Mel

[Hanaloi, Near Old Kaazi Compound (Fanai/NPC)] Dastana Mari’s eyebrows slowly grew more creased as she observed Hambra and Askha’s conversation. She had lead this expedition to secure lumber, not to solve mysteries. Still, this could be a breakthrough in understanding the creatures. “I’m not going to tell you how to run your clan, nor ask you to risk your scouts—but if you could bring us to this observatory and make sure no true demons jump us I would feel a lot more comfortable.” Fanai nodded, and spoke out loud for the first time since they had encountered the Kaazi. “I can recognize the difference between your minds and the rakshi, so there is no chance that we should come into conflict by accident again. OOC: @Keeper of Kraata

[Ga-koro, Inner Port(Yukie)] Yukie continued to walk, slowly yielding the leadership of their trek towards the two toa. He had thought about what they would do once they got there, but even with all the planning ahead the islands response was still an unknown. “It seems that even with the fighting force back on Kentoku, it would take a miracle to rid ourselves of those creatures…and my clan are not seafarers. I was hoping I could petition your akiri to allow us to establish a settlement somewhere in the more verdant, forested part of your island." OOC: @Vezok's Friend @Palm

[Ga-koro, Inner Port(Yukie)] Agni’s questions, brusk and to the point, reminded Yukie of a book series he had been entranced with as a child—the tale of a legendary unprecedented second son of a rora who had refused a cushy political marriage and become the royal executioner instead. There was no way anyone in the Imperial court would have had been able to spent that much time in disguise rooting out the true evils behind random violence, but Yukie had always appreciated the idea of a justice that worked for everyone. Nostalgia and routine, both things that helped handle the looming horror that nipped at their heals, and that had been ever since that fateful day. “Thank you,” he said to Tuara, real gratitude at her empathy making his voice waver a little. “But I think I can answer your questions at least—to tell the truth I think many of us might benefit from someone to voice our loss to.” The journey had been one of silence, healing at first but steadily growing stifling as they ran out of ways to avoid thinking about the wreckage they were leaving behind. “At any rate, I can answer your questions,” he continued, looking back at Agni. “My clan fled to the capital almost as soon as we caught wind of the creatures. We couldn’t escape all of them, and although we were able to slay the ones that followed us it wasn’t without loss.” Yukie adjusted his coat buttons, a habit that he’d learned to use to conceal signs of anxiety around his older sister. It helped him calm down, think of something besides how close he’d come to loosing Shuuan. “They were far cleverer than any rahi, even a single encounter could tell us that. But when they began to besiege our capital, that is when we learned the true extent of their power. You see, one of the physic disciplines we practice is mental entry. But we quickly found out that any attempt to mentally control the creatures resulted in—“ his mouth set in a grim line “—retaliation. From those that survived, we learned that they were being directed by an incomprehensibly strong and malevolent intelligence.” He cocked his head. “Does that answer your inquiry?” OOC: @Vezok's Friend @Palm

IC: [Ga-koro, The Tidalpool Inn(Pradhai)] Laka was beginning to unwind itself from around the table, and Pradhai put a hand on her companions scales, a little comfort in a strange land. “And what questions would those be, young lady?” OOC: @Toatapio Nuva @Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva) @Geardirector

IC: [Ga-koro, Inner Port(Yukie)] Yukie had spent too much time in political circles not to notice the careful neutrality that Tuara approached him with. It was almost comforting, that sense that people really were the same everywhere, even if they didn’t offer their clans in greeting. If toa could be cautious…then perhaps Dasaka could be vulnerable. “Plangori Yukie, but Yukie by itself is acceptable.” He thought about extending a hand—that was how people greeted each other, one of the matoran had said, but given their cautious distance he opted for a slight bown instead. “We came here fleeing an invasion,” he said, looking between both of them but keeping his gaze steady and serious. “It was an invasion of demons—I believe you call them rakshi.” OOC: @Palm @Vezok's Friend

[Ga-Koro, The Great Takea(Shuuan)] I stared at the bottom of my empty glass—ah well I could never resist a little alliteration. “A forgetful fog, you might say.” IC: [Ga-koro, The Tidalpool Inn(Pradhai)] Pradhai looked to Mako, concern writ on her face. There were all sorts of considerations that a voyage like the one she was considering entailed, not the least of which would be convincing the other Vilda elders that Pradhai that her large and very cold-blooded companion were worth sending. ::When did you last see Soraph?:: IC: [Ga-koro, Inner Port(Yukie)] Yukie was making his way through the streets when he nearly bumped into them—both “toa” as the menti here were called, and both significantly different in color from the atmosphere around them. The people here really were the color of Jaanu birds, but these two stood out in particular, both bright and brilliant as fire flowers. This made them feel less intimidating for some illogical reason, but Yukie wasn’t going to keep second-guessing himself. “Apologies,” he said, looking up at the taller one. “I know we must have made quite the mess here—you’ll have to understand we’ve been on the sea for weeks, everyone’s eager to feel —” he looked down at the reinforced lilypad “—decently solid ground beneath our feet.” OOC: @Vezok's Friend @Void Emissary @Geardirector @Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva) ...yo @Palm

IC: [Ga-Koro, The Great Takea(Shuuan)] I through back my beer and drained it. Good ale indeed. “Our culture is a bunch of hoity toity bullsh##. The sooner I get rid of its stranglehold on me the better.” [Ga-koro, The Tidalpool Inn(Pradhai)] “An entire village made of snow?” Pradhai’s heart and mind were racing; all this excitement couldn’t be good for her. How did they keep an entire village livable? What creatures did they use for meat? Did they ride— Her eyes snapped to Cephala. Oh dearie she thought. Clan matters. “What do you mean ‘been through it?’” OOC: @Geardirector @Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva) @Void Emissary @Vezok's Friend

[Hanaloi, North Shore (Fanai/NPC)] Mari gave Rina a look that said don’t even think about it. The younger soulsword was a little too devoted to the Jasix school of running your mouth. “We came here to collect materials on behalf of the Mashtet,” she said. “I understand this is your island, but more of those things are going to come from the mainland every day. You might want to think about packing up—we could use your battle prowess on the front in Odaiba.” — ::I am right here.:: Fanai’s ideatalk floated gently up into Askha’s mind. ::Your elder saw fit to hide me when the Kaazi advanced, and she has not yet unshielded me.:: OOC: @Keeper of Kraata

IC: [Ga-koro, The Tidalpool Inn(Pradhai)] “Of course, can’t let our entire society be advised by just your young people.” She stood up, once again using her mindarm to retrieve her cane and move her seat. “Speaking of which—“ she turned back to Mako “—where’s Soraph? Shmoozing with the young and beautiful of Ga-koro as usual?” OOC: @Geardirector @Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva)

[South of Spineless Bay, Fort Garsi (Ipsudir)] If this was a real battle, Ipsudir would have simply broken Grolach’s neck. That was the way true bloodletting worked—efficiently—a true warrior would have slain ten foes in the time it took for a sarke match to finish. Sarke was entertainment. It needed to be drawn out. Pondering the wisdom of her instruction gave Grolasch just enough time to clip the warlord in the side as she stepped back—knocking her slightly off balance. But there were plenty of advantages to having a lower center of gravity. “Mata:nii,” she cursed, more at her self than at her student. Reorienting herself, she kicked him in the ribs—that was how sarke worked. Tit for tat, equal exchange. The most decisive matches were the most tedious. OOC: @Wotz ( @Visaru @Geardirector )

[South of Spineless Bay, Fort Garsi (Ipsudir)] Ipsudir smiled up at Grolasch. “Never.” Grolasch instinctively raised his hand to block the left hand jab that Ipsudir threw at his neck, but it never connected. He had about as much time to register this before the diminutive warlords kick connected with side of his knee, bruising the ligaments and sending pain shooting up through his leg. Ipsudir brought her foot down between his legs and activated her impact vision, smacking her would-be protege just below the ribs and sending him dropping to the ground on his back like a ton of bricks. Placing a foot on his throat, she smiled down at him. “Your training starts pre-sent-ly.” OOC: @Wotz @Geardirector @Visaru

[Le-koro, Bright Star Inn (Ferellis)] “Thank you,” Ferellis said, taking the vial. She might not take it—better to have a pounding headache in the morning than the bitter taste of failure—but it would be rude to refuse. “Have a good night, Miss Vaíl.” Then the Gukko Force detective walked shakily out of the bar.

For anyone who wants Taajar info there's some on the wiki here. (The Chand-long and the Kazi should probably be added there too.)

[Central Hanaloi (Fanai/NPC)] The Plangori soulsword stepped back, so startled by the Ash Bear’s transformation that she defaulted to practiced social niceties. She bowed. “P-plangori Murasaki. Well met.” The Dastana soulsword snorted at the ironic words as she flickered back into view, the magenta soulwhip still wound around her hand. “Dastana Rina. Funny way of welcoming people you have on this island.” Mari retrieved her weapons with her mindarm but remained at attention, still scanning the forest around her. “Dastana Mari. Any actual demons we have to fight before we have tea?” — Fanai remained still under the cloak of the illusion; she had never needed encouragement to let someone else do the talking. She continued to float in her mind, questing for the acidic touch of a rahkshi or Askha’s now familiar presence. OOC: @Keeper of Kraata

[Hanaloi, North Shore (Fanai/NPC)] The ashbear roared as a magenta whip of light encircled her neck, seemingly dancing in air of its own accord. While she was far stronger than the biped hanging onto her, the psychic whip pressed along her breathing apparatus whenever she attempted to thrash free. Mari noted Rina’s position and then her awareness flickered back to the rahkshi. While its chameleon powers hid it from the visible plane its texture jumped out with the aid of her arthron, metallic and smooth against rough earth and delicate leaves. ::Cover my back, don’t waste energy trying to kill the bear unless you have to.:: She didn’t like to leave Rina and the Plangori to play cleanup but she needed to deal with this creature yesterday—whatever was influencing the ash bear would have to wait. One of the staves at her back settled into her hands, while the other flew straight at it, point first. Meanwhile, she released her throwing knife, mentally guiding it on a curved trajectory that would take it in one eye and out the other. — The rahkshi closed in. Fanai had little time. She reached out to the four other minds. ::I do not know you, yet you cannot be Zataka’s sons. If caution stays you, it should not for long.:: To Somei she thought only one word. ::Now.:: OOC: @Keeper of Kraata

 IC: [Ga-Koro, The Great Takea(Shuuan)]The words that Rhow said to me were completely honest. Huh. After so long having to put up with the fronts people put in front of their thoughts, it was strange to hear someone so nakedly confess something clearly personal, to me. A stranger. Strange, but not bad, not bad at all. “You have amnesia? Is that a common thing around here?” OOC: @Vezok's Friend @Void Emissary IC: [Ga-koro, The Tidalpool Inn(Pradhai)] “Ah, sorry about that. Animals don’t have much of a sense of humor; it’s hard going back to more subtle company.” She looked towards Mako. “When are you thinking of hanging up for the night, old friend?” OOC: @Geardirector @Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva)

IC: [Ga-Koro, The Great Takea(Shuuan)] Being a jar without a lid means you have to learn how to spit people’s own bile back at them, and fear is the best of these concoctions. Thus, I was instantly alert to the the stiffening in the bartender’s spine. There was something there—something—it was hard to define through the buzz of alcohol and the lack of presence these islanders had on the metal plane (a welcome respite honestly), but I could sense the shape of something, something single and yet reverberating through the skakdi’s being. A word perhaps, or a name. I can never leave anything alone. “What others?” OOC: @Vezok's Friend @Void Emissary IC: [Ga-koro, The Tidalpool Inn(Pradhai)] Pradhai looked at the turaga, genuine concern in her eyes. “Forgive me if I’m overstepping my bounds, cousin, but my mentor always told me that if you’re drinking to forget more than to remember, you’re doing it wrong.” Even through the fog of several good cups of sake, her awareness piqued at the mention of the maru in the village. “I would like to meet one of these legendary inheritors. That sounds like quite a story.” OOC: @Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva) @Geardirector

[Ga-koro, East Fishery District(Talli)] Talli broke one of the breads in half and shoved the cheesier side in her mouth while she thought of how to best explain to Timak the way to Hahli’s hut. “If you head back toward the shore into the market square, there’s a big thoroughfare to your left. Vines and flowers and junk, honors those who died protecting Ga-Koro—if you keep going past the big tree there’s a park and a cluster of buildings—can’t miss the Akiri’s hut, on the account of the guards outside of it. Probably some of those sparkly foreigners too." Please don’t ask about the thoroughfare. OOC: @Rahisaurus

edit: woopsie daisy

[Hanaloi, North Shore (Fanai/NPC)] Dastana Mari had not survived the siege of Iki by being a chump, but this time she felt like like one. What was she doing, letting sleeping beauty there up into a tree (something her mask notably did not require), wasting time playing with dragons? If she didn’t know better, she would have thought Zataka had stolen her concentration. ::Northwest, we charge—take that one out before its buddies can reach it. Fanai, take that elder and wake up our princess up in the trees.:: She kept the throwing knife at the ready, mentally loosening the twin staves across her back. Rina next to her vanished from the visible plane as her Huna activated, the Plangori soulsword matched her pace, the Calix would hopefully live up to its reputation as a mask of cheating death. As the rest of the party broke for the ambushing rahkshi, Fanai grabbed Somei without a word, hoisting her onto her back. ::Askha, get back into yourself. The rahkshi have come.:: She measured the space of the seconds while she waited, noting the sounds and sorting them into atmosphere and threats. OOC: @Keeper of Kraata

IC: [Ga-Koro, The Great Takea(Shuuan)] Of all the emotions swirling off Zafin, none was as inscrutable as that wink. Did she think it was appropriate, after essentially giving me her sloppy seconds? Ah well, free ale. And Daijuno was talking to me. About that party. “Ah…yeah I was.” I took a gulp of the beer. It was pretty good, but more importantly it made the emotional tension of the room fuzzy around the edges. Mmmmm. “If this is about what happened with the twins—they shouldn’t take what I said personally. I certainly di—” I looked up to the blue…what was it? Skadi? And raised an eyebrow at Daijuno. “Do you want to tell her, or should I?”

IC: [Fort Garsi, Courtyard (Ipsudir)] Ipsudir smiled, taking in Grolasch’s obvious hungover state, crusty eyelids and abominable breath. She did so love a project. “How would you like to get yourself in the middle of a legendary Sarke ring?” OOC: @Wotz @Visaru @Geardirector

[Hanaloi, North Shore (Fanai/NPC)] The Dastana soulsword whistled she took in the dead rahkshi remains. “Nice. Hope whoever got that done has a few more tricks up their sleeve.” Her Plangori counterpart looked on in disapproval. Fanai made no comment—she simply perceived. OOC: @Keeper of Kraata

IC: [Fort Garsi, Courtyard (Ipsudir)] “Grolasch, happy to see you so up and ready on this fine morning.” The small, firm hand of the warlord squeezed his shoulder. “As it happens, I have a proposal just for you.” OOC: @Wotz @Visaru @Geardirector

IC: [Ga-koro, The Tidalpool Inn(Pradhai)] Pradhai chuckled, “Oh I can tell, but I’m just saying that I’d rather believe in a balance between sisters who have different ways of seeing the world than two brothers who want each other dead, by all acounts—but ah, what do I know?” “What’s a Maru?” OOC: @Geardirector @Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva) IC: [Ga-Koro, The Great Takea(Shuuan)] For a moment, it seemed like Feenie would really be honest with some of the feelings she had, but the anger pinging from her and Daijuno quieted as the dashi learned to look at the Empress and…oh Typical. I suddenly felt tired, like I was coming down from too much drink. Daijuno’s passion was exhilarating, but no matter what the great thinkers tell you, frustrated horniness really isn’t that much of a buzz. (Unless you’re the target of it…and as fun as stringing Kulrikky dear along had been—where was he anyway? You’d think Relisai would have shoved her precious baby on the first boat off the island.) Luckily, the anecdote to too much feeling was sitting right in front of me…I just had to wheedle my way into some without any legal tender. OOC: @Void Emissary @Vezok's Friend @Umbraline Yumiwa