[Maul just sighs. He's been of the opinion for some time now that Anakin possesses at most five brain cells and this is not helping to sway that.
At least neither of them have their lightsabers, so it's not like they can get into another fight here. He frowns, pointing at Anakin and then at the damp spot on his shoulder where he had been crying. Look buster, you're one who decided to have a mental breakdown on him, not the other way around!]
[Maul shakes his head adamantly at Anakin's accusation. Really, if he wanted to trick Anakin, he's sure he could do a much better job than whatever had just happened. All he wanted to do was just slip away before Anakin realized who he was but that was no longer a possibility. All he could do now was try to keep this from escalating into another fight.
He does have a scowl on his face and his hands are on his hips as he stands up at the fact that Anakin has decided to be Mr. Tough Guy and pretend he wasn't just sobbing on Maul like a lost child.]
[There may be a damp patch on Maul's clothes and his eyes might still be red, but he will admit to nothing. Nothing happened at all. That also puts a slight damper on what exactly he's accusing Maul of, but a lack of logic has never stopped Anakin before.]
[That gets an actual eye roll out of Maul and a very exasperated expression on his face. Force, give him the patience not to kill Anakin a second time the first day the Jedi has ended up in a new place. But he's certainly not making it easy to try and be a better person.
This is clearly getting them nowhere so Maul decides to try a different tactic. He goes over to a nearby food booth, collects two chili dogs and two sodas. Really, alcohol would probably be best-suited for them right now, but in absence of any beers stands he'll make do with what they have here on the boardwalk. Food had made him feel better when he first got here, so he's trying for a more friendly approach. He sits down on the bench and gestures for Anakin to take a seat.]
[Anakin warily watches Maul grab the food and drinks and his expectant gesture is met with confusion. What could possibly be his plan here? What dastardly deed could he be plotting?
His stomach then decides to tell him he hasn't eaten since obtaining his current form and he's spent hours navigating a ship just to get here.
He should stick around, if he didn't then there was no knowing what Maul might get up to. Anakin takes a hesitant step and then another and before long he's sitting on the bench, albeit as far away from Maul as he could possibly get.]
[Maul considers it a small success when Anakin sits down at the other end of the bench and eats the food. Really, the fact he wasn't still going on about Maul clearly plotting evil was also a win in his book. He'd figures Anakin, like him, is best negotiated with when he has gotten some food in his stomach. Those five brain cells need fuel in order to be able to work properly.
Maul attacks his own food with the same table manners as a starving Jawa. Apparently, etiquette wasn't one of the things Sidious had bothered to teach his young apprentice. When he is finished, he wipes his hands off on some napkins, and offers some to Anakin as well. Chili dogs can get a bit messy when one is eating them. He's waiting to see what the young Jedi is gonna do next.]
[Anakin in comparison doesn't touch his until he sees Maul start to demolish his hot dog. Then he takes a small tentative bite and then another. He's far cleaner, not leaving any mess despite being someone with no qualms with eating food off the ground.
He doesn't accept the offered napkin and opts for staring at Maul instead.]
[Maul stares back, those golden eyes completely unblinking for far longer than would normally be comfortable for a human being. Then he shrugs and holds up his hands in a 'What?' gesture. Would Anakin prefer they be fighting right now instead? Granted, that would be easier for Maul to deal with as well but he's trying to do better.]
[Maul rolls his eyes again at Anakin. This boy has a one-track mind and Maul needs to steer him to think of something else. He pulls a pen out of the pocket of a nearby vendor and writes on one of the napkins. His letters are large and blocky, the same way a child's might be, and he holds the pen in a reverse grip instead of the more traditional hold.]
'What do you wish me to do? Flog myself, forever and eternally in turmoil as I feel wail of how terrible I have been and try to make amends? No, that is not me and never will be.'
[There's just the barest muted sound that might have been laughter if Maul could properly talk. He writes down, having to switch to a new napkin almost every sentence with how large his letters are.]
'You may go on waiting then. I don't feel bad about what I did before and only recently learned what it feels like to hurt people I care about. But you won't believe that. You are stiff and rigid and think me incapable of feeling anything but anger and hate. You don't want to believe I can change.'
[There's something odd about having to watch and wait for Maul to write out his words, but Anakin doesn't see anything funny about it. He's instead shaking with anger with how flagrantly Maul is going about his life.]
And that's why you'll never change. You think you can separate it out as before and after. But it's all you, you can't act like anything you did before doesn't matter. Everything matters not just the parts you want!
Never said it didn't. But I never felt bad about what I did before because I didn't know how. I assume your mother and Obi-Wan taught you something of compassion and kindness for other people.
[He knows bringing up Shmi is a low blow but it's also an effective way to get Anakin to listen.]
I never learned that until Deerington. All I was taught was anger and hate and cruelty from my master, to take what I wanted through the Dark Side. The past can doesn't have to be forgotten about but I won't let it hold me down. Not the way it's done to you.
[Well, that had been a dumb risk to take. All it had done was enraged Anakin. He could feel his airways starting to close up as he was Force Choked. But Maul has dealt enough with Anakin to know how to deal with this.
His Force powers aren't reliable right now but that keeps him far from being helpless. He reaches out with his clawed hands and takes a few swipes at Anakin's face to break his concentration. Whether he draws blood or not, it's time to beat a hasty retreat like he'd wanted to from the moment Anakin started crying on him. This has gone about how talks with Anakin usually go.]
[Anakin is forced to drop Maul to avoid getting another scar on his face. The distraction won't last long, but it'll give Maul his opening before Anakin resumes his attempts. Without lightsabers, Anakin's options are more limited, but he's no less deadly for it.]
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reddosmod) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
countryclub2021-08-09 05:25 pm
no subject
What are you trying to pull here?!
Kicks DW for not giving me this notif!
At least neither of them have their lightsabers, so it's not like they can get into another fight here. He frowns, pointing at Anakin and then at the damp spot on his shoulder where he had been crying. Look buster, you're one who decided to have a mental breakdown on him, not the other way around!]
TELL ME ABOUT IT
You're trying to trick me, aren't you?
[Without a weapon, he takes a step back to reassess his options.]
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He does have a scowl on his face and his hands are on his hips as he stands up at the fact that Anakin has decided to be Mr. Tough Guy and pretend he wasn't just sobbing on Maul like a lost child.]
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I'm not going to fall for it!
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This is clearly getting them nowhere so Maul decides to try a different tactic. He goes over to a nearby food booth, collects two chili dogs and two sodas. Really, alcohol would probably be best-suited for them right now, but in absence of any beers stands he'll make do with what they have here on the boardwalk. Food had made him feel better when he first got here, so he's trying for a more friendly approach. He sits down on the bench and gestures for Anakin to take a seat.]
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His stomach then decides to tell him he hasn't eaten since obtaining his current form and he's spent hours navigating a ship just to get here.
He should stick around, if he didn't then there was no knowing what Maul might get up to. Anakin takes a hesitant step and then another and before long he's sitting on the bench, albeit as far away from Maul as he could possibly get.]
no subject
Maul attacks his own food with the same table manners as a starving Jawa. Apparently, etiquette wasn't one of the things Sidious had bothered to teach his young apprentice. When he is finished, he wipes his hands off on some napkins, and offers some to Anakin as well. Chili dogs can get a bit messy when one is eating them. He's waiting to see what the young Jedi is gonna do next.]
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He doesn't accept the offered napkin and opts for staring at Maul instead.]
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I'm keeping an eye on you.
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'Why? I haven't done anything.'
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Are you kidding me? You've killed countless people.
[He can and will hold everything that happened in their galaxy against him.]
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[He underlines the word and taps it with a claw for emphasis. Then he pulls out another napkin to continue writing]
'I was just minding my own business. Unlike someone else here who appears to be throwing a fit again for whatever reason.'
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[And this is why Anakin remains convinced that Maul can't do better.]
You don't care about all the suffering you caused so what's to stop you from doing it again?
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[There's just the barest muted sound that might have been laughter if Maul could properly talk. He writes down, having to switch to a new napkin almost every sentence with how large his letters are.]
'You may go on waiting then. I don't feel bad about what I did before and only recently learned what it feels like to hurt people I care about. But you won't believe that. You are stiff and rigid and think me incapable of feeling anything but anger and hate. You don't want to believe I can change.'
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And that's why you'll never change. You think you can separate it out as before and after. But it's all you, you can't act like anything you did before doesn't matter. Everything matters not just the parts you want!
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[He knows bringing up Shmi is a low blow but it's also an effective way to get Anakin to listen.]
I never learned that until Deerington. All I was taught was anger and hate and cruelty from my master, to take what I wanted through the Dark Side. The past can doesn't have to be forgotten about but I won't let it hold me down. Not the way it's done to you.
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Don't you dare talk about her!
[He's beyond threats at this point and the temperature seems to dip as he raises an arm up and starts to squeeze with the Force.]
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His Force powers aren't reliable right now but that keeps him far from being helpless. He reaches out with his clawed hands and takes a few swipes at Anakin's face to break his concentration. Whether he draws blood or not, it's time to beat a hasty retreat like he'd wanted to from the moment Anakin started crying on him. This has gone about how talks with Anakin usually go.]
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