IC (Xa-Koro):

 

Enter shenanigans.

 

When thinking about fun, Matoran's minds would turn to Kolhii and Akilini, and Toa's minds would turn to training spars. But to a Skakdi, fun meant doing things only fun for you.

 

In other words, causing trouble.

 

And oh, was Raknar skilled at causing trouble.

 

He slowed to a walk when he was out of sight of the Infernavika. Staying to the shadows of the mismatched buildings, he grinned, contemplating the possibilities. Any good Skakdi had a large disposal of tricks up his metaphorical sleeve; Raknar was no exception. He could steal, get drunk, pickpocket, get drunk, lie, get drunk...

 

Then he saw a weapons stand nearby. It was made of wood, perhaps three meters wide, with a piece of cloth hanging over it. The silhouette of a zamor launcher could be seen in the shadows underneath the overhang.

 

A mischievous grin split Raknar's face in two.

 

The Matoran there was in a fierce battle of haggling with the Vortixx managing the food stand. "One hundred widgets for this?" he cried, brandishing a dagger.

 

The Vortixx must have realized his mistake in giving the dagger to the Matoran to hold, for he abruptly snatched the weapon away and tucked it behind his stand. "A hundred," he said, oblivious to Raknar circling around the stand, the Skakdi of Stone's path gradually bringing him closer to the hagglers. "Take it or leave it."

 

The Matoran opened his mouth. Closed it. Looked hard at the ground. "What else do you have?" he asked. "Preferably cheaper?"

 

Raknar's hand was in his waist pouch now. His fingers slipped through the clutter to wrap around a sharp object attached to the end of a string: a fishing hook, and a large one. His grin widened.

 

Behind the stand, the Vortixx crossed his arms. "Fine." He turned--

 

The Matoran leaned over the counter--

 

And Raknar took the opportunity to circle the last of the way around the stand and ducked behind it. Now on his knees, he carefully drew out the fishhook and used it to break one of the seams where the cloth overhang connected to the wooden stand; if the cloth shook too much, the Vortixx would notice and the game would be up.

 

It was at this precise moment that the wind decided to begin blowing in earnest, its breeze sporadic and troubled from the uneven architecture of Xa-Koro.

 

The seam broke. Raknar tightened his fist in anticipation. Now he drew out the fishhook's string to its full length: four meters. Gripping the string in his left hand, Raknar drew his zamor launcher with his right and propped it securely against the stand. Next, he took the string and wrapped it around the launcher's trigger, pulling it taut and tying it around his right ankle.

 

After making sure of the launcher's secure position, Raknar stood up and walked around behind the Matoran as if he were just another customer. The string on his ankle pulled taut, and he stopped quickly.

 

The Matoran now had a small, flimsy-looking blade in his hands and a look of disapproval on his face. The Vortixx, in contrast, looked smug. Cheaters, thought Raknar, shaking his head; I hate 'em.

 

"What do you call this?" questioned the Matoran.

 

The Vortixx shrugged. "A dagger. What else?"

 

With a curse, the Matoran flung it roughly onto the stand. "Forget it. I'm leaving."

 

"Hold on, now," Raknar soothed, taking a quick step forward with his left foot, in doing so bringing his right foot unusually far back and to the left--

 

The string, pulled tight, finally activated the zamor launcher's trigger. A distinct sizzle-thud was heard; the Vortixx spun to his right; Raknar, smiling freely, jerked his foot again.

 

The next shot burst the side of the stand open to the wind, slamming into the Vortixx and sending him to the ground.

 

Raknar was smarter than most people gave him credit for. If he had been off to the side shooting, the Matoran would surely have seen him. This way, Raknar seemed to be an innocent bystander, both to the Matoran and to the Vortixx.

 

Well... not entirely innocent. "C'mon," said Raknar, "let's get knickin'."

 

"That's not the right thing to do," said the Matoran, looking up into the Skakdi of Stone's eyes.

 

Raknar let out a sharp guffaw. "Kid, when you're as experienced as I am, you'll know that scoundrels like that Vortixx don't deserve honest behavior. Takin' a few weapons off 'im ain't gonna do him more harm than tellin' him he oughta improve his customer service."

 

The Matoran considered that. Most Matoran, Raknar reflected, would have bolted for a Toa upon just hearing a Skakdi suggest stealing; but this Matoran was in Xa-Koro, which meant he had a criminal side to him, too, so when he finally said, "All right, but let's hurry," Raknar expected it enough to nod -- rather sagely for a Skakdi, but the Matoran didn't comment.

 

Two minutes later, Raknar was on the road, carrying a brand-new zamor launcher with extra ammunition, five throwing daggers on his belt, and a nunchuck-morningstar hybrid that had looked cool enough for Raknar to stuff it into his now uncomfortably-bulging pouch.

 

OOC: Ahh, shenanigans.

 

 

Source: Bzprpg - Kumu Islets

When you think about it, "shenanigans" is really a funny word. A funny word for funny actions, right?