Corpus Rahkshi

[The UltimoScorp]

IC: Illusive - Matoran Guard Camp.

 

While the others finished their work, I took a look around the rest of the camp, my attention being almost immediately drawn to an hourglass that sat near the extinguished fireplace. It looked to be some kind of timer, probably to keep track of their shifts.

 

And it had almost emptied .

 

I clapped loudly to get everyone's attention. We need to go. Now. It's almost time for the shift change. 

 

Picking up one of the few Matoran still breathing, I bound their hands and legs, then gagged their mouth as well. There was no point letting them cry out for help. Get to the water. We'll swim back to Corpus. 

 

It was too risky to walk or fly back to the school, since we could be seen from the main entrance. It'd be safer to swim there, and only bring our hostages inside once we were sure the way was clear. We'd come too far to risk screwing it up now.

 

But first, one final touch. I leaned down over one of the corpses, using my talon to carve the Rahkshi symbol into his chest. 

 

Let's go. 

IC Poly: The unconscious one in arm, we slid easily into the water, our Infected Matoran following behind us less gracefully.

 

IC: Silver - Visorak wilds

 

Ignoring me? A big mistake. It was as if the red Rahk wanted to get struck from behind.

I lashed out with a powerful, armored knifehand to the carapace, quickly followed up by an angled knee kick to - you guessed it - the vulnerable knee joint. If all went as planned, the Turahk would collapse - making her an easier target.

IC Kat:

 

His knife hand bounced off my curved carapace. Who uses a knife hand on the most heavily armored part of an opponent, anyway?

 

I spun, My shorter blade cutting an arc to where his chest should be.

 

His knee stomp met only earth as I turned.

 

Looked like it was time to take care of the smaller fish.

[Timageness]

IC: Venom and Liar - Coast

Venom and Liar swam after Illusive and Poly, desperately trying to keep the heads of their respective Matoran above water so that they wouldn't drown.

Edited April 3, 2015 by Timageness

[Nato G]

IC: Illusive - Beach.

 

After a good twenty minutes or so of slow paddling, my captive hoisted over my shoulder so he didn't drown, I reached the beach of the Corpus Rahkshi island. From here, we'd be difficult to spot; no one would be looking back from the Causeway towards us. 

 

I turned, waiting for the others to arrive. 

[Timageness]

IC: Venom and Liar - Corpus Beach

As the Rahkshi of Magnetism stepped onto the beach, he began to violently shake himself dry, sending water flying everywhere, though most of it seemed to hit Venom.

"Watch it, you ignorant Brakas!" she hissed, glaring daggers at him.

"Make me, princess," he said, setting his captive down on the sand.

Letting her own Matoran slide off of her shoulder, the Rahkshi of Anger tackled him into a rock, drawing her knife and plunging it towards his chest. Unfortunately for her, however, he managed to grab her wrist at the last possible second, preventing the attack from connecting as he shoved her backwards and delivered a kick to her abdomen with enough force to send her crashing into the side of the cliff supporting the school above them.

[Nato G]

IC: Illusive - Beach.

 

I clapped once, loudly, then brandished Serpent-Fang. Hopefully the two lovebirds would get the idea. It had always surprised me how much meaning one could convey without having to use words. 

[Click]

IC: Fang - Visorak Jungle (Team Backstab)

 

From just outside the silence field, Fang watched the battle in confusion. What was Caoutchouc doing? If there was a strategy in his careful retreat, it was far too complicated for Fang to grasp. And didn't the Elastics Rahkshi usually fight without a weapon?

 

He didn't want to interfere in whatever Caoutchouc had planned, especially in his condition. Unless... something was wrong. Something he couldn't hear...

 

 

IC: Hoto - Malebranche

 

"But... how do you know?" Hoto asked, her voice becoming just a little less certain. "There were plenty of stories going around about Fang before you met him. Were those all true?"

[user-402520536]

IC: Silver - Visorak wilds

 

A shame it wasn't effective, but I was still only warming up. I ducked the sword and lashed out with my uninjured foot, trying to sweep her off her feet.

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Kat:

I almost fell over laughing.

 

A leg sweep?! When I'm on both feet?!

 

Amateurs. That stuff only works in stories. His leg smacked against my own, stopping dead.

 

My smaller blade swept around, aiming to stab into his now outstretched leg. Meanwhile, Venom came down in a brutal arc for his head.

 

IC Poly:

 

We surfaced, carrying our baggage, and our enslaved helper came floundering out of the water a moment later.

 

"Now what?" we asked.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Chumpu

[user-402520536]

IC: Silver - Visorak wilds

 

Screw you, Turahk. I spun out the way, lifting my staff (charged with Molecular Disruption energy) to deflect the sword and bracing myself for impact.

[Khromatose]

IC: Punch+Counterpunch+Uppercut/Crawler

I groaned as he whacked me in the head. Pretty hard, too. I fell over and fell unconscious only for something weird to happen.

 

A new one.

 

(OOC: 3rd Person)

"Hello world!"

This new personality was called Uppercut, formed out of the guilt of Punch for having a small hand in Root's death. And as he was just created, he was, of course, very confused.

 

"Uhh...where am I?"

 

 

OOC: Will make bio changes.

Edited April 4, 2015 by ArcticFreeze17

[Not Quite Dead]

IC Visorak Wilds

The elasmobranchal rahkshi strikes true. It isn't quite a snap that comes from the rubberahk's leg, but a muffled crackling. Bones fracturing from the blow. He falls backwards, careful retreat turned into backwards stumble by the wound. He does two things during these moments.

 

Reaches for a handful of pocket sand, especially coarse glassy stuff, throwing it at his enemy's face.

 

Turns his head almost three hundred and sixty degrees, aided by his powers, and mouths a silent HELP to Fang.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Tiragath

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Shark

 

 

Sand. A classic Cao move. Shark managed to close his eyes as the gritty projectiles flew towards them, but not protect them entirely. Blinking watery, stinging, eyes the enormous Rahkshi of Silence stepped forward and swung his blunt sword at Cao's head, aiming to knock him unconscious.

 

 

IC: Jayar / Actor's Cradle

 

 

The stores told of Fang's exploits were numerous, but all true? "No... Of course not... But those devoid of basis entirely were few."

Edited April 4, 2015 by Johnrahk

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Shield

I stood over him, breathing heavily. Should he hurt him anymore?

[Khromatose]

IC: Uppercut+Punch+Counterpunch/Doublecross/Crawler

I got off the ground and rubbed my head.

"Ow. What the heck happened? Why was I on the floor? Are you my friend? What are we doing here? Where is here?"

I began asking so many questions, but something in the back of my already knew the answers...what was I missing?

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Shield

Shield just stared at him, still breathing heavily.

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Kat:

 

His staff met Venom, and immediately I could tell something was wrong. The Sword stood up to even the hottest plasme, and yet here it was, slowly being melted away.

 

I yanked back on the blade, disengaging it before it took too much dmaage. 

 

Fang had worked hard on the sword.  I took a look at it, sheathed it, and my own blade, and Growled.

 

"Oh, you've done it, now."

 

The necklace glinted in the light, and I planted my foot.

 

That all too famiilar punch streaked through the damp air, and one could see the humid fog of the jungle being pulled along for the ride as the wind pressure from my arm created a vortex in its wake. My eyes glowed violently, and my unease aura came on, hopefully providing me that crucial second I needed for my punch to land squarely in Silver's solar plexus.

[Khromatose]

IC: Uppercut+Punch+Counterpunch/Doublecross/Crawler

I looked at him.

"Are you okay?" I asked casually. "You seem disturbed. Can I help you?"

[Some Random Phrase]

IC Fog:

Noticing an inky blackness fogging throung the forests, Fog got worried. Assuming flight mode, he took off, weaving through the trees as he tried to analyse the situation and identify the perpetrator of the darkness. He was fairly certain it did not pertain good news.

Edited April 4, 2015 by The Manhunter

[Click]

IC: Hoto - Malebranche

 

Maybe she was cracking, just a little. But... no... Phogen wouldn't...

 

"I... I..." she stammered, trying to put together a better argument. "...we should go," she said at last, her head hung and voice soft with defeat.

 

Was he right though? 

 

She's too nice...

 

But was it worth losing a friend over? Someone who had always... well, while she was here, she had always been there.

 

 

IC: Fang - Visorak Jungle (Team Backstab)

 

Fang's eyes widened as he watched Caoutchouc's leg bend at a sickening angle. Even though he couldn't hear the crack, he knew that must have hurt. But... surely he had it under control...

 

Apparently not. Fang's eyes widened further as he picked up the word the Elastic Rahkshi mouthed. Help.

 

He couldn't just sit there while they were attacked and defeated by the finned Rahkshi and his accomplice. Fang pushed himself to his feet... and promptly fell against the tree. No... he couldn't fight either.

 

The blade that had nearly taken his life hung over Caoutchouc's head now. Suddenly, a shaky blast of searing plasma sliced through the air near it. Fang hadn't dared fire anywhere near his allies in his state, but it should at least get the message across...

 

Oh... Karz...

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

IC: Era and Fog were about to have an unpleasant surprise. The movement of an entire Visorak horde had brought scavengers to the village, like crows to a battlefield, looking to feast on the scraps. And in this case that meant Venom Flyers. They'd put aside their usual territorial instincts in anticipation of a banquet. 

Outside of the Darkness looming in the air they spotted Era retreating and Fog approaching, and launched spinners at the both of them, trying to down them for the Visorak to finish...

 

 

* * * * * * * * *

 

Sliver managed to reach the top floor just as the Visorak broke through it. A veritable hailstorm of paralysis Rhotuka flew towards her position on the stairs, as more and more Visorak poured through the ever growing number of breaches in the lighthouse walls

 

 

* * * * * * * * *

 

Alpha and Stronghold had made a slight error. True they had escaped the Visorak invasion of the village, but they had walked into the forest where the arachnids were coming from in the first place. Oohnorak scuttling through the branches above them opened fire, Rhotukas spinning downwards at the pair

 

 

* * * * * * * * *

 

The Oohnorak had gathered around Sanu, wondering if he was still alive since his unconscious mind appeared much the same as recently dead to them. When he started stirring they were sure he was fresh meat, and several of them jumped a him to keep him down. They wanted to web the prey up and take him back to their webs

 

* * * * * * * * *

 

Shield and Punch seemed to have stopped hammering each other, so Suvak took the unconscious kraata that was Rain and put her in a bed in the Crawler. One of its arms came and pinned her down.

 

"Go fetch the suit," he asked, "She'll end up dead herself if she's left as a kraata."

 

 

 

IC: "I...okay..." Palma seemed slightly baffled by Kuma's request but would clearly go ahead with it once the Makuta returned from Visorak, and in he meantime went to healing Nightmare's arm. Driving the tip through to get it out properly stung for a time but was quickly numbed as Palma's power fixed up damaged nerves

[Nato G]

IC: Era - Backstab (Farsholt Village Outskirts). 

 

More hissing, more vibrations rippling through the air. Something was firing at me from above.

 

Rhotuka spinners were fast, but sound traveled faster, warning me of the impending projectiles. I swerved, ducking and weaving through the air. Once upon a time I never would've been able to pull off maneuvers like this, but now that I was level four, I was powerful enough to keep track of my surroundings and stay flying as well. 

 

Despite all of the hurt it had caused Hoto, I was thankful for Sontiri. If it hadn't been for it and Dekako, I never would've gotten to a high enough level to survive this assignment...

 

....in that moment of distraction a spinner clipped my arm, somehow cancelling out my flight abilities. I started to fall, crashing down into the upper branches of a tree. 

________________________________________________________________________________

 

IC: Sliver - Doublecross (Farsholt Village Lighthouse). 

 

Whatever it was that hit me, I never saw it coming. One moment I was scrabbling in the darkness, the next something - a whole lot of somethings, by the sounds of it - came hissing out of the shadows and slammed into me.

 

Agony seared through my armour as my limbs suddenly became unresponsive. I teetered midstep, then began to fall.... backwards down the stairs. The impact rattled my Kraata, and I impacted painfully against the inside of my carapace. 

 

Unable to see, unable to move, everything slowly faded to black, and I succumbed to unconsciousness. 

________________________________________________________________________________

 

IC: Exxan - Backstab (Terrain Crawler).

 

"Karz.... the whole idea of leaving her suit behind was to...." I trailed off; it didn't matter. Turning away from Suvak, I started running back the way I'd come, heading back towards the clearing where I'd left the murderous rahk's suit. 

Edited April 4, 2015 by Locus

[user-402520536]

IC: Silver - Visorak wilds

 

Oh, so now she considered me a threat. I -

A fist slammed into my chest, instantly knocking the wind out of my itty-bitty Kraata lungs. I staggered to the side, barely righting myself as I tried futilely to breathe. I knew I'd be able to breathe... shortly, but that may be enough time for the Turahk to land another blow. I raised my arms in a shaky guard, staff crackling with energy.

[Some Random Phrase]

IC Fog:

Scanning the woods for any sign of stuff, Fog heard a strange flapping and buzzing. His head shot up, and he barely managed to cut off his flight, landing on a branch. A cloud of fog exploded around him, and he assumed  flight position again, flying straight up to get above the trees so he would have more room to maneuver. Visorak couldn't fly....

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Shark / Visorak Wilds

 

 

The plasma burst could do nothing to inspire fear or hesitation in Shark. If anything it only alerted him (not that he hadn't been observant enough to already notice) Fang's presence. He was not doing so well. An easy target, once Shark took care of Caoutchouc. And sohis sword continued its swing down, aimed to knock Cao unconscious with a heavy blow to the head...

 

* * *

IC: Jayar / Actor's Cradle

 

 

"...Yeah, I guess so." Jayar began to lead Hoto along with the receding crowds leaving the building.

 

It seemed that his efforts to warn her had paid off, at least a little. But he couldn't feel triumphant when his reward was a sad, defeated Hoto.

 

"Hey... I'm sorry." he started, unsure of where to go from there.

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Shield

Shield yelled and barreled towards Punch, attempting to knock him over again.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Sharkydane

[Funkydude527]

IC Phogen: The concerto finished, Phogen moved to a song of his own making, the crowds thinning once more. He hadn't noticed the exiting rahkshi in the doorway, focused squarely on his work. To him, composing was a strange sensation. He had theorized long and hard about this during his time off, but he still had no answer. The only thing he had confirmed was that his method was unique.

 

To Phogen, composing was much like acting. It was the summoning of remembered emotions and behaviors into a medium that could be transmitted more easily. To summon a sound beyond base utility was to summon a fraction of one's soul. Phogen found it very natural and easy for her to do this in music, but she had figured it was due to her status as a creature of sound. But on occasions such as this, where idleness abounded and naught around seemed to threaten, her music became strange. Instead of summoning part of her soul, her whole soul would come forth, unbidden. Phogen found herself helplessly at the whim of her song.

 

The derahk began the tune. It was opulent, dark, foreboding. It was quiet, but retained a sort of bombast to it. Slow and imperious, it rose from the brackish depths of sonic smallness and came clawing forth. Its touch became unassailable as it became more complex, adapting, changing to fit the morphing tide of the song, but always retaining that nocturnal, icy familiarity in the melody. The song grew slowly but surely, unstoppable, unflappable, unassailable.

 

But somewhere deep within the core of this abyss, a small, sad, smooth sound ran its way through the tempest. Like the eye of a storm, or a hairline crack in the facade, it was easy to notice, but hard to nail down. It was inseparable from the guile of the melody, utterly inseparable, but it lacked that guile. It was such a beautiful, melancholy sound, that threatened but refused to be drowned out by the darkness it was part of.

 

The composer was intensely focused on their work. Their body was no longer theirs. It was the song's. Like the staff that produced the sonorus, intense music, the passionate and intense body was but an instrument. Eyes shut, arms moving with purpose and feeling, the composer was in a sort of trance only an artist could experience. Emotions wrought on their face, vindictive conquest and selfish triumph and glee as pure as the wrathful deception that caused it. But another emotion existed, wincing and frowning through every time the sad and light sound came forth, like the compose was hit with a heartbreaking gunshot. Like a boat tossed about in the storm, however, it appeared only briefly and transiently in the temptest, where the listener thought it was imagined in the lengthy intervals where it was missing, but was so sure of its existance when it appeared as to feel guilty of ever doubting that the sound was, indeed, somewhere in there.

[In Between the Shadows]

IC: Zelnos | Malebranche Amphitheatre

 

Phogen had changed thier song.

Like how my sister sings. Our makuta said it always reflected her. Maybe this one's songs do as well... either way, it's still beautiful.

[Khromatose]

Alpha and Stronghold had made a slight error. True they had escaped the Visorak invasion of the village, but they had walked into the forest where the arachnids were coming from in the first place. Oohnorak scuttling through the branches above them opened fire, Rhotukas spinning downwards at the pair

 

IC: Alpha and Stronghold/Forest

"Karz!"

Stronghold immediately went to work trying to fire his own Rhotuka to intercept, with little success, and then went to simply flying away. However, he got hit while taking off, and fell somewhere.

 

Alpha immediately started flying away.

 

IC: Uppercut+Counterpunch+Punch/Crawler

"Hey! Don't do that."

I immediately shifted myself so that my center of gravity moved so that this guy couldn't push/move me.

"Stop it!"

For some I knew how to fight, but I didn't want to.

"Just talk like a civilized Rahk!"

Edited April 4, 2015 by ArcticFreeze17

[Click]

IC: Hoto - Malebranche

 

"No," she muttered, "It's..."

 

Her sensitive hearing picked up a haunting melody weaving its way into the crowd. But the orchestra was silent. The symphony was over. Hoto listened to the tune, allowing its siren call to drag her along ahead of Jayar right back to the doorway.

 

There, she stopped, transfixed like so many others by the... it was more than just a song, it was a feeling. So many feelings, given melodic form.

 

She didn't dare move. She didn't want the harsh clatter of her clickers to break up the song. She couldn't see who was playing. She didn't need to. She just wanted to listen to the music.

[McNugget]

IC: Nightmare

"Alright, now that thats over with, to the Cave." He Muttered, Walking towards the Cave Shock and him found.

 

IC: Sanu

"Off me! No! Not the Face!" He Yelled, Whilst trying to flail around.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Dragon11603

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Shield 

Shield kept yelling, trying to punch the Rahkshi over and over.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Sharkydane

[Khromatose]

IC: Uppercut+Counterpunch+Punch/Crawler

I continued my slowly failing blocking and defensive tactics as I slowly found myself being more tired. I was definitely doing something earlier if I was this tired. Eventually I just decided to let him smack at my chest. Who was I and what was I doing before I woke up?

Eventually I got knocked back by a good punch. I stood up, and before he could land another, I headed towards the Skakdi, who seemed to know something.

 

IC: Bullseye and Toxin/Toxin's Dorm

Tridax wasn't in his office at the time, so we decided to pass the time in Toxin's dorm. We began a conversation about the Talent Show and when Metal would show up.

Edited April 4, 2015 by ArcticFreeze17

[The UltimoScorp]

IC: Silver - Visorak wilds

 

Oh, so now she considered me a threat. I -

A fist slammed into my chest, instantly knocking the wind out of my itty-bitty Kraata lungs. I staggered to the side, barely righting myself as I tried futilely to breathe. I knew I'd be able to breathe... shortly, but that may be enough time for the Turahk to land another blow. I raised my arms in a shaky guard, staff crackling with energy.

IC Kat:

 

Before I could move in to finish the job, A flash of plasma caught y attention. I turned, to see Shark Bearing down on a very broken Cao, and Fang Stumbling as he tried to assist.

 

Rage flared inside of me.

 

Sparing one last glance at the Silver Rahkshi, I spoke one word, filled with a hard edge that most never heard. If not For my appearance, one might have thought that one of the Makuta themselves were speaking.

 

"Leave."

 

Energy radiated around me as I turned back to my Prey.

 

IC Catatonic:

 

Waves of red energy radiated from my body as I stalked over to Shark. My eyes burned a shade of Violet that could be seen clearly from Fang's position.

 

My arms shot forward, reaching out to grab Sharks spines in a vice grip and throw across the clearing.

[Not Quite Dead]

IC Visorak Wilds

To avoid any timey-wimey nonsense, Shark's blow struck Caoutchouc round the head before Kat began her advance. Thanks to his rubbery constitution he was down but not quite out, laying oh-so vulnerable on the jungle floor. Metaphorical stars dancing around his eyes.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Backstab (Jungle). 

 

I exploded back into the clearing to find that not only had Cao and Kat failed to take down the shark rahk, but that he'd instead knocked down Cao, and been joined in battle by a teammate. 

 

Seeing that Fang was clumsily attempting to join the battle, and that Kat was attacking the shark from behind, I did the same to the other doublecrosser (Silver), drawing Remembrance and slicing at the exposed backs of his legs. 

 

Retrieving the wounded Kraata's suit would have to wait; I wouldn't let anymore of my allies get hurt. 

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Shark / Visorak Wilds

 

 

Now, to strike the killing blow -

 

Fear exploded through Shark's veins, ivy and unnatural. Not again! He turned to see Kat bearing down on him in a fearsome fury, Silver forgotten.

 

Most of the time Shark balanced carefully the costs and benefits of fight and flight. He tried to do so now, but his analysis was hopelessly skewered by the needles of irrational ice flowing through his veins. Flight seemed the only real option, and he jolted back, out of the aggressor's grasp.

 

But not without something to slow the Turahk down a bit. Shark hurled Faithful in the direction of the Crawler for a moment of storage, then went to grab Caoutchouc by the arm and throw him into Kat's grasp. That should shake him up! But that was ask the time he could bring himself to spend before he shot off towards the Crawler nearby, snatching Faithful back up as he went.

 

He would prefer not to admit it, but Kat's fear had him shaken himself.

 

 

* * *

IC: Jayar / Outside Actor's Cradle

 

 

Following Hoto, Jayar came upon a new music. Dark imperiousness emanated off of it, beautiful in a way almost more seductive than glorious. It was reminiscent of Phogen as Jayar saw her, in a way, though the small cry of resistance ruined the effect.

 

Which made it surprising, in an 'I might have known' sort of way, that it had Phogen at its source.

 

Jayar stood by with Hoto and listened, feeling a strange mixture of the skeptical, impressed, and intrigued.

 

 

OOC: I apologize for the wait, and hope this post remains unmarred by the flaws of a tired mind. If the Cao throwing thing, or any other, is problematic, I will edit on the morrow.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Johnrahk

[Funkydude527]

IC Phogen: The music slowly shrunk away, that soft, smooth, sad melody remaining as the bombast faded. It tugged at the heartsrings, like the slund of a bird either fluttering against its cage, or too afraid to leave it with the door wide open. It was heartbreaking, but not in its tragedy. It was heartbreaking in its acceptance. It embraced the darker side, wounded by the knowledge that it was the only way for it to survive.

 

Fittingly, the melody faded and remerged with the growing dark crecendo, the former balance of power coming back as the music came to a thunderous conclusion. It turned some heads with its volume.

 

Phogen stopped playing and blinked rapidly, looking down at the ground and away. She cleared her throat. This display of emotion disgusted her, and showed remarkable weakness. She was having a hard time regaining control, and, quite aggrivatingly, it was inexplicable. She offered a feeble. "E-excuse me."

[Not Quite Dead]

OOC

Cao as projectile is fine by me

 

IC Visorak Wilds

The semiconscious rubberahk flew through the air, a brief lapse of lucidity cancelled by a jarring impact, sending him into a state of true unconsciousness.

 

OOC

The impact can be with Kat or the ground

[Click]

IC: Hoto - Malebranche

 

Confusing emotions swirled through Hoto's mind with the melody, not all of them her own. Anguish. Acceptance. A new-found power. To Hoto... it sounded like someone that needed a hug, though they probably wouldn't accept it.

 

Then the music built up again, rising and rising into something terrifying and overpowering, yet still fragile. Hoto cringed back into the crowd, unsure of what else she should do. And then, it stopped. Hoto braced herself for the applause perhaps too late. But there was nothing. The growing audience stood in stunned silence, every eye focused on... something she couldn't see. Then, the silence was broken by a quiet voice. It was familiar, but... she had never heard it quite like that.

 

Hoto pushed through the crowd and ran right up to the Rahkshi sitting in the streets. Her arms were outstretched for an embrace.

 

Suddenly, guilt threatened to overcome her at the slightest doubt she had shown in the Amphitheater.

[Nato G]

IC: Xara - Hallway.

 

Seeing as the rahk I'd been speaking with earlier had made no attempt to re-initiate conversation, I left them where they were and started down the hallway, heading for - Where else? - the gym.