Chapter Text
The fire escape gently swayed under his weight, disturbed by his landing.
The accommodating creak of the cold metal enshrouded the tap-tapping of his feet on the railing and he paused there, coiled and crouched and carefully still. The street lamp on the sidewalk cast sharp shadows into the alley, as stark as the line between the sides of the moon, and a tumbling breeze twisted by in playful serenity.
Lloyd shifted uneasily. It was…quiet, tonight; in a way he'd never known Ninjago City to stay for very long.
He clicked his tongue and rose to stand. Deftly, Lloyd leaped across the gap and kicked up off the opposing wall, grasping onto the building's parapet to hoist himself up upon the roof. The view was much clearer there, but still did not betray any trouble in the warm night. No wailing sirens to catch his attention; no Pixal in his ear, alerting him of some tripped alarm somewhere. Not even the typical city nightlife—bar fights and late night shifts and drunken teenagers to walk home safely—boasted many participants tonight. Lloyd supposed the peace should be something to celebrate, but it just made him nervous.
Like the city itself was holding its breath; lying in wait. Like something was on the horizon.
His communicator crackled to life in his ear: Lloyd stilled.
"My sensors indicate a concealed firearm on the corner of Fifth and Main," Pixal reported, wasting no preamble. Lloyd spun on his heel and raced off in that direction while she continued on, "A young woman, probably early twenties. The weapon seems to be a pistol variant, based on size, but the make and model are inconclusive. It's in her backpack. Stop chewing your lip, Lloyd."
"Heading anywhere specific?" Lloyd asked, releasing his lip reluctantly. His voice was no doubt muffled from the wind rushing past, but Pix had always been good at translating that sort of thing. Only a few blocks left.
"Walking down the street, northbound." Pixal replied, pausing briefly to calculate likely paths. "A commerce-heavy area, but most stores are closed at this hour, and she does not seem equipped for a break-in—ah. She turned. The gas station."
"Copy that."
Lloyd landed on the building across the street. He could see the suspect now: a figure swathed yet still shivering in a well-worn, gray puffer jacket that had seen better days. The arm was a different shade of gray and the ribbing didn't quite match—a patch job, maybe? Sewn together well enough. Her jeans were in a similar state of disrepair and grime coated her cuffs as if she'd gone tromping around in the mud like a child on a rainy day. The fur lining her hood snared her messy blonde hair in a playful tease; ringlets curled days ago falling out of place. Her backpack was ratty and stained, and when she pushed open the gas station door, he could almost hear the chiming jingle of the bell above the door.
She wandered to the back of the store, barely in sight of the windows. Lloyd dropped to street-level to keep eyes on her. Guns weren't exactly illegal in the city, but they were highly unusual. Citizens didn't tend to lug them around nonchalantly like that. (Although, with the level of crime here, it perhaps wasn't unwarranted.) This woman could just be protecting herself.
Lloyd understood that. She looked like—like he had, when he was eight years old and wandering around Ninjago. Filthy and hungry and lonely. Lloyd had been too afraid to seek out any shelters when he had needed one, but maybe she…
The woman glanced at the cashier and slipped her backpack to one shoulder. Lloyd tensed.
She casually unzipped it—or at least, she tried for casual. Even from here, Lloyd could tell her hands were shaking something fierce. He stood, creeping towards the gas station in preparation.
She pulled out the pistol.
The cashier didn't see it yet, too busy fucking around on his phone. There weren't any other patrons in the store to be at risk of being caught in the crossfire, which Lloyd counted as a small mercy. If he went too soon, that might just spook her into firing.
Not to mention the bell that would announce his arrival. Didn't allow much room for a sneak attack.
With a decisive breath, the woman approached the counter and raised the firearm.
The cashier looked up absentmindedly, "How can I help—" he froze, finally registering the threat and staring down the barrel of her gun. "…You," he finished whispering, breath caught in his throat and eyes blown wide with terror. His grip on his phone fell slack and it slipped to the floor with a loud clacking, thunderous in the quiet tension.
"Give me the money." The woman swallowed. Her voice was shaky and unsure, apparent even to her own ears, and she tried again with more force. "Give me the fucking money!"
"Okay, okay. Yep," the cashier's voice crackled with fear, hands creeping toward the register. "Sure—sure thing, miss. Just…let me…"
"And no police!" She amended, halting his attempts to knee the panic button under the counter. He nodded rapidly.
Fuck it. The entrance bell rang softly.
The woman swung around violently, her eyes wild. She was practically gasping for breath, and the pistol clattered softly against itself with the force of her shivering hands.
She was young. Probably around Lloyd's age. Her face was mostly clean; only specks of dirt here or there. Her jaw cut a strong figure, and the prickling flush clawing across her face only cast her features in sharper contrast. Dark gashes bruised under her eyes like charcoal, her eyes were electric blue on red-white, and her thick eyebrows furrowed to bracket them, almost claustrophobically so. Her lips were cracked painfully like a mud basin at high noon—Lloyd was familiar with that particular feeling. There were scratches on her face, but they were only visible thanks to the paleness of her face, which was another point of concern. Illness, maybe? Dehydrated, certainly. At one point in his life, Lloyd had looked just like her, he thought. There was a single picture, in his Uncle's room. When he'd first took refuge on The Bounty.
The cashier's eyes watered in gratefulness, either for Lloyd's appearance or the fact the gun was no longer pointed at his head.
"Hey there," Lloyd greeted kindly, ensuring both his hands were empty and visible.
"I—I said no police!" she barked.
"I only work with them when I have to, and I assure you, I didn't call them," he replied simply. "What's your name?"
"My database has identified Natalia Hicks, age twenty-four. No living family." Pixal monotoned in his ear. Lloyd took note, but didn't budge, instead letting…Natalia make the first move.
Natalia swallowed, eyes darting around in panic—but the longer Lloyd stayed still, and the longer police sirens failed to careen down the street, the calmer she became. Let her think she's in control of the situation, Lloyd reminded himself; try to understand her.
"C—Cassie," she forced out. Interesting. Okay.
"Cassie," Lloyd repeated slowly. "Can we talk?"
"What?" she hissed in disbelief, "You—you can't be serious." Her eyes glanced at the cashier and the register, half-open.
"Deadly," Lloyd responded, immediately wincing at his choice of word. C'mon, don't fuck it up now. "Something's wrong, right? How can I help you?"
Cassie scoffed, shifting her grip on the pistol. "You don't get it."
"We'll never know if you don't tell me," Lloyd pressed quietly; gently. "Talk to me, Cassie."
And yeah, maybe he was overly relying on his reputation as the Green Ninja, so what? The ninja were kinder than the cops; best case scenario if you were gonna get caught anyway. Cassie really, really reminded Lloyd of himself; even down to the crime of necessity, and that horrible feeling when you had no other options.
Which is what he assumed was going on here. The nerves could've been from inexperience, but something, call it intuition, told Lloyd that that wasn't quite right.
Her eyes shimmered over with frustrated tears, though she refused to not let them fall. "I know what you're doing, okay? And—and you can just shove it because…because…!" Cassie's arm quivered, and the gun dipped as she started crumbling.
Just a little more. It didn't take a detective to tell she'd been hanging on by a thread for a long while.
"I have to do this!" She snarled, restrengthening her grip on the gun and aiming back at Lloyd's face.
Lloyd approached cautiously. Thankfully he'd calculated correctly, and despite her vitriol, Cassie didn't shoot him on the spot. Or even reel away, really. He placed a hand on her wrists, pushing down ever-so-slightly. Lloyd had just wanted her to lower the firearm at least, to aim at the floor instead, but—
She dropped the weapon in favor of covering her face and weeping: great, heaving sobs that made Lloyd's chest ache in sympathy. He surreptitiously kicked the pistol down one of the aisles and continued towards Cassie, rubbing a (hopefully) comforting hand over her shoulder.
She collapsed into him; Lloyd held her close as she sobbed. It hadn't taken much to push her past her breaking point, he noted sadly. What had happened to her? Was it something he could've prevented?
"It's okay, we're okay," he mumbled into her hair. She buried her face in the collarbone of his gi.
"I don't—I don't—" Cassie hiccuped, distressed, "I don't know what to do and I—I just…"
Lloyd hummed in support. The two of them swayed. He spared a look over to the cashier, who was nearly beside himself in relief, quietly resetting the register and flashing a watery thumbs up at Lloyd. Ha.
"Do you have somewhere to go?" He turned his attention back to Cassie and frowned when she shook her head.
Lloyd bit his lip in thought. Pixal clicked her tongue in automatic reprimand, barely audible—whoops. He stopped.
"What d'you say we head down to the NNC Shelter?" Lloyd asked. Cassie sniffled.
"I don't have the—" A hiccup— "the money."
Lloyd was to quick to offer, "I'll pay,"
Cassie looked at him with shining eyes, and he smiled in reassurance.
"Okay?" He prompted. Lloyd smiled in relief when she nodded, small.
Quickly addressing the cashier, Lloyd instructed, "Call the police to collect the firearm once we leave. They'll probably ask for a witness report—I won't ask you to lie, but I'd appreciate it if you tell them I have this one handled, okay? They have my number."
The cashier saluted shakily, "Of course, Green Ninja. Thanks for…uh. Everything you do."
"Of course. Stay safe." Lloyd nudged Cassie forward, "C'mon. Let's get a roof over your head."
"Thank you again, Miss Sutherlin," Lloyd turned to say, halfway down the front steps. "She doesn't have any family—I had her write me down as an emergency contact instead, so don't hesitate—"
"I'll call," Miss Sutherlin promised, amused. She was a stout old woman, her long curly hair graying and swept into a low ponytail. Lloyd had met her years ago, though she probably didn't remember that. Too fleeting of a encounter, a small glance at a single face in the crowd—not to mention how differently he looked nowadays. It was a good thing public opinion of the Green Ninja was fairly positive: Miss Sutherlin was perfectly willing to work with him, even off-the-books, as it were. Not everyone saw them as worth the trouble. She was just as kind as Lloyd remembered.
"And I'll pay any fees needed," Lloyd continued, to make sure.
"Yes, you've said," Miss Sutherlin reminded with a smile, "But that won't be necessary: I won't be charging this time. Call it a…a Hero Discount, if you must."
Lloyd fumbled, ears reddening beneath his mask, "That's…very kind of you, ma'am. I'm not…I wouldn't…" He ducked his head, not quite sure how to respond. He wasn't, like, a real hero. A hero would've chosen this life. Like the other ninja had—they were heroes. How could Lloyd qualify if he had never been given another option?
No. No, that was unhelpful. Who cared if he picked this life? If he would've done something radically different given the chance? Not him! He never thought about that at all!
Lloyd hadn't given her a real response, he realized with a sharp jab of panic. Desperately, he untied his tongue and forced it to cooperate. "…Thank you." he choked out, "Let me know if you ever need anything?" Lloyd offered shyly.
Miss Sutherlin raised an unimpressed brow, but took mercy on him and moved on. "Just time and energy. Her resume needs some serious work."
Lloyd hovered hesitantly. "Are you sure that's all? I can—"
"I'll let you know," Miss Sutherlin interrupted, her eyes crinkled with laughter. "Have a wonderful night, young man." She paused, scrutinizing him carefully. "And…get some rest, while you're at it."
Lloyd nodded on instinct. His responding "Yeah, you too," was lost against the soft click of the door; the words bouncing off the carved wood and flopping on the pavement. Lloyd sighed. He probably deserved that—it was awfully late.
He bit his lip. Cassie would be fine. They'd call.
"Lloyd," Pixal droned. "Your lips?"
"First Master, Pix," Lloyd huffed, swiping a hand over his lower mask as if to wipe away the evidence, "Can't a guy have his coping mechanisms?"
"Can you not indulge in healthier ones?" Pixal responded. "I wonder how your grandfather would feel about you invoking his name so casually."
Lloyd snorted, "Ah, he'd probably get a kick out of it, to be honest," he muttered, mulling over the word grandfather with a detached sort of discomfort. Would they have gotten along, had they met?
There weren't many people on the street, Lloyd noted absentmindedly; just two pedestrians—lovers, maybe, considering how close they were—standing across the road, whispering to each other and glancing at him ever so often. He was used to it. The Green Ninja tended to attract attention.
"Anywhere else I need to go?" Lloyd asked Pixal, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer. It was late enough that Pixal would redirect him home, even if something else had triggered her sensors—let the police handle the rest, she'd often tell him.
Instead, she surprised him. "Yes," she replied. Lloyd straightened attentively. His eyes tracked to the buildings closest, mentally choreographing the quickest way to the roof. Pixal continued, "Your apartment."
Oh. Never mind.
"And then, to bed, seeing as it is long past due," she commanded.
Lloyd sighed. He had half a mind to protest—as he was wont to do when faced with imposed curfews—but he really was tired. Sleep was actually sounding pretty good for once. "Yeah, okay," he acquiesced reluctantly.
Pixal didn't reply, but he could picture the pleased expression she would have made if she still had a body.
…Hm. They should work on fixing that, actually. Sooner rather than later.
"Ah—excuse me?"
Lloyd turned to the voice, hiding his small startle with a pleasantly curious, albeit mostly hidden, expression. The couple had crossed the road towards him at some point. Not out of the ordinary, Lloyd supposed. He probably should've expected it.
They walked closer. The streetlight finally illuminated their features and Lloyd—
He blinked rapidly, shaking his head to clear out the cobwebs. Well, now he felt a little silly. "Maya! Ray!" he greeted, "I…didn't know you two were visiting! Is everything alright in Ignacia?" Did Kai or Nya send them over? Why didn't they let him know? If they been looking for him, they could've just called instead of—what—wandering the city blindly?
It was their turn to look surprised.
"Oh! You…" Maya scanned the thin stretch of his face visible behind his mask. Slowly, her eyes widened, as if she was realizing something.
Lloyd glanced between them, worried, "What's wrong? Are Kai and Nya okay?"
Disturbingly, they looked to each other with increasing alarm.
Ray cleared his throat, "Ah…Kai and…and Nya are…fine."
Lloyd's eyebrows shot up to the edges of his mask. The slow way he'd said their names—clumsy and unsure, tripping over the consonants, glancing nervously at his wife—it was almost as though he was sounding them out for the first time.
Something was terribly wrong.
Maya shifted. She was staring at him, her face twisted with denial and stubbornness and worry? "Sorry," she laughed tightly, "Your voice is just so different! It caught us a bit off-guard, is all."
Lloyd tilted his head. That…could be true? Partially, at least. Pixal had commented on the recent change, too, but her response seemed…more than that. Bigger. His voice surely wasn't shocking enough to garner that reaction, right?
"…Okay," he replied, warily. "So, did you…uh, need something, then?"
"Oh, yes!" Maya clapped her hands together, "See, we seem to have found ourselves…hm. Not where we last remember being?"
Oh. No wonder they didn't call ahead.
Wait, what?
"Like teleportation?" Lloyd hazarded, bewildered and reeling from the entirety of this conversation.
"Well—" Maya winced— "We're fairly certain it's more than that."
"More how?"
"What we mean to say is," Ray jumped in, "We could really use your help getting home, Morro."
Lloyd—
Lloyd stilled.
He stared. His stomach plummeted to his feet, hands clenching and lungs empty of anything at all. His tongue was dry in his throat. He felt lightheaded. His mouth opened without his consent, breathing out a disbelieving, horrified—
"What did you just call me?" he whispered, barely audible.
Maya's smile grew pained, before sliding off her face entirely. A terrible realization painted her features; an epiphany that she could no longer stave off. Ray opened and closed his mouth, evidently at a loss for words.
"…Morro," Ray finally repeated, a furrow to his brow. A sharp icicle of panic impaled Lloyd's chest at the sound of that…that name. Ray wouldn't…he knew how Lloyd felt about…Wu's previous student. It's not like he could hide it. Ray wouldn't bring him up like…Lloyd knew he wouldn't dare.
Ray searched his eyes, desperately now. "You're the Green Ninja, so you must be Morro."
"Ray," Maya touched her knuckles to her husband's shoulder. "Look at him. Listen to him. That's not…"
Lloyd swallowed heavily. Tried to—failed. Tried again.
"…What did you mean, earlier?" he croaked out, repeating his question. He didn't…he couldn't… "More…how?"
"I think," Maya started, breaths coming quicker, "I think we traveled in time."
Okay. Okay, okay, okay. This was fine.
Now that he had gotten over the shock of seeing them, period, Lloyd could admit Ray and Maya looked younger than he remembered them. Decades younger. The smile lines creasing their eyes and mouths had only just began to imprint themselves, a significant amount of scarring was absent from their skin, and their clothing was dated—by forty years, at least! Lloyd felt like an honest-to-god dumbass for not noticing sooner. It wasn't like time travel was anything new.
So yeah, the award for the most oblivious man alive went to Lloyd Montgomery-Garmadon. The crowd groans with disappointment because everyone and their mothers saw this coming—barring, of course, the man of the hour.
"It's not only us," Ray explained, as he and Maya led Lloyd down the street to the place they'd taken refuge. "It's most of the Elemental Alliance. We all just…woke up here."
"In the middle of the road," Maya added, "Which was as terrifying as you can imagine. Most of these vehicles don't even exist yet! Part of how we knew."
Lloyd hummed. At least it hadn't been rush hour.
Over the comm, Pixal clicked her tongue, "There's footage. My sensors clearly need an upgrade. I can't imagine how I missed this!"
"Who's with you, exactly?" he questioned, thinking back on everything he knew about the Alliance. To his dismay, all he could conjure was Krux and Acronix and the Serpentine War, and only in the vague way one does when they don't pay attention to their sensei's history lessons.
And…and if those two came back again…
"Hibernus," Maya listed, "Lilly, Libber. Garmadon and Wu."
Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut as he fought to reign in his reaction. Okay. Okay. Yep—still fine. All good here.
"We think it was a proximity thing," Ray pitched in, "Lilly's still training under her father—she's not official yet. And Benton, Dusk and Sonare were all elsewhere."
"Form was gone, too. And Levi." Maya mused. "It was just the small group of us together, talking like normal…"
"Do you remember what happened?" Lloyd asked. The two of them shook their heads sadly.
"Wu and Garm got us some hostel beds just up ahead," Maya mentioned, staring at the night sky and wincing, "We ran a little past the agreed meet-up time, but we found you, so…"
Ray smiled. "It balances out."
"Lloyd," Pixal spoke softly: to not be overheard, Lloyd assumed. "Should I contact the others?"
Trying to be subtle, Lloyd shook his head. Not yet. He didn't need to go crying back to his team at the slightest hint of trouble—he could do this. And there wasn't even an obvious villain here. Just some wayward people trying to get home. Pixal's frown was audible.
"Alright," she said unhappily. "If you're sure."
"There we go," Ray muttered, spotting the hostel up ahead. Lloyd had vague recollections of driving past it once or twice. "Do you think we should warn them about…?" the man asked his wife.
About what? That he wasn't…who they wanted him to be? Lloyd thought dryly. Honestly? Tough.
"We're late," Maya pointed out, "You think they'll let us get a word in edgewise? Better to let them see the evidence and make their own conclusions."
Oh god, this was going to be a disaster.
Lloyd tried to prepare himself, though there wasn't much he'd could do. The previous elemental masters… Wu, the man they'd been scouring all of Ninjago for. His father…
Alive.
"Are you sure?" Pixal asked again. "Nya can be here in two days, seven hours, and—"
"Yes, Pix," Lloyd hissed softly. "I'm sure." A quick glance at his current company before he added a soft, apologetic: "Thank you."
"Alright then," Maya spun on her heel, gesturing to the hostel door. "They should be just inside."
Lloyd could be walking into a trap.
"We should enter first," Ray offered, already heading up the steps, "They're probably worried." Maya hurried to match his pace.
Numbly, Lloyd followed without a word.
The hostel was warm. Lloyd hadn't even registered the chill of the night air, but now, in its absence, his fingers ached uncomfortably; unused to the heat. The lobby was fairly small, with a smattering of tables and chairs for its patrons and a breakfast bar to the side with a drained container of coffee that still coated the room with its faded aroma. The receptionist didn't look up at the commotion—crazier things had happened in the great Ninjago City—and only a few other guests were awake at this hour. Of course, even if more people had been, most of the seating had been pirated by the small group of strangers who immediately rose to their feet upon their entrance. The Elemental Alliance, Lloyd assumed.
The crescent of various chairs facing the door was probably more intimidating than they'd intended.
"Ray, Maya!" A woman stepped forward, hand outstretched. Her hair was long and ink-dark, pulled back in a high ponytail. Creases of worry lined her face—joined by a frown and strong, square jaw almost shaking with tension—but her eyes were steady. It was a grinding sort of resolve, like a train screeching to a halt, or tectonic plates dragging against each other. The kind of expression worn only by those prepared to move mountains so a mouse could skitter through. Lloyd hadn't seen Cole in many months, but he had no trouble recognizing his features in this woman. His…mother, maybe? Suddenly, Lloyd wished he'd asked Cole about her. Anything.
"Are you alright?" She pressed. A blonde woman—whose features would fit right in among the most charming muses of famous oil paintings—fidgeted next to her, eyes darting between Maya and Ray with a manic energy.
"We've been waiting for hours," gruffed out a much older, bearded man, hair of silver and cold wire. Bones nearly creaking, he sat back down on the comfortable looking recliner he'd claimed.
"I know, I know. I'm so sorr—" Maya began,
"Did something happen?" And that—that was Wu. Alive and breathing and not yet vanished into the mist with nothing but two horrified witnesses to be left behind. Lloyd twitched as if to run to him, or say something—but no. It wasn't their Wu. He just…had to keep reminding himself of that. It wasn't his uncle. "We were about to go searching."
Garmadon had been the only one to remain seated during their arrival. Lloyd very carefully didn't look at him.
His attention was, instead, abruptly stolen by small hands clutching the pants of his gi. He looked down to meet the eyes of a small child.
Lloyd's eyes instantly looked behind the kid for—ah. There. An exasperated parent smiled at him from a far table, embarrassed. Another patron of the hostel, evidently. Lloyd glanced back at the…the Elemental Alliance. Despite their expertise, none of them had even noticed him yet, walking in alongside Ray and Maya. Too worried, too busy. Lloyd could understand that.
Lloyd crouched. "Hello there."
"Are you the Green Ninja?" The kid whispered reverently.
Ha. "Mhm," Lloyd answered. His smile probably just came off as exhausted more than anything else, but it felt like the appropriate move. "What's your name?"
The child mumbled something incomprehensible to the floor, but before Lloyd could ask him to speak up, his head shot back up with determination. "I—I saw you on TV! You had horns."
Oh boy.
Lloyd had, admittedly, entertained his silly impulses a few times on the clock (his skull would start aching, like he was missing something; he was lighter than he should be) but only ever on the field; on a rooftop or in some alley. That sort of place. It was almost a downtime filler these days, something to do while crouching in wait for his cue. He never summoned during any official appearance. It was too…inhuman, to be casual. Too monstrous. Lloyd was actively trying to separate himself from his father's reputation—had been for years, and the horns helped that goal exactly zero amount. So if he knew he was going to be filmed? He didn't know what they were talking about and if he did, those hypothetical horns didn't exist. Are you sure that wasn't edited?
All of this was to say, of course, that this kid must have been watching action footage, which was significantly more concerning for someone his age.
"Uh, yeah." Lloyd answered the unspoken question. No harm in a kid knowing, he supposed. "Sometimes I do. When I want to."
"Can I see?"
Lloyd glanced back to the Alliance. Maya and Ray were still unsuccessfully trying to explain themselves. No one was looking at him.
Okay. Okay. Just for a moment. For a…for a fan.
Quickly, Lloyd pushed back his hood, exposing the blond hair tied pragmatically behind his head. He suppressed a grimace at what he must look like, roots clumsily dyed brown and nape damp with sweat, but whatever: the citizens of Ninjago both had and will see him much worse for wear, so this shouldn't be too bad. At least his mask still covered his chapped lips.
Lloyd inhaled deeply…
"Woah," the child gaped as the appendages materialized; a grounding pressure, an extension of himself that felt like something real. Relief: like taking out a ponytail after a full day of wearing it, or stepping into a shower and tilting your face into the spray. Like rubbing your face after your makeup was all gone. "That's so cool."
Lloyd smiled despite himself. He didn't often summon his horns to…show them off, he guessed; they tended to make people uncomfortable. This was a nice change of pace.
When Lloyd was younger, he'd fashioned his horns after his father as soon as he was able: Oni in style, dark and twisted, swept back like the wind had bent them as surely as reeds… But once he'd gotten older, greener; more visible in the public eye, he'd changed. More…Dragon-like. More like his uncle. Smooth white antlers crested with gold leaf, streamlined backwards to optimize flight.
Not…evil.
He didn't bring out either set much anymore; at least not in public. But when he did…
One of each. He was both, wasn't he? As much Dragon as he was Oni. As much shaped by his father as he was molded by his uncle.
"Can I grow my own some day?" The kid asked, eyes wide with wonder.
Lloyd screwed up his face in his attempt to hold back laughter. Tilting his head, he reached out to ruffle the kid's hair.
"Maybe," Lloyd answered good-naturedly. What? You never know.
"Well, we didn't come back empty-handed!" Ray stressed, fighting against an argument Lloyd had completely missed. "If you'd let us speak, you'd realize we brought help!"
Lloyd could feel the room's attention shift, ants crawling up his back. Ah. That was his cue. He grimaced. The horns…probably didn't help his grimy appearance, but it'd be weird to vanish them now, right? The Alliance had definitely seen them. Not his most subtle feature.
Lloyd rose to his feet. The kid no doubt sensed the tension in the room and scampered back to his guardian with a shy parting wave. Lloyd turned to face the elemental masters—who had very complicated expressions on their faces, might he add. Unsurprising, but yeesh.
Lloyd swallowed, "Hello," he tried, aiming for mature and capable but probably missing the target by miles. It had been literal years since the last time Lloyd had felt like a dumb kid in a costume, but he'd never felt it more intensely than he did right now. They were going to laugh him right out the door. "Ray and Maya said you didn't remember much?" he prompted.
Out of everyone, the disbelieving stares of his family members burned his skin the most.
"…That gi," Young Wu finally choked out.
Lloyd's mouth twisted under his mask.
"The Green Ninja," Maya supplied solemnly.
"Prove it," barked his—barked Garmadon.
Cautiously, Lloyd summoned a small ball of his element into his hand. Enough for evidence, but not enough to scrape the bottom of his already-depleted reserves. God, he needed sleep.
A hush fell over the room at the display, quelling any doubt, though it hurt Lloyd's heart a little to do so. To be clear, he did not like Wu's previous student. In fact, Lloyd could pretty confidently say that that guy was one of the few people he actually, genuinely hated. But…
But he cared for Sensei Wu. And Wu was watching a portion of his world shatter apart like a prized vase. Lloyd let the energy dissipate.
"Well," Cole's mother spoke up, "There you have it, then."
Wu collapsed back in his chair, a hand pressed to his forehead and a shadow of doom etching itself onto his features. Garmadon raised his chin in neutral appraisal, resting on the hand he had propped on the table, before his eyes slid to look at his brother, unamused.
The bearded man in the corner grunted almost smugly, before collapsing back into the recliner he'd claimed. "Hmph. Never liked that kid anyway."
"Bern!" hissed the blonde woman in reprimand. Bern… Hibernus? "Let's be sensitive, here!"
"Bah," Hibernus waved her off.
"My name is Lilly," Cole's mom introduced, nodding her head kindly, "Elemental master of Earth. May I ask for your name?"
"Uh—Lloyd," he answered, tearing his eyes away from the miniature stare-down happening between those two.
"Lloyd what?" Garmadon pressed. His eyes flicked up to his horns, suspicion brewing in the lines of his face.
Lloyd tensed. What was it that Maya said earlier? Better to let them see the evidence and make their own conclusions?
"Lloyd…Montgomery-Garmadon," he replied. It felt too much like a confession.
His father straightened, face falling slack just a touch and head lifting off his hand. Lloyd vaguely noticed Ray and Maya exchanging glances and it seemed his uncle was still reeling from earlier…but he had to fight to tear his eyes away from his young father. The blonde woman squealed and grinned at him, bouncing closer.
"Like Misako Montgomery?" She asked gleefully, "And Garm?" She giggled like it was an inside joke. Lloyd nervously looked around. "Nice to meet you, sweetheart! I'm Libber."
Her mannerisms kinda reminded him of…
"Lightning?" Lloyd hazarded a guess, voice lilting in his lack of confidence. To his luck, however, Libber's smile only grew wider.
"Yep! How could you tell? Do I have kids?"
"Um," Lloyd stalled.
"Give him some air, Lib," Lilly chuckled, drawing Libber further from his personal space. "And I'm not sure we should ask about that." Libber wilted.
"Hibernus," announced the bearded man, "Ice." Lloyd waited a moment, but it seemed that was all he was going to say.
"I…" Wu finally spoke up, dazed, "I'd introduce my brother and I, but you…"
Lloyd tilted his head apologetically. "Yeah," he answered softly, "I already know." It didn't look like Wu was angry at him, necessarily, but Lloyd planned to walk on eggshells anyway. His uncle was, at the very least, extremely disappointed—grieving, maybe. Mourning the person who he'd expected to be standing in Lloyd's place. Who he wanted to be there.
Lloyd could understand that. Part of him felt the same way about Wu.
Lilly calmly looked between Lloyd and his uncle before redirecting attention onto herself, clearing her throat. "I'm sure Ray and Maya have already mentioned, but we aren't quite sure how we got here. The last thing any of us can remember is simply…being in each other's company, moments before. Nothing had seemed unusual."
"Totally!" Libber piped up, "It was all like: normal day at the Monastery, and then suddenly city!"
"You were at the Monastery?" Lloyd asked, eyebrows raising only to immediately furrow back down. His hand drifted to his mouth to pick at his lips—only to meet cloth instead. A little flustered, Lloyd crossed his arms. "Then it's weird you ended up in the city, isn't it? You'd think you would've been transported to the ruins. I mean, we're close, but we're not that close."
"Sorry—ruins?" Ray straightened in alarm, "What happened?"
Lloyd tried to think back. It was hard to recall the specific reason: the Monastery just got destroyed so often…
"Uh…burned down, I think?" He answered. Yeah, that sounded right. By Acronix—or, well, by Kai, actually, but they'd been fighting Acronix, so he got a pass this time. Honestly, what ninja hadn't destroyed the Monastery in some way? It was like a rite of passage.
"Is that why your team is scattered?" Maya questioned. At Lloyd's raised eyebrow, she rushed to explain, "We were asking around before we found you. People said you were the only ninja to operate in the city."
"That's true," Lloyd admitted, "But not because of the Monastery. Rebuilding it is practically an annual event at this point. No, we're…" Don't look at Wu. Do not look at Wu. "…looking for someone. And spreading our protection further across Ninjago."
Ray huffed with laughter, "And this place gets its own personal guardian? One city can't be attacked that often."
Lloyd sighed. "If only that were true."
"As enlightening as all this is," Hibernus called out, "Got any ideas about getting us home?"
Lloyd hummed to hide his embarrassment. Right, right. Focus. "I mean, the easiest would be to retrieve the Reversal Time Blade," he suggested. That thing had gotten a lot of mileage recently. "I had Kai and Nya return it to the Boiling Sea not too long ago—should still be there."
Sensei Wu, appearing much more collected now (though still noticeably shaken), knit his brow at the mention of the Blade. "Return it, you say? What cause had you to take it in the first place?"
Lloyd shifted nervously. This felt like an interrogation. "Uh, yeah. We used the Blades to fight off Krux and Acronix like…three months ago?" Lloyd cocked his head. Sensei never did technically approve their usage, but needs must: Lloyd could only hope this Wu would go easy on them. "Y'know. Give or take."
"Woah, what?" Libber gaped, "They came back?"
Lloyd hummed affirmatively. "They, uh, got lost in the temporal vortex afterwards, though, so who knows where they are now? When they are," he corrected.
The same could be said for his uncle, loath as he was to admit it. The ninja could be searching for a man who'd only reappear in a century. A ghost, nonexistent in this time. They could fight the brothers again tomorrow. Lloyd despised not knowing—any of them could pop up anytime, in any way. Far too much had been left to chance: yet another source of anxiety in Lloyd's catalogue.
"Alright, so we send Ray and Maya to the Boiling Sea—" began Lilly.
"Actually," Lloyd interrupted. He froze when Lilly looked at him blankly. Was her expression neutral or was she hiding her annoyance under a careful veneer? Upset or surprised or curious? Fuck. "Uh—sorry, miss. I…I just think it'd be better to send the current Fire and Water? You—you guys are used to the Ninjago from forty years ago, and it's—it's changed a lot since then." Lloyd rushed to justify himself. They were staring at him. "Kai and Nya have done this before, so they know what to expect."
Lilly turned to look at Wu and Garmadon. Slowly, the others followed suite.
Oh god. Oh, First Master. Was this what it felt like to be on trial? Facing the very likely future of a lifetime in Kryptarium? He shouldn't have said that; he should not have said that! These guys were so much more experienced than Lloyd, of all people. What was he thinking?
The brothers looked at each other silently. Finally, Garmadon shrugged and returned his gaze to Lloyd.
"It's a valid point," he said, and Lloyd's breath whooshed out of him in a sigh that left him seeing black spots in his periphery. "You're right: we can't rely on our own knowledge here. At best, we'd end up in trouble in some town that doesn't exist in our time. You have a way of contacting your team members, I presume?"
Lloyd smiled shakily, "Yeah!" Shit, was that too casual? "I mean, yes, I can. It—it might take a few days for them to get there, of course. Kai in particular. But they shouldn't encounter much trouble." The deadline was much more lax this time around; no one else was racing to get it first.
Garmadon nodded approvingly. Lloyd's swallow was thick with some horribly vulnerable feeling.
He glanced around at his…elders. "How long did you book a room here?"
"Just for tonight," Wu answered, "We weren't sure how long we needed."
"Right," Lloyd pressed his lips together. One of his suggestions had been accepted, so he tried his luck with another. "I should have plenty of room in my apartment. How about you guys stay here tonight, since you already paid, and I can come collect you in the morning? To—to ride out the rest of your stay?"
Libber beamed, "Oh, that sounds like fun!"
Uncle Wu smiled shakily, "Yes, that is much appreciated." He took a steadying breath. "…Thank you, Lloyd."
Lloyd nodded sharply.
"And that way," Libber said cheekily, "You can tell us all about the future!" She was pretty insistent about that. Lloyd probably would've been the same.
"Is that wise?" Lilly questioned again, "We already know enough to alter the course of time, yes?"
"…I just kinda assumed you'd drink some Obscuritea when you get home," Lloyd admitted, "This situation only really affects your memories, right?"
"…Yes," Wu answered after a moment, forehead scrunched in thought, "Yes, that…should work."
"So we have a plan?" Hibernus raised a brow, "Great, I'm going to bed."
Libber perked up and spun on her heel, "Oh! I think I'll join you on that, Bern."
Lloyd nodded again, unnecessarily. "…Right." He paused. "See you tomorrow, then?" Was that it? Were they done here?
"Yes," Garmadon answered, tone far kinder than he'd been the whole length of the conversation.
Lloyd jolted when they made full eye-contact; red to green. Father to son. (God, it was so similar: he really hadn't changed over the years. His father. His noble, wise, self-sacrificing father, whom Lloyd hadn't even gotten for a full year before he—no. No, he was not going to cry, stop it. He wasn't. He'd have time for that later.)
The man continued on, unaware of Lloyd's turmoil, "We'll see you then. Thank you, Lloyd."
Lloyd bowed slightly, quickly; pivoting on his feet and exiting the hostel with purpose. Just as the door started closing, he thought he heard a soft: "…Anxious kid, isn't he?" But he couldn't be entirely sure.
The door clicked shut. It was quiet, tonight; but in the way Ninjago City always was. Cars honking distantly, giggling wind washing over his hair, and something highly strange and somewhat troubling happening behind the scenes. Home sweet home.
Lloyd slumped in complete exhaustion. Tonight might've been the longest night ever. He needed sleep. Or—food first, maybe. Then sleep.
Pixal was gracious enough to allow him a moment of respite before asking, rather pointedly: "Now may I inform the rest of our team?"
"God," Lloyd dragged a hand down his face, giggling tiredly despite himself. "Yes, Pix. Now you can tell them."