[She opened her eyes, not falling for it.]

Were you sincere? [She lifted a brow.] I'm not going to ask if you have sincerely apologized for everything you've done to him. You actually like ME and you've barely apologized for half of the stuff you've pulled.

But apologies aren't for you, Maul. They're for the person you wronged. If Palpatine came here and apologized with a [And here Usagi did her best to make her voice creepy and croaky.] "Sorry I tortured you as a kid... I guess." [She goes back to her normal voice.] Would you let THAT be enough? Would you go, oh, of COURSE, Palpatine, EVERYTHING EVER is forgiven! We can be besties now!

So you weren't even being sincere, you were apologizing out of spite? Then it's not an apology and he had every right to refuse it. I certainly would have refused it, too. And if Palpatine apologized to YOU out of spite, you'd refuse it as well.

Maul, I'm glad you realize what you did was wrong and that you even feel bad for it, but pause, take a breath, and [She has to take a breath herself. She knows that the only way Maul is actually going to have ANY understanding is to use one of the few people who Maul cares about as an example.]

Let's say everything that happened to Anakin, suddenly happened to Savage. Savage comes to Deerington and on the very first week he arrives, someone kills him, then, that person continues to antagonize Savage afterward. Since you're close to Savage, his brother and someone who loves Savage dearly, that person antagonizes you, too. This person keeps fighting with Savage, keeps insulting him, keeps harassing him. And sure, Savage fights back and insults back, but then, suddenly, that person who has been making Savage's life so difficult forces a bond on Savage to use his power against his will. Savage has no say, Savage is miserable and the person who did it to him breaks the bond, but continues to insult and harass Savage afterward, that person apologizes but the only reason they do it, is because Savage calls out that person's inability to actually apologize.

Would you want Savage to accept that kind of apology? Would you want that person anywhere NEAR your brother?

Then he will continue to be a thorn in your side and you a thorn in his. And before you even go down that path of thinking, apologizing to be the BETTER person still is a terrible reason to apologize.

But BECAUSE you don't want to make any actual effort, guess what? When this place FORCES the two of you to be stuck together like we both know it will, Anakin has absolutely NO reason to ever care about what you went through. And it's not like YOU would care what HE went through, now would you?

So no, I'm not the least bit surprised that this happened and will continue to happen, it's going to KEEP being this way until you take the next REAL steps to apologize.

[Her eyes narrow, she's lost her patience since she's explained this more than a dozen times to him and even she has her limits. He's reminding her a little too much like someone she despises.]

Apologies. Aren't. For. You. [She hisses that part.] If Diamond apologized to me the way you're apologizing to Anakin, with the same justification, with the same ATTITUDE as you, all because he just wanted to prove he was BETTER than me, you would yell at me for even THINKING of accepting it and murder HIM for even speaking to me like that. [She hates bringing up Diamond, it's not quite the same as when she brings up Palpatine for Maul but it still hurts her to bring up Diamond all the same. ]

And if I saw some sad memory of Diamond being tortured even as a child I would be just as remorseless as Anakin is to you right now. [She wouldn't but she'd be close.]

He thinks you're scum because you've done absolutely nothing to prove otherwise, you even apologized out of spite.

So forgive me if I am absolutely siding with Anakin on this one.

[How fortunate for Maul that Usagi's outfit literally always includes ass-kicking boots. She's pretty good at it.

She sees her point hits home and lets out a breath, the tension leaving her shoulders but her jaw is still clenched and she idly rubs it close to ear, trying to ease it away because she's gotten through, that's the point, that's what matters.]

Yeah, you have. [She agrees immediately, giving no quarter. But she takes in another deep breath.]

And give him some space, you both need it right now, I don't think he'd be willing to listen to one right now anyway.

Honestly, there will likely never be a time where it "feels right" because it's not something you want to do. You're better off doing it when he's cooled down more than anything else.

Around you? No, probably not, seeing as you killed him day one.

But he has his moments that are sweet. He built me a robot and he's nice... ish to me.

Well, look at you being a giant softy. Thank you. I don't know if he considers us friends, but I'm happy that I can be there for him.

I don't put anyone's pieces back together, Maul. I merely shine a light on them, pieces they may not see. The work of putting them together has to come from that person.

Not really, I'm still his friend, after all.

You are so lucky I love you because make no mistake about how I can point out the whole [She clears her throat and does her best impression of Maul:] KENOOOOOOBIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!! [She goes back to her own voice.] incident and every other setback you've pulled.