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IC: Ailun - Outside New Atero His smile started to drop. "Well, it's... it's a work in progress." He leans back on a pipe which promptly snaps and sends Ailun tumbling to the ground in a cloud of steam. "But she flies, I tell you! Just got her working!" IC: Fifteen - Fe Border They fly in silence. It was a pretty uneventful day. Not like a few days ago when some moron encountered a patrol and completely fell for their diversion tactics. That would've made her companion's day. IC: Sekra - New Atero (Anvil Bar) "The sooner the better."

IC: Ailun - Outside New Atero "Come on in, come on in!" Ailun grins proudly at the work of his own hands... something the others probably found not all that impressive. Many of the hallways spiraling off the cargo bay were cluttered with pipes and looked too small for even a Matoran to comfortably get through. Wind whistled through cracks in the airship's seams. But... at least it was shade. And to Ailun, it was home. IC: Fifteen - Fe Border "Either way... it's home now." She turns back to her watch. The horizon still seemed clear, but you could never be too careful. IC: Sekra - New Atero (Anvil Bar) Well, it was worth a shot.

IC: Tear - Infirmary She was sitting on the bed, quietly wiping at her eyes. She didn't like being the center of attention much, not if it was like this. IC: Melody - Infirmary "It was F-Fate's idea she had agreed to," Melody explained coldly. "W-what do you hope t-to accomplish by removing h-her from the suit? Sh-she said T-Tare is not in her." IC: Canvas - Hallways Canvas' eyes hardly leave the floor as they walk. "I hope they're alright... I haven't seen them all night, and it's been an eventful night..."

OOC: Umm... totally didn't forget about this. IC: Ailun - Outside New Atero He only seems to be half-listening to Ezoba as he helps Threiaa inside. "I wouldn't have much to give you for it. Most of what I had went to the Moa, and besides, I get what I need from the barrens." But as he steps inside, his mind finally seems to process the other being standing nearby watching... some kind of strange-looking Glatorian, he guessed. "Um, no thank you, we don't need any help! But, if you like, you can come inside!" IC: Fifteen - Fe Border "Most people don't stay in Fe on a whim. Did you miss the caves and archives?" IC: Sekra - New Atero (Anvil Bar) So, let me get this straight... We're looking for some mythical palace that everyone says just "appeared" from dreams by the power of some magical rust bucket. Not only is the head of this quest the most disgusting Matoran I've ever seen, but two more of them just showed up to crash the party. And no one can even guarantee a reward. Why am I staying again? ...oh yeah. I really am that desperate. Let's see if I can at least wrestle something out of him for my troubles. "One condition," Sekra announced. "I need money in advance to procure the necessary supplies."

IC: Fifteen - Fe Border For the first time, Fifteen turns to glance at Karanta. "Why did you come here? Not many found their way to Fe before the borders were sealed."

IC: Fifteen - Fe Border "There isn't anywhere else I'd like to be," she said distantly. "It's so much like home."

IC: Sekra - New Atero (Anvil Bar) Sekra crossed her arms. She should've known, they were chasing after a fairy tale. 'Course she'd heard of the fortress, but it was just one of the many "miracles" that had happened since those pests got here with their elemental powers. Just because no one had seen magic like that since the Great Beings, didn't make it special. "And what exactly is in there that makes it worth my time? I think I speak for everyone when I say we prefer rewards of the shiny kind." Her eyes dared the others to argue. IC: Fifteen - Fe Border "Yeah, those. One look at them tells you they haven't seen anything like us for a long time. Some of them don't like us. Do you really think they'd hesitate to find out what makes us tick?" All this time, her eyes had never left the horizon, her tone had never raised.

K is the most intimidating letter.

IC: Fifteen - Fe Border "Count yourself lucky. Not all of us made it out of the Great Spirit, and those that did often didn't survive the calamity that followed. I just hope to survive another day, then maybe another after that, and so on. So I'm not taking any risks. How much do we even know about the locals?" IC: Ailun - Outside New Atero Ailun smiled with pride. "Yeah... we're gonna get you fixed up. She flies too, you know!" There had once been a time that a Skakdi crashing into his home and a Glatorian helping her up might have surprised him, but like many that now inhabited this world, he'd seen a lot.

IC: Sekra - New Atero (Anvil Bar) She took a seat nearby (carefully positioning herself on the far side of the group), rolling her aching shoulder while her other hand searched for the knife. If that gearbag touches me one more time... Hopefully the metaphorical daggers she was staring in his direction were enough to get that message across.

IC: Canvas - Hallways "...it gets the worst possibility out of the way. Let's go then." IC: Melody - Infirmary "It's not."

IC: Sekra - New Atero (Anvil Bar) "If you are, in fact, Mr... uh..." As it turned out, she didn't get the chance to finish as someone else... something else approached. Her lip curled up with disgust. "Outta the way, gearbag! We got here first, and this job isn't big enough for all of us!"

IC: Canvas - Hallways "What about the..." she switched to a whisper. "...killer? They could be anywhere... they might know we know..."

IC: Sekra - New Atero (Anvil Bar) Hmm... employer's good graces, or avoiding the scum as much as possible? Ugh, fine. "Don't trouble yourself," Sekra said as she smoothly stood, pushed her chair back in, and sauntered over to the Matoran. "I hear you have some work. Me and my friend want in." She gestured back to Sutrox.

IC: Melody - Infirmary "W-we are d-doing everything w-we c-can t-to help her." Her glare didn't let up. IC: Canvas - Hallways She shrugged. "It's as good a guess as any. They didn't say anything about where else they might go."

IC: Sekra - New Atero (Anvil Bar) "Nah, you could say I'm just marooned here after my last job went sour." She leans back in her chair. "I'm just looking for some cash, you know? And since we're two of a kind, what do you say we see what this Matron wants and then dump him at the first chance? Probably wouldn't even notice through that filth."

IC: Sekra - New Atero (Anvil Bar) "Seems we both lucked out then... even if the company leaves a bad taste in my mouth." She gestured at Joe. "Ugh, I hate doing jobs for those... what do you call 'em again? Materhorn... no, Matrons..." IC: Fifteen - Fe Outskirts "Careful what you wish for. The world outside is brutal, wanting nothing more than to plunder our workshops. You might very well quickly find yourself dumped in a dark corner lacking your personal belongings." She said it plainly, as a matter of fact.

IC: Sekra - New Atero (Anvil Bar) She took a small sip of her drink while she listens, then turned to follow the bartender's indication... and just about choked when she recognized the glowing eyes and mechanical components of one of those things. She turned back to her drink and swallowed it in one gulp, wincing as it went down. She was going to need it for this... Once she had somewhat regained her composure, she tried to hone in on her companion in this venture. "So... where're you from, stranger? You new around here?"

IC: Ailun - Outside New Atero "Yeah, yeah, that's right," he muttered to their most likely concussed patient as they drag her inside. IC: Sekra - New Atero Work had been slow, with jobs few and far between. As it was, Sekra hardly had enough fuel to make it to a new city, and she was one pickpocket away from starving. So when she heard the word "underwater" coming from near New Atero's notice board, she had to contain herself from running up to it and ripping the page from the wall. ...Slim Joe? Or was that Slimy Joe? Ugh, the name alone was enough to make her think twice about how desperate she was for this, not to mention the spelling. How could someone like that pay for dinner, let alone her costly services? But the fact of the matter was that she was desperate enough for this. And she'd spent enough time drowning her sorrows to know exactly where this Anvil Bar was. And so by the time Sutrox got there, he found a Water Glatorian sitting a few seats down, staring into a glass as if it held the answer to his question. "You too, huh?"

Better get someone ready for that treasure hunt. Name: SerkaSpecies: Water GlatorianGender: FemalePowers: Her mechanical modifications include a set of gills implanted along her neck, making her amphibious. She also has the increased strength and agility of Glatorian.Gear: She carries a pair of war axes similar in appearance and function to Gali Nuva’s, just as effective as weapons as diving fins. She also has a diving knife under her skirt for sticky situations.Personal Aircraft: Thornatus VXAllegiance/Role: HerselfPersonality: Serka is strong and confident in her abilities, willing to risk a little flair in combat even though the crowds have long since gone silent. She’s stubborn and fights to claw her way up where her skills can’t take her. Since her world crumbled around her, she’s become more pessimistic and vengeful, especially when it comes to the biomechanical invaders of her home.Appearance: Serka is tall and athletic, as is fitting for her calling. Her yellow-green skin is all but covered up by her clothing in darker shades of blue with light silvery-blue armor over it. The armor is etched with flowing designs across her chest and shoulders. Her helm is designed to cover her face, and features a long, cruel spike protruding above the forehead. She also wears a short skirt with the Tajun water symbol dyed into it.Bio: Serka was once a notorious Glatorian fighter in the Arena, destined to replace Kiina or Tarix as one of the Prime Glatorian of Tajun. Agori came from far and wide to watch her spectacular matches. That is, until Mata Nui came. While Kiina rallied the Agori in support of him, Serka was one of the most vehement opposers. “Why should we give up our way of life,” she cried to the people, “for outcast creations of the Great Beings?” She had watched grimly while the Arena fell, her village was dismantled, and she was left without a home. Not even the world-shaking battle between Mata Nui and Makuta changed her tune.Now, Serka wanders the Barren, picking up work where she can find it, whether it be cargo carrying or fighting or diving. All the while she seeks revenge for those that removed her from her pedestal. Personal Aircraft: Thornatus VXModel: JetraxWeapons: The Thornatus VX features force blasters on each of its wings, as well as a torpedo launcher on the underside, primarily for underwater combat.Appearance: Serka’s Jetrax was built from a modified Thornatus, equipped with a pair of large jets where the front wheels used to be. It still retains its grim decorations made from real bones. Like the Thornatus and Jetrax, its wings are adjustable, fitted close to the body for speed or far away for greater agility. Unique to Serka’s model, however, are the optimizations she’s made to it for water travel. The engines, important bits of machinery, and a few storage lockers are watertight, and, with her gills, the only thing she needs to worry about is crushing water pressure. Personal Aircraft: Thornatus VX

IC: Tear - Infirmary A smile slowly came to her face, though it was still tainted with exhaustion. "It's Teer," she said. Then she looked down. "Mother might have wanted me to stop him... he hurts people... my friends." She looks up at Spindle apologetically. "Maybe... that would be for the best." IC: Melody - Infirmary She glared at Spindle as Palma put him back in his place. "Y-you're j-just as s-sick as she is. She's s-supposed to b-be your f-friend." IC: Garrotte - Hallways "So here, the walls don't just have ears, but mouths as well. Fantastic." Her tone was almost entirely devoid of sarcasm. IC: Canvas - Hallways The last place she remembered Melody mentioning was the Library. She had been heading there when Dormirahk found her. But as she feared, she was too late, and the Fellowship had moved on. As she finished her checks of the place, she turned to Dormirahk. "Well... I guess they're not here..."

IC: Dormirahk and Canvas - Dormitories Dormirahk gently opened up the door to their room. Inside were two things: their bed, and a chair. On their bed lay a sleeping Canvas, exhausted after recent events. The chair, meanwhile, was unburdened by anything other than the stale air that surrounded it, and so Dormirahk took a seat. There they sat, contemplating how they were going to confront Canvas when she woke up, while Canvas slept on, blissfully unaware of anything. Time passed as Dormirahk sat on that chair, mulling things over. Perhaps they should be upfront and aggressive... no, that would only make matters worse. And it wasn't their style. Just thinking about it gave Dormirahk a bad taste in their mouth. No, they'd have to be gentle about it. Approach with caution, and subtly nudge Canvas toward spilling the beans. Perhaps she didn't know anything, or perhaps she had important information that could help in the investigation... or... perhaps she... Dormirahk was lightly shaken from their thoughts when Canvas suddenly sat up. "Hey, thanks for letting me stay here." "Oh, yeah, no problem... How are you feeling?" "Better," Canvas smiled. "You were right, I just needed some rest. I haven't slept like that in a long time." "That's good to hear... Sleep is a close acquaintance of mine, so I guess I know a thing or two about its complexities. Although knowing that rest is important sounds more like it'd be considered common sense." Dormirahk smiled a bit, before heavy thought of the potential murder stormed their mind once more. "... There's... something I need to ask you..." "Sure, what?" "... Your room... I discovered something there... And... I don't know what involvement you had in it, but..." Dormirahk found it hard to meet her eyes, but every time he looked back she had the same concerned frown. She wasn't giving anything away. "The only thing I left in my room was my staff. That was there, right?" "... A staff? No, that... There wasn't a staff... But there was something else..." Canvas' ignorance of the dead body in her room seemed genuine to Dormirahk. "... Canvas, I found someone in your room. They were... dead." Their heart skipped a beat as the word left their mouth. This was it. They had revealed the truth to Canvas. Her eyes widened. "Dormirahk... I swear I haven't gone in that room for weeks. I... usually go to the Cauldron when I need something." She thought it over for a moment. "But maybe... if you take me there, I can try to figure out what happened. I know the school pretty well." "... Alright, but... I hope you understand... I'm keeping my eye on you." Canvas looked hurt. Dormirahk did not want to treat her unreasonably. They liked her, she was nice, and that group she'd told them about was definitely something they were interested in. But at the same time... They had to be cautious. Looks could be deceiving. "...Lead the way." Dormirahk stood up from their chair and opened the door again, keeping her in their view. It was Canvas' turn to avoid their gaze as she walked out, puzzling over why this happened in her room. Dormirahk soon took the lead and walked down the hallway to the room she had lead them to last night. But something didn't seem right. Canvas glanced up at them in confusion. "My room's back down that hall." "No, you told me earlier, this is your room. This is the number, right there." They pointed at the number plate on the door. She leaned in to read it. 134. In spite of the circumstances, Canvas couldn't help but laugh a little. "I must have been pretty out of it. My room was 143... so whose is this?" "I... I don't know. But if this isn't your room, then this has nothing to do with you." Dormirahk slapped their forehead. "Gah! I'm an idiot!" Canvas put a gentle hand on their arm. "Don't beat yourself up about it. I said I wanted to help, didn't I?" "Alright let's just..." Dormirahk looked down both ends of the hallway, making sure nobody was around to hear or see this. Then, they whispered. "Let's just get inside and close the door before someone comes along." They'd left the door closed but unlocked, finding it unlikely that someone would be going around checking into random rooms on a whim. They opened it only enough for them both to get inside, but not much wider. Canvas quickly followed them in, only to have her foot catch on a bucket of paint. She managed to catch herself, but only after the sea of cans thundered against each other as a few toppled over. "...sorry." "Shhh! Careful!" They closed the door quickly yet silently, and then turned to the dead body. "... There she is." But Canvas was still focused on the floor. "Paint? Who has this much paint? Unless..." She suddenly followed Dormirahk's gaze. "...Rain." Dormirahk sharply turned to her. "You knew her???" They were looking at her with a mixture of between suspicion and shock, but she hardly noticed. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the empty suit of armor. "She... she left our home before I did... I never knew her well... I didn't realize I hadn't seen her for a while. Now I guess we know why." "You came from the same Makuta? I... I'm so sorry. I didn't know..." They turned back to the body. "She obviously died some time ago, the bloods completely coagulated and..." If they had a nose, aside from the one Rain had actually painted on their faceplates all that time ago, and had now faded away, they would have wrinkled it. "Well, the smell in here is horrid." She pretended not to hear Dormirahk's comment about the smell, and stepped up closer while avoiding the many cans of paint. "I guess we don't have to wonder much about what killed her... I couldn't imagine she would end it like this..." She wanted to get out of here, but he was watching her curiously, like he expected something from her. She leaned in to look at the knife closer, glancing from a few different angles, and Dormirahk's head perked up with interest. But Canvas started walking out of the room. "No... She's just gone. There's nothing we can do here." "What? Wait a minute!" "Don't worry about it," Canvas waved them off. "I'm just... grieving, I guess." "Stop!" Dormirahk almost yelled, raising a hand in a gesture for her to halt her absconding for a moment. Canvas wheeled around with just a bit of annoyance. "What?" "Look closer! I don't know, I don't think it's as cut and dry as you're making it out to be." Canvas stepped back through the cans to their side, waving at the armor. "So what, the... the positioning doesn't look natural, and the fingers are too loose around the dagger... you really think she didn't do it?" But her tone gradually began to shift to intrigued. "So you see it too? The inconsistencies?" There was a hint of hopefulness to their voice. "Yeah, I... I'm just good at paying attention to detail, I guess. But I thought I was making it up." "I wasn't so sure myself, but if you see it too, then there really might be more to this than there seems." "So you think... there's a killer out there? Well, beside the usual ones, I guess." "Her killer, yes... And I can think of no way to determine who it was." "But... what if they were going to do this again? We can't just let it happen!" Dormirahk cluched their head. "I don't know! I'm not a detective... We don't know when she died, so we can't ask around if anyone saw something suspicious around that time, which means we've got nothing! It's a dead end! It's... It's a dead end..." Dormirahk turned away from Canvas and leaned forward against the wall opposite to the crime scene, their head and forearm lying on it. They took a deep breath, and sighed. "I just... don't know..." Canvas carefully cleared away a space next to the top of the bed, kneeling to run her finger down the scars Rain's spines inflicted on the beautifully painted wall. "I didn't know her well, but if there were two things I know about Rain, they are that she would never deface her own art, and that she was very secretive about it... besides the decorations on her armor." Now that she looked closer, something about the armor seemed off too. They turned around to look to her, find she was doing the same. "Yeah... from what I knew of her, she wouldn't have done it here... right next to her work. I don't profess to have known her closely, but I still doubt that even in her lowest moment she would have desecrated her work like this. I caught h### for being at the smallest chance of scratching one of her paintings, she clearly cared deeply for them." "So why is she in here? Who else would have known about this place?" "Maybe someone in the school would know... but we have to be careful. If the supposed killer finds out someone's snooping around in their buisness, we may have more than just a dodgy suicide scene on our hands..." Canvas looked down at the ground. "I need to go back to Melody. It's been too long already, and... if something does happen..." Dormirahk nodded. "Alright... Rain has waited this long already, if there was ever a hurry to solve this, that time's long past. Do you want me to come along, or-?" Canvas shakes her head and gets to her feet. "Why don't you look around? I won't be gone long." "I don't know... Like I said, I'm not exactly a detective. Besides, I think I need to get my mind off this for a moment, then come back to this fresh..." Dormirahk looked from Rain's corpse to Canvas. "Also, isn't Melody a member of this peace group you told me about? I'd be delighted to meet her, if you don't mind me tagging along?" Canvas began to smile. "Alright, come along then." A hint of a smile came to Dormirahk as well. "Lead the way."

IC: Ailun - Outside New Atero "Ailun," he explained simply as the Skakdi began to rise. "Um... let's get her inside." He waved into the cavernous cargo bay of the Moa.

IC: Tear - Infirmary "He's not in the suit," they said with plain certainty. "He's in me..." IC: Melody - Infirmary Tear was beginning to worry her. Her friend didn't seem to care about her any longer... IC: Tube - Infirmary With Torc dropped off back in the Infirmary, Tube turned around to be confronted with an upset Palma who simply gestured at the mess he had made searching for the stretcher. Tube sighed and went over to start cleaning. Hopefully Master wouldn't need him for now...

IC: Fifteen - Fe Border "That doesn't make our job any less important," she said tonelessly. "You never know when something could come up." IC: Ailun - Outside New Atero "...we should get you out of the sun." He does all a Matoran can do to get a Skakdi twice their size out of the craft as someone else approaches. "Mind giving me a hand?" He called to the Glatorian.