Story Co-Authored by Omicron the IceQueen and Sinead Rivka
Love in the Light
Chapter Four:
A warm bed to wake in
The smell of spices filled the cabin, but not in an overly powerful scent. It was also warm and there was something soft under the young woman that wasn't quite like a mattress. Somewhere a soft male voice was singing quietly outside the side-room River was in. It smelled like Christmas, and River rested in the warmth, enjoying every moment that she could. Almost every sense was engaged. She was feeling the soft and surrounding fabric around her, smelling the spices.
Opening her eyes, she looked up and saw the dusty dark red and black stones that made up the shelter. But it was the soft voice singing that engaged her heart, and she listened to it for a long, peaceful moment.
The Matoran's voice was rising and falling in tone now, but still not singing very loudly. The words though were anything but English, as alien as the strange heart-light of the Bionicle as the host Ta-Matoran started to move around.
Stretching her arms above her head and watching the flickering light coming under the door, River tilted her head curiously. The words, though not any language she's heard of before, were still beautiful.
"Ki'ma lay dora rue, ki'ma..." the voice was drifting closer and soon the door, or rather the flap of hide as it turned out to be was pushed aside and what was towering Matoran peeked into the room, "Meka?" he asked, not coming fully into the room despite that it was his room technically. Thus why the bed was so big.
River looked up at him. Meka? What the hell...? "Uh... hi?"
"Ah," The six and a half foot Matoran edged in, carefully holding a handless cup in his hands as he walked into the room and came over to just as carefully place the cup on the flat stone ridge that surrounded the bed before moving to uncover a light stone that filled the room with a yellowish glow.
Blinking against the light, River rubbed her eyes and then sat up completely. "I guess that we can't understand each other unless Takanuva is around, huh?"
The Matoran tilted his head at her words, blinked orange on red eyes before moving to the bed. Kneeling down to reach under to his storage containers and started to rummage in them, "Alita ke' Meka." He said peeking up at the human and back down.
Meka again... what did it mean? She looked at him with a curious look upon her face, using her body language instead of words to get her point across. "Meka?"
The red mask peered back up and the Matoran sat up on his knees before he reached out to touch the human's knee, "Meka," He touched his heart-light next, "Kapura."
"Kapura," River repeated, nodding and filing that away. She really looked at him and wondered who he was, but also knew that Takanuva had trusted him enough to keep an eye on her.
Kapura ducked back down and started rummaging again in the container. Pushing it back and setting a round disk like stone medallion on the rim, paused to stand and put the cup into River's hands before sitting on the edge. The Ta-Matoran started to unwrap a strip of what seemed like leather on his left forearm, sliding out a knife from... somewhere before starting to cut the leather.
Frowning in curiosity at what he was doing, River sipped at the tea experimentally, then enthusiastically once she tasted it. It was fantastic! She watched all his movements with great interest.
Setting the thin strip aside Kapura re-wrapped the rest back on his forearm, as it was useful stuff to have around. Taking the smaller strip he threaded it through a bit on the stone and tied the ends together. That done, the Ta-Matoran shifted closer and held up the new necklace out to show the human, before leaning over to place it over River's head and the stone rested on her chest.
"Is that better?" Kapura asked in the same soft voice, but the words were understandable.
River stared up at him, looked back down at the stone, stared back up at him, then held the stone up to her face, looking at it. "So this translates things between us?"
"It's technology based on the Kanohi Rau, mask of translation." Kapura explained, he tapped the side of his mask and then did the same but lighter on River's head, "Its works in here."
She frowned, not quite sure she believed him, but was interested nevertheless since it was quite definitely working. "Different. We don't have anything like this where I come from."
"It that the humi- ah, human world?" Kapura asked tilted his head, humming softly before his eyes widen as he frozen and against all the slow, easily pace and bent over away from River. He coughed up a small fireball. "...sorry..."
"Yes, and did you just cough fire?" River asked, leaning in closer, eyes widening slightly in wonder.
"Yes, I am a fire-spitter." the Matoran sat back up and hummed in the equivalent of a blush. "Many Ta-Matoran are."
"That's pretty amazing," River said with a grin. "Why do you look embarrassed?"
"I fire-spit more than normal." Kapura looked down and up again, "You had the fire fever, but it's gone now."
"Fire fever?" River blinked and looked over at him. "What the heck is that?"
"It is a fever that lasts for a day or two," Kapura said softly, "Turaga Vakama said you got it from the new Toa, or me and I am sorry if so, but you should not get it again for a long while."
"Is it just a fever? How does it spread? It is serious?" Full of questions, River leaned forward, eyes wide and serious.
"Ta-Matoran sometimes are hosts I think," Kapura didn't lean away but looked interested in that River hadn't edged away from him. Most new people did when first meeting him since he was bigger than normal. But then you had people like the Chronicler that didn't care any which way as long as Takua could climb up on Kapura's head to see... Back on subject, "It's not bad for Matoran, but the Turaga said you were too hot until it broke."
"Weird. Where can I found out more about it?" River asked, frowning lightly. "I don't like that I caught something that I don't know about." She sipped her tea. So far as she knew, Kapura was a normal-sized Matoran to her. She hadn't exactly gotten the best of looks at the other Matoran, and even then, her memories of them were foggy at best.
"There are several healers in the village, and a few visiting Ga-Matoran if you wish to talk with them." Kapura said, paused and added, "Would you like something to eat?"
In response, the human's stomach growled and she grinned sheepishly. "Please, if it's not a hassle."
"I have more than enough." He said standing and holding out a hand for River to help her down the slight hop to the floor. "Jaller and Takua visit whenever they can, or I visit them. Takua like barriers so I have a lot of them if you like berries too."
"Who are Jaller and Takua?" River asked as she walked along the thankfully-warm stone floors, looking up at the Matoran.
"They are my friends." Kapura said with a happy rumble in his chest, it was a deep sound but not as vibrating deep as the Toa, "Jaller is my commander as well in the Ta-Koro Guard, I am his Second. Takua is the Chronicler of the whole island. He gets to see all the other Koros and their Guardians...he tells good stories."
That was the most Kapura said all day at one time...huh. He considered that.
"Will they be coming around today?" River couldn't believe that she was asking so many questions. Takanuva hadn't even been quite so forward when he had been in her world.
"Takua came, he said he would come back." Kapura led the way into the main room. It was still warm, had a higher roof and everything was neat, but not OCD neat.
The walls, even the ceiling, were carved into and painted with Matoran words as well as pictures of some kind of animals as well as tall forms fighting monsters. Assorted weapons were in racks, or attached up above as well as little carvings of things here and there. A long table was pushed to one wall with fruits and dried meat as well as scrolls and small computers- data pads. There were no real chairs or stools but some cushions under the table and one near the fire pit in the center of the room.
It was cozy. Smiling at the surroundings, and falling in love with the simplicity of life, River felt her worries starting to slide away from her. "I'd like to meet him. Takanuva gave the impression that the Chronicler is an interesting person, and one that finds himself in the middle of trouble almost constantly."
Kapura gave another rumble, this time of amusement as memories flooded his mind for a moment. "Toa Takanuva is from another world...so are you, but not the same world..." He paused again to consider this new line of thought, setting it aside for later before getting a flipped bowl and righted it to start filling it with a few things as well as fetching another cushion. "Takua does get into trouble, but he is almost always near a Toa or Kora."
Walking over to the cushions, River sat down on them, having felt the warning signs that her knees were feeling weak. "Takanuva visited my world, where we met. He has a mask that will tell him where he has to go, glowing when the reason he's at a place is revealed, and the mask told him that I was the reason. He offered to bring me with him to the next world, and I wanted to see what something like his world would look like. I couldn't resist." That was as much as she was willing to say.
"I wonder what Kanohi that is..." Kapura tilted his head as he handed River the bowl with large purple and red berries as well as a few strips of what looked like jerky.
"I have no idea. I think he called it the Mask of Paths or something like that." River took the bowl and started eating, closing her eyes in bliss at tasting the jerky. Whatever it was... it was good.
"Lava swimmer," The Ta-Matoran said nodded at the meat, "Toa Tahu hunted it just for us two eight-days ago."
"Fellow Fiiiiiirespitter!" A voice, male but much lighter than Kapura sang out from outside another flap that blended into the wall- it too was painted, before being moved enough for a blue masked face to peek in. "Kapura?"
River looked up at the new voice, still chewing on the jerky. Swallowing, she looked at the little Matoran, then up at Kapura. Something about the blue-masked one was oddly familiar...
"Come in Takua," Kapura said with another rumble of amusement and the comparably little Matoran bounce- yes bounced in.
"Oh you're awake! Hi! I'm Takua!" the new Matoran came right over and knelt down beside River, pretty much vibrating with barely contained energy.
Woooow...
He was peppy.
But his enthusiasm was catchy and it caused a smile to streak its way across her face. "I'm River. But... I think in your language, my name is... what, Meka?"
"Yep!" The blue masked face bobbed up and down, "Oh, wait that's why you're talking Matoran so well you have a translation stone."
"I don't even know how it's working, just that I can understand you." She grinned, holding the stone up in one hand, feeling its warm, smooth surface between her fingers. "But I'd also like to learn your language."
"Keep that on long enough and it'll help you learn to speak Matoran without it, right Kapura? Oo! Berries! Thanks buddy." Takua said as he was offered a bowl, and then without any shame or hesitation scrambled into the bigger Matoran's lap so he could still be next to River. Without, you know, moving more than two feet or getting up fully.
"He is right, it will help." Kapura nodded, not seeming to notice Takua, as he pressed his feet together. Bionicle bodies were unable to sit cross legged really well and this was more comfortable.
"Cool." She offered a few more of the berries to the blue-masked Matoran. "So you're the Chronicler, huh? Troublemaker and storyteller extraordinaire?"
"That's me!" Takua puffed up a little, only to get poked by Kapura and deflate. He gave a nervous giggle and rubbed the top and back of his head, "That new Toa is amazing! I just spent the day with him and Toa Tahu." Takua missed the sympathetic look Kapura sent to the door.
River caught it and masked her smile with a smile for Takua. "Well, I'm apparently recovering from fire-sickness or whatever it's called, so until I get a clean bill of health, I'd be more than happy to answer your questions." She paused before smiling and adding, "And I haven't met Toa Tahu, but Takanuva really is something else."
"He's the Toa of light..." Takua trailed off in a wondering daze for a moment, shook his head and looked down sadly, "But he says he's not our Toa of light, that another will come to help... Hey, you're human right? I've been to the human world with the Kora!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa... one subject at a time, darlin'," River laughed, finished her tea off and setting the mug to one side, crossing her legs and letting the heat of the fire soak into her bones. Reaching out, she touched his cheek gently. "Just because he's not your Toa of Light doesn't mean that your Toa will never come. I don't know how Toa become Toa, but I know from talking with Taka that they're good beings who feel great responsibility towards the Matoran." She let her hand slide from his face while she straightened. "Now, what were you doing on my world with the Kora?"
Takua took a minute to think about was said and Kapura's soft voice spoke up and said, as if it explained everything, "He's the Chronicler."
The smaller Ta-Matoran shook himself and came alive once more, "I don't know if it was your world exactly but it was in a human world. The Kora and the Toa as well as the Toa that lived there had to purge the...theMakutasickness," that was said in a rush with a shiver, "And reseal the gateways between the worlds."
Curious, but not wanting to press on a subject that was obviously not one that the Chronicler was comfortable with, River let that bit slid, "So, where do the Kora come from?"
"Mata Nui made Kora like the Toa," Takua's speech pattern slowed as he sat up in Kapura lap, "Kora are actually Toa, the first name was 'Koa,' both names mean 'lesser Toa.' Toa and Kora are living elemental spirits. Our guardians."
"But I heard something mentioned that they can look like me, a human." River popped a berry into her mouth, eyes flashing as she started to learn more about this world. "What are living elemental spirits?"
"Kora have human disguises, because they're normally in the human world guarding the gateways with the Toa Hanu." Takua explained, offing his bowl to Kapura to share his berries. "Toa are living elements, they can control their element."
"But how does one become a Toa, or how are they chosen to become living elements? Are they born that way?" River, meanwhile, was analyzing Takua.
"Some are made as Toa," Kapura spoke up at last, having been quietly enjoying the company. "There used to be myths that they were made of the elements themselves. Takua should tell you some time."
"Yeah," Takua bobbed his head, "I'd be happy to dig out those stories!"
"I'd like to learn them," River countered with a grin. "But... 'some are made as Toa,' ... what does that mean?"
Two Ta-Matoran blinked multi-colored eyes at her, "They were made as Toa, that's what Turaga Vakama said. The Nuva's destiny is to free us from the Makuta, and they did! They banished the tainted masks, and defeated the Bohrok!"
She gave them a blank stare in return. "Uhm... assume that I know nothing about any of what you just said. What are the Makuta, what are tainted masks, and where are the Bohrok?"
Kapura tapped the top of Takua's mask, "Tell the story from the start Takua."
"Oh! Right sorry." The Chronicler hummed in a blush, "Here!" He leapt up and ran around much to Kapura's amusement as he gathered stones and carvings to help in the visual part of the story.
River laughed and settled herself in to learn about those whom she now resided with...