chrysalism. n. The amniotic tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm, listening to waves of rain pattering against the roof like an argument upstairs, whose muffled words are unintelligible but whose crackling release of built-up tension you understand perfectly.

A/N: In Japan, Valentine's Day is celebrated a little differently. On the day, women will give the important men in their life (especially their romantic interest) a box of chocolates. If she really likes him, the chocolates will be homemade. One month later, men must give flowers to all the women who gifted them chocolate. This day is translated as "White Day".

A loud sound exploded in Nya's head, jolting her awake. Groggy and confused, she was greeted by the sight of her dimly lit room.  Her heart raced, pupils dilating, barely registering the sound of rain pounding on the roof of the monastery.  The room suddenly lit up, illuminated by a flash of bright light, then faded back to darkness.  One second later, a loud boom reverberated through the walls.  Nya tried not to jump. 

A thunderstorm had hit the monastery.  A bad one.  Nya was certain the rest of the team would be woken up soon by the raging storm.  Her elemental power stirred, a calming coolness welling up her spine, energizing her, enticing her to run outside and dance in the rain.  She rolled over instead.

Next to her was Jay, sleeping peacefully, seemingly unfazed by the ruckus from the storm.  She poked at him, seeing if he would stir.  Another flash of light lit up the room followed by an almost instantaneous boom.  Nya flinched, annoyed at the eardrum shattering thunder, but more annoyed that her yang was sleeping and she wasn't.  It was his element that was causing all the problems. 

Nya poked him again and felt a rush of energy race through her finger and up her arm.  His body was buzzing, elemental power thrumming to life in response to the storm.  Lightning tore through the sky again, illuminating his sleeping form.  Nya smiled.  She loved Jay and his endless chatter, jokes, and banter, but seeing him tranquil and silent was a rare treat.  She drew her finger across his jaw, feeling a light bristle of early morning stubble, then bopped him on the nose as thunder bore down on the monastery.  Certainly everyone else was awake by now.

Jay stirred slightly, shut eyes crinkling and the corners of his lips tugging down in a small frown, then rolled towards her, still asleep.  She cupped his face and felt a tingling surge prickle her hand, like she had just touched a livewire.  Her elemental power hummed in response.  Jay's eyes slowly fluttered open as he pulled in a deep breath.  He looked confused.  It was endearing. 

"Hey Sparky," she smiled.  He greeted her with a big, dopey grin, then rolled over to check the time.  He turned back towards her, confusion still ghosting his features. 

"Why are you up so early?" he croaked out, voice hoarse from a full night's rest.  He arched his back as his arms extended over his head, pulling taunt as he stretched and trembled his body.  A loud yawn escaped his lips and Nya resisted the urge to copy. 

"Your dumb element woke me up," she murmured, unable to hold back her own yawn.  Jay frowned.  Nya's smile grew wider and her eyes sparkled.

"Did I zap you awake?" he questioned.  Nya bopped him on the nose again.  "No silly, there is a big storm outside.  Nya watched as realization dawned on Jay.  "The rain isn't that loud—"  Several flickers of light illuminated the room, cutting Jay off.  "Oh," he dead-panned, "In my defense, I can't control the weather—"

Thunder ripped though the monastery, rumbling and loud, like a dragon roaring into the night, claiming dominance over the land.  They both flinched.

Nya eyed him incredulously.  "How is it, that you are the master of lightning, but you still jump at the sound of thunder?"

Jay closed his eyes slowly, then opened them equally slow, keeping them in narrow slits as he glared at her.  "Because thunder is loud and unpredictable," he sassed back, timber of his voice pitched low and clearly annoyed.

Nya tilted her head to the side in consideration.  "Hmmmmm," her finger poked her cheek, feigning scrutiny, "that sounds like someone I know." 

The room lit up again, but this time the light source was Jay.  Blue lightning arched off his back, vivid and bright, backlighting his scowl as the frown besmirched his handsome face.  Nya's stomach flipped a little.

"Ooooo, so clever.  So original, Water Ninja," Jay shot back, "Early morning Nya rushes fast out of the gate with the jokes."  His arm traveled up her slender frame and gripped her shoulder, rolling her into his chest for a crushing bear hug.  He blew a sloppy and loud raspberry into her neck.  Nya squealed. Her shoulders shrugged, her legs flittered and kicked as she tried to shimmy out of his hold.  He finally released her and she tumbled out of his grasp, facing him once again and stuck out her tongue.  Jay flashed her his cavalier grin, then informed her, "That's what you get for being so annoying too early in the morning."

Nya wiggled, fighting the sheets until she was lying comfortably on her back. She stared at the ceiling, admiring the rafters.  The exposed rafters were beautiful, but the lack of attic left the roof as a meager shield against the elements.  Raindrops continued to pound down, rhythmic and heavy, water cascading off the tiles like a waterfall. 

"Don't you ever just want to stop and feel the rain?"  Only the sound of the downpour answered her.

"Jay?"

"Mmmm."

She crossed her arms.  "Did you fall back asleep?"

". . . No?"

Nya pursed her lips.  It was her turn to glare.  His eyelids were half mast as he struggled to smile at her. 

"How can you sleep through a storm like this?" she wondered, not expecting him to respond. 

"Because I am tired, and I want to maximize my sleep before sunrise exercises." The words tumbled out of his mouth in a mumbled slur.  "Although," he continued, "maybe Wu will cancel them due to the storm."

"Phsss.  Like that will stop Wu."

"Ugh," Jay scoffed, "Knowing Wu, he will make you and me do extra elemental exercises due to the storm."

"Hmmm, like dancing in the rain?  That sounds fun."

Jay carded his fingers through his hair, blatantly yawning. "When was the last time we did something like that.  Seems like forever."

Nya paused, mind combing through her memory banks as the sound of the rain continued the torrential downpour.  "I think . . . it was when we had our elemental dragons," she said slowly, uncertain if that was the correct answer. 

"I miss them," Jay said as he reached for her again.  She rolled into him willingly as he wrapped his arms around her torso, spooning her.  His nose brushed against her temple as his hot breaths puffed on her neck, sending a shiver down her spine and to her toes.  Their elemental powers hummed in resonance.

"Me too." 

Wind whipped through her hair as mist from the salty sea slammed into her face.  Her energy dragon hummed beneath her, responding to her every command.  Jay was hot on her trail, laughing maniacally and hollering with joy.  It was a race and she was determined to win. 

"Hey there Water Lily," he shouted over the din of air rushing past them, speeding up until he was side by side with her, "I know how badly you want to win, but just because you are my girl again doesn't mean I am going to go easy on you."

Nya refrained from exploding at his taunt.  "Your girl," she started smartly, "is going to leave your butt in the dust."

Jay zipped ahead of her in response, his elemental dragon crackling with blue energy.  "Naw, you keep your eyes on this cute butt as I leave you in the dust."  He arched his back and wiggled, taunting her more.  Her nostrils flared.  The structure of her elemental dragon wavered.  She steeled herself, refusing to let Jay's teasing distract her from losing control of her water dragon.

"Your attempts to get under my skin aren't going to work, Sparky!" she shouted back and sent a surge of energy into her dragon for a burst of speed.  She caught up to him and saw a huge grin plastered across his face. 

"Awww, you saw through my strategy," he laughed, "perhaps I need to seduce you instead."

"Haha, for the Master of Lightning, you aren't too bright," Nya giggled.  Jay's smile held steady, but his eyes screamed confusion.  Nya sized him up, mischief dancing across her face.  "Projecting your desires, too obvious," she explained and watched in delight as Jay's face fell.  "I think you are the one who wants to be seduced."

Jay crossed his arms and chewed the inside of his lip, resisting the urge to give her a satisfaction of a response.  "Nice deflection, but don't try to fight it.  You love it when I rile you up with my words."

Nya flashed him a mischievous grin, a rare sight, and Jay felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach.  "All I have to do is lift my shirt up and poof," she emphasised with flicking her wrist, "there goes your elemental dragon."

Jay's eyes went wide.  The integrity of his elemental dragon faltered and he dropped towards the ocean with a yelp.  Nya threw her head back and laughed, gusty and jubilant, then pulled on the reins of her energy dragon and chased after him.  Jay managed to regain his composure during his freefall as his lightning dragon hovered over the waves.  Nya's laughter pierced his ears as heat rushed up the sides of his face.  She didn't miss the light dust of blush on his cheeks.

Their elemental dragons circled each other and Nya dipped her hand into the water, feeling the force of the liquid yield to her touch.  Jay coughed, clearly embarrassed. 

"I think you just forfeited the race," Nya grinned unrepentantly. 

"W— whatever! That— that was cheating!" he hissed, floundering. 

Her face ached with a helpless smile.  "All is fair in love and war."  She watched with increasing delight as Jay's face turned even redder.  They continued to circle each other, energy humming and crackling between then, more chaotic and wild than electricity splitting through water.  Their elemental powers were thrumming erratically, matching the beating of their hearts, simmering under their skin, yearning to be cut loose. 

The sun dipped low on the horizon, bathing them in a golden light.  Sunbeams reflected off the crests of the waves, flashing brightly like twinkling stars.  Everything around her was normally blue; the ocean, the sky, Jay, but changing colors from the setting sun painted an unforgettable picture.  She didn't want the moment to end.

A gentle breeze tugged at the silence between them.  Dark clouds rumbled from the South, expanding recklessly, threatening to swallow up the sun.  The pair turned their attention to the sporadic storm. 

"Should we call it a tie and head back?" Jay grinned bashfully, rubbing the back of his head, awkwardly trying to extinguish his embarrassment. 

"New challenge!" Nya declared.  "Let's race to the storm!" 

Jay eyed the growing dark clouds.  They flickered, lit up by intracloud lightning.  The sound of thunder finally reached them, rumbling distantly.  Jay narrowed his eyes.  "I'm not one to shy away from a challenge," he started, and Nya suppressed the urge to scoff, "but that looks like a nasty storm."  I don't want you getting hurt was left unsaid. 

"Awww, it's just a little lightning," Nya teased, "Besides, you'll protect me."  She looked up at him with dewy eyes and a soft smile that made his insides tumble and twirl. 

The corner of his mouth twitched, and his freckled cheeks glowed with a crooked smirk.  "You're on, Waterbug!"  Before she could even blink, Jay zipped ahead towards the clouds.

Nya felt like she should be mad at Waterbug, but she couldn't help but smile as she watched his retreating form.  It had been a few months since they had gotten back together and they were still in the honeymoon phase.  But things were different.  Although time had turned back, it didn't erase the growth they went through facing Nadakhan.  That adventure was gone, but the shared intimacy of crisis remained.  They had grown stronger as individuals and as a couple.

A calming coolness surged up her spine and shimmied down her arms.  Water was hers to command.  Excitement and energy pooled in her core and she blasted off, using the waves to catapult her water dragon to catch up with Jay. 

The squall had tripled in size.  Awe dawned their faces as their elemental powers hummed in their bones.  They raced upwards, ready to pierce through the clouds and catch the storm.  Raindrops greeted them, bouncing innocently at first, then grew heavier and heavier until water cascaded down on them in heavy sheets.  Nya pulled up close to Jay and concentrated, shielding them from the rain with an invisible umbrella. 

"You've gotten stronger," Jay complemented.  Nya beamed.

Lightning flashed in front of them, blinding and bright.  They instinctively covered their ears as thunder echoed around them. 

"Too close!" Nya shouted.  Jay smiled, electricity arcing across his skin.  They were both in their element. 

He pointed up, "Let's get above it."  Nya nodded and their dragons continued to climb.  Lightning lashed out again, and this time Jay defected the strike, forcing the lightning around them as it made its zig-zag path to the ocean.  Their dragons accelerated, then punctured through the storm, reaching clear sky.  Wisps of the cloud trailed behind them as their dragons rotated around each other, spiraling upwards. 

Nya let go of the reins and spread her arms out, enjoying the feeling of the wind tugging on her hair and sleeves.  Jay mirrored her movements with gleeful laughter.  The sun was almost setting, casting brilliant hues of orange, red, and pink across the heavens.  They came to a stop and hovered over the storm, enjoying each other's company and the amazing view. 

"We should do this more often," Nya mused. 

"Mmmmm," Jay agreed, "the view is extraordinary."  Nya turned to smile at him, only to find he was staring directly at her and not the sunset.  A light blush crept across her cheeks and heat pooled in her core.  She fidgeted with the handle of the reins. 

"Do you think," she paused, mulling over her question in her mind, "Do you think we can recreate our combined dragon?"

Jay became unusually silent, staring vacantly at the setting sun.  "Maybe."  He pulled in a slow, deep breath.  "When you want something bad enough, you make it happen."  There was a certain maturity and sadness to his voice that Nya rarely heard.  But like his element, in a flash it was gone and his signature cavalier grin smiled back at her.  "If we dissolve our dragons and freefall, we might be able to recreate it."

Nya reared her dragon and flew upside down over him, tracing her fingers over his hair in the process.  "I'm game if you are, Sparky."

"Sparky?" he asked dubiously, resisting the urge to huff.

"Yeah. Sparky. Gotta problem with that?"  she said unrepentantly. 

Jay forced his dragon to turn around and watched unamused as she gracefully flipped back to right-side-up.  His hands folded behind his head, elbows jutting out as he eyed her incredulously. 

"Or would you rather I call you Bluebell? Or Tasterface? Or oooo, my personal favorite: Zap Trap?"

"How about none of the above."

"Gotta pick one, Sparky."

"Seems like you have already decided." 

"All of those choices are better than my absolute personal favorite."

Jay couldn't keep his eyebrow down as it crept upward in curiosity.  "I thought you said Zap Trap was your personal favorite."

Nya giggled, then whipped her dragon around to face him.  "Sparkle Fingers," she gleamed, flitting her fingers to the sides to mimic a dancer's spirit fingers. 

Jay choked on his spit.  "Sparkle Fingers??!!!"  He burst into laughter.  Nya's face fell, wondering why he found the nickname hilarious and not insulting.  Jay clutched his sides and doubled over, cackling in the breeze.  Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say.  The lightning dragon flickered and dipped, losing integrity with Jay's waning concentration.   Now it was Nya's turn to cross her arms in suspicion. 

"What's so funny?" Nya asked, instantly regretting her question.  It took Jay a few moments of delighted giggles to finally calm down enough to talk. 

He snapped his head up, biting the inside of his mouth to quell his fits of laughter.  "Projecting your desires, too obvious," he threw her words right back at her and watched in delight as Nya paled.  "I think you are the one who wants to be," he wiggled his fingers for added effect,  "seduced."

A bright red blush exploded across Nya's face.  "That's not—  I meant— Arraugh!" she spluttered. 

Jay sailed past her, face split in half with a cheeky grin.  His dragon purred with energy.  They had drifted past the stormfront, hovering over a steep cliff of the thunderheads.  Bursts of light flickered in the clouds as thunder continued to rumble beneath them.  The horizon swallowed up the sun as the sky turned to deep shades of red and purple while the clouds turned pink. 

"Come on Waterbug, let's see if we can recreate that hydroelectric dragon," Jay said.  The lightning dragon flickered and crackled, then disappeared.  Nya's eyes grew wide as her boyfriend fell away from her.

"Hey!" she yelped, then dove after him.  The water dragon caught up to him, then fizzled away.  They stretched out their arms, grasping hands as the air whistled past them.  Their elemental powers simultaneously thrummed and surged, tumbling shivers down their spines.

"Focus!" Jay shouted over the roar of air whizzing past them.  Nya clutched his hands tighter.  Memories from the alternate timeline came flooding back to her. 

Anguish. Crushing defeat. Despair.

But cutting through the darkness was a blinding light, like lightning blaring through a night sky; brilliant, chaotic, offering hope.  She clung to that feeling, reaching out towards the jittery light, wielding it as her own. 

She could feel his elemental power like a gentle trembling warmth against hers and she drew in a sharp breath.  Her eyes flew open.  Wind tangled violently in her hair.  The ocean was growing closer, rising up to meet them.  Controlled chaos hummed in her bones.  Calming coolness welled up his spine.  Beneath them, their elements warbled and cooed together, extending from their souls, blending into a hydroelectric energy dragon. 

They mounted the dragon, only moments before slamming into the unforgiving waves.  The dragon yielded to them, pulling up sharply into a barrel roll. 

"We did it!" Nya exclaimed with a smile.  Jay's hands rested gently on the small of her waist as he sat behind her.  She couldn't tell if the electricity she felt buzzing through her core was coming from Jay's hands, the elemental dragon, or both. 

"See, when you want something bad enough, you make it happen," he murmured into her hair.

Nya leaned back and enjoyed the feeling of his hard, warm chest supporting her.  The storm was fading away as they meandered over the ocean.  Clean night sky greeted them as the stars glittered at their joy.

Eardrum shattering thunder tore through the monastery, pulling Nya out of her reverie.  She glared at her alarm clock, and it glared right back, displaying in glowing red numbers that it was too early to get up.  Jay snored softly into her neck.  Nya chuckled, realizing that she spent too much time reminiscing and Jay fell back asleep from boredom. 

She tried to roll out of his hold, but his grip on her tightened.  Jay had surprisingly fast reflexes, even when sound asleep.  Nya tried again, but yelped as she was pulled back into the crushing bear hug.  "Where are you going, Water Lily?" he muttered into the nape of her neck. 

"I was going to get up, since I can't fall back asleep."

"Mmmm, no," he informed her, "you are staying right here."

Nya shrugged her shoulders, leaning into his embrace. "Do you know what today is?"

"Letting Jay sleep day?"

She elbowed him in the ribs, pulling a grunt from him.  He flinched, gripping her tighter. 

"Did you forget?" 

"Is it your birthday?"

"No," she responded quickly, sounding both disappointed and annoyed.

"Our anniversary?"

She rolled her eyes. "Really?"

"Ummm," his arms constricted around her, pulling as tight as he could.  Hot puffs of air from his mouth teased her hairline. "I think," he started slowly, as if pondering each word, "today is a very special day that you would be super sad if I forgot."

"Now you are just stalling."

"Am I?"

"Then what day is today?"

"Today, is one month after Valentine's Day.  A day you have been anticipating for the last week," he said and Nya smiled at the dimly lit wall in front of her.  He blew a raspberry into her neck again and she was powerless to squirm away. "And you thought I forgot.  I'm so hurt," he feigned discontent.

They both jumped at the sound of another loud bang, but this time, it wasn't thunder. The door flew open, followed by the rhythmic sound of a gong.  Three dark figures stood in front of the doorframe, backlit by the hall.  "Ok lovebirds! Time to get up!"  shouted a grumpy Cole.

"I don't know how, and I really don't want to know how, but somehow, you two are responsible for this storm," Kai accused with equal grumpiness. 

"Excuse me?" Jay exploded, "how is this storm my fault? I can't control the weather!"

"Don't care.  All I know is, your dumb element woke everyone up," Kai shot back.  Nya could feel Jay bristle with his elemental power. 

Someone, Nya suspected it was Lloyd, continued to bang on the gong.  She was about to tell them to smartly shut up when Kai cut her off with, "If I can't sleep, you can't sleep."

"Bold of you to assume we were sleeping," Jay fired back.  Nya tried not to let out an exasperated sigh. 

"Ugh, TMI bro.  You better not be naked in there." Cole rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah, totally naked!" Jay retorted then winced as Nya smacked him in the shoulder.

"Gross," Kai exhaled, then turned around to leave.  "These two," he gestured towards Cole and Lloyd, "are going to stay here until you get up."  He walked away, then called out over his shoulder. "I'm going to go find some brain bleach."  

"Get me some too!" Cole shouted at his retreating form. 

"Lloyd, will you stop with the gong? We get it, we are getting up." Jay seethed, regretting that he had to leave the comfort of Nya's warm embrace. 

"No, this is kinda fun," Lloyd giggled, continuing to hit the gong with the rubber mallet.  Jay groaned, trying to hide under the sheets.

"Oh no Sparky, it's showtime," Nya said as she ripped all the sheets off and ran, ready to start the day.

oOo

Jay stared pensively at the wall of flowers in front of him.  What was supposed to be a normal day of training turned into a surprise mission, which went sideways fifty million different times. Maybe that thunderstorm was a bad omen. Now he was hours away from Ninjago City, where he had pre-ordered a beautiful bouquet of red roses, and had dinner reservations at the Grand Ninjagain Hotel, which required pulling a lot of strings to get.  His wonderful date night for White Day was completely ruined by a soured mission in his least favorite city: the City of Stiix. 

Every flower shop was completely sold out of suitable White Day bouquets.  He had wasted precious time bunny hopping from flower shop to flower stall, looking for the perfect flowers for Nya.  She had suggested they just go home and celebrate tomorrow, a sincere gesture, but he didn't miss the slight disappointment on her face.  He wasn't going to compromise.  He was going to salvage the evening as best he could with a nice bouquet of flowers and spend the rest of the night star gazing over the water. 

The flower merchant was acting patient, but Jay could tell the woman was getting annoyed at his indecisiveness.  He was starting to regret half-paying attention whenever his mother prattled on about hanakotoba: flowers and their meanings.  Nya would be forgiving, she normally was when she wasn't triggered by idiots, but she deserved the same thought and care in the flowers as she put into the chocolates she made for him on Valentine's day.

Jay smiled fondly at the memory.  Nya was uncharacteristically fidgety and meek as she handed him the box of chocolates.  It was a simple red box with a plain bow, but inside were personalized, homemade chocolates in the shapes of lightning bolts and hearts.  The lightning bolts had a caramel filling while the hearts had a blueberry cream filling.  Jay was beyond flattered.  He could tell Nya poured all her effort into making them. 

An obvious blush dusted her cheeks as she watched him open the box and marvel over the contents.  She wouldn't admit to it, but Jay was fairly certain she had asked Zane for help in creating the decadent treats.  When it came to kitchen skills, she ranked above Cole, but that wasn't saying much.  Jay had overheard the ruckus in the kitchen the day before Valentine's Day, and smartly chose to avoid the area like his life depended on it.

"Can I help you decide?" 

Jay shot his head up, pulled from memory lane as the flower merchant gave him what he suspected was a terse smile.  He could barely see her eyes above the newspaper she was holding up to her face.

"Um, I'm looking for a White Day bouquet for my yang, but it seems like all the roses are sold out in the city."

"Hmmmm," the woman hummed, seemingly uninterested in Jay's quest for the perfect flowers, "You should have reserved a bouquet before today.  I sold out of my last minute White Day flower arrangements at noon." 

It took every ounce of Jay's control to bite his tongue instead of snapping back.  This flower merchant just gave him plenty of reasons to leave and not support her business with a sale, but he was running out of options, and suspected she knew it too.  She could smell his desperation in the air like a shark smelling blood in the water.

Nya graciously suggested that she pick up dinner and snacks from the night market while Jay made an excuse to go find flowers.  But he was running out of time, and didn't feel like peppering her with lame excuses as to why he was taking so long.

"These lilies look nice," Jay chose to say instead. 

The merchant lifted her head from the newspaper she was reading.  "If you want a divorce, then yes."

Jay forced a poker face. "What is wrong with lilies?"

The woman shoved down the newspaper with an explosive sound of rustling paper.  Jay relied on his ninja training to remain indifferent.  She pointed hastily to each lily as she barked out the meaning.

"White Lily: Purity. Chastity."  She raised her eyebrow at him and continued on.  "Orange Lily: Hatred. Revenge.  Lily of the Valley: Sweet." Again she raised her eyebrow at him, as if she knew who he was buying the flowers for.  "Tiger Lily: Weath.  Red Spider Lily: Never to meet again. Lost memory. Abandonment."

Jay pursed his lips.  He felt like he had just been cross examined by every district attorney in Ninjago.

"Okay then, no lilies."

The woman shook her head, pitying him.  "No lilies."

Jay wondered if he should no longer call Nya his Water Lily. "What about those?"  Jay pointed to a lovely colorful bouquet of blue, pink and purple hydrangea.

The woman shook her head again. "Pride."

"And those?" he pointed to a bunch of azalea, salmon pink and spotted, looking like miniature lilies.

"Patient."

Jay signed in defeat, realizing his wallet was not going to survive this encounter. "Can you recommend a bouquet for me for my yang on White Day?" he asked, forcing his voice to remain calm.

The flower merchant's eyes sparkled.  Despite her age, she was as sharp as a tack.  With impeccable precision, she started gathering flowers for a bouquet.

The first flower she grabbed was a pink, six petaled with large stamen, looking almost like a lily. "Amaryllis: Shy."  She picked a few white, five petaled flowers that reminded Jay of daisies. "Anemone: Sincere." She continued adding more flowers to the growing bouquet, calling out their names and meanings.  "Sakura: Kind.  Chrysanthemum: Truth.  Dahlia: Good taste." She shot him a glance, knowingly. "Daisy: Faith.  Edelweiss: Courage. Power."

Jay was about to tell her that there were enough flowers but she kept going. "Sunflower: respect, passionate love, radiance.  Freesia: Childness. Immature." She raised her eyebrow at him.  "Peony: Bravery."  She added some extra leaves and ornate, small flower decorations to the bouquet, wrapped it with cellophane and a ribbon, then presented it to him.  It looked beautiful, amazing, exquisite.  Most of all, it looked expensive.

After a few seconds, Jay realized his jaw was hanging open.  He hoped she didn't notice as he snapped it shut. 

"Uhhhh," he stalled, still in awe of her flower arranging skills, "how much?"

She pulled the bouquet back to her chest and tilted her head to the side.  "Has anyone ever told you that you look like a young Cliff Gorden?"

For the second time that night, Jay revisited his poker face. "Ummm."

The flower merchant glanced towards the darkening night sky, admiring the twinkling stars.  "Starfarer was soooo dreamy," she reminisced. 

"Oh yeah, that guy," Jay indulged her, wondering if she could hear the chagrin in his voice.  She returned her gaze to him.

"For you Blue Ninja, on the house."

Jay stared blankly at her for a solid five seconds.

"What?"

Her smile wavered.

"I mean, thank you! That is so kind!" He recovered quickly.  "No, really, how much? I— I can't just take something like that, it looks expensive—"

Her smile returned, beaming and bright, as if she had recalled a joyous memory. 

"Treat her right," she murmured, forcing the bouquet into his hands. "That is the price.  If you don't, I will find you and curse you." Her voice dipped low on the last few words, her eyes piercing and dark.  Jay swallowed thickly, not sure if she was joking.

"Y— yes ma'am," he stuttered out. 

In an instant her smile returned.  "Tell all your friends about May's Flower Shop.  Enjoy your evening."  Then she pushed him to the middle of the boardwalk as she started to close up her stand.  Jay looked dumbfounded at the bouquet then back at the closed up shop.  Did that just happen?

"Jay, I'm done getting food. Where are you?" came Nya's voice over the comms.

He blinked a few times before collecting himself. "I'll be there in a few minutes, I just finished reserving a boat ride for stargazing," he lied.  Well, half-lie, he had secured the boat reservation before hunting for flowers.

"Sounds magical," Nya said sweetly over the communicator in his ear, "I can't wait."  Jay couldn't help the grin that spread across face.

"Me too."