That's how I got away from him after my first encounter with him in Deerington. I cast some wards to keep him off my property and TRUST's, and managed to make it there before he could get to me, and yeah. It worked. He couldn't cross the property line even though he really, really wanted to. I'm sure Luna's wards will work just as well. He's powerful, but he's not completely invulnerable, and don't forget, we've survived every encounter we've had with him so far.
[Willow had only a couple encounters with Maul uncursed herself; she only earned a spot on his radar after defending Glitch on the network, and it wasn't so long after that that they had completed the ritual to try to stop him from harming others. Of course she's worried about how far he will go now that he's free of it and seemingly full of rage.]
Maul's scary, but Luna's tough. We all are. It'll be okay. We just have to play to our strengths.
( Peter's still so unused to things like this, even after living in Deerington for a couple of years. Having to use magic to keep someone of incredible power away... it's like something from a nightmare for him. )
He seems to recognise how powerful you guys are, at least. He told me he knew Luna could hold her own against him.
...But I guess that's one huge thing that scares me. I know she won't back down, if he comes for her. And even if she can handle it... what if he still hurts her in the process? I can't... do anything to help her. I'm just completely weak
All I can do is stand back while Paimon tries to help her
Back in Deerington, yeah. He's helped me a few times too, though. He defended me from the monster hornets back in May, and he helped me get away from the blood zealots too. He insisted he didn't want to, but his Omen made him. The thing is, though, our Omens are a part of us. I think he was on the right track there for awhile.
[The problem is, he is very definitely off that track now, and all that progress he's made is swiftly being undone, and for what?]
Well, there's a lot he doesn't know about my situation right now, and I'm kind of hoping to keep it that way. Maybe he'll take the same opinion with Luna and John - if he thinks we're powerful enough to stand against him, maybe he'll figure out it's not worth it. Plus, look at how his friends are reacting.
Luna is smart, and powerful. Her magic is way different from what I can do - I'm sure she'll be able to outsmart and outmaneuver him if it comes down to it, and it might not even go that far, and I'm sure you'll be able to help her if she needs it. And if anything happens, you can always call me and John, and we'll come running.
Yeah, I can see now that he's not all...... evil or something. He even said he wanted to protect me now, and he used to want to get rid of me altogether. So I think he's definitely... complicated. I'm not sure what his motives are.
( And Peter does have a certain empathy for Maul, despite everything. But... he's unpredictable, and he's hurt people in horrible, horrible ways before. There's no telling what he'll do. And the fact he'd directly threatened them... the fact he'd said to Luna what he had.. Peter has to assume the worst. )
I really, really hope so. Luna... she won't back down if he comes for her. And she'd die before she let him hurt someone else.
( He loves her for it, but it frightens him, too. Keeps him awake at night, stomach curled into twists and knots. If Maul brings a war to Luna, she'd fight him in it. Peter knows she's fought wars before. Ones he's not sure she survived back home. )
I know people come back to life here, but... I'm still scared of it, you know? She's been hurt a lot back home, and I just don't want her to have to hurt anymore.
[Willow had said once that Maul was both completely predictable and wildly unpredictable, often at the same time. She still isn't sure which one makes him worse.]
I've given up trying to figure out his motives. I'm not sure he really has any sometimes beyond just following whatever he feels in the moment.
I can see where Luna's coming from. A friend of mine gave me a teleportation talisman he created. I can use it to teleport to safety if I get into trouble. But if it meant abandoning someone else, and risking Maul going after them too - or instead, I wouldn't be able to do it, you know?
[If it's just her, though, and there's no risk to anyone else, she will use it. She knows she doesn't stand a chance against him in a straight fight - not without magic. She still will fight Maul, but only if she has to. Otherwise, she'll bide her time until she can find a better way to defend herself against him.]
I know. It worries me too. Just because dying here isn't forever doesn't mean it's a bunch of fun. Besides, I don't like the idea of letting him win either.
( Something without motives is certainly a terrifying thought. If Maul's acting based on pure emotion or feeling.... no wonder so many people have gotten hurt, so far. Even Paimon has certain motivations, even rules, that he follows. When he's not being influenced by something crazy, the demon isn't just some wild thing acting on pure emotion. Not like he used to be. )
No, I understand. No one deserves to be left behind to deal with him on their own. And honestly, I feel like most of us haven't even glimpsed what he's really capable of. Like, if Deerington was tempering down people's powers, and this place is letting some people regain those.... who knows what he'll become capable of?
Yeah, I have the feeling that winning is important to him. He seems to like to gloat about it.
( A sigh, even if it goes unseen since he's texting. Maul's absolutely a bully in so many ways. )
Well, even if I can't do much myself.... my uh, demon? He'd help you, too, if you ever need it. He's really protective of witches. And I think his powers are coming back pretty hard in this place, too.
Yeah, I get the same impression from him. Even from some of the stuff he's said to me - that he survived being cut in half. You'd have to have an incredible amount of power to be able to do that.
Sometimes I'm not sure if even he knows what he wants. He wants to gloat and win, yeah, and he acts like he likes it when people are afraid of him, but then he's surprised and angry that a lot of people see him as a monster. He doesn't have much of a concept of consequences for his actions.
Thanks for the offer. That goes for you too. If you ever need help - or if Luna does - you just have to say the word and I'll be there as soon as I can.
Peter, are you okay, though? With everything going on with your demon?
Jesus Christ... I'm guessing that's how he ended up.. the way he is. Like half metal, I mean.
( Just what is Maul? How is he capable of something like that? The implications are absolutely terrifying. )
And how do you ever reason with someone like that? That's what's really scary. Maybe if someone can figure out exactly how he works, but.... I don't know. Feels like trying to reason with a great white shark.
Thanks, Willow. I won't forget that. And it's.... it's going okay? But not great? 'It's complicated' sounds like such a cliche, but it's true. In some ways he's gotten better, but in other ways things are worse for us here. Like the whole Corruption stuff? It affects him really badly.
He's a lot more restless here, too. I think I'm going to have to find ways to... keep him busy? I don't know, I just
I really want to give Luna a break from having to deal with him all the time. She's got enough going on.
Yeah. I'd say trying to kill him is probably not our best option. Even if, you know, he wouldn't just walk right back out of the ocean again and try to kill us all back if we even managed to pull it off in the first place.
[It's why they had to look at alternative solutions for Maul. There's no sense in killing someone only to have them come back a week later looking for revenge. It's a good way to start an ongoing feud that will never end.]
I've had totally rational conversations with him. I don't know what his problem is. Too much anger, I think, and like way overkill on his reactions.
I've been thinking about the two of you and Corruption. I mean, it's got the potential to hit everyone badly, but when you're dealing with a being like your demon... it makes total sense that it's going to be extra hard on him. I guess it just comes down to how to keep it to a minimum, really. Let me know though if there's anything I can do to help with that too, will you?
Yeeeeaaahhhh, good point. We should probably file "Kill Maul" away under DO NOT ATTEMPT
( He's being playful about it, but he does mean it. Maul storming out of the sea to exact revenge for his death.... Yeah, Peter can picture that all too well. )
He does seem really angry I don't know if it's possible to help someone stop being that angry
( And that's where the playfulness dies, because it's a... difficult thing to address. In many ways, Maul reminds Peter of his mother. That... rage, almost animalistic. )
At least he's on the same page as I am about not wanting to become Corrupted, again. He's really scared of it, I think. But I'll definitely remember that, thanks, Willow.
How's your babysitting skills? Maybe I can drop him off for an afternoon. He's not hard to take care of if you just sit him in the corner with a colouring book or something
I'd pay you, of course
( He's half-joking, but also.... kind of serious, too... Peter trusts Willow, and Paimon's already proven he'd listen to her, like back in the grocery store when he'd been having his freakout and immediately stopped when she told him to. )
[Willow considers Peter's response quietly for a moment. It was grief, vengeance and magic that fueled her rampage at home. Ultimately, she had been talked down, but the list of people who could have done managed it was a very, very short one indeed.]
Helping Maul sort out his anger problems isn't for us to do, I don't think. I'm not saying it's all together impossible, it's just not going to be any of us that have any luck there.
Reminding him about Corruption might help if he's afraid of it, though. I mean, he's not super good at the whole actions having consequences in the moment thing, but if you tell him directly, sometimes he kind of listens?
And you guys are always welcome here. No payment needed.
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( But he's still really worried about it. Maul's gotten his way into heavily guarded places before. )
I hope so. A few people keep telling me Maul's bark is worse than his bite, but I've been bitten by him before and it was
really bad
Luna showed me what he said to her, too. He sounded.... like he hated her
I'm really really scared what he'd do to her
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[Willow had only a couple encounters with Maul uncursed herself; she only earned a spot on his radar after defending Glitch on the network, and it wasn't so long after that that they had completed the ritual to try to stop him from harming others. Of course she's worried about how far he will go now that he's free of it and seemingly full of rage.]
Maul's scary, but Luna's tough. We all are. It'll be okay. We just have to play to our strengths.
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( Peter's still so unused to things like this, even after living in Deerington for a couple of years. Having to use magic to keep someone of incredible power away... it's like something from a nightmare for him. )
He seems to recognise how powerful you guys are, at least. He told me he knew Luna could hold her own against him.
...But I guess that's one huge thing that scares me. I know she won't back down, if he comes for her. And even if she can handle it... what if he still hurts her in the process? I can't... do anything to help her. I'm just completely weak
All I can do is stand back while Paimon tries to help her
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[The problem is, he is very definitely off that track now, and all that progress he's made is swiftly being undone, and for what?]
Well, there's a lot he doesn't know about my situation right now, and I'm kind of hoping to keep it that way. Maybe he'll take the same opinion with Luna and John - if he thinks we're powerful enough to stand against him, maybe he'll figure out it's not worth it. Plus, look at how his friends are reacting.
Luna is smart, and powerful. Her magic is way different from what I can do - I'm sure she'll be able to outsmart and outmaneuver him if it comes down to it, and it might not even go that far, and I'm sure you'll be able to help her if she needs it. And if anything happens, you can always call me and John, and we'll come running.
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( And Peter does have a certain empathy for Maul, despite everything. But... he's unpredictable, and he's hurt people in horrible, horrible ways before. There's no telling what he'll do. And the fact he'd directly threatened them... the fact he'd said to Luna what he had.. Peter has to assume the worst. )
I really, really hope so. Luna... she won't back down if he comes for her. And she'd die before she let him hurt someone else.
( He loves her for it, but it frightens him, too. Keeps him awake at night, stomach curled into twists and knots. If Maul brings a war to Luna, she'd fight him in it. Peter knows she's fought wars before. Ones he's not sure she survived back home. )
I know people come back to life here, but... I'm still scared of it, you know? She's been hurt a lot back home, and I just don't want her to have to hurt anymore.
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I've given up trying to figure out his motives. I'm not sure he really has any sometimes beyond just following whatever he feels in the moment.
I can see where Luna's coming from. A friend of mine gave me a teleportation talisman he created. I can use it to teleport to safety if I get into trouble. But if it meant abandoning someone else, and risking Maul going after them too - or instead, I wouldn't be able to do it, you know?
[If it's just her, though, and there's no risk to anyone else, she will use it. She knows she doesn't stand a chance against him in a straight fight - not without magic. She still will fight Maul, but only if she has to. Otherwise, she'll bide her time until she can find a better way to defend herself against him.]
I know. It worries me too. Just because dying here isn't forever doesn't mean it's a bunch of fun. Besides, I don't like the idea of letting him win either.
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No, I understand. No one deserves to be left behind to deal with him on their own. And honestly, I feel like most of us haven't even glimpsed what he's really capable of.
Like, if Deerington was tempering down people's powers, and this place is letting some people regain those.... who knows what he'll become capable of?
Yeah, I have the feeling that winning is important to him. He seems to like to gloat about it.
( A sigh, even if it goes unseen since he's texting. Maul's absolutely a bully in so many ways. )
Well, even if I can't do much myself.... my uh, demon? He'd help you, too, if you ever need it. He's really protective of witches. And I think his powers are coming back pretty hard in this place, too.
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Sometimes I'm not sure if even he knows what he wants. He wants to gloat and win, yeah, and he acts like he likes it when people are afraid of him, but then he's surprised and angry that a lot of people see him as a monster. He doesn't have much of a concept of consequences for his actions.
Thanks for the offer. That goes for you too. If you ever need help - or if Luna does - you just have to say the word and I'll be there as soon as I can.
Peter, are you okay, though? With everything going on with your demon?
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( Just what is Maul? How is he capable of something like that? The implications are absolutely terrifying. )
And how do you ever reason with someone like that? That's what's really scary. Maybe if someone can figure out exactly how he works, but.... I don't know. Feels like trying to reason with a great white shark.
Thanks, Willow. I won't forget that. And it's.... it's going okay? But not great? 'It's complicated' sounds like such a cliche, but it's true. In some ways he's gotten better, but in other ways things are worse for us here. Like the whole Corruption stuff? It affects him really badly.
He's a lot more restless here, too. I think I'm going to have to find ways to... keep him busy? I don't know, I just
I really want to give Luna a break from having to deal with him all the time. She's got enough going on.
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[It's why they had to look at alternative solutions for Maul. There's no sense in killing someone only to have them come back a week later looking for revenge. It's a good way to start an ongoing feud that will never end.]
I've had totally rational conversations with him. I don't know what his problem is. Too much anger, I think, and like way overkill on his reactions.
I've been thinking about the two of you and Corruption. I mean, it's got the potential to hit everyone badly, but when you're dealing with a being like your demon... it makes total sense that it's going to be extra hard on him. I guess it just comes down to how to keep it to a minimum, really. Let me know though if there's anything I can do to help with that too, will you?
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( He's being playful about it, but he does mean it. Maul storming out of the sea to exact revenge for his death.... Yeah, Peter can picture that all too well. )
He does seem really angry
I don't know if it's possible to help someone stop being that angry
( And that's where the playfulness dies, because it's a... difficult thing to address. In many ways, Maul reminds Peter of his mother. That... rage, almost animalistic. )
At least he's on the same page as I am about not wanting to become Corrupted, again. He's really scared of it, I think. But I'll definitely remember that, thanks, Willow.
How's your babysitting skills? Maybe I can drop him off for an afternoon. He's not hard to take care of if you just sit him in the corner with a colouring book or something
I'd pay you, of course
( He's half-joking, but also.... kind of serious, too... Peter trusts Willow, and Paimon's already proven he'd listen to her, like back in the grocery store when he'd been having his freakout and immediately stopped when she told him to. )
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Helping Maul sort out his anger problems isn't for us to do, I don't think. I'm not saying it's all together impossible, it's just not going to be any of us that have any luck there.
Reminding him about Corruption might help if he's afraid of it, though. I mean, he's not super good at the whole actions having consequences in the moment thing, but if you tell him directly, sometimes he kind of listens?
And you guys are always welcome here. No payment needed.