Private Curious Treatment in the Belly of the Beast

[Onrai]

The duo soon returned back to Kinoss, to the otherwise unordinary room they had left through the rift Onrai had opened using the Sunstar-Shadowstone. Onrai motioned for Runi to sit at a table as a droid entered the room, carrying two steaming cups of hot chocolate and a large teapot likely full of more of the same. Onrai took her cup, and encouraged Runi to do the same, offering her the first taste. It was particularly delicious.

"Mortal imperfections are always quite delicious, I will admit." She said. "Better this than creating something out of thin air."

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

The Shaman stepped back into the world alongside Onrai. Soon the pair took their places at a table of her choosing, and a droid entered carrying cups and a teapot. While the invitation had specified hot chocolate, and she herself had reiterated it moments ago, it had not been something Runi truly expected. Certainly not in a teapot.

Runi waited for a moment before she lifted the cup at Onrai's behest. Hazel eyes lifted to peer over the rim at the woman before it was slowly brought to her lips. The hot chocolate touched her lips briefly, despite the sharp sting of the heat. One needn't been psychic to foretell danger. Nor the optimistic heedless of the potential for danger.

"The untouched canvas is in a word: perfect; but only through the ripples of disturbing that perfection is true beauty found." Runi slowly set the cup down. "What is it that you do, Onrai, when not occupied with the fate of the galaxy?"

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

"Well... I typically see to the administration of the worlds in my purview. Answer prayers. Tend to the needs of my worshippers. Things a goddess should fulfill obligation-wise to those who dedicate themselves to her. What purpose is there to receive worship if nothing is given in return?" She pointed out. She took yet another sip of the freshly brewed hot chocolate, a bit of brown foam on her upper lip that shortly went away.

"It wouldn't make sense otherwise."

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

"Obligation." Runi smiled to herself as she set the cup down. "Does their worship empower you, in some way?" There were, after all, creatures that fed off emotion. Worship. Adoration. Devotion. It would not be unheard of for these things to provide nourishment or strength to another, as rare as that may be. "Why else is there any import whether they worship you?"

It wouldn't hurt to learn more about how the woman operated. How she lived, what she sought, and why any of it mattered. If one wanted to become a goddess, a strong sense of identity would be necessary. No one worshiped a vague concept for long before it took on a shape wholly unlike the thing that initiated the practice.

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

"I believe so. It feels like it, certainly." She said. "If anything else, I owe them for their support when I was a mortal." It was a fair enough assessment. She took a large gulp of the hot chocolate and finished the entire cup. The droid that had initially delivered it returned to the room for her to return it. Soon, presuming Runi didn't also take advantage in order to get a refill, it would return and provide her another hot cup of the beverage.

"Are you going to tell the Mandalorians about what you really are?" She asked.

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

The Shaman sat poised for a moment in silence. Her hazel eyes regarded the entity that'd taken on a form for their little exchange. "No." There was a brief moment while Runi studied her company's demeanor in light of such a response. "The Mandalorians have no need for an over abundance of 'magic' wielders among them. Most accept my presence because I give them a sanctuary to release their burdens with no expectation of payment nor exploitation of any perceived 'weakness' on their part. That is enough. It is all the Mandokarla seek to provide: service."

"Most men and women of Mandalore would rather combat Jedi, Sith, and other power-wielders head-on. In most cases, I am content to let them do so. There are times, however, when even an entire armada pales in comparison in brute strength. Shaman of the Mandokarla may apply their gift to leveling the battlefield under those conditions. All any Mandalorian wants is an opportunity to prove the quality of their character."

"Does that surprise you?" The tip of a finger slowly traced the lip of the cup before her.

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

“Do they not deserve to know the truth though?” She asked. “The Celestials were entrusted with guidance of mortals towards veneration of the most beneficent Maker, whose care of this domain is… lacking to say the least. This would mean that by serving in the Mandokarla, you would effectively be shirking that original divinely inspired goal passed down upon you and your brethren… would it not?” She asked, a question of sincerity.

She paused and for a moment, patting Runi on the head.

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

The Shaman remain seated as she listened to Onrai's complaint. Then the entity sought to do the strangest thing. Naturally, the Shaman had to respond in kind. Thus, as Onrai made to pat Runi's head, Onrai felt a pat on her own head at the exact same time with the exact same force behind it.

"What Mandalorians do is for the elevation and in honor of the Manda. In furthering their own development, they strengthen their collective soul. They would not submit to bowing before any Maker or elevating some lofty entity's sense of accomplishment. Such warriors would sooner find some criminal scum to pound into submission to prove their mettle. Likewise, claiming I am the avatar of any such entity would not be celebrated, but met with distrust if I sought to influence them. Thus, I do not except to ensure the healthy and balanced development of their culture and people." Runi looked over at Onrai with a small smile. "While my efforts have suffered considerable set backs over time, I daresay I have accomplishment more of my design than the Celestials. Do you disagree?"

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

"But if it was for honor and elevation of the Manda, would the Manda have not needed to exist?" She inquired, still a bit surprised that Runi had actually patted her back. "Perhaps being honest with them may not be best in the immediate timespan, but lengthwise, surely it would be the better option than to continue to live in the falsehood they have weaved for themselves." Onrai had been irrecoverably exposed to the truth. At this point there was no way for her to react otherwise.

"At least then they would be better prepared for the end."

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

"Falsehood?" Runi smiled as she looked over at Onrai. "Merely an omission. A fact that if known would contribute little to the telling of their stories. If anything, it would detract from them. As I fear it may detract from those that worship you. Such knowledge breeds dependency. They come to expect certain things, believe certain things, and hold to them with a fastidiousness that curtails any other thought."

"The Manda is where they come from. It is where they return. The expectations are simple -- live well. To grow strong; but not merely in body or knowledge or power. They will be ready for whatever end, Onrai." Lies caught up with you in the end unless you spent time cultivating the lies or possessed the guile to pile the lies atop one another. It was an imperfect system. One that Runi did not employ as Onrai feared. A failure to disclosure what seemed true to the masses was not a lie. Though, if it were, it was one that served the plot. Some questions should remain unanswered; it provided people with something to strive toward.

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

"But the Manda was a creation of their own, forged out of the ancient mythos of such figures as the deified Kad Ha'rangir and Rexutu the Unconquerable and mutated over millennia of exile from Notron." She pointed out. "If they die, there is no place for them after their spirits are given up from their body. The myth of the Akaanati'kar'oya and belief in the tenets of the Resol'nare as a ticket to eternity within the oversoul of the Manda means that trillions of Mandalorians have come and gone, their spirits dissipated back into the fabric of the universe." She pondered for a bit.

"Which does raise some... interesting questions."

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

Runi tapped the rim of the cup with the absent hot chocolate. "I'm sure it would," the Shaman agreed, "if it were merely a myth."

"There are more things in this existence and beyond, Onrai, than you may yet know. Events and characters not put to a page, but told all the same." The Shaman afforded the entity a small smile. Even all the Creation myths of the galaxy had yet to assemble the full events surrounding The Beginning. It wasn't even The Beginning, but merely A Beginning. The most important one to those that lived in the galaxy, of course; the only one most cared about. With good reason. It was a statistical anomaly for anyone to have any awareness of what Came Before or what Would Follow.

"It is better to have more questions than answers in life." Provided they weren't questions that formed the very framework of a Soul; some questions dare not go unanswered in a person's lifetime.

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

"And yet questions leave only issues." She pointed out. "Because people will go to depths they otherwise would never even consider broaching in order to search for such an answer." A valid point, at least as more drinks were brought to the duo and Onrai once more rapidly drank her own hot chocolate.

"I'm glad ultimately that you chose to come here." She said.

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

"Questions cannot be held responsible for the actions of a Soul. They are merely hazy guide posts along the way, from which a Soul must decide which path to follow. At times, some are better left unanswered, though some are unwilling to accept such an outcome." Runi remain calm even as Onrai's assistants brought more hot chocolate, and continued to question that maze they wove together and around one another.

The Shaman gave a quiet chuckle in response to Onrai's last remark. "As am I. I hope this will not be the only time we may speak calmly. I do wonder if we will be forced to meet in battle once more, however."

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

"It's likely." She said. "But if we are, I propose that we do things differently." She got another drink. "By that, I suggest we look into going 'all out' for better lack of term and end the fighting of our peers with our own conflict. Perhaps then a waste of life will not end up occurring and their lives may yet be useful towards the future war against Nakhash and his kin." That was all that mattered now, not Jedi or Sith, or any of the other activities yet to occur.

"It would be a better option at least."

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

Runi paused with cup in hand at Onrai's suggestion. Her hazel eyes rose to meet those of the entity before her. "Such an 'all out' confrontation could result in a greater loss of life than either side alone might manage. There are already members among the Maw with powers able to conjure scourges that can purge a planet. Some continuously attempt to possess the very world." The Shaman exhaled loudly. "A tangled mess to unweave."

The cup was set aside as Runi kept her attention on Onrai. "Is it your intention to engage in battle to such breadth, regardless?"

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

"Well, I have to keep you occupied in future confrontations." She pointed out. "Otherwise the Mawites will start to think that perhaps I don't explicitly share a similar interest to their own and my powerbase will be at risk of attack." It was a logical enough course to follow as Onrai sipped some more hot chocolate.

"The last thing I need is for one of my developments to spiral out of hand. Some level of lip service is required at least to the cause to satisfy the nonbelievers. Those such as a certain interrogative Ebruchi." She said, pondering over one who had aided her in a number of things.

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

Runi actually chuckled with Onrai's response. "I suppose they would." A slight shrug of both shoulders followed. "Always looking for perceived, external sources of weakness and crushing it in order to advance. Always overlooking the most precious weakness of them all -- those within." Ask a Blacksmith what was more important: the strength of your own blade or that of your enemy. It was always the strength of your own. Made of poor material or improperly forged even if the opponent's own weapon were weak yours stood to chance snapping under the assault; and its wielder would soon perish. Mandalorians had their faults -- they were people too -- but their Way was to temper and hone themselves rather than feign superiority over others.

Some didn't understand, of course, but that too was part of the Mandokarla's purpose.

"Ebruchi? An Inquisitive sort in their number?" Someone that might have a lively discussion though it mightly ultimately be one-sided. Much as Runi would like to help even the Maw rediscover themselves, the Shaman wasn't delusional. There was always the next life. Hopefully they would be brought up under a more favorable philosophy.

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

"The inquisitive sort who cares solely about acquisition of power." She pointed out. "He listens because he believes that is the end goal. For him, it may be. For me, having another body around to do things on my behalf is not a bad thing." She shrugged, as another droid brought them some more drinks. Having someone who had been at the right hand of Solipsis himself was a critical decision, chosen to help suggest loyalty and devotion to the greater causes of the Maw.

"Admittedly I'm not sure what more else there is to discuss, unless you wish to have more hot chocolate. I have a rather limitless supply."

Runi Kuryida

 

[Runi Kuryida]

Runi nodded slightly. "There are many kinds of power, Onrai. The one most often sought after is brute strength. It would benefit the Maw if you could convince them to apply their efforts in more constructive ways. They might even come to recognize some of the other sources of power that already surround them."

Slowly, the Shaman began to stand to her feet. "Should you, or the Maw, ever require the services of a Shaman, I'm certain you'll know how to contact me." As Onrai had already managed the feat once before. Even if peace between Sith and Enclave was quite unlikely, Runi never considered things out of the realm of possibility. Time, after all, was on their side.

Onrai