Keeper of Kraata

IC: Aelied adjusted his armor as he responded to Vakua's telepathy. As you said, they have a description of him. It's a risk I cannot afford to take. Even if they didn't, Casanuva is unsubtle. He may let his feelings guide his actions, rather than his rational mind. Lastly, Skorm has a Huna, making him ideal for an infiltration and reconnaissance mission. The elder toa looked away into the blizzard as he noticed Zueya looking out of the cave, no doubt wondering what was taking Skorm. The Legacy guard's eyes unfocused for several moments before turning to one of the other guards. "You process these two. I'm going to get that Skakdi." The other nodded and took out his tablet as the Willhammered guard entered the Koro. "I'm going to need names, and your business here." He was writing down their description in his log as he asked. Skorm didn't let a moment pass. "You heard the lady. Soraph is here to meet with the Legacy. I'm Nuhros, merc. I was pulling bodyguard duty to get here." He was surprised how quickly that alias came to him. The guard nodded, then jerked a thumb at the open gate. "You two get inside, I don't want Fyura angry at me that her guest was frozen." The Ba-Toa nodded at the guard, and let Soraph lead the way as he responded to her telepathic message. Hard to say. I think we've had feelings for each other since we started training, back when she was the tall one. I guess it's official since I met back up with the team. Fyura grinned with manic glee as she watched the tactical battle unfolding between Eisen and Oreius. Even Vayde was impressed! Hence her annoyance when one of the Legacy soldiers, one pulling guard duty at the gate, thumped her on the shoulder. She snarled as she turned. "Vhat!? I'm vatching dis!" "A female toa, Cy-Toa I think, wants to see you at the gate. Name of Soraph?" Oh, right. Fyura had almost forgot about Ga-Koro now. Next to her, Maeloc also perked up. "Interesting, it seems she has taken up our offer. Fyura, I'm sure you can tear yourself away from the spectacle for some official business?" Pushing her way through the crowd, she turned her head to see the Onu-Turaga following in her wake. "Eh, Ah ghuess. Maybe she'll vant to vatch it vis us?" Maeloc didn't answer, he was too busy thinking. A... what were they, Dasaka? In Ko-Koro, no less. He had no idea of her powers. A dangerous opportunity. At least he had Fyura, and she seemed to be at full capacity again. Normally, he'd go to Eisen immediately, but he was ...busy at the moment. Maeloc sighed. He was an archivist, not a diplomat! He should be studying artifacts, not trying to corrupt foreign dignitaries!

IC: Grumbling quietly, Skorm faced into the blizzard. "That's optimistic. But I'd rather not be keeping our task secret from the others for long. I have my gear. Aelied, you know the way to Ko-Koro?" The elder toa put his hand on Skorm's shoulder. "From what I remember, it's nestled in a pass to the north-west of here. I'll show you the start, and you can follow from there." As the three started into the blizzard, Aelied stopped Skorm, out of earshot of Soraph. Vakua, turn your mind away. This is confidential to Skorm. When he felt Vakua's presence stop lingering, he leaned in and spoke into Skorm's ear. "Command code Nuhros. Authorization: Aelied." Skorm blinked, before his mask contorted in confusion. "What?" For perhaps the first time, Skorm thought he saw a bit of uncertainty flicker across Aelied's face, before the Bo-Toa steeled himself. Aelied took a step back. "It's a code phrase, unique to yourself. You don't know what it means?" The Ba-Toa shook his head slowly. "Troubling; that antidermis must have affected your memory. I meant to tell you, in code..." Aelied looked away, searching for the correct words. "In Ko-Koro, I have an asset. You should find him in an abandoned storefront. He'll see you before you see him. He might try to kill you. Tell him that 'this Kalta sleeps;' he'll know what it means, and will assist you." Skorm committed the storefront details Aelied gave him to memory, before turning to catch up with Soraph, before stopping. "Why didn't you tell Soraph this?" The Bo-Toa didn't respond immediately. "I value my assets very highly on this island. I almost lost one of them, you. There isn't time to explain more, go." The massive Ba-Toa's thought were troubled as he caught up to Soraph. Noting her crystal armor and robes more suited for a tropical environment, Skorm took off his thick white cloak and passed it to her. "You're less than half my mass. Just take it and bundle up, I'll be fine."

IC: The curt messages of Vakua manifested in Skorm's mind, and his expression darkened slightly. He squeezed Zueya's shoulder as he got up. Rather than walking between the groups, he elected to alter his personal gravity and walk along the side of the cave wall. An almost petty show of his abilities, in reflection, but probably worth it to avoid the inevitable gaze of some of his teammates and guests. The Ba-Toa's gut felt like ice, colder than the blizzard outside. This stank of being a disposable asset. Skorm hesitated a moment. Where did that though come from? A journey almost alone, with only a tiny telepath accompanying him, into the second most-dangerous place on Mata Nui. And he had BEEN in the first-most dangerous place, and it didn't end well for him; his hips ached in the cold. But still, he had heard there were hostages, and if he could play even a small part in their rescue, he would do anything. The towering Ba-Toa joined Aelied and Soraph, bundling up in his cloak. He spoke unconcerned with the others overhearing him, Vakua was filtering out their voices. "Vakua told me the plan. I suppose I'm playing the role of her bodyguard, then? Zueya told me Vakua's wanted, and Casanuva and Kalyss have known descriptions, as well as you and Zueya." Aelied didn't answer his question. "That's up to you two. A more immediate question would be figuring out how you're going to slip away." "We could 'get lost' in the blizzard." Skorm nestled into his hood. "Won't be too pleasant, and you'd need to make sure everyone pushed on, but you could probably get Vakua to play dumb and help out." He felt Vakua's mind bearing on his own at the unintended pun. Oh, you know what I mean.

IC: The Bo-Toa stroked one of the prongs of his mask as he considered Soraph's plan. "That is exceedingly dangerous. However, I get the feeling that you're the type to pursue your plan regardless of my, or anyone else's, approval." He exhaled, his breath frosting in the air before being swept away by the icy wind. "Are you sure you want to go alone? I could send Skorm with you. He is trained in stealth and combat." He looked over the slight Dasaka before him. "And, not to cast any doubt on your warrior status, but Skorm is himself a very skilled warrior. I've been inside Ko-Koro myself, complications are sure to arise."

IC: The Vo-Toa rubbed the chin of her mask. "I suppose that makes sense. When we were training, it helped when we immersed ourselves in our element, the source and medium for our powers." She glanced at Casanuva, and quickly shot a small arc of electricity, which Casanuva pulled to his sword that he had been in the middle of maintaining. "Even if it was easier for some of us than it was for others." "Hey, not my fault you had to stand out in a thunderstorm!" "You only had to learn how to be a living compass!" Casanuva snorted. "Please, I could do that before I was a toa. I can completely triangulate my position now. Besides, you didn't have to deal with serving as target practice for Kalyss throwing plasma." Skorm, who had been meditating against the wall pulling his cloak close, awkwardly cut in. "I... lifted weights."

OOC: (Soraph, Mako, Dakte, Aelied, Casanuva, Vakua, Skorm, and Zueya from Ga-Wahi) IC: Aelied's old eyes studied Soraph, examining every mark on her crystal armor. If each mark was a story, then he was reading them like an open book. "Ihu-Koro isn't far from here. Maybe half a day's walk, if we can march through the snowfall." The elder toa rocked back and forth like an ancient tree. "What is this matter?" Back with the others, Zueya poked the cinders of their fire with her staff, stealing glances at the other two Dasaka. "Are you Dasaka usually this quiet where you come from? Or am I missing out on some quality conversation?" She punctuated the last remark by swirling her finger in the air.

Oh man, I'm sorry about disappearing off the map for month, my internship kicked my butt, and I'm starting to recover my wits. There's a post in Ga wrapping that ordeal up, and the group is ready to move to Ko. Also, I'd like to announce that I'd like to hand out some of my Toa Kalta characters, if anybody is interested. Out of the seven (good lord that sounds bad in reflection), Casanuva (because he's fun and was my first character) and Aelied (because he still has some secrets I'd like to hold close to my chest for now) are the characters I'm set on keeping. This includes Vakua, the mute Toa of Sonics with a Mask of Telepathy, Kalyss, the pugilist Toa of Plasma, Skorm, the redemption-seeking Toa of Gravity, Zueya, the inexperienced Toa of Lightning, and Cyrix, the Toa of Air spy. If someone is interested only slightly damaged characters, feel free to PM me.

OOC: Sorry for the long, LONG wait. Internship turned sour and I was exhausted. IC: Casanuva grunted at Soraph's question. "Hearing that your former teammate, who apparently was doused with evil poison, is all healed and better? No, that's a new one. For as long as we've been on this island, I haven't seen him when he wasn't intent on killing us." Inwardly, a part of Casanuva was disappointed in himself. If it had been him, how would he have fared? Next to Skorm, Vakua's mask suddenly quit glowing as he staggered back, retching. Casanuva stopped by laying a reassuring hand on his shoulder. The De-Toa nodded, and shared his thought, carefully guarded this time, with his team. What he says is true. Aelied's face was unreadable as he walked up to Skorm. There was a long moment as the two stared at each other, which came to an end as the Bo-Toa pressed the stained Huna back onto Skorm's face. "Welcome back," he said softly as the vines released the Ba-Toa. Skorm was helped up by Zueya and Vakua. As he brushed the dirt and leaves off himself, Casanuva held out his saber, but didn't let go when Skorm grabbed it. "Don't make me regret this, you hear me?" The massive Bo-Toa wrenched his saber from Casanuva's grasp. "You won't. I promise." A noticeable clearing of Aelied's throat drew attention to him. "It's not your call, Casanuva." The elder toa straigtened himself, then nodded his head at the group's half-packed gear. "It's mine. And my decision at the moment is that we have spent enough time on this. Skorm is back, and a member of this team. We will deal with the consequences of his actions later. Right now, Kalyss is waiting for us in Ihu-Koro; I suggest we move out now, and stop delaying." OOC: Well, that's Skorm's arc come to a close. Sorry about the wait. Soraph, Mako, Dakte, Aelied, Casanuva, Vakua, Skorm, and Zueya to Ko-Wahi?

OOC: Sorry about the wait. My internship has been exhausting every part of me. IC: Skorm barely had time to react before Aelied gripped the visor-hole in his Huna and tore it away. The Bo-Toa stepped away, leaving Skorm to flounder for a moment. Before he had a chance to gather his wits, Skorm felt vines slithering around his ankles, and he swung upside-down, suspended by a pair of vines. He felt his sheathed saber get pulled off his shoulder; Casanuva, doubtlessly. By the time his head stopped swimming, Skorm started to mentally catch up. Not the homecoming he wanted, but about the one he expected. And probably deserved. "Aelied, I know, all right? But you have no idea what's happened to me since I came to this island!" The team leader was standing nonchalantly, examining Skorm's stained kanohi with a clinical look in his eyes. "Oh, I've heard bits and pieces. Attacking your former team, murdering innocents... All due to this antidermis infection." Skorm's maskless face curled into a snarl, but he stopped himself, and calmed down. He lowered (or rather, in his position, he raised them) to his sides, and concentrated. He stopped dangling, his cloak no longer drifted downward. "That is correct, Aelied." Zueya interjected, and loudly. "Can't you see he's cured? Whatever he was like before, it's gone now." Skorm missed the next several moments of Zueya's impassioned argument, which Casanuva broke into. They would never take him back. He already knew this. His actions had doomed him. He would be alone. Zueya would be alone. He had been a fool to come back, to get her hopes up. Even after he was cured, all he could do was bring more misery- That line of thought was cut off by a sharp, piercing whistle. Several bird rahi cleared the area, and even the insects were quiet. All eyes in the camp drifted to Vakua, who lowered his finders from his mouth and softly coughed. "I look," he signed. "Vakua, you don't have to do this, we can have Soraph-" "No," Aelied commanded. "I may respect the outsider's abilities, but this is an internal matter. I need to trust my team. Vakua, you may proceed." The De-Toa walked forward softly as Aelied stepped out of his way. Just before Aelied caught you, I saw flashes of what happened. I know. But I still have to do this. It was unnerving to feel Vakua's presence in his mind again, after all this time. Skorm took a breath, half out of exhaustion and half trying to calm his nerves. He remembered Vakua's memory searches; it was very much different than relating an experience. He nodded. "All right. I'm ready." Vakua nodded in turn, and the De-Toa's mask glowed as he focused all of it's power on Skorm's mind. Aelied watched with waning interest. He has seen this before; it wouldn't be long, relatively, but it still took several long moments to complete. He turned to their Dasaka guests. "If I may apologize, I'd ask for you to excuse this delay. We will be leaving for Ihu-Koro as soon as Skorm's story is... verified." The elder toa chuckled. "I'm sure this must seem quaint, like matoran banging together rocks for fire. But I can't take the risk. Doubly so when we are playing host to guests such as yourselves; if I let who I suspected was a violent psychopath travel with us, what kind of host would I be?" Aelied smiled, warmth in his mask.

IC: Vakua heard Soraph (even with his ear protectors, it really was too early in the morning for this), but still he activated his Suletu. Filtering out his teammates, he felt out around the campsite and beyond. There were skittering insects, a few bird rahi, but not much this close to the treeline. And... there they were. Definitely Zueya, and one other sentient in the vicinity. Aelied glanced at him; Vakua nodded, holding up two fingers, before turning his focus back into the mental plane. This other one was actively guarding his thoughts. It felt familiar. Was it... Skorm? None of the telltale signs it was a Kalta, or whatever Skorm was now, after the antidermis. It definitely wasn't the same as when his Ba-Toa brother had attacked them. Delving as deeply as he could without notifying the person, Vakua detected... fear. Shame? And certainly some happiness. A very particular kind of satisfaction. The kind he normally picked up from Cas. The brush rustled. Vakua hesitated a moment, but decided to take off his ear protectors. He might need his full sense of hearing soon. He deactivated his mask, letting the thoughts subside into the background. Zueya emerged from the bushes. A slight look of confusion, tinged with a guarded impatience colored her mask. The Vo-Toa briefly looked between the group, everyone standing and looking at her. "What?" Aelied coldly examined her as she walked forward and took back her staff from Casanuva. "Where were you? You weren't here when Soraph awoke." "I was bathing. I woke up a bit early, so I decided to clean up before everyone else woke up and we headed into Ko-Wahi. Last chance for running water that isn't frozen runoff." Casanuva frowned as he crossed his arms. "But the river is that way," he said. "And you left your staff." The Fa-Toa's accusation was met with a snort of derision. Vakua relaxed a bit, as he felt the ease slide back into his teammate's psyches. "Yeah, attacking a toa of lightning in a river. I was so vulnerable, what was I thinking?" Vakua started to smile slightly, but in his peripheral vision, he noticed a hanging vine moving of its own accord. Like a whip, it coiled and lashed out at empty air. Or what Vakua had thought was empty air, until the vine met something with a very audible smack. A short exclamation of pain, and something Vakua recognized: a Huna involuntarily deactivating. Skorm stood, clutching his mask in his hands. There was a sudden small rushing of air, and Aelied was behind him, his Kualsi glowing. With two rapid movements, the elder Bo-Toa kicked out Skorm's knee and grabbed him in an elbow lock. His other hand held his staff, the ends of which had animated into vines, dragging Skorm's arm into what Vakua recognized as a very painful upright position. As everyone else was starting to react, Vakua's eyes met Zueya's as she turned. The look on her mask scarcely made his telepathy necessary; she knew about him. And now Vakua did too. He knew everything. "Aelied, stop! He's not-" "You skulking sonuva-" Quieter, Vakua heard Skorm's struggling against the hold as Aelied tightened his grip. "Trying to ambush us in a jungle? Have you remembered nothing of what I taught you?"

IC (Raltz Nightwing, Stray Tach): "As you command, Inquisitor." Raltz coldly smiled beneath his helmet as he passed his repeater to one of the terror troopers. Heavy metal footsteps sounded in staccato as the dark trooper approached the apprehended zabrak and human. An armored hand roughly pushed Rav's head to the table as he wrestled his arms into some restraints. One of the terror troopers held him down as Raltz slapped another pair of restraints on the unconscious human. Raltz picked Cylund up and grabbed Rav by the shoulder. "We should get one of the standard troopers to do a body search. I'd do it myself, but I don't want the prisoner too badly beaten before the interrogation."

IC: The Fa-Toa didn't stir easily, he turned and mumbled, nearly falling out of the hammock. "Who- wha... I didn't..." Groggily, Casanuva rolled out of the vine hammock. All of a sudden, he bolted straight up, an alert look on his mask. "Did you say Zueya was gone?" He barely waited for Soraph to explain as he reached out to his gear lying against a nearby tree. As he walked towards Zueya's hammock, his armor animated and flew onto his body, finishing with his belt and Ferrite. He scarcely wasted a second adjusting his armor without his magnetism before looking over Zueya's spot. Her hammock was still here. No obvious signs of a struggle. Casanuva frowned and put two fingers to his forehead, concentrating on the magnetic fields in the immediate area. Him and the others, Soraph's new necklace, the Kalta's weapons... The blue-armored toa leaned down and picked up Zueya's staff, still collapsed into its usual portable form. "What is it?" Casanuva looked up, and saw that Aelied was fully awake and walking towards them. "Zueya's not here, but she left her staff." Aelied stood still a moment. Then he began looking around, but not beyond the brush. Aelied looked at the plants and the trees. "There hasn't any disturbances to the area besides just now since... around midnight. I can't tell how many footprints, but the vines are not disturbed. Zueya likely left of her own accord around... midnight." Vakua had woken up and approached in his usual manner. Aelied turned to the De-Toa. "Vakua, see if you can locate her, either using your kanohi or your element." The slender De-Toa hesitated a moment as if he wanted to say something, but nodded. He gingerly removed his ear protectors, and his mask glowed. Aelied turned to the Dasaka. "Soraph, Mako, Dakte, if you have any abilities that might help you locate the girl, might you use them to help us? I don't like this." The elder toa's mask was tense."

IC: Kalyss's mask rankled. "I wasn't aware this was private property. There aren't exactly any signs out, and if there are, the snow's covered 'em. Where's Ihu-Koro? I'd like to get there before my friend here freezes into a block of ice," she growled over the wind, gesturing to Mura.

Merceon chuckled again as he rose. :Like this. Any time Casanuva sleeps deep enough to dream, you can contact me. Now, return to your own mind. Casanuva doesn't have lucid dreams, but I don't want to push it.: The figure incorporated, fell apart back into the scrap it had been made of. The pieces fell away into nothingness, and darkness enveloped the mindscape. Distant flashes appeared of other memories and dreams; Merceon resuming his duty. * * * About ten minutes of walking/floating, Skorm set Zueya down in an outcropping of stone at a cliff. The treeline was sparser here, and the wind howled. Both of the toa sat across from each other, both enshrouded in shadow. Unsure of what to say. "Back in the village... Casanuva said you killed a guard. And tried to kill him, Kalyss, and Vakua. He's telling the truth, isn't he?" Skorm crossed his arms. Zueya had seen this behavior from him before, back when he was a matoran. He had done so when he was uncomfortable, and didn't want to acknowledge something. "He's telling the truth, but he doesn't know everything." Zueya stared him down. "What is it? What could have possibly made you want to kill them?" Skorm scowled. "Antidermis." The Vo-Toa leaned forward and grabbed Skorm by the loop of his cloak, pulling him down to her face. Skorm didn't try to resist, but he tried to avert his eyes, even as her own were glowing directly in front of him. "Is that supposed to mean anything to me?" Skorm sighed, and Zueya let him go. He leaned over and started pushing some of the sticks and leaves on the ground into a pile. "Light a fire, and I'll explain it from the beginning, when I washed up in Le-Wahi." The small Vo-Toa looked at Skorm, then complied, lighting a small fire using an arc of electricity. She blew on the fire gently to stoke it, then looked back to Skorm. In the light from the fire, she saw Skorm's mask clearly, the black streaks. Like he had been weeping. Reflexively, she reached up to his mask and tried to a wipe them away, but her heart sank when she felt the indelible stains under his eyes. He explained to her everything that had happened. The encounter with Zaktan, the dark thoughts the Antidermis brought him. Tears came as he recalled the utter hate. The fight in Ga-Koro. The escape to Mangaia, his crippling at the hands of the Abettor, and his healing at the hands of Stannis. When Skorm finished, he stared at the small fire. He looked up when he felt Zueya's hand grasp his. She didn't look at him immediately. "That's a lot to take in." "I know." "I trust you. I knew something else had to be up, you wouldn't do those things." Skorm pulled his hand away, and pushed himself up to the cliff face. "You're not getting it! That was me! I wanted nothing but to kill the team. Kill you. Tear your bodies to shreds." He felt Zueya sidle up to him. "Maybe. But if what you told me is true, it might have been your body and mind used, but it wasn't you. The Skorm I got to know would never do that. It's not your fault; you were poisoned, and there was nothing you could do." "But I wasn't strong enough! I could have fought through it! I could have-" Skorm was cut off by Zueya pulling him into an embrace, kissing him." Several moment passed before Zueya pulled back to speak. "You're here, now. You're not to blame for what happened, Zaktan is. You're here with me." In the dying light, she saw Skorm's mask break into a small smile. "Yeah. I'm here. With you." When the sun came up, Zueya's hammock was still empty, her staff leaning against a nearby tree.

IC: :It's still not my decision, though my consent would probably help. Both Casanuva and I answer to the same person.: Merceon waved his hand, and the shards of mirror metal started to show memories of Aelied. :Aelied is loathe to give up his assets, but he is not unreasonable. If you prove to him that you are an ally, him trusting a member, or more likely members, of the Kalta to assist you is much more likely. Also, I'd avoid any mental trickery. He may be old, but he's sharp. He was questioning me about your... probing of Casanuva's mind. Fortunately, you didn't find me then, and I managed to keep your little gift to myself. But if he gives his permission, I would be more than happy to assist. In fact, I have even less qualms than Casanuva would.:

IC: Merceon seemed to calm down a bit, crossing his arms and resting on them. :When he wakes up, it's all Casanuva. But, if I wasn't here, you probably wouldn't recognize him as the same person. His ideas mostly stay his ideas. His infatuation was his alone. But now...: Merceon again gestured to the orb in his chest. :It's infected me as well. It's why I'm telling you this; you'd probably stumble into me with your incursions into your boyfriend's head, sooner or later. Everything I've told you could probably be pulled out of me forcibly by a telepath of your skill. But I'm telling you this freely because I don't want to see you get hurt. If I get called out, I tend to be unstable, and that's discounting the reason I got called out in the first place. It might be a... conflict of interest. I wasn't supposed to feel loyalty to anyone outside of... well, this isn't supposed to happen to me.:

IC: The figure shuddered; a screeching, stuttering laugh uttered from it. :Don't sound so accusatory; I'm the one that lives here. You're a foreign organism. I'm the attack rahi chained in your boytoy's head. I'm his combat instincts. The ugly brute that keeps him on the Mission. I'm as much Casanuva as I am Merceon.: Merceon gestured around the room, which fell away into darkness. Shards of polished metal were called into being, briefly showing flashes of Casanuva's memories, most being from the last day or so. :When the blue boy sleeps, I help him sort through his memories on occasion. His memories become my memories, but not the other way around. It's like a one way mirror. I embody the core ideals of Casanuva.: Merceon stooped down, staring directly at Soraph. :Including that little seedling you planted. You didn't carefully insert that into the deepest parts of Casanuva's subconscious, you cut through his mind and put it into ME.: The mass of metal pointed to its chest, where a swirling blue orb was stuck. :You have no idea how much I want you, and how much it HURTS.:

OOC: (Recommended listening, and yes it is different) IC: The Fa-Toa's dream persona furrowed his brow. Behind him the sword blade lifted out of the trough, still steaming. It, along with many other components that made up the hilt and core of the blade, began to assemble themselves. It looked like Casanuva's sword, Ferrite, but it was larger; far larger. It was nearly twice as wide, and longer by at least half. Casanuva looked at Soraph. "I'm not an assassin, I'm a Toa. I fight against injustice, for our Three Virtues. I have duties here, to the Kalta. I can't just abandon my team to go off to help you, I dunno, reclaim your kingdom." The Fa-Toa turned around and leaned on the waist-high wall, looking into the forge. "I want to, though. I want to spend every moment I can with you. If you could help us, maybe things would change here. Maybe I could go." Metal scraps from around the forge stirred; they were drawn into the center of the forge. Burnished blades, half-formed pieces of armor, shaved flash metal, broken equipment. It all began coalescing around the pit of molten metal. :But it's not his decision, is it?: The voice was not part of the dreamscape, nor even was it Casanuva's familiar voice. It wasn't an outside influence, but it spoke, much like Soraph was doing. The scraps of metal from around the forge tightened together over the pit, and formed into an enormous torso. Casanuva's body faded as the torso formed, except for his mask, which was grabbed by enormous metal fingers and placed where the head was forming. Molten metal flowed through through the torso like a circular system, pooling into burning orbs in the creature's eyes, with an assembled mask which now resembled a Pakari. The figure was black and dark steel, broken up by both polished and rusted pieces. It grasped the titanic sword and rested it with the tip buried in the floor. :Tell me what you are doing in my head.:

IC: "Yeah, sure." Casanuva's dream-self looked away from the forge, his mask expressing surprise. "Wait, Soraph? I thought you were Kalyss for a moment there, sorry. Needed her to do some spot welding. Come on up." The manipulator arms reached into the molten liquid, pulling forth two glowing bifurcated halves of a sword blade. Casanuva looked back at the forge, steeling his gaze as he fit them together with the arms, then dipped the blade, still missing a center part, back into the molten metal, taking it back out as one fused piece. As Soraph made her way up to the platform, Casanuva yanked the arms up, then made them lie the blade in a tub of liquid. The room filled with hissing steam; Casanuva turned around to face Soraph, leaning against the walls surrounding the front of the platform. He yanked off the goggles and took off the smock. Even with the protective equipment, smoke still covered most of his mask, making it match the rest of his unarmored body. Casanuva crossed his arms and smiled. "What's up?" * * * Skorm slowly made his way to Zueya's hammock. Mentally, he had remembered the Vo-Toa as an paragon of poise and finesse. Seeing her with one leg hanging out of the vine hammock, while drooling on her arm that she was using as a pillow, wasn't what he expected, but he wasn't one to talk, considering the wreck he had been not long ago. The Ba-Toa did one last check of the others in the group. The foreign toa were still asleep, and the one that was awake seemed to be in a trance by the river, facing away from him. The other Kalta were all gracefully asleep. Casanuva seemed to be turning a little, but that was all. He nudged Zueya's shoulder. No response. Skorm looked around again out of reflex, before gently shaking her shoulder again. The Vo-Toa stirred a little, and groaned softly. "Zueya." She turned away. "The sun isn't even up yet." The Ba-Toa paused, looking down. He continued. "Zueya, it's me." Zueya mumbled something, Skorm couldn't hear. "Zueya, it's Skorm." Zueya stopped moving, then slowly turned back. Skorm's stomach wrenched when he saw the starlight reflected in her eyes; fear. "Zueya, I-I need... I need to talk to you. Explain myself, I need to explain everything. I can explain everything to you, you just need to listen." The small Vo-Toa slowly looked back at the camp. She looked back at Skorm, but she didn't fix on him, looking in his general direction. Skorm remembered he was still using his mask. "Okay," she whispered. "We'll go someplace quiet and we'll talk." She began to get out of the hammock. Skorm put a hand on her shoulder. "Let me." He slipped his arms under her knees and behind her back, and gently lifted her out of the hammock, using his gravity control to levitate them both. Silently, the two drifted back. Zueya still couldn't see Skorm, but she could feel him. His arms, his chest, his breath. She recognized the sensation of weightlessness; something she hadn't felt since their training. He had never carried her like this, though. Like a sack of vegetables over his shoulder, yes, she remembered that bout all too well, but not like this. She felt around his chest, finding his shoulder, and reached her arms around his neck, huddling to the Ba-Toa. Her mask was troubled as she unfocused her gaze from her surroundings.

IC (Vanndred, Jenth's Worksheop): Vanndred immediately picked up the crate carrying his armor and swiftly moved into the back room, hitting the door control with his elbow. "I am. Viido was gonna be my point of contact for this acquisition, and I had... other business I had to deal with at the Stray Tach. And the money from that bounty was going to provide some pin-money me to get back into the big hunts." There was a weighty pause. "So, I'm pretty sure Viido is gonna be the one providing your paycheck, one way or another."

IC (Vanndred, Jenth's Workshop): The ex-retired bounty hunter grabbed one of the gloves and slipped it on, activating the wrist console. "Good to know in case something like this happens again. Let me test out the holocaster and comm package." Vanndred plugged in the bounty chit he had received earlier, loading up the console with the information. Holograms of the escaped novatrooper and the bothan drug runner popped up, before the Chistori swiped them away. "I need to make a call anyway." Aurebesh script sprang up of a list of names, and Vanndred scrolled through before grinning as he selected one. Viido. He buzzed him a few times before picking up. Vanndred had expected some music and bawdy laughter; instead, he was picking up shouting and lots of blasterfire. A familiar soundscape, actually; sounded like a lot of stun bolts. "Viido! What's going on?" The heavily accented reply came after a short pause. "Vanndred, you big lunk of lizard, I am glad to hear you! Some Imperials, I think, are shooting up the Stray Tach! While I'm in it! There's smoke, there's laserswords, people are shooting back, agh, it's madness!" Vanndred's eyes rapidly shifted; not so much looking around the room, but running through things in his head. "Viido, I can come get you. But you're gonna owe me." More blasterfire. "Yeah, whatever, I'll give you the wings off my back, just get me out of this!" "I'll be there. Over." Vanndred powered off the commlink and slowly looked back at Jenth. "I'm gonna need to change."

OOC: (Recommended listening) IC: It was a darkened, hexagonal room. The only light was coming from a few dim lightstone lanterns, but most of the chamber's illumination was from a central raised pit, bubbling with liquid metal. Piles of scrap lay around the room, and from the ceiling drooped two large, yet wiry, manipulator arms. On a protected platform behind several controls was Casanuva, goggles affixed to his mask and a smock around his unarmored chest. He had his hands in two tubes also connected to the ceiling by mechanical winches and levers. His mask was clenched in concentration, fixated on his forge. "Yes. You might want to step away from the forge, protosteel tends to get a bit hot under pressure. Like the pressure to shape the stuff into weapons." He wiped his brow, the manipulator arms mimicking his movement. "Like I'm doing now." Clearly, Casanuva seemed to be enveloped by his dream, and his subconscious was fitting in Soraph somehow. * * * Someone else was watching the camp. Skorm, under cover of his Huna, crept along any surfaces that would support his weight, bending gravity around him to make that parameter greatly expand. The foreign Toa were camped on their own side, but Skorm didn't want to get anywhere near them, especially the female one on watch. He kept his steps slow, and avoided much of the underbrush. The sentry seemed to have wandered off, and the sounds of the river would cover any noises that his tread caused. The Kalta were slumbering in vine hammocks, though Aelied looked to be the only one in an especially natural sleeping position. He concentrated, sensing out the weights of the slumbering toa. The heaviest would be Casanuva, even without his armor. The two in between could either be Vakua or Aelied, but the lightest hammock load had to be Zueya. She'd understand. He had to talk to her.

IC Raltz Nightwing (Stray Tach): At Inquisitor Vespula's order, Raltz spotted the twi'lek scrambling away. Growling, the dark trooper leveled his repeater and fired a volley of stun shots. "Perimeter team, lock down the back door!" he shouted into his comm. He waded forward into the chaos, knowing his armor would protect him from anything short of another lightsaber.

IC Raltz Nightwing (Stray Tach): A blaster bolt slammed into Raltz's chestplate as he set his repeater to stun. Behind him, the terror troopers started firing into the cantina indiscriminately with their wrist-mounted stun blasters. He sighed as his MFTAS started identifying figures amongst the smoke. Not as fun as he hoped this would be. The dark trooper dropped to a knee and raised his repeater to his shoulder. Instead of going for individual targets, he sprayed stun-fire across the room in a wide arc, giving a wide berth to the Inquisitors. Several patrons pushed over tables for cover.