More calls came from the top of the peak, however neither toa nor matoran could make them out and even if they could it wouldn't be persuading them from their comfortable spot along the bay. Solek turned to his compatriot " what do you think he wants"? The Toa shrugged, "who knows", taking a sip. Tanma had once again become the second in command, after Kirop of course, and had been in charge of directing and executing plans laid out by his superior to turn the Isle of Light into a place worthy of being called a Koro for the Av-matoran. Construction had been slow to begin with and had become increasingly difficult due to the thick groves of timber, rocky crags, and new rahi that had to be dealt with on a daily basis.
The Av-matoran had lived all their lives on the momentous stalactites of Karda Nui. Huts carved into the sides of the mineral composites used to form the stalactites themselves. Other building materials had come from the swamps below, light vine had been essential in warding off unwanted rahi and when dried the material became suitable for use as tools.
No such familiarity met the Av-matoran here on the Isle though. No vines that growed an illuminating gold, no soft stone composites to carve their homes from, only this dense wilderness with unknown flora and fauna. The transition had been difficult to say the least. But the change had been worth it due to the presence of bioluminescent rahi and fauna that supported the island. The place was full of them, this island was beautiful at night, the shorelines lit up blue when the waves rocked small microscopic rahi to and fro, beasts resembling Tambora deer protruded antlers that lit up to attract mates and certain flowers would glow a rainbow of colors upon the retreat of the sun. There was a reason this island was dubbed 'The Isle of Light', and why the Av-matoran had been attracted to it in the first place.
His thoughts were interrupted by a huffing Tanma making his way down the steep bank and to the two that gazed at him as casually gazed at him. "I knew I would find you here" Tanma announced between breaths. Taka chuckled while Solek began to look somewhat concerned. "Tanma, Welcome," Takanuva said casually "have you tried this new drink, the Agori call it 'coffee', want to try"?
"No" Tanma said sternly. "Council meetings are about to begin and you are supposed to be there"! "I knew once I saw Solek running off in this direction you would be here too".
"You got me red handed," Takanuva said, taking a sip. "So, you want to have a seat, maybe finish watching the sun rise"?
Tanma sighed "You can't run away from your problems forever Takanuva, what happened in Ta-koro was...unfortunate, but necessary".
Takanuva stared blankly ahead.
"Kirop wants your opinion, on the upcoming construction of where we should expand our huts, more and more rahi are having to be dealt with as we expand further and further from the mainland, and all you seem to be interested in is spending every waking moment either nowhere to be found or volunteering to explore the island. You are our Toa! You need to have a more integral part of what's going on in our community than this"!
Takanuva was silent for a long time. "You sound like Jaller" he finally said.
"Well I'm not Jaller"! Solek wincing at the harshness of his words. Tanma sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, unsure of what to say next. Not sure what was going to finally get through to this Toa. This wasn't how he had been on Karda Nui before his abduction, well, not all the time anyway. Takua had been a dutiful sort with a bit of an eccentric streak running through him. He had a knack for wandering off to other Av-matoran villages making him an ideal messenger, but from time to time he would become distracted and off he would wander. It would take days sometimes for a simple message to be relaid.
Takanuva stook up, sloshing his coffee off to the side before placing it in his pack. "...things didn't have to end this way you know". He said to Tanma "It just doesn't sit right with me". "We shouldn't be pushing Ta-koro...everyone away just because of a few..." he struggled to find the words "...differences in culture".
Tanma held back his words. They had had this argument before, many times, and still there seemed only room for hostility. "Kirop is expecting you at this meeting, don't let him down". Was all the green and gold matoran said before turning away and climbing back up the steep slope, leaving Solek and Takanuva alone once again.