Cadias

IC: Kadon

Drome was clearly taken aback by my flawless strategy. He was caught off-guard, not expecting so bold a maneuver on my part, helpless before my-

Then, he just pointed his mace at me and charged. Whoops. It suddenly occurred to me that my plan was, in fact, incredibly dumb. And not having any sort of intelligence is Drome's forte, not mine.

As I changed my charge into a dive off to the side, I saw Drome say something and faintly heard something about a 'grimy jungle.' I frowned, unable to hear him over the ringing in my ears, and made a mental note to buy earplugs the next time we arrived in whatever Koro we were wandering towards. "What did you say?!" I shouted, in a vain attempt to hear the sound of my voice over that incessant ringing.

I realized my mistake too late: I'd just give Drome an excuse to yell at me again.

IC: Sanei

I looked at Eshai, honestly surprised. Still, I suppose that it made sense that she hadn't been keeping up on politics. She was a warrior without a clan- politics were of no concern to someone with such a lowly status as hers. "We bow to Chojo Yumiwa, Crown Princess of the Dasaka Empire, Heir of the Rora," I whispered back, not wanting the large number of Menti to overhear us using Ideatalk. For the sake of simplicity, I'd shortened Yumiwa's full title- it was pretty long, as I recalled.

Having bowed for an amount of time that would certainly demonstrate my respect, I stood up straight and listened to the debate intently. I'd heard a few rumors of the land called 'Mata Nui,' where metal was as common as the crystal we used in the Archipelago, but I'd heard rumors only. People with power were here- people who had access to official reports, people who spoke with the certainty of fact. Actually, there were lot of them. The crowd must have drawn them here- I couldn't imagine deigning to visit the Markets if I had their status.

This Mata Nui.... it truly did sound like a land of wonders. Beings, savage as they may be, with control of the very elements themselves... how strange! Metal in abundance, an entire race of the Chaotic Six... it sounded so different, so alien. So very full of opportunity.

I continued to listen in silence. To speak in the presence of so many that were so far above me.... Yes, the Ringti had spoken and had been well received, but there was no reason for me to chime in. Not yet, anyway. For now, it was better to not say anything.

IC: Kadon

I grinned, watching as my bolt hit home. Drome even let out a stupid little sound as it hit! Things couldn't be better.

As I grabbed my sickles, ready to give Drome something to really cry about, he opened his mouth. I suddenly remembered how he'd caught me off guard in our last fight, and realized that I couldn't cover my ears while holding my weapons. I couldn't even drop them. It was too late.

Drome's blast got me, just like last time. Again, I fell to the ground as this terrible ringing noise started up in my ears. Stunned, I watched as a flock of birds shot overhead, again like last time. Man. Sure, Drome was dumb, but letting myself get caught twice with the same trick.... he must have been rubbing off on me.

Regardless, I knew Drome would be coming to take advantage of his... well, advantage. I got to my feet, nearly falling over in the process. Despite my ears hurting (I think Drome got his wish) I was grinning furiously. "You're going to regret that, Drome!!" I couldn't hear myself, but I was pretty sure that I sounded menacing nonetheless.

With revenge being the only thing on my mind, I charged forward, sickles swinging. In hindsight, it wasn't a great idea (I tend to rely on speed and such) but at the time it seemed like the thing to do. Probably because the only thing I wanted at the time was to see a blade planted in Drome's skull, which wasn't terribly unusual for me.

As I recall, the killer received instructions to place a coin in his mouth shortly after the assassination. The coin was poisoned and fell into a crack between the floorboards of a house or something akin to that.

IC: Kadon

I ducked instinctively, narrowly dodging Drome's punch. You see, I've known Drome long enough to realize that when he's angry and not leveling some pitiful attempt at a witty remark at you, he's usually throwing something instead. In this case, a punch.

Having eluded his idea of a stealth attack (which didn't go so well with the bellowed insult), I rolled off to the side. So, Drome wanted to fight, did he? Fine. Just another win waiting to be chalked up by me.

I sent a blast of electricity at him as I sprang to my feet. "Take that, you big, spiky oaf!"

OOC: From Le-Wahi

IC: Kadon

“Wouldn’t blowing up your family kind of ruin the whole romance part of it?” I rolled my eyes again, then paused. I’d been expecting Drome to be more… confrontational. I’d just laughed at the idea of him writing a book and insulted his ability to come up with a good ending, and he’d just…. accepted it. No insults, no rocks flying at the back of my head, nothing. It was weird, like I was talking to an entirely different person. I couldn’t even blame it on him being too dumb to think up a comeback- whenever he found himself at a loss for words following one of my magnificent quips, he resorted to physical force.

Maybe he was playing some kind of trick on me? Messing with my head, laughing at me deep, deep down? Perhaps this was some elaborate ruse designed to confuse me?

... Nah. This is Drome we’re talking about. He’s got the IQ of your average potato.

I shook my head as if doing so would clear my thoughts. I could ponder Drome’s odd reaction later. What was more important was getting to Le-Koro, or at least finding out where we were before Drome figured out I was lost. “What do you mean, flowers on the…” I trailed off. I’d rounded another bend in the road to find that it led down onto a perfect, sandy little beach- a beach far too perfect for Le-Wahi. “What the…?”

OOC: The joys of being lost. XD

IC: Kadon

I bit back a laugh as Drome replied to my question. “You, writing a romance novel? No. You’ve got to be kidding,” I snickered. The thought of Drome writing sappy lines of poetry or whatever was amusing, to say the least.

“You call that a decent ending?” I asked, rolling my eyes. Ending a romance novel with an explosion? Please.

The trees were beginning to feel more and more oppressive, like they were pressing in on us. Great. If we were going deeper into the jungle, I was going to find that Ta-Matoran and make him pay...

As I plotted my revenge on the untrustworthy Matoran, I rounded a corner and found myself standing beside an actual road. I suppressed a sigh of relief, glad that the trail didn’t just go on forever in a giant circle or something crazy like that. While part of me wondered how long we’d been walking beside the road, unable to see it because of the trees, I decided against trying to find out. The answer probably wasn’t good for my continued mental health.

“Hey, I recognize this road. We’re not far from Le-Koro! See? I told you that following that Ta-Matoran’s directions would get us to the city.” Sure, I wasn’t absolutely certain that we were actually near Le-Koro, but I wasn’t about to tell Drome that. Besides, where else could we possibly end up?

OOC: Kadon to Ga-Wahi.

What if dragons were made out of crystal that was exceptionally clear or something along those lines? That way they'd have some inherent value and be fairly hard to forge (I imagine high-quality crystal is at least somewhat rare) but not be worth an absolute ton.

*raises hand* Hey, the chances of me getting around to actually doing anything are pretty small, but there's no harm in promising to keep my grudges firmly IC. =P

IC: Sanei

The conversation between Eshai and I petered out quickly, and we finished our meals in silence. It was, I told myself, for the best. While I found it strange to have a constant companion who never spoke, the difference in our status made talking in and of itself somewhat risky. Order, after all, was a virtue, and casually talking to someone with no clan threatened to upset that Order.

At the very least, the silence gave me time to come up with something to do. Finally, I had an idea: I didn't really have any decent clothes in my clan colors, so why not buy some? I didn't really need them, and I usually kept myself constantly busy, so I'd never found the time to buy them. But, for now at least, that wasn't an issue. Besides, I was a Menti warrior of Clan Umbraline! Looking my best should be higher on my list of priorities, I thought.

So, we paid for our lunches and struck out for the Markets. I didn't look back to see what Eshai was up to; I felt sure she was close behind me. Besides, my attention was elsewhere.

I arrived just in time to pick up a few words from a conversation that seemed to have captivated the entire marketplace, which sat in uncharacteristic silence. It would have felt oddly empty without the familiar cries of merchants hawking their wares, had it not been for the voices that rang out, both audibly and on the mental plane. The subject seemed to be about expanding beyond the Archipelago... hmmm. It hadn't really occurred to me that there'd be anywhere to expand, despite the arrival of the six strangers- what had they been called, Piraka? It simply hadn't occurred to me.

Then, a voice rang out. One belonging to the Crown Princess, asking a Dasaka standing on a roof to continue speaking.

The Crown Princess.

Despite being near the edge of the crowd, I quickly bowed. There was no harm in doing so, after all. Better safe than sorry, just in case.

By now, any thoughts of buying clothes had vanished from my mind completely. What was the conversation about, exactly? Who was the Dasaka standing on the roof? Why was the Crown Princess here, and did it have anything to do with the topic at hand? I supposed I'd just have to wait and find out.

IC: Sanei

I found Eshai to be a bit confusing, as usual. I wasn't sure why you'd order food without knowing what it was, but, then again, she probably wasn't very picky about meals.

I couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable. After all, I was sitting in a restaurant, dining with a clanless person. Sure, nobody would be able to tell at a glance and yeah, she was my bodyguard but still.... was it socially acceptable? I wasn't entirely sure. Individuals who lack a clan weren't very common, and I couldn't recall any cases of a Menti having a retainer who didn't belong to a clan... was there a reason for that?

I shrugged off the thought. There's no reason to worry, I told myself. Plus, she's a Menti in every aspect but one. And nobody I've talked to thus far has so much as blinked when her status was mentioned. Still, just the possibility of dishonoring my family was unsettling.

Again, I pushed away my doubtful thoughts. I could ponder it later. "I see... how is it?"

IC: Kadon

Drome had said nothing, so I'd obviously won that little argument. No surprise there. Like I said before, the poor fool would be lost without me.

I struck out for Le-Koro, following the narrow, windy, rocky trail that had manged to keep us occupied for the last few days. It was old and poorly maintained, but, unless that Ta-Matoran had been lying to us, it led to Le-Koro.... eventually. I'd forgotten why we'd decided to take this route instead of the Onu-Koro highway... probably had something to do with us seeking adventure or something like that. I hoped that we arrived soon- this route was not only it slow, it was intensely boring as well. It was nothing but plants, mud, more plants, rocks, vines, and stagnant water... ugh. How on Mata Nui did I convince myself that coming back to Le-Wahi was a good idea, anyway?

Bored, I glanced back at Drome. He was scribbling in his notebook again. "What are you writing in that thing, anyway?"

IC: Kadon

I rolled my eyes. Drome always loved to pull out the, 'Look at how tough I am!' act, and every single time he overdid it. "Alright, then, how about you go and spend a year living in an inn in Ko-Koro? I bet you'll love the cold after that." More seriously, I added, "Let's drop by Le-Koro, I guess. We need supplies."

I didn't list my other reason for wanting to go to Le-Koro: I was bored. For months, I'd been sitting around, doing absolutely nothing. I mean, yeah, I'd been traveling and stuff, but that didn't matter. I wanted to do something big, something that would be remembered forever.... and I was still kicking myself for not helping with defeating Makuta somehow. Talk about missing your chance.

See, I'd always figured that there had to be a reason I became a Toa. Some people scoff at the idea of destiny, but I know I have one. Why else was I given this power? Mata-Nui gave it to me, and I wanted to make a difference with it.

There's just one issue with all of that: People.

I guess part of the problem is me. I'm a bit of a Toa of Ice at heart... well, more than a bit, but you get the idea. People are just so.... annoying. Especially Drome. We fight all of the time, which leads me to wonder why we've been traveling with each other for months. We probably care for each other and relate to one another deep down or something... oh, whatever. Point is, he's lost without me, so I guess I feel obligated to make sure he doesn't go and get himself killed. I suppose you could sum up my feelings about helping the island that way, too.

I arrived at our makeshift camp, gathered my few possessions and then headed toward Le-Koro, ignoring whatever Drome had to say about going there. He'd tag along.

IC: Tellus

Tellus managed to find the strength to raise his head somehow and did so. "A trick? Huh. What I'd really really like ta see is another glass o' whatever I wuz just drinkin." He hiccuped. "Or maybe not. I'm not feelin' so good all o' a sudden."

IC: Tellus

Tellus sat nearby, head resting on a table. His hat and an empty glass sat next to him. He listened to the nearby conversation, only halfway processing it. Gradually, though, something worked its way through. He sat up suddenly, and, several seconds late, yelled, "Wait jus' a minute! You repairin' tha ship? 'S I recall, I was the one doin' all the work!"

Well, that was what he intended to yell. The effects of the alcohol he'd consumed, combined with his accent, made it rather hard to understand. Either way. Reputation and position as ship's carpenter defended, Tellus let his head slam back down into its former position.

He didn't feel so good.

IC: Kadon

I stared at Drome, futilely attempting to make sense of his twisted logic. I couldn't. "Don't hurt yourself, Drome," I muttered. "And I never said I couldn't handle the jungle! I just don't like it. Anyway, you never answered my question. Do you want to go to Le-Koro or somewhere else?"

I swear, I sometimes can't figure out why I even bother with Drome.

IC: Sanei

My thoughts returned to the present as our food arrived. I couldn't judge whether or not Eshai was enjoying her food or not- it was hard to read her emotions through her fierce mask. Probably for the best, I mused. Made her that much more of an effective bodyguard.

I glanced at the dish she'd ordered. I didn't recognize it- it appeared to be one of the simpler, less expensive items on the menu. Bored with sitting in silence (I'd already become used to talking with Eshai regularly), I decided to strike up a mental conversation. It wouldn't appear as though I was speaking with her, so what harm was there in just talking?

"I don't recognize that dish. What is it?"

IC: Kadon

Well, despite the ending of the book (or, more accurately, because of it) I'd won the fight. My brilliant plan had crushed Drome's fighting spirit, leaving me the victor.... or something like that. Either way, I definitely won that one.

"An explosion would have helped, yeah. And yes, the jungle is like the jungle. How astounding." My eyes rolled skyward, and I briefly wondered how Drome managed to stumble through life with such a horrible sense of humor and so little wit. Oh, yeah. He had me.

"So, do we want to head to Le-Koro or get the Karz out of here? I'm in favor of the latter."

IC: Kadon

"Really? Huh... why would his book suddenly get terrible? Maybe he ran out of ideas..." I sighed and started back to camp, leaving the book where it lay. Whatever. I was getting hungry.

"Let's go! It's about time we got out of here anyway. It's hot and muggy and muddy and full of plants and bugs and.." I continued grumbling about everything wrong with the jungle, feeling thoroughly disgruntled. Not only did my head ache, now I felt depressed.

IC: Kadon

"That's supposed to be, like, one of the best love stories of all time!" I said, still wondering at how horrible the ending of the thing was. "Who wants to read depressing stories like that?"

Still feeling somewhat curious, I picked up the book, shook off a bit of mud, and reread the last few pages to get a bit of context. I was appalled. "Mata Nui, they committed suicide! That's horrible!" I flung the book down. I couldn't help but think it was a bit of poetic justice that it landed in mud and decaying leaves- reunited with its own kind. Still, I felt just a bit of curiosity.

".... So it was pretty good until the end, yeah?"

IC: Kadon

One word stood out from the rest: Death. What? Wasn't this supposed to be some sappy romance novel or something? Romero and Julette couldn't just die in the end! No, there had to be a mistake... no, there wasn't. It was right there, plain as day.

I ignored whatever Drome was blabbering on about. "Who writes a book that ends like that?" I exclaimed in disgust. "That's just stupid!"

C: Kadon

Fortunately, the ringing noise had faded by the time Drome started blundering around in search of me. I turned to face him and make a stinging remark just in time to see him throw his morning-star at me. Uh-oh.

I fell off the branch backwards, which did NOT help my headache. Thoughts raced through my aching mind- my sickles were back at camp, too far away to get to. If I made a run for it, Drome would blast me with more noise... why did I have this worthless mask instead of something like a Kualsi?

Then I spotted the book laying next to me, and a brilliant idea popped into my head. I lunged for it, flipping to the last page as I turned to face Drome. I was grinning triumphantly. "One wrong move, Drome, and I read you the end of the book!" Yeah, sure, the plan wasn't foolproof. But Drome wouldn't spot the flaws until it was too late.

I glanced down and read a few sentences, ready to shout a book-ruining, fight-winning line. Then, my grin turned to a frown. "Wait, that can't be right."

IC: Kadon

With no small amount of satisfaction, I watched Drome collapse. "Hahahaha- oooooh, my head," I winced. Thankfully, my vision had cleared up, but there was still a tremendous ringing in my ears and my head throbbed. Briefly, I wondered if my ears were bleeding.

Either way, Drome was out for the count for the time being. No doubt he'd announce his recovery with a bunch of yelling, which I would probably hear above the ringing. Hopefully. Whatever. Karz, Toa of Sonics could yell.

By now, I was starting to wonder what was so great about the book he was reading. I walked to the other side of a considerably thick tree and climbed into one of the lower branches to give me a bit of time to react to the revenge Drome was probably planning at the moment and stared at the cover. Romero and Julette, huh? Wasn't that some sappy love story? Drome reads love stories? Oh, Mata-Nui! That's hilarious! Ouch, my head.

As I opened the book, a thought crossed my mind. Shouldn't I be more concerned about Drome's health, considering I'd just blasted him with a bunch of electricity?

... Nah. He's been through worse. Besides, it's only been a minute or two. He'll be up in about, oh, ten seconds, probably swinging his Morning Star around in an effort to kill me. Not like it'd work. I always win, after all.

IC: Sanei - Sado

A waitress walked up and handed us menus. I glanced over mine quickly, already knowing what I wanted. Without looking up, I addressed Eshai mentally. "Keep the change. Consider it your first paycheck."

The waitress returned, and I placed my order. She returned shortly with our drinks- mine was a cup of tea. I sipped at it while I waited for the rest of my meal, thinking.

Eventually, my thoughts turned to Sato. She'd seemed a bit surprised by how eager I was to fight- and she was right. I was too quick to resort to force, though I didn't have to do it often. I was used to getting my way... it would be wise, I decided, to try and use diplomacy more. After all, the Umbralines didn't rule the Archipelago by threatening others.

My thoughts also drifted toward Eshai. I wondered what was going through her head- she likely hadn't been in a decent restaurant since her Clan had been destroyed. I often found it hard to treat her as I should, the lowest of the low- after all, she was like a Menti warrior in every conceivable way except status. It was easy to look down on someone like a Saihoko sailor who spoke, looked, acted, and smelled like someone of a lower caste, but when they acted almost exactly the way as you... hmm.

Still, Order must be respected.

IC: Kadon

"Serious? What do you mean by-" I began, ready to say something witty, when suddenly my words were drowned out by the loudest shout I'd ever had the misfortune of hearing. My ears rang and my head felt like it was splitting as Drome's favorite, and lamest, insult rang out for all the world to hear. I felt certain half the village of Le-Koro would hear 'you are a moldy blueberry' ringing out from the jungle, accompanied by a bunch of scared birds.

It took all of my willpower to stop myself from falling over, book now hanging somewhat limply from my fingers. Aware that a certain scheming, deceitful, cheating, rotten orange was probably going to try to take advantage of my stunned state, I raised my free hand and pointed it at the big orange-and-teal blob that was standing a few feet away in a sea of green blobs. I couldn't help but grin. Drome, your gaudy colors were about to be your downfall.

I let loose a blast of electricity that was hopefully enough to let Drome feel the pain he had inflicted on me, plus some. I would have said something clever as well, but my head hurt too much for that.