Unscripted | Ninjago AU

Chapter 8

*3 years earlier*

Zane's POV

"So then I was like,'Why the heck is epitome pronounced ih-pit-oh-me and not ep-pi-tome' you know? Like why do words have to be pronounced so weird?" Jay rests his arm against his parent's in-house bar. He sucks chocolate milk through a straw up to his mouth, opting for the sweet beverage as opposed to trying to sneak a glass of wine from said in-house bar.

"I am unsure. Perhaps someone felt the need to be creative?" I propose.

"That's dumb though. The whole English language is dumb," he loudly groans before his eyes enlarge. "Uh oh, someone just spilled wine on my mom's expensive rug. Aaaah, I need to deal with that," he jolts upwards, briskly parting the crowd to reach the culprit.

Tonight is Jay's party that precedes the first day of shooting for "Ninjago". All previous and upcoming cast members are invited to mingle and meet one another. Jay claims that it "fosters a friendly environment" due to the fact that it provides adequate time for people to bond.

Every party, the guest list grows due to the accumulation of the old and new cast members. By the time we reach season 7, the season we're currently signed until, the room is going to be bustling. While Jay has already traversed the room and talked with every person here, I am yet to talk to anyone that I did not know prior to tonight. Social situations are not my forte.

"May I please have a glass of Martinelli's?" a delicate voice asks from beside me. Turning my head, I locate the owner of the voice. She is short and petite with long, blonde hair that cascades down her back. Her skin is fair, her eyes a glistening green comparable to Lloyd's. Donning a purple sundress, she smiles at the bartender as he hands her the glass of sparkling apple cider. She is standing directly beside me.

However, as she turns to leave the bar, her foot catches the carpet resting below our feet. Tripping, she accidentally saturates the front of my sky blue button up with the beverage before the glass hits the ground, splintering into hundreds of miniscule shards. The people surrounding us jump away.

"I am very sorry. I can clean this up right away," she immediately apologizes. Her eyebrows furrow with worry, a frown finding its way to her lips.

"I can help. It was an accident. I will go collect the broom, dustpan, and vacuum. Just ensure that no one steps on the fragments," I formulate a plan. She nods, so I go to the back of the bar. Jay stored the cleaning supplies there because he assumed that they would be in high demand tonight. His assumption was correct.

When I return, the girl is standing with her hands behind her back. "Would you like me to sweep or hold the dustpan?"

"I can hold the dustpan."

As I squat to position the dustpan, she gently sweeps the debris into it. Once it is completely inside, I hand the dustpan to the bartender to dispose of.

"I can vacuum. I was the one who created the mess," she offers.

"It is alright. You are a guest. I frequently am here," I inform her, not allowing a guest to clean up the mess.

"Thank you. You are Zane, correct?" she asks me as I plug the vacuum into the nearest outlet.

"Yes, and you?"

"I am Pixie. Would you care to converse after you are completed? We are going to be spending a lot of time together this season, and it would be pleasing to know you beforehand," she asks, making a small smile appear on my face. Perhaps I will meet someone new tonight.