#I ready need to draw Zane more

[lunarasphodel]

The brainrot is soo real so here’s a doodle page + some sticky’s from class :]

As always click for better quality and reblogs help tremendously!

[omegalomania]

the full apple music interview with zane lowe is out! we got snippets of it when love from the other side dropped, but they finally rolled out the full thing. here are some highlights that stood out to me :)

patrick describes pete's lyrics as what gets him out of bed in the morning. if pete doesn't send him lyrics, he doesn't write a song.

andy and pete used to draw fake snake tattoos on each other using magic markers as kids omg?

so evidently patrick was the one who got covid during hella mega tour. and he hated it and he was miserable and that's when he called neal avron about the new record lmao

patrick says that joe was hesitant at first and he was the one who said that for this record he wanted to make something that they could all savor and spend time on and patrick was immediately on board with that

pete says patrick's job is to interpret him because pete calls his mentality a "little bit off" but patrick is capable of understanding him and translating it

patrick describes his and pete's creative relationship as "twin speak." it's not linear and it's like living in his brain a little bit. he calls it the "weirdest thing i've ever seen" when pete can just Tell that some words that patrick adjusted weren't ones he wrote despite not remembering writing them. patrick says he's gotten better at connective tissue and knowing how pete would say things

pete: back in the day patrick was like, "what's the difference between cry and weep i will KILL YOU. THEY'RE THE SAME THING. I'M GONNA KILL YOU RIGHT NOW."

zane says patrick's vocals are next level for this album. pete agrees that he kills it on this album and said he never would've expected that voice coming from him when they first met. zane says patrick could sing a recipe and it would be good. he then passes patrick a recipe and patrick. sings it???

patrick: i'm not gonna belt it. (starts belting) NINE INCH PIE PLATE ROLLING PIN

patrick says that pete doesn't mean to have rhythm to his words but there's a rhythm to them all the same and patrick can find this syncopation in his words and thinks it's amazing

more talking about patrick and pete's Magical Mystical Transcendent Soul Bond. patrick says "if we were one guy, we'd be an INCREDIBLE DUDE"

patrick and pete say that interviews with all four of them are hard because it's chaos and everyone's talking at once but it all makes perfect sense to them and no one else. zane says that sounds like fun flkjdfd [i agree please do this more it's a joy]

pete says joe really stepped up and wrote a lot for this record!

patrick: "joe is kind of a conundrum because he's this really talented...he's a brilliant writer, a brilliant player, but pete and i became the "team" and it wasn't really a plan, but that's just kind of how it happened. [brief tangent about the hiatus] we come back from the thing and joe is this fully-formed writer with a very distinct - he has one of the most distinctive writing voices. when i hear his parts, when i hear his ideas, i could pick them out of a crowd. like i know the way joe writes, and it's VERY joe." part of the process with post-hiatus was integrating him into the writing process more.

discussing the hiatus and fame and pete says his life kind of "blew up" and took it pretty hard. apparently during production for folie paparazzi actually broke down the gate to neal avron's house

patrick goes on a big tangent about how bad things got during the height of pete's fame. "part of my role is to tell his story. i'm a composer. that's what i like to do. i work on movies, i work on shows, and i work on pete. pete has a story that needs music, and if he's removed from himself, if he's not even able to access himself because he's behind all of this stuff, i don't have a story! so not only did i not have my buddy, which was heartbreaking in its own way, but then i also don't have a purpose as an artist."

patrick says that andy is always ready to play but when you get him happy to play, it's another level

"and trohman, there were these moments where he...he got so excited."

patrick describes writing what a time to be alive as wanting to write the saddest, most desperate song you could hear at a wedding. pete bursts into laughter and calls it "so twisted"

talking about other endeavors outside the band - patrick talks about composing and said joe's been super busy with his book and writing for tv and because there are so many deadlines for stuff like that, it's what hammered home to him that fall out boy needs to not be that. "there's something special about this that can't be...this has to be passionate and art."

discussing how scared patrick was of his own voice while the band took off. patrick was really scared of the song saturday at first because there are some really exposed vocal moments. he describes saturday as a song where everyone in the band lets each other go for it.

zane calls fall out boy the "emo blueprint" and says they were unapologetic in being emotional. patrick immediately says, "that was pete. i don't think we could've done that without him." he and joe were basically kids and patrick was too anxious to talk on stage.

zane says, "i remember interviewing you in the early days and i felt like every time i asked you a question i was bullying you." pete IMMEDIATELY loses his shit.

"in another life where i didn't have a pete...cause saturday, i did write most of that by myself...so there's a world where that song exists without the band. there's no world where i sing it in front of people without pete."

pete says every night before they put out a new song he calls patrick up and gets really scared and wants to back out and patrick talks him down every time

they talk about how scary it was when arm's race released and performing it at the amas. patrick starts laughing rly hard as they get into how there were giant crickets on stage and the crowd was just stone-faced and utterly nonresponsive and their stage manager was utterly panicked

towards the end patrick really loosens up and starts swearing more dlkfjdfd

[oblivious-aro]

Girl Talk (Prequel to Where the Sky Meets the Sea)

So the final chapter of Where the Sky Meets the Sea is almost finished. It just needs one more good read through.

But...

I kind of went full self-indulgent mode, and commissioned a really cool drawing to go with it, but due to some issues with the timing, the drawing won't be ready for a bit, and I want to release the drawing with the chapter, because it's really really cool.

I feel bad about the long wait, so I whipped up this little mini-chapter/prequel.

Thank you all for your patience, and please enjoy this rewrite of the conversation between Misako and Nya from the beginning of Skybound, named after a terrible line from season 8.

Enjoy!

Word Count: ~2000

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After nearly five straight minutes of concentration, Jay moved his bishop to block the advance of one of Zane's pawns.

As Zane considered his move, Jay’s focus drifted over to Nya, who was currently locked in fierce battle with some wooden training dummies on the deck below them.

She’d been on the warpath ever since they got back from the PSA shoot. The one she hadn’t been invited to.

When she arrived at the studio, wondering what was going on, the producer offered to shoot her doing a make-up tutorial.

Hence the destructive mood.

“Jay,” Zane said “I’ve finished my turn.”

“Huh?”

“That means it’s your turn.”

“Oh, right!”

Jay snapped his head back to the chess board. He was currently working his knight up the board, and in just two more turns he’d be in position to pull off a manoeuvre that might give him a chance of actually beating-

Wait, where had his knight gone?

Jay spotted the little white horse nestled amongst the cluster of all of the other pieces Zane had captured.

Jay let out a sigh.

It didn’t look like he was winning this game either.

“So what’s that? A hundred games to one?”

Cole's voice nearly made Jay jump out of his seat. He swore Cole hadn’t been this good at sneaking up on him before he became a ghost.

“Hey!” Jay said “The game’s not over! I can still win this!”

Cole glanced at the board.

“Sure you can.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do than standing around dissing my chess skills?”

“Actually, I have something really cool I wanted to show you guys!” Cole’s eyes lit up “Watch this!”

One second Cole was standing by Zane and Jay, and the next he had completely disappeared.

Jay didn’t notice Cole reappear behind him.

“Boo.” He whispered into his ear.

“Gah!” Jay instinctively punched behind him, his fist going right through Cole’s chest.

“Pretty cool, right?” Cole beamed once Jay had retracted his fist.

“Yeah, great new trick.” Jay said flatly, trying to rub the chill from his hand.

“Most impressive Cole.” Zane smiled “I’m sure this new ability will be a great asset in future missions.”

“And that’s not all,” Cole’s smile grew even wider “You remember the rest of you saw your future selves in that cave and I was all worried when I didn’t see anything? Well I guess it turned out I couldn’t see my reflection because future-me learned how to turn invisible, and not because I was a goner!”

“That’s wonderful news Cole!” Zane smiled, “You must be feeling very relieved.”

“Oh absolutely! I’ve been practically jumping for joy all morning!” Cole bounced on the balls of his feet “I’ll let you two get back to your game, I gotta find Kai and Lloyd and tell them the good news too!”

Cole practically skipped down the stairs in search of the other ninja.

“Well I’m glad someone’s happy about their vision.” Jay grumbled.

Zane raised an eyebrow.

“I would think you’d be more excited about finding out that our friend isn’t doomed.” he said.

“Maybe I’d be more excited for him if he wasn’t using his newfound abilities to try and give me a heart attack. Just because he’s not gonna die young anymore doesn’t mean that I want to.“ Jay moved a random pawn forward and turned back towards Nya.

“I’m sensing the vision you saw of you and Nya together in the future is on your mind?” Zane asked as he took Jay's queen with his pawn.

“Shh! Not so loud!” Jay reached over the board and covered Zane’s mouth, checking over his shoulder to make sure Nya and Cole hadn’t overheard.

Zane pushed his hand away.

“Perhaps it would relieve some of your stress to simply tell Nya about your vision?”

“Are you kidding? Nya would lose it if she heard about what I saw in the cave!” Jay sighed “She's already made it very clear she wants nothing to do with me.”

“Erm, if that’s the case, why have you been frequently making suggestive comments around her?”

“C-comments? What comments?” Jay asked nervously.

“Ever since our sojourn to the First Spinjitzu Master's tomb, your behaviour around Nya has noticeably changed. Especially in the last month, as the questions surrounding her love life have become more prevalent in the media.”

Jay groaned and banged his head on the table, making the chess pieces jump.

“Am I really that obvious?”

“Yes.”

Jay groaned again.

“I was fine until I saw that vision!” He rubbed his eyes with his palms. “I know Nya said she didn't want to get back together, but there's been this little spark of hope in me ever since I saw that we were together in the future.”

“Perhaps it would be better if you stopped your romantic advances and simply let things take their course. I can’t help but feel that pushing Nya in a direction she has expressed discomfort with will only achieve the opposite of your intended goal.”

“I know I should probably back off, but it's hard!” Jay said “Like, imagine if Pixal broke up with you, but you knew for sure the two of you would get back together. You couldn’t just sit there and pretend everything was normal, right?”

“If Pixal expressed a desire for a change in our relationship, I would respect her wishes.” Zane said indignantly.

“Never mind. You just wouldn't get it, it's different for you.”

Zane frowned and moved his rook.

“Checkmate.” he said with slightly more satisfaction than when he normally beat Jay.

“What?” Jay blinked “How'd you do that?”

“I pay attention.” Zane said smugly.

“Whatever.” Jay grumbled “Set the pieces back up! I know I can beat you this time!”

--------------------------------------------------

“Show girls how to put on makeup!” Nya growled as she attacked the training dummy with steadily faster and faster hits.

Thwump!

Thwack!

“Maybe you’re the one who needs your face rearranged!”

Nya’s frustration completely boiled over and her limbs turned into a violent blur of fury.

Smash!

Smash!

Crash!

The arm of the dummy Nya kicked severed from the torso with a burst of splinters.

She panted a few times before pulling her arm back to attack the next dummy.

“Something bothering you?”

Nya stopped mid-punch and turned to see Misako closing the door to the captain's quarters behind her.

“Everything's been awful every since I became the water ninja!” Nya replied angrily.

“No one ever said being a ninja would be easy.” Misako smiled warmly.

“It’s not being a ninja that’s the problem, it’s how people act about the fact that I’m a ninja! I mean, have you seen the media! If I ever forget that I’m the only girl ninja, there’s a thousand friendly reminders in every direction!”

“Oh I'm very familiar with the feeling.” Misako nodded knowingly. “The Explorer’s Club was a useful resource for my green ninja prophecy research, but being the first and only woman to be a member was certainly an alienating experience.”

Misako cleared her throat before speaking in a haughty voice.

“Introducing Percy Shippelton, one of the most courageous members of The Club; Smythe Smith, discoverer of The Hidden Isles of the Anacondrai; and Misako Montgomery, the first woman in The Explorer’s Club!” She said.

“Yes! Exactly!” Nya practically yelled “Why can’t people just give me the same chance they give the boys? Why does me being a girl make them act so…so weird?”

“I’m afraid most men just can't handle the idea of not being the stars of the show. It's not fair, but unfortunately life just isn’t fair.” Misako smiled sadly. “And when you’re faced with one of life's challenges, you can either lie down and give up, or stand tall and fight back.”

Nya frowned.

That wasn’t really what she'd been hoping to hear.

“It feels like all I ever do is fight back.” She said “Isn't there anything else I can do? Maybe something a little more of a permanent effect?”

Misako only smiled sadly.

“It's like I said, life just isn't fair. Being a woman is like being a ninja, there'll always be another enemy to fight. But it's not all doom and gloom.”

Misako put a hand on Nya's shoulder.

“The opinions of some sleazy reporters and the frothing masses drooling over their tacky magazines don't matter. You know they're wrong, and I know they're wrong. No matter what they say, I know you're a strong, incredibly clever, amazing ninja. Don't let what some nosy strangers have to say drag you down. Focus on your work, and lean on your friends, the ones who really understand and support you.”

“Honestly Misako, I'm not so sure they do understand me.”

“Boys can be a bit dumb sometimes,” Misako laughed “But they're still your friends. They do want to help you, even if they don't always understand how to do it.”

“I guess so.” Nya shrugged “But it would be nice if I didn't feel so alone all the time when I was with them, you know?”

“They'll get there. But in the meantime, I'm always here to talk when you're feeling alone.”

Nya blinked.

It hadn't really hit her until now that she'd never had another woman on the team she could talk to.

In fact, Nya couldn't remember there being a prominent woman in her life ever since she and Kai had struck out on their own.

Nya wasn't sure how she felt about that.

“Thanks Misako.” She said.

“Anytime.” Misako patted Nya's shoulder. “Now, I'd better get back to my research. I've been looking through Captain Soto's old journals, and I just found the most fascinating entry on one of their rival crews.”

Misako bent down and picked up one of the dummies Nya had knocked over.

“Now, don't hold back. Attack the manikins with just as much ferocity as you would use on a real foe. That's the best way to be prepared for the battles ahead.” she said, giving Nya one last smile before disappearing back into the captain's quarters.

Nya stared at the closed door for a bit.

She half-heartedly kicked one of the dummies over before turning and walking away.

She was still full of anger, as well as a slew of other confusing emotions, but taking it out on the training dummies felt pointless.

It was nice that there was another woman on the team who understood what Nya had to put up with, and she was grateful that Misako had come out to talk to her, but her words hadn't exactly filled Nya with a lot of hope for the future.

Was she really going to spend the rest of her life knocking down dummies only for someone to keep setting them up?

Nya's musings were interrupted when she noticed Jay looking at her.

Perhaps his attention had only been drawn by the noise of Nya’s training exercises/rageful venting, but all of the weird comments Jay had been making the past few weeks flashed through Nya's mind as they locked eyes.

She had no patience for Jay right now.

“What are you looking at?” she snapped.

“N-nothing!” Jay yelped, turning back to his chess game with Zane.

Before Nya could get much farther, Wu came running on deck calling for all the ninja.

“Ninja! Come quick! There's been an emergency!”

After a quick briefing from Wu, the ninja were off on a mission to find out how Clouse had escaped from The Cursed Realm, and what he was up to.

Nya was glad for the distraction, as well as the opportunity to turn her anger into something productive.

Maybe after they'd taken care of Clouse, Nya's head would be a bit clearer, and she could have a more in-depth conversation with Misako.

[klai-16xoxo]

Welcome to The Blog!

You would wish you never seen this blog in the next ten second :)

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//Gonna just drop some ugly old arts I made since I am too lazy to make new ones but here is me and my sona! Now, let me drop some random facts and info about me so you can have an idea of the kind of person I am.

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Basic Info:-

Name:- you can just call me Klai.

Gender:- Cis Female. (She/her)

Age:- 20 meaning I am an adult and NOT a child, do not think cuz my voice sound like a baby and I am short that I am a baby qwq… also my birth is January 2th :D!

Religion:- Islam ☪️

Facts:-

-into many fandom more then I can count.

-not the best artist but I do enjoy drawing a lot whenever I feel motivated.

-I love and means LOVE making OCs, I have like… million of them, that I bet I forget most of them even!

-i have a undiagnosed ADHD and can be quite obnoxious at times so hope you all can bear with me and understand that if I did something wrong, it mostly just me being an idiot and not knowing any better.

-way too lazy to do shit and the proof is the amount of unfinished projects I have lol.

-I like the colour purple a lot so be ready to see it all over this blog :p

-self proclaimed Simp Queen u3u

Rules:-

1-be god dame respectful, I will not hesitate to block anyone who being an asshole.

2-anyone who act racist, homophobic or anything like that would also be blocked.

3-pls do not spam my inbox (unless you one of my closest friends lol) I normally do not like it when someone act way too comfortable with me when I hardly know them so yeah!

4- DO NOT! send me anything that is inappropriate, I may be an adult but I do not give shit about any of those dirty ass stuff so keep it to yourself >:(!!!

5- if you uncomfortable or do not like my content then pls do not feel the need to spam your reasoning in my inbox or DM, you can simply just block me and leave. I do not look for any conflict here and I am just here to enjoy my time.

Other Blogs of mine to check out:-

@ask-the-artist-lily

@idv-ask-the-showman

@idv-ask-the-unknown

@idv-ask-the-train-conductor

@idv-ask-the-phantom-thief

@the-asylum-show

@ask-the-chief-heads

@ask-the-busser-zane

@ask-the-strange-boy

@twst-vision-of-the-crimson-rose

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That’s all for now, I am not the best to introduce myself but I hope this works ~… btw I do commission -> {post here}

[declinlalune]

St(ranger) Danger || Andy & Zane

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @rn-zane @declinlalune SUMMARY: Andy gets stopped by another ranger. Zane intervenes. CONTENT WARNING: Parental & sibling death mentions, a creepy guy who is harassing Andy.

Andy knew that going to a hunter infested shop would one day have consequences. She noticed the man’s recognition almost immediately, and though she thought that maybe it’d been because they’d seen each other around town, she was proven wrong. As she was checking out, the man approached her, explaining that she looked just like a woman he knew sixteen years ago– same red hair, same freckles. She politely skirted around the conversation, explaining that she’d been new to Wicked’s Rest and that she couldn’t possibly be the person he remembered– or the daughter of her. 

Then he mentioned Tennessee. Andy felt her skin alight as she pushed her way through the shop and out onto the street. Why she continued to park away from Hollow Point Armory, she wasn’t sure. Maybe it was to keep her license plate off their radar. She could hear his footsteps, but she didn’t want to focus on them. She wanted to focus on getting the hell out of there. Really sad, what happened to them. Rumor had it the kids died, too, but you seem to be just fine. Andy felt sick. This was the first time somebody from their past had come back to haunt them, not including Kaden. Though, was he really haunting them if he were a ghost with them, too? 

“I’m not who you think I am, sorry.” Andy took her keys out of her bag and held them tightly, ready to throw herself in her jeep, need be. You sure about that? Where’s the other one? Andy winced. So they knew about Alex. Had there really been rumors circulating in the community? People had been suspicious that Alex lacked the ability of a ranger, even then– she’d heard the conversations, but there’d never been any proof. “Positive, dude.” She continued walking, and she could finally see her jeep in full view. Would it be smart to pull away with it? With her luck, this guy knew how to run plates and would figure out where they lived. So she veered in another direction before she felt him grab her arm, twisting her around. 

“What do you want? I said I’m not the person you’re thinking of.” Andy watched the man, her expression darkening as she noticed the sick, twisted smile that formed over his features. You’re lying to me, and you know we don’t lie to our own. Andy scoffed. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about dude, you’re creeping me out, leave me alone.” She tried her best to keep steady, to not just rip her arm out of his grip for the sake of not showing off her innate strength he knew she had. Another voice joined their collective, and Andy looked over to see a man she did not recognize heading their way. He seemed concerned, which hopefully meant he was not on this man’s side. 

—

It wasn’t too crowded out now, most people either home or heading there for dinner. It was nicer to walk the streets at this time, without the loud chatter and traffic, not to mention the fact that his nose seemed even more intent on picking up every faint whiff of blood it could after the… encounter at Dance Macabre. Zane was fine, and full, so work shouldn’t be a problem but it was still good that he decided to walk, burning off some of that nervous energy he’d rarely experienced heading into work before. 

The music in his ears didn’t prevent him from taking notice of the couple walking briskly across the street, the tension in their exchange drawing his attention. Maybe not a couple, Zane thought as he drew closer, noticing that the man seemed much older than the young woman trying to ignore him. His daughter? He didn’t hope so as he caught the glint in the man’s eyes, knowing that there existed parents who would regard their children with that look but praying the situation was something else. Picking up the pace slightly, headphones pulled out as he walked, Zane came close enough to start to pick up on the words being exchanged. 

She didn’t know the man, it sounded like, and that was enough incentive for Zane to veer straight towards the two of them. As soon as the arm was grabbed, he knew he’d made the right decision. “Hey!”

Closing the distance between them, eyes focused on the man who looked even angrier up close, Zane gave a curt nod towards the offending hand that still held the young woman tightly. With a huff, the man loosened his grip, still standing uncomfortably close to the woman. “Everything okay here?” It sounded very cliched and Zane was reminded of the last time he stepped into a precarious situation like this, the fact that he’d maybe broken someone’s arm. Didn’t matter, he would just stand by and use the few inches he had on this guy to hopefully scare him off. A glance over at the young woman showed the worry in her eyes and his own softened for a moment before turning back, narrowed, to the man. 

—

Andy didn’t normally feel grateful towards other people for intervening; it usually meant trouble, but in this case? Sure, she’d take the distraction. The man opposite her loosened his grip and she lightly yanked her arm away, still cautious to show any true strength. 

At the stranger’s question, Andy cut her gaze to him. He was much taller than herself, but if he had no actual strength to him, something told her that the hunter across from her– who she could only assume to be a ranger, would level him easily. She swallowed thickly before nodding, rubbing her arm to rid herself of the drowning feeling that’d begun to lay flatly overtop of her. As long as she didn’t mention Alex, and as long as she didn’t give in to the pressure of admitting that she was who he thought she was, things would be fine. And now she had somebody she could rely on. Hopefully. 

“This guy thinks I’m somebody and I’m not.” Andy realized it was a weak argument, that people probably said that all the time when they were exactly who the aggressor thought they were, but she didn’t have time to pull some story out of her ass. “I’m from Fresno, not what– where did you say? Kentucky?” As a means to play stupid, she desperately laid in on the fact that she hadn’t even remembered where he suggested she was from. 

The incredulous expression that rose over the ranger’s features reminded her of her father and she felt something stir in the pit of her stomach– guilt, maybe. Now, you know, and I know, that that’s bullshit. But if you don’t wanna connect to your people, then so be it. Was that really it? Andy waited for him to say something more, but instead he turned, and started off in the way they’d both come from. She let out a breath, but it caught in her throat as he turned back around, that same sly, smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. Gotta watch out for each other here, you know it ain’t safe, and I know your skin is just crawlin, with all those monsters roaming about. 

She fought to keep a neutral expression and waited until he finally turned back around to let out the breath that felt lodged in her throat. Andy had almost forgotten had company. When she finally looked over at him, she gave him a meek smile. “No idea what the hell that guy was talking about. Uh, thank you, for you know, not letting him grab me or whatever.” 

—

Zane watched the exchange warily, careful not to butt in more than he had to but the look in this man’s eyes was unnerving. Even though he’d let go, the vampire didn’t feel comfortable walking away yet. Preferably, he wanted the guy far, far away before he’d feel right about leaving the young woman. He knew it was intrusive, stepping in to help, but he’d seen enough in the ER to know how situations like this could go. Didn’t matter whether it was a young woman or not, that tension was unmistakable and if injuries could be avoided, his interrupting self was going to make an attempt. 

Finally, after what felt like ages, the man relented. Zane’s breath of relief had barely escaped his lips when the last shot was fired, thrown over the guy’s shoulder and sending a shiver down the vampire’s spine. Was she… one of them? Was the man? No, if they could somehow know whether or not somebody was undead, the way slayers seemed to, they would have reacted differently to a vampire joining their conversation. Wouldn’t they? 

The tension in Zane’s body had to be obvious, feet pushing into the ground, ready to make a run for it. Seeing the meek smile on the woman’s face as he thanked him was reassuring but maybe she was just a good actress? Waiting for him to let his guard down so she could strike? He spared a glance over at the retreating man, wondering if he too would simply walk into hiding and appear at the first chance. 

“I… yeah. Weird.” Zane’s voice was halting, eyes still looking for a sign that the woman was about to attack. There were people about so maybe not but after the few encounters he’d had, trust wasn’t exactly rich. “Almost like he was hinting at you being a monster hunter.”

–

It’d been silly to hear of a supernatural hub and not think that there might be hunters who would recognize her. Maybe she should dye her hair, or chop it off. Use makeup to cover her freckles; really go into hiding like she and Alex did when they first got back from Lyon. There’d maybe been people looking for them then, but they’d gotten good at evading. The last four years in Wicked’s Rest had provided a comfort that Andy hadn’t felt since the night she watched her parents get mauled, and maybe that had been where her naivety began– to believe that she, or Alex would ever be free from the past that was written into them before they had even been born. Alex had a shot away from it all, especially considering she never carried the gene in the first place, but her? She was stuck. 

She knew that if she ever expressed those feelings, Alex wouldn’t understand, because at the end of the day, Andy knew her sister still thought of herself as a monster, even though Andy did everything in her power to dissuade her from that way of thinking. 

Andy did her best to pull herself from the what if’s as they saturated her thoughts. Instead, she focused on the man as he spoke, taking note of the suspicious gleam in his eyes. So did he believe her to be one? Was he one, too? Had she walked herself into another trap? Forcing neutrality in both expression and in tone, she shook her head. “He got confused, mixed me up with some other ginger. Do you know how many of us there are?” The one he was thinking of is dead, anyway. “Besides, I don’t believe in monsters.” 

Whether that was loaded to enforce the idea that the supernatural didn’t exist– a hunter’s pastime in protecting innocent civilians, or the fact that she didn’t believe things were inherently monstrous, she didn’t bother to clarify. Andy felt the firm groove of her keys in her palm and the way the metal felt hot and sticky against her skin now. She let them go, dropping them into her bag. Why the stranger looked concerned at the idea that Andy could be a hunter bit at the back of her mind. He was no shifter, so maybe something else? It didn’t matter, and it wasn’t Andy’s problem, because he existed within these same confines as her, and he was not a monster, even if she had no clue who he actually was. 

—

She was sticking to her guns, still claiming that the angry and quite frankly, disturbing man that had approached her, had been barking up the wrong tree. It was a possibility, of course, but he’d been so pissed. Zane had never experienced a case of mistaken identity this bad but would he have been as genuinely shocked and put off by it as this stranger was? The vibe she gave off had been closer to fear than confusion. Even if she wasn’t the person the man suspected her to be, did she know who his anger was directed at? A family member or just a completely random redhead? They weren’t that rare but still, they didn’t exactly all bear a striking resemblance to one another. 

“Not believing in monsters is definitely a choice when you live here.” Quite hypocritical of him, since he’d rolled his eyes at the people claiming they’d been attacked by vampires, giant humanoid bears or horned creatures in the ER only a few short months ago. Zane wondered how many of Wicked’s Rest inhabitants got away with never seeing the truth or if all of them knew it and pretended not to for someone else’s benefit. Even so, the stranger seemed to relax a bit and Zane did the same in return. Whatever she was or wasn’t, she didn’t seem intent on hurting him at the moment, which only made her a stranger that had been startled by an uncomfortable encounter. 

“Are you alright? He seemed really pissed off,” Zane asked, genuine concern in his voice no matter the circumstances. At the question, he looked around once again to make sure the man was definitely gone, eyes stopping on a passerby exiting a store. A store that looked to be selling weapons. His gaze lingered for a moment too long on the sign, discomfort creeping up his spine, before he turned back to the stranger. “I’m heading this way if you want to walk away from here with some company.” Pointing down the road, he pondered why exactly he’d offered. Force of habit or morbid curiosity? Either way, it was out there. 

—

“What does that mean?” Andy asked, deciding to feign innocence. She could pull off the poor, misunderstanding girl. She’d done it plenty of times. It was how she and Alex had survived on the road for so long– use the doe eyes her mother had given her, and hope for the best. Andy repositioned the strap of her bag over her shoulder, smoothing down the fabric with her fingers. She wanted to go home now, but with the stranger radiating suspicion, she wasn’t sure how soon that would be. Did he intend to get the answer out, too? Was he on that man’s side? Good cop vs bad cop? 

After a moment, he asked if she was alright and her brows pulled together. Andy looked in the direction that the man had left in. She couldn’t hear asphalt beneath boots, or even his labored breathing that’d been present when he’d been in their faces. Maybe he really was gone, and maybe the person standing next to her now truly was just a concerned citizen. “I’m fine. First case of mistaken identity, especially with somebody who was so sure. Guy was super creepy, but I’m glad you stepped in. I think my mace might be almost out.” Maybe not the smartest thing to tell a stranger, despite the fact that it had been a lie. 

At his offer, she thought for a moment before nodding slowly. “Yeah, sure. I parked my jeep up that way.. didn’t want to get into it and have him know my car or something.” She started off slowly next to him, the only sound for a brief few seconds being that of their footfalls, before she piped up. “I appreciate you hanging back, by the way.” She hadn’t forgotten the way he looked at her by the assumption of her being a hunter, but she chose to dislodge it for now. 

—

The lack of knowledge (or elaborate ruse, Zane really couldn’t tell) continued and he decided to drop the subject, shaking his head with a muttered ‘nevermind’. At least the two of them seemed to have one thing in common, wanting to be absolutely certain that the strange man was gone. It did definitely seem that way, easing up some of the vampire’s tension. Not all, but some. A start, given that odds still pointed towards this person being exactly who she said she was. Not that she’d said much, just that she wasn’t the supposed monster hunter that guy had been searching for. Even if she was, who was Zane to judge her solely on that? Being a vampire clearly seemed to come with its own baggage and rumors, it had to be the same for the other side… right?

“Hey, good on you for carrying mace, at least. I don’t mind stopping to check on people but it’s becoming much more of a regular thing than I’d like to admit. Kinda thought there’d be less of this nonsense in a town of this size but guess that was wishful thinking.” Something about the stranger gave Zane the distinct impression that she hadn’t really needed his help but that was never a bet to take spur of the moment. She seemed thankful so he’d take it that his presence hadn’t been a complete mess. 

They started walking, the strange and quite heavy air of suspicion both ways still hanging between them. “It’s nothing, really. Just glad he backed off.” Silence fell again, the air growing heavier with every step - doubtless that Zane was the only one who felt it, but it grew until he couldn’t take it anymore. “I’ve met some, y’know. Hunters, I mean. Just in case you do know what he was talking about. If you don’t, then I probably sound crazy. Or maybe you do and don’t want to talk about it, which is also totally valid.” 

—-

As the stranger spoke, Andy grimaced. She didn’t like the sound of that. Random people being accosted on the street… what if something like that were to happen to Alex? What if she had been with Alex during the argument? What would she have done? How would she have gotten her sister away? Anxiety found its roots once more, despite the man no longer being within their vicinity. “That sounds.. shady. Shitty, too.” She would need to tell both Alex and Kaden to keep their eye out for anything strange. Kaden could hold his own, and Alex could too, maybe– but hopefully she wouldn’t have to worry about it. 

Andy didn’t falter, expression remaining neutral as the man explained that he had met hunters. “I already told you, and him, what was up.” Her jeep was in view now. She didn’t see a reason to explain herself to him. He was a stranger. One that, if she stepped one foot out of line, could cost her everything she had built. Then she and Alex would have to leave again. She didn’t want to give up what they created in the last four years, especially because Kaden had only just arrived. 

What if this guy was some bounty hunter? She didn’t think that her aunt cared enough to send somebody after either her or Alex, not when she had her own shit to worry about– after all, neither herself or her sister were that important, but the fear that they would find out what had happened with Alex lived in the darkest depths of Andy’s mind and she was terrified that something would happen. She just needed to relax. This man was clearly not somebody sent after her, and he seemed genuinely concerned. 

“I don’t believe in monsters, like I said. You can take that however you want.” Andy was tired and really, she just wanted to go home. “I exist, you exist– that’s it, that’s the bottom line. There are creeps and weirdos, and that guy was one of them. That’s what I think. Okay?” 

—

All odds were pointing towards this girl either carrying a real dislike for hunters or having literally no clue what Zane was going on about. Either way, the likelihood of her being a threat to him specifically was close to nothing. No matter the reason, she was shaky and uncomfortable and getting barraged with weirdness from the vampire probably wasn’t helping. “Got it, sorry. Just… nevermind, totally dropping it now.” Her focus seemed to be drawn towards a car just a short distance away and Zane slowed his walk. 

“In the spirit of not being a creep, I think I’ll let you manage the rest of the way on your own.” Just in case she worried about him looking at her plates or anything like that. The circumstances were strange, for sure, but Zane couldn’t let his newfound paranoia of vampire hunters turn him into someone who made other people uncomfortable. “Really hope that guy doesn’t bother you again.” Coming to a stop, he offered his hand. “I’m Zane, by the way. If you ever need help from a total stranger again, I spend most of my time at the ER. Obviously hope you won’t need it but…” 

—

The stranger apologized and Andy felt guilt burrow in the pit of her stomach. He had helped her. Why couldn’t she just accept it for the value it was? Why couldn’t she just relax! “No, sorry. I’m just…” She looked back over to where the man had gone, still nervous that he would turn back around and accost them both. “It’s been a long day already and that added so much more shit to it.” 

Andy stopped just short of her jeep and let out a laugh– though it was strained, it was light. “Yeah, me either.” She hitched her tote higher up on her shoulder as it began to slide down with the weight of its contents. Zane offered his hand and Andy didn’t allow her hesitation to show as she took it. She smiled at him. “Andy. And uh– hope that’s because you work there and not because you’re in a constant state of broken toes or something.” The joke fell flat and she cleared her throat. This was a normal person. A normal person named Zane who had his own questions– the kinds that Andy couldn’t answer, but he was normal. “Sorry to have bothered you with all of that… but um, appreciate your help all the same. Have a nice night, Zane.”

She jiggled her keys, creating a chime effect, before getting into her jeep. 

[jonesthefightingtiger]

This song inspired an AU for me. Let's say everything about mouthwashing except the characters have been scrapped, and at most, the characters are slightly modified. They're on the Tulpar, ready to deliver the mouthwash, which they already have been briefed on (and for once, the Pony Express is actually a reasonable company) when suddenly, a nest of "Space Rats" crashes onto the ship, causing it to catch fire and get severely damaged.

Characters:

Grant Curly {Star Bear} : The explosion was devastating. He saved the crew with the help of Jimmy, but at the cost of his left arm. Fitted with a bionic prosthetic that doubles as a melee weapon, Captain Curly shows his stuff by being able to take on plenty of hits and giving damage. Jumpsuit has been "modified" to fit his new bionic arm.

Jimmy Zane {Blitz Stallion}: Like Captain Curly, he tried to help Curly because of the stakes that would rise if the ship was severely damaged. He lost his leg to the blast, but was given a bionic prosthetic that doubles as a gun, shooting from his sole. Great for clearing a crowd.

Anya Musume {Cyan Hue}: After witnessing the blast damage Curly and Jimmy, and after seeing the space rats attack, Anya went to the medbay and overridden one of the "test chambers" within to grant herself a way to protect herself. She was no medical whiz, but that didn't mean she didn't dabble in technology. Now with "Aeon Aura," she has the ability to channel her energy into hand blasts and healing by taking her body heat and overloading it. It does leave her with poor circulation when used often.

Daisuke Juarez-Kida {Hibiscus Kid}: A chance to be a hero? How can he pass it up?! He decided to arm himself with a simple Plasma Revolver and Light sword, creating a dual combo that's both effective and classic. A marriage of East and West in one, he's quite the movie star, where he live streams his special moves on those space rats.

Swansea Harold {War Tortoise}: Swansea did not take any chances when he saw the look of these "roidents," as he calls them. He got himself into the heaviest armored space suit he could and stuffed it with plenty of tools to fight them off. From drills to plasma cutters, anything he has can do the job, and do it right.

Space Rats: These biomorphic extraterrestrials have taken the form of one of humankind's most generally unpleasant pests and cranked it up to Defcon mode. These buggers have 3 revolving rows of rodent dentures, sharpened like vampire bat fangs, to tear flesh and circulatory strings apart (the layman term for arteries, capillaries, and veins altogether). There are more enemy types to come, but these are the most common.

All artists are free to draw up this AU. No need to credit me as I just want this AU to be realized. Hell, maybe spin off to something interesting 👀. I'm just curious to see how we can blend like, Evangelion, No More Heroes, and Dead Space style into this? Especially with the gruesome kills and the philosophical talks about life and death?

[impulsivefanwriter]

The Great B-A-T-H Incident

Back at it again with more SPBNR AU sharkpup nonsense! This is the Monty + Sharkpack AU where S!Lloyd (Monty) ends up in the M!verse with five shark pups that happen to be the S!ninja. After a bit of taking care on their own, the M!Ninja find the squad and help take care of them. This leads to... shenanigans, to put it lightly. 

Smith = S!Kai, Phoenix = S!Nya, Brook = S!Cole, Boreas = S!Zane, and Robin = S!Jay

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zane had made a mistake.

Honestly, he’d thought he’d been pretty smart. Monty was staying at his place today- an arrangement where the Ninjaforce made sure the kid was never left somewhere unsafe- and had been playing with Echo and the five sharkpups. Echo was cuddling the silvery white pup (Boreas)- the one Zane could have sworn looked almost mechanical- while Monty played with the turquoise pup (Phoenix) and the red pup (Smith). If Zane didn’t know any better, he would have said that the blue pup (Robin) was staring at Monty, Phoenix, and Smith with jealousy, though Zane couldn’t tell who the pup was truly jealous of. The brownish-black pup (Brook) rested on the carpet next to him.

It was around this time that Zane had noticed the state of the pups. As in, they were covered in dirt and dust and mud, especially Brook. So, being a good brother and a responsible (though still wild) teen, Zane decided to get Monty and Echo’s help with the matter.

“Hey Echo,” Zane had said. He wouldn’t learn his mistake for another minute. “Do you want to help me give those five a b-a-t-h?”

He’d read on the internet that spelling the word had better results when getting pets to avoid getting spooked by things they disliked. Then again, these were shark pups, and surely they would be fine with a little bit of water-

Five pups turned to look at him. Three immediately bolted. 

Zane didn’t even have a chance to blink. One moment, there were five pups in the living room. The next, the only ones left were Boreas in Echo’s arms and Phoenix by Monty. Boreas squirmed a little, though ultimately gave up as if resigned to his fate. 

Echo squealed. “Can we? Ooo, can we?”

Monty was grinning, and that looked a little too mischievous for Zane’s liking. “Yeah, why don’t we give them a b-a-t-h? Wanna help us catch the three loose pups, Phoenix?”

Zane really needed to check his optic sensors eyes, because Phoenix really looked like she was grinning in a ‘it would be my pleasure’ sort of way. He supposed it didn’t matter; they’d need all the help they could get wrangling the three escaped pups.

“Echo, could you draw a bath?” Zane asked. “We’ll start trying to catch them.”

Echo shot him a pleading look. “Can I help? I know every hiding spot in the house for hide n’ seek!”

Zane ruffled his brother’s hair. “Bath first so we have somewhere to put them. It’s really important.”

At this, Echo lit up. “Got it!”

He stood and carried Boreas to the bathroom. Good; Zane hadn’t been lying when he’d said they needed a drawn bath ready. He got the feeling that the three pups would not make it easy to catch them, and would be even harder to keep put. 

“N- Phoenix is good with water,” Monty said, letting the turquoise pup down and standing himself. “She’ll help us look!”

With six eyes on deck, with Echo (and perhaps Boreas) helping search, it shouldn’t be hard. Zane almost laughed to himself at how easily he had added the pups to the list; then again, with how intelligent they seemed, it was only natural. 

Still, it was a small house. How difficult could finding three brightly coloured shark pups be?

The answer, he discovered 20 minutes later with not a single sign of a tail anywhere, was very difficult. Especially when those three shark pups did not want to be found.

Monty was very good at hide n’ seek, but there was only so much he could do with an unfamiliar location. Zane too was having troubles because no matter where he looked (the cupboard, behind every day, his father’s workshop), he couldn’t find a single thing.

Luckily, Echo came to the rescue.

He emerged from the washroom, smelling of three different kinds of shampoo, with bubbles on his arms and his shirt sopping wet. Despite the mess, a bright grin stretched across his face. Boreas (with a freshly cleaned coat sparkling as if it were polished metal or shining snow) padded along at his feet. Echo listened to Zane and Monty list the places the’d already searched, put one hand on his chin, then walked back to the living room they’d started in. Curious, Zane followed.

Echo lifted up the couch- Zane would have to remind him both not to do that then Monty was over (not that the kid seemed to mind or notice, thankfully) and some better lifting techniques- and sure enough, three streaks scattered in every direction. Phoenix leapt in the path of the biggest pup, Brook, as he tried to run for the door. The blue pup Robin and the red pup Smith both managed to dodge Zane and Monty’s attempts to grab them- goodness, they were faster than lightning- and blazed out of the room. 

Phoenix barked a few times. The fin on Brook’s head flopped over in the same way a dog’s ears would lower. Zane was struck with the strangest sensation that Phoenix was making a deal of some kind. The pups did seem to communicate with each other like some kind of family-bound team. Smith and Brook took the leader positions, Boreas and Phoenix seemed to keep them in check, and Robin helped them remember to let loose and have fun. 

But that was ridiculous. They were shark pups.

Still, whatever Phoenix did seemed to work, because Brook wasn’t running anymore. It was as if he’d agreed to help in exchange for something. Bribery? A ‘get out of bath free’ pass? Whatever it was, at least they had one less pup to look for and one more pup helping to look.

Because by the FSM, the two remaining pups did not want to be found. 

Zane, Monty, and Echo searched everywhere. Echo’s calls were heard every few minutes as he found the pups but could never quite catch them before they vanished again; hidden in the kitchen cabinet behind the box of oatmeal, hidden in the trunk of Dr. Julien’s car, hidden in Monty’s spare hoodie lying on the bedroll he would use for the sleepover. Zane’s eye twitched. Damn, these two pups were smart. They always seemed to know how to sneak back into the rooms previously checked, causing Zane to have to backtrack more than once at the flash of blue and red darting around the corner. 

Jay and Cole swung not too much later (Kai was supposed to as well, but he was confined to bed after the, er, ‘incident’ when Nya found him chugging a pot of coffee that had been infused with 5 hour energy at 3:00am) and joined the hunt. Despite the odds being severely in their favour at this point, with five humans and three shark pups searching, those two blasted pups just were nowhere in sight. The shared utter despision the two had for baths was unfathomable and unrivalled. There was no way to catch them; the second someone had one cornered, the other would kick up enough of a fuss for them to escape. 

Heck, Zane had even found the two hidden in Jay’s scarf while he was still wearing it. What, were the two shark pups ninjas or something?

There finally came a point where the sightings stopped altogether and the two vanished. Jay got worried that the two had escaped to outside, and Zane couldn’t help but think what if? along with him. A quick check of all the windows and doors- yep, still closed, though one window might have been pushed on (luckily one you needed opposable thumbs to open)- disproved that theory, but the worry that the pups had gotten lost in the city under his watch persisted. He was supposed to protect those who could not protect themselves!

Though, judging by the skills of these pups, they certainly could protect themselves. 

For FSM sake, it was just a bath! And with how much the two had crawled behind every dusty cubby space and under every piece of furniture and into every grease-stained spot in the workshop, they needed it!

Cole leaned against the wall, clicking on the ceiling fan switch with his back. His headphones hung around his neck. “So how did this whole mess start?”

“I asked Echo if he wanted to help me give the pups and I quote, a b-a-t-h.”

Cole nodded. “Makes sense. Have you seen how smart they are? Wouldn’t be that surprised if they could read.”

Monty sat down on the couch, swinging his legs. “Did ya fall for the conspiracies too?”

Cole snorted. “Course not. Not like Red has. I swear, he’s usually not like this.”

“He’s like Charlie from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia!” Zane said cheerfully. 

“Yeah,” Cole said. “He fell off the deep end because of these pups, right, Jay? …Jay?”

Zane looked over to see Jay’s face had gone pale- well, paler than usually- his gaze fixated on something above them. Zane followed the line of sight up, up, to the ceiling and the-

There was a blur of purple zinging around the spinning ceiling fan. 

For a moment Zane (and the others in the room) could only stop and stare at the ceiling fan. Zane’s brain crashed, thoughts slamming to a halt, because the two pups had been hiding on the ceiling fan that was now currently on.

The thing was, Zane could perfectly reconstruct how the two shark pups had gotten up there. Boosting each other onto higher ledges, swinging each other by the tails to bridge gaps, climbing higher and higher until they reached the one spot no one would think to look because there shouldn’t be any plausible way for two shark pups to hide on the ceiling fan, and yet here they were.

And then Cole had accidentally turned it on.

The ground suddenly became a scramble of motion. Cole whirled around and slammed the switch so hard the plastic cracked. Everyone who wasn’t standing surged to their feet in a panic, spreading out in case one of the pups couldn’t hold on while the fan slowed to a stop-

And it seemed like one couldn’t.

Like flying out of a bench swing into a tree, the blue pup was yeeted off the fan and tumbled directly into Jay’s arms. The bullet actually knocked him off his feet, and a bolt of relief shot through Zane when he realized that neither Jay nor Robin had gotten hurt. 

Above them, the now-only-red blur was starting to slow down. The fan finally stopped moving and a very dizzy Smith rolled off it, giving Zane barely enough time to lunge forward and catch him in a landing as soft as a snowdrift. 

For a moment, no one breathed. Then Monty started to snicker and giggle, and then Echo joined in, and suddenly the whole room was laughing. Zane handed Smith over to Monty. He could see the pup’s eyes spinning; they’d lasted a surprisingly long time, as if used to spinning real fast (chasing tails, perhaps?), but nothing compared to the ceiling fan whipping them around.

Jay (who looked both like his soul had left his body for a moment and had an immense amount of static clinging to his scarf) handed off Robin to Echo. The group finally, finally, made their way to the bathroom with all five pups. Boreas had already gotten a bath, as had Phoenix during the amount of time it took to catch the others. Brook stood on the edge of the bathtub, shooting what Zane could only think looked like an apologetic look at Smith and Robin. The brownish-black pup had joined in the search, after all, probably thinking to get out of the bath himself.

Phoenix leapt up and body slammed Brook while the pup wasn’t paying attention. He teetered with a yelp and splashed into the water. Zane didn’t think it was possible, but Brook had such a wounded look of betrayal as fading sud bubbles stuck to his fur while Phoenix appeared to be laughing. 

Some kind of weird static crackling hung in the air. Zane frowned, scratching at his ear in hopes of clearing the high-pitched wire whine, but it didn’t stop as Echo approached the bathtub. That was… strange. 

Monty must have figured it out a second before it happened because the kid’s eyes widened. “Wait, don’t just suddenly drop-“

Echo opened his arms and Robin fell into the water that had at this point gone cold. For a moment the scent of ozone filled the room, and then an almighty POP rang out. The lights flickered once, like a shudder, before going out. The group was plunged into darkness with a high pitched noise Zane later registered as Jay shrieking.

Zane blinked, sensors eyes automatically adjusting to the sudden dark much faster than his friends. There was a muted splash, and Zane spotted a dazed shark pup stumbling around his feet. He carefully scooped them up, then scanned the room. Echo seemed the first to recover besides Zane, standing in front of the bathtub. Zane could almost hear the fans of his brother’s processor brain whirling to figure out what had just happened. Monty looked okay, waving one hand in front of him while the other held Smith under his arm, and over to the side stood Cole with Jay latched onto his side- quite literally, with feet off the floor- like a koala.

The backup generator kicked on and brought the brightness back. Brook heaved himself out of the bathtub and shook the water from his fur, pointing a tired glare at Robin laying stunned in Zane’s arms.

“Anyone know what just happened?” Cole asked.

Zane blinked. “Power surge. But I am unable to determine the cause of it."

Monty wrinkled his nose and opened his mouth as if to say something, then decided against it. “I think we need to make a fresh bath."

The kid was right; there was an incredible amount of dirt in the cold water, despite it being relatively clean before Brook was shoved in. Zane handed Robin to Echo (after he got the promise that his brother wouldn’t surprise the pup again) and set to work emptying the water and letting new, warm water into the tub.

It took the combined effort of all five people and three shark pups, but they finally got Robin and Smith to sit still for the bath. Zane had the sneaking suspicion it was Monty and Echo’s combined puppy-eyed look that did it. For whatever reason, Smith seemed almost completely dry after shaking his fur off once, as if the water had merely evaporated, but Zane shrugged it off. He was just happy they were finally done getting all five pups to be-

“BROOK, NO, DON’T JUMP INTO THAT MUD PUD-“

SPLASH

Well, getting all five pups to be clean for a few moments.

[kraniumverse]

Ok, but Ed, Lou and Dr. Julien with (their sons) powers

i cant draw this one, im sorry anon🙏

here are some thoughts to compensate!!!

-ed teaches jay how to use and control his powers (it helps when he has first hand experience), and by the time wu gathers the ninja, he is pretty much ready (he only needs ninja and spinjitsu training, and he helps the others with their own powers even though he just got the hang of it)

-julien is still taken away by samukai and zane still loses his memories, but when he gains them again, his elemental skill increases since he also remembers what julien taught him about them

-cole and lou... well, lilly still passed away, so from that on they didn't spend much time together. cole had his powers but he didnt know what to do with them (he was so relieved when wu came along to teach him)

-lou rarely used his powers and was very happy to give them to cole (though he still missed them)

-ed loved his lightning powers, they helped inmensely with his tinkering and inventing

-when julien found out he could pass his power unto his robot son he was stoked (finally something to inherit!)

-i dont think they would have loved being in the elemental alliance, since they have their own lives outside of fighting enemies. they pretty much preferred to stay on their lanes but still helped out whenever they could

-ed and julien were pretty much unstoppable with coming up with plans and tactics, with every variable accounted for. (if something went wrong they would cover for it immediately)

-BONUS: lilly was still a warrior and (even if no one would outright say it) she helped them out more than lou. edna supported his husband from the sidelines and by extension the whole alliance. she would prepare them meals and be ready to take care of them in case someone got hurt. also she was the one who orchestrated when and where the meetings would happen along with wu and garmadon (she treated the meetings like getting guests over lol)

[overflowing-with-words]

tick, tock | jay w.

[Time ticks down dangerously low for the lighting ninja.]

A/N: holy fuck, i’m three days behind summer of whump, send help– also this sucks kinda but im not rewriting it again cause i did that four times

• • •

Being a ninja was dangerous, and everyone knew that.

Missions were usually life threatening, fighting was literally tiptoeing the line between life and death, heck, even using their own powers could cause injury to anyone a little too near.

Any wrong move promised a world of pain or more, and everyone was ready to accept that their life wouldn’t ever quite be like anyone else’s.

Jay just never thought it would’ve come to this.

Hot blood spilled over the dark ground, fingers slick against the wound. He stumbles on the concrete, grasping the cold ledge for support.

It had been patrol. A small, mostly unarmed thief breaking into a store. The lighting ninja remembers a small struggle, a small blade falling from the man’s pocket and scattering to the floor.

He’d thought it was the only one.

A slip against the wet floor, electricity buzzing against metal, footsteps thudding against the ground, and Jay’s head is suddenly a little lighter, chest ringing with pain.

“Oh.” He gasps, hands flying to the wound, and he lifts a hand silently, staring at the deep red stained across his skin. Blood. A lot of it.

“Hidden knife trick, huh?” He bites his lip, pushing his arm across the table, plastic boxes and coins falling to the ground in a clatter of metal. The cashier is gone from sight, glass door swinging in the breeze, and Jay sighs loudly.

“Just my luck.” He says to nobody in particular, and fumbles into his pocket for his phone, an arm still clutching across his chest. The screen flashes bright, and he scrolls across to his contacts, clicking on Cole’s name. He glances across the lockscreen, reading a red energy bar in alarm.

Low energy.

“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” he whispers anxiously, and watches it ring emptily on the counter, sound echoing through the store. Cole always picks up. Always. And some god must be listening to his prayers from the heavens, because the phone beeps again, and the earth ninja’s tinny voice leaks into the room.

“Jay?” The lighting ninja lets out an audible sigh of relief, wincing in pain as the gash twinges. He looks down at the crimson puddle spreading slowly at his feet, and then back up at the beeping phone.

“I…I got stabbed, I think.” Jay says, slowly, and rubs unsteadily at the black creeping into the edges of his vision.

“What—Where are you?” Cole shouts into the call, voice rising with panic, and Jay’s face crumples in pain at the sound.

“I’m—I’m at the corner store. Wallington street.” There’s a pause as Cole digests the information, and the line jumps into static. “Cole?”

“Yeah, we’re coming. Zane and I are on the way with the bike, Lloyd’s coming with his dragon— what? Stay awak— Jay, stay on the line, okay? Don’t close your eyes.” Cole says, words tumbling together in his rush.

“Stay awake,” Jay echoes, voice blurring in drowsiness, and she rubs a hand across his face. “Sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” Cole questions, if rather to fill the silence than anything, and the phone shuffles from his hand to another.

“Jay?” Zane’s familiar voice filters into the microphone, and Jay slides to the ground, back against the cold wall. The floor is slick with red, and he draws a finger through it absentmindedly, thoughts automatically racing to try and figure out how much blood he’s lost.

“Yeah?” Jay whispers back, careful not to jostle his chest speaking. Every breath he draws rattles uselessly, and it feels like every wheeze captures less and less oxygen.

“Can you see any towels or rags around you?” Jay leans his head against the stone, squeezing his eyes shut. He should’ve taken a nap before he left. It’s so much harder to keep his eyes open, now.

“I don’t— I don’t know.” He whimpers, fingers curling around the phone. “It hurts.”

“I know. I need you to keep pressure on the wound.” The nindroid replies, worry hid under a mask of steadiness. He can’t waver on his thoughts, not now.

The lighting ninja lifts his head wearily, prodding at the patch of soaked uniform cautiously. Another flash of fiery pain stabs through his chest, and he can’t bite back a cry at the touch. His eyes fall shut, and he grits his teeth, desperately trying to ride out the wave of pain.

“Jay!” Zane calls, tone tinged with anxiety, and he forces his eyes open, patches of darkness glitching in his vision.

“Zane,” he breathes quietly, another whine tearing from his chest. The phone falls from his grip, clattering to the ground quietly.

“We—”

The battery cuts off uselessly, screen fading to black in a second.

[ninjago-text-adventures]

Part Two End

As Wisp and the other dragons touched ground, the two groups quickly moved OG Jay to Rocky.

S1 Kai reached for Flare, and OG Kai did the same.

S1 Kai: You sure Flare can handle both of us?

OG Kai: Flare is a strong girl, she can hold both of us and maybe three more.

Meanwhile, both Coles and OG Jay were situating on Rocky.

OG Cole: You sure you don't wanna ride with your Jay?

S1 Cole: You're injured.

OG Cole: Eh, one burnt arm won't kill me. And-

OG Cole: I know Jay needs you right now. Just sayin'.

S1 Cole took a second to think... then hopped off of Rocky.

He ran over to Wisp, where S1 Jay and Lloyd were.

S1 Jay: Why are you here?

Lloyd: ... Ohhhh, Cole asked for me to seat with him, right?

S1 Cole: Uh- ye-yeah yeah right!

Lloyd hopped down and hurried over to his Cole. S1 Cole then took Lloyd's spot.

S1 Cole: You don't mind me flying with you?

S1 Jay, slightly smiling: Not at all.

S1 Jay lightly leaned back into S1 Cole.

S1 Jay: Thank you.

S1 Cole, leaning closer: No problem, Bluebell.

Meanwhile, both Zanes and Little Lloyd were seating Shard.

S1 Zane: If this is not blood, then what is it?

Little Lloyd reached up to tap S1 Zane's "cut" and plucked a droplet of his "blood" on his pinkie. Drawing it back to shove it in his mouth.

Little Lloyd then made a disgusted, puckered face.

LL: It's yucky!

OG Zane: It's also very lethal if you ingest it.

OG Zane, fake crying: Poor Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, gone before his time.

Little Lloyd then ACKED! and covered his throat, spitting out the "blood".

S1 Zane, frowning: Is it really poisonous?

OG Zane, leaning close: No, but this will teach him not to put things in his mouth without knowing what it is.

S1 Zane frowned again, but slowly grew a smile as Little Lloyd spat like his life depended on it.

OG Cole: READY TO GO?

S1 Kai: READY!

S1 Jay: DRAGON GO!

OG Zane: READY!

The four dragons lifted off without issue.

▪ ▪ ▪

And as the village lay in its ruined state, the Ninja were at least glad that the fire was now gone.

But Lloyd wanted to know one thing.

Where did Sol go?

[goldenavenger02]

they've come to get me (and everything's okay)

"Well, we don't have to worry about it then," Lloyd smiled, trying to push back the thought that there could be a group based around his father when he was being controlled by the venom of the Devourer, "it's probably just some misguided criminal who thought it looked cool."

•••

Despite the fact that they were looking for Master Wu, Kai made sure to check on Lloyd every few months in person.

The visits were only for a day or two, usually because Kai was going through the city to investigate yet another dead end lead, but the short hours he got to spend with Lloyd, he cherished.

So when he was in the city, six months after the events of the battle with the Hands of Time, he was excited to see Lloyd.

Even when he almost got run off the road by a motorcycle speeding past, a black ponytail sticking out of the back of the driver's helmet and what sounded like screeching coming from them.

Kai rolled his eyes, he was used to reckless drivers at this point in his life, but that emblem on the back of their motorcycle looked like…

Kai shook the thought out of his head, trying to shake the feeling of dread building in the pit of his stomach. 'It's just some abstract art, definitely not Garmadon.'

Before he could call PIXAL through their connected computer lines to let him know he was almost at the Bounty, she started calling him and he clicked "accept" almost immediately.

"Kai, you need to get to the canals. Master Lloyd has been critically injured, and I am struggling to get the Bounty there."

Panic hit his system as his foot hit the gas, the car nearly flying off the road as one thought jumped into Kai's head.

'What trouble have you gotten yourself into now, Lloyd?'

•••

Lloyd swallowed back the blood he could taste in his mouth, trying desperately to put pressure against the stab wound. But his hands were slick with blood, he couldn't hold down on it and he was starting to get really tired…

'Maybe I should start listening to PIXAL when she tells me to let the police handle it.'

Because bleeding out just outside of the canals wasn't exactly how he'd envisioned himself dying, and he knew that the kids who lived here were probably scared out of their minds.

Lloyd tried to press down on the wound again, unable to hold back the cry of pain that escaped his lips before his hands slipped again, and that's when reality fully sank in as he stared up at the twinkling stars.

'I'm not making it out of this one. The Green Ninja, dead from a stab wound from a regular criminal.'

"Lloyd!" A shout broke through his dimming vision, and he managed to turn his head, letting out a sigh of relief when it was Kai racing towards him and not the masked figure ready to finish him off, "holy!-"

Lloyd's hearing started to cut out and his vision went dark, no longer able to see Kai's panicked face. 'Maybe just a little bit of sleep…'

The cry tore through his throat and all he could feel was 'painpainpain' when he opened his eyes again, seeing Kai staring down at him, his hands obviously pressing down on the wound.

"PIXAL's sending the Bounty," Kai told him before adding, "you are not dying on me today."

Lloyd couldn't keep his eyes from shutting, only hearing one sentence before fading to darkness.

"Lloyd, stay with me."

•••

Kai pressed down harder when Lloyd's eyes fluttered close the second time. 'No response.'

"Lloyd, come on, kiddo. Don't do this, not now." Tears on his cheeks, blood on his hands, pale skin that was almost white under them.

Kai swallowed back the tears he was choking on, and took his hands off of Lloyd's wound, only to press them against his chest; it took two compressions before Lloyd's ribs cracked under his hand, making him cringe. It took five more before Lloyd gasped for breath while still unconscious.

"Thank The First Spinjitzu Master," Kai spoke softly as the Bounty appeared in the sky above them and the anchor dropped, allowing him to hold on while holding onto Lloyd's unconscious body, "we seriously need to install a gurney on this thing."

As soon as his feet touched the deck, Kai rushed Lloyd to control and laid him down where Zane's repairs were done before turning on the computer, watching as PIXAL's system glowed to life.

"Alright, Pix. I'm gonna need a scan, and then some instructions on how to take care of him," Kai explained while reaching over and holding pressure on the wound, leaning closer to whisper, "I'm not letting you die, not tonight."

•••

Lloyd's throat was dry.

There were plenty of things he could've focused on when he finally managed to pry himself from the hold of unconsciousness, but the first thought in his head was that his throat was dry.

He only had to try and grasp at his thoughts to figure out what happened before he blacked out, but then it hit him all at one.

'Stabbed and Kai's there and he's begging me to stay awake and blood everywhere and being tired…"Lloyd, stay with me." Kai.'

Kai had come to see him on his way to check out a lead, and now...he was in the hospital? Lloyd managed to open his eyes, taking in a breath of relief when he realized he was on the Bounty.

"Pix?" He managed to choke out, his throat ready to stop any words coming out of his mouth, but he tried again. "Pix, is Kai still here?"

He didn't get a response, which had been happening a lot recently, and instead the door opened, revealing an obviously exhausted but relieved Kai. "You're awake."

"Water." Lloyd managed to choke out, his words dying in his throat; luckily, Kai already had a cup waiting for him and tipped it against his lips, it was cool against his throat and immediately expelled the dryness.

"Easy, don't chug, you'll make yourself sick like that," Kai laughed while speaking, removing the cup from his lips, "you scared me for a minute there."

"In my defense, I wasn't trying to get stabbed, and definitely not by a run of the mill criminal."

"I don't think you ever try to get hurt," Kai added, which Lloyd couldn't argue with, before he continued, "Lloyd, we gotta talk about...something."

Lloyd didn't like the tone of his voice, and a pit grew in his stomach. He knew what Kai's serious voice sounded like, and this was definitely it. "What is it?"

"When I was driving into the city, before PIXAL called me, there was a motorcycle that nearly ran me off the road-"

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Lloyd interrupted, instantly worried about Kai's well-being; he wasn't one to hide injuries, but since his case was much more urgent, he wouldn't put it past him.

"No, no," Kai insisted, and Lloyd let out a sigh of relief, "but the driver's bike had an insignia on it...Lloyd, it was a drawing of your dad. Your dad when he was…"

"Evil" didn't have to be said, Lloyd knew that it was exactly what Kai meant. "But it was just one, right? Just one picture on one motorcycle?"

"Yeah, just one."

"Well, we don't have to worry about it then," Lloyd smiled, trying to push back the thought that there could be a group based around his father when he was being controlled by the venom of the Devourer, "it's probably just some misguided criminal who thought it looked cool."

- Seven Months Later -

Nya considered it a stroke of luck that Skylor had a safe house in the canals; it gave them, being Misako, PIXAL, Darreth, herself and Lloyd, a chance to take care of themselves before relocating and meeting up with Skylor.

Nya swallowed back tears, wiping the ones that escaped from her eyes on the sleeve of her gi. She had been forced into hiding before when Nadakhan had painted them as criminals, but she had the others.

She had Kai, who would pull her into a tight hug every time she would get too into her head. She had Jay, who always knew how to make her smile even when she was crying. She had Zane, who always kept her calm with logic and critical thinking, but was never cold towards her. She had Cole, who would always talk her through what she was going through, and give her solid advice.

Nya winced as she pulled up her left sleeve, revealing a plethora of bruising that she immediately started to use what she could find in the first aid kit on, thoughts about the boys still swirling in her head.

'Kai, Cole, Zane, Jay...they were all prophesied to protect Lloyd and now they're gone,' she realized, applying a small ice pack against her wrist, 'I guess that makes it my mission then. To stay strong for him, and make sure he defeats Garmadon for good.'

Despite what she tried to tell herself, she couldn't keep the pang of mourning from stabbing her in the chest; it hurt as much as the tiger widow venom, but unlike that, the grief was much more agonizing.

She pulled down her sleeve and checked her face in the mirror; the skin around her eye was turning purple from the fight she had engaged in with Garmadon and there was a jagged scratch going down her chin, but the rest of the injuries were well hidden.

'That's the last thing Lloyd needs to blame himself for.'

And with that, she made her way towards the one bedroom where Lloyd was supposed to be resting after the fight; he had insisted on his mother, Nya, even Darreth taking the one bed, but they all knew that he needed it the most.

After all, he was the one who had lost his powers, who was still injured from his fight in Kryptarium; he hadn't stopped shaking since he landed on the small boat they had used to pick him up, but she couldn't even blame him. He had watched as the Bounty, their family, had been mercilessly… destroyed.

Nya swallowed back her tears and gently tapped her knuckles against the door, the kind of knock Kai would use when she was sick, injured or just upset; she wouldn't be surprised if Lloyd was suffering from a combination of all three.

She tapped against the door just a little louder this time, but when she didn't get a response, she opened the unlocked door and closed it behind her.

Nya couldn't keep her relief in when she saw the lump in the bed that confirmed Lloyd's presence where he was supposed to be and sat on the edge of it.

"Hey, did you get patched up?" She whispered softly as he laid her hand on his leg, unsure if he was awake.

"Yeah, PIXAL made sure of it," he responded. Nya was able to hear that his voice was thick with tears.

The room was quiet for a few moments; she was unsure what to say, or even what to do, but she had to do something before the tears that were threatening to emerge spilled over.

"Do you…," she could hear Lloyd swallow before trying again, "do you think that if I didn't trust her, we'd be okay."

"Lloyd, they would've gotten the mask with Master Wu if we didn't interfere. You had no reason to suspect her of anything, none of us did." Nya explained softly, pushing back anything that would disprove her point, when Lloyd sat up and she finally got a good look at all of the damage that the Sons of Garmadon, and Garmadon himself, had caused.

The cuts on his face were healing slowly, even though the one that had been next to his hairline was now covered by a white bandage.

His eyes were bloodshot and...they were no longer green. Instead, they were a medium brown with flecks of red in them, like they were when they first took him in. A scared, starving kid in a black hoodie with white paint splattered on it trying to be like his father.

"You didn't trust her at first, Nya. You said you didn't like her."

"And she pulled the wool over my eyes with all that girl talk, remember?" Nya asked softly, maneuvering so she could gently wrap her arm around his shoulder, "trust me when I say that no one blames you. You're not the first to get carried away with a crush."

"If you're talking about Skylar, she didn't get a choice. She was just doing what Chen told her to do," Lloyd's voice was shaky with anger and heartbreak as he pulled away from her hold, "And that worked out, didn't it? We're in her safe house, after all. Rumi is...she isn't being forced to do anything."

"I know you feel as though you have to put everything and everyone on your shoulders, but you don't," Nya spoke, her voice unwavering with a newfound determination, "The boys were prophesied to be your protectors, not the other way around-"

"And they're gone now! Master Wu, Cole, Zane, Jay, Kai, they're all dead! And if anyone else is going to die, I'd rather it be myself then you!" Lloyd shouted back, his eyes welling with tears, but the red coming through more than the brown.

Nya swallowed back her anger. Lloyd was grieving, he always felt the need to take personal responsibility, even when it wasn't his to be responsible for, and while that worked with Master Wu and the others, she was not going to let him do this to himself.

"I'm going to protect you from Harumi, Garmadon, The Sons of Garmadon, and anyone else who tries to fuck with you. I don't care that you don't want me to, that you feel as though offering yourself as a martyr will make this better, I'm going to," she got off the edge of the bed and started to make her way to the door, only stopping when she heard him sniffle.

"I know your life has been scarred by tragedy. That every time something good happens, something worse has to destroy it. But going into this rebellion, this...resistance, with the attitude of wanting to die for it…" she trailed off, finally turning around to see Lloyd's eyes on her, the tears finally leaving her eyes, "Lloyd, that will kill you. And I am not losing anyone else, not after today."

And with that, she finally left the room, only waiting for the door to click shut before allowing her grief to fully consume her.

'I can't believe I'm saying this, but Kai would've handled that better than I did.'

•••

Lloyd wasn't sure how much time passed from when Nya left his room to when he heard the door open, announcing Skylor's arrival with food, medicine, blankets and other essentials.

If he was being completely honest, he wasn't sure how long it had been since he had been held over the monorail by Rumi and…

The sinking feeling in his stomach made him want to curl up and sleep for weeks, but because of him and his stupid mistakes, he didn't get the luxury.

They didn't have much time before they got hunted down by the Sons of Garmadon, just enough time to patch up their injuries and now that Skylor was here, that meant she found a more permanent hiding spot.

Lloyd knew he should've listened to Kai when that motorcyclist nearly ran him off the road, but thinking back on it, he knew fully well why he didn't.

A year ago, when he had to take up the mantle of master for his team, he would've given everything up just to see his father again, even if that was in the cursed realm.

But now...now he was starting to think he'd be okay if he never saw him again, the memory of what Zane had said to Jay on the Island of Darkness ringing true in his head.

'"Perhaps it is better to remember our friends as we knew them in our hearts. Not as they are now."'

He remembered telling his mother that he didn't remember his father any other way, only for her to insist that he loved him and that it was the venom of the Great Devourer that did this.

But now...now he did remember his father. And this was not him, no matter how much the little voice in his head, the scared kid who didn't know where his destiny would lead him, insisted that it was. That he had saved him before, that he could save him again.

Lloyd stood on his shaking legs, still weak from his fight in the prison, and made his way to the main room.

Chen's takeout boxes were on the table and the others were scarfing down food like there was no tomorrow, but they stopped when he came in the room and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak.

He adjusted so he was leaning against the doorway, his legs already threatening to collapse under him, before addressing the four members of his group who remained.

"I can't promise that the Sons of Garmadon aren't going to take us down, that my father will...do something worse. But what I can promise is that ninja never quit," he stopped for a second, his eyes catching Nya's small but determined smile, "and I know that not all of us are ninja, but we are something that could be even stronger."

He took a deep breath, memories of Jay, Kai, Zane, Cole, his brothers and memories of his uncle flooded his vision, before returning to the present.

"We are the resistance. And the resistance never quits."

[grumpy-zane]

    A little sus - Reccordshipping crack one shot (Lou x Dareth)

    Cole had a sneaking suspicion after Kai mentioned that his and Dareth’s plans for coat thrifting were cancelled. He called his dad earlier that day and he seemed pressed for time. It was only ever so often he would keep conversation short whether it was because he wanted to catch the next transport to a different town for preforming or had an important meeting to attend to, but he would at least mention it before hanging up. Today he was without his confident, prideful edge.

     “What’s wrong Cole?” Zane asked from across the table. He had been watching Cole draw with hopes of learning, but so far he only managed to make a dozen perfect circles. 

     He blinked, slowly looking up before looking back at his drawing, “Zane, I think my dad is seeing someone.”

    Zane smiled, “That’s a good thing, correct?” though on second though, maybe Cole didn’t want a new mom in the picture.     “I mean sure, but,” He set the pencil down and let it roll, “I think Dareth might be setting him up, and I dunno how I feel about that.”     “What do you mean?”     Cole folded his arms, “Well to start, it’s Dareth, and I’m sorry Zane, but he can be a bit much. Kind of overbearing and pushy. When I was talking to dad over the phone, he didn’t carry himself the same way he normally does. Like, not confident, not commanding. What if Dareth pressured him into finding someone new?”

   His eyebrows rose as he thought about it, “That certainly seems like a possibility, but why would Dareth want to do that?”    “I don’t know, why does he do anything? What I do know is that I don’t like how this looks, and I’m going to get to the bottom of this. Are you with me?” Cole offered a hand.     Not that he had any plans for the evening, Pixal was busy beating people up in the city. “Of course!”

--

    Tapping into surveillance sped the process up tenfold, first with tracking the house cameras and then checking around for the location of a car license plate. They wound up outside of an old concert all lit up orange from the ground flood lights, a tall building designed to carry the acoustics on the inside.

    Zane began walking towards the doors but Cole pulled him back by the arm, “I don’t want my dad to know we’re here, I just want to check up on him.”     “But what if he need a quick escape from a situation?”     “Please, my dad isn’t afraid to push back when someone is stepping on his toes. Besides, if it’s something really bad, we can do that after we scope it out.” Cole nodded before looking at the trimmings. What better way to enter in stealth than through the upstairs window?

    While the exterior was without much change over the years, the interior had a multitude of renovations done over to modernize the look. Chairs filled the entirety of the stage seating both on the floor and in the balcony. The blue chairs near the stage were newer than the ones hard-bolted down to the frame near the ninjas’ sides. the building was vacant with only a few lights on around the stage where the two men were dancing.

    “It appears to be some sort of lesson.” Zane mused.

    Cole, however, felt suspicious once more. “That’s not just any dance Zane, that’s a very specific dance that my dad would do in the living room with my mom. It’s romantic, not used casually.” “Perhaps Dareth wanted to impress someone, and enlisted Lou’s help?”

    An echoed thud followed by a yelp halted their conversation. “let go let go-” Dareth winced, which Lou obliged.     “Are you okay?”     “Hah, I told you Lou I have tight ankles,” He sucked and let out, “I knew I should have done some stretches.” Lou sighed, “No no, this night isn’t going how I wanted it to at all.”     “huh?” He seemed to drop the pain act immediately- was he trying to get out of it? His shakiness getting up argued agaisnt it.     “The park, the dinner, this, none of it went how I wanted it. It was just supposed to be me and you but then there was the pigeon strike, the domino effect of broken dishes, and the sound systems are all locked out! Ugh, it’s terrible!” Lou threw an arm into the air.     Dareth frowned, “Aw come on, it’s not that bad. I thought it was funny, even though that poor waitress fell, that was bad.”     “You don’t understand. I just wanted to spend time with you again without strings, without condition.” He paced, “Like how it used to be. Time marches forward but, history is still important!”

    “Lou, back then it was conditional. I was working for you to make sure everything went according to plan for the team. I wasn’t tagging along because I wanted to- well I did but then.. You know, we grew apart, had different dreams. you got married and I.. well lets not talk about that.” He chuckled nervously and scratched his elbow. “Maybe if you wanted this to turn out well you shoulda asked me to set it up....”

    He stopped and turned to face him, “You really left because you were chasing a dream?”

    Dareth rubbed his neck, “I.. left because you didn’t want me anymore- by that I mean you had Lily and you had lost touch with me and.. you know, we weren’t friends anymore we were just.. there, working, y’know?” This wasn’t something he had thought about in awhile, one of those topics that he would shove down before it interrupted his sleep, “I know I blew up and I apologized for that, and you apologized to me but.. it hurt. It hurt a lot.”

    Maybe it was silly, they had only met because he was desperate to be in the spotlight anyway, then he became a temporary manager for a few years. it wasn’t supposed to be anything more than that, was it? He considered Lou a friend, but really he shouldn’t have gotten that far. It was behind them both, so why did it haunt him?

    He felt a hand on his arm and finally stopped squeezing his neck, looking up at Lou who was staring intensely. “Did you consider me more than a friend?”

    His face felt a brief flash of heat. Dareth shrugged, “What can I say? you had your looks.”

    “Do you?”

    “Do I what?”

    “Consider me more than a friend now?”

    Dareth erupted in laughter, thinking it a joke, “Well if you’re in the market to buy,” He slapped Lou on the shoulder and squeezed it, but stopped immediately seeing the look he was giving back. “You’re serious?”

    Lou gave a nod.

    “Wait, was this uh, supposed to be a primer for a date?”

    “Well more like the date itself..”

    Dareth stared, “Lou Brookstone. Rule number one, if it’s a date, you ask ‘hey do you want to go on a date?’ first. Rule number two, if you want to be in a relationship with me, you let me plan out the dates. And rule number three,” He shoved his finger in Lou’s shoulder, “would you like to go on one next week Wednesday also how do you think Cole will feel about this?”

    Zane looked at Cole who looked ready to scream.

[rosiehunterwolf]

For the Romping and the Roaring- Part 2

My submission for Day 2 of @serpentfever's Inhuman Event!

Link to read on ffn.net (Recommended if you are on mobile or haven't read the first part yet)

Preview:

The hair on the back of her neck raised, sensing the hit a moment before it came, but by then it was too late to dodge, even with her quick reflexes.

Kai’s hand shoved into her chest, and she hit the ground hard. She gasped, more from shock than pain, and then her brother was darting past her, out the door.

She gazed after him, dazed. She had experienced her fair share of fights with her brother, but he had never hit her before. It hadn’t hurt bad- she knew the raw strength he could pack, and that he had been holding back immensely, but it still- it still made her heart race.

“Nya!” Jay yelped, running over to her. “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine,” she breathed, her voice shaking hard. She swallowed, trying to force out the tremor.

This hadn’t changed anything. She wasn’t afraid of her brother. Just a bit shocked, that was all. He hadn’t meant to do it, he had just lashed out out of frustration.

He would never hurt her on purpose.

He would never.

(Full chapter under the cut)

Prompts Used: Injury

Word Count: 6,730 (wooo this one hopefully won't crash my browser)

Rating: T

Trigger Warnings: Blood, Dehumanization

“Lloyd, come away from the door. It’s too cold outside.”

Lloyd looked back reluctantly at Nya’s call. Kai peered at him from over the large grocery bag he was carrying.

“She’s right, bud. The last thing we need is for someone to get sick. Medicine is pricey,” he added, frowning at the lightness of his wallet.

Zane carried in another bag beside him and pulled the door shut. Nya walked over to him, ruffling Lloyd’s hair as she passed. “How are we doing on cash?”

“We still got enough for a little while. But not a ton. I guess I underestimated all the stuff we would need.” He frowned, glancing around at their makeshift home, shivering as a chill tickled through the air. “We should’ve gotten more blankets. With winter coming, it’s going to be tough having no heat.”

“We should take turns sleeping with Lloyd. He’s like a little living furnace.”

Kai smirked. “Well, at least that’s one person we shouldn’t have to worry about. I thought he might be more vulnerable because of how small he is, but those dragon and oni genes really seem to be doing something for him.”

“Speaking of which,” Nya sighed, “he nearly set Cole on fire today.”

Kai winced. “Did we lose anything?”

“Just a blanket and part of a shirt.”

Kai shook his head, turning towards the boy. “Lloyd, what did I say about using fire breath indoors?”

Lloyd hardly seemed to hear, gekkering softly as he climbed up a support beam, flapping his wings a few times to propel him up to the rafters. Red eyes glowed eerily down at them, and Kai sighed.

“He’s only getting more restless the longer we’re in here,” Nya growled. “You don’t know what a pain he is when you’re gone.”

Kai crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s been two weeks. We can’t keep him in here forever.”

“We can’t stay here forever,” Cole grunted, looking up from the book he was reading. “We’re already running low on funds. We’re going to have to get jobs, somehow. And we can’t live in an abandoned warehouse for the rest of our lives- already, we’re struggling with the winter coming. Jay’s already got a cold. Sooner or later, one of us is going to freeze to death.”

Kai drummed his fingers along his thigh, turning his gaze to where the lab hybrid was snuggled on the floor in a pile of blankets, near the center of the building, where it was warmest. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s gonna be fine, it’s just a common cold. We’re just letting him sleep it off. But winter’s only just beginning. It’s only going to get worse from here on out.”

“Cole’s right,” Zane said. “We have to try something else.”

“We’re just a bunch of kids,” Nya snapped, her voice tight. “We have no idea what we’re doing.”

“Perhaps it’s time… we start looking for help.”

Three wary gazes shifted to Zane.

Kai narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean by that? Everybody hates our skins. Who would help us?”

“We don’t know that for sure. Borg told us that the world had it out for us… but he also pretended to care about us when he was really just using us.”

“Are you suggesting we go to the police?!” Nya growled. “Do you want to die?”

“Borg lied about a lot of things. What if he was lying about this, too?”

“And what if he wasn’t?” Kai retorted. “That’s a huge risk, Zane. One we can’t afford to take.”

“It was only a suggestion.”

“I get where you’re coming from, Zane,” Cole sighed, “but they’re right. That’s a big risk, and if we’re chased out, we have nowhere to go this time.”

“So what do we-”

They were interrupted by a shrill shriek, and whipped around to see Jay jerking up into a sitting position, Lloyd half-slumped over his chest. “What are you doing here?”

“Lloyd, leave Jay alone, he’s resting,” Kai chastised, rushing over to scoop him off of Jay. Lloyd squirmed in his grip, and Kai sighed. “What is wrong with you today?”

“He’s got too much energy for this cramped little place,” Nya told him. “He’s gonna end up hurting someone if we don’t do something about it.”

“Take him outside,” Jay sniffed, “before he burns the whole place down. And besides, he’s the only one of us you guys haven’t let wander since we got here. How is this different from what Borg did to him his whole life?”

“We’re protecting him from Borg,” Kai growled sharply. “If it was up to Borg, he’d be dead right now. I think we’re doing a much better job.”

“I’m not saying we aren’t,” Jay corrected quickly, waving his hands. “But I thought we wanted to give him the freedom he never had.”

“It’s not that simple, Jay,” Nya sighed. “Lloyd’s wanted- we all are, but he’s got the most at risk. If he’s spotted by anyone from Borg- it’s dangerous, is what I’m trying to say.”

“Of course it is. But so is hiding in an abandoned building for the rest of our lives. So is having nothing but a quickly-dwindling stash of money to our name. So is sleeping in a cold building with no heat through the winter. So is keeping a frustrated, fire-breathing brat inside a flammable area for two weeks.”

Lloyd shot a plume of fire at his face, and Jay shrieked, ducking. “See? I told you!” “Nah, he’s just mad at you for calling him a brat,” Nya snickered.

Kai gritted his teeth, pushing Lloyd’s face to the side until he stopped. “Jay does have a point, though. Maybe it’s worth trying to take him out.”

“But Borg-”

“We’ll be really careful,” Kai told her. “I’ll make sure he’s ready, and on his best behavior. You plan out where we’re going to go.”

Cole frowned. “How many of us are going to be going?”

“Two, plus Lloyd, would be ideal. Any more would draw too much attention.”

“Three of us could still be risky,” Cole warned. “Everyone at Borg looking for us will know what we look like. Disguises can only go so far.”

“I don’t want to just send one person out with Lloyd, though. If things go south, we’re going to need to stall for a little bit until we can get away.”

Cole crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not sure how much I like the odds of two of you against a whole legion of Borg associates.”

“We don’t know for sure there’ll be that many,” Zane reminded. “And it will take a while to call backup.”

“And besides,” Kai added, “I’m not planning on getting noticed. It’s just a precaution if we do.”

Everyone stared expectantly at Cole, who remained silent. Lloyd struggled in his arms, and Kai let him go. The boy bounded over to the badger hybrid, and gripped his leg, looking up pleadingly. Cole looked down at him, his forehead creasing. Closing his eyes, he let out a long sigh.

“Alright, Kai, but I really hope you know what you’re doing.”

---

Kai, in fact, did not know what he was doing.

The plan was so simple in his head- teach Lloyd to blend in by having him get used to disguises and showing him the proper behaviors. They had done a very similar thing every time they had taken Lloyd out on one of their outings, back when they had still been living at Borg Tower. How hard could it be, really?

As it turned out, very hard.

Nya had not been lying about his exuberance. He seemed determined to make every little thing difficult.

“Lloyd, just put on this hat! You’ve done it before, quit being stubborn now!”

Lloyd jerked away from the hat like it was some sort of disease, hissing and batting at it. When Kai tried to pull it over his head, the boy grabbed it in his teeth and started pulling.

“No, no, don’t rip it! Augh, why can’t you just do as you’re told!”

“How’s the training going?” Nya laughed.

Kai turned to glare at her, releasing the hat. “Fine, thank you.”

“Really? Because it looks like your pupil just got away…”

Kai jerked his head back. Lloyd had dragged the hat, by his teeth, across the room, and was now slipping himself under the slab of wood that they had used as a foundation for a bed, which was much too low to the floor for Kai to even dream of fitting under.

He scowled, walking over to where Lloyd had wedged himself into, and stuck his arm underneath it, praying that he didn’t lose any fingers.

Luckily, Lloyd didn’t seem to be in a biting mood, but Kai could feel him cringing back from his touch.

“Come on, Lloyd, just come out of there already-”

He stopped as he realized Nya was giggling. Shooting her a glare, he growled, “What’s so funny?”

“You think you’re gonna have him ready to go by the end of the week?”

“You see if I don’t. You’re gonna be sorry you ever doubted me.”

“Uh-huh. If that’s what you need to tell yourself, I suppose.”

---

“Brr,” Jay huffed, as he and Nya pushed the door shut. “The wind’s really picking up out there.”

“Hopefully it’s just a cold streak,” she agreed. “I don’t want it to be too cold if we’re bringing Lloyd out in a couple days.”

“You guys still on for that?”

“I think so. Kai says he’s making progress with him. I guess we’ll have to see.”

“Hey Nya, Jay,” Cole nodded at them. “You feeling better, bro?”

“Oh, a lot better. Good as new! I think it was just a little cold. I can go back to helping out, now.”

Zane sighed. “We were fortunate, this time. Let’s hope it stays that way.”

“Lloyd,” Nya called, pulling a package of gummy bears out of one of the shopping bags. “We got a surprise for you!”

She cast her gaze to the rafters, expecting him to come leaping down, but was surprised when she saw him wriggle out from where he was dozing beside Kai, instead.

She handed him the bag. “Don’t eat them all at once, okay? We’re a little tight on money right now, so you won’t be getting any more for a while.”

The smile he shot her was small, with no teeth, as he took the bag. “Thanks, Nya.”

She frowned at him. The last time she had brought him candy, he had basically been jumping off the walls with excitement, his tail swishing and ears twitching. Now, he was barely even smiling, and stood abruptly still.

Tugging at the seal, his brow furrowed as it didn’t open. When he didn’t immediately tear it open with his fangs, and instead handed it to her so she could open it for him, she knew something was definitely off.

“What’s wrong, Lloyd? Are you feeling alright? Aren’t you happy with it?”

“No, I want it!” he yelped, grabbing for the bag.

She frowned at him, snatching it away. “Why are you acting so weird?”

Lloyd’s ears drooped, his hands dropping to his side. “Kai told me to act like the humans so I could go outside. Did I do bad?”

Nya felt her heart squeeze. “Oh, no, honey, you didn’t do anything wrong. I… I’m just not used to seeing you like this.”

He looked up at her, red eyes hopeful. “I did it right? I acted good?”

Nya took a slow breath. “Yeah, I mean… Lloyd, what exactly did Kai tell you to do?”

Lloyd shrugged. “He said if I smile too much, people can see my fangs.” Peeling back his lips, he pointed to the sharp teeth, as if Nya needed a demonstration. “Seeh?”

“Yes, Lloyd, I see. But why do you need to hide your fangs in here?”

“Kai said I’m prat-practicing,” Lloyd told her matter-of-factly, looking immensely pleased with himself for pronouncing the long word. “So I can be good when we go outside!”

Nya’s stomach felt hard. “What other kinds of things did he tell you to do, Lloyd?”

“He teached me how to not wiggle my ears so much.” He pointed to his ears, making a point of holding them still. “And we talked a lot. He’s showing me to walk on my feet better too, which is kinda wobbly though, and not as fast as using my hands, too. But Kai said I’m doing better than I was! Hey, Nya,” he added, pointing at her face, “you’re doing that thing Kai told me not to do. I can see your fangs!”

Nya unclenched her teeth, working her jaw. “Thanks, bubs. I’m gonna go talk to Kai now, okay? You have some of your gummies.”

Turning to where her brother was slouched against the wall, paging through a magazine, she stormed over to him. He glanced up at her nonchalantly, and Nya felt a surge of frustration in her chest at how calm he was.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why have you been teaching that stuff to Lloyd, Kai? Why is he acting so… weird?”

“You mean normal? It’s great, isn’t it? I gotta admit, it felt like an impossible task at the beginning of the week, but he’s reformed pretty quickly. I think he’s almost ready to go out!”

“It’s not great,” she growled. “You’ve completely changed who he is! There’s a difference between teaching him to stay low and to completely reforming him into human society!”

Kai eyed her testily. “I don’t see what the big deal is. What else were you expecting me to do?”

“I wanted you to hide him, not change his behavior! This isn’t him, Kai!”

“Relax, Nya, it’s just some minor modifications. He’s still our mischievous little brother!” “Really? Because he seemed much less feral to me.”

“Well, yeah! We can’t have him acting out in the middle of the city! I, for one, think this is an improvement. He hasn’t set anything on fire in days.”

“We’re not humans, Kai! We’re different than them, and that’s okay! He has to know that. He has to know what we are! We can’t just try to change him just because it’s what the world wants.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with being like the humans. They’ve gotten off alright, haven’t they? Meanwhile, we’ve spent our whole lives being cheated and used.”

“Just because something’s hard doesn’t mean we should just give up! I can’t believe you, don’t you care about your identity at all?” “I care about surviving. I’m trying to keep us safe! What’s a few little changes if it benefits us in the long run?”

“It might start as just some small changes, Kai, but eventually it’s going to snowball into something bigger.” She felt her voice catch in her throat. ��I don’t want to teach him to hide who he is. I want him to be proud. He hasn’t done anything wrong! We left Borg to get away from that, didn’t we? So that we could start our own paths and be who we wanted to be?”

“You wanted to be homeless and poor?”

“Kai!”

“What? You’re upset with me for telling the truth? We ran away from Borg so we could live. It was out of necessity, not even a choice, really.”

“Borg was our captor. He lied to us our whole lives, made us believe he was the only one who cared when he couldn’t be bothered with us at all. If you’re seriously defending him right now-”

“I’m not defending him, of course I’m not!” Kai jumped to his feet, growling. “What kind of psychopath do you think I am? He tried to kill my baby brother! If you think I would be on his side after that-”

“But don’t you see, it’s more than just that! He was hurting all of us, for years. He was a bad person even before he decided to get rid of Lloyd. Now’s our chance to finally be free of all that. Now’s our chance to be ourselves, to-”

“To get captured again, according to you.”

“How could you say that? I want to protect everyone as much as you do, but I also think you are posing a threat to us by imposing on us the same rules Borg did-”

“How dare you compare me to him!” Kai roared. Nya flinched, and she felt the others turn their gazes on them. “I am nothing like that wretch, nothing, I want nothing more than to protect my family from him! I am doing what I must to keep us safe from him, to keep us as far away as possible. I am trying to avoid suspicion, and I don’t care about your sentimental values. I care about surviving!”

If it was anyone else, they would’ve backed down. Kai didn’t break out his roar at just any time, especially not on those he cared about. When he did, you knew he was seriously pissed. No one in their right minds would mess with him when he was mad.

But Nya was his sister, and her temper was just as hot. Although she might not have the strength of a lion behind her, or the fierceness of his roar, she wasn’t going to let her brother scare her.

“You are not protecting us, you are only restricting us, and the sooner you find out that you are just treating us like he did-”

The hair on the back of her neck raised, sensing the hit a moment before it came, but by then it was too late to dodge, even with her quick reflexes.

Kai’s hand shoved into her chest, and she hit the ground hard. She gasped, more from shock than pain, and then her brother was darting past her, out the door.

She gazed after him, dazed. She had experienced her fair share of fights with her brother, but he had never hit her before. It hadn’t hurt bad- she knew the raw strength he could pack, and that he had been holding back immensely, but it still- it still made her heart race.

“Nya!” Jay yelped, running over to her. “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine,” she breathed, her voice shaking hard. She swallowed, trying to force out the tremor.

This hadn’t changed anything. She wasn’t afraid of her brother. Just a bit shocked, that was all. He hadn’t meant to do it, he had just lashed out out of frustration. And, although she still believed she was in the right, she had provoked him a bit, if she was being honest.

He would never hurt her on purpose.

He… he would never do that.

He would never.

He…

“Nya?”

She blinked, realizing Jay was extending a hand to her. She took it, and let Jay pull her to her feet.

“Are you sure you’re okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No!” she hissed fiercely, and Jay flinched. Gentler, she added, “I’m fine. Kai would never do that.”

Jay didn’t meet her gaze, only gripped her hand tighter.

“Where did he go?” she asked the others, after her breathing had returned to a somewhat normal state.

“Straight out the door,” Zane replied. “No one saw which way he went.”

Nya glanced around the room, stopping when she realized Kai wasn’t the only one missing. “Where’s Lloyd?”

Zane pointed quietly under one of their makeshift beds. A pair of red eyes glowed from underneath.

Nya crouched down, reaching her hand in. “We didn’t mean to scare you, Lloyd. Come on out, it’s alright now.”

Lloyd burrowed deeper under the bed. Nya sighed, giving up. She knew he would only come out when he was ready.

“Should I go after Kai?” Cole asked, frowning.

Zane shook his head. “I think it’s best to give him some space to blow off some steam.”

“I just hope he’s careful. If he’s too full of anger to pay attention to what he’s doing…”Jay’s tail drooped. “The last thing we need is for anyone to get spotted now.”

“We’re pretty far out here,” Cole assured him. “If we were closer to the city, I’d be worried, but Kai’d have to get pretty far to get anywhere within the distance I think the Borg employees would be searching.”

“I hope you’re right,” Nya sighed. “One day, his temper is going to get him- or one of us- into a situation he can’t get out of.”

---

The next couple days were incredibly tense. Kai came back a few hours later, not speaking to anyone and going straight to bed. He and Nya hardly spoke to each other, and when they did, their interactions were short and argumentative. The others were careful to stay out of it, not picking any sides. Kai had a feeling that they were pretty uncomfortable around him, though.

He hadn’t meant to hit Nya. She was his sister. Even though she was being stupid and sentimental, he still loved her and never would want to hurt her. But it wasn’t like he had seriously wounded her, either. It had just been a little scuffle. He knew that Nya knew that, and that she was only mad about the argument. The others, however… they were overreacting. He didn’t understand, after all their years together, how they could seriously think he would harm one of them.

That’s what the point of all of this was, wasn’t it? To protect them? Why couldn’t anyone else see that?

He was sick of all this. Sick of all the fighting, sick of struggling and hiding all the time. He just wished they could be normal.

Although Nya wanted anything but that, it seemed.

He understood what she was saying, in a sense- they were different. But was it really so bad to want to change who you were if it meant a life of peace and safety?

Kai just didn’t know anymore. He was tired of being the one who had to decide. He missed when they were younger, and Borg had made all the decisions for them.

Not that he wanted Borg to be in charge of them anymore- but the sentiment still stood.

But life had a way of being against them.

Wishes weren’t going to fix anything.

---

When the scheduled day for Lloyd’s venture into the town rolled around, the circumstances hadn’t improved much. They had originally planned for him and Nya to accompany Lloyd- a decision he was regretting now, with the tension still between them. He almost considered asking one of the others to take his place, but decided against it. He wanted to be there with Lloyd- he had been the one who had spent all the time training him, after all. And he didn’t dare ask Nya to change her mind about going- she would probably argue just for the sake of it, and it wasn’t worth the confrontation right now. Things were already bad enough as it was.

As they wrapped Lloyd up in his winter gear, he complied much more easily than usual, and three of them set out quietly.

“Where are we gonna go?” Kai asked Nya as they approached the bus stop.

“I was thinking we could go downtown, more towards where the little shops are. The people there are pretty nice, and it’s usually bustling, so it’ll be easy to blend in with the crowds.”

“How many stops down is that,” he frowned, fingering through the bills in his wallet.

Nya watched him anxiously. “Not too far. We can walk, if that’s better.”

“It’s fine.”

“Are you-” “I told you, it’s fine!” Nya jerked her gaze away sharply. “Excuse me for trying to be considerate, then.”

“Oh, don’t be like that. It’s too cold to walk.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I can’t tell if you’re trying to be caring or not.”

Kai growled. “Me neither.”

Lloyd squirmed by their feet, and Nya sighed. “Can we not do this, now?” She pointed down the street, to where the bus was rolling up. “The bus is here, anyway.”

Kai told the bus driver where they wanted to go, slipping him the proper payment, and the three of them piled on, taking a spot near the back, even though the bus was mostly empty. Kai knew, from his previous trips, that it would get more crowded the closer they got to town, and sitting in the back meant not many people would be looking at them.

Lloyd stared out the window for most of the ride, his wide eyes taking in the landscape rolling past. Kai watched too, and as the bus drove them deeper into the city, he saw the shining buildings, with trees and patches of greenery dispersed in between them. With winter arriving, most of the trees were skeletal, but some still had a spattering of leaves, coming in bright golds, soft reds, and blazing oranges. It wasn’t something Kai got to see often in his lifetime, in person, at least. The changing of the fall leaves was a very finicky and brief time of the year in Ninjago City, and he had been lucky if one of his outside visits fell during this time.

Deeper into the city, the buildings thickened, rows of homes filing in orderly lines. Blues, olives, tans, grays, whites- each one had its own unique charm, but they all felt like they belonged.

One house in particular caught his eye, though- one that stood out from all the rest. Its walls were a bright red, and the lawn was wildly overgrown. Too many chairs were crammed onto the small porch, paint chipping on the door. It was an eyesore compared to the rest of the neighborhood.

Being too unique was problematic, he supposed.

By now, they were getting into the thick of the city. Beautiful buildings soared above them, colorful graffiti decorated walls and bridges. Most noticeable of all, however, were the people. A father with his daughter sitting on his shoulders, an elderly couple each holding a hand of their grandson as they swung him between them. A young couple walking down the street, chatting, with their hands casually intertwined, a group of teenage boys, laughing and racing each other down the street on their skateboards.

Everyone had one thing in common- they looked happy, content, at peace.

Kai hoped they appreciated what they had.

For the first time since they had boarded the bus, he glanced over at Nya. She was staring out the window too, but her gaze wasn’t directed at the scenery beyond, like his, but instead at Lloyd’s reflection in the glass.

The bus screeched to a halt, arriving at their stop, and the three of them hopped out, thanking the driver.

Walking down the street, they found themselves in a charming little section of town, the shops modest but plentiful. Nya was right, there was plenty of activity to help hide them. All the footsteps and voices around him swamped Kai’s ears, and he shook his head, trying to press them flatter against his head. This was only a milder section of the city, he was going to have to get used to all the sounds of the urban environment if they were going to adapt to this place.

Kai wondered how Lloyd would be affected by the environment- the young boy had proven himself to have a strong sense of hearing as well, and had never been a fan of being swarmed.

But either Lloyd’s hat was muffling his senses, or he was simply too enamored by the shops to care. With every shop they went in- from t-shirts, to souvenirs, antiques, jewelry, fabrics, and a bakery, Lloyd always seemed to find some little shiny trinket or another. They couldn’t buy him much, but Lloyd seemed perfectly content with just looking, already moving onto the next object of interest within a minute or two, anyway.

They did actually make a purchase at the confectionary, though, letting Lloyd pick out a piece of candy. He had gone with a rainbow lollipop, a purchase Kai was pleased with, because it would actually last him a while, giving him and Nya time to pick up a few more essentials before heading back to the warehouse.

Emphasis on few.

“We don’t really need the new jacket, I know we have a needle and thread I can use to patch it up on my own.”

“Yeah, well what about all those protein bars, do you really need all those?” Kai asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“They’re a good source of nutrients!” “Yeah, and they’re expensive. There’s gotta be a generic brand one you can get for cheaper.”

“These are the only ones I can get Lloyd to eat.”

“Well, he’s going to have to learn to adapt to our budget-”

“Buy them with this!” Lloyd purred, slipping a stack of bills into his hand.

Kai and Nya froze, slowly turning to look at him.

“Lloyd,” he asked slowly, “where did you get this?”

“I found it.”

No duh, Kai bit back. “Found it where?”

“Someone left it. At the store.”

“Lloyd!” Nya cried, sounding close to hysterics. “You can’t just take people’s money! You can’t take any of people’s things without permission. That’s stealing!” “They left it there,” Lloyd grumbled, kicking his foot. “I thought they were done with it. They should be more careful with their things. I’m careful with my things.”

Kai snorted a laugh, and Nya stared at him incredulously. “You can’t seriously think this is funny? He stole!”

“Oh, come on, Nya, he didn’t do it on purpose.”

“It’s still a crime.”

“He’s four!” “Doesn’t mean you should encourage him.”

“I wasn’t. In case you’re forgetting, he was the one who took it, not me.”

“But you don’t care.”

“I never said that!” “I’m your sister, I can tell.”

“Alright, alright, so maybe I wouldn’t mind a little extra cash. So what? We need it. Probably more than whoever was foolish enough to lose this.” “Kai! I can’t believe you!” “What? It’s not like we even know where to take it! Lloyd,” he turned to the boy, his voice sharp. “Where did you find the money? Which store?”

Lloyd was looking significantly less cheerful now, his eyes wary as he took a step back from them. “I dunno. Can’t remember.”

“See?” Kai snapped at Nya. “We couldn’t return it if we wanted to!” “So you’re just going to pocket it?”

“Where else would you have me take it? Like I told you, we need it more than the rich, privileged people around here.” Blood was roaring in Kai’s ears now, his breath coming in heavy pants. Why was there so much noise buzzing in his ears? There were people, so many people, and all that noise, mixing with his frustration, was making his heart slam against his chest in a dizzying rage.

“Just because they have more than us doesn’t make it right.”

“It makes it understandable.”

“I can’t believe we’re back to this again!”

“Back to what?”

“You’re trying to change Lloyd’s behavior again! I told you it would escalate- in only a few days, you’ve gone from having him hide his goofball side, to make him think stealing is okay, just because we’re in a rough patch!”

“You think I want to do this? I know it’s wrong! But sometimes an opportunity presents itself, and you gotta do what you gotta do.”

“We can’t just throw our values and everything about ourselves out the window just because things are difficult right now, Kai.”

“We haven’t really been given much choice, have we? In another week or two, we’ll have gone completely bankrupt, then what are we gonna do, huh?”

Nya paused for a moment, her breath hitching. “We’ll… we’ll figure something out. But this isn’t the answer.”

“Oh yeah? Let me know when you find one.” Turning away from her, he slipped the cash into his pocket. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He was starting to feel lightheaded, now. He needed to end this.

“Kai, please, the last thing we need is another charge on our backs.”

“Going back to the shop to return this- even if we knew which shop to go to- would only put more suspicion on our backs. If we keep it, no one will probably ever even notice it’s missing.”

“But they could have security footage-” Nya stopped dead, the color draining from her cheeks.

“What?”

“Where’s Lloyd?”

---

Lloyd was running.

Ducking and weaving between the people roaming the streets, he tried his best to avoid running into them, but once or twice, his hand brushed against them, and he flinched away, hating the way the unfamiliar touch felt on his skin.

There were too many people here. He hated this feeling, being crowded around on all sides, like he couldn’t breathe. He just wanted to get out of here.

That was pretty impossible, though, when he had no idea where he was.

He shouldn’t have run off. Kai and Nya were going to be furious.

But… he just hadn’t been able to take it anymore.

He had been so happy when he had first brought them the money. He had thought he was helping, and that now they would be able to get more stuff and stop looking so worried all the time. But it had only made them start fighting again. Their raised voices had rung loud in his ears, too loud, and their smoldering gazes had scared him. That hadn’t been Kai and Nya- the big siblings he knew and loved. That had been something different, something Lloyd didn’t like one bit.

He hated it, every time they fought- every time the ugly side of them came out. But this time had been so much worse, because this time it was his fault, it had been him who messed things up by taking something he wasn’t supposed to.

He had just wanted to make them proud.

But maybe they would be better off without him.

He just wanted things to be the way they used to be, back when no one had fought or yelled at each other, when everyone had been happy, hanging out in their fun little room, giving him badger rides and letting him pick whatever movie he wanted.

But that had also been the time when he had spent his nights locked up alone, when strange people in long coats and scary masks would poke and prod him, and he wanted nothing more but to see his family again, but Dr. Borg wouldn’t let him.

But that was the way things had always been, hadn’t they? There was no perfect world.

At least not for monsters, like Lloyd.

Lloyd stumbled, his head reeling. All these thoughts were a little too much to take in.

Glancing around, he spotted an alleyway leading off of the streets. The perfect opportunity to get away from all the noises and people and clear his head.

Nearly crying in relief, he slipped into the comfort of the darkness.

---

“He was just here!” “Oh no, he must’ve run off again! You know how upset he gets when we fight!”

“Shit,” Kai muttered, his bubbling anger quickly giving way to panic. “He must’ve gone to look for somewhere to hide.”

“Dammit, he could be anywhere by now,” Nya whimpered, pressing her fingers to her temples. “This is all our fault!”

His frustration with her dying, Kai put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll find him. He can’t have gotten far, I should be able to pick up his scent.”

Nya glanced around, surveying their surroundings. “Just try to be subtle about it. There are a lot of people here.”

It was harder to track Lloyd’s scent without getting down to the ground, and the many other crisscrossing scents in the area added to the complexity, but, luckily for them, Lloyd’s oni and dragon blood made for a distinctive tang that Kai was able to pick up on after only a minute, despite all the distractions.

They followed the trail for a few minutes, Nya hovering behind him anxiously as he went. After a while, Kai was starting to get worried he had somehow made a mistake, when they reached a busy market street.

Shaking his head, he pushed his way into the throng.

Immediately, he was overwhelmed with at least a dozen more scents, and he lost Lloyd’s for a moment. Desperately trying to pick it up again, Kai felt like he was floundering, all the scents and sounds making him stumble.

Nya grabbed his shoulder, steadying him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m… fine, it’s just… there’s a lot of people here.” He put a hand on his head. “It’s a lot.”

“Can you still smell Lloyd?”

“I don’t know.”

Nya turned to a shopping bag she was holding, rummaging through it until she found what she was looking for and pulled it out. Popping the cap, she handed him the bottle of water. “Here. This might help.”

Downing a few sips of the cold, fresh, liquid, Kai felt his heart rate slow slightly, the fog in his brain dissipating a bit. “Thanks, Nya.”

Turning back to his surroundings, he searched for Lloyd’s scent again. This time, he caught it rather quickly, and the two of them hurried down the street a little ways, until it led to a dark alleyway.

Kai slowed his pace, his steps wary. “Lloyd? Are you here?”

There was silence, for a moment, then a soft whimper replied him. Kai froze. “Lloyd?”

Nya pushed in front of him, and Kai caught sight of his sister’s pupils dilating to her night vision.

“See anything?”

Nya didn’t respond, and Kai blinked rapidly, urging his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. When he could finally see better, he looked over at her. Nya was standing frozen, her face white, as she stared down the alley.

Kai followed her gaze, and promptly felt his stomach lurch.

Although he couldn’t see nearly as well as Nya in the dark setting, it was well enough to identify the figure curled up in the back of the alley as Lloyd, pale and quivering as he grimaced at his leg, stretched out at an ugly looking angle, all twisted and bloody.

“Lloyd!” Nya screamed, running towards him as Kai gagged, trying hard not to puke at the scene. He tried to shake action back into his limbs, beginning to follow Nya where she was crouched over at Lloyd’s side, crying softly-

Kai froze, scenting the air. The overwhelming reek of blood and pain filled his nose, and he was still left muddled from the chaos of the busy market a moment ago, but…

Over all of that, he swore he could smell something else, something that seemed important.

“Nya, do you… do you smell that?”

“What?” Nya choked, wiping at her eyes. “Kai, he’s… it’s bad, come help me!” Kai was about to abandon the mysterious scent, when all of a sudden, it clicked.

Cold dread trickled down his spine. “Nya, look out, it’s-”

His words were cut off as something slammed against him, sending him to the ground, winded. Nets were thrown over him, and he felt strong yanks on his arms and legs as sharp rope dug into his wrists and ankles.

Blinding panic crashed through him as the full implication of what was happening hit him. No, no no, he couldn’t get captured, he couldn’t be brought back there, Lloyd couldn’t be brought back there, they would-

Kai threw back his head and roared as loudly as he could, hoping that someone, anyone would hear and come save him-

Sharp metal clashed against his jaw, sending spikes of agony through him as something was wrestled around his head. He tried to cry out again, but realized that he couldn’t move his mouth anymore, the metal device jamming it shut.

He could hear Nya’s screams from somewhere behind him, which abruptly cut off as she met his same fate. Muzzles, he realized with horror, the image of Lloyd, chained in that little room on that day they had first escaped flashing through his head.

Borg had found them. And now they were going to pay.

[avomorg]

can we read anything for the glass cutter AU? Its living in my brain rent free and I neeeeed more 0-0 Its so amazing <3

Unfortunately (or fortunately), this is not just a romantic story, it's just that I'm drawing one challenge right now. :) I'm sorry, there is a lot of text here.

I use this tag to mark posts related to story of my main character, Hani. The presence of the OC changes the events of the plot of the series, so I can say that this is AU. Since this is not a single plot, but a story associated with almost each of the seasons of Ninjago, AU doesn't have a single idea. But I can say that this is a story where there is another ninja in the team.

I know there are many such characters, and this AU was originally made just for fun. But maybe I can make something good out of it.

I have a detailed article describing Hani's storyline, but I haven't translated it yet, so I'll tell you the most important things.

Hani is the daughter of Wu's ally, Keyon. During the events of the pilot episode, he was killed by skeletons – so Wu said. Hani then became the new master of glass.

Hani studied at Darkley's Boarding School for Great Children, where the ninjas worked as teachers after the second season. She could not learn to control the element on her own, so the glass was attracted to her against her will and left cuts. The ninjas noticed this, but didn't going to interfere, but Zane took pity on the girl. He became involved with her despite Wu's ban (he didn't need the daughter of Keyon, because Keyon died through Wu's fault). Hani became very attached to Zane, with whom she felt safe. He taught the girl frightened by her abilities to find strength in herself. Zane was not sure if her abilities were similar to those of a ninja, but he understood that they should be used for the good of Ninjago so that Hani would not use them for evil. Therefore, he did his best to have Hani join the ninja team and be under their supervision. To do this, he had to argue with his friends and Wu.

In Rebooted, Zane managed to gain Hani's recognition as a team member. Yes, she was weaker than a ninjas, but over time she could become a good fighter – and, most importantly, her abilities would not threaten the safety of Ninjago. Unfortunately, Zane died, and the ninjas didn't want to take responsibility for the girl, so they left her in the care of Garmadon.

After the death of Zane, she was devastated, as after losing her father. But she continued to train alongside Lloyd and Garmadon. Constant training and the desire to be stronger made her character quite tough, but she could confidently fight the enemy. Garmadon didn't like her aggression and too strong will to win, he tried to make Hani more calm.

In the Tournament of Elements, these problems intensified. Clouse skillfully used Hani's aggression, making her an enemy for all other participants in the Tournament. The girl herself, due to the constant use of the element in battles, lost her common sense. Even her appearance began to change. In the end, Clouse was almost able to get her to fight by his side – but Hani was too dangerous, so Chen decided to get rid of her. She was thrown in the desert, chained to the skeleton of some monster. Hani missed the battle in the Elders' Corridors. It was only after this hard lesson that she realized the importance of Garmadon's ideas. But it was already too late.

Maybe Hani would have died in the desert... If not for Morro. He introduced himself as a poor traveler and helped her get out of the chains, while learning from Hani about what is happening in Ninjago. Later they met as opponents. Morro offered Wu to exchange Lloyd for one of the ninjas (this was an attempt to eliminate Nya; if the elements returned to the ninjas, Wu would not develop her abilities). Wu traded Lloyd for Hani. Master never wanted to take her on the team and thus got rid of her. Hani realized that Lloyd was more valuable to the team than she was, and also she hoped to get rid of Wu with Morro's help. As a result, Morro and Hani tried to manipulate each other, but they succeeded equally badly – so they only learned the secrets and weaknesses of each other, being in the same body. Both became vulnerable to each other, so they ceased to be strangers. At the end of Possession, Hani pulled Morro out of the water, creating her Elemental Dragon for the first time. Morro was unable to surrender and die when he had a living ally.

After Morro stayed with the ninjas, the course of events in the canon changed quite a lot.

In the Skybound, Hani looked for ways to bring Morro back to life. But first, Wu had to be convinced to remove the curse from the student. While trying to complete these tasks, Hani found herself trapped like the other ninjas. But Morro was used to achieving everything himself and remained at large, and in the end he helped Jay and his team.

Day of the Departed was the perfect moment to bring Morro back to life. Wu surrendered and removed the curse from him, the portal is open and can let Morro through. But his fear of being unprepared for life almost ruined everything. Morro considers Yang's fate unfair and was ready to give him a place in the world of the living. Cole practically forcibly sent Morro into the portal so that he would not interfere in the fight between the master of the earth and Yang.

In the Recording (fanseason) reveals the stories of the Morro and Hani families. The wind masters are associated with the Cloud Kingdom, which is now in danger. Only Morro, whose fate is in his own hands, can fight the lord of fate. Hani and Lloyd go in search of the Master of Writing, because only they can actively move between worlds: Lloyd is a descendant of the FSM, and Hani, like the former glass masters, is called upon to protect him and follow him. The fates of Morro and Hani, written in the scrolls of their fates, are contrary to their wishes, and they must deal with this.

You can find a little more information about Record on my Instagram, later I want to make full posts here.

During the fight with the Hands of Time, Hani was almost glad that Wu had resigned and supported Lloyd as the new leader. But gradually she began to sympathize with Wu, despite what he had done in the past. The fact that he sacrificed himself to save the students changed Hani's opinion of him. But Morro still hasn't forgiven the teacher. He believed that Wu couldn't just disappear from the life of a ninjas.

The events of the Sons of Garmadon are changed: Lloyd approaches Harumi not because of sympathy for her (since he is already in a relationship with another character, besides, sympathy for the girl is too weak a hook), but because of the desire to bring his father back to life. But to bring back the real Garmadon, not his evil appearance. The real Garmadon will be able to deal with the Sons, like the Anacondrai generals with Chen's army. Harumi, like the entire imperial family, belongs to a mysterious association that knows the secrets of resurrection from the dead. Mysticism and a blind desire to meet his father again deprives Lloyd of the ability to think sanely, and he believes Harumi. Can't a whole secret society lie? Unbeknownst to Lloyd, Harumi bribed the respected Ninjago explorers and mystics to put on this whole show. But Morro doesn't trust the imperial family, since he once participated in the war between the dynasties. He is confident that the Sons of Garmadon are ruled by the descendants of the overthrown dynasty. He doesn't believe in the resurrection of Garmadon and condemns such attachment of Lloyd to his dead father. Morro is also suspicious of Harumi's physical fitness. He is a dangerous foe, so the Sons are trying to eliminate him. Hani generally agrees with Morro, but she still really wants to see Garmadon, so she doesn't want to suspect Harumi. Morro is on a ship and enters the Realm of Oni and Dragons, Hani stays with Lloyd. Before parting, Morro manages to conclude a Yin-Yang Promise with her.

In Hunted, Morro didn't lose heart and settled in the desert - he was used to wandering and starving. Morro tried to save the wind dragon from the Hunters, but failed, was punished, and nearly died. Despite all this, the cruel world of Oni and Dragons came to his liking. As Wu grew older, he and Morro finally found a common language and came to an agreement. Hani at this time trying to continue the fight after the loss of Morro and Zane. She becomes cruel again, like in the Tournament. Due to the destruction of the city in the streets a lot of broken glass, and with so many shells Hani can easily destroy enemies. Harumi gives the order to clear the streets of glass in order to deprive the Resistance of such a dangerous and ubiquitous weapon, but getting rid of all the glass in the city is impossible. The ninjas returned in time – blinded by grief, Hani has not yet lost herself, as in the Tournament.

Morro and Hani already hope for a respite and calm, but Oni's appearance again forces them to be ready for battle. Hani has both interest and disgust for Garmadon, who was resurrected by Harumi. Morro willingly communicates with him, Garmadon cannot really offend him with his sharp remarks. Hani greatly fears for Lloyd's life as he and Garmadon descend into the Darkness. After Cole's fall, Hani tries not to lose control of herself, as she did before. Morro tries to use the wind to pull Cole out of the Darkness, but is unable to break through the cloud. In the final battle with Oni, Morro and Hani use Spinjitzu. Morro is hesitant to team up with the others in the Tornado of Creation because he is unsure of his ability to use Spinjitzu, but Hani persuades him to take the risk. After the completion of the Tornado, Morro hits hard against the wall of the monastery. This encourages him to actively learn Spinjitzu.

The Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu events have been changed, but I haven't finished the AU for this season yet. For now, I can say that the ninjas ended up in the tomb of snakes not out of boredom, but because of the deception of Clutch Powers: he competed with a young researcher for a place in the Club and wanted to use the ninjas to pass traps in the tomb. The Forbidden Spinjitzu is a special elimination weapon used by the FSM to purge Ninjago of its serious competitors. The theme of not just winning, but eliminating enemies runs through the entire season and makes it darker, because the enemy of the ninjas is now Zane. And he is not going to negotiate with them.

Hani's story in 12-13 seasons in progress.

Thanks for reading to the end!

[spinchip]

Should I Be Happy Too?

Words: 1300 Warnings: Dr. Julien was not a good dad. Discussion of Neglect, abandonment, and repeated Memory alteration, nothing graphic. ask to tag

“There you are.” Cole climbs up on top of the roof carefully, rolling over onto the wooden slats on his belly, balancing on top of the Destiny's Bounty cautiously. He could have used airjitzu, but he has a feeling Zane doesn’t want everyone on the ship figuring out where he was- the hunch to his shoulders reason enough to make him think he didn’t even want Cole to find him.

The tiles below them were domed, and one wrong move could send him sliding off the side, not that it would affect him much. Can’t kill a ghost twice, right? unless you had water- but Cole didn’t much feel like testing out his ethereal resistance to splattering on the pavement. Zane jolts a bit at his voice, sitting up a little straighter with a tired expression on his face, “Hello, Cole.” He holds his hand up in a still wave, before letting it drop back into his lap. He’s sitting criss-cross just below the mizzenmast, almost completely hidden unless you climb up on top of the roof to look.

Cole squashed down the swell of pride at guessing Zanes' hiding spot correctly, trying to focus on the more pressing problem- Zane’s need to hide in the first place. The ice ninja's voice was faded and soft too, sad and contemplative. Cole shuffles over to him while Zane watches with a little smile barely curling his lips, reaching out and taking his hand when he got close enough to draw him closer to the mast and even ground, “So,” He starts once he gets rightfully situated, “What are you doing up here?”

Zane sighs, smile dropping off his face and eye sliding closed as if that were the hardest question he’d ever been asked. Cole can see his eyelids flicker as the nindroid tries to put together the words to answer him, expression pinching.

“...Is it Echo?” Cole prompts softly, touching Zane's shoulder.

“No.” Zane opens his eyes, leaning just out of reach (Cole respects that, letting his hand fall back,) “Echo is my little brother, he is not a problem. However…” there’s a long pause as Zane gathers his words, “He is making me… realize some things.” His face twists, as if he’s unsatisfied with his answer. Zane is meticulous with his words, each one chosen carefully, so to see him so mixed up with his phrasing makes Cole worry. Something is really bothering him.

There was no doubt that his weird mood started when Jay told them about Echo Zane, trapped away in the same lighthouse that had been a prison for Zanes late father. (Jay wouldn’t speak about how he knew, shaking his head mutely when they had tried to pry, Nya shooing them away.) It wasn’t that Zane was weird around Echo, no, they took to each other like a moths to a flame. Echo was smart, a fast learner, and with a little TLC he was no longer losing limbs or locking up all the time. Zane adored him easily, and loved to teach and train him, talking to him about everything and nothing at the same time. Yet in the spaces in between, when Echo is absent and his presence can no longer distract the Ice master, Zane is quiet and contemplative and...strangely sad. (And, Cole notes with surprise, angry. Zanes eyes flicker with a deep frustration that seems so foreign on his face.)

“Do you want to talk about it?” He’s good at being there, for other people. He can be there for Zane, even if it’s just to lend an ear.

“No.” Zane says honestly.

Well, if not an ear, then at least a steady presence. A rock.

“Well, do you mind if I stay? The view is amazing.”

Zane blinks, looks out across the forest and land stretched out beneath them, stars like twinkling fairy lights hung in the sky, “I hadn’t noticed.” he admits faintly, softening at the beauty.

As the silence stretches, Cole just tries to appreciate what he can. He may not be able to feel the cool breeze that flutters at Zane’s gi, or taste the crisp night air, but he can drink up the scenery. He wasn’t joking, earlier, it’s beautiful out tonight. They’re faced away from the mountains they’re anchored at, staring out across wide expanses of earth, the tree-top from the forest swaying and undulating like water, rippling out across the floor. Just beyond the edge of the trees are rice fields, catching stars in their reflections, the crescent moon just barely brushing the surface. Everything is always moving so fast that there’s barely any time to take it all in. This is what they’re fighting for.

“My father left Echo behind on purpose.” Zane says suddenly, never looking away from the place where the star and land divide.

“What?”

“That is why i’m up here.” He cuts his eyes away from the sky, pining Cole with his calculating gaze, “I can not stop thinking about it. It bothers me.”

Cole stays quiet, unsure how to navigate this.

“I have run the logistics, I have gone through the scenarios, I have tried to understand what he was thinking- but there was no reason for it.” Zane clenches his fist in his lap, frowning unhappily, “I will never find the justification for abandoning him because there is none.”

He turns away, and when he speaks next his breath comes out in a cold puff, “And now I am beginning to realize that my father may not have been the man I thought he was.”

“What do you mean?” He doesn’t mean to pry, but this conversation is unexpected and he can’t stop the question from slipping out.

He doesn’t respond right away, and Cole is worried he pushed too far, opening his mouth to apologize when Zane starts to open up, “He erased my memory more than once.” Cole’s mouth snaps shut with a click, “I knew there were gaps, things I didn’t remember, missing time… I thought they had been damaged from the final memory wipe, but Echo has the same gaps, and why else would he install a memory switch? Why else would he refuse to remove it when I asked?”

Zanes' face is carefully blank, meticulously controlled, “And what gives him the right to erase my memories at all? He said it was because he loved me, and I think that's true for part of it, but… I can’t help but think it was also control. I spent years inside the tree lab, I was supervised outside only a handful of times, unallowed to leave. He kept Echo locked in the basement.” Zane’s head dropped, and he exhales harshly even though he doesn’t need to, “There were so many good times- all I was allowed to remember were the good times, and I loved him so much. I still do.” The words rankle, Zanes mouth presses into a thin line, complex emotions flashing too quickly across his eyes for Cole to decipher.

“...but..?”

“But he did a lot of bad things. Things that I don’t know if i can forgive him for.” Zane admits, eyes dulling, “Echo was not faulty or broken. He should not have been treated that way.”

Cole frowns and scoots closer, “You shouldn’t have been treated that way either,” He reminds him. “You don’t have to forgive him.”

The nindroids shoulder slump, and he leans over to rest his head on Cole's shoulder as if a wave of exhaustion has rolled over him, “I know. I am sorry I've been weird, I am just… processing.”

“It’s okay, this is a pretty heavy thing to realize. Take your time.” Cole focuses on staying solid for him.

“Thank you, Cole.”

“Anytime.”

It gets a bit colder and the sky twinges a bit darker before Zane finally straightens up, looking a lot less upset than he had when Cole had first struggled his way up onto the roof. They watch the stars for a bit longer before they’re both ready to return to solid ground.

[raevenlywrites]

The Ties That Bind 20 of ???

As much as I simply wanted to sleep, even my extreme exhaustion wasn’t enough to supersede good manners. I would at the very least catch Zane’s eye as he danced, alert him to my presence--that was good manners, right? I couldn’t think. My head was fogged with the need to sleep, and my thoughts tumbled like so many leaves in the wind.

The crowd parted easily before me and Rei, avians falling back in respect and serpents... well, I didn’t know why the serpents moved before me. Maybe something of that emotional extra sense informed them. I didn’t care. I just wanted to wave at Zane on my way to bed.

Of course, once he saw me, he immediately broke from the dance, another serpiente falling seamlessly into his place. I marveled at the smoothness of it, how not a single beat was missed. If Zane had signaled the change in any way, I had not seen it. Then again, in my fatigued state, I’m sure I missed much.

I took a deep breath, drawing myself up as Zane approached, and felt Rei flinch beside him. Was it the Arami’s approach, or a reaction to my donning my emotional armour? Yet another thing I was too tired for.

“Danica!”

Zane greeted me warmly, face bright and shining from the dance. He was flushed, but it only highlighted the sharpness of his cheeks, the fullness of his lips. He looked right this way, lightly kissed with sweat and firelight, and a smattering of scales.

It startled me to realize I found this form beautiful. Not that I found Zane beautiful--his elegance and regalness were almost a given, at this point--but that I thought the scales suited him, perfected a face that was already so close to perfect... They offset his garnet eyes, made their startling redness seem more at home.

Then he smiled, and the length of his cobra’s fangs ruined the effect. He’d gone from ethereal to infernal in an instant, the flames now a horrifying backdrop to the warrior’s form. This was the shape he wore to kill.

I swooned, the heat and the fangs and the late hour all coming together to be too much. I felt Rei’s arm around me, as the world slid to black.

- Two faces loomed over me as I came to, my avian heritage funneling oxygen to my brain with merciless efficiency. What helped me maintain hours of flight at high altitudes would not allow me the blessed reprieve of unconsciousness now. No, my body had failed me only enough for an embarrassing incident. I sighed and sat up, not even feeling lightly dizzy. It was grossly unfair.

“Sorry to have alarmed you, gentlemen.” I did my best to keep the sigh from my voice. “Clearly I’m pushing too hard.”

“That makes two of us.”

Zane had returned to his purely human form, the only trace of his cobra heritage remaining was the everpresent garnet of his eyes. I still thought them beautiful, but I didn’t think I’d ever forget that smile, the mouth crowded with fangs. How had he kept from piercing his own lip?

Rei offered me a skin of water, which I sipped automatically to appease him. My dear friend could be such a hoverhawk. It was always easiest to just let him take care of me. It gave him something to do, if nothing else.

“If you’re able,” he said gently, “I’d recommend the three of us exit this crowd quickly.”

My eyes flicked past his shoulders. Somehow, I’d forgotten that I’d passed out in front of a crowd of mixed serpiente and avians alike. Better and better.

“Or,” Zane interjected, light tone at odds with the severity of the situation, “you might stay out here a moment longer, and enjoy the dance.” Rei growled, low and barely audible over the murmur of the crowd. Either way, the longer I sat here--flat on my rear in the dirt--the larger a scene it would cause. I nodded grimly to Rei.

“Help me up. We’ll go from there.”

To my surprise, Rei and Zane both looped arms under my shoulders, making me feel like a complete invalid. That alone steeled my resolve, making me chase them away with discretely fluttering hands. I stepped away from the both, turning to face them.

“I’m fine. Just too many days of not enough rest. We should all be getting to bed.”

The roaring crowd around me didn’t show any signs of slowing, let alone sleeping. What had I been thinking, coming out here?

I’d been thinking I’d wanted Rei. And that I’d wanted away from my court.

This was a disaster. I couldn’t do this. I was too tired, too small, too unprepared. This gathering of people, dancing and singing in the woods, had come together without me. And because of me, it now sat poised, ready to collapse into a riot.

All because I’d stumbled.

I was angry, frustrated, and oh so tired--

And then Zane reached out, smiling, not a fang in sight.

“Dance with me.”

“I-- what?”

His smiled broadened, and I felt utterly disarmed by it’s simple charm.

“Dance with me. One dance, to prove you’re alright. To let the day go. There’s a magic in the serpent’s step. Trust me.”

Trust me.

Well, that was the point of all this, wasn’t it?

Zane had trusted me enough to meet me at the Mistari camps, to ride to my Keep, to have Elanor fly his ridiculous ass up to my bedroom. To walk into the heart of my kingdom, with only a relatively small vanguard at his back. Zane trusted me with all that, and all he asked in return was a simple dance, to help reassure the crowd.

Surely I could do at least that much.

I took his hand, offering a smile that held all my fear, all my exhaustion, and all my fondness. This mad cobra’s dreams were infectious, and already, I found myself believing in him. I could easily see why his people would follow him into the heart of my kingdom. If I were allowed to, I think I would follow him, too.

I could at least follow him now, out into the ring of dancers.

“I don’t know how to do this,” I whispered. My mouth felt like a rictus grin rather than a smile. I felt my teeth threatening to crack under the pressure of my grit jaw.

“I do.”

He raised our hands, palm to palm, and with a start I realized it was a dance I knew. It was one of the few avian dances that allowed for touching, where most of our celebrations were more processions of segregated movements in stately lines. I didn’t have time to question how he’d learned any avian dance, or wonder if this was another small thing shared by our cultures, before the first notes of song rose up over the crowd.

Raymond was singing.

Other avians immediately joined, the song well-loved and well familiar. The Wind and The Wing--and the dance that went with it--was lilting and joyous, with words and movements so simple even children could join in. It could be layered with elegant harmonies and counter melodies, but the dance was always the same. Palm to palm, turn a circle, switch hands. At a faster pace, it became a whirling dervish, a wild, swirling thing, with partners switched and tossed and buffeted about as if by the wind. Under the direction of Raymond’s clear voice, it was slower, but still too fast to overthink it.

Zane grinned, hands clapping the beats between the switch, eyes absolutely sparkling in delight. He was so pleased with himself to be able to surprise me like this, and again, his enthusiasm was catching. I shook my head and laughed and clapped, and gave myself over to the dance.

Circles moved around us, dancers joining in where they new, serpiente picking up on the simple steps quickly. More surprising was the voices their raised to join our avian singers. The melody was simple, but still. I hadn’t expected--well, any of this. But Zane had been right. This crowd was ready to dance, ready to follow where their monarchs led.

Where we led.

I held tight to Zane’s hand as he spun me, gripping his fist as his speed and strength whipped me around his still center point. That was a serpiente move, a small twist on our traditional step. It thrilled me, dizzied me, took my breath away--

And then he released me, and for a breathless moment I was falling, falling--

And then Rei’s arms were around mine, a new Wind catching my Wings. He carried my momentum around, turning me to face him, holding his hand up, palm out, waiting for me to touch.

With a smile so large I felt I must be glowing, I pressed my hand to his.

And we danced.

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