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“There is more than one way of interrogating someone.”, Ahsoka said as she approached him, an eyebrow raised and her arms folded in front of her.
She wasn’t scared of getting closer. He was fully restrained and one of the trooper had provided her with a stunner, just in case he decided to act wildly again. Both of their weapons were gone, scattered on the surface and smashed to bits probably. Still she felt oddly exposed and his piercing eyes weren’t helping.
“I suspect you’ve had little experience when it comes to extracting information from a being. Tell me, lady Tano, has your master even taught you how to read someone’s mind?”
“Only people like you would use such barbaric practices on others.”
Ahsoka’s mind drifted back to her former master. All she could feel was an omnipotent coldness, shrouded in darkness. It seized her heart for a moment. She didn’t have time to think or process any of it. The task she had been given was nearly accomplished. She was going to bring Maul to justice. Bring him to the council.
“… I suspected not, no. Pity, really. It would have been useful in this new world that’s about to begin… I could teach you.”, Maul said.
Had he meant his remark genuinely, it only came off as sarcasm. He wasn’t in a position to bargain or to sway her opinion of him.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
“Suit yourself.”
The interruption of her thoughts had irritated her but she would have rather put up with Maul’s nihilistic attitude than deal with the pit forming in her stomach. It intrigued her though. Was Maul really going to cooperate? Did he think himself so doomed as to give her answers to whatever she wanted? Ahsoka approached the bench he was sitting on against the back wall of the transport until she was right in front of him.
“Besides, why would you want to help me?”
Maul traced her body with his eyes for a moment. Her foot was next to his knee on the bench, she was leaning on it with her elbow, her face close to his. He had time to let his eyes trail from the floor to her face before he even thought of answering her. The view was rather pleasant.
“Simply… A feeling”, he whispered.
Ahsoka didn’t waver. At that distance or lack-thereof, she could catch a whiff of his scent. He smelled of gunpowder and musk. She could see the scars on him clearly, trailing all the way down the open tunic, down the length of his chest and further down. The scar on his abdomen was a small peek at where the Sith ended and the droid began. She wondered what he was like with all his mechanical parts. Under those garbs. The top of his outfit left little to the imagination for certain but what of the rest?
He caught her staring and took a deep breath to ground himself, his chest rising and tightening. He could feel her wanting to reach out, to touch, to feel him. Anything was worth the distraction from their impending end. Anything to not think, not focus, not reach out into the Force to find Anakin. We’ll both be dead soon, Maul thought, what’s stopping her? He almost hoped she would take a leap of faith so to speak. It had been long since Maul had had anyone this close in proximity without them meeting the end of his lightsaber first. They were in a very different situation now, of course. He wasn’t repulsed by the idea of the former jedi being so close, quite the contrary.
The ship shook and Ahsoka lost her balance, falling forwards and catching herself on the wall right by his head. Her hand skimmed his horns on the way down while the other landed on the opening of his tunic. Instinctively he reared his head back with a thud but it didn’t stop their noses from almost colliding, the brush against his horns causing him to hold his breath. He bared his teeth at her and in the darkness she couldn’t tell if it was a snarl or a smirk. She was so close she could feel the heat rising from his chest. Even so, a shiver ran down her spine.
Maul strained against his bounds, his hands going numb from being pressed behind his back. He clenched them until his nails dug into the leather of his gloves. Both his hearts were thundering against his ribcage loud enough that Ahsoka wouldn’t have had to be a Jedi to hear them. Just like in battle, it was the chase that thrilled him. There was no enjoyment in ceasing a target right away, the nature of the game was to stalk and observe as to gain knowledge of the prey to better catch it in the end. This was much the same. He wanted to see where this little dance would lead her. Back to him, he hoped. She was the only being left in the whole galaxy who was truly like him.
Her mouth felt dry and she swallowed thickly. She almost darted out her tongue to wet her lips but caught herself. They were so close it would most certainly touch him too. She wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Was he always a battle hardened beast? Were his kisses raw and untamed, full of teeth and fury? Or would he be soft and slow, like she imagined he meditated. Would he as calculated as his words? She can see satisfaction on his face as he drew in a breath, reminding her to do the same.
“It would seem your attempt at interrogation has left you with more questions than before.”
Before she could form a snarky response to his jab, Ahsoka’s head snapped to the side as she heard footsteps that caught her by surprised. She scrambled to her feet, straightening a little too rigidly at the sight of a trooper.
“Commander, we’ll be arriving shortly. You’d better strap in, sir. It’s gonna be a rough one.”
The trooper said once he’d reached the back of the transport. Ahsoka gave a nod and the clone was on his way. She didn’t trust her voice to come out unwavering had she said anything at all. Behind her, she could hear Maul’s snickering laugh echoing against the metal walls of the make-shift holding cell.
“What’s so funny?”, Ahsoka asked, clearly irritated by her prisoner.
“Are you so worried about being caught? And doing what exactly? You scurry away like a frightened little girl, too afraid to ask for what she wants yet too proud to admit she’s frightened at all.”
“I’m not frightened.”, she retorted.
He could see it in her eyes. It wasn’t a question of being caught or admitting what she wanted. It was fear of giving in to whatever darkness had made its way into a subconscious. Ahsoka slowly began to approach him again, as if she were drawn to him like a magnet. She felt in control.
“Then do it.”
Maul whispered as they began their descent.