Chapter Text
“How long has it been, again?”
The question snapped Jaller out of his thoughts. He turned to face Hewkii.
“Six months,” he replied. Plus or minus a few weeks; he never really was sure how much time they had truly spent in the realm of the mad Karzanhi.
“Maybe…” Hewkii began softly, attempting to read any visible reaction in Jaller’s mask. “Maybe it’s time to… focus on the city’s future, now,”
The first time Hewkii had proposed the idea, it had been three months, and he’d gotten a bad scorch across the mask for his troubles. A month later, Jaller had simply walked away. Now, he just stood, eyes focusing on nothing, steadfast conviction or quiet acceptance nowhere to be seen, just… nothing. Hewkii almost preferred an angry, reactive Jaller to this. That conviction made up so much of who he was, and seeing him without it made Hewkii feel like he was standing next to an entirely different Toa.
“It just… doesn’t make any sense,” he finally said, “if he’d been killed, someone would have known. But it's like he just… vanished.”
It wasn’t long after Jaller and his troupe of Matoran had left that Takanuva had simply disappeared. Vakama and the other Turaga thought he had found some way to enter Karzanhi and had followed after the Matoran, but when Jaller and the Toa Mahri had returned with not but one but two expected members missing, the true gravity of the situation finally set in.
Jaller, for his part, had been doing his best to keep things balanced, protecting the city while also sending out the occasional search party to hunt for any clues relating to the missing Toa.
But Hewkii could tell that, after so much time, Jaller’s composure was beginning to slip. More and more often, he’d spent multiple days straight combing over anything and everything that might hold some shred of relevant information, all so far in vain.
“He wouldn’t want you to do this, Jaller,” Hewkii said, and there was that flash of anger he’d been missing- though Jaller didn’t move, the sudden clench of his fists and immediate shift of focus to Hewkii gave him away. Despite how much he tried to train it out of himself, Jaller couldn’t help the fire coursing through him. Still, Hewkii was unintimidated.
“Until something new reveals itself, we really can’t keep dwelling on this. Yes, he… they… may be gone, but we still have a duty to the Matoran of this city.”
Jaller sighed, turning away from his deputy. Deep down, he knew Hewkii was right. All he was doing was wasting energy chasing down wild trails that all ultimately led nowhere, and that was no way a Toa was meant to behave.
Despite everything Jaller had learned to avoid from Tahu’s example, he couldn’t help but wish he had his advice on what to do here.
“Hewkii… Matoro is gone because he did what I should have - but couldn’t. And now, nothing I’ve done has brought me any closer to finding out what happened to Takanuva,” his voice suddenly took on a much softer cadence, “I can’t keep losing people like this.”
Jaller knew he was being selfish. He hadn’t just lost his friend, Metru Nui had lost its sole protector for months, and with the Mahri now up to that task, it was irresponsible to keep dwelling on things that could further risk the Matoran.
He wasn’t sure if it was a reasonable expectation or his own desire for retribution that led him to believe Hewkii was about to tear into him, call him out on every selfish act he’d committed and lay out exactly why he should never have taken up the mantle of leadership in the first place, but in either case, it came as a mild shock when Hewkii simply placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I know. And I know how rough it must be, but I promise- you’re not alone in this, Jaller. I don’t want to stop looking either, none of us do. As soon as the Toa Nuva return, we’ll pick up the search again, alright?”
Hewkii angled his head slightly lower, trying to capture Jaller’s gaze. Once he had it, he continued, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
“We’ll find him.”