to rule the world | a ninjago au

[25] the aterasu wind duo

amelie

The wind sang to her. It was a pretty little song, the beat was lively and jaunty, her feet tapped along to it unconsciously. To her right sat Ray and Maya, on her left, Lily and Arianna. Most of the other elemental masters were distributed out in the ranks holding their own weapons. Her nodachi was bobbing up and down on a wave of invisible air, much to the interest of the soldiers around them. This was one fight of many to come, but Amelie never got sick of watching people marvel at their powers.

It was especially important now, more than ever, that she and the wind could dance to the same song in battle. The Stone Army were powerful enemies - indestructible, really, if you didn't have elemental powers. Even then, it was hard to concentrate fully on taking out one when ten were surrounding you. Wu and Monty were almost always frowning or planning, trying to stay one step ahead of their enemies. But when your enemies can withstand a plan until your forces are broken and beaten, it's hard.

"Amelie, the left flank is uncovered. Maya is on the right, will you be able to handle that?" Wu approached Amelie with his staff in his hands, frowning deeply. "We're spread thin as it is already."

"I can handle it," she said confidently. "Any news from the scouts?"

"Nothing. The Army's forces are approaching as we predicted, but the mountain range makes it difficult to navigate on both sides."

"If only we knew who bears the Helmet of Shadows." Amelie said carefully, watching Wu's expression. He blinked away from her brown eyes momentarily, and that was enough for her. The other bits and pieces of evidence were stuffed into her journal in her saddle bag. She just had to get to Monty at some point and show him the evidence before anything got worse.

"It is a shame," Wu replied, hands twitching for something invisible. "The bearer is obviously quite smart with how they are evading our forces."

Amelie coughed out a scoff of incredulity. What a narcissistic, ego-stroking traitor. There was no way their airtight plans were somehow being guessed by the Army's generals; even the Alliance's own soldiers didn't know the full battle plan an hour before the fight. So when Amelie had suspected it was a mole, a spy, she'd done a little digging, some observing.

She, nor Lily, had ever seen Wu in battle. Lily was her best friend since primary school, the person Amelie could trust no matter what. When she told Lily of her suspicions, her best friend had agreed somewhat hesitantly, adding her own observations. Wu and Monty had corralled them together after all, and they still couldn't figure out what he could gain from this.

Amelie suspected Wu had the Helmet of Shadows.

o o o

"Stay outside, alright?"

Morro crouched down to six-year old level and gently took away the wooden stick of Harvey's ice cream, throwing it into the garbage cans out front. Harvey looked away from Morro, nodded finally, and sat down on the front porch.

"Remember what I taught you?

Harvey nodded again, still twisted away from Morro. He was probably mad Morro had forced him to stay up so late - the moon was yawning beams of soft white and silver across the dark sky. The kid had crumbs from a pastry still around his mouth. The cart owner had looked at Morro and Harvey oddly like he couldn't quite believe his eyes. When Morro handed over a fat wad of cash, however, he looked away and went back to calling out his prices.

Alba Sloan lived at 404 Yellensawn Street, with bushes outside of her two-story house and an old, beaten up blue car in her driveway.

Morro knocked on the blue door, lowering the cap on his head. There was the sound of cursing and a pot crashing to the floor. He hadn't hoped for her to be awake. Maybe it would have been better if she was asleep; a sign that this was a bad idea. The reporter peered through the eyehole, and the blue door opened.