Me and My big mouth

[Kopaka]

Progressing This.

It wasn't as if Kopaka was unaware that he was being more than a little difficult; the derision and condescension with which he had been treating Ururu, and largely everyone else, was something that was quite intentional. At the same time, it didn't feel like he was entirely in control of these social transgressions, no matter how well-planned they might be. Not being control of his thoughts or emotions was something that was quite foreign to Kopaka, especially since a majority of his brain was cybernetic. What exactly was possessing him to let such emotions rise to the surface? People who didn't know him as well may not have been aware that all of this was very unlike him, but Kopaka was honestly quite disturbed by these new impulses.

It was at times like these that he would travel to Ga-Wahi in search of Gali, Toa of Water, she...

Ururu raised an eyebrow at Kopaka, as he outwardly exhibited signs of mental pain. The biomech clutched his head and staggered forward a little bit, the servos in his legs whirring as they strained to support his sagging weight. Visions and memories swirled into focus within his minds eye, like ink being unmixed from a pool of water.

"Kopaka?"

The Toa of Ice was roused from his ruminations by the soft sounds of Gali's voice. Despite the fact that they were on a boat, traveling to the fabled Voya Nui, the Toa of Water was content to let the ocean bear them towards their destination through its natural pulsations. Out of all the Toa, it was she who clearly held her Element in the highest regard, whereas the other Toa, Kopaka included it, viewed it more as a tool than anything else.

Perhaps this was what made her the most spiritually powerful among them, as her command over the waves surpassed even Kopaka's abilities to halt avalanches on a whim, or Tahu's power to spur eruptions of molten rock. More than once, the Toa of Ice had witnessed their sister summon waves so immense and all-consuming, that he had no doubt that, given enough reason, Gali could have easily swamped all of the island of Daxia with ease. To be quite honest, he was jealous of that fact. Despite the leadership roles that Tahu and Kopaka consistently fought over, Hydraxon never failed to laud Gali's prowess as the wisest and most powerful of the Toa. It wasn't as if this jealousy spawned any sort of resentment between Kopaka and his sister; that was more Tahu's nature. After all, Ice and Water were much more closely knit than Water and Fire. If nothing else, Gali inspired Kopaka to work harder to be in tune with is spirit as much as his body.

"Kopaka, are you with us?" she asked again. Kopaka finally looked up to meet her golden, glowing eyes.

"Don't mind him, Sister. The Toa of Slush and Flurries is known for his everlong dream-staring." came the chortling voice of Lewa. The Toa of Air had not always spoken in this ridiculous dialect of conjunctions and Le-Koran jargon. When he had first been activated, he had spoken just as clearly as the rest of the five Toa. Ever since learning of the ways and mannerisms of the people he was destined to protect, however, Lewa had become obsessive about becoming as iconic a hero as possible to them. It was hardly a surprise; Lewa's never-ending pursuit of attention and praise was one of his defining characteristics, along with an utterly tiresome sense of humor. For now, Kopaka ignored the jeers of the Toa of Air.

"What is it, Gali?" Kopaka asked, his gently synthesized voice barely audible over the soft hissing of the waves. His sister strode across the metal deck of the barge with clanging footsteps, and sat herself next to the brooding Toa of Ice.

"How do you feel about this? Going to Karda Nui? Everyone else has shared their opinions." Gali said, giving Kopaka a quizzical look. Kopaka maintained her gaze for a few seconds before turning away sharply.

"There are tohunga in need of protection. That's all I need to know." Kopaka said, staring down at the deck. The bright sun from overhead reflected harshly off of the polished protosteel, causing Kopaka to squint. He didn't feel like bothering to try and grace any of his siblings with eye contact though; he couldn't care less about what they thought. That didn't stop Gali from pressing the matter, though.

"Yes, of course. But you do you feel about it?" she asked in a delicate voice.

There came a sharp laugh from the front of the boat, where Tahu stood, one foot up on the railing, watching the island of Voya Nui grow on the horizon.

"Ha! Better luck trying to pry a tooth from a Muaka, sister."

Kopaka uttered a disgusted sigh. This was why he rarely bothered to speak when all six of them were gathered. Though Pohatu and Onua were tolerable, after a fashion, Tahu and Lewa were jocular fools who could never refrain from staying out of a conversation they weren't a part of. Gali shot Tahu an vicious glare, but she knew it was already too late to get anything more out of Kopaka; he wouldn't speak of his feelings, or even confess to having emotions in the first place, in a location where he felt that such confessions would make him vulnerable. It often made her concerned for the Toa of Ice. Though Onua, Toa of Earth, spent the most time underground, Kopaka was easily the darkest soul out of all of them.

"I would remind you of the importance of Unity, Tahu. It won't do to make light of our brothers'-" Gali started, but she was cut off as Kopaka raised a frost-caked hand.

"I don't need your defense, sister. Let the Toa of Candles say what he will; it won't change the outcome of anything."

Gali began to formulate a response, but after a moment's consideration, she decided that now was just not the time or place to pry into Kopaka's enigmatic feelings...


Kopaka suddenly snapped awake, blinking his eyes until his blurred vision returned to normal. During his vision, he had sunken to the floor, onto both knees, hands splayed on the ground. He was aware of many eyes upon him, but after looking around for a moment, he realized that both Ururu and the Secondary were gone. Uttering a low, guttural growl, the Toa of Ice hoisted himself to his feet and called upon the Kanohi Akaku, glancing in all directions. He had gotten sloppy. There would be no second mistake.