deercountry | [Open] 🚬 June Flames

Entry tags:

[Open] 🚬 June Flames

Who: Dabi & others
What: June Catch-All
When: Various
Where: June

Content Warnings: Potential mentions of domestic/child abuse, potential mentions of murder, violence, adult language or subjects

Notes: General and specific starters will be below. More to come, including event prompts. Contact under cut.

If you want to hit me up for ideas on prompts or plots, feel free to comment on Dabi's CR plotting post or his Event plotting post (tbd), hit me up on my contacts – Plurk (

StarSeed69) / Discord (StarSeed#3572) – shoot me a PM, or drop an ooc comment down below, and we’ll hash it out. I'm down to write a unique starter for our threads if you prefer.

NOTE: I'll be with limited computer access the first week of June, and will get event prompts up when I return.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It wasn't pleasant to learn but it's given me all the more motivation to want to stay here. [Things are never going to get any better for him in his own galaxy, so Maul's life is now focused on being here in Trench, and making a new start for himself. He's much happier and more content here than he ever was at home, so he knows he's made the right decision, even if he's had to forgo things like the revenge he's wanted desperately for so long.

It's a little hard to read emotion on a face that burnt up but Maul can feel what's going on beneath the surface when Dabi speaks. Looks like he's run into someone else who has a complicated relationship with their family. But really what else is new? If Maul had a coin for every time he met someone with an actual stable family background, he'd have about three coins.]

Killing's never pointless. Revenge against those that kill people I care about is always worth it. [Maul's always felt that way. He's never going to be able to just roll over and take it lying down. Always, there will be that eternal rage and fury within him that demands vengeance.] Besides, coming back isn't always a guarantee, so don't count on it happening every time.

[With that swell of negative emotions that's still coming from Dabi and the way he doesn't elaborate on the answer, Maul can guess a bit at what lies behind the words.]

I sense that might be a bit of a complicated relationship.

So long as ya ain't gonna try and stop people from goin back home. [dabi doubts maul's the kind of person to do that, though when it comes to family or someone he's close to, he can see the man possibly trying to interfere, thinking he's doing them a favor to save or protect them. it's two camps people fall into: those who have reason to go home and those who have better lives here. at least this group isn't hinting at a potential civil war with each side, unlike the hunters. though that's quieted down as of late.

unfortunately.

dabi normally doesn't show emotions on his face, save for those he wants to. the normal calm expression occasionally flavors itself with snide mockery, casual confidence, annoyance, or irritation. only certain people can elicit such intense emotions like rage or elation from him, and that's usually based on the current circumstances. he keeps most of himself under wraps in that enigmatic stoicism. that said, since he's never run into an empath before, he carries on without knowing maul's aware.]

If they keep comin back, ya didn't technically avenge yourself. Cause they're still here, still alive, still enjoyin themselves. Pissin you off cause they keep gettin away with it. [after all, if someone kills the one you care about, and said person stays dead, but their killer remains alive, that's a recipe for madness as the urge for revenge continues to swell and grow, but is unable to satiate itself. the unfairness is an insane pressure. a reminder you failed to avenge that person wronged.] Yeah, I'm aware of that. But even then, it wasn't you that made 'em disappear forever. It's this place that decides that.

[again, stealing whatever joy you might've taken from victorious revenge murder.]

In some ways, yeah, some ways, nah. Mostly comes from our father.

[the man dabi had earlier inferred was the one responsible for his scars.]

That's none of my business. If someone I care about leaves, I'll scream and rage about it, but at the end of the day there is nothing I can ultimately do to change it. [It would cause Maul untold amounts of pain to know someone he loved is no longer here with him but what else is new? His life has been full of it up until now, so a little more won't kill him.]

Revenge is about making someone suffer. No death here is ever going to be a pleasant or painless one. Therefore it's still worth it to watch someone be in agony. And if it takes killing them over and over again, making them watch their loved ones suffer while they're helpless to do anything, or breaking their spirit entirely to get my revenge, then that is just what I shall do. [Maul's thirst for revenge against those who he feels has wronged him is as much a part of him as the anger which has kept him going all this time. He's had years to think up ways to take it on people he thinks deserve it. Being here hasn't changed that one bit.]

Fathers always seem to do that. [Maul says sagely with a nod of his head. He knows his own could have given Dabi's a run for his money, thought at least Sidious never mutilated him the way that had happened to Dabi.] Why didn't you team up to kill him? That's a good way to bond with siblings you're not close to.

[It hadn't worked so well for Maul and Savage when they went up against Sidious. But that was just because Sidious severely outclassed both of them in power and skill. It still was the catalyst that allowed Maul to grow close to Savage in Deerington and Trench.]

Ya didn't strike me as the defeatist kind. If it were up to us whether we left or stayed, then you'd have more a say in it. [dabi's never once lost a shred of intent to get back home. that remains his eternal background goal since grasping the reality of his current situation in trench. everything else is temporary. if they can find a way home, or rip that power away from the ones who wield it, then so much the better. maul's willingness to roll over and grovel in loss is a surprising twist.]

Once ya break their spirit and take away everything that thing ever considered precious in his life, I ain't got any further desire to let him continue to hold onto something as nice as his life. Even if it's the last thing he's got. [that went personal quick. for dabi, continual torment is not "final" torment while they're alive. there has to be an end or else there continues to be the possibility to change, of escape, of a mistake. besides, once everything worth burning is burnt, there's nothing else left to do. ash doesn't burn. it's immune to flames. and he's not one to waste his time and effort on a pointless endeavor... besides, he's got certain limitations back home that he's not gonna bother talking about right now. but his burning, headlong mad rush into the flames for his revenge hasn't cooled at all here. it's simply been put on hold for the very obvious reason that his father isn't here.]

Ya got a real limited experience pool of fathers if that's what you think. [dabi's voice is tinged with sarcastic amusement at maul's "shortcoming" in that realm. surely he doesn't think "all" fathers do that. otherwise it would been "normal" and he'd have no "better" to compare it to, and thus ignite that anger over not being able to have that "better" experience. then again, dabi's generally rude even when playing devil's advocate. cause it's entertaining.]

He's too weak to do somethin like that.

[too weak to hold onto his hatred. forgiven? dabi's not sure if shouto's truly forgiven endeavor, but he's at least put his rage aside enough to emerge from his icy defiance and start to work with the man. worse still, he truly believes enji's claim at trying to be "better" is true. idiot. people like their father don't change.]

Besides, dad's not here, so what's the point?

I've experienced this time and again, both here and in Deerington. If I didn't grow used to it at some point, I'd start losing my mind. [It hurts to lose the ones Maul cares about but he's gotten a more Zen attitude about it these days. It helps to know they might not be gone forever. He's seen more than one person come back after being in the ocean or having been left in Deerington before. That hope and knowing they're not being sent to be tortured somewhere else makes him feel alright.]

There's something to be said for making one wish they were dead and then not granting them their request. Once they are dead, then it's just.....over. Pain that goes on and on and on can be quite delicious. [Of course, one ran the risk of their target managing to escape the prolonged torment or somehow finding the strength to rally against what was happening, as had happened with Kenobi on Mandalore, but sometimes the risks had to be taken in order to truly make someone suffer.

Maul snorts softly in something close to amusement but not quite. That is true. It's not like he knows anything like what a healthy relationship with a father looks like]

My relationship with him has always been extremely complicated. He is about as terrible as yours if not moreso. [He pauses.] Maybe it would be a tie between the two of them if it was a contest.

[Maul shakes his head, tutting softly. Famous last words right there.]

This place has a tendency to take absolutes and turn them on their heads. If he is a nightmare for you to handle, this place might create a facsimile of him or something similar for you to face. Do you think your brother would come to your aid if you were being terrorized by him again?

I'd rather not get used to it. I'd rather find a way to put that choice in my own hands. Not sure what we can do to take down those "gods" floatin around above us, but I'd support findin out. [then they could choose who goes and who stays. a far less painful choice since it'd be their own call. though he's aware that the sheer unpredictability of trench and those "gods" means anyone could come and go at any time. whether that's something to enjoy or fear is up to the individual, huh.]

Most people get sick of eatin the same dish over and over eventually. Keep someone wishin for death around long enough, they'll find somethin else to wish for and you'll lose ya chance. I don't intend on lettin him stay alive. That's too good for him. [especially since he blames is death on endeavor. death for death. and the other more pressing aspect: dabi doesn't exactly have a long life to live and savor that revenge. he's on borrowed time as it is, if his charring body doesn't give hints to that reality already. something he and maul can agree to disagree on.]

Don't compare your experience to mine. I ain't interested in that contest. [comparing fathers, saying who had it worse, there's always ultimately some semblance of superiority and downplay that results from it. not an aspect dabi wants to give seed to between himself and maul. the zabrak male is decent company. no point in poisoning it.]

Safe to say we haven't had the best in parents. [the sarcasm in his voice is a wry cover for that proverbial olive branch in regards to the comparison topic.]

Think ya mixin somethin up. Endeavor ain't a nightmare to me; he's a dream I aim to achieve. But I ain't gonna promise you I'd feel amazin burnin up a buncha conjured-up fakes. All that'll do is remind me the real one isn't here. I'm still trapped in this hellhole.

As for my brother, yeah, he'd come to my aid every time. He's an idiot like that.

They can be killed. It just usually takes the help of another Pthumerian. I helped Moon Presence to kill Mother Superior in the previous world, though she did most of the work.

[Still, it was immensely satisfying to take a piece out of the old harpy when he got the chance.]

I suppose we shall just have to agree to disagree. Not that it matters much. It took a long time but I gave up the main target of my revenge some time ago.

[Obi-Wan had always been the easier target and it took a long time for Maul to realized he focused on the man because the true desire to take revenge on his master was forever out of his reach. Maul was no longer fueled by revenge now. He had more important things to focus on.]

Duly noted.

[He had enough sense to back off the subject. He hadn't meant it to turn in the direction of a pissing contest anyway. He was just very bad at empathizing with people.]

Hmmm, no, not at all. It explains a lot really.

[Namely how the two of them had become so fucked up. Maul knew he would be very different had he not been raised by such a monster.]

Now now, there are worse things in the world than having a loyal sibling who will stand by you. Allies like that are hard to come by. Back in my own galaxy, it was one of the best things to ever happen to me.

[Maul would have never known what having love from an actual family was like as an adult had his brother not come to rescue him from Lotho Minor and take him home.]

Interestin... [a single word, but there's a light flaring up in dabi's eyes at the information. so these "gods" can be killed. and considering what maul just said, they can be pit against each other too. that's probably one of the greatest things he's heard since getting here.]

Uh-huh. [agree to disagree. one black brow arches when maul mentions giving up on his revenge.] After all that ya just spouted, you're gonna tell me ya "gave up" on ya target?

[whether it's surprised, suspicious, or insulting is up to maul to take it as, but dabi likely means it all three ways. a dig at the zabrak for failing in something he had so intensely yearned for. especially after how he'd gone on about it to him a moment ago. he's not even sure he wants to know the "why" behind the decision. sounds real fucking disappointing and pathetic.

maul is a strange character... likely due to his time in trench rather than back home.]

Yeah, it does. [whether maul meant it as a pissing contest didn't matter; it'd turn into one regardless. dabi has often compared his life to others and used it as a rationale behind his actions. but that's a personal choice and he does it for a reason and usually weaponizes it rather than simply holding it up as a rate sheet in a casual-ish conversation. personal preference. nothing maul's "at fault" for. empathy's not dabi's strong point either.

the last point, however... a brief scoff drifts from the burned man's lips and he tilts his head to the side, one shoulder lifting towards his jaw in a derisive gesture.]

Fraid we're gonna disagree again. Cause I'm lookin forward to dumpin his charred corpse in front of his father, just to see the expression on that thing's face as his perfect creation goes up in flames.

[an actual family? bullshit. they never had an "actual" family even from the start. only a cruel experiment driven by one man's insane ambitions.]

[Maul bared his fangs at Dabi in an angry snarl. That irked him quite a bit, mainly because he'd thought the same things to himself. He was weak and soft for doing this, just letting the Jedi go on living after all they'd done to one another.]

I didn't "give up" on anything. I hurt him as badly as I could. It just so happened my feelings towards the person I wanted revenge on changed more than I ever could have imagined once we were both in Deerington and then here.

[Namely, he'd fallen in love with Obi-Wan, something he'd never thought could be possible and yet had happened. Emotions were weird like that. Between that and being forced to admit his real target was forever out of reach, there had been little point in continuing his revenge.

What Dabi said about killing his brother did make Maul blink in clear surprise. He turned to more closely look at Dabi.]

You'd kill your brother just to spite your father and cause him more pain? Truly?

[There wasn't much Dabi had said which had fazed Maul or caused him to look at the man in a different sort of light. After all, their mindsets on how to approach things were very similar and it was clear to Maul that Dabi was on the side of darkness just as he was.

But killing his own brother? That was something else and it showed in his tone. There was clear judgment and disapproval there.

Maul knew with certainty that even if revenge on his master had been assured if his brother was dead, he never could have paid such a high price. Savage mean everything to Maul and he never could have brought himself to bring him harm.]

[dabi merely settles back against the tree, arms resting behind his head in an easy crux. the ire bared in maul's teeth beside him tells him more than those words do. so much for that burgeoning "respect". someone who gives up after holding on for so long... what a pathetic ending.]

So ya let this place change you, huh. [at the same time, considering death doesn't stick in trench, and assumedly the one before, "revenge" of the fatal nature was pointless here. he'll have to give maul that.] Good thing ya won't take any of that shit with ya when you go home.

[maul'll be back on track with his revenge and none of these "feelings" bullshit will have pushed him off course. after all the man's said, dabi rather wanted him to get his paybacks. life's more satisfying that way for people like them. thing is, most all emotions are always a hobbling weakness. best discard them if possible; the lucky ones have the decision made for them.

blue eyes slide to the corners of his eyelids. oh? maul's looking at him closely and the villain eyes him with a flicker of amusement but also guard. people who talk feelings and caring tend to get... stupid when it comes to this. protesting, protection, sticking their nose in business that isn't theirs out of some moral high ground, etc.]

Aa. I spent years thinking of how best I could ruin him in the worst way possible. Killin him wasn't good enough. [dabi sits up off the tree, bringing his hands out to gesture with his words.] I realized, I'd have to take away everythin he ever held dear to him, destroy his reputation, his legacy, his name, his ambitions. [a fist curls, eyes widening in delight over his thoughts.] That prized puppet masterpiece he created is the pinnacle of his dreams and ambitions. Everythin he couldn't do, he placed upon my little brother's shoulders. [one arm casts to the side in a dramatic presentation.] Won't it be amazin to see the look on his face when he watches the one thing he ever gave a shit about breakin apart into ashes in the arms of the failed experiment that he rejected as nothing? I'll burn it all to the ground! Until that thing's got nothing left to live for! His friends, his family, his colleagues, that damn society that still sees him as a fuckin hero-! I'll tear everythin out of him with my own hands!

[killing his own brother? of course he'd do that. he'd almost killed his other brother before, when the villain he sent to take out endeavor instead targeted natsuo as a shield and threat for the great hero. damn shame he hadn't succeeded. they didn't mean anything to him. his mother, his sister, his brothers, all relegated to little more than venues to torture and torment his father. dabi no longer cared about their lives, only whether they'd hurt endeavor more though their life or death. the same went for the man's fellow heroes and even those kids he took on as interns. every connection endeavor made, dabi intended to destroy all of them. everything he looked on with pride and considered precious, he'll take from him.

and anyone who got in his way would end up on the same pyre, one more life sacrificed to endeavor's burning flames. another bright future burned up in the mad dash towards hell itself.]

[There was a dangerous glint in Maul's eyes when Dabi suggested this place had somehow gotten to him. He really hated when people assumed he'd changed for any other reason than his own, as if he'd succumbed to the peer pressure of "good people" or somehow gone soft due to being whittled down day after day.]

I didn't let anything or anyone change me. [His voice was as hard and unyielding as the red kyber crystals that made up his saberstaff.] I chose to change because I wanted to. No one forced me to do this. I simply learned the hard lesson that it was better for me to change than to end up miserable and broken by continuing down a path that would lead nowhere but self-destruction.

[It had taken Maul a long, long time to learn that and in some ways he was still unlearning all the bad habits ingrained into him which had been put there after a lifetime of being raised by Sidious. But he was doing this now purely because he wanted to be this way. Others had helped him find his way, but ultimately, he was on his own when it came to choosing a different way to live his life.

Maul listened, and by the Force, didn't that all sound familiar? The idea of one son being the golden child, the one all the attention was focused on while the other was forgotten about? That had been the dynamic with Maul and Savage when it came to their mother. Much as Maul hated to admit it, his mother had been wrong to do that to her middle child. Savage had been brilliant in his own way but all Talzin could see was a disappointment, a son who wasn't nearly as strong either physically or with the Force as his older brother was.]

The heir and the spare....

[He murmured, more to himself than to Dabi. He got it, he really did. But as he heard Dabi continue he shook his head. He thought about shutting up and staying quiet. But it had never been in Maul's nature not to voice his opinion when he had one. So he turned to look at Dabi. There was a curious emotion in Maul's eyes and in his tone. It was pity.]

You know I feel sorry for you. You're so blinded by the idea of your revenge you can't see any other way to live your life. You still think clinging to the idea of causing him misery and pain is the only way to be, acting as if you don't have a choice in the matter. There are other ways, better ones that would give you happiness instead of just spreading pain to others

[He wouldn't listen. Maul already knew that because in the same position Maul hadn't listened to people who had told the same thing to him. But at the very least he could voice the idea. Perhaps Dabi would come back to it later on.]

[oh is that how it is? dabi notices that flicker of fire in maul's already-blaze-colored eyes. hit a nerve, huh. that'll be fun to pick at. something about this place influencing him. ignoring the fact it obvious does. dabi's experienced a transformation due to both corruption and some fucked-up "event" influence, so obviously it can and will change people, but he's not stupid enough to think that's what this is referring to. maul backs up that implication a second later.]

Uh-huh. Then why'd ya change? [the grin on his lips is smooth as a knife's edge, nudging at the old scar as if debating on whether to push in or leave it alone. but he is curious... blue eyes linger on maul's face as he answers, remaining as impassive as always. simply listening.] Is that so.... Ya sure it wasn't cause you realized ya weren't gonna succeed? That's called givin up, Maul.

[there's no malice in his voice or even mocking judgement. merely stating what it is. a man who lived for revenge doesn't "change" cause he realized revenge leads to the exact result he knows it's going to end up in. he changes cause he can't handle the burden of hatred's cost.] Ya sound like Shouto. That little brat didn't have the strength to keep goin either.

[it wasn't only dabi who suffered at the hands of his father. they all had. his entire family. shouto had hated endeavor too, to the point of living his life so consumed with spiting his father... ah, that's his brother's story to tell. but he gave up, influenced by some idiot. what a pathetic child. so naive. he really thinks their father can change. dabi scoffs silently at the notion as he leans back against the tree, not bothered by maul's ire. or his familiarity.]

Yeah. [not entirely a picture-perfect summary, but it'll work for now. the muttered words were more for the zabrak than for dabi, so he opts not to dig into them. calming down from that momentary murderous glee, the burned man's flames cool to a simmer rather than raging around in his tirade of hatred. man it'd felt good to say those things though. not many people here earned the right to hear dabi's ambitions. maul's one of the few he's voiced this too.

unfortunately, based on what they've already spoken about in the library and here, the villain's aware of what's coming next. someone who gave up on his revenge, changed his mind about his hateful ambitions, and spoke of protecting someone else while angered over the injustice experienced... ironic, but those little leaks of "heroism" in maul's words and ideals are enough for dabi to pin him with the same flag of preparation that he gets around other heroic types. there won't be encouragement from maul, there won't be much in the way of understanding. instead...

yeah. just some hypocritical damnation.

dabi arches his back and runs his fingers through his hair on either side of his head, dragging the spikes backwards as he stretches his spine and chest. one part to get comfortable, the other part to semi-literally brush maul's pitying gaze right off his flesh. not something he needs or cares for. it's far too late for pity.]

Fraid so. [and settles back on the trunk.] Nah, there ain't any other way. I don't do much on "feelins" anymore. Inside or out. [dabi reaches up and deliberately nudges his thumb against the stapled patch of purple scarring under his eye. a push harder and one of the metal pieces tugs against his skin, splitting the burn from the fresh and allowing the man to slide the tip of his thumb under his own burned flesh.] I'm burnin up, Maul. Just a charred corpse runnin on fumes. I didn't go into this thinkin I'd come out and live some happy life. Ain't that stupid. We're goin to hell together, him and me. And I'll drag anyone else I can or need to along with me to make sure that happens when I go.

[there was no other option. either he lives his pathetic life long enough to watch his existence amount to nothing more than a zero sum. or he goes out in a blaze, leaving his mark on the world and taken the man who killed him out with him. a man on borrowed time, running headlong towards his own death.

there's no "happiness" in that kind of life.]

[There was a little bit of fang showing as Maul explained why he'd stopped going after Obi-Wan. This was getting personal real fast and he was quick to be needled on such a sore spot as well. Still, Dabi at least "got it" in the sense that he wasn't about to condemn Maul or be outraged at the very idea of trying to ruin someone's life for revenge, so he gave him a little more explanation than he had before.]

I never gave up. I merely came to several realizations that made it impossible to continue my revenge. One of them was realizing that the true target of my rage would forever be beyond my grasp. I'd spent my life blaming the wrong person because it was easier for me than admitting the one I should have been going after was beyond my grasp. It would be as if you kept going solely after your brother rather than your father simply because it was easier to do so.

[Best to put it in terms that related back to Dabi himself, though he knew he'd likely get mocked for that as well. It was difficult to tell people part of the reason he'd stopped something that had fueled him for fifteen years of his life. Supposedly good people only focused on the "revenge" part and those who understood the revenge part didn't understand the "giving up on it" part. It was a no-win situation really.

Of course, the other half was falling in love with the Jedi, but that was far too personal to be telling someone he'd had all of two conversations with. He'd barely even told that to people he'd known for years at this point.

Maul shook his head in response to Dabi laying out what he wanted from his own life.]

It's a shame you have so little worth for your own life. That all you see in your future is a means to an end where you're dead.

[Being on the outside looking in at someone else's desire for revenge was an odd sort of feeling. Now he understood why it had taken people so long and been so hard for them to get through to him. Even then, in the end it hadn't been anyone else saying anything that had gotten through to Maul, it had to be his own realization that led to him finally instigating the change.

So he knew it would have to be with Dabi.]

But if that's what you want, far be it from me to try to dissuade you. I know already no one can turn one from a path such as that of revenge once they've chosen to walk it.

[that's the risk of offering an opinion; it's one step towards getting personal fast. considering the route their conversation topic took, it's gotten quite personal. two men who lived for revenge, one still steeped in it and one who had managed to free himself from it. of course their opinions would differ. maul views dabi with pity over his obsession and dabi views maul as weak for giving up. both are stubborn so it was bound to happen.]

Ain't gonna blame ya for bein logical and choosin to live. [the zabrak realized (or decided) he wasn't strong enough to achieve his revenge and so gave up on it in the end, regardless of who he was aiming at being misplaced or not.] But that still means ya gave up cause you couldn't see it through. Otherwise, you would've died goin for it, success or not. [dabi's eyes linger on maul's, brilliant turquoise clashing with the fiery orange and red.] You decided it wasn't worth your life. [perhaps he decided his life wasn't worth failing? dabi doesn't claim to know. though it explains that maul surrendered his revenge out of a more logical reason rather than being pathetic. modicum of respect for knowing his limits, he guesses.]

I ain't an idiot. There are people I don't got any business goin against cause I won't win. And I've walked away from plenty of those fights. [as strong as dabi's quirk is, he'd never win against all might or all for one. hell, he even backed out of the fight against gigantomachia simply because the beast charged through his flames and dabi realized he'd get hurt trying to go a second round at him. hell yeah he bailed on the league. wasn't his problem. he had more important things to sacrifice his body towards. that said... dabi knows his goal is well within reach and possibility. he doesn't have maul's limitations.]

I never had worth in my life. Any reason or purpose for my existence vanished the moment that little puppet was born. I was created for one ambition only and I wasn't enough for it. So he was created to replace me. [his voice is conversational, as if regaling someone with a brief summary of the weather, but maul's probably smart enough to know there's a lot under that charred surface. dabi doesn't feel much anymore, emotions or feelings, so it's easy to talk about this without flaring up.] My death will be the only evidence I ever lived.

[and after what he told maul a moment ago, that "death" included all the revenge and hatred dabi came at the world with. a blazing inferno that was willing to engulf everyone and everything on his mad path towards destroying his father. he had no intention of dying until all of that was pinned in place as "success" by his own damn corpse. a most fulfilling demise.]

Smart man. I ain't a fan of people tryin to tell me what to do. Had enough of that growin up.

[dabi tilts his head to the side, cracking his neck, before digging into a pocket on his coat and dragging out a piece of dried meat. unwraps it and tears a chunk off with his teeth, then wordlessly flops his arm to the side to offer the jerky to maul.]

So what happened to your legs? Your footsteps are heavier than a normal person's.

[it was easy to tell in the library when maul walked.]

I already died once in that quest for vengeance. That's how I knew what my purpose was had to change.

[He'd seen the future that played out between him and Obi-Wan when they were old men, how he'd not cared if he lived or died by then so long as he could still continue to keep hurting his old foe. The fact he'd died during the attempt simply met that his pain would have been at an end instead of continuing ever onwards.

He shook his head when Dabi said his life was worthless.]

So you say. That's anathema to what a Force-user believes.

[Maul believed that all life was worth something and had a purpose, even if that purpose was solely that they were meant to die by his hands. To hear someone claim they had none was a sad state of affairs in his eyes. Between Chara and Dabi both taking about how worthless life was in general, he had a good mind to knock their heads together.]

I do understand to some extent. I've been on the other side of it. I was the clear favorite of my mother. She would have done anything for me. But my brothers? They were just spares, pawns to be used in whatever goal she had in mind at the time.

[Maul's feelings on his mother were....complicated. He loved her intensely and knew she felt the same way. But he couldn't justify the way she'd treated both Savage and Feral. There had been no reason to do some of the things she'd done, Feral's death and Savage's brainwashing in particular standing out to him. In the end, he had supposed his mother had just been a person with faults just like anyone else.

At the question, Maul grabbed some of the jerky, chewing on it before giving an answer so he could strip some of the emotion from his voice.]

I got cut in half during an important battle when I was young by the man I'd eventually seek revenge on.

[He moved some of the layers at his waist to show the exact spot where it had happened. There was a few lights there that could have been mistaken for something like a flashy belt from far away, though the nature of what one was looking at when they got closer and saw the intricate technology that was help powering Maul's prosthetics.

It was clear that for just about anyone else such a blow would have been fatal. But Maul had survived due to his anger and rage, simply refusing to die until he'd gotten revenge on Obi-Wan Kenobi. His stubbornness could be legendary that way. Certain people in Trench were exasperated at how slow he tended to learn some lessons, but considering how hard-headed he'd been his whole life, it was no surprise.]

Ya look good for a dead man.

[not that dabi's one to talk, considering his charred appearance. though the flippancy probably denotes that he's getting less involved in the topic of one man's revenge against his own. it's not that he doesn't get it. in his own way, maul is attempting to encourage dabi away from his vendetta. questioning him, showing his own life as a lesson and warning, subtly suggesting there's more to his life than revenge. but dabi's simply not interested. as far as trench is concerned, this conversation is purely hypothetical. endeavor's not here, there's no revenge in this place the burned villain can take. and even if he surrendered it here in trench, what purpose would it serve? he'd simply return home with no recollection.]

A Force-user?

[first time he's heard that phrase used. dabi eyes maul curiously. sarcastically that would sound like "drug user" or something of the like. so he's assuming this "force" is something to wield or take. like a weapon or a pill respectively. granted, perhaps maul's right in that all life serves a purpose. just that purpose could be considered pointless in a human view. what point is there in a person's life to die before being born, for example? to create sorrow? sick purpose... anyways, dabi would have to go further into detail about his past for maul to understand and he's not ready to do that right now.]

It's somethin like that. Yeah.

[with the zabrak laying out his life a little, dabi picks out the similarities. he'd been on both sides of the spectrum, the favored and the rejected. it gives him a two-fold feeling about it. on the one hand, maul could relate to his story more than others. on the other, it'd merely be another venue for the man to try and change dabi's mind. not an argument he'd prefer to keep having with him. perhaps later. another time and place. mother talzin and enji todoroki had similarities...

dabi's more interested in the answer about maul's legs. he goes for another piece of jerky and drops his wrist over his knee, leaving the bag to dangle for now as his eyes linger on the other man's waist and thigh.]

In half? [okay, it's not like he hasn't seen severe wounds in his life, but generally speaking, "in half" injuries are not something a person survives. even in his world with its superpower quirks and advanced biological sciences. it takes dabi a few seconds to realize he's not looking at some technological "belt" around maul's waist, but instead the beginnings of an entire lower-body prosthetic.] Holy shit.

[maul's a machine from the waist down! so to speak.]

Legs and everythin. You stubborn bastard... [okay, he'll admit he's impressed maul pulled that off.] Sucks about your dick and ass though. How much of ya guts survived?

[hey, no one say dabi wasn't a rude bastard.]

Time works strangely in this place.

[Maul knew of his future thanks to the machinations of Trench. It was his fate to die back in his own galaxy and one he refused to give into. He'd remain in Trench until he died of old age if it was possible.

That was the usual question asked when Maul brought up the Force, so he had a standard answer down pat by now which gave out the basics of how his powers worked without giving away all his tricks and secrets.]

The Force is what gives a Sith their power. It's an energy field produced by all living things. You, me, animals, beasts, plants. Whatever contains life contains the Force and can be manipulated by someone trained to use it.

[He gave a small demonstration by lifting up the rocks and leaves on the ground, letting them hover there in midair before he then lifted up Dabi himself, letting the man hang there for a few moments before lowering him.

He let the thread of their conversation regarding the similarities between their parents drop. If they met again, and Maul hoped they would, he could pick those back up later on. The Sith Lord saw a lot of himself in the human, Dabi resembling much of what had made up Maul when he first arrived in Deerington.

He wouldn't lie and say he wasn't pleased that Dabi was impressed with how he'd lived through his horrendous injuries. No matter what side of the spectrum of good vs evil they were on, most found it amazing Maul had managed to pull through his injuries to the point where he was fully functioning and able to fight just as well as he had in the past instead of just being a crippled shadow of his former self.

He did scowl at the mention of his dick. That was a sore subject but since Dabi didn't linger on it, he wouldn't get too angry about the comment.]

Enough to keep me alive. Some of my intestines are shorter than those of a human, which helped the issue of survival. But mostly it was simply my deep anger and hatred plus my force of will fueled by the Dark Side that allowed me to live.

Ain't a surprise.

[if "time" actually runs in this place. even the seasons tend to bleed together under the usually-cloudy skies. dabi doesn't pay much attention to the passage of time in trench, as the background realization that returning to his own time wouldn't take into account for his time here in trench. three people he knew from his home had gone... um... "world hopping" before and let him know the reality of the situation. they're sitting in a holding pattern until they return home to start moving again.

dabi eyes maul at the explanation of what "the force" really is. it's short and simple for an explanation, and he's glad someone can answer succinctly and efficiently without puking up an essay of pride and details.]

A Sith? Thought you were a Darth.

[no, he's not being sarcastic with the question. it's all seriousness. dabi realized "Darth Maul" was not a first name last name thing, but rather a title and name. though he figured that out via a conversation with someone else, because after leaving the library and their first meeting, the villain certainly had thought "darth" was maul's first name. thank his japanese heritage and learning for calling people by their last names by default.

dabi swings his attention to the rocks and leaves, an eyebrow quirking as they floated upward. only to tense when some force lightly took hold of him and lifted him. there's a brief flare of alert and warning at the sudden invasion of his personal space, but he's smart enough to realize what it was a second later and relaxes. not that it entirely pleases him to realize maul could telekinetically throttle him if he so chose... psychics are a bitch to battle. but good to know.

aw. sore about his dick, huh. dabi doesn't miss that reaction. but he already got his jab in and sees no reason to push that button again. force-choke being a little red flag on it, of course. and there are other fun things to do that don't involve dicks.. just have to get creative.]

Damn. [he leaves that as his only comment, obviously impressed with maul's tenacity. it's not every day you meet someone with the will to live after being bisected.] Ya don't look like ya came out too bad now. [dabi wouldn't have known maul's legs were prosthetics if the library's quiet hadn't made the sound catch his ears. looked like legs.] Guess ya grateful for that hatred and anger, even if ya eventually gave them up.

[Maul kept a few rocks continuing to float around him, lazily spinning in little circles, the movements similar to the way another person might have played with their hair or absentmindedly shredded grass while they were talking.]

I am both. A Sith Lord is what I am, Sith being the sect that can access the Force which I come from. Darth is the title given to someone who can complete the trials to become a Sith Lord.

[Yes, it was a little confusing, but that was religion for you. The Sith couldn't possibly make things simple for their acolytes. It was one of the reasons they had stagnated by the time Maul was indoctrinated, Sidious forgetting the big picture and focusing in on his own goals instead.

He scowled at the mention of giving up his anger and hate. Back on that again, were they? It was difficult when neither of them could truly understand the other's perspective.]

I only gave them up towards the subject of my revenge. I still have plenty of anger and hate to help fuel me even now. How else would I be able to survive in such a place as this?

[dabi keeps an eye on the rocks, half out of curiosity, half out of being a cautious person. does he trust maul? not really. but he also doesn't believe the man has any interest in attempting for his life. that said, it's an impressive ability.]

Ah. A sect and title.< small>[that makes sense. "maul" is his name and dabi's got no intention of inquiring about a last name or anything else regarding that. the man can keep his privacy. as for what a sith is... doesn't really care.

likewise dabi's not going into the dichotomy of heroes and villains in his own world, briefly touching on it earlier when maul brushed it in topic. there are strange things between the two groups and while maul looked, talked, and acted like he'd fall in the "villain" side back home, here, he's obviously attempting some kind of atonement. a heroic trait.

it's a common theme, especially since those were instrumental in maul's continued existence. giving them up would likely mean his death (back home). dabi merely shrugs at the answer, slipping his hands into his pockets.]

Cause it won't let ya stay dead or go home. [if he wants the sarcastic, literal answer.] Whatcha hate and angry about here then, if you got so much of what you want in Trench?

I hate most people and I'm always angry. Do I really need a specific reason to have for that?

[Maul shrugged. His rage was something he rarely picked apart in an analytical way or felt the need to quantify in any sort of capacity. His anger was something that had started as a child, feeling upset at being mistreated, hurt, and scared by the world. At the time, it was a defense mechanism so that Maul wouldn't feel the pain so acutely.

As an adult, it had evolved to become a survival mechanism, something that had allowed him not to just curl up and die when his life became hard to deal with. This was especially true after his near-death experience at the hands of Obi-Wan. Now it was like an old comfortable friend. Even if he didn't always have a raging fire at his disposal, the embers of it were always glowing brightly.]

Nah. But I gotta admit, with all your talk till now, that kinda sounds like a front.

[not that he's calling maul's hate and anger a lie, but with the speaking of protection, letting go of his issues, love and protection, family ties, and a host of other things, suddenly saying he's a ball of malice comes across as whiplash. which is kinda amusing to dabi, since he noticed the zabrak got needled by the villain's commentating on his choices.

is he calling maul out? maybe. taunting him again? who knows. dabi's a jerk.

but he knows well enough what it means to be angry, surviving through the heat of rage and burning hatred. that, he and maul can agree on completely, even if their reasons for doing so might end up swerving in and out of disagreement. dabi continues to find the other man interesting, curious about how he'll handle things. but he does see him as... well... embers, rather than a bonfire.

and embers, generally speaking, are not as threatening as raging flames.]

[Much as Jinx taunting him about "going soft" on the network had pricked Maul in just the right way to rile him up, so Dabi poking at him stirred up Maul's anger quite a bit. He growled for a moment, the sound like the warning of a pissed-off big cat that suddenly realized there was an intruder in its territory.]

Let's see how long you'd think it a front if I just reached over and bit your throat out!

[He snarled out as a threat, baring angry fangs at the human. He was good and heated up now. While it had put him in a better place not to have people coming after him when he did something to hurt them or always going after them for revenge when he felt they deserved it, he also knew part of the consequences meant it looked from the outside like he'd lost a little bit of his edge.]

[don't get mad about going soft when you've gone soft. especially when you blatantly admit it with those kinds of words. it's hard to take that sort of confession back. fierce and vicious in appearance, yet discussing forgiveness, fondness, maturity, and relinquishing through his mouth, maul is a walking contradiction to himself. nothing wrong with that, but it does prompt dabi to call him out on trying to put up his face afterward. not saying he can't or shouldn't, only that it's an amusing attempt.

the predatory growl earns a brow quirk. kinda cute. kinda hot too...

dabi tilts his head to the side, reaches up, and draws the wide collar of his shirt further away from his collar bone, offering the column of his scorched, scar-covered throat.]

Don't burn your mouth.

[no hesitation or even caution with the gesture. blue eyes remain locked onto maul's fiery orange, almost glowing from the raging blue flames coursing through dabi's body. he's serious. if maul wants to prove himself as not having lost that edge, he's free to try and prove it right here, right now. death isn't fun, but since it's not lasting in this place, dabi lost any real concern about experiencing it. he'll just come back. and he's plenty insane as it is.]

[Quick as a flash, Maul whipped out his lightsaber and ignited it, holding it right above Dabi's throat in a reverse grip, the hum of the blade vibrating through the air. This is what happened when people riled him up for too long. Maul wasn't all bark and no bite. No, when he said he was going to hurt someone, he meant it.]

I've got a cleaner way of dealing with scum who don't know when to shut their mouths.

[He locked eyes with Dabi, not even blinking once as he held the blade steady. Maul was serious. One more taunt from the firestarter and he was going to send his head rolling.]

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