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After never-ending weeks of fighting an underground cult, his resurrected father, losing his powers, and straight-up dying, Lloyd wanted a break.
A loud sigh escaped the Green Ninja as he flopped back onto his bed in the Monastery of Spinjitzu, staring numbly at the ceiling and absent-mindedly tracing the lines in the ceiling with his eyes. His thoughts jumbled and blurred together, never forming long enough to register as comprehensible before they turned to mush again.
His body still ached from the Oni invasion. The wounds from, dare he say it, the fight at Kryptarium had barely healed. Losing his powers left him tired and sore. The aftermath of the tornado of creation gave him a FSM-awful headache and left his mind spinning with disbelief. He’d died — not like the other times he’d been injured — he’s been dead. And his grandfather brought him back. But why? Not to mention, when he’d dove into the Oni cloud with his father, he’d felt…weird. Like something inside of him reacted to the cloud.
Not exactly reassuring.
But worst of all, his heart felt like it was shattered into tiny fragments.
His first — and he swore his only — love was a fraud and honestly wanted to kill him. But he still kept crawling back to her even after she hurt him time and again.
His father, who had loved him even through the venom of the Great Devourer, disowned him.
And even though it wasn’t actually real, he’d thought he’d lost the Ninja forever when he saw that stone Colossus crush the Bounty before his very eyes.
Needless to say, Lloyd was done with everything.
“Hey hey, green bean!”
Lloyd sighed again and turned wearily to watch as Kai let himself into the room.
He’d been so distracted he forgot to close the door. Not very usual for him.
“Okay, I know that look,” Kai added, sitting on the foot of Lloyd’s bed. His playful tone turned serious as he observed Lloyd’s face. “What’s wrong, bud?”
“It’s nothing,” Lloyd muttered, sitting up to give Kai more space. The Fire Ninja scooted closer as Lloyd swung his legs over the side of the bed, propping himself up with his hands on his knees but hanging his head. Dull golden hair fell around his tired eyes, but he didn’t have the energy to move it.
“Lloyd.”
Uh-oh. Kai called him by his real name but not on a mission?
The younger Ninja glanced sideways at Kai. “What?”
His older brother sighed. “You haven’t been yourself lately. What’s going on?”
Lloyd looked down at his hands. “I’m such an idiot,” he whispered. “All this is my fault.”
Now Kai was definitely worried. His brow furrowed as he took in his bedraggled little brother — his unkempt blond hair, dulled green gaze, slouched posture. Quiet reservedness after the Oni invasion. The way he seemed to need to be near the other Ninja, but never wanted to say a word. Just to be in their presence.
“What do you mean?” Kai questioned after a moment, though he dreaded the answer.
“Her,” Lloyd spat with a sudden burst of anger. “I never should’ve trusted her. She—she—” His fingers curled into fists and he shook with rage. “She used me! Like I was just a plaything. And maybe—maybe that’s all I am. Just something to be used when people feel like it.” He laughed without humor, not caring how insane it sounded. “Seems like that’s all I’m good for. Take my power, my mind, my heart—”
“Lloyd, stop talking.”
Lloyd’s mouth clamped shut, stunned into silence from Kai’s unusually sharp tone. He stared in surprise at the red Ninja, but there was no anger in his amber gaze. He yanked Lloyd into one of his fierce, inescapable bear hugs and didn’t say anything until Lloyd stopped squirming in a feeble escape attempt.
“None of this was your fault,” Kai whispered when he felt Lloyd go limp against him. “No one saw through her mask. But Lloyd — you’re so much more than your powers. In just years, you’ve been through so much more than anyone ever should in a lifetime. Yet you get back up every time. I don’t think anyone else could do that.” He released Lloyd only to rest his forehead on the younger Ninja’s. “You’re my little brother, bud. No one can take that from us.”
Lloyd took a shuddering breath, all his anger replaced with weariness. “I can’t stop thinking she’s waiting for me whenever I’m alone, and I just…” He exhaled shakily and furiously swiped at his eyes as they started watering. “I can’t do this anymore.”
Kai ran his fingers through Lloyd’s tangled golden hair. “I don’t think anyone would question you if you wanted a day out in the city,” he suggested quietly.
A faint shudder passed through Lloyd’s body. Kai would’ve missed it if it wasn’t for his years of training. “I don’t know, Kai,” he whimpered. “The city is where it happened.”
“I think the best step for healing is to realize the city is perfectly safe now,” Kai returned evenly. He gently squeezed one of Lloyd’s hands. “I’ll come with you if you want.”
After a moment of hesitation, Lloyd nodded.
“Alright,” Kai said with finality, sliding off the bed and tugging Lloyd up with him. The Green Ninja’s tired gaze watched him desperately as if searching for an escape. “Get some civilian clothes. We’re going out today, and no Ninja stuff. Just two normal teenagers on a day out in the city. Got it?”
Lloyd looked confused for a brief moment before nodding in confirmation.
“I’ll be right back, ‘kay?” Another nod.
Kai flashed him a grin before entering his own room, where his smile faded.
If Harumi wasn’t dead, he’d kill her himself.
She’d really messed up Lloyd’s mind, almost in a way where Kai thought it might never be repaired. But knowing his little brother, he’d probably just hide his feelings and move on, leading the other Ninja to think everything was okay.
But Kai knew better.
He sighed as he pulled on a red hoodie, squirming uncomfortably. He already missed the comfort of his gi, unused to the feel of baggy civilian apparel. Something “normal” to most people was completely foreign to him.
He hurried back to Lloyd’s room, unwilling to leave him alone for long. He found Lloyd frowning at his reflection as he shook out his arms, hidden within a black hoodie, apparently also feeling awkward in the clothing.
“Ready?”
Lloyd nodded once and trailed closely after Kai as the two went into the Monastery courtyard.
Unsurprisingly, the training course was activated, with Nya running through the paces and trying to beat her times. She noticed Kai and Lloyd immediately, hopping down from the course to run over to them.
“I don’t even remember the last time I saw you in a hoodie,” Nya teased Kai, tugging at one of the strings to sinch his hood. Her expression sobered when she observed how closed-off Lloyd seemed to be; sticking close to Kai and looking around as if expecting an attack. “Where are you going?”
“I’m taking Lloyd on a break,” Kai replied, glancing back at his uncharacteristically quiet brother. “We’re headed out into the city.”
Nya raised a brow and gave him a look. And, as her brother, he knew exactly what she was asking.
“It’ll be fine,” he said dismissively.
“It’s not like I can stop you,” Nya snorted, then grinned. “Mind if I come?”
Kai glanced at Lloyd for his answer.
The Green Ninja smiled faintly and shook his head. “No, you can come.” At that, Nya’s grin widened and she turned off the training course, then hurried inside.
As the obstacles lowered beneath the tiled courtyard, Kai and Lloyd shared a comfortable silence as they waited for Nya to clean up and join them.
She emerged a few minutes later, hair wet from a hasty shower, and pulled back into her normal high ponytail. She wore a simple blue/gray sweater with her yang necklace tucked underneath, and slightly loose sweatpants that just barely revealed the dagger hidden on her belt.
Kai raised one brow at this and she shrugged with a never-know-when-you-might-need-it look.
Lloyd seemed oblivious to this as the trio began the long walk down the mountain.
Why didn’t they put in an elevator?
***
The city bustled with life.
Just like always, the citizens wasted no time rebuilding. The damage from Emperor Garmadon’s destruction had been expensive, but it seemed everyone was helping in some way. Various crews cleaned up rubble, planned new buildings, and even started making repairs. The Ninja heard a few passing mutters about lack of response time and how much could have been avoided if the Ninja had done better, but Kai shot them a glare and they shut up.
They had no idea what the team went through.
Unbidden, memories of Lloyd’s fight in Kryptarium and getting captured in the First Realm entered Kai’s mind. He ruthlessly shoved it back, scowling. This was supposed to be a day off, not a pity party.
“Where are we going?” Lloyd’s voice brought the Fire Ninja back to reality.
He looked around before realizing where they were. Kai grinned and nodded towards a brightly colored store, somehow unscathed, with the words TREAT RETREAT above the red and white awning.
He knew Lloyd couldn’t resist a candy store. Not with his infamous sweet tooth.
As predicted, the moment the trio entered the store, Lloyd perked up and quickly assessed the candy isles, trying to determine which to get.
Kai handed him a large bag. “Fill ‘er up, green machine.”
Lloyd brightened and wasted no time portioning his favorite candies into the bag.
Nya and Kai waited by the counter as Lloyd wandered around, bemused by his enthusiasm. For as much as the Green Ninja wanted to be the responsible, fearless hero everyone expected him to be, he was still a kid.
“What brings the Ninja to this part of town?” The store clerk asked casually, leaning on the counter as he watched his customers.
Kai glanced at him to find no ill intent in the man’s gaze. “Taking a day off from Ninja duties,” he replied vaguely.
The man’s nonchalant gaze hardened. “Just like you did when Emperor Garmadon’s Colossus wrecked the city, huh?”
Kai’s eyes widened and he instinctively looked at Lloyd. He’d frozen on the spot, well within earshot, face pale. Kai’s protectiveness flared at his brother’s distressed state and he whirled back to the clerk, furious.
The Fire Ninja was about to snap at the man when Nya beat him to it. “Listen here, sir,” she snarled, leaning over the counter. The clerk backed away, startled, and Nya took that as her cue to continue. “You should be grateful your pretty little shop came out okay. We did the best we could. Maybe next time you should try stopping an unbeatable Oni who almost killed one of your own.”
As she glared daggers with her stormy eyes, Kai approached Lloyd. He was still unmoving, save the slight shaking in his hands. Kai caught his faint gasping and the way his wild green gaze flicked from side to side as if expecting his father to lunge out at him.
“It’s okay, Lloyd,” Kai murmured, gently placing an arm around the younger’s shoulder. Lloyd’s unfocused eyes landed on him and he gave a reassuring smile. “It’s over. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Kai added the last part louder and glared at the clerk as he spoke.
The man seemed to shrink in on himself, and Kai couldn’t help but feel a little satisfied. Serves him right.
Luckily, Lloyd had filled his candy bag by then. Kai pulled Nya away from her defensive position and slammed the due money on the counter, then shot the clerk another glare before guiding Lloyd out of the shop to a nearby bench.
“I can’t believe him,” Nya burst out, pacing frantically like she did when she was upset. “He has no right—”
“Nya, stop,” Lloyd pleaded weakly. She paused and stared at him incredulously, and Kai couldn’t help but feel surprised as well. “There’s nothing we can do about it.” He turned away, muttering, but Kai caught “not wrong.”
He wanted to scold Lloyd for agreeing with the man, but something told him to keep quiet. He didn’t want to make him feel worse.
“Well, that didn’t work out,” Nya sighed finally. “Where to now?”
Lloyd pointed down the street to a little park. “That looks good.”
Kai sent one last look at the candy shop before following Lloyd down the street. The Green Ninja stuffed his hands in his front hoodie pocket and dipped his head slightly, avoiding eye contact with the citizens around them. If it wasn’t for Kai and Nya right next to him, he might have looked less like a Ninja and more like a normal teenager.
They found a solitary bench in the park to sit and enjoy the scenery as Lloyd picked at his candy, appetite all but disappeared.
A few families wandered through the park. Some playful kids waved happily at the Ninja, to which all three smiled and waved back, making the kids shriek with happiness. A loose dog chased a squirrel. A small group played frisbee.
It was nice and peaceful.
Except for when a scream pierced through the air.
Lloyd had been enjoying the last few minutes of calm and quiet, nibbling on his candy. Despite the conflict earlier stealing his appetite, he couldn’t resist the candy. But then when he heard a blood-curdling scream, all his instincts kicked in at once.
His vision honed in tenfold. His muscles tensed with adrenaline. His hearing sharpened. He shot to his feet and turned towards the source of the noise.
He was acutely aware of Kai and Nya doing the same next to him and the way the citizens in the park all froze from whatever they were doing, mouths agape as they watched.
Then before he knew it, Lloyd was sprinting back into the city, Kai and Nya hot on his heels.
Another scream guided them further, leading the trio to a large shopping center. People poured out of the store, some crying, some looking newly injured.
Lloyd stopped next to the door, scanning for the next person with an injury. He waved to them from the side and they limped over, dark red staining their blue jeans.
“What’s going on?” Lloyd demanded, keeping a steadying grip on the person’s arm. Their short brown hair was plastered to their pale face with sweat and they shook in Lloyd’s grasp.
“There’s—knife—crazy—” they gasped, then their gaze finally focused on Lloyd’s face. “Green Ninja?”
Lloyd cracked a reassuring grin and loosened his grip. “That’s me. Where’s the knife?”
The citizen calmed slightly upon seeing the Ninja. “Inside, back a ways. Thank you,” they added in a whisper, backing away to let the Ninja through.
Lloyd nodded once and pushed his way against the crowd. Thankfully the store was pretty empty by the time he got inside, making his target very clear.
A solitary young woman stood with her back against the Ninja, completely still, the silhouette of a long knife evident in her hand. She looked to the side as the Ninja entered.
“Stand down!” Lloyd yelled, his fist lighting with green energy. The buzz of power settled his nerves and reassured him he still had his elemental abilities. “Drop the knife!”
The woman whirled around and stalked closer. Lloyd felt a burst of heat from his right as Kai’s hands burst into flame and heard the swish of water on his left as Nya summoned her powers.
The woman paused at this display. “I was hoping you’d come,” the purred, twirling the blade. “I need a word.”
“Yeah?” Kai scoffed. “Well, we can talk from opposite sides of a jail cell. Who are you and what do you want?”
The woman tilted her head, and Lloyd caught the slightly crazed look in her eyes. “You can call me…Ghost. ‘Cause I’m going to haunt you!” She giggled at her bad joke, but then her tone turned venomous. “You Ninja failed the city! You let Garmadon in…let him destroy my home — kill my family!”
Lloyd took a deep breath. There was no time for sentimentality. He could deal with that later, but now, he needed to eliminate a threat.
“If the Colossus took your home, you have my condolences,” Lloyd replied evenly. “But we don’t have to fight about it.”
“You should’ve stopped him!” Ghost shrieked, stalking closer with the blade raised, still hidden in shadows. “You could’ve saved my family!”
“We couldn’t do anything!” Lloyd snapped, increasing the power in his fist. “I tried to reason with Garmadon. I tried to stop him. I tried to stop Harumi! But he was unlike anything…” he took a shaky breath. “Unlike anything we’ve seen before.”
Ghost didn’t seem to pick up on his sincerity or his distress. “Really?” She snorted. “Didn’t seem like you tried very hard at Kryptarium.”
The one word sent Lloyd reeling. He saw flashes of the fight in his mind’s eye; the way Garmadon stared coldly at him and told him “I have no son.”
“Okay, that’s it!” Nya suddenly lunged forward, shooting a blast of water at Ghost. The woman brought up the knife and seemed to slice through the water before dodging Nya and sprinting straight at Lloyd.
Caught by surprise after the memories, Lloyd didn’t have time to react before he was engaged in hand-to-hand combat. It became a dangerous dance of Lloyd avoiding the knife, which — why were his powers not working?
He caught a better glimpse at the knife and scowled.
Of course she has vengestone.
Kai came up behind Ghost and sent a punch in her direction. Somehow she seemed to sense it, and ducked at the last moment, leaving Lloyd’s face directly in the path of Kai’s fist. Luckily he caught himself in time, shocked, and didn’t hit Lloyd.
But in the moment of distraction, Lloyd lost track of the knife.
Big mistake.
He went rigid as his stomach suddenly exploded with pain.
Lloyd’s eyes widened and he gaped at Ghost, his gaze falling to his abdomen. Horribly shaking hands curled around the hilt of the knife. The vengestone seemed to leech his powers as well as his strength, and he stumbled back.
Sounds became muffled. Lloyd picked out Nya’s cry as she caught Lloyd before he fell, helping him to the ground in the least painful way possible. He heard Ghost’s maniacal laughter. Kai’s scream of fury.
Had he ever heard his brother so angry before?
Lloyd’s hand gripped the knife. The touch of vengestone made his skin tingle but he barely felt it, stunned gaze never leaving the blade embedded in his body.
“Lloyd, don’t pull it out,” Nya demanded, propping him against the wall. She pried Lloyd’s hand off the hilt and set it by his side, fumbling in her pockets for gauze when she froze.
Her dagger.
Nya glanced from Ghost and Kai to Lloyd. Her heart clenched to see his pale, damp face and his fading consciousness. But she couldn’t help if Ghost was still after them.
Nya brushed a stray lock of hair from Lloyd’s eye. “I’ll be right back,” she whispered, a stray tear leaking from her eye. She stood, trembling with rage. She pulled the dagger from its hilt and spun around to charge at Ghost, who seemed to be holding her own against Kai.
“Kai, duck!” Nya cried, barely giving any warning before slashing at Ghost. Kai twisted out of the way just in time, leaving Ghost exposed. She screamed as the blade sliced a thin scar across her face, just missing her eye.
Ghost staggered back, clutching her face. “What is wrong with you?” She screeched, glancing up at Nya.
“Me?” Nya spat, storming over to Ghost. With the distance from the blade, her powers surged back with a vengeance and swirled around her. “You hurt Lloyd!”
“Not even close to what he did to me!” Ghost snarled.
“She’s crazy,” Kai panted, holding his ribs and face pinched with pain. “What do we do with her?”
“I’ll deal with her,” Nya said coldly. “Kryptarium is looking a little empty. You go help Lloyd.”
Kai nodded once and ran over to Lloyd, battle instincts vanished only to be replaced with horror.
Lloyd was slumped against the wall, face white, one hand by his side and the other resting limply next to the knife in his stomach. His breathing was uneven and shallow.
“No, no, no,” Kai muttered, shaking Lloyd’s shoulder. “Come on, Lloyd. Wake up.”
When he didn’t get a response from his brother, Kai felt his hands start shaking. He curled his fingers into fists and tried to steady his breathing, distantly remembering what to do. He pressed a finger to the little earpiece that would radio him to the other Ninja and spoke.
“Someone send the Bounty, now!” Kai demanded, cringing when his voice cracked. “Lloyd’s down!”
His hand fell from his ear to cup Lloyd’s face and he bent over the younger Ninja, trying to calm his nerves.
Not that he would admit it, but this reminded him of pulling Lloyd off the sand at the prison.
The sallow skin. The uneven breathing. The horrible wounds covering his body. The way he looked so broken, helpless, young—
Kai snapped himself out of his spiraling thoughts and gently lifted Lloyd into his arms, taking care not to jostle the knife. Even so, the Green Ninja unconsciously let out a pained whimper.
“I’m sorry,” Kai whispered, starting to run to the back entrance. Hopefully, no one would be out there.
He was in luck. The parking lot had a huge crater from the stone Colossus, rendering it useless and preventing citizens from using it. It would give Kai and Lloyd some privacy and let the Bounty pick them up with ease.
“Kai, we’re on our way. Where are you exactly?” Zane’s urgent tone broke the silence.
Kai placed Lloyd on a stretch of grass. “Shopping supercenter, in the back. I’ll look for you.”
“Affirmative. ETA, two minutes.”
Kai kept his eyes pinned on Lloyd’s face, desperately searching for any sign of life. The Green Ninja occasionally let out a groan, but remained firmly out of it.
Two minutes passed very quickly. Kai looked up when he heard a deep rumbling, then sent a burst of fire into the air like a flare. The Bounty steered towards him before halting over the parking lot and letting the anchor loose, rooting it in the already-broken pavement.
Kai caught sight of Pixal and Zane guiding the ship, the former hooking up the gurney to help Lloyd up. Jay and Cole slid down the anchor and ran over to Kai, dead serious.
“Where’s Nya?” Jay demanded.
“Inside,” Kai replied faintly. “Finishing the fight.” Jay nodded once and ran inside.
Cole crouched next to Lloyd, his fingers ghosting over the unconscious Ninja’s face. “What happened?” He breathed.
Kai exhaled shakily and winced as his ribs throbbed, earning a concerned glance from his brother. Ghost knew fighting moves and she was strong. “Some crazy woman wanted revenge for her family or something. I don’t really know. The knife is vengestone.”
Cole’s eyes widened and he looked at the blade with disgust.
“Nya told him not to pull it out but I can’t see how that would help—”
“It helps control the bleeding,” Cole cut in, glancing up as the gurney began lowering. “We’ll take it out in the med bay.”
Kai began to pick up his injured brother, but Cole held out a hand. “I’ve got this,” he said quietly, carefully transferring Lloyd from the ground to the softer gurney. He beckoned to Pixal, who told Zane. As the gurney rose back to the ship, Kai and Cole stood on the anchor as it too lifted.
The four Ninja and nindroids carried the bed into the med bay. Zane and Pixal wasted no time hooking Lloyd up to life support and removing the weapon, then stitching the wound and covering it with gauze. Cole and Kai stood off to the side, the Fire Ninja’s eyes never leaving his little brother.
The Green Ninja he was sworn to protect.
Kai scoffed internally. Some guardian he was. He couldn’t save Lloyd from anything, and because of his failures, Lloyd was half-dead from a random attack on their day off.
“Kai,” Cole warned, grabbing his wrist.
Kai flinched and glanced over, only realizing then that he was visibly shaking. He let out a breath and finally turned away from his charge, instead facing the wall and resting his head against the wood.
“Hey, man,” Cole said quietly. “You know this isn’t your fault, right?”
Kai’s fists clenched. “How is it not?” He rasped, pushing his fist against the wall. “I was right there, Cole. I should’ve stopped the knife.”
“And I should’ve gone with you just in case,” Cole returned. Kai glanced over and blinked in surprise, not expecting to see the irritation and helplessness in Cole’s gaze. “It’s not just your fault or your responsibility.” He let go of Kai’s wrist and sighed heavily, rubbing a hand on his forehead, suddenly looking very tired.
A regularly paced beeping sound cut through the silence.
The Ninja all looked over at Zane, who had just hooked up a heart rate monitor to Lloyd’s wrist. It sounded out evenly, though perhaps not as strong as it should have been.
“The vengestone prevented his powers from healing him,” Zane explained quietly, a cold metal hand resting on Lloyd’s shoulder. “He should be okay now.” He gently ushered the Ninja out of the room, leaving Pixal to watch over the Green Ninja.
The Bounty waited for Nya and Jay to return, having rendered Ghost useless and turned her in to the police, before heading to the Monastery. As soon as the threat passed, Nya’s hard shell dropped and she buried her head in her hands, distraught.
Kai ran to her side and Jay crouched on the other, both trying to comfort the upset Water Ninja. Zane went to pilot the ship, and below decks, Pixal kept a close eye on the injured Lloyd. The only one without anything to do was Cole.
He paced near the bow, thoughts whirling. He knew Lloyd needed this day off — they all did, but Lloyd the most, with everything that happened to him over the last few weeks. But of course, something had to go wrong, leaving Lloyd dead to the world in the hull of their flying ship. Why couldn’t the kid get one day to himself, without pain?
And what he’d told Kai was true. In a way, Cole blamed himself for Lloyd’s situation. He honored Lloyd’s desire to be alone, or with the Smith siblings and no one else. But he should’ve tagged along anyway, even secretly, as backup. Because destiny hated the Green Ninja and wanted him to be a plaything. If all their past adventures taught them anything, it was how Lloyd always seemed to get the short end of the stick.
Cole wished he could take all of Lloyd’s pain instead of giving it to the youngest member of their team, even for just a day.
But he could worry about that later.
The Bounty reached the Monastery of Spinjitzu in record time. The team quickly brought Lloyd into the Monastery’s infirmary, and Zane went to tell Master Wu what happened.
Now, all they could do was wait.
***
They didn’t have to wait long.
An hour later, when Kai was alone in the infirmary with Lloyd, a soft gasp drew his attention to the injured Ninja.
Lloyd’s eyes fluttered open and his breathing increased as he frantically looked around, grasping at air as he tried to find something to hold.
Kai was at his side in an instant. “Lloyd,” he breathed, grabbing the Green Ninja’s hand. They locked eyes and Lloyd visibly relaxed, glancing down a moment later to the white bandages on his abdomen.
“Yeah,” Kai muttered, drawing out the word. “She got you pretty good. How do you feel?”
Lloyd gingerly traced the bandages. “Can’t I get one day off?” He grumbled.
Kai let out a breathless laugh and Lloyd managed a grin. The Fire Ninja ruffled the blond’s hair with a smirk, causing Lloyd to yelp and try to swat his hand away. “Good to know you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”
Lloyd rolled his eyes. “Y’know, it may not have been as relaxing as we wanted,” he breathed, “but for some reason, I don’t actually feel that bad.”
“That’s good,” Kai approved, then stood. “Well, I’ll tell you this. You’re getting the next week off. You’re gonna have a personal guard until you’re fully healed. And no training until then, got it?”
Lloyd smiled tiredly. “Yes, sir,” he replied with a salute.
Now it was Kai’s turn to roll his eyes. “Right. I’ll go tell the others you’re awake. Try to get some rest, though, ‘kay?”
With a yawn, Lloyd nodded.
The Fire Ninja smiled to himself as he turned away, his distress lessening. Lloyd seemed to be in good spirits, and he was healing quickly. He definitely needed a long break after this.
Turns out that break would be a lot longer than they expected.