sunflower

IC: Dehkaz [Ostia Docks, Fowadi] Dehkaz raised an eyebrow, though more out of his own bemusement with the number of newcomers which they seemed to be attracting as of late. Not entirely unheard of, and Noka here was perhaps the easiest one to work with. "I see, very well then that's easy enough. You're certainly welcome here, I'll get the paperwork sorted out for your transfer to the ship." "Any particular reason, Sentinel Noka, or just looking fio a change of scenery?" Dehkaz asked, before adding, "Not an order, just curious."

IC: Dehkaz [Ostia Docks, Fowadi] "'Sir' works fine Sentinel Noka, 'Captain' as well." Dehkaz did his best to soften his demeanor somewhat, not to the point of flippantly casual, but enough to perhaps get the guard a bit more at ease. Then again, she may have just been none too keen to walk aboard a ship, it wasn't uncommon for the Po-Koroan natives. "What brings you here, Sentinel?" He was unaware of anything happening regarding crew, perhaps she was a messenger from headquarters in Po-Koro?

IC: Dehkaz [Ostia Docks, Fowadi] Another shape caught Dehkaz's attention, a brown-armored Matoran who was currently standing on the dock below, just off to the side of Fowadi's gangplank. Her deserted-hued armor was of the same make as his own, that was easy enough to make out, though he didn't recognize her as one of the Sentinel crew that had been assigned to the ironclad. While not out of place in the port village by any stretch, she nonetheless seemed somewhat... lost. "Guardswoman!" He called down, before motioning for her to step onboard from his spot near the edge of the deck. "Come on up."

IC: Dehkaz [Ostia Docks, Fowadi] "Last I heard he was in Po-Koro," Dehkaz offered, switching the case in his hands from one to the other as he opened one of the bulkhead doors to towards the surface in front of Krayn, "But I've been on the move for the past few weeks, knowing his reputation he could be anywhere by now." A flash of silver caught his attention, and Dehkaz turned away from the rest of the group for a moment, stepping through an adjacent doorway to one of the larger compartments in the armored interior of the ironclad. Inside was who he had thought he had seen, though the silvery Fe-toa was conversing with a rugged, red-armored matoran that he didn't recognize. "Kale! We're headed to Po-Koro to pick up some last minute essentials, hold down the fort while we're gone," The toa of Magnetism called, before heading to rejoin the others up on the deck of the ship. The sun was high in the sky now, and a moment as he counted through the time that had passed since he had first arrived at the port town confirmed what he had reckoned. "Iron Mahi should be done loading supplied and leaving for Po-Koro relatively soon," Dehkaz explained to the others, his constant traveling across the Wahi having given him a fairly decent read on when the mechanical contraption set off. "We'll be able to catch it."

IC: Dehkaz [Ostia Docks, Fowadi] A gleam shot through Dehkaz's eyes, and the ghost of a man who once dedicated his life to the craft of being exceptionally lethal passed across his expression. It wouldn't be entirely incorrect to say that the former bounty hunter was excited at the mention. "Sure as Karz do, have something in mind Krayn?"

IC: Dehkaz [Ostia Docks, Fowadi] "Should get us to Po-Koro within a few hours, far faster than trudging through the desert." While it was hard to tell from his overall demeanor, for those that had been around Dehkaz for any measure of time there was a hint of good-natured dig at those present. Or rather, one specifically. He raised an eyebrow in Krayn's direction

IC: Leli Taking a quick glance through her belongings, both recently acquired ones and those which she had traveled through to the strange crystal island with, Leli appeared satisfied that everything was in order. "Let's goooo!" She exclaimed, steading herself with a hand as Cancer scuttled forward along the docks and towards the koro proper. Leli took a moment to twist around, staribgvat the fleet of crystalline vessels that had been their home for the past few weeks. "Whadda guys think will happen to them?" She eventually asked her companions. "They can't go back... not after... uh.... y'know." Her tone had dropped considerably, and if it weren't for the Le-Koroan accent that still found its way into her speech one might even say her voice trembled as she made a pointed note to not mention a specific word.

IC: Dehkaz [Ostia Docks, Fowadi] "You're welcome to stay aboard as long as you'd like Shaddix," Dehkaz offered, glancing down at the canvas bag of weaponry before addressing the toa of Iron again. "We've got the room." "Krayn and I were headed out to Po-Koro, but we'll be setting off once we're back; Fowadi still needs some fitting out in the meantime."

IC: Kalih [Fau Swamp] The deeper the Ga-matoran got in the empty ship the more questions filled his mind, swimming around his headspace only to be replaced by another, and then another. His current object of fascination was what he assumed to be the hold, or, it would have been the hold any any normal vessel. Instead this space, below the waterline and at what he could surmised was the very bottom of the ship, was a massive piece of machinery. Tubes and ducts, enough to put even the pump hard at work in the Great Mine to shame, ran across the surface of the pieces of equipment, and then up through the ceiling above. As Kalih stepped around it more and more was revealed, like the shaft that ran lengthwise out of one of the blocks of equipment towards the aft of the ship. Oddly enough, the closer he got to the machinery the stuffier the air got, and the temperature began to rise. Nothing was moving as far as he could tell, so the heat was a mystery. Continuing down the length of the ship brought him more questions than answers, not the least of which was the fact that the shaft seemed to poke straight through the hull, terminating somewhere outside... beneath the ship... A thought occurred to him, and in a rush Kalih made his way back up to the surface of the ship.

IC: Leli [Ga-Koro Docks] "OKAYYYY, FINE." Leli, seemingly having given up with any additional accoutrements to adorn the Ussal with, clambered up on top of Cancer's shell. Her own crystalline decorations clinked together as she sat down, and patted the spot next to her. "Well, come on then."

IC: Kalih [Le-Wahi, Fau Swamp, Kavinika] Poking around the vessel had pretty much confirmed his suspicions of its foreign origin, even the wood decking was of a type he'd never seen before. The grain was too compressed, too dark, to be anything from Le-Wahi. Let alone the extensive use of metal and iron plate throughout the ship. The lines, the paneling, everything down the oversized railings and stairways, it all pointed to a single conclusion. Well, that, as well as the exquisitely dressed Vortixx who was currently sprawled across the deck. Partially decomposing. Kalih tried his best not to think about that, not until he had to. Thankfully, the vessel did have a wheel, that much was easy to identify. Granted, a collection of levers and dials were array around it, looking like some twisted invention an Onu-Koroan engineer dreamt up after a big hit of miracle cactus. Kalih made a point not to touch any of those, not yet, and instead elected to venture further down into the ship itself. Thankfully, so far his search had not dug up any more corpses, though he did come across what he assumed were quarters, though they were all empty. Above he heard the tap tap tap tap of Haa's legs on the deck above, though they were not those of alarm. OOC: Open for interaction.

IC: Arms [Khy;Barr, Forge] "Heh." "Little child come too."

IC: Arms [Khy;Barr, Forge] "Down." It was unclear if this was a command to their current posture, or something else entirely, until the massive being simply turned, and began to take one ponderous step after another towards the staircase which lead deeper away from the hanging fort and deeper into the mountainside itself.

IC: Leli [Ga-Koro Docks, Yukanna] "Stop moving Cancer I'm making you pretty like me."

IC: Dehkaz [Ostia Docks, Fowadi] Trust was a funny thing. Dehkaz trusted his senses, trusted what he could hear, feel, see with his own eyes. He trusted his intuition, the pull of his consciousness born from a lifetime of having little to trust other than the strength of his own two hands and the sharpness of his mind. He trusted his decisions, that they were as close to an expression of his morals as he could do. He trusted his equipment, weaponry and armor which he himself put the effort into caring for and keeping in the best shape possible. He trusted those around him to act according to their own morals, whether that be in self-interest or in the service to others, perhaps even apathy. Trust was a strange one way binary, it took only a single event to break trust. He'd lost trust in some. Those close to him, then later in Xa-Koro some not so close. Trust was something that took time to build. To learn. He'd built trust in those around him. Realized what it meant, what it took to trust someone enough to call them a friend. It had been a learning experience, old habits needing to be broken down and forgotten in the face of the new, but it had shaped his view. Had an effect on his very being that he was to this day still comprehending the scope of. Trust was a strange thing. It was a strange feeling for him to realize that he trusted what Shaddix had to say. Trusted that the words shakily spoken were the truth as far as the toa of Iron had experienced them. It was strange to realize that he no longer trusted others, those which were heralded as a bright spot to deliver them from the seemingly unending darkness that had clawed at the island for as long as he could remember. Trust was a fragile thing.

IC: Kalih [Le-Wahi, Fau Swamp] The jungle was atrocious. The forest around Naho bay was calm, shaded, and idyllic. It was nice, temperate, breaking into rolling hills not long after. The jungle was hot, buggy, and never ending. Kalih had been traveling for what felt like days, okay well he had been, but they had been long days. Long days filled with nothing but getting his boots stuck in mud, batting away bloodthirsty insects, and doing his absolute best to stay dry. Even when it wasn’t raining water still dripped from the tops of the canopy, creating a perpetual downpour that always seemed to find the top of his head. Haa seemed right at home in the damp undergrowth, which was something Kalih mused, the normally ill-tempered crustacean practically frolicking through the mossy greenery. This was for the best, the Keras had already managed to dissuade more than one jungle Rahi that had gotten too close for comfort with snapping claws and shrill chirps. As opposed to simply crawling up the nearest tree and leaving Kalih to figure it out for himself, which the crab was known to do. Eagerness had won out over all else, but now a few days in and Kalih was beginning to regret not having a guide. Sure, he wasn't bad at finding his own way through dead reckoning alone, he was sure there had to be a faster way through the Wahi. There was no way people went through this humid mess just to get around. To the right of him the underbrush began to part, the swampy land ending at a tributary that was brown and dark from the sediment within. Not the most inviting waters he'd ever seen, but nonetheless it was what he had come all this way for. Or rather, the dark shape that slowly bobbed along the riverbank some way up the shore was. It had only drifted a bit downriver from where the trapper had said he'd seen it. Perfect. It was a boat, the curved lines unmistakably those of a vessel, but not one which Kalih had ever seen or heard of before, which was impressive given how many he had seen across the island. A strange metal cylinder protruded from the deck, and there wasn't a sail or mast to be seen. Exactly as had been described to him. Fascinating. As he approached more details became clear, the word Kavinika was emblazoned across the side of the hull in Matoran, and what looked to be some sort of wheel positioned at the very top of the quarterdeck. While larger than a simple boat, the vessel was still nowhere near the size of the great ships which patrolled the waters further north. The first obstacle, naturally, was boarding the thing. The ship was pushed up against the riverbank, thankfully, but no anchor was laid nor any gangplank let down to allow entry on and off the vessel. Derelict, as far as he could tell. Stepping around to the far side of the ship, Haa trailing along behind clicking his claws excitedly, revealed a ladder of sorts bolted to the side of the hull, though the rungs were far too spaced apart for any Matoran to use them comfortably. Getting to it required Kalih trudge through waist-deep muddy water to the side of the ship, and then half climb, half leap from oversized rung to oversized rung to reach the main deck of the Kavinika itself. The sight that greeted him confirmed his suspicions of the vessel being derelict. “Oh Mata Nui that’s… euhhh… gross.” Haa chirped, he wasn't sure if it was in agreement.

IC: Dehkaz [Osta Docks, Fowadi] Dehkaz, arms folded across his chest and silent up to this point, spoke up finally. "I'm in."

IC: Dehkaz [Ostia Docks, Fowadi] Dehkaz stepped into the cabin proper, leaning up against the bulkhead next to the door as Krayn cleared space with Dorian wrapped around him. He wasn't entirely sure how long the three toa had been conversing, but it was long enough for Skyra to get tipsy. He'd have to watch that. Ko-Koro had affected them all, and Krayn's shoulder wasn't the only thing still lingering. The toa of Magnetism motioned over to Luten's small projected form to join him, mostly to pull her away from the slightly inebriated Daring, and perhaps save Kale a headache later on. "What happened down there?" He started, "As far as everyone else knew you died, along with Nimil and the necromancer. Did they make it out of the Mangai as well?"

IC: Dehkaz [Ostai Docks, Fowadi] "The usual, Shaddix," Dehkaz replied, taking a step back to give the two men some room as Dorian embraced him. He shook his head slightly in disbelief at seeing the toa of Iron alive and seemingly well, before continuing, "Rumor for the past few weeks had it that you didn't make out alive. Glad to see it was only a rumor." "We're headed to Po-Koro," He explained, accepting the glass from Praggos, "Getting some technicalities taken care of."

IC: Leli [Ga-Koro Docks, Yukanna] Leli busied herself with trying to lace a crystal-encrusted ribbon through Cancer's shell.

IC: Dehkaz [Ostia Docks, Fowadi] Dehkaz stopped as Krayn held up a hand, opening his mouth to air his question but stopping as he realized what the De-toa was doing. A moment past, and Dehkaz watched the expression on Krayn's face morph from one of concentration to... "I think, sir, you've got an interesting guest." The Fa-toa's brow furrowed, and he followed Krayn deeper into the ship. They descended one set of steps, passing the giant electromechanical contraption that was the radio, before heading down another two more. There, two decks below where they had been previously, Krayn lead the two of them towards what Dehkaz recognized as the sickbay. Now he too began to hear snippets of conversation trickle out from the slightly ajar cabin door that was opposite to the sickbar, which Praggos had staked his claim to. Curiosity piqued, Dehkaz followed as Krayn poked his head through the door, glancing around his friend's Sanok to look inside. There was Praggos, Skyra, and another toa which was more than a bit surprising to find living, drinking, and talking. "...Shaddix?"

IC: Dehkaz [Ostia Docks, Fowadi] "Sounds good, let's get moving." Dehkaz stood with a nod, pushing the chair back under the desk as he did so. He recorked the bottle, placing it next to the partially dissected innards of a baton-like weapon that sat on the surface. Making his way to the door out of his cabin, he paused for a moment at the threshold to wait for Krayn before continuing to lead the way out of the aftcastle and towards the deck.

IC: Leli [Ga-Koro Docks, Yukanna] "Cancer! C'mere handsome." Leli glanced around. Weird, Kellin wasn't anywhere to be seen. He was probably fine.

IC: Dehkaz [Ostia Docks, Fowadi] The toa of Magnetism nodded in agreement, though not necessarily to all of what Krayn had said. "Don't sell yourself short Krayn," Dehkaz raised his glass, emptying what was left within it, "you saved a lot of good people in Ko-Koro. Guard or no Guard." "We can get moving to Po-Koro as soon as you're ready. The Fowadi's still fitting out, we won't be sailing for another day or so."

IC: Leli [Ga-Koro Docks, Yukanna] "It's not swindling!" Leli was insistent. "Hey, I know, we could borrow Cancer!"