Chapter IV

Toa Caine

I cough.

"So, uh, what now?" I begin. Noncommittal shrugs and grunts were my only responses, if they could even be considered as one.

Xaedan, Tsukumi and I spent so much time working out how to avoid getting killed from food that we hadn't used a single minute on planning the actual party out.

And so, when I showed up at Xaedan's humble little abode, I found him, along with the three girls, sitting around the dining table, heads slightly stooped due to the Agori-sized ceiling.

Doing absolutely nothing.

This is so, so, so awkward.

I try sticking my head a bit further through the window. Sure, I managed to fit my neck in, but Xaedan's going to have to get some major wall renovations done.

"You guys are all idiots," Tsukumi declares, from out of the blue. "Kaixin, this was your idea. Start the party already. I didn't prepare food for noth-"

Kaixin and "Mary" share a conspiratorial look. "Hmmm, what did you happen to prepare, Tsukumi? And I wonder just who you made it for." Kaixin asks, with a sly grin on her face. The Toa of Ice nudges the team's newcomer, who winks back.

"I think we have just the tiniest inkling, don't we?" "Mary" adds with a slight laugh.

Tsukumi seems to be a loss for words as she looks away from the grinning pair who are clearly trying to set her up.

Wait.

I lean in, nearly taking out the nearby fireplace. And I notice something... rather off about Tsukumi's mask. Is she... blushing?

"Nothing! Nothing! I made nothing at all! Xaedan, this is all your fault! Maggot!" She points an accusing finger at the Toa sitting across from her.

At that, the Fire Toa harrumphs indignantly. "What did I do this time? Oh, let me guess. I'm being a maggot, aren't I?"

From my exceptionally uncomfortable vantage point, I quietly observe the chaos that enfolds. We've got two gossip queens egging on another two just about to throw down the gloves and duke it out.

Well, I guess Kaixin really did start the party, didn't she?

"Out! Out! Everyone, get out!" Xaedan stood under what was left of the front door's frame, brandishing one of his late table's legs, not unlike your average swashbuckling seafarer with a sword. The little discussion had escalated quickly, and very quickly at that, to a scuffle that left Xaedan with a dining room in dire need of repairs and a dent in his mask where Tsukumi managed to drive a knee in.

"Alright then, we'll take the party outside then. Great idea, Xaedan!" That would be Kaixin, irrepressible as , I'll admit, an outdoor picnic would be ideal in this cool summer night.

With a shuffling of wings, "Mary" moves in to agree. "It'll be a lot better than cramming us all into your home, right? I'd say the park would be a nice spot."

The Toa of Fire exhales with a bit of exasperation, but it's clear that Xaedan's more than happy to celebrate his companion's arrival while also being able to keep his only piece of real estate from depreciating in value too much. "Caine, Tsukumi? You guys in?"

I nod readily, the prospect of a midnight feast greatly appealing to me, and Tsukumi coughs lightly. "Well, I guess I'll go. It's not like you people gave me any choice."

At that, I raise an eyebrow. "And what if we did?"

She frowns.

"Shut up, Caine. Let's just go."

She gasps. "Wow! They're so pretty! And they're everywhere!"

I can't help but smile a bit at "Mary"'s sheer innocence. It's hard to believe that it was her first time looking at the night sky, particularly such an awe-inspiring one as tonight's. The stars were all out, twinkling with the customary radiance. The moon was not to be outdone and it too glowed brightly, an immaculate crescent against the inky blackness of night.

One might feel a bit of pity for "Mary" seeing as she was holed up in Xaedan's mind the entire time, but I'm just happy that she's in the here and now, enjoying life as it is.

"Isn't the sky just amazing, Caine? I mean, the stars just go on forever!"

"Maggot!" I didn't say that.

The two of us turn and a ghastly scene greets us. Tsukumi has her foot firmly planted against Xaedan's face, yelling about newborn flies. Again. Kaixin's trying to separate the two, but it's hard to tell if she set the confrontation up like last time or not.

Mata Nui, they're all just nitwads.

I carry my half-ton self forwards and wade in. I instantly transform into a towering wall, with glowering eyes and an expression that said "If you two don't get a room, I will personally, personally, sit on you". That quieted things down nice and quickly.

Kaixin, breathing heavily, was the first of the three stooges to pipe up. "Well, we finally set up the blanket!"

"Tsukumi had to kick Xaedan just to lay down a wad of cloth? Really?"

The Toa of Ice looked a bit sheepish. With a quick glance at Tsukumi, as if making sure she was allowed to say anything, she finally gathered the courage to speak. "Well, it went something along the lines of this..."

Toa Kaixin

"No! You maggot, place it here!"

"Look, if you just put that massive basket of yours down, this would go by so much faster."

I grin. "You two seem really close, having those passionate talks every so often."

With baleful eyes, Tsukumi looks at me. "No. We. Aren't."

"Ha!" The Toa of Water now distracted, Xaedan lunges forward, snatching the picnic cloth from her hands.

Ohhhhh boy. The Ussal turds have just hit the fan.

With a cry, Tsukumi wrenches the picnic spread back and pushes Xaedan away with an outstretched foot. It was Xaedan's bright idea to dash downwards, so the aforementioned foot landed with a meaty thwack against the Toa of Fire's head.

Toa Caine

"So," I begin, "You basically did nothing."

Kaixin beams radiantly. "Pretty much!"

A small snuffle catches my attention, along with the Toa of Ice's. Not only that, but even Xaedan and Tsukumi turn their heads, engrossed as they were trying to send each other to their premature graves. "Hey, guys, please don't fight because of me!" That would be "Mary".

I feel a sense of dismay. Weren't we supposed to be welcoming her? Instead, all we did was drag her into a mess of scuffling and yelling.

Tsukumi frowns and stares at the ground. "Well, I just tried to set the picnic up beneath that favourite tree of yours, firespitter," she mumbles, half to herself. A pause. With a rueful smile, Xaedan reaches over and pats her head. Kaixin and I gasp, preparing ourselves for the inevitable shouting match that would ensue.

Yet, astonishingly, none of that came to pass. Despite all of our worries, no one died. Truly, this was incredible. It would be sung by the foremost of bards for generations to come.

"Maybe I wanted a little change of scenery, Tsukumi. Do you think it'd be better to look up at the night stars or be cooped up under some old tree?"

"I think-"

"Mary" springs forward, all smiles, the grin nearly stretching from ear to the other. "Yay! Everyone's being friends again! Let's eat!" Her happiness is infectious.

Kaixin and I soon found ourselves sitting down, or, in my case, painfully folding my much-too-long legs in an exceedingly uncomfortable position. Immediately, I'm shooed away by Xaedan, who complains that I take up the entire blanket, and then some. I'm exiled to a nearby patch of slightly damp grass. Cool, it was, and refreshing to the touch.

Sharp gasps of surprise punctuated by Kaixin's "By the Spirits!" fill the air.

Tsukumi had finally revealed her ace in the hole; a veritable feast, all packed inside that basket of hers. Salad, clearly made with the finest lettuce, Bula berries, and tomatoes. And steak! Kane-ra steak! How did she even manage to cook steak?

Xaedan stared at the banquet before us. "How did you even manage to cook steak?" The Toa of Fire must have read my mind.

Kaixin doesn't seem to care about the trivial details. Our Toa of Ice is already stuffing herself senseless with succulent meat. "Mary" is not much better either seeing as she's inhaling salad like nobody's business.

"Well," Tsukumi begins, "I dabble here and there with cooking, so..."

"Nope!" Kaixin splutters, spewing slivers of Kane-ra. "Saw her-" She pauses to gulp. "Saw her in front of a stove since two in the afternoon. We went to your place, Xaedan, at nearly eight. You can do the adding yourself."

The Water Toa's face turns thunderous. "How...?" She notices my eyebrows rising. "Don't get any ideas, Caine! I was making this all for myself, and, and... and I just happened to make some extra helpings!"

She crosses her arms and nods once with a sense of finality.

"In any case, Tsukumi, thank you very much for the food," Xaedan replies.

"Whatever, maggot. Just eat."

Back to the usual routine, it seems.

Well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Kaixin, "Mary" and I chime in with our thanks and all five of us proceed to stuff ourselves silly for the rest of the night.