Junior Shark

IC (Nokula): Serith? "I'm afraid I'm in the same boat as Ezrak- the name Serith doesn't ring any bells." It was a big island, with a lot of different beings. If this "Serith" was a lot like Gallan here, odds were he was laying in some Ko-Koro backalley dumpster.

IC (Nokula): Nokula sighed. What she thought of this strange toa didn't matter. She liked Ezrak, and Ezrak liked the stranger, so that would have to do for her. Turning to the toa, she said, "I'm Nokula, and his name is Ezrak." "He's looking to assemble a team of Rahkshi hunters and general do-gooders. So far, there's only me, this-," pointing to the booth's third occupant, "and a 'big friend' somewhere here in Onu-Koro." She leaned back, eager to hear the stranger's response.

IC (Nokula): Nokula nodded to Ezrak. That's good. And now the toa was coming over to their table! She hid her distress behind a beaming smile. "No help required here, fellow traveler. Unless you can pick up my friend and I's tab!" A short laugh.

IC (Nokula): Interesting. Ezrak's friend must either be another toa, a Vortixx, or something else. With all the mystery, I think 'something else' is the most likely explanation. "Not too dangerous, I hope?"

IC (Nokula): Ooh boy. One of those toa, Nokula thought, wondering how the quiet Ezrak would take this intrusion into the bar. Big friend? Please not some half-wit Onu-Matoran who spent a little too much time bulking up. "Big friend, huh? Can't wait to meet him." She flashes a wide smile at Ezrak and continues to eat.

IC (Nokula): Nokula had almost forgotten about the booth's other occupant. Ezrak's offer was tempting. But the danger implicit with such an offer could come at a terrible price. When I have ever worried about danger? I guess I've never been faced with such a dangerous venture before. But also, when have I ever been less than bold in accepting an offer to adventure? And who am I to reject him when he bought me dinner? Nokula smiled and took another bite of the Ussal meat. "Ezrak, I would be honored to accompany you into the island's heart of darkness. I understand and accept the risks we will be taking. I hope you will find in me a worthy companion for the journey ahead. Together, I'm sure we can find like-minded beings. But first- who's Anvil?"

OOC: Toa, not matoran. IC (Okeinu): Despite their claims to the contrary, it was quite apparent to Okeinu that all was not good in the alleyway. Regardless, the injured Vo-Toa had asked him for assistance, so better to help him first. Narrowing his eyes at the rest of the assembled beings, he turned to help support the injured Vo-Toa. "Come, friend. We can find the nearest healer together."

Order of Mata Nui all the way! I'm all about protecting the MU behind the scenes.

IC (Nokula): Nodule's eyes widened at Ezrak's proposal. "Look, I'm flattered. I've done my fair share of battling evil, but Rahkshi.... they're on a completely different level than some possessed Nui-Rama and criminally-minded matoran. We're just two matoran, what could we do?"

IC (Okeinu): A loud yelp and cursings rang out from a nearby alley. Okeinu perked up at this. Whatever's going on in there, it can't be good. He rushed over to the entrance of the alley way to see... a motley assortment, to say the least. A toa lay in the middle of it all, knife in his back. Okeinu moved to remove it. "Gentlemen," his sonorous voice rang out, "Surely there's a civil solution to this situation that does not require any beings to suffer more than they already have?" OOC: Is there room for one-more shoehorned-in character here?

IC (Nokula): The change in Ezrak couldn't have been more apparent. As he wrote on the tablet and turned it towards Nokula, her heart sank and she could understand why. Rahkshi!, she thought. Her sadness was swiftly replaced with anger. Many of the matoran she had met in her travels had lost someone to the vile spawn of Makuta. It was something Nokula wouldn't wish upon her worst enemy. All of them wanted revenge, and their eyes glowed with the same kind of intensity that Nokula saw in Ezrak. However, many of the survivors became so unhinged or separated from reality that revenge was out of their reach. Ezrak was different than those matoran. Nokula sensed a determined purpose in him- he had not let his grief and anger consume him. Rather, he had turned them into something useful- a weapon. "I think I understand," Nokula said solemnly, putting her hand on his. "I also understand that this is probably not easy for you to talk about. Thank you for entrusting this to me. I will guard it, and keep it close to my heart." She didn't want to push him too far, but maybe she could help in some way. "Your purpose is noble. And I believe your will is strong enough to see your mission through to the end. But surely you do not intend to take on the spawn of Makuta all by yourself?"

IC (Bolu): "Gapori, for shame!" Bolu chuckled and put a hand on the Ce-Matoran's shoulder. "You yourself said this village needs to loosen up, no? How better to achieve that than with a slumber party?" Smiling, Bolu turned towards Patches and Torpaq. "Though Gapori here already has company, I currently share my space with no one. This means I have room to shelter one or both of you in relative comfort, if you so desire."

IC (Nokula): Nokula saw the look of confusion that passed over Ezrak's face at her fit of embarrassment. Oh great. But he took it in stride, and kept the conversation going. "Oh, maps of Onu-Wahi, mostly. The things are positively ancient. There's been so many alterations to the cave system since they were made that they're useless as navigational aids. Only hardcore collectors value them, like my friend." Nokula paused to examine the food the barkeep had brought. An unidentifiable meat lay before her, and its appearance belied its delicious smell. She picked a piece up and bit into it. Ussal.... again? "But let those maps stay in the past. Only a fool disregards the past, but it is the bigger fool that places their past before their future. You spoke vaguely of a mission, care to elaborate? If it's too complex to be written down on that tablet, just know I'm an ace at 20 Questions." She let out a friendly smile.

IC (Nokula): At the matoran's laugh, Nokula smiled. So he was silent, but still had a sense of humor, which was always a good sign. Not 'he,' Nokula reminded herself. Ezrak. He wanted to know what she was doing in Onu-Koro. "I'm a Le-Matoran. I go where the wind takes me. I know what you're thinking- 'there's no wind underground.' And you're right. In this case, a neurotic Onu-Matoran antiques collector brought me here, now." She took a sip from the fresh drink the barkeep had brought. Another "Ussal Special." Lovely. "What about you?" As soon as she said that, Nokula immediately regretted it. Never mind his friendliness- it had to be pretty hard for this guy to communicate. What kind of a position had she put him in? "Er, uh, you don't have to answer that. If you don't want to, I mean. Uhhh...But I can answer any questions you have for me? Heh, is it just me or is it hot in here?" I'm such a moron.

OOC: El oh el! So there is another person in the booth. IC (Nokula): From her vantage point at the bar, a large pillar had blocked Nokula's view of half of booth. So when she saw a feathered, painted being occupying the bench across from the matoran, Nokula jumped. Fascinating, she thought. Feathers didn't seem too interested in conversation at the moment. The matoran gestured for Nokula to sit, which she did. He proffered a chalk tablet towards her with one word, "name," written on it. Now this just keeps getting better. There was no irony in her thoughts. Does he want me to write my answer, or is he just quiet? To be safe, she took the chalk and wrote her own name on the tablet. Returning it to the matoran, she said, "I'm Nokula. You?"

IC (Torak): Hm. Mints. Why did it have to be mints? Mintsy-discount-Toa had dodged his opening salvo. Go figure. Yeah, probably should have saved that for later. Behind him, he heard the Le-Toa getting his trash kicked by the De-Toa. Well, that brought the odds back into some semblance of balance. Torak's back was covered. Forget the toa- Torak changed direction and charged towards a smug Mintsy, sword drawn.

The Red Balloon Project - Skizzy Mars

IC (Nokula): Nokula walked into the bar, freshly flush with cash. After ordering the suspicious-sounding "Ussal Special," she turned to take in the room. A lone matoran waited in a booth, also scanning the sparse crowd. Waiting for someone, Nokula realized. Why not me? The barkeep passed over the pungent drink, and she headed over to the booth. Gesturing to the bench opposite the matoran, she asked, "This seat taken?" OOC: To you, Fanixe.

OOC: Actually, it looks like Torpaq has barely been here longer than most of these newcomers. But I might be mistaken, his first post is a bit ambiguous. IC (Bolu): Oh. Gapori. Bolu blinked his eyes. If there was one thing worse than the desert, it was this Ce-Matoran. Okay, he wasn't that bad. But it's hard to like a guy who beat you at Rock, Paper, Scissors twenty-six times in a row. And this average-looking matoran- did Bolu actually know him? Maybe I spent too much time out on that dune today. "Gapori, I'll take in or help as many of these newcomers that I can. Patches, you're more than welcome to come with me. You, too.... you know, I never did catch your name..." OOC: Back to Torpaq.

IC (Bolu): The winds picked up in speed as Bolu approached Canus. Through the whipping sand, he saw the dark mass of matoran following Maru back to the settlement. He had first spotted them about a half kio back, and now their paths were merging. A brief nod to Maru, and Bolu overlooked the assembled newcomers. One in particular grabbed his attention, if only because the newcomer's attention was centered on Bolu. The matoran appeared average in every respect. But average was good. Falling in beside the curious newcomer, Bolu extended his hand and said, "The name's Bolu. I take it you're new around here?" A small chuckle. "All kidding aside, you need shelter for the night, yes?" OOC: To you, Torpaq.

Wow. Talk about a cliffhanger. I think it's too late to say, "Things are about to hit the fan." Things just did hit the fan, and in a real big way. What next? The Toa team up with Idyx? I assume Makuta has the Olmak, which can't be a good thing.

IC (Nokula): This Onu-Matoran was cheap, all right. "Whaddaya mean, the map has crinkled edges? You can still use it to get from Point A to Point B, right?" The Onu-Matoran furrowed his brow even deeper and picked at a scab in his wooden desk harder, a nervous habit. "I promised to pay you only if the map was brought unscathed. It remains up to me to determine exactly what that means." More picking. "As it stands, I am only willing to pay you 70% of my original offer, due to the distressed condition of the map." Nokula was going to accept it anyway, but it still chafed her that she had gone to one of the deepest parts of Onu-Wahi sans guide to only receive 70% of what was promised. "Fine. But don't say I ever cheated you." The Onu-Matoran withdrew stack of money from his cloak and proffered it towards her. She put it inside her jacket. "So how ya been, Oppy? Had any strange characters come round here since I was gone?" At the mention of his name, Opano, collector of antiquities, brightened. "Unfortunately not! I know how much you like to hear my stories." Nokula was a bit disappointed. "That's okay. I'm gonna go grab some grub, interested?" "Not today. I'd better get this map in a case before any more damage can be done to it." Opano grinned mischievously. "Alright. Take it easy, Oppy!" OOC: Open for interaction!

IC (Okeinu): Ga-Koro really was a wonderful place. Reclining at a table outside The Great Takea, Okeinu sipped a bit from his glass of Steltian ale. A light breeze blew across the bay, and the sunlight refracted off the foreigners' vessel. Another sip, and he sank deeper into the chair. Whoever that Skakdi was behind the bar, they knew what they were doing. Okeinu finished the ale, tipped the Bo-Matoran waitress, and began down the street. Through the earth, he felt the pulses that were a telltale sign of a Ba-Toa using their powers nearby. OOC: Open for interaction!

IC (Torak): Torak let out a pathetically small yelp as a gust of wind took his feet out from under him. Hey, I know this is Le-Wahi, with the air and everything, but wasn't that a little strong.... oh. He saw the Le-Toa with sword drawn. I guess I was right when I figured these guys for chumps. He let out another blast of impact vision in the direction of the Le-Toa. Already his eye sockets were sore. Probably the last time I can pull that trick for a while. A Le-Toa he could deal with- he continued his charge towards the unknown toa. OOC: I think we were waiting on several people. I bet Mel was waiting to see how they would react to heading down to the station in the paddy-wagon.

IC (Bolu): From his vantage point on the dune, Bolu had been able to see most of the matoran newcomers enter the village. Strange, he thought. Usually they come in just ones and twos, but this is a veritable horde. But what difference did that make to him? No one had ever been able to figure out where the new matoran came from. It was almost as if they emerged from the shifting dunes like the twisted metal that dotted the landscape. He had been one of those matoran, once. He knew how they must be feeling. They could use a friend. Bolu turned to see the sun setting. Yesterday he had found several bits of metal in this dune, but today he had come up empty. He absentmindedly kicked the sand in a last-ditch attempt to turn up something worth trading. Nothing. With a sigh, he grabbed his pack and headed towards the village. He should be back just before the sun set. Just in time to meet some of the newcomers. I'm sure some of them need a place to stay for the night. OOC: Open for interaction!