Tarn

IC: Surdo - Ga-Koro - Streets “And I am nothing if not exceedingly so, Quoribay. I waited all day here for you, and here you are.” The other hand now had a brass knuckle to match. At this point, Surdo was hoping the other Fe-Matoran would give him even the slightest excuse to use them. Even if— “—I go with this, you still owe me. I want enough of this score to make up for your outstanding debt, and if I reach the end of this escapade and there’s nothing there?” Surdo chuckled, then his expression darkened. “I won’t be laughing.” OOC: @BULiK

IC: Savrehn - Ko-Wahi - The Drifts (Cliffhanger) So much for a clean getaway. As they approached the abyss Savrehn made noises that should have been words but came out as grunts resembling various known swears and other, less familiar noises that must have been new ones. His gut had been telling him things would go sideways, but not this quickly and not this badly. He could see it now: the mystery of the three Matoran who ventured into the Drifts and never came back. Would people debate over what happened? Would they even care? Someone would surely write about how it had been the doing of some unknown entity, undiscovered by Matorankind—and with whatever that was back there, wings and all, that didn’t seem far from the truth. Now, hang on to what he wondered, as he prepared for the inevitable conclusion of them falling to their dooms. He looked down at the ice axe still in his hand, tightened around the tool in a death grip. Then to the rope that linked the three Matoran. Savrehn took a deep breath as he realized what Kreigero meant. Had a good run. If it ends here…sorry I didn’t keep my mouth shut back in Rhanus’s. It was like slow motion as the makeshift sled reached the edge, and Savrehn twisted himself around and tried to lodge the sharp end of his ice axe into the ground. It caught snow instead of anything solid, and the Ko-Matoran was dragged by momentum for a few seconds (which felt far longer in his mind) until it just barely caught the edge of the abyss. The tug of their lifeline reminded Savrehn of his companions, and he looked over to see if they had made it as well. The ice axe would not stay there for long. The mountaineer could feel it beginning to slip, pulled by the weight of him and the other two Matoran. OOC: @BULiK@~Xemnas~

IC: Surdo - Ga-Koro - Streets “Not really,” Surdo admitted. “I’ve only known him for approximately—” he paused to quickly check a watch that wasn’t there, “—ten minutes. No, less than that.” The Fe-Matoran tucked a hand away in his pocket, checking over his shoulder as if Bazslin was listening in. “And, to be honest, I don’t really know what his deal is either.” Revenge, that much he understood. Other than that, the man was an enigma, and seemed particularly unstable. “I just needed to be one-on-one with you.” Surdo’s hand slid slowly from his pocket, revealing the shape of a brass knuckle over his fingers. He squeezed his hand around it. “This is about the offer you gave him. I want more details.” The Fe-Matoran’s cane clattered to the ground as his other hand searched for its own weapon. “Otherwise, I might just have to assume it’s all bunk and beat the widgets you owe me out of you.” OOC: @BULiK

IC: Surdo - Ga-Koro Oh, brother. “Respectable! I respect a man who rejects monetary gain in favor of the little things in life.” Surdo cleared his throat. Hopefully that had come off as believable—what nimrod would pass up a chance for money in the pursuit of something far less tangible? “What if, rather than offering you money, I gave you an offer of helping you find this person you seek?” Surdo stroked the head of his cane and smiled in that same, ingenuine way. He could always use a bit of muscle by his side, especially if he ended up going along with whatever scheme Quoribay was trying to rope both of them into. But if Baszlin didn't want money, then he had to somehow convince the Skakdi he could help him get his revenge. “But first, there’s something important I need to do.” He turned to Quoribay. “I’d like to have a discussion with you in private. A dark alleyway will do,” Surdo said, pointing to a space between two leaf-huts. OOC: @Perp@BULiK

IC: Savrehn - Ko-Wahi - The Drifts Savrehn leapt onto the shield quickly, swearing as he did. Few things frightened him, but this flying creature had managed to leave him shaken. It would have been a lot less scary if it hadn’t talked. “You ever seen anything like that before?” OOC: @BULiK@~Xemnas~@TL01 NUVA

IC: Surdo - Ga-Koro Surdo listened close to Quoribay. Admittedly, what he said intrigued him. But he was still Quoribay and for all Surdo knew, this was some kind of bit. It was enough of a distraction, however, for him to pause his conversation with Bazslin. “…what are you talking about?” Surdo asked, looking over at the other Fe-Matoran. OOC: @Perp@BULiK

IC: Savrehn - Ko-Wahi - The Drifts He moved away slowly, trying to keep his optics on the rahi before them while also trying to look around for an exit. He gripped his ice axe tighter, prepared to use it against the Muaka if it dared to charge him. Savrehn had faced them before. Normally not this close though, and normally alone. Now there were two more lives he had to take care of in this situation. He allowed himself to look away from it, as long as the other two kept their focus on what the beast was doing, and saw the break in the snowbank heading downhill. That was the closest he saw to an escape route. Before he or any of the others could do anything, however, another beast made itself known. It landed between them and the Muaka that menaced them, and Savrehn’s optics widened at the sight of it. He had never seen anything like this before, out here in the drifts. He had never seen anything on Mata Nui like this. And, more surprising, it could talk. There was a chill strong enough for even a Ko-Matoran to feel. It was as if this creature had sucked up the last bit of heat in the air, somehow. “Oh, #### me.” Either this winged thing would take care of their Muaka problem for them, or their situation had gotten worse. OOC: @BULiK@~Xemnas~@TL01 NUVA

IC: Surdo - Ga-Koro Surdo glared at Quoribay out of the corner of his optic. “Right…psuedonyms are a safety tactic, at times. It’s good to keep certain people at arm’s length.” He pulled his hand out of his pocket, the brass knuckle inside staying where it was, and took hold of his cane again. He tapped it against the ground a couple times to bring attention to himself. “But I have no such need for false names and identities. Everyone has always known me as Surdo. My name is public knowledge, and I welcome any sort of notoriety that comes with.” Something flashed in his optics. “Ah! Speaking of names, you finally told me yours,” he said, gesturing to the Skakdi before him. “Baszlin. Good name.” The Fe-Matoran glanced at Quoribay. He was lucky to have run into him so soon, and even luckier to come across this Skakdi. “Tell me, Baszlin—if I approached you with an offer, would you take it?” OOC: @Perp@BULiK

IC: Savrehn - Ko-Wahi - Somewhere In The Wastes “Then let’s get going, before the scavengers come along.” Savrehn wasn’t sure why Kreigero was so interested in the corpse that it made her stop in her tracks. Did the trapper know something they didn’t? The closer they had gotten to their destination, the more Savrehn felt like they were walking into the waiting of maw of…something. And if they did, and someone perished, whose fault would it be? Atamai’s, for picking this location? Savrehn and Kreigero’s for agreeing to take him? Mata Nui’s? He stepped around the carcass and tugged at the rope, the lifeline keeping them all together. There was some comfort in it being there, but the mountaineer worried about the possibility of being trapped with his companions because of it. Thankfully, his ice pick was sharp enough that if he needed to, he could cut right through…no, he wouldn’t abandon them. Not even if that maw opened for him, and cutting the rope was his only escape. He began to move past Kreigero and paused, glancing between her and Atamai. “I said, let’s get going.” OOC: @BULiK@~Xemnas~

IC: Datrox Karvan - Po-Koro - Streets “I figured that much,” he said. “And I’m here to be with you along the way.” Then, envisioning a map of the island in his mind’s eye, Datrox turned his head towards the direction of Ga-Wahi—or at least where he remembered it being. “It’s southeast of here. Fastest route would probably be to take the Iron Mahi—oh you probably don’t remember what that is—to Forsi, then take a ferry down to Ga-Koro.” Thinking again, he turned back to Kohra. “Anything you need to do before you leave? It has been a while since I last ate, come to think of it…” OOC: @Vezok's Friend (my mata nui geography might be tenuous)

IC: Surdo - Ga-Koro Surdo tucked his cane under his arm and raised his hand again, this time defensively. “Woah, there. I just made vague assumptions, if we had met before, I would have remembered.” As he spoke, he carefully and casually slid his other hand into his coat pocket, slipping the brass knuckle inside over his fingers. He doubted he would be able to do much against the larger (more paranoid) Skakdi, but if this conversation turned sour he could at least stun him. “And you still haven’t given me your name,” Surdo continued, “unless there’s a reason you don’t want to say it.” The Fe-Matoran shrugged. “I understand if you’re secretive like that. Maybe you have a…a codename. A pseudonym.” He looked over his shoulder at Quoribay. Just because he changed his armor, there was no hiding who he was. Although, to be fair, Surdo could have tripped anyone passing by a few times until he got it right. The feeble old man bit paid off in that regard. “Be with you in a moment, my friend. I’m making a new acquaintance.” If it was possible to speak in quotation marks, then the ones around “friend” would have been deafening. OOC: @Perp@BULiK

IC: Surdo - Ga-Koro A bit too close. The Fe-Matoran cleared his throat again, now finding himself staring directly up at the Skakdi. He decided not to say anything, but did take a step back for his own sake. “Then we share a similar interest,” Surdo replied, stroking the head of his cane as he spoke, as if it was a live example of the rahi it imitated. “I am also looking for someone. Surely not the same one as you, but…wouldn’t that be a fine coincidence?” He let out a chuckle, although it sounded forced. “So, who are they?” He asked, genuinely curious. “An old friend? Someone who wronged you, once? Maybe both…the line between friend and enemy is often blurred by some people.” He threw up a hand. “Ah! But pardon me, I haven’t even introduced myself and here I am, going on. I am Surdo. My friends call me…Surdo.” Out of the corner of his optic, Surdo caught a glimpse of something. Without looking away from the Skakdi he made a small movement and stuck out the end of his cane slightly from his coat. There was a thud as a second Fe-Matoran, clad in bronze and grey, fell on his face beside the two. Surdo looked down at him. “And this is my friend Quoribay.” OOC: @Perp@BULiK IC: Nale - Ga-Koro - Great Takea “The pleasure is all mine…ma’am.” With Yumiwa now preoccupied by another visitor, Nale looked to Lekua. She raised an eyebrow. “You had tea together? That’s not a euphemism for anything, is it?” OOC: @~Xemnas~@TL01 NUVA@BBBBalta@Umbraline Yumiwa etc. i have no idea who's here anymore

IC: Surdo - Ga-Koro He opened his mouth but found himself lacking a response, instead looking around himself as if lost. Maybe this Skakdi was the one who was lost, come to think of it. The Fe-Matoran shrugged. “I don’t…kn—I’m sorry. Are you looking for something? Come closer.” He gestured for the Skakdi to approach him. OOC: @Perp

IC: Savrehn - Ko-Wahi - Somewhere In The Wastes “Lovely.” Savrehn pulled his scarf over his mask, trying to guard against the smell of the carcass. In the back of his mind, he wondered if his talk and jokes of Muaka had manifested one of the beasts. He also wondered if the killer of this Hikaki was still nearby, prowling, camoflauged by the storm and dying sunlight. He hoped it would stay on its own path. “Come across carrion often out here. If it was fresh, then I’d be a lot more concerned. Don’t want to interrupt anything in the middle of a meal.” Even saying this, he took out one of his ice picks, just in case. He looked at Atamai, holding back from making any quip or comment to the historian. He just wanted to see his reaction to the dead rahi. OOC: @BULiK@~Xemnas~

IC: Surdo - Ga-Koro He was beginning to have the feeling someone was watching him. Had the man he was looking for spotted him first? Curious, Surdo studied his surroundings. He wasn’t the paranoid kind, but when your gut spoke to you, you listened. Eventually his optics settled on a Skakdi amongst the sea of blue beings. Someone who looked like had been through a lot. He certainly stood out at the moment, which made Surdo wonder if he himself was just as obvious. He didn’t recognize him, so the possibility of this one being a past business partner hoping to catch up was unlikely. There was some relief in that, alongside the disappointment he felt that it wasn’t his ”friend”. Perhaps this gentleman was looking somewhere else. Surdo looked left, then right, trying to keep his movements as subtle as possible. No one was beside, or around him. That confirmed it: the Skakdi was looking at him. Rather than challenge him to a staring match, Surdo cleared his throat and faced him, a faux grin on his face. “Can I help you?” OOC: @Perp

IC: Datrox Karvan - Po-Koro - Streets “Miracle Ca—? If it’s a thing, I’ve never heard of it.” Datrox thought for a moment. He was well-traveled and knew where to find most things, most places. He had an idea. “There’s a healer in Ga-Koro, although that is a ways from here. Would you be able to make the trip?” OOC: @Vezok's Friend

IC: Surdo - Ga-Koro The boats that had arrived in the Koro were of little concern to the Fe-Matoran walking through the village—he had other things on his mind. His duster hung loosely from his shoulders like a cloak, covering most of his body except his Kanohi. Paired with his cane and the slowness of his movement, he had hoped it would make him appear unassuming. Not worth bothering. Simply an old Matoran, taking in the sights of Ga-Koro and the ocean beyond it. A tourist. The brass knuckles hidden in his pockets told a different story. Surdo stopped and sighed, running his thumb across the head of his cane and feeling the detail carved into it. The man he was looking for hadn’t been in Ostia. Or at least, hadn’t been seen. Whether they would cross paths would be up to fate, he decided, although the Fe-Matoran preferred things to be more concrete. Meetings were better planned, not spontaneous. But, he knew how to get this one’s attention. A small bag of widgets, just barely visible peeking from his duster. He wouldn’t be able to pass it up, no matter how little the money, how petty the crime. He stood there on the side of the street, pretending to mind his own business. OOC: Surdo, open for interaction.

IC: Nale - Ga-Koro - Great Takea Nale looked puzzle, briefly, then glanced down at her armor. “Oh. No, Miss, uh, Your Highness ma’am. Magnetism.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I just…happened to be visiting today and, well, here I am.” OOC: @~Xemnas~@TL01 NUVA@Mel@BBBBalta@Caedast

IC: Savrehn - Ko-Wahi - Somewhere In The Wastes “Right, right.” Savrehn stood up with a grunt and stretched. As much as he could still do, and as young as he told himself he still was, the way his joints felt reminded him that his body was continuing to age. Kreigero and Atamai were still in their respective primes. He would never retire, though. Savrehn’s idea of retirement was the Wahi taking him, not hanging up his snowshoes one last time and spending the rest of his mortal life sitting around in a claustrophobic hut. He grabbed his backpack and began walking again. “We’re making good time, anyway. Getting there before nightfall shouldn’t be a problem. Let’s go.” OOC: @BULiK@~Xemnas~

IC: Nale - Ga-Koro - Great Takea Nale was already nervous around the Rora, tensing up in her seat and putting on her best “just met a stranger and trying to be friendly” forced smile when the Dasaka had addressed her. She had no context for what Yumiwa and Shuuan spoke of, but the tension was present and obvious. The Fa-Matoran sunk back into her a seat a bit, hoping that maybe the two would forget she was there. That was, until Eita got out of his seat as he spoke up, exposing her to the crowd and prompting her to sink further and wish she was anywhere but the Great Takea at the moment. Things did not improve when Nara began—or at least was trying to—flirt with the royalty. Nale’s jaw dropped. Has everyone lost it?! She loosened up and sat straight again, clearing her throat loudly not long after Nara had finished speaking. “As…others have said…it’s a pleasure to meet you, Rora Yumiwa. I’m Nale.” The Fa-Matoran gave a quick bow from where she was seated. OOC: @~Xemnas~@TL01 NUVA@Mel@BBBBalta@Caedast

IC: Savrehn - Ko-Wahi - Somewhere In The Wastes “Good, good.” Savrehn shut his optics, making as much of the quick rest as he could and recover his energy. “I admit, firespitter, I might have had you wrong this whole time. You’re a lot smarter than I thought.” His optics suddenly opened as he turned his head towards Atamai. “So don’t do anything stupid that makes me change my mind, alright?” In Savrehn’s mind, it was a joke, but from his voice and expression it sounded dead serious. The Ko-Matoran smiled to himself as he shifted back into his original position. OOC: @BULiK@~Xemnas~

IC: Nale - Ga-Koro - Great Takea Empress? Royalty?! Nale subconsciously sat up straighter, sobering up. She was a bit puzzled by Nara’s comment. Did the Dasaka leadership have such a track record? She hoped not. “She came on the boats then, like you two did? What’s she doing in here?” OOC: @~Xemnas~@TL01 NUVA@Mel@BBBBalta@Caedast

IC: Nale - Ga-Koro - Great Takea “The huh?” Nale asked, looking around the Great Takea until she spotted a regal-looking woman who seemed a bit out of place here. Was that perfume? “Who’s that? She sounds important.” OOC: @~Xemnas~@TL01 NUVA@Mel@BBBBalta@Caedast

IC: Datrox Karvan - Po-Koro - Streets “I’m no doctor,” he said, frowning. “I mean, nicks and scratches, a bit of quick triage after some adventuring, sure. But…not everything can be fixed with a bandage, yeah?” Datrox sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Of course not, but he just didn’t know what to say. “I could probably find you someone, though. Maybe some kind of medicine would help. Or, whatever a healer could do.” OOC: @Vezok's Friend

IC: Savrehn - Ko-Wahi - Somewhere In The Wastes “That so?” Savrehn smirked. Surely one could not remember everything, he thought. No matter how good one’s memory was, there was always some things they would want to, or intentionally, forget. “Good thing, then, in case we lose our map. You do remember the way back to the Koro, right?” OOC: @BULiK@~Xemnas~