Vezok's Friend

IC: [Ayiwah - Ga-Koro, harbor] .:Hold!:. Kale suddenly found it wasn’t just one Menti staring at him, but several. But then, just as quickly, they stood down again. No words had been spoken but the Toa was sure some form of communication must have taken place. Ayiwiah for her part had her hand raised, ready to call upon her own ability, but she dropped it again - albeit slowly - when she realized the little figure was merely curious. At least for now. “Careful.” she said. Her tone wasn’t unfriendly, but she put a fair amount of her usual authoritative voice into it. “You should heed your companion. Jumping on strangers is a good way to get hurt - especially on a day like this.” Luckily, the commodore had as little interest in additional confrontation as the Toa standing before her, so to diffuse the tension, she added: “But yes…a lot of us are some shade of blue.” The commodore held out a hand next to her shoulder, for Luten to step on so she wasn’t forced to awkwardly glance down at her pauldron. Although that did allow her to spot Long Dihunai with her peripheral vision. Here was someone from her own side that she would need to get to know better. She had not been part of Yumi’s inner circle before the Ryuu had left Kentoku. And here she was now, almost like a royal advisor. There was a story there. OOC: @Silvan Haven@The UltimoScorp@BULiK

IC: [Kohra - Po-Koro, aboard the Iron Mahi] “A train heist?” the Vortixx asked incredulously, not picking up on the Toa’s efforts to keep his voice down until she saw him wince. She grimaced in turn, then lowered her voice too. “Sorry…What were they moving with this thing that they wanted to steal it? Also…why hesitate to mention it. You said you were trying to help, right?” THUNK “...what was that?” OOC: @Tarn

IC: [Ayiwah - Ga-Koro, harbor] .:A Toa, ma'am. With lightning powers, by the looks of it:. Ayiwah replied to the Rora's question, her ideatalk transmission equally conveying what she had received from Tazera about their would be pirate. Just then, the voice of the newly arrived Toa did indeed carry through the gathered crowd and reached the commodore’s ears. The Menti retainers securing the perimeter did maintain their position, but one of them reached out mentally, asking: .:Ma’am, should we let them through?:. They had all heard the earlier explanation as to what the Fowadi was and who crewed her. So from that standpoint, Ayiwah was willing - but she still hadn’t heard confirmation from Tazera that the situation aboard the Ryuu was resolved. Better not to take any chances, however remote. .:Negative. Stand by, I'm coming over:. Looking at the Ryuu once again and getting an affirming nod from the Dashi watching over the anchor chains keeping the submarine tied to the Yukanna, she turned and walked over to the perimeter, the retainers stepping aside slightly to give her room. Kale noticed that as the Dasaka officer approached, she was taking measure of him, clad in his silver armor and long coat - and that her eyes kept jumping to Luten. “I am commodore Ayiwah. Greetings, Ironshaper Kale and…companion?” she introduced herself, eyes still constantly moving from him to the little pink person on his shoulder. First dragons, now this. Definitely just another day on Mata Nui. She didn’t question her existence of course, she could tell she was real enough. But the way she registered on the mental plane was…odd. Not in any alarming way, just…unusual. She could already picture Yumi’s reaction once she’d hear about it. “What do you wish to talk about?” OOC: @Silvan Haven@The UltimoScorp@Umbraline Yumiwa Going to make use of BZPtime to get a little conversation with Kale and Luten in before Tazera's alert.

IC: [Leah Maru - Ga-Koro markets] [The clouds opened up, rain started falling.] Leah’s head briefly broke the surface a fair distance away, just far enough so her eyes and ears could see and hear the Lesterin’s response. Into the ocean? What an excellent idea. Through the water, the Maru felt the stumbling impact against the hut. Leah seized the opportunity. Her main concern had been to get her opponent out of the village and away from her people in the first place. The waves surged again, but instead of going after the Lesterin directly, they smashed through the lilypads surrounding the hut, cutting it free from the rest of the village. Floating by itself, it rocked on the turbulent waves and started to drift away, out into the bay. OOC: @Goose

IC: [Leah Maru - Ga-Koro markets] Just as expected, the answers were vague, designed to unsettle and keep her guessing - to give his corruption time to further take hold. And it was unsettling - but more because of the familiarity of his words. They reminded her of a dark time and place, deep below the center of the island. There they’d faced down no-one before. The Nothing. She should have expected his return would bring about similar specters of the past. She briefly wondered if that was another form of destiny - to keep fighting the same old battles, just given new forms - forever. Until the fight was taken out of you and you had to pass the torch again… The rotting Lesterin took another step forward, and she retched. It was involuntary, but she managed to force herself to remain upright, and squashed the thoughts of times past and future. Thinking like that was a distraction - perhaps another side effect brought on by this miasma - but regardless, it wouldn’t solve anything right now. She had to stay in the moment. She had to stop the rot first. Stay focused on the waves. Use them. The voice in her mind was her own, but different. Far older and wiser. The connection with her element was still there, still strong. It called to her - from the depths of Naho bay, down past the shallows, out towards the lost reef...and she answered the call. While she continued to hold her staff defensively with one hand and carefully observed her opponent, she brought her free hand close to her heartlight and closed it firmly. And in her mind she heard that voice that both was and wasn't hers recite: From clear waters granted; from unity derived; all are one…or none. In that moment, she became one with the ocean, or it became part of her - and she directed its power inward, letting the deep currents run through her. The miasma was like poison in a well - given time, it would turn it all into toxic sludge. But with enough clear water flowing, it would be diluted into nothing and washed away, just like rinsing a wound. Because the clear water flowed faster than sludge. Clear water nurtured. It soothed. It cleansed. It was the very antithesis to corruption and poison - and the principle of the village of water. It couldn’t fix the damage already done, and the Maru still felt queasy, and her temples throbbed with a headache. But for the moment, the rot could not claw its way deeper into her - and that was a relief already. The Lesterin saw the Toa Maru tilt her head slightly. She still looked unwell - but then he noticed a small smirk play across her lips. “Take care when dealing with nothing - it can destroy you. Now, let’s try this again.” The Toa Maru took another step back - and dropped out of sight. There was a faint splash followed by a moment of calm. And then her voice rang out again, sounding as if it was carried on the sea breeze: “Tell me: What do you know of purity?” The floor beneath the Lesterin’s feet, weakened already by his own power, broke apart suddenly as the ocean erupted up through it, threatening to swallow him. OOC: @Goose Remembered some things like the healing scene in MoL, and the charms/principles from back in MNOG 2 and Arc 1 and ran the resulting idea by @Ghosthands

IC: [Leah Maru - Ga-Koro markets] [The skies above Ga-Koro had darkened unnaturally fast, gray rain clouds condensing to form a low-hanging gray blanket and threatening rain on a day that had thus far been fair. Those who’d been around long enough knew what that meant, but for most of the Dasaka and other newcomers, the Maru’s indirect influence could be a bit of a surprise.] She blinked another drop of fever sweat out of her eye, watching the Lesterin’s aura. There was no deception, so what he was saying was the truth, but there was also no change to his hostile intent whatsoever. “Yeah, you’re practically oozing cooperation.” Great. On top of everything else going on, they now had a walking plague in the Koro. One that took effect at range and seemed to be unaffected by her powers so far. Lesterin weren’t like Toa, that was well known, but this was a truly sinister ability. At least, being unable to turn off the rot meant this one hopefully was operating alone for the most part, whether he was serving Makuta or his own ends. Despite trying to suppress it, she coughed, grimacing. Oozing indeed. The nauseous feeling wouldn’t go away either, so she moved further back up the hut, hopefully getting to a distance where it would stop getting worse. No wonder the Lesterin was willing to talk - every minute spent speaking was another minute his victims…withered. ‘Even if I wanted to’…still just playing for time, aren’t you? It was admittedly an effective tactic. She had seen enough Rahi that would rather wait for ripe fruit to drop off their trees rather than climb up to get them. So when she did ask her questions, she fully expected the answers to be as vague as the haggard one’s other statements thus far, just so that fruit could ripen some more. But she had to ask anyway, even if it played into his hands for now - because she also was playing for time. „Fine, let’s keep this simple then: Who are you? Who do you work for? What do you want?“ She’d definitely have to pay Cael a visit after this, to get checked out, to warn her and to figure out just what this Lesterin’s rotting power was. But for now, with so little to go on, she was increasingly convinced the only way to tackle this issue was at its source. At the same time, it would mean drastically escalating the confrontation and she didn’t want to put anyone else at risk by doing so. Then again, if she waited around too long eventually she’d be incapacitated, too sick or worse to help, leaving others at risk too. She didn’t like how fast she’d been forced into a situation where those appeared to be her only options. Or were they? The thought dropped into her mind alongside the first rain drops from the clouds above. The Maru began to quietly reach for her element again. She called upon the connection to the ocean carrying the village and stretching out to the horizon behind her. The contact was soothing, the water deep, still, clear, pure. She let the feeling flow through her. She concentrated on the rhythm of the incoming waves, steadying her breathing to match it -or did the waves match her ? It helped her to think, to focus through the fever haze and nausea. There was one other question on her mind. But first, she waited for the Lesterin's reply. OOC: @Goose

IC: [Leah Maru - Ga-Koro markets] Unfortunate!? The Toa Maru felt a hot flash of anger. That had been a life and he was pulling faces. What in karz is this guy’s deal… Leah could feel the sweat trickle down her neck and the bile in her throat. Normally she’d have put it up to adrenaline, but this encounter had only just begun and she was feeling hot and queasy - and this suddenly that wasn’t normal. A change this quickly did not go unnoticed…whatever this rot was that was radiating off of the Lesterin, it was affecting her too. Was that what had happened to the Matoran? If so: how? What had he done to her? The cut…it had been the Matoran’s only outward injury. And if that had been his doing…if she’d been in contact with this stuff…had that accelerated her demise? Was it proximity based? He’d pretty much admitted his involvement, but as for actually answering her questions, his replies had been vague, evasive. But why draw the attention of a Maru, admit to a murder and then play coy? Just to enjoy keeping her guessing? Keeping her. Leah’s eyes narrowed with grim resolve and she slightly tilted her head sideways as the realization sunk in: He's playing for time, to keep me nearby. Close. Exposed. Nice try. From one second to the next, the air in the alley was filled with mist. Not quite enough to completely lose sight, but still dense. But unlike natural mist, this cloud was moving fast, swirling around the Lesterin. If whatever he was emitting was airborne, the water droplets in the fog should be able to bind it and clear the air. If it truly was something more sinister and simply corrupted by proximity…well, then she’d have to keep her distance - and work fast. The Toa tensed her legs and then launched herself into a high backflip that landed her atop the nearest hut behind her. But for a second she swayed, struggled to keep her footing as her stomach protested the sudden acceleration with another wave of nausea. But she fought to regain balance. Now Perched on the building, she resumed her defensive posture. “You caused the death of one of my people and I’m not waiting around for another. You’re not gonna find the right person here and you’ve worn out your welcome. Now you’ve got one chance to stand down, quit your rapid composting and start explaining." "If not...you're gonna leave this Koro - one way or another. Whether it's on your feet or on your rear is up to you." OOC: @Goose

IC: [Ayiwah - Ga-Koro, harbor] .:My Rora, the intruder has stood down and should be in custody shortly. The Ryuu’s propulsion systems have been disabled as a precaution. The situation is under control.:. .:Disembarkation of our people is progressing steadily and should be completed soon. Aclaraung the dragon is currently at the great Takea inn.:. .:And a local ship called the ‘Fowadi’ has anchored just outside the harbor, they’re privateer allies of Ga-Koro.:. OOC: @Umbraline Yumiwa

IC: [Leah Maru - Ga-Koro markets] “That why I’ve got a dead Matoran in the street? Wrong place, wrong time, is that it?” There was an edge to her tone now. Part of it was the increasing discomfort of the smell of rot around her, but more than that it was the attitude, the blatant disregard for life on display. She’d seen it before: Heuani, Makuta…the Legacy. As Leah’s mood darkened, so did the clouds above Ga-Koro. The Toa Maru took some controlled steps back to keep her distance, raising her staff so she could easily level it at this…whatever this Lesterin was. And whatever he was doing, it was nasty. She didn’t even need her mask to see his aura was very much hostile. There was something foul in the air around him, more than the stench. Her widgets were still on poison, but seeing the rotten visage looking back at her, she started to consider Tryna users and just good old fashioned corruption by Makuta*. She reached out with her element, calling upon the moisture in the air around them. It wasn’t visible, but it was there. If his miasma got any worse, she had something prepared to hopefully clear the air. (*Accept no Substitutes. ) OOC: @Goose

IC: [Leah Maru - Ga-Koro markets] The Toa spun on her feet, staff ready in a defensive posture. A Lesterin? Now that she had not expected. Especially not one like…this. Seemed this one was the source of the smell too. Which was taking its toll: it made her want to gag. But tense as she was, she ignored it - for now. “That’s right.” she replied, guarded. “And you are…not looking very healthy, friend. What’s going on?” OOC: @Goose

IC: [Leah Maru - Ga-Koro markets] This was getting weirder and weirder. Not to mention creepy. The Toa glared at the scene in the alley before her. Leah was familiar with the smell of plant rot, but the intensity of it here caught her off guard. It was difficult for any smell to actually linger long in the sea-breeze dominated air of the village of water. Which reinforced her suspicion that whatever had done this was still close… The decayed matter of the buildings made her think of plantlife control first. But that didn’t fit with what had happened. Poison then, perhaps? It could explain the rot as well as the Matoran’s sudden death. Had a Rahkshi managed to infiltrate the village after all? But then it wouldn’t have been just one Matoran…unless this was a trap, meant to lure in more unsuspecting victims, coming to investigate. Leah’s grip on her staff tightened as she reached out with her element, to detect concentrations of water above sea level. There was the amounts still present in the leaf buildings, but that didn’t compare to the concentrations found in living creatures. Matoran, Rahi, Rahkshi - for all their pistons and protodermis, their organic muscles and organs still contained quite a bit. And even if this kind of water was beyond her command, she could still feel its presence in other beings. If there was someone hiding nearby, she’d find out. OOC: @Goose

IC: [Leah Maru - Ga-Koro harbor] The sound of gunfire did not go unnoticed by the Maru either, but when she noticed that it very much came from the direction of the Fowadi, that Dehkaz seemed unconcerned and that there were no cries of alarm, she decided to carry on. Food…the mention of it made Leah add another item to her ever-growing mental list of things they would need to consider moving forward. Ga-Koro had no trouble providing for itself and exporting to the other Koro according to demand, but now they were adding the population of what…almost two Koro’s worth on top of that? They would have to be careful not to deplete their natural resources to the point they couldn’t recover anymore in the long term. Her mouth became a firm line as she considered the possibility, then she filed the concern away for later and returned to the situation at hand. “All of this could have very easily been our people.” “Yes, and loathe as I am to admit it…it still might be.” she agreed, quietly. It wouldn’t do much good for others to overhear a Toa Maru talking this pessimistically - although she wasn’t. She was merely acutely aware of what they were up against. For a split second, she felt like she was back in Mangaia, facing down the Piraka Hakann and his pet Rahkshi horde. They had lost that day and barely escaped - but at least they got the Piraka and Legacy both back for that by retaking Ko-Koro and sending them running. Still, they were out there…another problem still left unresolved, although seemingly contained - for now. Who knew what they’d get up to with Makuta back from wherever Stannis had sent him. She inhaled deeply, letting the fresh sea air fill her lungs. She held her breath for a moment, centered herself and pushed that grim thought aside too, making room for her usual optimism to return. Sure, things were dire. What else was new? She smirked at the captain. “Buuut…not as long as we have something to say about it. Not if we stand together.” She lifted her chin a little, pointing it in the direction of the anchored Dasaka fleet. “All of us.” She gave that statement a moment too, then continued: “Speaking of working together, and since you mentioned sterling records: You might want to introduce yourself to our guests while you’re here, captain. Your arrival did not go unnoticed by the Dasaka - the Fowadi isn’t exactly what you’d call inconspicuous - although compared to their ships…” “Anyway, I’m not entirely sure they’ll let you talk to their empress immediately - but the commodore should still be around that submersible of theirs -” She paused, head tilted as she picked up on the sudden change in the vibe of the crowd nearby. Matoran and Dashi alike had stopped moving, looking in the generally same direction and murmuring in alarm. Something was up. Her feet already moving, she looked back over her shoulder at Dehkaz: “Sorry, duty calls. Speak to Commodore Ayiwah if you can!” With that, the Maru turned and dove into the crowd, pushing her way through as quickly as possible. — — — As usual, a circle of onlookers had formed. Leah gently forced her way through, then stopped when she saw what had drawn the crowd: A Ga-Matoran, curled up in terrible fashion, lifeless hands still tightly clasped to her chest. Her eyes were open still, staring in silent horror. Leah didn’t know her - but she recognized the face, she’d seen her around the village before on numerous occasions. Now she was dead. The Maru squeezed her own eyes shut for a moment as she knelt beside the body, then lightly ran her fingers over the Matoran’s eyelids, closing them too. Then, without further physical contact, she began to look over the body closely, trying to see if there was any obvious cause of death. But she spotted no lethal injuries - only a cut on the victim’s hand, like the kind one might get from being careless around any number of pieces of fishing equipment omnipresent in the village. A hook, a knife, anything of that sort. Still kneeling, she addressed the crowd. “Anyone see what happened?” After a second, one of the bystanders spoke up: “She came running from thataway and then just…fell.” The Matoran was pointing in the aforementioned direction. Murmurs of agreement from the crowd corroborated that part at least, as did their auras. The Maru considered. Natural causes were of course possible, but the Matoran had been running. And with a face that scared…there must have been something worth running from. “Seized up and…that was it.” the Matoran continued, swallowing hard. Leah stood back up, looking in the indicated direction - roughly towards the markets. “When?” the Maru inquired. “Uh…two, three minutes ago, maybe?” another Matoran commented. Leah’s eyes widened at that. Karz! So whatever had sent her running might still be in the area. She unlimbered her staff from her back with a twirling motion. “Get the Marines - and do NOT touch her. I’ll be right back.” With that, the Maru set off down the path towards the markets. It didn’t take long for her to get to the floating collection of stalls and merchant’s huts. Once there, she slowed her pace down, cautiously looking around to see if there was something or someone out of place here… OOC: @Goose @sunflower

IC: [Ayiwah - Ga-Koro, harbor] The commodore watched the Dashi hurry away, before the officer could inquire where Toroshu Robalta was at the moment. Oh well. She would have to track the Vilda leader down by herself then, once this business aboard the Ryuu was concluded. She was about to contact Tazera, when the noise of gunshots cut through the air. She immediately spun in the direction of the sound - it had come from offshore - while reaching out over the mental plane to get a situation report. .:Anybody got eyes on the source of that?:. The answer was tinged with amusement and could only be from one person based on her ideatalk presence. .:Relax, cuz. Juuust one of the crew of that ship that just arrived showing off a little. Nothing to worry about, the birds didn’t get us.:. Birds? Cuz!? She looked past the Ryuu towards the Panda and the Matoran ironclad ship that had pulled along the royal vessel, sternly enough that if she’d been a Skakdi, she’d have sunk them both with her stare at that moment. .:Understood:. Was her curt reply, although accompanied by a feeling of relief after the momentary alert. As if watching an iStone fall off a table, only to find it landed unscathed. The commodore redirected her attention back to the submarine. .:Koso, status?:. .:Looks like the Lieutenant and that other Toa managed to talk our shipstealer down, ma’am. Hopefully we can get him topside soon.:. .:Glad to hear it. Keep me appraised.:. .:Will do.:. The commodore crossed her arms again, putting one hand to her chin thoughtfully… OOC: @Keeper of Kraata @Ghosthands

IC: [Leah Maru - Ga-Koro harbor] The Maru listened, then nodded. “Hmm, true enough. It will be good to have another group that can respond quickly to threats. As for our guests…” The Toa pursed her lips. “Judging by their boss, the Dasaka warriors are eager to take the fight back to the Rahkshi and retake their home, so they would probably take your offer in a heartbeat. In fact I fully expect they’ll start refitting their own ships. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if you cross paths on the water soon.” “That being said…they literally just got here. I think they’ll need a few days to process at least, take care of their wounded and dead - basically just to adjust to their new reality - but I’ll pass the word. How many crew do you have so far? And what supplies do you need? You can imagine, everything’s in somewhat high demand at the moment.” OOC: @sunflower

IC:[Rhow - The great Takea] The Skakdi took note of the bitterness in the Toa’s voice. She crossed her large arms across her chest and let out a deep breath in the form of a low growl. “Well, that’s the basic facts alright - if you leave out the personal commentary.” “Anyway, dragon-man, this is an inn, so: can I get you something to drink?” IC: [Leah Maru - Ga-Koro harbor] “No, they didn’t.” Leah confirmed. “I can only tell you what I pieced together from the second hand report I got from their commodore the night we learned the Dasaka were coming and the stories I’ve overheard since their arrival: Seems one minute everything was fine, and the next they were neck deep in Rahkshi hordes from out of nowhere - just like the ones Makuta tried to unleash on all the Koro, back in the day. They fought their way out, lost a lot of people just trying to evacuate - and more than a few were left or stayed behind.” The Maru’s expression had notably darkened as she told Dehkaz what she knew. She sighed. "Which is about as bad or worse as it sounds." She figured she didn't need to say the quiet part out loud, she was sure the captain had heard the rumors about Makuta's return too. “So, that’s why they spent the past several weeks at sea with minimal supplies until they reached our shores. Speaking of: What brings you here today? Been a while since the Fowadi visited last.” OOC: @sunflower@otter@Emzee

IC: [Kohra - Po-Koro, aboard the Iron Mahi] There was a flicker of something in Kohra’s eyes as she looked at Datrox dubiously with raised brows. She pushed herself up in her seat with mild discomfort and leaned forward, head tilted inquisitively. “You know…just because I can’t remember thing one about myself doesn’t mean I can’t tell when someone’s avoiding a subject. You sure you don’t wanna talk about it?” The Toa had been kind and helpful so far, so maybe she could return the favor at least somewhat - although she wasn't sure if she was any good at this. At the same time, anything was better than chasing the same questions in circles around her own mind. Okay, so maybe her motivation wasn't entirely selfless - but it was genuine, at least. OOC: @Tarn

IC: [Ayiwah - Ga-Koro, harbor] When the commodore noticed the Dashi’s tears, she took a step forward and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. It wasn’t something she’d normally do, but she wasn’t dealing with one of her sailors here. “Still yourself, Vilda Raiyo.” She gave her a moment to regain her composure. “I know the machines of which you speak. And your idea is an excellent one. We will need all the advantages we can get when we retake our lands.“ Here, the commodore’s eyes became more serious, and she switched to ideatalk. .:But I can not simply send you to Onu-Koro to do this or give you my permission to go without the approval of your Toroshu. The Navy is free of many of our clan and caste laws to operate efficiently - but that has its limits. If I used my authority to go against Robalta’s wishes it might jeopardize the relationship the Navy has with the clans it is supposed to protect. And that is something that must not happen. Especially now.:. .:What I can do is to speak to Toroshu Robalta on your behalf and petition her to release you from your service to the Vilda for the time being. To request you specifically from the mission you are proposing.:. She paused briefly again, to let the words sink in. Then the Menti added: .:But, if you are permitted to leave, I have one condition: Do not go alone. Bring someone along whom you can trust. I would call the people of Mata Nui at large our allies, but this island is far from safe. They have their fair share of evils. So stay vigilant.:. .:Does that sound agreeable?:. OOC: @Keeper of Kraata IC: [Leah Maru - Ga-Koro harbor] “What’s it like being blue anyway?” The Toa Maru flashed Skyra a cheeky smile. “Couldn’t tell ya. Ga-Koro’s just too much fun…Miss Daring.” She pointed her chin at the Dasaka getting into the skiff. “Take good care of our guest.” Then, addressing Karoru: “No worries. You’re in good hands.” The water around the skiff calmed down - in fact, it started moving so the little boat stopped rocking altogether. “Whenever you’re ready - I’ll give you a little push.” Finally, she turned to Dehkaz. “More like a nation’s worth of shipping…these are Karoru’s people - all the ones that managed to flee their homeland when Makuta attacked them. They’re Dasakan refugees.” OOC: @sunflower@Snelly@Lady Takanuva

IC: [Kohra - Po-Koro, aboard the Iron Mahi] As if on cue with Datrox’ warning, the rectangular device suddenly flipped open, revealing it to be some sort of compact crossbow weapon. Surprised, Kohra fumbled and almost dropped it, but caught the gadget again. “...right.” she said meekly, quickly folding the crossbow arms back into their stowed position and pocketing the whole thing. She listened to the Toa hypothezise a bit more, but the prospect of learning more about herself…she knew she needed to, to make sense of it all. But she didn’t feel entirely comfortable with that idea either…then again, that probably was just some sort of anxiety playing a trick on her. She had someone helping her, she wasn’t alone. Yes…this was going to be fine. Right? “So…uh…what happened the last time you took the train? It looks safe enough…I mean as far as I can tell - which apparently I can do quite well somehow?” OOC: @Tarn My goodness, did not realize it has almost been another month already. Sorry!

IC: [Ayiwah - Ga-Koro, harbor] There were a few things the commodore would always took notice of, no matter how much was going on around her. One of them was the sight of approaching sails on the horizon. She took a step to the side to get a clearer view and pulled out her spyglass with routine fluidity, quickly zeroing in on the newcomer vessel. “Toa Leah, what can you tell me about pirates in your waters?” she asked, very much sounding like she was already putting together a strategy for dealing with a potential threat. The Maru moved to the Menti’s side, squinting into the distance. Then her lips curled up into an amused smile as she recognized the ship currently weighing anchor off in the bay due to the amassed Dasaka fleet. “You may relax, commodore.” she assuaged the Dasaka. “That’s the Fowadi. Pirates, insofar that they enjoy their freedom and go wherever, whenever it pleases them. So more yo-ho-ho, less plundering coastal villages. More in it for the vibes, y’know?” Ayiwah dropped the spyglass a little, but only to shoot the Maru a skeptical sideways glance. Leah shrugged. “It’s the truth - “ she started to say, then suddenly glanced up to the tops of the docked ship’s masts. Ayiwah followed her line of sight just in time to catch a glimpse of a green figure soaring past above. Leah chuckled. “-and that is Skyra Daring.” she explained, shaking her head slightly. “Excuse me, I need to make a little...chaos check.” Leah spun around, then hurried off after the Toa of air. Ayiwah was about to take another look at the Fowadi, when she heard someone else call her name. “Commodore Ayiwah?” She turned towards the voice, finding another Dasaka looking at her expectantly. She didn’t recognize the mask or face, but the style was familiar…yes, a Vilda. “Yes?” she replied. Short, true, but her tone was friendly. IC: [Leah Maru - Ga-Koro harbor] It didn’t take long for the Toa to catch up to Skyra. She wasn’t close friends with the Toa of air, but they had crossed paths in the past, during their Gukko Force years. And as a tamer…well, Leah pretty much knew every tame Kahu. Daring was with company now: Dehkaz and one of the many new Dasaka - but this one she’d met. “Oi, Skyra!” the Maru called out jovially. “If I catch Destiny raiding the crab-traps again I swear I’m gonna make you fish for replacements until you’re as blue as me!” She stepped up to the trio. “Cap’n.” she greeted Dehkaz. “Been a while since the Fowadi’s paid Ga-Koro a visit.” “And hello again, Karoru.” she gave the Menti a small smile. “Did you find who you were looking for?” IC: [Rhow - Ga-Koro, The Great Takea] The Skakdi proprietor glanced over her shoulder and down at Daijuno who’d apparently decided to take cover behind her rear. “You okay back there?” Her companion meanwhile seemed to have…hit up a conversation with the scaly one. Yup, just one of those days, just like back home when… Just then, another Dasaka sat down at the bar nearby, trying to pay with some very shiny currency and talking about blacksmithing, but to be fair, with a dragon in the doorway, Rhow only half payed attention. “Yeah, you know what, today it’s fine. But Ta-Koro’s where you wanna be if smithing is your thing. Their old elder decided it was a good idea to set up shop inside a volcano. S’cuse me…” She moved over to where the newly arrived frosty Toa was looking like he was losing his cool a bit. “Nektann’s sack, chill, would ya?” OOC: @Snelly@sunflower@Emzee@Lady Takanuva@Keeper of Kraata

IC: [Kohra - Po-Koro, Dustpool Inn] “No…it’s…I’m sorry…about earlier.” the vortixx managed, grimacing. She did honestly feel bad for snapping at the Toa, since he’d been nothing but helpful. But when she thought back to that instant…she wasn’t sure she’d have stopped if she hadn’t snapped out of it in time. The thought made her wince, another sting of pain in her gut. She focused back on the train, the tech. Apparently something she knew, she just didn’t know how…just like with everything else. “I…I don’t think I ever saw…this train. Pretty sure I didn’t work on it…” she trailed off for a moment, looking out the window at the crowd. But that was an unsettling sight and she picked up her trail of thought again: “I…I see places and…I don’t know them, but…they feel familiar. Somehow…I dunno. It doesn’t make sense to me either.” “But…tech…I think I…” She stopped again, a funny look on her face now. Almost bewildered. Her good hand dropped down and Datrox could see her fiddling with something under her poncho, like she was trying to find something behind her. After a moment, her arm came up again, holding up a somewhat box shaped device. It was about the length of her forearm, with a brace on one end and a horizontal grip mounted underneath it on the other. Above that, were two hinges on either side with what looked like folded leaf-springs. “Had this for as long as I can remember…so…y’know…doesn’t say much but…I couldn’t get it working then. Maybe now, I…” She made a move to reach for the device with her left hand, to turn the thing over with both hands, but as soon as it registered what she was about to do, she stopped, dropping her left hand back before it became visible and dropping the device in her lap. OOC: @Tarn

IC: [Kohra - Po-Koro, Dustpool Inn] It took a few moments before Kohra could answer. She had kept pace well enough leading up to the station, but when faced with the crowd, her pace had slowed considerably. The chaos of voices and bodies all moving at random very much put the amnesiac on edge, to the point where even now, safely in a seat aboard the train, she was almost hugging herself and Datrox could see the glint of perspiration on her face. He noticed she kept glancing out the window every few seconds, with a distant, haunted look in her eyes. He had also noticed that the Vortixx, despite her earlier outburst, had not taken his head off when he had taken her by her hand again unexpectedly. In fact she hadn’t reacted to that at all this time. “No…I don’t think so.” she finally admitted, but then, sounding almost sheepish, she added: “But I…I think I know how it works.” She glanced out the window again. “Not as in ‘it goes station to station’. I mean…I saw the engine and I could tell you about each beam and panel and connecting pin it’s made from…and I don’t know how I know.” OOC: @Tarn

IC: [Kohra - Po-Koro, Dustpool Inn] She watched the Toa leave, trying to process his answer, but found her mind grasping at straws. The acid reflux of frustration started to burn in the back of her throat again as memory kept slipping just out of reach every time she reached for it, thoughts fizzling out into foggy nothing. She was certain she wasn’t new on the island. That much she was certain of. It all seemed familiar to a degree. The when and how were as elusive as the when and how she wound up here, but the feeling of having been here before…it was undeniable. Maybe Datrox was right in his guess - for that’s what it clearly had been. In fact, if the first friendly face she could remember seeing also turned out to belong to someone who could immediately help her, that would be reason to be more than a little suspicious of them. But it made sense, maybe she was just the unfortunate victim of an accident or disease, or indeed malicious intent - someone might have just done this to her. But that was…no. It just didn’t feel right. Victim…she bristled at the thought of accepting that label for herself. It was certainly possible but she refused. And she couldn’t put her fingers on why. This is all like a dream…no, a recurring nightmare… She was in it, unable to wake up and when she tried to exert control - it kept shifting, twisting, denying her a way out and with no clues as to her place in it all. She needed something…a starting point. Something to serve as an anchor for the rest. Her eyes flitted across the table…then to the door. Datrox was gone. Outside. Waiting, right? Another sting in the pit of her stomach at the momentary feeling of abandonment, gone again the instant she realized what it was. Her gaze dropped again, then moved back to herself. Having a moment alone, she hesitatingly began tugging at her poncho. Maybe seeing her…condition, would trigger something. She could feel the sting as the cloth brushed against the dark flesh and its protrusions underneath, making her wince. The renewed pain began to erode her desire to see the appendage again, but she kept going, forcing herself - until she caught the first glimpse of the actual texture of her arm, slick, oily rot flashing in the dimness of what little light she allowed to reach it. Her head was swimming in the full on wave of nausea that overcame her. She could feel her insides clench painfully and she breathed heavily, eyes squeezed shut, singularly focused on keeping the meal she’d just had in place. For a second, it felt like she might succeed…and then the vortixx was on her feet, rushing for the restrooms to spend the next couple of minutes in utter misery and struggling for breath. When she emerged again, she’d tried to clean up again as best she could. The Matoran innkeeper didn’t seem to notice as they were just about to clear the table. “Thought you’d gone.” they commented. “Was about to throw this all out - unless you want the rest to go.” Kohra looked at the half empty plates. This time she managed to get a hold of herself…simply because she had nothing left. She had absolutely no appetite after the ordeal - but she was also painfully aware she couldn’t keep running on empty either. She didn’t trust herself to open her mouth yet, so she just nodded. Yes, please. She emerged a short while later into the dusty street, box in hand. Still shaky and feeling a bit queasy…but she tried her best not to let that show. And she did indeed find the Toa waiting for her outside. She could tell Datrox was having doubts by the way he’d reacted before heading out, but…it had registered that he had said ‘we’. And that meant for the first time in a long time…she wasn’t alone. And she remembered something else he’d mentioned. “So…this train…where does it go?” OOC: @Tarn feel free to get those two to the station/aboard the train =)

IC: [Rhow - Ga-Koro, The Great Takea] The Skakdi took her arms from her side when she noticed the golden being’s trajectory, eyes narrowing, but relaxed when they actually arrived. “Definitely your dragon.” she commented, welcoming the scaly one with a curt nod of her chin. OOC: @otter@~Xemnas~@Rahisaurus@Emzee@Void Emissary@Mel@Krayzikk@Haman Karn: A Magical Girl

IC: [Rhow - Ga-Koro, The Great Takea] “No…” Rhow said, dragging out the monosyllabic word for the entirety of the long breath she let out along with it. “It does not. Most people in her pledge themselves to a tab.” "And there actually dragons outside?" the small-but-fierce Dasaka leaned in, with a notable lilt. With a meaty clap, Rhow brought her palms together, as if to mark the end of a debate she had had within herself. “Y’all know what? How ‘bout we stop pesterin’ every new punter with what is and isn’t out there and see for ourselves?” The Skakdi moved from behind the counter to the end of the seating area that was facing the harbor and grabbed a pulley that had been snuggly hidden, attached to one of the support beams. She rolled her large shoulders once and then began to pull hand over hand. The massive leaf that formed the side of the building rustle and then began to lift. The sea breeze and noise began to flood the room as it was opened up more and more, until the entire side was an unobstructed view of Ga-Koro’s harbor. Fastening the pulley to the pillar again, Rhow took a breath of fresh air, fists resting on her hips. They’d put the feature in some time ago, but with everything else going on, it hadn’t seen use yet. “There we go!” she proclaimed. “Patio seatin’! Still got your Kentoku commotion, I think there some tall golden thing in the crowd across the pier -could be your dragon - and that big crystal ship’s hooked up chain to the sub y’all came in.” OOC: @Emzee@Rahisaurus@~Xemnas~@Mel@Void Emissary

IC: [Kohra - Po-Koro, Dustpool Inn] What’s wrong? Where to start… She absent-mindedly scratched at her obscured left arm again as she contemplated Datrox’ answer. “I…thought maybe some outside perspective could…I dunno.” Sigh The silence hung for another moment, as the Vortixx did take another bite of their meal. “I’m not even sure what the right questions are, never mind the answers.” More tugging at her poncho. It was getting itchy again. Maybe the outburst from earlier? She briefly contemplated just showing the mangled appendage, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Besides, it would only raise more questions. A flash of pain streaked down her spine, but she only acknowledged it with a wince this time. The food had provided a little relief it seemed—for now. “Fine…” she started, as if speaking to someone else or herself instead of the Toa across from her. “Why can’t I remember anything beyond a name? Why can’t I remember who and where I was before I came here and why did I come to —Po-Koro, is it?—why did I come here?” Another wince. This time she did let out a small hiss. “And why does everything hurt…even just the light outside… OOC: @Tarn