The driver waved to them as he set off again; Jodhan returned the gesture a bit awkwardly, but Semeka was already taking stock of the situation. Trees on the verge of bursting into autumn surrounded them, and only a hint of moonlight was shining through the canopies. She frowned. "Hope that mask of yours still works."

"Haven't planned on breaking it."

"Good. Navigating by see-through gives me one hell of a headache after a while."

"Then you look for anything that might be a landmark, and I'll tell you when you're about to go over a cliff."

She grinned. "We make such a good pair, you know that?"

Slowly, the duo set off into the woods. The lights of Semeka's eyes ebbed and surged as she scanned the forest around her; in the darkness, things that made their home here chittered and scuttled. In the distance, something hooted softly, and the wind rustled the branches high above them. The trees seemed to glow a pale gray under the dim moonlight, and a few red leaves came fluttering down in the breeze, whispering of the coming winter.

"This place is beautiful," Jodhan said quietly.

She nodded, trying to stay focused on the task at hand. Leaves crunched beneath her feet - and satisfying as that was, it also made it a royal pain to find anything that might have been a path. She pressed the soles of her feet into the ground, tapped at it with the claws of her toes, trying to feel for anything that wasn't topsoil.

Eventually, she felt the ground grow firmer; the wind brought the distant scent of smoke to her. She knelt down and scraped away the leaves beneath her to reveal a narrow, pressed-dirt path, then focused into the distance; around a bend and nestled amongst the trees, there was something that might have been a home. She gently prodded Jodhan in the side, and he nodded and stepped forward.

As they walked, the wind sang around them, a mournful, wandering sound.

"Listen, Jodhan. This might get a little complicated when we get there."

"It always does. What's the problem this time?"

"Remember how I said the mayor wasn't your average Toa?"

"I thought that was a little vague, even for you."

"Well, she's not exactly your average Makuta, either."
She heard Jodhan inhale. "That - could be bad."

"If we're lucky, we won't have to fight her."

"And here I thought I was the optimistic one."

"Maybe you rubbed off on me." She glanced up; the treetops swayed gently in the night breeze. "You ever meet a Makuta before?"

"I have now."

"Very funny."

"No. No, I haven't. But I've heard tales. Not pleasant ones."

"Sounds about right to me."

"And you're telling me Iren and Johmak were..."

"Lovers, probably, yeah."

He shook his head. "I've never known Makuta to be the selfless, loving types."

"Sure you hadn't heard the same of Skakdi, either."

"No, but I had heard they had egos the size of a small island."

She grinned. "And big sharp teeth to scare smart-ass Toa with?"

"Only the finest."

The home was so simple as to give one pause; it seemed to have been on its way to a landscape painting, gotten lost, and decided to settle down in the next best thing it could find. Smoke rose slowly from a plain stone chimney, and in the window the light from a fireplace flickered slowly. Jodhan glanced back at Semeka, and she shrugged.

The two approached slowly, listening for any sign of movement. None came.

"So," Jodhan all but whispered, "what do we... do?"

"I was planning on knocking."

"Honestly?"

"Well, you were going to be climbing in the back window in the meantime, but yes, that was the main idea."

He nodded, looking almost relieved. "You got your knives?"

"Wouldn't call myself a bartender without 'em. You got that crossbow of yours?"

He reached onto his back and drew something from a pouch there. She shook her head. "I dunno how you Toa always manage to carry so much stuff around without anyone noticing. Alright, head around to the porch. In the unlikely event of yelling, do your thing."

"Rush in head-first?" he said with a smile.

"That's the one."

He squeezed her hand briefly, and then slipped into the shadows. She watched him go, then turned her attention back to the cabin. If she was lucky, Johmak would answer. If she was unlucky, Iren would. If she was extremely unlucky, they were both already dead and a Barraki or five were waiting on the other side of the door. She'd already hit that lottery more than enough for one life, but it never hurt to consider possibilities.

She slinked up to the door, leaned against it, listened. Two voices, hushed and warm, were bantering back and forth in the room beyond. Semeka paused. She couldn't make out the words, but - there was a rhythm to that sound, familiar and friendly.

She sighed. No, knocking wasn't going to do at all.

And a one, and a two...

It was to both Johmak and Iren's immense credit that they seemed totally unfazed by their front door flying open to reveal a dirt-covered Skakdi, knife at the ready, grinning like a madwoman, and looking generally very pleased with that particular kick.

"Hello, ladies," she said chipperly. "Mind if I interrupt?"

Johmak looked away, clearly embarrassed. Iren smiled and stood from the armchair she'd been resting in. "Why, you must be Semeka. I've heard so much about you. Do come in."

Semeka let herself swagger a bit as she crossed the room and splayed herself across a plain wooden chair in the admittedly quite tasteful breakfast nook. Casually as she could, she crossed her legs atop the dining table. "Having a good evening, are we?"

"Just catching up," the Makuta said with all the cheer of a hawk that had just spotted its latest meal.

Semeka gave the Makuta a once-over. She still looked mostly the part of the noble Toa guiding a little village; her midnight-blue armor was a muted grey, the mask atop her face a weathered old Faxon. She was wearing a simple green robe; it had been stitched back together so many times that one could make the case it was no longer the same piece of clothing it had started as. But her eyes - now, those were different. They glowed a dim crimson, sharp as a knife's edge and just as thirsty.

The Makuta blinked, once, twice. "Oh, do excuse me. Charging up the heat vision just in case is an old habit. Hard to break. Made for some very awkward trade summits, let me tell you!"

Semeka simply nodded and leaned back in the chair. "Happens to the best of us. And how 'bout you, Johmak? You having a good time?"

"Why are you here, Semeka?" Her voice was flat, the way one got when they were secretly hoping that the past ninety seconds would prove to be a waking dream.

"Ah, you know. Just happened across a lead or two in a funny old bombing case, thought I'd do my due diligence and take a look-see. Can't help it, I'm nosy."

"You most certainly are," Iren said pleasantly. "By the way, what about the Toa who's been trying to force the lock on the back door for the better part of the last three minutes?"

She raised a brow. "Forcing it? Seriously?"

"Stone-iron deadbolts. Not as pretty and a sight more expensive, but I've yet to meet the Toa who can handle two elements at once. I never got around to installing them back at the village, unfortunately."

"I told him to use the window anyway," Semeka muttered. Johmak shook her head and went to open the door for Jodhan, presumably just to get out of the room for a few seconds.

Semeka glanced over at the Makuta and raised a brow. The Makuta returned the gesture, her eyes once again glimmering. A cat-shark grin made its way across her face. Won't this be fun? it asked.

She returned the grin with one of her own. As fun as you care to make it, Makuta.

Johmak returned with a somewhat bashful Jodhan in tow. Iren gestured for the two to take a seat on the sofa; they did so with the practiced discomfort of two people who have been thrown into a difficult situation entirely by dint of mutual acquaintance.

"Now then," Iren said cheerily, "I suppose I should thank you two for coming all this way to check on us. We must have given you quite a scare."

"You framed me for murder."

Iren waved a hand dismissively. "It happens to the best of us. By the way, just so we're all on the same page - how much has your darling girlfriend told you about me, Toa?"

Jodhan spluttered for a moment, then managed: "that you're a Makuta."

"Splendid! Then there's no need to waste time on introductions. Though I have to admit, seeing a Toa here is a bit surprising. Your kind don't usually get wrapped up in this kind of trouble." She smiled her sharkskin smile once more. "You must be very trusting indeed."

Jodhan glowered at her, and Semeka coughed impolitely. "That aside, I think you two've got some explaining to do."

"All in due time. Would anyone care for some dinner? I know it's a bit late, but I imagine you two haven't eaten if you've come straight from town."

Jodhan stiffened. "As though I'm going to eat-"

"-Sure thing," Semeka said. "That sounds just lovely. I'm sure a proper host such as yourself would be all too happy to go whip something up for us, am I right?"

"You are indeed," Iren replied, and stood. Semeka noticed that her feet were not actually touching the ground. "I imagine you all have some catching up to do, in any event. I'll be in the kitchen."

With a whistle - an honest-to-Mata-Nui whistle - the Makuta left the room.

"What the hell," Semeka said.

Johmak put a hand to her face. "I could ask the same of you, Semeka. I thought I made it clear I had this handled."

"You made it clear that you were running off with a Makuta. What, was I just supposed to not go after you?"

She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Tell me you at least didn't... pass this information along."

"'Course not. You really think I wanted to drag King K into this? We'd never hear the end of it."

Jodhan coughed politely. "Can I interrupt and point out that I still don't know what's going on?"

"For once you're not alone on that front," Semeka muttered. "Seriously, Johmak-"

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" the Order member seethed. "The place was literally exploding! It was either hitch a ride on the teleport or get blown into a million pieces - and not be able to put myself back together for once."

"Oh, and I take it the fallout from this traumatic teleportation was so terrible as to require shacking up at your old anniversary date for the better part of a week?"

Johmak groaned. "You looked through my journals."

"'Course I did. You'd do the same."

"If you didn't burn yours, yes."

"You keep diaries and burn them?"

"Quiet, Jodhan. Also, everyone needs a hobby."

"Both of you, just - shut up." Johmak's hand was shaking once more. "Listen - I'm very touched that you felt the need to come after me and all that, but this is my business, not yours."

"Your business nearly got Jodhan framed for murder," Semeka snapped. "Oh, and you're apparently dating one of the few people in the world who might know where my sister is, so if you're looking for the personal rationale, there's that."

"More than that," Jodhan said quietly. "Are you all right, Johmak?"

"I told you, I'm fine."

"There's a Makuta making dinner one room over. You'll forgive me if I think this is a bit suspicious."

Johmak's eyes narrowed. "Oh, hell. Semeka warned me about this."

He blinked. "What?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Toa, but this isn't a case of the evil Makuta kidnapping the hapless victim. Iren and I go back, alright? And that means I have every right in the world to take care of my relationship issues personally."

Semeka whistled. "Points for getting to the heart of the matter quickly."

"Look," Johmak fumed, "just go. Get up, leave, tell Kychell you couldn't track me down."

"And what happens to you?"

For a moment, something flashed in the other woman's eyes. "I'll be back," she said after a pause that was a little too long.

Semeka looked at her closely. "...That so." Johmak nodded.

She shrugged and stood.

"Where are you going?" Jodhan asked.

"Just thought I'd see how dinner's coming along."

The Makuta was making tea.

Semeka watched her from the doorway for a while; in turn, Iren made no acknowledgment that the Skakdi was there save to fetch an extra cup from the stained-wood cabinet above the counter. With the calm grace of someone who knows they're setting the timetables for everyone else in the vicinity, she reached into another one of the cabinets and withdrew a small sugar bowl. Slowly, carefully, she tapped its contents into the boiling kettle.

"Aren't you supposed to wait for the tea to finish brewing, first?"

Iren didn't turn around. "I find adding sugar and other condiments early in the process lets them infuse a bit more strongly."

"And if the person you're drinking with doesn't like sugar?"

"I can't imagine why I would have tea with someone like that. They sound wholly unpleasant." There was a whistle, and she removed the pot from the stove. Calmly, she filled the two cups to the brim, then moved them to a small tray. "Shall we sit outside?"

Semeka nodded; the Makuta turned and walked through the door to the porch without so much as a backwards glance. The back of the house looked out over a forested hillside leading down to Kanno Bay in the distance. There was the slow melt of the first rays of dawn spreading across the sky, and a few birds were warbling through the semi-dark. Probably Gukkos, if the universe had any sense of thematic appropriateness.

Iren had seated herself in a small, cushioned chair; its wood was worn with the passing of seasons, nearly rotted through in places. Putty had been awkwardly applied to a few spots, masking the worst of the damage. Semeka sat herself down in the chair's twin. The bay stretched out before them, still and purple-dark in the predawn.

Still, the Makuta did not look at her. "Try the tea."

"Pretty sure taking tea from a Makuta is way up on the list of fastest ways to die."

"Considering I'm drinking it right now, I imagine it'd be quite difficult for it to be poisoned."

"I dunno. Could be you're immune to whatever you've slipped in there."

The Makuta took a long, slow sip. "Could be."

For a few moments, they sat there, listening to the world.

Finally, Iren placed her cup back on the table and turned to Semeka. She sized her up silently; the Makuta had a half-smile, the kind that usually ended in one member of the conversation bleeding out on the floor. "It's quite nice to have a chance to sit down and talk at last, Semeka Tantarus. Johmak's told me all about you."

"Can't say the same about you, Iren."

"Perhaps I should be offended."

"Maybe."

Semeka reached out and picked up her cup, then downed it in one swift gulp. The Makuta's smile didn't move the slightest.

"So," Semeka said, "shall we get down to business?"

"Business, business, business. It's all anyone ever seems to want to talk about." She shook her head in exasperation. "If I never have to sign another trade agreement, I can die happy."

"Got some bad news for you on that front."

"Yes, I suppose you do." The Makuta picked her cup from the table. "Jodhan, was his name?"

"'S far as I know."

"Hmm," Iren said, and took a sip of tea. Semeka hadn't ever met a Makuta face-to-face, but she put good money on Makuta dialect translating "hmm" as "you know I can kill everyone you care about."

"So let's start with the obvious. Care to explain why you faked your death and pinned it on him?"

She tutted. "The framing wasn't my idea at all. Polonious tends to get ahead of himself, I'm afraid. I admire his dedication to the job, but sometimes you wind up with too much of a good thing."

"I take it the two of you go way back."

"Far enough, yes. He was working for some Barraki when I met him. I convinced him there were... better opportunities elsewhere."

Semeka pulled out her usual toothpick. Shame there wasn't a counter she could lean on; the closer she could get this conversation to a friendly chat across a bar, the better she would feel. "Funny. I heard he and his group were freelance."

"Even freelancers have their loyalties. Besides, you could say we helped guarantee each other a clean slate."

"How many bodies'd it take?"

"About ten."

"About?"

"He took care of the last few. There may have been multiple pieces involved by the time he was through."

She began to work the toothpick through the gaps of her front teeth, slow and easy. "Sounds like a pleasant guy."

"I imagine he was, once." The Makuta took another long drink.

Semeka shot another glance at her. The armor on her fingers was burnt through, and the hem of her robe was wearing was ratty with age. The Makuta met her glance pound for pound, as though daring the Skakdi to make a comment.

"So, some cover story you've got going here. I gotta say, if I were a Makuta trying to keep a low profile I wouldn't have started trying to make power plays in the quietest neighborhood this half of the continent's got."

The Makuta laughed softly. "I'm afraid it's in my nature. I may have... underestimated how much the day-to-day of a little town could wear on one without other ways to pass the time. I suppose I'll have to ask Johmak to find some place a bit more lively next time. Where I can blend in."

"Come to Zakaz. Last I heard, it was a great retirement spot for power-mad nutjobs who need a bit of violence every now and then to keep themselves fresh."

Iren smiled with the poise of an old predator. "I hear you have quite a lot of experience there, Miss Tantarus."

Semeka flicked the toothpick away, kept her face neutral as she pulled out another. Careful now. This conversation wasn't going to end in either of them pulling a weapon, which meant it was going to be a cold war.

"Now, what does a Makuta like you care about someone like me?"

The smile deepened. "Oh, I pick up on things here and there. Johmak let a few details slip when she was gushing about how dependable you were. And I have ways of getting news up and down the continent. Word gets around, after all. Something about a crime lord in Xia turning up dead in one of her cargo ships?"

The toothpick slid back and forth, back and forth. "Senn wasn't exactly a crime lord. More of a moron with too much of an ego. Hey, I'm seeing similarities."

"And then that business down in the Southern Islands. Very timely, that a whole population would decide to pack up and move to the mainland before any - shall we say, resource gatherers could stop by."

"Jodhan's a resourceful guy. I'm sure he saw the writing on the wall."

"Of course. But someone had to put it there in the first place." Iren took another long sip of tea.

"It's funny," Semeka replied. "You're not answering my question."

"It pays to keep an eye on anyone that might come in handy someday. And a former merc-turned-bartender-turned-Order-agent certainly fit the bill."

"So you profiled me just out of habit."

"Of course." The Makuta's voice was honeybee-sweet.

Semeka removed the toothpick, poured herself another cup of tea, and took a long, slow drink. So that was how it was. All that was left was to find out if it was going to be the carrot or the stick.

"You still haven't answered my first question, Makuta."

"'Why did I blow myself up?' Is that it?"

"Something like that."

Iren's smile returned, now tinged with just a bit of sorrow. Semeka watched it warily.

"For Johmak's sake, of course."

"Now that's funny. Last I heard, you two were on the outs."

"Don't be so dramatic. We had a temporary case of opposing viewpoints, is all. Do remember she was the one who helped me get set up in our little town."

Semeka took another drink. "Bet you were over the moon when that happened. The minute she agreed to hide you, her hands were tied. Can't turn someone in when you were the one to squirrel 'em away in the first place."

"And Johmak knew that very well. Don't try to paint me as such a manipulator, Semeka."

"Don't need to try when you're doing such a fine job of it yourself."

"I'm wounded. Johmak helped me of her own free will, and I am grateful for it."

The toothpick danced along her fingers, back into her mouth. "Grateful enough that you needed to kidnap her?"

"Please. Once again, Johmak came with me freely. We care about each other."

Semeka took a moment to chew on the pick. The Makuta sounded sure enough of that last bit. Wonder what Johmak would have to say. "Y'care about each other so much that it takes a mountain of cloak and dagger just to take a lakeside vacation?"

"I don't think you're the best person to pass judgment on that sort of thing, Semeka."

"That so."

The Makuta's smile widened. "Tell me, how much have you let your little Toa friend in on? Very little, I would imagine. It always was a flaw of yours."

Semeka worked the pick up and down. "If you've got something you'd like to say..."

"I'm just reminding you that you can't play both sides forever, Skakdi. Sooner or later, you're going to have to commit to the Order, or turn tail and run."

"That what this is? You trying to recruit for the Brotherhood after all?"

The Makuta shuddered theatrically. "Don't be absurd. I want nothing to do with those megalomaniacs. All I want is to be left in peace - and for the Order to leave well enough alone."

And now we're getting somewhere. "So, how close were they to figuring it out?"

"Closer than I'd like. Johmak's smart - we both know that - but she's not perfect. Helryx hasn't lasted this long by letting things slip. The minute Johmak requested an out-of-nowhere transfer to a backwater town like Tysen, my days were numbered."

"Explains why they were keeping an eye on you."

"Of course. Which meant simply vanishing would be complicated."

She snorted. "And blowing yourself sky-high isn't?"

Iren smiled sweetly. "It isn't when you've left a criminal trail a mile long for any pesky investigators to 'stumble upon.'"

"Ahh." She chewed on the pick for a moment. "Nice."

"I must say, even if Polonious's little stunt got you involved, it does make for an excellent conclusion to my little story. Local mayor with her fingers in too many pies fakes her death and frames an innocent Toa before vanishing. Plenty of drama, nothing left over to point towards anything too Destral-ish."

"And there's the crux of the matter, don't we?" Semeka leaned over onto the table, maintaining eye contact with the Makuta as best she could. "Nothing left over but me."

The Makuta narrowed her gaze. "Indeed. And that's a spot of trouble I didn't quite anticipate."

"Is that so."

"I admit I kept my eye on you during your little stay in our town. And I considered the possibility that you would come looking for Johmak eventually. I simply didn't believe you would track us down this quickly."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"For a certain definition, yes."

The two exchanged glares a few beats longer. Semeka could see a lot of things moving in the Makuta's eyes: frustration, fury, pride, intelligence - but most of all, victory. She thought she had already won, and given Semeka was beginning to get a sense of what game they were playing, that could be very bad news.

"I think we're past the point of playing coy, Makuta. What are you planning to do with Johmak?"

"Offer her a choice." The Makuta took another long sip of tea. "She can come with me and start a new life, or she can keep toiling away as the Order's attack dog."

"You think they won't try to track her down?"

"The universe is a larger place than you might realize, Skakdi. They can look, but they don't have eyes everywhere, much as they'd like to pretend they do."

"So, then." Semeka leaned back slightly. "What happens when she says no?"

Iren's smile didn't flinch. "She won't."

"Oh? Got an offer she can't refuse?"

"My companionship."

Semeka snorted. "Awful presumptive of you. You really think she'll throw away her whole life just to be with you?"

"And you wouldn't know anything about that sort of dilemma, would you, Skakdi?"

"Low blow."

"Oh, is it now? Because the way I see it, you're barreling right towards that same choice. It's just a question of which of you is going to run away from their responsibilities first."

She glowered at the Makuta. "Or it could be that we find a way to make things work." Ah shit, just ignore the bait.

"Oh? Well, I'm sure that'll go just wonderfully for you two. I rather think you'll be the one to snap, won't you? You never did like being bossed around. And I hear you have a proclivity for cutting and running at the first opportunity."

There was the knife, cutting cold and deep. Semeka kept her face as passive as possible.

"Figure it out, have you?" The Makuta was all but gloating now. "I did my homework, little Skakdi. I know all about your great dramatic estrangement. I hear your sister is quite the mercenary these days. Polonious has nothing but good things to say about her work."

"And I'm glad to hear she's living so well."

"Surely you'd like to see her again?" The carrot was here, and it was bitter.

"Maybe, maybe not. I'm in no rush for a family reunion."

"Hm. Well, perhaps you should make up your mind quickly." The Makuta put a hand beneath her chin. "Because to return to that problem you so accurately pointed out - you're here now. And that means right now there's someone other than Johmak and myself who understands the situation I'm in. That simply won't do."

And now they were coming to the battlefield, weren't they? The stakes were set; all that was left was for each of them to make their offers. Semeka folded her arms and met the Makuta's gaze.

Iren smiled. "Allow me to cut you a deal, Miss Tantarus. You come work for me, in a private arrangement. I'll talk Polonious into letting you join his merry band under an assumed name. You can even bring along your Toa, if you like. And I can use the resources at my disposal to erase the two of you from the Order's records permanently."

"Good luck with that."

"Oh? You might be surprised. You all think you're so impenetrable and illusive - but it doesn't take a genius to see how the gears are turning. Teridax was always too caught up in his grand evil plans to figure there was anyone out there with a grand good one, so he never noticed. But people like me - we see. And anything you can see, you can affect."

Semeka leaned back, pulled out one last toothpick. "So that's your offer. Freedom."

"In a word. I've heard Johmak talk about your... occasionally tempestuous relationship with your position. Poor dear. Whose bright idea was it to give a Skakdi the job of playing peacekeeper?"

"Dunno, but they must have been a sight smarter than you."

"I'll overlook that. You must admit I'm giving you good terms. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose."

"That so." She worked the pick up and down. "'Sides, of course, the Toa who'll never go along with a plan like this. And the general life satisfaction that comes with not working for a power-hungry nutjob."

"Don't be so dramatic, please. I have no interest in universal domination or whatever Teridax and his merry men are up to. I'm simply trying to get by in this little world of ours, same as you."

Semeka ran the toothpick across her tongue. "So you say. And yet..."

"Something you'd like to say, Skakdi?"

She grinned. "And yet you're sitting here waiting for me to say no so that you can move on to the next phase: threatening me into submission. I ain't stupid, Makuta. You're playing the leverage game, because that's what you're good at."

"Do go on."

"You can get to Bohrei, which means you can get to me. If you can get to me, you can get to Johmak on one hand, and Jodhan on the other. And if that's not enough, from there the little tree just keeps growing, doesn't it?"

The Makuta took a long sip of tea. "I always did fancy myself a gardener."

"Betcha did." Semeka drained her own cup. "Anyway, though. It won't work."

"Excuse me?"

"I said it won't work, you brain-dead, narcissistic, over-scheming, walking piece of Rahkshi dung. It's a dumb offer and a dumb threat and you're not nearly as smart as you think you are."

The Makuta's smile had frozen into black ice. "Arrogant words coming from a Skakdi."

"Racist! That's the one I forgot. Anyway, nah, not gonna work."

"And why is that?"

Semeka leaned over and grinned. "Because you care about her, and she's about to say no, you big dumb galoot."

Iren's smile twitched for a moment. Semeka's own grin only widened. "Look at you! You bring her out here - to an old lake where what, you used to spend the summers, I'm guessing? - on your anniversary. You give her an out with her life because you assume occasional frustration translates to existential dissatisfaction. You have this chat one-on-one with me instead of letting her be here so you don't have to remind her that in-between the niceties, you're still a world-class jerk." She threw her head back and cackled. "Land's sakes, woman. You're not even the worst sob story I get on a weekend!"

"You impudent brat," the Makuta whispered, the smile long since vanished.

"And proud of it. You want me to go on? Five clacks says Johmak's been damned near mute any time you got even remotely close to the topic of running off. That isn't because she's thankful for you sweeping her off her feet, it's because she figured out her answer was no in about three minutes and doesn't know how to tell you. Trust me, that woman has the relationship finesse of an Ash Bear in heat - which, by the way, I don't recommend running into if you can avoid it."

"Shut up," Iren seethed.

"Why? I'm just getting started!"

The Makuta rose, and the shadows of the forest rose with her. "I said be silent!"

The world flashed, and froze. Chunks of her vision began to shatter into nothingness; the wind danced by on feet of clay. The Makuta's voice was all-encompassing. I have not come this far so that I might be spoken down to by some lowly Zakazian brute! When you burned in the explosion, I should have finished the job! Johmak means nothing to you, and you dare not speak for her! You do not understand my sacrifices -

Semeka took a deep breath, ignored the ranting, and took a hesitant step forward. Then another. And a bit of a slide to the left, and raise the hand, lean back, and-

She shook her fingers as the world returned to sanity. "It's not polite to interrupt people," she said to the stunned figure sprawled across the forest floor. Almost absently, she reached down and picked up the Faxon from where it had gone flying off the Makuta's face.

Iren struggled to sit up. "You - you -"

"Yeah, I did. Now shut up and stay down, because you're about to get another one in words." She crossed her arms. "I don't give a single solitary shit about how much you care about Johmak, how much good you think you're doing for her. Life doesn't work that way, princess. You don't get to decide other people's problems for them and then act offended when they don't like your solutions."

"But..."

"But what?"

Iren's voice was quiet. "Isn't that what you did?"

Semeka took a sharp breath. You've got to be kidding me. "Okay. First of all, that's extremely creepy, and I need to have a very long talk with Johmak about girlfriend boundaries."

"But... it's true, isn't it? She told me. You helped Jodhan - you saved his life -"

"Yeah, and I definitely pulled that off by following my first inclination and never looking back." She snorted. "Get real. If I hadn't taken two minutes each time to listen what he had to say, I would'a taken Senn's money and called it a day, or damn near turned his island into the world's shortest-lived rebel force. How 'bout you? You let Johmak in on this little plan of yours? You ever ask her if she actually was unhappy? Or did you just figure you knew it all already?"

"I just-"

"You just what?"

She waited for the Makuta to answer. A breeze danced through the trees, sending a few ripples echoing across the bay.

"She just didn't know what to do," Johmak said.

Semeka turned. Her partner was standing at the entrance to the house, Jodhan awkwardly watching from behind her. Iren looked up slowly, and for the first time Semeka caught the exhaustion that had been hiding behind the bluster of a life-long manipulator. For a moment she felt an old, familiar pang of pity.

"No," Iren finally whispered. "I never did, when it came to you."

Semeka held out the mask to her. "Get up already. I don't need to be around for this next conversation."

The three of them made their way down the old dirt path in silence. Daylight was filtering through the trees now, and any number of shapes that had seemed ominous in the darkness were now shown to be little more than the shrubbery they had always been. Semeka kicked a stick down the path in front of her as they walked.

"What will she do now?" Jodhan finally asked.

Johmak shook her head. "Keep running, I suppose. She won't go back to the rest of the Makuta, that much I'm sure of."

"They didn't exactly seem to be on good terms," the Skakdi muttered.

"They'd kill her if they found her. Only way she could talk her way out of it, maybe, would be if she pledged to Teridax. And she's never going to do that."

Semeka glanced over at Johmak; her mouth was pursed tight, her gaze focused dead ahead.

"You gonna be alright?" she asked.

The other woman chewed her lip for a few seconds. "I owed her a lot. Maybe I still do. But she crossed a line she knew she shouldn't have."

"So, the two of you -" Jodhan ventured.

"She's not a good person, Jodhan. That didn't stop us from caring about each other, even if we had our rough patches." Johmak rubbed one eye in exhaustion. "It wasn't ever gonna work in the long run. I should've admitted that a long time ago. But that didn't stop us from trying to keep it going as long as we could."

Semeka exchanged a hesitant glance with Jodhan, then turned back to her partner-in-sanctioned-crime. "Hey. You know -"

"Not in the mood for bartender advice, Semeka. Not right now."

She shrugged, and the three continued down the way, the leaves crunching beneath their feet.

"For what it's worth," Jodhan finally said, "At least you got to end things together. That's got to be worth something."

Johmak's face scrunched for a moment as she tried to find the right words.

"Yeah," she managed.

That was all they said.

"So," Kychell said with the voice of a man who knows he's about to be on the receiving end of the all-time record for distance covered in a run-around, "what exactly happened out there?"

Semeka made sure to match his gaze, even as she reached out and took yet another toothpick from her stash behind the bar. She saw him twitch slightly, and suppressed a grin.

"Makuta wouldn't listen to reason. She had Johmak - think she wanted to use her as leverage. I did what I had to do."

He leaned forward and steepled his fingers. "You single-handedly took down a Makuta."

"Three-handedly. Johmak and Jodhan were backing me up. We make a good team, it turns out. Did you know Toa of Iron can help her focus that shattering thing she does? Never seen a woman with swords for hands before."

"You're dodging the question."

"Do I ever not?"

The Matoran reached over and plucked a glass from the bar; it was filled with plain ice water. "So you're telling me the mayor of this town happens to be a Makuta incognito, who fakes her death for reasons unknown, kidnaps my operative, and winds up dead before you can figure out anything else."

"Basically."

He took a long drink, then put the glass down with a sigh. "You know I could probably just spend ten minutes grilling Jodhan and get the truth. Or one minute if I call in one of our psychics."

"You could, but the question is: do you want to?"

He dipped a finger in the glass and swirled the ice absently. "No," he finally said. "Plausible deniability is a virtue. But I need some compensation in return."

"Did you just ask for a bribe?"

"Allow me to rephrase that. The Order needs something to offset my not pursuing this any further. A sworn statement from the both of you that this incident will not cause any trouble down the line is the starting point, of course. Past that, I expect some information of material value."

"Such as?"

"You tell me, Semeka."

She leaned back in her chair and worked the toothpick up and down.

Slowly, she began to smile. "You know something, Kychell? I think we might be able to help each other."

The bartender plopped another mug down in front of the Toa.

"I didn't order this," he growled through his Miru.

"No, but I give you five minutes before you do," the man replied.

Polonious Jishin watched the Matoran shuffle away down the bar with a scowl, then grabbed the mug and began nursing it. It had been a rough week - he'd received word from a long-time client that their contract was terminated due to 'unforeseen circumstances'. Least the damn Makuta paid him for the last job; bomb materials that could keep plasma energy in check weren't cheap.

"I must be a fool trying to keep this group afloat," he grumbled into the suds.

"Most Toa are," a voice said from his left.

He turned slowly. A Skakdi was leaning against the bar, working a toothpick up and down her teeth. In the mothball glow of the bar's lamps, it was tricky to make out her armor. Forest-green, maybe? Plantlife? Air?

He shrugged and returned to his drink, and wasn't surprised at all when he heard her slide onto the stool next to his.

"Most folks'd take bait like that."

He drained the last of the mug and put it down with a sigh. "Was it supposed to be an insult? I'm afraid I rather agree with the sentiment."

"Truth be told, I figured you might." The Skakdi waved her hand; the bartender materialized out of the gloom and took her order silently. A few seconds later, a mug twice the size of his and overflowing with the darkest ale he'd ever seen was sitting in front of her. He raised a finger, and a twin magically appeared not long after. The Skakdi flipped a coin to the bartender and gestured for him to move on. He obliged, his worn leather soles squeaking against the floor as he did.

"So," the Toa said, "what can I do for you?"

The Skakdi took a long draught of her drink, sighing in satisfaction when she had finished. "Damn near impossible to find a good stout south of Voya Nui, you know that?"

"Extremely well. I also know when someone's dragging out a conversation to try and show they're in charge."

"What a funny coincidence. So do I." She flicked the toothpick away. "Name's Semeka Tantarus."

His face didn't move a muscle. "Polonious Jishin."

"And that sums things up pretty concisely, wouldn't you agree?"

He chuckled, an old, deep sound. "Bohrei told me she had a sister once or twice. She was very strong on the past tense."

"What can I say? We're like two peas in a pod." The Skakdi took another sip and waited for him to respond.

He raised his glass slightly. "I'm afraid I'm going to need a little more than that if you're planning to kill one of the best sharpshooters I've ever met."

"Do you always assume fratricide?"

"I find it saves time in the long run."

Semeka shrugged and took another drink. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm just here to talk. I figure this'll be either a very long conversation or a very, very short one."

He took a drink in response. This was the old rhythm, the one he had learned through years of dealing with warlords whose heads were too big for their own good and would-be powerbrokers who didn't realize the world couldn't care less about their little corner of an archipelago. You drank. You talked. And you each waited for the knife to come out.

"So," the Skakdi said. "Tell me where she is. Or tell me why you won't."

He smirked. "Fratricide or no, I'm afraid I'll need this to be an economically beneficial transaction. I'm not in the habit of giving out confidential information to strangers as a favor."

The Skakdi folded her mouth into something that might have resembled a pout if not for all the teeth. "And after I've come all this way? Surely you're moved by this tragic tale of family reunion?"

"Not at all."

Her face snapped back to a wolfish grin. "I figured as much." She took another long drink and slammed the mug down on the bar. "So here's the short version. You blew me up, you damn near got a very good friend of mine arrested for murder, and you got another half-kidnapped by her psycho ex. It was an extremely long couple of days. And do you know, there's a bounty on your head that would make life extraordinarily comfortable for me."

He raised his glass in a salute. "I send a little extra each month to bolster it up myself."

"Very generous of you." She turned, her grin widening. "Now, this is a fine establishment -"

- In the corner, someone continued retching -

"-And I'd hate to get it all dirty. See, I'm guessing ordinarily a fella like you -"

Damn, she was fast. The plasma bolt left a sizzling hole in the dartboard. He squinted for a moment. Almost a bullseye. Oh well.

She stood off to the side, turning over a knife that hadn't been there a moment ago. "As I was saying. Ordinarily, a fella like you wouldn't object to a good scrape. But you look like you've had a bad day. So why don't we make this easy and we can both be on our way."

He smiled back and stretched out leisurely on the stool. "Well, I am sorry, but as I said, I haven't lived this long giving out freebies. And I certainly haven't lived this long getting scared of any old Skakdi who feels like waving a knife at me. So I'm going to need either information or money if you want me to talk."

Her grin grew wider. "Now, now, Jishin. You really want to play this game? I've been at it longer than you have."

He raised the mug to take another drink. "Says who?"

"Says the Matoran you nearly burned to death when the Barraki made you their guard dog ten years back."

The glass folded in on itself, then sprinkled to the floor in a miniature waterfall. He looked at the pile of shards almost curiously. "Hm. You owe me a quarter-mug of ale, Skakdi. Plus a premium."

"Sorry, what was that? You want me to go on? Hm, okay - how about some messages from a few old friends? Got one from a Matoran named Enea, very resourceful I hear, it came through an intermediary but rumor has it she's on Artakha these days-"

He stood, and quite coincidentally the furniture in the room shrunk. The Skakdi looked up at him, defiant, and the thought of repeating that old experiment - how long does it take for plasma to melt Skakdi teeth - was sounding increasingly appealing.

"Touched a nerve, have I?"

"If this is your way of convincing people to work with you, it's a small miracle nobody's given you what you deserve."

She nodded, eyes closed, a pensive look on her face. "I agree entirely. Which is why that's not how I convince people to work with me. This is."

The room moved. There was a crossbow at his back, at perhaps the height of a Matoran leaning over a bar counter. The soot in the fireplace exploded into form, revealing a rather lethal-looking woman clad in black. A sword he couldn't see pressed itself against his neck. And the damn Skakdi just kept smiling.

He shrugged, slowly, and raised his hands. "You could have been up front about wanting the bounty."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," said the Matoran behind him. "Our organization isn't particularly in need of money. Consider this a recruitment drive."

The woman from the fireplace made a facial expression that was close to a smile. "You come highly recommended."

He looked around slowly. "The Brotherhood's goons?"

"Hardly," came a voice from thin air.

The Skakdi stepped forward, twirling her knife as she did. "Consider this an opportunity to get back to being a Toa... with a slightly more flexible work schedule."

Polonious smiled bitterly. "I'm afraid I'm not interested in that line of work anymore."

"You might surprise yourself." The Skakdi raised her knife and flicked the tip of it absently. "Now, before my good friends here take you away for the recruitment speech - oh, you'll have a choice, don't worry about that - I figure you may as well let me know where my sister is."

The Toa let his smile unfurl into a wicked grin. Nobody had any patience anymore. "Well, that's going to be difficult."

The knife twirled around once more. "Really."

"'Fraid so. Bohrei left the company six months ago."

He was going to savor the look on that Skakdi's face in the months to come, on the nights when he asked himself why he'd signed up for the Order, the days he considered making a break for it and damn the consequences.

"Johmak," she said, her voice clipped.

The woman in black pressed a Suletu to her face, and he felt something tickling in his mind. "Psionics?" he asked to the room at large. "Really, what was the show back there for, then?"

She ignored him. "He's telling the truth, Semeka."

The Skakdi turned away, but not before he caught a flash of the snarl on her face. When she looked back, she was cool as could be again. "Alright. No idea where she went?"

"No," said the woman, as he said simply, "Nope."

The Skakdi watched him a while longer, something approaching hatred in her eyes. "Fine," she finally spat. "Get him out of here."

The crossbow behind him poked insistently, the sword he couldn't see tapped against his neck, and he took one step - then another - then another.

He felt her watch him the whole way out of the bar.

Jodhan was futzing with the lightstone in his house's excuse for an office when he heard a window below him open and shut.

He came down the stairs slowly; Semeka was curled up on the couch, a bitter look on her face. Quietly, he crossed the room and sat down next to her.

"No good?"

She shook her head. He reached out and put his arms around her, and gave a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry."

"Join the club."

They sat there a while, unmoving, Semeka gazing into the fire he had left burning for her.

"Thank you," he finally said.

She grunted dismissively. "It was the only way to shut you up."

He said nothing, just drew a little closer.

Eventually, she leaned her head back against him; in turn, he ran his hand gently down her back. Even after all these years, her spines were the strangest things his fingers had ever felt.

"You really are a pain in the ass, Jodhan," she finally said.

He smiled. "Oh?"

"Somehow you got me thinking life was meant to be fair once in a while."

"Yeah, well. You got me thinking the opposite sometimes. May as well balance each other out."

From the deck of the ship, she could see Zakaz growing smaller and smaller in the distance.

And on it, nestled amongst the rocks, a single black speck.

She looked out past the window, into the cool night.

"May as well," she said quietly.

A/N: thank you for sticking through this long, talky, sometimes not tremendously Bionicley piece of writing. I hope you enjoyed it. It's been a long time since I wrote something, so flawed as this might have been in parts I'm glad I just got something done.