[He wasn't entirely convinced everything would come together for space faring travel, but he could hope that they could muster a good effort. From technology to maps to their keepers of this place, the odds were stacked against them. However, K's hope was a contagious thing, and he nodded his head where he sat.]
Perhaps in time. It's not like we have anything else to work towards, and death isn't permanent.
[He turned his head to rest his chin on his shoulder where he could watch K in the darkness of the room aside from the light cast by the stars. He knew this wasn't Dathomir; few would survive the planet's rigorous attempts to kill them anyway.]
In Deerington, there was a Nightsister, the one who claimed me and hated me more than any other. And the scarred up zealots, a former Sister is among them and only recently the last Sleeper Sister left. They are more common than one would think. [Which might have forced an apprehension to take too much in the way of 'good' opportunities that this place provided. At any moment, a Nightsister could insert herself and put him under their thumb.] To my universes end, it doesn't matter if I go back there. I died there, so all I can do is return to my spot as the Fanged God's warrior.
[He reached out when K sat up to stabilize the droid as he could see how much effort the act was. Maybe he was a little surprised that K was even functional, given how the droid had slept in the streets like it was nothing to be bothered about.
Yet, the question was important, one he had thought about many times. To remove the spell, he'd return to his prior state, and would he be as able to protect Maul?]
Perhaps, yes. I would still be me but smaller and less open to the Force, but I always had the gift just did what I could to develop it subtly.
[He watched K with a curiosity, tilting his head a little where it was still resting on his own shoulder.]
Well, space is best seen with others otherwise you could go mad with the endlessness of it. Besides, you don't know what's up there and if any other planets or moons have been colonized. I would go with you... as long as my brother is safe.
[ The existence of Nightsisters in Deerington and Trench is more startling than it probably should be. He'd just assumed there weren't any, because Savage isn't currently serving one as far as he knows— and he'd assumed wrong, apparently. So they still present an active threat. Both places have had a way of bringing Sleepers' worst fears to life along with assorted other horrors and subjugation, so it really shouldn't be surprising. Frowning, he tilts his head in acknowledgement of what Savage tells him. ]
I stand corrected. [ And he's clearly unhappy with that information. That Savage is also dead in his home universe is... not good, but somehow less surprising than the rest. K knows he's on a countdown to death, himself, should the Pthumerians ever force him back to his home universe. ]
Trench is all I really have left, too. [ It's a quiet admission that he doesn't dwell on. ] Maul wouldn't protect you from the Nightsisters? Or he'd accept being forced to serve them himself?
[ It's hard to imagine. Maybe someone needs to take care of the Nightsisters for the both of them. He's heard Maul speak of his Sith master on the public network before, but it isn't clear how that relates to the Nightsisters, or if it even does. But he's always had the impression that Maul's something of a special case.
The only thing more unexpected than Savage reaching to help steady him is the acceptance of his pipedream offer to explore space with him. He glances from Savage's hand to his face with raised eyebrows. ]
You would? [ For a moment he doesn't know what to say, as though he's struggling to process that. As exhausted as he is, it isn't far from the truth; his thoughts are a bit foggy. But still coherent. This isn't a conversation he's going to forget. ] Then you should steer clear of any Nightsisters — and maybe do something about that spell, so you'll have the freedom to. So you'll have freedom, period. And your brother has others here who care about him. They could keep him safe. [ Probably.
Or maybe Maul could also come on these hypothetical space adventures, but K would prefer to know him much better first before actually entertaining the idea. ]
Three Sisters have come, two have disappeared for now. They are a secretive lot, easy to slip away into the shadows. It's easy to assume they aren't around. [As much as he didn't want to discuss it, only Maul would know the extent of what the Nightsisters might represent. Perhaps it was his personal discomfort was just that, and no Nightsister would want to choose him. He had failed so many times....
He watched K for a long silent moment then nodded his head, issuing a low sound of understanding. So both of them had no where to go beyond this place.] Is it that you're dead or decommissioned where you're from?
[He snorted at the sheer notion that his brother would serve anyone anymore. That wasn't the case these days, and he suspected that Maul would rather die than be put under the thumb of another like that.] My brother... doesn't understand many of our traditions; he didn't grow to manhood on Dathomir like I did, and he was... special. He's always been the best of us. [He sighed from his nose, giving K's shoulder a strong pat.] He'd protect me to the best of his abilities, but he had a life here, a mate, friends... I'd rather deal with Nightsisters alone.
[It wasn't that hard of a decision even if it felt extremely random. His brother wanted him to find a life for himself, so if he wanted to go into space, why couldn't he just do that without too much explanation? Space had been the first place where he had felt freedom as a young man, so he would like to experience it again if it were possible. Even just once.]
I have no wish to be close to the Sisters, and the spell... I wouldn't know how to remove or alter it. [That might require a run in with a Nightsister to discuss it, since apparently death didn't remove it these days.] Maul's supposed to be safest with me... but that has probably changed here along with everything else.
If what I've seen of my future is true— [ K bows his head for a moment, a resigned look on his face. Every glimpse into his future that he's ever gotten plays out the same. The falling snow. Outside the memory lab. Within a few days of being returned to his home universe, he'll draw his final breath there, alone and unmourned. ] I'm living on borrowed time.
[ Can't escape fate. He subtly leans into the pat to his shoulder without even thinking; it's nice. Casual physical contact is rare for him these days, and he'd previously grown so accustomed to it that he misses it now. ]
That doesn't sound very fair to your brother, going it alone like that. Doesn't matter if he has other ties here. You're his brother. [ And that has to mean something, doesn't it? For all Maul's shortcomings, he seems very loyal from everything that K's seen. ] It's what I'd want if I were in his position, anyway... a chance to choose for myself, to protect someone I care about. Especially if there might not be a way to nullify the spell. I wonder if the Archives would have anything... [ And something occurs to him. ] Is he— even aware of the spell?
[ And more importantly, does he actually condone of his own brother being used in such a way, K wonders. Surely not...? ]
But not here. You can continue on even if it isn't your home world, yes? [If K did disappear, it would simply be a fact of Trench life; anyone could appear and return to the sea after all. He valued their conversations, so he likely would have a least a moment or two of missing K.
His fingers clenched on K's shoulder when the droid leaned into the contact, at first thinking that it was because K might just pitch right over in exhaustion. So he held his hand there longer than was strictly necessary, aware that K would just fall asleep at some point.
At least the stars above would be a good backdrop for such sleep. Maybe he'd even nap for a few minutes when the time seemed right.]
You shouldn't worry about Maul. He has a habit of nosing his way into matters of mine even when I'm trying to hide them from him. [They were extremely loyal to each other, but the Nightsisters were his demons, just as Sidious was his brother's demon. They could assist but in the end, they had to be the one to defeat the enemy to their freedom.] He doesn't fully understand their threat; they were almost all dead when he returned to Dathomir. Just as I can't understand what he endured with his Master, even if I can help in my own way.
[His eyes flick away from K and then back.] He is, but how much of the nuance of the command I don't know. It doesn't affect me in ways that go against what he wants. [After all, the spell made him extra loyal to his bloodline.] I don't even know what the spell does and doesn't do.
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ninetydegrees
(no subject)
Perhaps in time. It's not like we have anything else to work towards, and death isn't permanent.
[He turned his head to rest his chin on his shoulder where he could watch K in the darkness of the room aside from the light cast by the stars. He knew this wasn't Dathomir; few would survive the planet's rigorous attempts to kill them anyway.]
In Deerington, there was a Nightsister, the one who claimed me and hated me more than any other. And the scarred up zealots, a former Sister is among them and only recently the last Sleeper Sister left. They are more common than one would think. [Which might have forced an apprehension to take too much in the way of 'good' opportunities that this place provided. At any moment, a Nightsister could insert herself and put him under their thumb.] To my universes end, it doesn't matter if I go back there. I died there, so all I can do is return to my spot as the Fanged God's warrior.
[He reached out when K sat up to stabilize the droid as he could see how much effort the act was. Maybe he was a little surprised that K was even functional, given how the droid had slept in the streets like it was nothing to be bothered about.
Yet, the question was important, one he had thought about many times. To remove the spell, he'd return to his prior state, and would he be as able to protect Maul?]
Perhaps, yes. I would still be me but smaller and less open to the Force, but I always had the gift just did what I could to develop it subtly.
[He watched K with a curiosity, tilting his head a little where it was still resting on his own shoulder.]
Well, space is best seen with others otherwise you could go mad with the endlessness of it. Besides, you don't know what's up there and if any other planets or moons have been colonized. I would go with you... as long as my brother is safe.
(no subject)
I stand corrected. [ And he's clearly unhappy with that information. That Savage is also dead in his home universe is... not good, but somehow less surprising than the rest. K knows he's on a countdown to death, himself, should the Pthumerians ever force him back to his home universe. ]
Trench is all I really have left, too. [ It's a quiet admission that he doesn't dwell on. ] Maul wouldn't protect you from the Nightsisters? Or he'd accept being forced to serve them himself?
[ It's hard to imagine. Maybe someone needs to take care of the Nightsisters for the both of them. He's heard Maul speak of his Sith master on the public network before, but it isn't clear how that relates to the Nightsisters, or if it even does. But he's always had the impression that Maul's something of a special case.
The only thing more unexpected than Savage reaching to help steady him is the acceptance of his pipedream offer to explore space with him. He glances from Savage's hand to his face with raised eyebrows. ]
You would? [ For a moment he doesn't know what to say, as though he's struggling to process that. As exhausted as he is, it isn't far from the truth; his thoughts are a bit foggy. But still coherent. This isn't a conversation he's going to forget. ] Then you should steer clear of any Nightsisters — and maybe do something about that spell, so you'll have the freedom to. So you'll have freedom, period. And your brother has others here who care about him. They could keep him safe. [ Probably.
Or maybe Maul could also come on these hypothetical space adventures, but K would prefer to know him much better first before actually entertaining the idea. ]
(no subject)
He watched K for a long silent moment then nodded his head, issuing a low sound of understanding. So both of them had no where to go beyond this place.] Is it that you're dead or decommissioned where you're from?
[He snorted at the sheer notion that his brother would serve anyone anymore. That wasn't the case these days, and he suspected that Maul would rather die than be put under the thumb of another like that.] My brother... doesn't understand many of our traditions; he didn't grow to manhood on Dathomir like I did, and he was... special. He's always been the best of us. [He sighed from his nose, giving K's shoulder a strong pat.] He'd protect me to the best of his abilities, but he had a life here, a mate, friends... I'd rather deal with Nightsisters alone.
[It wasn't that hard of a decision even if it felt extremely random. His brother wanted him to find a life for himself, so if he wanted to go into space, why couldn't he just do that without too much explanation? Space had been the first place where he had felt freedom as a young man, so he would like to experience it again if it were possible. Even just once.]
I have no wish to be close to the Sisters, and the spell... I wouldn't know how to remove or alter it. [That might require a run in with a Nightsister to discuss it, since apparently death didn't remove it these days.] Maul's supposed to be safest with me... but that has probably changed here along with everything else.
(no subject)
[ Can't escape fate. He subtly leans into the pat to his shoulder without even thinking; it's nice. Casual physical contact is rare for him these days, and he'd previously grown so accustomed to it that he misses it now. ]
That doesn't sound very fair to your brother, going it alone like that. Doesn't matter if he has other ties here. You're his brother. [ And that has to mean something, doesn't it? For all Maul's shortcomings, he seems very loyal from everything that K's seen. ] It's what I'd want if I were in his position, anyway... a chance to choose for myself, to protect someone I care about. Especially if there might not be a way to nullify the spell. I wonder if the Archives would have anything... [ And something occurs to him. ] Is he— even aware of the spell?
[ And more importantly, does he actually condone of his own brother being used in such a way, K wonders. Surely not...? ]
(no subject)
His fingers clenched on K's shoulder when the droid leaned into the contact, at first thinking that it was because K might just pitch right over in exhaustion. So he held his hand there longer than was strictly necessary, aware that K would just fall asleep at some point.
At least the stars above would be a good backdrop for such sleep. Maybe he'd even nap for a few minutes when the time seemed right.]
You shouldn't worry about Maul. He has a habit of nosing his way into matters of mine even when I'm trying to hide them from him. [They were extremely loyal to each other, but the Nightsisters were his demons, just as Sidious was his brother's demon. They could assist but in the end, they had to be the one to defeat the enemy to their freedom.] He doesn't fully understand their threat; they were almost all dead when he returned to Dathomir. Just as I can't understand what he endured with his Master, even if I can help in my own way.
[His eyes flick away from K and then back.] He is, but how much of the nuance of the command I don't know. It doesn't affect me in ways that go against what he wants. [After all, the spell made him extra loyal to his bloodline.] I don't even know what the spell does and doesn't do.