BZPRPG - Kentoku Archipelago

[Toa Fanixe]

IC:

 

"A pleasure to meet you all, Somei, Ashka, Kavina" Robalta said, nodding to each Mashtet in turn. "Let's continue on, shall we? Raiyo, feel free to socialize."

 

With her maidservant a step behind, Robalta picked a place beside Somei and began leading the group in a slow walk.

 

"I loved those carvings of your clan, I still have one that was given to me by instructor back during the Menti training, though it'd long still faded. Maybe when you come to Oki you can renew it. Do you have any Mashtet carvings with you? It'd be such a pleasure to see one again."

 

 

 

"Was not. Shuuan, Seigyo, don't you agree it was clever?"

[AuRon the champion]

Ic:

 

"I'm not playing arbiter on this," Seigyo said with a sigh.

[Keeper of Kraata]

IC: Somei flashed a glare at Askha, who tried to deflect the Datsue by tilting her head at Maripi. Before the Datsue could redirect the conversation towards their comrade's unforthcoming attitude, Askha addressed Robalta's question. "We were all nobles in the Clan... and as such we all carry a Mashtet token." The menti pulled her own token out of one of the pouches on her belt, and held it out so the Vilda clanspeople could see.

 

Askha's token, a round palm-sized thick wooden piece, was that of a howling kavinika. The rahi arched its head to the sky, then looked directly at the viewer. "Everyone is said to view a Mashtet carving slightly differently. For example, Maripi sees the background as a crescent moon, while Somei sees a full moon. I see the sun peeking over the horizon."

 

Somei nodded, and held out her own, depicting a tree in rebirth: it rapidly grew from a sapling to a full tree, before wilting and withering away to nothing, until a new sapling broke through the ground. "We used to say that what you saw means much about the individual piece, and about the beholder." The datsue chuckled; "It used to drive art critics crazy!"

 

Raiyo was amazed; she'd heard of Mashtet carvings, persistent animated illusions embedded in crystal-embedded woodwork. In Askha's token, she saw a feral-looking kavinika, stark black. In Somei's, the tree in full bloom was covered in blossoms. "They're amazing..." she breathed.

[Toa Fanixe]

IC:

 

"Beautiful, just beautiful" Robalta said, slightly with awe. She took a few moments to admire the Mashtet carvings. To the Vilda's eyes the Kavinika was well-behaved, not howling but purring at a waning moon and then looking warmly at herself. And the tree stayed for a long period of time in it's adult state, standing tall and firm and providing many bio of shade before withering under the pressure of time. 

 

"But I don't think anything like that could drive art critics crazy. They're all mad to begin with!" Laughing softly at her own joke, Robalta continued marching on. 

 

"My daughter would ladore one of those carvings, I just know it. Such an angel, but she's gone on that expedition to Mata-Nui, so I'll have to wait before I ask for you to make one for her. Oh and my nephew Kulrik would too, but I just have no idea where he is at the moment, First Sons do tend to be busy with their own affairs. It's a shame, I hardly see the boy, and I'm sure you'd like him. But here I am, droning about my family. Do you have any? Any that survived the, well, the incident?"

 

 

"Don't want to make your brother mad, I understand" Kulrik said, grinning. "Come on then, lets get going!"

 

The First son walked with others to the geyser that had just moments before erupted with green-lit water. The geyser was actually large vertical hole, maybe a dozen feet in diameter. At the bottom water collected and grew hot from underground thermal vents that fed into a fissure. Every so often the temperature rose so drastically, and enough water had collected in the fissure that the pressure rose and steaming water came flying out into the air. Now the geyser was in it's 'resting phase,' so Kulrik and the others had a least a few minutes to examine the space.

 

Embedded into the side of the wall, halfway down, was a large round disk of marble.

Edited March 5, 2015 by Toa Fanixe

[Keeper of Kraata]

IC: Somei shook her head sadly. "While I do renew any carvings and remake decayed carvings, I don't think it's right for me to make new ones. Out of respect for the Clan, you have to understand. Maybe someday if the Clan is restored, if Zuto Nui wills it."

 

Askha snorted. "I've already introduced you to just about all the family we have left. We don't count the ones that abandoned us to join other clans."

 

As she walked, Raiyo thought about the tales she had heard. "Didn't your clan have ways of miraculously recovering from low population?" The Mashtet survivors all looked at her, and suddenly Raiyo felt very self-conscious.

 

Before Askha could tell the insolent Dashi off, Somei butted in with a laugh. "I don't know where you hear your history from, but we don't dabble in any 'dark Zatakan magics', as you might have heard. It's true we have come back from decline in the past, and I hope we can do it again, even though this is our lowest point in history."

[Constructelf]

IC: Sora

"So. Here we are."

 

The two of them - Sora and Vazaria - had reached the mountain where they would conduct their... Hatchery heist. Granted, the nests were still a good ways aways off, so it's not like this would be over soon. "So just waltz in, hope we don't get barbecued, grab an egg, hope we don't get barbecued, waltz out, hope we don't get barbecued, get to enemy territory, hope we don't get barbecued, place the egg, hope we don't get barbecued, run for it, and hope we don't get barbecued?"

Edited March 6, 2015 by One-Eyed Construct

[Nato G]

IC: Vazaria.

 

"I guess so...." she did her best not to let her thoughts linger too much on the potential barbecuing. She knew what fire's bite was like, and it wasn't an experience she wished to repeat. "Shall we get this over with?" 

[Constructelf]

IC: Sora

"Okay. Sooner the better." Sora quickly assessed the slope ahead of her before making a short Kakama sprint up it. They would need to close the distance but they couldn't afford to simply rush in; at some point, stealth would have to replace speed.

[Nato G]

IC: Vazaria.

 

She activated her Kadin, keeping close to the ground so that she wasn't spotted. 

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

Zyla really had no idea what she was doing anymore.

 

OOC: Open for interaction.

 

-Void

[Mel]

[iki, Geyser Field]

“Look, Kulrikky honey,” I said, keeping a my head a healthy distance away from the hole.  It looked kind of interesting, but I’m rather impartial to third degree burns.  “I’ve been inside these people’s minds; they’re a bunch of half-baked cultists with about as much creativity as a third-rate romantic novelist.  Less.  They could hardly pose much trouble to a bunch of Hogo guards.  Come on, Kulrikky dear, lets go back to capital--it’s sounds like things over there are so much more interesting.”

[AuRon the champion]

Ic:

 

Jiyu stayed close to Shuuan. Partly for the the fact that he enjoyed not getting any other grievous injuries, but also because he felt just a slight bit more safe standing aside her...

[silo]

IC: (Maripi)

Maripi frowned - Askha had accidentally mentioned her real name, but Robalta didn't seem to have noticed.

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: It's not easy being empress. Mom couldn't have forced this idea on me enough for it to properly prepare me for the reality that awaited me.

 

I was in my library when Thran, who had become my principle handmaiden in Hanako's absence, had approached and handed me a note. It was a simple, just a couple lines penned in my uncle's typical snipped verbiage, but it made me want to throw up; it read: "Toroshu Arsix spoke in the Market. She rejects your authority. Clan Dastana officially announced secession. —R"

 

Thran quietly sat beside me and laid her hand on my lap to console me, and while it held no candle to what Hana could do for me I was still comforted in the fact that my dear Thran could feel my emotions pour out and react for me. Tears flowed down my cheeks and ultimately dropped onto the scrap of parchment, mottling the graceful calligraphy, and I crushed the sopping paper before casting it away and turning to whimper in Thran's ear. The note meant that if diplomatic solutions to maintain my realm's integrity were ever an option, they weren't anymore. The empire I loved so dearly was no longer whole for the first time in millennia. 

 

I would not abide with being the rora with the legacy of a fractured archipelago, but I also had to check my feelings—if I was too passionate I would lose focus, if I was too distanced I would lose influence. If Hana were still home my workload would be halved, but right then I needed to look towards other supports. I knew I couldn't handle the weight all on my own. "Call the council together," I commanded; Thran jumped to attention. "We're meeting in the map room immediately."

 

...

 

The council meeting lasted the whole evening. It started with just my sister and uncle, but then Inokio and Hogo Noshima joined us, then the Astyzyar-Jahagir and lastly a trio of datsue for their honored advice. Together we represented the core of the Umbraline leadership, and, by extension, the Empire itself. 

 

Everyone had different ideas of how to approach the matter. Inokio and Noshima were of the mind of consolidating power in the Palace and ensuring it would never fall; Rayuke counseled against rashness and using backchannels to prevent the escalation of conflict from perceived military movements; Senavysh pledged her blades at my beck and call, which my sister warned would look desperate and fracture faith in the Umbraline cause and ideals; Desde pushed the idea of averting war by pushing diplomacy and damage control. The datsue, however, remained silent and merely watched from the walls of the room. Finally, I turned to them. "Honored Datsue, you've said nothing yet. What do you suggest I do?"

 

"We differ in opinion just like you, but we agree on one thing," the eldest among them spoke, stepping forward to the map table and poking at the floor with zer cane. "You all neglect to acknowledge the ten-ton kanohi dragon in the room."

 

"Please, indulge us," Inokio urged, not knowing what he was summoning.

 

"The Dastana are no longer your subjects. Trying to bring them back is pure stupidity." 

 

I'll be honest: I was definitely taken aback by this, less by the expression and more at the idea. "But Datsue, they are Dasaka. By virtue of their blood and faith they belong to Zuto Nui and the Empire—and to me!" I protested. "They cannot simply leave—"

 

"And yet, they have," the elder interrupted. I could feel Inokio's nerves sharpen at the slight to my honour. Open thoughts in our private meetings were permitted, but speaking over the rora was still ill thought of and Inokio... well, he always did have a soft spot for cleaving my irreverent subjects in twain. I squashed his zeal with a shivering glance before returning my attention to the datsue. "The Dastana are no longer your subjects, Your Majesty. Forget them."

 

"So wait—you're suggesting we recognize their independence?" Desde pressed.

 

"That is exactly what I suggest," the datsue said. "The Empire has existed alongside a separate entity for centuries," zhe said and pointed her stick at Senaysh. "The Tajaar have been largely sovereign for many cycles, and while they have bent the knee twice they have never kowtowed. The Dastana are no different. Let them go and rule your subjects well and, in time, perhaps a future generation Dastana queen will unite with us once again. I cannot say I expect it to be in your lifetime and certainly not mine, but it will happen regardless."

 

"What say the other datsue?" Rayuke asked.

 

"We are not at an accord, but the First does speak fact."

 

"Let time take its course," the First continued. "Time is a sand dune. It uncovers the past while burying the future, and yet its waves are perpetual as what lay beneath it. If war comes, then so be it, but I counsel against any action that jeopardizes the rest of the Empire because you tried to wrangle a soko that no longer heeds your calls."

 

"Uncle?"

 

"Zhe speaks well. I endorse the concept."

 

"Desde?"

 

"It's probably for the best that we let the Dastana go. It may cost us some pride, but in the end... yeah, it's the most sensible approach."

 

"Inokio?"

 

"I still vouch for some fortification and protection for yourself, but from a political point of view it does check out. It will also confuse the Dastana a little and alleviate the concern of war for now."

 

I sighed, deeply and heartily, as I considered everything one last time. The air in the room grew thick and salty with sweat and anticipation, but the end was inevitable. I nodded and admitted it was a sensible plan. "Then I will recognize Dastana independence and deliver my response to Arsix tomorrow in the throne room to whoever comes. Thran, let's work on a draft in my study. Anyone else who wants to can help as well, otherwise good night, everyone."

 

...

 

And now, back to the present.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Just put your big girl crystals on for two seconds. This is a good thing," Jasik managed to say before the thrown vase whizzed past the side of the head. He sighed, but the sound was disguised by the sound of crystal shattering against a wall.

 

"What is it with you and vases?"

 

"They remind me of your head," Arsix declared, "The Fursics wanted war. The Umbralines toppled. They won't be happy."

 

"My favorite part of hearing you rant is that I never hear a downside," Jasik opined, resting his head on one of his shoulders with a half-grin that bordered on insolence. "We come out of this smelling like the Imperial Gardens. Independence, faith of the people, faith of the Empire, and we didn't spend a dime or kill anyone. This is what we wanted. The Fursics were a means to--"

 

"The Fursics can be dangerous enemies," she counseled her heedless brother.

 

"So can you." Jasik straightened his head and bit down, smiling, on both thumbnails. "Want to know what I think? I smell Rayuke. And Desdemona. This exactly what I would do. It's a measured response. Reasonable. Responsible. Shows regard for us and our platforms." Jasik beamed. "Hundred dragons it wasn't Yumi's idea. An extra fifty says she didn't like it. These people don't want war, there's not even a hint of it. Read a history book. The Fursics rebelled five times, and not once did it look anything like this. We're rolling doubles here, Arsix."

 

The new Rora softened; it was clear she'd been having the same ideas, but she was less prone to rash conclusions or incorrigible hope than her brother.

 

"I think this deserves a celebratory drink." Jasik stood and walked over to the cabinet, rifling through various bottles. With his free hand he cupped the crystal-and-gold circlet that Arsix had worn to Yusanora Umbraline's final gala. "Rice wine doesn't give me a buzz anymore, tea is boring, bourbon...I'm content with my masculinity, no bourbon...all the liquers are too fruity...Dragon's Breath, hoooo, you do not want to see me on Dragon's Breath...screw it, rebel's choice."

 

Arsix promptly grabbed the teapot.

 

"Listen to me, if you're right, we have to play this smart," the Toroshu/Rora (Torora?) said as she poured for both of them. "You may not like Yumiwa--"

 

"--I said tea's boring!" Jasik protested, as a cup was forced into his hands, "This is worse than the time you ruined that handprint Kanohi Dragon I made for Mother--"

 

"--and neither do I, but we have to--"

 

"--I never thanked you for that by the way, dickhead, I spent hours tracing and--"

 

"--get on her good side," Arsix commanded forcefully. "You're an irritating but you're the better talker, and we still have most of the sway financially. We cut the deal with the Umbralines that we cut with the Tajaar, and we give ourselves a bit of safety. I don't trust anyone the way I trust you, Jasik, but you did threaten to kill her if anything happened to me so I need to know right now - can you behave yourself?"

 

Jasik pretended to think about it.

 

"Well, only one of you drew a quiver of arrows sticking out of my Kanohi Dragon's face." He took a begrudging sip out of his cup. "When do I leave for Sado again?"

 

"The morning."

 

"...Hence the tea."

 

"Hence the tea," Arsix smiled boldly, "hook, line, and sinker Jas."

 

"Hate you."

 

"Just be careful. You're still my brother."

 

"I'll do my best. We knew what we were getting into.." Jasik set the cup down on the balcony and slouched down, moon shining on the back of his head and illuminating his lively, handsome face; it held as little serious expression as ever. "It's not like we never planned for this." He cupped her chin, identical to his own, with a hand and tilted it up to look at him. A low whirrr filled the air.

 

"What are you doing."

 

"Here comes the submarine," Jasik said in a sing-songy voice as the crown drifted in the air between them, steered by his hand. "Heeeere comes the submarine. Oh no! Where's it supposed to dock, Captain Arsix?"

 

"You're an idiot."

 

"Land ho! You could land a fleet on those frown lines!"

 

"Be serious for once."

 

"I am serious. You're going to be great. When people see the job you're doing, the things you're doing for the people, they'll come. I'll broker a deal with the Umbralines. You keep at it with the Tajaar. After the expedition gets back, we'll see what we can do to partner with Mata Nui. We'll make something beautiful, you and me. Together. If things don't go directly to plan, hey. You win some, you lose some." Jasik set the crown down on his sister's brow and kissed her forehead. "Except us. We never lose."

 

He left his sister there, with two half-full teacups, to enjoy her first night of independence on her own. In the morning, Jasik Dastana had left for Sado.

 

-Tyler

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

.:So, sister,:. I asked, hooking my thumbs under my belt as we walked. .:Any particular reason you were out on Iki with a couple of First Sons and, uh ... what the Dasaka's name, again?:.

 

-Void

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

.:Plangori Shuuan.:.Nihonei answered, unable to resist once more wrapping an arm around her sister's shoulders, squeezing once before she let go. .:It's complicated. There was apparent threat of a secret society toppling the Empire. I agreed to go along for the historic nature of the hunt.:.

.:.I very quickly regretted it.:.

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

So that was the (in)famous Plangori Shuuan.

 

And here I thought she was just a myth.

 

.:And, apparently this secret society employs assassins?:. I continued, eyes running up and down Nini's frame, looking for cuts or bruises or--

 

NOPE.

 

WOOOOOOOOO

 

-Void

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

.:Given my recent encounter with unidentified Menti in black cloaks, yes. They're not very good. One ran as soon as I gave them a little cut. Reanimated the others, that was a pain. Hence the... Dismantlement.:.

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

SAAAAAAAAAAAH

 

Breathing a silent prayer of thanks to the Almighty Lady in the Sky that Nihonei was still in one (living) piece, I managed to crack a grin and bopped my sister on the shoulder.

 

.:Attagirl, Nini,:. I said. .:Good to know we've got -one- decent sword arm in the family for what's coming.:.

 

-Void

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

.:That's you. And there's a semi-competent one on my right.:. The Toroshu laughed quietly, wrapping an arm around her sister's shoulders again. .:You always were the better fighter.:.

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

.:Bull######,:. I shot back, slinging an arm of my own around my sister's shoulders. .:I'm s and I can break things, but you've got better technique.:.

 

I winked.

 

.:By which I mean, you -have- technique.:.

 

-Void

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

.:Sis, I feel like we've had that fight before. I feel like I remember retrieving my rear end from a platter of silver.:.

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

.:Who knows. That could have all been part of your elaborate plan for me to let my guard down.:.

 

-Void

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

.:Yes. An elaborate, many year plan kicked off when I permitted myself to be kicked all around a sparring match.:.

Edited March 10, 2015 by Riku Tryon

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

.:Wasn't a great warrior who said never to underestimate your enemies?:. I shot back with a smile. .:Well, I'm sure not underestimating you.:.

 

-Void

[Keeper of Kraata]

IC: Askha realized her slip of the tongue, and flashed a thought of apology via ideatalk in Maripi's direction. She loosened her blades, all three of them, in their scabbards and popped her back. Well, if they were to be the bodyguards for these Vilda, knowing the plan would help.

 

"So, we're to be your bodyguards, it seems. I take it I'm not too out of line to ask what the plan is?"

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: I lingered in my private study and read my speech for probably the dozenth time. Like before, when I was a free princess, I couldn't sleep, but this time my stress came from the weight of responsibility instead of planning the next day's studying time. I thought about Hanako again, too—what i would have given for her to be by my side to help me get through everything—but it I reminded myself it wouldn't do me any good to dwell on my wishes. 

 

I constantly battled with the fact that I deeply, utterly missed my Hana, that I felt somehow vulnerable without her and wanted her advice as much as her body and that nobody else could compare to her in my eyes, and each time I had to steel my nerves and... move on. Or try. At least. Missing her was like being deprived of the sun's warm rays—life-giving and nurturing, a forever dependable, but suddenly not available anymore. Hope dissolved away and all I could feel was the occasional chill up my back that loneliness cursed me with.

 

... [breathe innnnnn]

 

I sighed. Yeah... My missing of Hana wasn't just rooted in my desire for her knowledge, but for decades she was my singular object of affection and bestest friend. Not having her around meant my love was aimless with nothing being reaped. And sure, while I'd become closer to my family than I'd been before, familiar bonds were utterly different from my emotions for Hanako. It wasn't the same. 

 

My meandering thoughts were cut short with a rap at the door. A servant announced Inokio's solicitation, which I allowed, and momentarily the only other constant in life was with me. 

 

"Your Majesty," he began after I gestured simply for him to speak, "I wanted to speak with you in private about your speech. I... have some misgivings about it. All of it. In its stead, I offer this replacement speech I wrote."

 

"Inokio, you know I already gave you—and everyone—the opportunity to speak out at the meeting, an yet you agreed with the advice. The time for misgivings has passed."

 

"I was hoping to sort this out with you personally," he said, keeping his head high. "In council I aim to support your authority, but in private I want to advise you like the tutor I've always been."

 

"It's done, Inokio. It's written. Everyone else in the council will expect its delivery. I'm going to give it."

 

"I want to prevent that. Look, Yumiwa—" he said slightly petulantly. 

 

"You will watch your tone, Lord Inokio," I scolded. 

 

"You're under a lot of stress, and you want what's best for the Realm," he persisted, "but think about the larger picture. What do you think will happen after you essentially bless the Dastana secession?"

 

"Please, tell me what you think," I said.

 

"You will be trading one major conflict for dozens of smaller ones. Clans that are also dissatisfied with their place will sense an opportunity to go from minor baronies to petty principalities, made possible by the precedent you set with the Dastana. You will suddenly have to struggle to maintain the whole of the realm as it literally frays apart like bark torn from a tree, and once all the bark is gone the trunk will die. The empire will die as people try to make their own destinies. Over time, they will begin to fail and unite among themselves, create larger kingdoms and confederacies and in time perhaps the archipelago will be whole again, but not in either of our lifetimes. The datsue was right in saying sand dunes uncover the past and hide the future, but history repeats itself—what is under the dune never changes. I'm telling you, your speech will set that cycle in motion again. It can ruin the very thing you want to hold together.

 

"Are you done? Or do you have an alternative?" I said, stoically and still regally.

 

"Almost. You still hold immense power and prestige on the lives of your subjects; the datsue was also right in saying you should rule your subjects well, but you have to keep subjects in order to rule them. Don't give them the option to just leave your house, where you can still protect them. You are the mother hen and you have to keep your chicks under your wing. The moment you let them leave, they will suffer and die. Rebuke the Dastana secession and make a strong stance, and then we'll all handle the fallout. War is inevitable, I just want you to see it on one front and not a hundred. As your teacher and friend, that's what I suggest."

 

"..." I stared blankly at him.

 

"Yumiwa?"

 

"....."

 

"...Your Majesty?"

 

"There is no winning," I lamented. "No matter what I do, the Empire will lose something great."

 

"Then pick your battles carefully," he advised.

 

"I am. We are not ready for an all-out war, and I think I can still sway the clans to remain united under my banner."

 

"You can't, Yumiwa. You're not known enough to be beloved among the people. For many of your subjects you are the antithesis to their existence, the biggest stone on the crown of thorns that oppresses their skull. You have to tread carefully."

 

"I am, Inokio. I absolutely am. I'm trying to. And you're. Not. Helping." I reached deeply and buried my face in my hands for a moment as I reigned on emotions more tightly. "You may have good intentions and your words are obviously both passionate and true, but you cannot say one thing in session and another after a decision has been reached. I expect you to be direct and honest with me, otherwise you confuse me. You're not my teacher anymore, you're my advisor, and the time for tutor sessions are past. I'm tired of being alone in this, and though I'm surrounded by people who want to help I FEEL ALONE. If you want to truly assist me in ruling then don't speak in languages I can't understand." 

 

"I hardly think you incapable—"

 

"I can't read you, Inokio," she finally lamented. "You're... the black sheep at court, even when it's filled with Fursics and Vildas. I have no doubt of your loyalty to me but how you demonstrate it is hard. Speak plainly to me: What will happen if I read this speech?"

 

Inokio paused and measured his next verbiage to me. His fingers tapped as they always did when he was on the edge of an anxiety attack; I'd obviously rattled him. But it was fair, right? I'd been quite rattled already, after all. "People will take it as permission to leave the Realm, and they will because they know it needs fixing. And if you didn't and read my version?" I nodded. "Then there will be conflict with the Dastana and maybe even the Fursics but you will still maintain your borders and hold subjects. The Empire will take a hit but it will prevail." He added: "If you work diligently and wisely."

 

I pondered for a moment, though for Inokio it must have seemed an eternity. "Leave your speech draft," I finally decided. "I will put some prayer into this. Whatever I decide to do, you'll see it in the morning." 

 

He left apprehensively, fidgeting, cursing the morning before it came. So did I.

[AuRon the champion]

Ic:

 

Jiyu's mind brushed up against Shuuan's.

 

::What if I knocked Kulrik unconscious, grabbed him, and ran?::

[Toa Fanixe]

IC:

 

"But we've already come all this way" Kukrik said, almost pleading. He gestured down into the hole. "That's got to be some sort of entrance. We're so close to the next Key!  And when I found the blade, all Kilanya and I had to do was walk down a dark tunnel. This'll probably be just as easy. So what do you say, one more little adventure?"

 

If Shuuan said yes, Kulrik promised himself he wouldn't even mention those nicknames she called him for the rest of the day.

 

 

"First off, we've got to find one of those Dastana twins. Preferablly Toroshu Arsix, if not then her brother Jasix. Last I heard they were still hereon Sado, but young people these days like to move around so much. They just can't sit still."

 

Robalta narrowed her eyes, frowning.

 

"Who are those people? Are they friends of yours?" Not too far away five Dasaka were making their way straight for the Vilda-Mashtet meeting. They didn't look very friendly.

[Geardirector]

IC: Ageru Tamachan (Odaiba)

 

 

"...but why do the other Taajar live in such simple homes, father?"

 

 

"Because they're not like us, and they don't want to be like us. They live their own lives, following their own customs, they're a different people."

 

 

"Aren't we Taajar, too, father?"

 

 

Tama looked at her dad as he sat there rubbing his temples, unaware of how he struggled to find a good way to say what he meant to say.

 

 

"In a way... no," he said slowly, "see, your mother isn't considered a Taajar anymore, not after we married. It's against their ways to marry an outsider, but the rest of the Ageru, they still see her as one, because she looks, talks and acts much like one."

 

 

Tama looked at him quizically, "what does that make me, then?"

 

 

"Both... and neither" he muttered under his breath. He hadn't intended for her to hear that, but she did…

 

The crystal spires of Sado were receding into the horizon behind her, sinking into the sunset like it belonged there.

 

 

Tama understood the symbolism easily; it was as if the sun was setting on the Empire of the Rising Sun.

 

 

It was the challenge against that empire that Tama now pondered in her head where she sat atop her Soko, Sarala. Her six powerful legs beat at the ground at a feverish pace, carrying them further across the plain of Odaiba.

 

 

In her mind, the words of the Dastana Toroshu circled around, growing bigger in her head by the second…

 

 

"For you," Arsix said, "For the people that cannot speak for themselves," she was hushed but did not lack pride in her voice, "For the abuses of my family at the hands of witless accusers."

 

She turned her head, looking to her brother who beckoned her to join him. She looked back to Tama.

 

Tama didn't see earnestness in the Dastana Toroshu's eyes, she hadn't experienced that nearly often enough to notice it when she saw it. She saw, however, the anger and frustration inside the Dastana, the righteous will to see the wrongs committed against her and her loved ones righted. She knew that feeling very well.

 

"I... I'll need to think on this"

 

Arsix turned and swiftly stepped away, vanishing into the crowd with her brother.

 

Tama looked after her for a while, before climbing onto Sarala right there in the street, and rode off out of Sado...

 

Her own words also rang in her mind. Arsix had reflected how she herself felt so well, but… then she hadn’t said anything about joining or supporting her. What went wrong?

 

Something had held her back, something in the back of her mind that she couldn’t place. Now that she was aware of it, she couldn’t ignore it, she had to figure out what was keeping her from doing what she (she assumed) wanted.

 

 

She would have to head home.

 

[Keeper of Kraata]

IC: Askha reflected how useful her Iden would be in finding one of the twins. Fate never conspired in her favor, it seemed. But for now, there were bigger problems: five of them, on an  quite deliberate approach. Facing them, the Mashtet casually placed her left hand on her saber's scabbard, shifting her weight.

 

.: So, how can we help you bunch? :.

 

Somei knew trouble when she spotted it. The Datsue backed away into an abandoned merchant's stall, activating her Sighteye powers to seem less important, almost blending in to the background.

[silo]

IC: (Maripi)

They look like trouble...not for long.

Watching the newcomers intently from the shadows of her black cloak's cowl, she absent-mindedly placed her hands on her two razor sharp naginata swords.

[Mel]

[iki, Geyser Field]

I grinned back at Jiyu.

 

::I have a feeling that would be more trouble than it’s worth, with your sister around.  Though I could probably take her out.::

 

The other pair stared back at us, and I smirked.

 

::Maybe if you’re lucky, he’ll do the work himself.::

Edited March 23, 2015 by Mel

[AuRon the champion]

Ic:

 

"I'm staying here. With Seigyo and Shuuan. Rest assured, no harm will come to them, even with these assassins about," Jiyu said, folding his arms.

 

::Sadly, it's been proven by nowthat I'm not lucky I'm any way shape or form... Otherwise I'd still have my eye.::

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: I needed to think, so I wanted to pray. The Grand Temple of Zuto Nui was totally empty save for a handful of monks who remained to tend the candles and clean the vast floors, and they were so mindful to their work that they didn't look up to so much as bow to me unless I sidled directly beside them, otherwise it was as though we lived on totally different planes of existence where mutual detection was an impossibility.

 

My long red cloak trailed behind me with the barest whisper, punctuated with the telltale clap of my feet on the stone floor to provide evidence that I wasn't a gliding wraith. Moonlight trickled down from the distant ceiling's skylights, refracted by the hewn crystalline windows into dazzling fractals on the floor that evoked truly divine beauty, and a tickle shimmered down my back as I felt myself drawn closer to the Goddess. 

 

Legend says we Umbralines are direct descendants to the Great Spirit Herself and the Rora is her daughter and representative on earth—hence the title of Divine and Imperial Majesty—but I knew it was just a myth. I wasn't any more holy to Her any more than the most common of saihoko, but my status set me apart as Her most potent tool on earth, and to that effect, like my mothers before me, I yearned for her affection and strove to be the finest in Her eyes. Like many aspects of my culture, it was a pillar built on a foundation of lies, but nobody talked about that reality. 

 

Still, whatever the facts, the truth was that as I came to the altar at the front of the room and knelt to the only thing I owed my knee to, the Shrine and effigies of kanohi dragons, I truly felt attuned to Zuto Nui as though She really was an ancestor. Consumed with intense faith and fervor, I prayed earnestly for guidance in choosing my next action. I needed wisdom beyond mortal minds to advise me.

 

I needed a miracle.

[Constructelf]

IC: Sora

After several sprints, Sora deactivated her Kanohi. They were much close to the nests now; simply dashing in, stealing the egg, and high-tailing it out of there just wouldn't work. They needed some sort of plan...

 

"I was thinking... When that dragon starts chasing the egg, it'll probably be able to smell it and track it that way. Whoever has the egg won't be able to get it off of their trail..."

 

"What if we take two eggs, and go in two different directions? That way the dragon can only follow one of us at a time; the egg not going to our objective could be used as a diversion... Is there anywhere you've personally wanted yo see wreckedm?'

[Nato G]

IC: Vazaria.

 

"Sado?" she offered, knowing already that the answer was probably going to be no. 

[Constructelf]

IC: Sora

"... I'm... not sure...? I mean... There's not much work in peace... Though... Uh. Um...???"

[Nato G]

IC: Vazaria.

 

"Killjoy."