Maul nodded as Luz summed up what had happened to him in his own life. It was true and one could most assuredly see the pattern after they'd witnessed a few of his memories. That was why he naturally despised moments like this when the city forced him to confront the demons of his past.

A muscle twitched in Maul's cheek and the lines of his body became extremely tense when she asked why he was still leaning into his fearsome reputation. "Because if they do, they might take advantage of what they know and hurt me again." The same way his master had done for his entire life. Maul still couldn't get over the block in his mind that told him everyone was as cruel and manipulative as Darth Sidious, even with so many examples here that showed otherwise.

It didn't help he'd surrounded himself in his own galaxy with criminals, warriors, and other types who would have done just that, so before he'd come to Deerington he'd had no one else to really show him that things could be different. Now, he kept everyone at arm's length to prevent them from getting too close and seeing that he was a very damaged, vulnerable person underneath all the anger, hate, and psychotic energy.