BZPRPG: Ko-Wahi

IC:

"Valria, you are strong enough" LoJak said comfortingly. He knew that she generally lacked confidence in her abilities, but as long as she wallowed in her own weakness she would never grow to be as strong as she wanted. Valria would have to break pschological habits built over several years if she wanted to achieve her destiny, LoJak thought.

It wouldn't be easy, but LoJak was determined to help her. It was the only way the Toa group would be able to succeed.

He looked back at the statue. If he and Valria could raise it back to its former position, it would not only inspire the people of Ko-Koro but also rekindle Valria's faith in herself. LoJak needed to convince her to try.

"Valria, its not as hard as you think. You just have to let your concentration...flow out of you and into the pillar. You don't have to worry, you won't be on your own. I'll thaw it out of the ice first, and then I'll lift and direct it to where it has to go. I know you can do it. And deep down, you do too."

IC: (Valria)

"You really think I'm strong enough?" Valria said, looking to LoJak. She saw a yes in the form of a smile. I'm not strong enough...but I'll try. If LoJak believes I can then I should at least try. Valria took a few deep breaths and focused on the statue. Her eyes narrowed as her vision centered on the statue, the whole world around seemed to grow darker in her eyes. Though her eyes seemed to be alit with a green fire.

Try as she might it didn't seem to lift and Valria's heart sunk further than it ever had before. She couldn't do it, she failed...again. It was like all those times before. No matter how hard she tried she always seemed to fail. No matter what she did, she was always wrong, she was always weak. Try as she did she started feeling like wallowing again. I'm a weak Toa. Though as those words echoed in her mind. Some bubbled, something powerful, fierce, something proud of itself, something confident. It was a voice, a voice similar to her own, a voice and tone she had years ago. A voice she had hear many times and so far it had helped her. She listened and it spoke.

Of all the things you are Valria, one of things you aren't, is weak. Tell me does your version of a weak Toa who lost everything struggle her way back to the mainland to find help, still having a glimmer of hope in her heart?

I guess not.

Does she go after the man who hurt her and so many others?

No.

Yeah, because a girl like that wouldn't sneak into his base with only a single ally at first and take him on. She would be too much a coward.

No, a girl like that wouldn't. She would have stayed far away from him.

A women like that would roll over, would have quit when she saw that building on fire. She would have stopped even before she started.

I didn't, I went inside.

What did you do?

I rescued people. I even rescued a child but nearly died in doing so.

When Death was there, ready to take you with it. Did you follow?

No.

What did you do?

I refused.

Refused what, death?

I refused to give in, to surrender, to roll over.

So are you going to roll over for some statue?

Valria's eyes narrowed again, a confident smile found its place on her lips. Her eyes alit again with that emerald fire, burning with determination. The voice in her head had it's answer. Valria did not turn her head as she focused once again, and this time she spoke.

"LoJak, I'm going to need you to melt the ice now. I'm not sure how long I can lessen the pull on the statue." She said, a fierceness that was absent from before. Every fiber of her being, every bit of focus, every ounce of her power when into it. She wouldn't fail. She refused to.

IC:

LoJak's eyes lit up. He had gotten through to her. He could tell by the tone Valria's voice and the look of sheer determination on her face that she had finally, for the first time in a long time, found confidence in herself.

"LoJak, I'm going to need you to melt the ice now. I'm not sure how long I can lessen the pull on the statue."

LoJak didn't waste any time. He ran over to the statue and began unleashing the elemental energies he still had in reserve. He was reckless, shooting flames in all direction and heating up ice so fast it exploded into millions of tiny shards, some even managing to scratch his face. He didn't care. Here was their chance for Valria to come into her own, and LoJak would not let her down.

A crowd began to form. They stopped their banal activities and walked over to take a look at the two Toa working to restore the statue of Kopaka. It was a strange sight. None of them had seen Toa like these in a long time. Toa that were willing to give entirely of themselves to help the Village. They gathered and began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Who are those Toa?"

"Why are they helping us?"

"Do you remember that flash of light from before? Do you think it was a sign of their coming?"

"Maybe they've been sent by Mata-Nui!"

"Nonsense! Mata-Nui sent the Toa Mata, and that's it. They're just regular Toa giving a helping hand."

"Toa actually helping the Villages? Now that's a rare sight, indeed."

"Mommy? Are those Toa heroes?"

Finally, gasping for air, LoJak had finished. He was quite near exhaustion, but he had done it. The statue was now free from it's cold prison, and was now resting peacefully on the ground. That mean't there was only one more thing to do. He looked at Valria while he caught his breathe and stretched for what needed to come next. The lavender Toa had her eyes shut closed in fierce concentration. Like LoJak, it seemed she wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer.

Best to hurry.

Taking a deep breath, LoJak bent down and ran his arms beneath the giant statue. Then he lifted. Even with Valria's elemental help it still took LoJak every last ounce of his strength to raise the statue. Slowly but surely he managed to lift it up.

That's a quarter of the way.

That's a half. C'mon, a little more.

Three quarters. Almost got it....

LoJak faultered. His arms began to buckle. He began to panic.

No, NO! NOT NOW!

His face moved around the crowd frantically, trying to figure out what to do. He couldn't let this happen. Not now! He was SO CLOSE... He saw Valria's face. Her eyes were beginning to widen in horror, afraid that she was going to be proven wrong. With all his being, LoJak refused for that take place.

Sensing the heat in the Matoran in crowd, he absorbed what he could from them to rejuvinate himself. The flock had grown in size, so LoJak's siphoning off the smallest bit from each person amounted to quite a bit. He felt his muscles relax and the pain in them disappear just a tad. It was enough. Heaving one last time, he pushed the statue up with the newfound energy.

After a struggle that had seemed like it had taken an hour, Kopaka's statue finally stood upright.

Someone clapped. Then another. Then everyone was.

IC: (Valria)

Valria had not accounted that it would still take her awhile to truly handle objects this massive. The clapping, the celebration, it seemed distant. Just as it took a lot out of LoJak, it had taken so much more out of Valria. All her remaining energy, all her focus, every bit of her she put into controlling the field around the statue had taken so much. All Valria could hear was her heart pumping. Everything else was background noise that she couldn't focus on.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Vision darkening as she tried to make a few steps towards LoJak, but her knees wobbled and she could barely maintain focus on LoJak. She could feel her vision slip in and out, LoJak in focus and then back out of focus.

"Toa, are you alright?" She heard a voice, probably a matoran. She ignored it, her heart thumped louder, her heartlight erratic. One second she was struggling to make her way to LoJak and then...nothing for Valria at least, everything had become black. Meanwhile for the crowd, they watched as the Toa buckled and landed face first in the snow. She was still breathing, but the Toa had overexerted herself and that left the Toa of Gravity without a lick of energy to keep herself awake.

One Ko-matoran walked over to Valria and turned her over, wiping off the white caking of snow. He leaned in close and could still feel warm breath on his ear. "She's still alive, but tired. She needs to be brought to a proper bed." He turned to LoJak, his azure eyes regarding the Toa with respect. "I can guide you to the nearest inn, it'll still need some work. Your friend needs her rest and probably some food, both of which the inn will have for her and for you."

IC:

"That would be most gracious of you" LoJak said, thanking the Ko-Matoran. But his mind and his eyes were on Valria.

Despite extreme exhaustion, LoJak had ran to her side when he'd seen her collapse. The din of the cheering crowd muted itself to LoJak's ears as his entire concentration focused on brace Toa of Gravity. He thanked Mata-Nui she was still alive - if something had happened to her....

The promise of a warm bed and the urgency of care for Valra gave him the strength to lift the unconcious Valria up into his arms. Without a word a word he followed the Ko-Matoran to a nearby inn, one that hadn't been too badly damaged in the recent attacks. He took her into the nearest room with a fireplace and deposited her slowly onto the bed, covering her gently with a warm fur blanket. Then LoJak brought a chair inside the room, set it down down facing Valria and sat in it. He was not going to let anything else happen to her. She'd been through enough, and more deserved for LoJak to guard her while she recovered from her monumental feat.

Then the fatigue set in and LoJak's eyes began to droop. He fought to stay awake but his body was worn out and his reserves depleted. Like wonderful Toa in bed in front of him, LoJak desperately needed to sleep.

He had one last coherent thought before darkness finally overtook him.

Valria and I are heroes here.

His eyes closed and a stupid grin appeared on face.

IC: (Valria)

Roughly five hours later, The Toa of Gravity awoke to find herself in a warm blanket, lying on a bed. For the first few seconds she silently freaked out. Last I remember I was walking and...that's it. Her eyes traveled around the room to see the coals of a previously roaring fire. Her eyes traveled further still and settled on that familiar Toa of Fire, black armored and with ruby red skin. He had been watching over, waiting until she came out of it, part of her thought it strange, but another part. Another part found it endearing.

Thump.

There it was that familiar feeling in her chest. She wasn't sure how to react about it, instead just biting it down. Perhaps she should talk to LoJak, perhaps not. She wasn't sure what the best choice was at the time. She chuckled quietly at LoJak's goofy smile, before finally whispering his name. She'd rather not jolt a Toa of Fire out of his slumber, that would likely not end pretty. She considered leaving LoJak asleep, but if he was still tired, he could take her place and get more rest.

"LoJak?"

IC: [Quada]

In another part of the village, Quada was cheerfully helping a few Matoran fix up some huts that had been damaged during the avalanche. It was actually rather fun, despite the cold, especially when his companions had amusing stories to tell. Of course, it also made time fly by rather quickly, so it seemed as if barely any time had passed when their work was complete.

"Wonder what the others are doing?"

IC: (Valria)

IC: LoJak

LoJak was having a pleasant dream. He was standing at the centre of Ta-Koro's Kohlii field, graciously accepting a Ceremonial Mask from Turaga Vakama. He'd just vanquished a mighty foe. The stands were full of Matoran and Toa. He spotted Quada and Iulius, and he was sure the rest of his new Toa team were there as well. Then he saw Valria. She jumped onto the the field and started walking towards him. She stepped right next to him and said something. LoJak couldn't make it out. The commotion the crowd was making blocked out all other noise. The only thing he could hear was their cheering his name.

"LoJak! LoJak! LoJak"

"LoJak?"

The Ta-Toa stirred and opened his eyes. It took him a moment to register everything. Valria was awake, but she still lay in bed. He didn't blame her. He himself felt like he could have slept another day if he had the opportunity. But his own weariness didn't much matter - he'd learned to fight through it before, and the sleep had been more refreshing than he would have thought.

"Hello there" he said slurring just a bit at the end as his sentance turned into a yawn. "Are you feeling alright? That was impressive, what you managed earlier you know."

IC-Iulius:

"Indeed it was," a familiar voice called through the doorway. "It seems it was a good idea to give you both the second path, now." A smiling Toa of Sonics stepped into the room, his ever-present staff held next to him.

"Now, I need you two to hop out of bed, so I can gather the rest of the team together. Because, while we all have made a contribution towards the villages continuing rebuilding, we need to present more of a concerted effort, if only to make sure they know we're a team, and not just a few random Toa."

IC:

"Yeah, Kethrye. I'm curious. Is there anything else you can think of?"

The voice was playfully cold, slightly coy and drawling, and from the rafters of Ambages' considerably large dwelling, a figure clad in black leather armor slung down pendulum style by his legs, wrapped around the roof supports, and dropped cleanly with a midair somersault worthy of a top-tier gymnast onto his feet, hands behind his head. Over his back, a complicated looking bow was slung carefully, and a kukri was strapped to his right thigh, shining wickedly in the light as he brought himself to his full height. Esao's amethyst eyes regarded first the De-Matoran architect, then Kethrye, taking in the situation.

"As a matter of fact...what were you even thinking to begin with? Have you been thinking at all ever since we left Pala-Koro?"

-Tyler

OOC:

*drags character kicking and screaming out of limbo*

IC: Kythera

Not for the first time, Kythera cursed in her native language. Under normal conditions, the particularly... descriptive word would have made things fairly better for everyone involved. Meaning her, that is. Unfortunately, these current conditions were annoyingly stubborn, and didn't seem to want to listen to her imaginative word choice.

Snow.

Why snow?

The cold brought back memories better left buried. There was a place on her home island, known by it's inhabitants as simply The Mountain. It dominated the landscape where ever one looked, a forsaken monoloth of terror and hunger, lording over those trapped in it's shadow. Kythera had climbed it's black summit three times, which was three more times than most could claim. Twice to prove a point, and once for... other reasons. The same reasons why she left that island in the first place. Needless to say, The Mountain was capped with snow. While the snow here wasn't trying to swallow her alive, smothering her life like one does a candle, it was snow all the same. Same numbing, blinding whiteness.

With another well-placed curse, Kythera glanced up at the structure she had been waiting outside for what seemed like longer than "fifteen minutes". What was that Toa of Fire doing in there?

I swear... if he's in there drinking a nice cup of hot chocolate while sitting by a toasty fire playing cards with Kethrye and that "Ambages" fellow, I'm going to find a new place to store my knives. Pointy side in.

Murderous thoughts such as these didn't do much more than the curses.

####in' snow.

IC: (Valria)

Well it seems that talk will have to wait. For a while there I thought we would have to run around Ko-Koro looking for Iulius and the group, but if he's here, the others are probably around somewhere.

Valria sat up a little more and rolled the pushed the blanket off her slender form, before swinging her feet off the bed and standing up. The Toa of Gravity yawned a bit, stretching her arms skyward. It was a dreamless sleep, but it had helped the Toa of Gravity rest well and she smiled warmly to LoJak, speaking to him first.

"I'm fine, LoJak. I guess I just overextended myself a bit. I wouldn't have tried if it wasn't for you." Valria replied, with a warm smile and then turned to their cheery Toa of Sonics. "Good to see you again Iulius. Do you know where the others are?" There was a determined, energetic glint to her emerald orbs that hadn't been there before, and as she stood, she did so more a bit more pep in her step. Amidst the silence in between her question and his answer there was an audible grumble coming from her abdomen, she remembered eating last in Ga-Koro and that was a while back.

IC:

Kethrye cocked an eyebrow at Esao's sudden arrival before replying to Ambages, choosing to ignore the Ta-Toa and instead conclude his current business. "Well, I suppose that settles matters, there isn't really anything else you could provide us with at the moment, although we'll contact you if we ever require your aid. Apologizes for inconveniencing you, but, well, any suspect is worth investigating as soon as we can, you know?" He laughed with calculated awkwardness, trying his best to seem amicable and trusting, even though the architect wasn't crossed from the suspect list just yet.

Well, this has been a colossal waste of time, the ILF Leader thought, raising from his seat and striding towards the exits, waving for Esoa to follow. Kethrye's face fell back into a scowl as soon as he left Ambages's sight. Though that too soon faded as he considered the tidbits of information he had gleamed from the architect's files. On the other hand, at least now we have something to go on, at least.

"So, where the karz have you been?" Kethrye remarked as the two came to the apartment's doors. "Haven't seen you or Nova since we left what's left of Pala-Koro."

IC:

Iulius and LoJak both heard Valria's stomach grumble, moaning for food. Nobody made a sound, opting instead to look from one Toa to another, waiting for someone one to finally speak. Then a growl came from LoJak's stomach, significantly louder than Valria's comparative murmer.

That settled it.

"Iulius, you wouldn't have happened to pick up any food on your way here, would you? As impressive as our actions were, even Toa need more sustenance than gratitude. Maybe we can eat here first, then meet with the others near the Statue of Kopaka Valria and I restored? If you want to do something people will notice, that'd be the place to do it."

IC:

"I've been following you, as it were," Esao said as he put up his hood, shielding his face from any of the freezing air of Ko-Wahi. "The Vortixx and I, both. What was with the interrogation back there? I was listening to both of you before a word was said, and it sounded like a remarkable waste of the lives of all parties involved."

-Tyler

Ic: Ambages gestured broadly to the entrance of the apartment and watched Kethrye up and leave. He faked a smile and breathed a chuckle at Kethrye's parting words. He remained seated though, watching the last vestiges of the ILS depart, though his sharp ears could not help but pick up on the conversation that started away from him. Esao was a good jungle ranger, the architect knew, and was one of the better men on the island, and were he not commonly rogue he would have been either hired for jobs or disposed of. As Ambages thought of this, he realized what an interesting development it would be if Esao ran the ILS.

He got up from his seat and turned to be face to face with Matoro, his five guards standing with him. They said nothing, only stared for a moment, until Matoro gave a command with a twitch of a finger; the guards filed out of the apartment and left the two matoran standing alone. "You're not at fault for this incursion," Ambages said, breaking the silence.

"But I will take the blame for this as the administrative head of this koro," Matoro added.

"You followed a claim laid by a deluded and zealous leader of an organization, but you are only at fault for doing your duty."

"Then accept my apology regardless," Matoro said, "and I hope we can work on more acceptable terms in the future."

"Absolutely, Matoro," Ambages said, patting him on the back and showing him out. "May the Great Spirit guide you and protect you in better ways than he has for the ILS."

And that was that. Ambages was finally left alone, a free man for now.

IC SurHeat. Sur, or the shell that was once Sur, could sense it. Just a small flame but it was heat nonetheless. Her body dragged her along against the will of her mind, if there was any mind left. Eyes glazed over in a zombie like state, she eventually reached the source of heat. A fire by the roadside. Completely ignoring her surroundings, she sat down in front of the fire, staring at it like a hapaka stares at a bowl of food out of reach. Her face showed her hunger, her eyes glazed over, greedily soaking up the heat.But as she "fed", her mind slowly returned to her. The light of intelligence returned to her face and with it, her compassion as well. She now noticed that she was not on the side of the street but rather in an old, dilapitated home, with a Skakdi staring incredulously at her. Her face shifted to that of embarressment for committing such a large faux pas, then to pity as she eyed the state that the Skakdi's home was in. Wordlessly, she got up, examining the condition of the walls, the ceiling, and the rest of the house. Putting a hand to the wall, wood, strong and enduring, filled the cracks in the stone walls. It was a temporary fix, but one much needed nonetheless. Fixing the cracks in the ceiling as well, she topped it off with a layer of cotton insulation before sealing it off with another layer of wood. The Skakdi stared at her in awe, before smiling in gratitude.Five hours later...Sur sat down on near statue that Valria and Lojak had righted. She had spent the last five hours fixing houses; jobs well done in her opinion. She had never strongly considered going into home repair before, but now that she had tried her hand at it, it wasn't too bad. Whistling to herself, she blew into her hands and started rubbing them together. Man it was cold here!

IC:

The instant LoJak stopped speaking there was a knock on the open door. The eyes of all three Toa turned to see who it was, although Valria and LoJak were the two that were most delighted by what they saw.

A Ko-Matoran stood by the doorway, a platter of meat and fruit in his hands. His clothes suggested he worked at the inn, or perhaps even owned it.

"Excuse me, Toa heroes. Word has spread of what you've done in the village square, restoring the statue of Toa Kopaka to its former glory. I just wanted to express my gratitude to you with some food. Its not much, but times are tough in Ko-Koro and we need more people like you around working at full strength."

LoJak accepted the food and thanked the Matoran for it, who offered to let the Toa use the room free of charge. When the Matoran had left the room LoJak and Valria briskly devoured the modest fare. They ate with no pretense of manners - they were both famished and needed to restore their strength. They would soon be back to work. They finished eating after a minute or two. LoJak wiped his face and smacked his lips, savoring the taste.

"Well then, I think we're ready" LoJak said to Valria and the patiently waiting Iulius.

All three left the inn, thanking the previous Matoran again for his hospitality, and made their way to Toa Kopaka's statue. Along the way LoJak noticed something was different about Valria. She was walking a little higher, and there was a spring in her step LoJak could have sworn he'd never seen her have before. She was beaming, even with the chill wind howling at their faces. She seemed... happy. LoJak's heart swelled with pride and genuine joy for the Toa of Gravity.

Her cheerful smile as she turned her head towards him and their eyes met. His pulse quickened and LoJak could have sworn his heart thumped loud enough for the others to hear. He wanted to say something but, quite strangely, he couldn't think of anything. Especially with Iulius walking besides them. Instead LoJak smiled back, then faced forward again.

He saw Sur sitting down near it, trying to keep warm by blowing into his hands. He, Valria and Iulius walked over to her.

"A little chilly in the Village of Ice, Sur?" LoJak asked.

ooc: Let's get this going, shall we?

IC SurSur looked up at LoJak, who had approached her. "Yes, very," she replied. "The cold gets to me. Turns me into a zombie. I wandered into some random Skakdi's house," she said with a sheepish grin on her face, getting up, "And hogged his fire. Made up for it by fixing the house; it'll keep him warm now." Sur gestured to a row of houses on the side; the ones made of wood were in perfect condition, a far cry from what LoJak and Valria had seen entering the village. The ones of stone were a bit more ramshackle as the repairs made were blatently obvious but it was better than nothing.Stretching backwards, Sur looked around her, monitering the village around her. The Matoran that weren't enjoying their now-warm homes were flocking the statue, admiring it. "I heard that you and Valria helped put this back up?" she asked, even though the question was somewhat rhetorical. "These are good Toa," she thought. "They may not be my idea of an ideal Toa, but they're heroes in their own way. And that's important, because everybody has their own role to play in life..." Sur's face darkened for a split second but she quickly corrected it, breathing a sigh of relief as she looked around the village. She noticed Quada helping some matoran fix huts. "Need some help over there?" she called out to the Toa.

IC: [Quada]

"Any help would be appreciated!" replied the rookie Toa cheerfully as he lifted a few Matoran up so they could hammer in a nail.

IC-Iulius:

"Myself, Sur, Quada, Valria, LoJak," Iulius muttered, counting people off, then frowned.

"We're still short Kaiapo...no matter, he's either still asleep, or on the other side of the Koro," the Toa of Sonics said to himself, waving off any comments he may have made. He turned, waving at Quada, both a friendly gesture of greetings and approval, and a message for him to come over as soon as possible.

IC: (Valria)

Valria expressed her gratitude for the lodging and food to the Ko-Matoran before they had left. Valria herself ate much more ravenously than LoJak, scarfing down the food fast. While she appreciated the kindness, Ko-Koro couldn't necessarily afford to offer such amenities without at least some form of payment. This occupied her thoughts as she followed the others back to the statue. Maybe she could help around the inn while she wasn't helping the Koro with repairs or doing whatever jobs Iulius had planned for them. Snapping out of those thoughts her eyes had met LoJak and saw the Toa go redder in the cheeks than his naturally ruby red skin before smiling back at her. There was a slight flutter, but she shook those thoughts away for now. Instead her mind was on how to get Ko-Koro back on track. For that however she would need to wait for Iulius and Kaiapo's orders. When their group reached the statue, they found shivering Toa of Plant Life and she frowned at her ally's statement.

"Sur if you're cold, LoJak has helped me keep warm so far. I'm sure wouldn't mind helping you with it." She said, looking to LoJak for a second before turning back to Sur. In fact she grabbed a seat next to the healer. "Yeah, it was mostly LoJak. So I assume a good portion of this rebuilding was you, wasn't it?" Valria asked, a gentle, less timid smile curved on the Toa of Gravity's lips. A good start, but with nearly all of their group here perhaps Iulius would start them on a new objective in aiding the recovering village of Ko-Koro.

"I've been following you, as it were," Esao said as he put up his hood, shielding his face from any of the freezing air of Ko-Wahi. "The Vortixx and I, both. What was with the interrogation back there? I was listening to both of you before a word was said, and it sounded like a remarkable waste of the lives of all parties involved."

IC:

"A waste of time, certainly but not a complete one," Kethrye replied with a smirk, stepping out into the Ko-Koro streets. "Now we know either the architect's hiding something, or else is far less intelligent then he appears. If I had a way of producing such an revolutionary gizmo I sure as karz wouldn't install in the middle of nowhere without keeping the blueprints or some kind of backup handy.

"Anyway, villain or cool dude, this case isn't closed just yet. There's still a few more leads we'll need to look into before we let Mr. Ambages off the hook."

IC: [Elysi]

In an inn nearby, Elysi was drinking tea.

IC:

For the first time in months, things were beginning to happen in the Village of Ice.

Weeks after Sucogu's group disbanded, months after the terrorist assaults, it was once again becoming a hotbed of activity. Creatures from myth and legend flocked around the guard headquarters, whilst a new team of Toa worked to repair the remaining damage. The ILS had once more returned to the village, and appeared to be stirring up as much trouble as they could possibly manage.

It was the second group that was, though they were unaware of it, being monitored. Yards away, a single dark shape was motionless, a thin layer of snow coating its form. It did, for all intents and purposes, appear to be a statue. And its placement gave no indication that it was anything else. Its massive shoulder barely moved, despite the steady rate of breath drawn in and expelled. The Titan had found that after months of living in or around Ko-Koro, the cold had ceased to bother him. No longer did the slightest wind make him long for Ta-Koro, no longer did the snow make him wish for warmer climates. It was familiar now, the touch of a old friend, rather than a cruel discomfort. It had become easy simply to watch and wait, senses alert for the slightest hint of conflict. In the months since his old group's disbanding, he had continued on much as he had. He kept watch over the village, helping to take some of the burden off of the overstretched guards. He never stuck around long, and though most had grown used to the massive being's presence, none had ever gotten past a few words with him. Few had tried.

He was an enigma, one that had woven itself into the fabric of village life. It was better that way. Here in Ko-Koro, few knew him, and even those had met him first during the attack, as he hurried them out of the hospital. A few could remember the violent showdown between he and the Mark Bearer of Sadism, but their number was small.

He had become the protector that no one spoke of, silently watching for when action needed to be taken. In a way, he preferred that. The last time he had grown too involved, it ended badly. He kept his distance, eyes tracking the new Toa, though his body remained motionless.

IC:

"If you're so interested in them, student, you might as well say hi," a black and maroon robed figure near the titan said. He was sitting upon a rock in the snow, and judging by how much had accumulated upon him, he'd been sitting there longer than the titan had been standing.

"After all, you don't make much headway in your dealings with people if you just stand and watch them."

IC:

"I have no intention of interacting with them."

The titan rumbled in response, his voice easily carrying the few feet to the seated Toa. He remained motionless, not even turning to look at the older being. "As long as they maintain their current behavior, I will have no need to do so."

IC: [Quada]

Having finished with the repairs for some of the huts, Quada took a quick break, taking the time to meet up with the rest of the group.

"So what did you guys get up to?"

IC: [Rannin]

Rannin silently stalked through the hallway of a hospital, sweeping away dust.

IC: [Rannin]

 

Rannin silently stalked through the hallway of a hospital, sweeping away dust.

IC: Yick

In that same hospital, Yick sat in a bed, contemplating his life. He had been there for about a month now, being told that the the doctors had to perform operations to help with his scars and properly fix his bones. And since he wanted to have his scars removed slightly more than he wanted to devour the organs of everyone who walked inside his room, he had let them.

That was, until they let in some other patient who happened to have a coughing fit every twelve seconds. After what felt like the thousandth time he heard the hacking cough, Yick had simply had enough. Without a word, he got up, walked out of the room and toward the exit of the hospital, roughly pushing past some stupid janitor as he headed out.

[iC: Rannin]

"It's usually considered rude to push past people without an apology," stated Rannin blandly, the red-eyed Toa turning to face the Skakdi.

IC: Yick

Yick stopped in his tracks. He would normally not have responded to such a comment, but he wasn't feeling particularly nice today. He turned to Rannin and growled "Shut your trap, Toa."

[iC: Rannin]

"You're a rude one, aren't you?"

IC: Yick

Yick smirked. "How'd you guess?"

IC Sur"Well, it looks like you're cold too, we don't want to overwork LoJak, do we?" Sur smiled gently as she glanced at the toa of gravity, gesturing to the toa of fire. "Well, the eastern portion of the town was. Quada's section he did himself." Getting up and stretching back, she shook her head and asked "So what now?"

[iC: Rannin]

"Probably the pushing bit."

 

"I've been following you, as it were," Esao said as he put up his hood, shielding his face from any of the freezing air of Ko-Wahi. "The Vortixx and I, both. What was with the interrogation back there? I was listening to both of you before a word was said, and it sounded like a remarkable waste of the lives of all parties involved."

 

IC:

 

"A waste of time, certainly but not a complete one," Kethrye replied with a smirk, stepping out into the Ko-Koro streets. "Now we know either the architect's hiding something, or else is far less intelligent then he appears. If I had a way of producing such an revolutionary gizmo I sure as karz wouldn't install in the middle of nowhere without keeping the blueprints or some kind of backup handy.

 

"Anyway, villain or cool dude, this case isn't closed just yet. There's still a few more leads we'll need to look into before we let Mr. Ambages off the hook."

IC:

"About that..."

Esao stopped dead in the snow; Kethrye kept advancing for about two or three steps before he noticed the archer was no longer beside him and turned on his heel, staring at him curiously. The amethyst eyes of the Toa of Fire glowed with a determined blaze to them that belied his opinion on what had gone on in there.

"Listen, I get that you want to chase down the leads. But I feel like you're letting personal bias over what happened to Pala-Koro get in the way of your common sense. Things normally don't go to the very top of the food chain like this. Granted, it's not always the case, but did you actually stop and think that maybe this is some mid-level guy who worked for Ambages' fault? Or that it's an enemy of his in the Gentry that set it up so that he'd lose standing? There are always other factors at play with things like this, Kethrye. Have you tried to plug in...any of them? "

-Tyler

IC: KaithasI was thrown up by the airstream, landing on the side. "Gah, tremors." Normally I'd be doing what Merla was, but really, not much could surprise me.

IC Merla"What was that?" Merla snapped. She looked around at the mountain range about her.. "We're in the mountains; earthquakes don't happen all the way up here." Geez, now the universe was out to get them. Merla fidgeted with her new shield, scanning the area.

IC. Daylaria.What had been a Toa of water lay curled up in the snow, wings (recent addition) shielding her from the elements to some degree. She was so much different from Daylaria, yet the same in body and mind. However, that didn't mean the body and mind hadn't changed. If one were to look from her eyes now, things would be sharper. Darker. Edgier. She was weaponless, and she could no longer feel the streams. The moisture no longer clung to her. Rather, she felt so much grittier. She was tainted. She had ascended beyond any believable standards. She had become a goddess amongst Toa, rising above what she had ever imagined she could be. Her strength was that off a titan, her agility that of the wind, and her reflexes sharper than a blade. Yet, her muscles ached. She was sore. She stood, her body the most beautiful sight to behold. Daylaria held power in every step she took. There was thunder in her eyes, and lightning in her veins. And she stepped from the cliff, into a free fall. Air rushed into her face, but rather than biting at her flesh, it was deflected painlessly. It seemed that even the air around her recognized her power.And the sword called to her.Her wings picked up speed and she sliced into the sky, any remnants of snow or debris banished from her person. Like a missile, she landed in Ihi-Koro, administering a shockwave that shot snow out in all directions. The Sword of Justice called to her, crooning her to its location. She had to have it. It would bow to her, and her alone.See, when a Toa becomes a Valkyr, she generally becomes the amplification of one certain trait. Anythn, her creator, was the Valkyr of lust. Daylaria, however, had become obsessed with finding the Xa-Koroans and making them pay for what they had done. Simply, she had thought merely of justice. She had been on course to become a merciful, good Valkyr- but Anthyn was her maker. She was tainted. Daylaria had become vengeance personified. To all who sinned, their sins would be punished. Those who killed would be killed. Those who harmed would be harmed. That was her mission.She looked around the area, noticing the many who were gathering around her. Some marveled at her beauty. Some marveled at her wings. Some had admiration, and others had fear. Simply, she was regarded cautiously by all. And this was good, because no one was to get in the way of her search for the sword.

IC: My attitude was different. I felt no fear toward the valkyr- nor admiration, either. She was beautiful, yes, but I was far beyond appearances. The only one I'd ever met left a bad taste in my mouth, and I had no illusions about the angels. "Who the karz are you, may I ask?"