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[She's not Padmé Amidala. Nor is she Jane Foster. It's just Ariadne, sitting on the wooden floor of her home, in front of an enormous, four-poster bed with a canopy of sheer, white fabric. Splashes of color occasionally hit her face and the background, as her homemade mobiles, flitting with broken pieces of colorful glass, catch whatever sunlight there is. Her long, long, long brown hair is hanging loose over her left shoulder, crinkled to show that it's just come undone from its braid.]

I...I've noticed that a lot of important holidays seem to be in the middle of the winter. And I guess it makes sense. The days are short, the nights are long, and everyone is cold and missing fresh fruits and vegetables. It raises the spirit to have something to celebrate and people to celebrate it with.

[There's a small smile. A memory or two from her days in Valeria.]

Back home, the New Year was the most important holiday. There would be parties and feasts and masked balls. Presents. Lots of music...

[And she misses that music. But Ariadne won't let herself stay sentimental for long.]

Last year, I learned about an Earth holiday. The one where the fat man breaks into people homes and leaves them gifts, instead of stealing stuff. Christmas!

[Makes no sense, but it's a lovely sentiment.]

I was hoping to maybe learn about some other holidays from this time of year. What do your cultures celebrate? Maybe we can find a way to all celebrate together. I'm still convinced that togetherness is the only way we're going to survive this place. And I...I know I'm not alone, feeling that way.

[A small shrug.]

So let's talk to each other more. When there isn't an emergency. Talk about some of the happy things, maybe. Tell me about the good stuff.

[Ariadne doesn't really know where to go from here, so she shrugs again.]

Anyway, that's all. Sorry to interrupt anything.

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Has anyone ever told you that you apologize too much for things which are not your fault?

[Maul says with a shake of his head, gruff as ever. But he'll digress.]

Did you see the post made by Obi-Wan recently about Life Day? That is the main one celebrated in the galaxy at large.

[Honestly, she's kind of been avoiding all things Kenobi lately. It was tempting to read what he had to say, but she was kind of sure it would just make her angry.

And she doesn't like being angry.]

I must have missed that.

[And she won't apologize for it! Ha!]

What's Life Day about?

It's a holiday that was originally celebrated on Kashyyyk, home planet of a species called Wookiees, but it has spread to the galaxy at large as a popular holiday that involves being thankful for things in your life that bring you joy, mainly family and friends. You can understand why I've never really celebrated it myself.

[Maul didn't have much to be thankful for growing up when he was being raised by Sidious, and during the Clone Wars, he had better things to do than to be involved in such frivolity.]

[Oh yes, she can understand. But Ariadne, being Ariadne, is going to shove the bright side right down Maul's throat.

Politely, of course..]

Well, you have things to be thankful for here. Like your brother.

Hmmm, yes, I suppose.

[He's hard-pressed to admit his softer feelings, especially when it comes to being thankful for his family and friends.]

I'm quite sure, Maul.

[She says with something of a smile.]

You two seem very close.

We are.

[Maul nods. He'd be the worst sort of liar if he denied that. Anyone could see it, although a more precise term for their relationship would likely be 'codependent" all things considered.]

We didn't get the chance to grow up together but we found each other again a couple of years ago. He saved me from myself when everyone else had forgotten all about me and followed me loyally on my quest for power. [His expression turns downcast.] I repaid that by getting him killed.

[We're just going to put aside that "quest for power" thing for the moment.

Ariadne will work on that later.]

From everything I've learned, I don't think it was your fault, Maul.

Wasn't it? He was only there when my master came because of me. My master killed him solely because he wanted to hurt me in the worst way possible. He would have still been on Dathomir and alive if not for my actions.

[Maul took responsibility so rarely for things in his life, always foisting them off with excuses and shoving them onto other people. But in this case, Maul would never be able to shake the guilt that still held tight around his hearts. Savage's death had been 100% his fault and there was no absolving him of that fact.]

From what he's told me of Dathomir, it seems to me that he was better off traveling the stars with you.

[Ariadne shrugs.]

It sounds like there were some very not-nice people on Dathomir. People who might have done some bad things to him.

He would see it that way. The Nightkin are completely matriarchal. The Nightsisters are utterly dominant over the Nightbrothers. They can use them as they wish and discard them once they are done as if they are nothing more than prized fathiers to be used for fighting, breeding, or whatever else they want. Savage ended up the mate of a Nightsister named Ventress who treated him horribly.

[She'd made him kill Feral for one, but that was something that was not Maul's to tell.]

She didn't see him as an equal, just a way to gain revenge on her own master who had wronged her. I know some people here think I use him only as a tool but that's not so. I care about him and he's never been just a means to an end for me.

I believe you. About all of it.

[Which isn't to believe that he has the best of intentions. But Ariadne knows that everyone is a work in progress at some point.

And even a bad person can still feel love. In their own way.]

And like I said to Savage, it seems to me that Trench is your opportunity to live the lives you should have known. Together, I mean.

Yes, I believe that as well. Deerington was hell but the fact it brought my brother back to me after I thought he was lost forever made it partially worth it.

I can...only imagine what that would feel like. I'm really quite happy for the two of you.

[A little jealous as well, maybe. But this isn't about her.

She lets out a huff.]

Maybe you should give Life Day a try this year? See how it feels?

Despite a lifetime of wickedness, I must have done something good at some point to warrant this.

[The Force was all about balance. Maul wouldn't have been warranted getting his little brother back unless he deserved it.]

I did. It was.....alright.

[Not nearly as bad as Maul would have thought it would have felt like.]

[Her eyes sparkle just a little bit.]

Just "alright?"

[She doesn't believe you, Maul. She's too optimistic.]

Yes. That is the best word to describe it.

[Maul usually isn't very good with precise language but in this case he's sure that is the right one.]

Well.

I guess that means that if you try it again next year, it has the potential to be even better.

Of course you would see it that way. Of course.

[Maul wonders sometimes how he's ended up with so many cheery, sunshine-filled optimists in his life. Maybe he just naturally gravitates towards them as a result of his own dour, grim, grumpy personality.]

[She gives him a small smile. Ariadne is aware of how she comes off to other people. But that doesn't mean she's going to stop.]

I'll take that as a compliment, Maul.

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