Omie: Yo! It's the Icy half of the two ladies! Also known as Omicron the IceQueen, Sinead is the lady of fire, we're the Ladies of Fire and Ice. We post all our joint fics under this name, like this one.

Disclaimer: we do not own Bionicle, Scott McNeil or Outty. We one ourselves (obviously) and whatever random characters we make up. We are not going to say this again thank you.

Added note: There'll be more chapters after this, we're writing it now.

>lady icesigning off>

Meeting People

By The Ladies of Fire and Ice

Laughing, Sinead ran into the room, waving a piece of paper. "Lookit! Lookit!"

Omicron looked up and was promptly killed on the game she was playing, "What is--ACK! THAT COVY SLAGGER! Did you see what he did to me!" the young woman said pointing at the TV where a Hunter from the HALO2 game was walking over her now dead body.

Sinead laughed, leaning over Omie's shoulder. "Aww, if it wasn't the Hunter, it would've been those two Elites over there, those Honor Guards? You know how it happens. But look! Outty just emailed me, telling me that a certain someone was taking a vacation in this area!"

"Honor Guards my aft I have a saber! Oh Outty?" Omicron paused her game as she re-spawned and turned to look up from her beanbag, "Who's comin'? Outty? No wait!" she grind "JAZZ!"

"Hah! Outty's working, and Jazz is . . ." Sinead snickered. "Jazz is 'filming.' Guess again!"

"Sunny!"

Sinead shook her head. "In reality."

"Sapph?" The strawberry blond asked hopefully

"Unfortunately, no," Sinead replied, her tone a bit disappointed. "But almost as good."

"...STARATH!"

"Scott McNeil."

"...SWEET HOLY PRIMUS!" Omicron yelped as she fell off her beanbag, witch was a feet indeed since it's very hard to fall off those.

Sinead laughed again and waved the paper closer. "See for yourself!"

Omicron snagged the paper and read it over then reread it, "He wants to met us?" she squeaked

"Yep, and over dinner. Cookout no less. Here."

Omicron choked, "Here! AHH! I haven't cleaned the deck yet! KYAA!" that last part was said as the young queen bolted out of the room to do the chore she forgot to do that morning. The now free paper that the email was printed on drifted down to the flour.

Sinead shook her head, calling after Omie, "Hey! You've got another two days! Don't kill yourself about the deck just yet!" Blinking, she grinned, and picked up where Omie had left off in Halo 2, slaughtering the Hunter, then the Honor Guards, and acquired a sniper rifle, taking out the Jackals easily. "Slag, she's got this on Normal. Bo-ring ..."

Omicron's head poked in "No, I just got a scull, so THERE! Hey where's the sniper come from?" she blinked.

"Up there. Pitfall for you, if you were gonna jump out without looking." Sinead paused it. "So you're easing up on what has to be done?"

"Feh." Omicron sniffed and looked remarkably like G1 Starscream for a moment then she grind and the resemblance was gone as she declared, "I'm making dinner!"

Saving the game, Sinead shook her head. "All right, you go do that. I'm gonna set a bonfire out back."

Sinead walked out into the backyard, picking up armfuls of split wood from where they had dried from the previous year, walking over to place them within the stone circle. She repeated that trip a few times to build up the shape of the fire, then pulled matches from her back pocket and lit some tinder, carefully bringing forth a small flame.

"So," Omicron said poking her head out of a window, "You going to try my Spaghetti Pie today?"

"The last time I tried something new of yours, I nearly yarfed it back up," Sinead replied in a deadpan tone, still bringing the flaming tinder to the point where she could soon transfer it into the larger structure. Shivering, she looked up, straight into the wooded area surrounding their edge-of-the-conservation-land house.

"That was because the meat didn't get cooked all the way...err...you didn't here that! Anyways," Omicron said quickly, "I'm not new to making Spaghetti Pie! The kitchen is my domain now!" She said and ducked back in before Sinead could say anything.

Sinead didn't even hear what Omicron had been talking about though. She had heard something ... big out there, and the largest thing that resided in the conservation land behind their house was the occasional black bear. A long stick of wood caught fire, and Sinead picked it up without hesitating, standing. "Who's there?"

She didn't get an answer and it was quite. Far to quite really, none of the night critters, manly the bugs, weren't sounding off like they normally did. Sinead took a step further then used it to turn, dropping the lit hunk of wood back into the stone circle. Within twelve steps, she was at the back door, keys in hand, reaching towards the lock upon her sword-display. A minute passed and she walked back out to the yard, grabbing more wood as she did so, letting it fall beside the fire. She stared over the small flames, watching for movement. And saw something twitch a short branch against the breeze.

"HEY!" Omicron yelled from inside, "Who the --MERPH!"

Sinead half-turned towards the noise, and saw the movement almost too late, drawing the katana only partially, but enough to block the blow indented to knock her out. She skidded a few feet to the side, legs braced. Her stormy-blue eyes looked up into crimson ruby ones, and she swallowed, feeling her sword-hand tremble. She turned towards the kitchen window, yelling, "Omie!"

There was movement inside and a yelp not from the other author and a quick flash of light on one of larger cooking knifes. The glowing crimson eye flicked to the window to as two shadows moved around in what could have been called a dance. Then Sinead head her roommate yell something, Omicron's voice coming from deep in her chest and her throat tightening so it sounded inhuman, she only did that when she was mad...

And she was, being snuck up on when one was chopping garlic and bell peppers wasn't the best thing to go through after all. Omicron may not be as learned in swordsmanship as Sinead, but she did know how to use the large kitchen knife she had and, better yet, her trusty Frying Pan of Doom! Though that was on the other side of the room down below in the cupboard…best to stick with the knife. And she didn't have a staff to use ether, not that it would do well in the semi-small kitchen anyways. As it was even with the knife and what training Omicron did have wasn't really enough when you're grabbed from behind and picked clear off your feet.

Metal…? Omicron thought in confusion and disbelief as she got a good look at one of the green arms that was holding her, as well as the equally green hands that was attached to said arms. Approximately 23.2 things flicked through the woman's mind in just a few moments in rapid section; what was going on? Why was she being attacked? No not attacked, restrained. Sinead was fighting someone! Or is something? Ouch, that hurt. Oh frag the Predacons are real and taking her and Sinead to the Darkside in the past to be ransomed to the Maximals! She didn't want to go to the Beast Wars like this! She didn't even get to eat first! How rude. Would she meet Depth Charge? No wait…this wasn't a Predacon. Doesn't this guy know that hurts her arm! Great Omicron and her roommate where going to be abducted by another kind of alien to be sold off as slaves or pets. Why couldn't the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' abduct them? That would be fun. Why was she thinking about them at a time like this! She was be kidnapped! …. No still restrained… ARG! She wanted free so she could help Sinead! And why does something weird always happen whenever she makes Spaghetti Pie! Hey wait; she still had the kitchen knife! A-HAH!

Omicron flattened the blade partly against her arm and slashed back snarling something that made her sound more like an Ork then a young woman. But the desired affect was achieved. As the figure that held her yelped and moved out of the way, the young queen twisted and popped her person free. Thanking any and all the gods that were paying the slightest attention to this part of the universe that she was double jointed as she did so. Omicron dropped a grand total of three feet before launching her self to the other side of the kitchen, fully intending to get her trusty Frying Pan of Doom and knock this bloody intruder out and then repeat the process outside with the other bloody intruder that was still fighting Sinead. That pan never failed her before after all!

There was a blur of green and gray and she was face-to-face with her attacker slash restrainer. Okay so it was more like face-to-lower-chest. The pause that fallowed was where both kitchen combatants got a very good look at one another.

Oh my god... Omicron thought, slack jawed, as she stared at the green biomechanical being's equally green masked face.

Seeing the shadow play in the kitchen, assessing that Omie would be fine on her own for another few seconds, Sinead looked back at the . . . the creature before her. She didn't lower her guard. "What was that for?"

Sinead's appoint was illumined by the firelight partly mostly be it's…no his own swards. Swards that were glowing red. He was tall, very tall, three heads taller in fact. He had armor that was mostly red with some orange and the dark gray parts underneath said armor wasn't to be seen how ever in the shadows. But his eyes seemed to glow just as mush as his swords did…and…had Sinead seen that masked face before?

She dropped her katana in sheer shock and disbelief as things clicked into place. "Oh, sweet Primus. You're Tahu."

The Toa paused, then frowned at her as his eyes narrowed, "How do know my name?" he demanded.

"Holy Primus!" Omicron yelped from inside at the same time, "I know you! You're a Toa!"

Lewa tipped his head to one side quizzically, not unlike a bird. "Whatspeak you?"

"You're a Toa!" she repeated then blinked and added, "But how in Primus' name did you get in my kitchen?"

Blinking, Lewa looked at her. "Noknowing. Toabrother Tahu herecame with as well."

"Tahu's here? Where...oh slag." the young queen's eyes widened and she was poking her head out the kitchen window once again less then a half a minute later, "Sinead! You're not going to believe--oh he's there..."

Sinead looked up at Omie. "No. Kidding. I'm inviting him in, but he's kinda not keen upon the idea of entering our house, here." She stopped. "Hey, did you put on the woodstove in the den? Or . . . was the mini-bonfire supposed to be all?"

Omicron blinked, "The Stoves on. And umm...Lewa's kinda in here."

"Lewa?" Tahu asked turning fully to look at the other woman, "Lewa!" he called.

"Whoa, what? He's here, too?" Sinead asked on the same breath.

"Tahubrother!" Lewa called, looking over Omicron's shoulder. "Pasttime to inwalk within the cottage! Goodsmells!"

"Woah. Did you understand that?" Sinead blinked and something occurred to her then. "Oh, shoot, Scott's coming tomorrow!"

"...well this is going to be interesting." Omicron said slowly then sniffed, "What's burning? Oh SLAG! The crust!" she vanished as Tahu walked to the house eyeing it like he thought it was going to jump him.

Sinead walked around him, touching his arm very lightly. "Here, it's just up these stairs."

Lewa looked over Omie's shoulder again. "What thisbe?"

"Spaghetti Pie!" she grind, then looked down, "Or rather the crust for the pie." she nodded to the simmering spaghetti and meat sauce and few veggies, "You mix that stuff and bake it in the crust. It's really good."

Sinead entered the kitchen, Tahu beside her, and she accused, "You burnt it again!" She laughed. "And no touching the dessert! That's my bit!"

"It's not burnt, just dark." Omicron muttered, "And we still have the bubbly pies from the other day. That and ice cream."

Sinead winced. "I'm making something warm instead of the ice cream. And if you chew on ice again, I'm gonna smack you." She shuddered.

"Eep." Omicron edged away, knowing that Sinead WOULD live up to that threat.

Tahu looked from one human to the next then back before shifting his gaze to Lewa with a 'What do you think?' look. Lewa looked back calmly, motioning with his hand slightly that he was comfortable. They weren't bad girls. He sniffed again, appreciating the smells of the kitchen. Tahu nodded, then razed an eye ridge as Omicron yelp when Sinead bumped into her making the younger woman almost drop the piecrust.

"Okay to many in the kitchen! Out! OUT! Before dinner really IS burnt!" Omicron pushed Sinead to the door, slipping the still warm piecrust onto the countertop she colleted the cooking knife from the floor and deposited it into the sink. Then she snatched another, cleaner, knife and attacked the vegetables so she could put them in the steamer.

Sinead laughed. "All right, when she starts to cook, I know that she'll start hurling kitchen knives at us." She looked up at Tahu. "Fire's your element. Would you prefer sitting downstairs with the woodstove or outside with the campfire?"

"...Out side. It's to small in here." Tahu said taking in the room.

"When you're over eight feet tall, then yeah, you're certainly right. Omie?" Sinead called back over her shoulder. "Want a picnic dinner?"

"I'll adapt it." she nodded at the food, "Though I'm going to have to make trips."

"Freehelpin' be something I can do," Lewa said kindly. "Pass what you need out-through window, and airfly will I down to the firespitters."

"...I think it would go 'splat' if you airfly it..." Omicron said pausing mid chop.

"Splat? Whatword is this?"

Sinead shook her head. "You two can talk. I'm bringing Toa Tahu back outside so that I can rebuild that fire. I think I knocked something over in it, and I want it to burn for a while."

"Yeah sure Sinead, and splat is...umm...like this!" Omicron tossed the parts of the vegetables that where not going to be used into the sink with an audible 'sploosh!' She snickered, "Messy, but fun some times."

"Ah. As fruit freefalls onto hardrock." He blinked. "Still. Freehelpin's payment for unwanted scaring."

Sinead laughed kindly, looking up at Tahu. "Back down this way."

"...What?" Omicron was left blinking at Lewa as Tahu, ducking somewhat to make it through the door as he left with Sinead.

Lewa shifted slightly, rubbing at the side of his mask. "This Toa scared you muchbad. I deepwish to make it goodright with you."

"Oh. You can uhhh…stir the spaghetti then?" the young queen offered pointing at the pot with a carrot.

Looking up at Tahu was like looking up at a freestanding basketball hoop that you'd wheel around your driveway, Sinead shook her head and the young woman asked, "Will Lewa be all right with Omie?"

"Yes, the worse he'll do is confuse her." Tahu looked down at her, "Unless she attacks him that is."

"Attack him?" Sinead asked doubtfully. "Omie is defensive. She comes up against something threatening, she'll react in kind, but not against someone," the author chuckled, "who's intent upon making peace with her."

Tahu nodded. "Good."

"So . . . do you know what you're doing here?" Sinead asked as they walked out to the backyard again. She picked up a few more pieces of firewood, walking back towards the fire. "Is there anything that you are here for?"

"Mata Nui must have sent us here." Tahu said watching Sinead, "Why is not yet clear. Here, move back." he added taking out one sword and stepped up to the fire that wasn't growing.

"What are you doing?" Sinead asked watching him now. The Toa of fire didn't answer her; instead he willed his sword to activate, flames formed and jumped from it to the wood, which caught. He put his sword away and looked back at the human as if to say 'that.' She leaned closer, watching the fire catch, hungrily consuming the wood. Smiling, she looked up at Tahu.

"That's really . . . wow. Amazing." She sighed, sitting upon a log, looking up at him. "Do you--"

Her cell phone rang noisily, and she silenced it, pulling it out. "Sorry." Looking at the Caller ID, she frowned then picked it up. "Outty, what are . . . No. Nuh-uh." She sighed. "You're so dead. Fine. Fine. No, it's fine! Okay. Bye." Snapping the phone shut, Sinead called up back towards the house, "Omie!"

"WHAT!" the younger woman yelled back through the open window, but didn't come to it seeing as she couldn't leaved something or another.

"There's a bit of a plan glitch!" Sinead roared back. She held the katana out towards Tahu, speaking quieter. "Would you mind holding this for me?" He took it razing an eye ridge as he did so.

"What kind of glitch?" Omicron's voice drifted to them, "Good, weird, bad, or that 'Holy slag we're going to DIE!' kind of bad?"

"Kinda all four at once," Sinead replied, smiling and nodding her thanks to Tahu. "I'd suggest looking out the front window." She began walking around the side of the house towards the driveway.

"Uh oh." Omicron flicked off the stovetops and ducked under Lewa's arm and bolted to the front of the house and peeked out a window from under a curtain.

Sinead walked towards the car, grinning. "You, mister, are in trouble for saying that you were going to get here tomorrow, when in fact you were coming here tonight. Now get over here and give me a hug before I tackle you, Outty!"

"It's the FLIRT!" came a shriek from inside, fallowed by running footsteps and the front door banging open. All at once Outtsider and Sinead, who was in the way, got glomped and nearly knocked clear over.

Lewa peeked around the curtain at the spectacle, watching in confusion.

Sinead laughed, planting a kiss on his cheek before squirming out of the mess and grinning at the second occupant of the car, letting him see her before she glomped him. Omicron got a big hug and a kiss from the Outtsyder as they started to talk.

Grinning, Sinead looked up at the second occupant, who grinned back, and snarled in true Dinobot fashion, "I am insulted by the lack of attention."

Off to the side, hidden in the dark trees and out of sight Tahu watched, he shook his head 'no' when Lewa looked at him. They didn't know these new humans. Lewa nodded back ever so slightly, and continued watching as Omicron just stared at the man with the white hat.

"Holy sweet Primus its SCOTT!" Omicron yelped at last, wanting to both glomp him and tell him how she loved his work, but at the same time not wanting to make a fool of her self.

Sinead got out of the way, glancing up at the kitchen, then over to where Lewa had been glancing towards, and finally looked over at Omie. "Hey, I have to get back to making sure that the fire doesn't start raging out back." She left the group, saying over her shoulder, "Flirtatious, stay for dinner!"

Her eyes caught Tahu's, and she twitched her eyebrows back towards the campfire area. Tahu took a step back into the shadows and was gone. At the same time Omicron made an "erk" sound before showing the two older men inside. Remembering Lewa she ran ahead, only to fine that he wasn't at the window, or in any of the rooms heading to the kitchen. He wasn't even in there! It was as Scott and Outtsyder where going into said kitchen that she saw that the light to her room was on and the door open a slit.

Sinead poked at the fire for a moment, making sure that it wasn't going to die or go out-of-control anytime soon, then looked to her left, seeing Tahu's eyes watching steadily. Glancing up at the kitchen, seeing Omicron already pulling the two guys into helping with the food. She moved over to where Tahu was with her sword, and spoke in a whisper. "You all right?

"Yes, who are they?" he nodded at the window.

"That's Scott McNeil, a voice actor, and Outtsyder. He's another author like Omie and myself." Sinead looked away from the window at Tahu again. "You look a little nervous."

"Lewa's inside." he pointed to a lit window that was lit at the corner of the house where the green Toa's outline was seen moving around.

Sinead looked back at the room, then nodded. "I can get him out, no problem." Looking at the Toa again, she smiled. "But I'll need my sword back to have an excuse. He's in Omi's room."

Tahu frowned, "Why an excuse? You two," he tilted his head at the kitchen window to include Omicron, "are not afraid and know that we are Toa, would they not?"

Sinead watched his face for a long moment. "Do you want to know how we know you two are Toa?"

"..." Tahu paused then shook his head 'no.' "Some other time maybe."

Sinead smiled kindly. "Sounds good to me. But I still need to put the katana back into my room." She chuckled. "I've got quite a collection of bladed weaponry, so if you wanted me to bring anything down for you to look at, then name about anything, I should have it."

"I would rather find out why the Great Spirit sent us here." The red Toa said waving at the yard and house. "If the other Toa are here. And how to get back to Mata Nui."

Sinead nodded. She wouldn't mind if they stayed, but this wasn't their world. "We'll figure it out, I promise." Tahu nodded his thanks.

Smiling, she rested her hand upon his arm briefly. "I'll be back very soon." She walked inside, katana over her shoulder. As soon as she was in the kitchen, she blinked. "Omie? What are you having them do?"

Outtsyder blinked at her before grinning widely, holding a plate in each hand. "Food?"

"Not yet. Omie, I left the wakizashi in your room." She looked at her friend. "Can I get it?"

"Um yeah...I thought it was a dragon dagger I was drawing the other day...OH!" she said getting it, and put a plate down and handing Sinead a smaller one with veggies on it, "And can you give this to Emy? Her door's open so can you check on her?" Omicron ask hoping that the Toa hadn't hurt her 'baby.' Emy wasn't really a baby iguana any more at four feet long and nearly six years.

Sinead laughed. "That 'baby' is almost as long as I'm tall!" She took the plate, and squeezed into the room and almost-closing the door behind her, cooing to the iguana, holding a finger up towards Lewa.

Once the iguana had her food, Sinead pointed to the window, which was exceptionally large. She opened it silently, pointing through it with a smile. Lewa smiled back at her, and when he was beside her, she whispered, "He's to the left of the fire." And he was, just beyond the light of the fire. Tahu razed his head as Omicron, leading the two older men came out, the red Toa stepped back and was gone from sight in the darkness of the night but still there.

Omicron put her plats down a flat rock and dashed back in calling to the men that she'd get the rest. Sinead watched Omie run back into the kitchen.

"You're unusually wired. As in worse than usual." She looked out the window, carefully looking for Tahu's form among the shadows, seeing him after a moment. "Tell them I'll be preparing dessert. I have to ask Tahu something."

"Of COURSE I'm worse the usual." the younger woman shook her head, "I'll cover you but go through the front door so they don't see you. Hey do you think Lewa is hungry too?"

Sinead held her hands out, walking backwards, grinning. "Well, it could be for another reason altogether, and do you think I'm stupid? That's always the plan!" Sinead turned the right way around, saying over her shoulder. "And ask him. I'm not sure that he's left the building yet."

Lewa hadn't. He looked at the green thing in the tank, decided not to touch it, and turned, seeing a shelf of things ... with one that looked like him. He picked it up, handling it gently. "What in GreatSpirit is this?"

Omicron grabbed her and Sinead's plates and dropped them out side. With the excuse of needing to go to the bathroom badly she left the two men to start dinner. Grabbing yet one more plate and loading it with food Omicron ducked to the right, down the hall and into her room, "You here? Oh you are! I got some food for…oh boy." She trailed off as she saw Lewa, his Bionicle toy in hand.

Lewa looked up at Omicron, surprised. "What be this?"

The woman chocked on her words, blushed then sighed, "This is going to take a lot of explaining..." she walked over and dug around the mess that was her bed and came back with a potable DVD player and DVDs. Omicron attentively tugged on Lewa's arm, "Come on I think we need to talk with Sinead and...TAHU!"

The last part came out as a yelp and she was pulling her curtains aside, staring out the window. She wasn't even aware that Lewa was leaning over here again as she watched Sinead walk into the fire light with Tahu.

Scott just stared for a moment, then pulled his hat off and rubbed at his forehead. "You know that this is gonna take an explanation."

"I'm skipping work," Outtsyder said quietly.

Sinead chuckled, and sat beside Outty, grabbing something from his plate and popping into her mouth. "Guys, this is Toa Tahu, though I'm sure that you both know of him. Toa, this is Scott McNeil and Outtsyder."

They all herd a yelp from inside and some one else talking rather fast, Tahu looked over at the house wondering if Lewa scared Omicron again. Truth was she has a spazz and the Air Toa had stopped her from racing outside.

Tahu looked back at the human males and nodded in greeting

They nodded in return. Sinead sighed, chuckling, hearing the scuffle inside. "Omie's about to go supernova on us. I think that she got startled that Tahu wished to get the meeting over with."

Tahu was about to say something when the back door opened and the other two came out. Omicron hace put on a large black sweeter with a the word 'VOLUNTEER' on the back. She glared at Tahu, "Don't DO that to me! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Sinead was laughing. Lewa was carrying the dessert out behind Omie, smiling, his voice laughing. "Toabrother! Muchtrouble you could have caused!"

Tahu snorted, shrugged and sat cross legged so he was at the same level the humans were, "Lets get this over with."

Scott took another mouthful. "I'll say."

Sinead chuckled, taking a sip. "All right. Where do you want us to start?"

What fallowed was a lengthy explanation of what they're two worlds were to each other. Surprisingly Omicron was the one who got in depth about the dimensional theories, both the common ones as well as her own. At one point Tahu, who ignored Sinead's warning, had made the great, ultimate mistake of demanding how Omicron thought she knew about all this. A half an hour latter every one there knew better to ask that again after that lecture on the properties of both the orderly and chaotic ways of dimensional energies.

Sinead was about on the ground, laughing. Or she would have been, had Outty somehow managed to get her sitting upon his lap. She didn't remember how, all she knew was that if he tickled her one more time . . .

"So you deepknow us?" Lewa asked. "From firstbeginning?"

"More like know OF you and you're advancers, but not really know you," Omicron tilted her head back to look up at Lewa up side down, she was sitting beside him and across from Tahu and Scott. She took a bite of ice cream, no one had knew where or even how she'd gotten it.

Scott blinked. "Woah, what? Hey, how'd you get that! Where's the ice cream!"

Outty perked up. "Hey, I want some too!"

Sinead shivered. "No, thanks."

"I'm not called the Ice Queen for nothing" she grinned and tossed another small container of the clod stuff to Scott, "Sorry Outty, I only had three and Lewa stole the other..."

Tahu tilted his head, "You say you have...'movies' of us?";

Omicron nodded and sank her teeth into another cold bite, then she blinked and looked back up at Lewa, "What was the last big thing...unmm...the last

scarrybad trouble the Makuta did?"

"Treespeak already, eh?"

Outty pouted for a moment, and poked Sinead's side, causing her to yip loudly, propelling herself onto the other side of the fire, tripping to land upon Tahu. Not bothering to right herself, she yelled, "You jerk! That wasn't fair!"

"It was too!" Outty replied, laughing.

Tahu blinked at the woman in his lap, then shook his hand and easy righted her with one hand so she was sitting beside him as Lewa answered. Sinead nodded to Tahu in thanks.

"Bohrok badattack, and Lewa and his Toasiblings defeated them." He looked at them. "Why did IceQueen ask?"

"Well..." Omicron scratched her neck, "You shouldn't watch the movies then. They take place latter in the time line, and if you see 'em then your world might get really messed up when you get back. I'd hate to be responsible for that..."

Lewa blinked a few times, then nodded. "Muchsense that makes." He cocked his head to one side, then jumped into the underbrush, laughingly tackling and carrying back two small forms, setting them between himself and Tahu around the fire. "Firespitters always end up homereturning to their ToaSpirit and their heartelement."

"..." Omicron blinked at the two for beside her as, "Uh...hi?"

Sinead chuckled. "The Chronicler and the Captain of the Guard, are you? Takua and Jaller."

"Pie?" The queen asked after a moment as Tahu made sure his charges were safe.

The two Ta-matoren looked at Omicron, chorusing, "Please!"

Sinead laughed. "Same here, please. It's apple, right?"

"Yeah, I think." Omicron nodded and when to retrieve said pie.

Sinead laughed, and rested her hand upon the blue-masked firespitter. "So what stories have you?"

"To many." Tahu said.

Omicron giggled and looked over at Scott, wondering what he was making of all this

Sinead laughed, hearing the other two men laughing with her. "Aww, c'mon, he can't be that bad, Toa, can he?"

"Yes." Tahu and Jaller said on the same breath.

The Chronicler grinned, piping up. "But-"

"Pie?" Omicron intercepted, leaning over the two matoran with a slice of pie on the plaits she was holding in front of them.

Takua instantly grabbed it, chowing down. "What is this?"

Sinead ate her pie.

Jaller elbowed his friend to slow down and be polite and after he himself tried it he blinked, "It's fruit, isn't it?."

Sinead nodded. "I think you got blueberry."

"Yeah." the young woman nodded and severed every one else buy didn't get her self any. She lave Lewa and Tahu the last biggest peaces.

Lewa took his plate, and carefully took a bite, then devoured it. "Muchgood! Where findthis?"

"I made it, Sinead made the apple," the young women said modestly.

"It's good," Tahu added his pie disappearing as fast as Lewa's.

Scott rubbed at his forehead, his pie gone as well. He honestly was enjoying himself, and he wanted to know how these guys were here ... even then, they didn't know about how they were here. He grinned, ready for trouble, and flicked a pebble at Omicron.

With a reflex born of dodging kids and work and home as well as living with Sinead the blond ducked the small blur that was the pebble. She looked up at Scott, "Oh, don't start some thing you wont live through. I work with kids all day." she grind.

Sinead laughed. "Same here. Most of them end up somehow on me, asleep on me ... I don't dodge them so much as attract them."

Omicron picked up a twig and waved it at all; "At lest you don't have to work on the main floor with three programs going on at the same time and NONE of them can find the right props! I work at the Aquarium," she added in explanation.

Scott looked snubbed for a moment at the fact she had dodged the pebble, then flicked one at Sinead who caught it and tossed it at Outty, who had completely zoned out, beaming him. He glared at her in play, and Sinead laughed.

"I work at a daycare center, usually with the two-and-under."

"All ages." Omicron waved her hand.

Jaller tilted his head, "I have to put up with him." he pointed at his best friend.

Scott shook his head. "Wow."

Takua pushed Jaller slightly. "That wasn't fair!"

Lewa blinked. "Both of you Toakind reatures ... have lifedawn of your own?"

Sinead just stared at him, then looked at Omie. "Translate?"

Omicron turned red, "No! No, no, no, I got my sisters kids and those at work. I'm NOT having them myself please and thank you!" the woman hid her blush in her hands.

Still lost, Sinead looked at Scott, who shrugged helplessly. She looked at Omicron. "Ooo-miiieeee ... can you tell me what he said?"

Takua looked at Sinead. "Toa Lewa was asking about your own ... little ones."

Sinead blinked. "Oh. I don't have any, but I'm hoping to have kids someday."

"I'm not having them!" omicron said, "All the guys I might get with are taken or gay..." she sighed, "And I like working with them more."

Sinead laughed heartily. "Same here, but I'm still looking. I don't like giving up. But anyways, Takua, thank you for clarifying that." She looked at Lewa. "I'm sorry I didn't understand."

"Aah, Treespeak is longlearning for those who do not thinkspeak as we do," Lewa replied, chuckling.

"Yay me." Omicron sighed as Sinead and Outty both pointed and grind at her. "You're just jealous that I can speak and write it and you can't." she added meaning the Bionicle fan fics she wrote with Treespeek in them.

"Oh, phooey. You beta all my fics and help me with that. I can write it almost as good as you can," Sinead shot back, grinning.

"So speak something!" Scott said.

She paused, forming the sentence in her head. "Strangepeople as we knownot manywords as the quickthinkin' airflyin' Toa Lewa."

She grinned at said Toa, who smiled and replied, "But quicklearn you have for such a strangecreature."

Takua, ready to learn more stories, turned to look at Omicron. "Hey, so what's this ... this aqua-thing that you were talking about?"

"Aquarium," the queen corrected him, "I work there as a teacher, like almost every one else there. We, at the Aquarium, try to teach the guests about sea and all the marine life that lives in it."

Takua grinned. "Toa Gali would love that place! Hey, hey, Toa Tahu, can we bring her there if we're able to find her?"

"Probably more likely when she finds you," Scott said through a chuckle between bites of pie.

"Here here!" Omicron laughed Tahu smiled and Jaller asked for more pie

Takua pressed in. "Can we, Toa Tahu?"

"Maybe." the fire Toa said

Sinead grinned to Outty, and leaned closer to the Toa. "Just a maybe? You don't like water much, do you?"

"Yesss..." Omicron said, "OW!" she yelped as Tahu tossed a small rock at her.

Outty pitched in. "And why? I mean, seriously, now, what's with the whole grudging way that you answered?"

"Well, I love water," Sinead piped up, grinning. "Especially since it's summer, and tomorrow it's gonna be hot, and there's a lake just on the other side of this stand of trees." She grinned. "So if you'd like swimming lessons, Tahu, it can be arranged."

Scott tactfully hid a smile, glad that he had come here straight from the convention. It was going to ba a good place to rest for a day or two. Little did he know that it was going to be anything BUT restful…

"No thank you." Tahu said stiffly.

"I'm a swimmer then Sinead." Omicron muttered feeling put out some.

"Hey, I was practically born in the water

"Hey, I was practically born in the water. Grew up swimming, was on a swimteam in Middle School, and the sea?" She sighed in bliss. "The sea ..."

Takua blinked at her. "I ... I'm not that fond of water, but ... what can you teach me?"

"Anything ..." Sinead replied, still dreaming about returning to the Oceanside at some point.

"I can teach you how to swim if you want since Sinead is off in La-La Land." Omicron smiled.

Sinead didn't even respond as she stared into the fire, remembering when she lived not even a ten-minutes' drive from the sea. Scott smiled, and said, "What else do you have around here?"

Takua grinned. "Sure!"

"We have to wait tell tomorrow, to dark now." Omicron said and couldn't resist rubbing the chronicler's masked head when he pouted. To Scott she added, "We have a wild life park not to far from here, great hiking trails. And I know of some natural hot springs up the mountain. But it's an off roaring trip."

Sinead came back to the present. "Hot springs! Water AND fire! Sweet! When do we go?"

Every one looked at her.

She blinked, then stood, throwing her hands up. "Fine, fine, glare at the crazy gal. I just want to know when we're going."

Omicron cackled, sounding like a Decepticon and getting looks her self from the others like 'I want to so that...' to 'what did we get ourselves into' and 'wow I didn't know she could do that...'

Sinead tossed a cup of water at the girl, grinning, "Stop that, you're scaring the guests."

"Good!" Omicron ducked the cup and bounced to her feet full of ice cream induced energy, "I am the Queen of ALL Ice ad Ice Cream! Fear my... my... Uhh... Icy-ness!"

Laughing, Sinead got her full in the face with a second cup of water. "You couldn't make a night-terror-ridden three-year-old afraid of you."

"Duh, comes with being dragon at heart." she said plopping back down between Lewa and Takua pulling her over shirt off and in good humor used it to dry her self off as the others talked about what to do in the morning.

Sinead was back in the kitchen, and called out, "Who wants tea?"

Lewa blinked up. "Whatbe this ... tea?"

"Tea leaves steeped in water," Sinead replied.

"Dried leaves and stuff crushed up in a lil' baggy," Omicron said at the same time.

"Tis good!" both women said on the same breath

Omicron looked up, hair a mess, "Can I have Market Spice please?" she called.

Outty grinned. "Me! Any kind you got! With LOTS of sugar, sugah-gal!"

Sinead blinked at him. "No more Westerns for you, boyo. Just no more." She nodded to Omie, and looked to Scott. "Any preference? We have Market Spice, the regular tea, Green tea, Earl Grey, Decaf, Irish and British breakfasts..."

"Chai..." the younger woman added.