Hordika Under the Bed

They had finished the movie, and the first part of Web of Shadows was loading when Mic turned to the Hordika. "I'm getting a drink. Want anything?"

Vakama opened his mouth to say something, actually echoing the word, "Water?" at the same time his stomachs growled again. This time he looked a bit embarrassed by it.

Mic did another take on his size. A cup wouldn't work for him... she came up with an idea. "Alright, follow me," and she turned toward the kitchen where she began to fill the sink, knowing she had cleaned it earlier so it would do for him. As it was filling up she turned and searched for some more food for him, opening the fridge door.

The Hordika could just peer over the counter edged on all fours, he shifted and rose partly on his hind legs, tail lifting up and moving as a counter balance. He eyed the blocked sink that was filling up now half way, one final sniff and then Vakama plunged his muzzle in and started drinking with a look of intent concentration as he braced himself on the counter edge.

Mic stood back from the fridge and shut the door, a juice box in one hand for herself, and a packet of hot dogs in the other for Vakama. However, the already tight space of the small kitchen combined with the Hordika made a sudden problem, for she did not see his tail until the last moment and even then it was too late. "Wah-!" Mic did a hard face-plant on the floor.

Vakama's head snapped up and around, sending some water around as he tried to both chirp in statement and not loose what water he had in his mouth. As a result he made a gargling sound, nearly chocked and once he could swallow and not breath the liquid, Vakama coughed. Shaking his head the mutated Bionicle twisted around to sniff at Mic's shoulder and the back of her neck before giving her a lick, "You okay?"

She lifted her face from the floor and felt it with a hand, fingers making contact with a scrape on her cheekbone and a tad bit of blood. "Yeah... no the first time I ever fell down on this floor... usually don't land on my face though, oww... did you get enough water?" she said, slowly standing up again.

Vakama murmured as he stayed almost too close, and alarmingly he grasped Mic and pulled her even closer as he licked over the scrap on her face more than a few times. What was strange (other then, you know, having those fangs way too close) what how the sting of the scrap was numbed away with each lick.

The true Hordika venom that comes from the Hordika, it paralyzes when ejected into their prey and/or enemy. But their venom glands were constantly producing, unlike snakes, so the Hordika end up swallowing quite a lot of it, thus becoming immune to it, and it gets into the saliva. In turn, the saliva acted as a pain killer; it was this that had numbed the Visorak-bite on his thigh most of the time.

The human gave a fearful gasp when Vakama went to work on the scrape, ultimately stunned at how close his fangs were. It was stupid to struggle against a Hordika, so she froze instead and her eyes widened as the sting died down with each lick he gave her. It fact it was starting to go numb.

This was new.

Vakama's tail untwined from Mic- where had that come from anyways?- as the Hordika backed up once the light bleeding had stopped. He tilted his head, looking the human in the eyes, not exactly confused to why she was afraid (Vakama could smell it really) but not bothered by it as he turned back and started drinking again.

Hordika were strange, they really were.

Feeling the numbed area on her face she watched him as he drank. Hordika saliva could act as a pain killer... yet another thing that was never mentioned. "Thanks," she said, and bent over to pick up the hot dogs and juice box from the floor.

The mutated Bionicle made another gurgling sound, more so since he was still drinking deeply and lowering the water level in the sink that had been threatening to over-spill. It was amazing that he could do this in and of itself, and it was something that was relatively normal. Besides filling up one of stomachs with water made him feel less hungry, not that having two stomachs did help, the hotdogs were destined to go the smaller of the two.

Mic dumped the six hotdogs onto a plate and set it back in the living room, on the floor near their 'movie-watching spot.' She went back into the kitchen, still fingering the spot where Vakama had licked her scrape and wondering how long the numbness would stay around, but she wasn't concerned. This time she stayed well out of his way as the Hordika drank, as she reached over and turned the faucet off when he started to slacken, meaning he was nearing the end of his drinking. There was still a good amount of water left, so she left him to it and went back to the computer, sitting cross-legged as she quickly did a check on the email.

Vakama came in after a few minutes, walking slower than he had before but at the same time looking much better as he licked his muzzle. It didn't take very long for the Hordika to home in on hotdogs, thankfully they confused him enough that Vakama didn't inhale the things like with hamburgers.

As content with the world as Vakama could be, all things considering, the mutated Toa eased himself down around behind Mic again. Curling his neck and tail around her before his head rested on her lap once more.

Now he was ready for the next movie.

Mic gave his head a few strokes, knowing that the movie would be darker and he would mostly have some sort of reaction to it. She clicked the 'play' button on the screen and brought her juice box's straw to her lips.

The Hordika rumbled in reaction to her touch, his glowing gaze back on the laptop. He growled a few times, and then huffed after the scene with the mutation. "It didn't happen that fast." Vakama grunted, baring his fangs silently, but only for a moment.

"I'm sure," Mic glanced at the digital clock on the entertainment center, seeing that it read 11:12. No problem. She'd been up later during sleepovers... though this was far from anything of the sort, of course. But it was still a new experience. Rahaga Norik and his team had rescued the Toa and were flying off on the screen. She was curious to know if other things had happened off screen... which there probably had been.

Soft murmured came from Vakama as he kept tilting his a little to one side and another, snorting in amusement more than once. Then, when the time came for the Vakama in the movie walked out, the Hordika growled at the movie, speaking in Bionicle. By the sounds of it almost like he was scolding the little version of himself.

Listening to the Hordika speak in his own tongue was rather interesting. Looking from him to the movie Vakama, Mic could understand him being upset... the Vakama on there looked like a wimp next to the real one. Especially without the fangs. The parts with Roodaka were soon to come up, and that was what Mic dreaded the most.

He tensed, a growl starting and vibrating out of him at the Vortixx, but then the growl bled away. The Hordika blinked both sets of lids a few times, "...she's worse than that." Vakama judged, relaxing his grip on Mic and calming down. Though he did twitch more than a few times hearing Roodaka's voice.

"For once I don't want to know," Mic answered. She eased herself into a more lying down position, with her head and shoulders being the only thing propped up against him instead of her entire back. When the ten-minute part ended she brought up the next one and paused it as it began to load, glancing at his head. "It's going to show you things that haven't happen yet you know... it could really change things."

"This doesn't really line up." Vakama said licking a scratch on the organic part on his wrist, "There was nothing about the Avohkii, or the hunt for the life stones, and this is giving the impression of, maybe a week, tops." The mutated Bionicle scrunched up oddly to use his hind leg to try and scratched his neck, then his forepaw when that didn't work but couldn't seem to get the right angle. "I've been a Hordika for over two months."

Mic sat up abruptly. There was long moment where the human just stared at him as he tried to scratch himself, her mouth slightly open at the new information, "What? That long?"

Vakama blinked his inner lids at her, pausing mid-motion of scratching and confused at her reaction, "Yes, that long. Roodaka caught me an eight-day ago."

Mic blinked, suddenly confused, "An eight-day ago? What do you mean?"

"An eight-day..." Vakama frowned, sounding out the, to him, odd word. "...week is the closest word for it in your tongue."

"Oh," she nodded, understanding better. Mic then pushed the play button for the next part and edged her way back down again.

The Hordika chirped at her than, tilting his head to expose that itchy spot just behind his head that he couldn't ease. With one eye on the movie, Vakama curled his tail over Mic at the same time.

The girl smiled and rolled her eyes softly, reaching out to give the area a good scratch, being an expert since she was always doing it with Abby. At the same time she regarded his tail, beginning to actually like and get used to when he wrapped it around her like so.

Vakama rumbled in pleaser, and after a bit he sighed and rested his head on his crossed forepaws to finish watching the movie. He was so different that that creature from earlier, and yet there were more then hints of that predator...well, Vakama was still a predator in from. The Hordika still gave off enough heat that would have been worrisome in a human...

This was, basically, very cool in other words.

There was a live, breathing and real Hordika virtually cuddled up to Mic.

She sighed too, eyes on the movie but she wasn't truly paying attention anymore. In her mind she was going over everything that had happened in the few hours she had meet the Hordika. Plus, knowing that she had the house to herself for another day meant he could stay, which was best considering he's give people a good scare if he were to be spotted outside. So in a way, their meeting had turned into a good thing.

Not to mention the fact that the Bionicle fangirl was actually leaning against one of the main characters, enjoying the heat. She grinned at herself and then looked to see which part the movie was at.

Vakama huffed at the movie, rumbled, made a face at it that showed half his killing fangs. "They didn't go after the Kanohi Avohkii at all..."

"Avohkii... oh," she raised her brows. "The mask of light..." She did remember something about it being mentioned on a site, but she hardly knew the details of the hunt for it. "Did you go after it?"

"Yes," Vakama nodded slowly, "The Rahaga have it now to protect."

It clicked in Mic's mind. "But they give it back to you and you hide it on Mata Nui for the seventh..." she stopped, catching herself again. If she had not been so close to Vakama, she would have face-palmed herself over and over again.

"The seventh Toa of light." Vakama finished, "Who will start the work of reawaking the Great Spirit." A red and orange eye looked at Mic with no hidden amusement, "I know what it's for."

"Yeah, they made a movie about that too," Mic said with a small squirm of embarrassment. Apparently she really DID NOT know everything she thought she did.

The Hordika murmured something that could have been anything as he looked back at the movie, "I'm strangely not surprised."

"Thought not," Mic said with a yawn. Web of Shadows was nearing the part where Vakama and Matau would battle high on the Coliseum, an event that had not taken place in Vakama's life. For a moment she wondered if this would cause him to change on going back to Metru Nui... if he ever did, that it. But she chose not to think about that and waited to see the Hordika's reactions.

Vakama shifted uncomfortably as he watched that, lowering his head as he saw a version of himself do the things he had been so temped to do. Roodaka had been trying to turn him against his brother Toa, and the Matoran... feeling ashamed that a few times he had almost fully considered it the more he'd been starved and the more the Hordika side came through.

Seeing him like this made the human want to ask if he still wanted to see the rest, but she just remained silent. He had been the one to pretty much demand that he see the movies after all. "Matau's a good brother," she commented.

"He's an idiot." Vakama said, hesitated and then added in a softer tone, "But he is a good brother..."

"Sounds a bit like my brother," Mic muttered, smirking in memory of her own brother that was not present.

The Hordika hummed despite himself in time with the music with the credits of the movie. Yawning Vakama shifted, rolling onto his back and arching in a stretch, flexing out his claws. One almost but not really catching on Mic's cloths.

She grunted when her shirt's hem was lightly pulled forward, but quickly plucked it out of his claw. "Okay, I really gotta go use the bathroom, or my bladder's gonna kill me," she muttered.

Vakama froze at her words with a startled chirp, blinked, and then made a soft whimper as if he was suddenly realize that he had drank so many gallons of water.

Mic had just gotten to her feet when she heard his whimper and all at once she realized what it meant, and her eyes widened. 'Aye Chihuahua...' "Um, do you need to... you know?"

"Go." Vakama said, was he a little sheepish apparently the term 'go' was more or less universal, or at least between human and Bionicle.

"...allllright," Mic awkwardly stepped around him and motioned for him to follow back into the dinning room, where she opened the screen door. "I'm afraid you're gonna have to do it out here," she said, voice low because of the fear of disturbing or alerting neighbors. "I'll be inside," and she nervously turned and headed for the bathroom herself.

Vakama sighed deeply behind Mic before sliding outside, he did understand really. Back home the normal facilities didn't quite work right with a Hordika body. So, the mutated Bionicle slipped out into the darkness. Ten minutes, a dug in and re-fill in hole, three squirrels and one wild rabbit later Vakama was back on the porch, looking better as he licked his forepaws clean of some dark fluid that may not want to be known what it is.

Mic finished her own business, including checking up on Abby who remained shut in her room, and nervously peeked around a corner to see if Vakama was done as well. Apparently he was, though she didn't want to know about the fluid he was licking off his forepaws. She sighed tiredly and let him back in. "Better?" she asked, kneeling next to the still-running computer on the floor.

The Hordika gave himself a full body shake as he came bake inside, unable to help yawning widely again. By his time it was nearly dawn, thus normally when Vakama was settling in to sleep.

Apparently his yawn was contagious, as Mic did the same while she shut down the computer. The screen dimmed out completely taking the little light in the room with it. Knowing through memory, she reached up behind her and set it on the couch with a sigh, mumbling something about movie marathons. Turning, she located Vakama by his glowing eyes. "Are you tired?" 'Dumb question...'

She got a huff in return as well as a soft chitter under his breath. His eyes vanished as he closed the inner lid for a moment before coming back out of the darkness, looking all around.

"You're welcome to sleep here, you know," the human said. "Something tells me you wouldn't fit in one of the beds... do you need anything?" she asked, watching his eyes since they were pretty much the only thing she could see.

"...Somewhere warm?" Vakama more asked then said, he was watching Mic back in return.

Mic turned away and crawled toward the wall, feeling for something. "We have an electric heater. It might not be what you're used to, but it's all I have," she said, finding the nearly two-foot tall heater and dragging it forward. "I can get some blankets, if you want." she added, searching for the switch.

The form of the Hordika came out of the darkness, essentially out of nowhere, curling around Mic and wrapping his tail around Mic fallowed by that vibrating purr. "I like live heat more." Vakama's voice said from almost too close.

Too tired to really protest at anything from the Hordika, Mic sighed head bowing. 'Well it's to be expected, I guess... what with that instinct for a pack and all.' "Can I at least get a blanket for myself?"

Vakama made a sound that somehow gave the impression of asking "why?" but he didn't resist the human pulling away. Actually he fallow silently behind her.

Mic motioned for him to stay outside the door as she entered her room, not wanting a bunch of chaos to break out between him and the dog curled in a ball on the bed. The human grabbed a thick blanket and draped it over herself, Darth Sidius style, before leaving the room and heading back to the living room. "This is strangest sleepover yet," she muttered under her breath. What else was there to call it anyhow?

"Sleep-over?" Vakama echoed from the darkness, he had the inner lids closed so he was almost invisible except a vague outline that was prowling around.

The blanket still draped over her head and shoulders, Mic nodded though she was not sure if he could see it. The human sat down on the floor, using the couch to find her way down, legs laid before her. "Yeah... something I do with my friends. Though instead of Bionicle movies we'd be watching Star Wars or other sci fi movies." She peered around, trying to spot him. "Vakama? Where are you?"

"Here," His eyes came back into their glowing...ness, seeming brighter in the dark. Vakama was almost right beside her and close enough that Mic could touch his muzzle.

"Oh," she yawned into her hand. "You don't need a mask to disappear y'know."

"I can change my colors," Vakama admitted as he nosed at her blanket, investigating it as he sniffed, "My Kanohi was activated like Whenua when we were mutated."

"Again, never showed in the books," Mic murmured as he did so, watching him with heavy eyes. "I'm never gonna be able t' read one without wonderin' what I'm missing..."

Vakama rumbled and then squirmed in closer. It took a few minutes, much squirming, twisting and several chirps before the Hordika was surprisingly comfortably curled around Mic.

Obviously used to Vakama's lack of personal space, the human had curled her own body in a half-way ball and lay with her back against the much warmer Hordika, somewhat leeching for his heat on the cold floor. Part of the blanket was scrunched up under the side of her face so it wouldn't be touching the floor. With what was left of the blanket she tried to wrap round her lower-body. Mic just had to tip her head upward while on the floor to see the Hordika's head from her position.