Winter's quiet grip (Open)

[opress]

Who: Savage Opress & You
What: Event catch-all
When: Month of December
Where: In Trench, everyone can hear you bleed

Content Warnings: Abuse, threatening a child, borderline slavery, electrocution, impalement.


A. Winter’s Mourning
i. Life lost – 5 years old

[Savage sniffled and wiped his nose on the back of his arm, his silver eyes fixed on the Nightbrother laid out on the woven matts that always smelled liked blood and death. He chewed on his lower lip and suddenly moved from sitting on his calves to pushing himself up onto his knees so he could peer into the older Nightbrother’s pale sweaty face.]

Bruté… come on, wake up. I don’t wanna sleep here…

[Bruté twitched, breath coming slow and wet. There was a strangely wet sucking sound from the Zabrak’s chest where all the cloth was wadded up and packed. There was something wrong with Brute’s orange skin as well; it wasn’t supposed to be so pale and clammy. Just as unusual, Bruté didn’t respond to his nudges and shaking.

Out of all of the Nightbrothers of his clan, Bruté was the one that made the most effort with him, even when he was crying. Despite it being against clan rules, Bruté would sleep close to the door where the kits were supposed to sleep so that Savage could crawl up the stairs and cuddle in with the older Zabrak. The kits kicked and rolled around and Savage was often kept to the outside of the group, but he found warm solid comfort nestled up to Bruté’s chest or back. Now he didn’t make a night without the journey to sleep next to Bruté.

It was his bedtime, and he was tired and cold from watching the older Zabrak wheeze out terribly slow breaths. He didn’t understand the sucking chest wound or the other injuries that came due to a Nightsister during the Selection Trials earlier in the day. He shook Bruté again, hoping to rouse the Nightbrother to go upstairs.

Instead, he gave up and nestled in right there, resting his chin on Bruté’s chest. He ignored the Nightbrother in the doorway keeping vigil; he didn’t like Furious much. He closed his eyes and dozed, shivering because there was no blanket and Bruté wasn’t putting off much, if any body heat.

He hissed when Furious grabbed him by the back of the neck then went still as he was picked up. Instinctively, his arms and legs curled into his body, but more alarming was the complete silence to the room. He squirmed, hissing again and Furious gave him a shake to quiet him lest he wake the kits in the next room.]

To bed, Savage.

Bruté…

He’s dead. [Furious growled deeply at him, causing him to twist to peer up at the Nightbrother. There was something in Furious tone that welcomed him to protest, to fight.] The Trials are no place for crying kits or weaklings. The Sisters won’t accept anything less.

[He peered through the darkness of the room to Bruté’s still body. The smell of blood and death – like the kills brought in for them to help skin and cut up so they could eat – finally registered.

Savage didn’t fight as Furious took him to the next room with the sleeping kits of the clan and deposited him in their piled ranks. He lifted his head to follow Furious’ movements out of the room, ears picking up the main door opening and several Nightbrothers entering. He picked at his lower lip with fingers as the Brother’s carried and dragged Brute’s body from the house.

He crawled to the door and peered after them, shrinking back when Furious came to stand blocking the way. He watched the older Nightbrother sink to a crouch in front of him, Furious’ glowing golden eyes pining him before a finger jabbed him in the shoulder.]

Bruté did a disservice coddling you. If he’s lucky, he’s with the Fanged God, and you… t’sh, it’s only a matter of time before you become a crybaby again. [Furious leaned in close, bearing sharp teeth where he could see them.] I will bite your throat out if I have to listen to months of crying. I don’t care which Sister you crawled your way out of.

[Furious left him there after that, and he shivered in the doorway. He didn’t understand death well other than that death meant they would eat. He picked at his lower lip again then crawled over to the spot where Bruté had died, curled up in the drying blood pool left there and waited until morning.]

ii. Life changed

[Savage stood in the courtyard and stared warily of his Master. They had been practicing deepening his connection to the Dark Side for the last hour, and his armour was still smoking from the last barrage of Force lightning that had assaulted him. His limbs gave faint shivers from the electricity that had washed over him and still bit at the air around him.

He had regained his feet and Darth Tyranus waited with a cool indifference as he gathered himself and eased his weight so that he was standing at ease.]

Again. [The lesson continued.

He concentrated on his connection to the Dark Side which felt seething with his anger and frustration, hampered by his discomfort of failure. He set a fist to his forehead, focusing on the feel of it as he gathered up the Force in as tight of a strangle hold as he could, wrangling it to do his will. He released a breath as he extended the hand from his forehead outwards so that he could feel the air around the massive stones but also beyond them, one of the transport ships. He’d show his Master. He’d would fail.

The rocks swayed, rumbling against each other and then all of them lifted from their pedestals and rose into the air. Beyond their direct training area, the transport carrier creaked on its landing gear and began to rise, wobbling in the air but also rising. He dug deep into his hatred, using it to harness the force.

Suddenly his Master was on the move, launching forward and drawing what he knew to be Tyranus’ lightsaber. The red blade lit into existence, coming straight for his face, and instinctively, he howled and lost part of his concentration. The stones slammed to their perches and the transport lurched and landed heavily, but more than that, his other hand swung up as if to deflect the red blade.

Like a bubble bursting, the Dark Side blew out from him, overwhelming his Master’s defenses and sending the old man flying backwards into the bushes. He blew out a breath between his teeth, belatedly taking a step forward as if to check on his Master.

Lightning arched out from the bushes to send him staggering, a yell of pain and surprise ripping from his lips as he collapsed and gripped his head. It was only a short burst this time. His teeth chattered from the electricity, and he slowly lifted his head to watch his Master approach.]

Why did I electrocute you, Savage?

Master…? [It was hard to get the word out.]

The first time was because you let your guard down. If you focus too much of the Force in one area, you are not keeping up your defenses and will be cut down. And the second time…

[Savage stared at his Master’s red eyes, and he set a hand to the ground to push himself to his feet to withdraw. The second burst was coming right… now. He went down gritting his teeth, shuddering and shaking as lightning rolled over him.]

The second was because you have no reason to show me any concern, but you have shown explosive uses of the Force more than once now. Good. [Tyranus stepped in front of him as he gathered himself to sit back into a crouch.] Gather your things, my Apprentice. I have an assignment for you.

iii. Life Gained - Future Never Seen

[Savage approached the Nightsister conclave with a seeming flagrant disregard for tradition, skirting old piles of destroyed droids that were long covered in red dirt. He moved with an tension that was more instinctual than accurate of the situation, and he dragged a dead young rancor behind him. Older and far more rugged looking, he walked without hurry to the gaping entrance of the seemingly empty conclave of the Nightsisters.

Suddenly there was a squeal of delight, then a second following suit. A six-year old pale Zabrak ran full tilt from the shadowy depths of the stone, her silver hair flying as she covered the distance. Her four-year-old sister followed suit, hopping up and down with skinny arms raised in a much slower approach. He didn’t break stride, but a snort of pride sounded from him.

The elder girl wrapped her arms around his left leg and hopped up to stand on his foot so he would take her back the way that she had come.] Sire! What did you bring back?

Sire! Sire! Sire! [The four-year-old chanted, still hopping until he was in range then followed her sister’s antics and latched onto his right leg. He came to a stop to allow her to find his foot before he slogged his way forward with his kill and his two kits.]

It’s just a rancor. We’ve eaten one before.

Was it a hard fought battle, sire? [The six-year-old was at the age of wanting to know combat details.]

Sire, Mother is in a bad mood.

Mother is always in a bad mood. [Savage rolled his eyes as he entered their home and he tossed the rancor to the side to deal with once he had managed to keep the kits from clinging to his legs. It was unconventional for any female Sisters to have anything to do with their sire, but these were unconventional times. The only other Nightsister clans were on the other side of the planet and the only Nightsister here hadn’t even been raised with tradition.

Ventress approached, sneering at him before basically tossing the squirming toddler into his arms brusquely. He took the kit without complaint before reaching out to catch the Nightsister’s arm. Then he dared to lean in and nip at her temple, adding a nudge of his nose. Only then did she soften very slightly, but she gave him a shove on the shoulder anyway.]

The girls are yours. I have a bounty to follow up on. It will take me a week, maybe more.

The ship is supplied, but you should take it for a tune up. The landing gear has been sticky. [He was distracted by the toddler grasping at his face, bubbling merrily and drooling. She was teething and usually cranky. At least the toddler had an excuse where Ventress was just… Ventress.]

Fine. Don’t kill the children.

[The kits at his legs were shoving each other and giggling.] You always have a higher chance of offing them than me.

[She smirked, basically agreeing. After all, she often left him to the rearing and went off world for bounty hunting, which was a system that worked.] Girls, be terrible for your sire.

Yes, Mother. [That was chanted and that was as close to an affectionate as any parting would get. Ventress walked off with not even a single look backwards.

Savage tipped his head to grasping fingers at his chin. Life after a near death experience was good.]

B. Run, Rabbit, Run
i. Hunted
[Hunting beasts was made far more difficult when one had to compete with a wide assortment of traps laid out. Even then, the forest itself seemed to try to grasp at him as he pushed through, and he ripped his way through more than a few bushes. Foliage and displaced snow dusted his armour, and he had used enough traps on Dathomir to avoid many of the man-made ones.

He was in the process of hunting down a beast that had been roaming the outskirts of town and headed into the forest. He was closing in on what looked like some kind of canine – didn’t people call them wolves here? – and even if he was keeping an eye out for traps, he still found his situation rapidly changing when the ground beneath his feet suddenly lurched and woven sticks buckled under his weight.

He dropped into the pit trap, snarling in pain as his leg became impaled on a spear of sharpened wood that had been placed inside. Green blood flowed and began aerosolizing immediately, not that it stopped him from hobbling on his good leg and recklessly ripping his leg off of the wood spear with a renewed snarl.

He had no medical supplies, but he was so tall that he could hobble over and grasp the edge of the pit trap and start to haul himself out of it, smearing his vileblood as he went.]

ii. Trapped

[Having began to sweep to kill any and all of the undead animals that seemed to find their way to him, Savage was working his way through the fringes of the woods as he headed back to town. He heard a crack of wood and something that sounded like rope on bark. A trap had been set off, and while he normally wouldn’t bother to concern himself with the matter, it was on his way.

He stopped as he found himself looking up at what looked like a net with something – or someone – inside of it.]

You can cut yourself down, right?

Comments

Closed - For Ariadne

[opress]

[Savage had finally made his way down to the docks to explore the option of taking a boat out, but the winter storms were not a great time to be heading out. They would, but he eventually decided against it. He wasn't the strongest swimmer and the opportunity to capsize seemed close to being beyond his liking, so he decided better weather would be a more acceptable time.

Instead, he decided that he and Ariadne would go out into the woods. She liked plants, and there were plenty of those out in the woods. Plus, there would be animals and blood-warped beasts, which he would personally find entertaining and part of his job.

He lead the way into the forest, pleased to be out of the city and away from the pressing feel of being hunted. Or at least he assumed it would abate once he was in the woods, but he found himself moving cautiously as they pushed deeper. Then he paused and sniffed the air before snorting at the sound of howling in the distance.]

Maybe a fight... stay close.

[demonicbeauty]

[Unexpected though it might be, Ariadne finds that with Savage, she's more comfortable in her own skin. Part of it is probably the fact that he out-and-out told her that he preferred her that way. The other part probably has to do with how much he moves and reacts like an Alastrian. Far more so than Maul, anyway. He's a natural in the wilderness. Taking scents, noting the trees. The exact same way that she does. That all of her brothers and sisters did. And her parents before them.

So she's happy to walk alongside him, green as the underside of a maple leaf, her blue hair streaming down her back as she takes in her own scents.

There's something off about today. Nothing tangible. Nothing she can define. Just a feeling. The woods don't feel the same. There's something menacing about them. And it isn't the weather or the dull, gray light.

She turns her head at the sound of the howling.]

Canine, I think. Maybe an alpha trying to assert his dominance.

[opress]

[That she decided to walk in her natural skin rather than under the presence of the illusion to made her appear human pleased him. Not only did it allow her to blend in with the trees and foliage all around them, but it just plain looked better in his opinion. He understood hiding ones appearance, but he would never feel shame or discomfort in how he looked.

He continued to sniff the air, tilting his head from one side to the other as he tried to pinpoint the sound's direction. Northwest of their position and enough distance that he wasn't concerned. The forest still remained a bit too quiet otherwise, like the air itself was holding its breath.]

Or calling the pack. [Zabrak howled to call their Brothers to rally at their location, usually just before a hunt.] Maybe it has the scent of something.

[He huffed but then turned away to continue carefully along the game trail. He pushed aside the chill that something was coming; he was armed and never turned down a good fight.

A few trees over a squirrel spotted them and scolded noisily.]

[demonicbeauty]

[The scent of what?

That's the question foremost on Ariadne's mind. She's taken a few deep sniffs of the area, but hasn't been getting much of anything. But after being outsmarted by a mushroom, she's not willing to just accept the ordinary scents, any more.

She turns to glance over at the squirrel, smiling slightly.]

Don't worry. I'm sure you're much too small to catch their interest.

cw post-death mutilation

[opress]

[Savage ignored the squirrel because it was small and likely not able to do more than make noise. His experience in the forest previously told him they were small nut eating creatures and they couldn't cause much damage even if they were brave enough to try.

So he continued on, expecting that the noise made wouldn't be enough to attract whatever had been howling.

As he passed under the tree with the nagging squirrel, it turned to keep an eye on him and continue to scold. However, its right eye was missing and half of its ribcage was exposed.]

ii. Trapped

[the_obedient_servant]

[Hm.

>ACT
>Check

* Powerful prey, but a surprise attack is a surprise attack. Looks like an easy treasure trove of EXP.

They hiss in pain and panic as they struggle to get out of the net. They're certainly trapped.]

I... don't think so? [They successfully imitate the quivering lip and shaky, shallow breaths of a scared little kid pretending to be tough.] I can try, maybe.

[opress]

[Savage moved for a closer inspection at the struggling in the net, and he came to the conclusion that it was a humanling. This place dragged in a lot of reckless kits, but that was to be expected he supposed. Kits had a lot to learn.

He moved over to the tree where the pulley system had been set up holding the net aloft, inspecting it for any deceptions before he pulled a knife from his boot and began to work on cutting the rope.

It gave a creak and released, sending the net and occupant to the ground. He made no effort to lessen the fall. A lesson was a lesson.]

You should head back to town once you get yourself out of there. [As he spoke, he replaced the knife back to the sheathe in his boot.]

[the_obedient_servant]

[They fall to the ground with a genuine squawk of surprise, landing face first into the dirt.

Ow. That's fair, though, they appreciate the lesson behind it. No sense in dulling the pain.

They look up at Savage as he speaks, watching him carefully.]

...Thank you. You, um, didn't have to free me. [They smile up at him.

...And then, quick as their nonexistent DEX skill will carry them, they go for the stab. It won't hit any vitals because 1. alien species and 2. they've never had to aim, but it'll probably hurt.]

Perhaps you shouldn't have. [There is no feeling behind their eyes. Just the apathetic feeling behind grinding to increase stats.]

[opress]

[The youngling should be able to escape the net, and once that was done, he had already decided to continue on his search for the beast that he had initially been evaded him before stopping here.

Savage, being massive and over seven-feet tall, made a noise in his throat when the youngling actually stabbed him. It caught him in the leg, cutting through pants and scoring a hit on his thigh. There were no vital blood vessels hit, but the sheer audacity of it had him snarling.

Had no issue putting kits in their place, and this one had definitely stepped out of line.]

I suppose that was your trap then....

[the_obedient_servant]

[Chara blinks in surprise.]

Huh.

[Why isn't he dying...? Damn, things are different from the Underground. They barely even seem to listen to him talk, seeming more fixated on whatever's troubling them.]

Normally going for the kill after sparing an enemy is enough to kill them... I suppose I'll just have to get used to this new system in time to kill you.

[They pull the knife from his leg and go for another slash, this time aiming for his torso. The knife hums with red pulsating energy, clearly powerful in it's own right, but they still don't know how to fully utilize it. Frustrating!]

i. life lost

[givehead]

(Dirk doesn't mean to arrive in the memory. He was drifting through dreams and slips into the memory space generated by the Winter Mournings by accident. When he appears, he's more of a ghost than a man, practically invisible at first. He's in a specific outfit that makes him look more regal and refined. He doesn't know where he is at first, but it's not his first alien-world rodeo and he doesn't feel displaced by his surroundings.

The good thing about Savage is that he's so recognizable that it takes Dirk all of three seconds before he understands what's going on. He remains silent, uncertain right away if this was even something he could interact with, and not sure what the risk would be if he tried. Normally, he didn't exactly care about risks, but that was only when it was just his own life he was risking. Seeing Savage so small made something hot press into his gut. Something that felt like guilt or the odd feeling he got whenever he saw Dave.

He doesn't really recognize it as a protective instinct seeing as the protective instinct he had towards his friends was completely different than this one. He watches the memory unfold with a blank face. Death introduced itself to everyone at one point or another but seeing Savage's vulnerability like this made him feel a dim ache. He tries to leave out of sheer respect, but the memory keeps him firmly in place.

Dirk realizes his body is gradually becoming more solid as the memory goes on. By the time Savage is left alone, he's physically in the memory. He can touch the wall in front of him, feel its grit beneath his fingers. Okay. New plan of action then.

This version of Dirk didn't have experience with kids - which was probably for the best. This version of Dirk had a better heart than the beta Dirk who didn't care about showing mercy towards young boys. This version didn't want Savage to be alone in blood and misery. But Dirk's never been anyone's number one go-to for emotional comfort and support. He doesn't know what to do.

But he wants to try. He liked Savage enough to try.

He enters the room slowly.)

Don't listen to that asshole. There's nothing wrong with crying. (Okay. So. It's not the best opener. But he really is trying here. Give him a shot.)

[opress]

[Savage was small and shivering where he lay, but what else was he supposed do? The finality of death hadn't settled in, but he didn't like to sleep alone. This part of the house felt cold and dark, though the scent of blood was something that was of faint comfort. It was at least normal.

He lifted his head from where he had rested it on his arm, and he spotted a creature that was like no Zabrak he had ever seen. He blinked his silver eyes rapidly, then his gaze skated to the door where the other Zabrak warriors had gone. They were taught very early that intruders were very bad and to report it to a warrior immediately.

This was the first non-Zabrak that he had ever seen, so he slowly sat up. His eyes went from the door back to the human, and he chewed his lower lips, indecisive.]

How did you get in here? You're not a Brother... and you have hair. [Even as he spoke, he began to look a touch older, bigger. Like he was growing in the dream.]

[givehead]

(He probably should have anticipated that. Had an alien shown up in his world when he was this age, he likely would have felt twice as defensive. He didn't know how much fucking with this memory might impact Savage, so he stays still, thinking carefully.)

I have powers that allow me to travel around in different dimensions. (Might as well be honest. He taps the side of his own head.) Including people's heads.

(He moves his hand to his hair, smiling faintly. Okay, so that explained away Savage's thing for his hair.)

I'm technically a brother, but not your type of Brother. And yeah.

(He moves slowly towards Savage, stopping just a few feet from him.)

Would you like to touch it? (His tone is...as gentle as Dirk Strider could manage. If he was a kid seeing an alien with horns, he would absolutely want to touch the horns. He figures that impulse might translate in this situation.)

It's softer than it looks.

[opress]

[Savage blinked his silver eyes, not exactly understanding the whole different dimensions thing, but he had learned a little about hyperdrives and hyperspace by listening to the Brothers of the village. Of course, he touched his head as if to check if it was as he recalled.]

You have a ship... can I see it someday?

[Again, the talk didn't make a lot of sense to him, but he was curious enough to not make a big fuss about brother-not-Brother stuff. He'd never seen a human up close, but some of the old tales talk about them fighting the Brothers.]

If the Brothers catch you here, they'll kill you and eat you.

[He scooched to the edge of the raised platform as the human approached and finally rose to his feet. Then he wiped his hand which was dirty on his equally dirty tunic - it was the thought that counted, right? - and reached it up towards Dirk's hair.]

Yeah, I'll touch it. It looks like the colour of the sun. The Sisters have hair like moonshine, but I'm not allowed close to them.

cw: suicide

[givehead]

I travel with my soul. (Which probably wasn't as exciting to a kid as a ship.

He smirks at the cautionary warning about the brothers.)

I'd really like to see them try. I've cut my own head off and am just fine. (He gestures to his neck with a swift slicing motion. He leans down towards that grubby little hand. It sort of pained him to know a dirty hand was about to touch his hair, but sometimes there were things worth sullying your vanity over. This was probably one of them.)

Gentle. (He might be into hair-pulling during sex, but outside of that? Not so much. For as stylized as Dirk's hair was, it was surprisingly soft. He had learned how to style it without turning into ugly, stiff spikes caked in product.

He smiles a little. It was a romantic notion to refer to his hair like the sun.)

Yeah? Is that a good thing? (He peers at the boy closely.) Why not?

Winter Mourning

[frogfear]

[Willow watches the memory play out in front of her quietly, and she can't help feel heartbroken for the poor child. Savage has told her before about his upbringing, and of course she had been horrified at the mistreatment he suffered. Witnessing it first hand is an entirely different kettle of fish.

She's unsure if she has any influence here, but she feels like she needs to try. A five year old faced with death for the first time - or at least, she assumes this is the first time he's seen death, given his reaction - deserves to be comforted, not to be scolded, and certainly not to be threatened with death. She has to remind herself that the odds are Furious was subjected to the same sort of treatment growing up to quell her anger at the older Zabrak.

She sits down cross legged on the floor, and reaches a hand out to the little boy, curled up alone in the pool of blood.]

Hey, it's okay... Come on over here.

[opress]

[Savage's silver eyes pop open at a female voice, and his head jerked up as he oogled Willow. His little face screwed up with the shock of it because she was so many things that he hadn't seen often or even before. She was a female, and the only one he faintly remembered was his mother before he gave him away. She exposed her hair, which was fascinating. She was also not Zabrak, and he knew that off-worlders were to be wary of.

He stared at her in confusion at the offer of comfort, mistaking it for a potential ruse to steal him away and maybe eat him. Or sell him. That's what the stories were to keep kits in line and willing to raise the alarm rather than be fascinated by foreigners.

Yet, at his age, curiosity won out over wariness, and he slid to the edge of the raised platform he had been laying on previously.]

How'd you get in here? [Even as he spoke, a keen eye would be able to tell he was a touch older. Like he was aging in the dream.]

[frogfear]

[Willow looks around the room with a faint smile at the question. He's clearly clever, even at this age, although granted, some of it is probably survival instinct.]

That's kind of a long story. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. It'd be kind of a dumb thing to do anyway, with so many people you know around, huh?

[She keeps her hand extended to him with her elbow resting on her knee in an invitation to come sit with her.]

I'm sorry about your friend.

[opress]

[He stared at her, trying to decide if she were telling the truth. Her logic was sound enough by his reasoning, and his eyes moved over to the door where the Brothers had gone. When they would return, he had no idea. After all, he was supposed to be asleep.

He slowly scooched off the platform to sit on the floor, inching his way closer to her while pretending to not do so. Obviously, she would notice, but he was quite taken with the idea of his own skill here.]

Are you a Sister? [Oh, there was another possibility too, right?] Or... are you the Winged Goddess?

[He looked back at the blood spot then down at himself where blood had soaked into his rough and oversized shirt and shorts. He wiped at it with a hand then shrugged.]

Maybe we'll eat him. That's what dead means here. [No, it didn't, but it was the only way he could wrap his head around how death might affect him.]

[frogfear]

[She glances away, pretending not to notice him inching towards her, and instead, takes an interest in the rest of the room. He's a little kid, she's not about to shatter his belief in his own subterfuge abilities.]

Nope - I'm neither. Just a friend. My name's Willow.

[She glances back, and feigns a surprised look, as though she's just noticed him moving closer. She doesn't really believe they eat their dead - Savage has made no mention of it anyway. Besides, that's a good way to spread disease, and among people from a brutal world who place such a strong emphasis on survival, she can't see it being realistic.]

You know, despite what some people might try to tell you, it's okay to be sad when someone you care about dies.

A-iii

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul watched the life that his brother would never get to know, a future that had been denied from him. He would have made a good father, Maul had always known that. He had a good temperament for it unlike his elder brother. The elder Zabrak was too messed up mentally to really be good at rearing kits but Savage had always looked out for Feral and Maul had known such instincts would transfer over to paternal ones very easily.

Seeing Ventress actually acting as a proper mate actually made him feel a little sorry for the Nightsister, though not too much given the way she'd acted towards his brother. She too had been denied a real chance at a family and life on Dathomir. If this was any indication, she would have been happier for it. There was heavy guilt in Maul's hearts, knowing that part of the reason Savage would never see such a life was because of him. This might have come to pass if Maul hadn't been so codependent on his brother, too selfish to allow him to have his own life.

But while at first he was a mere observer in the memory-that-wasn't, suddenly, he was a more solid figure. The oldest girl's eyes widened with familiarity as she spotted him. She looked up at Savage.]

Sire! Look! Look! Look! Uncle Maul has arrived!

[Maul stayed silent as he looked from the children back to his brother, unsure of what to say.]

[opress]

[Savage turned his head and then the rest of his body when his eldest called attention to the other Zabrak male. He looked surprised to see his brother, shifting the toddler from leaning on his chest to the crook of an arm. He made a sort of whistling greeting sound from his throat.

Then he looked at the excited girls attached to his legs, the middle child positively wiggling at the sight of Maul.]

Off you go to greet your uncle. You know how.

[The eldest jumped of his foot and ran over to Maul before stopping and toothily grinning up at the elder Zabrak. Then she bowed deep and low, giggling the whole way because of course Savage had put her up to it.] Welcome back, Uncle Maul, the greatest and mostest powerfulest of Dathomir.

[The second seemed to forget the whole greeting and half-skipped, half-ran over to Maul and immediately latched onto a metal leg. Much like with Savage, she stepped on the nearest foot and squealed in delight.]

Uncal! Uncal! Did you beat up bad people so they work for you now?

[Savage followed at a much slower pace, but all the same, he made certain to lean in to aggressively nudged his forehead against his brother's, a deep purr sounding immediately from his throat.]

I wasn't expected you for a few cycles.

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul wanted to fight against this. It wasn't real, it was just an illusion created by this place, and he knew both he and Savage would feel all the worse when it ended. And yet....and yet the desire for family, for the warmth and love he'd missed out on for so long was hard to resist. Maul decided to go along with things for now, figuring he could always intervene the minute things went wrong as they so often did here in Trench.

The two little girls fawning over him with their antics made his lips twitch into a small smile and it became a full-blown grin when his brother greeted him with a gentle head nudge. He picked up the younger one from where she was clinging on her leg. She was so small that it required little effort on his part to do so. He answered her question.]

Something like that yes.

[He purred in response to Savage for a long moment.]

Mandalore is quiet right now. Bo-Katan and her band of rebels are shrinking in number. Almec will not cause ruination while I am gone, I am sure of it.

[The galaxy continued to tear itself apart but Maul didn't care so long as his family was safe and content. He knew the reason he would have come here was missing them. Maul's family had always been a priority for him above everything else. He wished more than anything his brother could have something like this in Trench, a mate and kits for him to adore.]

[opress]

[His kits always enjoyed Maul coming for visitation, bringing stories of the galaxy beyond Dathomir. Ventress wasn't quite so forthcoming with her own adventures, keeping it to clipped informative life lessons about combat. His brother could get right into the whole story-telling role if the mood was right.]

Mandalore remains yours. I wasn't certain your Master would return if you continued to make moves to keep the planet.

[But with the Jedi Order falling and the Empire being established, perhaps his brother's Master was occupied for now. He liked to think that Maul was far more careful these days. It sometimes irked him that he was stuck on Dathomir to hide that he had survived, but the kits had soothed his anger at his sequestration. He couldn't risk them, not so young and only learning to fight and wield Witch magic from books.

The kit in Maul's arms threw her thin arms around her uncle's neck and snuggled in like she was very familiar with being there. She was the one that had taken the most to Maul, worming her way in over the years]

Uncal, you'll read to us? Sire doesn't read good, but you do.

[Savage snorted through his nose but took no insult. He had to turn some of his attention to the fussing toddler in his arm, tickling bare feet until she giggled and squirmed in delight rather than consider to pitch a Ventress-level fit.

The eldest grabbed Maul's pant leg and gave it a tug.]

Can you show us the Darksaber, Uncle Maul? [She avoided looking at him pointedly, peering up with fluttering eyelashes at her uncle. Savage did not yet allow the kits to play with or even come close to his saberstaff.]

[survivalthroughhate]

I am sure his attentions will turn back eventually. But for now I can gather my strength and take care of other enemies.

[If Sidious came for Maul, he wouldn't be caught off-guard a second time. He'd end his old master for good or die trying, unwilling to become just a pawn in the old man's plotting. He was beginning to forget this wasn't real, just an illusion conjured up by Trench. It was easy to fall into the role of a family man, a beloved uncle to the little girls and protective older brother to Savage.

Maul's lips twitched at the little child's blunt nature.]

That is because I am clever in a far different way than your sire.

[Savage was smart in his own way of course. Maul had known that for a long time and they had used it to their advantage many times in the schemes Maul came up with.

Maul limped along with the eldest girl on his mechanical leg, the weight feeling like nothing with the prosthetics to help him.]

Alright. But remember you are not allowed to touch it.

[Maul had made it very clear to his nieces that if he found any of them trying to fool around with either of his lightsabers he'd give them a burn from one of them to teach them a lesson that the weapons weren't toys to be played with. While it was a harsh punishment and Maul was loathe to hurt them, he knew they'd end up much worse if they had no fear of the weapon and ended up accidentally cutting a limb or killing themselves off fooling around with one of them.]

Have you been practicing the way I showed you?

[He had shown the girls some of the basic katas of using a lightsaber and how to properly wield a staff. None of the three had shown any Force-sensitivity yet but Maul figure it was only a matter of time. Their bloodline was strong on both sides and at least one of them was bound to reveal her powers sooner or later.]