BZPRPG: Le-Wahi

IC:

Silently, a figure came into view near Naona and the others.

It took but a moment for him to be recognized. Normally it would not have taken so long, but Krayn stood with a stiff and rigid posture that had not been seen from his in many weeks. His face was stone, unreadable, inscrutable. His coat was drawn tight around him, the handles of his weapons visible, poking out from it.

The De-Toa had been very busy since the attack. Rebuilding, checking in with other Gukko Force officers, and trying to quell the public terror at what had occurred. Not to mention dealing with the many, many missing persons reports. So much death, so much destruction in his village. And he hadn't been in time to do anything about it. He had only managed to arrive well after the assault had begun, and even then only to pick off some of the remaining enemies.

He had failed in his duties, in every possible respect. He had been absent when he was needed, he had failed to keep his village safe, he had failed to keep his people safe. The best he could do was try and help clean up the aftermath. He had thrown himself into his work, trying to make up for it. And his failure was driven home every time a citizen asked for help, every time he caught a glimpse of the shell shocked terror in their eyes. Every time, a little bit more of him died.

"Lieutenant Naona, Colonel Hari, Major Dehkaz, Simul." The De-Toa said in greeting, his voice as dead as his eyes. "When do we get moving?"

IC: Skyra - Le-koro -

One of the other Toa of Fire, Agni I believe was his name if I remembered correctly, pushed me away from Joske.

"Ease off, officer." he said, looking me in the eyes, strictly, but not aggressive. "Nothing was stolen from the Turaga's home. Go ask your captain, we're here by his leave."

If Agni recognized me at all he didn't show it, not that he really had known me before. "Okay but you could at least expla-"

"Now, be a good Toa of air and give my colleague some room to breathe."

This shut me up, leaving me look slightly more stressed than before. Inside I was starting to fume a bit. I didn't like being pushed for one thing, or interrupted.

Tuara stepped forwards, "Alright friends! Tuara Drigton, Deputy of the Ta-Koro Guard," she flashed her badge, "Show's over! Go home," she started waving people away, "Yes, leave. Thank you."

My expression soften a bit when I saw Tuara. Of course I knew her from the whole Mark Bearer fiasco. She had probably suffered more than anyone when Iris had taken over her body. I hoped that Tarn was in the deepest part of karz itself right now, without the marks he had no where to go I assumed, but of course, he had cheated death once...

Tuara stopped right in front me, though she didn't seem to know who I was, she placed a hand on my shoulder, "Sorry ma'am, but we're going to have to ask you to head out," she started to push me gently, guiding me away from the center of the circle, "If you're concerned with our actions, I suggest you check with your Captain."

Well, if Tuara was involved with this, it had to be something really important, and obviously they didn't feel inclined to explain it in such a public place. I decided that I should probably point out that I was in fact Skyra. "Tuara it's me Skyra I-"

Tuara however was no longer in front of me, while I had become lost in my own thoughts I hadn't even noticed what all the Toa of Fire were doing. In a rather glorious display of fire, heat, and way too much brightness I was temporarily left stunned. When the smoke cleared, they were all gone. A quick burst of wind got rid of the smoke, I hated smoke.

I sighed, while I was quite capable of tracking them down, I decided quite against it. I had business with Kongu after all, and this whole situation just added about a hundred more questions that I needed to ask him. Though I suspected he'd have even more for me.

The cry of a Kahu interrupted my thoughts, coming from behind me, I smiled as I turned around to see Destiny. "At least you still recognize me huh girl?" I said to the massive bird, stroking her neck. I had raised Destiny since she'd been a hatchling, it didn't matter that my body was different, we were bonded in a way that she could recognize me no matter what I looked like. And only I knew the correct way to summon her, the melody I had played for her on my instrument since she was a hatchling was unique and only fully understood between both of us.

I had also quite forgotten about Fehlan, who was standing nearby.

IC: Le-Koro Square

I suppose that the universe does, at one point or another, finally figure out that something is amiss in the world, and tries to rectify it. For example, the Great Spirit realizes that I have a drinking problem, and so, drops a screaming Ta-Toa behind me, in an act so ridiculous there was no in Karz that it couldn't have been an alcohol-induced hallucination.

Spinning around, I watched as a crowd of onlookers swarmed the poor Toa of Fire.

Okay.

This is a really realistic alcohol-induced hallucination.

Among the group was that incredibly nervous Toa of Earth (Kehuri), who looked like he was wondering the same thing I was: just what had I been drinking?

Fine, it was probably more along the lines of "what just happened", but you have to admit that my logic is sound. In an insane sort of way.

Tapping the Onu-Toa on the shoulder, I asked, "Is this real, or I am suffering from severe hallucinations right now?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

IC: Fowadi

Rynekk smiled, that old confidence gleaming in his eyes again, "Back to work, sir, right."

Turning back to the ship, the Toa spotted Hari and Naona discussing their plans.

"We're staying put until Matau is successfully escorted back to Le-Koro," replied the guard, turning to face her subordinate. "Once he is, we shall set off for the other villages to return the rest of the Turaga."

In that case, I've gotta wash this accursed mud off of me, he thought, absent-mindedly removing his duster as he walked over to the shore.

The waves were slow today, the tide high, giving Rynekk plenty of room to clean up. Setting his coat on a nearby rock, the Po-Toa started stripping off his supplementary armour, starting with his gauntlets and working down to his boots.

Working the worn protodermis with the side of his hand, he began sending large clumps of moist dirt tumbling into the water, where they broke apart, creating small clouds of grit in the clear waters.

That's what I do wherever I go, isn't it? Rynekk thought, a sad smile finding itself on his face, Pollute?

He shook his head. This wasn't the time to be thinking of such things. He had to focus on the subject at hand. Just keep scrubbing the armour.

Dunk the metal into the water.

Wipe mud off.

Reflect on how brown your armour is.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Wait?

Brown?

The armour's brown. The paint was coming off. The rust, so carefully applied by his Makuta-influenced fingers, to suit his equally-addled mind's intents. It was coming off. After two months.

Why now? He had been countless pools of water, numerous rainstorms since the rust was added. Why was it coming off now? What had changed?

Had the paint just worn off? Its time done, its life spent? That made sense, yeah.

Or...

Or, the Toa of Stone repeated in his mind, Or...

Rynekk Simul went back to wiping his past off of his armour.

-Void

IC: KehuriThe Toa of Earth started a little as someone tapped him on the shoulder. The self-deprecation still lingering in his head was surprised anyone deemed him to be worth talking to. Oh, plus it was a woman. Fortunately, being stunned by the sight of Cael seemed to calm his raging heart for the most part. He was afraid he'd get a heart attack at this rate. "That depends," he said with a smirk, defaulting to humor, his method of coping with his insecurity. "If what you're seeing is a Toa of Fire," he didn't mention his name, for no particular reason, "that just fell from the sky and is now surrounded by onlookers, then I'd say you're just fine."He was about to add something else, but was interrupted by a burst of fire. And suddenly, Joske and the other Toa of fire were gone. Kehuri looked around and spotted Cael again. Figuring she knew them well, he stepped closer- though still close enough to the Toa that had approached him that he wouldn't think Kehuri was ditching him- and asked her, "What happened? Is he always like this?"OOC: Please, people, include the name of the character at the beginning of your post, or at least within the text! And if possible, mention their element. I'm inclined to think the Toa speaking to Kehuri is a Toa of Iron, but I still have no idea what his name is!Also, I'm assuming Cael gave Kehuri at least a brief explanation before heading out. As for knowing Joske's identity, Kehuri would have recognized him soon enough.

IC: "Thieving good? Or lawful?" Hau's grin slightly contracted. "Er...Not really. How's that?"

OOC: Okay, sorry about that. P.S: It's lightning.

IC: Plagia Simul - Le-Koro Square

I grinned, half-relieved, half-even-more-disturbed, "Well, hopefully, we both haven't gone crazy. Though, when a girl with serious drinking problems sees a flying Ta-Toa while sober, I think that raises more questions than it answers..."

-Void

IC

IC. Le-Wahi.Liacada stood, arms crossed, eyes as bored as usual. Those eyes rolled as Joske made his escape. She turned to walk away, throwing back a slight sound of mild irritation. For someone who'd spent his life in an arena, he sure couldn't stand a crowd. She found herself a bit disappointed by the athlete- stories really could be exaggerated.

OOC: Liacada to Onu-Koro.-----Meanwhile, in a forest, Sucogu still talked with Hau."Have you considered if stealing is based on who is being stolen from?"

IC: Rynekk Simul - Outside the Fowadi - Washing his Armour

Rynekk turned at the sound of Krayn's voice, glad to know that he had returned, and that the team was back together again. Still scrubbing away at his remaining armour, he turned to face the Guard, a joking salutation sliding off of his tongue--

--and falling out of his mouth, dead.

Krayn was mess. No, not a mess. Rynekk was a mess. His mind was disjointed, coming apart at the edges.

Krayn, he just looked and sounded like he was dying inside.

"As...as soon as the Turaga has been safely escorted to his home," he began, the facts tumbling out of his mouth, numbly, "Sir, are you alright?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

IC: ??? - Hospital - About to Interact with People

The Toa grinned, before bounding out of the room, through the hallways (terrifying quite a few nurses, doctors and patients alike). His yellow eyes brimmed with excitement. At last, he would begin to be able to function in society. Would this be the first step to discovering who he was? Hopefully.

But even if it didn't, this was the start of his new life. No matter how traumatic it may have begun, this was a fresh start for the Toa, a thing very few beings got. Now, he could choose what sort of existence he wanted for himself. All he had to do, was go outside, and talk to people.

Couldn't be that hard, could it?

With an exuberant leap, the Toa crashed through the door of the hospital, landing in the main square of the village of air, where more than a single Le-Matoran scrambled away in shock and fear.

Realizing he was scaring away potential interaction, he stumbled over to a group of villagers, trying to explain that he meant no harm. Unfortunately, when you barely know how to speak, apologizing is... difficult. And, in this case, only ended up making things worse, with the Le-Matoran running in flat-out terror.

Alright, maybe this would be harder than expected.

-Void

IC: Hau thought for a second. "No...So wait a sec." He paused, mind grinding away at the problem.

"Stealing stuff can be good if you're doing it to bad guys? But it's bad if it's to good guys?"

OOC: Void, interaction? Genno can't eat burgers all day.

IC: Genno

Genno was happily munching his fourth mega-sized burger (which was causing a lot of the restaurant's other patrons to stare at him) when he heard a large crash outside. Grunting in confusion (with food still in his mouth), he walked outside to take a look. Sure enough, a toa of fire had randomly dropped into the midst of the villager, sending many of them running for cover. "Hey!" Genno tried to say only for food to fly out of his mouth. Noting this, he swallowed the rest of his burger before continuing. "What is going on?" he muttered to himself. With that thought, the slug on his back showed him a picture of a dictionary with what looked like a question mark over it. "What?" The Parakuka hissed in exasperation and showed him matoran letters saying "He can't speak our language." "Communication breakdown? He's trying to talk to people but he can't express himself?" Sure enough, upon closer inspection, the stranger seemed to be tripping over his words, which only sent matoran running off. "Maybe I can fix this," Genno thought. "Hello there?" he shouted again.

OOC: Hey guys, we screwed up a timeline again. Timeskipping ahoy.

IC: [Naona]

"Krayn, what have you been doing."

IC: [Ril]

"Got to lessen your enthusiasm man," said Ril, following his companion out.

IC: Krayn

"I've been doing my job, Lieutenant." Krayn replied, his voice devoid of almost all emotion. "And you didn't answer the question."

IC: ??? - Le-Koro - Meeting Genno

"Hello there?"

The Toa spun around at the shout, since someone outside the hospital was actually speaking to him, not just screaming in terror. He smiled at the newcomer, who looked fairly similar to Ril, but with some sort of...thingy, attached to him. The Toa did a quick check and noted that he seemed to be only one around with one of those, leading him to wonder who exactly this person was.

"Hello... random stranger," he shouted back, taking a few steps towards Genno, a large grin still on his face.

"Got to lessen your enthusiasm man," he heard Ril say behind him, and, once again, the Toa struggled in understanding what he was saying. The words sounded vaguely like a fancier version of something Skaarn had said...

"So," he said slowly, hoping he was getting the meaning right, "I gotta... make less 'enthusiasm men'? What are 'enthusiasm men'?"

-Void

IC: [Naona]

"I suppose we should be heading off very soon, seeing that the ILF have managed to escort the rest of the Turaga back."

IC: [Ril]

"I'm saying that you have to a be a bit less energetic."

IC:

Kethrye nodded at Naona, having just returned from reinstating Turaga Nuju in the rebuild Ko-Koro. "The question, is where?" he replied. "No one's heard any word from anyone about those other two ships, right?"

IC Genno (Talking to ??? And Ril)Genno just stood there, a confused look on his face. "This is going to be harder than I thought," he thought. "Is he new here?" Genno asked Ril.

"Name's Genno by the way."

IC: Krayn

"Not that we know of, no." The De-Toa answered, looking at Kethrye. "And if they managed to get here undetected, they're good at steering clear of any Guard vessels."

"Wich means we aren't going to find out where they are from a Guard vessel."

IC: [Naona]

"The best we can do is stay alert for signs of them," sighed Naona. "This is going to be more difficult than I imagined."

IC:

"If the Marines or any of the other navies have seen anything, what about civilian or. . .non-regulated shipping? They can't of just sailed out into the blue, and if they're out there, someone must have seem them." said Kethrye, stroking the chin. "Pirates and smugglers know exactly what routes are best for avoiding unwanted attention, it's what they do. Might not be the most willing of informants, but I'm sure at least one of them could be swayed to our point of view."

IC: Krayn

"Exactly. And, I have a feeling I know just the group to contact." Krayn said, his face turning, if it was possible, even more grim. "We're not going to just wait for them to make a move. They're not getting the chance to do this again."

IC: Kehaga - Le-koro -

"I'll pretend I understood all that..." Kehaga commented as they walked toward the village square. "Where are we going?"

IC: [Kunitu]

"No idea," replied Kunitu. "Although that female Toa of Air there feels familiar."

IC Genno (Trying to get Ril's attention)"Hello? Did you hear what I just said?"

IC: [Ril]

"Yeah I did. Seriously, it has only been about a few seconds. Don't be so impatient for a reply. No idea though. I just met the guy."

IC Genno"It's only been a few seconds?" Genno said in confusion. He checked the time by looking at the village clock. "My goodness, it felt like minutes?""So anyways," he said, going back to his usual nonchalance, "You even know the guy's name or something?"

IC: [Ril]

"Nope."

IC: KehuriThe Toa of Earth leaned on the Fowadi's railing. His mind went back to Whenua's departure. The kind elder had recognized him when he told him his name, even though they had so rarely spoken. Despite all that had happened, seeing a familiar face (albeit more than twice as tall, and behind a new mask) seemed to have cheered him up. He apologized for not accompanying him to Onu-Koro, explaining that he had a Duty to the entire island now. He warned him of Kyju's rise to power, and told him to be careful. Kehuri wouldn't put assassination past the Akrainid. He had then given the Turaga a lengthy hug, telling him how glad he was to see Whenua safe. He had shed some tears then, but covered them up quickly. And then he was gone. Back home. Sighing, he stopped leaning on the rail and headed towards the leader of the ILF- whom he'd finally gotten past the embarrassment to actually ask the name of- and found him discussing with a Toa of Stone he hadn't met yet. Another woman, but his heart didn't do any leaps this time. His training with Naru had worn it out for the day. He had to say, her heavily offensive style worked wonders for training his defensive style. He stood at a respectful distance, as he had when they had first met, and waited for them to finish, listening in.

IC: Genno

"Interesting.. So you're... uh, introducing him to the island?"

IC: [Ril]

"Yeah. I do that a lot."

IC: Tuara - Le-WahiTuara rechecked her throwing disk and staves, making sure everything was in place, "So what's the plan?""Ko-Wahi," Tuara looked to the others in the group, "The glacier is nearby. If we move quickly we could get there by nightfall... granted no other distractions."Everybody started for their things, Tuara nodding to Angelus, a raised eyebrow, "I never told you my last name?"

"Exactly. And, I have a feeling I know just the group to contact." Krayn said, his face turning, if it was possible, even more grim. "We're not going to just wait for them to make a move. They're not getting the chance to do this again."

IC:

Kethrye's mouth shifted into a brutal grin. "Good."

IC: Krayn

Krayn's eyes flicked to the approaching Kehuri. The De-Toa had never seen him before, not even once. And unlike Kethrye, whom he had met only a short time ago, he had no credibility on which to stand. He wasn't trustworthy.

It took only a thought to ensure that the Onu-Toa would be unable to listen in to the conversation. His eyes moved back to Kethrye. "We have to get in contact with the Infernavika. They're the only pirates I know of with the ability to be of help, and to be blunt, they're the only ones well known enough to be tracked with any ease whatsoever."

IC: [Naona]

"Hopefully we won't be ramming them again."

IC: Plagia Simul - Fowadi - Watching the Proceedings

I won't say I wasn't interested in what was going on here, between Keth and Guard. Obviously, something big was going down, but I was way to new here to completely understand. Had this been happening back home, I'd probably be right in there, hounding them for information, comparing battle tactics...

But no, this was alien territory. I needed to be patient, and to listen.

Plus, he was still there. I couldn't help but glance at him every few seconds, and every time I did, my heart plunged deeper into my stomach. The sight of him nodding in silence, grinning occasionally at a joke...interspersed with memories of his crazed fighting, his the tip of his spear aiming itself at my throat...

A shiver ran up my spine, and I forced those images out of my mind. Now wasn't the time for that. I just had to stay calm and wait.

Not really my skill-set, let me be honest.

IC: Rynekk Simul - Outside the Fowadi - Watching the Proceedings

"We have to get in contact with the Infernavika."

There it was, in nine simple words. Rynekk's death sentence.

His mind's eye swung back to that fateful day in Ta-Wahi. On the deck of that pirate ship, confused and alone, watching his best friend die slowly and silently, with no one to mourn her passing, except for two partially insane Toa.

Mata Nui, I miss Tadris, he thought suddenly, the image of his old friend popping into his mind. His hand unconsciously reached for the map Stendhal had given him the night of the wedding, a sharp jab of fear resonating in his soul from the memory of that strange Toa and his cryptic message:

"Dark days are coming, Rynekk. The Prophecy is coming true, events will occur that you cannot stop. From the ashes the fires will rage and Mata-Nui will burn, and you... You will burn too."

Beat you to the punch, I'm already burning.

Closing his eyes, Rynekk pushed that out of his mind, instead focusing his thoughts on the Infernavika, and the mystery Skakdi who murdered Rucia. Images of the former's death burned bright in the Toa's mind. A spear shaft jammed into his throat, brown gauntlets stained with blood. Yes, that did sound nice...

nononononononononononono

Don't.

I forced myself to concentrate on scrubbing my armour, hoping that would keep my mind off of murder and death and burning.

IC: ??? - Le-Koro - Talking to Genno and Ril

"I'm saying that you have to a be a bit less energetic."

The Toa nodded, suddenly much clearer on the subject. All he had to do was calm down. Probably.

"Is he new here? Name's Genno by the way."

Genno? Name? Wasn't that something you called a person? Did the Toa have one?

"You even know the guy's name or something?"

Hm, maybe he did have a name. But what was it?

The Toa looked down at himself, as if the answer might be printed somewhere on his body. Of course, that wasn't the case. However, he did notice the odd object that was hanging from his hip. It was... the knife, that was what Skaarn had called it... yes, the knife that the Hordika had stolen and then lost again to the Toa.

Grabbing the hilt, the Toa unsheathed the knife (which, in truth, was a very large sword), scanning its surface for answers.

And unlike his body, it yielded one. Two words, printed on the metal surface: Phoenix Blade.

"Name's," the Toa began, squinting and scrutinizing the words in front of him, "Pe-hoe-ee-nix-bla-dey..."

-Void

IC: [Ril]

"Sounds long. I'll just call you Peho Eniblad."

IC: Kehuri (also watching the proceedings)In the sunlight, Kehuri's sensitive Onu-Toa vision failed to catch the glance he received from Krayn. He did, however, notice that he suddenly couldn't hear them anymore. A Toa of Sonics, he figured. Not that it mattered. He stayed in the same spot, respectfully waiting for the leader of the ILF to be done talking.

IC: Kongu

Kongu watched the chaotic scene with annoyance. Just last night there was a deadly attack, and this Toa of Fire decided to play shenanigans.

That's when the Gukko Force captain realized that he had spent a lot of time out here and that he still had reports to go over back at the Gukko Force HQ. Turning on his heel, the Le-Matoran began to walk away from the Town Square.

Kale Ironshaper- Fowadi

IC: The ship had gone from almost totally silent to a hub of bustle and noise in the space of a half an hour. Kale spent his time mostly making sure that the people on board were supposed to be on board. After a bit he got through the various beings and leaned against the railing, watching everything with a slight grin on his face. It looked like some sort of major plan was in the works and he was ready to strike a blow or five for Mata Nui.

As he scanned the crowd, he spotted Plagia by herself against another of the bulwarks. He quietly made his way over and said, with the grin still in place "I think you and your brother are about to have simultaneous heart attacks."

IC: [The Fourth]

After hours of silently hanging around the deck of the Fowadi, the Fourth finally spoke. "Have you ever wondered why we need to eat?"