Another interlude down! I thought it was kind of fun to write a bit of a cute little story, as well as canonize love! I hope you guys enjoy it!
Interlude - "THE FRUIT"
Taradi leapt off the twisted root, plummeting into a short roll and finishing on his feet with a small flourish.
“Tremendous,” said Irisa. When she spoke, wads of the Sycafuse leaf she was munching on vacated her mouth in clumps.
“Quit it,” growled Taradi as he wiped a few clumps of mud from his metallic feet.
Irisa stuffed another leaf into her mouth. “Stop what? Would you have me deprive you of hearing me compliment your admirable technique?”
“I know you’re not complimenting me. You’re just making fun of me via sarcasm.”
Irisa’s jaw swung wide. “I would never, Taradi. I’m here to support you and encourage your passions, no matter how undeniably tragic they may be.” Before the showman could interject with a complaint, she added sharply, “That’s what girlfriends are for.”
Taradi’s eyes flicked from blue to azure. “Is that- That’s what we are? Boyfriend and g-g-” He began to choke.
“I mean,” Irisa said, "I wouldn’t have followed you past the groves if we weren’t something."
Taradi grinned.
Irisa leaned forwards, sliding down from her root, landing plainly on the mud.
“Oh, come on!” said Taradi. “You’re not even going to try?”
“You know I can’t do anything energetic after eating Sycafuse! I’ll get a sore stomach chamber,” Irisa said, rubbing her belly. Interestingly enough, Irisa was always chewing on the leaves. They smelled nice, and were supposed to help clean out your inner chambers.
“Did you get one when you chased Borga halfway to the Crags after he took your emerald bracelet?” Taradi asked.
Irisa nodded. “The worst. I couldn’t walk; he had to carry me home.”
Taradi frowned. Borga was a lot stronger than he was. But Irisa chose me… He smiled to himself. Unless… She wasn’t teasing him again, was she? His smile vanished.
“Taradi,” called Irisa. She was staring up the trunk of a rather large tree. “So, you like me… and I believe I like you… and I would really like a nupnup fruit to help me wash down all of these leaves. If you hurry, I’ll even share it with you.”
The boy stepped up next to her and traced her gaze to the bulging ruby fruits hanging from the crown of the tree. They were very high up, but for Irisa… For Irisa, Taradi would climb Obsidian Peak. One lonely tree in Fauna Jungle, that would be easy.
He began the climb without another second of hesitation. He gripped the firm bark, testing it with a fraction of his weight before he relied on it. Taradi was a good climber, second in the class. He frowned again. Second to Borga. He sped up his climbing, moving a little less cautiously.
Wow, did he like Irisa! How could he not, racing up the tree like this just because she had wanted a fruit? In fact, he might even venture to say he loved her. At least, he loved aspects of her. He loved the mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she made fun of him. He loved the laugh she made whenever he fell into the lake during boating practice - which was a lot. He loved how angry she looked when Borga took that bracelet. Maybe he did love her. What would he be without love? Where would the world be without it? A world without love, now that was a world he would never want to live in. He began to climb even faster. The tree was holding him well enough.
He was nearing the top of the tree, now. He could almost reach the fruit, the tips of his fingers just about able to nudge their delicious gleaming bulbs…
Crack.
The bark began to chip at Taradi’s touch. It slowly started to peel back, and…
“No!” he cried, watching as he fell away from the fruit. The bark ripped loose and he began to fall.
Not even a second after he began falling was he suddenly torn from his unplanned descent and carried onto a sturdy branch. The arm that clung to his waist pulled him up, forming a tighter grip before the mysterious hero leapt downwards, jumping to another branch, and then another, and then landing on the ground in a precise tumble that they then used to propel themselves back to their feet, Taradi now safe on the ground.
“Taradi!” Irisa shrieked, sprinting over to her friend. She threw herself onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You’re safe! You’re okay!”
“Y-yeah,” he said. It felt as if his core had just been emptied, and then filled again. He wasn’t really sure of where he was. Slowly, he turned to face his savior.
She was a tall figure, nearly three times his height, with the athletic, but agile build of a runner. She was a blend of bright green armer plating with vibrant pink accents adorning the slender armor. Upon her head sat a proud, rounded mask, underneath of which twin cyan lights shone out.
“W-who are you?” Taradi wondered.
“I’m a guardian of the jungle,” the hero said, “and its inhabitants. I saw you climbing that tree from a while away. You are lucky I got here in time, or this very fruit would have been the cause of an gravely unfortunate event.” She drew an arm out from behind her cloak, revealed one of the glistening nupnup fruits.
Taradi caught it, and immediately offered it to Irisa. The young woman had not turned away from the boy at all, staring at him with awe.
“Are you a warrior?” wondered Taradi, noticing the twin blades sheathed upon the hero’s back.
She tilted her head to the side. “I am a Toa. Toa Shynali, in name, though I once was known as Shali.” She knelt to the Matoran’s level and looked into the eyes of each of them. “Listen, I need to ask for a favor. Are you aware of how to return to Fungi Camp from here?”
Taradi and Irisa both nodded.
“Excellent,” said Shynali. “Then I need you to walk two hundred paces this way-” She pointed in a direction, vaguely northeast. “There, you will find a Matoran man in red plating - from the Flickering Wastes - tied up with a rope. I will need you to bring him to Chieftain Kasimi. Tell the Cheiftain that he is a villainous man, one who has been capturing the Rahi of the jungle and auctioning them off in the Wastes. You may cut the ropes so that he may walk, but do not free his arms or mouth - he is not dangerous, but he can be deceiving. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes, Toa Shynali!” said Taradi. Should I salute? Bow? Give an appreciate dance?
Shynali smirked and nodded. “Thank you. And… tell Kasimi hello for me.”
Taradi hadn’t had many interactions with the Cheiftain before. Many said he was going senile in his waning years.
“You’re welcome for the save,” said Shynali. “Or should I just not have brought it up again? Which is more polite?”
The Matoran shrugged.
“Oh,” the Toa said. “Well, I hope you are successful.” She began drawing away. “Er… Good-bye.” Her heroic shape slipped into the shadows of the jungle, and she was gone.
Irisa took their moment of privacy to embrace Taradi again. “You really are a hero, Taradi. I’m sorry I made fun of you!”
Taradi took no notice of her apology, instead staring at the spot where Shynali had vanished. A Toa…
Also, awesome new art by the immensely talented and generous ultratoa7 again! Here’s the fearsome Captain Crau:
Every time I look at it, I notice a new detail, from his menacing fur cloak to the fantastic plume from his hat!