Tahakki

Riiightyhoooo, project is done and I have two characters who are now (I believe) not doing anything. Obviously Sernon's a little tied up with the whole Ko-Po-diplomacy thing, but Yaake can do whatever...any openings for an information-broker-disguised-as-a-rude-trader?

Sorry guys, still busy with uni stuff. Shouldn't be too long. :/

IC: Sernon sat down at the table again, gesturing to his new drinking companion to join the group, just as Yaake was beginning to speak. "A few months ago, I would have said no, not a chance in karz. But now? With all the new tech comin' outta Onu-Koro, and each village having its own, we're not really relyin' on each other to keep the economy stable, are we?" Yaake tossed a widget in the air. It glinted, and then by some slight of hand on the Le-Matoran's part vanished. "You mark my words, gents. Give it a few weeks, and these will either be worth a whole lot more or nearly nothin'." The poet was slightly confused as to why the trader's speech had altered, but he chose to say nothing.

I'm trying to build an emulator in C from scratch, which occupies most of my time. Thankfully it'll all be over in a week, it's due in next friday.

A verrrrrry happy birthday to the one-and-only Seraphim!

IC Yaake: "Aw, come on, you know. A big scuffle. Punch-up. War."

IC: "Neither, I'm afraid. Politics." said Sernon, idly swirling his drink in his glass. "I've been appointed Po-Koro's ambassador to the Akiri here in Ko-Wahi. We're constructing a radio station as we speak. Personally, I find the whole inter-Koro mistrust business rather tiresome." --- Yaake relaxed. If this chap had been a spy of some kind, he would surely have played along with Yaake's shady act. The man clearly wasn't entirely as honest as he claimed, but it was no concern of the Le-Matoran's. "My apologies, I must have been mistaken." he said, leaning back in his seat. The gentleman clearly thought he was some kind of ruffian; best to play to his expectations. He leaned forward again, grinning hugely. "So, d'you reckon we're all gonna have a scrap, or what?"

IC: Yaake grinned. "Oh come on, now. You can trust me. We may be in the same line of business, after all..." Sernon nodded to the newcomer. "Hello. Business visit, or just relaxing?"

IC Sernon: Sernon shrugged. "Would they? I'll be honest - inter-Koro politics are of little interest to me. Frankly, I find this bickering childish and tiring. I suppose I was chosen for my skill with words rather than any master of the art of diplomacy. Excuse me, I'll grab a drink." Sernon rose and headed to the bar. Yaake leaned forwards, glaring, and spoke in a harsh whisper. "My friend here probably doesn't give a karz, but I heard what you said there. Or more specifically, what you didn't. Branched out into what, exactly?" OOC: Vox, feel free to have Tivanu chat to Sernon.

IC Sernon: "Indeed not." said the Toa, as Yaake returned with a tankard of something that smelled like acid. "My friend here is the leader of the trade caravan. I myself am a poet by trade, though I am currently handling Po-Koro's diplomatic relations with Akiri Matoro." "And you?" butted in Yaake, nodding curtly. "What's your trade?"

IC Sernon: "We are indeed." said Sernon, guardedly. "Won't you take a seat, friend?" He motioned to the chair next to him.

IC Sernon: The Toa of Stone left the Akiri's council in a thoughtful mood. Diplomatic negotiation was trickier than he'd imagined; not so much talking as manoeuvring game pieces on an invisible board. Invisible pieces, too, he thought, smirking. The poet walked along Ko-Koro's frigid streets, glancing around at the shimmering beauty of the local architecture. Soaring, glassy columns and glittering arches were very much in the majority, but he saw a few hints of an earlier time. Domed huts and wall carvings could be glimpsed down side streets, and were much more common in the centre of the town. He recalled some of The Wanderer's early poetry about this place, and marvelled at the changes the war had brought. Presently, he arrived at the small inn in the centre of the residential district where the trading caravan were staying. He spotted Yaake on a bench near the back wall, hunched over a steaming mug of something. He sat down on the rough wood beside him. "Negotiations go well then, chief liar?" "As well as could be hoped, I suppose." muttered Sernon. "Akiri Matoro has insisted that the radio station be part-staffed by Ko-Matoran." Yaake drummed his fingers on the splintered table-top. "What about pricing?" "One widget per ten characters." "Cheap." "That was Hewkii's offer." "Hmm. You be careful, Toa. There may be undercurrents here that neither of us can spot. Matoro ain't stupid, and neither's Hewkii. Mind that you don't end up caught between their pushing and pulling." "I'll keep my eyes open. Since when are you a master of all things international diplomacy?" Sernon chuckled. "More than you think." said Yaake sullenly, leaning in. "Truth is, I've some experience in these matters." "What, as a trader?" Yaake lowered his voice. "I trade more than just wine, Toa. Secrets. Information. Rumours. Plans. You need to know something that nobody else knows? I'm your Matoran." He leaned back. "Of course, that was all a while ago. Just the trading now, right?" Yaake winked at the poet. "Oh, and I've no idea why I'm telling you all this. Maybe it's having travelled together. Maybe you got an honest face. Maybe it's whatever the karz they put in this mug. Regardless, you blab to anyone, you won't be around to spread it further. We clear?" Sernon was mystified. He was dumbfounded as to whether or not the Le-Matoran was even telling the truth; he had even less of an idea what to do with the information. "W-we're clear." he managed to mumble. "Good." said Yaake, rising. "Anything from the bar?" OOC: Sernon and Yaake now both open for interaction.

OOC: Apologies for being relatively inactive, should be back to normal in a couple of days. IC: Sernon gave what he hoped was a semi-theatrical sigh. "You raise a fair point, Akiri. I shall speak to the engineers. Shall we discuss pricing? I believe Hewkii's suggestion was one widget per ten characters, although of course we would be open to negotiation."

Sorry for the inactivity, everyone; a combination of work and London comic-con have resulted in me not having much free time. This will continue for the next couple of days, so could anyone who interacts with any of my characters (except for Xenin and Matoro, you know who you are) please drop me a PM just so I don't miss it? Thanks!

IC: Faori chuckled. "Don't panic, Toa. I know what I'm doing." So saying, she unhooked the small anchor from its place in the stern of the Cowrie, and tossed it towards a small plant bobbing in the warm waters. The anchor landed dead in the middle of the plant's white flower, which began to rotate, slowly pulling the boat in towards it and decreasing its breakneck speed. When the pair had finally come to a halt, Faori leaped easily onto one of the platforms of Ga-Koro. "Come along!" she told Xenin, and the two made their way into the centre of the Koro. OOC: Faori and Xenin open for interaction!

IC: Sernon tapped his chin uneasily. Having Ko-Matoran assist in the running of the station could make his job harder; but Matoro could be difficult to convince otherwise. Finally, he spoke. "Akiri, your request is a reasonable one. However, Po-Matoran can be patriotic, and they guard their secrets jealously. Some of our engineers may be very displeased to be made to share a technology they consider to be their own." He looked the Ko-Matoran dead in the eye, completely blanking Matoro's advisors. "Are you resolved?"

IC: Faori wearily shook the profferred hand, with a small smile. "Faori, the pleasure's all mine. I don't normally hold with outsiders, but after what we've been through together, I'm prepared to make an exception." Chuckling, she hauled on the tiller, wheeling the craft around so it was pointing to a small dock.

IC: Sernon approached the Akiri and his advisors. "Greetings once again, Akiri Matoro," he said, with a slight bow of his head. "I am told you are considering our offer?"

IC Faori: The Ga-Matoran chuckled, and then coughed up some water herself. "No problem." she said, weakly. "Shall we head back to the Koro? Evening's approaching."

Once upon a time...

IC Sernon: The Toa of Stone eyed the Matoran. Clearly, news of technological development spreads more slowly than I'd thought. he mused. That, or Matoro is testing me. Either way... "It's a new technology, Akiri. Similar to how the sound from your microphone array on the walls reaches you, but without wires and over a huge distance. For example, you could speak into a microphone here, and someone at the other end of the island - Akiri Kongu, for instance - would hear you immediately, as long as he had a similar system. I have no idea how it works, regrettably, I am simply a poet. However, I believe one of the Matoran in the trading caravan is an engineer, who could give you a far better explanation than I can."

IC Faori: Faori swore, and plunged headfirst into the crystal waters. The Toa was sinking fast; his thrashing was starting to slow, and his heavier build was pulling him down faster than the Ga-Matoran was currently swimming. Faori manoeuvred herself quickly so that she was as streamlined as possible, with her head pointing straight down, and kicked with her powerful legs. Faori angled her body to move through the field of bubbles produced by the sinking Toa - a trick she'd learned from the sharks that patrolled these waters. She quickly caught up with the Toa, and began pulling him towards the surface. By the time the two broke into clear air, Faori was nearly drowned. Gasping, lungs aching, she heaved the Toa into the Cowrie, and flopped over the side herself, exhausted.

IC Sernon: Sernon bowed his head. "Akiri Matoro. I was sent by Akiri Hewkii; he has charged me with handling diplomatic relations between our two Koros." He straightened, and looked the Ko-Matoran in the eye. "I am also sent with a business proposition for you. Hewkii offers the services of Po-Matoran to install and run a radio station here in Ko-Koro. Prices would be one widget per ten characters, or equivalent in barter, although of course there would be no charge for your use or for diplomatic purposes." He handed over the note from Hewkii. "Would you be amenable to this proposition? The traders I travelled with have the requisite equipment in their caravan; it should be a relatively speedy process to set this up."

Somebody's having a trial?! Oh MAN, this brings back memories...

IC: Faori rolled her eyes. The old "woke up with no memory" story again. Everyone thought they were Gali, these days. Still, there was something she found intriguing about the Toa, outsider or no. He really did seem to be genuinely confused. She pulled the boat in as close to the shore as she dared. "Hop in," she called. "Tell me about yourself." She smiled. "You may have to swim."