lightthedarkness | Deer Country IC Inbox

( As nervous as he is about this, there's a relief in him too, that he hasn't upset or offended the other teen somehow by just contacting her out of the blue. Peter's exhaling a soft breath, trying to steady himself a little. )

Thank you. Sorry to just kind of... launch right into it at you. I uh.. I haven't really talked about this much before. I didn't want to... cause any kind of trouble. ( He'd kept silent about Maul's torment of him for... a good year, and then seen what happened to Glitch, that whole mess... There's been a nagging guilt in Peter that maybe if he'd said something, he could have helped.

And then, Luna had gotten hurt... He could ignore it when it was just himself being targeted by the Sith Lord. But when other people got hurt as a result.... He can't just stay quiet anymore. )

When he was in your mind... it didn't hurt you? I mean, I definitely think he wanted to hurt me back when it happened, but.... I guess it's hard to imagine that kind of thing could ever be gentle, you know?

[Usagi is used to weird things, she's even more used to random strangers coming to her for help or needing help.] If it's difficult for you to talk about, just take your time, tell me what you need to, okay? You don't need to tell me anything more than what you're comfortable with.

You're not causing trouble.

[At the mention of Maul hurting her, she gave a small sigh. No wonder Peter was worried if Maul hurt his mind.]

No, he didn't hurt me. And I'm sorry to hear he hurt you. I don't pretend that Maul doesn't have a very harsh, hard edge or that he hasn't done terrible things.

I won't lie that my experiences and relationship with Maul are very unique compared to many others. [He's actually very protective of her.] But I do know he can also do great intentional harm with little regard.

( The boy breathes out another little exhale, and gives a nod at her words. It's all spilling out a little too quickly and maybe he needs to slow down, but it feels.... good to actually say it, too. Peter's grown so accustomed to keeping everything inside himself, swallowed down and quiet. )

Thank you.

( He listens to what she's saying, and then nods again. He understands complicated relationships. He's possessed by a demon that has made a literal pact with his girlfriend — it's incredibly dangerous and everyone, including himself, probably thinks it's a horrible idea, but.... it was necessary. Sometimes things are complicated; Peter gets that. )

He definitely doesn't like me... at all. But I understand he has people he's close with, here. Some of them are even my friends, too. But I guess I'm just worried if he.... doesn't like someone, and he gets access to their mind.... he could really mess them up, you know?

( He's not trying to go against her and Varian's idea to have Maul be of assistance to Sleepers. He's just... been on the wrong end of it before, and he's terrified of it happening to anyone else. )

Whatever you need to say or want to say, I'm more than willing to listen. I may not be able to help, but I can listen.

And... Maul not liking you is way more common than him liking you. [She tried to soothe. She knew what Maul was like away from her. Hell, he couldn't even tell his brother he loved him. She basically had to pry it out of him.]

It's definitely a real worry.

He is dangerous. And he likes making that known. And while I imagine those who come to ask for help wouldn't be those who know he dislikes them or vice versa... if there becomes a real need, everything would be... worked out to protect everyone.

Like you can come to me about him, if you need to.

( Listening is a lot; it does help. It means a great deal to him, and the boy gives a soft smile. One that actually becomes a very quiet laugh at her words regarding it being more common for Maul to not like someone. )

I can... definitely believe that. ( He can't help wondering how in the world this kind young woman ended up on such good terms with the sith lord. Maybe it's... proof that Maul isn't all terrifying, up underneath. But he's definitely still dangerous, a fact Usagi affirms, and Peter's giving a grim little nod, biting down on his lower lip for a moment. )

Having someone like you around to help keep an eye on things... that's a big relief, honestly. I uh... kind of know somebody else who's pretty close to a scary guy, and she.. handles it really well, too.

( He's still thinking of Luna, and Paimon. There's something about sweet-faced blondes who can just really keep a handle on the monsters... bringing 'soothe the savage beast' to reality. It does make him feel a lot better that he's voiced his concerns to someone, and that she clearly knows how to handle it. )

I really appreciate it, Usagi. Thank you— again. ( The boy runs his hand back through thick messy curls. ) It'd be nice if he could help more people with whatever's going on around here. I know a lot of people are suffering. This place is... really strange.

[Usagi is stubborn as hell and can be even more dangerous than Maul.]

Determined girls have a way of getting things done, even when it's dangerous. [She smiles.]

I'm happy to help, whatever way I can, and you really can always come to me, I know we just met. But yeah, Maul... Maul never had a chance to do anything other than violence. He was never shown other choices, and if he was, he was never allowed to take a path that wasn't violent. I'm not excusing his past behavior, he IS an adult.

I'm just... helping shed light on new choices. And so far, he's been willing to take them.

I 100% don't doubt that at all. ( Peter agrees with a little smile of his own. Luna's bravery and determination continues to amaze him. And even though he might have just met Usagi, it's clear she has a handle on things, and he's definitely heard her name come up many times by now, over his past couple of years back in Deerington.

The boy's falling silent then, listening to what she says about Maul, solemn. There's an empathy that tugs at him; Maul may be a literal terror towards him, but Peter's not against trying to understand the guy. Despite everything, his heart is a soft thing. Maybe because he knows what it's like to come from a less-than-pleasant home life. )

That's... really good to hear, that he's been taking them. I know it can't be easy, learning new ways to handle stuff if violence is all you've ever known.

( He frowns softly for a few moments, before another thought trickles in, one he's been wondering for a long time. Ever since he met the man. )

Can I ask you something? Do you know if Maul is... some kind of demon?

Edited 2021-11-08 04:18 (UTC)

Maul? No no, he's not a demon. He's from a different planet entirely called Dathomir. He's an alien, actually... well, I guess, technically, we all are.

He gets that a lot, though, actually. But no, not a demon. We HAVE demons here though, he's just not one of them.

His brother isn't either, by the way.

( Dathomir... Peter's faintly sure he's heard the word before, though he can't remember where. Maul might've mentioned it when terrorising him at some point...

But, wow, that's.... unexpected. He's assumed from the start that Maul was some kind of demon. Peter sits there quietly stunned for a moment before looking back up at his video feed, blinking. )

Oh— Yeah, I've uh. I've met a few demons. ( :'D ) There seem to be... a lot of different kinds. He uh... actually seems really interested in one demon I'm pretty close to.

( ....Literally physically close to, but. :'D ) That's why I thought he might be one... well, apart from the whole. Horns deal.

Me too! And well, thankfully none of the demons here are like the ones from my home.

Oh... uh... [She can probably GUESS why but...] Is he still trying to get close to the demon you're close to?

There are demons where you come from? ( God, they're really all over... ) Are they like... the from-Hell kind?

I think so. I think it's been awhile since they were around each other, but they seemed to form some kind of.... connection? And I don't see either of them letting it go.

( Peter gives a soft sigh, defeated. It feels like it's just a matter of time before Maul shows up again wanting to see Paimon, and he knows he can't stop that. )

Oh, no, there's no Hell. [Since she had been where literally everything in the universe was born and then returned to when it died.] They're... not nice... [To put it mildly.] But nothing is from Hell. I... don't think we have a Hell? I mean, I know what it is, but it's not real, I don't think.

I can talk to Maul, if you like? Try to see what's up with the relationship? [She wasn't about to tell Maul to stop being... friends, she guessed, but she could at least insist he stop trying to, very likely, USE the demon in question for his own benefit.]

Apparently, there're even different versions of Hell in different people's worlds, so... it's still really confusing to me. ( Peter admits, running a hand through the back of his hair again, a nervous habit. It seems that Paimon comes from... a different "Hell" than the Biblical kind? Since he's not a Biblical entity, being even older than Christianity itself... Peter hasn't exactly dug too hard into any of that, though. He's been way too scared to learn much there.

The offer has him blinking again though, looking surprised — and immediately worried. )

Oh— I don't want you to have to do that just for me. It sounds like you've already got your hands full. ( It's so kind of her to offer to try and help, but he feels bad making it something else she has to deal with.

Though... it could actually.. really help? Someone who Maul actually trusts, talking to him about it? Peter hesitates, looking torn between denying help and accepting it. He's still not used to the latter. )

...Do you think there's a chance it might make him mad? I don't want to risk him getting angry at you or anything.

Pfft, Maul's always mad at me. [She waved a dismissive hand.] And the day I care is a long time coming. [She grinned.]

Maul and I have a unique relationship. He can get angry at me all he wants, and does, all the time. But he would never hurt me. He'll get huffy and then blow off steam and come back in an hour or so realizing I'm right.

So I'll talk to him, it might take me a bit, I can't just bring it up out of the blue. but don't worry, I promise I'll talk to him about his treatment of you.

( He's still Extremely Worried, but.... he can't help thinking about Luna. She'd been the one to get hurt the last time Maul helped Paimon go bananas, after all. If he can try to prevent something like that from ever happening again.... Peter'll do it, scary as it may be. Besides, it's only a matter of time before Maul and Paimon make contact again here in this place. )

If you're sure. I'll... definitely try to keep my uh, demon... friend away from him in the meantime.

( Part of him wonders if he should tell her the truth about this — that the demon is not a friend, but a part of him — but it's a lot to dump on someone who barely even knows him. And he's still... not sure how to say it, afraid.

So Peter's giving a small, but grateful smile. She's really helped, and he's incredibly thankful to her for that. )

Thank you, Usagi.

Thank you for being so brave and reaching out to me, Peter-san. I'm sure it wasn't very easy to talk about but you did an incredible job.

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