[ video -> voice | un: keith ]

[tempredmental]

[The video was brief, kind of like that moment when you activated the camera on your phone and forgot it was in selfie mode. The omni shook and rotated, leaving the viewer with a dizzying array of scenery that was kind of blurry and hard to make out. It was dark, though, like the person broadcasting was in a closed room with no lights on.

As the video shifted, glimpses of a person could be seen. A hand... the fingernails-turned-claws bitten down short as if trying to cover the transformation... a burn scar on the right side of a face... dark, almost black, hair with a purple tint, long-ish, shaggy looking, a thin white streak with a extremely slight violet hue to it near the left temple... pale skin... deep cobalt eyes that looked exhausted with dark tired bruises underneath from lack of sleep...]

Shit-...

[And the video was gone. It was just voice now, Keith's voice, but raspier than usual, worn sounding, loaded with regret and guilt and just... sad.]

I um... [He was hesitant. Unsure.] I wanted to... apologize. [His tone faltered, like he was searching for words, having trouble forming them and getting them out.] I... I did a lot of stuff last month. Just um... Yeah. The Reckoning took care of it.

But... if you still want... you know. Fine. I understand. I won't stop you.

[And then the feed shut off.]

Comments

[tempredmental]

[Keith was quiet for a moment as he let that sink in. Looking forward was hard when you felt there was no point in it, that you didn't deserve to be in the future. He sighed softly.]

I guess. That doesn't mean I shouldn't make things right for what I did, though.

[survivalthroughhate]

If you feel that will help you find some kind of peace with yourself, I would do so. I know many people have a conscience that tugs at them to do the right thing when they do something wrong.

[Maul doesn't, not after a lifetime of being raised by Sidious. He relies on his friends now to serve as an outer voice since his inner one no longer works properly.]

[tempredmental]

Yeah.

I don't even remember half of what I did, but I know it wasn't good. I know I was caught by The Reckoning to be punished. So, what I did, it had to be bad, right?

[survivalthroughhate]

Perhaps in the eyes of some people. The Reckoning seems to be a bit indiscriminate in punishing people, so it might not be as bad as you think.

[But Maul suspects what Keith did must have been horrible if it had drawn the attention of the Pthumerian.]

If you offer apologies, some will take them because they are good, kind, and are willing to offer people a second chance when they do horrible things. Some will not because they like to play the part of being better and never having done anything wrong in their lives. With those, you must simply accept that and move on.

[tempredmental]

I've heard that theory.

[A few times... people telling him that the Reckoning was just really an unforgiving bitch of a person that took nothing about circumstances into account. So, sure... maybe that was it. But, honestly, she'd gone and killed him. He had a feeling what he'd done wasn't really all that not bad, either.]

Yeah. [He was familiar with that concept, too. He'd gotten a reputation as a kid for a reason.] I guess. [He sighed. Oddly enough, this had been one of the more centering conversations about this he'd had so far.] I just... I'll just have to do what I can, then.

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul shrugs expansively and gestures in a circular fashion as if encompassing all of Trench with it.]

That's all one can do in a place like this.

[He pauses as if debating to add on the last bit that he does.]

From what I have seen, you're not a bad person. Just a little rough around the edges. You'll be alright.

[tempredmental]

Heh. Some might disagree, but... [He shrugged. He knew who he was... mostly.] Yeah.

[Still...]

Thanks. I'll see you around, I guess.

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul gives a slow nod before he flips off the Omni. This isn't the first time he's had a talk with Keith and each one gives him a little more insight into the mind of the paladin.]