23906 replies to this topic

[Silvan Haven]

Lenat- Ga-koro

 

IC: The Vortixx pointed to another building, "We could try the Marine HQ. They should know where to find the Toa Arete."

 

OOC: Yes, that is what bunnying means.

[Voutok S'Tythe (Ray)]

IC: Voutok; Ga-Koro Square

Voutok, who had his eyes shut tight and his hand on his face in a frustrated expression after his last line, suddenly froze and widened his eyes, looking in the direction Lenat pointed.

"Oh yeah...the Marines...Ga-Koro's OTHER organization designed to protect the Koro...why didn't I think about that?" Voutok straightened his composure, then started walking through the now-not-as-hectic crowds. Having the much-taller-Vortixx Lenat following behind him helped a little at that; most Matoran would typically give the extra space for a figure much taller than themselves, which all but made the traffic clear for the two of them. As he got a couple yards from the building, however, he noticed a Marine [OOC: Firion] standing aways in the crowd, watching two Toa having what looked like a heated conversation. He decided to turn around and figured it would be easier to just ask this one since it's there instead of having to enter the Marines HQ, which would likely be swarmed with half-panicked matoran pleading for safety.

"Hey!" Voutok called to the Marine "You a Marine? I'd like a word with you. I'm kinda new here, you could say, and I have a few questions about these 'Toa Arete' I've heard about."

[OOC: There you go, Capua?]

Edited by Voutok S'Tythe (Ray), Jan 04 2013 - 03:15 PM.

[Legolover-361]

IC: Kynaera
Early afternoon
Restaurant balcony, Ga-Koro

Kynaera didn't remove her hand from Dorian's touch. She did, however, nudge the tray back to him.

"I meant what I said," she said. "I'm not that hungry."

Dor's grin widened again. "Are you really gonna run the risk of me totaling this physique with a full sandwich? A single bite can make all the difference, Ky..."

"Then why'd you order it?"

He shrugged innocently. "Because sometimes, the 1 percent of my heart that isn't candy coated with narcissism and sexy starts to flutter when it's in such close proximity to the girl of my dreams and I make stupid decisions that could affect me adversely."

Ky didn't even blink. "That's not a valid excuse."

"It sounds valid to me; I can live with it."

The waitress chose this questionably opportune time to return to the table and give Kynaera her Dermis sandwich. Kynaera's eyes followed her back to the kitchen before she turned to her sandwich and took a bite. Swallowed. "A little bland. Did you get a hotel room yet?"

OOC: Dorian's dialogue provided by Tyler.

Edited by Legolover-361, Jan 04 2013 - 03:41 PM.

[CAPUA]

IC (Ketan)

 

"Then speak now, and be quick about it," Ketan said sharply, which was uncharacteristic for the Toa of Air, but one could forgive him, seeing the events that had just transpired. There was little time for idle talk. 

 

He turned for a moment as Kyanera tapped him on the shoulder, inquiring into the situation.

 

"The Turaga has been assassinated," he replied. "We need to establish order."

 

The village, even without orders or leadership, was beginning to understand the calamity that had befallen, and was beginning to take action. A stampede of concerned and crying villagers made their way to Nokama's hut, where they were being held at bay by Kynaera, who had obeyed Ketan and now shouted over their weeping and asked them to remain calm, swearing by the Great Spirit that they would find the killer and punish him.

 

Some Matoran fainted and fell to the ground, the news of their Turaga's death simply too much to handle. Others attempted to get past Kynaera to see their dead leader; Dico and several Marines joined her to form a wall before the entrance to the hut. No one was allowed in, except for a Marine doctor who emerged after only a few minutes, her mask stricken and tear-stained, to declare the Turaga dead being recovery. This initiated a new wave of wails and tears.

 

Some were already taking matters into their own hands. A crowd of armed beings began to spill out of Ga-Koro's front gate, bristling with swords and spears and crying vengeance on the Skakdi who had narrowly escaped their wrath. They spread out, searching the jungle and the beach and combing every inch of ground, looking for the murderer.

 

 

OOC: Apologies Eyru, I didn't mean to make you wait so long for a reply. I didn't see this post, but again, apologies.

 

IC: Virin looked around to see a village in chaos, villagers grabbing weapons and demanding to take up action against the Skakdi who had murdered the Turaga. His eyes widened as he understood the unfortunate gravity of this situation. While he had earlier wanted to tear Ketan's head off for failing to protect the Turaga, he did see what the priority was right now. It was his job as a Toa, as a hero to help the civilians in comforting their feelings. He wasn’t helping anything by taking his rage out on Ketan and with that, the last of his anger seemingly vanished from his mind.

 

“It is not important. How can I help in controlling the situation?” He asked Ketan.

 

IC: Firion shook his head. It appeared that Virin wasn’t going to try and fight Ketan like his actions had implied earlier. He had somehow managed to calm down which was good for the both of them. He was about to go over and assist Virin in some way when a voice called to him. “Hey!” Someone shouted over to him. They were lucky that he could even hear them over all of the cries of the panicked Ga-Matoran. A Matoran approached Firion, most likely of the Sound tribe, although Firion hadn’t seen many of them before. He raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. He most likely was just another frightened Matoran who wanted some reassurance that everything was going to be all right. “How can I help?” Firion asked with a smile on his face. It was a bright and warm one that he hoped would comfort the Matoran.

 

"You a Marine? I'd like a word with you. I'm kinda new here, you could say, and I have a few questions about these 'Toa Arete' I've heard about."

 

This only caused Firion to frown. Not exactly what he had been expecting. “Walk with me.” He told the De-Matoran, taking notice of his Vortixx companion. He watched the being with uneasy eyes, mainly because he had never seen one before in fact. He just kept on eyeing and it making sure that it wasn’t going to make any fast moves. For all he knew, the Vortixx could’ve been the one who had secretly murdered the Turaga. Together, the three of them walked away from the chaos in the plaza and into a shadowy dark alley. It was safer here ironically, even though one could be cornered in this place and there wasn’t much room to escape, he didn’t really expect either one of them to attack.

 

“All right… What are your questions?” He asked.

[Varren Rehn]

IC: Dalia:

 

Dalia, who was still at Casa Jurturna, watched the proceedings from within the house with mild interest. It seemed like it would be a interesting day after all.

[Dallas Winston]

IC: Dorian (Restaurant, Ga-Koro)

 

"Man, Ky, you are brave. You didn't even check that thing for spit or anything, you just..."

 

A stern look up from the Dermis sandwich sliced my joke in two and let it thud, dead, against the table; I picked up my own sandwich and took a bite, savoring the rich flavors of grilled tomato and melted mozzarella combined with basil and marinated ciabatta bread. I took a couple seconds to chew, letting the slightly spicy, but soothing, flavor of the sandwich wash around. I took a sip of coffee and then met Ky's stare head-on, sighing.

 

"Yes, Ky, I got us a hotel room," I purred with a wink. "One bed, king size. Rawr."

 

-Tyler

[Voutok S'Tythe (Ray)]

IC: Voutok [Dark Alley Away From Ga-Koro Square]

The very fact that the Marine led him away from the square before asking what his question was made thoughts rush into his mind.

Is there something about the Arete that shouldn't be sharred publicly? Are they supposed to be secret about some of their information? No, no, can't be, otherwise the Marine would have said "Sorry, can't disclose that" or something along those lines. Maybe...maybe their motives are questionable? Maybe...

By the time Voutok's mental rhetorical questions were asked, he, the Marine, and Lenat ended up in an alley. He wasn't nervous about it, though. For one, he felt confident he could hold his own if he attacked, and second he had caught the Marine's wary glances at Lenat. Initially, Voutok thought of outright telling him the Vortixx meant no harm...but then he decided that information would wait until he had the information he felt he'd need.

"Hm...well, at first" Voutok replied, "I was just going to ask where the Arete's HQ would be, as I wish to join the company that I assumed they would be sending to seek out the Turaga's assassin. But since you went to the extra effort of relocating us to a more secure location before even addressing us..."

Voutok causally glanced around and above the alley, verifying to the best of his knowledge that it was secure.

"I must begin by asking why the secrecy in the first place? Is there something...questionable about the Toa Arete?"

[GBV]

IC: Nuurikan

 

Nuurikan had finally realized himself. The tale of the Toa and them not returning, him finding the way to Mata Nui, it was his destiny to wake the Great Spirit, or more likely, die trying. The old Turaga then walked away from the beach a wiser man. He decided to return to Ga-Koro for the time Being.

[Master of Masks]

IC: (Valria)

 

Valria ordered a platter of sushi, freshly caught and prepared soon after. However rather than given a standard fork and knife like a regular meal her platter came with chopsticks to be exact. When she tried to use them the first time one of them spun out of her hand, clattering against her plate. Sighing the Toa picked up the chopsticks again. The second time only seemed to yield worst results as both of them clattered against her plate.

 

So far her fingers had lacked the proper dexterity to hold the chopsticks, let alone use them properly. It was frustrating to say the least. So many times it had occurred and the Toa of Gravity found herself getting red in the face. Both out of frustration and embarrassment. She tried one more time, if she could properly handle a pair of chopsticks, how was she supposed to handle anything else, or fight enemies? Inwardly Valria laughed at how utterly ridiculously she was behaving, but a small part of her wanted to continue. So she picked up the chopsticks again and she didn't shake, she didn't fumble. The violet and obsidian Toa picked up a piece, a small smile cross her lips as she chewed. It was victory, albeit, but a victory to her nonetheless. Bit by bit she would get better, even if seemed to be happening slowly.

[Constructman: Black Knight]

IC: Sur

Sur, who had also ordered sushi, was having no trouble eating her meal. Picking up the sushi with expert dexterity, she effortlessly popped them into her mouth. However, a small part of her was griping about why she had to choose sushi to eat when she could have ordered something more filling. "Besides," the voice said in her head. "Raw fish, if not prepared correctly, can give you intestinal worms." "I now, I know," Sur thought and brushing those thoughts aside, she continued eating.

[Legolover-361]

IC: Kynaera
Early afternoon
Restaurant balcony, Ga-Koro

"You mean you got yourself a hotel room. I still have a hut courtesy of the Toa Arete's adoring fanbase." She lifted her sandwich to her mouth, shot a reproaching, emerald glance over the top slice of bread at Dorian, and took another bite. Still dry. She chewed halfheartedly and swallowed. "You won't be lonely without anyone to hog the covers, will you?"

[Dallas Winston]

IC: Dorian (Restaurant, Ga-Koro)

 

An internal freeze. A subtle tightening of the tendons and muscles in my arms, frozen with a piece of bread halfway to my mouth. A small drip of olive oil runs south down the crust, drips. Plop; olive oil rejoins olive oil.

 

Don't let her see the crack in your heart as she takes a bite of her sandwich, unaware of the gravity of what was just tossed at you so nonchalantly. As if she could know.

 

"I'm always lonely."

 

No, no, no, wrong thing to say. Ladies and gentlemen of the HMS Dorian, this is your captain. Don life preservers, bring paper bags for hyperventilation. Kiss your families, hug them close. Pray.

 

We're going down fast. There's an iceberg right in front of us, and there's no way around it.

 

"Err...I mean...you know what, yeah. That's exactly what I mean," I continued quietly, taking a bite of bread; the olive oil's normally rich, thick texture tasted heavy and burned at my throat, like lantern oil. I took no pleasure as I chewed the bread and swallowed, my eyes leaving Ky's and turning to the bayside view.

 

-Tyler

Edited by Tyler Durden, Jan 04 2013 - 06:07 PM.

[Half a Cup of EW]

IC: Virin looked around to see a village in chaos, villagers grabbing weapons and demanding to take up action against the Skakdi who had murdered the Turaga. His eyes widened as he understood the unfortunate gravity of this situation. While he had earlier wanted to tear Ketan's head off for failing to protect the Turaga, he did see what the priority was right now. It was his job as a Toa, as a hero to help the civilians in comforting their feelings. He wasn’t helping anything by taking his rage out on Ketan and with that, the last of his anger seemingly vanished from his mind.

 

“It is not important. How can I help in controlling the situation?” He asked Ketan.

 

 

IC (Ketan)

 

"Keep the villagers under control," Ketan replied. "Get them back to their homes so we can deal with this crisis. I authorize you to use force if necessary."

 

Fortunately, the Marines and the other Toa Arete already had the job halfway done. The crowd was dispersing, and the shouts of anger and revenge had mostly faded, leaving tears and wails of sorrow. The villagers were slowly returning to their homes, crying and swearing revenge on the Skakdi who taken their leader and their hope from them, on the very night she had returned, no less. The night sky, full of fireworks only moments before, was now clouding over.

 

The skies themselves wept for Nokama.

 

The Toa of Air turned to the nearest Marine. "Get a team here to take care of the Turaga's body. We will have a funeral ,but now is not the time. Also- send a message to all of the high-ranking officials to meet me in the Marine headquarters. We have little time to deal with an immense crisis."

 

The Marine saluted, and jogged off. Ketan left the hut to the care of the Marines, and began walking towards the Marine headquarters. The rain pattered on his mask and armour, but he paid it no mind. If he could have smiled, he would have: the rain was falling with the curtain; Act Two was at its height.

 

This sorrow and anger, it was all part of his plan: this tragedy was but another piece to play in his masterful charade.

 

 

***

 

 

IC (Kaiapo)

 

"Well spoken," the Toa replied, as he finished off the last bite of his meal and wiped his mouth. "You will have many opportunities to prove yourself, I have no doubt, but they will likely remain until we reach the end of our journey."

 

He pushed his chair back, and placed his hands behind his head.

 

"And we still have a ways to go if we wish to make it there anytime soon. How long will it take you to gather your things and make arrangements for your absence?"

Edited by Eyru Bieber, Jan 05 2013 - 12:19 AM.

[ZHX]

IC: [Quada]

 

Quada paused for a moment, putting down his fork next to the clean plate where his meal had formerly been until he had consumed it like a fish does to plankton. If he were to go along with this group, he would have to make sure his house and the like were safe, which should be simple enough, especially when his brother should still be in town.

 

"Maybe about half an hour."

[Half a Cup of EW]

IC (Kaiapo)

 

"That should be no problem," the Toa of Earth said. "Take what time you need; we will be waiting here for you when you are done."

[ZHX]

IC: [Quada]

 

Quada nodded, and paid the bill for the meal before his companions could protest. Saying a quick goodbye, the Toa of Magnetism exited the restaurant and headed off towards his brother's house. He didn't know how long he was to be gone, but if he were to be on a long journey, his brother could keep his house.

 

OOC: Could we time-skip? Because Quada's bro was sorta invented ages ago by V-3 as a generic NPC.

[Half a Cup of EW]

OOC No problem.

 

IC (Kaiapo)

 

It wasn't long before Quada returned, a small pack slung across his shoulders. The team exited the restaurant and walked through the sunny village, which was full of villagers busy celebrating Nokama's return. Before long, they reached the docks, where a friendly Ga-Matoran offered them a one-way trip to the Po-Wahi docks for only thirty widgets. The Toa of Earth paid, and the team filled the boat.

 

The Matoran started the engine, and the boat pulled away from the docks, slicing keenly through the sunlit waves, her nose pointed to Po-Koro.

 

 

OOC Kaiapo and co. to Po-Wahi.

[AlchemistMayCry]

IC: Veros

 

I glanced down at Atonal and sighed. "And where did Skyra go? Let me guess. Far away from here?" I wouldn't be surprised. They always disappear and go off somewhere on the other side of the island. I hate jobs like these. Practically a wild Gukko chase half the time...heh. Wild Gukko chase for the Gukko Force captain. "I'm unsure if we should get moving or not, seeing as we've still yet to do some info-hunting on that Toa that rescued me."

 

IC: Crimeia

 

I swung from a vine, through the forest not far from Ga-Koro. Either it was just the wrong day, or something mucked up my sense of direction, since I was pretty karzing sure I was lost. Maybe it was the humidity, playing tricks with my mind. I wasn't sure. I landed on a large branch and took a break from all the swinging and running and jumping, frustrated at the lack of progress. I should know this forest like the back of my hand. I should've been in Ga-Koro by now, getting information. I know he passed through here! At least that's what the rumors say. I stood up and closed my eyes, letting myself feel the forest, my hunter's sense calming me. Focus Crim. You're so close now. You'll catch him. I heard birds chirping, the branches swaying in the wind. I heard other rustling of smaller animals running through the forest floor. Nothing out of the ordinary...

 

And then I heard it. It was faint, but I could tell what it was.

 

Voices. 

 

Not distinct enough to know how many beings, but voices nonetheless. I opened my eyes and grinned. "At last, some luck! This cold lead just got hot." I tree-ran through the canopy, following the direction of the voices until I found the source. I hovered high above the three beings on a branch, engaging my Volitak to keep myself hidden. No idea if these are friendlies, or enemies. Or if it's even him. There was a white Toa of Ice on the forest floor chatting with a light grey Toa of Iron. Another Toa was on the tree just below me. A Toa of Plasma, reddish brown in color with a white poncho and reddish brown Kanohi Kualsi.

 

It had to be him. I leaned for a closer look, moving my feet and accidentally snapping a branch with a loud snap. 

 

Karz.

 

The Toa of Plasma snapped to attention, pulling several knives from his poncho (or at least something hidden under his poncho), and readying the staff in his other hand. This wouldn't end well. 

[ZHX]

IC: [Atonal]

 

Atonal reacted with less speed then his companion, lazily turning around to face where the sound came from. "Oh hey there."

[Kaitholas Cage]

IC: Natalia's bow was aimed at the newcomer in seconds. "Who are you?"

[AlchemistMayCry]

IC: Crimeia

 

Well, so much for the stealth route. I leaped from my not-so-hidey hiding place, de-stealthing as I landed gracefully on the forest floor. I held up my hands. "Just a passing-through hunter who's not looking to start a fight," I replied, glancing at the Toa of Ice and the Toa of Iron. "Since it wouldn't end well for either of us. I'm looking for someone, and I think it might be one of you three."

 

IC: Veros

 

Wait a minute...that voice...it can't be. I dropped down in between Natalia, Atonal, and the newcomer, sheathing my staff and knives. I threw back my hood and stared into her emerald eyes. There was something definitely familiar about this Toa. "Who are you looking for?" I asked slowly, a hand under my poncho on a throwing knife in case of deceit. Those green eyes sparkled. And the Toa of Fire grinned. 

 

"You," she said.

 

I didn't expect to get a very sudden, very big hug from the Toa of Fire. She practically lifted me off my feet. And that's when it hit me.

 

"Crimeia?"

 

What.

[ZHX]

IC: [Atonal]

 

"Ah, young love," said Atonal with a smile.

[AlchemistMayCry]

IC: Veros

 

"First, it's not love. We kinda buried that a while ago," I said, trying to wriggle free of Crimeia's death grip. "Second, Crim, when the karz did you become a Toa? Third, keep hugging me like this and I'm going to snap like a twig."

 

Crimeia thankfully released me and I bent back, cracking it. Ow. "Your hugs were always back-breaking."

 

IC: Crimeia

 

"Not my fault you've got a twig for a spine!" I shot back, smiling wide. I glanced at the Toa of Ice. "And like he said, Mister Toa of Ice or whatever your name is. We're just friends. Good friends. That's all." I glanced back at Veros, my smile fading. "it's a long story about that. Some other time, maybe? But I found you! And that's why I'm here."

[ZHX]

IC: [Atonal]

 

"The universe seems to like coincidences," remarked Atonal. "Veros and I had been talking about people important to us several hours prior."

[AlchemistMayCry]

IC: Crimeia

 

"And he didn't bring me up? Shame on you!" I mock-slapped Veros, who faux-recoiled in mock horror. "Though seeing Veros pick up another couple followers brings me right back. Back to that gang of free-runners we had back home. You were always so magnetic. Funny that you ended up being a Toa of Plasma and not of magnetism. So what's your story, Mister...?"

[ZHX]

IC: [Atonal]

 

"Atonal. I'm a traveller. And amateur musician."

[AlchemistMayCry]

IC: Crimeia

 

"Oho, a musician? Certainly one-ups Mr. Look-At-Me-Climb-To-The-Top-of-the-Guard-Tower-In-60-Seconds-Without-Getting-Caught." I smiled. "What kind of music do you play? And how'd you meet this guy?" I pointed to Veros. "Last time I checked the rumors were saying that he was off in some bar drowning his sorrows."

 

Veros facepalmed. "It was her idea Atonal, not mine. And I made it up in 59 seconds. And still got caught for my trouble." He glared at me. "And I was drinking to forget what had happened, Crim. It didn't help. I still have nightmares."

[ZHX]

IC: [Atonal]

 

"I chanced upon him in Ta-Koro," replied the Toa. "I usually play more classical works."

[AlchemistMayCry]

IC: Crimeia

 

"Ah, a classical man. I like that. Always liked something big and bombastic for a hunt. And so you met him in Ta-Koro, and then according to the rumors, there was something crazy in Ko-Koro..."

 

IC: Veros

 

"And you should stop right there, Crim." I said harshly, but quietly. "Don't reopen old wounds." I turned away from her. Why'd she have to turn up? Why?

[ZHX]

IC: [Atonal]

 

"I shall ... uh ... leave you two to your discussion."

[AlchemistMayCry]

IC: Veros

 

I nodded quietly and started walking away from Atonal and Natalia. Crimeia followed me silently, obviously stunned by my words. We walked for several minutes in silence before reaching a clearing not too far away from the other two. I stopped, but didn't turn to face Crimeia. "You never did tell me when you became a Toa. Or why you were looking for me," I said quietly, turning to face her, trying to smile. "If anything, it is good to see you again, Crim."

 

IC: Crimeia

 

"It wasn't too long ago," I responded lightly. "I had the chance. And I took it." She shifted on her feet. "And I wanted to find you to ask you the truth. Did you really go rogue? Did you really throw the Toa Code aside?" Please not be true. Please not be true. 

 

IC: Veros

 

I sighed, and nodded silently. "For a brief moment, yes. The Code was...optional, to me. But even I had standards. I fell in with the wrong crowd. A gang of ruthless bounty hunters. Mix of Skakdi, Vortixx, and a couple Toa. Decent work. Decent pay. At least for the first couple jobs. And then...then they were hired to plunder a village, burn it, and kill any inhabitants not killed by the fire." I dropped to my knees, practically begging Crimeia. "I don't expect you to believe me, but I did not join them for that. That was the line I wouldn't cross. And I paid for it. I managed to kill their leader, I think his name was Fuse. I had to. To stop them. But it didn't. They beat me senseless. And tied me too a tree. They said they'd be back to finish me when they were done." Tears were rolling down my face.

 

"And then they razed the village. Without pity, without remorse. And all I could do was watch, to hear the screams and sounds of death. And then they came for me. I was resigned to my fate. Ready to die. But then I decided that if I was going to die, I would make sure they burned in the flames of karzahni with me."

 

IC: Crimeia

 

I dropped down to Veros and hugged him tight. "You killed them?"

 

"I had to," he replied softly. "I knew all their strengths and weaknesses. It was quick. When I was done, I burned their bodies. But yet I still lived. And so I knew I had to die to atone for what I had done. I went into the forest for days, without food or water or anything else to find a rahi that could end me. And I got it. A muaka."

 

I hugged him tighter. "But you lived. How?" I...I never knew. 

 

"Some soul found me near death. Brought me back to Ta-Koro. I was nursed to health. By the time I awoke, they had gone. And since then, I've tried so hard to stay to the Code. But even as I tried..." He started sobbing. "You heard about that business in Ko-Koro?"

 

"Some rumors. A Matoran died. That...that wasn't you who killed her?!"

 

IC: Veros

 

I pulled out Lara's mask fragment. "I tried to save her. I couldn't. She was right there. Barely in my hands." Crimeia took the fragment and held it briefly before returning it. "So that's why you were here," she said quietly. "To return her body to her family?"

 

"It wasn't much of a funeral. It was more of "thanks for nothing, get the karz out of my house"." I looked at Crim, wiping aside tears. "I'm tired, Crim, I'm tired of not being able to save anyone."

[ZHX]

IC: [Atonal] "So ... how did you meet up with Veros?" asked Atonal, turning to face Natalia.

[Dallas Winston]

IC: Dorian (Restaurant, Ga-Koro)

 

A slow, but sharp, intake of breath: Ky opened her mouth to apologize, but my concentration was no longer focused on being petty in front of Pride; Toa 'Ketan,' leader of the 'Arete' - I get the reasons for not using the Matoran word for sinner as your team name when you're trying to pass yourself off as virtuous, but really? Arete might be the worst name I've ever heard in my...whatever - was walking away from Nokama's hut, making a beeline for Marine HQ. An idea suddenly festered in my head, coupled with curiosity, a desire to know what this guy's deal was.

 

"We're going mobile," I muttered to the other Toa at the table, nonchalantly tossing eighteen widgets onto the table for lunch as the skies began to drip-drop with the telltale pre-storm raindrops that always followed about five to ten minutes before you got straight hammered with a practical monsoon. The drops felt soothing at first, but as their intensity picked up, and other patrons of the restaurant started to put up umbrellas, it started to become less of nature's massage and more of an annoyance.

 

When I was a kid, my dad used to tell me that when it rained, God was really taking a leak on my head.

 

"Follow my lead."

 

*****

 

Toa Ketan was just as handsome up close, and if you looked at him from the eyes of almost anyone else in this village other than my own, you'd see him as a godsend; here he was, all pretty and witty and gaaaaaaa-reat, walking with the practiced walk of a man who was both kind and hopeful, but weary of the world at the same time: the Toa Daedra's leader looked as though he'd spent a very long time carrying the weight of Ga-Koro solely on his shoulders, and it crossed my mind briefly that maybe not all of that exhaustion was artificial.

 

Whatever pays the bills, I guess.

 

Anyway, Ketan was walking to the Marine HQ, as I told you earlier, and I'll admit that I was curious - but not curious enough to meet him headon. No, I would make him come to me, and luckily enough, I had one of the few tools in the world at my disposal that would help me do that: Pride. We had come down from the restaurant and cut our way through streets and the like until we popped out about forty feet ahead of Ketan. We were plainly visible above the mourning Ga-Matoran, and the streets weren't exactly at their fullest anyway. To Ketan I was just a gorgeous madman, laughing for no reason: that, though, was before I grabbed a certain Toa Daedra by the hand and pulled her out into view with me before pulling her in an embrace and kissing her with passion that was only about 2 percent faked.

 

Ky would have normally never, ever agreed to this, but she must have known that I was obviously curious about Ketan for some reason, because she went along with it with much less abandon than I'd imagined: when she finally pulled away, her eyes were sparkling, a slight smile tugged at her features, and her chest shook with silent laughter. To the Toa of Air watching us from a distance, he would see Pride, normally so stoic, borderline emotionless, so unwilling - or maybe unable -  to connect with anything, in the arms of a demigod, giving herself over to feeling at last.

 

I was banking on his curiosity; I knew he'd be interested in how exactly a random stranger - to him, anyway - could win over Kynaera's heart so quickly after her caustic nature towards most suitors, and I knew he'd have to stop and collect her anyway if he wanted a meeting of the Arete.

 

The tangled web I wove was growing ever-larger by the heartbeat.

 

-Tyler

Edited by Tyler Durden, Jan 05 2013 - 08:15 AM.

[Kaitholas Cage]

IC: "Heard him trying to find someone." Natalia shrugged. "Helping is what I do."

[CAPUA]

IC: Virin exchanged glances with Ketan, Toa of Air, and simply nodded, well aware of what he had to do. He left the Toa to his own devices, heading off into the throng of people to do crowd control. He forced himself over to the center of the mass of blue Ga-Matoran who screamed frantically in panic. Some were still in denial over the Turaga’s death and Virin heard a woman say, “It must be a trick! An illusion by the Makuta! Turaga Nokama cannot possibly be dead!” She exclaimed in distress, while others agreed with her.

 

It was then that Virin slammed his trident now and managed to get most of the Matoran’s attentions for it gleamed in the sun and the three prongs on it looked very menacing.  “Turaga Nokama is indeed dead. The Toa Arete plan to pursue the killer eventually and bring him to justice, but they cannot do it unless they are sure all of you have been returned to your homes safely…” He told the huddled crowd who simply stared at him with wide eyes.

 

“Yeah and who are you?” One of them asked an angry Ga-Matoran who had his fists clenched and a mask that dripped with tears which had burst from his eyes like waterfalls.

 

Virin shook his head. “I am an old Toa, not many of you would probably remember me. I go by the name of Virin and the leader of the Toa Arete, Ketan, has given me the authority to help you people get home. The faster we do that, the more quickly we can find the killer.” He declared. The people grumbled something, but the slowly started to move, mostly because someone with power and a basic idea of what was going on had showed up.  He oversaw the migration of the Matoran, standing over them like a giant. It was then that a little Ga-Matoran girl came over to Virin. He looked down at her with surprise.

 

“Toa Virin! A group already went after the Skakdi! They’re heading past the village gates right now!”

 

Virin frowned. He was unsure of what to say. He had never been good with children. He thought of saying something like, “Everything is going to be all right! The mighty Toa Virin is here to protect all of you!” but that sounded way too cheesy, even inside of his head. So he stared at her and simply told her, “Find your parents little one and stay in your house. Thank you for informing me of this.” He then ended it with an awkward little pat on the head and an uneasy smile that looked somewhat like a psychotic grin. He wasn’t sure whether he had scared the girl or inspired her, for she ran off quickly and never looked back.

 

He shrugged his shoulders and turned to the direction the gates where in. If what the Matoran said was the truth, Virin would need to stop these Matoran before they got themselves hurt. So with that, he took off in the direction, although there was a particularly annoying question that was in the back of his head.

 

Where was Firion?

 

IC: Firion shook his head at the Matoran’s question. “The Arete are the leaders of this village… as a member of the marines, I place my full faith in them.” He told Voutok. Truthfully, Firion was very suspicious of the new leaders. He didn’t exactly why, but something about them just threw him off. He wasn’t about to blab to some newcomer, though. Firion had learned to carefully voice ones opinion and although he felt strongly about them, he wouldn’t just walk around spouting off whatever he thought. “I pulled you away because of the current chaos in the plaza. That way we could talk in a quieter environment.”

 

“The Arete normally hold meetings in the Marine HQ when they’re not in their own huts. I wouldn’t exactly go knocking on the door, though. As you can see, we have quite the situation here.”

[Silvan Haven]

Lenat- Ga-koro

 

IC: Seeing as this looked more like something in Voutok's area of expertise (whatever that was), Lenat sat down on a nearby crate and listened to what the Marine had to say without speaking.

[CAPUA]

IC: Firion nervously reached for his sword as Lenat took a seat on the crate. When he saw that was all he was doing, he quickly calmed his nerves and relaxed, easing his hand away from the sword. Realizing that the Vortixx wasn’t going to do anything, he simply looked him up and down and said, “Excuse me, but what exactly are you? I’ve never really seen you’re species before. Apologies if you’re insulted.”  

[Voutok S'Tythe (Ray)]

IC: Votuok [Alley Near Ga-Koro Square]

"He's a Vortixx." Voutok said before Lenat could speak. "They come from a foreign land away from Mata Nui, apparently, but for whatever the reason they cannot remember how they ended up on this island. They are, however, natural technicians. This one's name is Lenat. He's been accompanying my and helped me get to Ga-Koro in the first place. He designed these..." Voutok pointed to the advanced headsets on his head "to help my heightened De-Matoran hearing become more...controllable, you could say. Now then, so you don't think going directly to the Arete is a good idea?"

"Interesting" Voutok thought to himself, "He seems to be holding back. I won't push him, but at the same time I'm not going to walk away empty-handed. The quickest way I'm going to make myself known--and thus potentially be able to get some answers as to why I ended up here and how--is if I become officially involved in whatever the karz is going on now.

"So this...'situation' going on here, as you worded it. Is there any way I could help? I'm 'quite a listener', being a De-Matoran. And I can hold my own in battle." he motioned to the two bladed kanoka discs on his back. "And most importantly, I have no qualms about danger."

It's not like I have anything to lose if I died... Voutok thought with a mental sigh, not losing his composure.

Edited by Voutok S'Tythe (Ray), Jan 05 2013 - 04:03 PM.

[Baltarc]

IC: The sound of the door crashing in was more than enough to persuade Baruk to look up from his meal.

 

What in-

 

And then Anthyn's voice: "Is Baruk here?"

 

-karzahni.

 

So his suspicions were correct, then: his former colleagues now sought to eliminate him. Baruk, for better or for worse, had been much less involved as of late in the Daedra's activities, and evidently they were more than a little upset over his lack of participation. Whether he had good reason for his withdrawal was of little concern now. The Daedra could not be reasoned with; they were, by their very nature, entirely unforgiving.

 

Baruk swallowed and seized a napkin, wiping the crumbs from his mouth. Silently, he stood, reaching for the seismic pickaxe that rested against the table. His mind flashed back to the day he had won it from that Skakdi - probably insane - down in the Kumu Islets, back when the Daedra were little more than a fantasy in Ketan's mind.

 

Of course, now the Kumu Islets were just a heap of rubble deep beneath the ocean, and the Valkyr demanding to see him in the other room was all too real. Baruk turned toward the kitchen's entryway, weapon in hand.

[ZHX]

IC: [Atonal]

 

Atonal nodded. "I see."