying to pry her eyes away from the excessive lavishness around her as she spoke, not wanting to draw attention to the reason for her asking. Though admittedly, she was very curious.
"I'm actually in between employment at the moment," he said with a slight tone of unease. Clearly it wasn't something he wanted to delve into at great length. Had he been more of an interest to her, she might have been offended. Since she hadn't sought out his company, she could hardly be put off by it.
"Oh," she responded casually. Somehow his own discomfort making her feel more at ease with her own self consciousness. "So are you from around here?"
Apparently, it was another question he didn't seem to eager to answer. "No, actually," he said, averting his eyes for a moment.
"So where are you from, then?" Deidra asked, as the man became more and more of a mystery as the evening drug on. For someone so intent to share her company, he seemed uninterested in talking about much anything that might have mattered.
"I've been all over, really. But I was born on Coruscant, in the lower levels." He answered, like it was nothing. She had always wanted to visit the world, a planet made up of nothing but cityscape. Alleys thousands of levels deep, so much so that some beings went their entire lives without seeing the sun. Buildings so tall, you could see nearly everything in all directions, the lattices of traffic weaving in every which way.
"Did you like it there?" She asked, suddenly interested, no longer having to act the part.
Yaron seemed to notice the shift in her stance as she leaned forward slightly, resisting the urge to put an elbow on the table and a fist under her chin as she would have done if she were at home with her grandmother. But her eyes that had once been dull now sparked with life.
Yaron smiled. "Yeah, from up top it's beautiful. You would love it."
Just before either of them could get in another word, the waiter came up to take their order. Yaron promptly ordered soup for the both of them, and a red wine in addition. Deidra hardly drank, though with the air of the establishment being rather stiff, she thought she could use the social encouragement. Her grandmother had told her to go out and have fun, after all.
Aside from Yaron's aversion to talking about his line of work, the evening went along rather well. Yaron seemed to never run out of tales and stories from his otherworldly excursions. From the gist of it, she gathered he had been either a bounty hunter or cargo pilot of sorts. She had chosen to believe the latter.
By the time they had finished their dinner along with the bottle of wine, he had been explaining how he escaped the clutches of a starving rancor in the depths of an uncharted Felucian rainforest. Deidra hadn't quite decided if she believed all of his stories to be true, and suspected more than most of them to be buffed to his benefit in order to make him appear more heroic than he might have otherwise. Though she couldn't deny the fact that she was having fun. For the first time, in a long time.
It wasn't that she didn't like the apothecary, or helping people. She did love those things. But now, she didn't have to think, or act, or do. She could just exist. It almost reminded her of how it had been before the war, the one that had never quite ended.
"You know, I feel so rude. I've done so much talking, i've hardly asked you anything. Are you from around here?" Yaron said, winding down after telling his last harrowing tale.
"Yeah, I am. Born and raised." Deidra said, suddenly feeling rather uninteresting.
"Tell me about it, what was it like growing up here?" Yaron asked, as he began to open a second bottle of wine.
"It was lovely," Deidra said wistfully, suddenly being thrown back into the past. "My father flew freight, mostly on world. After that he started flying civilian shuttles, that way he could be home every night. Mom stayed at home with us kids, always cooking, cleaning, teaching, doing something. That woman never had an idle moment, not with all six of us kids at home."
"Where are they now? The rest of your family?" Yaron asked, innocently.
"They're all gone, now." Deidra said simply, taking a large drink of wine from her glass.
"Gone, as in off world?" Yaron added hopefully.
"Dead," Deidra said flatly. Even through the haze that had settled in over her senses, she began to feel self conscious about being so open with someone who was, for all intensive purposes, a stranger.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so morose," Deidra said, looking back up at Yaron and giggling in her wine induced glee that made everything seem slightly less terrible than it did usually when she thought of such things.
"No, please don't apologise. You have nothing to be sorry for," he added seriously. "I'm sorry for your loss."
Deidra raised her glass to the sentiment. "I appreciate that," she said, taking another pull from her glass.
"So who is it that helps you with the apothecary?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"My grandma, Thea," Deidra smiled, thinking of the old woman.
"I get the impression she's a tough old bird," Yaron laughed, at the bottom of his wine glass already, moving for another fill.
"Indeed, she is." Deidra said, in need of another fill as well. "You know, if you drink anymore i'm afraid i'll be stuck walking home," she said teasingly.
"I'm a tad bit past the point of driving home already," he said apologetically.
"I suspected so," Deidra said, narrowing her eyes playfully.
Without missing a beat, Yaron immediately rushed into his next wild story, one only made more interesting by the alcohol involved. By the time he had finished, the restaurant staff had been all but ushering them out since it had been well past closing time.
The two of them stumbled out of the establishment, both feeling much less socially inhibited than they had been upon arriving. It was a brisk evening, made warmer by the drink coursing in their veins. Deidra thought the idea of walking home sounded pleasant, even when Yaron insisted on paying for a cab.
"Really, it's no trouble, it's quite nice outside, don't you think?" Deidra insisted, twirling around to look at him as he lagged behind her. "It's not very far from here to my house, unless you're really that opposed to it."
"I suppose we could walk, I'll just call a cab to take me from yours to mine, then," Yaron said, rushing to catch up with her, his eyes sweeping over their surroundings as they walked through the street. There weren't too many others out at this time, only a scant few that milled around, walking to their respective destinations. The two of them kept chattering away as they neared the apothecary.
Finally the small building on the outskirts of town came into view. They had been so rapt in conversation that neither of them had noticed the sounds of footsteps following behind them, or the shadows that followed. Not until it was far too late.
Without the time to draw breath enough to scream or cry out for help, a hand clamped down around Deidra's face, forcing a damp foul smelling cloth over her mouth and nose. She saw four others come from either side apprehending Yaron in the same manner. All of them were clad in dark clothes, faces indistinguishable behind their hoods and scarves.
Deidra had never been particularly strong and even at full exertion didn't stand a chance escaping the muscled arms that locked her in place, smothering her as her body began to feel heavy and weak. She could see Yaron's body going limp also, drugged by the substance the cloths had been dwrenched in.
Just as she slipped from consciousness, she felt her body being picked up and whisked away into the shadows of the pitch black night. Not a thought as to what their attackers wanted or why, not even the ability to offer up what scant valuables she might have had. The only thing she could feel was the black heavy curtain falling over her senses, forcibly ripping her from awareness.