BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi

[Padishah Mehmet II]

OOC: I was largely going by the fact that Toa of Iron can create metal and/or metallic protodermis, according to Biosector, which I always understood to mean "creating them from thin air"

 

IC: (Perkahn, Lavapool Inn)

 

A bash from the rear of the scythe could, essentially, only mean one thing - Krii was trying to push him off his balance. Naturally, Perkahn jumped back, dodging the attack - unfortunately, the unexpectedness of the jump had the unfortunate side effect of him tripping over a table that was just behind him.

 

Before Krii could use this to her advantage, he stretched his hand out towards the bar, activating his elemental powers, sending a dozen metal cups flying out of the cupboards and towards her as he jumped to his feet, steadied himself and engaged her in another melee attack with his sword.

[They]

IC: Krii

 

"Thanks for the defense," Krii shouted over the din of his blade smashing into a dull metal shield, ittle more than melted iron merged together into a single sheet of defensive plate. Shoving forward with the new weapon, she attempted to backhand Perkahn across the face.

[Padishah Mehmet II]

IC: (Perkahn, Lavapool Inn)

Smart kid.

 

Unfortunately, she did not account for just one thing when she attempted to slap him. His sword. The weapon, alongside its wielder, initially staggered off the metal wall, but Perkahn's timely activation of his Kakama enabled him to steady himself much faster and strike back, swerving to the right and slashing with his blade at Krii's approaching hand.

 

"You're welcome."

Edited July 8, 2013 by Lithuanian Lightning

[Krayzikk]

NPC IC: The secretary looked up at the arrival, nodding, and setting down their writing implement. "I take it the suspect is either already in custody, or being escorted to the prison?"NPC IC:"If you're looking for the Akiri, he's not here." One of the guards at the hut informed Kavala. "He's in his office. Ta-Koro Guard Headquarters."

[Makuta of Time]

IC:Flaredrick then began to heat the metal in the furnace of the forge. He must reach the maximum temperature to 'roast' the metal for it to become an oxide. The he must 'reduce' the iron metal by heating it to 1250*C.

[Mel]

NPC IC:

 

"Yes...he came quietly and claims to know nothing but, um, his behavior is suspicious. He's being escorted to the upper dungeons for questioning."

[Makuta of Time]

IC: (Vallen Tor and Molvr)

From the ally of where Vallen was, the click of a revolver was heard behind his head. He placed his hands in the air, not looking back. Then the person who is holding him at gunpoint says, "Turn around slowly so you can see your killer before you die."

 

Vallen turned around ad say the face of the Skakdi. The gunman eyes then widened, and lowered his gun. "Vallen?"

 

Vallen then punches him square in the mouth. "Next time you want to shoot someone mate, make sure you know who it is."

 

"I'm sorry Vallen. I thought you were someone I needed to collect some widgets from."

 

"Next time Molvr, I'm going to counter the gun to the back of head. Now, let's head to Onu-Koro. I've heard they got some tech we can use."

 

OOC: Vallen and Molvr to Onu-Wahi.

[Toa Of Virtues]

IC: Akata

 

Akata was handcuffed and was being escorted by the Ta-Koro guard into some sort of dungeon. Instead of struggling, he cooperated with the guard. He kept himself calm, even though he was in the toughest pinch in his life. However, if everything went according to plan, he would only have to keep up this guise for a little more than an hour. Using his control over plantlife, Akata began working on making a weapon. Using a tremendous amount of concentration, he was able to grow a small piece of bamboo in his own mouth, being careful for the guards not to notice. Akata used the small piece of bamboo and a small amount of the toxin he conjured up earlier to fashion a miniature blow-dart. Rolling the blow-dart to one side of his mouth, Akata shot the toxin at one guard, then rolled it to the other side to shoot the other. Akata made sure that the dart was small enough to be mistaken for nothing more than a small insect. The guards didn't seem to react, but that also might mean that he missed. If he did get a direct shot, the toxin should make the guards pass out in about an hour. Akata stealthily shot at any guard he saw passing bye, hoping for his aim to be true. Finally, the two guards and Akata reached their destination in the upper dungeons. As Akata met his interrogator, he shot his dart once more before quickly absorbing his make-shift weapon back into his body. His last though before talking was "I hope to Mata Nui I didn't miss those shots."

Edited July 11, 2013 by Toa Of Virtues

[Silvan Haven]

Loren- Ta-koro- Lavapool Inn

 

IC: Before Perhkan's attack could connect he felt something grab his wrist, stopping the strike cold. It was followed by a rather loud whistle that drew both fighter's attention to the doorway of the bar where a rather upset looking grey Guardsman stood, tapping his foot.

 

Upon seeing that he had their attention, he spoke. "I do hope that you both realize that you happen to be tearing up this bar right? The repairs are going to be a hassle, as well as costly"

 

OOC: Not really meaning to barge in or anything, but you can't expect a fight like this to go on forever without law enforcement showing up.

[Toatapio Nuva]

"If you're looking for the Akiri, he's not here." One of the guards at the hut informed Kavala. "He's in his office. Ta-Koro Guard Headquarters."

 

OOC: I imagined Kavala being there already...

 

IC Kavala

(Ta-Koro, Guard Headquarters):

 

Kavala nodded and headed for the right place. When at the office, he asked to see the Akiri again.

[Hexann]

IC: Agonerok in Ta-Wahi

 

Agonerok made his way through Tren Krom Break to Ta-Koro where he wish to explore the rest of the island- seeing as lately he'd been kind of a hermit.

[Padishah Mehmet II]

IC: (Perkahn, Lavapool Inn)

 

Perkahn shot a serious, long glance at Loren. "Loren, this is the Lavapool Inn."

 

"As a loyal Ta-Koronan you should very well know that its owner apparently has innumerable wealth, because the last sixty nine times someone caused a fight that destroyed half the tavern he rebuilt it within two days without a scratch. The man's got incredible stamina for this sort of thing, I'd have given up and actually tried to stop it at least one of those times."

 

He took a long look around. Damage, for this sort of battle, was pretty minimal. "You know, you're right," The Toa of Iron said, while taking out a pouch where he kept his money and almost politely placing it on the bar still chock full of the entirety of the portion of his money that he had here. "It's time to move on to the courtyard. I'm sure you'll have no problem with that, right?"

[Silvan Haven]

Loren- Ta-koro- Lavapool Inn

 

IC: "Since neither of you seem to be trying to kill each other, I don't see why not. I hope you don't mind me watching, it's rare that I get to watch I fight I'm not supposed to be stopping."

 

Stepping to the side of the doorway, he made room for them exit the inn.

[25K Now!]

IC: Stronin

 

"So, you two want to go see the Kolhii match?"

[Hexann]

IC: Agonerok in Ta-Wahi

 

Agonerok walked through Ta-Wahi and into the hot volcano ta-matoran call home. Upon doing so he entered Onu-Wahi wishing to go to Le-Koro to find a few items.

[Hanako Herupa]

OOC: You know what Ta-Koro needs? More jam. Kino from Ga-Wahi. Prepare yourself for some delicious jam brought to you by KNI and Master of Masks.

 

IC: (Earlier that day, Lavapool Inn)

 

The Toa of fire slumped into a seat at the bar, somewhat limping from her battle earlier that day. Luckily, her insurance was great, what with her new job, so that wasn't a problem. Not many things were problems these days. At least, not openly. Behind closed doors, she feared for her future. What would happen next? She ordered a drink and slank back further into the chair.

Cheers.

Back in Ta-Koro...again. Let me be straight with you, it's not like I hate the city or anything but spend too much time in one place and everything starts to become bland, you get used to the stench of smoke and sulfur. You got used to having to shake the ash out of your armor and clothes.

Anyways I had to prioritize, so my first thought was to duck into a bar. I liked Xilecki and all but he was being such a prude. He couldn't offer me one taste of that sweet nectar? So I'll be honest when I came into that bar, it was a little slow, a couple of Skakdi sat at a table in the corner, while the Vortixx bartender wiped the counter with a wet rag, he winked at me, I winked at him, then licked my soft lips, he got flustered, ducking away for a bit.

"Hun, Whiskey Sour please." I chuckled girlishly with the wink.

"S-Sure baby, anything you say." He nervously smirked. I poured out the coins and look to my left and saw a cute Toa, she wore a pair of aviators, and her body was slender, lithe much like my own, give or take she looked about an inch shorter than me, her eyes were sharp and sadly I could not see her eyes. However she looked exhausted, defeated like someone after a long day of work. He came upon us with our drinks, and I set down the money for hers as well.

"I got hers as well." I motioned, I took a sip, bourbon...good. I blew a playful kiss to bartender, poor kid looked like he was about to collapse.

"So cutie, looks like you've been through ######. Me too." I took another longer sip of my drink.

Liacada looked up from her drink, smiling wistfully. "I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours."

"Hmm, want the juicy bits? Gotta promise not to tell anybody..." I said, before biting into the cherry, chewing on the sweet tender flesh of the fruit, winking again.

Liacada finally got a good look at her. A Toa of air. Attractive, no doubt. Genuinely, too- she wasn't dealing with someone plastic or fake. That was even more attractive in its own way. "Let's start with what you use those knives for." She gestured to the bandolier.

"I'm a merc, surprisingly haven't had to use them as much as I did in a past life." I sighed, thinking of all the blood I shed with these knives. In hindsight I wasn't exactly proud of what I did. Never really got me anywhere anyway.

"A merc?" she said, nodding, "I feel you there. I've had experience in that kind of thing," she said, still nodding. "And how about life now?"

"I do work now for any Koro that'll give me work. Went to the Crucible for a break, turned out be a bust. What about you?" I sighed, and sipped a little more of my drink.

"I'm a consultant for the Ta-Koro guard. I point them toward the bad guys, basically, which is funny enough because I used to be one," she shrugged, "I actually come from the Islets, believe it or not."

"That sounds stable, funny thing, I was one of the bad guys too, just gave up on that life. Not sure what I am now," I sighed and took a gulp of my Whiskey Sour. I chuckled when I heard the Islets. "You're from Kumu too?"

"Born and raised. I'd like to call myself a prime specimen of it's culture...a culture of greed and violence. I'm surprised to see another of my kind, to be honest. We're a dying breed."

"Xa-Koro and the Kumu Islets were run by a bunch of criminals and psychopaths. You could be the nicest girl in all of the Islets and by the time you were an adult, you'd know every trick, the tells of somebody doublecrossing you, and be an expert with a blade, as well as knowing how to act in the right situation.I always hated that place, but you're right. Those of us from the Kumu Islets are few and far between now. Mercs like me, have even less of a home on this island, we're just drifters now."

I took another long sip from my glass, finishing the Whiskey Sour, and motioning for another round for both my friend and myself.

"Hmm, all this talking and I don't think we've ever actually introduced ourselves. My name is Kino, Kino Iho and it's pleasure to meet you," I said, running my finger around the rim of my glass before wiping it on the napkin and moving to shake her hand. "And who might you be, hun?"

 

"Liacada," the Toa of fire shrugged, "strange name for a strange girl." She sipped her drink, giggling. It was a strange, girlish sound that seldom came from her mouth. But then again, lots of things had changed recently. "I know I just met you- and this may be the fact that we're both from the Islets -but I really, really like you Kino." To this day, however, Liacada will claim that when she looked into the Toa's eyes, she saw the same eyes she'd seen many, many years before.

She'd burned down this woman's house as a child.

I took a few seconds to drink my second Whiskey Sour before setting the glass down, smirking upon hearing the name of the woman to my left.

"Liacada's a very nice name, cute honestly," I still smirked, with a wink. "I really like you too Liacada! Perhaps we could hang out more? I'd like to get to know you better, hun. Fair trade would be you get to know a little more about me," I winked again. I won't lie, this Liacada was intriguing, attractive even. She had this enthralling air about her, and in ways the girl looked much more down on her luck than I had ever been in my life. It was nice to meet a kindred spirit, made it all the more easier to believe you weren't alone.

 

"Thanks!" she smiled, sitting back. She crossed her arms. "Ooh, I have to go-" she spotted a clock, "got to go to work. Meet up with me later, though. Bye!" With that, she wrapped Kino in a quick hug and rushed out the door.

 

I sat there for a few minutes, already missing the warmth that Liacada had given me in those few short moments. I ordered bourbon this time, on the rocks.

[Eyru]

IC (Oreius) (Inu)

 

Though Inu's thoughts were alive with the thrill of the hunt to come, Oreius couldn't help but sigh as he pulled open his pack and surveyed the contents. When he'd left Ta-Koro roughly two weeks ago, the pack had been crammed full of jerky, dried fruit, and as much trail mix as possible. Now it was almost empty.

 

Not that it would be difficult to procure more, but it showed just how much time the Toa of Fire had put into hunting up until this very day; now, here he was embarking on another chase without even a good night's rest in between. In addition to simple weariness, his limbs ached from the battle with the rapscallions in the street, and his side was bruised from falling a good twenty feet.

 

The Toa Maru shook his head, doing his best to clear the bleak thoughts. This was his life: his duty was to protect Ta-Koro and the island, and this terrorist needed to be brought in. It was hard, but that's why he needed to do it. Even as a Guard, Oreius had been known for his dedication to duty. He was stalwart to the point of stubborn (though many Ta-Matoran could claim this same quality, for better or for worse), and wouldn't give up. He was the best man for the job, and he knew it.

 

Besides, with Angelus along, it shouldn't even be too hard.

 

Inu agreed, a golden burst of warmth spilling into his host's mind, flooding it with peace and tranquility, bringing to mind a vast, still lake, untouched by ripple or wave. In his own way, he urged the Toa of Fire to relax, and look forward to the hunt. It was going to be fun. Fun!

 

Oreius chuckled as he began to pack again, filling the bag with what little remained of the trail mix Sulov had rationed him. "You're a terrible influence on me, you know that?"

 

A dark Shadow with eyes of malicious scarlet, a slug perched on his shoulder.

 

As befits a son of Makuta.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Sir! Captain, sir! There was a duel at the Lavapool Inn and the situation could require your attention. Guard personnel are onsite and--"

 

Angel blinked.

 

"So, for the sake of clarity," the jungle-bred Toa of Fire began, hands raised up to chest level to slow the hapless Ba-Toa ensign down before he could ramble any further even as Liacada began to shake with silent laughter behind him, "you signed up for - and joined - the greatest fighting force of any Koro that Mata Nui has ever seen, and then you can't put a bed and breakfast on lockdown? What do I look like to you, Captain of the Gukko Force? Are you going to try and have me arrest a coconut for falling on someone's head?"

 

The ensign looked like he had been smashed on the head by a coconut at Angelus' words. The Captain sighed and then grabbed the Toa's shoulders, spinning him around so he faced the Lavapool.

 

"I want you to go back in there. Exercise your authority, and calm things down. After that I want you to use Guardsman's privilege to get into the kitchen area and bring me the finest waffle iron that the establishment has. Repossess it in the name of evidence and bring it to me. I'm going on assignment for a while and I need every resource at my disposal. Understood?"

 

It was the subordinate's turn to blink, but after a second the clarity and severity of the orders struck him and he nodded. Angelus slapped the space between his shoulder blades and then pushed him forward towards the Inn.

 

"Good!" he yelled. "High ho, Silver! And away!"

 

The guard ducked back into the Lavapool, brushing past a Toa of Air leaning casually outside with a blush and a brisk 'sorry.'

 

-Tyler

Edited July 14, 2013 by Dallas Winston

[Hanako Herupa]

IC: (Kino)

 

"Hey Liacada!" I waved to the woman I just met earlier. The guy she was with was her boss no doubt, a tall and lean, like a predator of the jungle. His muscles were sinewy and taut, densely packed from a tough lifestyle no doubt, a smilely slowly crested as I continued my "assessment" of Angelus, my light grey eyes meeting his baby blue ones. I winked playfully, before speaking. "Mmm, this must be Angelus...I don't believe we've met directly, but I got jobs that were on your orders. I'm Kino Iho, and it's a pleasure to see you face to face."

 

I took out a sucker I had bought earlier from a candy shop. All my time here and I never noticed the place, shame really. Mostly sold hard candy though, hard to keep chocolates in a place where they would constantly be melting. Pulling off the wrapping, I sucked on it for a second, the sweet taste of cherry covered my tongue, I gave it one more slow lick before motioning to the doorway of the Lavapool Inn.

 

"That fight started about five minutes ago, wouldn't really worry about it though, as far as I know property damage is minimal. I didn't want to get any drinks spilled over me in the scuffle though, that's why I'm out here." I paused, lightly tapping my foot out of boredom. "Anyways beyond that, how can I help you hot stuff?"

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Depends. You ready, able, and willing to come along on a multi-Wahi hunt for a suspect with little to no true intelligence and a vague possibility of compensation for your services?"

 

"How about a date?"

 

"Fair enough. Welcome to Team Angel."

 

-Tyler

[Relapse]

IC(Liacada-Guard HQ)"..." Liacada's palm met her face in a wrenched display of bemusement. "We're not legit calling ourselves 'team Angel?' are we?"

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"What? No, of course not. We're a specially commissioned task force from the Ta-Koro Guard. Not a clique."

 

O-kaaay, then. Nix the Team Angel matching sweatshirts and gym bags.

 

-Tyler

[Hanako Herupa]

IC: (Kino)

 

"It's good to know you're a humble man, Angelus." I smirked again. "What else do we need to do before we hunt this moron down and drag him back to your Akiri?"

[Relapse]

IC(Liacada-Guard HQ)"Oh, hi Kino!" Liacada said exuberantly, quickly nodding to the arrival, "good to see we have another sane member on the team."

[Hanako Herupa]

IC: (Kino)

 

"Hey hun, want some gum?" I replied a giggle, tossing Liacada a pack out of the bag that hung to the side of my waist. I stepped forward a bit, rolling my shoulders. Leaning against the exterior of the Lavapool Inn was starting to hurt. "Your boss looks perfectly sane, a bit stiff though. I'm good at loosening people up though." I smiled, placing the sucker back in my cheek, sucking on it was I tapped my muscled and yet lean biceps as I crossed my arms.

[They]

IC: Krii -- Central courtyard of Ta-Koro, outside the Lavapool Inn

The toa of iron dropped the shield of melded mugs with a shrug and followed Perkahn out the door with a raised chin.

OOC: WRITER'S BLOCK GASP

[Krayzikk]

OOC: Sorry for the delay, Yukio and Tapio, had a bout of writer's block. It's mostly conquered now, so I have returned to active posting. Tapio, I checked your initial post, you said Kavala was at his hut. Hence the redirection to his office.

 

ToV: That method has a major flaw. Either Akata had to turn his head often to aim more properly, or he wasn't able to aim well at very many guards. And the former would easily draw the attention of his escorts. Plus, there's a pretty serious lack of both accuracy and piercing power with a blowgun small enough to be concealed from his escorts.

 

IC:

 

Jaller let out a long sigh, accompanied by the sound of rustling paper as he looked through the report on the bombing for the umpteenth time. Not long ago, he would have taken to the halls of the Guard headquarters and the streets of the village, double checking every lead and urging on those performing the search. Time was, he would have been the one of the people searching personally. Now, all he could do was send the best people he could, and give them the tools they needed. Resources and guidance, that was all he could do now.

 

Grudgingly, he put the report aside and turned to the paperwork that remained on his desk. Orders needed to be filled, reports read and memorized, and authorizations given. The first few months of this had been difficult, the arduous task of breaking the habits ingrained through years of service as Captain of the Guard almost painful. Even now he wasn't used to dealing with the role of a bureaucrat.

 

But he had learned to let go of those habits, and work on building new ones. He had accepted his new duties, as well as the new need for security, and relinquished the old. Despite his protests, that security had been heightened after the bombing, and the Guard overall was on high alert. I wonder if Vakama ever had to deal with an overzealous security detail...

 

The Akiri thought to himself, glancing at the far corners of his office.

 

**************************************************

 

"What is your reason for requesting a meeting with the Akiri?" The secretary asked Kavala, glancing up from the array of papers and forms on her desk. The Ta-Matoran regarded him with a polite expression, but it held a tinge of wariness. The last time an unknown Toa requested an audience, it had resulted in an urgent meeting with Jaller's guards, and the higher-up members of the Ta-Koro Guard.

 

Hopefully this would be less hectic.

 

IC:

 

The secretary nodded, jotting down several notes on a piece of paper without taking her eyes off of the bearer of this news. "Understood. The right decision was made in sending you here. Has anyone secured the evidence, both from where Ramai was found, and from where this suspect was taken into custody?"

[Let's Henshin!]

IC: Malik (Ta-Koro Streets, Outside Tuara's Home)

 

Lonely boots scrapped along the Ta-Koro streets as a lone Toa trudged his way over to his destination. There was an air of weariness surrounding the being, a weariness that comes from searching and searching but always finding nothing. However that was just my life, I was tired, very tired. My journey to find my brother had led me across so much of Mata-Nui, yet even now I'm not sure If I'm going to find anything. Everyday I would be forced to ask myself, how in Mata-Nui's name it could have come to this, that everything I had ever known and cherished could be ripped away from me so suddenly.

 

Yes, I was very tired. I was tired and weary and I just wanted this ridiculous journey to reach it's end. However I couldn't rest until my Brother and Sister had been laid to rest. Their memory was the only thing that kept me going, I needed to do this, for their sake if nothing else.

 

A chuckle then escaped my lips as I realized how much the years had changed me. The old me would have tried to crack some cheesy joke at my predicament. I'd try and put on a happy front if nothing else, after all I really hated seeing people sad or hurt. Yet oddly enough that was all my life was now, pain and sadness. Perhaps it was Mata-Nui's way of testing me.

 

Part of me just wanted to scream, to shout, to rage against the heavens till my throat was hoarse then rage some more. Hadn't Mata-Nui test me, no, the entire Island enough? After all we'd been through hadn't the old man had his laugh already. What good did ridding the world of good people like my brother and sister do? I just couldn't understand any of it.

 

Still raging was not my reason for coming to this door, here in this sauna of a Koro. I was here to hopefully near the conclusion of my journey, so I could finally lay my sibling's memories to rest, and with it my own soul. The door I now stood in front of the door of the Toa known as Tuara. She had been the Guard member overseeing Kinvex and hopefully that meant she had also known my brother. My hope was that she may have some clue's to how he met his final fate.

 

Steeling myself I raised my hand and knocked upon the door.

 

Tap Tap.

 

No answer.

 

I tried once more.

 

Tap Tap.

 

Still no answer, I suppose that was just my luck. To come by when she was away. Mata-Nui had to be getting a great laugh out of this, toying with our fates once more. I was really starting to hate that old man. Shrugging my shoulders, I took a seat at a nearby bench deciding the best course of action was to probably just wait. She was bound to come by eventually right?

 

However sitting on that bench, basking in the heat of the Koro. It dawned on me once more how very tired I was, both physically and mentally. Slowly my body began to drift into a slumber...

 

So very tired...

 

OOC: Malik currently open for interaction sleeping on a bench outside Tuara's home.

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Kavala

(Ta-Koro, Jaller's Office):

 

"I am here to warn the Akiri of a traitor of Ta-Koro. I have reason to suspect that one of his former guards has sold information to foreign tribes and putting this village's security in jeopardy."

[a goose]

IC: Nikarra (Her room, Lavapool Inn, Ta-Koro)

 

Tap tap.

Nikarra groaned, rolling over and trying to cover her ears with the pillows in order to drift back to sleep. She'd been having a lovely dream, it was still there, hovering on the edge of her mind, she just had to take it back and-

Tap. Tap.

"Shut up," Nikarra muttered, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. Just had to get back to that dream...

Tap tap tap.

"Alright! Alright, I'm coming!" Well, so much for sleep. As Nikarra opened her eyes, she looked around the room. Dorian's scarf was slung over a chair in the corner, where she'd left it the night before. That had been the night before, right?

Meh, it hardly mattered now. As she got up from under the duvet, she noticed that she'd gone to sleep in her full armour -- well, that was what tiredness would do for you. Grumbling, she made her way to the door, and opened it, looking groggily at the empty hallway. "Great. No one there. Thanks a lot."

She brought the door to a close behind her as she walked back in, gazing longingly at the bed. Too late now, she thought. Already up. One of the traits she disliked most about herself -- the inability to return to sleep once she'd gotten out of bed.

Tappity tap tap.

The window. Nikarra turned, looking at it curiously. A faint shadow was apparent through the shades, and once she'd reached them she pulled them up carefully to look out at what appeared to be a bird. "What are you up to, then?"

Tap tap.

"Alright, I get it, you want in," Nikarra sighed, preparing a small shock of lightning. Nothing that was going to kill it, just get it to fly off and leave her alone. However, just as she opened the window, she noticed something white around its leg. "Hello there."

She opened the window, and the bird shuffled in quietly, sticking out its leg with a queer calmness. "Well someone knows what they're doing."

Nikarra carefully removed the letter, reading through it, right up to where it had been carefully signed with Dorian Shaddix's initials. She was almost disappointed when there was, in fact, no internal conflict as to whether or not she'd do what the letter asked of her. She was expecting at least a thought like, Is this really a good idea?

Be it fortunate or unfortunate, she had put her fate in the hands of Dorian once again. "Nice, Dor," she sighed, grabbing her clothes and wrapping his scarf around her neck. "I guess this means I'm breaking the law for you now."

 

- - -

 

It didn't take too long to navigate to Dorian and Tuara's loft -- which meant that Nikarra had had very little time to figure out exactly how she was going to accomplish what she'd set out to do. It would have been absolutely fine were it not for Dorian's promise at the end. And were it not for the hobo on a bench outside (OOC: Malik). For a moment, she felt pity for him -- that could just as easily have been her, before she bumped into Dorian in the Lavapool. She pushed it aside as she realised that, pity or no, she had to get him out of there. She frowned and walked up to him. "Oi. You."

 

OOC: Onarax, you've got yourself some interaction.

[Let's Henshin!]

IC: Malik (Outside Tuara's Home)

 

"Brother!"

 

A soft voice was calling out to us, a voice I would recognized anywhere. Already my older brother had rushed off to answer the call, sweeping up my sister in his arms. I however could only stand there, my eyes watering up at this sight. I thought they were dead? So why were they breathing, but I soon realized that such questions were pointless. We were a family again, wasn't that enough?

 

"Brother?"

 

This time the voice was a question, as if wondering where I had disappeared to. I tried to run, tried to catch up to her, I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. I wouldn't abandon her again.

 

"Brother!"

 

She was now screaming, she needed me and I wasn't there. My legs starting increasing in speed and then I activated my mask to leap off in her direction. All I could wonder was where she was, so I could save her. I needed to save her.

 

There, in the corner, just a second more and I would make it...

 

"Oi. You."

 

My eyes opened and things became to make sense once more. A shame really, it seemed that my dream was actually shaping up to be lovely. I could still feel the ghost of a tear on my cheek, I really hoped I hadn't cried in my sleep. I already looked bad enough sleeping out here in front of Tuara's house.

 

That's right, I was sleeping in front of her house. Karz, what if she already came back? My body then jerked upright with a start. Only for my eyes to come face to face with another Toa. The first thing about her I noticed were her eyes. They were weary, much like my own. Of course, it only made sense considering how screwed up this Island had become. Back in the day I would have immediately leaped to try and cheer her up, remove some of the weariness from her eyes. Now, I just had no time.

 

For a second I wondered if she was Tuara, but the color of her armour instantly proved that theory wrong. "I'm sorry," I stated, my voice still groggy from sleeping. "I sort of dozed off waiting for Tuara. Would you happen to know where she is?"

Edited July 16, 2013 by Toa Onarax

[a goose]

IC: Nikarra (Outside Dorian and Tuara's Loft, Ta-Koro)

 

"I'm afraid not, sorry," Nikarra answered. She couldn't help but stare at the stranger -- there was something familiar about him, something she couldn't quite place. She glanced over at the loft -- Dorian had told her to go there, and she couldn't let some Toa on a bench get in the way of that. And then, as she looked back to him, it hit her -- Dorian. She couldn't say what it was exactly, but something about the Toa in front of her reminded her of him. For a second, she considered asking him if he knew him, but thought it best not to. Might seem slightly odd, and given the company Dorian had kept when she knew him, if they were acquainted that mightn't be a good thing.

"Why were you looking for her?" she asked. Given what Dorian said, if he and Tuara came back, or if she was with him -- which Nikarra suspected was the case, given that he could easily have gone to her instead -- and Nikarra mentioned it in her reply, she might be able to pass along a message. She wanted to do something to help the guy -- something about his exhaustion put her in mind of her own, and that familiarity inspired sympathy in her.

[Let's Henshin!]

IC: Malik (Ta-Koro, Outside Tuara's Home)

 

"I'm afraid not, sorry," the Toa answered.

 

I could only sigh in response, seemed that even this lead had disappeared. What was about this Island that had people constantly leaving their homes, seemed everyone ended up on some grand quest or adventure whether they wanted it or not. Still complaining about that fact wasn't going to solve any of my problems. All I could do now was divert my efforts to tracking down Tuara now.

 

"Why were you looking for her?"

 

To be honest the voice surprised me, I had momentarily forgotten about her presence. "Ah right," I began, I suppose it was rather odd for a strange Toa like me to just appear by someone's door one day. "I'm just looking for someone that's all, or rather was. I learned that Tuara knew him or at least met him at one point, I was just hoping she could help point me in the right direction."

Edited July 17, 2013 by Toa Onarax

[a goose]

IC: Nikarra (Outside Dorian and Tuara's loft, Ta-Koro)"Ah, I see." So much for helping him... Oh well. Nikarra knew nearly nothing about Tuara or anyone she knew (apart from Dorian, of course). She supposed she could offer up what little information she had -- not only might it help this guy, it might get him out of her way, too. "Look, as far as I know Tuara and Dorian are both out of town at the moment, so I don't think sleeping outside their home will do you much good."Now here's hoping he'll take the hint...

[Let's Henshin!]

IC: Malik (Ta-Koro, Outside Tuara's House)

 

"Tuara and Dorian"

 

"Dorian"

 

I froze, did I hear her right. She had just spoken my brother's name, then again I had stumbled across someone consulting for the guard named Dorian as well, I had figured that he had just been another person named Dorian. However, it seemed that this Dorian knew Tuara, which raised quite a few flags. Still it couldn't be my brother, I had seen the body with my own eyes, the questions now remained who this mysterious doppelganger was.

 

Then it hit me, this Dorian must have taken on my brother's name. After all, only dead men would be able to prove his claim wrong. He probably killed Kinvex as well, then shifted the blame to my brother's corpse before introducing himself as Dorian. My fist clenched as the realizations began to set in, inwardly I cursed myself for not seeing the truth sooner. It should have been obvious but instead I had failed my brother.

 

However, I soon remembered who was around me, no doubt she would feel worried, perhaps even threatened by the feelings of rage I was exuding. I quickly regained my calm composure, despite the pointlessness of the gesture. After all she knew by now that something she had said made me angry. "Look, sorry," I apologized, trying to at least ease any nerves I may have startled, "Dorian's the one I'm looking for."

 

I didn't let mention that he was the one who killed my brother, after all it seemed she was on good terms with the imposter and I needed her to lead me to him. Just wait Brother, Sister, you'll be able to rest in peace soon.

[Krayzikk]

IC:The secretary raised an eyebrow, before gesturing to the door just beyond her desk. "He's in there. You're lucky; there was a long line to see him earlier."

[a goose]

IC: Nikarra (Outside Dorian and Tuara's loft, Ta-Koro)Nikarra was many things: pretty, self-destructive, obsessive, emotional... the list ran on for quite a while. But one thing she was not was stupid. And when this Toa, this stranger, froze at the mention of Dorian's name and began seething with rage, his fists clenching as he glared into nowhere in particular, she knew whatever reason he had for looking for Dorian wasn't a good one. "Who did you say you were?"Whoever he was, he had something against Dorian. That shouldn't have been a surprise -- a lot of people did. Dorian was a killer by trade (or, at least, he was when Nikarra knew him -- now he was either a bird-keeper or a bartender, judging by her recent contact with him), which meant that he made enemies. And if this guy was one of them... Nikarra might have shivered, were it not for the fact she was keeping herself from displaying emotions other than the confusion she was putting on. The Toa in front of her had slipped up by letting his feelings show, and she wasn't making the same mistake. But he had been waiting outside Tuara's home, hoping to find Dorian through her. Who knew what he might have done if she'd been there? Worse, who knew what he might have done if Dorian had?

[Let's Henshin!]

IC: Malik (Ta-Koro Streets)

 

"Who did you say you were?"

 

I sighed, so I was right, I did slip up. Which really was annoying considering that I might have just blown my one last lead. So what was I do to now, be honest? That could get me killed, I didn't have any clue of this person's relationship to the imposter. Still, was there any lie I could give that would even appease her. Worse came down she could be just as twisted as the person who killed my brother.

 

Of course, I could try running, but what good would that do me. Most likely she'd just tip off the imposter and I'd have an even harder time tracking him down. I needed some plan but nothing was coming to me. What could I do that would let me wiggle out of this situation, was there anything I could say that would help my case. Well, perhaps there was one thing.

 

If I was right, and this fake Dorian did murder my brother and the rest of the family, I had reason to believe that he was after the Shaddix's. Perhaps I could use that to my advantage. If this person could contact him I could have her reveal that one more Shaddix was still alive, hopefully that would bring him down on me.

 

"Mind sending that a message to that Dorian," I spat the name out with distaste, I still hated that he had the gall to take on my brother's name, "Tell him that he missed a Shaddix, that Malik Shaddix still lives and he will have revenge for his brother and sister."

 

With that I activated my mask and leaped out of there, disappearing out onto the roof tops of Ta-Koro. Hopefully my message would get through, and when it did that imposter was going to have the worst day of his life. I promised that much.

 

After all this time, I'm almost done, soon your memories will be able to rest in peace. Either that, or I'll be joining the two of you soon.

 

Of course I then realized a big mistake I had made while trying to sound cool, I hadn't bothered to leave a reply address.

 

######.

Edited July 18, 2013 by Toa Onarax

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Kavala

(Ta-Koro, Jaller's Office):

 

Kavala nodded and stepped into the office to see Jaller hard at work.

 

"Akiri", Kavala said, getting the attention of the village leader. "I am here to warn you of a serious threat to the security of your village."

[a goose]

IC: Nikarra (Outside Dorian and Tuara's loft, Ta-Koro)

 

Malik Shaddix...

That explained the resemblance. They were related. But it didn't explain anything else, which left Nikarra overall rather confused -- Dorian had never mentioned any family.

No, wait...

 

"My father," Dorian began, "ran a silk business. Highly successful, outposts in four of the six Koros - with Po and Ko being the only exceptions at the time of his death - and richer than any man could ever need to be. Model businessman, outgoing in the community, religious as any man you'd ever seen...publicly. In private, he was abusive, misogynistic, and overbearing. I was set to jump into a thriving little enterprise, but what I really wanted to do?"He smirked."I wanted to paint. I was about to do my first solo gallery in Ga-Koro before he kicked me out. I made my home in Ko-Koro and joined the Sanctum Guard to try and make him proud, and after I became a Toa, started to get into the assassin's trade, I killed him for free. And you know what I felt? Disappointed. Ashamed. Sad, because I never showed him that I could really make something. I thought that I had beat him, and eventually, I realized that he'll always be the one that ended up beating me. You get what I'm saying?"

 

Dorian had killed his father. If Malik was to be believed, he had killed his brother and sister too, which meant that Malik -- given his age and what he'd said -- was likely another brother. Nikarra spent a moment thinking about what happened to his mother, but somehow she doubted that Dorian would spare her out of the goodness of his heart. Tell him he missed a Shaddix, Malik had said. He wasn't just a killer, he was heartless, he'd killed his own family. His father, she could understand -- who wouldn't want to kill him? But going on to murder his siblings... Malik despised him. His own brother. And Nikarra was the stupid girl who had fallen for the stereotypical 'bad boy' without thinking about what she was getting herself into, as always. She glanced at the loft, wondering whether or not to go on with it. Too late to back out now, she sighed internally. But this was it. She'd do this, and pass on Malik's message to Dorian, but that would be the end of her involvement. It was time she got herself out of Dorian's life for good, went back to making her own. No more obsessing over the pretty face that had never really cared.