Afterglow - Part 1
They remained at the cabin for another two rotations. It seemed that having discovered an… intense physical affinity for each other, one night was not enough. Zaiya was sore. But in a good way. The sweet aching in her legs and hips and deep within her body was one she welcomed. She felt as though a part of her was whole again, like she was more complete.
Maul had barely been able to keep his hands off her. She hadn't been able to resist him either. It was like they were new people, regular people in a relationship or something. It was blissful, freeing… still she could not get enough of him.
Now of course they were on the transport to Nar Shadaa, both cloaked and heads down, once they arrived they would meet a contact Zaiya had known quite a while ago, when she was running bounties.
Things were different. Of course they were. Zaiya had given in to her desires and she had no idea what to do now. She was his Lieutenant, right? But while they were… together, he would call her his Queen or his witch or Starlight or… Goddess Divine… She felt heat flush her at the memory. What did that mean? Where did they stand now? What was she supposed to do or say? Should she act as she had before? Pretend it didn't happen? Though how could she? How could she ever forget those two days of ecstasy? She'd never felt that before. Or been touched in that way. Passionate and gentle all at once. He had made her feel like she was some kind of divine being…
Zaiya glanced at him out of the corner of her good eye, her Nexus eye hidden under an eyepatch she'd gotten at the spaceport. Maul sat, his head bowed, in a still and almost meditative state. Once they'd left the cabin, he'd barely touched her. Was he regretting what had happened? Was he worried about being seen? She knew she was hardly beautiful. Perhaps he was… ashamed.
She'd always known in the back of her mind that the affections he had shown her could be fleeting. She hadn't expected him to turn so cold as soon as they were in public however.
It hurt.
As childish as the admission was… it hurt her. From fire to ice it seemed. Her hand brushed his own beside her leg. It was unintentional and she moved to pull away when he grasped it. She had returned her gloves to their rightful place in order to negate some of the shame at having touched him with those hands. At the same time he seemed to like her hands, having kissed them, played with them and a few other things that made her feel breathless to think about.
Maul squeezed her hand, though he didn't look at her. What was he thinking about? She felt paranoid with so many questions in her mind. Wondering what he thought, what he wanted, whether he enjoyed what they did or if he felt disgust.
She was being foolish. She didn't need to think about it. She just needed to accept what was happening and keep doing her job to protect him. The Nightsister had her task. The one she'd always had.
To stand with him, and build their destiny together.
Nar Shadaa was busy and bustling as she had remembered, there were sentients everywhere, in various states of dress. She spotted Humans, Duros, Gotals, Twi'leks, Trandoshans, Bith, Rodians and a multitude of other races that flitted by. But she was looking for someone specific…
"Your contact is here?" Maul asked quietly, over her right shoulder. She suppressed a shiver at feeling his breath fan her ear and scanned the crowd as they moved through it. She knew she'd spot her old friend before she saw them.
"They should be. They owe me a favour," Zaiya replied and Maul spoke to one of her concerns, perhaps he'd heard it in her voice.
"Will they still be willing to honour it after such a long time?" Zaiya grimaced internally. How long had it been? They'd met as teenagers and it had been something like ten years now.
Ten long years since she'd run with the other Bounty Hunters and done jobs with people like Bane, Adaji, Hondo or Jango. Most of them seemed to be doing well, but it wasn't the same just hearing about it. She realised she missed those years, almost all her teens and the beginning of her twenties before she found Maul again… There had been a lot of fun during those times. She just wished Maul could have experienced it with her. But they were out now, they were free and perhaps now there might be a chance at creating something new. Building their own-
"Hah! Read em an' weep you absolute dekir-osa!" came a loud and familiar voice. It was a touch deeper with age but the cadence was unmistakable. A grin formed on Zaiya's lips as she sauntered over, remembering when they were younger and everything was less formal, more fun.
The two Dathomirians approached a seedy hole-in-the-wall establishment, a few tables sat in front of it, and opposite a very miserable looking Dug, sat a grinning peach-skinned zabrak. This one was Iridonian, a very human skin tone, thin tattoos as lines across their face and arms that peeked out from the cargo pants and flight jacket - far thinner than that of the Dathomiri markings. They also sported brown hair and eyes to match. Zaiya noted the hairstyle had changed, once it was a cute little pixie cut, now it was more of a mohawk. The piercings were also new, they seemed to have gold loops on each ear as well as the lower lip. They were engrossed in a game of Sabacc, and by the look of it, they were cleaning house.
Zaiya laid her hand on her hips, she'd not seen them since they were a skinny teenager. She almost laughed, they'd looked up to her like a big sister as well. It seemed Zaiya was predictable in that regard.
"Hey, Wakiya," Zaiya said, stepping up behind her friend. The younger zabrak turned, eyes lit up and grinning widely.
"Si-whoa!" they cried, and jerked back, staring at Zaiya's face in shock. "What the kriff happened to your face?!"
A cold wash like ice-water doused Zaiya's slightly improved mood. Of course. The eye. She'd gotten too complacent, multiple sentients turned their way from the outburst as Zaiya's smile became a thin-lipped polite one. She'd forgotten for just a short time. Foolish. The sweet feelings and pleasure of the last two days had made her forget.
Zaiya was a monster. No wonder Maul distanced himself from her now. He must have come to his senses.
"Nice to see you too," Zaiya responded smoothly, covering up the hurt the comment caused. Stupid. She'd let her guard down. Served her right for forgetting herself. The Nightsister gestured with her head, peering out from beneath the hood. She made a note to find an eyepatch while they were here. It reminded her of having to wear one on Zygerria… but she needed to just get over it, she couldn't afford such reactions.
She felt Maul growl low in his throat beside her and move to step forward but the Iridonian stood, eyeing Zaiya curiously. Then they spotted Maul.
"Another Dathomirian? Oh hot damn!" they grinned and swept closer, speaking entirely too loud for Zaiya's comfort. They gave a low whistle and leaned in, looking at Maul with a mischievous expression. "You taken, gorgeous, or have I got a chance?" they chuckled.
The comment was another jab to Zaiya's insecurities. He was hardly taken… she and he weren't… well they might have done some… but he wasn't-
"This is your friend?" Maul asked with a barely concealed sneer, looking past their new companion.
"Yes, this is an old friend. Sire, this is Venn," Zaiya gestured between them, then looked to the Iridonian, "Venn, this is Lord Maul."
"Lord, huh?" Venn eyed the two Dathomirians with a contemplative glance. "Lord of hotness…!" Zaiya had to admit… they weren't wrong about that. Even if put so crudely. Maul was… her mind drifted back to the time spent in the cabin. Winged Goddess… she'd seen all of him. Felt all of him. He was Godly…
"...Siren…?" Venn snapped their fingers in front of Zaiya's face, making her blink. Luckily she had been looking out into the crowd and not at Maul so she could pretend she was looking for danger. She really needed to get it together. Zaiya looked at her friend sharply and Venn frowned. "You seem different." She noticed Maul give her a quizzical look and shrugged to play it cool
"It's been a long time." Venn kept looking at her for a moment then seemed to shrug it off.
"Aight… so you said you needed to cash in that favour… what do you need?" Venn asked as the three of them began to walk along the roadways.
"Firstly, discretion… I'm… kind of a wanted woman, and it's best that no one sees either of us before we're ready."
"Ohh.. so you're back in the game? I heard through some friends you had a sweet gig with the Republic," they said with a grin. Zaiya raised a brow and looked Venn over, how had they heard that?
"I did… it uh, it didn't end well…" Zaiya admitted and glanced away, a grimace marred her features for a moment. Venn's expression became more serious.
"Big trouble this time?" they asked, "what'd ya go and do that for?" Zaiya couldn't help herself, her gaze flicked to Maul then back again.
"Nothing I can't handle," she replied. She could feel in the Force that Venn was starting to feel anxious and reached out, resting a hand on their shoulder. "It'll be alright," she assured.
"Alright… well, what else do you need, you wouldn't have called me for nothin'."
"We need a ship, a fast one, good manoeuvrability and either cloaking or a scramble set… and a droid for autopilot or repair," she said, as though asking Venn to pass her a kori fruit. Venn blinked.
"Ya want it gold plated too?" they drawled.
"Seems a little ostentatious to me," Zaiya replied flatly. A second later a smile threatened to break through her expression. Venn cracked a wide grin.
"Theeeere you are!" they beamed, and threw an arm around Zai's shoulders, "I had begun to wonder where my best girl went!" Zaiya rolled her eyes, she felt Maul bristle on her other side. "Well, if it's a ship you want with those specs, I can find you one, but not here, these places are all junkers, I had to haggle for parts last month… not worth it. I do know a guy on the far side of the Outer Rim though." Venn turned to the pair of them. "Up for a trip?"
"If it gets us what we need," she nodded. Venn grinned wide again and looped their arm with Zaiya's.
"Then let's go! It'll be just like old times!"
Venn's own ship was equipped enough to get them there, though it was small and in need of repair, the carbon scoring on the right flank suggested they'd been shot at recently. The smuggler of course assured the two that it was only cosmetic damage.
Apparently the trip would take a few rotations and so Zaiya and Maul had to settle in with the hyperactive Iridonian that seemed far too nosey for Maul's taste. He eyed this stranger as they navigated the ship into hyperspace. They'd barely been around them and already Maul had felt Zaiya's spark in the Force, her anxiety and her pain. Something they'd said had set Zaiya into this strange mood.
He wasn't sure what was happening. Was Venn one that wanted to bring Zaiya back to the way she used to be? Were they trying to take Zaiya from him? It was not something he could allow.
Even then he felt the other part of his mind hold him back. It was the part of him that had awoken as they had left the little cabin. That little isolated place where the Galaxy could not touch them. It was not the palace she deserved, and the image of presenting her a Queen's chamber still lingered in his mind. But it had been private, secret and no one was there to harm them, see them, there were no Jedi, no Sith… they had been free.
Leaving that place sent them back to the "real" world. He was a former Sith. His training told him he felt nothing, that he could not be connected to anyone -that it was a weakness.
It was agony. To have known her touch, to feel the traces of her hands on his skin still and to now tear himself from her… He cursed himself internally. He never should have given in. This feeling, this preoccupation with her was dangerous. He shouldn't be thinking about her, or have these thoughts and memories of her, her body and the way he knew her now. So deeply, so intimately… he could never forget it… this slip into blissful temptation could end him. How was he supposed to go back to the way things were? The image of her on her knees before him burned into his mind-
His fingers dug into his own thigh to keep his thoughts in check. He could smell her subtle delicious perfume from where he sat. This trip was going to be torturous. Especially the way Venn seemed so adamant to linger too close to Zaiya. Maul was torn between wanting to grab her or push her away.
Instead he turned this confusion into anger, letting the familiar feeling of rage seethe in him. It was familiar and he knew it. He could dwell there, it was what he knew. He could keep her at bay like this.
If only the trip would be faster so he could get a little space. He needed to get away from her, it was going to drive him mad otherwise.
"So where have you been?" Venn asked Zaiya as they settled into their journey. Maul felt his ears prick up, was she going to finally divulge the truth?
"I had something of an incursion for a while… nothing particularly interesting," the Nightsister shrugged dismissively. Maul held back a growl.
"The hell does that mean?" Venn asked bluntly, turning to face Zaiya, a frown on their face. Zaiya decidedly didn't look back at them, keeping her eyes down and on the flashing lights of the console. She was avoiding again.
"I don't-" she began and Maul could see the way her lips pursed from over her shoulder. "I left the bounty hunters, I… alright, you remember I said I was looking for my friend?" she said, her expression was distant. Venn affirmed and Zaiya gestured towards him with her head, "well I found him." She tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair restlessly. "Things didn't go to plan, and after a while we were separated again." Maul glanced down, the pain of his memories haunting him still. Would it ever stop?
"After a… long time, I was able to escape and we found one another again, the Kamino thing was just part of the process." Maul's gaze was drawn back to her. She didn't give her friend much at all, but what hit him was the word 'escape'.
"So you were trapped," Maul mused quietly. Zaiya stilled and stared straight ahead for a moment. As though she had realised she had made a mistake. Had he just seen fear in her eyes?
Suddenly she stood up, asking Venn for the refresher. Zaiya disappeared into the corridor a second later, Maul's eyes following her. Running from the questions again. After a moment he looked back to find Venn staring at him. He glared back.
"What'd you do to her?" Venn snapped. Maul felt his rage surge forward at the quite frankly offensive question.
What had he done?!
"Watch your tongue, smuggler," he snarled. A cat-like grin crossed their face.
"You wanna talk about my tongue, huh? Well there's plenty I could do with it…" they gave a crude chuckle. Maul's face remained hard, he was utterly repulsed but then that was not unusual for him. The only one he didn't feel that way about was- His frown deepened.
"You assume I did something to her?" he asked, his lip curling.
"Well she's not like she used to be," Venn replied, their expression drooped a little, looking almost sad. Curiosity nipped at him and he couldn't help but ask;
"What was she like?" Venn regarded him for a minute, and Maul realised that this Iridonian was not so stupid as they pretended to be. He was almost impressed.
Almost.
"Well… Si was always funny, and making silly comments… she used to forget words all the time…" Venn trailed off, looking away as they recalled more memories. "She was warm, and sang a lot, and always smiled. Even her voice was different, she's lost her accent." This zabrak seemed to have great affection for Zaiya. Maul didn't know if that made him feel better or worse.
"You travelled together a lot?" He was wary, but he wanted to know more. He hadn't seen all of her memories in the dreamscape, though this smuggler seemed familiar, perhaps he had seen them in Zaiya's memories.
"For a while. I was a kid, she picked me up on a job spice running." A low laugh escaped their mouth, "saved my skin more than once, and she didn't have to."
"She tends to stick her neck out where it need not be," Maul muttered disdainfully. He didn't like the way she was so willing to put herself at risk for others. It seemed that had not changed.
"Yeah," Venn laughed, "she came up with a song once, we used to sing it all the time…!" Venn became more energetic again and Maul began to regret ever asking anything. "It was about one of her dads, he hated it… so we sang it louder!"
"I remember that," Zaiya said from behind them in the doorway, a small smile on her face but she looked paler than usual. Maul felt his chest tighten as he looked at her. "Hondo was always the first to mention the song though, I don't know if he hated it as much as he pretended to." She stepped over and retook her seat.
"Do you remember how it went?" Venn asked, a mischievous glint in their eye. Zaiya chuckled and leaned back in her chair and began to sing in a lilted tune.
"There once was a man come from Sriluur,
Say now, did he really?
Was a handsome pirate, that's for sure,
-All of that's a lie!
Hondo Ohnaka
Hondo Ohnaka
Hondo Ohnaka
All of that's a lie!" Her grin became wider as she sang the amusing tune, it seemed Venn had remembered it too and began to join in.
"He bought a ranch on Dathomir!" Zaiya sang.
"Say now did he really?" Venn chimed in with more enthusiasm.
"Where he rides rancors with no fear!"
"All of that's a lie!"
"Hondo Ohnaka
Hondo Ohnaka
Hondo Ohnaka
All of that's a lie!" The two sang the chorus in unison and Zaiya seemed to be feeling better the more she sang. There was a light in her eyes that grew as the memory return to her.
"He fought the bosses of Black Sun,
Say now, did he really?
He still has them on the run…!
All of that's a lie!" Now they sang all the parts together, and though Maul was vaguely aware of the Weequay through the memories, but from what he had seen, it wasn't completely out there for such a song.
Hondo Ohnaka
Hondo Ohnaka
Hondo Ohnaka
All of that's a lie!" Laughter fell in between the lines as they began grinning and giggling, Maul watched as Zaiya seemed to become that young woman he first saw on Coruscant all those years ago.
"He landed once on Nal Hutta,
Say now, did he really?
Now he's paid tithing by Jabba,
All of that's a lie!
Hondo Ohnaka
Hondo Ohnaka
Hondo Ohnaka
All of that's a lie!
Hondo Ohnaka
Hondo Ohnaka
Hondo Ohnaka
All of that's a lieeee!" The two leaned back into their chairs, laughing and grinning, the mood was lifted and Maul leaned back in his own seat, folding his arms, the tiniest smirk on his lips. It was foolish and silly… but she was smiling again. The Force within her seemed to be calmer, so he would tolerate Venn for a little while longer.
Notes:
Hello my friends! Late post today, sorry about that.
Thank you all again for those that submitted questions for the Chapter 100 celebration! I really appreciate it.
For any of those curious, Venn is not my OC but a friend of mine's. They go by Maulslittlemeowmeow on tumblr and they gave me permission to include Venn and approved this chapter before I posted it.
The song is not mine either, though I did rewrite some of it, I got permission to use it. The original is a hoot and I love it. It's by Rowan the Bard on Youtube : watch?v=Kc2wst6t95c I just love it, dude is super talented. I love a good space shanty.
I hope everyone is well and doing alright!
As always I love feedback and comments and I love reading them, they help keep me motivated and to know what you like, what you enjoy or what resonates the most.
I hope you all enjoyed and I shall see you all next week!
