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Lloyd slowly caressed the red flower in his hand, now it was a red peony that the green ninja was giving to him.
…
“This is…?” Lloyd watches as the black haired ninja slowly unravels the thing he has been hiding behind his back, it was of a singular flower, it has many petals with dep red colors that catches his eyes.
A red peony.
Lloyd holds it carefully, looking at Morro with questions clear in the air. He could feel the way his cheeks reddened by the gesture, something that surely noticeable for Morro because the green ninja himself seems to be rocking a much more confident smile due to his reaction.
”A red peony, it matches your eyes as well.” he said, grinning, making the slight fang-like teeth shown. He look better like this than his typical gloomy and serious look.
Lloyd just laughs, it's easier to laugh it off than trying to comprehend what this will become if he keeps going forward.
”Well, thank you! I will be sure to keep this.”
That comes off more genuine than it needs to be. It makes his heart sink and his stomach churn.
…
The green ninja has finally left after that small talk, the flower however stayed by Lloyd’s hand.
He was considering just pluck it slowly and let it disappear by the winds.
Was this just a coincidence, or was Morro actually aware of this flower’s meaning?
Lloyd hates that he even thinks of that.
“That went extremely well.” Someone said, walking slowly toward the bridge Lloyd is currently standing on. Lloyd scoffed at him, and Brad Tudabone just chuckled lightly at his response.
”If it went that well, you wouldn’t be here right now.” Lloyd casually said, rotating the flower he was holding, watches as it frilled and moves its petals. “So what was Gene complaining about now?”
Brad just smiled at that, “Well, he has been complaining for a while now. But I’m sure you would already get what he was pestering you about.” His friend just waved his hand lightly, Brad has always been the laid back and more understanding of the only two friends Lloyd has. But even then, he can tell something was up.
”… So this one is from you personally, then.” Lloyd concluded.
He would admit that despite how smooth their plan has been going, the way these ninjas has not even the smallest clue on what they are fighting, they didn’t even had their master to aid them- or at the very least letting them know what kind of significant these masks that Lloyd were collecting.
It is even more pathetic that their supposed leader completely fallen for Lloyd’s own ploy.
“I guess I’m here to make sure that you are okay, Lloyd.” Brad said, “It will be harder to back out from this now that we had planned everything to seize the second mask.”
“Backing out?” Lloyd almost could not believe what Brad had just said, “There will not be any backing out on this, not from me, that’s for sure.”
”Sure, whatever you say.”
…
”… I’m not falling for him.”
Brad looked at the flower on his hand, Lloyd pressed it harder.
“You can feel it, right?” Brad tried slowly, Lloyd is familiar with those tones. He was treated like a small animal that needed comfort, but there is literally no time for that right now.
For a moment, there was silence.
Brad patted his shoulder. “You will fall.” He said, straight to the point. “The moment you feel like his actions were not his choice at all, you will fall for him.”
Funny, how they both ignore the fact that he had already, in fact, fallen for it.
Lloyd opened his hand to inspect the flower he was crushing, the petals slowly falling to the wooden bridge. He throws the remaining to the river below.
…
…
…
(Whether some of the petals ended up stuck to his clothes by the time he had arrived back to his room was irrelevant, and quite frankly, none of anyone’s business.)