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[Dallas Winston]

IC: Dorian (Ga-Koro)

 

"Ga-Koro, to me! To me! The Skakdi has murdered our Turaga!"

 

Deep in the recesses of my thoracic cavity, something began to tremble, like a dog, alone in a kennel: Grokk. Homeboy had done his job after all, and now he was gone. Another friend down, and I didn't even kill this one. The fact that I had to clarify that I didn't kill him was a sad testament to how the last forty years had gone for me, and when you got past all the outer layers, all the nitty gritty karmic injustice stuff I'd done over the course of my life, one concept stood out, one single cause that had created so many succeeding effects that had destroyed so many lives: Kynaera.

 

And, in that moment, I didn't care. I didn't care that I was couped up in a back alleyway only about ten minutes away from the Valkyr that had nearly ended my life and destroyed my ability to sunbathe on the Ga-Wahi beaches just mere months ago. I didn't care that Turaga Vakama wasn't dead, or that I'd walked away from my mission, and probably ended my life in the process for absolutely no reason. I didn't even care that the music stopped all at once, replaced by screams and calls to action as the Arete mobilized their forces to look for the murderer of the fair Turaga.

 

Cheech Marin was right. I had to go for it.

 

All of a sudden, it's late adolescence for me again and I'm sitting at a piano in a literally packed but spiritually lonely Ko-Koro businessman's lounge. Business transactions, old men doing shots, my father animatedly chatting up a girl who definitely does not look anything like my mom, and here I am at the piano, writing a sonata on the fly for all these old soulless men to hear and take note of. Maybe I can illicit something, some form of response, something to show that you can have money and power and looks and the whole world going for you and you can still have a soul, something to show that you actually want to contribute to your fellow man's well-being. Maybe if I can just play harder...

 

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, blindsided: a cutie, shy but sweet looking, wearing these dorky hipster mask attachments over her eyes, about my age, maybe a couple years younger, leans over my shoulder, gives a small smile, starts playing a more tempered, realistic melody in contrast to the soaring idealism flying from my fingers. Scoot over, Dor, be a gentleman: now the cutie has room to sit and play, and together, we create a piece that about five years later I would publish and become famous for.

 

That passage, my first taste of fame, I published it under Ky's name and never saw a cent of profit.

 

Anyway, this girl is totally adorkable, and after we're done playing she stands up to walk away. Something catches in my throat: emotion. My heart's still stirring from the way she played, the way she looked at me, and deep somewhere in the back of my head I can feel that my life is changing right around me, that I could either try and go for it or I could watch my dad do shots with this girl who's maybe half his age and looks more like she could be my older sister or cousin than a mistress.

 

Hey. Wait. What's your name?

 

"Ky."

 

My voice still caught in my throat the same way after forty years, after so many lifestyle changes, as I brushed one thumb against Ky's lips, cutting off her rambling. A piece of adolescence, salvaged from the depths after so long: a reminder of who I was, and what I still could be. Down the road a bit, I could hear the waitress from the lemonade stand screaming, Cy asking what was going on and where was Juan Pablo with his beer and his girlfriend. If I listened hard, I could almost hear the sound of Grokk's ego barreling through the streets and back alleys like a giant gorilla, charging through the concrete jungle. A reminder of what I was now, and what I could still become.

 

With Ky.

 

Cheech Marin was right. I had to go for it.

 

I pulled Kynaera into a kiss, absolving her of everything that had ever happened to me, all the pain and agony and blood and tears that had poured from my body in her name and image, holding her by the waist gently and trying to pretend that I hadn't seen the dampness in her eyes, couldn't predict that she was on the verge of crying, trying to act like I wasn't on the verge of losing control of my tear ducts either. At last, the Forty Years Nightmare felt over to me, and I felt Awake, and I felt alive, and I was with Ky again.

 

For a second, something blossomed in the depths of my thoracic cavity, in happiness and sheer relief instead of sadness and a slight fear this time, and this time I could pinpoint exactly what it was: a heart.

 

-Tyler

Edited by Tyler Durden, Dec 31 2012 - 06:30 PM.

[Ilyusha Blokfase]

IC-Nokth:

 

Or so Virin tried. Nokth, who had since moved back to his position, knocked the first aside with the haft of his weapon, before a quick twirl had the point of its long, thick blade pointing for the Toa's neck.

 

"Why do you attack?" he asked quietly, cocking his head in seeming curiosity. "We have done nothing wrong."

[Mr. Peanuts]

IC: Haro woke and immediately felt an urge to gag. The bitingly bitter smell of ammonia had filled his nostrils, shocking him from unconsciousness with its pungent scent. Beneath him stretched pure alabaster sand that eventually fell away to gentling roiling foam and green water. Around his field of vision were several tall and verdant-topped trees, a copse forming the boundary of a clearing meters from his body in all directions. There was no sound but for the far-off whooshing of the tide and a light breeze flowing through the trees. For a second, he might have been able to pretend that there was no horrid odor of smelling salts and imagine that this was paradise on Mata Nui. It was a pristine sanctuary without spoilage by man or Makuta.

 

Then a cough resounded in the clearing. And the ammonia's sting renewed.

 

"Rise, matoran," Ta's soft rasp slipped into his ears. "Do you yet possess an idea of why you are to die?"

Edited by Norman Efiks, Dec 31 2012 - 01:22 PM.

[CAPUA]

IC: Virin

 

Virin's eyes narrowed at the serpent-like being that had stopped him from striking down Ketan. For a few seconds, his mind wandered off as he wondered what kind of creature this was. It could apparently talk so it wasn't an unintelligible beast at least. Perhaps it was a snake that simply learned to walk? Ga-Koro had become stranger from the Ga-Koro that he remembered in his childhood. Now snakes walked and wielded swords... Even though he was interested in what this creature was, his rage hadn't simply dissapeared or been calmed. No, it had only intensified, because this creature was in his way. The blade pointed at his neck meant he couldn't make any dangerous moves without his throat being nearly slit by this... thing, he wasn't sure what to call it. For now, it would be called the thing.

 

While the sword was an obstacle, Virin was a Toa. He reached and accessed some of his elemental powers. He wasn't going to do anything big or particularly explosive, just something to get the sword away from him. He poured out the elemental energy that he had gathered from his feet, towards the ground. Water rushed out from his feet and the serpent was sent sliding backwards. Now the ground was muddy and there was at least space between the Toa. This way Virin had room to fight. Before he took this monster's head off it's shoulders, Virin would answer it's question.

 

"You have done something very wrong..." He muttered darkly. "You allowed the Turaga to die under your watch! That is something of honor! Not something that you would understand, thing." He hissed, now twirling his trident in his hand in case the thing tried to leap at him.

[Eduard Bernstein]

IC: (Ga-Koro)

Cylund could not hear. Cylund could not think. For the one time in his entire life, he felt as if there was a huge disturbance in the natural order that a good long drink would not fix.

 

Turaga Nokama was dead.

 

He tried to rise to his feet, understanding as he did so the scale of this calamity. To help him understand said calamity without inadvertently breaking his head apart, he snatched another milkshake from a random bystander, taking a good, long gulp. Now, with his head still intact, he threw a few thoughts toward the aforementioned calamity. Said a brief prayer for Nokama. Considered the sociopolitical problematicism of this whole mess. Finally, he thought, "Mata Nui, but she was so young."

 

And then fainted.

[Ilyusha Blokfase]

IC-Nokth:

 

"One cannot know the mind of all beings, and fate's hand lies in all," Nokth replied, readying his pudao to defend himself, not trusting the obviously-violent Toa before him. "And I am afraid that I am not some mere Rahi, as you seem to think. Call me an Akrainid. Now, I would recommend that you back away, and leave, or help search for that Skakdi, instead of attempting to attack us."

[CAPUA]

IC: Virin

 

Was he mad?

 

Not in that way obviously, Virin was foaming at the mouth with anger at this moment, but was he insane? The words of the serpent were somehow making actual sense to him. He tried to focus on the beast, determining to see if this was some kind of illusion sent at him by the enemy, but it was no illusion. What the 'Akrainid' said was true after all. Even for his failure to defend the Turaga's life, it was not he who had taken it. Virin remembered the exercises that he had learned on the island. The way to control one's anger, Virin took a deep breath in and the cries, the chaos, all of it seemed to vanish. He was at peace. Then he let that breath out and all of it returned. The noise and the violence, but not the emotion. His anger, all of it, had vanished. Now it had been replaced by simply sadness. A great woman had left this world today, murdered by the hands of some monstrous assailant called a Skakdi.

 

"Your words... they ring truth, Akrainid. I still wish to have words with Toa Ketan, though. I will lay down all weapons and intent to harm if you allow me to do this."

[Parugi]

IC: Embok

 

The pain had long since begun, but now Embok barely felt it.  Physical pain he could deal with.  Pain of the body could be ignored.  But pain of the spirit could not be.  Pain of betrayal.  Pain of loss.  The everlasting pain of knowladge.  These were things he couldn't run away from, he could hide from such things.  Despite this, there was always the part of Embok that was detached from the rest.  A part that he used to keep his temper in check, now served as his only way to think.  His thoughts offered no relief from the pain, but allowed him to focus elsewhere.  He couldn't close his eyes without seeing her.  The monstrous form wouldn't leave his mind.  It dominated his conscious thoughts, blanketing everything else in a dark cover of fear.  The fear.  It wouldn't go away.  It left him shaking.  It made him want nothing more than to just curl up and fade away from existance.

 

The only thing he could do was try and cover the images with other thoughts.  But even then, it would always return to his mind's eye.  Gone was his former rage at the Arete's betrayal, replaced with pain.  Hope was long since gone, melting away like ice at the focus of his power.  Hope in his role as Toa.  There were no "heroes" left.  The Arete had painfully proven that to him.  Gone were the days when Toa protected those who could not protect themselves without want or need of repayment.  Replaced with Toa who only worked towards personal gain.  They didn't even deserve the title of "Toa".  Those that weren't in it for themselves were under the sway of Makuta.  And that was no better.  The future of the island as a whole was bleak for the Toa of Plasma.  At that moment, no one could have blamed the once-noble Toa if he gave up then.  If he had severed all ties with his world, leaving him a defeated, broken, shell of a man.

 

But he couldn't.  Not from strength of will, no, his will had long since shattered under the stain of so much.  He endured from fear.  Fear of what would come after.  Fear of what had happened.  Fear of what he had seen.  His entire existance now revolved around fear.  Anthyn's demonic form once again forced its way through his mind, her form of shadows filled with the faint golden glow of lost souls.  She spoke, but it wasn't the the multitude of voices that had assulted him as before, but it was a light musical tone he had heard often.  It was a voice he loved.  A voice he cared for.  A voice he protected.  It was the voice of Nei, bubbly, carefree Ga-Matoran.  His daughter.

 

Behold the monster that will awaken should you ever trespass the foyer I have forbidden you. Say nothing of what you know, live in agony for what you see, or I will rend you and those you share it with from this life until the next.

 

His own fear tormented him even now.  It would not let him rest, just as it would not leave him.

 

The golden-armored Toa of Plasma turned at "Caidea"'s monotone words, no longer standing tall and proud, but bent and defeated.  Broken.  Shattered.  A ghost of the noble Toa that had once occupied the shining armor.  His eyes were empty, soulless and lost, staring distantly at a point only visiable to him.  His weapons now only served to weigh him down, no longer provind the sense of readiness and protection that they had before.  The ice-blue orbs turned their distant gaze upward towards the Toa of Water, focusing on the point behind him.  There was a moment of silence, a moment that would stretch for as long as Embok lived.  His voice was gone, torn away like his hope.  Eventually, the Toa of Plasma nodded slowly, the movement causing small droplets of a maroon liquid to run down from where his shatter armor was imbedded within his neck.  He could vaguely tell that it hurt.

 

But not as much as the other pain he felt.

 

IC - Decaia - Ga-Koro: Before Decaia stood the epitome of the term 'shattered soul.' All life within the Toa of Plasma was gone, stolen away by Anthyn's actions, by the events that had unfolded moments ago, by the tragedy that had struck Ga-Koro within the very hut that Decaia now stood by. The sight of Embok's face, his blood-stained armor, those powerless eyes that seemed as if they could see directly into Decaia's soul...

 

For a minute there, the Toa felt as if he was back at Seyza's execution. He found that he could not move, too disturbed by the sight before him, his body frozen in place. After a while, however, he shook his head, forcing his feet to carry him past Embok, gesturing ever-so-slightly for the Toa of Plasma to follow him.

 

"Anthyn... Truly a monster..." he said quietly, shaking his head with a sigh. "No matter... Come; that wound requires healing..."

 

Leading the way through the back alleys, Decaia was not moving in the direction of the nearest hospital. Instead, he was going toward a temple, though he did not appear to be consciously aware of where he was going, being too caught up in his thoughts to watch the path he walked.

 

This was supposed to be a time for revenge, he thought, glancing up at the starry sky. Why, then, does it feel so... pointless?

[Ilyusha Blokfase]

IC-Nokth:

 

Nokth looked warily to Virin, even as he stepped to the side, pulling his pudao up to a simple resting position-though it was one that an attack could spring from, like the resting serpent. The meaning of the posture was obvious-do anything stupid, and you have a sword in your neck.

 

Nokth must have been speaking to Wrath lately.

[Draezeth]

IC: Naro
The smelling salts did little to worsen the condition of his stomach. As soon as he awoke, he retched again, only bringing up saliva, and sending more blood to his head, which now pounded loudly in his ears.

He heard the question and turned to see Wrath. Ordinarily he would have quaked with fear, but his mind was such a jumbled mess that he couldn't make sense of the emotion.

His muddled mind attempted to produce a valid answer to the question. "B-becauzzzzze Iiiii'm squeamish?" The image of the Toa vomiting blood entered amidst the images flashing through his head. His stomach clenched again and he gripped his head, massaging his temples in an attempt to stop them from pounding.

Edited by Draezeth, Dec 31 2012 - 03:38 PM.

[Mr. Peanuts]

IC: "I dictated that you rise, matoran," Wrath whispered. He stood with arms crossed and kanohi at its most impassive. "Do so with all available haste."

 

His eyes flitted to the vomited saliva. "You are not to die for sensitivity to violence. You may make another guess."

Edited by Norman Efiks, Dec 31 2012 - 03:52 PM.

[Constructman: Black Knight]

IC: Titrunia

"Why aren't we going? Why are we just standing here?"

[Legolover-361]

IC: Kynaera
Midday
Ga-Koro

Kynaera's first instinct was to squirm in Dorian's grip. Compromised! her assassin's instinct cried. Escape!

Her next instinct, from a source far deeper than muscle memory, was to wrap her arms around Dorian and pull him closer, returning the kiss and forcing her eyes shut to dam the tears hiding behind her eyelids. Droplets slipped out anyway, but she didn't care.

For seventeen and one-half long, blissful seconds, the outside world was of no consequence to her. She could feel Dorian's heart beating in tandem with hers; she was alive, he was alive, and that was all that mattered.

She felt... warm.

An odd feeling for her, considering she normally shut herself in her room in a lonely house on the outskirts of town, her books the most comfort she had. Her cousin was a rich man, but he wasn't very sociable. Maybe he still held a grudge over being forced to look after Kynaera.

Her footsteps through the art gallery were unsteady. She had to navigate between Toa taller and more distinguished than she, opining in nebulous rhetoric about the emotional qualities of this painting or the metaphor intended in that one. Every now and again she would come to a halt and examine a painting, only to be approached by a gentleman asking her about something nearly unintelligible -- e.g. how the color gradient of yellow to orange-red rather than yellow to red affected the perspective from which the blocks of color were viewed, and how that perspective altered the emotional qualities of the piece -- after which she would respond, "I just appreciate the artistry," and move on.

Eventually she reached the amateur side of the exhibit. Abstract art gave way to more practical renderings of meadows, rivers, and sunsets. The refined connoisseurs of earlier were conspicuously absent, and so Kynaera found herself spending long minutes admiring each piece of artwork in turn.

As she paused before a painting of a couple embracing in rain pouring onto a cobblestone road, a voice spoke behind her.

"What do you think of the shading?"

Kynaera turned. The Toa of Iron nearly leaning over her shoulder retreated a step. "I mean, I think it's a little dull -- see, it's rather flat if you view it from a distance -- but I didn't want to go for a three-D effect, either, because it's meant to be admired from close up, y'know?"

"We-e-ell..." Kynaera turned back to the painting in thought. Paused. Those bright eyes... "Hey, wait, aren't you that pianist from the party a few weeks back?" Kynaera queried, turning back around and examining the young Toa's face.

He glanced at his feet. "Uh -- oh, right, that party. Yeah."

"You're that pianist, right--?"

"Dor," said the Toa, perking up again. "Dorian, technically."

"Do you remember me--"

"Ky, right?"

"Yeah. Kynaera, technically, but..." Dorian's grin derailed Kynaera's sentence. She couldn't help smiling in return. "...I kinda prefer my nickname. It's shorter and sweeter."

"You have a nice name!"

Dorian's protest widened Kynaera's smile. "Uh -- thanks," she said, and, remembering she was supposed to be polite in a situation like this, quickly added, "I, uh -- well, I, I like your name, too."

Release.

When Dorian pulled his head from Kynaera's, Kynaera felt like she was surfacing in the middle of the ocean. She opened her eyes and blinked, but no more tears came: She had expended them all. She probably looked ridiculous; she kept eye contact with Dorian anyway.

"Dor, I'm sorry, but I should go..."

"We could talk some more over coffee." Dor's perpetual grin grew bashful. "I mean, if you want to..."

"I'd love to."

"Then it's a date."

"A date."

"Yeah, a date."

"One last question." This time Dorian didn't flinch when Kynaera's gaze latched onto his face. "Did you model the people in that painting off anyone in particular?"

"It's a secret."

"A secret?"

"Yeah. Maybe I'll tell you after the coffee date."

The warmth faded; reality pulled Kynaera in for a tighter embrace. "I want to come with you," she said into Dorian's shoulder. "I... don't want to lose you. Not forever."

[Master of Masks]

IC: [Quada]

 

Quada nodded as a waiter came over. "Yep. All the Turaga have been returned to their villages."

 

IC: (Valria)

 

The Turaga had finally been returned home? That meant she could go back to Whenua! She could not wait to see him again, to thank him, for helping her find her past so many months ago. Perhaps things were turning around not just for her, but for everyone!

 

"Maybe things are finally turning around." Valria smiled, she sighed a bit. Kuyre had disappeared, again. She couldn't really fault him for that, it was his nature and she wasn't really worried anymore, whatever he thought he had to do he would do it and then return to her, he always did, he always came back. Valria looked over the menu, she couldn't really decide there were far too many dishes for her to choose and she did not want to strain this Toa's wallet any further than it already would.

[GBV]

IC: Nuurikan

 

Nuurikan went off. He was walking through Ga-Wahi when a vicious Tarakava appeared out of the water. It had a murderous look in its small,beady eyes.

Edited by Great being Velika, Dec 31 2012 - 04:35 PM.

[Draezeth]

IC: Haro

The Matoran's head soon cleared enough for him to struggle to his feet. Apparently his head had been spinning so badly he hadn't heard the command the first time, only the question.

 

Images continued to swirl in his head, but the urgency of the situation seemed to clear it a little. "I... saw... something I shouldn't have..." The Toa was one of the Arete. He had to be in on it. And because the unfortunate Matoran had borne witness to a plot- and success- to murder the Turaga, he had to be silenced. "I swear I won't tell anyone!" he babbled urgently, frantically trying to bargain for his life. "There must be something I can do!" He didn't dare step closer to the Toa. It was already taking him a supermatoran effort to remain standing, and he feared that the slightest thing he did would only serve to further anger the Toa. Already, it seemed that just existing was doing a good job of that. But to his credit, though he wobbled, he wasn't shaking. He felt more desperation than any kind of fear.

 

OOC: This is because I said I was okay with my characters dying, isn't it?

Edited by Draezeth, Dec 31 2012 - 04:57 PM.

[Dallas Winston]

IC: Dorian (Ga-Koro)

 

"Ky a Turaga is dead because of my actions. If you come with me, your life span is exponentially cut down. I've accepted the consequences for my actions: it's about time I received them, but you are not part of any punishment that I'm willing to receive. It's different here - this little charade you have going, this thing with the Daedra that you're part of, you have protection. Stay here, be safe, live your life. For me?"

 

-Tyler

[Legolover-361]

IC: Kynaera
Midday
Ga-Koro

Kynaera bit her lower lip in frustration. That Dorian could be so close now only to disappear from Kynaera's life -- perhaps permanently -- shocked her. But she couldn't cry.

Kynaera had been tempered like steel during her years apart from Dorian. She had learned to trap her emotions like birds in a cage, feeding them the bare minumum sustenance they needed to survive, never letting them fly free. Logic dictated she would survive fine with Dorian absent. Why, then, did her heart ache?

"Do you have to leave now?" she asked, her eyes pleading with him: Please say no. Please don't leave now.

[Dallas Winston]

IC: Dorian (Ga-Koro)

 

The moment of truth. Did I have to leave now? Ga-Koro was in uproar, the party ruined; even now, people would be spreading the news of the Turaga's murder, learning the truth, learning that each of the other Turaga had also been the victim of a horrendous assassination attempt. Eventually, a handful of eyewitness reports would emerge, and Bad Company, along with anyone who helped them, would be taken out and probably lynched or something really cliche and disappointing like that.

 

And then there was Ky.

 

"I have to leave whenever you need me to leave, I guess."

 

-Tyler

[Legolover-361]

IC: Kynaera
Midday
Alleyway, Ga-Koro

Kynaera smiled.

Before Dorian could protest, Kynaera had released her hold on him and pressed a few widgets into his hands. "Find someplace to hide," she ordered, all business again. "Get a room at the inn or something. I have to rejoin my Toa team before anyone gets suspicious, but you should be able to lie low while everyone's running around wondering what happened to Nokama."

She stepped away. Halted her steps. Turned again and, with convinction surprising for the Toa of Gravity who had just cried in Dorian's arms, reeled Dor in for another kiss just as long as the first.

Then she pulled away, eyes glimmering like emeralds, and teleported onto a rooftop.

The crowd milled about like a colony of insects. Kynaera's keen gaze spotted Ketan in the midst of the rush. She teleported to the edge of the crowd nearest him. This time, when she assumed the posture of a hero, she didn't just look the part, she felt like she was actually one of the Toa of old.

Felt like a hero, that is, except for the odd emptiness that returned to her gut. She wasn't hungry, so what was the problem?

She'd talk to Dorian about it later. Maybe tonight.

The crowd allowed Kynaera to proceed surprisingly quickly to Ketan's side. She tapped the Toa of Air on the shoulder. "What happened to the Turaga?"

Edited by Legolover-361, Dec 31 2012 - 05:42 PM.

[ZHX]

IC: [Quada]

 

"I know," he said cheerfully, ordering himself a sushi. "It'll be nice to have Nokama back again."

[Nohiki]

IC: Tohi

 

"I know, I know." Tohi said between irregular breaths. She was still in a shock, but the burning was now gone, and the scars themselves didn't hurt at all, probably because the nerves were damaged just as much as the flesh. "My mask... It can heal..." she said, momentarily stiffing as adrenaline was leaving her body and she started to feel the wear on her legs, "If i were to take it off... it would weaken me... but also allow the air toa to finish much faster. Her call!" she said through her teeth, as her own medical knowledge kicked in and she realized one thing that had to be said: "No painkillers... I could be allergic to local stuff!" she growled, taking Mila's hand and looking back to his eyes, "Now do us all a favor... and chain me to this thing."

[Mr. Peanuts]

OOC: If you hadn't, I would've asked you if you were fine with Haro in specific dying at about this point. A 'no' to that and I'd be currently requesting permission to maim.

 

IC: "There is nothing." Ta shook his head without expression. "Even if I held pity for you, one whose existence I loathe, then I would yet refuse to aid you.

 

"For the way of this world is that of an incognizable machine," He breathed. "It devours its citizens without sense for their greatness nor feeling for their charity. The first toa were annihilated by it and so have all others attempting to follow in their footsteps, relentlessly wiping away dozens of virtuous personages."

 

He paused briefly and locked eyes with the Ga-Matoran. "It is your dull resignation to this fact, your childish and bawling manner as you live alongside that juggernaut, that has brought about my hatred for you, nameless one. You sob without defiance and seek to find escape without conflict."

 

His eyes flared and helm reared. Wrath's cloak swirled about his body as he animated and stood tall, arms crashing to his sides. His pitted gauntlets emerged from the dark cover of fabric to idly uncurl their phalanges before coiling into fists and back again. He stood light on his feet, ready to move. But his limbs did not thicken and his appendages remained without claws. The berserker would not activate his Parakuka.

 

"In your acedia, you abetted the machine in trampling over others."

 

Wrath's fists clenched and stayed in that position at his next words.

 

"In its insensitivity, it will trample over you."

Edited by Norman Efiks, Dec 31 2012 - 08:15 PM.

[Ilyusha Blokfase]

IC-Mila:

 

"Uh, Liara, she says not to use painkillers because she may be allergic," the Toa of Iron said, translating quickly. "But you can borrow her Mask of Healing, if you like. She can't use it on herself, but you can use it on her. Also, as to the last thing you said..." he muttered, transferring his attention back to Tohi.

 

If there was one thing he had learned before, that was that jokes made a great medicine. Because humour was always a good thing, and it could distract others from their pain. At least for a moment.

 

"Don't you think that's a little kinky? I mean, we only just met."

Edited by The Otter, Dec 31 2012 - 06:45 PM.

[Nohiki]

OOC: Heh, didn't see that coming

 

IC: Tohi

 

Tohi wasn't laughing. "If I die here, you're mask is haunted!" the water toa sulked, not really appreciative of that kind of jokes in a situation like this, trying to kill the Fe - Toa with her glare. And with that focus on his face, she saw little patches of red on his cheeks, even on the bronze and maroon mask. Least she could do was to try and repay him in kind: "And don't even pretend you don't like what you see." she smirked and looked away, "Aside from, you know, horrible injuries." She added, trying to make it sound less like whining. She did not let go of his hand though, glad it was there. And hoping that, for the love of Great Spirit, he wouldn't translate the rather private conversation.

Edited by Nohiki, Dec 31 2012 - 07:13 PM.

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: And there, in the span of only a few minutes, tables had been turned, (true) heroes had been killed, hope was flipped into pain and, for a certain Toa of Plasma, life would never be the same again. And all it took was Anthyn's mere hands. Those hands were hands that killed, because with those hands Embok had been slain, even if not in the flesh.

 

Anthyn looked at Embok with her amoral eyes as the disdainful toa stared back with eyes of disbelief. He probably tried to find something beautiful in Anthyn's face, but he could not, now then, not ever. Anthyn didn't look at her hands; she knew she had blood on them. The violence had served its purpose and she had no shame in it.

 

Savina finally returned at that instant, almost as if guided by some miracle. "... Well, I'm back," she said, slightly unnerved at the sight of Embok.

 

Anthyn was mildly surprised at the toa's reappearance. It had been... a long while since they were separated. Anthyn had never actually missed the creature as much as Savina probably missed her, but she still smiled in her artificial way to show some pleasure at the toa's reappearance. "Welcome back, sweet dove," she cooed. It was likely that Savina had even witnessed a portion of the gruesome torture granted to Embok, but as Anthyn had learned, no level of repulsive action could keep Savina from breaking her bond with the vessel of her soul. Anthyn placed her bloodied hand on Savina's shoulder and pressed it lightly to give comfort. "You should tell me about your adventures in a short while. Why don't you stay with me for now?"

 

Decaia had come and spoken to Embok who mutely followed the other Daedra away. Lust could hear Sloth speak of her: "Anthyn... Truly a monster..." She could see him shaking his head as he took Embok away.

 

Her? A monster? No, she was no monster. She was the living, breathing epitome of a sin, no moreso than Decaia himself. And if anything, Ahtyn felt that she had awoken a monster in Embok, too.

 

Nokama was dead and Ketan was facing off against another threat to his dignity. The Skakdi had sauntered off already, never to be seen again, leaving Anthyn with little reason to remain in place. She led Savina away much like Sloth did to Embok. She looked around, however, and took note of something troubling.

 

Gluttony was nowhere to be seen.

 

How curious.

[The Snark Knight]

IC: Liara

Liara set the painkillers back down, muttering something about people telling her how to do her job.

"Tell has that as much as I would love to, her mask won't really work for this job. For a few reasons." As she went about her preparations, she shot Mila a look. "Normally, I would tell you to get a room. If you must flirt, do.it quietly."

[Ilyusha Blokfase]

IC-Mila:

 

Mila simply grinned back, before turning to Liara.

 

"You know, she can understand you, I don't have to relay everything," he told the Toa of Air, chuckling slightly. "Also, she says that I ought to chain her to the bed so that she doesn't squirm too much and muck anything up. Being the presiding surgeon, I figured I should consult you for this."

[The Snark Knight]

IC: Liara

 

The Le-Toa let out a weary sigh, as she finished grabbing all of her supplies. "Whatever she wants, Mila. If she would rather be chained to the bed than have a sedative, that's her call."

[Ilyusha Blokfase]

IC-Mila:

 

"Well, she thinks there's a possibility she might be allergic, so." Mila shrugged. "Seeing as I can tell that she's already made up her mind, I'll just go ahead with it. Ah, one moment..." he shut his eyes, concentrating slightly, and bronzen chains snaked around Tohi's wrists and arms, tying them to the posts of the bed.

 

"Well, this ought to be fun to watch." And by that I mean not at all.

[The Snark Knight]

IC: Liara

 

When Liara stepped up next to the bed, a faint glimmer of rage was visible in her normally kind eyes. That someone would do this to another living being was despicable.

 

"Alright. Before I start, I'm going to walk you both through what I am about to do. Most of these scars are either half healed, or recently reopened. So the first thing I'm going to do is clean the wounds, to prevent a resurgence in infection. The bigger problem is that some of the scars have gangrene. Namely, decomposing flesh still trapped inside. I have to remove it. Once that's done, I can clean and bandage them."

 

"That make sense?"

[Ilyusha Blokfase]

IC-Mila:

 

"So. Everything I mentioned earlier seems to be proven true. Yep, makes sense to me, at least." He turned to Tohi, a concerned look in his eye.

 

"And you, Tohi? I trust you know of that which she speaks?"

[Nohiki]

OOC: Correct me if i'm wrong, but only kanohi nuva allows sharing mask power with someone else By which extension Liara shouldn't have been able to understand a word those two said to each other, but meh...

 

IC: Tohi

"I got pretty much all of it from your diagnosis. Dead flesh, dead flesh, and more dead flesh? Gee thanks for the stunningly comforting words." Tohi beeped angrily, her clenched fist raising in the general direction of Mila's face as far as the chains would allow her, which was close to none. "Just... Get on with it." she said, her breath becoming deep and slow as she expected either the sting of disinfectant or cold metal cutting her open any second now.

[The Snark Knight]

OOC: She didn't understand what was said following Mila's original statement. She just inferred the rest from there. Trust me, she's seen enough of similar behaviors to tell from facial expressions alone.

 

IC: Liara

 

"That sounded like a yes." Liara said, nodding to herself. "I apologize in advance for any pain."

 

She picked up a small scalpel, and slowly pushed the tip into one of the scars. Being scar tissue, there weren't many nerves so the pain wouldn't be too great, but it would sting. She slid the instrument down, following the path of the scar.

[Ilyusha Blokfase]

IC-Mila:

 

"I'm sorry, but I do tell the truth, and generally in a blunt manner," Mila said, watching as Liara proceeded to go about her work, with a sort of morbid curiosity.

 

"I've got no idea why I find this so interesting, but I do."

[Nohiki]

IC: Tohi

 

The chains rattled as Tohi squirmed, though they did the job well and the water toa remained more or less still. By all means, the scars should have been less sensitive than the rest of her, but there was more to it than just the physical part. She expected a cold blade, but got the same burning phantom all over again, although localized to the point of the scalpel. Being less severe than the all out one she suffered a while back, no screams followed. "Interesting, huh? Then why don't you - Ouch! - Lay down on the table yourself? First hand experience." Tohi managed to say before her teeth snapped shut again.

Edited by Nohiki, Dec 31 2012 - 08:34 PM.

[Draezeth]

IC: Haro
The Matoran's eyes widened. He realized there was no way he could fight or run his way out of this situation, and negotiating was out of the question. Even though his mind was cleared, he wondered if he might be hallucinating now. He'd never imagined the Arete could be so merciless. He was sure they had a reason for killing Nokama. It was simply too grand a murder for it not to.

But this was simply senseless. Because he had shed some tears? Because he had vomited? No. Despite the Toa's grandiose words, it seemed the bottom line was that he was going to be killed... For the lulz. He couldn't imagine why he ever trusted any of them, now.

He would have been angry if he wasn't so terrified. His mind raced, desperately grasping for a last string of hope.

All that came up was a question. Clearing his throat, and trying to clear as much of the fear out of his face as he could, he spoke, "Please, answer one question before I die..."

[Mr. Peanuts]

IC: "Precisely one question shall be answered and no more." Ta knelt before the matoran in a gesture of grudging oath. "Hold to your word."

Edited by Norman Efiks, Dec 31 2012 - 10:34 PM.

[Ilyusha Blokfase]

IC-Mila:

 

"I'm afraid I've got my own experience with Liara here," Mila said, with a small grin. "When she decided to rip a knife out of my arm and stitch me up without any painkillers. Like I mentioned earlier." He stopped for a moment, shooting a glare to the Toa of Air.

 

"Which was not voluntary, I might add."

[The Snark Knight]

IC: Liara

 

"You were delirious from blood loss on the beach." Liara replied, without looking up. Now that she'd opened up the first scar, she was using the flat of the blade to remove the decayed flesh. Once it was out, it should start to heal more smoothly. "If I had waited for permission, it would have been from your ghost."