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IC: Mitsuri - Oki Village On hearing Ahri's summons, Mitsuri picked up the pace, jogging back the short distance to the village proper. It felt good to be able to move again, a welcome distraction from the turmoil still running through her head. It had taken everything she had to walk away from that place, and she could still feel the paradoxical draw to return there forever, to bury herself in the dirt, but also the repulsion and fear of everything that had happened there, happy memories shattered into painful crystals at a Serpent's touch. She shook her head and focused on the path, on her breathing, on the feel of her muscles stretching and contracting as they worked with her mechanical components to push her onward. It seemed she cut her little excursion pretty close, the others were already loading the villagers onto the boats. But for all the people brought into the village, it was no louder than it had been the day before when it was just the five of them. Everyone moved in eerie silence, a tension in the air as they waited for the Serpents to break through the treeline and attack again. She turned to Raika beside her... and froze, any words dying on her lips. Raika... had not been there a moment ago. But as the Menti faded in beside her, it suddenly clicked that they had followed her all the way through the forest, their footsteps dismissed as just an echo until right at that moment. Before then... Mitsuri wracked her brain to try to think of any other signs of Raika's passing, and came up empty. Last she could remember for sure, Raika had wandered off, promising to watch her back... but of course, she didn't recall that until right at that moment. Had they watched as she grieved, convinced she was alone? The experience was unsettling to say the least. But by the time Mitsuri put together enough to question Raika about it, they were gone, wandering off to help the villagers board. After a moment, Mitsuri followed along while lost in thought, finding an open seat on the larger boat. OOC: @Lady Takanuva @Keeper of Kraata @ARROW404 @The UltimoScorp

IC: Mitsuri - Oki Village Finding herself alone, tired, but with an odd sense of security she hadn't felt in this forest since the attack, Mitsuri knelt at what was once the doorstep she shared with... her, and just let the emotions she'd been holding back run their course. They were unfathomably large, an entire universe worth of agony, and her body a tiny conduit to it, a hairline fracture in a massive dam that could only express so much. But still they forced their way through her in the form of stinging tears and whimpering wails as the morning light became golden. When at last the emotions became bearable again, Mitsuri found herself curled up in the dirt, shuddering, hollow, and tear soaked. After a while longer, she picked herself up and brushed herself off, scoffing bitterly at what little remained of her Vilda pride. It was a few minutes more before she realized she wasn't going back to the beach. She couldn't bring herself to leave now, as if she were tethered to the remains of her former life, to the remains of... her as well. There was this nagging thought that she should bring something with her, but it seemed easier somehow to just let dead things lie. Besides, she had the most precious gifts she had ever received from Heiya, the mask that had preserved her life and would remind her of her love in every reflection, and her tonfas... somewhere. Never let it be said Heiya gave impractical gifts. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen her blades since one of the others took them yesterday. Yoka, was it? Well, she better have taken care of them, or there would be Karz to pay. And that was the thought that finally urged her to snap that tether and leave everything behind her without looking back. OOC: @Lady Takanuva

IC: Mitsuri - Oki Village Outskirts .:If... what was...?:. Mitsuri's exhausted mind was struggling to keep up with Raika, and she didn't even notice them going for their blades. .:Another... mind inside?:. She put a hand to her head. .:Whatever it is, it's fine. It's fine. I just... need a minute.:. OOC: @Lady Takanuva

IC: Mitsuri - Oki Village Outskirts "Raika, no." Mitsuri quickly turned and held the smaller Menti by their shoulders, bending down to their eye level. They tried to look Raika sternly in the eyes before a lash of pain made her flinch and look away. Mitsuri stretched her sore jaw and tried again over their mental link. .:Raika, I would never say such a thing about this. When I was in your mind, I saw... only the last few days, maybe. I saw your thoughts on the others, your fear of trusting us, your feelings for Yuna... but when I pushed further, I hit a wall. You said you opened up everything to me, but this... this was like I ran into your wall all over again. Like you have another mind inside yours that is not as easy to crack. I've never seen anything like it, and I didn't exactly have any time to ask you about it before.:. She was losing control of her emotions the longer she went on, and feelings of pain and unfocused frustration began to leak over their connection. Mitsuri's head drooped as she tried to take a breath and steady herself again, snatching up all those leaking emotions and pulling them back deep inside her. Raika didn't need that right now. .:I... don't know what you've been through...:. she sighed tiredly, .:but I'd like to, if you'd let me.:. OOC: @Lady Takanuva

IC: Mitsuri - Oki Village Outskirts As the minute of silence dragged on, it began to set in how harsh she sounded. Her good eye flicked over to Raika to see her holding just a simple shard of protosteel. .:...bring something with you. That way they're never far. You can let the place go… after a while.:. The wheels turned for just a moment. Then she winced, feeling guilt like a punch to the gut. .:You've... lost someone too, haven't you?:. Mitsuri didn't even realize she was crying until she felt the bitter sting of the tears running into her still-healing wounds. She wished she could brush them away, hide them behind the mask that did so little to cover her broken face. OOC: @Lady Takanuva

IC: Mitsuri - Oki Village Despite everything that had happened here, Mitsuri was just too numb to be surprised at the sudden appearance of Raika. She just continued staring at the ruined hut without really looking at it. .:There is nothing to be done. This isn't something you can just fix. So why are you here?:. OOC: @Lady Takanuva

IC: Mitsuri - Oki Village It was a fitful night of sleep for Mitsuri. Surely there were more comfortable lodgings than coarse sand and itchy vegetation back in the village, but there were also people there, far too many people, far more than the little clan she had only just started to trust anyway. Those few were more like the animals she had cared for all her life; all broken in their own ways, needing her care... and a useful distraction, especially now. Just as caught up in their own survival and oblivious to her deeper feelings, but unlike those animals, she could not vent her emotions to them without consequence. So she would remain silent and distant. Just the ruined Vilda, a ghost on the fringe. She awoke early the next morning, taking a moment to peer at the incredible progress that had been wrought by the villagers overnight. It was only then that it started to sink in: they were leaving, and she might never see their home again. She left before the suns were quite risen, slipping back into the jungle she knew so well, quickly finding the path she had walked countless times. The journey back went much quicker than yesterday; she could feel strength returning to her after weeks of stagnation. And then... she found herself in front of a ruin, and the strength left her. She could not move another step closer. She knew every inch of that ruin, inside and out, and she knew what she would find there, and she wasn't ready to see it again. OOC: @Keeper of Kraata @The UltimoScorp @ARROW404 @Lady Takanuva

IC: Mitsuri - Oki Village Mitsuri tasted blood. As she tried to push herself up, a flare of pain worse than any she had felt before struck her face, and she collapsed again gasping for air. No... she had felt this before, but... couldn't quite... remember. She opened her eyes. Well, tried to, at any rate. Her right eye refused to cooperate, almost as if sealed shut. Her left eye saw something stranger still. She... wasn't home, she was... lying at the base of a tree. She could hear the sounds of waves crashing and industrious workers, but the foliage obscured them from her vision. Her hands felt sore and gritty; from the look of the ground at her feet, she had dragged herself there feverishly. As she stared blankly at the patterns her escape had created in the sand and foliage, threatening to slip back into whatever nothingness had consumed her for... who knew how long really, there was a soft chitter from the tree above her. Mitsuri's eye snapped upward, catching a flash of scarlet that shone with the sickly sheen of an oil slick. Its faceplate opening, acidic venom dripping from its maw as raw terror flowed like ice through her veins. She screamed, uselessly raising her arms above her head as the thing unfurled enormous wings and plunged toward her... It perched by her side, gently nuzzling her shoulder with a crystalline beak. Shinku had sensed her partner's distress and was there, as she always was. Mitsuri blinked away frightened tears and tried to steady her breathing as she gently pet Shinku's familiar, feathery head. Relief broke over her, and Mitsuri descended into choked sobs, curling up tight on the forest floor. It... it may have just been a nightmare, but the memories that inspired it... they were not. OOC: @ARROW404 @Keeper of Kraata @Lady Takanuva @The UltimoScorp

IC: Mitsuri - Oki Village Mitsuri involuntarily took a step backward, eye narrowed. It occurred to her in that moment that she still knew very little about any of her rescuers, nor if they had ulterior motives for rescuing her. Anxiety coursed through her, preparing her limbs, atrophied as they were, to run; purely by habit, she was already reaching out to Shinku to follow her out... Listen Gankonut, you can't let your emotions get the best of you like that. You want to make the most of the situation? Calm down, sit tight, and let them make the first move. The voice unexpectedly bubbled up from her past, knocking the wind out of Mitsuri as effectively as any physical blow could have. She took a quivery breath, and another, opening her good eye that she hadn't consciously squeezed shut to see the fear in Raika's eyes, to realize that that same fear had been seeping into her mind over their connection. And once she realized that, she sealed off that emotion from her own and calmed down as she had been taught. She knew how to deal with that fear in Rahi, the fear that made one feel so trapped and isolated and ready to lash out. She knew with certainty that Raika would not hurt her, they were just scared of whatever past they hid. Mitsuri let a very slight smile spread across her face, and reached out her hand again for Raika to take, an anchor in the storm of emotion. .:I'm willing to offer my help and not my judgement, Raika. But trust has to go both ways, and it begins with an act of faith.:. OOC: @Lady Takanuva

IC: Mitsuri - Oki Village Mitsuri had indeed walked her way back to the coast, a slow process, but she was determined not to keep the others waiting for long. She would not be a burden, not to these people who had already suffered so much and gone out of their way to help her. Even now, she rested to the side, out of the way of the others, making a fresh poultice for her wounds from plants she had gathered on the way. Most of her focus however was within Shinku, spiraling high overhead and keeping an eye on the ship rising from the water, giving sharp calls if it saw the ship growing uneven, but even this was hardly necessary. The Mindarms did masterful work, and soon enough the boat was risen and ready to be repaired. Mitsuri idly watched through Shinku's eyes as the bird perched on the ship's mast, appraising the vessel while her own hands almost automatically applied the poultice. And so when she heard a voice in her mind projected from nearby, she jolted slightly as she yanked her perception back from her companion. Her shoulders quickly relaxed as she recognized Raika, and she tried to offer a sympathetic smile, though she wasn't sure how effective it was given the state of her face, scarred and covered in fresh bandages. On realizing that, she quickly looked away herself. .:I hope you slept well, friend. That is the best thing you can be doing for all of us in these times. You missed very little, at least in terms of what us more... mentally attuned Dasaka can help with. But I was just...:. Mitsuri grunted softly as she started pushing herself up, .:...thinking of checking with the others myself.:. Once she was more or less eye to eye with the shorter Dasaka, Mitsuri caught her shoulder and tried to meet her gaze with a more serious expression, at least for a moment. .:Are you sure you are well, friend? The repairs can wait for a time, your health cannot any longer. I will not pry without your consent again, but please... at least consider my offer of assistance?:. OOC: @Lady Takanuva

IC: Azusai - Ga-Koro She glanced back gratefully to Karoru, both for her steadying grip and her encouraging words. Maybe... she really could do this. She had really gained a taste for nautical navigation over the last few weeks, and the idea that she could do something meaningful with it... while also not starving on a tiny raft, thrilled her. "Thank you, captain. I... w-will try not to disappoint." Her stomach gave an undignified rumble, and Azusai flinched and looked at the ground shyly. As the captain left and the... Toa began to rouse, it was all she could think about. She tried to wait patiently for business to conclude, but Karoru's promise rang in her ears still. Finally, she gave a little tug on Karoru's hand beside her. "Um... c-could we get something to eat... before we head out? You... could see if Miss Skyra would be interested... I'd love to hear more about her." OOC: @Lady Takanuva @Snelly Dinner time!

IC: Mitsuri - Oki Village Outskirts "I'm afraid I won't be much use lifting the boat, but Shinku can keep an eye on things from above or in the smaller crevices." The Sakl bird perked up at mention of its name, and Mitsuri raised her arm, clad in a soft leather glove, for Shinku to swoop down and perch on. She staggered for a moment under the weight of the large bird, but remained steady and almost dignified as Shinku chittered meaningfully in her ear. OOC: @Lady Takanuva@The UltimoScorp@Keeper of Kraata@ARROW404

IC: Mitsuri (Shinku) - Oki Village Outskirts As Yoka pulled the other tonfa from the wall, a small pile of rubble collapsed across the grave, obscuring the name. Shinku gave Yoka a wary look, as if to say, "You better give those back," before fluttering back up to its spot on a beam. With Raika asleep and safe in the arms of Ahri and Yoka, Mitsuri took a breath and pushed herself back up on quivering legs, before staggering slightly to a still standing beam. Getting a chance to stretch was already doing her some good, but a proper meal wouldn't go amiss either. .:Very well, Mashtet Ahri. Please, lead the way to your ship.:. OOC: @Lady Takanuva@The UltimoScorp@Keeper of Kraata@ARROW404

IC: Mitsuri (Shinku) - Oki Village Outskirts .:I see. Thank you for informing me, Mashtet Ahri. I certainly have stumbled into a strange group, but I will endeavor to make things as smooth as I can.:. A strange group indeed. The clan Mashtet had not escaped Mitsuri's notice, nor had the fact that this appeared to be a male from the mysteriously lost clan. The story had fascinated her, though she never had much time to look into it. Perhaps she... Ahri flinched, a hand to his head. .:Are you well, Mashtet?:. she projected softly, trying to ignore his mention of the Fursics. .:I may have little in the way of healing training, but I will offer what I can until...:. Beside her, Raika suddenly collapsed. Mitsuri fell too, more intentionally than it looked, in an attempt to catch her. Kneeling beside Raika, she held up a hand to the others. .:She's fine, don't worry. Poor thing must have been going for days. I think I might have... reminded her of that fact, unintentionally. Please, if you could put together a stretcher, save it for her. A walk may do me some good, but she needs the rest.:. Guilt chewed at the back of Mitsuri's mind, though guilt for what, she wasn't sure. She had only done what she was trained to, soothing and nourishing, almost without even thinking. Even now, her fingers gently brushed Raika's mask like her mother had done when she was feeling ill, her powers projecting a similar superficial feeling of calm into the exhausted Menti. Back in the collapsed hut, Yoka's hand bumped against the flat of a long crystal blade that Shinku was almost fruitlessly tugging at. It was a tonfa, one of a pair, the other seemingly braced against a wall opposite. The pale crystal matched Mitsuri's armor, and it was shot through with veins of wood, elegant as a Mashtet carving, but without their signature imagery. Perhaps even more catching was the hole scratched through the floorboards of the hut between the two blades. In the filthy, broken hut, this one spot was clean, the exposed earth settled and bare except for a name laid out with care in pale crystal: OOC: @Lady Takanuva@The UltimoScorp@Keeper of Kraata@ARROW404

IC: Mitsuri - Oki Village Outskirts Willhammer, such a coarse name for such a delicate process. She preferred to think of her powers as less of a blunt weapon, and more like a delicate massage, easing her way into a mind, proving that she had only good intentions. Her mental fingers gently worked into Raika’s mind, easing the fear like that of a startled animal. Clearly this one needed her so much, she could feel the exhaustion… And so it was a great surprise as walls slammed down on her mental fingers, and she physically recoiled for a moment before getting her bearings again. The conversation had moved along as Mitsuri’s focus was divided, now being redirected out of the mind and into the open air. Well, she wasn't about to speak up unless asked, and they knew perfectly well why. .:I've been here since the... attack. We... I heard screams, but... I couldn't get out before...:. Her focus broke, the distant recollection of events suppressed suddenly becoming all too real again, engulfing her in the same panic she had been fighting back for weeks, letting it leak slightly through her still-open mental connection. It had smashed through the wall like nothing, debris and dust settling on its brown carapace as its piercing red eyes found hers, striking out with a staff that broke from the past and smashed across her face, erupting fresh agony like lava through scars cooled over… She took a deep, shuddering breath, blinked hard, and returned to the present. She was clutching her right cheek hard, and it was only with difficulty that she forced herself to let go. They were looking at her, especially the Iden wearer. That one was getting a little too close for comfort, peering through Mitsuri’s mask at the blood soaked bandages. It was clear why talking pained her, her lips peeked through the bandages covered in scars, gently bleeding again at her exertion. But the scars seemed limited to her head, neck, and chest, shockingly little damage seemed done to the rest of her, at least, nothing quite so severe, aside from the oddly bandaged fingers. She had truly been lucky, those beams that had imprisoned her had also kept her from fatal harm. She was just weak from lack of real food and movement for an extended period. She turned her head down shyly at the scrutiny, finishing her thought with a soft, .:They ruined… everything they touched… no warning, no negotiating… no explanation…:. Her eyes flicked to Raika and she projected a thought just to her. .:My apologies, friend. I am… unused to sentient minds. Minds with emotions… with secrets. I swear I saw nothing… nothing but your fear and exhaustion. I will not intrude again, but… if this is not inappropriate… I would like to help you ease your burden, if you ever feel ready.:. The Sakl bird Shinku had gone unnoticed for a moment, sitting up on its perch above the ruins, looking down on the group as the very image of a monarch beholds their subjects, but as Ikyazu left the rubble, Shinku abruptly swooped down into the hole its master had been extracted from, hopping down to the floor, and fishing about in the rubble there for a moment. There was a sharp sound like crystal ringing as something fell. OOC: @Lady Takanuva@The UltimoScorp@Keeper of Kraata@ARROW404

IC: Azusai - Ga-Koro (Cael's Hut) Her wandering eyes settled on the green Toa, and a bit of a smile peeked across her face. "Ah, you're Miss Daring... Karoru has told me so much about you!" Then the grey Toa kneeled down to her level, and her attention snapped back. "Captain Kyhrilik..." Finding her manners again, Azusai offered a quick bow that almost turned into a stagger into his shoulder. "W-with all due respect... I have... lost my home, and the sea has become the closest thing to a home I have now. And if you can prevent anyone else from suffering the same fate as me, I will do anything I can to ensure that." She started softly and unsure, but her voice gained momentum and conviction by the end, and she knew it was true. OOC: Sorry for the wait, @Krayzikk @Snelly @otter @Lady Takanuva @sunflower

IC: Mitsuri - Oki Village Outskirts She could feel the shy one quivering in her armor by her side, but her voice came through clearly and with impressive surety. Mitsuri's eye met hers through her Volitak's visor for only a brief moment before it was her turn to look away shyly, her Vilda pride trying to hide it in a wince and a turn to the Iden wearer offering a much appreciated drink, but her Vilda training instinctively projected a calming aura to try to ease the stress. .:I appreciate your kindness, travelers... and your conviction.:. She offered a gentle nod toward Raika as her other hand guided the flask to her own lips. She... reminded Mitsuri of someone. Not as brazen perhaps, but the determination, the kindness was there... but she shouldn't think of that now. For the first time, Mitsuri realized they had another unusual guest standing at a distance from their little huddle. He spoke up, offering a stiff bow to her. She nodded in return as she answered. .:You have a trained eye, Mashtet Ahri. Yes, I am Vilda Mitsuri, and this is my companion, Shinku. I am... relieved to hear others have found safe harbor nearby, and though I may have little to offer physically at the moment, I will do whatever I can to aid your noble venture.:. OOC: Apologies for the wait @Lady Takanuva@The UltimoScorp@Keeper of Kraata@ARROW404

IC: Mitsuri - Oki Village Outskirts The heavy beams that had been her prison creaked and shifted, and for a moment Mitsuri was sure this was it, she would die here under a pile of wood and rubble. But then, they lifted, as if carried by invisible behemoths. Mindarms... Shattered wood and shingle shifted and moved aside, and for a moment, a pair of beams from the twin suns cut through the dusty air, blinding her with a kaleidoscope through her mask. She put up a hand, covering her sensitive eye and blindly reaching toward the voice until she grasped a hand firmly and started pulling herself out. Bits of rodent skeletons fell from her armor as she rose until finally her verdant armor, tarnished by scratches and dust but resplendent all the same, caught the light in the open air. Mitsuri blinked hard, trying to let her eyes adjust to unfiltered light... and found herself nearly mask to mask with another Dasaka, their lavender eyes wide with shock beneath their Volitak. It took Mitsuri a further moment of taking in the freckles on purple skin, fading as a blush began spreading through them, before she remembered how her own face must look, and she quickly turned away, bringing a hand up to shield her face. But in that brief moment, her saviors had seen the blood-soaked wrappings, clearly once part of a fine gown, that spiraled around her face and covered her right eye, a soft blue crystalline Calix doing little to conceal them. Long, jagged scars radiated out from her right cheek down her neck and chest, giving a hint at what lie beneath the wrappings. As she put up a hand, they could see her fingers were similarly wrapped in stained finery. Mitsuri shifted shyly, stepping out of the ruins with long, slender legs quivering with exertion, relying heavily on Yuna's grip to prevent her from collapsing entirely. Only once she could limp aside to an open patch of yard did she let go, standing there like a puppet on its last string with face turned down. And with her aside, the shafts of light caught on another pile of crystal barely peeking out from splintered wood, looking very intentionally placed. But she was certainly a sight enough on her own. Muscles torn to their last fiber and caked in scar tissue pulled, her atrophied vocal chords humming as she tried to force air through them when it had been everything she had to just keep breathing, and she uttered a single syllable. "Theng..." Her voice died out as pain overwhelmed her, and she stumbled for a moment before righting herself again. Bracing herself, she tried again with the voice that came almost more naturally than her physical one. .:Thank you for saving me. I... truly could not escape on my own. I feared no one was coming back here, or worse still... that I was the only one left. Tell me, with ruin as far as the eye can see, where do you plan to go?:. OOC: @Lady Takanuva@The UltimoScorp@Keeper of Kraata@ARROW404

IC: ??? (Shinku) - Oki Village The maroon bird hopped a few steps, then a few more, stubbornly clinging to the prey in its claw as it led the motley group on through the village. Slowly, the ruined huts gave way to splintered trees, the road to dirt path braced with wood. They were leaving the village proper and going to the outskirts, huts hidden in the trees beyond the view of the watchful Raika, but from the damage clearly not beyond the reach of the serpentine invaders. And so very close, a lone Dasaka wiped a tear from her good eye as she watched them approach through the eyes of her companion. It had been weeks... the place she had called home lie crumbled around her, creaking and groaning and seemingly only a matter of time before it gave way entirely. She was afraid to dig out, afraid to waste this second chance she had been given... but there was an even weightier burden that kept her from trying. Mitsuri didn't even glance at the hole she had ripped in the floorboards with her bare hands. She knew every tear-soaked splinter by heart; it would never leave her mind, nor would the one buried in the soil beneath the hut. Her name had been written there, delicately traced out in shards of a pale crystal, now unrecognizable from the Hau they once were. But her visitors did not see this yet. As they arrived at their destination, a hundred bio or so into the forest, Shinku fluttered up and perched on a lone standing pillar in what otherwise looked like merely rubble. All was quiet for a moment, the bird just staring down at them as if pondering how to explain why it had brought them here, and then an audible wince as dry, scarred skin twisted and warped for her mouth to utter, "I'm... in here." OOC: @The UltimoScorp @Lady Takanuva @ARROW404@Keeper of Kraata

IC: Mitsuri (Shinku) - Oki Village The bird regarded the group with an understanding in its eyes beyond its Rahi brain, and then on Ahri's instruction, promptly turned and began fluttering and hopping up the deserted street before looking back again as if beckoning them to follow. Meanwhile, the same smooth yet pained Dasaka voice radiated from it across the mental plane. .:Trapped... for weeks... everyone gone... thought I'd die here...:. OOC: @Lady Takanuva @Keeper of Kraata @ARROW404 @The UltimoScorp

IC: Azusai - Ga-Koro (Cael's Hut) Azusai nudged Karoru gently, gesturing for the Menti to set her down. Karoru obliged, and as soon as Azusai's feet touched the floor she staggered back weakly into Karoru's leg. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, she took a step forward away from the Menti to try to stand on her own for the introduction. It was about then that it finally clicked for her. This captain... was a man. Trying to just assume this was normal, she cleared her throat again and tried to brush some of the salt out of her hasten. "I... I am Saardma Azusai. A... lens maker and map maker by trade, but I... I sailed a long way for safety on your shores with nothing but a fishing boat and the stars to guide me, and... and I pray to Zuto Nui that your ship may take me in and allow me to earn my way in this new land." Her wide-eyed gaze faltered from the Captain's eyes, and she looked around the hut anxiously, only for her eyes to settle on a... Dasaka? Toa? scarred and sleeping quietly in a cot. Quickly lowering her voice and her formal tone slipping, she asked, "I'm... not interrupting anything, am I?" OOC: @Krayzikk @Snelly @otter @Lady Takanuva @sunflower

IC: Mitsuri (Shinku) - Oki Village There's a flicker in the sky, a spark being thrown, then a blaze, accompanied by a piercing cry as a maroon bird plummets toward the group. Before they ready to defend, the Sakl spreads its magnificent wings and golden plumage, slowing its flight far above before wheeling in for a landing a stone's throw away. The bird regards the four, tentatively hopping closer; one claw gripping the remains of some poor rodent. A strange arrival, and stranger still behavior. And then, seemingly from the bird, a single word is projected to the mental plane. .:Help...:. OOC: Did someone call for a Vilda? @Lady Takanuva @Keeper of Kraata @ARROW404 @The UltimoScorp

IC: Azusai - Ga-Koro Docks Azusai is awoken by the harsh crash of stone on wood as her bed jolts and all but flings her out of it to the wooden floor. She blinks blearily, rubbing the sleep and tears of the day before from her Mask of Rebounding. It's only when she realizes that she's kneeling in a growing puddle of water that everything clicks into place. Her bed, her home, her family... all gone. She... she was here, on a sinking fishing boat, staring out at some unfamiliar tropical beach. Struggling once again to keep the tears at bay before she drowned in them, Azusai adjusted her salt-encrusted Hasten, checked her bag for her navigation tools and telescope, the last things she had left of home, grabbed the staff and hatchet that had seen her through that night, and dove over the side of the boat, frantically paddling to stay atop the waves as they pushed her toward shore. She crawled up the sandy beach, dripping wet, and finally rested on solid ground again. She lay there numbly staring at the fishing boat that had saved her life until it was totally consumed by the ocean, and then kept staring at where it vanished as tears rolled freely down her face again. Her stomach grumbled. She ignored it. She ignored it until the gnawing emptiness rivalled that of her heartlight, and it was then that she decided: She would not die here. She was a proud Taajar, and she had not come all this way to die on an unknown shore. Propping herself up on shaky legs and her staff, she set off down the beach, hoping to find those ships she had followed all this way. Her family had always taught her the other Dasaka were not to be trusted, but did she really have a choice? ----------- What she found was... very different than she had even dreamed. No village of wood, or even city of crystal, but one built of plants adrift on the water. She could see beings of all sizes, all colors, rushing back and forth like a flock of Janu birds. She realized she had stopped to stare, jaw dropped in disbelief, and tried to urge herself toward these strange creatures, carefully setting foot on a green path that gently rocked with the waves. She followed it, eyes caught by every new sight along the way, and then her nose caught the delicious smell of cooking fish and she let it lead her to a hut on the outskirts full of boisterous sailors. She thought she saw other Dashi, but they were strange, lacking the crystal armor she was accustomed to. The bartender looked her up and down and sneered as she approached meekly. "Can I get something to eat?" she asked softly in the common tongue, voice almost drowned out in the noise. "You got widgets?" he responded gruffly. "I... n-no? What are..." "What do I look like, a charity? This is the finest pub this side of Ga-Koro. You don't got widgets, you don't eat, Kuma." Azusai recoiled as if struck. She... wasn't anywhere like home. But under the glaring eye of the bartender, she slunk back to the door, only to pause on seeing a note mounted just inside. She snatched the page and stepped outside. In a moment, she had found the twin suns and quickly oriented herself almost by instinct, wandering toward the southern ends of the docks. She had to admit, it wasn't much to go on, but she needed some of these "widgets" from somewhere, and if she had been able to sail her way to "Ga-Koro," maybe she could be useful on this Ironclad Fowadi. OOC: Azusai just kinda wandering Ga-Koro if anyone wants to catch her.

Name: Azusai Gender: Female Species: Dashi Caste and Clan: Taajar Ringti Powers: None Description: Azusai's body is a soft azure color with some slight brassy accents. She's usually bundled up in a traditional brownish Hanten, a sort of kimono of thick cloth worn in colder climes. A powerless Mask of Rebounding protrudes from her collar, her amber eyes wide behind it. She wields a beautifully hewn but scarred bo staff and a crystal hatchet for defense. By her side is a rough bag where she keeps her prized possessions she was able to leave home with, chief among them being her telescope and navigation tools. Personality: Azusai was never the most outgoing sort, but she got along well enough when she knew everyone around her by name. Suddenly finding herself plucked up by the roots has done little for her quiet disposition, and she struggles to make herself heard. Her family has a long history of stargazing, what was initially a passive interest becoming a marketable skill in navigation and lens crafting. Azusai can always find her way back home with the sky to guide her, even in this strange land. It is with the starry sky that she feels connected to those she has lost, and she can almost imagine the twinkling of the stars is the beats of their heartlights as they watch over her. Biography: Azusai was born into a Taajar village organized by merchants and craftspeople escaping the politics and poor treatment of major Dasaka civilization. They lived a simple life, producing everything they needed and rarely coming into contact with the clans. However, their isolation proved to be their downfall when metallic hissing creatures with strange powers swarmed the Archipelago. Her home was razed to the ground, most of the people she knew killed, and the few survivors scattered to the winds, and Azusai barely escaped with her life by fleeing to a fishing boat. For once, the stars held no comfort for her, only guiding her back to and reminding her of the fires of her home. She drifted around the archipelago for hours or days until finally catching sight of a glorious fleet setting out into the unknown. Figuring they had safety in mind, she turned her course to follow, but she was no sailor. At times the wind and waves would buffet her aside, and she would lose sight of that lone trace of familiarity in an uncaring ocean. And it was at those times that she would turn to Her Crimson Light as her mother taught her, the Star that wandered through the heavens and could see exactly how to reach your destination, if you knew how to heed Her. And through Her guidance, Azusai found her way to this new land. Weaknesses: Being a Dashi, Azusai has little in the way of offensive or defensive capabilities and relies heavily on those around her to keep her safe. Her isolated upbringing has made even modern Dasaka culture, let alone Mata Nui culture, completely foreign and strange to her, and she's still struggling to wrap her head around how her life has changed so quickly. She tends to be a little overly trusting, being used to the idea that everyone around her knows better and wants the best for her. Name: Mitsuri Gender: Female Species: Dasaka Caste and Clan: Vilda Menti Powers: Mitsuri wears a Kanohi Calix, allowing her to perform physical feats that others might think impossible, though it is clear she is unpracticed with it. Willhammer training has given Mitsuri the ability to see and enter into the minds of others, as well as project her thoughts to them. She is incredibly practiced with sharing senses with her Sakl bird, Shinku, seeing her almost as an extension of her being. Description: Mitsuri is tall, shapely, and like many Vilda, gorgeous. Her emerald armor swirls elegantly around her willowy limbs, intertwined with golden ribbons and punctuated by frills of pale crystal. However, the Rahkshi attack has left her horrifically scarred across her head and shoulders, pulling her face into a permanent snarl which can be seen through her incongruously translucent deep blue Calix and closing one of her lavender eyes. She wields a pair of beautifully curved crystalline bladed tonfa. Her Sakl bird, Shinku, is a shimmering maroon color with golden plumage that could easily be mistaken for flickering flames when it catches the light. Her beak is solid bluish crystal and eerily translucent to anyone who gets a close look. Shinku is never found far from Mitsuri, and the two have quite a bond through their training together. Personality: Mitsuri is deeply passionate and determined, believing any problem has a solution she can find with enough willpower. It was with this attitude that she fought for the near-extinct wilds of the Kentoku Archipelago, never allowing red tape to keep her down for long. Her brazenness has caused problems for her in the past with the other clans and it is only through the efforts of other Vilda that she was able to avoid severe punishments. However, watching the Rahkshi devastate her home after everything she had done to preserve it has left her feeling lost, to say nothing of the physical scarring she received from the attack. Biography: Beginning her training as a Menti, Mitsuri quickly made a name for herself as a determined scholar, absorbing Willhammer knowledge and attempting to breach into other disciplines in her voracious studies. She was thought by some to be on the path to becoming a great warrior, but over time it became clear that the Vilda teachings had an even stronger root in her mind and she carried little respect for the Empire, seeing them as the reason the natural world had been thrown into imbalance and more of a hinderance than a help to her studies. She was outspoken and unwilling to listen to authority, and as such constrained to her initial Willhammer discipline and kept under careful watch. It was as she was completing her studies that she met the Fursic Sighteye Heiya, one who shared her disdain and determination, but had learned more subtle ways to exercise it. Heiya tempered the hot fire that was Mitsuri, and in return, Mitsuri imparted her love of flora and fauna to Heiya. The two became close, inseparable, as they completed their studies and moved on separate paths, but still found themselves living together. And they were together still when the Rahkshi attacked Oki. Mitsuri could only watch as Heiya was felled, and then a split second later, blazing pain of shards of her Hau digging into her face pushed her into unconsciousness. Weaknesses: Mitsuri is prone to an act first, think later mentality, and is quick to assume the worst in others, especially when the Empire is concerned. She tends to meet most problems head on, relying in her strength and her Hau to fortify her, but with her Hau gone, she has yet to make sense of the Calix's very different powerset. Most of her practice in her Willhammer discipline has come through speaking with animals, she has little practice entering stronger minds or making convincing arguments to sentient beings.

Memes aside, while I think Fight Club worked well for a small group looking to blow off some steam, I don't think there's enough there as it stands for a full fledged TBRPG. It would work well as a place for newer members to try out ideas and learn the ropes of the forum, but I just don't think we're getting enough new members to warrant that. Instead, most of your player base will be experienced RPers who have probably created characters and fought with them before. So what does this game bring to them? I think the first thing you should consider is more of a story. How and why are people being brought to this pocket dimension? What is motivating them to stay and fight their fellow competitors IC in the arena? What is stopping them from fighting outside it? Is there some greater force or overseer behind all of this, and what do they want? Answering these questions will go a long way toward making this concept engaging. And while unbridled character creation certainly sounds appealing, I think people tend to be more creative when restrictions are placed on them. Having some kind of system in place to balance the power level, give characters strengths and weaknesses, might drive a lot more interesting concepts.