Qui-Gon lands with an "oomfh" on the soft bed, more dazed and confused than
anything. "What happened?"
Watto's odd, blue face comes into view. "The Sith Lord kicked your butt."
The tall Jedi is up on his feet in no time. "He did not! That wasn't fighting. That was...that was catching me off guard. It was luck, that's all."
No one listens to him, though.
"Wow!"
"That was cool!"
"I found my moving buddy." Even Amidala is impressed.
Qui-Gon and his padawan move off to the side.
"In a couple of days, everything will be just the way it was," Qui-Gon continues to argue. "They'll see. I'm still Charlene's favorite toy."
(Duel of the Fates heard faintly.)
In no time at all, Darth Maul is everyone's favorite friend. Charlene's Qui-Gon bedsheets have been replaced with ones covered with Darth Maul. Drawings of the Sith Lord wallpaper the room and even her clothes sport the Dark Lord. And Qui-Gon finds himself sleeping in the toy box while Maul takes his spot sleeping beside Charlene.
******
Darth Maul stands before a handful of toys. "It looks as though I've been accepted into your culture. Your Queen Charlene inscribed her name on me."
Maul lifts his foot so everyone can see Charlene's name printed on his foot.
"In permanent ink, it is."
Maul then excuses himself to go back to work on his "ship" as a green-eyed Qui-Gon looks on In a fit of anger Qui-Gon kicks the nearby checkboard, a piece bouncing off the wall and back into his mouth. It seems even the inanimate toys are against him and he spits it out.
"Don't let it get to you, Qui-Gon." Amidala comes up behind him.
Qui-Gon tries to act as if he doesn't know what she's talking about. "What do you mean? Who?"
"I know Charlene's excited about Maul but you know she'll always have a special place for you."
Watto flies by. "Yeah, like the attic."
Qui-Gon snaps. "All right, that's it!"
He makes his way towards Maul who is underneath his ship attempting to fix it. He grabs a hold of Maul's ankles and pulls him out.
"Listen here, Tatoo Parlor, you stay away from Charlene. She's mine and no one here is going to take her away from me." (AN: *sigh* not every day a toy fights over *you.* Wish it happened more often.)
All he gets is an odd looks from Maul. "What are you talking about? Where's that bonding strip."
Qui-Gon goes on, "And another thing: stop with this Sith Lord stuff! It's getting on my nerves."
Maul receives a small shove. "Don't even think about it, Jediboy."
Qui-Gon snickers at him. "You actually think you're *the* Darth Maul? Oh, all this time I thought it was just an act! Hey, guys, look! It's the *real* Darth Maul!"
Maul cocks an eyebrow at him. "You're mocking me, aren't you?"
"Oh, no, no. Hey, there's your master."
Maul spins around. "Where?"
Qui-Gon falls to the floor in a fit of laughter, enjoying his fun.
Yells interrupt Qui-Gon's teasing and everyone completely stops, listening to the evil laughter filtering in through the windows. Toys visibly shake with fear at the sound of that laugh.
Yoda shakes his head disappointedly. "Sidious, it is." (AN: For this particular story, don't think of Sidious as Maul's master. He's just...Sidious. A really cranky old guy with too much time on his hands.)
"I thought he was away at torture camp," Watto says.
"They must've kicked him out early," supposes Obi-Wan.
The toys all race to the window to see what's going on. Below in the next yard, a dark robed old guy is bouncing around in the yard like a child. In front of him, on the ground, is a faintly seen toy.
"Who is it this time?"
Qui-Gon grabs a pair of electrobinoculars and holds them up to his eyes. He peers through to see the toy and groans. "Oh, no, it's Mace Windu."
Maul stands beside the Jedi master. "What's going on?"
A glance is thrown Maul's way. "Nothing that concerns *you* Sith; just us toys."
"I had better have a look, anyway." Maul tears the electrobinoculars from Qui-Gon's hands. "Why is that man strapped to an explosive device?"
Qui-Gon points. "That's why. Sidious."
Maul moves his train of sight...to a black and white pitbull at Sidious' feet. "Hmm, sure is a hairy fellow."
Qui-Gon makes an annoyed noise and moves the electrobinoculars up to rest on Sidious. "No, that's Scud, you idiot. *That's* Sidious."
"You mean that happy old geezer?"
Obi-Wans snorts. "That ain't no happy old geezer."
Watto hovers in the background. "He tortures toys, just for fun."
"Well, then, we've got to do something." Maul climbs up onto the window sill.
Qui-Gon, who isn't the only one looking at him like he's lost his mind, grab onto the edge of his robe. "What are you doing? Get down from there!"
Maul is quite sure of himself. "I'm gonna teach that wacko a lesson."
The Jedi Master scoffs at him. "Yeah, sure. You go ahead. Slice him with your scary lightsaber." Qui-Gon makes an attempt at a scary face.
Before Maul can do anything, though, Sidious lights the explosive and then runs to take cover.
"Hit the dirt!"
"Look out!"
Watto's odd, blue face comes into view. "The Sith Lord kicked your butt."
The tall Jedi is up on his feet in no time. "He did not! That wasn't fighting. That was...that was catching me off guard. It was luck, that's all."
No one listens to him, though.
"Wow!"
"That was cool!"
"I found my moving buddy." Even Amidala is impressed.
Qui-Gon and his padawan move off to the side.
"In a couple of days, everything will be just the way it was," Qui-Gon continues to argue. "They'll see. I'm still Charlene's favorite toy."
(Duel of the Fates heard faintly.)
In no time at all, Darth Maul is everyone's favorite friend. Charlene's Qui-Gon bedsheets have been replaced with ones covered with Darth Maul. Drawings of the Sith Lord wallpaper the room and even her clothes sport the Dark Lord. And Qui-Gon finds himself sleeping in the toy box while Maul takes his spot sleeping beside Charlene.
******
Darth Maul stands before a handful of toys. "It looks as though I've been accepted into your culture. Your Queen Charlene inscribed her name on me."
Maul lifts his foot so everyone can see Charlene's name printed on his foot.
"In permanent ink, it is."
Maul then excuses himself to go back to work on his "ship" as a green-eyed Qui-Gon looks on In a fit of anger Qui-Gon kicks the nearby checkboard, a piece bouncing off the wall and back into his mouth. It seems even the inanimate toys are against him and he spits it out.
"Don't let it get to you, Qui-Gon." Amidala comes up behind him.
Qui-Gon tries to act as if he doesn't know what she's talking about. "What do you mean? Who?"
"I know Charlene's excited about Maul but you know she'll always have a special place for you."
Watto flies by. "Yeah, like the attic."
Qui-Gon snaps. "All right, that's it!"
He makes his way towards Maul who is underneath his ship attempting to fix it. He grabs a hold of Maul's ankles and pulls him out.
"Listen here, Tatoo Parlor, you stay away from Charlene. She's mine and no one here is going to take her away from me." (AN: *sigh* not every day a toy fights over *you.* Wish it happened more often.)
All he gets is an odd looks from Maul. "What are you talking about? Where's that bonding strip."
Qui-Gon goes on, "And another thing: stop with this Sith Lord stuff! It's getting on my nerves."
Maul receives a small shove. "Don't even think about it, Jediboy."
Qui-Gon snickers at him. "You actually think you're *the* Darth Maul? Oh, all this time I thought it was just an act! Hey, guys, look! It's the *real* Darth Maul!"
Maul cocks an eyebrow at him. "You're mocking me, aren't you?"
"Oh, no, no. Hey, there's your master."
Maul spins around. "Where?"
Qui-Gon falls to the floor in a fit of laughter, enjoying his fun.
Yells interrupt Qui-Gon's teasing and everyone completely stops, listening to the evil laughter filtering in through the windows. Toys visibly shake with fear at the sound of that laugh.
Yoda shakes his head disappointedly. "Sidious, it is." (AN: For this particular story, don't think of Sidious as Maul's master. He's just...Sidious. A really cranky old guy with too much time on his hands.)
"I thought he was away at torture camp," Watto says.
"They must've kicked him out early," supposes Obi-Wan.
The toys all race to the window to see what's going on. Below in the next yard, a dark robed old guy is bouncing around in the yard like a child. In front of him, on the ground, is a faintly seen toy.
"Who is it this time?"
Qui-Gon grabs a pair of electrobinoculars and holds them up to his eyes. He peers through to see the toy and groans. "Oh, no, it's Mace Windu."
Maul stands beside the Jedi master. "What's going on?"
A glance is thrown Maul's way. "Nothing that concerns *you* Sith; just us toys."
"I had better have a look, anyway." Maul tears the electrobinoculars from Qui-Gon's hands. "Why is that man strapped to an explosive device?"
Qui-Gon points. "That's why. Sidious."
Maul moves his train of sight...to a black and white pitbull at Sidious' feet. "Hmm, sure is a hairy fellow."
Qui-Gon makes an annoyed noise and moves the electrobinoculars up to rest on Sidious. "No, that's Scud, you idiot. *That's* Sidious."
"You mean that happy old geezer?"
Obi-Wans snorts. "That ain't no happy old geezer."
Watto hovers in the background. "He tortures toys, just for fun."
"Well, then, we've got to do something." Maul climbs up onto the window sill.
Qui-Gon, who isn't the only one looking at him like he's lost his mind, grab onto the edge of his robe. "What are you doing? Get down from there!"
Maul is quite sure of himself. "I'm gonna teach that wacko a lesson."
The Jedi Master scoffs at him. "Yeah, sure. You go ahead. Slice him with your scary lightsaber." Qui-Gon makes an attempt at a scary face.
Before Maul can do anything, though, Sidious lights the explosive and then runs to take cover.
"Hit the dirt!"
"Look out!"
