Those of you who have played MNOG2 may remember the first two Matoran (besides Golyo the Mahi Herder) you meet when you enter Po-Koro: Hafu and another named Kamen. They only have a couple lines a piece, but those few lines show us two different characters: one is prideful and full of himself, the other is humble and surprisingly friendly with the stranger. I was interested in the kind of character dynamic these two would have, so I wrote a short story about them. It’s not much, but I hope you enjoy it!
HAFU AND KAMEN
Hafu looked incredulously at a hazy blue figure in the near distance. At first, he thought the heat was making him see things. He shook his head, but the figure remained. In fact, it came closer, revealing itself to be a Ga-Matoran, wearing what appeared to be a dark blue Kaukau. It seemed to Hafu, that she was admiring one his many stone sculptures.
“Ho ho, what is this?” he said to the newcomer. “A fan of my work? I am not signing any autographs today, sorry!”
The Ga-Matoran looked at Hafu, slightly surprised. “Uh, hello there,” she replied. “Who are you?”
“What?” exclaimed Hafu, a little shocked. “Surely you recognized the master carver Hafu when you see him?”
The Ga-Matoran squinted. “I’m pretty sure ‘the master carver’ wears a Pakari, not a Ruru.”
“I assure, my lady,” responded Hafu, trying to hide the fact of his hurt pride, “that I am in fact the master carver.”
The Ga-Matoran shrugged, deciding to humour the Po-Matoran who claimed himself to be Hafu.
“Anyway, what brings a water maiden all the way here to our arid village?”
“Kohlii,” replied the Ga-Matoran. “I’m here for the Kohlii match. I’m the Ga-Koro forward.”
“Oh, so you’re Hahli!” cried Hafu. “A pleasure to finally meet you! Hewkii’s told me about you. You’ll be going against him and me. I’m the Po-Koro defender, you know. I hope you’re prepared; we’re Kohlii champions for a reason!”
“Oh, I’m more than prepared,” said Hahli, surprising Hafu with her confidence. “Question is: are you two prepared?”
Hafu was taken aback but quickly found his composure.
“Definitely,” he remarked. At that moment Hafu remember Hahli’s teammate.
“Tell me, Hahli, is Macku with you?”
“Oh, she’s right behind me. I decided to come a little early.”
A short silence followed.
“Anyway,” continued Hahli, “It was nice meeting you, ‘Hafu’. I’m off to check out the stadium. See you at the game!”
Hafu didn’t know how to respond, all he could muster was: “Yeah, uh, see you!”
Hahli continued her way down the Path of Prophecies. There was another Po-Matoran working on one of the sculptures – one who seemed to wear a brown Mahiki. He turned to greet her.
“Hello, Ga-Matoran!” he said, courteously. “What brings you here to our wonderful village of Po-Koro?”
Hahli smiled. “I’m here for the Kohlii match,” she answered. “Hahli, Ga-Koro forward. I was just done speaking to your defender, the one who claims to be the great Hafu.”
“Yes, the one with an identity crisis,” chuckled the Po-Matoran. He dropped his pick and held out his hand. “Kamen the stonemason, at your service.”
Hahli shook it gladly. Her gaze flew over the sculptures that surrounded them.
“So, you and the Hafu impersonator over there take care of these sculptures?”
“Yes, we are constantly taking care of the sculptures, so that they do not Disintegrate! Time and weather take their toll on our great works, wearing them down into dust. Disintegration is the enemy of Creation!”
“Creation,” pondered Hahli. “Is that the principle that you Po-Matoran live by?”
“Exactly!” Kamen was pleasantly surprised at the Ga-Matoran’s knowledge. “By combining the Virtues of Unity and Destiny, taught to us by Mata Nui, we have become skilled in Creation! And it is from our Principle that we learn our Kohlii Skill – Strategy!”
He looked around to see if anyone was listening and added, quietly: “Take my advice, maiden. Seek out the Mahi Herder just outside of the village, he can teach you about our skill. Hewkii visits him to train - if you visit him too, you might actually stand a chance against our champions.”
Hahli smiled.
“Now, I shan’t neglect my Duty for too long. Farewell, Hahli, and good luck!”
Hahli bid Kamen farewell and continued into Po-Koro. The Po-Matoran turned back to his work.
“Can you believe it, Kamen?”
He turned. Hafu was standing next to him, looking irritated.
“She didn’t recognize me! And she had the gall to question my identity!”
“It’s your mask, Hafu,” replied Kamen, amused at his friend’s grievance. “Ever since you had it changed, you’ve been a different Matoran. Even I can’t recognize you when I see you!”
Hafu grumbled, unimpressed.
“Besides,” added Kamen, “Hahli’s probably only ever heard of you, so she couldn’t recognize you. You mustn’t assume you’re THAT famous, Hafu.”
Hafu grumbled further. “I’ll show her,” he muttered as he turned away. “I’ll show that Ga-Matoran.”
Kamen laughed as he chipped at the stone. Masonry was hard work but having Hafu by his side made it entertaining. Hafu meanwhile had also returned to his work. He had barely begun when he felt he saw another blue figure in the distance. Upon closer inspection, it seemed the figure wore a Huna. Hafu dropped his tool and rushed to greet his comrade.
I’m glad you liked the story, I tried to make the conversations sound as authentic as possible, while also using them as a means of characterisation. Quiet, slow moments such as these is something I would have loved to see more of in the Bionicle story.
