ataraxion | video.

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video.

[the face on the screen is.. mannish, as can adequately be said. dark hair, light brown eyes, black crew uniform. his skin is not so light to be sickly pale in contrast. some might say healthy and olive in colour.]

I have never much liked the stars. [congenial, and firm. he's sure of what he's saying, and he's sure he wishes to say. this is not someone struggling to find words to fill in the gaps. he speaks with a purpose, even if his tone is soft and pensieve, his gaze distant and nostalgic.] But I loved their maker, and I loved the darkness they dwelt in. It is a pity to no longer have them within sight.

[loved. past tense. once upon a time. it was all once upon a time. he fixes his gaze on the screen again, raises a bare hand and touches his forehead in a gesture of greeting.]

Mára yomentië, Tranquility. [spoken with the slightest trill and sharp t's. trrahn-quility.] Hail, and well-met. I am named Mairon, one of those who arrived this jump.

I would like to ask.. [shifting from mild courtesy to genuine curiosity.] In my world, we have Eru, our God, the Creator. There are those of my world who worship other, minor gods, and I have become curious to how it is in other worlds. If there are those who would speak of it, I would hear and speak of my own in turn.

[an unexpected pause here, but he continues on shortly, carefully.] I would ask also if there is a smithy of sorts aboard this vessel. I was a metalworker, for a time, and it would be good to pick up the trade again if such skill is needed here.

[he offers a flicker of a smile and dips his head in a gesture of farewell before reaching out to turn off the feed.]

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In my world, it is much the same. Some worship many gods, others worship a single God of All. There are many opinions on the matter, and many arguments.

There are loads of gods back where I'm from. But only some of us have met them and knew who they were.

[ he dips his head in a polite bow in turn. there's.. something about this person. the sense of him is-- he isn't sure, yet. ]

It's a pleasure. My name is Luke Skywalker. Where I'm from, different worlds and cultures often worship different gods, but-- in the end, all life returns to the Force.

[ a thoughtful pause, crooking a glove-covered finger across his lips as he considers. ]

As for a smithy-- I don't think you'll find one here. At least, not if it's the sort I think you mean.

..Arguments? Of what sort? I have known only differing worshipers to persecute one another.

As it is in my world. Many of our gods have been far-removed from the world for some time now. Only a few of them decide to linger. [solemnly. he finds it very unfortunate that they left, really.]

Have you met your gods? Do you know them?

[It's a miracle that she doesn't drop the tablet when she sees him, really, but she doesn't. No. Instead, she turns on the video feed and glares in silence for a few seconds before speaking in perfectly calm, cold, measured Quenya.]

By all means, tell them of whom you have betrayed.

Well, you sure don't beat around the bush, there, do you, fella? That's some dangerous ground you're treading on.

[oh, how.. not expected. pleasant reaction, but not expected.]

I mean a forge and an anvil, such as where a blacksmith works. Unless blacksmiths are different across worlds as well..

[pause, also. he's trying to figure out how to parse these questions, so many questions.] What is this.. Force? Do these gods come from it, or return to it?

Then no, I imagine you won't find one quite like that here. Engineering and comms are the most likely to have equipment for the making of needed things, but I'm not sure if it'll be something you're familiar with.

[ he presses his lips together as he considers how to answer that, rubbing his nape absently. ] It's.. I'm not particularly good at explaining this, but-- the Force is a sort of-- of energy net. It's life, it's a-- cycle. All things come from it, and all things return to it. And.. Some of us are born with the ability to.. to feel it, to sense it, and to borrow its power.

[he knows this face. he knows this face.

why is this face here.]

..I do not know what you speak of, Massánië Alatáriel. [equally measured, not so much calm as purposefully perplexed. and as.. pleasantly lukewarm as he can manage. hrk.] I have betrayed none.

It is a simple question. I do not see how it could be dangerous.

[..but filing this away for future reference. possibly touchy subjects, maybe.]

[Her eyes flash with anger. It's possible, she supposes. The timelines here are so confused. But she was not inclined to give him the benefit of a doubt.]

You forget much then, Mairon. [The name comes out with an edge to it. Mocking.] Do not think I suffer from the same affliction.

The Ainur forget nothing, Alatáriel. [if it were possible for an ainu to sound apologetic.. no, it probably isn't possible, and he doesn't try to. respectful, yes. but not regretful.] I would know if I have caused you any grievances, and I know I have not.

[not directly, anyway. maybe by proxy of sacking her husband's realm, or by killing her brother, but not intentionally towards her person. it doesn't make any difference, maybe, but it isn't completely a lie.]

[ a talk of God. Lucrezia smiles, something indulgent on the red of her lips. A Borgia can certainly speak of God. ]

There is only one God in my realm, the one who made all and is in all.

Well, where I come from, we have a saying: "Don't discuss religion or politics." Unless you're a politician, I guess, in which case you don't talk about anything else.

Fortunately, I have had enough of politics to last a lifetime. [sigh, numenor.]

But I ask of gods, not religion. They are not mutually inclusive, to my understanding.

That was how it used to be. They were out of reach. Now... well, they're still pretty out of reach, but they live among the rest of us now.

That's how I met them. I work for one, and since I'm one of the people who knows they really do exist, I've met some others and the people who work for them, too. [ It's hard not to be proud of that fact, hard not to be proud that Coyote picked her out of everyone he could have had. Hard not to be proud, but even more than pride is gratitude. ]

So it is in mine. There are gods for the earth, the sky, and the water, and many things in between, but we are all of us the children of One.

My brother and I have created a smithy here, which we run with a human woman.

[Fili appears on screen, his face open with slight curiosity. It sounds like elvish, he appears much the same, but there is something different about it, as well.]

And while I know well of Eru, my people follow Mahal. But I am sure you know that.

Well, I don't know about that, now. I mean, what's a god if there's not a religion? Just some guy standing around smiting people, right?

Lady?

[He knows who Mairon is. He is having a difficult time keeping up with the Quenya, though. Even he isn't sure if he's asking her what they should do or offering his help.]

This ship may be far beyond my knowledge, I fear, but it was worth a try.

..What could you do with it? The power of life itself must be a great thing, and those with the ability greater still.

Even so-- good luck, I hope you do. I know how off-balance someone can feel in a place where nothing is familiar. And.. [ he offers another smile, faint and warm. ] Simply because it's beyond you now doesn't mean that it'll always be. There are plenty of people willing to introduce you to how things work on a ship like this if you're interested.

[ the smile fades, then, leaving his expression serene. ] Jedi rely on the Force for a great deal. Personally, I'm still learning, though I find I'm the most in-tune with the Force when in battle. [ most likely because of the war and being forced to learn the way he has, but-- ] We don't use our abilities for personal gain, though. At least, Jedi don't. Other Force-users have.

Perhaps we have different meanings of the term. [plausible. he taps a finger of his mouth in thought.]

Those which I call gods are but beings like you or I. They do not speak of each other as gods, and they are not, in truth. None are as the Creator is, but they have in them a great god-like power. Thus it is that other beings will call them gods; because they have power, not because they are worshiped or revered, though many are.

Well, that all just sounds awfully complicated! Where do you all draw the line? When's power just power and when's it godlike?

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video; he has no idea who this is

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video; just as it should be /steeples fingers

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video; speaking in dead languages, fuck yeah!

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video; quenyan encryption?? let's call it that. aawww yeah shit gon go down.

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video; Sindarin

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