Eiji Hino

I would apologize and try to explain my absence, but I don't think "finals and sadness" counts as a legitimate excuse anymore.

Looks like Bacchus isn't getting a new friend after all. That's fine.

A swarm of beetles in the shape of Malum did the whole "made out of millions of tiny little critters" thing in a manner that Zaktan only wished he could pull off.

Mata Nui and Ackar find a map that will lead them directly to the booty.

Y'all kids move too fast.

--IC: Bacchus: New Atero--

"Rob you?"  Bacchus was scandalized by the question.  "Why, of course not!  Why would I ever consider doing such a thing against a fascinating creature like yourself?  Or anyone, for that matter?"  Some might interpret his reply as flirting, but however one interpreted it, it was a genuine compliment: she really did fascinate him.  "No ma'am, I'm just trying to get more involved in the community, you know?"  That was true, if meddling in affairs trying to solve mysteries counted as helping.

--IC: Bacchus: New Atero--

The bags were a tad heavier than he had expected, but his arms were sturdy, and the other being seemed to step easier now.  Bacchus happily trailed behind her to her destination.

As he walked behind her, he studied her, taking in every detail.  Scaly orange skin, indicating either reptilian or amphibian origin.  The finned tail led credence to the latter, but the barbs that lined it appeared irregular, as if they were the result of some sort of genetic oddity.  They certainly weren't decorative, like the similarly spiky silver armor she wore.  Shoulders were hunched, indicating either a surly disposition or a desire to not be noticed... or to give some clearance to the Rhotuka spinner on her back.  Back-mounted spinners only occurred in a certain variety of subspecies, one whose very existence hinged on genetic oddities.

There was no doubt about it: this lady had come into contact with Hordika venom.

But of course, Bacchus would not say anything about it.  At least, not right away.  He just kept on trundling behind the lady, carrying her bags.

--IC: Bacchus: New Atero--

As the Skakdi woman talked, Bacchus scribbled notes in the margins of his notebook, recording what meager information she could provide on the three subjects. It wasn't much, that was for sure, but it was still better than nothing. In a small corner of the page detailing Varim and Barlow, he recorded her name- Vrokdann, a nice name- as well as instructions to contact her about door-breaking and to not call her "sweetie-pie."

"I will keep that in mind," he called after Vrokdann as she left. His words trailed off as he realized she was no longer paying attention to him. His face fell; he still had a few questions for her.

Oh well. No point moping over it.

Having had his way with the mysterious missives, Bacchus closed up the Horse with No Name's desk and was just about to return the original copies to the notice board, when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a being struggling to balance several containers of stuff. Ever one to try and get involved in others' business, he slapped the papers on the board and hurried to intercept them.

"Need a hand?" he asked, holding out his arms to hopefully receive some of the weight.

--OOC:--

Bacchus wants to help Kaenis .

Gonna wait for a reply from Vrokdann before I have Bacchus notice Kaenis; I have a feeling that those two might make a good mystery-solving team.

Fabulous secret powers were revealed to Ackar the day he held aloft his magic sword, and sang...

Ackar: "AAAAAAAAAAA"

--IC: Hestala: The Skies, somewhere between Cliffside and Tesara--

As the opposing Rockoh dipped, Hestala thumbed the button on her Skyblasters' aim lever, shooting off one more round each, for a total of three projectiles.  They sped toward the other ship, and she hoped that she'd get some sort of a hit on it this time.

Pistol whips solve everything.

I bypass the extensive lore unfolding here by hitting everybody in the head with the handle of my gun.

It's my mask now.

Out comes a cup of dirt.

In goes the Twilight Spear.

That makes me a Teenage Mutant Ninja Dermis Turtle. I slaughter all the other turtles, and then Laval.

It's my mask now.

You step on all those LEGO bricks and hurt your feet severely, causing you to drop the mask in pain and confusion.

It's my mask now.

I just shoot whoever currently has the mask with a gun.

It's my mask now.

--IC: Bacchus: New Atero--

Going briefly back to his work and trying to fix the blunder he had made (no easy task, considering he had written it with pen), Bacchus soon found himself in the shadow of the Skakdi woman who he had shouted at, and who still hadn't quieted down.  Her voice rang loudly in his ears, but he tolerated the minor discomfort; he had had to deal with a lot worse before.  Closing his notebook, he faced the Skakdi woman directly.

"You could say that," he said, gesticulating with his hands as he began to ramble quickly.  "Self-imposed homework, see?  I'm hot on the trail of a mystery; three of them, in fact.  And these three mysteries are so far the only ones that I haven't been able to solve in my entire career.  Because I just started them.  You wanna give me a hand, sweetie-pie?  Well, you can do that by giving me some information, particularly pertaining to three very specific topics.  Information in the form of answers to three questions."  He held up a single finger as he ran through the questions.  "One: what do you know about Varim and Barlow?  Two: what do you know about the Arena?  And three: what do you know about Aqua Magna?  Any info, anything at all, would be very, very helpful."

--IC: Hestala: The Skies, somewhere between Cliffside and Tesara--

Hm.  Good.  The opposing pilot began to pull away.  With another push of the blue button, Hestala retracted the side ramp back into the Vista Baby, and pulled her control yoke so that, as the Rockoh rose, her airship rose faster.  With the Vista Baby at a higher elevation, she flicked the lever that controlled the Skyblasters and aimed them at a downward angle; were she to fire, gravity would help propel them toward their target faster.

-  -  -

--IC: Bacchus: New Atero--

Almost done...

Suddenly, a loud sound caused Bacchus to jolt.  His hand unconsciously bolted from the parchment, resulting in his current pen stroke being ruined.  His brows beetled in dissapointment, his head whirled to see where the noise had come from.  The culprit was a large Skakdi woman yelling at someone... invisible?... and violently punching the air.  A disturber of the peace.  His frown deepened.  Disturbing the peace was his job.

"Would you mind keeping it down, sweetie-pie?" he called to her.  The word please had not been in his vocabulary for some years now.  "I'm in the middle of something."

--OOC:--

Bacchus is shouting at Vrokdann.

--IC: Hestala: The Skies, somewhere between Cliffside and Tesara--

"Whatever are you doing, dahling?" questioned Hestala in a mock-sweet tone as she watched the opposing pilot scrabble for a handhold on her side ramp.  He might be able to find a handhold, what with the ridged texture of the ramp, but it would be a small handhold, and even if he managed to get up and onto it, there was still the fact that the side door was still closed.

She gently drifted the Vista Baby to the side, intending to push away the Rockoh again.

-  -  -

--IC: Bacchus: New Atero--

Hm.  The Indomitable was back in town.

A lone Rock Agori shadowed his brow as his gaze lingered on the sky, and the massive bulk of the airship and its fleet that filled it up.  While he could not say that he was particularly fond of it, he did possess a degree of respect for it, what it did, and what it represented.  He wondered what might be going on up there, if there were any odd goings-on going on, any mysteries that might need solving.  But even if there were, his bucket of bolts skyfighter couldn't get him up there for him to find out.  He'd just have to stick with mysteries that were closer to the ground.

Bacchus brought his eyes back down to the notice board before him, splattered here and there with numerous notices, announcements, and wanted posters.  Those in particular caught his eye; three missing persons?  All with money attached to them?  While the one for Xaril already detailed why he was wanted, thus robbing any mystique from that situation, the one for information about Barlow and Varim was more tantalizing.  He had heard vague mentions of these two drifting about, and wondered if he could not use what little concrete knowledge he had of them to his advantage.  Maybe he might even solve the mystery of where they had gone while he was at it.  (Of course, he was entirely unaware that, in some other corner of the Wastes, Barlow had already been found...)

Scribbling down the information detailed on the posters in his notebook, Bacchus took a pull on his pipe and let the smoke drift up.  He was about to exit the area of the notice board after one last scan, but he stopped, his eyes catching once more on something.  Or rather, two somethings.

The two odd missives, written by an unknown hand, about the Beacon and the Arena and the puzzle, and the diving bell on the shores of Aqua Magna.  He tore them off of their corner of the notice board and pored over them, almost bringing his nose to them as he examined them very very closely.  Abandoning the notice board without even putting up his own flier like he had first intended, he brought his new information over to his Horse with No Name, parked not far away from the board, and cracked open the writing desk and personal board that he kept in the front.  Brushing away the stacks of loose papers, notes, and assorted stuff, he began to copy down the contents of the missives onto spare parchment, taking care to mimic the style of handwriting as best he could; that might be important later.

--OOC:--

Getting involved in these mysteries was the sole reason I created this new guy.

Bacchus is currently Open For Interaction by the New Atero notice board, if anyone is interested.

Your fingers would remember their old strength better... if they grasped your sword.

Character:

NAME: Bacchus

SPECIES: Rock Agori

GENDER: Male

POWERS: As an Agori, Bacchus possesses a natural aptitude for engineering and repair, as well as bodily hardiness and the ability to adapt well.

GEAR:

• Thornax Launcher- A standard Thornax Launcher, accompanied by several overripe Thornax fruits.
• Pipe- A simple smoking pipe.
• Notebook and Pen- A leather-bound notebook and pen combo used for taking extensive notes.  The notebook is filled with barely-legible handwriting that only Bacchus seems to be able to decipher.

PERSONAL AIRCRAFT: The Horse with No Name

ALLEGIANCE/ROLE: Bacchus hails from New Atero and works as a freelance sleuth.

APPEARANCE: Bacchus appears rather a lot like a standard Rock Agori, with craggy black-and-gray armor, large hands and feet, and a black helmet with a backward-sweeping crest.  His helmet lacks the customary tusked faceplate, however, allowing his heavy brow, uneven teeth, and bristly beard to be exposed.  He does not do much to spice up his appearance beyond wearing five blue bandannas on his right arm, and a blue cloth pauldron over the same shoulder.

PERSONALITY: Befitting his occupation, Bacchus is a very observant Agori.  He is skilled in the arts of analysis, extrapolation, and connection; it is often said that he can read a room like a children's book.  However, he doesn't exactly know what to do with every piece of information he finds, so he has a tendency to treat everything like a "clue" in his ongoing case.  He likes to ramble on when he has an opportunity, and is fond of saying the word "Forsooth!"

BIO: Bacchus had a fairly standard upbringing in New Atero, but surprisingly, his current curiosity was not present in his childhood.  He always took things at face value and did not question the information he was fed by others.  So it was for a long time, until his father's untimely death; his mother tried to instill in him that it was an accident, but the multiple stab wounds begged to differ.  Bacchus ignored his mother's words and began a small, personal investigation of the circumstances, and came to play a part in the official capture of his father's murderer.  With the realization that he could turn his newfound observational ability into a career, he entered the freelance sleuth racket and continued to develop his Sherlock-like skills over time.  Currently, business is slow.

Aircraft:

NAME: The Horse with No Name

MODEL: Skyfighter

WEAPONRY: A Kanoka Disk Launcher mounted on the underside that launches Weakening disks, usually with a power level of 3-4.  It must be manually reloaded.

CUSTOMIZATION: The front opens up to reveal a small personal bulletin board and a writing space.

APPEARANCE: The Horse with No Name is an older model of skyfighter, painted mostly black with a blue stripe running down the center of the front section.  Its engines are not very powerful, only allowing it to get a few feet off the ground and go at a top speed of 30mph.  It tends to kick up a lot of dust.

Question K I N G, does the ramp extend directly out or does it fold out? (for example of the second one, a part of the ship's side could fold down.)

It extends directly out from the side of the ship.

--IC: Hestala: The Skies, somewhere between Cliffside and Tesara--

"Oh no no, dahling," said Hestala, again to the pilot of the Rockoh who couldn't hear her.  "We can't have that; you'll scratch my paint."  She hit the blue button, and the side ramp released.  There was a hard clunk as it made contact with the side of the opposing, swerving ship, and a gentle grind as the ramp mechanisms labored against the resistance.

--IC: Hestala: The Skies, somewhere between Cliffside and Tesara--

Hm.  She hadn't been expecting that.  But oh well, she would adapt.

Hestala reversed the maneuver that had turned her around, re-positioning herself so that the cockpit of the Vista Baby faced the same direction she was traveling once again.  On the horizon, the green bulk of Tesara had grown larger; she was making good time, and, bar any further complications during this flight, she should be there within the hour.  But in order to make that time, she had to swat this fly that was annoying her.

Flicking the lever again, she re-aimed the Skyblasters as far to the side as they would go, but again, did not immediately thumb the switch.  Instead, she moved her hand to a blue button, that opened and closed the side ramp of the Vista Baby.  If need be, she would press the button and bring the side ramp out, to push the pursuing Rockoh away.

Kanohi.

What element would that Matoran be, I wonder?