"YOU ARE BOTH grounded. No arguing."

Astra tried to hide her laugh, as did Lloyd. He stepped on her foot, which made her yowl in pain and stopped her parents from being anymore mad.

"I can't believe you did that! Just to get a hold of the speaker? Lloyd, were you some kind of distraction? Astra, how did Harlin not notice you go in?" At this point, her father's interrogation was beginning to sound less like a parent and more like an excited friend. "He was never one for pranks, I'm afraid."

"You went to school with him?"

"For an extra course, yes. He has a weak grasp on the Force but a powerful mind. Together, those two are an admirable force." Astra thought back to how Harlin had squealed like a stuck pig after she'd trapped him underneath his own desk, then how Lloyd's flash spark had exploded in Harlin's face. Totally admirable.

"How much did you hear, Lloyd?" her father's voice switched to a much sterner tone now, more guarded and worried.

Lloyd knew what to do already. "Not much, I was busy trying not to choke on the smell of feet."

"Astra?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, "The plan worked."

In more ways than one, Astra thought gleefully.

"I'm making dinner tonight, so go set the table and it should be out soon." Garmadon warned them, wagging a finger with a grin. "Monty's Marshmallow Madness Supreme."

"That's a heart attack, not a meal," Astra groaned, heading off to the dining room nevertheless. Her Pa's idea of dinner was extremely overloading sugar, and Lloyd liked that (at least, until he threw up in the bathroom).

Post Monty-kitchen-battle, Astra volunteered to run down to the main village and get some takeaway from a shop that had popped up recently. The food sounded good and she needed a chance to be alone with her thoughts for once.

First, she knew that her parents had suddenly unearthed a fondue pot of lies. They seemed to be crumbling away everyday, and the Knights were just another...piece of bread in the fondue. If they hadn't offered so much resistance or lied outright to their faces, Astra might've left it alone. But what Wu had said; what his actions had done meant more than his words, and that was nagging at Astra.

Why stop speaking? Why even mention these Elementals? Just why.

She paid the guy behind the counter and turned around to walk home laden with food. Two months ago, the idea of moving from Vareena had been an inkling of an idea in her head, all banking on podracing. And she'd half-gotten that, leaving the sandy planet but not quite for what she wanted. At least Lloyd was away from Brad and Gene.

Astra liked Ninjago - how the birds had a weird tune that made her feel like she was in a fairytale, how she got to wake up in her own bed in a nice house and not work on the farm, how she was ahead of schoolwork for once, and how it just felt like home. Didn't mean it was, because feeling did not mean reality.

If only her parents would just tell her the truth, then she'd stop poking around. Astra just wanted answers.

"I have edible food!" she announced cheerily, pushing her ruminations aside in favour of eating. Lloyd snatched the bags from her and leapt over the couch with incredible dexterity.

"Astra," Misako started, and she immediately prepared herself for extra-grounding, "I'm going to assume that a lot of this behaviour is because you're bored, no?"

"Uhhhhhh, sure, yeah."

"So I took the opportunity to sign you up as a TA at the Academy!"

"I'm sorry, what?" her father pushed her jaw back up so pasta wouldn't fall out. Teacher assistant? What even was that? Weren't you supposed to be in university to be a TA?

"You'll be helping out Professor Zaven, who teaches Lightsaber Construction 101, I don't think you've heard of him before. Oh, and Lloyd, you'll be assisting Professor Adeinne, who teaches Unarmed Combat 101."

Okay, Zaven, lightsabers, seems pretty cool. But also what the hell.

Astra didn't want to be a teacher assistant - it was the last thing on her mind even though lightsabers sounded cool. That just meant less time getting answers on what Knights had to do with the twins...but also more time and an excuse to be snooping around.

"Unfortunately, the hours are the same time you have school, so I'm afraid you'll be missing out on an eight-year old education. We've signed you up for some online courses in the meantime until this all straightens out." her father informed them, excited at the prospect of all of them at the school.

Astra, for one, was ready to ditch Newman and hang out at a cool Academy and get some answers. Maybe things were looking up. Now she had something to do that wasn't inherently boring which would basically benefit her in all ways. Apart from the actual TA-ing.

"You two start tomorrow, and can walk with us to school! Zaven and Adeinne will introduce you to everything in first block, so don't worry, Lloyd." Ma passed the salad over to the blond boy.

"I'm not worried," he said, looking very worried. "Also, do we really have to walk to school with you? We're fifteen!"

"Buddy, are you embarrassed to be seen with your parents?" Pa gasped dramatically. "They're all grown up."

"Noooo, it's just...yeah, it's that."

"It's our first day, Pa, c'mon. We can figure it out." Astra insisted. He raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"I don't even know how you got up there in the first place, but we actually need to give you your TA IDs so you have legal, yes, legal, permission to enter the Academy."

Astra laughed along with Lloyd, but sensing something was off when he didn't reach for more bread, she decided this wasn't the time to let him stew in depressing thoughts.

Dude, this is a great opportunity for more answers!

You mean more snooping? More breaking in?

I mean, when we work there we aren't breaking in.

Point taken, but aren't you worried why they keep flinging great opportunities at us?

Thinking too much makes it too hard.

I'm just saying. Oh yeah, don't use the fifth floor bathroom tomorrow, Lloyd warned her.

Astra snorted into her plate and Misako and Monty exchanged a deep sigh of parents-are-tired-of-prankster-kids.

o o o

The next morning, the Garmadon twins were escorted to school by their parents despite many loud and open protests. Astra had a new bag bumping by her side, gifted to her by her Uncle Wu a week ago for her birthday. It was a deep brown, identical to Lloyd's but with A.G monogrammed onto it. Ironic timing. Maybe he'd known about this whole TA mess. Inside it was her very own tablet (she had her own tablet, room, and job now) from Ma and Pa for her birthday, two notebooks, a pencil case, headphones, and some food.

"Zaven is a good and patient guy, Astra, so I doubt you will manage to ah, piss him off," Monty endured a hit on the arm from Misako for foul language, "What, how else would I put it?"

"Adeinne is one of the best fighters I know — she's human, like us, so she has to make up for extra abilities other species may have. She's fairly easy going and seems very excited at the prospect of passing off paperwork to you, Lloyd."

"The school's only been open for a month, but I feel like it's a lifetime's worth of paper in my study," Pa groaned, rubbing at his face. The Garmadon were nearing the top of the hill as Astra could see the grand beginnings of the Academy rising. "Have you got the missives from Levana?"

Misako nodded as she flashed an ID card at a camera Astra hadn't noticed before, "I'll send them to you, but I think they're still not convinced any of their Forceborn are safe here. Especially Princess You-Know-Who. Maybe offer them a tour and show our Force and tech boundaries? Ninjago is safe."

We have Force and tech boundaries? Why is being a Jedi so dangerous that other people are afraid to be one? And who is this Princess, who is also Forceborn? Yet more questions, moons.

"Sounds good, I'll check with Wu. Kids, follow me, I'll take you to get your IDs made. Saki, lunch later?"

"Oh yes please, thanks Monty." Misako kissed her husband and Lloyd and Astra gagged in the school courtyard. Ma hurried away towards her own office and Astra tagged after Pa as he wound through several corridors where some were and weren't labelled.

"You'll notice that some areas of the school were restricted to your access before as visitors," Pa explained, and Astra thought back to how she'd had to wriggle under invisible barriers to get access to the Elemental Knights summary. Not even the full thing. And a profile on Wu that was obviously professional and not in depth at all, but had hinted at 'other abilities'. "Students have different boundaries to teachers of course, and your ID will let you through any doors that need unlocking. A reminder that you shouldn't try and force your way through evidently barred rooms."

They arrived in a small room where there was a student in casual Academy robes getting their photo taken. The camera flashed twice, offering a choice, and the student was able to choose which they liked. A small machine inside the room produced the fresh ID, and they turned around only to be face to face with Head Mo, as the students called him. Astra squeezed past him and his stack of books to get her ID and it was over quite quickly, printing out:

ASTRA GARMADON

ROLE: teacher assistant

ACCESS: B-389

BIRTHDAY: 12th of August 70127 SOD

MORE...

"Head Garma—oh my stars Head Garmadon, sorry sir, I was just getting my ID 'cause I lost mine already—" rambled the boy. Astra narrowed her eyes at him, which he apparently found unnerving as he shirked away from her and closer to Lloyd, who had just finished getting his own ID in the span of this guy's rant. Oh well.

"Jay Walker, right?" Pa smiled. At Walker's shocked face, he chuckled. Astra liked his laugh, it reminded her of nights when there was enough time to rent lame comedy movies and roast all the actors. "I make a point to know all my students, Jay, even if it's just their names."

"R—right, yep. Uh, who are they?" Walker was staring more curiously at their casual attire - Astra was wearing jeans and a purple hoodie like normal, with her hair in her normal braids. Lloyd was pretty much the same but with an emerald green hoodie. His hair looked like a bird's nest, though.

"Oh, these are my kids. Astra, and Lloyd."

"I'm older!" Lloyd piped up. Astra stepped on his foot and then he kicked the back of her kneecaps.

"I do apologise for their childish behaviour. You're about the same age, correct?"

"Y—es, I'm fifteen, are they?"

Astra nodded quietly, her gaze constantly switching from staring down Walker, to glancing at her father, to scowling at Lloyd.

"Astra and Lloyd are TA's for Professor Zaven and Adeinne. Do you have either of them for Tute?" Pa checked his watch and tapped his foot anxiously.

Jay nodded, also spurred on by the time as he restacked the books in his arms. Now she could see blue eyes, freckles, and a bird's nest of auburn hair that rivalled Lloyd's. "I have Professor Zaven for Tute. Uh, do you want me to take one of them there?"

"That would be wonderful, Jay. If you're late because of Astra," Pa shot her a stern glare, "Just tell Zaven it was because of me, alright? Lloyd, follow me, I'll take you to Adeinne as her classroom is closer to my office. Don't blow anything up." He enunciated, waving cheerily as he and Lloyd turned in the other direction.

Astra waved back, swallowing hard and wishing that she and Lloyd could have TA'd together, if that even was a thing. How else was she supposed to coordinate pranks seamlessly now?

"What did he mean by 'don't blow anything up'?" Walker asked inquisitively.

"He meant don't blow anything up," Astra said shortly.

"No, but have you done that before? Blown anything up, I mean."

"Once," Astra started, and Walker seemed to remember they had Zaven to get to and began walking to the right of the room. "It was an accident though, and only cause my pod—"

She mentally slapped herself and stopped like a deer in the headlights. Jay, for all his beginning (and still, but less) nervousness, jumped on her slip up excitedly.

"You podrace?"

"Humans don't podrace." she answered dryly.

"But you said pod. And the chances of you being in a giant ship and having to evacuate and blow up a pod seems less likely than you podracing."

"How did you even get to the logic—you know what, just keep quiet about it Walker."

"Is it 'cause you're not supposed to podrace?" he looked at her with big eyes, his hands fiddling with metal bits. Astra gave up trying to figure out what the thingy-ma-bob was and focused on the tiling pattern on the floor.

"Obviously," she said in a harder tone. "Drop it."

"Hang on, if you're a TA, and you're my age, why are you actually attending the Academy. Ohhh, is it cause you're not Forcebo—"

Astra rounded on the short boy, hissing in fury. "Listen here, Walker. Say one more word, I dare you, about me not being Forceborn or about podracing and I will not hesitate to make my next explosion involve you."

Walker gulped weakly, pointing behind Astra with a trembling voice. "We're here."

A/N: okay people hear me out these convenient thingies keep popping up because a) i want them to b) i need them to so this doesn't turn mos-sized and c) sorry uh the big bad evil not being there? maybe a teeny tiny evil but like not for a while y'know. Also it's pretty darn obvious to us that they're elementals but to them it's not so uh go with the flow rq yeah mate? P.s astra isn't trying to bully jay he's just chattery and that type gets on her nerves easily.

- dommie out