10-21-2015, 11:37 AM
Kopaka limped slowly out of the arena floor, having been freed from the invisible walls that had contained him and his diminutive opponent. It had been a good fight, but Kopaka resisted the temptation to derive any sort of satisfaction from the exchange. That sort of enthusiasm was better suited to his brother, Tahu. He had managed to heal a majority of the damage to his bionic lungs while waiting on the arena floor, but he still uttered soft coughs every few feet he walked. Lingering secondaries gave token commendations and words of applause as the Toa trudged past, clapping slowly and attempting to congratulate him on a job well done. It was sickening. Kopaka paused for a moment, leaning against a wall for support as he ran a hand over his Mask. Memories were stirring within his fatigued neural pathways.
"Kohli?" Kopaka asked, looking at the large, rounded stone at Pohatu's feet. The Toa of Stone nodded enthusiastically and began keeping the ball aloft with repetitive bumps from his protosteel knees.
"Yeah. They say it used to be a huge deal back in Metru Nui. I'm not exactly sure how it's played though." Pohatu said, giving the immense stone a mighty kick with his enhanced feet before catching the ball in the crook of his mechanical arm. Kopaka scoffed slightly.
"Then why bother?" the Toa of Ice said, sneering from behind his mask. Despite the fact that he got along quite well with Pohatu, the Toa's flights of fancy did tend to chafe against Kopaka's more stern sensibilities. Pohatu simply laughed before continuing to trudge back down the path towards the Order's base. The island ambiance tended to go quiet when Pohatu's loud, heavy footfalls were echoing through the forest. Kopaka always found it ironic that the Toa who was the slowest of them physically had been granted the Kakama, the Mask of Speed, as his default Kanohi. Still, it spoke to the Toa of Stone's persistence that he never let any of Lewa's or Tahu's chiding, infantile ribbing phase him. Only Onua, and possibly Kopaka himself, had more patience...though in Kopaka's case, a reaction to such taunting had to be suppressed, rather than being able to ignore it completely.
Kopaka would be lying if he said he was completely disinterested in this new little tidbit of Mata Nui lore that Pohatu had been able to dredge up. The icey biomech had always been invested in intellectual pursuits, not the least of which was history and legends. Kopaka didn't exactly take many of the myths of Mata Nui to heart, but he did at least understand their importance from a cultural basis. That said, his knowledge of old world sport was pretty hazy, so maybe Pohatu would be willing to divulge a bit more information.
"The Kohli game, was it violent?" Kopaka asked, trying not to sound too interested. Pohatu, however, knew better, which elicited another chuckle from the Toa of Stone.
"No, not really. I mean, it was pretty physical, people got knocked over and stuff but it wasn't gladitorial, per se."
Kopaka shook his aching head as the memory abruptly ended, and blinked a few times as his mind returned to the present. Before him stood a young female of some sort, with large, floppy ears, big eyes and mottled grey skin. It was a species of biological that Kopaka had not yet seen before, but the eagerness in the female's eyes put Kopaka slightly at ease. She was grinning at him with a sharp toothed grin and holding a large, bundled object in her arms.
"What?" Kopaka asked in a solemn tone that lacked his usually chilly edge. The creature only beamed wider and held the bundle towards him.
"M-my name is Lorn, and uh...and I think you're cool!" she squeaked. Kopaka blinked slowly, saying nothing. There was a long, tense silence before the diminutive biological continued.
"Uh...I saw your fight! And uh, I-I saw your mask things and I thought they kinda resembled a mask thing that I have...a-and...and..." the creature said, trailing off. Kopaka took note that there appeared to be increased blood flow to her facial features. The Toa wasn't sure what this indicated, but it was clear at this point that 'Lorn' was not hostile. Her speaking of masks also grabbed Kopaka's attention. With a tentative grasp, Kopaka slowly unwrapped the mysterious parcel, and was astonished to see the grinning face of the Kanohi Miru staring back at him. There was another pause.
"How...where..." Kopaka said trailing off, trying desperately to conceal the equal amounts of confusion and elation in his voice. The small creature giggled.
"Oh, I'm just a member of the Asuran Archeological Association. We found this particular mask high in the ruins of an ancient castle in the Frozen Fields. Rumor has it that it was once a great treasure stronghold for an ancient Dwarven king, but we suspected..." Lorn said, trailing off slowly as Kopaka turned to look her in the eyes.
"Why are you giving this to me?" he asked, honestly confused. Lorn's face was subjected to another surge of blood. Kopaka conjectured that it was, perhaps, some sort of automatic response to stress.
"W-well...it had just been sitting around the archives, mostly being ignored, and when I saw your fight I drew some connections between the aesthetics of your masks and this-"
"Kanohi Miru."
"...Kanohi Miru! So I figured I could just grab and give it to you be-cause I am kind of a fan...?" Lorn said, looking down at her three toed feet. This was new for Kopaka: a fan? It was odd to consider the possibility of someone liking him, especially based purely on his combat prowess alone. This was truly an alien world. Still, this female, she was a resident of Camelot, the sworn enemy of the Empire, the society with which Kopaka had aligned himself. Even entering this tournament, he was deceiving each and every resident of the stands. The Toa of Ice did not think it was right to accept such an immense gift from someone he was deceiving, who could quite possibly loathe him if the truth were to be found out. With great reluctance, Kopaka pushed the Miru back into the Asuran's hands. For some reason, the watery expression on her face caused him a great amount of discomfort. Sentimentalism be damned; was he really buying into this creature's unconditional admiration for him?
"I am sorry, I cannot accept such a boon." Kopaka said, the longing in his voice wholly apparent. The Asuran female looked confused, and her ears drooped heavily.
"N-no! I'm sorry. I-I didn't think it would...offend you or anything I just..."
"No, Lorn, the gift is appreciated, deeply. There are circumstances that run beneath all of this that prevent me from accepting your generosity. I apologize." Kopaka said, lifting his body away from the now frosty wall and trudging off towards the main Lobby of the arena. Lorn was left pouting, alone and confused.
...
Kopaka was able to reach the raucous stands of the Colosseum just as the final matches were wrapping up. Thanks to a tip from some gamblers, Kopaka knew which match would determine his next opponent. From his place in the audience, he watched as Alexyana and the Courier brutally slaughtered one another. It was a violent match up, but Kopaka was able to learn a lot from watching the female biologicals attack one another. After some time, it seemed as though they were about to deliver a mutual final blow. The Toa turned away from the fray to get in line for the next match and finish healing himself; he didn't need to see the final gory result. As he turned, however, he spotted the grinning face of the Miru once again, sitting on the bench next to him. Lorn was nowhere to be seen, however, and there was a not attached to the smooth gray surface of the artifact. This was not the most startling part, however. The note was handwritten in the native script of his homeworld. With trembling fingers, Kopaka read over the parchment.
Dear Kopaka,
I understand there is probably much I do not understand about your ways and culture, so I respect that you didn't want to accept this gift. So think of it more as a payment! I would love to talk about your homeland at some point, and maybe also your ice abilities? I'm kind of an elemental spellcaster who specializes in frost magic. Sorry if I forgot to mention that!
Come over to the Dallaran museum some time and look me up! You owe me now, haha!
Your fan,
Lorn
Kopaka stared at the round lettering of the document for some time before letting out a long sigh. It would be absolutely foolish of him to leave the Kanohi sitting here, unattended, but it still felt wrong to utilize the mask under such deception. Kopaka's eye narrowed in frustration. This was the problem with sentimentalism. When there was a problem with sentimentalism, pragmatism prevails. With an angry growl, the Toa of Ice grabbed the Kanohi and exited the stands to prepare for his next match.
"Kohli?" Kopaka asked, looking at the large, rounded stone at Pohatu's feet. The Toa of Stone nodded enthusiastically and began keeping the ball aloft with repetitive bumps from his protosteel knees.
"Yeah. They say it used to be a huge deal back in Metru Nui. I'm not exactly sure how it's played though." Pohatu said, giving the immense stone a mighty kick with his enhanced feet before catching the ball in the crook of his mechanical arm. Kopaka scoffed slightly.
"Then why bother?" the Toa of Ice said, sneering from behind his mask. Despite the fact that he got along quite well with Pohatu, the Toa's flights of fancy did tend to chafe against Kopaka's more stern sensibilities. Pohatu simply laughed before continuing to trudge back down the path towards the Order's base. The island ambiance tended to go quiet when Pohatu's loud, heavy footfalls were echoing through the forest. Kopaka always found it ironic that the Toa who was the slowest of them physically had been granted the Kakama, the Mask of Speed, as his default Kanohi. Still, it spoke to the Toa of Stone's persistence that he never let any of Lewa's or Tahu's chiding, infantile ribbing phase him. Only Onua, and possibly Kopaka himself, had more patience...though in Kopaka's case, a reaction to such taunting had to be suppressed, rather than being able to ignore it completely.
Kopaka would be lying if he said he was completely disinterested in this new little tidbit of Mata Nui lore that Pohatu had been able to dredge up. The icey biomech had always been invested in intellectual pursuits, not the least of which was history and legends. Kopaka didn't exactly take many of the myths of Mata Nui to heart, but he did at least understand their importance from a cultural basis. That said, his knowledge of old world sport was pretty hazy, so maybe Pohatu would be willing to divulge a bit more information.
"The Kohli game, was it violent?" Kopaka asked, trying not to sound too interested. Pohatu, however, knew better, which elicited another chuckle from the Toa of Stone.
"No, not really. I mean, it was pretty physical, people got knocked over and stuff but it wasn't gladitorial, per se."
Kopaka shook his aching head as the memory abruptly ended, and blinked a few times as his mind returned to the present. Before him stood a young female of some sort, with large, floppy ears, big eyes and mottled grey skin. It was a species of biological that Kopaka had not yet seen before, but the eagerness in the female's eyes put Kopaka slightly at ease. She was grinning at him with a sharp toothed grin and holding a large, bundled object in her arms.
"What?" Kopaka asked in a solemn tone that lacked his usually chilly edge. The creature only beamed wider and held the bundle towards him.
"M-my name is Lorn, and uh...and I think you're cool!" she squeaked. Kopaka blinked slowly, saying nothing. There was a long, tense silence before the diminutive biological continued.
"Uh...I saw your fight! And uh, I-I saw your mask things and I thought they kinda resembled a mask thing that I have...a-and...and..." the creature said, trailing off. Kopaka took note that there appeared to be increased blood flow to her facial features. The Toa wasn't sure what this indicated, but it was clear at this point that 'Lorn' was not hostile. Her speaking of masks also grabbed Kopaka's attention. With a tentative grasp, Kopaka slowly unwrapped the mysterious parcel, and was astonished to see the grinning face of the Kanohi Miru staring back at him. There was another pause.
"How...where..." Kopaka said trailing off, trying desperately to conceal the equal amounts of confusion and elation in his voice. The small creature giggled.
"Oh, I'm just a member of the Asuran Archeological Association. We found this particular mask high in the ruins of an ancient castle in the Frozen Fields. Rumor has it that it was once a great treasure stronghold for an ancient Dwarven king, but we suspected..." Lorn said, trailing off slowly as Kopaka turned to look her in the eyes.
"Why are you giving this to me?" he asked, honestly confused. Lorn's face was subjected to another surge of blood. Kopaka conjectured that it was, perhaps, some sort of automatic response to stress.
"W-well...it had just been sitting around the archives, mostly being ignored, and when I saw your fight I drew some connections between the aesthetics of your masks and this-"
"Kanohi Miru."
"...Kanohi Miru! So I figured I could just grab and give it to you be-cause I am kind of a fan...?" Lorn said, looking down at her three toed feet. This was new for Kopaka: a fan? It was odd to consider the possibility of someone liking him, especially based purely on his combat prowess alone. This was truly an alien world. Still, this female, she was a resident of Camelot, the sworn enemy of the Empire, the society with which Kopaka had aligned himself. Even entering this tournament, he was deceiving each and every resident of the stands. The Toa of Ice did not think it was right to accept such an immense gift from someone he was deceiving, who could quite possibly loathe him if the truth were to be found out. With great reluctance, Kopaka pushed the Miru back into the Asuran's hands. For some reason, the watery expression on her face caused him a great amount of discomfort. Sentimentalism be damned; was he really buying into this creature's unconditional admiration for him?
"I am sorry, I cannot accept such a boon." Kopaka said, the longing in his voice wholly apparent. The Asuran female looked confused, and her ears drooped heavily.
"N-no! I'm sorry. I-I didn't think it would...offend you or anything I just..."
"No, Lorn, the gift is appreciated, deeply. There are circumstances that run beneath all of this that prevent me from accepting your generosity. I apologize." Kopaka said, lifting his body away from the now frosty wall and trudging off towards the main Lobby of the arena. Lorn was left pouting, alone and confused.
...
Kopaka was able to reach the raucous stands of the Colosseum just as the final matches were wrapping up. Thanks to a tip from some gamblers, Kopaka knew which match would determine his next opponent. From his place in the audience, he watched as Alexyana and the Courier brutally slaughtered one another. It was a violent match up, but Kopaka was able to learn a lot from watching the female biologicals attack one another. After some time, it seemed as though they were about to deliver a mutual final blow. The Toa turned away from the fray to get in line for the next match and finish healing himself; he didn't need to see the final gory result. As he turned, however, he spotted the grinning face of the Miru once again, sitting on the bench next to him. Lorn was nowhere to be seen, however, and there was a not attached to the smooth gray surface of the artifact. This was not the most startling part, however. The note was handwritten in the native script of his homeworld. With trembling fingers, Kopaka read over the parchment.
Dear Kopaka,
I understand there is probably much I do not understand about your ways and culture, so I respect that you didn't want to accept this gift. So think of it more as a payment! I would love to talk about your homeland at some point, and maybe also your ice abilities? I'm kind of an elemental spellcaster who specializes in frost magic. Sorry if I forgot to mention that!
Come over to the Dallaran museum some time and look me up! You owe me now, haha!
Your fan,
Lorn
Kopaka stared at the round lettering of the document for some time before letting out a long sigh. It would be absolutely foolish of him to leave the Kanohi sitting here, unattended, but it still felt wrong to utilize the mask under such deception. Kopaka's eye narrowed in frustration. This was the problem with sentimentalism. When there was a problem with sentimentalism, pragmatism prevails. With an angry growl, the Toa of Ice grabbed the Kanohi and exited the stands to prepare for his next match.
C O L D