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Video; un: darkness

[The video turns on and it's everyone's not-so-favorite Sith Lord. He looks better than he did upon arrival though he wears the usual expression of just barely contained fury he's known for. Sitting next to him is a creature that might be the stuff of human nightmares given how they're all teeth. They could have easily been mistaken for a monster in this place were it not for the fact they're remaining perfectly still, Maul's right hand resting along their back.

If you're all done fooling around with these devices like the children half of you are, perhaps we can turn our attention to more serious matters. Oh, and for those of you who had hoped I wouldn't find my way here, so sorry to disappoint.

[Though he sounds anything but.]

For one, I recall a lot of bleating about organizing a government and such during your charming little witch hunt of me. I assume for most you that was all talk but surely there has to be a few enterprising souls that were serious. If so, let us talk more. I am most curious given I have some experience with running an entire planet. [Venge, the Maalraas sitting by Maul, paws him gently.] Oh and has anyone else found themselves suddenly with an animal companion?

[Then, having blithely insulted a good three-fourths of the population, the video is turned off.]

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That's your prerogative.

[She just raises her eyebrows.]

You gonna stomp your feet a little bit there too? I mean, you are the one who keeps answering.

.....You know, the temptation to snap one of your legs like a twig with the Force is growing very strong.

[Truce OVER. He's considering doing it despite the pain it would cause him. In his mind, it would be worth it.]

[She doubts he'll actually do it, but clearly, she's pushed him more than far enough. She holds her hands up to show she really didn't mean any harm.]

Are you really sure that's what you want? You'll lose any progress you've made with your cure, and that will hurt both of us.

Progress? Bah! [He clearly doesn't believe he's made any at all since he was put under this curse.] Progress with me is already measured in millimeters. Sliding back a bit won't affect me all that much.

It'll still make it harder to get that progress back.

[She pauses a moment.]

The potion John gave you, has it changed colour at all?

Says who?

[....Maul, are you six or thirty-six? There's a moment's pause where Maul just sits there in surly silence before he says:]

No. It has not.

Hey, remember-

[She cuts herself off. She already told him basically that he was acting childish, and he threatened to break her leg. She is not going to rise to the bait a second time. Besides, she's more concerned that the potion hasn't changed for him yet. He has made some progress - he even said there were things he regretted, and he seems like the type who needs to be rewarded for those baby steps so he has the encouragement to keep trying.]

Never mind.

I've noticed a little change in you since... well, you know. If that helps any?

It doesn't. Not really.

[Aside from his usual surly pessimism, Willow is on the right track. Maul responds far better to encouragement than to criticisms and has since he was a boy. Usagi and others here have realized that and use often to their benefit.]

[It seems too condescending to suggest there are other reasons to be grateful that there's been even a small shift in him.]

It was worth a shot. Anyway, I bet your friends have noticed a difference too, and I think you already figured out they're the ones that count.

Hmph. Perhaps.

[At least it's not a definite no.]

Well, there's one way to find out. I mean, it might take a little more effort before you start seeing any change in the potion John gave you, but maybe your friends can help you figure out if you're on the right track?

I already ask them to do that.

[Maul didn't have much in the way of a conscience so his friends tended to act as an external one for him. At least the good ones did. He had a number of them who were just as bad as he was.]

Well, good. That's good.

[People like Usagi and Obi-Wan are no doubt a good influence on him. Surely he doesn't have anyone in his life who would encourage him down a path to stop him from getting his cure.]

Right?

Hmph. It's annoying more than anything else.

[No one likes to be told when they're doing something wrong, especially after a lifetime spent of not caring about the consequences of his actions.]

Oh. Well.

[She isn't sure what to say. She's genuinely trying to not provoke another argument - they argue enough naturally.]

I mean, I'm sure they're trying to be supportive?

I suppose there's that.

[Ignore his attitude right now, Willow. His spirit animal is currently Grumpy Bear.]

Just don't give up, huh?

If I’d given up before at any point in my life, I’d long since have perished. You do not need to worry about my lack of conviction.

[Maul’s iron will might be one of the few genuinely good qualities that he possesses. He just refuses to quite no matter how hard things get.]

Yeah, you've kind of already given the impression that you're not the giving up easy type.

[It's not a bad thing in the sense of the curse - she's fairly confident he won't give up until he's actually successful. Just hopefully he won't apply that same tenacity to some of his less popular activities.]

Something many here do not grasp.

[If it was only channeled towards good things, then Maul wouldn't be nearly in as much trouble as he is with the populace at large. But instead he also gets very tenacious with things like chopping off the arms of teenagers he hates and can be a bulldog in terms of not letting go when he wants to do something like that.]

Ohhh, trust me, I figured out pretty quick that you don't give up easy.

[And that's exactly what she worries about with that level of tenacity in someone who has clearly shown they have violent tendencies. What happens when he decides he needs to be that determined to hurt or kill someone.]

Some don't seem to understand that. They seem to think I will forgive and forget eventually. I never do.

[When Maul has committed himself to a course of action, there's precious little that can get him to stop. Better to get a charging elephant to change course as to get him to decide to give up his quest to make someone pay when he's dead-set on revenge.]

Yeah, you definitely do give that impression.

[She's genuinely unsure how other people miss this with Maul. It's part of the reason why she is cautious in these moments when they do seem to be able to hold a reasonable conversation. She fully expects that there may still come a day when he looks for revenge, but she's still hopeful that his search for a cure might temper that some.]

Good. Make sure that you don't forget it.

[But Willow understands him quite well. Maul doesn't has to worry about her underestimating him at all. She knows just what he's capable of and seems to be learning how to handle him in his many mercurial moods.]

Don't worry, I don't intend to.

[It's no easy task, navigating the waters with Maul - he rises to anger easily, and occasionally seems prone to sudden outbursts, but she is figuring him out. Even if she does occasionally get frustrated with him.]

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Video; un: darkness

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