BZPRPG: Ta-Wahi

IC: Nikarra (Lavapool Inn, Ta-Koro)

Were she not still in shock from his sudden health evaluation, Nikarra might have commented on Dorian's self-praise. Of course, from where she stood (sat, leaned, slowly inched toward death? any worked for her) it seemed to be earned, but still.

She managed a nod, a slightly wider smile, and a quiet, "Sounds good."

It had barely been five minutes and Dorian already had her back, but she couldn't be bothered fighting. He seemed to know what he was doing, and she needed to eat, and as she'd already brought up he was hot.

IC Tuli

(Ta-Koro, Lavapool Inn):

 

"One of the few", Tuli agreed. "But far from the only one."

IC: Khervos (Lavapool Inn)

"Beg your pardon?"

IC:

"Hold that thought, cutie."

About eight minutes later and several secret, practiced culinary techniques later, I left Nikarra a solid plate of food and a tall glass of Bula juice. I saw her look up at me and then look at the food, and then I watched as her bright green eyes drifted back to the menu. I kind of enjoyed looking at those eyes; they were Kynaera's eyes in a lot of ways. You know, come to think of it, she looked a lot like--

No. No, you do not get to go down that road.

"It's all on the house," I said quickly. "Just...get your strength back."

-Tyler

IC: Nikarra (Lavapool Inn, Ta-Koro)"Thank you," Nikarra said, her voice almost a whisper.He cared.She knew that he cared. There was something in him, a warmth that hadn't been there before, and she could feel it. She wasn't deluding herself again. It was there.It had to be.At first, she attacked the food, leaving any thought of manners behind, but her mind quickly caught up with her mouth and she began pacing herself, chewing slower, taking sips of the Bula juice between bites. Not only was it more dignified, but she could have sworn she'd heard somewhere that it made you feel more full.When she was finished, she looked up at Dorian again. He'd barely moved in the time she was eating, and with that little bit more life a full stomach afforded her she found herself able to admire his features even more. "Thank you, Dorian. It... it means a lot."

IC:

"Don't even mention it. Seriously."

I picked up half of one fry that was still balanced on the try, a lone wolf that had somehow survived Nikarra's purge; with a flick, it soared up into the air like a master diver, and then it got picked off in midair by two fingers and twirled around like a cigarette before disappearing into my mouth with a single bite and swallow.

"See? You already look like a dime again."

-Tyler

IC: Nikarra (Lavapool Inn, Ta-Koro)Nikarra grinned. She knew that Dorian's compliment couldn't be genuine, but that didn't change the warmth it created inside her. "Thanks."Dorian looked great. She wondered if she should tell him. He probably already knew. What if he found her complimenting her weird or creepy or-No. Dorian had just given her food and kindness when very few others had, a compliment was the least she could offer. "You don't look so bad yourself."

IC:

I looked down at the space between my abs and the bar, zeroing in on the floor; suddenly every piece of dirt that had somehow avoided scrubbin was something to fawn over and get introspective about, a little cosmic mystery in its own right. My grin was still there, but it had faded slightly, become slightly saccharine.

"Uh..yeah, I guess. I'm...kinda sick, to be honest with you. I've been...under the weather lately."

"Oh?"

-Tyler

IC: Nikarra (Lavapool Inn, Ta-Koro)Now it was Nikarra's turn to look down at the floor.She had generally relied on inns, or, in some rare cases, men, for a bed, but her change in plans had left her with nowhere to stay. What was she meant to do? Ask more of Dorian, Dorian who had his own problems to deal with, Dorian who had shown her nothing but kindness since he'd seen her sitting at the bar? Or was she to spend another night curled up at the side of a street, cold and unwanted?Instead, she remained silent. She had nothing to say, and that said everything for her.

IC: Stronin

Stronin yawned from his perch on top of Soli's building. After the Rahkshi attacks, he had done his best to restock the forge with weaponry. His works were not up to par, compared to his employer, but he doubted it would really make much difference to someone who was not a connoisseur of the most elegant way to kill someone. He really didn't get sword fanatics at times. Any weapon, as long as it was sturdy enough, was useful.

"She really needs to stock up on some more books," he muttered, flipping through another page of the braille romance novel he had found stashed underneath Soli's mattress. Having exhausted his own supply of books, he was forced to rely on his employer's for entertainment, even learning how to read braille to do so.

He sighed, closing the book. It was no fun, reading about how the lovely Vortixx, Kemisa Daskess Younaoski, pursued the Golden King Mostudhski. It was exceedingly obvious that she would hook up with the snarky Duipppais, her companion in the quest to obtain the King's heart. There was absolutely no originality in romance novels these days.

Not that he read them or anything.

Totally.

"Right then, time to get moving."

OOC: Stronin open for interaction.

IC(Liacada-Lavapool Inn)Liacada, taking the key, took one last sip before heading upstairs. The room Dorian had given her was nice- extremely nice. She was quite tempted to fall asleep, but she had work to do. A client had approached her some time after she had killed the Turaga, obviously having seen her performance. He had promised to keep her funded and well equipped for her missions. At first, she had been somewhat conflicted about it- after all, she was still a member of Bad Company. However, she figured the benefits outweighed the potential consequences.She sat at the desk provided, taking out a wooden contraption given to her by the mysterious client. It was a circular plate with a wooden rod running through it. Each was embrazened with Matoran lettering. She had to decode each message bit by bit, each of which gave a hint to the next message. She spent minutes at a time on each letter. It was obviously meant to take hours to decipher completely, and it was certainly taking her quite a while. After a few more minutes, she set it down and sat back. It was time for the mercenary to have a bit of a power nap.

IC (Oreius) (Inu)

The grey sky was burnished with a coppery sheen by the light of the volcano.

Oreius breathed deep. Ta-Koro's hot, dry air filled his lungs; he tasted sulphur on his tongue. The very air seemed to embrace him as he walked along the village's hard black roads.

The Koro had changed in his absence. Granted, he had only been gone for a fortnight, but the changes that had accompanied the passing of these last months had only accelerated. Where once torches had burned to light the evening, there now stood lamp-posts that used electricity to create light. Where once a Matoran would have had to walk to cross the village, he now could ride on a self-propelled vehicle and reach his destination in minutes. Devices that had once relied on sweat and muscle to function now operated under the power of electricity and steam.

The world had grown strange since the Makuta's fall. When the thousand-year war had come to an end, the celebrations had been spectacular. Fireworks had lit up the sky every night; the jubilation was palpable in every Koro. With the Makuta's oppression ceased, the Matoran were free to rejoice. And they were free to create.

The extent to which the Makuta had influenced daily life on Mata Nui was remarkable, really. It was only after his vanquishing that Oreius had truly realized how affected he had been by the Darkness. He no longer had to look over his shoulder; he no longer started at shadows. The fear of defeat was lifted from his shoulders; he felt as though he were free of a crushing weight that he had carried for so long, he had forgotten that it was there.

The rest of island felt much the same way, it seemed. Within days of their liberation, the Matoran had begun to rebuild what had been destroyed, and do more than rebuild. Onu-Koro had burst into activity, churning out spectacular inventions -some more useful than others- that had changed the island forever. The “lightbulb” was one such creation: it was a sphere of glass that somehow used electricity to cast light. In Ta-Koro, the electricity was harvested from the vast heat of the lava that cradled the village.

Oreius didn't completely understand how it worked, but, luckily, the lamp-posts functioned regardless of his ignorance.

That first day after the Makuta's fall, it had fallen to Oreius to carry the message of victory to his home, Ta-Koro. He had emerged from the Rahkshi tunnel to see the villagers brandishing spears and swords, hoping against hope that the war was finally over, but unable to fully relax their guard until they knew for sure. He would never forget the look on every face when he had proclaimed the death of the Makuta, when the last of the tension had slipped from every shoulder, and the first shouts of freedom had risen to the sky.

The following days were filled with both celebration and work as the villagers began to set Ta-Koro right again. The gate and walls were repaired by day, and at the night a great bonfire was stoked to a magnificent blaze in the centre of the village. Food and drink flowed freely, and the songs and dancing carried late into the night.

Somewhere along the way, Jaller's promotion to leader of Ta-Koro was made official, complete with a solemn ceremony. Afterwards, Oreius had stood at the lip of the volcano and paid his respects to the former leader of the village: Turaga Vakama. It pained him to have been absent for the Turaga's funeral, but he felt that Vakama would have been alright with it; he would have been proud of him.

The repair work was finished quickly, but transitioned almost immediately into renovations and improvements. Bolstered by strange new inventions and technology from Onu-Koro, the Ta-Korans had gradually transformed their home. All the time and manpower that had been poured into the military for the past thousand years could now be directed elsewhere, now that the threat of the Makuta had ended.

Of course, the danger wasn't completely gone. The army of invading Rahkshi had been broken, but not utterly destroyed: outside of the Koros, the island harboured many wild Rahkshi. Oreius had taken it upon himself to deal with this threat himself – though wild Rahkshi were less dangerous than ones under their father's control, they were still formidable opponents, as powerful or more than the average Toa. Against a Toa Maru, however, they were-

Child's play.

Oreius chuckled at Inu's dryly humorous comment. The picture the Parakuka had provided was of a baby playing with a toy; evidently, he didn't find the Rahkshi to be much of a challenge anymore.

That's pretty funny coming from a slug.

An image of Oreius turning in a circle, bewildered and confused. The bright, bitter taste of alcohol. The sound of Rahkshi armour buckling between his fingers. The Toa of Fire winced as a headache flared up for a brief moment.

I must have missed something – were you drunk when we faced that Telerahk? Without me, you would not have lived to see your hangover.

The Telerahk in question was long dead – its staff now acted as Oreius' walking staff, tapping the ground with every second step.

You're the one who likes the taste of whiskey, not me.

We share a tongue, Oreius.

Doesn't mean I like it.

It does mean, however, that you are uncultured and thick.

Ouch.

How is that ego of yours, fire-spitter?

Bruised and bleeding.

Good. You need it.

I'd say the same of you.

A slug with a golden halo hovering over it, bathed in soft light.

Incorrect. I am perfect.

IC: Jaskyn- Lavapool

After consiming a reasonable amount of beverages, I walked to the Innkeeper and requested a room. A fee of 20 Widgets paid, I walked upstairs and entered the room I had rented. It was time to make use of it's matress.

OOC: Jaskyn taking a nap.

 

IC Tuli

(Ta-Koro, Lavapool Inn):

 

"One of the few", Tuli agreed. "But far from the only one."

IC: Khervos (Lavapool Inn)

 

"Beg your pardon?"

OOC: Lol

IC Tuli

(Ta-Koro, Lavapool Inn):

Wonderful job Tuli, you just managed to confuse the guy, Tuli thought. This had worked on some in the past, but for a while Tuli thought if perhaps she had begun to lose her touch at seduction. She felt a bit ashamed.

Nonsense, she thought. It's not you, it can't be. Time to take the stakes up.

"Just saying", she started with a seducive smile. "We have a set of fundamental rights, given to us by Mata Nui, no?"

IC: Stronin

Stronin leapt off the rooftop, quickly making sure that the forge was locked, and headed towards the Lavapool Inn to buy a drink.

IC: Khervos (Lavapool Inn)

There's one golden rule that a detective should always follow, don't let emotions cloud your judgement, especially not those connected to blood rushing to a certain place where you're less likely to put it to good use.

Right now, though, I wasn't overly concerned with that particular predicament.

"The freedom to choose, essentially" I said with a nod.

"It is a right that we may think we have, but it is in reaility restricted by society. If you really did whatever you wanted all the time, you wouldn't be considered a functioning member of society"

IC: Stronin

Stronin strode through the doors of the inn, settling down near the bar where he ordered a drink.

OOC: Open for interaction.

IC Tuli

(Ta-Koro, Lavapool Inn):

Mata Nui, he's better than I though, Tuli thought to herself in awe. Rahi-bones, he's smart.

Tuli felt a slight weakness overcome her. She had felt it before and knew what it meant, but was not going to give in. She hated when men did this to her. Well, sometimes she loved it, but when someone sweeps you off your feet - in a verbal way - it could be either way.

"That's been my philosophy too", Tuli said, making an effort to appear strong and completely in control of herself. "It's nice to see someone else carrying it, too."

Tuli took a sip of her drink. She cursed on the inside that she had ordered something mild. What she really wanted now was the strong stuff... again.

"You will go a long way with that attitude."

OOC: I'm having waaaay too much fun with these posts

IC: Khervos (Lavapool Inn)

"Check and mate" I mumbled to myself, and downed the entire rest of my glass.

"Well, Miss, it's been a pleasure, but I'm afraid I have business to attend to. As much as we both whish this night could continue, you must know that I have already lost my heart to the most fickle of mistresses... justice"

IC Tuli

(Ta-Koro, Lavapool Inn):

Tuli sighed in her mind. Not that this was the first time... but heavy emotions were always involved when you were being played by a hidalgo. A true man. The kind you didn't flirt with for money, but deeper intention. The kind you actually have some interest for.

Get over it, Tuli told herself. A special case he might be, but you have a duty to yourself as well.

"Justice is very lucky, then", Tuli simply said. "But I follow the same path you do. Perhaps, some day, our paths will cross again."

IC: Khervos (Lavapool Inn)

Suddenly, I realized how lucky I had been. Most of the time, when you'd leave womenfolk hanging they'd raise all karz as a response. Not this one, she understood, she shared my passion, my passion for justice.

"I'll look forward to it" I replied with a smile, before I left a clutter of widgets by the bill.

"Drink's on me" I said, then I slowly walked out of the bar.

IC Tuli

(Ta-Koro, Lavapool Inn):

Tuli returned Khervos' smile and watched him leave. As a gentleman, of course he had paid for the drinks. Not surprising, but kind nonetheless.

Tuli held her glass and played with it, deep in thought. There was still a small drop of her drink in there and it swirled at the bottom of the glass as she shook it lightly. The voices at the inn seemed more distant to her now (not completely of course, Tuli had made herself a promise to always be attentive) and as the sun was setting below the horizon, her surroundings darkened.

Back to the usual, Tuli thought, downing the rest of her drink and rising up from her chair, beginning a short treck home. The night was young but she really needed a rest.

IC: Stronin

Stronin sighed as he slumped onto the counter of the Lavapool Inn's bar. There was absolutely nothing to do these days, especially after Soli had disappeared to who-knows-where. Nobody ever visited the forge any more, nor did anyone really visit him. He hadn't seen his parole officer in ... actually, he didn't even think his parole officer was alive anymore.

"My life sucks."

IC:

The subtle new twist of her spine's curvature hinted at several nights on a bed of cobblestones, or trash heaps, or a more insidious locale; it wasn't hard to see the shame in her eyes even when she looked down, and it was no chore to understand the universal cue for not having a place to stay: total, dead, melancholy silence that did all the talking for her. I sighed lowly and reached under the bar again, digging up a room key and sliding it across the bar into Nikarra's hand gently. She looked up marginally at the touch of the cold metal against her fingertip but realized what it was and looked down again pretty quickly.

"That room is on me. I want you to go upstairs soon, lie down, and sleep for...three days. Give or take."

-Tyler

IC: Anthraz

Anthraz had followed the footprints but it came to a dead-end at Ta-Koro. He decided to rest after travelling for hours. The hot village was making it hard for Anthraz to rest. The Toa of Ice decided to wander into the village.

OOC: Anthraz is open for interaction.

IC: Akira

 

The paladin shook her head. "I have never been there. Honestly, I have only seen Ga and Ta wahi so far. I only woke up on the shores very short time ago." She explained. "But whoever he or she is, I hope they can avoid getting into trouble before we find them." Akira sighed. "Anyway, what is your story? What did you do before becoming a Toa?" she asked, wanting to know something about Vorlik in return. "If you can remember that is. From what I gathered, I am not the only case of amnesia in this land."

IC: Vorlik

"I was a farmer. Rahi attacked the farm, I ran, and tripped over a Toa Stone. Yes. I tripped over a Toa Stone that was in the middle of the Po-Wahi."

IC: (Perkahn, Lavapool Inn)

Taking a good long gulp of his drink, Perkahn carefully scanned the interior of the Lavapool Inn. This was not a place he visited a lot - twenty years back, it wasn't quite here yet, and after he returned, as mentioned before, he didn't spend that much time drinking.

With Dorian having removed himself to Liacada and then to Nikarra, Perkahn found himself lacking a good conversation partner. Pity, really.

ooc: yeah open for interaction

IC: StroninElssewhere in the Lavapool Inn, Stronin was being incredibly melancholic and cursing the monotony of his life.

IC: Brekan

Safety, a small alleyway of to the side, the perfect place to calm herself. Way too many people, numbers far beyond what she was comfortable with. With Fov around, it was a lot easier. He would do all the talking, he would act as a living shield against those around her. But now she didn't have him around, no one was there to keep the world at bay. She'd have to do it herself.

And it seemed to her, the best place to go about it was from hiding in this alley, away from the eyes and ears of the passersby on their way through the Koro. Yes, this was obviously the best place to be... even if it made finding someone willing to work with her a little difficult. She could deal with it, she was staying out for now.

IC Tuli

(Ta-Koro, Tuli's hut):

The rays of light from a rising sun tickled Tuli's mask, awakening her in a peaceful manner. As soon as she opened her eyes and saw the light, her head started hurting.

Rahi-bones, Tuli cursed to herself. I should start drinking less. I wasn't even drunk last night and I've still got this headache...

She stood up. The crackling of fire could be heard everywhere. That was a good sign. It meant everything was well in Ta-Koro.

Time for work. For duty, Tuli thought. Another thought added itself to those. For protecting justice.

Now Tuli could remember the stranger from the previous evening. The black and purple Ba-Matoran detective. He had spoken dearly of justice and seemed to value the same things as Tuli.

He really had me wrapped around his finger, Tuli thought. He had a chance with me but gave it up for his thought of duty. Admirable. Maybe even smart. But still disappointing.

Tuli took a deep breath. The smoke didn't bother her. She was already used to it. It was time for work again. Yesterday had been a rare day off. There was a village to guard, however. She might as well get to it.

*

A guard's job was simple. After reporting to the captain, one would simply have to go through one of the guard towers to get the proper gear and start guarding at a predefined position. Tuli had a different kind of shift today. She would walk around the village, looking out for general troublemakers - not to forget the occasional good-looking guy.

Back to my duty.

OOC: Tuli open for interaction. You can meet her anywhere in Ta-Koro, since she's just walking around.

OOC: Toatapio Nuva, would a guard find someone standing completely alone in the back of a well-lit alleyway suspicious? XD

IC: Brekan

She finally managed to calm herself fully, trying to muster up the courage to go back into the living streets of the Koro, the constant motion and never-stopping energy. But she needed to find a less crowded part of the city, but still one with someone she could speak to about the job. Recruiting had never seemed this hard when she was merely going over it in her head, now it was a terrifying ordeal.

She took a step forward, then promptly took in back, stopping exactly where she had been before. To get out of the alley, she would have to walk through the busy street again, and she found she really didn't want to do such.

OOC: Haha, she definately would.

IC Tuli

(Ta-Koro, an alley):

Tuli detected a stranger, a dark-coloured Toa, standing alone at the back of an alley. Finding it extremely suspicious, she proceeded to confront the strange.

"Excuse me", Tuli said sternly at the figure. "May I enquire what business you have in this abandoned alley?"

OOC: Lol, a Matoran going all "state your business" to a Toa. XD

IC: Brekan

She was startled by the sound of someone else walking into the alleyway, and instantly prepared herself for the worse. As she turned her eyes towards the location of the sound, she saw a Matoran standing there. A Matoran with a guard's spear.

As she was asked the question, she did her best to quickly explain, trying to fight back to escape response that echoed in her head. Plus, talking to others wasn't exactly something that came easily to her. "Uh, well, I was just... and then I, and... uh...Treasure, people, and... uh..."

OOC: And the fact the Toa is more scared of the Matoran than the other way around. XD

IC Tuli

(Ta-Koro, alley):

Tuli raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, but I can't understand a word you're saying. If there is nothing more for you to say, I'm afraif I will have to take you to a guard post to get a clearance on the situation."

OOC: I'm seriously laughing at this bizarre scenario... On the other hand, Tuli does have authority so it's not like she couldn't arrest a Toa if she had to.

IC: Brekan

At the look on the guard Matoran's face, Brekan became even more panicked, and the words she was saying didn't little to help reduce the nervous response that was coming from Brekan. She was just plain terrified now.

"No, please, I uh... there was... Friend in Onu-Koro... treasure, uh... four eyed... blades at... uh... argument, left for... too many people... stressed out..." She just kept going, unable to find a complete sentence forming well under the threat of being taken to the guard post.

OOC: It is quite humorous. I do indeed understand that, but the danger of arrest is no reason to play a character differently than they would act. XD

IC Tuli

(Ta-Koro, alley):

Tuli had heard enough. Whether this person was indeed a criminal or just some crazy person, she needed to be taken care of.

"Please come with me to the post", she said, gesturing with her spear for the Toa to come.

IC: Akira

"Hah! Now that is a proof that the Great Spirit works in mysterious ways, if I ever saw one." Akira shook her head in amazement. "Still, If you weren't destined for this, you'd still be running around as a Matoran." she shrugged. "Well, we'll be leaving for Le-Koro tomorrow. Make sure you're ready, we leave early evening." She said, packing her scroll back in her bag and producing another one out of it, along with a bone pen. She gazed on it. The scroll was plain text full of gaps. then she started scribbling on it, adding what she just recalled.

IC: (Perkahn, Lavapool Inn)

Spotting Stronin, Perkahn picked up his drink and headed right to the seemingly upset Toa. They didn't talk that much, but had gotten to know each other a bit during the battle for Ta-Koro and following months.

"Hey, Stronin. How's life with you? You seem a bit down."

IC: Vorlik

The Vo-Toa nodded. He didn't have many possessions, but he would get the ones he had.

IC: Khervos (Ta-Koro)

Another day, another tedious session of grinding. Such was the life of a Private Eye, or rather, the part that no one else saw. When I walked onto a crime scene, interrogated a suspect, or ran verbal circles around a lovely woman in a bar, all they saw was the gallantry, the bravado, the romanticism and exotic flair of unraveling a mystery right before the eyes of everyone.

I was once again forced to the confines of my own demented psyche as I walked through the streets of Ta-Koro, on the way to my next lead.

IC: Brekan

Being told to follow to the guard post would mean not only heading out through the streets, but also having to go into a building that could potentially be filled with people as well. She couldn't do it.

She just stood completely immobile, trying to think of what it had been called by the doctor back in Ga-Wahi. "Anthropophobia..."