BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi

[25K Now!]

IC: Ril

 

"There's a motel or two nearby for that."

[Let's Henshin!]

IC: Malik (Gates of Ta, Responding to Ril)

 

"Don't have the time nor money, hopefully I can be done with my business here soon." 

[25K Now!]

IC: Ril

 

"What's this business of yours?"

[Let's Henshin!]

IC: Malik (Gates, Talking to Ril)

 

"Just looking for someone." 

[25K Now!]

IC: Ril

 

"Got a description?"

[Let's Henshin!]

IC: Malik (Gates, Talking)

 

"Not particularly, just know him by name." I responded simply, "By the way, do you know any places where I can grab a quick snack?"

[25K Now!]

IC: Ril

 

"Yeah there's a few food stands near the village centre."

[Let's Henshin!]

IC: Malik (Gates, Talking)

 

I took a glance around, "I'm not entirely familiar with the city layout, it's been a while since I've been in the Koro and I hear you guys have been undergoing some renovations. Mind pointing me in the right direction?"

[25K Now!]

IC: Ril

 

"Eh, sure."

 

Ril hopped off the crate he had been sitting on.

 

"See ya Turo," he called to his colleague. "Don't let any terrorists in."

[Let's Henshin!]

IC: Malik 

 

To be honest, I had expected the Toa to simply point me in the right direction, not to actually go with me. Still I suppose a little company wouldn't hurt, it'd been a while since I'd talked to anyone. "The name's Malik," I offered out a hand.

[25K Now!]

IC: Ril

 

"Ril," he replied, taking the hand. "So anything in particular?"

Edited December 8, 2014 by Purple God

[Let's Henshin!]

IC: Malik

 

"Not really, I haven't eaten here much. Any places you can recommend?"

[25K Now!]

IC: Ril

 

"There's this steak place down the street."

[Let's Henshin!]

IC: Malik

 

"Sounds good. So anything of note happen here lately? I noticed the security presence has been heightened."

[25K Now!]

IC: Ril

 

"Some Skakdi buggers bombed one of our inns."

[Nato G]

IC: Septima nodded, drinking the rest of her own beer as she split the money evenly using her powers and slid half of their earnings towards Natharius.

"I never had the chance to go in myself, but I imagine that it used to have better quality marks than this dive. It's a shame it got blown to smithereens," she said as she stood, sliding her own cut into her satchel. "Well, where to?"

 

IC: Natharius. 

 

Natharius pocketed his half of the pay, then considered Septima's question. "I honestly have no idea," he shrugged, "I've only been in this town for a few days. This is the first inn I've actually visited." 

[Silvan Haven]

Lenat- Ta-wahi

 

IC: The work was progressing well, everything was on schedule and the foremen were making sure everything ran smoothly. As much as Lenat wanted to watch the job untill it conected with the other line coming from Po-koro, there were other things that needed his attention.

 

Turning around, he got into his ussal cart and started on his way to his more permanent home.

 

OOC: Lenat to Po-wahi.

[Timageness]

IC: "We should find somewhere else, though," Septima said as she looked around the bar. "I usually prefer to put some distance between where I work and where I sleep; unfavourable events tend to happen less often that way."

[Nato G]

IC: Natharius.

 

"Well, it's a big city. I just haven't explored any of it." 

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

Given that she was leading the group, Saeva did not have her companions within her line of sight. Her only indication of events was the quiet zap that sounded when Torana jabbed Erzu, and in turn, she remembered exactly what the Toa of Plant-Life had promised. Her muscles bunched instantaneously, preparing to propel her to the side-

 

Clock.

 

Too late. The Ta-Toa pivoted in place, one hand on the top of her head as she shot Erzu a glare that would have roasted the scales off of a Kanohi Dragon.

 

"You're gonna pay for that, tree-swinging monkey."

[Not Quite Dead]

IC Brontes

 

"What d'ya think the Guard Life has in store for us?"

 

I thought for a minute before replying. Truthfully, I felt guilty about Ko-Koro's fate. I had been in a position where I could've helped, but fear and unpreparedness had left me paralyzed. Running to a safe place (to bring news of the Koro's fall I tell myself, but the reality is less heroic) as soon as the opportunity presented itself. My heartbeat and breathing quickened as I felt the dead eyes of the combatants on me once more. I must've passed dozens on the way out, and that number isn't even considering the matoran left in the Koro. The sick and wounded that didn't make it from the Hospital to Ta-Wahi, or the comrades, still living he had left in the karzdamned city. Did Dahkapa get out?

 

Probably not.

 

My panic subsides quickly, the filmreel of the Koro's fall stopping as suddenly as it started, the regret and fear are still there. Only simmering in the back of my mind now, I can't let myself think too hard about the subject right now, it can be revisited later. The task at hand is to ready myself for the next time.

 

"Patrolling, paperwork. Let's pray no more Piraka attack."

[Razgriz]

IC: "A man keeps his promises, ya cocky little firefly." he shot back, standing firm under her withering gaze without so much as a single tremor, and even meeting it with a hard, unrepentant gaze of his own.

His mask flashed, and the world became High-Definition. He could see minute motions of her eyes and dilation of her pupils, he could hear her breath become dangerously modulated as she already began to settle into a rhythm, and he could feel the spike of heat that radiated off of her body in waves. Oh yeah. She was as ready to go as he was.

He took a breath, tasting ash. "Soon as we find a good spot outside the gates." he said, more a declaration of terms than an offer.

To be honest, they both could use it.

[Daniel the Finlander]

IC: Dakku (Under Mangai Volcano)

 

I followed others and admired the cavern and the orange glow of molten rock. The powers of Toa are truly amazing, I thought when I crossed the makeshift bridge.

[Perp]

IC: Torana

 

The Vo-Toa looked around for a popcorn vendor.

[Timageness]

IC: "Hmmm... Well, I sort of know my way around," Septima explained, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot against the floor before losing herself in her thoughts for a moment. "But it's been a while since I've been back here, so the city might be slightly different from what I remember."

[Mr. Lightning Bolt]

IC: Konaro

 

The Toa of Ice stepped off the cablecar into the blazing heat of Ta-Koro. He struggled to get used to it. 

"If there are any other Ko-matoran or Toa of Ice here, you think they'd give me tips?" He asked his Skakdi companion Raaka. "For that matter, where are we going?"

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

The nod in response was almost imperceptible, a much more subtle reaction than anyone would have imagined her giving. She passed through the gate easily, her feet carrying down the well beaten path towards the Charred Forest. Her movements, the declaration now issued and accepted, were suddenly much more fluid. Saeva flowed easily from stride to stride, occasionally darting into the sky to seek her goal.

 

It only took her ten minuted to find the proper clearing. The open space was only a little smaller than the arena they had first clashed in, through the earth was much more dusty than it had been in Ga-Wahi. Blackened trees dotted the edges of the area, the sun beating down upon the already scorched region. Saeva stepped into it as if in her element, pacing just over halfway across before she pivoted on one foot to face those behind her.

 

Her grin widened a notch.

[Nato G]

IC: Natharius.

 

"Well, you'll probably still know more than I do," Natharius shrugged, "let's get out of here." 

[Razgriz]

IC: Small area, but just enough to move comfortably. Ground's soft, but not treacherous. Bright, and hot. That'll wear on us both, but her less than me... And the sun's glare could provide her with a chance to blind me if she takes to the air. Not entirely out of the question, she's made it work before. But she also knows I know that...

It was mere fractions of a second that passed during all these thoughts racing through his head, as he responded with a wide smirk of his own.

He stepped forwards, bamboo blade in in a firm grip, extending some four feet in front of him. As was done by any diligent practitioner, at least in his experience, the tip was aimed right at her, ready to lash out at a moment's notice. Being a shinai and made of wood and all, he couldn't properly stab her, but a good hit would still be more than enough to wind her, or in extreme cases, crack something. They both knew that. He wielded the force multiplier here, at least for now. Once she decided it was time to unsheathe that blade on her hip, though, this would get interesting.

He inhaled deeply, and exhaled one purging breath, the world becoming even sharper still as he cranked a little extra juice out of that mask. This was it. The time for abstract thoughts had passed now. Take things as they come. Just focus on yourself, your weapon, and how you'll beat her.

"Torana. Call it?"

Edited December 9, 2014 by Uncle Chael P. Sonnen

[Perp]

OOC: y'all ready fo' dis?

IC: Torana

She held her arm out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the main event!"

She could feel the static tingling over he armour, the rippling electricity in the air.

 

Her arm dropped and thunder roared.

 

"Begin!"
 

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

 

IC: Raaka

The Skakdi followed his friend, massaging his jaw and trying not to fall over. His injured leg was pretty painful to stand on.

 

"Dunno. You said you needed a new weapon, right?"
 

Edited December 9, 2014 by Perpetual Darkness

[Razgriz]

IC: "Alright," he growled, manic energy and excitement to be denied no longer. "Let's Dance!"

He lunged forward, eating up the ground between them with ferocious speed. Thing with Saeva was that you had to get her on the backfoot immediately. Letting her dictate the pace lead to rough nights even for him, let alone the other hapless foes she'd faced and chewed up like candy. Playing a counterattacking game with Sareta was very tricky business.

So it should have come as no real surprise that as soon as he entered the outsidemost range he had, he brought the Kendo stick meteorically down for her head in an almost completely vertical motion, accompanied by an eternal habit drilled into him from the two whole weeks he had actually been enrolled in a kendo school proper--

"MEN!" 

Calling the strike. What this did, much like an exhalation during a lift or kiai during a punch, was help regulate the breathing. As such, it was typically one of the first habits instructors drilled into their little pupils' skulls. And surprise surprise, they even managed to make it stick with an uppity brat like him.

It also helped with scoring points at tournaments, but that's neither here nor there.

Edited December 9, 2014 by Uncle Chael P. Sonnen

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

The grin on Saeva's face wouldn't have looked out of place on a Skakdi.

 

When Erzu lunged, she had already settled into her preferred stance; her right foot with a half-step back from her left, her left fist slightly forward from her right and both in close to her torso. Her chin was tucked towards her chest, but still did not diminish her grin. The Toa of Plant-Life's movements were familiar, though he hadn't always been so aggressive in making the first strike. A push from her right leg pushed her out of the way as the shinai swept down, bringing her out of the way of its downward arc. 

 

The commitment to a strike was exactly what she had hoped for. It gave her an opening. 

 

Her left hand launched into a sharp jab towards the other Toa's chin, quick as lightning, while her right stayed close in. While transitioning from a vertical strike to a horizontal one took more time than he was likely to have, she needed to be ready. At least, that was one reason for leading with her off hand.

 

After all, the fight wouldn't be fun if she went all out right out of the gate.

Edited December 9, 2014 by Ninth Krayzikk

[Razgriz]

IC: Let no light be made of the speed of either. A fight between the two was quite literally a game of inches, and all it took was one small discrepancy between the awareness of them that would push things south at an alarming rate. Even as Salvajemono completed the venomous downstroke and reset, Saeva had angled off to his right and was throwing a punch for his face.

Luckily, Erzu was not born yesterday.

You never try to fight someone with one round in the chamber. To do so was stupid. Picking your shots carefully was one thing. Charging in banking on one hit landing and little else, however, was what gets people pounded into the dirt.

The motion of the strike had some side effects that helped him out here, the chief of which being, when combined with the fact that he also kept his chin tucked (hey, what use was fighting her all the time if you don't learn a few things?), his shoulder cap ended up concealing it. Saeva, being an adaptable, capable striker, adjusted accordingly, jab reaching over for his temple--

Only to find his brow in it's place when he stepped his own right foot out slightly, twisted, and brought the stick sideways towards her abdomen, knuckles glancing against his skin and knocking his head a bit to the side even as his stand-in for an actual sword found a home.

"DOU!"

[Timageness]

IC: "Okay... So I guess that we'll just hit up every place that I know of and stop when we get to the best one, then," Septima said as she made for the door.

The warm air greeted them once more as they left and began heading down the street.

[Nato G]

IC: Natharius.

 

The Ta-Koro air didn't so much as "greet" the Ko-Skakdi as it did "scorch his skin with its steaming, fetid breath". 

 

Forcing himself to ignore the discomfort, Natharius followed Septima into the street. 

[Timageness]

IC: Septima reached into her satchel, ripping off a piece of bread from one of the loaves she had secured in Ko-Koro before popping it into her mouth as she continued to make her way through the bustling crowd.

She was still fairly stocked up on food; her fingers had brushed up against some of the smoked meats and the variety of left-over cheeses that she had pilfered while grasping for her snack, but she knew that indulging herself on them would only distract her from the task at hand. The pair slowly moved their way back towards the center of Ta-Koro, passing by shops and street vendors before eventually arriving at the entrance to another bar; one that clearly catered to a friendlier-looking, and more importantly richer, clientele.

"Think this one will do?" she asked, turning her head to get the Skakdi's opinion. "I can practically smell the money waiting inside."

Edited December 9, 2014 by timageness411

[Nato G]

IC: Natharius.

 

"Looks good to me. Let's check out the inside before we decide, though." He lowered his voice a little, "There are guards everywhere in this town right now." 

[Timageness]

IC: "Right," Septima agreed. "We aren't going inside with the intention of getting caught."

The Fe-Toa stepped up to the door before heading inside, her eyes carefully observing the area as she scanned the room for an empty spot to sit down. She eventually stopped by the booth that was furthest from the door, taking a seat as she waited for the Skakdi to follow her lead. Normally, the back of the bar would've been a more tactically advantageous spot to sit down at, but she felt uneasy anyway because of how some of the male customers were sizing her up. Honestly, she knew for a fact that there were other females present that were more physically appealing than herself, but it didn't matter; their chances of remaining undetected would be much lower if she was drawing this much attention from the other customers. It was times like these that she missed her old Matoran body; usually the way she walked, the fact that she spoke rather quietly and rarely, and her avoidance of actions that would be cosidered too showy were enough to keep her invisible. Occasionally, in the rare event that someone did happen to notice her, her appearance never warranted a second glance.

Now, however...

She took the spot up against the back wall, expecting Natharius' larger frame to partially obscure her from sight as she pulled her scarf up over her head in an attempt to hide herself further. The thought of activating her Huna had crossed her mind, but the Skakdi would've drawn even more attention from the crowd if it looked like he was talking to himself, so she decided against it. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in order to calm herself down before turning her attention back towards her partner.

"Well," she sighed, a bit more nervously than expected. "No guards. Looks like we're good to go."

This was where the kid gloves would have to come off.

[Nato G]

IC: Natharius.

 

Natharius had expected to have problems with guards watching over the bar. Instead, the problem was that every guy in the place seemed to have their eyes on Septima. As she sat down at the booth, he decided to sit down next to her rather than across from her, hoping that the other guys in the room might get the wrong idea and bugger off. 

 

"What's the plan?" he asked her. 

[Let's Henshin!]

IC: Malik

 

I was a bit taken aback at first, this Toa's nonchalant explanation was a little startling. That said a bombing at one of the major inns would most definitely point to a greater need for stricter security. I was about to ask him if he had any more details on the situation, when he informed me that we had arrived at the restaurant. It was a typically pub and grill affair, part bar, part restaurant. That said it was evidently not a place that would be crawling with small time criminals and gamblers, but a proper restaurant for the average person. 

 

"After you."