After their reunion in the governor's manor, Kin, Xander and Lilac adjourn to the safety and cleanliness of the hovering dreadnought. Lilac insists on wanting to sit down for a while, so the trio move to Kin's quarters, where they prepare to discuss recent events and, perhaps, even make a plan.

As soon as Umeko enters her quarters, she starts shedding the chitin armor she's been wearing for the better part of a day. "Xander, I may need assistance," she notes as she works off the greaves and vambraces, then sets them in the corner near the steam pipes to dry.

"That looks really heavy, Kinny," Lilac comments as she steps inside. The human woman immediately heads over to sit on the edge of the circular bed, leaning forward and folding her hands in her lap.

"I'm not cleaning it," the weary mage says, but does go to help the Kiriga with the various ties and laces.

"I didn't expect you too, I just wanted help in getting it off," Umeko notes to the mage. To Lilac, she comments, "It isn't heavy when it is on, but it does still get tiring. It is … not me. So, while I am getting this off, just what did happen out there, Lilac?"

Lilac listens with her ears perked, and when Kin asks what happened, she glances towards the set of crossed swords as if unwilling to look anyone in the eye while answering. "Well, I spent a few hours just looking at all his army defenses. I made a whole plan of where I'd go, and in what order, and when. So, when the rains started, I used that as a means to get inside the temple. Then, well, I 'borrowed' the notes and map, and explored a bit. The Temple of Being's upper level is actually a number of chambers dedicated to various aspects of being," she explains.

"Which are?" Umeko inquires as she literally turns her head around enough that it looks like her head is attached backwards to her body.

Xander listens to Lilac, and checks Kin for bruises or cuts that may have been hidden under the armor… as well as trying to think of where to get some fresh clothes for Lilac.

Bruised, well, Umeko is certainly that. When the hauberk slides off and the underlying leather pattern … Umeko's entire right side of her chest and abdomen is slightly swollen, with purple showing between the scales. Must be from where the desert giant hit and threw her.

Lilac, still looking at the crossed swords, doesn't seem to notice Kin's odd contortion. "The first one I visited was the most crowded, and I think it represented birth, or youth, or children. Maybe renewal, or just being new. In there are pools of … of little fleshy … things that used to be the worshipers of the Temple of Being. I … we used one of the pools to reach the God of Being, deep under the cave-temple. The other chamber I visited I thought was the state of death, but Dragonfly says it's the state of spirit. That's where I found Dragonfly," Lilac goes on to say.

"So you went through the pools because you couldn't sneak her out past the guards?" Xander asks, frowning at Kin's bruises. "Definitely time for a soak with some medicinal salts," he mutters.

"So, there were two rooms; beginning and end. Those are only small parts of total existence. There is the period in-between, where one lives, grows, experiences, loves, and learns. Did these temple people focus only one the alpha and omega, and not the whole?" Umeko inquires as she folds her arms together, "If so, then they have missed much of the reality of life." When she accidentally touched part of her bruised side, though, she can't help but hiss a little from the stab of pain.

"How are your ribs?" Xander whispers to Umeko.

"Breathing hurts a little, but I will survive," Umeko answers quietly.

"You need to see a healer," the Lapi says. "Lilac doesn't look hurt, but probably has scrapes that need disinfecting."

"If they have a healer that isn't busy seeing to the troops. There are worse injuries than mine," Umeko says with a small shrug. Free of her armor, the Kiriga gets the bathrobe she wore earlier and slips it on. She doesn't however, tie it tightly closed.

"Wellll, it was complicated," Lilac explains to Xander, sounding nervous. "But, that is the way we got out. Eventually." To Kin, Lilac answers, "Those were just the two I went in to, the beginning and the end ones. There were more, and I heard one had a lot of statues of people in all sorts of poses. Anyway," she finally looks back, eying Kin's wounds. "Hakuu just has his people studying the petroglyphs. None of them have met the Temple of Being. It's … it's very … alien. It just … just wants to grow. I don't think it … " Lilac's voice wavers a little, " … cares about anyone. But, but it isn't evil."

"Alien, immortal, indifferent," Xander says. "Sounds about right. Are you hurt, Lilac? What did the Temple say to you, anyway?"

"Evil and good are labels used by cultures to define what is and is not acceptable, Lilac," Umeko comments as she leans against the steam pipes to absorb some of the warmth. "If its actions threaten us, then by our definition, it would be considered evil."

"I'm not hurt … not really. I'm just very tired," the human answers Xander. Again Lilac turns to address Kin, saying, "Well … I guess so. It doesn't threat us directly, it's … stuck. It said unto me, "I do not carve. Rock is for resting upon, and rock is the prison." You see, I think it's stuck. As long as it stays stuck, I don't think we're in danger from it. If it were released it … it may not … not need anyone, anymore. It may just … consume, and try to grow." Lilac takes a deep breath, then shakes her head and sighs. "It told me about being, and said I was the first one to speak with it in "many turnings of the stars.""

"So, it isn't likely that Hakuu is going to be trying the same route you did anytime soon, right?" Xander asks.

"You will learn that everything just is. Good, evil, right, wrong, they are just labels that we use to categorize and define our world based on our perceptions. Each of us assigns their meaning and how we use them to explain our existence," Umeko continues on, rolling one hand in the air with a flourish. "Reality, religion, belief. All are personal definitions. So … did you uncover at all what you believe its personal definition of existence is? Does it want? Does it desire? Is it impatient, or does time hold no meaning for it?"

"Dragonfly says he's obsessed with the 'deeper meaning' of the petroglyphs. He must think there's a deep, hidden meaning that leads to the secret of the Temple, and maybe there's something deep about all the religious trappings, but the petroglyphs are literal: the Temple offers something it calls 'pacts' in return for reshaping flesh. That's how the last worshipers became what they are, they gave all they had to the pacts." Lilac blinks at Kin and her world view, ears going askew, but she answers, "Well, if I had to guess … and I think I'm the only one who has really met it … I think it just wants to, to … grow and exist. It desires flesh, and mind, and bone, and … and being. It consumes, to strengthen itself. And, I think it is immortal. It is also huge. Those sandlions? Those are its mouths. I didn't even see its face. I was talking to it from inside its body!"

"Well, if it seeks to consume the world, then our path is clear and simple. We must destroy it," Umeko says and rolls her neck so she can look between the two. "Or at the least make sure it cannot consume our world. Nothing is immortal; not even the mountains. To our short lives they may seem such; strong and proud. But even a mountain cannot stand to the ravages of time. Slowly the wind and rain wear at them until at last they are gone."

"Sure, I'll just pull a Boomer out of my butt," Xander mutters. "The Temple… or whatever it is… isn't the enemy. Hakuu is. This thing can shape flesh according to Lilac. Doesn't that sound like something Hakuu would want to be able to do?"

"I didn't say it wanted to eat the world!" Lilac says with sudden panic, ears shooting up. "Just that it wants to grow! It never told me what it ultimately wants to do!" She glances towards Xander, then nods quickly. "Yes, yes, Hakuu is the enemy! The Temple of Being could be manipulated by him, and that would be dangerous, but Hakuu is the real malevolence there! And, i think its power is exactly what he wants! We know he shapes minds and magic, and that he stuffs people, maybe he wants the power to shape flesh, too?"

"Of course it does," Umeko notes, "But it also sounds like he isn't close to discovering it." She shakes her head, asking, "What do these pacts often require to earn its favor? What would he have to offer it?"

"If we stop him before it gets to that point, we don't have to worry about it," Xander says. "Leave a garrison at the Hold, and send the rest to Beshret's camp. Wipe out the warlord, and the area is secured and you can escape from being Governor-Militant, Umeko."

"The Temple told me that something is always created from something, never nothing. When I … I asked about costs, it said it could take parts of a mind, or flesh of the body, or … well, other things. The petroglyphs explain some of it. What it wants is parts of living creatures. It has no use for stone, or probably money, or things. It demands flesh and mind and … Well, that sort of thing," answers Lilac. She glances at Xander again, then back to Kin and adds, "If we defeat Hakuu, we can seal the Temple and let the god return to its rest. It can remain content to feed on the desert animals, and we can leave it in peace."

"You sound as if you believe the Emperor would not require that I remain. If I am successful, he may wish me to continue on," Umeko points out. "And yes, we do have to worry about it, Xander; or at least I do. Lilac just said it wants flesh. I think Hakuu intended to offer it a very specific flesh in his twisted interpretation of the petroglyphs. Mine. Or more specifically, my family."

"He may not have gotten far enough in his study of the place to realize it wants flesh," Xander points out. "Any way you slice it though, our best chance is to strike at him before he figures anything out."

"There we agree. The problem is … the airship field with the mages is in between us and them," Umeko reminds Xander.

Lilac frowns at Kin, saying, "I don't know about that. It's not as if the god has gone to great lengths to contact the world beyond its prison. As far as I can tell, its been settled there for … for hundreds of years. It's, it's like a desert genie! It needs other people to wish themselves into ruin, but by itself, trapped, it's … It just sits there in its cave," she insists. "You know, be careful what you wish for? I think as long as it remains sealed, that the threat is … is people wishing, and their greedy wishes."

"Hm. I have another thought, if you two will hear me out?" Umeko asks.

"Of course, Umeko," Xander says.

"You know I'm here for you," Lilac answers, ears perked.

"Sealing the temple will not solve the problem. We have to convince those that even know of it that there is nothing there in the first place, just a useless ruin," Umeko says and pauses for a moment to stretch. "If we make it known that area is a pointless wasteland with nothing useful … then people will simply not go there. If we just conquer it and just seal it off … that would make it more appealing. See my concern?"

The bardess nods to Umeko's words. "That makes sense to me. Of everyone I know, only Dragonfly, myself, and you all know the Temple of Being is actually alive. Hakuu suspects there's something there, but him and his captured scholars don't know for sure. If we defeat them, and or show that the Temple is empty, then maybe people will leave it be," she offers.

"Exactly. Which brings me to my other concern. We may have to try and convince the Temple to make itself appear empty to accomplish that," Umeko observes. "And there is no telling what risk that may bring."

"Is the Temple… female?" Xander asks Lilac.

"You have my permission to kick the Lapi," Umeko tells Lilac.

"I'm serious," Xander says, frowning.

Lilac shakes her head slowly. "The Temple of Being won't listen to you. It won't listen to me, and I … Well, I'm the first. It's not concerned with us, what it calls "small beings." It only wishes to grow, to thrive. I told it Hakuu was a danger, but it said he was just a small being, and it wasn't concerned. It's not concerned about anything that doesn't touch on its interests." Lilac blinks at Xander, then at Kin, then looks back to Xander and frowns deeper. "The Temple of Being is. It's … it's like … everything. Male, female, a thousand voices, skin, bone, eyes … blood and sounds in the dark!"

"What, are you concerned Hakuu may try to breed with the temple and produce offspring in its effort to grow?" Umeko asks Xander.

"Different psychology is all," Xander mutters. "So… can't we focus on Hakuu and Beshret first? And worry about the temple later. I mean, if it's sat there for a thousand years without anyone popping in, it shouldn't be hard to forget about. Dagh, it's probably a million years old if the First Ones made it."

"Mother made it," Lilac puts in, suddenly.

"Who is 'Mother'?" Umeko asks.

Lilac lets her head fall back, looking somewhere past the ceiling up into the sky. "Mother, said the Temple of Being, was a master of being. But mother did not wish to grow, and so, thinks the Temple of Being, she "passed on as small beings do." It told me she went north, into the Beast Lands, and did not return," the bardess answers.

"So, you do not know, then," Umeko says with a small sigh, then shrugs. "I doubt that information will prove to be useful with the current problem. All it tells us is that its mother was likely just another person. No different from you or I."

"That's all the Temple would tell me, sorry Kinny. It just doesn't think like we do," Lilac apologizes.

"It told you enough for us to know two things, Lilac," Umeko says, "One, it was likely born or made from someone like you or I. Two, that it isn't a god if it was made by someone like you or I. It is … just another monster."

"Actually, it does help," Xander murmurs, rubbing his chin.

"It might listen to this Mother," Xander says. "Maybe we can claim someone is her descendant?"

"It's a god," Lilac insists, sitting up again. "It doesn't matter who created it! It's mastered flesh and mind, it had worshipers, it can … it can … " The bardesses's words trail off, and she flops back into the circular bed. "If being born from people like us makes it a monster," she mumbles, sounding unhappy, "then aren't we monsters, too?"

"That would require knowing more about its Mother, Xander," Umeko points out.

"It sounds like the sort of entity my crazy friend would be able to talk to," Xander sighs. "And I can't even try to think like she does, so I'm guessing that talking to the Temple of Being will be wasted effort."

"What it needs … " Lilac's ears wilt, and she stares off at something past the ceiling, past the sky, " … is a heart."

"Let's move on to mortal things, like stopping Hakuu, please?" Xander asks. "We've got an army, Umeko!"

"You were the one suggesting we find someone to pretend to be its Mother," Umeko points out. She shakes her head, then says, "We need to contact the Emirate and assure them that our actions are to deal with a local uprising and is no threat to them. We then need to cut off their supplies as well as eliminate their mage support by destroying their airfield. Once those two advantages are eliminated, we can target the camp itself and deal with Hakuu."

Lilac seems content to stare up at the ceiling for a while longer, just staring as if there were something compelling up beyond the world. She flicks her tail into her lap, and begins absently running her hand down it, petting out some burrs.

"I'll see about sending a message," Xander says, looking tired. Suddenly, his whiskers and ears twitch. "Hold on, we aren't thinking clearly here. Hakuu can't be after the Temple god! This whole thing is about… some sort of key or something in multiple parts, right? There has to be something else in the Temple, something portable, that he's after."

"He may think the secret in the temple is portable, Xander," Umeko notes. "Or the Cinders intend to use the temple as part of their plan to devolve everyone."

At that, Lilac blinks. "A key? A three part key?"

"I don't remember a key, it was more like … a series of … concepts wasn't it? In Sylvania, there's the … the void. Here, there's being. And somewhere, I guess there's be one other concept. Only, it seems like these concepts are things, gods. Isn't the Temple of Being a fabulous treasure? I mean, to some people? It can reshape people, it could … could make Kinny a Savanite, or you, Xander, a Kiriga," Lilac suggests.

"Three parts?" Xander asks. "I know you need to get the Void thing in Sylvania, right? If there's a third… well, yeah, I mean… why go after all three if you only need the one? Maybe you need them all to control the Temple God or find something else. But they're going after more than one thing, and unless they plan on holding the Temple forever, it makes sense to me that they're looking for something they can take with them."

"Unless the portable part of the Being concept is someone or something that's been altered by the Temple," Xander says next. "Maybe that's why they came here first? They need to create a… vessel… to hold the next part?"

"I wouldn't mind being a Savanite," Umeko muses for a moment, then shakes her head a few times. At Xander's suggestion about constructing a vessel, she hmms. "Xander, that is not a bad suggestion. It is possible, yes. They might want to make a container out of someone for the other parts."

Lilac opens her mouth, pauses, then glances at a suit of armor against the wall. "I … I don't know," she admits, sounding nervous.

"In truth, all we are doing now is guessing. We won't know the answer till we return to the temple and capture Hakuu," Umeko says, "Which we must do."

"Well, I mean… how else can you bring together all the aspects of being except in a living person?" Xander asks. "I'm not a philosopher though… this stuff is just weird to me."

"You have to move against Beshret anyway, to pacify the region," Xander agrees. "Let's squeeze Crushcoil and Des, not that I imagine they actually know anything, along the way. But we should be moving as soon as possible."

"And forgive me for changing topics for a moment, but … speaking of Savanites … where did you see Long-Shadow last?" Umeko asks Lilac. To Xander, she nods, "Agreed."

"Then … then lets think about Hakuu," Lilac insists, gaze flicking back to Umeko's face. "We should force him to surrender, or defeat him. I really don't want to kill anyone else, if we don't have to, but Hakuu … I'll fight him if I must." Ears flicking, Lilac answers, "He saved us when we were retreating across the desert. He took us to his home, then we left with him to come here. I think the army made him nervous, since he didn't enter with us. He's probably nearby."

"He wanted to help you with this siege," Lilac adds, smiling a little and wagging her tail a bit.

Xander blinks at Lilac for a moment at the mention of 'killing anyone else' but his expression passes quickly. "Right. So, you two get a good soothing bath, because frankly you both need it. Gibson and I can debrief Dragonfly later."

"I … wish to see him. He should have no fear of the army now. I will order them to allow him and his family safe passage," Umeko says quietly. "As for Hakuu … he is my problem. I will not allow you to be harmed by him or anyone else harmed by him. I appreciate your bravery and willingness to face him … but I could not allow it."

Lilac's ears wilt when Xander blinks at her, and she quickly turns away to focus on Umeko instead. "I have my own reasons for facing Hakuu, Kinny. I know you don't need me anymore, that you're safe, and your family is proud of you, that you can go home, and I said I stay until that was so … But, now I'm staying for other reasons. I won't let Hakuu have whatever he wants here, I won't let him use the Temple, and I won't let him endanger the future of the world."

"My family knows nothing about this and they wouldn't be proud if they did. And no, I can't go home," Umeko points out and sighs, "And it's not about needing. I don't need anyone. It doesn't mean I do not want. You are my friend; I let you stay with me because of that; because I wanted you to. As for Hakuu, as long as he is around, I am not safe, my family is not safe." She pauses there to rub her fingertips over her eyelids, then adds, "And it sounds like you have become a worshiper of this thing, or that you … love it. You speak so fervently of protecting it."

Lilac begins to smile, and starts scooting close to Kin, reaching to give her a hug, when she suddenly pauses at the accusation she loves the Temple of Being. "No!" she cries out, "I don't … I don't love the Temple of Being! The Temple doesn't love anything! It doesn't have a heart! It doesn't … doesn't even care about me at all!" She pushes herself to her feet, ears back, face strained. "But, but … it shouldn't just … we can't let him … it's so horrible but … but … it doesn't deserve to die! It's fair! It … " she takes a deep breath, then begins walking towards the door, "I, I need some air. Xander, tell me if you find any clothes or … or a bath or … " her words trail off as she continues to walk out.

"Umeko, take Lilac to the bath would you?" Xander asks. "If I can't find her a bathrobe, I'll scrounge up something in the meantime."

You've been through more than you have said, I am guessing," Umeko says and moves to intercept the human, "But we will speak no more on it. I am sorry that I have upset you and I will not press on the matter. Just know that if you need to talk, I will listen. Come on, I will show you where the baths are and how to work them." She looks back to Xander and tells him, "Thank you."

Lilac pauses at the door, head hanging and tail tucked. She reaches up and rubs at her face, then fumbles with a hand until she has Umeko's hand in hers. "I … I need a bath," she whispers, and Umeko can see her eyes glisten with the beginnings of tears. "Please?"

"There isn't a pain in the world a warm bath cannot soothe," Umeko tells the human as she draws her close and leads her out of the room. "It's this way. Chin high, Lilac, chin high. Though the storm rages you still stand. As I've said before, as long as there is life there is hope. Only … I think I can add more to that now. Something all of you have taught me I pass back to you. When you feel the most lost and in despair; always remember those around you and those who care about you. The sharpness of that blade can cut through any sadness."