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 Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 10:18 pm
Day two in his new home was slightly less eventful than day one, Arorangi soon determined. Day one had involved waking up, meeting Stormy and Oliver, getting his weapon, finding his dorm room, unpacking his very minimal supplies, discovering his new division, learning about said division, and trying to get used to the voice that was now inside of his head.
Arorangi had already decided that he liked having someone else to talk to in his thoughts because his thoughts were sometimes very boring, and having Ari there seemed to fill a space he hadn't known was empty before.
He liked it. And he liked the island, though it wasn't nearly as big or as populated as New Zealand. Still, there was a strange sort of appeal to it, and Arorangi was determined to make the best of it.
Or at least, attempt to.
Currently he was making his way down the trainee hallway, his steps light, a low whistle emanating from his lips; a merry tune, something vague and light and casual, Arorangi's hands tucked into the pockets of his khaki pants.
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 2:26 pm
In the hallway Lydia stood, or rather, hunched over, a sight to behold with what appeared to be multiple packages of doritos and cheetos clutched in her arms, with cans of some cheapo brand of beer tucked into her arm pits, as well as one more held tight in one hand. She was desperately attempting not to drop any of these items as she fumbled for the door handle to the dorm room that she shared with Chris, attempting to close it behind her. How she managed to get out of the room to begin with without meeting any disaster was anybodies guess. Biting down on her bottom lip, pale blue curls all askew, she had somehow managed to shuffle over to the wall as close to the doorframe as she could get, one knee up, aiding her in keeping ahold of everything (or so she thought) as she stretched out an arm, reaching, reaching for the door handle that was just barely out of her grasp, the leg that supported her through this foolish endeavor wobbling and shaking until.... "Ah!" She squeaked as her knee buckled and she toppled sideways, her arms thrown up into the air as she fell, sending up her assortment of goods nearly to the ceiling before they all rained down again, around her, on top of her, pelting her even as she curled up into the fetal position and shrieked, covering her face with her hands.
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 10:36 pm
He had only made it a few doors down the hallway when he heard it - a shuffling noise, followed by a small thud, and then what appeared to be a shriek. Just up ahead he could see a girl on the floor, arms wrapped around her face, as various things scattered around her like raindrops.
"Oy!"
Arorangi thudded along the hallway and skidded to a stop in front of her, crouching down and touching the girl's thin shoulder.
"Oy, you okay?" he asked her, as thick dark dreadlocks fell over his broad shoulders, Arorangi glancing around at the very strange and varied assortment of things that now lay in heaps around her. "Here, let me help you up," he said decisively, and wrapped a hand around her arm, trying to pull her to her feet.
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 10:54 pm
She was okay, really, she decided, as she lay there on the floor. Only a few of the bags had hit her, and thankfully, none of the beer cans (though even those probably wouldn't have hurt much given the shield Roric provided her with). In fact, she was just about to push herself up when she felt it, the floor beneath her shuddering as footsteps thundered like the beat of a bass drum down the hallway. Suddenly, Lydia inexplicably shivered, and closed her eyes, curling up in her position even more as she opted to just stay down for now, flashbacks of the terrible time she had experienced in WonderPark flickering through her mind. It was the dragon. The dragon was coming, and this time she didn't have a shot gun to shoot it with, or an SUV to ram into it, or a helicopter to escape. This time, her luck had all run out. This time she was dead. This time she wouldn't make it. This time she would join Algie and Kiera......... A voice, and Lydia gasped, her hazel eyes flying open as she peeked up at whoever was speaking to her, unfortunately only seeing blurs at first as her glasses had been knocked askew in the fall, landing somewhere amid all of the junky snack foods. "Oh! I uh..I'm.." She started to say, blinking as whoever it was offered to help her, a large, warm hand wrapping around her arm, her own skin gone cold and goosebumpy. Letting him help her to her feet (did she have much choice??), she mumbled out a few, "Sorry, so sorry for the trouble." 's, glancing around at the mess strewn about at her feet. "Ohhhhh dear." She placed a free hand on her cheek. "Ohhhh Lydia, look what you've done." Sighing, she closed her eyes again, her cheeks, previously completely pale, beginning to grow rapidly pink.
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 12:05 am
She was very petite, this girl, with pretty pale hair the color of the sky and wide, startled eyes. Arorangi gave her a reassuring pat on the arm as he tried to help her sit up, his gaze sweeping across the items that were now scattered around her. Once she was vertical again, he let go of her arm, and smiled brightly.
"Please!" he said, in a voice thick with accent, and waved a tattooed hand. "Please, do not look so sad, aroha, we will get this cleaned up! I will help you!"
Aorangi knelt down and began to do just that, stretching out his arms to reach the chips that had bounced farther away. He pushed them all into a haphazard little pile and then reached for the beer cans, which were most likely going to be not quite that fun to open anymore, considering all the fizz.
"What are you to be doing with all of this grub, eh?" he asked her with a grin. "Are you having a party or something?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 4:35 pm
The hand left her arm, taking the warmth with it, and she shivered again, hands coming up to rub at her arms as she blinked her eyes open again. She hadn't noticed it before, when he had spoken to her, but his voice was thick with an accent that she thought that she could place. Slowly turning her head to the side just enough to peek up at him through her eyelashes, she could see the dark skin of his face, and dropping her gaze slightly, she caught the blur of a hand that was inked with even darker tattoos. Aroha. The word a familiar one, and despite her embarrassment, and how very frightened she had been only moments before, a large and goofy grin broke out across her face. " Kia ora!" The words burst from her mouth before she could stop them, in a rising intonation that clearly expressed her gratitude, her face turning even more red by the second. "I mean, um, yes, hi! Thank you!" She nodded at him rapidly, biting down on her bottom lip as she looked around at the mess she had made, still more concerned with where her glasses might have landed then with anything else. When the mysterious man who had come to her aid began to gather things up into a pile, she startled a little. "M-my glasses! Careful!" She abruptly dropped to her knee's, doing the exact opposite of what she had just instructed him as she began patting around on the floor, turning in a slow circle. "They must be here somewhere..." She muttered as she continued to search around on the floor. Sweeping a small bag of nachos aside, her hand skimmed over something, fingertips brushing over glass lenses. "Oh! Here! I found them!" She called out, in an incredibly loud and unnecessary fashion. Grinning again, she retrieved the red frame glasses from off of the floor and stood, placing them on her face and turning back to her savior with a bright smile. And then she saw him clearly for the first time. Ohhhh myyyyy....< Lydia? Oh Lydia are you okay?? >She had gone stone still, frozen in place, her smile dropping instead to an 'o' of surprise as she stared at the man who was gathering up what she had dropped on the floor. She had never seen him before, knowing that she would have remembered that, his accent, his face, his tattoos, all of it. It was a familiarity, yes, but it was more then just that. He was beautiful.....".............." Silence, for a long moment, and then, a faintly whispered. "Kei te aroha au ki a koe" She obviously did not hear his question at all. kuroopu I apologize in advance if I butcher his language at all I am so sorry so very very sorry shes such a dork
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 11:04 pm
"Ah!" said Arorangi, and his grin was so wide it nearly split his face in two. She had used the traditional greeting right back at him without him having said it to her first, which made him smile because not many people even understood what he was saying most of the time.
"Kia ora, yes," said Arorangi brightly. "You speak some Maori, do you? Or do you just know a few words, eh? Aroha, you are very curious!"
He followed her down to the ground again, shuffling through rubbish and bags of chips and beer, and it was only when Arorangi straightened again that he saw her staring at him, his arms full of snacks and chips and one bag of beer. Arorangi
"Yes?" he said, and then, in a slight teasing tone, "Do I have something on my face? Am I..."
The rest of the sentence was lost when he heard her speak, and for a moment Arorangi just stood there and stared back at her, his mouth slightly agape, his arms still filled with an assortment of goodies and drinks. Ari was aghast.
Arorangi burst into laughter. It shook down his whole body, reverberating in his broad chest, and he pressed a hand to his stomach as he doubled over, still trying to catch his breath. After a moment, however, he straightened, and he reached out a hand towards her.
"You are fascinating!" he said brightly. "Kei te aroha au ki a koe," to you too, my dear," Arorangi added, wagglig his eyebrows. "I am Arorangi Te Ariki, what is your name?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:08 am
"Āe, he iti." She responded, automatically and with little thought, to his question about whether she spoke Maori, "I was on an expedition once, to find evidence of the Maero and the Moehau, or Maeroero." She explained, "Our guide was a Maori man, and he taught me several phrases." Among what she had taught herself before her venture, as well, as Lydia found that she quite enjoyed studying linguistics, and found it quite beneficial in a field of work that had taken her all over the globe. In her position on the floor, she was quite chatty, though obviously concerned about whether her glasses were okay. On her feet and with vision cleared by prescription lenses, however, was another matter entirely. She couldn't stop staring at him, her hushed words spoken in absolute awe of the completely perfect specimen that stood in front of her before she clammed, entirely unable to piece together anything remotely coherent to say beyond that point. < Lydia! Lydia snap out of it! It is just a man like any other, yes? > Her weapon chirped away in her mind, startled, but not for the first time by his wielders strange and often times alarming responses to certain situations. It was that booming laughter that finally made her blink, a sound that she could practically feel reverberating the very air that surrounded her with the force of it. He was laughing at her, of course, a reaction she was more then used to. She smiled in response, her cheeks burning once more, though even hotter then before, even while complete and utter dismay tried to wiggle it's way into her belly. No, she wouldn't let it! Instead, Lydia burst into giggles herself, a tittering sound that was punctuated by snorts, some quiet and some loud. She was so silly! Of course he was laughing at her. And that was absolutely okay! She would laugh along with him, because she knew she was ridiculous, and deserved to be laughed at. "Oh..oh my.." She gasped between snorts, as tears began to well up in her eyes. "I am so..." She began, but then stopped abruptly when he spoke, his hand reaching towards her, as her eyes widened once more. Did he just..did he actually....? Was he waggling his eyebrows at her??Lydia's giggles had cut off abrupt as she stared at him in complete awe once more. She felt faint, a little bit dizzy, and she realized at some point she had stopped breathing and took in a slow breath before extending her hand to his. "Lydia." She smiled again, this time a bit sheepishly. "Ko Lydia ahau."
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Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 4:20 pm
The idea that someone else on the island spoke Maori was not only a happy surprise for Arorangi, but somewhat of a reassurance. He already felt at ease at Deus Ex Machina, at least for now, but learning that someone else shared his background - whether because they were a native of the Polynesian islands, or if they had learned it from books and studying, it made no difference to Arorangi - was a very, very good thing, and Arorangi could not have been happier.
"Ah!" he said with a knowing nod. He tapped a finger against his chin. "The Moehau is a legend that has been passed down for many generations! I have not seen it myself, but perhaps I will now, one day! I am glad that your guide has taught you some of the language, it is a great language, though I might be a little biased."
He winked at her and grinned, and then they were both laughing, and it was such a great sound that it made him all the more pleased. He had been woken up by Stormy, who had been cheerful and polite, and Oliver, who had been fearful and terrified, and while both were great, there had been something reserved about the pair of them, as though being a hunter on the island had already taken its toll.
This girl, it seemed, was unafraid of letting herself go, and that was a very good thing in Arorangi's mind.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lydia!" he said brightly, and then suddenly gave a little gasp, looking down at all the mishmash of items that were currently gathered in his arms.
"Were you on your way to some place? Should I help you carry these? Please do not let me keep you from where you are going, aroha, I will be your assistant if you need it! Do you need me to carry things for you to wherever you are going?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 7:23 pm
If there was one single reason why the prospect on living out the remainder of her life on deus was an exciting one, it resonated a lot with what Arorangi had just said. "I was not able to find conclusive evidence of their existence as I had wished, but I too have hope that I will now see them, and many more of the cryptids I spent most of my adult life searching for!" She gushed, her hands clapping underneath her chin as she regarded him with nothing short of reverence in her hazel eyed gaze. It wasn't until he mentioned the junk food still clutched in his arms did Lydia remember what it was she had been doing before Arorangi had come to her aid. "Oh!" She raised a hand to slap against her cheek, the other dropping to her side. "N-no! Well I mean, yes I was on my way to...well.." Would he find it silly, what she had been going to do? She lifted her eyes back up to his, and found herself once more lost in a sea of warm fuzzy feelings in which she felt like she could say or do anything and not be reprimanded for it. "I was going to use them to set a trap. I have a theory that there is one on the island who is a direct descendant of the Sasquatches that inhabit the Canadian Rockies, and I wish to study him further." She grinned, a bright flash of teeth. "If you are interested in helping me, I wouldn't mind the company at all!" In fact, being around one who seemed so genuinely cheerful would have been a refreshing change. That and she could hardly wait to get close enough to smell him. He looked like he would smell wonderful.
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Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:02 pm
Arorangi was mostly unaware of everything surrounding cryptozoology, but it sure sounded interesting; and judging by Lydia's enthusiastic response, the way her eyes brightened when she talked about it, she certainly believed it to be something of note, which meant that he should take it seriously. She was most definitely an interesting one, her appearance and her voice and the subject of what she was talking all somewhat contradictory, and yet they still seemed to work together somehow.
It was really very refreshing.
Ari made a note of amusement in his head, the kitsune eagerly chirping his approval, and Arorangi sent a few good thoughts his way, trying to make him ease up on the enthusiasm of his reply. His weapon was a cheerful sort of thing, but sometimes the talking got to be a little overwhelming, even if Arorangi didn't really mind it all that much.
He blinked, waiting patiently for her to finish her sentence (his arms were kind of starting to hurt, holding all of these things, but that was beside the point), and when she finally told him what she was doing with everything, his expression brightened almost immediately, Arorangi's face breaking into a wide smile.
"That sounds fun!" he said, and then added, in a much more serious tone of voice, "Where do we go to set this trap, aroha? There is a great deal here to explore on the island, should we go to the beach? Or is it in the towns? I hear the town is very dangerous, so maybe a pretty girl like yourself shouldn't go too close to them."
He shifted his grasp to make the load in his arms a little lighter, and then said, "Do sasquatches drink beer? That seems a little strange..."
But then he laughed and gestured for her to start walking.
"Where you go, I will follow!" he told her cheerfully.
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 10:32 pm
Where to go to set the trap? That was a good question, and one that Lydia had considered, though no matter where she set it, she knew she ran the risk of capturing something other then what she was actually aiming for. Still, there was no use in not trying, so she had decided to just go ahead and do it anyways. For research! Grinning brightly, Lydia began to stoop down and gather up what little Arorangi had left to pick up in his arms, which consisted of only two bags of cheetos and one can of beer. "Well....." She began, about to answer him when he said something that made her blink a few times, quite rapidly, before she straightened. "You think I'm pretty???" Her voice was incredibly loud, perhaps surprisingly so considering her small size, but full of absolute delight as she dropped everything she had gathered up in her arms to clap her hands together. "Oh what a charming young man you are!!" Well, actually she had no idea whether he was younger then her or not, but around here it seemed like in most cases that was a fact that was quite safe to assume. Bending down to pick up everything she had dropped again like nothing had happened, Lydia continued. "I had an idea in mind, but before we proceed, a question. Have you only just recently awoken?" It might have been another safe assumption to make, given his general attitude about exploration of the island, but Lydia did not wish to presume too much. Gazing at him with wide wonder behind her glasses, she grinned at him again. "Because if so, only one beer need be for the Sasquatch, while the others we may consume together in celebration of your arrival!....While waiting for the Sasquatch to fall in the trap, of course. And trust me, this one will love it." It sounded like a grand plan to Lydia, at least.
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Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 8:58 pm
Arorangi's smile was bright and it got even brighter when she looked at him with those wide eyes of hers, Lydia practically glowing in her pleasure. A rumbling laugh burst from Arorangi's throat, echoing throughout the otherwise empty hallway.
"Yes, you are very pretty!" he said jovially, and gave her a wink. "You have beautiful hair and very pretty eyes, and you are overall just a very lovely girl indeed! You also know about my home and my people, and that makes you all the prettier, so yes," He gave a decisive nod, as if this settled the matter, "you are very pretty, Lydia!"
She had dropped everything onto the floor again, and Arorangi would have stooped to help her pick it all up again, had it not been for the piles of things he was already carrying and would have dropped again like she had, had he bent over. So he stood there and waited patiently for her to gather up her things again, looking at her with interest.
"Yes," Arorangi answered pleasantly. "I woke up yesterday, as a matter of fact! I was greeted by some very cute people, and they showed me where to go and what to do, and now I am all settled in! I did not bring much with me, so it did not take long."
His grin widened.
"Sounds like a good plan, aroha!" he answered brightly. "Let us go on an adventure!"
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Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 12:37 am
Oh dear everything, he winked at her. What was it with every single guy on this island (well, the ones with two eyes at least....) and winking? Lydia could feel herself practically melting into her boots right on the spot, her shoulders sagging forward and her knee's bending, practically knocking together, her lips parting, and her eyes going from wide to dreamy in an instant. She might have stared at him like this for several long moments before her brain de-mushed and kick-started back into action, right around the time she began stooping down to gather up the cheetos and beer for what seemed like the hundredth time. It would help if she didn't look at him. "W-well, that is all very kind of you to say." She could feel her cheeks flushing red with delight, the smile on her lips impossible to hide, a dizzy, heady feeling almost like she'd already begun drinking long ago invading her brain. "You are, without a doubt, quite handsome I must say." She finished picking up the entire three items on the floor, carefully keeping her gaze averted though she continued to grin like a fool. While she waited for his response to her question, Lydia began to scuff the toe of her boot against the floor, listening with her head half cocked and curls falling in front of her eyes. "Oh! So very very new then! Well, I am also new...ish. Not so new I suppose anymore. OH! Well no never mind." She scuffled her boot some more, frowning. "I forgot what I was going to say." His offer to go on an adventure jarred her out of her lost thoughts, however, and forgetting that she had decided not to look at him, her face turned up towards him with another large smile. "Really?" She exclaimed, clearly surprised that he seemed eager to spend any amount of time with her at all. "Okay, follow me!" She nodded towards the closest exit and began heading that day with clumping, clumsy steps, leading the newcomer outside. --------- Out on the grounds themselves, near the training fields, Lydia had stopped, a finger tapping against her chin and her face screwed up in thought while she deliberated something. Something very important. Where to set up this trap? And further more, what would be the best type of trap to set? "Should have brought a shovel." She finally said, with a sigh. "There aren't any tree's big enough around here." Well, except for in the jungle, of course, but she wasn't sure setting a trap there would catch her exactly what she wanted. kuroopu idek what I'm doing anymore but here have a time jump
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2014 10:55 pm
Arorangi had already decided that Lydia was one of the more interesting people he'd met on the island. There seemed to be an endless supply of entertaining personages, from the quiet, timid types (Oliver and Noemi), to the cheerful, sweet types (Stormy and Shiloh) - and now there was the slightly eclectic, yet endearingly and surprisingly intelligent types, like Lydia. She was a contradiction from her head to her toes, and Arorangi found that delightful.
"Thank you, aroha, that is very kind of you to say!" he said cheerfully, in response to her handsome compliment. Arorangi readjusted his grip on the items in his hand and then took a breath, ready and willing to follow her on this little excursion of theirs.
"Yes, of course! Onwards, onwards!"
Approximately ten minutes later, out on the training fields, Aorangi had already set everything down (it hadn't been heavy, really, carrying everything, but it was easier to talk to someone when one's arms weren't full of chips and beer, and this way he could be of more help). Arorangi had his hands on his hips as he stood beside Lydia, surveying the field with a look of mild interest as Lydia did the same.
"Did you need to do some digging, aroha?" he asked. "I am sure I could help do something, and there are a few smaller trees that we could probably use."
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