What Could Have Been, And What May Yet Be
Trade with Zennia-Jorra
Outside was so much different than the environment inside the Archives. It wasn't just in Ga-Metru that had the storm but all the surface Metrus. It was the kind of storm that was a thundering yet had no visible lightning, pouring down from near buckets to misting in waves and generally making everything and everyone very wet. The wind was powerful yet not harsh enough to lash out at eyes, it was the kind of storm that sounded so much worse than it was. It was a time when the Toa of water and air merged their powers to make a storm to give the island a good soaking it had been lacking since long before the loss of the still honored Toa Mangai, Lhikan.
The two Toa Metru had only fed the storm for a little while, enough to let it live for the day but by night it will had wore itself out and fad away so the Ko-Matoran could have their stars. Many Matoran were enjoying the rain, running around playing improvised tag like games in the streets or zoomed around in puddles to see who could make the biggest splash. Some endured it with amusement as they continued to work, carving in the desert or close to the heat of forges. Some staying just inside to watch and contemplate the water that flowed down over crystal windows or dropped in pools.
Even the Toa were in various areas enjoying the storm. The earth and stone giants were reclined back in a seats made of rock made by Onewa. With feet propped and arms crossed behind his head Whenua was content to talk about everything and nothing with his brother as they watched the falling rain. The living elementals of air and ice were in their respected Suvas high up on towers in a spire in Le-Metru and crystal ice towers of Ko-Metru respectively, all resting but alert at the same time to the kind of summons that only a Toa could sense.
That left the last two Toa who had taken shelter in one of the many entrances down to the archives. Well in truth it was only the crimson one that wanted to duck out of the pouring rain. The azure colored Toa of water couldn't have cared less if she were in rain or in a sea or dry land, she had followed the fire elemental down for company.
Nokama laughed as she watched Vakama lean forward to shake the most of the wet off of himself, or at the very least, tried to. He sighed and increased his internal temperature as well as that of his armor. He gave a smile at the other Toa as the water evaporated into wisps and then a trail of steam off his person.
Vakama trailed his clawed fingers on one wall, evaporating some of the clinging moisture on it, leaving small strips of dry, lighter colored stone of the passage way as he went deeper, heading to the archives proper with Nokama behind him. They half-continued the pointless game they had been doing before, a hybrid of tag and follow the leader that had no real point.
It was fun, darting in and out of displays of the museum part of the archives they have found by chance and was currently showing the different kinds of aquatic Rahi. Both the most common of what one would see not only in Ga-Metru but also the Rahi all around the island's seaside Metrus. There were also the more rarely seen Rahi of the depths or the endangered species.
Nokama had the advantage of the impromptu game in the semi close quarters, moving with that liquid grace that near all Toa of water possessed. She wove in and around the displays, tanks and random startled Matoran. Nokama laughed as Vakama's claws barely brushed her arm before she was gone and back, this time by some unspoken signal or sign their roles of chaser and chasee switched. The longer the pointless game stretched the deeper they went and the Archives became less populated and darker it became.
Vakama turned, looking around for his aquatic team mate, catching a glimpse of silver and azure out of the corner of his eye and melted back into the shadows behind him. Driven by the never truly repressed Hordika instincts the fire elemental let out a rumbling growl that had Nokama tensing. The fact that Vakama was mimicking his own growl disturbingly well from the time not so long ago when all of the Toa were mutated almost completely into Hordika, was a little unnerving.
Nokama tilted her head, putting her head back against a rounded stasis tube before sliding sideways with a bare whisper of sound that was her dorsal armor scraping across the clear metal and then the metal baking. She stretched out all her senses, not only to pick up the Toa and elemental energies of Vakama, but also the water in the organic parts of the body. Nokama smiled softly as she heard the mock growl again and tapped a claw on the metal back of the stasis unit before darting off.
The other Toa homed in on the sound, that lingering Hordika predator sense guiding Vakama into following the barest sounds, even though his ability to smell, or rather scent, was hardly anything in comparison to what it had been a few months ago. That didn't keep the memories from surfacing of his him in the Hordika form and mind set, of loping though the Metrus searching for the Avohkii, the mask of light, the Rahaga had told the Toa about, fighting the Visorak.
Vakama hesitated at an open door that spilled out a soft bluish light. Peering around the frame he saw Nokama's outline in front of a side of a tank that was large enough to be the whole wall. Apparently memorized by the living display of closed eco system and tiny fish Rahi.
The cobalt colored elemental placed one of her hands on the clear wall, and on the other side the water started to shift and move. Traces of sliver started to form, the silver water that most all aquatic Toa were able to make. The healing water, and Nokama watched as fish and whatever else was in the tank start drifting closer to this side of the tank. The water was fresher and the droopy looking Rahi started to perk up and become healthier.
So focused was she on helping healing, Nokama temporary forgot about Vakama, she didn't even really see his reflection on the clear material nor saw anything really. Not with the bulk of her attention on making the waters and inhabitants of the tank healthy again.
The backs of his claws brushed over the knuckles of her free hand, before Vakama's larger hand wrapped around hers. The move was unexpected, making Nokama's yellow and white eyes turn up to look into the red and orange set that were smoldering with the ever present promise and threat of his burning element. His grip wasn't as powerful as the earth and stone elementals but still reassuringly strong before his fingers twined with hers.
Nokama was suddenly aware of the fact that the dim darkness of the Archives made some points of the Bionicle bodies stand out so much more than they did in bright sun light. Not just the glowing multi color eyes, but the heart-lights pulsed a small but vivid white in the normal tri-pulse rhythm as well as parts of the their armor that reflected what light there was remarkably well. The water elemental felt and saw Vakama go ridged as she traced around the outside of the living crystal of his heart light. Bionicle were normally very aware of anything coming near the heart-light, Toa with their enhanced elemental and Toa energies were more hyper aware than say, Matoran.
Time warped, whether speeding up or slowing down neither knew for sure. The mask of time could have made it stand still despite being in Vakama's subspace pocket for all they knew. The Toa stared at each other, the red Kanohi looked down into the Rau as the water elemental reached up to traced down the lines and ridges of the Huna with the backs of her slightly smaller claws. The tank now was the thing that was forgotten as well as everything else outside of the here and now of the moment (minute? Hour? Year?).
Nokama looked down, her masked face making a slight click as she rested her head against Vakama's chest, pulling her hand back. Before she could truly retreat and free her right hand, Vakama softly tapped his mask to the top of Nokama's head and wrapped his own free hand around her.
So many things could be said right then. Whispered words of assurance, or encouragement, a denial, a plea. Those emotions that were barely held back by failing mental blocks and rolling ancestral Hordika passions struggling to be freed from the civilized and trained mind.
A rumbling came from deep within Vakama, rising into hybrid growl and purr as he shifted. His clawed fingers hocking onto Nokama's armor as she tilted her head up to look at him, and found herself in the Bionicle equivalent of a kiss, with Kanohi pressed together and tightened her hold on his hand and collar ridge.
Somewhere deep in the sprawling maze like Archives a bellowed roar shook loose dust from crevices and shelves, startled Matoran working in the lower levels. The sound coming from deep within a Toa's powerful lungs, starting in the dark roar only to rise in a howl to the wind above, filling with a mix of emotions that couldn't be deciphered from bitter regret of something of great importance and dear that was lost or of the last chance finally seized and embraced upon with all of one's spirit as well as heart.