BZPRPG: Ko-Wahi

IC Rinnoz

Wait a second. Just a moment ago, Varan had motioned to someone to follow him and left, while Rinnoz snuck ungracefully behind him. But... No one came to join him, even though he wasn't coming apart. Looking around, he saw no one particularly eyeing them or paying attention.

"Say, big guy..." Rinnoz stated suddenly. "Who'd you motion to?"

IC: Zomma Caruchi

This is my bloody snowdrift now. Why do you ask? Well ya see, there's be this bugger who turned out to be a massive twat who sold me a hut around here, but then he got shanked by some poor sod looking for revenge. And then the hut blew up. So all I own is this ###### snowdrift. Bloody. Sodding. Snowdrift.

Yeah I gotta move out.

OOC: Zomma to Po-wahi.

NPC: Kain (Obsidian Outpost)

Grumbling quietly to himself, the Ta-Matoran closed the cable car door and headed back inside.

IC: Arcturia

 

The Onu-Toa wasn't looking nor paying attention to Varan's conversation and had been wandering off.

IC: Varan

Varan whirled around.

"Leave me alone. Go away," he hissed to his "shadow". But when he did so, he noticed that Arcturia had walked off somewhere else.

"Ugh," he grumbled. Shooting one last warning glance at the Matoran, Varan went to catch up with his "traveling buddy".

Three blocks down, he found a Ga-Matoran flipping off a departing Toa.

 

"Lotta those 'round these parts," Sylus said, striding towards the little man, hands in his pockets. "Tends to happen when a bunch of cultists fill up a place. Even a place as big as Ko-Koro."

 

-Void

 

IC Sharky

What a strikingly handsome and self important man! Striding up and sparking a conversation with a self described "little man" like himself and signing his narration, just in case you had forgotten who wrote it! The little man gave him (Sylus) a look as if he (Sharky) were a gob of humanoid dirt looking at some adonis-esque fragment of a burning incandescent star of good fortune and charisma.

"He wasn't a cultist. Just some stuck up Kopaka wannabe. Had some sob story about how he went down to the Vault and got turned down when he listed his woes and worries to the piraka. Makes me just about ready to be sick."

IC: Veteran - Cable Car Station.

 

"Well then...." he nodded for Kain to close up the cable car. "...I'm with a group called The Outsiders. Wouldn't expect you to have heard of us. We're only really just gettin' started."  

IC Kotak:

"I haven't in fact."

He looked down, as if in thought.

Just a few hours ago, he'd been willing to do anything to gain more power. Now he wasn't as sure what he wanted. 

"Don't suppose you have room for one more?"

IC: Veteran - Cable Car Station.

"We might..." 

IC Rinnoz

Grinning, the egomaniac followed Varan anyways. Keeping a better distance from him, though, in case he whirled on him suddenly.

IC: (Mortem/Ko-Koro)

I follow.

IC Sharky

"He wasn't a cultist. Just some stuck up Kopaka wannabe. Had some sob story about how he went down to the Vault and got turned down when he listed his woes and worries to the piraka. Makes me just about ready to be sick."

IC:

"Yup. Sounds like a winner," Sylus deadpanned, lazily raising one eyebrow. "But if he was some Kopaka wannabe, what was he doing trying to sell his soul to the devil? Or, I suppose, devils."

-Void

IC Kotak:

He shrugged, following the Skakdi.

IC:
...yeah.
 
OOC:
cant do this
 
What?
 
cant do this
 
...What?
 
wow deja vu hoo
cant
do
this
 
What, what can't you do?
 
cant do
 
this
im
 
 
 
 

tired.

 
 
 
 
look sbeen too long
and nobody cares
grokkettes left me high n dry
no clamors
no memories
hardly remember what im doing here
and nobody cares
 
I care.
 
oh wow that makes me feel better
thanks
wow so supportive
except see i know you lie
 
I'm not lying, Grokk. I care.
lielielie if you care why do i never see you
 
You're not the center of my univ--
and theres your problem thats not enough
Not enough, oh my g--
no no no no no no no no
Grokk, you can't reasonably expe--
im unreasonable bite me
 
You are titanically self-centered.
and ur surprised how
I'm not surprised, I just--
just just what mr smart guy huh what just who even are you y--
I'm just trying to get you not to be so, so delusional.
 
you dont know me
 
What?
 
i said you you dont know me
you idiot
you just own me
 
you think you know what ur doin mr man
little secret
you dont
they can all tell i can tell
they dont like you
heck i dont like you
i hate you
you idiot
im only here because you put me here
only here bcuz you keep me here
because you own me and i cant do squiddly about that
 
I see.
 
im not the one who stopped caring about all this
im not the one letting things die
im not the one having a conversation with me with a dead character who shouldnt exist anymore
its indulgent
why do you insist on this it drives us all crazy
oh and you aint seen crazy from me yet buster brown
 
Mm.
 
ohooo but thats just it isnt it
the crazys never as good as you imagine it could be
im never as good as i could be
should be
but ysee its not me whos a disappointment when that always happens
im freakin grokk
infallible and perfect in my concept
youre just the fool tryna translate me
and fyi ya dont speak the language too well
you never did
 
I don't see what that's got to do with any of this.
 
then let me spell it out for you
you illiterate idiot
nobody likes me they never did i mean duh im a terrible person
oh so charming and oh so funny and oh so inane but terrible they tell me
at least i acknowledge that
shameless thats meeee
 
you on the other hand dot dot dot
heres something actually terrible colon
kidney youre keeping me here and you n me both know its a bad idea
and who even remembers what this thing is about
death nah
you dont know what this is anymore
you thought you knew and you thought itd be profound but then it was too big for you
it takes too long and its just me
nobody wants to read it
 
im fading all the time and you cant write us out of this corner
youre frustrated and insecure because you cant do this like you used to
the muse freakin died
i mean im dead after all
and to top it all off its you who killed me
 
And you're useless, here.
 
use isnt what this place is about you effing idiot
 
 
 
 
There's still so much I haven't asked you.
 
well the things you did ask exhaust me to think about because the answers dont exist
already told you i cant so this
im

tired.

not even punny anymore you dont want me like this
and besides you dont know where youre goin
dont follow the bleen man its not gonna unleash no truth
bleens a lousy color
 
Sure seems like it.
 
bleen i mean lets be real
what in karzs name were you thinking
 
Chyeah. Bleen was pretty ridiculous.
 
and like me being unable to observe the sky what was that
 
I actually liked that part. The thing about the ground felt contrived though.
 
now thaaaat was pretty dumb
see what i mean man
you dont want to be doing this
the deeper we dig the worse you feel
you gotta set me free like the birdie i was born to be
cheep cheep
 
Where would you go?
 
out of this space here
ook space
beyond that i dont know or care really
 
Mm.
 
But we never got to see the others, that's kinda a bummer. Can't we still try?
 
h man had his day
and i had mine
boss you gotta learn to let go
 
You're being nice to me. I think you know that you're gonna get your way.
 
literate in people reading aint i
and you dont know me but that dont mean i dont know you
cmon man just gimme the word
 
I'm not quite ready.
 
why the bleep nooooot
look how antsy i am
im

ju

m

pin

g all

ov

er

the

pa

ge

Clever. No, no, I can't let you go just yet.
 
whyyyyyyyy
 
I'm gonna need you for one more.
 
ah
grand finale i see
you n your pride
 
Couldn't let you go without saying a real goodbye now could I? A little redemption. Escape from the bleens. Back to the basics. What do you say?
 
mmm
okay
but just one
 
We'll be sure to make it long.
 
hate you
 
It'll be good. I hope.
 
i wouldnt go out any other way
im freakin grokk aint i

IC Sharky

He mirrored the conversationalist, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Good question. My pa met him way back in the day, said he was a thirsty creep. Maybe he had one of those oh-so melodramatic dark sides. The twisted authors of our world really love those."

IC:

"Possible," the Toa replied with an airy flick of his hand. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's not to trust anything at face value."

-Void

IC: Veteran/Zero - Obsidian Outpost Arena.

"Guess what I found, mates?" Veteran reentered the arena with Kotak in tow. "We've got ourselves another recruit ta play with." He glared at Crab and Marauder, an expression of distaste twisting his features. "Might be better than what we currently have." 

"Very well...." Zero gave Kotak the once-over, then nodded in approval. "If you think he's suitable, I trust your judgement. His trial can proceed along with the others once the missions have set out." 

IC Kotak:

"Pretty sizable for just starting out."

He looked around. this was definitely a well organised sort of band. Trials, even. 

IC: Veteran - Obsidian Outpost Arena.

"We might just be startin' out, but recent goings-on in Ko have meant there's been a lot of merc types coming through this way," Veteran explained, "makes recruitin' new folks pretty easy." 

IC Forger

"We've got a lot of... Unwritten history, behind us. Verbal retellings of our story, so to say." It was only reasonable, right? When you looked at people like Veteran, Zero or Champion you could tell they had quite a bit of history to them and between them. Only hard part was getting it out of them. I knew that well enough, having tried to pry some out of several newer people.

I had gotten to my feet several minutes ago, having gotten a little chilled by one part weather, one part bad vibe. Almost like I had dozed off and had a dream that ended with me dying, those always make you snap to wakefulness in a certain funk.

IC: Crab

Crab glared right back. "Can you hurry it up, please? I want to "not kill" Marauder here."

IC: Ayar and Scholar (Obsidian Outpost)

"Eat this- it'll stop most of the pain," Ayar said, passing Scholar a dark, rich green leaf with an aroma like a fusion of basil and syrup. He sniffed it, then shrugged and gulped it down in one. "Okay then. Work your magic, Ayar," the Ko-Toa replied with a slightly drowsy smile. "Lie down here, on your front," Ayar instructed, gesturing to one of the hard metal beds in the infirmary. Scholar obediently followed her commands. "Alright now, I'm preparing to open up your back," she continued, manipulating Scholar's back armour to flow off to the sides and manifesting a small, sharp scalpel in her right hand. "Ready?"
A nod.
With that, the Fe-Toa gently pressed the surgical knife into Scholar's still-healing, bruised flesh, the keen blade slicing through his body like a duck in water, drawings thin, shallow line across his back.
In a dream world induced by the plant Ayar gave to him, Scholar wandered blissfully, the pain from the incisions a simple buzzing at the corners of his roiling mind.

IC Kotak:

"Makes sense." He says with a nod.

"What's this about trials?"

IC: Veteran - Obsidian Outpost Arena.

"It's a little somethin' we do before lettin' people join up," Veteran explained, "we chuck 'em in the arena with an existing member of the group and let 'em show off their skills, so the boss can see what they're capable of." 

IC: Transient

Transient payed little attention to the newcomer - instead, he kept his eyes glued on the idiots, making sure no sudden moves were made.

IC: Ayar and Scholar (Obsidian Outpost)

With a few quick, clean cuts, Ayar opened a slit at the base of Scholar's spine, where the worst of the physical trauma had been. A few vertebrae were ever-so-slightly out of place, so she shifted them carefully back into place, just a few millimetres of movement. Then the Fe-Toa began work on the healing. Having seen how a few nerves were regrowing, she replicated the phenomenon with her mask, the strings of flesh knitting together as if they had never been cut in the first place. 

While all of this went on, Scholar drifted happily in the darkness, oblivious to the pain, which in his perception, was marginally growing stronger as the effects of the leaf wore off.

When the Ko-Toa's spine was healed, she closed up the incisions, leaving new, soft skin behind, covered with gleaming, blue-white armour. 

"Hey, Scholar," Ayar whispered in his ear, attempting to wake him up. When that didn't work, she tried again, shouting instead.

That worked.

With a start, Scholar awoke, leaping up from the bed.

Leaping.

Looking slightly startled, he recognised Ayar after a few seconds, who was standing off to the side with a grin on her silver Kanohi. "Better?"

"Much. Thank you..." Scholar shook his head. "This means a lot to me. Again, thank you." He smiled, and the two hugged.

IC Kotak:

A test of strength and skill. That was something he could do.

Yet another faint smile played his lips.

"When do they start?"

IC: Tracer

Tracer, unsure of whether the poison was still in effect or not given the recent healing, gave a quick look at Kotak before turning back to stare off into empty space.

IC: Veteran - Obsidian Outpost Arena.

"We're sendin' some of our members out on missions right now," he explained to Kotak, "but once they head off the trials will resume." 

IC: Arcturia

The Onu-Toa had slunk into an open doorway nearby, where it was darker and... less occupied.

IC Rinnoz

Thanks to his once shadow Matoran eyes, he saw Arcturia almost immediately. Reaching up, he softly tapped the Toa's shoulder and stuck a thumb towards the door. "That your companion?"

IC: Varan

Silently, Varan emerged from behind Rinnoz, and attempted to yank him up in the air by his "scruff".

"I thought I told you," he said through gritted teeth, "to leave... us... alone."

IC: Verulas (Spectre) - Obsidian Outpost (Courtyard)

Okay, then...

Knowing that he spent a grand total of ten minutes being around Tracer, Verulas resisted the urge to wave his hand in front of her face, fearing that he'd be pulling it back with less fingers attached than before. He had provided Murrae with a sample of the plant just in case while she was taking care of his leg (which was probably unnecessary, since she too was a Bo-Toa), so he hoped that the Skakdi wouldn't be like this for long, especially since the healer had long since started working on her injuries.

Turning his attention towards Charek/Ace, he folded his arms and displayed a wry smile that indicated that the Bo-Toa at least had some semblance of what he was doing.

"So," he said calmly. "I take it that you're implying that you know the layout of the city then? Because I'd consider that a plus."

Hopefully, the Boss-Lady had picked the right people to lead this thing...

IC Kotak:

"I'll take a seat then."

And so he did.

IC (Kohra):

 

A bemused grin crossed the Vortixx' face. Some part of Vezok seemed to have clenched up, and it definitely wasn't his fists anymore. Meanwhile Hakann was playing twenty questions with one of many new faces, letting his supposed superior intellect hang out while relying on his entourage to keep an eye on everything. The subtle change of stance had not gone unnoticed by the vortixx agent. Most of her skills relied on subtlety after all. But the fact that the Piraka apparently took her obvious question as a serious attempt to elicit information on their defenses from them spoke volumes in itself.

 

Rahi, the lot of them. Mauling each other in fighting pits over who has the most power while those holding it watch from the sides.

 

She glanced from Vezok to the Rahkshi, then to Hakann and finally back to the blue Skakdi. 

 

"Looks like those additions included more than just new furniture. Looks like you managed to get them housebroken, too."

IC: Vezok

I glanced back, Hakann's lackeys stood like statues, an unnatural and forced facsimile of order and precision.  My own looked ready to tear the walls of ice that surrounded them a new one, the Rahkshi of Cyclone looking particularly displeased with having to watch the insufferable little runt.

Housebroken, how very apt.  I had no idea what horrible things Hakann had done to make his private army what it was, but my own knew what happened when they acted against me.

"They're useful things," I turn my gaze back to the vortixx, "A shame so many remain feral, still, I'll have to thank your god of darkness sometime."

IC: (Vandal/Obsidian)

Rekhyt nodded to the new recruit sitting beside him. He appeared to be a Ko-Toa.

"So, you from Ko-Koro?"

IC Kotak:

A flash of annoyance swept over him, but he buried it with a polite nod.

"Originally, yes."

IC (Kohra):

"Yes, that seems like a good idea. Though I would take care how you treat his sons...he is a jealous god after all."

It was almost worth a chuckle. Here was Vezok, the full package of rage and fury circling the eye of a hurricane - and he was a far better conversation partner than the eloquent Hakann. Just like the Brotherhood and Nightfall were a union of convenience, it seemed that the Piraka were quite at odds with each other in terms of personality. Bad blue was mostly straightforward so far. Getting in his way would mean to get ground into dust, or some equally nasty fate. Big red on the other hand seemed like the type who liked to test a freshly sharpened knife on himself if he hadn't spilled blood in a while. Having spent part of the day together, she decided she preferred the ungovernable choleric over the linguistically adept psychopath.

IC Rinnoz

"...Us?" Rinnoz said with a grin. It seemed his companion had wandered off and wasn't coming out. Whatever the case, Rinnoz's ego was bloating again, and would keep him there a while.

IC: Varan

Varan threw Rinnoz face-first into the snow.

"Stay out of the business of others, punk. As a friend of mine used to say, 'Go jump in the Break.'"

With that, he turned on his heel and faced Arcturia.

"I... apologize," he said to her, embarrassed.

-IC:-

As the menagerie of dilettante blackguards depart and the Matoran discovers a new target, I divide my attention between analysing Vezok's conversation and appraising the structure and design of my current surroundings. This Sanctum is nearly as tedious as Ta-Kini; misplaced enthusiasm for the glorification and adoration of concepts of utter vacuity. It remains to be seen if Echelon is an iconoclast or yet another romanticist, subscribing to little more than another set of false values. The evidence so far suggests the latter, but perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised.

The conversation of the Vortixx and my companion is sluggish and void of substance or meaning; I've listened to thinly veiled threats and political discourse of greater worth and intelligence. Mindlessness is apparent in both surroundings and company; with a gesture to my Rahkshi, I decide to attempt a solution. Glancing at Marfoir and Lunefeld to wordlessly suggest accompaniment, I stride over to the Matoran to see what new amusement he shall provide. He appears to be holding a conversation with some Toa, no doubt another target of his ridicule.

I pause in my inspection of the being before me. His appearance has been described to me before, and his speech corresponds as well. Earlier assumption hopefully incorrect.

“Sylus Tudor, I presume.”

IC: Lunefeld

Hakann's gaze signalled for the two of us to follow him as he strode over to a Matoran currently chewing somebody out.