The rain had started again, bringing with it a cold wind, and the return of the puddles of water. It was running down the cell walls, Aikane flinching as some found its way inside her armour. She eyed the water starting to trickle in through the barred window, wondering if it was safe to drink - though, she thought wryly, anything had to be better than that foul stuff she had been left. She had just taken a sip from cupped hands when she started, hearing heavy footsteps clumping from beyond the cell door. She braced herself against the furthermost wall as the footsteps stopped outside her door, and the sound of a key in a lock was heard.

Aikane raised her fists as the door swung open and a dark figure appeared in the doorway. Whatever it was snorted in derision at her - admittedly not her best - fighting stance, then gestured for her to follow.
"Out here you, the master wants a word,"
"He can just keep on wanting then," Aikane retorted, still staying well out of reach.

The being gave an unpleasant laugh and stepped further into the cell, Aikane recoiling even further as she got a glimpse of its face. It looked as though some disturbed person had taken the worst parts of a Rahkshi, a Piraka and a number of unpleasant rahi and blended them into one horrible looking creature. "It would be better to do as he wants," it advised, seizing her arm with a disturbingly strong grip. "Otherwise he might just send Ranarc to collect you, and after that little skirmish you had, you don't want to be attracting his attention,"

Remembering the brute strength her attacker had possessed, she allowed herself to be propelled out the door and into a dimly lit corridor. She paid very little attention as she was led down a series of corridors as she ran over the - very- tenuous escape plan she'd been forming.

She found herself being propelled forward to where a sleek black being was lounging on a huge throne-like chair. He leaned forward, surveying her with a mildly curious look before smiling. "So, this is our Great Spirit's fabled daughter," he drawled, leaning back and tapping long claws against the armrest. "I suppose you know why I had you brought here?"

"You suppose wrong then," Aikane replied levelly, glad that her voice was far more steady than she felt. "I have no idea why you …er, brought me here,"
She clasped her hands behind her back and met his gaze, determined to appear as composed as possible.
Her captor sat up, still eyeing her with considerable interest. "I'm er - informed that it took some trouble getting you here," he continued, again tapping his claws against the armrest of his throne. "That there's a number of people who would give a great deal to have you returned safely,"
Aikane rubbed the side of her head where it still ached and wondered how much had gone on after she'd been knocked unconscious.

"I am sure there is much they could give," she said cautiously, choosing her words with care. "But I am also sure that it would have been far easier to simply take that, and not me,"
The being spread his hands in a conceding gesture.
"True enough. Perhaps we should simply just say what we mean from this point on,"

"That would be advisable," Aikane said tartly. "It would also help if I knew to whom I am speaking,"

Her captor gave a short, mocking bow.

"The name is Undel," he drawled. "I doubt any of my other titles would make any sense to you, but for your purposes I…am a collector,"
Aikane frowned at this last, rather mundane pronouncement.
"…of?" she asked pointedly.

"Shall we say, anything and everything? People. Secrets. Unique ah, artefacts,"

Aikane's eyes narrowed as she suddenly had a sinking feeling as to where this was headed.

"And that's just where you're wrong my little friend," he chuckled. "I will have that mask, sooner or later - sooner, for your sake, I hope," he added. "I know the Great Spirit has that mask. I also know just how … motivating the threat to family can be,"
Aikane was already shaking her head.
"His daughter though I might be, the Great Spirit would never risk so many lives for my one,"

Undel raised an eyebrow. She'd spoken as one who believed implicitly in what she'd said and wondered a little. His contact had been positive - but no matter.
"I would not be so sure," he said, leaning forward. "There are…strange stories about this island. Stories of something they call 'the grey one,"
He narrowed his eyes, watching her for any kind of reaction. The Toa however merely looked bewildered at this. It was a shame really - who, or whatever that 'grey one' was tended to elicit abject terror in the ones who had encountered it, and a healthy amount of fear in those who had only heard of it. "They say it…consumes spirits," he said slowly, getting to his feet and sauntering towards her. "That once it has yours, you simply…cease to be,"
Aikane's only response was a slight narrowing of the eyes.
"No last minute revivals, no spirit residing in the realm of legends. The person that is Aikane -" he made a expansive gesture "- simply ceases to be,"
"You've made your point," Aikane said stiffly, endeavouring to hide a slight shiver of unease.

Undel smiled nastily, "I hope so. It's not a fate I'd wish on anyone, not least the Great Spirit's own daughter, but…well I am sure that it would prove an excellent incentive to be reasonable," Aikane privately was hoping that something utterly unreasonable was going to happen to Undel, and soon.
"Are you finished?" she asked, rather impatient to get back to her cell. "Unless you have a more persuasive argument to make…?"
Undel's eyebrows raised and a shadow passed over his mask.

"Not so hasty my dear," he said silkily, motioning for the guard to come forward. "There'll be time enough for that after you've given this matter some thought,"

He made a dismissive gesture and turned away, the being guarding the door seizing Aikane by the arm and starting to haul her towards the door.

While Aikane was being forcibly removed to her cell, Lewa was halfway though his watch and was sincerely wishing that the boat would just stop bucking like a Kikanalo for just five minutes. He cast a wary eye up at the sails, feeling glad that at least the wind - while unpleasant in every other way right now - was blowing in the right direction and not needing too much help along. It was already tiring enough trying to keep the gale dampened down to a safe level without having to divert it.

He stifled a yawn and leant back against the mast, squinting out at the distant lights where the other two ships sailed alongside them. He spotted a lantern flashing on the one to the left - his heart lurched for a split second before he made out that they were just sending the all clear signal. He fumbled for his own lantern, flashing the signal back before wincing as the ship lurched again. Prior to this he would have thought he would have been the last person to start feeling sea sick, but here he was, feeling distinctly queasy and the indignity of it all was grating on his nerves.

Though, he thought, brightening unaccountably, at least he wasn't anywhere near as unwell as the two Toa of Stone -and even better, neither was on his boat, Lewa wasn't entirely sure that the pair wouldn't have been tossed over board.

He yawned again, leaning against the mast, wishing for his shift to come to an end so that he could finally get some sleep. A flash of motion caught his eye and he tensed, relaxing only when he realised that it was just Kokua leaving the shelter of the stairwell. She nodded to him and continued on to the prow of the boat without speaking, Lewa reasoning that she wanted some privacy. He turned to wander in the opposite direction, wincing as a sudden cold wave splashed over the rail and managed to work its way down his armour. As he wandered, he allowed himself to half slip in to a - far more pleasant - daydream about the postponed celebration.

As pleasant as his daydream was, it couldn't hold against a particularly violent lurch on the part of the boat, Lewa grabbing at the rail to steady himself. Further up the boat Kokua had been caught equally by surprise and had slipped, finding herself sprawled on the wet deck. When she didn't immediately get up, Lewa started towards her to lend a hand. As he drew closer he discovered to his dismay that she had burst into tears, head resting on her knees as she drew damp wings around herself. He hesitantly drew closer, but then as the boat lurched once more he decided that it really might be prudent to sit down. He landed with a graceless thump beside her and pulled a rueful face as she glanced up at him startled. "That wasn't the entrance-greeting I had planned," he groaned, rubbing where his shoulder had hit the rail. "And this isn't a very nice-pleasant spot to be sitting feather-sis," he added, scowling as a particularly large wave splashed up at them. Kokua just shrugged a little, brushing the excess water from her face. Lewa was about to add something when yet another wave dumped water on him.
"This is stupid-ridiculous," he declared, struggling to his feet and pulling Kokua up with him. "There's dry-nicer places we can mope,"

Pulled along behind him, Kokua might have muttered something about 'not moping,' but it was lost in the sound of the wind and waves.

Lewa wrenched open the door leading to the lower decks and gently manoeuvred Kokua in before him, before following, propping the door open.
"We're still going to get wet," Kokua pointed out morosely as she slid down the wall.
"Not half as much," Lewa countered, sitting against the opposite wall so as to face her. Kokua shrugged again, busying herself with trying to separate her feathers from their sodden clumps.

"I just wish we were going faster," she said eventually. "I can't stand all this waiting around,"

"We're going as fast-swiftly as we can," Lewa pointed out for what felt like the eight hundredth time that day. "Any faster and we'd lose-rip our sails,"
Kokua looked up at this and sighed.
"I didn't - I don't mean to sound like Tahu," she said with a faint smile. Lewa smiled back.
"S'okay-alright, if you did sound-act like him I would have toss-thrown you overboard," he joked, finally coaxing a reluctant laugh out of her.
"I don't think anyone would blame you," she huffed. Lewa's gratification at making her laugh was short lived as she suddenly went from laughter to tears in the space of a second.
"Want-need a hug?" he offered awkwardly, shuffling over when she nodded. He settled against the wall beside her and wrapped his arm around her damp shoulders and pulling her against him. She buried her face in his shoulder and he sighed.
"Hey, it'll be right-fine, we'll find her," he said softly. She shook her head and said something indistinct, Lewa gently tugging her closer. There was a quiet noise from below and then a footstep, Lewa glancing up as Tahu slipped quietly past, heading up on deck to take over the watch.
"Thanks brother," he whispered, catching Tahu's answering nod before he turned back to Kokua.

xXx

Finding herself being flung into a cell, Aikane collected herself in time to pick up the bowl of revolting water and flinging it at the retreating back of her captor. The door slammed in her face as she followed, shouting something obscene after him and she aimed a vicious kick at it in revenge.

When all this achieved was a painful foot and a feeling that she was acting the fool, she turned to examine the rest of her cell again. She'd briefly looked around in the time between waking up and being dragged off to meet her captor, but this was the first chance she'd had to examine it properly. It seemed unlikely that she could escape the island proper, but if she could get far enough away from the compound, hide out for a while, then it would buy her some time until someone - hopefully - arrived to rescue her.
She scowled up at the tiny window high up on the wall and stretched up to wrap her hands around the bars. She gingerly hoisted herself up - half expecting and half hoping that they'd bend and snap under her weight - to peer out at what lay beyond the walls, and flinched at the mud splattering through the window. There was ample mud before her - she sincerely hoped that little of this would make it into her cell - and beyond it a wall separating the compound from what looked like forest or jungle. That, at least, Alkane thought, held definite possibilities, and she lowered herself back down to think.

xXx

Undel had returned to his lavish quarters and was lounging back, feeling altogether pleased with himself. The terms he had been offered, generous payment and a week of entertainment in return for a certain mask had promised a welcome diversion, and he was certainly diverted. "I would hardly call that an interrogation Undel," a voice said silkily. "It seemed more like a casual chat to me,"I know what I'm doing, your job is to keep that fool brother of yours the Karzahni out of my way. I suggest that you do it,"
The dark spirit in front him twitched, and Undel had to suppress a satisfied smile.
"You'll get what you paid for," he added, watching as he faded from sight.

While the pair had discussed matters, Alkane had drifted back into an uneasy sleep, leaning propped up against the wall. Thoughts of escape melded with strange dreams, and once or twice she had jerked awake, utterly disorientated.

It suddenly struck her how thirsty she was and she scrambled across the cell to collect some in her hands. It tasted somewhat muddy, though remembering the disgusting state of the water they had left her, this was at least far less likely to make her ill.

As she stood at the window, collecting her third handful of water, she heard one of the guards shuffling past, the sound of their footsteps betraying their exhaustion. A speculative grin crossed Aikane's mask as she considered both the bars and the driving rain in a new light.
"Alright then," she said out loud "Why not?"