Obdurate Heart – VIII

Thanks for sticking! I hope it's not getting boring—as I read back through these chapters, there are elements that seem a tad repetitive.

"Responsibilities gravitate to the person who can shoulder them."

-Tom Stoppard

It was the next day that Obi Wan at last decided he might see the condition of his prisoner for himself. After all, he supposed, he couldn't simply rely on the word of the guard forever. Such would be irresponsible. After yet another long conversation with a politically absorbed Qui Gon that afternoon, he was somehow—though rather bored—reaffirmed in his sense of duty. While aware that recent tides had brought a relative victory for the better cause, the galaxy was yet to be free of the grave perils that awaited it. Now was not a time for celebration, but a time for strategy, or so Qui Gon had worded it. Part of that strategy was dealing with Maul upfront, the subject at hand and their closest clue to discovering the identity and possible whereabouts of an ambiguous Sith Lord.

Obi Wan brushed off his robes a bit as he approached the holding room, meeting the guard out front with a nod of greeting. "Is he awake?"

"He's been as much for the past few hours." Was the reply. "He's been in and out of consciousness from the effects of the anesthetic, but now that he's gotten a bit of his mind back, he avidly refuses any treatment to his wounds."

Obi Wan sighed and shook his head. "Well if that's the way he wants to play it, fine."

"Are you going in to speak with him?" the guard turned a little as Obi Wan made a move to go past him.

"To see if he would be a bit more willing, yes. Is there a problem?" Obi Wan stalled a moment to listen.

"It's only that he hasn't exactly spoken. I'm not sure you would want to waste your time, he doesn't seem to be in the mood for it."

Obi Wan thought. Perhaps the guard was right, perhaps he was wasting his time here. That seemed to often be the case. "…No." he decided despite himself. "I'm growing tired of bending to his will. He is not a guest."

The guard nodded in agreement and watched as Obi Wan entered.

As Obi Wan went into the chamber, he noticed the air in the room getting tense. The guards that watched the prisoner immediately handled their firearms more readily, as though fearing the Jedi Padawan's appearance would send Maul into a sudden rage. Maul was lying on his side, arms sprawled out a little and eyes wide open to stare like a plotting cat out at the two guards that faced him from across the room. A traditional intimidation tactic, either because he felt threatened or because it was simply his way. The gaze slowly shifted to Obi Wan as he entered, hot and demanding.

"You're hoping that I've changed my mind." Maul uttered, not moving.

"And have you?" Obi Wan followed up quickly, though he was quite aware of what the answer would be.

Maul simply stared.

"The guard tells me that you have been denying treatment." Obi Wan continued on, already becoming fed up with this situation.

"He damaged a medical droid unit, sir." Noted a guard from the corner behind him. Obi Wan looked back to Maul with concealed irritability.

Maul hissed through his teeth and narrowed his eyes, his fingers coiling into the sheets. "That's a warning…if it gets near me, it gets destroyed."

"Are you really so blinded by Sith madness that you don't even have the sense enough to realize when someone is trying to help you?" Obi Wan allowed his frustrations to seep through just a little, but did well to keep his tone level.

Maul suddenly bellowed out a growl that made the guards go for their guns instinctively. "Don't you preach to me your fraternal tidings you weaseling pest. It was you that put me here, don't think I've forgotten that." He forced himself to rise up a little, angry immediately.

"You are risking infection and illness for your pride." Obi Wan returned incredulously.

"Yes, Jedi." Maul gnarled back, dropping his head and glowering up at him through a face marred with sickly black tattoos. "But don't speak to me about risk, either. You yourself have risked more than you know simply by leaving me alive."

"Yes, that's becoming clear." Obi Wan said evenly against his whirling aggravation. I've been goaded into wasting my time sitting for this maniacal madman…Is this not risking my reputation? Hah! There's your damn risk. He quickly calmed himself, however, refusing to be dragged down to a Sith level no matter what the case. "Alright, Lord Maul. No more medics will bother you, you have my word."

Maul sneered back. The audacity of him passing these actions off as generous must have offended him, Obi Wan supposed. "I wonder. Is this penance for the way you defeated me? Is that why they've given you this task?"

Obi Wan was instantly alarmed. The way he defeated him? What was that supposed to mean? "No." he responded shortly. "But feel free to keep guessing."

Maul snorted and bowed his head, swallowing deeply. His hand traveled over his chest for a second as he looked down, eyes still searing. "If you're really in such an obliging mood, why don't you get me some damned pants?" he snapped suddenly, adjusting the cloth that lay over him.

Obi Wan felt himself go pale for just a moment. Why hadn't that been dealt with earlier? Well, how disturbing. "Yes…" he agreed, nodding to one of the guards.

Not appearing satisfied in any form with having gotten his way, Maul sat up fully, wiping his mouth with the back of a hand in a gruff motion. "And what else, Jedi?" he growled. "Or have you just come to admire your trophy?"

Obi Wan grit his teeth. That certainly was not how he felt about this situation. If anything, Maul was a blight cast upon him. "I felt it only fair to warn you, Maul, that when you recover, negotiators of a more professional nature will be meeting with you. You may want to reconsider your plight. They are your last chance."

Maul glowered, unfazed.

Obi Wan simply sighed. Well alright. I've looked in on him. That's enough, isn't it? He reasoned to himself. "Suit yourself." He decided before turning and leaving the room.

"Sir," questioned one of the guards as he walked by. "What shall we do with him, sir?"

Obi Wan shrugged. "If he tries to escape, shoot him."

The guard paused as if to say something more, but instead merely nodded and allowed him to go on his way.

Obi Wan went to work as fast as he could with calming his stress, for he knew that circling around these thoughts too many times would rattle his brain beyond functional health. Maul was an obstinate man, that was for sure. Obi Wan could only hope that the council would not be disappointed in them for being unable to draw any answers from him thus far. It did get a bit under his skin, though, or as much as he would let it. There in their palm sat Darth Maul, a young man with perhaps the closest tie to the faceless Sith lord there was, a man who quite possibly knew the answer to every question they had, and yet there was simply no way to extract them. He was a box with the key locked inside. The only way to open it was to smash it open, but that would be rather tactless, wouldn't it?

Letting go of another soft sigh, Obi Wan went to his room to meditate.