It'd been a long while since I felt like I was drowning on dry ground.

As I watched Claire, Aaliyah and Naomi grow smaller and smaller before disappearing into the crowd altogether, I realised that I was struggling to breathe.
I realised that I felt so alone. Again.
Inhaling a shuddering breath, I clenched my hands into fists at my side. My body was trembling. My eyes had begun to badly sting. I needed to find a secluded place so I could get myself together.

Stepping back, lips trembling, I felt as if the world had given way to a pit beneath my feet. I couldn't understand why I felt that way or how their actions affected me so vividly, but I knew that the sea of people swarming around would give me no mercy when I inevitably began to crumble. Tears had already began to well and my red face held no secrets.
This was mortifying.
Swallowing sharply, I spun on my feet and trampled head-first into a man. Stumbling back, I had to regain what little sense I could handle before quickly murmuring an apology and going to flee.

"Miss? You dropped something," called the old man before I could make my escape. Glancing back over my shoulder, I saw him bend down to retrieve the green ninja charm. He straightened with a pleasant smile, holding it out to me before his green eyes found mine. His smile dropped into a look of surprise.
"Y/n?" he asked, taken aback.
Oh god. Oh god. It's Greenie's- it's Lloyd's dad.
Overtly aware of looking like I was on the verge of cracking into a million pieces, I felt myself wilt in shame and embarrassment.

The first time I met Lloyd was hitting him.
The first time I met Misako was after being attacked.
The first time I met his dad (and the rest of his team, sans Kai, which was when I hit Lloyd with my car) was with a sprained ankle.

And now, here he is while I'm seconds away from a whole ass mental breakdown.

Why couldn't I make a good first impression on my crush's family just least once.

"U- uh-" shit, I cursed to myself as I crudely rubbed my face harshly and anxiously, only making it all the more red. How do I address him? Obviously not as Lord Garmadon. Mr. Garmadon? Sensei? "H- hi, mr... Lloyd's dad."
"Please, just call me Garmadon," Lloyd's dad smiled briefly. Worry clung to his face. "Are you alright?"
I was trembling. I very obviously wasn't alright, but I decided that being sassy to Lloyd's dad probably wasn't the best idea.
"F- fine," I still chirped, taking the charm from his outstretched hand with shaking fingers. I was too busy having a crisis to be embarrassed about the charm, or the fact that Garmadon would most likely tell Lloyd about it.

The look he sent would've made me laugh if it wasn't directed at me.

"Let's have some tea, shall we?" Garmadon suggested, gesturing to the little tea house to the left. "It might be able to calm you down."
I shakily inhaled before nodding, putting the charm in my pocket.
"Okay."
Following Garmadon, we brushed past the thick rugs hung up like doors to keep the tea shop patrons secluded from the rest of the mall. They did a good job at keeping out the noise, as an atmosphere of pure calm settled over me. It was a nice change from the rushing bustle of the shopping district.

"Mistaké," Garmadon nodded as we entered the quaint little shop. It was like being taken back in time - parchments and tapestries pinned to the maroon walls, lit only by candles. Rows upon rows of tea leaves sat on shelves behind the old lady at the counter. The few people that sat at the tables stared as we approached the counter.
"Garmadon," Mistaké raised an eyebrow before turning her piercing gaze to me. "The usual, I presume - but I see no Lloyd. You've finally brought me another child of the prophecy. It's nice to meet you, Y/n."

Garmadon steered me towards a table. I glanced back over my shoulder at Mistaké, who was watching me leave.
"H- how did she know..."
"Mistaké is much like my brother," Garmadon elaborated, taking a seat. Barely a second had passed before an elaborate looking tea pot that seemed expensive just to look at was set before us. I was startled, having not even seen who had set it there. Garmadon was indifferent, continuing to speak without so much as a falter. "They are particularly in tune with the cloud kingdom."
"The what- wait, so she knows about the tugging thing?"
"She will not answer if you ask," Garmadon said stiffly, as if he'd been burned before. He stared a little too hard at the tea as he poured it into two tea cups. "Trust me, I've tried."

I raised my brow in confusion, taking the cup when he had offered it. "You've asked her about the prophecies? Why not just ask your brother?"
Garmadon inhaled deeply, taking up his steaming tea cup in his hands.
"I was not on... speaking terms with my brother back then, per say," he said awkwardly, hushedly, eyeing the tea pot's intricate designs of dragons and demons. "I was asking about the prophecy of the green ninja."
My lips parted in shock.
"I wanted to know if there was a way I could avoid fighting my son," Garmadon murmured, taking a deliberate sip to dispel the awkward tension that was his past.
So this was when he was still evil.
How did he turn good, then? I so wanted to ask but it would've been incredibly distasteful on my part.

"Never mind all that," Garmadon waved it off, setting his tea back down onto the table with a smile that seemed just a little too forced. I had almost forgotten about my own predicament, too distracted by the beauty of the small tea house and Garmadon's past.
It was nice, just for that little while.
"It's a pleasure to properly meet you," he chirped, refilling his tea. "Sorry about all this."
Garmadon gestured to the glares sent by other patrons of the tea house. I hadn't even noticed them, either.
"Oh, uh... its..." I blinked. "... fine? I mean, uh... I don't blame you for it, so don't worry."
Ugh, shut up me.
He smiled. I wanted to punch my own gut.

"I didn't get to have a proper chat with you the first time we meet, but now I can see why the prophecy chose you," Garmadon mused, thankfully changing the subject. I straightened in my seat, sending him an apprehensive look.
"Er, yeah, about this prophecy..." I scratched the base of my neck. "Is it... dangerous?"
"That depends on what you think is dangerous or not," Garmadon lifted a single shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. I frowned.
"When would it start to..." my gaze dropped to the side awkwardly before jumping back up to Garmadon. "Start?"
because I am eloquent.

"It already has," Garmadon said simply, lifting his tea cup to his lips.
"And you're sure you can't tell us anything?" I squinted my gaze. "Because it would definitely help me sleep better at night if I knew what was in store for my future."
"I can assure you," he sighed. "It would do the exact opposite if you found out."
I sat back a little, frustrated and confused. This tugging thing that's been going on between Lloyd and I was more trouble than it's worth.

"I just have two questions," I took the tea cup and stared hard at the contents that swayed from the momentum. "Two."
Garmadon nodded, giving me the floor.
"One; why me," I pressed, glancing up from the tea. "Two; why does it keep wanting us to be with each other?"
"I will tell you as much as I can," Garmadon sighed. "As for why the prophecy chose you is because your family possesses a line of power that my father was unaware of. He may have created this world, but this realm's magic existed long before he did."
"I- I'm sorry?" I spluttered loudly, catching the other patrons off-guard before lowering my voice, eyes darting to the side. "You're saying my family has powers? How come I didn't know about them before? Do my parents have powers?"

"They have lain dormant for thousands of years," Garmadon said gently, as if trying to soften the world-ending blow to the chest that had just drop kicked me. "One day, you and Lloyd will be crucial to the survival and development of each other. Until then, you and him have to build that emotional connection before that needed power can be accessed."

I stared at him.
"What."

Hands suddenly slammed on the table. I yelped, half-falling out of my chair. Mistaké glowered at Garmadon.
"You have already said too much!" she snapped in her croaky, wise old voice. Despite her age, she looked like she could still take me down without batting an eyelid. Kind of scary.
"The child was curious," Garmadon defended calmly. "It directly affects her. She deserves at least a crumb of knowledge."
Aware of the building tension between the two adults, I quietly repositioned myself on the chair and took a sip of the tea. Oh. That's some good tea.

"It is not our job to tell them what to do, it is fate's!" Mistaké hissed. "Whatever you say about the prophecy can directly impact their future!"
"I wasn't going to say anymore than I have," Garmadon raised his palms in a passive manner. "It is not enough for her to have any idea. Right, Y/n?"
"This tea is very good," I blurted.
They stared at me.
I took another sip.
"See," Garmadon gestured to me after a few seconds of loaded silence. "She's clueless about the prophecy."
This tea is really nice. It's his usual? I wonder if Lloyd likes this type of tea, too.

Mistaké stormed off in a huff.
"I am in a lot of trouble," Garmadon said with a flustered smile. "She's going to tell Wu right away. Better stay out for as long as I can to avoid that."
I almost spat out my tea.
Wow, I thought as I wiped my chin amusedly. He sounded just like his son then.
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but why aren't you with the others?" I asked, trying to direct the conversation away from fuming old ladies and feeling like everyone knew about the prophecy except for Lloyd and I.

"Not at all," Garmadon kindly shook his head. "When I was evil, I had spent so many years away that I missed time with my wife, Misako. When I had returned to normal, we already had Lloyd and I quickly found out that children take up a lot of time. Especially Lloyd."
I giggled. "Was he that bad?"
"Worse," Garmadon stressed. "When he was younger, he wanted to be just like me."
My smile dropped a little. I struggled to keep my face neutral. "He... did?"
"I know what you're thinking," Garmadon smiled ruefully. "But it was before he even knew the prophecy existed. Before we knew that it was he to be the green ninja."
"What did he do?" I asked, leaning forward a little. The tea cup warmed my hands deliciously.
"He released the serpentine, for one," Garmadon shook his head in amused disappointment. "He learnt from that experience, I can tell you that."
"Wait, that was Lloyd?"

I remembered hearing about their release.
It was a couple of years ago now, but still fairly recent. When did the green ninja pop into the scene again? When did he know about his fate? When did he stop trying to be like his father?
Too many questions, too little answers.
"He was fairly adept at making people's life misery by daily pranks," Garmadon added before raising a brow. "Some of them were fairly ingenious, I hate to say."
I hissed through my teeth, shaking my head.
"Pranks, classic twelvie behaviour."
"Uh, yes," he replied, raising his cup before murmuring more so to himself than me; "whatever that means."

Aheh. Awkward.
Cursing myself for letting my gen z jargon slip from my lips, I busied myself with studying the designs of the cup in my grasp. White with blue decor, vines twisted around the rim, threaded through with stylised dragons that matched the tea pot.
Demons stood beneath them. They were wearing odd masks.
Something cold settled deep in my gut. I tore my eyes from the designs before my paranoia could grow worse - was I freaking out about what little Garmadon had told me of the prophecy? About the supposed dormant power that sat in my family?
Was I just generally losing my mind?
Folks, who knows.

"I stayed back because - as well as staying back to train the new monks - Misako and I often use their training camps to spend the time we missed together without the pressure of training the ninja and dealing with having kids in general," Garmadon answered the roundabout question, studying my expression. Was he looking when I had the mini crisis within my normal sized crisis when I was staring at the tea set designs? I hope not. I hope he doesn't think I'm weird (but truly, I think that's already been well established and cemented in his mind).

"That's really sweet," I smiled up at him. He grinned wistfully and wow, just by his expression I could tell that he really adored his wife. It took everything in me not to go aweee out loud.
But then his smile dropped. His gaze hardened and he turned back to me.
"It's what she deserves," he noted solemnly. "Considering the way the people of this city treated her for loving me."
Haha oh the atmosphere's suddenly very depressing.
"They will treat you the same," Garmadon announced gravely, noticing my pale expression. "This prophecy has ways of being avoided if you wish to lead a normal life. Without contact with Lloyd."

That hit me like a blow to the chest. Cut all ties with Lloyd? Lead a normal life? Part of it seemed tempting to the coward in the back of my head, wanting nothing to do with this prophecy or this supposed power and yearned to live on naively.
But Lloyd. Never speak to him again? Even if it meant I could be a normal girl in a normal high school with normal friends?
After everything we've already been through, could I seriously just throw that all away?

"I see you have a lot to think about," Garmadon said with a tone I couldn't quite place. He began to stand to leave. "I'll get bac-"
"No."
He paused. "No?"
I shook my head. "I couldn't do that to Lloyd. E- even if it meant forgetting about this stupid prophecy and living a comfortable life. Not after what he's already been through."
Garmadon sat back down. "We don't expect you to do this for Lloyd's sake."
"I'm not," I said in a voice that didn't quite sound like my own. I sounded confident. That was new. I stared hard at the dragons. "I'm doing it for me. Mr. Garmadon, I really like your son. N- not in that way-" an obvious lie, one that he could clearly tell. "- but I want to help him when he needs it. He's been here for me and I've been there for him. I get that you're warning me about what other people might say or do to me, but..."

I looked up at his father, previously Lord Garmadon, a person who terrified the city, with an expression that I'd never used before. Right in his eyes.
Confidence. Conviction. Determination.

"I don't care what they think of me."

Garmadon's face pulled into a look of genuine surprise. It settled into an expression of joy.
"Very well," he said, a hint of beaming smile on his lips. He played it off well. "If that's how you feel."
I nodded sternly. "That's how I feel."
"Okay," he breathed a smile.

I swore I saw one of the dragon designs move on the tea pot.

"Hey..." I murmured, breaking the little silent spell that draped over us. "Completely off topic, but it's been bothering me for a while. You guys live in a monastery, right?"
He nodded.
"I thought fighting wasn't allowed in Monasteries?"
Garmadon smiled as he raised his tea.
"Observant," he noted. "Fighting is indeed, not allowed in monasteries. However, training is. That's our little loophole."
I huffed, smiling in amusement. Another silence fell upon our table. I realised that I had never felt so at peace, despite the fierce determination I had felt before.

"You're very skilled at this," I murmured, staring at the tea. "Calming people down."
"The amount of times I've had to console Lloyd is almost incredible," Garmadon replied with a humourless smile. "I've gotten pretty good at it."
I smiled sadly at the tea.
"It helps to distract from the problem," he explained. "Then it can simmer for a while and you can look back at it with a clear head. Work out what to do then."
I nodded. "It works."

"Thank you," Garmadon spoke up suddenly. I glanced up at him. "For sticking with Lloyd. I know that he really appreciates you."
I flushed happily.

"I really appreciate him, too."

🍃🍂🍁🍂🍃

"Focus, Lloyd!" Wu ordered the blonde boy.

Lloyd grunted, straining as he directed all of his energy at a small mountain from aboard the Destiny's Bounty.
"If your concentration slips, even just a little bit, you will never achieve your goal."
Lloyd exhaled heavily, glaring at the mountain with his hands outstretched towards it. He called for his power, dipping down into his very core to take control of it and will for the mountain to move.
The rest of his team were watching silently, under the strict orders to not move a muscle.
If they so much as coughed, Lloyd would lose focus and have to start all over again.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, running down his face in warm, salty rivulets. Still, Lloyd didn't dare so much as flick away his hair that covered his face, in fear of losing concentration and having to start all over again.

There was a rumble in the distance, making Lloyd's hope soar. He'd spent three hours trying and that was the most he'd achieved in one burst.
With renewed energy, he pushed more of his power onto his task. He could see a crack forming through the top of the mountain, rocks and shrubbery tumbling down the side of the it.

Lloyd's phone suddenly beeped with a text notification and he felt the field of concentration shatter around him. He collapsed against the mast, heaving, while welcoming a helpful splash from Nya with open arms.

Jay grabbed Lloyd's phone before he could protest and immediately began busting a gut laughing, showing the screen to the exhausted boy.
"Lloyd!" he cried in amusement. "Your dad just met Y/n, and get this! He sent you a list of baby names!"

Lloyd's face paled for a second before turning a shade of furious red as his team laughed at his expense.
Even Wu chuckled.
His teammates surrounded the phone, pointing out their preferred names while Lloyd just sighed and held his face in his hands.

"Oh, Dad," he shook his head, leaning against the mast.