BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi

[Timageness]

IC: It looked as if Verulas was about to get some excitement after all.

He had made it about halfway down the alley when a female Vortixx had stepped in his path, wearing a golden set of armor that was clearly new (as he noticed no visible scratches or dents) and obviously expensive. Too expensive, as it contrasted with the rather un-stylish daggers resting at her hips. This was going to get ugly, and fast.

"Well, well," she crooned as he turned his head and noticed a rather large Skakdi with a crossbow and an armored cestus stroll up from behind him, accompanied by an unusually tall Lesterin with a scythe with a wicked grin splashed across his face. "What do we have here?"

"It looks like this little Toa has wandered into our turf," said the gruff voice emerging from the Skakdi.

"Too bad for him," the Lesterin cackled maniacally.

Yup. Ugly.

Edited September 4, 2014 by timageness411

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

I smiled and shrugged to myself, moving my palm off the top of the cue and weaving it from hand to hand while my eyes lined up where the remaining balls had spread out over the smooth surface of the pool table.

 

"You need any help?" I asked, catching the pool cue with my left hand and holding it out to Flay. "Know how to line up a shot?"

 

-Tyler

[Snelly]

OOC: If a friendly Toa of Air wants to join us, please do. Just interact with me and we shall go rejoin Grokk to help him with his... spring cleaning. 

 

OOC: While I can't guarantee she'll be friendly, Skyra, a Toa of Air, is arriving in Ta-koro now haha. She just so happens to be looking for Dorian sooooooooooooo this might work out perfectly. 

 

Skyra from Le-Wahi

 

IC: Skyra 

 

Even by Kahu, the trip from the Kumu seas all the way to Ta-koro was no short trip, I found myself more than eager to land and stretch my legs when Ta-koro finally came into view and Destiny began to descend to come in for a landing. I spotted the landing zone and guided her towards it. As we landed I noticed there were quite a few guards standing by, they seemed tense...well more than usual as far as Ta-koran Guards went. 

 

"Commander Skyra Daring of the Gukko Force." I showed them my badge, this seemed to put them a bit at ease. As I left Destiny at the stables and began to walk into heart of the village I noticed how tense everyone seemed to be, it didn't take me long to find out why. I only had to ask once and I was quickly told how six piraka had destroyed the Lavapool Inn, sadistically murdered a person, and fought with the Toa Maru and escaped. 

 

"Just when I thought they couldn't blow up anything else around here." Seriously it seemed like there was always something getting blown up in Ta-koro. 

 

At any rate, I couldn't concern myself with such things, I needed to find Dorian. The best place to look would be his house of course! It was easy to find directions too, since every guard member seemed to know exactly where he lived. I wonder why that is.

 

As I came closer to his residence I noticed a Skakdi frantically looking around for something...or someone. Then he stopped when he set his eyes on me. Okayyyy that's not creepy.... He started to approach me. 

 

OOC: That's your cue. :3

Edited September 4, 2014 by Princess Anna of Arendelle

[Nato G]

IC Natharius.

 

Maybe finding a Toa of Air wouldn't be so difficult after all. It looked like she was headed right this way, too. "Hello?" Natharius asked carefully, trying not to come across as too ...aggressively skakdi. Being taller, thinner and spikier than most of his skakdi brethren, Natharius knew he was intimidating. He also knew that he'd wind up in the cells of Ta-Koro prison in the blink of an eye if things went awry here. "I don't suppose you'd like to help me and a friend do some... spring cleaning?" 

 

"Come again?" the Toa frowned, clearly confused and more than a little creeped out. 

 

"Let me try that again," Natharius had been talking to a few of the more amiable guardsmen,trying to find out whose house Grokk had actually broken into. It turned out that "Dor-Dor" was actually Dorian Shaddix, who everyone seemed to know, for better or worse. He had only recently returned to Ta-Koro, but already everyone seemed to know about it. The new information had given Natharius a chance to concoct a half-convincing cover story. "So, as you may have heard, Dorian Shaddix has recently returned to the village, and a friend and I wanted to give him a little surprise by cleaning up his house for him before getting back. The problem is, there's dust everywhere, and my friend suggested that I go find an Air Toa to help clear it up. Would you mind lending a hand?" 

Edited September 4, 2014 by NatoGreavesy

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra

 

I blinked, several times. This big, imposing Skakdi wanted to dust Dorian's house? Out of the goodness of his heart?

 

What. 

 

Well at least I knew Dorian was somewhere in Ta-koro, it was good to know my trip to wasn't for nothing. "Funny story, I was just looking for Dorian's house actually...I was gonna check up on him." I figured this guy must be one of Dorian's friends, why else would he want to dust his house? 

 

"I'm Skyra by the way, Skyra Daring." He may have heard of me, he may not have, didn't really care either way. "What's your name?" 

Edited September 4, 2014 by Princess Anna of Arendelle

[Nato G]

IC: Natharius.

 

Natharius visibly relaxed. The Toa - Skyra, was it? Why did that name sound familiar?- actually believed him.  Was she gullible, or was he that convincing? He wasn't sure. Maybe he was just lucky today. 

 

For a moment, he wondered in the back of his mind if was getting in way over his head. He'd come here looking for a safe place to settle, and instead found himself helping a slippery skakdi plot a prank at someone's house. And now Natharius himself was dragging someone else into it as well. He'd taken a bit of a leap of faith in going along with Grokk, and now he felt like he was starting to fall. Was this a mistake? He hoped not, otherwise he was going to hit the ground, hard, with nowhere to run to. But he'd come this far; too far to go back.

 

"I'm Natharius," he introduced himself, "the house is this way. You'll have to come in through the front, since the back..." has a massive hole in the window from where Grokk broke in, his brain said, but he wasn't dumb enough to voice the thought aloud. "Never mind. Who goes in through the back door anyway?" 

 

"Yes..." Skyra replied, perplexed. 

 

"Okay, here we are." Natharius stopped in front of the house. "My friend is just in here. Thanks again for agreeing to help us out," he opened the door to let her through, then followed her inside. Grokk was waiting for them, still poking through Dorian's personal belongings while sipping from his drink. "I'm back." Natharius reported. Grokk looked up, and...

 

OOC: couldn't resist leaving a deliberate cliffhanger. Mwahahaahaha. 

Edited September 4, 2014 by NatoGreavesy

[- JL -]

IC:

 

"No. I-I mean, Yeah!! I know how to line up a shot. Duh." Flay grumbled out before yanking the stick out of Dorian's hands, and lifting it with her own. It's light, she noted as she hefted it up and down for a few moments before she turned back to the table.

 

All I need to do is line up a shot, and poke the ball. Just one single, clean thrust. Just like guard training. 

 

Lining up the shot wasn't hard. The cue ball was close enough to a nearby solid that she was pretty sure that even a beginner like her would be able to get it in. Raising her hands onto the table, she pressed down, arching her palm upwards the way she'd seen Dorian do it to create her bridge. Making extra sure she didn't accidentally touch one of the balls while the game was already at play, she placed the front of the cue in between her knuckles, and -

 

"Wait, who's turn is it?"

[ARROW404]

IC: Aar 

The grim-masked Ussalman stood still ready, though he had ceded his position at the launcher to someone else. The glare on the water's surface half blinded him. 

[Timageness]

IC: "This is how it's going to play out," the Vortixx said casually, her hands caressing the hilts of her daggers. "You're going to hand all of your money over to us, and if we decide it's enough, we won't hurt you too badly. We still have to make you think twice about running to the Ta-Koro guard after all."

"Really? You're robbing me? And here I thought fine, upstanding folks like yourselves just wanted to sell me some Ta-Koro Scout cookies, or maybe wanted to engage in a game of Rahi-mon cards. Oh well. I sincerely doubt one widget is going to be enough to avoid what you and the goon squad back there define as a beating, but if you want it that badly..."

It was at that point that he rolled the widget back and forth over his fingers before flicking it into her face.

"Take it."

He was going to enjoy this.

OOC: Credit for Rahi-mon goes to the YouTubers CallanLoF and Jcomix98 on the Custom Bionicle channel (I think; that's where I first heard of it anyway).

Edited September 4, 2014 by timageness411

[Toatapio Nuva]

Post cancelled...

Edited September 4, 2014 by Toatapio Nuva

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"If we were playing by real rules, mine," I explained. "I knocked in two stripes at the break - which means not only do I know what I have to aim for now, but by all rights I get to go again. But if we were playing by all rights, I'd just keep aiming and chances are this game would be over before you even had the chance to chalk up, so I'll let you have some practice turns in the name of a little fun. You're standing wrong."

 

"What?"

 

"You're standing up too straight. You're not a Matoran any more. If you were, the shot you're about to make would sink a solid, maybe two depending on the bounce you can get that nearby strike to make off the rim of the table. But you're a Toa now. You're gonna have to get a little lower. No, don't move your hands, those are placed well, you just need...here."

 

I stepped forward and stood on the other side of Flay, mimicking where her strike would have hit - the cue scuffed the top of the cue ball, leaving a small streak of white chalk across the top of the duller-white ball. It rolled forward an inch or two before I stopped it and pushed it back to its old position.

 

"You don't just whack it," I explained, flicking the surface of the pool table idly. "It's one motion to the center of the ball, all the way through - a nice, smooth stroke. You know, kind of like..."

 

...

 

"...swimming." I smiled cheekily and backed away from the cue.

 

"Your shot."

 

-Tyler

[- JL -]

IC:
 

"It's one motion to the center of the ball, all the way through - a nice, smooth stroke. You know, kind of like..."

 

Flay, who had at that point been trying to mimic Dorian's stance and at the same time trying to pinpoint the exact angle she should hit the ball to ensure it actually went in a direction that wouldn't end up as a complete embarrassment, gazed back up at Dorian.

 

 "...swimming."

 

She rolled her eyes at the clear innuendo.

 

Gripping the cue tightly, she entered stance again, following Dorian's advice and lowering her upper body this time around. 

 

Breathe in........Breathe out.

 

She pulled back, and then twice as quickly jabbed the cue forwards. The cue ball struck the solid, but her angle must've been off course by just a teeny bit - the solid ball smacked right into the corner of the rim. It bounced a few times in between the two corners, just outside the hole but not entering it, before the ball finally became stationary a fraction of an inch away from getting in the hole.

 

Close, she mouthed silently, before placing the cue down.

 

"So.......back to business. The Piraka."

Edited September 4, 2014 by JL Zehvor

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

I took two fries out of the basket and popped them both into my mouth at once, chewing pensively while I looked the table over.

 

"There was no pattern to what they destroyed, as long as each of them destroyed something," I noted. "They're not unified - mostly, at least. Who hit the Lavapool? Was there more than one?"

 

-Tyler

[- JL -]

IC:

 

"From the reports, it seems there were a total of six. We don't know their names; but we have a general idea of their appearance. Each Piraka sport a different color, the same as those of the Maru: Green, Red, Blue, White, Black, Brown."

 

As she spoke, she pulled out her iStone; scrolling towards a set of notes, she quickly reviewed the information that she'd gathered both from within the guard's sources, as well as from her......conversations with others.

 

"We had the blue one behind bars before the start of all this; the others came to bust him out of jail. Prior to the bombing, eyewitnesses placed the white one...juggling...in the main square. The general idea is that he was grabbing the attention of those around the Lavapool inn, but I, as well as several others, have questioned that. Namely, why would a group of psychopaths who crave destruction try to get less people killed?"

 

She flicked her eyes at Dorian.

 

"You know crazy well. Any insight?"

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

You know crazy well.

 

Thanks. You're my friend, too.

 

"Maybe it wasn't about killing as much as it was...crippling," I suggested. "If they were scattered, it represents almost a competitive mindset - no, not competition, but...varying degrees of psychopath. Different facets - they're not all one flavor of crazy. Most likely an alliance of convenience. White one was juggling. Grabbing attention. We're probably talking young - maybe not our age, but young in comparison to the group - probably attractive. Loves to work a crowd; probably manipulative, externally charming, doesn't love the kill as much as he loves the feeling of control. He probably takes a backseat in the group, but only because it allows him to get off on throwing the others at each other...juggling?" 

 

I looked up from the scribbling I was doing, and saw Flay staring at me as though I'd grown spikes from my forehead, burst out of my clothes and pulled the bartender's heart out. I ignored it.

 

"What was the blue one locked up for?"

 

-Tyler

[Hanako Herupa]

IC:

 

"Oh, frick." Angelus buried his head in one hand and groaned. "He's back."

 

Leave it to Dorian Shaddix to draw all the attention in a city block [without Tuara, he noted, and got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach]. Some people really never change.

 

Kino and the Captain had picked up the COMBINATION ORDER OF THE TWO TOA IN THE COUPLES, YES value pack, and had doubled back around the wreckage of the Lavapool Inn. The Koro's landmark inn and tourist attraction had been host to some of the most famous personalities on the island, including Angelus and Shaddix himself, who had squared off in the dining room more than once. This had been ground zero, where the runty Piraka had bombed the place from afar and then hidden with his formerly-incarcerated teammate in its wreckage; that, plus the report of the Skakdi in the Guard HQ, the one at Ta-Kini, the one stampeding through the alleyways and the strange green one that witnesses had seen fighting Reordin Maru would suggest a team of six, but the one Piraka they'd captured had not said his name or muttered the names of any of his teammates, and all they had were vague physical descriptions from survivors and an H emblazoned at Ta-Kini. Ta-Kini... he still had to check out the wreckage of Tahu's temple and Suva. He'd heard it was a grisly scene, something only at rue psychopath could look at without going mad. 

 

Maybe he'd send Shaddix.

 

He ate a plantain chip and thought that over for a second.

 

-Tyler

 

IC: (Kino Iho)

 

"Who's back?" I asked, as Angelus slightly pushed me along, back around the Lavapool Inn. The wreckage of the Lavapool Inn nagged at me, I wasn't around and I should have been. Just from the reports Angelus and I were getting, things had been bad. The destruction of the Lavapool Inn, a place I preferred to hang out, just like many residents of Ta-Koro. I dipped a plantain chip into the berry sauce, munching on it as I thought over what I wanted to do, but feeling guilty for not being available in the first place. I sipped my smoothie, a mix of bula berries, mangoes, and pomegranate, sweet but not too sweet. I wrapped an arm around Angelus' waist, squeezing him and leaned against him a bit. Right now Angelus was the only comfort I had, and now I was worried that because I distracted him that one night, he was now beating himself up like I was to myself. I'd find the responsible for this, I couldn't focus on the past and on my guilt, I needed to help Angelus and the people of Ta-Koro, my new home. They deserved better than one of their detectives wallowing in guilt, when she could help with repairs or track down the ones responsible. 

[- JL -]

IC:

 

That almost felt like an auto-biography right there. Almost.

"He came into town alone, started a fight. It was messy for us, and probably a whole lot of fun for that psychopath. His powers were......unique, to say the least. We've theorised that, alongside his vision and elemental powers, he also had another power that consisted of being able to absorb and replicate the powers he sees in action."

To make a point (And show off), she snapped her fingers, a flame sparking into existence for a brief moment before she herself cut it off in surprise. "Ow," Flay muttered, more out of the impulsive reaction to the new sensation of being able to summon a fire than due to actual pain, before she continued.

 

"So until Oreius Maru arrived on the scene, nobody was able to stop the blue one, who was hurling around fireballs and tornadoes and all sorts of powers the usual Skakdi wouldn't have. He gave himself up the moment the Toa Maru arrived - partly because, y'know, he's a Maru - and we think partly because he wanted to get captured. He was one of those 'I'm-cool-with-you-guys-arresting-me' types, except he succeeded in the 'I'll-just-exit-the-jail-by-myself' part unlike many other wackos."

Edited September 4, 2014 by JL Zehvor

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

​"Bruiser," I scribbled out. "Volatile, but not without cunning. Probably a typical lieutenant. Soldier's mindset. Willing to bet he's more tactical than he lets on - hence giving up when Oreius showed. He was probably the lure to draw the rest of the Piraka here, which means they needed him. You've answered your own question, Flay. Why kill less people when you crave destruction? Because you can cause more destruction with the band back together. They need him for something. They all need each other for something."

 

I drew a circle around alliance of convenience and then underlined it three times.

 

-Tyler

[- JL -]

IC:

 

"It's the something bit that worries us........" she muttered as her gaze drifted downwards and her thoughts fluttered around what a group of lethal troublemakers like the Piraka might have had in store for the island. A short moment passed before she looked back at her iStone.

 

"But yes, you're right. The rest of the Piraka did come, and that was when everything started the break out. The bomb was detonated, and several of the Piraka managed to hunker down and used the rubble of the Lavapool inn as an on-the-spot fort. The Guard, as well as a group of others, worked together to try and drive the ones inside the Lavapool out. During this time, the red one was spotted at Ta-Kini; That one was...well, the standout psycho of this group. He left a corpse, mangled and tortured, at Ta-Kini."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Which Piraka?" I asked, scribbling out at least two more sections in my makeshift manifesto. "Who was at the Lavapool?"

 

"Let's see...blue one and brown one. Brown one built the bomb."

 

Great. Ties that bind. "Brown one's the taskmaster. Probably creative, definitely a beta male. All the other Piraka went off on their own sprees of destruction, an whoever came after them, they just kept destroying. This one hunkered down, and got one of the team's bruisers to back him up. Probably not a coward, but definitely unremarkable, definitely not a fighter. He's our weakest link so far. Red one..."

 

I didn't write anything by red one just yet. I needed to see for myself; I turned to the bartender.

 

"Another bourbon, and these fries to go," I ordered. "Sorry, Flay, I'll teach you to play another time. We need to check out the Kini before the goons in the Investigative Corps bungle this guy's profile."

 

-Tyler

[25K Now!]

IC: Lasinia

 

"Whoosh."

[- JL -]

IC:

Flay shrugged. "Fine by me," she replied. "I'll explain the rest of the events as we walk there. But first...."

 

She turned towards the counter, and walked up towards the bartender - and Dorian immediately noticed the change in form. Her stature had transformed entirely as she walked. Before, she was of the guard, and walked with an air of command. But this time.....Flay literally held the attention of the others who saw her the moment their eyes caught sight of her movement. She walked like she was a supermodel.

 

Her hands slid forwards across the tabletop; the bartender looked at her, and, when she lay her body forwards, looked at her, before turning away and furiously scrubbing a nearby beer glass.

 

"And........can we get a discount on that?" she spelled out alluringly.

Edited September 4, 2014 by JL Zehvor

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

I raised my eyebrows a little - Flay's saunter was practiced, but she was still obviously trying to not move like a Matoran - and turned back to the list I had of the three Piraka, and the empty set of blanks I had near the red Skakdi's profile. Ta-Kini... the desecration of Tahu's temple and Suva represented...what? Atheism? Or a more general disdain of gods and heroes? Were we looking at a particularly existential psychopath here, or something a little more juvenile? What did this man's work mean to him? I found myself hoping, almost, that he hadn't left anything at the scene. With the day I was having, maybe I'd rather not know.

 

Flay came back with another glass of bourbon and a container for the fries. I drained the whiskey in a gulp, and didn't ask how much she paid for it, though I did give her my tip about walking a little more like a Toa. 

 

After that, we didn't speak again until we were in the streets, past the Lavapool. I caught a quick glimpse of Angelus, a girl on his arm (ooooh, I'm tellin' Tuaaara!) talking to a Toa of Magnetism and munching on something or other, and then the Guard who had stopped Flay from striking me supervising work. I'd seen Oreius loitering about earlier, but he'd disappeared somewhere. Every one of them had looked run ragged.

 

"Listen, uh...are you alright?" I asked, a little more awkwardly sincere than I meant to sound. "Every Guard I've seen looks stressed, or wounded. How you holding up?"

 

-Tyler

[- JL -]

IC:

 

"I'm fine," Flay said, her mind picking up in pace as it started to wonder why in the world Dorian actually cared before coming to the resolution that he probably didn't, "Or at least, that's what we're all going to say, isn't it."

 

She sighed. "I'm not injured or anything. I wasn't there at the fight. But... I'm tired. Not because of the sudden workload, but more because I have to adapt to my new body while I'm at it. Of course, it has it's perks, but I'm just not used to it. And it's not like there's some 'How to be a Toa' training regime at the Guard."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Yeah, well." I had spent so little of my young life as a Matoran that I could hardly even remember the transition phase, so if I'd ever been in the same boat as the spunky Matoran novice Toa I couldn't exactly remember it. But stupidly, I heard myself trying to be...nice? Comforting? Joske. That did this to me - diluted my casual charm with weird little spasms of offering to do altruistic good for everyone I knew. "Everybody has a rough go of it their first few months. If it helps, I took months of classes at the Academy in Ko-Wahi. I don't think you could find a better elementalist in Ta-Koro than me. Granted, Iron is no Fire, but...I could probably give you better pointers than most of the who were on the scene for this brawl."

 

I pulled a cigarette out of my jacket pocket and struck Joske's lighter twice, bringing the small flame to the tip of the smoke and taking a small drag.

 

-Tyler

[- JL -]

IC:

"I don't doubt it," Flay chuckled as she lightly bumped Dorian's shoulder, "You do have a reputation on this island. It didn't pop out of nowhere. Anyways, back to business."

Once again, she raised her iStone, opening her set of notes on the case. Since she'd started talking with dorian, three new paragraphs of information had popped up on the criminal profiling - one for the White, Blue and Brown Piraka respectively. And if all goes well, one more would be appearing for the red one soon.

 

"The Toa Maru also appeared together, rallying against the Piraka and engaging them in combat. Most of them focused their efforts on fighting the Skakdi around the Lavapool. The Green one was spotted clashing blades with Reordin on the rooftops nearby. And the black one, he....errr.....was spotted taking a stroll in the alleyways of Ta-Koro. He did enter the fray later on. All 6 Piraka re-united before they retreated, with the Maru following right behind. This probably left the biggest trail of destruction; between the Ta-Koro main square and the gates, the Piraka probably tried everything they could to shake off the Maru, and most of it involved destroying the things in their path."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Roll back to the black one - strolling?" Strolling could mean a couple things. Strolling could be sloth, apathy, or larger detachment from the group - did he not feel his convenience was best suited for the alliance? Or was this a case of a superiority complex? I got the sense that these six had different enough personalities that they ragged on each other quite a bit; was this black Piraka a case of haughtiness, or simply a better-disguised time bomb than the other three? And what about the green Piraka, who's only attribute so far seemed to be "stuck to the rooftops?" Vantage point, perhaps? Keeping an eye on the team? From what I had on the other four - soon to be five, maybe, there was no clear leadership candidate yet. Could the green be the one?

 

I vented all those thoughts - and a couple more that I knew were deliberately fake, to see if she could cut through the BS and tell me that what I'd suggested didn't match what had gone into the profiles already; she passed the test with flying colors - on the way out of Ta-Koro and to the Ta-Kini. The place wasn't as abuzz as the Lavapool, but they had certainly not let it go unguarded; no one was allowed near the shrine without proper clearance ("Flay, Sergeant," she introduced herself. "Dorian, cutiepie," I beamed) but when we got past the outer wall of security I could see why. The Investigative Corps had stronger stomachs than I gave them credit for. They'd left all the evidence I could have asked for, save an actual body - the six commemorative sculptures of Tahu retrieving his Kanohi had been desecrated, shedding blood. He knows. His work here was vile, and he loved doing it; he wanted those in the heavens to look at him, and know they were powerless, and weep.

 

I could see Flay visibly composing herself. As a Matoran, she'd had good composure; it was why she was a good fit to work with me.

 

"I hope you're ready to type," I muttered, before my eyes caught Oreius Maru.

 

-Tyler

[Timageness]

IC: The Vortixx was the first to move, her eyes filling with rage as she drew her weapons before the widget even hit the ground. He dodged her strikes as fast as he could, the last one very close to hitting his face as he threw himself downwards and swept her feet right out from under her with his leg. She landed awkwardly as the Lesterin sailed through the air, spinning and alternating his weapon between his hands before bringing the scythe down in a powerful strike. Verulas felt it cut through his side as he tried to roll out of the way (obviously not fast enough) as the blade tore through his cloak and nearly set it on fire with the sparks it created while colliding against a rock. He had just enough time to right himself and was about to draw his own weapon when the Skakdi suddenly became a charging blur of black and brown, tackling him into a wall. Air escaped his lungs, his vision fading out of focus for a second as the Skakdi prepared to strike with his armored fist.

Edited September 4, 2014 by timageness411

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

They had reached the Ta-Koro gates when the ice began to melt; cool charisma began to melt, the first condensed drips of insecurity running down his face. Leah knew him best of all the Maru save Sulov, and turned to look at him. "What?"

 

Reordin grumbled, a sound equally impetuous and unnerved.

 

"It's just...you know. What happened in there...it was my fault." Reordin blew a cold puff of air in front of him, cooling him and caking some of the grit and ash on his alabaster mask under a layer of frost. "I just can't help but think to myself, you know...is that how it happened with H--with them? And did that maybe--am I myself? I feel like myself, but what if that was H--him-- it. What if Heuani" - and despite his show of strength over the name here he winced, as if the syllables had turned his tongue to sand - "was telling me to leave? Convince the others to leave?"

 

IC:

 

"Nobody." Angelus stacked three plantain chips and ate the crisps all in a single bite, no sauce, watching while Shaddix was dragged off by his handler (or had he dragged her off? It was hard to know when exactly he was in control, so the Captain had simply taken to assuming he was always in control) down the street and Oreius moved the opposite direction, towards Ta-Kini. The two Fire Toa nodded at each other when the Maru walked by, but no words were said. "Just a consultant for the Guard, spent some time AWOL. Listen, we should find Ja--"

 

He looked up from the box of plantain chips (sauce this time) and stopped. A familiar Toa of Magnetism, lean and golden-eyed with a facial scar, had stopped with a similar look of recognition, his hand in an emerald box from Jerval's. Could it be? It's been years. Since the Mark Bearer case. Only one way to find out; there was only one greeting that everyone who had grown up in the jungles of Mata Nui knew instinctively: 

 

"AYY!"

 

-Tyler

[Ghosthands]

IC (Korero)

 

Even as the Skakdi drew back his fist to strike Verulas, there was a white flash from behind him as a lithe green-armoured Toa seemed to appear out of thin air in mid-kick. The green Toa's foot connected with the side of the brute's head with an almighty thwack.

 

The Skakdi reeled, dropping Verulas and clutching his now-throbbing skull. The Toa landed in a crouch as the Skakdi stumbled, and was still long enough for Verulas to get a good look at him. He was thin but lean in build, his aerodynamic armour coloured in bright jungle greens. Golden eyes glowed from behind a distinctively-shaped mask.

 

The Toa's gaze alternated quickly between the Vortixx and Lesterin muggers, gauging which would strike first. The corner of his mouth tugged upwards in a fiercely defiant smirk.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Twelfth Ghosthands

[Timageness]

IC: Verulas took advantage of the brief pause the newcomer had created, using it to regain his composure and draw his own weapon as he silently nodded in appreciation. He wasn't out of the fight just yet.

"So...," he mused as he began to catch his breath. "Any idea who your dance partner's going to be yet? If it's all the same to you... I've been eyeing the Lesterin. No need to make it too easy now."

He waved his hand, spinning his sword into his favored back-handed grip with his fingers as their two standing foes began to attack.

[Vezok's Friend]

IC (Leah):

 

"Reordin..."

 

Leah stopped in her tracks, reaching out, placing a soft hand on his shoulder and halting the Toa of ice as well. She looked him in the eyes - which seemed full of bad memories and old nightmares at the moment. But hers in turn were firm and confident. The rest of her was covered in soot and ash, smeared across her armor from using her element; the gashes on her arms and legs had dried but were still visible - but her eyes were clear and shining like topaz.

 

"Listen to me: What happened was not your fault. Stannis made a mistake, we called him out on it. Now it's up to him to learn from it. And I am sure he will, in time. But that doesn't mean the team is done, we're just walking seperate paths for the moment, until we can pour some oil on these troubled waters."

 

She shot him an encouraging smile, making her briefly look like the Le-Koro girl he had met what seemed like ages ago by now.

 

"The Maru are friends - and friends fight. It happens.We have had the time to learn of and from each other and to work together - something the Mata never had. They had their duty thrust upon them and they collapsed under the weight. The Maru...well, I guess we grew into it all, in a way. We carry their legacy in us, but we are not them." - She squeezed his shoulder while saying it - "You...you're not Heuani."

 

 

Her smile grew ever-so-slightly mischievous.  "And if you don't trust your feelings on that one..." she started, stopped - and then moved in for an embrace. One arm smoothly found its way around Reordin's back pulling him closer, while her left hand wrapped around his right and placed it on her heartlight.

 

"...then trust this."

[Razgriz]

IC: "AYY!" Jol responded, ear-to-ear grin spreading across his face.

The two exchanged a quick series of complicated, sharp, and coordinated hand motions, producing the type of secret handshake that only comes about once in a millennium.

Finishing it off with deft swipes of each other's plantain chips (that part was ad-libbed), Jol spoke, sizing up the guard captain.

"It's been too long, buddy! Good to see you doin' well!" he said with a laugh, energized at seeing an old acquaintance for the first time in years.

...

He then blinked, face muddying up into confusion in a humorous manner. That's not Tuara, is it?

"Uh," he drawled, pointing a finger at the Kino currently clamped around Angel. "Who's this?"

Edited September 4, 2014 by Snoop Razz

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

Angelus, still grinning in surprise at the reveal that one of his old teammates was still hanging around in Ta-Koro two years after the last time their paths had crossed, turned in surprise to Kino Iho, holding him by the waist with one hand in the box from Jerval's.

 

"Oh, uhh...Jol Highwind, this is Kino Iho." Angel didn't know what to say from there, or how to describe her, so he quickly tacked on: "My girlfriend."

 

There was quiet for a second, and the Captain grabbed a plantain chip. CRUNCH!

 

IC:

 

"That has got to be the second most ridiculous thing you've ever said to me, right after 'Get in the hammock.'" Reordin smiled anyway and hugged Leah back one-handed. "Any room for me in Ga-Koro? The situation between Ambages and Korzaa was...tense when I left. Hoping things blow over there...plus, a few of those girls at the beach caught my eye a couple times. There was a Toa of Plant Life living on Coral Way who had the meanest--"

 

Leah slapped his heartlight once good-naturedly, and the Toa of Ice grinned.

 

-Tyler

Edited September 4, 2014 by Brooklyn Pace-Carlisle

[Nuju Metru]

IC:

...was astonished by how flippin' fast that'd happened; for lo and behold, standing in the foyer were Neftoo and a little Toa chickadee whose coloration betrayed her as being of the air persuasion. To be frank (as I always am... can I help myself? What do you think!) I was both surprised and a tweensey bit disappointed... I'd been banking on having had at least enough time during Nephen's errand to arrange a little prank - I dunno, a confetti cannon or something - to throw at him upon his return. Alas, you can't always get whatcha want (but hey, confetti cannon, that's a good idea. And noisemakers. Ooh. Yeah. Noisemakers. I was already making a shopping list in my head, I'd have to send Neddie back out).

 

The bigger part of me was stoked at the alacrity of my young grasshopper, though, of course: we were one step closer to throwing 'Dorable for a complete loop. I let my enthusedness show all over my face as I welcomed my latest accomplice. "Ho-owdy there!" I crowed jovially at the Toa of Air, swooping up and kissing her hand before she could spell "unexpected" (how long does it take you? I clocked in at seven seconds). I gave her my best smile and extended my bottle arm. "You wanna drink?"

[Nato G]

IC: Natharius

 

Picking up his own bottle where he'd left it on the table, Natharius gulped down another mouthful of the contents before putting it back down. "So, this is Skyra, she's agreed to help us do a little spring cleaning to help us, ah... welcome Dorian home... So what do you want us to do now?"

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra

 

I ignored the urge that grew inside me to knock the Skakdi's teeth out as he kissed my hand, before shaking the feeling off and getting back to business. 

 

"Uh...not really thirsty, but maybe later..." I wondered if this was one of Dorian's friends from before he became a good guy. His apparent enthusiasm for 'spring cleaning' seemed odd. The room didn't seem all that messy...I guess I could see some dust.

 

I still wasn't quite understanding why two Skakdi wanted to clean this house so bad. "Are you guys like Molly Maids or something?" I didn't judge. 

Edited September 4, 2014 by Princess Anna of Arendelle

[Franco]

IC: It doesn't take a Kimi to tell the team's gone. Only takes me to do good.

 

Quick good. We need to hit the Skakdi with force without them figuring out how to use whatever they found. Time to move. To get force.

 

I start walking.

 

OOC: Sulov is open for interaction.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Own Personal Quixote

[Razgriz]

IC: CRUNCH!

"Ah."

Jol mulled that over for a moment. Girlfriend? Hm. 

...Yeah, can't say I'm too surprised. Guess it just never crossed my mind.

"Well," he said after a moment, posture relaxing and affable grin returning to his face. "Nice to meet you then, Kino. I'm Jolek, an old buddy of Angel's." he said smoothly, inclining his head slightly in greeting before turning back to Angel.

"So, how's life been?" he asked, glancing around at the now-familiarly damaged surroundings and sardonically tacking on "besides hectic."

 

Edited September 5, 2014 by Snoop Razz

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Ahhh, you know. Mostly the hectic." Angelus gestured towards the badge on his jacket, designating him as Ta-Koro's Captain of the Guard. Jolek's eyes lit up at the sight of the insignia.

 

"AYY!"

 

"AYY!"

 

-Tyler