Private Building Foundations

[River Kryze]

Location: Mandalore, Sundari City

The repairs for the homeworld were progressing rather nicely, and yet River couldn't get a sense of peace despite it all. She still didn't have her family, nor her shop. All she had, was a set of beaten up Beskar, and a few gizmos. The damage to Sundari was still extensive, though they managed to get a small water fountain working in one of the plazas by some miracle; most of the city wasn't much to look at truthfully. Which was part of the reason she had come here, to try and get some semblance of what life was like before it all went to hell. Back when she still had a home and a family to look after. The beskar was set aside for once, the only sign of her loyalties being the Clan Kryze symbol tattooed onto her right shoulder, as she was rather happen to have shed the armored shell in the aftermath of the war.

Finding an intact bench, River sat upon it, watching a young girl across the way swipe at the water pools, ignoring the demands of her parents in the process. Her children had been the same way, stubborn and rebellious, in a way like their father. Though, it was probably for the best that they were no longer among the living. Waging war and being a mother were not compatible in any facet. It was a somber reminder for sure, and when the girl's parents finally had enough, River watched as they collected the young girl from the fountain and spirited her away; much to the young child's chagrin. Now finding herself practically alone in the war damaged plaza, the Mandalorian pretender was left to her thoughts, namely about where to move forward now that Mandalore was with it's rightful people once again.

Only time could tell where the future could take them.
Kreslin Westwind

 

[Kreslin Westwind]

Kreslin was enjoying the day. It had been a few weeks since the Union had retaken Manda'yaim, and every day had seen new challenges delivered to Kreslin. Food had to be procured, supplies stockpiled, resources for reconstruction secured and inspected for flaws, along with a million other minor issues. He had not though being the Mand'alor would require such monotony in his life, but he was still working on establishing an effective government to lead their people. It was even slower work than the reconstruction, and Kreslin only had the ground work laid so far for the government he planned to introduce to the Mando'ade.

Kreslin had finally been able to escape from the mountains of paperwork and decisions he had to make on a daily basis. Slipping out of the still under construction governmental palace, Kreslin had made his way into New Sundari, having forgone his armor in favor of a simple grey shirt and pants, lined with a dark gold. The colors of Clan Westwind, despite his position, were still not all that common among the Mando'ade, and Kreslin hoped he would be able to get by without too much notice that day.

Entering the plaza, Kreslin briefly took notice of the family as they began to depart. This sight brought one of the few smiles he felt these days to his face, and he inclined his head to them briefly as they passed. It was only recently that the Union had begun to bring its civilian populace to Manda'yaim itself, in small groups as more sections of New Sundari were repaired and expanded. It had been one of his earliest orders that no civilians were to be brought to the homeworld until the Union was in a more certain position, and the retaliation of the Sith Empire seemed less and less likely for the time being. Life was finally beginning to return to Manda'yaim, and that thought alone made the past few weeks seem less painful.

Walking across the plaza, Kreslin approached a woman sitting on the only bench still intact in the plaza. He would have sat elsewhere, but he did not exactly have a pressing desire to sit on the fountain, given the traffic around it. "Do you mind if I sit for a moment?"

River Kryze

 

[River Kryze]

With the family departed, River's mind went to business models she could put together. Getting her shop back in order wouldn't be impossible, but trying to get a loan right now wouldn't be easy; most the funds had to go to rebuilding the infrastructure after all. Then again, she had a few repulsor designs that seemed workable with a short budget, so she could go back to her workshop roots and scrap the money together day by day; they were going to need hoversleds after all to rebuild all this.

Her mundane thoughts were disrupted by the approach of a stranger, her face was unknown to her, but the stature and shape of him made him out to be an intimidating figure. He had the look of a veteran about him, though with his attire he looked as if he was just on an evening stroll. Hearing the man inquire if he could join her, a smile played out across River's face, as she motioned to the bench. "Of course, but just a moment. Any longer than that though and it's considered loitering." She jested, feeling her soul die as she realized her attempt at humor was exceptionally unfunny. Looking away, she nodded twice, daring not to make eye contact with the stranger. Seeing a few other groups in the park, River directed her gaze towards them instead; potentially seeing the unamused expression of the man was too much for her. "It's a nice day though. Compared to how it looked before anyways. Hoping to open up a store near here." She had never good at small talk, but it seemed that the galaxy was forcing her to step outside her comfort zone yet again.

Maybe opening up the store wasn't a good idea. She didn't have Omar's chatty habits to keep people coming back. Then again, it was usually to argue with him over politics, so perhaps it was for the best.
Kreslin Westwind

 

[Kreslin Westwind]

The corner of Kreslin's mouth twitched upwards as he lifted his hands up, giving a resigned and surrendering shrug of his shoulders. "I hope you keep count then, I would truly hate to be labeled a disturber of the peace." Turning, Kreslin lowered himself onto the bench. He leaned most of his weight against the back of the bench, folding his right leg over the top of his left, and keeping it parallel to the ground. Looking out across the small plaza, he could only take in the beauty for a moment before his eyes drifted up, looking at the broken and crumbling buildings in the distance.

Turning his head slightly at her next comment, Kreslin could only nod in agreement. "Progress is being made, of that I am truly happy. Not nearly as much as I would have liked, and not nearly fast enough. I feel like I..." Kreslin cut himself off as he was about to go on, shaking his head slightly. His unkept black hair shook from the motion, the few streaks of gray becoming more visible for a moment. He hadn't had the time or energy to cut it, or trim his beard that matter for day. It was starting to itch and annoy him, and he made a mental note that he needed to try and carve out time to get it under control when he returned to the palace.

Tilting his head, Kreslin switched which leg he had the other resting on, trying to prevent it from falling asleep. "What kind of store do you intend to open...I do not think we exchanged names. I am Kreslin...Westwind." He had hesitated on giving his last name, but decided it would not hurt anything too much. He extended his hand as he spoke, a long scar running from the tip of his left hands middle finger up his hand and beneath the long sleeve of his shirt.

River Kryze

 

[River Kryze]

A small trickle of relief swept through the Mandalorian as her attempt at humor wasn't entirely ignored; perhaps she was getting better. As the man sat beside her, reclining back, folding one leg over the other, River kept to her same posture; back straight, hands folded in lap, legs crossed. Her eyes gazed over his form, trying to find a hint of who she might be talking to, looking for something to try and start up a talk

He spoke as if it was his responsibility somehow, or perhaps it was some warriors code that made him feel responsible for the state of the home world. Truthfully, River didn't know. She knew that some warriors carried a level of guilt for what had happened to their world, but it seemed her new companion spoke as if it was he himself building it up. "Time heals all wounds. Least that's what a holy man once told me. Clearly he had never been stabbed with a lightsaber. That doesn't buff out." She remarked, hoping to derail the dreary thoughts of the man, as there was plenty of lamenting and moaning about the plight of their people. It wouldn't help make anything better,

Seeing the man shifting from one leg to another, River got the impression he must have had alot on his mind. 'Westwind'. She had heard that name before. Though she couldn't think where. Blinking, River began to process the name, as she went to give hers in kind. "River Kryze. Nice to meet you." As the words left her mouth, River felt a revelation come to her. Westwind, that was the new Mand'alor, was it not? She stared for a moment, half as if trying to confirm what she was thinking, the other part taking in the sight of a gruff looking warrior. Suddenly his earlier comments seemed to make a great deal of sense. Blinking several times, River tried to think how a Mandalorian would handle the situation, but the thoughts that came to mind were...not the sort of thing she'd appreciate if she was in his situation.

'Just be respectful. He's a warrior, not a deity. Probably tired of people licking his boots anyways'. Her mother instincts had served her well in the past, and she had to assume they would do the same here.

Taking in a quick breath, River moved to answer his question before the staring grew to be uncomfortable; she didn't want him getting the wrong idea. "I used to be a mechanic, fixing things and what not. Though, I have a few designs I never got around to making. Might start now." She confessed, gesturing to one of the more run down stores off to her right. "Not sure if we can get the banks to finance any new business expenditures, but who knows. Life works in mysterious ways." Wasn't that the truth. If the Sith hadn't bombed their world, she never would have been angry enough to take up the call to war.

Kreslin Westwind

 

[Kreslin Westwind]

Kreslin nodded his head as River introduced herself, his mind racing for a moment as he tried to recall all he knew about Clan Kryze in recent times. There were many Clans within the Union, both those who had joined before the Liberation, and those who had slowly begun to trickle in now that the Mandalore Sector stood free from the clutches of the Sith once more. He thought Clan Kryze might be the latter of those two options, though that held little importance. Now was the time for rebirth and the creation of a new nation, and all those willing to help were welcome.

A laugh escaped him mouth as River spoke about wounds, the action itself bringing fresh pain to some of his own old wounds. Bringing his right hand up to his face, he briefly touched the burn scar running across his forehead to his ear. "I can attest to that at least, lightsabers tend to leave their marks." Lowering his hand, he looked out across the plaza as a flash of realization seemed to cross Rivers face. He tried not to pay any mind to it, as to avoid making her field too awkward, and instead watched as a flight of Union starfighters flew across the city. The buildings around them shook slightly from the low flyby, and Kreslin watched as the water spray from the fountain changed slightly for the briefest moment.

Kreslin could not contain the second burst of laughter this time as he rose to his feet, gesturing for River to follow him. "If you are so worried about finding banks to finance your ideas, you have the wrong idea about our people. If you can offer a solid business, services, or even new designs for the Union and her citizens, you can have your pick of shops." Coming to a halt before the run down line of buildings, Kreslin gestured to them briefly, shrugging his shoulders. "I believe I have the authority to give you the ownership of a broken little shop like this." Folding his hands into his pockets, Kreslin turned his hazel eyes towards River.

"You are not a born Mandalorian, are you?"

River Kryze

 

[River Kryze]

River was on a roll it seemed. Two laughs today, which was two more than she usually got with her second hand level of humor. Either that or the man was laughing at her stupidity; which in River's world would not have been okay, but she didn't believe that was Kreslin's intent. Seeing the scar he ran a hand over, River now took notice of the scars that stretched across his form. It made her look to her own scared hands, the blade of the Ewok warrior had marred them more than her years in the workshop had managed to accomplish, and compared to the man next to her they were trifling signs of conflict. He had certainly seen battle, though to still be living after so many injuries, she found it remarkable he was able to walk around still. The fly by caught her attention, startling her initially, only to calm as she recognized the source. She still got a tad jumpy over loud noises, which one would think she'd have gotten over by now, but old habits died hard. "One day, I'm going to get used to that. Sadly it's not today." She muttered, before rising at Kreslin's gesture. Seemed he wanted to show her something, though what that could be she hadn't a clue.

Listening to what Kreslin spoke of as they walked, River felt a tad better about getting her business up and running. Though the method of which it seemed to work for her was...no something she quite understood. Then again, Omar had been the one to get the shop for her last time, and he was rather iffy on the details for how the unfolded. Nearing the ruined line of buildings, River moved a bit past the man, eyeing up the ruined store fronts as Kreslin was finishing what he had to say initially. "I'd be very appreciative, and more than willing to give back to our people in this trying time. Least try and progress to a sense of normalcy." Though she doubted normalcy would be seen in her life time, it was at least something to try and work towards.

"You are not a born Mandalorian, are you?" The question brought River to a halt, as she could practically feel Westwind's eyes set upon her. She grimaced as she turned to face him, shrugging her shoulders as she met his gaze with her own. Probably was her chance to come clean, after all, Aloy knew her real identity; and it truthfully wouldn't matter if what the woman had told her was true. "No, I'm not. But my husband was, but he was...incapacitated when the Sith first attacked the world." River paused, her hand moving to push back a section of her hair that felt out of place. "I've...been trying to live up to the code for some time now, but it's...not easy. At times I feel I'm out of my league truthfully. As I said, I'm not a warrior. I was a mechanic from Corellia before all this." She stated, gesturing to the destroyed structures behind her.

There was a slow burning rage that flicked inside of her as she spoke, one that caused River to pause in her words, trying to collect herself before speaking again as her gaze fell to the ground. All the hurt that had been set upon her, all the hell she had gone through, just to get back to square one? It was utterly infuriating to ponder upon, so she ceased that line of thought, least she lose her composure before the Mand'alor. Her eyes rose to meet with Kreslin's once again, perhaps a slight gleam in her eye was now apparent, as the widow turned Mandalorian continued. "But this is my life now, so I'll just learn to live with it. Just like everyone else has." She concluded, taking in a deep breath, as she awaited the judgement of the man himself.

Kreslin Westwind

 

[Kreslin Westwind]

Kreslin nodded his head once, turning his gaze away from River and staring into the ruined shops along the street. Memories from years ago flashed across his mind as he looked at his reflection in one of the partially intact mirrors. Memories of a lost love, a life destroyed, and a future that was stolen away in a single day. He let out a sigh, his posture faltering for a moment as the years showed on him, but it was replaced just as quickly by the warrior exterior he wore at all times. "I was not born into this life either." The simple statement took Kreslin several seconds to say, and by the end they came out in almost a rush.

"I was born a slave on Tatooine, raised as a gladiator to fight and die as the pleasure of the Hutts. I never knew my parents until the day I earned my freedom, when I was forced to kill my own father. His death earned me a chance at another life, where I joined Clan Westwind, and married the woman who bought me my freedom. She died during the fall of Mandalore." He stopped talking for a few seconds then, his eyes downcast at the rubble strewn about the shop before them. In a brief flash of anger, Kreslin kicked a chunk of rubble, sending it flying into the store and into the far wall.

"Me, the former slave, now Mand'alor. I certainly feel out of my league these days..."

Turning, Kreslin leveled his gaze on River, the emotion seemingly drained from his expression once again. Seeing the gleam in her eye, he gave her a brief nod, folding his hands behind his back. "You are right, we will both learn to live with what life has given us."

River Kryze

 

[River Kryze]

The tension held in her shoulders dropped as she heard those words leave his mouth. There was a moment of relief that dared show itself, before being swallowed by the silent warrior persona; were all Mandalorians this stubborn about their outward appearances? Probably something they reserved for their partners or those they trusted, otherwise River could only imagine it would be exhausting. Still, it was nice to know she wasn't the only one who had gone through this process.

As his tale of tragedy was spoken, River listened, thinking of her own upbringing and how it could possibly compare to Kreslin's. Living as a humble engineer to a down on his luck mechanic. Her father died by her hands as well, though not in the same violent manner that Kreslin had spoken of. It made her wonder about the scars he had earned, how many had come from the slave pins, and how many he had earned in combat. Could he tell where he earned each of his scars? Or did they merely all blend together at the end of the day? There was still a lingering angry to the loss, the situation still carried a pain that couldn't be addressed. River knew the feeling, enough to know that words meant nothing to the pain. River's first instinct was to try and reach out, but she had understood the culture enough to know that was very much taboo. Though Kreslin would see the woman initially react as if she was going to close the distance, River's body quickly halted; probably saving her life in the process.

Catching the gaze from the man, River forced a small smile, though she wasn't sure what else to say at the moment. Seems they both were coping with the changes in their world.

"I'm sorry about your wife." She settled with, nodding as she turned away from the man, her hands coming together as she held them against her chest. She never saw herself as a fighter, if anything she was just technically inclined. "Your story is like so many others I've heard. One of suffering, pain, redemption sometimes. I was told the suffering we undergo makes us stronger, makes us into the warriors that they sing of in the legends. But I often wonder at the toll it takes on our souls." River wasn't one for philosophy, but her musing had a purpose. The questions she had about the culture were beginning to be answered day by day, and she had just come to a conclusion about one such question: what makes Mandalorian's so tough. "I see now that our trials are what bind us together, hardens the spirit and mind, makes us as tough as Mandalorian steel." She shrugged her shoulders, her hands moving to pull through her short cut hair, feeling as if a great burden had been taken off her shoulders. "Well, some of us. I'm still in the tempering process." She mused, turning back to face Mand'alor now. "I've never really been exposed to the truly awful things that exist in this galaxy. My mother left my father when I was a child, and my father..." She grimaced, the words rolling back and forth on her tongue before she spoke.

If I had just been on time. Just a few minutes earlier and he might have still made it.

"Well, I wasn't there to save him. If not for my husband, I would have driven my father's shop into the ground." She had asked herself how her life might have gone differently if she just told him to shove off, if she hadn't been so taken by Omar and his adventures. Well, she never would have had Sasha and Val. Even though they were gone, their memory still meant something to her. It meant everything. "But I'll find my place here eventually. It'll just take time." She was certainly feeling better about her prospects.

Kreslin Westwind

 

[Kreslin Westwind]

Kreslin noted the movement of River, the slightest shifting of her body weight to orient herself in his direction. The only action on his own part was the slight turning of his foot, preparing to take a step away if needed. He was partially relieved when she did not try to press the matter too closely, and partially saddened she had not. This last thought more than anything else brought a brief frown to his face as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

His mind cleared slightly as she spoke again, and he could only give the briefest of nods. "The legacy of my people seems to be tragedy. Throughout history, whenever the Mandalorian people rallied together, began to create a new home and nation for themselves, tragedy struck. Be it war, sickness, famine, or even tragedies of their own making, the history of the Mandalorians has never been stable. Nations crumble, worlds burn, and families are torn apart. Either by the hands of outsiders, or our own." Pausing, Kreslin turned to look back over his shoulder. A new group of families had entered the small plaza, with several children running and playing together as the parents spoke to one another.

Nodding his head to them, the frown on his face slowly vanished. "I chose my name for a reason, you know. Mand'alor the Reclaimer. Not because of us taking Mandalore, but for them. When I became Mand'alor, I swore I would reclaim for my people their legacy, and reclaim their prosperity from a galaxy so long turned against us. I seek to build a nation that will survive me, and that can provide the protection we need to not just survive, but thrive. The trials of the galaxy have made us tough as steel, you're right. But I think peace and stability will make us stronger yet." He turned to look at at her towards the end of his little speech.

"We are both individuals forged by our losses, of first our parents and then our loved ones. I am sorry for your loss, and I do hope you indeed find your place here. It would certainly make things slightly better for me. You are...enjoyable to speak to, and I hope we can do so again, River Kryze."

River Kryze