Catch-all for Maul; Love is not the opposite of hate.

[survivalthroughhate]

Who: survivalthroughhate and you!
What: open & closed threads
When: Catch-all for February and March
Where: All over Trench

Content Warnings: Event warning for March, graphic description of broken nails



All starters in the comments, threads are marked open and closed! Will be adding more as the months goes on!

Comments

Peanut Butter Chocolate (Early February) - OTA

[survivalthroughhate]

After eating some peanut butter chocolate given to him by a (hopefully) well-meaning Klee, Maul ends up with cat ears and a tail. Not the most troublesome thing in the world, though it does make it a lot easier to read his emotions given how the ears and tail both react whenever he's in a mood. If anyone approaches him during this time and mentions the change, he will just give them a withering glance and say in a clipped tone, "Yes, I know."

But the changes don't stop there and eventually he's turned into Darth Cat, who has very similar markings to his Zabrak self. (Plus, how many bright red cats with black markings does one come in contact with, even here in Trench?) Honestly, this form is so suited to Maul one might be tempted to make the suggestion he should make it permanent.

After the initial shock, he decides to wait it out. After all, rarely are the changes in Trench ever permanent, and if it lasts more than a few days he can always start communicating the desire to someone that he needs help changing back. So one can find Darth Kittycat sitting on a perch around eye level, sunning himself or eating something he probably shouldn't be. If he sees someone he likes, he might go up to them meowing and batting them gently for attention, maybe winding himself around their ankles with his tail held high in the air. If he sees someone he doesn't like, he won't approach them, and if they get near him, he'll hiss and swat at them with his claws as a warning for them to back off. However, he can definitely be won over by scritches behind the ears, an occasional belly rub, or giving him a bit of catnip. The last one will result in one spaced-out space cat, eyes glazed over and pupils round as saucers as he gazes off into the distance.

[wapples]

Billie has exactly two life goals in Trench.

1. Gather around him as much adopted family as he possibly can.

2. Pet all the cats. And dogs. And anything else that looks like it needs pets.

So of course when he sees the red and black cat, because wow, is that ever not a colour cats come in at home, his eyes light up and he beelines over to Maul. This. This is a good cat. He runs both tiny hands through the soft red and black fur, and starts rubbing behind both ears at the same time.

"You're so cute! Look at you!"

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul is sitting there happily sunning himself with his eyes closed and feeling quite warm despite the cold weather thanks to his new fur coat when he suddenly he feels someone petting him?! He opens up a baleful yellow eye and prepares to issue a warning growl. He even gets the first part of it out. "RAWWW...." But then Billie rubs behind his ears. Maul's slit pupils go wide and round with unexpected delight.

The growl turns into a much more pleasant sound. "....rrrrrrr....." Oh, that feels nice thanks to the cat instincts that are currently running his brain. He begins to melt a little under the attention. Alright, so he doesn't need to attack this small child or turn his hands into hamburger.

Talk with Obi-Wan about love and other things (Early February) - Closed

[survivalthroughhate]

[With Maul finally put back together again, he knows that he's got to talk to Obi-Wan about the fact his Love facet had confessed to the Jedi that he was in love with the man. Frankly, Maul himself had been in denial about his feelings for quite some time but the horses had left the barn now and there was no way to take it back. He felt it was time to have a long, frank discussion with Obi-Wan.

So Maul shows up one day at his door and is even polite enough to knock rather than just breaking in, waiting for the Jedi to answer. Once he does, Maul asks:]

Can we talk?

[jedies]

[ obi-wan is no stranger to awkward conversations. this . . . is definitely not one he's looking forward to. still, he opens the door to let maul in. ]

Of course.

[survivalthroughhate]

Do you have some tea?

[Alright, so Maul is stalling a tiny bit but tea also does generally make him feel better about situations, helping to settle his mind.]

We need to talk about the confession part of me made to you.

Forced Bonding with Anakin (Mid-February) - Closed

[survivalthroughhate]

After discovering the bonding ceremony really does have value to it, Maul keeps doing research, and discovers that a hostile bond can be forced upon a person even if the other doesn't want it. The fact that it also will form a power connection and perhaps allow him to share abilities puts an idea into his mind about what he wants to do. It just won't leave him mind no matter how much he tries to make it go away, so after giving it a bare minimum of thought, he decides to go through with it.

After making sure that Obi-Wan is out and only Anakin is home, he takes the poison from Crimson Peak that Lucille had generously given him his first Christmas here, and pours the entire thing into a bowl of piping hot spaghetti. It might taste just a tad funny but it won't be immediately apparent that the food has been poisoned. Watching through a nearby window, hood up to mask his features from being seen, Maul waits for the Jedi to find it, counting on him to just scarf it down without question.

[facultative]

There is a random bowl of food on the table. He didn't make it and Obi-Wan is nowhere in sight and yet he doesn't question it at all. Maybe he made it before he left the house and Anakin is never going to turn away food.

Just as Maul was hoping he picks up a fork and starts chowing down. He has no idea what a spaghetti would taste like so any odd flavours is chalked up to the meal itself. Not that he'd stop even if he knew something was off. Anakin was the kind of person who had no qualms with eating off the floor.

He's barely finished his last bite before he starts to feel the effects of the poison. He tries to stand up, but his legs give out instead sending him crashing to the ground.

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul watches until he's sure the poison has taken effect. Looks like Lucille was correct, it is rather potent and does just what Maul was hoping it would do. He forces the door open even though it's locked up tight. He'd tell Kenobi he needs better locks, but let's face it, Maul will get into anywhere it suits him no matter what is put in his path to stop him.

He strides on over to Anakin in the kitchen and looks at the pathetic heap of a Jedi on the floor before he shakes his head. "Has anyone ever told you that you are ridiculously predictable?" Then he sets the bag of ingredients he will need on the table and pulls out a list, checking to make sure he has everything he needs right.

Bonding Ceremony (Can be done from February to anytime onwards) - OTA

[survivalthroughhate]

After thinking it over carefully (and having a couple of rejections when he first asked about bonding because Maul was being an asshole and needed to learn a lesson that involved him hitting rock bottom), Maul decided he was ready to make a very serious commitment to those he had come to see as family and friends here in Trench. Two years ago, he never would have been able to do this, but thanks to the help of his found family like Usagi, Varian, and others, he knew he could be vulnerable and make a commitment without being seen as weak or taken advantage of.

To that end, he'd gone to wherever the ones he cared about so very much would be most comfortable, usually their homes or a neutral tea shop in the city he was fond of, basically making sure they would feel relaxed and like they were on their home turf. After a bit of small talk just to help set the mood, his face turned very solemn and serious. "I have something very important to ask you. And it is alright if you say no." He waited to hear their reply.

Maul knew some of these bonds would involve being able to feel his emotions and his anger was a lot just for him to deal with. He was always in a state of fury as his permanently Sith yellow eyes would attest to. To have someone else feeling it might be too much for them to handle or they might not simply have wanted to feel that constant anger running through at all times.

Family Bond

[subject_013]

Perhaps they're sitting in the study at Arklay House, a pot of tea - green with rose hips - on the table between their chairs, a fire on the small hearth and some incense burning, while snowflakes tap on the windowpane.

Wesker tips one hand slightly. "Ask as you will. After all that you've done for me, I am at your disposal." With a hint of dry humor, he adds, "You nearly need not ask."

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul appreciates the tea. The drink always makes him feel a little bit better no matter what sort of situation he's in. It is a cozy setting here and he feels at home. He's not often visited Wesker, but given how recently he's been made aware of how little he knows about some of his friends, he's been trying to rectify that.

Maul gets right down to what he wants to ask Wesker. "Have you heard of these bonds that can be made between two people? I have been reading up on them and they are most intriguing."

Leg Repairs - Closed to Varian

[survivalthroughhate]

Well, Maul had definitely reached a low point, almost literally this time after his legs had gotten blown off during his fight with Constantine. He'd called his brother to come pick him up after the brawl was done. There was only one person in Trench Maul really trusted to work on his legs. It was also someone he really owed an apology and explanation to, something he wasn't looking forward to but which was necessary.

He told Venge to contact Varian through video. When he answered, it was obvious what had happened. "I seem to have lost a pair of legs," he said, far too calmly for someone who was currently only half of a person. There was a few loose wires left and the part which attached his lower half to his waist was still there and functional but the legs themselves were now completely missing.

[droptheious]

When the call came through from Maul, Varian very nearly hung up immediately. Perhaps if it hadn't been video and it wasn't obvious what a state Maul was in, he would have done just that. But angry and hurt as Varian is, as much as he knows he needs to distance himself from this man, he can't and won't let him suffer.

His expression makes it clear he's extremely displeased about this, though.

"Seems that way," the response is terse as he moves about his lab, gathering his tools. "Doubt there's much point asking how."

He pretty much declared war against most of the city on the network. This was inevitable.

"Where are you? I'll come to you."

Awkward Yelling Time - Closed to Luke - March 3rd

[survivalthroughhate]

Alright, so that network post could have gone over worse he supposed. At least he didn't have anyone still calling for his head. But the conversation with Obi-Wan had gotten Maul good and riled up, especially in wake of how his complicated relationship with the man had been affecting the long-term romance he'd been in with Reaper.

The Jedi had cut through to Maul to his very core and left him feeling raw, hurt, and with a whole lot of anger that he needed to get out. Since keeping a low profile seemed like the best for the moment, Maul found himself pacing around his house until he felt like he needed to do something or go crazy. So he went into one of the half-finished rooms, and just started screaming. Which is where Luke would find him, looking like a complete nutcase of a Zabrak, screaming "KEEENNNOOOOBIIIII!!!!!" at the top of his lungs.

I swear to god I had replied to this already.

[faithfulson]

Luke was happily approaching Maul and Savage's house, having seen the former's recent communication on the omni and wanting to talk to him in person about it. He had just reached the door when the sudden scream of Obi-Wan's last name ripped out of the house, and it was so loud and full of such rage that Luke had to take a step back, staring at the door like it was going to break apart and jump out at him.

He stood there, staring at the door like something was going to happen next that would send him running, before he finally let out an annoyed sigh.

"Really?" he murmured. "Can we just have one day where people aren't yelling at each other...?"

With a shake of his head, he entered the house, treading the halls as he followed the feeling of Maul's presence to one of the half finished rooms. He knocked carefully against the door frame, nudging at him gently with the Force, as if to say, "Hi, I'm here, please don't jump at me."

Jumanji Prompts - Throughout March

[survivalthroughhate]

I. Ending up in the jungle

Maul's all too used to the games that Trench likes to play with its residents. Really, at this point he just assumes the Pthumerians enjoy watching them struggle the same way that human beings on Earth might enjoy watching the people on television struggle in a reality show. Ending up in the jungle is just something else he's going to have to survive. He's not happy about it, but then, when is Maul ever happy about anything in his life?

He looks to whoever is with him and gives them a short nod. "Let's get moving," he says gruffly. "There's got to be a way to get through this all quickly." The sooner they get through here the sooner he can go back to keeping a low profile in his home and brooding. Boy, is he ever good at the latter. Champion-class brooder right here. He'll be engaging in a lot of that right now, not really up for extended conversation or being chatty with his current companion. Not unless they run into a situation that requires them to do so.

II. Rushing Rivers

Maul makes a mad dash for it as soon as he hears the waters coming upon him. For all that he's messed up pretty badly mentally, he doesn't have a lot of physical fears, but deep water is one of them. With a full fifty percent of his body being made up of metal, if he gets into water deeper than neck height, he's going to sink like a stone and likely drown. It isn't too long before the waters catch up to him and Maul is swept along with them.

In one respect, he's lucky, and that is that the momentum of the water is so great that it's keeping him aloft for the moment on the surface of the water. But it won't be long before that's not enough and he'll end up underneath the water. He grabs at nearby rocks and trees but his grip is torn from them no matter how hard he grabs, some of his nails getting torn right off in the process. "Heeeeellllllpppp!" He howls out, hoping someone nearby will be able to rescue him from the river he's found himself in before he drowns. Looks like the Sith Lord is going to need someone to be the one rescuing him from certain danger rather than the other way around for once.

III. Hunter

Maul's never been one to flinch away from danger. Being hunted as the world's most dangerous game isn't enough to make him panic, even if the figuring is some eternal boogeyman that can't permanently be taken down. Not that Maul knows enough about Van Pelt yet to know that. He's just as he always is: pissed off and ready to kick ass. But first he has to take care of whoever he's with.

He turns to them. "Stay here. Find somewhere you can hide and try not to move. I'm going to go take care of this problem," Maul says in a grim tone. One might call it cold but those who know him well will hear more disassociation than anything else in his tone. He's snapped into that assassin mindset that he's used so often over his lifetime to help him cope through things. If that means detaching from the person he's with to get through the situation at hand, that's just what he'll have to do.

He doesn't ignite his lightsaber as he goes off to deal with the hunter, preferring stealth right now to make it easier to sneak up on his opponent. Do you stay there? Follow him as he goes through the trees that are packed closely together? Argue that you can help? Anything done will get a different reaction from him but the only way to find out is to play the game.

IV. Mosquitoes

It's just a small bite at first, Maul slapping his hand to the back of his neck to take care of the pesky insect. Here in the jungle, a bunch of stinging and biting insects are to be expected. But after he's been bitten a few times, the mosquitoes begin to grow and grow. When he hears a buzzing coming near, he turns to whoever he is with. "Do you hear that...?"

Then there's a yell from him as three of the giant-sized mosquitoes come upon them and start to attack. Maul immediately lights his saber and holds it up in an aggressive stance, fully intent on fighting back against these invaders. It's hard to go on the attack given these creatures are fast and agile as they zip through the air. He slices one zipping through the air the size of an owl and it lands in two pieces at the other player's feet, splashing them with the greenish ooze inside the insect. The smell is absolutely disgusting but at least it is dead.

But there are still two others out there. Maul is going to need to work with whoever he is with in order to survive this without getting drained dry of his blood.

ii.

[siriusly]

The next time Maul hits a fallen log, something frantically feels around and snatches up a good chunk of his clothes, bunched up at the shoulder blades. Something like a thin, metallic rod is repeatedly brought at or outright smacking at one of the flailing hands.

"Grab it!"

Manabu can't risk getting up on two feet without destabilizing what's left of the log, so he's going to crawl backward toward the shore very carefully while pulling Maul along at the end of his saber (no worries - the safety's on). That means once Maul's got a grip on the metal, he's going to let go of his clothes so he can better scoot backward, bit by bit.

iii

[laruetheday]

Clarisse is already not pleased at the prospect of playing this game with Maul, so his instruction for her to sit quietly and wait while he takes down the stupid hunter has her blood boiling. She actually stomps one foot on the ground in anger.

"No. No fucking way," she hisses, and gestures to her spear. "Look at me. You think I'm just going to sit around and let you have all the fun?"

Look at her, Maul!!! She's a big girl, she can fight the ugly mortal in the khaki uniform!

Catacombs Prompts - Throughout March

[survivalthroughhate]

I. Chronology of the Seasons

Maul, mainly by design, doesn't know all that much about the Patron Pthumerians. They're manipulative assholes as far as he can tell and the only one he really likes at all is Cynthia. Not even his patron Mariana does he feel much affection for. They're too alike for him to really enjoy her presence in the waves of the beach. So he's not really sure what's supposed to be going on here.

"Do you understand what order they are supposed to go in?" He asks the person he's with. His eyes flick over as the door shuts and blood starts to seep into the room. Well, that doesn't look good at all. "Let's get done with this quickly. I've already almost died in a room filling with blood before and have no desire to experience it again." Really, he's lived through some weird shit after being in two Pthumerian-run towns.

II. 'Til Death Do Us Part

It isn't long before Maul sees figures from his past. There aren't too many Maul cares too much about to think of and most of those be already does are right here in Trench. But there are a few he's still missing. ".....Mother?" He asks in a choked voice, staring up at the tall figure that watches him, two lightsaber wounds in her chest and chalk-white skin with deep black tattoos flaking off in a gruesome fashion. The last he time he saw her face, she'd been one of the Wastes in Deerington, a small, sad, pathetic figure for someone who had once been the greatest of the Nightsisters. He'd been unable to have any last words with her then. Too late, always too late to help his family. He can't help but stare at her now, unable to move, wanting one last look at the woman who had loved him so deeply before he has to stop gazing at her forever.

There's also a figure that might come upon Maul and whoever he's with, another Zabrak that bears a startling resemblance to Maul himself despite the different skin colors and tattoo patterns. They've got the same sort of delicate features and general face shape, though there's a gentle look in the other Zabrak's eyes that the Sith Lord has never possessed. It's not someone he ever met in life but Maul's had enough experiences with this place to know who that is. It's Feral, Maul's youngest brother, the one sacrificed to make sure he'd be brought home. His neck is clearly broken as his form of death and Maul tries hard not to focus on that, knowing exactly what had caused it. He's never wanted to question his mother's motivations too deeply, why she'd allow one son to die in exchange so that her eldest and clear favorite could be brought home. Mother Talzin's motivations, as always, were always her own. All Maul knows is that there was another family member he's never gotten the chance to meet, and as always with his family, it was his fault they were dead.

He doesn't want to look at them, doesn't want to speak, so it'll be up to his companion to get him to start talking about his emotions. For someone who tends to wear them on his sleeve, Maul is most reluctant to talk about his feelings right now.

III. As Above, So Below

Maul's always been very susceptible to the mental effects of the various challenges that come upon the Sleepers every month, much moreso than anything physical he has to endure. As with most things, it's a product of growing up the way he did, living with Sidious who broke him down mentally and taught him to shrug off anything physically thrown his way, even up to getting sliced in half. So this crippling sense of anxiety and the pathetic nature within him immediately bubbles forth to the surface. No matter that he would rather die than tell whoever he is with these things, he just can't seem to help himself.

"I'm just a selfish, hateful person. I use people as I see fit and then discard them when they're no longer worth anything to me. And no matter how that I try to do better, I just fall into my old habits because I am afraid to be something other than a Dark Lord of the Sith." Oh, he could go on and on, but that will do for starters.

As Above...

[onerthes]

"Vulnerability is not a ..." she was trying to get out while she stared at the hole in the ground and stepped back from it for a moment, hand pressed to the wall. It was painfully obvious that she was trying to resist. She was a strong-willed woman. She could endure, but the overwhelming pressure of it all was getting to her. "It's not a weakness, Maul. However much it feels like it. You are capable of... being something other than who... without resorting..."

She bit her lip and closed her eyes. It was Maul. She could say this in front of him. "I'm not much better than you, you know. I just don't kill people is all. I use them. When it's convenient. When I want to forget. Staying loyal to Minako, waiting, months of it... it's been hard. I just want the easy way out. I want to be free. I don't judge others so I don't have to be judged, and sometimes? It's really hurt people. And I think I get away with it because I smile more, and when I can't get what I want, I just move on."

Oh, that didn't sound great coming out of her mouth, did it? It sounded like bile and pain.

Blood Hounds - Early March

[survivalthroughhate]

The Blood Blisters are something Maul decides to avoid from the first time he sees them. He's become savvy enough to the ways of Trench to know those are either going to do something like supercharge everyone who has powers if the blood falls on them.......or do something horrific like drive them all mad and start stabbing one another. He's really not keen to find out if it's the latter, as he suspects it likely is, so Maul is just avoiding them altogether.

What intrigues him is when he sees the blood hounds dealing with the giant pustules of blood. Honestly, it reminds him quite a bit of what his own power of removing corruption from people is like, just on a larger and more physical scale than what he's used to. He watches from afar as they deal with the Blood Blisters, and on the occasions that they're not around when the things burst, Maul gets quite a bit of exercise in letting out his eternal rage on the monsters that are drawn to the scene.

There's one dog in particular he keeps running into and the reoccurrence of seeing the canine begins to make him stick out in Maul's mind. The dog looks like a black Rhodesian Ridgeback, complete with the ruff of fur along its back which runs the wrong way contrary to all the other fur, though this blood hound is far larger than a normal Rhodesian. Perched on top of its head are a pair of antlers that greatly resemble those of a Giant Sable Antelope, making it look both beautiful and deadly, just the sort of animal to gain Maul's attention.

At the moment, he's watching it slowly absorb a Blood Blister into the spot between its antlers. Maul observes from a safe distance away to make sure he doesn't end up getting anything like splattered with blood. He's got a sketchbook in his hands and can be seen drawing out a rough portrait of the dog. He looks up occasionally from what he's doing to watch the dog. Someone please try to discourage him from seeing the beast as friend-shaped......although it's probably already far too late for that.

Personal Plot Prompts - Throughout March

[survivalthroughhate]

I. Bonding with the Nightmare Steed - Early March

After his latest encounter with the Nightmare Steed, which had happened while he'd been shattered into different facets, the beast seems to have softened towards Maul a little. His happy self had approached the beast with Snow White and had shown no fear, which had intrigued the large horse-like creature. It has taken to walking by Maul's house on occasion, just standing there outside the front yard, the wind blowing his magnificent shaggy mane around while his long tail twitches.

Maul eventually begins to realize there's a pattern to the Nightmare Steed's wandering and so he starts putting out pieces of raw meat and sometimes crab from the toxic ones to be found in the caves on the beach. At first, he just leaves them there, watching from afar, but eventually he starts getting a little closer and closer still to the beast. He uses the Force to hover the pieces over to him and the Steed seems highly amused by this display. On this particular day, Maul has finally decided to try and get the Nightmare Steed to come to him. He holds out a piece of crab in his hands and waits. "Come on. I'm not coming to you. You have to come to me this time," he says in a coaxing tone. "I know this is your favorite. Come on." The horse seems unsure, scraping one of its dinner-plate sized hooves along the ground as it decides whether or not to go forward. If Maul sees anyone approaching, he'll gesture for them to remain still and quiet, afraid their presence might agitate the large creature. After all, he has been known to gore Maul for fun.

II. Attack of the Mankey - Mid-March

Maul got three prizes out of going through the jungle and catacombs. One was the T-shirt and the other was two Pokeballs. The first got stuffed into a drawer. He'll wear it one day when he inevitably runs out of clothes and forgets to do his laundry. The latter two he studies carefully but still can't figure out what they are. Not until he presses one of the Pokeballs in the middle and out comes a Mankey in blinding light.

Maul's a little shocked but at first the Mankey is just inquisitive and bounces all over the house, studying everything. It even climbs onto Maul for a few minutes and studies his horns in detail before it jumps off to go look at something else. Everything is going smoothly......and then Maul accidentally steps on the Mankey's tail. In all fairness, Maul's heavy prosthetics do mean stepping on someone's foot or tail does make it very painful, but really the Mankey is going to take this way too far. The monkeylike Pokemon seems to take this injury personally and completely starts to go on a rampage.

If one approaches Maul's house during this period, they'll hear a lot of yelling and crashing sounds right before Maul gets thrown through one of the front windows. Before he can do more than get up and brush broken the glass off of himself, Mankey appears in the sill, his red eyes glaring at Maul. The Pokemon growls and makes a shrieking noise before it launches itself at Maul. For all of his fighting skills, Maul was definitely not expecting to be fighting a pig-monkey today, and is a bit overwhelmed by his current opponent. It's best just to let the two of them hash this out themselves, getting in between Mankey and Maul just means the third person is gonna end up with a broken bone.

Late on, one can find him sitting on his porch, head tipped back as his nose slowly bleeds and he presses a steak to his right eye. Behind and just off to the side is his Mankey, hovering there in the air and unable to move forward or back. It looks like Maul caught him in midleap and used the Force to hold him there. Mankey, his red eyes narrowed as he glares at Maul, continues futilely to try and move forward so he can continue to attack him. He chatters at Maul in an angry manner. The Sith Lord turns to glance at the creature, looking quite put out himself, and tutting at the Pokémon. "Tch. Such language. What would your mother say?" That just makes the Mankey screech all the harder and Maul turns to look at his new.....well, he doesn't really think it's a pet. More like a great nuisance that has been foisted on him for his behavior last month. This is definitely karma's way of making up for all he's done recently. "Oh, I see, your mother was the one that taught you to speak like that."

When he sees someone coming up the walk, he nods at them, his voice a little nasally likely due to the fact his nose is stuffed up with blood and quite possibly broken. He sounds far too casual for someone who just got the crap beaten out of them by an angry Pokémon. "Hello. I have been having quite the day. Yourself?"

III. Communing with Nature - Late March

After everything that has happened since he's come to Trench, Maul's had a lot of thinking to do. The first step to becoming better is to undo the lessons he's learned from childhood, the ones instilled by his master. Such trauma is not easily overcome but he can at least start by going back to the very beginning of his life and working his way up from there. Long before Sidious had entered his life, Maul as a kit had been connected to the Force on Dathomir, spending a lot of time in the woods surrounded by plants, animals, and nature in general. It was his first experience to sensing life around him, and while such memories have been buried for a long time, he's been mulling them over more recently. Even back then, as a young kit, he wasn't a people person and preferred to be on his own instead of playing with the other children, which accounts somewhat for his awkward personality as an adult even when he's not being absolutely psychotic.

He's taken Malice and his new Mankey (which he is still thinking up a name for) out with him to the woods on the edge of the city, allowing the two some much needed exercise while he centers himself in the Force. Malice runs around, patrolling the area for anything to eat while the Mankey swings happily through the trees. Whenever he appears to be getting upset, Maul tosses him a banana from a large bunch he brought with him, calming the Pokémon back down.

One can find him gently running his clawed fingertips over the various plants starting to poke through the ground now that spring is right around the corner, on the tops of bushes large and thorny around him, or even the bark that grows rough on the trees. Thinking himself alone, he's singing softly, a song that he learned after listening to a Metallica album he found in Deerington over and over again. What only one person in all of Trench knows (and Wesker isn't likely to mention it anytime soon) is that Maul actually has a very good singing voice. Not surprising given the tone and cadence of his speaking voice but he never sings when he's with other people. Surprisingly, it's more out of self-consciousness than anything else, Maul not liking attention being on him in that particular fashion. He'll continue singing as long as he thinks he's alone, but the minute he realizes he's not, he'll whirl on his heel towards wherever the person coming towards him is at, yellow-red eyes with their usual glare in them.

Alternatively, they'll find him sitting on top of a large rock in the middle of a small field, meditating peacefully with his legs crossed and eyes closed. Really, this is the calmest Maul has looked in months. Maybe that change he keeps talking about is actually taking affect? Once he senses someone else, one eye will open just to confirm to himself that they're no threat. He gestures for the person to come over and take a seat next to him. Once they do so, he asks: "Tell me, what do you sense about this place?"

IV. Dealing With His Cult - Mid-March

Maul is hosting his usual monthly meeting with his cult inside a bookstore, and while this is always an alarming process for anyone who knows Maul and realizes he's got a following of devoted natives that will obey his every whim, this month at least he's attempting to do a little better with them. "One must be cautious of the power wielded over others, whether that is magical, physical, or mental in nature. A few words can be enough to break someone down or lift them up to their highest potential." Apparently, 'with great power comes great responsibility' is definitely something Maul is starting to take more seriously. He'll invite anyone he sees passing by to come over while he talks with the members of his following, who have now started to take to wearing Mandalorian-style helmets in honor of their leader.

Once he's done with his lecture for the day, his cult begs him to stay just a little longer and talk to them more. Since he doesn't have another topic with which he wants to discuss with them, he merely pulls a book from a shelf nearby and starts to read from it. "On the 24th of February, 1815, the look-out at Notre-Dame de la Garde signalled the three-master, the Pharaon from Smyrna, Trieste, and Naples....." Yep, it's storytime with Darth Maul and his cult. Really, he's got a very good voice for reading aloud and at least one of the cult members starts leaning against a bookshelf, looking a touch drowsy. Feel free to pull up a chair and listen in while he reads The Count of Monte Cristo.

III.

[spiritwalks]

Maul's vocals are accompanied by the soft, rhythmic plucking of harp strings as Vyng slowly emerges from the trees. A smaller version of the instrument is cradled in his arms.

But even when Maul's vocals suddenly cut off, he continues playing. Vyng has been on stage enough times to roll with the punches, and some nasty glares are no exception.

"Pick it back up, pick it back up!" he encourages over the gentle chords. "You're doing great."

III

[catchatting]

After years of walking and more recently running in various heels, Zari's incredibly light on her feet. She doesn't mean to sneak up on anyone most of the time, but it still happens, especially out in the wilderness where she wears more practical shoes. Well, they're her idea of more practical, so they're still very cute booties with a chunky low heel. She's not about to go outside not looking cute hello.

So when she stumbles on Maul singing, she speaks without otherwise announcing herself. "You've got a pretty nice voice."