There was something almost amusing about Ritsuka's usual sassy attitude, a reminder of all the time Maul had spent in Deerington caught somewhere between his own selfish desires and struggling to do better. His relationship with Ritsuka epitomized that completely. "Now I'm convinced. You're real."

He watched the boy stand on wobbly legs like a little fathier colt and was reminded of what he learned about the catboy shortly before he'd disappeared from Deerington, how he'd gone through horrific abuse from his mother. His life really wasn't so different from Maul's at its core. He just had learned to deal with it by having a sharp tongue instead of learning to fight like Maul did in his childhood.

His scrawny frame and the marks Maul couldn't help but notice before he'd covered the boy was a clear indication things hadn't improved since then. Maul decided to try and be civil for the moment, trying to remember not to deliberately antagonize the catboy. "Are you able to walk? You look like you could use a sandwich." He paused. "Or ten."