The ritual is made up for a few reasons that are mentioned and also the idea that *all* Sith have to perform it made me *WHEEZE* and so I decided to go for it. Everyone comes up with different reasons for Maul's bad teeth, this is something I came up with. The let a weapon rot thing is definitely a major reason for it. Either way, Maul does speak Huttese, Twi'leki and Sith as well as Basic in the Legends canon. Boy is a polyglot and it is wild. More headcanons on different species are given. There was also an entire series of levels that were utilized for lakes and peace etc so like, having some for food made sense, so here we are. The Sith mentioned is an actual Sith, though her species was made up by me. We're beginning to open up to other things and other possibilities! I'm excited guys~ Enjoy!

Depa Billaba watched Maul as he stood there, no longer burning, his body language lacking all hostility, those Sith eyes still looking as though they were on fire from the inside out, but their gaze was… Depa would call it warm, almost. The threat of heat within, but for now they were calm.

Storm clouds over still water.

Depa had never thought she would use the word calm to describe a Sith, particularly this Sith who had caused untold chaos since the beginning, had killed two of their own, had fought Mace Windu with the intent to kill, but… Depa was finding it to be true.

Depa was also finding that she was pleased that she had listened to her once-Master, that she had trusted the Force and was able to have this moment where the product of the line of their ancient enemies stood before them, and faced them utterly without fear, and equally without ill-intent. Depa had found reason for her trust once again, reason for her feelings of slight fondness – the Guards' own fondness part of the reason, and his own nature the other part of it. Maul had been open in a way she had never expected, guardedly so, but willing to give more than she had ever expected – and that included little bits and pieces of himself, which also included small reminders of his youth.

She was amused to find that in this moment of quiet openness, Maul was every inch the utterly exhausted teenager, stubbornly working to stay on his own two feet.

The thought brought the quiet, "What is next, Darth Maul?" from her lips, "what else do you need?" with the intent to allow him to do it as quick as possible, so he could finally allow his body the rest that it needed.

Maul looked over to her, and she was momentarily surprised to see a…was that a film over his eyes? That film pulled back, he blinked, and… And then Eeth made a surprised sound and she knew that she was not the only one who had seen it.

Maul focused on him very sharply as he took a sudden step towards him, Eeth apologizing quietly, "Do…can you do that again?"

Maul frowned before blinking…

"You have a third eyelid!" came the exclamation from Eeth, and Maul specifically closed it, that film sliding across his eye.

"Yes," Maul answered and after a pause, "Do you not?"

"No, not at all," Eeth said then, taking a closer step towards him. "Do you mind tilting your head up a bit? May I see it?"

Maul frowned slightly, instinctively lowering his head, before he seemed to reconsider and allowed that third lid to close even as he tilted his chin up slightly. Depa had not realized how much control he would have over it, but now that she thought of it, it made sense. This then was not something that could be hidden from him, for the simple fact that it would be reflexive.

"You're an utterly hairless species, aren't you?" Tiq asked, taking in that film as it caught the light.

"Yes," Maul confirmed.

"What a fascinating adaptation," Eeth said softly, and Maul blinked it open, returning his gaze to him once Eeth had stepped back. "That must be very useful."

Maul frowned. "I…have not noticed."

And that was as fair a statement as any. He'd never known any other way. And then he looked at her.

"You asked me what is next?"

"Yes," Depa answered, "I understand you are to break your fast, and that it requires a sacrifice to do so, is that correct?"

"Yes," Maul answered with a dip of his head, "I must hunt and consume all that is edible. There are parts to avoid, and the bones themselves, all of which must be burned."

"So, probably something small," Tiq said, "unless you want to be sick," and there was a very obvious gentle tease in his voice.

Maul wrinkled his nose in distaste, and Depa was momentarily startled at how stark the expression was, the tattoos shaping and forming it into something that heightened what would otherwise have been something…teasing, she thought. The ember that flickered within him held no hostility, burning and flickering and hot as it was, there was no anger – and Depa rather thought she knew what anger felt like within him now.

Or perhaps that had merely been hate.

"I'm going to take that as an agreement then. Well, I've been in talks with Dormosh, our Carnivore head of Kitchens, and there are several species running around in our conservatory that would actually fit the requirements well, I think, and should be edible," Eeth said, smiling. "Third eyelid or not, our diets do seem to be extremely aligned."

Maul inclined his head slightly.

"Are there any herbs required for the fire?"

"The fire and the cleaning to come afterwards," Maul agreed.

"Oh, that is right, you did mention a cleaning ritual," Plo said, "what is required for that? I believe I would be able to gather the herbs for both rites easily enough."

Maul hesitated, then looked at him directly, and his teeth were slowly bared in a smile that was as much taunt as it was amusement.

Depa was momentarily startled at the sight of those teeth, but this was a question she wasn't entirely sure how to ask, because how precisely were you meant to say 'hey, I had thought your teeth were rotted, instead they seem to be quite whole if not yellowed – what changed?'

"Your teeth…?" Tiq started softly. "I do not understand, does the ritual you performed strengthen other weaknesses?"

Oh. Perhaps like that.

Maul hesitated, for a moment visibly not comprehending and then he gave a brief sound of understanding. "It was never a weakness; they have always been whole. I have merely…not had need of it and so I ceased in its application."

"What was 'it'?" Mace asked.

Maul hesitated for a moment, "A paste, easily mixed, I can show you if you would like though it does involve…hurt."

"What kind of hurt?" Tiq asked.

Maul hesitated for a moment and then lifted up his arm, twisting it just so to catch the light along his inner-arm and… Oh. Oh, that was a bite…

"Absolutely not!" Tiq answered and that was a perfectly pertinent response to that. "The entire…but I don't understand, you were…" Tiq swallowed, "told to take care of your teeth…?"

"And this was a way to take care of them when around…enemies," Maul frowned. "It is habit, ingrained, clean them, bite, make the paste and let it set. Saliva and blood mixed once dried is reasonably solid, as a carnivore my blood is naturally thicker. You didn't seriously believe I'd let a potential weapon rot, did you?" Maul asked and his nose was wrinkling again, and this time there was genuine disgust behind the question, though it did not feel like it was pointed towards them necessarily, merely…the concept, perhaps?

And…it did make sense, for as much as the actual reasoning behind it was perhaps…twisted, it nonetheless did make sense that his teeth would be taken care of and utilized as both threat and weapon.

"Well, that at least means we don't have to get you to a dentist," Tiq said then and Maul's brows pinched a bit more before he gave the slightest of shrugs in agreement. "But those herbs?"

Maul listed them off, all of which Depa knew they had in the Jedi's rather extensive gardens, but it was only as he reached the last one that Plo had taken note of, that Depa found herself frowning. "But…that would be a potent chemical peel?"

Maul turned that grin to her directly, amusement in his expression. "Yes."

"Not kidding you were when cleaning you said," Yoda noted and Maul shrugged even as Depa had to hold back a laugh, though she did not think that Maul would mind. "Reason behind this ritual there is?"

Maul hesitated and this was…understandable. These were Sith rituals, Sith secrets, and he was technically sharing them with the people who had been his enemies. They no longer were, and they had offered to teach him, and he had shown he was interested in learning, but the ones he was offering in return were secret, meant for the Dark.

"You do not have to feel obligated, Lord Maul," Depa said softly, and Maul's attention turned to her. "We will teach you either way, it is merely to satisfy our own curiosity. I do not believe we have had an opportunity to learn about the Sith in over a Millenia, and certainly not from a Sith's mouth."

Maul looked a bit like he had not expected that and Depa smiled at him, giving him a nod.

"May I…think about it?"

"Necessary this is," Yoda agreed. "Right Depa is to give reassurance," he said

with a nod to her. "Your answers, unneeded they are for help to be given to you," he smiled up at Maul then. "Satisfying my own curiosity, the question was for. No trap there is," he smiled.

Maul took this in and slowly nodded.

"Come on," Mace said then, "let's get you where you need, and if you decide to inform us, we will listen."

Maul took this in for a moment before inclining his head. He also accepted the tunic they gave him, as well as the robe, putting them both on and then he paused before putting the hood on his head. "I can…" his presence diminished, making it hard to not slide her gaze right past him, "would this make it easier?"

"Your shoulder may I ride?" Yaddle asked and Maul inclined his head in agreement after a beat of pause.

Once she was settled, they began walking, and Maul kept his presence in. It was odd and a bit disquieting to walk next to someone whose signature she had grown rather familiar with over these last couple weeks, only to find that he simply was not there. It reminded her a bit of a droid and their void in the Force, but Maul was of flesh, and certainly had a very strong connection to the Force, so this was strange.

This was something that Depa herself wished to ask of him, but she had a feeling that this particular Sith secret was one that Maul would not even think of sharing.

It was only as they were all in the elevator, quietly waiting for it to reach the necessary level – and even with the high speeds the elevators could reach it would take a while, the rooms for hunting low within the Temple – that Maul seemed to make a decision in regards to Yoda's question.

"Darth Noctyss," Maul said finally, and they turned.

"Darth Noctyss, Darth Noctyss," Yoda repeated, "unfamiliar with that name I am. Their history will you tell?"

Maul inclined his head and quietly began to speak.

"Darth Noctyss was a female Tiss'har, one who was known by the Sith for two things – her hunt for immortality, and the legend that every time she shed her skin she became twice as strong."

"Powerful she sounds," Yoda noted gently, "commemorated for her power, or her hunt for immortality?"

"Both," Maul answered, "though the shedding of skin has other connotations. There is of course the replacement of the old with the new – the Master's death at the hands of the Apprentice…"

"Oh, I see!" Depa said, blinking, "I had not thought of that."

"There is also the legend that snakes age backwards, also connected to immortality and power and the replacing of an old with something better, something stronger. The ritual itself is done in a single night, the chemical peel aided by alchemy and the Force."

"That must take a lot of control…" Plo said softly.

"Yes," Maul answered, "particularly when both the Alchemy and the shed itself can go wrong. Chemical burns if the mixture is wrong, bleeding should you pry too deep or too quickly…"

Tiq clicked his tongue roughly, his expression twisting, "I do not like that."

"I will not hurt," Maul said softly. "I agreed I will not, and I won't. I have a…natural gift for Alchemy, though…much of the art was kept from me…" Maul frowned. "And my control is impeccable. The layer itself will be disposed of, so there is no worry for that either."

"How is it gotten rid of?"

"I eat it."

There was a long pause as Depa tried to hold back her immediate disgusted reaction, feeling the slightest roil of it in the others even as their expressions remained completely still, and then Maul started a low and wheezing sound, rough and rasping and finally he just threw his head back and laughed. It was a wild and utterly delighted sound that was somehow both endearing and sent a shiver down her spine, but nonetheless Depa found herself joining, the others finally falling into it as well, Yaddle gently tweaking one of his horns.

"I am sorry," he said finally, when he had caught his breath, "the looks on your faces…" he grinned, once again baring so much of those yellowed teeth. Whole they may be, but there was no doubt that blood stained. "It gets dissolved in the chemical peel and dumped. There is no trace left after the ritual is done, there can be none. We are for the Dark."

And there was a truth in that, and it was a reminder that sobered her, though the amusement still burned.

Plo was smiling at him. "Well," he said finally, "I am pleased that you do not have to actually eat it."

"So am I," Maul said. "The remaining chemical would probably not be good to consume."

There was a pause. "Honestly, hearing that, I think I'm glad that you aren't meant to consume it."

Maul raised a brow, "we are about power and Dark, we are generally not suicidal."

"No," came the gentle agreement from Mace, "Immortality seems to be the more important goal."

Maul shrugged but said nothing else.

The elevator stopped.

"Here we are," Tiq said and the doors slid open.

Depa watched as Maul took a slow step out of the elevator, momentarily staring around himself in shock, and frankly Depa could understand.

The level they were in was a prime example of one of the few 'indulgences' that the Jedi had. Seeing the number of purely carnivorous species there were, the fact that they did work on allowing their members to participate in various rituals, and the fact that they ultimately needed meat, the level they were in was purely devoted to keeping a rather sizeable number of livestock whose habitat was often precisely as it would be on their home planets.

If not for the walls that could be seen if one looked, and the elevator that led them to it, it would not be hard to think that they were outside on some distant planet. The animals were well fed and well-tended, but otherwise allowed to roam, breed, and generally behave as they would in order to keep the population steady. It left them as self-sustained as possible, complete with the gardens above.

"The caretakers know of your presence here and they are aware that you are hunting and that you will not hurt them, but they are armed, and you will be followed from a distance by Yoda. If the actual act itself is sacred, you can signal to him and he will keep his distance. As it is, we will wait." The unspoken Maul would not be able to escape, and they would be likely to defeat him before he was able to actively hurt anyone was obvious. Maul also seemed to appreciate it, straightening slightly, looking at her directly. How strange that one who stressed his desire not to hurt, and yet could not help but straighten in the reminder of his capability to hurt. Though truly, when it was ultimately just another reminder of how Maul had only had that ability to hurt define his measure of worth… "May the Force be with you," Depa said, finally, breathing it out and spreading her hand out to encompass everything around them, to wish him well, Yaddle dropping from his shoulder, giving him a warm and friendly smile, a slight nod of her head.

Maul hesitated, hovering, and then finally, quietly, "What does that mean? You keep saying that, but I do not understand. The Force is always with me…provided it is not kept away by…other means… Does the Force leave a Jedi?"

Depa found herself smiling, "No," she said, "I am sorry I had not thought that you would be unfamiliar with the saying. It is…much the same as wishing someone luck, or well when facing a task or a challenge."

Maul gave a soft hum, before frowning and shaking his head, and then, that grin spread across his mouth. "I do not need it."

Before Depa could really process what he had said Maul gave a slight nod, and…

Vanished.

One moment he was there and then he just wasn't, his Presence slipping away from them, and if it wasn't for a glimpse of black cloth that she once again felt as though he was showing them deliberately, she would not have seen him. Either way, Yoda shot off after him, and she knew that while she may not be able to find him, Yoda likely was still able to.

"Well trained he is," Yaddle noted softly, "in the art of sneaking and disappearing. An interesting trick this is."

"That one, I think," Mace said, his brows rising, "he is probably not going to teach us."

"No doubt," Tiq answered with a grin. "Well, I suppose we have a bit of a wait."

"I will get the herbs," Plo said, giving them a brief bow, and then he returned to the elevator and was gone.

The only thing left then was to wait.

Maul had never expected… Any of this.

If it was not for the smell of metal, the faint feeling of electricity crackling in the air, the fact that if he looked he could see where the simulated daylight streamed in, Maul could imagine that he was outside and not within the Jedi Temple.

It looked like it went on for kilometers, up several stories. Perhaps several levels, and Maul found himself perching on a tree. He tapped it, feeling the bark under his fingers, for a moment delighting in the feeling of something grown, something…

Maul stiffened slightly at Yoda's sudden appearance near him, but he did not startle or flinch, turning to meet his eyes. He was surprised when Yoda made a very falsely surreptitious look to his right and to his left, and then held out something that Maul would never have expected. A vibroblade, large in the diminutive Jedi Ma-Teacher's hand, but one that would be perfectly serviceable in his.

"An animal you are not," Yoda said gently, staring at him and Maul found himself stiffening, before he took it, feeling the hilt, the heft to it. It was a good blade and Maul found himself with something rising up in his throat, something he could not name as he looked to Yoda, took in the gentleness, the…the weakness, and found that he did…not mind it for some reason, not when it was trained on him like that. "Returned it will be when you are done."

Maul nodded his head in agreement, and Yoda smiled at him, before disappearing back into the branches.

Maul had planned to wait here until something came to him, curious to see what sort of creatures they had, but now he found himself with the more tempting prospect of satisfying his curiosity, and Maul had a lot of questions of his own. Now that he had bound his Wodza to his bones and to his heart, now that he had chained it to him and the burn was contained within, there was a clarity there that he had not felt in…so long.

It was a clarity that had never been with his Master, with that Chwûq disguised as Wodza.

Maul had never stopped burning, had never stopped wanting blood, even after the ritual had been complete and he should have… Maul had never realized just how much it had ripped through him, how little clarity he had until now…until… Maul had repeated the process as his Master had taught him, but for it to be so different…

If there was any more evidence Maul had needed that his original Wodza had been planted, had been… Maul closed his eyes, frustration rising within him. Maul had trusted and been lied to again and again and again. Why? What was the purpose? Why had his trust been so betrayed? Had Maul always been someone his Master had meant to throw away? But why would so much time have been spent on him? Why would his Master have raised him?

But Maul remembered some things, other things, and closed his eyes.

It was all too much.

But either way, Maul had a hunt to continue. Maul had a ritual to complete.

Maul once again began moving, finding another tree further in, and waited.

Maul remained there patiently, falling slightly into meditation, playing idly with the knife as he felt for small nonsentients that may be drifting close to him. He could feel others out there, sentients, ones that would be minding the livestock, but he paid them no mind. He did not want to see them, and he did not wish to be seen, so Maul simply sat.

For a long moment there was nothing, time stretching into infinity as Maul waited and watched. And then…a sound. Maul opened his eyes, following the smell and the sound of something working its way through the underbrush, sharp eyes trained.

The sight of a rabbit was a welcome one.

It would work.

Maul fell upon it with the blade, the smell of blood in his nose and triumph in his veins.

He signaled that this part would not be watched and felt Yoda's presence diminish. For a moment he wondered whether he was just hiding, wondered if Yoda was still watching…and then he took in that vibroblade in his hand and decided to extend the slightest bit of trust.

And then he got to work.

Plo had collected the necessary herbs, calmly returning to the elevator, and waiting next to the others, the slightly astringent-smelling bundle tied together, and a much more fragrant bundle that Plo assumed would go with the fire also ready.

"Sith rituals are something else," Eeth noted when Plo handed the one for the chemical peel to him after he extended his hand, giving it a slight sniff and wrinkling his nose.

"Something else they might be, but they are definitely something we should respect," Tiq said softly.

"Agreed," Eeth said immediately, "I meant no disrespect…"

Tiq hummed, smiling at him, a wordless acknowledgement that Eeth nodded to.

"Pleased I am that willing to joke about it he was," Yaddle noted softly. "A good sign this is."

"Yes," Tiq agreed, "has he laughed before while he has been here?"

"I believe so," Eeth said, "I know he held it in with me, but Anakin has reported hearing him laugh before. Though his sense of humor seems to be similarly dark."

"I'm not surprised," Plo noted softly. "I am merely happy that it seems some of it survived. Did I tell you that when I first met him he stated that I could only call him Lord?"

"No," Tiq called out, amusement bright in his voice, "did he really?"

"He did," Plo grinned. "And then stated he was bored and broadened it to Lord Maul, and then Darth Maul after that."

"That is delightful," Tiq laughed, and Plo was amused to find the rest joining him. "Oh, but I am pleased to hear that."

They fell silent after a while, content to wait, meditating quietly.

It did not take long before there was a feeling of Dark that spiked, not in warning, but with an almost…invitation.

"Never thought I'd be going towards something that felt like that willingly," Eeth said then with amusement lacing his voice and they laughed.

Yoda was waiting for them at a distance, smiling at them when they approached.

"Quick and clean it was," Yoda noted. "Accepted the vibroblade he did when offered."

"I'm glad," Tiq said, and Plo agreed. They approached together to find Maul, hooded and cloaked, kneeling by a pile of sticks that had been carefully arranged into a pyre, the bones of what looked to be a rabbit to his left. As Plo examined it he could see that the intestines had been wound around the bones in an intricate knot that he couldn't quite figure out, the skin placed to the side. Either way, it kept the bones together and Plo handed the herbs over, Maul taking the bundle and giving a quick thanks.

For a moment Maul sat there quietly, his head lowered over the herb bundle. Plo could hear the slightest of whisperings, though what he was saying he could not say, but that feeling of Dark was reeking and omnipresent. Maul had called it a kind of alchemy, and Plo wondered… When he was finally done he broke the herbs in half, grinding them in his fingers to release the scent, and carefully arranging them over the top of the sticks, before finally placing the remains on top of that.

"Light it, can I?" Yoda asked.

Maul hesitated long enough that Yoda gave a soft sound before holding his shoto out to him. Maul hesitated before taking it, and Plo could see small markings in what looked like blood drawn on the palms of his hands, but he was careful with how he held the saber, igniting it and holding it with mostly his claws, not letting his skin come in contact. He held it to the middle of the remains, and when the pyre finally caught alight, Plo was surprised to see it burned green.

Maul took a step back, returning the shoto, and Yoda inclined his head to him.

They watched as the pyre burned, the heat from the little fire was incredible, eating through the remains and the sticks themselves greedily, and when it finally burned out it was like it had never been.

Maul turned his attention to them, peering up from the cloak, and hesitated, looking to Yaddle. "Is it alright if you do not ride on my shoulder this time?"

"Absolutely it is," Yaddle smiled at him. "We will bring you to your cell now."

"Thank you," Maul stood and followed them.

He was silent this time and the Dark had retreated. Maul was still steady, and he pulled his presence close as soon as they returned, entering the main area, walking with them to the cell block and the Guards. Plo…found that as they approached, that he honestly could not wait.

Not at the prospect of putting him back in another cell…but…

Maul slowed slightly as they walked past where his last cell had been, but he did not comment, following their lead. Two guards waited for them, and Maul hesitated at realizing it was ray shielded, though when it opened, and he was allowed to enter his attention slipped directly past that and right to…

Maul bit back a sound, staring at the decently sized if not barred, and ray shielded windows.

"We can't turn those ones off," Mace noted quietly, and Maul turned to look at him, to look at them, burning yellow eyes peering out of that cloak. He did not peel the hood back and Plo remembered those symbols and had to imagine there were more drawn across his skin, but Plo could feel the joy within him. "There is a sound barrier and people on the outside cannot see in. You are secure and your privacy is intact."

Maul stared at them for a moment and then quietly, "I do not…I do not understand, I…"

"I am sorry, Lord Maul," Tiq said very softly, and took a step forward, gaining Maul's attention. "I had not been as careful with the questions as I had hoped. You were looking out of Eeth's windows and I questioned you about them. You…mentioned the fact that you missed them, and talked about your Master, the way he had taken them from you. We could see no reason to not give you a window when we knew you could not escape from it…"

Maul took that in for a moment a slight grimace on his face, before it lightened, and he finally inclined his head. "Thank you."

"Of course," they said, and Plo handed over the last bundle of herbs.

"There is a copper bowl in the washroom that you can use to prepare everything," Plo said. "Be careful, please."

"I will be," Maul said, taking the herbs and retreating into the cell. The ray shield came back, and he stared at them for one last moment before giving a low bow.

"Good night, Lord Maul," Depa said, and there was a smile in her voice. "May you find good sleep after hard work."

"That one, Jedi, I can appreciate," Maul said with a smirk.

"If you are up to it, Maul," Tiq said, "I believe the next time you awake we should start on that test so we may start work on your own teaching soon."

Maul took this in for a moment before finally inclining his head. "Very well. I will…look forward to it." And then with that he turned to the refresher and the final bit of this ritual.

Plo was delighted. They gave their goodbyes to the Guards, and finally dispersed.

Alema stood next to Liana, once again finding herself amused at yet another shakeup that the one behind them had caused. A Sith ritual, performed in their own halls. It made her want to laugh. The fact that the Council had been forced to work together to contain it, the sheer amount of Hate, and… Oh, there was a part of her that desperately wanted to take that hate from him, that wanted to hold his hands in hers and tell him that he did not have to hold it, that it was hurting him…

Another part of her recognized how important that hate was, and this was the same part that recognized Maul's choices, Maul's status as Sith, and Maul's desire to remain Sith.

None of those choices were ones she wished to contest, and it had been fascinating in a way that she had not expected to realize just how much control and how much work went into being Sith. The rituals, the meditation, the sheer will that needed to be utilized… Everyone knew that the Sith had come from a schism within the Jedi, but it was interesting to see just how integral control remained to them.

Control of a different sort, and the utilization of everything was still very different, but there was nonetheless a very strong parallel, and now that Maul had bound his Wodza, she found that the parallel was perhaps stronger than she had initially thought.

Maul remained out of the collar, and his presence had barely a flicker to it, barely a twitch. And then she knew the ritual had started when that presence turned Dark.

It never once grew to the point that the two of them could not work to suppress it, to contain it within that room, but it nonetheless swelled to encompass it, heavy with purpose. However, interestingly enough, once it seemed to realize they were there, what they were trying to do, it pulled back, refocused, and that Dark shifted to something lasered and fine. They no longer had to contain it, and Alema found herself looking towards Liana, surprise filling her.

"I forget sometimes how skilled he is in these arts," Liana said, echoing her own thoughts. "He's so young, it's hard not to compare him with my own at that age."

"What age?" Alema asked, partially teasing, and partially frustrated – breathe it out. "They were unable to get a bead on his age, from what I recall. Something about his horns being as affected by his malnutrition as the rest of him."

"We really ought to make him pick a number," Liana sighed. "If not an exact age, at least a best guess."

"Do you think he even knows when he was born?"

The question was a sobering one and the two of them fell silent for a moment.

"No," Liana answered, and it was an answer Alema concurred with.

Alema sighed. "Perhaps we will have him pick out a day for that as well. He needs…something. I am sometimes starkly reminded of how little he actually has. Frankly, it makes sense how strongly he clings to the Sith arts when they are literally all he has known and all he has worked on for his entire life. He knows them and he is obviously strong in them."

"Yes," Liana agreed, and her voice was heavy. "I have often considered it when thinking of the fact that he holds to his title so strongly. His Master stripped him of his Apprenticeship, but ultimately Darth Maul holds onto what he was given before, and I do not blame him. The title of Sith Lord is one that he earned, and frankly until his own death, it is his prerogative to find and kill his Master – assuming of course that he's still alive, and so I wonder a bit whether or not the title of Apprentice was technically his Master's to take, or rather…if he fulfilled his status as such once he was appointed Lord."

Alema was quiet for a moment considering this. "That is a point I had not considered," she said finally, "the fact that treachery is often the way of the Sith, there likely have been Apprentices that have been discarded and left for dead, only to come back and destroy the one that originally slighted them."

"Force help us if we do teach him," Liana laughed, "we will definitely have to make sure he doesn't bring that ritual into the Jedi."

"Oh, I'm sure he would never," Alema rebutted and Liana laughed harder. "He is perfectly aware of what is and is not appropriate among Jedi. He says what's appropriate in such a condescending way."

Alema could tell that Liana had started crying through her laughter the moment her mask tilted up, her hands instinctively rising to her face and peeling at it.

"Alema, so help me," Liana finally managed. "Oh," she peeled it far enough away that she could wipe at her eyes and then turned to look at her directly. "Stop that."

Alema grinned and the two of them finally fell silent.

"I am struggling a bit with giving something to the Force," Liana said after a long moment and Alema looked to her friend. "I am worried about that test."

"What about it?" Alema asked.

"I do not think that Maul will necessarily do badly…" Liana said finally, "I think that he is going to prove to be more intelligent than we are quite prepared for, once he begins to open up properly… But I am worried about his emotional intelligence. I wonder how he is going to react to the knowledge that there is so much that he does not know. I cannot imagine that it would be well…"

"Do you think that he will do something in retaliation?"

"No," Liana said, "I believe I am simply thinking of it being another thing that will hurt him. And frankly, Alema, I am tired of him being hurt, and I cannot imagine that it would be good for him. I know it will be in the long run, of course, but to have it staring you directly in the face…"

Alema was quiet for a long moment before giving a soft sigh of her own. "I agree," she answered softly. "But I think that we must trust in the Force and trust in him. He's been showing us so many good reasons to trust him lately, this will simply be another one of them. And we will be able to teach him, Liana, we are not going to let him continue to be ignorant."

"We're going to teach him as much as we can," Liana said softly and Alema hesitated before giving a sharp nod.

"And so long as he learns what it is not to hurt then that is the only thing that matters," Alema said and after a moment Liana nodded. "It is what he wants and what he is expecting, and so that is what we will do our best to give him."

"I think I just wish better for him."

"That, my friend, is absolutely something the two of us are aligned on."

Liana gave a soft sound of agreement, and Alema heard her breathing out a beat later. Alema smiled to herself in satisfaction and the two of them fell silent.

The ritual did not take as long as Alema had thought it would, and it was not long before there was the faint sound of running water as the final bits of the chemical were likely removed from skin, and shortly after that Maul stumbled from the refresher much like he had all those days before, wearing pants for sleep and nothing else.

It was in that moment that Alema could really take in what that ritual means and the sharp realization that not only did his skin somehow look more like blood than it had before – glistening and sharp and wet with it, the black of his tattoos…

"Oh," Liana said, and Maul's attention turned to her, that sleepy head tilt he regarded her with tightening something in Alema's chest. "Apologies, Lord Maul," Liana said, "I merely had not considered the fact that you…well…your tattoos. They've faded. They are not as dark as they were before."

Maul took that in for a moment and then looked to his hands, taking them in and then he gave a shrug. "They'll come back," he said easily.

"I don't think that's how tattoos work, darl-…" but before Alema could finish, Maul had flopped face-first into the bed and seemed to fall asleep almost instantly.

There was a long pause.

Alema was not certain who laughed first, only really conscious of the rush to switch from external to internal communication with the Guard next to her, the two of them absolutely howling.

"I forgot!" Liana wheezed, "I forgot it's been ten days!"

"No wonder he took Depa's wish so well," Alema managed, gasping for breath. "Hard work!"

"He hides it so well; I would have never thought!"

"Oh, he must have been exhausted! I'll never joke about the poor boy's control ever again."

They laughed until they cried and then finally, after a long pause, Liana quietly whispered, "Darling."

"Shut up," Alema retorted, "he is! Once you…begin to peel away the very necessary shell, he is absolutely a darling."

"I want to see his face when you call him that," Liana said, "oh, I don't think I'll survive."

Alema thought of his reaction and then wound up laughing herself. There was truth to that after all. "I'll have to do it at some point."

"You're going to give the poor dear a…oh no, now I'm doing it. We're going to give him a heart attack, and he has two hearts!"

Alema laughed until she cried, until the lingering sharp worry had shifted out of her chest, until she could give it to the Force and finally breathe again. Liana was right. There were plenty of things to worry about, but there was ultimately no point in worrying now. There was nothing they could do but their best, and they would see that through.

Alema only wished she would be there to see the dawn and Maul's reaction to it. Provided he didn't sleep for another two days, and frankly she wouldn't blame him if he did.

It took a day and a full night for Maul to wake, Liana feeling the faint stirrings, that Dark presence that swelled and reached out, stretching as much as that body which had managed to shuffle sideways during his sleep, back pressed against the wall in that favored sleep position. For a moment Maul lay there unmoving, and then he shifted, sitting upright slowly, his focus on the…ground.

Liana gave a softly whispered, "Alema…" watching as her fellow Guard turned as well, watching Maul has he stared at the sliver of light that poured into his cell.

The ray shield in this room was blue, which did not distort as much as the red one did, giving her plenty of opportunity to see both the way those eyes narrowed and then widened in realization, something in his expression so… Liana felt her heart constrict as Maul turned his head to look over his shoulder, up a bit to where the window rested and then shifted, turning, rising up on his knees on his bed that had been placed right beneath it without thought or hesitation.

For just one moment Maul was full of an unguarded awe, the lines of his shoulders slack, staring out towards the rising sun, the view of Coruscant from the Jedi's gardens, in that one moment indistinguishable from all the other younglings she had seen watch that view for the very first time. It was a sight that Liana would never tire of, and she watched until the sun fully rose, until it surrounded his head and shoulders, sending his profile across the floor, and submersing him in shadow.

Maul finally looked away, turning around, peering into the cell around him, his eyes squinted slightly as they adjusted to the dimness, and there was something…she couldn't read in his face. Something tight around his eyes… Maul's arms wrapped around his knees for a moment, his body so still…and it was so incongruous from anything that they had seen… Maul had fallen right into exercise even after a fugue that lasted three months. Why now, what was…

"What are you thinking, Lord Maul?" Alema asked, her voice so soft, drifting across the length of the cell, and Maul blinked, before looking up at her.

There was a long moment when he said nothing, simply stared at her, stared at them, and then softly, quietly, "I do not understand."

"Can you try and explain what you don't understand, darling?" Alema asked.

Maul blinked at her, his chin rising up slightly, looking at her for a moment as though he had never seen anything like her before. Liana laughed, switching to internal speakers in order to do so. "That," Maul said finally with a dip of his chin, which only made Liana laugh harder. "And…" he paused, before shaking his head. "I do not…" he took a breath and then put his hands over his face for a moment, holding very still. "Do you speak more than Basic?"

"I do," Alema answered. "I speak quite a few languages, do you?"

"Yes," Maul answered slowly, and then looked up at her, for a moment his expression so, "I feel like…like I am trying to communicate in a…language I have never even…heard before. As though I am forced to read it and guess through sight the phonemes and the accents that are used…and I also am unfamiliar with its written form." Maul stared at her. "I do not know what I am feeling, I recognize it, I…know that it is something, but the words are…I do not know, and I do not know how to use it. I have only known hate and fear and pain and anger for so long I do not…I do not know what to do with these other things. I do not even know what to call them. Does this…does this make sense or am I…" Maul hissed and trailed off again.

"Can you describe it, sweetie?" Liana found herself asking, "can you walk me through what you are feeling? Or…do you mind if I reach for you? Would you mind if I feel?"

Maul hesitated for a moment and then slowly, she felt those mental walls shift a bit, not so much parting as drifting, curtains blowing in the slightest of breezes, and Liana took the invitation for what it was.

The feelings were…tangled, knotted in a way that struck her as though he had been trying to pull it apart to examine it, but the more he pulled the more confused they got until he just…gave up. Liana took a moment and felt at the knot for a moment, pulling at it gently, feeling as Maul's grip on it tightened in momentary surprise.

"Sorry, Lord Maul," Liana said gently, "I did not mean to startle you, that is…an impressive tangle of feelings right there."

"So…I do not even feel in the right way?"

"Oh, sweetie," Liana whispered, "you feel fine, but it is as you said, you have never spoken the language before, so when you tried to examine it you couldn't find where it began and where it ended, and so you merely tied it in a big knot. Tiq is going to be coming with your breakfast, and I bet you he'll be able to help you peel everything apart and organize it. I do not have the training to untangle that for you. I am sorry I am not more help."

Maul gave a brief nod after a moment, "Thank you for trying."

"Of course," Liana answered with a smile. "Out of curiosity though, what languages do you speak?"

Maul blinked. "Huttese, Twi'leki – as well as I can without the necessary lekku, Mando'a, Shyriiwook, and Sith, as well as Basic and Binary."

"Oh, so few?" Liana asked and Alema burst out laughing, Maul giving a shrug that was almost apologetic.

"I was learning others…"

Liana finally laughed herself, "Goodness! What in the Force prompted you to learn so many? And Binary? Why Binary?"

"It was one of my first…" Maul answered after a long moment of silence. "A droid was the one who raised me for most of my childhood."

There was a long pause. "Well," Alema finally said, her voice warm in a way that Liana could see through, but she wondered whether or not Maul could, "that makes sense then."

Maul inclined his head and then after a brief pause, "you said…Tiq would be coming?"

"Yes," Liana agreed, "we will let you get ready."

"Thank you," Maul said, and fell out of bed to begin the necessary exercises.

By the time he had finished, showered, and was in a far more intense stretching session, Tiq had arrived. Liana was still horrified by the things Maul could do with his back…and his everything. But there was honestly not much she could say that was more horrifying than watching him with his chest and shoulders on the ground, hands pillowed under his chin while his back ached into an obscene scorpion tail that looked a bit like he could put his feet directly onto the top of his head if he decided to point his toes just a little more.

Tiq held his breakfast and paused at seeing what Maul was doing, even as the Guards lowered the ray shield to let him in, Maul looking up to see him.

"Are you sure you have a spine?" Tiq asked him.

Maul answered by shifting himself up into a proper handstand, gaining his balance, and then putting his feet flat on top of his head, toes easily sliding around his horns, so he didn't cut them.

Tiq stared at him for a long moment. "That's not making me believe you have a spine."

Maul grinned at him, before unfolding himself, crossing his legs beneath him and looking at him expectantly.

"Well," Tiq sighed, "more important things." He smiled then, giving the tray over, only to pause at the sound of surprise from Liana.

"Your tattoos really have darkened…but…" she frowned. "How is that possible?"

"They were placed on me with Sith Alchemy," Maul answered, taking the tray from Tiq. "They are not…regular ink, in the way that you would think of it. As my skin heals they heal."

But…that was not the only thing that Liana could see now that the ray shield was open, and now that she was looking. The red that was still so much more vibrant than it had been, blood red and so dark, was…mired. Lines ran through it that she could see in a way she never had been able to before, trailing across his skin, patterning him in…little bolts of lightning.

Oh.

"And the scars…" Tiq asked softly.

"Why let a lesson fade?"

Oh.

Force help her.

"That isn't a way I'd teach a lesson," Tiq said roughly then, sitting down.

Maul shrugged noncommittally, taking the tray, and beginning to eat.

Tiq crossed his legs beneath him, and Liana closed the shield.

There was nothing they could do about what had been. They could only work on making sure that the future, his future, was better.

If Liana had her say it would be. She breathed in and gave her worries to the Force.

Maul sat across from Tiq, eating quietly as Tiq meditated, his mind still wrapped in questions. Every so often he sent small glances to the window, filled with that same strange, knotted bundle that coiled inside of him. Maul did not know where it began and where it ended, just that it was, just that it…

Maul finished the tray, taking the water and starting to sip at it.

"Did you wake up in time to see the sunrise?" Tiq asked him and Maul froze, for just a moment thinking of the sight of the sun breaking over the top of the garden, the sight of the sprawling city nearly dazzling in all of its reflective transparisteel… And then he thought of the twisted knot inside of him that had come from that and found himself grimacing. "Maul?" Tiq asked him softly. "Are you alright?"

"I…" Maul closed his eyes. "I do not know the language. I do not have the words. The Guard tried to help me, but it was too tangled for her to understand the feelings inside of me. She said you may be able to help me?"

Tiq smiled at him, the look warm and delighted, "Yes," he said, "absolutely, I will do my best. That does require you to lower your shields slightly so I can get a read on it, but I will absolutely help you untangle it and give you words for it. Eventually, if you would like, we can work on creating a mental space that is…between for lack of a better word. But it does require a great deal of trust to use effectively, so for now, simply brushing the surface will be enough."

"Very well…" Maul answered and slowly let his shields lower once again, trying to offer up the tangle within him.

"Oh goodness you have knotted that quite tightly haven't you," Tiq said softly, and there was amusement and nothing but…warmth pushed towards him as he said it. Nothing but…

"What is that?"

"What is…?"

Maul hesitated, trying to replicate it to the best of his ability, slowly pushing a rough modicum of the feeling that Tiq had pressed towards him. He had felt it directed at him before, he had felt it from [her], and sometimes from Meltch, but he had not been able to name it then, and he could not name it now.

Tiq blinked as it reached him, and his chin tilted up slightly, "affection," he said finally. "It is a positive emotion, felt towards someone that you care for. There are different versions of affection, some more platonic, others more intimate, but generally they are all reactions towards someone you like, someone you are fond of."

Maul took this in for a long moment. "Show me again?" he asked softly.

Tiq immediately carefully wrapped the emotion and reached out to him with it, holding it out towards him where Maul could slowly examine it, feel it out, and then slowly let go of it.

Maul closed his eyes, slowly working through his own emotions, his own memories, searching for moments with that warmth and…

There were…more moments with it than Maul had expected.

Some of them were tied up in his childhood, towards a pillar of black that Maul could not name anymore, and that warmth was sour in those moments now, thought of with a bitterness. The thoughts of [her] also sometimes were tinged with this warmth, and that bitter bitter feeling was stronger, tangled with Meltch and… And then with Plo. And then with Eeth and with the one before him, and… Anakin.

These feelings did not have that taint. Maul categorized them slowly, and then quietly, "What if the emotion is bitter?"

"How do you mean?"

"I felt that…towards my Master at times, when I was young. When he praised me. There are moments that I can think of when I felt this…affection towards him. But I do not…wish for that anymore. And they hurt…"

"I think…I would possibly call that either regret, or…perhaps even grief."

Maul frowned, taking that in. "I see." And now that he was looking at it, he did. Maul had not regretted before he started talking with the Jedi. He had not had reason to. He was given orders and he executed them, he was not… Maul closed his eyes momentarily, taking in the way his thoughts were going and found yet another tangle wrapping around everything.

"Maul," Tiq said softly, "what is wrong?"

"I really am just a weapon," Maul whispered. "I did not think about what my Master told me to do, or why he taught me in the way he did, I just…I did it. I followed his orders, and I followed his teachings… I did not…have cause…for regret. I aimed where he pointed me."

Tiq was quiet for a very long moment and then softly, "You are not a weapon. Regret and grief both are not…good things to feel, but they are in themselves good. They mean that you recognize that what you did was wrong. They mean that you can grow. Growing often hurts, but it does lead to good things. Your Master may have caused a stunting of your growth in some ways, but he will not prevent your growth in this. Not anymore, and all of this growth, all of this learning – all of this means that you are Not a weapon."

Maul took that in for a long moment, staring into those large eyes, taking it in and finally giving a slow nod of his head.

"Now," Tiq said softly, "Let me help you with that knot in your chest, and we will go from there."

"May we…get the test done today."

Tiq blinked, "Are you sure, Lord Maul?"

"I wish to get this over with, if I am to learn, and if you will not hurt me for mistakes…then I see no reason to not get it over with as soon as possible so I may learn as quickly as possible."

"…Very well," Tiq responded with a nod. "We will go for your test after I work to untangle this."

"Thank you," Maul said, slowly parted his shields once again and felt Tiq reach out to meet him.

Tiq slowly reached out and carefully smoothed his mental fingers over the knot before him, giving a soft soothing whisper as he felt Maul's presence twitch. Gently, gently, Tiq began untangling that knot, finding where the emotions began and ended.

This one, Tiq breathed to the one waiting so patiently, feeling as Maul's attention turned to the bright strand, this one is awe, wonder, it's generally a response to beauty, to something that is pleasing. It is a good feeling for a sunrise.

Maul took this in, feeling it, pulling it away from him, and holding it, and Tiq worked on untangling the others. They were messy. Messy and muddled, but that was to be expected. Tiq carefully pulled at another one, tangled around another, deeply intwined, so deeply he wondered a bit whether it was done intentionally.

I know these, Maul thought at him, and carefully peeled it away himself, pulling it back, right until it tangled with something else. I don't knowthis, he huffed and Tiq could sense the brief flare of anger, the spark of frustration that lingered much longer than a Jedi's would, only to be pulled away and… Tiq wondered a bit what he did with those emotions, whether he stored them, categorized them, and when necessary called upon them, but that wasn't what he was there for at the moment.

He was there for this emotion tangled with the other two, the ones that Maul knew.

Tiq carefully pulled at it, felt the ugly bitterness to it, the pangs of what Tiq recognized as longing and loss, and the feeling deeper, tangled within it…

Jealousy, envy…

What are these?

Tiq took a breath, closing his eyes for a moment. You grew up in pain and suffering, Maul. You grew up without an understanding of affection, without love and without care. You are jealous of the ones that have, you want what was denied you, and this is…understandable, Maul. It is completely understandable, but these are dangerous emotions to hold because they can lead to resentment, which can lead to hurt – both to you and of the ones that you are jealous of.

What do I do with it, then? Maul asked, and this was the emotion, this was the feeling that Maul did not pull back into himself, instead holding it there, confusion registering. If I cannot hold it…

Tiq found himself in the unique position of teaching a Sith how to let go of an emotion. And it was one of the most amazing positions he thought he had ever been in.

First, Tiq said softly, the most important thing you have to realize is this emotion does nothing. It does not help you and it does not enlighten you. It is connected to the past which cannot be changed, and do you know what is even more important than that, Maul?

What?

You get to see this sunrise for the rest of the time you are in this cell. And then, when you are finally freed from it, you will be able to see it from whatever room is eventually yours for however long you wish. This view is yours, Maul. You are no longer in your Master's control, you are no longer wherever your view used to be – you are here, you are with us, and you are safe, and soon you will be free. You will break your chains, and eventually the one that remains will be removed as well. You will be free.

Maul took this in for a moment, and Tiq felt that stirring of emotion within Maul, fluttering underneath the shields, and Maul held the resentment and envy for a moment, for a moment holding it so carefully.

I see, Maul breathed, the thought drifting past him like a warm breeze. I see. What…what then do I do?

Do you understand that it is useless to you?

Yes, I can see…I can see what you are saying.

Then you…breathe it out, let it go. Accept that it exists, understand why it does, and then…release it. It means nothing to you; it is nothing to you. It is…hollow. And so, you release it to the Force, you release it from your soul. There is no need for it anymore.

Maul hesitated, carefully weighing it, taking in the words, making his decision, and then slowly, carefully began to let it go.

Maul breathed in and breathed out, and Tiq was about to explode.

Maul finally opened his eyes, closing his shields back up and Tiq felt himself beaming.

"That, Maul, was extremely impressive. I am proud of you." And if Tiq held onto it a little longer than normal…well. That was his business.

And then he breathed it out.