Our former chief walked down the road to her job. She couldn't help thinking of how the mighty demigod would react when he saw his statue. 'Either he faints, or he be like a five-year-old.'
Going up to the main door, she had kinda expected to see him stand and wait for her with his arms crossed and with a smirk telling that it was about time she got there, but he was nowhere to be seen.
'Well we didn't have an agreement on a specific time to meet.' Shrugging she pushed the door open.
Inside was the great opening hall, to her right was a small shop with all the things you could buy so you would remember the tour. Plastic bone that looked "old", a cup that was black when cold, but had a portrait hidden under that heat would reveal. Key rings and small fluffy teddy bears that was formed as a dinosaur, shark, mammoths ect. ect. She had been it a few times to look, but never bought anything. To her left there was a hallway that leaded down to the restrooms for the visitors. Up a head was the greeting desk where the tickets were being bought.
Behind the desk, was two people sitting and chatting with one another. The night guard Dave and the one who was responsible for the cashier and information was a newcomer. 'Can't remember seeing her last time I was here.' Moana headed up to announce her coming.
"Heey Dave."
He looked up to her and smiled warmly.
"Oh heey Moana. This is Lilith. She just started here yesterday."
Letting her gaze glide over to the young woman beside him, she smiled warmly to her.
"Heey Lilith and welcome. I'm Moana. The tour guide in Polynesian culture."
Bringing her hand forth for her to shake she was a little taken back from the hesitation she was met from Lilith. Dave seemed to notice it too.
"Go on. She won't bite... Much..."
Sending him daggers for that comment, she was surprised when a small shaken hand came and grabbed hers.
"H-hallo." It was a small shy voice that came.
Smiling back Moana shook it twice and gently let go of her again.
"See it wasn't so bad, now was it?" Dave said as he leaned over the desk, his elbow on it and his head in his hand, with a smirk lingering on his lips.
To that Lilith only shook her head and sat down again, looking away shyly. Dave met Moana's eyes and shrugged. Not thinking more about the young girl, Moana let it drop. 'If she won't talk then I won't push her to it. But.'
"So, Dave how was the night?"
"Meh *waving a hand* boring as ever. Nobody, but yourself to talk to in the long hours." Moana could practical see the puff of air escape from his mouth. She could imagine that too well, but not like he had. When they had set sail for the second time after restoring the heart, she had taking the watch for some nights while her people were sleeping, under deck in the big waka.
"But heey, I got a new iPod to keep me company now." Dave tapped the pocket on his pants with a huge grin on his face.
"And all the 64 GB is filled with Korn, system of a down, Celine Dion Meatloaf. Really, I could go on, but I forgot the recharger, so it died four hours into the shift." She could see the pout that came over him.
Moana stood and was being polite trying to hide her small grin in a cough at the sight of him. Thinking of what he had said, she suddenly felt a slight panic. She had no idea on what the hell he was talking about. 'Guess I have to ask Julia or Taih'i when I get home.'
"Well, that's too bad Dave. Anyway, remember it tonight. I must go and check in now. So, see you guys around."
Waving, she headed off. After placing her lunch in the refrigerator Moana headed out to her first group.
"Hallo and welcome. I would love to give you all the greeting with a hongi. It was the way the Polynesian did back in the days, but unfortunately we don't have that amount of time."
She smiled down to the elderly people before her and saw that they couldn't care less about what she said. 'Yep. *sweat drop* this is gonna be fun.'
All the time she had been talking about her culture she had tried to do it with much enthusiasm as she could muster, Moana hoped that when they reach the grand finale that it would change to the better. 'There might even be uh's and ah's when they see it.' Sighning, she leaded the way to the closed doors. It was always a thrill to see the kids jumping around and taking in the view of it all. But these specific elders were different. Giving them time to process it all she tried to sneak a look over to them and saw nothing but I-don't-give-a-shit expression on one man in a wheel chair.
He had light brown skin, but she could tell that many years away from the sun, could clearly be seen. His hair was gray from age and his eyes had lost its light. They were empty and mixed with the harden face of loneliness. She had seen it one time when she had been a kid. A sad old woman who kept to herself and all the kids was afraid to near her. Later she had found out that she had been like that since her husband had died from illness and was left alone with no kids to care for. Moana's heart had bled for her loss, even though she only had been eight at the time.
"Miss? You okay?"
One of the care watchers had seen her drift off into the memory.
"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just remembered something."
She gave her a genuine smile and went over to stand to give them a story of all the gods, leaving Maui for last. Just as She was about to open her mouth to begin she was interrupted by a grumpy voice.
"Don't even bother missy. I know who you're going to speak of next."
Raising an eye brow, she couldn't help herself.
"Oh, is that so? And who would that be sir.?"
Squinting his eyes, he looked over to the tour guide. The empty eyes now had a flame of anger in them.
"Well I know all these gods in the room and not once have you mention that self-centered ego bastard of a demigod Maui."
It was like venom that left his mouth. He even spat on the floor after that to show her that he didn't like him one bit.
"I see. I'm sorry you see him like that."
That seemed to make the elderly man to look at her with disgust.
"You're sorry for me?"
"First of all, I recognize your dialect, but I have to ask where you from?"
It looked like the man in the wheelchair now looked at her for the first time since they came in here. Skeptical he took in a breath before he answered.
"Nauru."
'Hmm don't recognize that name. So that mean it must be long from where Motunui is or after my time there.'
"Sir have you heard of Motunui from yours elders there?"
A surprised look came over and that made the man think for a bit.
"No. No can't say I have." Came a still venom spiced voice, but with just a little less venom in it.
He stared down the floor while he really thought it over one more time.
"Okay let me tell you a whole other story then. Of a young girl from the island."
She began her own story of how she had been in her toddler's years. Told by her mother of how will-strong, she had been to her, to the ocean and how later in years she still tried to do so, but not once did she say it was her. When she got to the part of how her grandmother had send her going she had to gulp down the lump in her throat. It was still a little hard, but not as much it had been the first time she had told it to her roommates. Not mentioning the so called self-centered demigod, his name until the end.
"You see. It was this girl who had been send out on a quest to safe her island from the blackness. To do so, she had to find the demigod and take him to where Te Kā was and restore the heart. And by the way, did you know that he did took it to give it to the humans?"
She kept his gaze for as long as She could.
"You never heard of this? Even after all these years I know his stories from my island. He did all of that for us humans. Coconuts? He teaches a farmer to grow them, so we could have that sweet water on a warm day. Fire? He went to the fire goddess to take it up to us, so we didn't freeze at the cold nights. I could go on if you like?"
A blazing rage was racing through her so that her hands almost shook. She clenched them, to stop the shake so they wouldn't give her away of how angry she was on the poor man.
"But don't you dare call him selfish." She pointed at him with her finger and she could, to her joy, see the man trying to vanish in his chair.
Silence went over the group and her for what seemed like an eternity, when it only was minutes that ticked by.
"Weeeell, we better get home. Thank you for the tour miss Waialiki." One of the caretakers had seen the exchange between the two of them and decided that he would stop it from escalating further.
The elder man had turned his ride around when the caretaker had spoken up and had only gotten two feet, when he stopped. Glaring back over his shoulder he took a good look at her. He hadn't heard that name before, he just didn't think that as young as she was could be so into the old ways of speaking of the gods. He now recognized some of the features about her and it clicked. The way she had spoken of the gods and the way she had held such a respect for them like an islander would. He had been away from his own home for many years, but that didn't mean that he had forgotten where he came from. Turning again he headed over to the young woman.
"Waialiki? And here I thought you were from here and had no idea what the hell you talked about when I first laid my eyes on you."
The caretaker whispered a good luck to her before he headed over to the group and waited.
"So, it took you to hear my last name to figure that out? Tsk. Please."
Moana was tired of defending herself from the man and that small out burst from earlier had taking its toll on her as well. Crossing her arms, she stood leaned and waited for more insulting to throwing her way.
"Feisty. I like that. *Smirk* But look, from what you told today of the demigod. *a deep breath was exhaled from Moana* On my island the heart is still missing to this day. My nephew never told me that story of a young woman ventures out and he still lives there."
Awestruck of his way to say sorry, she had to blink a couple of time to get back on track. She opened her mouth to say something, but he wasn't done yet.
"Now that I know you and Maui brought it back, I can sit back and die in peace." Smiling he leaned back in his chair and signed in relief.
Quickly she scouted to see if anyone was near them while her mind raced on where he knew that from.
"Ehm sorry sir, but I never said that. I only tell the stories of how I grew up hearing them." If she hadn't had the little panic rising in her voice, she was sure he would buy it.
He didn't.
"Please. Don't try to fool an old man. I'm not blind or deaf, young lady." He waved her excuse of and smirked on how the colour slowly was draining from her face. The smile only grew when he saw how she looked around again to be sure no one was listening.
"I wouldn't worry about them if I were you." Nodding his head over to the group.
"I'm the house crazy man. Saying that the world will end if the heart is not restored, but you just told me otherwise."
Moana couldn't believe her ears. She still stood and was pretty sure that if it could happen, her jaw would lay on the floor by now. What took her out of her trance was the next set of words that left his mouth.
"And from the way your eyes shine…" Moana couldn't hemp the TSK that came from hearing the word. "…when you speak of him, I can tell you are telling the truth."
"Why haven't you search the internet on that?" Trying to deny it just one more time, before she gave up.
"Miss Waialiki, do I look like one who are using it daily? No. I don't. They are machines that are made to piss off a God. And I'm not one who will be receiving its wrath."
Huffing, he crossed his arms and looked away. Moana couldn't help but smile at him. He reminded her of someone. Not totally, but enough to let her mind wander off to him. 'Where is he? It's been hours since I checked in.'
"But would you mind keeping it to yourself? I mean, I don't..."
"Of course, I will. But it's gonna cost you."
He liked his lips and let his eyes wander up and down on her body. 'Nonononononono he gotta be joking!?' The elder took his sweet time to make her suffer under his watchful gaze. Just when she thought she wouldn't care if he told a soul, he interrupted her stream of nasty thoughts of him.
"A visit."
"WHAT?" O.O
"I wanna hear more of your time from back then." Shrugging he closed his eyes and smile.
A breath of relief could be heard from the Polynesian girl, which made the elder man smile even more.
"What were you thinking off I might have wanted, Waialiki?" He squinted his eyes and looked with skepticism.
"Ehehehe nothing?" She scratched the back of her neck, but quickly took it down too. Frightening of him all the sudden, as if he could see where she had gotten that habit from.
"Right. But what do you say? Wanna grand an old man's wish?"
Moana quickly nodded back at him.
"Good." He once again turned his chair around to leave.
"You have the address on your paper. So please come when you feel like it. I'm not leaving anytime soon."
He banged his chest. "Healthy as a tiger."
Waved behind him and rolled over to his group. 'Well that was an odd conversation.' Shaking her head, she headed the same way to greet her next group with a smile lingering on her face.
-
An hour later she stood and watched the group of young boys and girls walking around in her favorite room and scrambled in a book.
One boy had from the beginning looked very bored at it all and she had tried to lift his mood. Failing, until they had entered here where she had ended the last tour. Now he was walking around with awe struck eyes, of all the monsters and gods, Moana couldn't blame him. They were something indeed. Thinking back at the first time she had met the giant crap and the Kakamora's.
The tour down memory lane was interrupted, when she heard a conversation by the two teachers to the kids.
"So, they need to be done with the essay in what? A week? That should give them enough time."
The two teachers stood just behind her when they said that. Curios about what they were on about she couldn't help but ask.
"An essay?"
The teacher turned her head towards her.
"Yeah. We're having about the Polynesian culture in school as a project and they will write down all they have learned from today."
Gaping at what had been left the mouth from the teacher, Moana looked around.
"They need to write down all of this?"
That made the other adult from the same school, laugh.
"No no no. They must pick one God or how they lived in back then to write about. It would be too much to write about. It's only gotta be on ten pages."
Moana didn't want to seem like she had no idea of what they talked about, only nodded and hoped that it would seem like she knew what they were talking about and that she was agreeing with them.
"So, they are coming here to learn on how to gather information?" She could only hope she was right.
"That and how to listen to what you're telling them. I did see Sophie having her phone out, recording what you said earlier. Smart girl I must say."
The other teacher nodded back.
"She is a smart one. Did you see her other essay?"
This being her clue to leave the other two adults she went to see how the young ones did.
"Miss Miss?" A young girl came over to her teachers.
"Yes?" One of the teachers answered.
"Who is that?" The girl pointed back to a statue in the middle.
"Ehm. I have no idea. Ask the nice lady here. She is the guide remember?"
But before the words even had a chance to leave the girl, Moana answered.
"I'll tell you what. If you can gather the rest and meet me where he is."
Smiling she headed off to tell the others. Moana walked with slow pace over to the statue. She could hear the teachers was just behind her.
"Guys. GUYS! Come over to the statue and the Lady will tell us who he is." The young girl bounced with excitement.
The curly haired guide took some mats that was laying behind it and placed them on the floor. She ordered the class to sit down and be quiet. It didn't seem to work for her. That's when a big voice boomed in the room.
"QUIET!"
That seemed to do the trick.
"So, you see this. *pointed her thumb over her shoulder. * is the great demigod Maui. You can thank him for slowing down the sun for you. Some say that he lassoed his great hook, the one that is standing by his feet by the way, with a robe, that had been braided with his sister's hair to make it even stronger. Some say that his sister was his wife, but that's another story. Two other stories go by how he even got it to slow down. The first one is that he beaten the sun so badly, it became its only choice. The other is that he tried a huge rock, with the same robe, behind so it got slowed down that way."
And so, Moana told all the tales of her friend's greats deeds once again. When she was done a hand flew up.
"Yes?" A young boy, she guessed to be 13, took down his hand.
"Which of the two stories about the sun, do you believe to be the right one?" Thinking about it Moana couldn't decide on which one.
"Hmm I think it would be the one with the stone behind it cuz who wanted to go near the sun and not get burned from it?"
Chuckling from her own joke she almost missed the small THUD that suddenly came. 'What was that?' She didn't need to look long because then a loud scream came from a girl. Jumping up in pure distress and fear, the girl sprinted away.
The female teacher grabbed the shoulders of the frighten kid.
"Sylvia take it easy. What is it?"
The male teacher also rushed over to her. "Tell us what happened."
"S-something f-f-fell on me. Green w-with small antennas."
Moana had gotten over to hear what had happen. 'Small? Green? Antenna?' A warning was set off in Moana's head.
"Where is it now?" It's over there. *pointed at her mat. * Where I sat. Ewwww. It's soooooo disgusting! Can't believe it had to land on me!?"
Moana didn't wait for the young girl to finish when she went over and sat down on her knees. Gently she took the side of the mat that had been flipped over from the girl sprinting away so fast. 'Please don't let it be.' A small beetle come forth. Picking it up she turned it over to get a better look on it. Her free hand flew up and covered her mouth as she tried to kill the gasp that was threatening to come.
She could recognize that Patten anywhere.
What best could be described as panic, is what our heroine was feeling that moment. She could recognize the pattern on the small green beetle, anywhere at any time. She had seen him turning into this very form many many times, she hold him with a gentle touch.
"Maui?" Moana didn't want the others to hear her talking to an insect, so she kept her voice very low.
She tried to shake her hand in attempt to wake him up.
"Maui? Come on. Please hurry and wake up. Fly away, before they see you turn back."
She tried to shake him again, but only a small twitch came from his leg.
"Why are you whispering?"
"Wooooah." Jumping a bit, she looked over to see who it was.
A boy was standing beside her and watched her with interest of what she had in her hand.
"Miss. Why are you whispering to it? Is it dead? If so can I have it with me home?" It was surprisingly of how pleading his eyes were and how exited he was to get Maui home with him.
"No, he's not dead."
"Well if it's not dead then why is your hand closed that tight around it?"
The boy pointed at her hand and sure enough it was closed. Not a single light could come in to Maui if he had want some. Gasping, she quickly opened it and the beetle seemed a bit crushed, but not fatal. He was standing on his wobbling feet's. Maui's antenna was bend a few places and had a very odd way to twitch, before he slowly fell backwards on his back again.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" Moana brought her hand up to get a better look on him. To see if he was indeed out for the count or if he simply were playing one of his tricks again.
"Is he dead now? And why did you say were sorry?"
"No! he's not dead!" Moana blurted out a bit too fast after the question had been placed.
"Can I kill it then?" Before the tour guide even had a chance to look over to see the boy at her side, there was a voice that came from across the room.
"Patrick!"
The boy flinched and seem to move so he could hide behind Moana.
"Fuck!"
Hiding beside Moana, the boy named Patrick really tried to make himself small as the teacher was approaching them.
"Get over here. Now!"
A sigh from the boy could be heard and Moana almost lost the words. "I'm so dead." When he moved over to the older person. Moana felt sorry for him, but at the same time she was happy to get him away from her, so she could see if Maui had hurt himself from the fall.
"Patrick, we don't kill animals. You should know this by now. AND what did we say about the foul language you are using?"
Looking out from the corner of her eye, Moana could see that he had his head low, but something told her that it wouldn't be the last time he would try. Another youngster came over to Moana.
"How is it?"
Peaking over to her other side a young girl sat down and looked at beetle-Maui.
"Oh, he's fine. Nothing to worry about." The girl looked puzzled when her eyes met Moana's
"How do you know it's a male?" Tilting her head to one side as if she was trying to read Moana's facial expressions. 'Shit. How do I get out of this one?' Moana tried her hardest to think of a way out of that one. "Ehm you see..." luckily a memory played in her head.
"You see the male beetle has these bright colour to attract the female beetles. While the females had some doll colour to help them keep hidden from those who wants to eat them." Moana had to mentally pad her own shoulder for that save. She had walked by when Taih'i had seen a show on the television one time about beetles. Oddly enough that what's had seem to be stuck.
"I see." And then the girl ripped forth a notebook and was scrabbling down the information she had just received.
"I'll just put him over here." She stood up and walked over to the Kakamora statue with a pointing spear and gently laid Maui down.
"And with that I will end the tour. *fake yawn* you see I'm really tired "all of the sudden" and I still have a lot of work to do before I can go home." Not that she needed to clarify herself with an excuse, but she needed them to leave before Maui came to himself and shifted back.
"So, go on. Out with you." She just hoped that she could make it in time. They made it to the door when the kid with the notebook turned around and looked at her.
"Ehm. Yes?" At first she didn't say anything so just as Moana was about to push them out again.
"Thank you for the tour. Can we come back and hear another story since our got interrupted?" With the time ticking and Moana getting more and more anxious by the minute she really didn't think of her answer.
"Yeah sure you can. I'll be happy to make it up for you. Now off with you. You should not be late for your parents to come and pick you up."
She had almost them out the door when a WOUSH could be heard and a blueish colour danced across the door.
"What was that?" The teacher, who had talked to the boy Patrick earlier, asked. Feeling the panic beginning to take place in her, she gave one hard push.
"NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Ehehe. Just the light acting funny again. Yeah. Need to tell that to those who deals with that." She couldn't believe of how her voice sounded desperate to get rid of them.
"Yeah you make sure to do that." The teacher looked with skepticism while he said that at Moana.
"Sure. BYE!" The sound that came from smacking the door echoed in the large room. The teacher that was now behind the closed door simply stood with wide eyes and was suddenly very happy that he hadn't tried to peek inside. His nose was now up close so if he gently turned his head from side to side he would feel the door from the small hair on his nose.
"Guess that is just something we shouldn't meddle with." Mumble the shocked teacher.
Moana was breathing heavy, under no circumstances was she pleased to rush them out of the room, but at the same time she knew if they suddenly saw a large man in the room, standing where she had placed the beetle, then they would have some trouble to get out of that without anything that shouldn't be mention.
Taking in a deep breath before she braced herself to go over to her friend, who still laid on the same place as she had put him earlier. 'Strange. Why hasn't he come up yet?' she took haste steps, almost running to reach him. She stopped at where Maui was laying, she expected him to jump up with a grin on his face and scare her, but instead she saw her friend laying still with an odd expression on his face, almost as if he was hurt.
She sat down beside him to try and wake him up from the unconscious? Sleeping? Moana didn't quite know where to place it. While she sat and biting her thumb nail and frowned, she wondered of what it was, her eyes were running over him. It did seem like he wasn't laying very comfortable on his back, like if something was poking in his back. Okay so if that was the case, she just needed to find the source of it before she could do anything about it.
Tracing her fingers on his side to find the source of pain she heard Maui groaned, maybe in pain? She still didn't know what word would be best to describe the sound, but it didn't sound very nice. It was odd, be course he couldn't really have hit his head THAT hard. He had landed in a girl's lap, so it shouldn't have left him unconscious or anything…
Unless….
A pain full groan was heard as her feet contacted his side.
"What the fuck Curly. Ya didn't need to kick me that hard."
Maui was rubbing his side and sat up as he did.
"Your own fault for fooling me." Moana turned around so her back was to him as she said that.
Moana could hear how he was SO-NOT-IN-PAIN and the mischievousness in his chuckle. Moana decided to give him a piece of her mind, when she saw the horror slowly was forming in his face, as he remembered where he was.
In a speed Moana had forgot Maui was possessing, he stood up and looked around. "It's not a dream, is it?"
"Uhm. What are you talking about Maui?" She knew what Maui was talking about, but tried to play dumb in that moment.
Maui didn't answer. He seemed to figure out where he wanted to go. He just kept walking out where he had been placed in his beetle form, unnoticed the Kakamora statue, he brushed with his thigh that made it turn slightly to the side.
"Oh no."
"Please tell me this is all a dream and I will wake up with a bad headache." Maui pleaded in a whisper.
Panicking, Moana ran up and grabbed his arm, trying to slow him down with the little strength she knew she had.
"Maui. Stop."
Before, it could have been fun to see how he would have reacted, but now, with that horrified face, she didn't want him to see it. 'Stupid stupid. Should've warned him about it days ago.' But then a flashing image came with Maui stating beside the statue with his beloved hook raised ready to swing at it with full force, to destroy it. Not that she would mind it. It was more the director she feared to have to explain why the statue suddenly was in pieces. "Oh, hey director. How this statue was destroyed, you ask? It's a funny story. You see I had shown the school kids around and when we came here it suddenly felt to pieces." Yep totally trustworthy story.
"Maui, stop. You don't need to see it. We can walk out of here now!"
That didn't help the slightest. Dropping the arm Moana went in front of him and planted her hands on his chest. That did make him stop.
Looking up find his eye, she could see that he didn't look back at her. She then felt two strong hands gripping her by her shoulders, lifting her up as if she weighted nothing (she properly didn't to him.) and sat her back down beside him.
All Moana could do now was stare at her friend as he walked in front of what was supposed to be him. Closing her eyes and braced herself for what's to come.
Time ticked by when she heard the footsteps from the demigod stopped. Pressing her eyes more closed so not even the light could come in, she waited. And waited for a scream or a loud crash, but nothing came. Carefully she looked over to see what had happen. 'Did he faint again? No that wouldn't be it. The ground would have shaken like an earthquake if he had.'
Quietly, our Wayfinder walked over to where Maui had stopped. It seemed that he was only waiting for her for when Moana stopped, a shaken hand came up and pointed at the suppose-to-be replica of himself.
"Please don't tell me it's who I think it is."