Terrible Mourning, Rebyk Motel [D4, EM, Open]

[Tyllia Demici]

"I was not raised on Bakura," she said; her Serenno accent, while not excessive, was not exactly hidden either.

Another sip. Another bite. Drawing them out before answering further. And still, below the surface, those dark thoughts still lingering.

"You could say I was raised with certain beliefs, though they are of no consequence now. And the Jedi. Well..."

Another small bite.

"...I neither hate nor adore them. Hard to do either with an order that is no more."

For now. There has never been balance. Only the eternal conflict.

"I think, in the end, they were too blind to see the seeds of their destruction were taking root."

[Zimrzala Skalirz]

"I was not raised on Bakura," she said; her Serenno accent, while not excessive, was not exactly hidden either.

Another sip. Another bite. Drawing them out before answering further. And still, below the surface, those dark thoughts still lingering.

"You could say I was raised with certain beliefs, though they are of no consequence now. And the Jedi. Well..."

Another small bite.

"...I neither hate nor adore them. Hard to do either with an order that is no more."

For now. There has never been balance. Only the eternal conflict.

"I think, in the end, they were too blind to see the seeds of their destruction were taking root."

Another nod, another sip. "Well... yeah. Sometimes the past is in the past, yeah?", she says with another weak smile. "Although... it's also part of us. Sometimes a lingering part... thoughts, consequences, dreams. Hard to seek balance without acknowledging that - something I've been trying to learn myself."

One more bite of the bagel, and some silence. "This 'Bellionas goat cheese' is surprisingly good", she comments after a while with another smile. "I wonder what kind of goat it is"

[Tyllia Demici]

She raised up her own food for another bite again; the cuts on her hand seemed almost gone now where they had certainly been more clearly visible when she had sat down at the table.

"What if balance is impossible?"

Crunch. Swallow.

"There are no goats on Bellionas, by the way. It's probably factory-made."

[Zimrzala Skalirz]

Again, if Zim notices the wounds healing faster than they would otherwise, she doesn't make any comments. Perhaps she just didn't see it - Mikkians were known to be perceptive - but maybe the girl was different in that regard as well. Or maybe she just didn't think it worth commenting.

She kept her calm expression "Huh. That would be slightly frustrating. I had thought it would be some sort of... 'not-goat' from the local fauna." A shrug. "I should try to spend more time outside the city, take a look at what folks actually breed here. If they do."

Another look at the girl, her brow slightly furrowed. "But... impossible, huh? That's an interesting question. You mean... perfect balance?" She falls quiet for some more time, then asks her with another smile. "What do you think? Do you think it impossible?"

[Tyllia Demici]

She shrugged.

"What if the universe is inherently chaotic? Everything is always in motion. Balance exists only in systems without motion; or within perfect undisturbed motion. Chaos does not allow for the latter, and the former can exist only with the death of the universe."

[Zimrzala Skalirz]

She shrugged.

"What if the universe is inherently chaotic? Everything is always in motion. Balance exists only in systems without motion; or within perfect undisturbed motion. Chaos does not allow for the latter, and the former can exist only with the death of the universe."

The Mikkian seemed thoughtful for some time. One, two, three more sips of tea. "Another good question. But... are those really the only two options for balance? A world without motion is no world, that much's true. But... must Balance be perfect and undisturbed?"

Another sip.

"If the answer is yes, then I'd say you must be right. I mean... I think more often of balance within than without, in the universe at large. But in one as in the other, if it needs perfection and no disturbance, it can't ever exist. Right?"

Another bite.

"So... I guess the question is - must balance be perfect and undisturbed to be worthy of the name? Is anything imperfect - as all things are - anathema to Balance?"

[Tyllia Demici]

"Imperfect balance is an unworthy goal. If it is not perfect, it can not be distinguished from imbalance. It just becomes a self-serving label you can slap on your efforts. Saying that hey, at least you try. But as soon as you've said imperfection is good enough, you've stopped trying. You've stopped trying to achieve perfection, and are just in damage control. Just holding on to a mere shadow of balance, to keep the chaos at bay."

[Zimrzala Skalirz]

"Imperfect balance is an unworthy goal. If it is not perfect, it can not be distinguished from imbalance. It just becomes a self-serving label you can slap on your efforts. Saying that hey, at least you try. But as soon as you've said imperfection is good enough, you've stopped trying. You've stopped trying to achieve perfection, and are just in damage control. Just holding on to a mere shadow of balance, to keep the chaos at bay."

The Mikkian keeps silent as Tyllia speaks, and for quite some time after she is done. She gives a long blink, pressing her temples, as if using the moment to think. Another sip, and she finally nods. "Well. I guess if one defines things like that, it's all figured out. But then... would that lead to a search for perfect chaos, then?"

She keeps quiet for a moment again.

"...if anything other than perfection is seen as failure, has one not already failed?"

She gets a fork in the table and starts fidgeting with it, but for now she falls silent again.

[Tyllia Demici]

She shrugged. "It is only a problem so long as you insist that it is balance you seek; rather than a state superficially similar."

[Zimrzala Skalirz]

She shrugged. "It is only a problem so long as you insist that it is balance you seek; rather than a state superficially similar."

She looks at Tyllia again, still fidgeting with the fork.

"I suppose." She looks at the fork, tries to stabilise it on the tip of one finger. Her eyes shift to the girl again with a slight smile.

"May I ask what it is you seek, Tyllia?"

[Tyllia Demici]

This conversation had gotten far too philosophical. She hardly even knew this woman. Was it the lingering nightmare? Giving her that righteous fury inside?

"A state superficially similar," she said, not looking at the woman or her balancing trick, but focusing on her food.

[Zimrzala Skalirz]

The Mikkian nods again. The girl's short answer and focus on her food were some indication that she was a bit annoyed, and she wouldn't want to annoy her further.

"Well... I guess so do I. Let's hope we find a path."

Another sip of tea, she shakes the paper cup - not quite empty yet.

"Feeling a tad better?", she then asks.

[Tyllia Demici]

"Hmm, yes..." she said after the final bite of food vanished.

Her hand now seemed practically clear of any of the cuts that had been there a few minutes ago; the Force still at work taking care of the last few bits.

"...the food helped, thank you."

A pause, before she added something of an explanation.

"...I am not much of a morning person."

[Zimrzala Skalirz]

"Hmm, yes..." she said after the final bite of food vanished.

Her hand now seemed practically clear of any of the cuts that had been there a few minutes ago; the Force still at work taking care of the last few bits.

"...the food helped, thank you."

A pause, before she added something of an explanation.

"...I am not much of a morning person."

Zim simply nodded, a small smile on her face. "I'm glad it helped. And no worries - we are as we are, eh?"

"Also... thanks for this conversation. If we... have chance to meet again" she lowers her voice a bit "at the press, or elsewhere" then raises it again "I'd be happy to find some more time to speak to you."

Another nod. "May you walk with peace, and may we be one with the world", the Mikkian said. If the girl was one to feel such things, she will probably feel a strange connection, like a thread of some sort, linking them both.

[Tyllia Demici]

Peace was a lie, of course. But it seemed unproductive to start an argument about it, so she simply nodded; sensing the conversation had reached its natural conclusion.

"I am sure we will meet again."