deercountry | it was the silence underneath the stars

[She does a double take, having not quite seen who had been there before asking her question. It would be hard to forget such a face, and the conversation that they had had on the network here. It does bring her to a slightly more alert stance, if only because he had admitted to being a Sith.

Although she does stiffen again as the beast starts towards them, not having witnessed one such as it before. But it seems that it has come on its own accord, and she watches with a morbid fascination as it goes towards one of the bulbous blobs. She takes a half step back, away from it, not entirely certain what it will entail, between the creature and the swelling.]

The animals are native to here, or are they a trained defence?

[Maul keeps one eye on Padmé while keeping most of his attention on the blood hound. The Senator is a bit of a wild card with all of those who come from their galaxy and he's not sure what to make of her quite yet. As for the doglike beasts, while they seem to be helpful creatures, Maul isn't quite sure if they are friend or foe just yet. But given how they are helping with the blood pollution, Maul is willing to give them the benefit of the doubt until one of them turns on him and tries to do something like gore him with their antlers.]

I believe they are native. There is a man....well, he was human at one point but has not been for quite some time. He is called the Dog Keeper and has been an ally of the Sleepers for a long, long time. He has many canines that are helpful, so these might belong to him in some fashion.

[She is perfectly fine to keep him guessing, as many have been in that situation. Most have guessed in the wrong direction, which had only worked for her. She hadn't been a puppet of a queen, easy to manipulate as no doubt the Trade Federation had learned. If he falls into that category, she has no qualms with that either. There has been much deception in her life, from her handmaidens to her marriage.]

And what is he now?

[Aside from being a Dog Keeper. There is almost an elegance to the creatures, along with the obvious reaction that makes her shudder.]

A benevolent immortal being. He will help you if you need it or cross his path but he doesn't go completely out of his way to actively seek out people to protect either. There was a girl named Julia Sodder who had the ability to warp reality itself and trapped a number of people in a dream before we ended up here. The Dog Keeper was one of them, for he was a firefighter in the real world, and she saw him as being something of a protector and savior for her. I suppose spending time that might have been eons without end both in and out of the dream warped him into what he is now.

[Still, at least he had ended up with a better fate than poor Ramona, who was now trapped in the form of a beast forevermore. Not that Maul can feel much sympathy for her. She'd made her bed and now she can lie in it for all he cares.]

My mate had a dog that was gifted to him in that dream world from the Dog Keeper. She was far more intelligent and empathetic than any dog I have ever seen before. She would go so far as to take care of Reaper when he would die and come back to life.

[There is much that Padmé still needs to learn of this place. Each day bring more information to her. She would absorb it all, if she could, pouring over and scripts or tomes that she found. Much like that single-minded determination as a senator, she's tossing that same emotion into this place. If she is stuck here, she will understand what she can.

He speaks, explaining, offering that information, and that does actually bode well in Padmé's book. Whether what he speaks is truth is another question, but he is informative regardless, giving her something to start with.]

Are there others then, that had been trapped as well?

[Other immortal beings? Which... It is a little strange to think about, but no less so than anything else here, Padmé is coming to learn.]

I've never had a pet, although it seems a worthwhile one to have.

[Still no desire to have one though.]

Yes. The Pthumerian known as Moon Presence was there, then named Cynthia Sodder, the mother of Julia. Of all the Pthumerians, she is the only one I would ever trust, for she swore an oath to help those. I have heard others from the dream are here as well, a woman named Ramona who was a cowardly, sniveling wretch willing to destroy everything and everyone around her if it led to her survival. From what I heard, she has been corrupted in a beast permanently. [He forgets to mention Koz, formerly the Mayor of Deerington, but after all his memory isn't perfect.] A number of Sleepers were initially trapped there in the dream as well, though we were nowhere near the level of the beings that were indestructible and immortal. Myself, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and my brother were among their number. Some have left and gone back to the sea but there are still a large amount remaining.

[Maul's lips twitch at the mention of pets.]

I have come into acquisition of quite a number of them over my time here. I think my brother will put my head through a wall if I acquire anymore.

[Even though two of his prizes from Jumanji are Pokémon, so they will be adding to the menagerie at Maul's house.]

[It doesn't quite make sense to her, although the history of this place and it's workings are still something that Padmé is trying to wade through. It had been difficult enough working through who she herself was with her arrival, but that has more or less been squared away. The rest, she knows, will come with time.

She makes a mental note about some of the names, for she will look into them herself when she has the time and the means. Libraries and archives may hold some answers, and so long as she doesn't find herself dragged off into some underground pit of horrors again, she should have the time to invest.]

Just how many pets do you have?

[Happy to move onto a subject not quite so heavy on his hearts as that of Julia Sodder, Maul counts off the number of pets on his fingers, muttering just barely loud enough to be heard.]

Let us see....the vornskr, the warg, the Shuppet, the Mankey....

[He looks back up at Padmé.]

Four. [A pause.] So far.

[The Nightmare Steed and the blood hound he's come into contact with definitely aren't pets yet. They just sort of tolerate his presence while he does things like handfeed them.]

Meaning you plan on more, brother aside.

[It already seems that he has quite the menagerie, although Padmé has no idea what they are. Then again, it doesn't matter. So long as he does and knows what to properly feed them, then that is all that matters. She does pause, eyes on the bloodhound again.]

Did you grow up with any pets?

Possibly.

[He's a bit predictable in this area but he can't help it. Maul infinitely prefers the company of animals to people, socially awkward being that he is.]

My brother has a dwarf rathtar as well.

[Maul's face grows a little guarded at Padm&eacut;'s question. He's not comfortable yet with sharing any of his deep, dark past with the Senator just yet.]

Not a one.

[Possibly isn't a no which likely is a yes. Not that she is judging. If they are cared for, what concern of it is Padmé's if he has a whole zoo of creatures?

There is that shift on his features, so Padmé turns away from it. Turns back to the hound that... is surprisingly making a dent on that blister. If there were none, what else would the animal eat, or do they have different items in their diet as well?]

We never did. We were always busy, and it wouldn't have been fair to drag a creature here, there, and everywhere.

That is much how it is with me. My life was always too unpredictable until I came here.

[His eyes grow distant, thinking of the past.]

And when I was growing up I'm sure my master would have killed or make me kill anything I formed an attachment with.

[He knew the inside of Sidious' mind well enough to know that much about him. In fact, that's exactly what he'd forced Maul to do, only instead of animals it had been everyone at Orsis Academy who Maul had known for over five years, including the few friends he'd made.]

[His master. Padmé found her lips pursing a little at that. She knew, of course, of the relationship between a Jedi and their Padawan. It would never be something that she understood completely, as she didn't have the access to the Force like they did or the ability to use it, but she also knew that it wasn't something that had been built on fear.

Then again, they had not been about attachments either, as Padmé could recall easily enough how they had desired her to back away from Anakin. She hadn't. Rather she had brought him to Naboo to wed him.]

I'm glad that you have the opportunity now then.

[Delicately, regarding him with that calm stillness.]

it was the silence underneath the stars

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