"So, what about your presents?" Skylor asked when everyone was done their ice cream. The Venomari had gotten seconds and then thirds, much to Lyra's amusement. "We can eat the cake later."

Cole didn't even bother arguing as everyone gathered around the table full of presents.

"Ooh, pick mine first, Lyric!" Jay told Lyra, grabbing a messily wrapped blob and handing it to her.

Lyra unwrapped it quickly, trying not to get her hopes up in case Jay was terrible at giving gifts.

It was a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. Its main body was white, while the grips were dark green, D-pad and A, B, X, and Y buttons were periwinkle, and everything else was a bright violet.

"I love it!" she exclaimed, a huge grin on her face. Her eyes were a clear sky blue.

"I know," Jay scoffed. "I'm the best. Your name's on the side, by the way."

Lyra turned it on its left side. The name 'Lyric' was engraved in silver. The handwriting was fancy, similar to the font on fantasy novel titles.

"It's so cool, Jay," she told him. "Very pretty."

Why is this so awkward? Lyra wondered. I feel like that sounded sarcastic or something.

"I believe it is my turn next," Zane said, handing her a neatly-wrapped gift.

Lyra glanced at the box, trying to figure out what it was. It could be literally anything small. She quickly tore the wrapping paper off, though she felt bad because it looked meticulously wrapped.

Inside, there were long strings of different kinds of LED lights. There was no remote, though.

"I programmed them to respond to your Elemental power," he explained. "Lloyd told me you liked his lights, so I thought you'd enjoy having some of your own."

"I do, Zane." Lyra smiled at her friend. It was very thoughtful of him. "Thank you."

Jalin and Sakura were next. They handed her a bag with nervous smiles on their faces.

"We weren't sure if you'd like it, because you've never had one before," Sakura started as Lyra took some purple tissue paper out of their huge gift bag.

"But we always thought you could use one. We tried to smuggle something similar in for you once, but Clouse noticed and made us throw it off the edge of the ferry," Jalin added.

Lyra pulled out a large, soft, purple blob. To her surprise, it was a stuffed animal. A dragon, to be exact.

"You've always loved dragons." Sakura smiled. "We assumed that, since you have an Elemental Dragon, that your love for them has only grown."

"Um, of course," Lyra said, hugging the ball of fluff. "Thank you so much. It's the perfect size to cuddle."

"That was the idea," Jalin said. "Glad you like it."

"There's something else in there, too," Sakura added.

"Yeah, the two of us weren't just gonna get you only one present," Jalin joked. "That'd be very cheap of us."

Lyra peeked into the bag. At the very bottom, there lay two butterfly hair claw clips. One was gold and the other was silver.

"You always wanted one of these," Jalin reminded her.

"Plus, you love butterflies, too," Sakura said.

Lyra hugged her friends, trying not to let them see her tears of happiness. "Thank you so much, you guys."

The two hugged her back. "Anytime."

"Me next!" Nya called, handing Lyra a small teal gift bag that read Good Vibes on the side of it.

Lyra took the tissue paper--which was just actual tissues--out. At the very bottom was a small can and a strange-looking lipstick tube attached to a keychain. Weirdly enough, it had two buttons and something that looked like a flashlight at the end.

"Pepper spray and a concealed taser," she explained. "The taser doubles as a flashlight if you press the white button. The red button tases people. Usually, you gotta file a lotta paperwork to get one of those, but since I'm Samurai X and I bought it with Kai, a very well-known ninja, the cashier didn't care."

"Thanks, Nya," Lyra grinned, pocketing the pepper spray and attaching the taser to her dagger belt. "It'll be helpful for situations where my Jade Blades just don't cut it. Literally."

Basil and Marsha laughed at her joke while everyone else just sighed and shook their heads.

"There's more, but it wouldn't fit in the bag," Nya told her, rushing to the present pile and pulling something out of the bottom.

It was a huge silver tote bag. Lyra unfolded it, admiring the comically large size. It could fit almost anything. She slung it around her shoulder. Even though it felt a bit weird, considering she still had her backpack full of origami on, it wasn't uncomfortable. The shoulder straps were thick and padded, thankfully.

"You were complaining about how your backpack didn't fit all your animals," Nya reminded her. "This'll fit all of those and more."

"Thank you so much! I bet I'll wear it every day," Lyra gushed, peeking inside the bag. It had many pockets. It closed via two magnetic clips, which was oddly satisfying. "I love silver, too. And the magnets."

"The magnets won't open in the middle of a fight, either," Nya told her. "As it turns out, the Master of Magnetism is a friend of Karlof's. We got in contact with him and he used his powers to make sure they're very strong. People can open them easily, but your animals won't be able to break out unless you order them to."

"That's so cool!" Lyra exclaimed.

"What animals?" Marsha wondered.

"Right, you two don't know." Lyra unzipped her backpack, her eyes sparkling with excitement at the prospect of showing off her pets. "Out."

The paper animals crawled out of the purple bag and made their way to Lloyd, as they usually did. Upon noticing Marsha, Basil, Sakura, and Jalin, they abandoned Lloyd to investigate the new creatures.

Basil giggled as a dragon landed on his teal nose. "It tickles!"

Marsha put a green arm out and let a swan land on her. "They're so adorable! Did your Element make them? I heard stories that Royal was able to do this, but with statues instead of paper. Can you do that, too?"

Royal was the Elemental Master of Sculpture, so it made sense that she could control statues.

"I can't do that just yet, but maybe one day," Lyra told them.

"My turn," Kai announced, shoving a bright red gift bag into Lyra's arms and causing a few origami on her shoulders to fly off. He'd been strangely quiet since they arrived at the restaurant, which probably had something to do with Skylor's presence.

Inside it, there were many items Lyra had never seen in real life before. Some comic series called Starfarer, three different kinds of chocolate bars (Aero, Kitkat, and Coffee Crisp), a huge bag of Skittles, a giftcard to a book store, and a lavender-scented candle.

"I couldn't think of something big you'd want, so I got a bunch of small things," he explained.

"Thanks, Kai!" Lyra beamed. "I've never been given this much access to candy before. I've also never read a comic, but I feel like I'd like them."

"You haven't?" Jay, Kai, Basil, Marsha, and Lloyd gasped in sync.

"Nope." Lyra shrugged. "Never had the chance to."

"That's so sad," Basil murmured. Marsha nodded beside him.

"Anyways, next person?" Lyra suggested.

"Me!" Cole handed her a wrapped present. "If you don't like it, I'll take it."

It was a box of store-bought cupcakes with purple and orange icing. The label on the side said they were for Hallow's Eve. Now that Lyra thought about it, that holiday was only about a month away.

"They're the best quality," Cole promised. "They're not the only thing I got you, though."

He handed her a small card. Upon further inspection, Lyra realized it was a gift card to some bakery in Ninjago City.

"Best bakery in the world," he claimed. "I heard even the new princess likes it."

"Oh, which one?" Lyra asked.

The Emperor and Empress had recently adopted two girls. One was named Harumi and the other Delila. Delila was the oldest, making her the heir apparent, though, as far as Lyra could tell, they were both very sweet and fit to rule. There was some issue over Delila apparently having selective mutism, though others said she didn't, so Lyra wasn't quite sure what to believe. She kind of felt bad for the poor girl.

"Delila," Cole said. "Some people saw her going there a lot over the past few months. It brought the store a lot of recognition, which is all deserved, because it's really good."

Place fit for a princess, huh? Lyra thought. Interesting.

Lyra thanked Cole and turned to Skylor, who was shoving a huge wrapped gift at her.

"You'll love it," she promised when Lyra sent her a questioning look.

Lyra definitely did love it. "An electric keyboard?"

"Father never got you one. I always tried to make him give you one as a birthday present, but he always 'forgot'." Skylor used air quotes. "Anyways, there you go. Now you can learn it, just like you've always wanted."

Lyra crushed her sister in an embrace. "I love you so much."

"Love you too," Skylor whispered. "But I can't breathe. You've definitely gotten stronger over the past few weeks."

"It's the ninja training." Lloyd handed Lyra a green gift bag. "It tends to do that."

Lyra stared at the bag hanging from her hands, suddenly petrified of what the contents could be.

"It's not gonna bite," he promised, grinning.

Lyra slowly reached in, removed the tissue paper, and took a small bottle out.

"Froot Loops perfume," he explained. "You said you wanted one."

He remembered! Lyra's body felt like it was on fire as she grinned at her crush. I said it once as a throwaway comment, and he remembered! He pays attention to me!

"There's more," Lloyd continued.

Lyra pulled out a small case. She opened it up. There were eight knives, each one having a black handle and a silver blade. They were about a foot or so long.

"Throwing knives," Lloyd told her. "For distance attacks, since your daggers don't really do that."

Lyra, to everyone's surprise, threw her arms around the boy in a rush of emotion. "Thank you."

"No problem." Lloyd, who was frozen for a second, wrapped his arms around her frame. They were gentle and warm. "Happy birthday."

Lyra realized what she'd done and pulled away, cheeks red. "I--sorry--"

"Now that everyone's presents are done, I think it's time for cake," Skylor interrupted the awkward interaction, much to Lyra's relief.

"Cake!" Cole cheered.

"Wu has a present for you later," Lloyd said. "I think you'll really like it."

"I agree," Skylor told her while heading to the kitchen.

"He told you?" Kai asked. "I thought only we knew."

"How many people know about this?" Lyra frowned. "Am I the only one who doesn't?"

"We're just as confused as you," Jalin reassured, gesturing to herself and Sakura.

"He asked me if I thought it was a good idea," Skylor answered Kai from the kitchen. "I told him it was a great idea and he should've done it sooner."

"As fun as being kept in the dark about this surprise is, I believe you mentioned cake?" Lyra asked.

"Yup." Skylor came out with a small grocery bag. "It's in here."

She took a large box out of the bag and opened it up, lifting the cake out.

Lyra's jaw dropped as she scanned the cake. It was gorgeous. She couldn't believe how beautiful it was. The icing, which had many layers, ranged from white to pale purple. The cake itself had two tiers, with the number 16 at the very top in purple cardboard. It was dotted with paper butterflies and pearl sprinkles.

(just pretend it's a 16 instead of 18)

"That's the best cake I've ever seen," Cole breathed, staring at the dessert in awe.

"Me, too," Lyra agreed.

"It's the first cake I've ever seen, so it's technically the best one," Marsha commented. "But it looks so tasty!"

"Lyra," Basil murmured, tugging on her sleeve, "are you sure you want us eating it? It looks so fancy--"

"Of course I do," Lyra interjected, smiling softly at the boy. She put on a fancy, royal voice, "It'd be my honour for your first slice of cake to be mine, good sir."

Marsha giggled. "You sound like the soldiers when they talk to me. They try to be so formal, it's funny. Isn't that right, Silly?"

Does she call Basil Silly? That's such an adorable nickname. 

Basil nodded. "And once she leaves, they go back to cursing at each other."

"Lyra." Jay tapped her on the shoulder. "We have this tradition for birthdays..."

Lloyd handed her his katana. Lyra reluctantly took it, confused. "The birthday girl or boy cuts the cake with a katana."

"I've used a katana maybe ten times," Lyra deadpanned. "The poor cake is gonna be ruined."

"Lyra, your hands are freakishly steady," Skylor commented. "You'll be fine. Just wait until we sing the song first." She stuck a few candles in the top of the cake, next to the number 16. "Kai, would you do the honours?"

"It'd be my pleasure." Kai winked at Skylor then shot a blast of fire at the handles. Immediately, they ignited.

"Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to Lyra,
Happy birthday to you," everyone chorused. Even Marsha and Basil seemed to know the song.

Lyra blew on her candles. One stubbornly remained lit. It took three tries to get it to go out, much to her annoyance.

"Now you can cut it," Jalin told her, removing the candles before the wax could drip down on the frosting. She removed the butterflies along with it, placing them on the table beside her.

Lyra took a deep breath to calm her rising nerves before raising the katana and slowly, carefully cutting the cake. To her eternal relief, she only messed up one slice, which she promptly took for herself. She gave Marsha and Basil the smallest pieces, since they were children, and let everyone else fight for whichever slice they wanted while she grabbed a booth with the two Venomari.

Lyra glanced at the kids. They were both frozen in shock, spoons still in their mouths. "Hey, what's wr--"

"THIS IS SO GOOD!" Marsha exclaimed, shoveling more cake into her mouth. "I WANNA EAT THIS ALL DAY!"

"Yeah!" Basil agreed.

They're so innocent. Lyra's heart melted at the sight of the Serpentine enthusiastically digging into the cake. She took a bite.

"Oh my goodness, it's so good," she murmured. "You're right!"

Lloyd took a seat next to her. "Cole recommended the bakery," he explained. "It's the same one he gave you a giftcard for."

"I'm totally going there soon," Lyra decided, putting another spoonful in her mouth. 

"Yeah, we all love it."

The cake was done all too soon. Lyra checked the time. 4:00 o'clock.

"You two said you have to be back by dinnertime, right?" Lyra questioned.

"Yup," Marsha said.

"We should probably drop you off soon, then."

"Aww," Basil sighed, shoulders sinking. "No one will ever believe that we met you!"

Lyra looked around, trying to find anything that could help. Her eyes rested on the discarded paper butterflies from the cake. "Or..." She stood up and grabbed the butterflies. There were 16 in all, which couldn't have been a coincidence. "Watch this," she called to the Venomari, which had followed her over to the table.

She sprinkled them with her shimmering fairy dust. 

"Whoa," Basil breathed, watching as the paper came to life and surrounded him and Marsha. "So cool!"

Marsha giggled as one landed on her shoulder. "I love them!"

"Good, because you get to keep them," Lyra told them. "Eight for you and eight for Basil. They can understand what you say and let you teach them tricks!"

"Lie on the floor," Marsha ordered. The butterflies stared blankly.

"Listen," Lyra told them. Immediately, Marsha's eight butterflies fluttered to the floor, closed their wings, and laid down. "Obey whatever she says." She faced Basil's butterflies. "Listen to whatever he says."

The butterflies nodded and swarmed the boy, a cloud of purple and white. Three landed on his left shoulder, three on his right, and two atop his head.

"They're so cute," Basil cooed.

"Now everyone will believe you," Lyra said.

Lloyd smiled softly at his friend, his eyes velvet. "They're pretty."

The oh-so-familiar heat crept up Lyra's cheeks. "Thanks. You, too."

Did I just call him pretty? Lyra froze. Shit. 

"What?" Lloyd asked blankly. His face was the same shade as Lyra's, if not redder.

"What?" Lyra checked her watch. "Oh, it's 4:10 already. Time to walk Marsha and Basil home!" She grabbed the kids' hands and swiftly exited the store, internally cursing herself. Marsha snickered at her panic.

Lloyd followed her. "Wait, do you even know where to go?"

Lyra paused. "...No."

"Here, I'll show you." Lloyd grabbed Basil's hand and led the way up a street. "Don't worry, I already told everyone where we were going, since somebody left the restaurant with no explanation. Again."

"I wanted to get Marsha and Basil back as soon as possible," Lyra huffed.

"You sure about that?" Marsha asked, chortling. "Because to me, you seemed preeetty embarr--"

"Yep, I'm sure!" Lyra squeaked. "Oh, hey, an intersection. Where do we need to turn?"

"This way." Lloyd pointed left and quickly crossed the street, keeping Basil close.

Lyra held on to Marsha's hand tightly as she followed him. She'd never really been in traffic before. All the loud noises and smells were mildly overwhelming. 

Marsha stumbled over a loose rock and almost fell down. Lyra swiftly hauled her back up, noting how her vision was unfocused.

That's always a good thing, she deadpanned. 

"You okay?" Lyra asked when they'd safely made it across.

"Yup! I trip all the time. That one wasn't even bad," Marsha reassured, waving a hand in dismissal.

"Marsh, you need to be more careful." Basil shook his head.

"We're almost there," Lloyd announced. 

Good, Lyra thought. All the people around--aside from Lloyd and the Venomari--were colourful blurs. Don't know how much of this I can stand before running into someone.

"Aww," Basil sighed. "I really liked today."

Lyra pointed to his butterflies, which had settled on top of his head and arms. "You'll always have a reminder of it."

"I know, but I'll miss you," he frowned.

Lyra's heart twisted at the sight of the sad child. She stopped and knelt in front of him. His dark orange eyes were the only things she could see clearly. "Hey, we'll visit lots, okay? As long as the Serpentine are fine with it, that is."

"Of course we will be," Marsha piped up. "Grandpa's wanted to see you for so long! All the Serpentine love Lady Lyra."

"Uncle Skales wants to talk to you, too, and properly thank you," Basil added.

"Yeah, Lady Lyra, everyone loves you," Lloyd told her.

Lyra rose, a blush prominent on her cheeks. With the familiar flustered feeling came even worse vision. "W--well, in that case, I'll have to visit you all the time."

"Yay!" the children cheered. 

"We're here!" Lloyd told them.

Lyra glanced around--not that she could see anything. "Where exactly is here?"

Marsha pointed at a manhole cover that Lyra hadn't noticed earlier due to her sight issues. 

"Oh, right, you guys live underground."

Marsha pushed past Basil to be in the front. She scrambled down the hole, her friend right behind.

"They're so precious," Lyra murmured. A wave of colour passed through her eyes, and she grabbed on to Lloyd's arm to steady herself.

"You okay?" Lloyd glanced at her, his green eyes standing out as the only non-blurry thing on his face.

"Can't see that well," she admitted. "Again."

"Are you about to gain another aspect of your Element?" Lloyd asked.

"I don't think so. This has happened quite a few times without me even getting more power. I think it's just--"

"Hey, are you two coming?" Marsha yelled.

"Do you think you can make it down?"

"I'd be a coward if I didn't." Lyra grabbed the metal ladder rung. It was fairly stable. "See ya at the bottom."

"Lyra--" Lloyd yelped as the girl rushed to reach the bottom.

Lyra felt her feet touch solid ground. She squinted up, trying to see Lloyd in the bright light of the sun. "I'm fine!"

"You scared him so much," Basil snickered.

"You did," Lloyd grumbled, jumping off the ladder and landing beside Lyra. 

"Home is only a few turns away now," Marsha informed them.

"I can't see anything," Lloyd complained, following the Serpentine's lead.

"Here." Lyra stretched her hand out and allowed her power to escape her fingertips. It formed a glowing sphere in front of them, illuminating the area in a soft violet glow. Lyra blinked as her surroundings came into focus. "Oh, hey, I can see again."

"Do you need glasses?" Basil wondered, taking Lyra's hand and stepping into stride beside her.

"Actually, I never thought of that," Lyra admitted. "I might. But only sometimes? I dunno."

I'm gonna be the perfect 'nerd' stereotype, she realized. Red hair and glasses. Maybe I should get contacts. I bet they're better for battling, anyways.

"Dad says I might need glasses when I'm older, since he has them," Basil babbled.

"Oh, I didn't realize Serpentine also had vision issues," Lloyd commented.

"A lot of us do, actually," Marsha told him.

"Serpentine and humans are almost the exact same, other than a few physical aspects," Lyra murmured. "Serpentine are biologically stronger than most humans, due to their respective tribes' powers. In fact, the only people naturally stronger than them are Elemental Masters."

"That's why we were always taught to be wary of Elementals," Basil said. "That and because they entombed us for forty years."

"Yeah, sorry about that. That was all my father's doing," Lyra admitted. "He played both sides of the war."

"You and your other ancestors made up for it, though," Marsha reassured.

"Like your mom! She did the best to make sure we'd all be comfortable in our homes," Basil told her. "She even let Dad stay with Mom and the Hypnobrai!"

"I remember you saying that," Lyra said. She exhaled. "I've heard she was a wonderful woman."

"Yeah, but she was terrifying in battle, apparently," Basil told her. "My father said he was scared senseless when he had to face her. His mouth was so dry, he couldn't even use his venom!"

"She never killed anyone, though," Marsha said. "Only wounded to the point where they couldn't fight anymore."

I wish I could be like her. Kind but fierce, brave but caring. I'm just...a kid who was forced into this.

"My father told me she was a sweet kid," Lloyd added, nudging Lyra as if he knew what she was thinking. "And she was only nine or ten when the war started."

Nevermind, she was also a kid forced into battle. 

"We're here!" Marsha sang, pushing two huge, stone double-doors open.

The hollowed-out cave was beautiful in an eerie way. The ground was covered in moss so thick, it felt like grass. A stone path was carved into the ground, with the old Ninjagolian symbol for Serpentine engraved in a pattern of gold and silver on each slab. Stalagmites were covered in glowing, orange and black crystals, while black stalactites hung from the ceiling. They emitted a pale, blueish green glow. Upon further inspection, Lyra realized that they, too, had crystals, though these ones were all shades of green and blue.

Green crystals were placed on top of poles. They were spaced evenly apart on the sides of the pathway, mimicking street lamps. Soft, earthen moss crept up the edges of everything, causing the entire area to look lush and green. Serpentine were talking amongst themselves a bit farther ahead, in the part of the cave where no stalactites or stalagmites touched. 

To the side, a few children were playing a game similar to soccer, but with a rock instead of a soccer ball and two pools of water instead of nets.

"Marsha!" A female Venomari with bright emerald scales and black, heart-shaped patterns ran up to the group. "Are you okay? What about you, Basil?" She peeled off their bandages and inspected their bruises.

"We're fine, Mom," Marsha promised, waving her away. "And we found some friends!"

"Why are there humans here?" a nearby Fangpyre child cried. "Is there war again?"

The closest Serpentine formed a semicircle around them, whispering and muttering things Lyra couldn't quite catch.

"No!" Lyra shouted, putting her hands up in a placating gesture. "Marsha and Basil just got lost and we helped them get back!"

"And got us butterflies," Basil added, gesturing to the paper animals flying around the area.

"Why would you do that?" a Hypnobrai questioned. "You're humans!"

"Don't you recognize them? Can't you smell her?" a familiar-looking Constrictai hissed. "That's Lady Lyra and the Green Ninja!"

Lyra stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out where she knew the woman from. Then it hit her: she was one of the Constrictai from Jamanakai village! Her wounds were no longer bandaged and hadn't even left a scar, thankfully. The Serpentine grinned back at Lyra, waving slightly.

"That's us," Lloyd said, moving a bit closer to Lyra. He appeared to shrink a small amount.

He's scared of them, Lyra realized. I guess he hasn't exactly had the best encounters with Serpentine before.

Lyra gently poked Lloyd in the hip until he looked up. She sent him a reassuring smile and slid her hand into his. He smiled back, gripping onto her hand tightly.

"Thank you so much for helping my son, Lady Lyra," a female Hypnobrai hissed, pushing her way to the side of the female Venomari. She had royal blue scales, gold hands, and gold accents. White, diamond-shaped scales running in vertical lines formed on her face. "Why is he hurt?"

That must be Sapphiraa, Lyra thought. And the Venomari is... actually, I'm not sure what her name is.

"A woman attacked them," Lyra explained. "We stopped her, but not before she got a few hits with her purse."

"It doesn't hurt anymore," Basil reassured. "And we got ICE CREAM! And CAKE! And BUTTERFLIES!"

"What's this 'cake'?" the Venomari asked. She shook Lyra and Lloyd's hands. "I'm Esmelda, by the way. Marsha's mother."

"Cake is a human dessert," Lloyd told her. "We had it for Lyra's birthday party."

"Yeah, we got invited to a human party," Marsha bragged.

"We thank you so much for entertaining our children and scaring off that woman," Sapphiraa murmured, too quiet for the kids to hear. "Not all humans are used to the idea of living alongside our species. I'm glad we have people like you two to help us. Especially you, Lady Lyra. We've all heard the tales of your bravery and how many times you and your ancestors have assisted us."

"What exactly did my ance--" Lyra started.

"I'm sorry for the whole 'trying to control you' thing," Lloyd blurted. "I really--"

"All has been forgiven, Green Ninja," Sapphiraa reassured. "You did not even harm us, as most would have done when you had as much power over our tribe as you did. You merely got us to steal candy, which was quite amusing. Plus, you were only a child back then."

Lloyd's posture sunk at least an inch as he grinned at the Hypnobrai. "Thanks."

"No, thank you," Esmelda interjected. "On behalf of my father, General Acidicus, who is out right now, the Venomari welcome you to visit us whenever you wish."

"And, on behalf of all of the Serpentine," a new voice announced, "you may visit at any point in time." The new Hypnobrai gave Lloyd a once-over. "As long as Lady Lyra is with you."

He had dark blue scales the same shade as Sapphiraa's. His highlights were a dark yellow, and he had blade-shaped white patterns spaced evenly from each other. The thing that made him look so different from the other Serpentine was his long tail. It spanned at least five feet, forcing other Serpentine to move away to give it space.

"General Skales." Lyra moved to bow, but the Hypnobrai put out a hand to stop her.

"No, there's no need to bow. If anything, I should be bowing. You and your family have done so much for our species. You truly are the saviour of the Serpentine. Thank you for keeping my nephew and his friend safe." Skales gestured to Basil and Marsha, who were talking to a small Hypnobrai that looked like a mini-Skales but with legs instead of a tail. "And Clay, Asola, and Lissk."

Clay, Asola, and Lissk must've been the Constrictai from Jamanakai.

Lyra blushed. "It really just is common sense to keep children safe."

"It should be, but it isn't," Skales corrected. "At least, it doesn't seem to be. Our kind has been attacked countless times on the surface. All we are trying to do is peacefully coexist with the humans, but it is difficult."

"We'll do our best to stop things like that from happening," Lloyd promised.

"Sure," Skales snorted. "As if the ninja care. Lady Lyra, how did you end up hanging around with this boy? You know, he once stole all the candy from an entire village. He is probably not a good influence."

"Skaly, the ninja have saved the world multiple times," Sapphiraa scolded. "Especially Lloyd. He's the Green Ninja. He's the one who--"

"Yes, yes, I know what he's done." Skales waved a hand in dismissal. "Still not a fan."

"I'm living with the ninja," Lyra answered the Serpentine leader's previous question. "And training with them."

"I suppose I can't deny they'll be good at teaching you," Skales admitted. "But if you ever get tired of them, you'll always have a home here."

Lyra bowed her head. "Thank you. And if you ever need a safe space up on the surface--or if you just need to contact us--go to Chen's noodle house and ask for me or my sister, Skylor. I'll tell them to listen to Serpentine. They're already under orders to be open to anyone who visits, no matter their looks."

"Yes, I have heard they are hospitable there," Skales said. "I will keep your offer in mind. 

"Thank you for your endless kindness, my lady," Esmelda added.

Lyra flushed. Endless? I don't really think so.

Lloyd disguised his snickers as a cough. "Well, I think we have to get going. Thanks for...um, not killing us, I guess?"

Lyra rolled her eyes at her friend. "I'll see you later, Marsha and Basil!"

The two kids ran up to her and hugged her.

"Do you have to go?" Marsha asked.

"Yeah, you should just stay here with us!" Basil said.

Lyra chuckled. "I've gotta go. You always have those butterflies, though."

"Yeah, Junior thinks they're really cool," he gushed.

"Junior?" Lyra wondered.

"My son, Skales Junior," Skales explained. "We call him Junior for short, as having two Skaleses gets confusing."

"Makes sense." Lyra hugged the two children one more time and waved to Skales Junior. "Good bye."

"Bye!" the three kids chorused.

Lyra and Lloyd exited the cave, closing the huge doors behind them. 

"That was probably the best interaction I've had with Skales," Lloyd admitted after a while of walking in silence.

"Really? What were your other interactions like?" 

"Well, he tied me to an icicle once," he said. "Another time, he, Pythor, and the other Serpentine leaders tried to kill all of us. Then...well, let's just say we aren't really fans of each other."

Lyra waved to an awestruck Fangpyre they passed. "He seemed civil enough."

"Yeah, that's probably because of you. They all worship you or something," Lloyd chuckled. "Also, what was Marsha talking about earlier? Something about you being embarrassed?"

Lyra thought back to the conversation they'd had when they left the noodle house. She'd been flustered because she called Lloyd pretty, and Marsha called her out on it. "Oh!" she squeaked. "Nothing!"

The walk back was a short, quiet, and awkward one. When they entered the restaurant, Wu and Misako were there.

"Ah, Lyra!" Wu greeted. He had a gift bag in his hand. "I have a birthday present for you."

"Is this the surprise everyone was talking about earlier?" Lyra wondered. She let go of Lloyd's hand, which she hadn't even realized she was holding, to take the bag.

"Part of it," Misako told her.

"Only part of it?" Cole wondered. "I thought it was just--"

"There's another part that's a surprise for all of you," Wu announced. "In fact, Skylor is the only one who knows about it."

"The paperwork came in?" Skylor asked. "That's earlier than I expected."

"Yes, well, people seem to believe the ninja are always in a rush, so they tend to prioritize us," Misako explained.

"Lucky," Skylor muttered. "I'm still trying to get all our construction paperwork done. It's annoying." 

"I could always help," Lyra offered. "I do still technically co-own the restaurants."

"No, you just do your saving-the-world stuff, because that's more important," Skylor waved her off.

"Anyways, are you ever gonna open the gift?" Jay asked. "We've been waiting over an hour for you to get back!"

Lyra chuckled as she reached into the bag. She had to admit she was intrigued. What sort of surprise would Sensei Wu have in store for her?

She pulled out a folded item of clothing. Her heart raced as she noticed the fabric type.

Is this what I think it is? 

She unfolded it. It was, in fact, what she thought it'd be: a ninja gi. It was styled a bit differently than the other ninja's uniforms, and appeared to have lighter, stretchier fabric.

"Wait--does this mean--" Lyra had to refrain from squealing. Even though happiness endorphins had been rushing around her all day, her excitement was officially at an all-time high.

"Lyra Soun-Chen, as the ninja's Sensei, I would like to officially ask if you would do us the honour of joining the ninja force? Upon agreeing, you are swearing not only to look out for all of Ninjago, but also your team," Wu warned. "Of course, there will be the ninja rules, or 'code,' that you must follow. It's quite simple: A ninja never leaves another ninja behind, a ninja never quits, and, most importantly, a ninja never kills. There are a few other aspects, but those are the main ones. The one that can never be broken in any situation is the last one, as I'm sure you know. But none of those should be an issue for you. Now, will you accept?"

"I--of co--uh--y--" Lyra was struggling to form sentences.

"Just say yes," Cole offered after a few pitiful seconds of Lyra's stuttering.

"Yes!"

Everyone in the room but Lyra cheered, though there were a few chuckles at her inability to speak.

"As the team's leader, welcome to the squad!" Lloyd exclaimed from behind Lyra.

She turned to face him. His eyes were more vivid than she'd ever seen, and their swirling vortexes of changing shades were slower than usual, allowing her to discern each colour before it was whisked away and replaced with a new one.

Lyra wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tightly and inhaling his scent. He did the same. For a moment, all she could perceive was his presence, his hug enveloping her senses and taking over her mind--not to mention her heart. It was fluttering like crazy, threatening to leap out of her chest and hug the boy, as well.

"Hey, I want a hug," Skylor whined, breaking whatever spell Lloyd had cast on Lyra.

She pushed Lloyd away and embraced her sister, who was--weirdly enough--shaking.

Lyra felt something wet drip down her shoulder, right where Skylor's head was. "Are you...crying?"

"Just allergies," Skylor sniffed. 

But she doesn't have any?

Sakura and Jalin rushed to join the hug.

"You're growing so quickly," Sakura murmured, not bothering to wipe away her tears.

Jalin wiped her tears for her. "It feels like just yesterday when we were told you'd been born."

"Wait, you remember that day?" Lyra escaped the hug. "How? Weren't you, like, two? A year older than Sky?"

"No." Sakura blinked. "We were five."

Lyra couldn't believe her ears. "You're five years older than me?"

"We thought you knew!" Jalin burst into a fit of laughter. "Do we really look 18?"

"Kinda," Skylor admitted. "I didn't even realize you guys were older. I thought you were my age."

"No, we're 21," Sakura said.

"Wait, you were working for Chen when you were five?" Lyra frowned.

"Our families owed him. He decided to train us as Kabuki to repay the debt," Jalin explained. "They apologized when we found them about a month ago. We don't blame them, though."

"Are your families close?" Zane wondered.

"Yes, very close. Probably because our--" Sakura paused as Jalin elbowed her. "Oh, nevermind."

Lyra made a mental note to ask her what she was going to say later. The two were screaming at her via their eyes not to call attention to how suspicious they were acting.

"Anyways, Lyric, are you gonna try your uniform on?" Nya asked. 

Lyra, startled at someone other than Jay using that nickname, took a moment to reply. "...Oh. Yeah, I should probably do that."

She went to the staff bathroom, which was much nicer than the public one, and quickly changed. The fabric, as she'd noticed before, was light and breathable, but very stretchy and tough. It was primarily black, with bright violet straps and silver buckles. The belt was also violet, though a shade or two darker.

Lyra grinned at her reflection. Not too bad. The purple made her eyes look almost indigo, not that she minded.

"Whoa," Skylor breathed when she stepped out of the bathroom. "You look badass."

Everyone else had similar reactions. Lloyd's face was as red as Chen's face normally was, something Lyra didn't fail to notice.

Maybe he does like me, she thought, making eye contact and admiring his green eyes again. He certainly blushes a lot. But maybe he just gets embarrassed a lot? I gotta be sure before I do anything about my own crush on him.

Not that Lyra knew what she'd do about it. Ask him out? Confess and hope he didn't laugh in her face? Both? 

"Here." Jalin handed her her dagger belt and throwing knives, which she'd left on the table.

Lyra accepted them with a smile, tucking the throwing knives into spots made for them on her gi. She frowned at the Jade Blades. The gold and green really didn't match the aesthetic. The ruby in the centre didn't help, either. She didn't want to change the design, though, because she felt it symbolized where she'd come from.

"Don't like them anymore?" Sakura guessed. "We came prepared."

She unzipped her pink backpack and took two daggers out of it. It took Lyra a moment to realize where she recognized it from. It was her first design concept for the Jade Blades. One of the ones that Chen denied.

The handles were made out of amethyst, while the pommel and cross-guards were deepstone, a rare black jewel mined from the bottom of the Endless Sea. The word Life was engraved in rose gold on both sides of one of them, while Death was on the other. The handles were pure steel, and a jade was embedded close to the cross-guard on each one.

"I can't believe you two kept the blueprints for this," Lyra breathed. "Out of the three designs I made, this one was my favourite."

"It was everyone else's favourite, too," Jalin said. "Except Chen."

"And Clouse," Sakura added. "Because he always agreed with him."

Lyra traded out her old Jade Blades for the new ones. "Anyone want the old Blades?"

"We'll each take one," Jalin offered, grabbing one of them and letting Sakura take the other.

"Why does her gi look different?" Cole wondered. 

"Hers is mostly black, while ours are each our respective colours," Zane added.

"That's a part of the surprise. I'll explain at the Bounty," Wu promised.

"Wait, I thought you said you didn't know about me becoming a ninja," Lyra faced Skylor. "Why'd you make these?"

"We lied," Jalin admitted.

"Fair enough."

"If everyone is done now, shall we return to the Bounty for the surprise?" Wu asked.

"One sec." Lyra hugged Jalin, Sakura, and Skylor tightly. "I'll miss you three so much. We really need to visit soon."

Sakura handed her a napkin. "Here are our numbers, as well as our addresses."

Lyra glanced at the words. "You guys live in Stiix? Right next to each other?"

"We each live with our parents, now, and they're neighbours," Jalin explained. "Anyways, we'll see you later!"

"Don't bother with trying to clean up," Skylor told everyone. "Some kids spray painted the walls of the bathroom at Central, so their community service is to clean each noodle house at night."

Lyra snickered. Cleaning up used to be her job. "I almost feel bad for them."

~*~

"Sensei, what was the surprise you were talking about?" Zane voiced everyone's question.

They were standing on the Bounty's deck. Wu had just handed out everyone their new gi, and they all looked amazing. Lloyd in particular, not that Lyra noticed. The dark fabric made his freckles pop out more, strangely enough.

"Ah, yes. That," Wu pointed down at a small building below their ship, "is my new tea shop. We'll be living there from now on."

The ninja, Wu, Misako, and Nya crowded around the side of the deck as the ship's autopilot began to land beside the shop. It wasn't as small as Lyra initially thought. It had a giant teapot at the top, and a large yard, as well as an area for the Bounty. For whatever reason, it was settled on a huge hill surrounded by mountains. However, there were steps leading to the top, as well as a road, so it wasn't totally inaccessible to the public.

"Finally, no more seasickness!" Cole cheered. "Or airsickness? I dunno, but it'll finally be gone!"

Another change in homes so quickly? Lyra had just gotten used to the Destiny's Bounty. 

"Our rooms will still be on the Bounty for now, though," Misako informed them. "Until we can build some more for everyone."

Nevermind, not another change in homes. Just a change in scenery. Instead of endless sky, the background was a forest, a lake, and, in the distance, a village.

Lyra found herself staring into Lloyd's eyes again. He grinned at her, and she grinned right back. You know what, who cares where I live? As long as I'm with the ninja--with my team--I'm at home.

Above, the wind mercilessly beat at the ship's sails. It was cold and brutal, just like its Master. It tried to reach the girl, to warn her of what would happen. She was the only one who had a chance of understanding it.

However, something held it back and forced it to continue on, as if the end of the world hadn't just started.

We're about to start Possession! I'm so excitedd

Word count: 7k 

I was gone for a bit because of exams but I'm back!! I did weirdly amazing on them too and I'm so proud of myselff

QOTD: Do y'all like painting your nails? If so, what's your go-to colour

A: I love it but I'm too lazy to do it often. I usually use blue or black

Please do comment and vote because it really does help with motivation and motivation=writing often

Don't forget to tell me if you notice any grammar/spelling errors! I don't find it rude at all, just very helpful. I was too lazy to edit this chapter more than two times, so it's very possible that there are some typos I missed

Remember to drink water, eat food, and get an appropriate amount of sleep for your age please<3

~Aspen