Timageness

For those of you who don't know, I'm also a pretty big fan of CW's Arrowverse in general, and especially of The Flash and DC's Legends of Tomorrow, both of which bring up the subject of time travel and its potential repercussions quite a lot. Naturally, this got me thinking a little bit in regards to Bionicle G1.

We know for a fact that the Kanohi Vahi is only capable of speeding up and slowing down time (or at least the user's perception of it anyway), but Bitil's Mohtrek does not follow this ruleset, as its primary function is to teleport past versions of its wielder to their current location and place in time, and instead erases their memories regarding that future, but neglects to heal them of any injuries sustained there. So the theory I'm proposing here is this; could it still have been possible that Bitil, or any other Mohtrek wielder for that matter, was capable of secretly manipulating the timeline to their advantage by summoning their past selves and simply finding some way to brand the necessary information onto their bodies for them to act on later?

And if so, could the rest of the Brotherhood have been potentially warned about Teridax's betrayal beforehand, thus changing the outcome of the original G1 storyline?

Now Hiring.

Included a link back to Saffina's character and ship profiles within said post as well for those who are looking to join up.

Perks include room and board for the duration of the job, having allies to help face down whatever Nato decides to throw at us, a lesser chance of being ambushed and/or massacred out in the wilderness, and not having to pay off two rather suspicious and shady Skakdi just to get in on the action. Sign up today!

IC: Saffina - Cliffside (The Crimson Takea)

Pleased to see that her ship had not been vandalised during her absence and that it was still in the mostly-intact state she had left it in, the Vortixx continued her way around to the vessel's port, unlocking the cargo door beneath it's fin, only for the ramp to descend a moment later and allow her access to the vehicle's interior before subsequently closing behind her. After a quick glance of her surroundings, just to confirm that everything was indeed exactly as it was when she departed, she soon found herself within her own personal cabin, placing the newly acquired map in a drawer alongside the rest of its brethren, only to brandish her own blank scrap of parchment as she began to go to work. After a few minutes of furiously scribbling across its surface, repeatedly dipping her quill into its respective vial of ink, and one unfortunate mishap that had forced her to restart the entire process again from scratch, she had finally finished her latest masterpiece, intending to head further back inside the settlement itself in order to post it where it was more likely to be seen.

Looking over her handiwork one last time, she eventually folded it up and tucked it away for safe keeping, along with another small sack of widgets as a bribe, and soon departed in order to put the word out to potential applicants.

Later on, the patrons of Capstone might've noticed said scrap of parchment, now being pinned to the surface of a wall near the bar by the blade of a dagger. It read:

Now Hiring

Who: Fellow pirates, marauders, thieves, and those with an overall penchant for banditry and the like.

What To Bring: Yourself and your weapons, obviously. Smaller craft preferred, but larger ones are also acceptable. Those who become squeamish at the sight of blood or are unwilling to spill a bit of it themselves need not apply, and acts of treachery and/or mutiny will not be tolerated.

When: Departure from Cliffside is at the Captain's discretion. If you want in, then get moving.

Where: Details regarding the destination of this little expedition are need-to-know only... which means that you don't until we've already taken off.

Why: Standard salvage and recovery operation with expected resistance from the locals, who may turn out to be potential bounty opportunities themselves as well.

How To Inquire: Speak to Saffina for more information, at her ship, The Crimson Takea, located just outside of Capstone.

As for the Vortixx in question, however, she could be found lounging on a nearby cot that she had previously set up next to the cargo ramp, enjoying the shade provided by her ship's fin and lazily sipping away at another drink through a straw as she waited for people to eventually start showing up.

IC: Saffina - Cliffside (Capstone Bar and Market)

Saffina didn't know why, but for whatever reason, something about the Skakdi's answer just didn't sit right with her.

Either way, the pair seemed fairly satisfied with the amount they had already obtained, and seeing as to how they weren't looking for more in exchange for any further information, she felt it safe to assume that their business had concluded. Aside from assembling a decent crew and trying to avoid as many pitfalls as possible through proper planning and tactics, there wasn't much else to be done here.

"Very well, then," the Vortixx responded abruptly, almost as if to avoid suspicion. "Enjoy them while they last."

Taking her leave and stepping out through the doorway once again, she then proceeded to make her way back towards The Crimson Takea, intending to stash the map someplace safe before setting her mind towards the current task at hand.

Ironically, that's the one topic on Mata Nui that I've yet to post in at all.

Maybe I'll finally get around to it someday. Hopefully, it won't take me another two years to do so.

IC: Saffina - Cliffside (Capstone Bar and Market)

"Much obliged," she said simply, rolling the map back up as it once again disappeared from view. "Is there anything else I should know about before heading out there?"

IC: Saffina - Cliffside (Capstone Bar and Market)

Shrugging slightly and noting that the duo weren't exactly as stranded as they were previously making themselves out to be, the Vortixx simply produced a fairly bulky pouch of widgets before emptying it of all the smaller ones on the inside, in addition to a map that had been previously tucked away inside of her armor. Granted, this wasn't all of her wealth (she was savvy enough to stash the rest of it within the various hidden compartments scattered around the interior of her ship, mostly in order to seem like less of a target to thieves and the occasional pickpocket), but it was certainly enough to purchase a week's worth of supplies at the very least, and to put a very sizeable dent in her current finances.

This better be worth it, or your lives are about to become much more miserable... and shorter.

"I trust that you'll find this to be more than satisfactory...?," she asked, forking the items over as she proceeded to wait for a response.

IC: Saffina - Cliffside (Capstone Bar and Market)

"I... may have some additional coin left over from my last gig that I'd be willing to part with."

It was then that she briefly diverted her attention to the claws of her left hand, acting as if the next bit of information was no big deal.

"And a few spare rooms on an airship, in the event that you were looking to get out of Cliffside."

IC: Saffina - Cliffside (Capstone Bar and Market)

And there it was; the art of bartering at its finest.

In truth, Saffina had sort of expected this. No one here, herself included, was going to bother offering assistance to anyone else in this settlement unless it was well within their own interests to do so, and from the look of these two, it wasn't too surprising that she was the first to even warm up to the possibility of them potentially being worth her time. Due to the fact that they were apparently lacking any additional means of transportation, this would also probably involve having to volunteer her ship out as their only ride back to the more... civilised areas of The Great Barren as well.

But since she was currently the only person in here who had gone cared to acknowledge their existence, that also meant that she had a slight advantage when it came down to hashing out the exact arrangements of this little exchange, seeing as to how offers to fly them out of Cliffside weren't exactly lining up for them either.

"Fair enough," the Vortixx replied, taking the time to sift through her own thoughts for a bit. "Name your terms, and let us see if we can come to some sort of agreement."

IC: Saffina - Cliffside (Capstone Bar and Market)

Having walked around for what seemed like quite a while and with absolutely nothing to show for it, the Vortixx simply sighed angrily and began her trek back towards Capstone.

At best, there'd hopefully be something expensive to salvage; at worst, she'd have to lug around a few corpses in her cargo bay, and hope that she could find someone willing to shell out some coin for a few dead Vorox before they managed to stink up her upholstery. Either way, she'd likely have to hire on some additional crew members, who would most definitely want more than their usual share for possibly going up against a weapon that can take airships out of the freaking sky, so odds were that any potential payout (provided that they even survived, obviously) would probably already be mostly spent by the time she even got her hands on any of it. Factor in future ship repairs and supplies, and she'd essentially be back where she started in no time.

Better than standing around here and doing nothing, I suppose.

Stepping inside the doorway once again and frankly not giving a #### if the Turaga noticed her or not, she listened to the two Skakdi recount the same tale for a third time before making her approach towards the pair, this time with the intent of learning the approximate location of where their ship had supposedly gone down.

"Excuse me, but could either one of you point out roughly where the attack occured on a map? I might be heading out that way later on myself, and I'd like to know what to expect in order to avoid any unnecessary... complications."

OOC: Round Two, Nato.

IC: Dahrak Nade - Onu-Koro (Golden Pickaxe Inn)

Dahrak mumbled something vaguely incoherent and barely audible under his breath in response as he displayed their pass.

Things haven't progressed that much; so far, we've only got three characters chasing the thief in the Northern Tunnels (who are currently being distracted by Kofo-Jaga at the moment), and two still walking around the village, attempting to obtain more intel.

If you still wanted to, I'm assuming you could just have your character stumble across another bounty notice, or better yet, simply bump into Dahrak and Flabbergaster. They might not be the most likeable bunch, but if you can put up with them and their bickering, that should be enough to allow you to catch up.

Not saying that it will happen again, obviously, just that there's an example of a PC possessing one that's still canon.

No idea. Personally would've thought that he could just use his powers to simply mimic up a new voice for himself, seeing as to how he's a Toa of Sonics, but since the Suletu is one of those Kanohi that are always on at some level, it still kind of makes more sense to do it through the mask from an efficiency perspective. The funny thing is that his body actually is capable of talking; if I recall correctly, he now has some type of split personality deal going on that only Aelied knows about, which ended up physically speaking during the one post it showed up in, but since Vakua's ironically completely unaware of its presence within his own mind, he just simply lacks the knowledge that he can do so.

I just treat Mata Nui as if it's the island from Lost; everyone still retains their original memories, whether people end up believing them or not, but due to the quasi-mystical nature of their surroundings, not one of them could actually pinpoint the exact location or direction of their respective homelands. Septima's the only exception I have so far to this rule, but seeing as to how she actually started off as a native of Mata Nui anyway, there wouldn't really be that much of a point to enforce it.

As far the Suletu is concerned, however, Keeper actually did manage to get one approved for use on Vakua (Echelon even put a bounty out on him at one point just so he could try to get his hands on it), though I believe that was mostly because he was mute and it doubled as his only other means of communication.

IC: Dahrak Nade - Onu-Koro (Ussalry HQ)

Looking over the parchment and tucking it into his armor, he nodded in appreciation towards the guard, only to scowl as he eventually turned around. Unfortunately, the note he had written out for them made mention of two beings, which meant that if the Po-Toa were to ditch Smough over here, the officers in charge of protecting the witness likely would try to detain him for being an imposter rather than simply letting him pass.

So for now, at least, he would have to play nice, but that didn't necessarily mean that he had to like it.

Just wait until we're outside the village proper, ######. We'll see who's laughing then.

And with that, he proceeded to follow the Tiokaha back onto the streets, giving his ### a wide berth as they travelled towards their intended destination.

OOC: Huh. Thought someone else would've posted by now. Whatever. Since it has been about a good day and a half since my last post, however, I guess I'll just finish this up now, then.

Oh, and Nato? I had to surf through thirty-two pages of PMs to make it happen (started on the first page, unfortunately), but I did manage to find that one joke I made a while back, which actually inspired this little misadventure ironically enough, and inserted a slightly modified version of it into the escape sequence. Enjoy.

IC: Septima - Ga-Koro (Bar)

"What the Karz are you doing here?," she hissed, pulling her scarf back down around her neck in an effort to better display her displeasure.

"Me? I should be the one asking you that question, not the other way around," he responded. "I'm actually supposed to be here. You're not."

"Uh, no," she continued, proceeding to jab her finger into his chest. "I'm here to rob the vault. You're just here because you wanted to tick me off. Again."

"Yeah, because I totally went through the effort of drugging all the guards into unconsciousness just so I could stalk some wannabe cat burglar. Keep dreaming, sweetheart. Oh, and for the record, whatever happens to be back there? That's all mine. Go get your own loot for once in your life."

"Oh, you are so full of - ," Septima began to say, only to cut herself off upon hearing something back out in the hallway. "Ummm... What was that?"

Briefly looking over towards the door as he attempted to stay quiet, Verulas' eyes widened not too long afterwards as he proceeded to push his way past her and move through the large, metal doorway she was attempting to block.

"You know those guards that I said I drugged into unconsciousness?"

"Yeah... Why?"

"Well... there's an ever so slight possibility that they might not be so... unconscious anymore."

"You have got to be freaking - "

"Less talk, more thieving," he said, quickly tossing her an almost ridiculously large sack. "We can finish arguing about who owns what when people aren't about to try their hand at killing us."

Briefly entertaining the thought of simply closing the door behind the Bo-Toa and locking him inside before making her escape, she quickly entered the hidden room as well, stuffing the bag with others of various shapes and sizes that all began to jingle as they eventually made contact with its interior. Trying her best to hold it open as she haphazardly began sliding the contents of one particular shelf inside with her arm, she suddenly found herself frozen in place upon hearing a singular voice loud enough to no doubtedly wake up the rest of the manor's slumbering occupants.

"Everyone! Get your ##### in here, now! The boss is dead!"

Feeling her jaw drop to the floor in horror, she turned back towards her unwanted partner in crime, the look in her eyes clearly demanding an explanation.

"Yeah, uh... heh... funny story... I... uh... may or may not have been hired to come here and... unalive a guy...?"

"You #######!"

"Oh, come on. What did you think the word "mercenary" meant, anyway? Besides, it's not like you haven't offed someone before..."

"I've never killed anyone in my entire life!"

"Wait, really? Wow... Well, this is awkward..."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just turn you over to those goons right now."

"Besides you also being a fellow intruder? How about the fact that we both clearly misjudged the actual size of this room and the amount of its contents?"

Putting aside her anger and disgust for a moment in order to perform a quick double-take of her current surroundings, she eventually realised, to her own shame and disappointment, that he was right. Making off with the widgets was going to be a two-person job at the very least, and if she wanted to return them all to their rightful owners, she was, unfortunately, going to require his assistance in order to pull it off.

Still, that didn't mean she had to like it.

"We are so not done having this conversation," the Fe-Toa whispered, turning around once again in order to get back to work.

"Of course not. With you, we never are," he responded slyly.

Tossing the now completely full sacks over their shoulders, Verulas suddenly made a beeline for the nearest window, leaving Septima to look back and make one final glance towards the still open doorway. Seeing this, he promptly nudged her arm in order to grab her attention, simply shaking his head as if to silently urge her not to.

"Leave it be. We don't have much time as it is."

"I don't like leaving traces of my presence behind."

"Pfft. What are they going to do? Call the guards and tell them that someone broke in and cleaned out their entire stash of illegally-obtained widgets? Trust me, if they're as smart as they like to pretend to be, they'll do a quick search of the place, and our mess will be cleaned up long before anyone even arrives to collect the body. That's literally the best part about ripping off scumbags; they know enough to cover their own #####. Now come on, let's go. You first."

Shortly after pulling it up and unceremoniously tossing her own sack into the bushes below, she prepared herself to follow it almost immediately afterwards, only to suddenly catch sight of the door leading back out into the hallway opening up behind them. With an instinctive flick of her wrist, it was slammed shut once again, immediately locking itself soon afterwards, much to the surprise of the being trying to open it.

"What...? Hey! Come quick! Someone's in here!"

"Well, so much for a stealthy exit," Verulas said, tossing his bag towards Septima as they began to try breaking it down. "And for chivalry, apparently. Here, hold this."

"What the - ," she exclaimed, suddenly having a section of it pressed up against her face as she tried her best not to lose her balance and fall over. "Oh, this reeks! What the Karz did you put in this thing?!"

"Oh, nothing much...," he responded, jumping out the window and making his escape. "Just a severed head. No big deal."

"Ugh... WAIT, WHAT?!?!"

"Relax, I'm just messing with you! Now hurry the #### up before you get the both of us caught!"

Mata Nui, if you can hear me... please fry his ### with a bolt of lightning.

Stepping off of the small boat they had commandeered and onto the docks, the duo quickly ducked into a nearby alleyway with their newly acquired spoils and deactivated their masks, staying on the lookout for both Marines and anyone who looked like they would question why they were in possession of two very large sacks full of widgets.

"Okay, coast's clear. Now we can resume - just where in Karzahni do you think you're going?"

"Where do you think?," the Bo-Toa said, their quarry already balanced perfectly above his shoulders. "Home, obviously. This little adventure of ours was fun and all, but I'm kind of a wanted man around these parts at the moment, so it's probably about high-time I ought to skedaddle."

"Works for me," she said, using her powers to pull them out of his grip and levitate them back towards the ground. "But like I said, those are mine."

"Ugh... fine. How about this? We each take a bag, go our separate ways, and hopefully never hear from each other again. Deal?"

"What part of my last sentence didn't you understand?"

"Look, Septima, don't you think you're being just a tad bit - "

"What? I'm being what, Verulas? Unreasonable? Unfair? A #####? Please, do go on and enlighten me by finishing that sentence."

He fell silent for a moment, pondering his next words as he steadied himself up against the nearby wall.

"This upcoming tirade of yours... it isn't about the widgets, is it?"

"Is that seriously all you can think about right now?! My god, Verulas... You just ####### killed somebody! What the actual Karz?"

"Are you done? I'm not going to apologise for taking out someone who extorts, terrorises, and murders innocent people for a living. Believe me, he deserved far worse than what I did to him."

"That's not the point! You don't get to decide who lives and who dies like that!"

"Oh, really? Well then, who does, Ms. High-And-Mighty?"

"Mata Nui!"

"So let me get this straight; it's perfectly fine for your god to hurt others indiscriminately, but when I do it to actually help them out a bit, to make their lives easier, and so that they can sleep at night without having to worry so much about what the next day will bring, I'm the one who's in the wrong? I'm sorry, but I simply don't have the time to listen to your hypocritical ########."

"I should turn you in. I don't care if you take me down with you anymore. People like you shouldn't be allowed to walk the streets."

"Septima, if you were going to do that, you would've already done so already. And if I thought you were going to do that..."

"Then you would've what? Killed me too? Is that what you were about to say?"

"What? No! Of course not!"

"Then what would you have done, Verulas?"

"I... uh..."

"I'm waiting, Karz-Head! What would you have done if you thought I was going to rat on you?"

"I... I..."

"Spit it out, already!"

Then, in that exact moment in time, something completely unexpected happened.

At first, she had tried to push him off, her anger only becoming even more briefly intensified in the ensuing confusion that followed, only to find herself suddenly begin to melt away as the rest of the world around her seemed to simply disappear. Her hand, once curled up into the fist that she had previously intended to sock him square in the jaw with, was now positioned directly against the base of his spine, pulling him in closer towards the rest of her body as she felt his own make their way across her lower back. Everything she had previously despised about him began to fade into obscurity, every action that disgusted her to her core soon found resolution, and every fiber of her very being that held her back and had previously screamed and begged for her to stop were inexplicably silenced as she lost herself in the movements, only to discover a new voice, silently wishing for this feeling that had almost completely enveloped her to never end...

And then it departed almost as fast as it had arrived.

The Bo-Toa forced himself back, remaining silent for a moment before simply apologising, saying that he had thought he saw a guard walking by, and that they were less likely to recognise him that way. She had barely heard the lie he was now attempting to weave, trapped inside the remnants of her own shattered little world and desperately trying to reassemble the pieces, only to soon discover that the effort was in vain, as they now no longer fit together like they used to, almost as if something completely alien had come along and completely remolded them. What had taken up residence inside the new space left in its wake, however, had simply vanished, and its absence was now replaced by something almost bittersweet, something that had begun to question whether or not it had even existed entirely. Something that yearned for her to try and capture it again, even if it was only for the briefest flicker in the face of eternity.

So when she found herself wrapping her fingers around his wrist once again in an effort to regain that fleeting experience, she did nothing but let herself become lost amidst the cosmic tango.

When Septima awoke the next morning, sprawled out amongst the sheets of the bed she had rented the day before, her head felt like it was being bombarded by a constant avalanche.

She remembered the two of them eventually agreeing that the money had belonged where she had initially intended it to go, back into the hands of the people it had been taken from. She remembered their rooftop escapades, narrowly avoiding the patrolling Marines as they delivered tiny pouches of coin to nearly every doorstep within the village proper, keeping her promise to herself all throughout the night as if it had been her own personal Naming Day. She even remembered them spending a fair amount of time at the bar downstairs, swapping stories over drinks as if they had been longtime friends who simply hadn't seen each other in forever. All in all, it felt as if her days in Xa-Koro had been returned to her, even if her old companions were now only with her in spirit, and because of this, she was able to form a minuscule smile before closing her eyes once more and drifting back off into the land of sleep.

Or at least she would have, if Verulas hadn't noticed her moving around.

"Well, well, well," he said, leaning up against the room's opposite wall. "Look who's finally awake."

This she didn't remember at all.

Leaping off of the mattress, she quickly attempted to cover herself, only to realise that everything was still perfectly concealed within her armor as she nearly fell over the edge and onto the floor. At this point, he had nearly doubled over in a fit of laughter during her panic, causing her to glare angrily at him as she nervously began to stammer.

"W-w-we d-didn't... you know... r-right?"

"What? No... I mean, we did end up playing Tonsil-Kolhi a few times, and you started getting a little bit... grabbier than usual after we had our drinks, but no, nothing too serious happened. I took the floor, was a perfect gentleman, and only stayed the night to keep a low profile."

Exhaling a sigh of relief, the Fe-Toa simply lowered her gaze towards the floor.

"But the look on your face when you thought we did? Absolutely ####### priceless."

It was then that he found himself bolting back through the doorway, the lightstone lamp that had previously rested on her nightstand suddenly flying through the space where his head used to be before exploding into pieces.

Having stared at her drink for long enough, she reached out to grab it before tossing it back and placing the now empty glass back down on the table.

"I think I'm going to need a few more," she said softly, almost entirely to herself. "I still can't get the taste of jerk out of my mouth."

IC: Dahrak Nade - Onu-Koro (Ussalry HQ)

"That would be much appreciated, as would directions to said inn as well."

Despite struggling not to facepalm at a volume high enough for every guard in the building to hear after the Tiokaha had seriously just asked one of them as to how he should properly dispose of a body, he was actually liking his chances that his investigation attempts were actually beginning to lead somewhere.

Seeing as to how the thief must've gotten his knowledge about the documents from somewhere, the next thing I should do is to go question the victim. Given that the list of names who even knew of their existence should be fairly short, not to mention all of them having at least some type of residence within Onu-Koro, due to whatever was stolen being classified and all, that should be my next priority. If I can find anything on one of them that might lead me back to the perp, or even acquire the vaguest detail concerning the actual purpose of said documents, I might just be able to figure out where he's going instead of simply following, and potentially losing, his trail like those other three try-hards. And if I can get one step ahead of him, then it will be that much easier to set a trap and catch the #######.

The one thing that everyone conveniently forgets about ######## is that we tend to know how other ######## think. Have fun playing around in the dark, Karz-Heads.

Do Cargo Haulers need to be listed within Airship Profiles, or is it safe to assume that they simply have a few of them tucked away inside unless otherwise explicitly stated?

BS01 also mentions that that they are at least somewhat robotic in nature. Does this mean that they just go around, picking up whatever they're told to, or do they still require a pilot?

IC: Dahrak Nade - Onu-Koro (Ussalry HQ)

Seeing that he had pretty much exhausted his supply of questions, the Po-Toa leveled one more of his own towards the guard, not planning to stick around much longer unless the other being he was apparently with still had a few he'd like to get off his chest.

"Where can I find this... Wiremu, you said his name was?"

IC: Septima - Ga-Koro (Bar)

"C-can I get another over here please?"

"Sure. Be right with you in a sec."

Watching the bartender approach with her... sixth drink (Did I really just order this many? Scratch that, I don't care.), Septima responded with an exhausted nod, maintaining her slouched position over the counter and resting her cheek up against her hand as she simply stared into the contents of the glass. It had been a full day since she and Natharius had split up shortly after learning what all that ruckus in the shop was about, where they had discovered what seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally take control over their own lives and to stand for what they thought was right instead of just merely letting things happen to them as if they had no say in the matter. Septima of course had jumped at the opportunity almost immediately without question, but Natharius (as usual) began voicing his concerns about the potential pitfalls and hazards present around jobs like these, and it soon became clear to her that if she was indeed going to act on the information that they had received, she would be doing so alone. Two short goodbyes and a promise to reunite up later, and she was off to her own devices, almost entirely adamant about how this would soon undoubtedly be a sure thing and filled with excitement over the good she was about to do for the people of Ga-Wahi.

If she only knew what was about to transpire beforehand, she would've never left that Skakdi's side to begin with.

Memories had come flooding back to her without warning, ones that she had been trying to rid herself of all day, and ones that seemed like they could only finally be surpressed by proceeding to drown them with alcohol. Truth be told, she nomally wasn't much one for drinking anymore; sure, she'd have one occasionally here and there just to take the edge off now and again, but the last time she remembered polishing them off anywhere close to this magnitude was when she and her friends used to party after successfully completing bigger jobs back in Xa-Koro. And this was certainly not an occasion to party.

Why didn't I listen to him when I had the chance?

Crouching down amongst the plantlife and using the cover of darkness to obscure herself from view, Septima waited for the nearby guard's patrol to take him well out of sight before tossing the grappling hook she had previously made onto the manor's second floor balcony and quikly pulling herself up into the air.

The shopkeeper explained that the thugs who had previously departed usually swung by once every week or so to extort him out of his hard-earned widgets, as they had frequently done with a few other businesses located out on the docks. Unfortunately for him, however, not that many customers had stopped by in the last month or so, and when he tried to explain why he couldn't pay up this time, they immediately went to town on his livelihood and began destroying everything from fishing poles to entire shelves containing his signature brand of bait. Taking her leave of him after helping him clean up the mess they had left in their wake, it wasn't long before she was scouring her way across the rooftops in an effort to track the pair down, eventually succeeding in her task only after hearing the sounds of a chair being hurled through a storefront window. It wasn't long before they had unknowingly led her straight back to their base of operations located well outside the city limits, giving her plenty of time to map out the exterior, note the positions of those encircling the grounds, and formulate a proper infiltration of the building itself.

Upon approaching the sliding glass door and needlessly forming a set of picks in her hands, only to discover that it had been previously left unlocked, the Fe-Toa took one more cautionary glance at her surroundings before pulling her scarf up over her face, activating her Kanohi, and proceeding to head on inside.

She had it on good authority that there was a vault located somewhere within the premises, due to a conversation the duo she was following had while still back within the walls of the village proper, but its exact location still remained a complete mystery to her, one that was going to be unknowingly solved for her when she had made it just about halfway across the room itself. Hearing the doornob turn and the hinges begin to creak, she quickly stepped to the side of the doorway, squinting her eyes as her surroundings were suddenly illuminated by the lights out in the hallway. Poking his head in briefly to make sure that everything was just how it was supposed to be, the interior guard began to shut it once again, turning back towards the staircase and ironically staring straight into her eyes for a moment as he began to converse with his partner.

"Did Artha show up for work this evening?"

"I haven't seen him all week. Knowing him, though, he probably accidentally drowned himself down in the wine cellar."

"Karz. I didn't want to believe it when Jekto told me the news yesterday, but I guess that old ####### was right."

"Oh, yeah? What news?"

"Supposedly, Theon and Rahad caught him skimming off of the Boss' cut after watching him swing open the panel without permission. Wouldn't tell me what happened to him afterwards, but he did say they were looking pretty squirrely when he was talking to them, that they smelled like fresh dirt, and they had what appeared to be specks of blood coating their armor."

"####. Hope I'm not the one who has to break the news to his wife."

"Screw that #####; she was probably the one who put him up to it anyway. I'm more worried about the three thousand widgets he owed me. Since we're on the subject of the library, though, one of us needs to go and make sure that no one's been goofing around in there, seeing as that's where tomorrow's business meeting is taking place. I nominate you."

"Me?!?! Oh, #### no. No way. Not after what you just told me."

"Grow a spine. He doesn't need to know which one of us went in, just that someone did. Tell you what, you go run in there real quick, and I'll put in a good word for you with that secretary you've been lusting after for the past year and a half."

"Kjera...? Ummm... Oh, alright, fine."

"Go get her, then, tiger."

"This better be ####### worth it, man."

It was some time before she had felt confident enough to open the door and slowly creep her way through the rest of the upper floor, but she eventually found herself in the room she needed to be in, trying to deduce where the secret entrance was located so she could get what she came here for and hopefully leave without being detected. She hadn't seen or heard from any of the beings likely still making their way around the building's interior for some time, which struck her as odd, now that she thought about it, but eventually ended up shrugging it off as she continued about her task. Leaning up against the walls and softly rapping up against them with her knuckles, she finally found it behind a relatively inconspicuous book shelf, and, after quietly removing around half of its contents, discovered the switch necessary to swing it off to the side and access the large metallic door positioned behind it. Going to work on the dials, as well as applying a small amount of control over its internal mechanisms as she wiped her brow, her fingers soon found themselves grasping the handle, struggling to pull it free from the wall and allowing her a glimpse of the treasure that awaited her inside.

And just as she was able to do so, the worst possible thing that could've happened to her in that moment ended up... well, happening.

"Oh, you have got to be Karzing kidding me...!"

She had heard that voice before on multiple occasions, and it had brought disaster upon her almost everytime she had. Her palms started sweating as her eyes widened in shock and horror, hoping - no, pleading - to Mata Nui that this was all part of one big, sick joke at her expense, that it was merely a similar-sounding guard who had caught her in the act or just a figment of her imagination at the very least.

He can't be here. Not now. There's no way...

Before she even knew what was going on, she found herself slowly turning around, only to realise that her worst fears had all come true.

Standing before her with his arms crossed up against his chest and a stupid grin on his face... was Verulas, insufferable mercenary and loosely-defined Toa of Plantlife.

And then the silence that had accumulated around them for the past few moments was suddenly broken.

"Hi."

OOC: No, your eyes do not deceive you. No, there are not two of him. And no, he did not succeed in breaking the time-space continuum. The last two-thirds of the post was a flashback sequence, taking place during Verulas' mission in Ga-Wahi, and his involvement here with Septima while the Verulas of the present is over in Ko-Wahi should end when I get around to posting Part 2 of this little side-story.

Until then, however, I'm going to take off and grab some much-needed rest, and simply hope that the world doesn't end before I get back because I decided to post this abomination of nature at six in the morning.

IC: Dahrak Nade - Onu-Koro (Ussalry HQ)

Classified...?

"Did the thief know what he was looking for specifically? And if so, who else besides him, the Akiri, and the victim knew of both the existence and location of these... documents?"

IC: Dahrak Nade - Onu-Koro (Ussalry HQ)

"He's not my... ugh," Dahrak tried to say as the guard left, only to grab the bridge of his nose, close his eyes momentarily, and shake his head in annoyance.

Begrudgingly walking back over towards the Tiokaha that fate had apparently decided to try pairing him up with, he listened in on their conversation for a bit before coming to notice that nothing was being revealed that he didn't already know. While the thought of handing the other being information on a silver platter irked him to no end, hanging out all day inside the Ussalry wasn't exactly his idea of a good time either.

Figuring that it was about time that someone asked the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question, he sighed, only to open his mouth and finally say:

"What exactly did the thief make off with? And who was the target of the theft?"

IC: Saffina - Cliffside (Outside Capstone)

Stepping back outside into the heat as she passed by the two injured Skakdi once again (why they were still hanging around in there and seriously weren't considering visiting a healer yet was beyond her), Saffina simply leaned up against the outside of the building for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief that she was no longer conversing with that insufferable Turaga. Unfortunately, this also meant that she was now back to square one as far as her job hunt was concerned, and if she didn't at least find something for her to do soon, then she'd only end up being slightly better off than the majority of the crooks usually roaming around the settlement.

Karz... At this point, I'd actually even consider going back inside to inquire about that supposed Vorox situation if I didn't have to run the risk of bumping into that ###### again...

Figuring that she'd stretch her legs a little by walking around for a bit, she rested her hand on the surface of Nightmare's pommel and let herself disappear into the crowd, knowing full well that she'd likely have to take off for one of the other settlements if something didn't turn up by nightfall.

OOC: Saffina open for interaction.

IC: Dahrak Nade - Onu-Koro (Ussalry HQ)

Resisting the sudden urge to simply reach up and clock the other being straight in the windpipe as he realised that he had grossly misjudged their size, Dahrak simply followed them in through the second set of doors before ducking off to the side the first chance he got. Wandering off to find his own guard to talk to and catching sight of one that seemed like they were just about to go off-duty, he walked over to them and held out the flyer as he prepared to open his mouth.

"Any chance that you could point me towards the officer in charge of the this case?"

IC: Dahrak Nade - Onu-Koro (Ussalry HQ)

"Much obliged," he said simply, seeing the arm reach around him in his peripheral vision and adjusting his own accordingly so that the Tiokaha would grab nothing but air.

Turning around to face the newcomer, he found himself suddenly glaring up towards where the being's face actually was, not seeming to care tremendously about the height difference between them. Truth be told, he was already thoroughly annoyed by the action as it was; the fact that they were already inside the Ussalry building was the only thing holding him back from previously grabbing said arm and flipping his ### over his shoulder and onto the floor... but not without colliding into and going through the desk first.

"Go get your own bounty notice," he said, pointing back towards the direction of both the door and the board before attempting to make his way around him. "I don't do babysitting."