Lewa
While he tried to put aside his reverent enthusiasm for the sake of lofty simplicity as he furnished the others with an overview of his storied homeland, Lewa still fretted internally that he’d do Mata Nui a disservice by failing to properly convey not just the versatile island’s majesty, but its essential nature. His time in this world, brief and involuntary though it had been, did more than anything else serve to illuminate the vast gulf of difference between it and the beloved realm he hailed from. Maybe, he reflected, he also ended up haranguing them with too many unfamiliar names and syllables, and those ultimately unnecessary details further garbled his explanation. On the contrary, however, the others seemed to grasp the sort of nature-attuned tribal society he outlined with immediate and surprising ease. They shrugged off the odd names, nonplussed for the most part by elements of a foreign culture, as one might expect from denizens of realities that were home to many. The only element of his eager fantastical tale that apparently aroused a sense of puzzlement was his matter-of-fact testimony that such a life could be led by machines. Of this, naturally, Lewa himself was living proof, and with pride in his home alight in his eyes he stood tall among the otherworlders, more than willing to answer any additional questions that his circumstantial allies might raise.
Remilia praised his home, and alongside Sanae, expressed sympathy for the toa’s plight. It pleased him to know that the others could grasp just how dire the situation back home could become in his absence–and how imperative it was that he return. Only one of the assembled strangers posed him another question, though. Though his face lay hidden beneath his mask, Lewa couldn’t hide the vigor with which he’d happily keep the memories of his home alive in his mind, and nobody wanted to get too bogged down in the details. His fascinatingly magical companion Rayne, however, did ask about one thing she wanted to know, a matter of taxonomy more than anything else. To Lewa, the answer seemed obvious, even if Rayne’s phrasing invited a measure of misunderstanding. “Why, my brothers and I are toa!” Lewa replied proudly. “Heroes defined by the three virtues of unity, duty, and destiny!” He gave each word special emphasis, then fell silent, as if his succinct declaration summarized everything worth knowing about his biomechanical race.
Despite the aplomb with which he’d reintroduced himself alongside his homeland, Lewa hardly resented the limelight moving elsewhere. The world didn’t revolve around him, after all, and this was hardly an appropriate time for showboating, even if the Spirit of Air had been particularly inclined. Joker introduced himself, offering a reference for his code name that completely passed Lewa by. Card? Was ‘the Card’ some sort of archetypal or legendary figure whose namesake the boy had become? He quickly dismissed that question as not just foolish, but irrelevant as Joker unveiled the presence of a new entity, ethereal and evil in appearance, not to mention so large that Lewa could no longer count himself the tallest out of everyone here. This spectral presence did not linger for more than a couple moments, just long enough to leave a lasting impression and an odd sense of intensified darkness. Lewa shuddered slightly as the impulse faded. Shadows were the domain of the Makuta, mortal enemy of Mata Nui, matoran, and toa alike. “Nothing safe-good can come of dabbling in darkness,” he muttered, half to Joker and half to himself.
The exchange petered out not long after his portentous warning. Everyone could tell the others a little about themselves, but the lack of common ground beyond their maddeningly unclear predicament made extended conversation nigh-impossible. To make matters worse, everyone was to some degree tired and sore thanks to their efforts since arriving in this world, and like the poor villagers who’d been through so much, they needed both rest and whatever succor could be found in dreams. Despite the success he’d enjoyed alongside these people so far, Lewa couldn’t truly bring himself to trust the others yet. Nor could he trust this hamlet to shelter him for the night; it had fallen once, and would do so again all the easier if assailed under cover of darkness. As such, he bid the others farewell, then made for the forest. He could sleep a lot easier up among the branches of the woodland canopy, where he could recline on a sturdy bough amidst similarly colored verdure and imagine, even if just for a moment, that the rustling whisper of the wind among the leaves belonged to the jungled slopes of home.
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When the morning sunlight shone through the trees, casting dappled shadows onto the loam and leaf litter of the forest floor, Lewa awoke. Despite his best attempt to surround himself with comfortably familiar scenery, he’d never managed to shake the creeping, almost anathematic sensation that he didn’t belong here. That hardly made for a peaceful rest, and he knew his energy couldn’t have fully recharged, but after rousing himself he felt confident that he could go another day, physically at least. If another full day went by in this bizarre region without any indication of a return journey, the condition of his mind might be another matter. For now, though, he resolved to greet the new day with a smile on his face, and to hope that the youngster who played a part in his forcible seizure yesterday would be wide awake and amenable -not to mention able- to help. If not…well, best not to dwell on such things.
Lewa descended from the treetops with a practiced grace that defied his formidable form. He returned to the gutted village at a steady pace, suppressing the nervous energy that would’ve otherwise quickened his steps. When he approached the lodge where the others put an inordinate amount of trust in both numbers and one another, however, he found that a hushed but uneasy contention among the men had already garnered his allies’ attention.
They quickly filled the new arrival in, but the toa didn’t seem quite as quick to offer his services again. “Monster? In the trees?” He narrowed upturned eyes, a hand on the chin of his mask. He hadn’t sensed anything so far, but his senses were hardly used to the shapes and sounds of this strange land. “You mean a rahi of some kind? Now, now. Let’s not be so hasty. A sorrow-bad story has unfolded here, true, but rahi don’t understand such things. They know-feel no malice, and have only their instincts to listen-follow. It’s only natural that such things might lead them here. This is their home-land, after all. Let me keep look-out among the trees. I have a way with rahi. Even the mighty-big Ash Bear can become a friend if you know how.” Given how different things were here, and how much behavioral knowledge went into such endeavors, Lewa felt much less confident about befriending the wildlife than usual. Still, he felt obligated to try.
