Master of the Mountain (Cole x oc)

Shintaro

It had been another busy weekday at the noodle shop. Most of the lights inside were turned off as Skylor and I closed up. We chatted about the day and swapped stories about creep customers. We were both caught off guard by a knock at the door.

"We're closed!" I yelled, and returned to my mopping, but the knocking persisted. After a few minutes, Skylor marched over to the door to chase off the stubborn customer.

"Lloyd!"

I dropped my mop and walked over to the door.

"Hi guys," Lloyd said in a hushed voice, "Mind if I come in?"

"Sure," Skylor answered, and held the door for him. He took a seat at one of the booths and we joined him.

"We got a strange letter today. An invitation to the birthday of the princess of Shintaro. No one has set foot on the floating islands in years and it's a rare occasion for outsiders to be invited."

"Wait, you mean the Ivory City?" Skylor exclaimed. "I thought that place was only a legend!"

"We did too," Lloyd continued, "But something feels off about the whole thing. No one ever hears from the kingdom. And I mean, yeah, we're the ninja, so it would maybe make sense for us to be invited, but still. I have a gut feeling that something is wrong. I think it would be really cool to go, and Sensei has been acting weird lately and he needs to get out. Celine, would you come with us? None of us know what to expect and we could use your healing teas."

"Would that be allowed?" I questioned, "You just got done saying that it's rare for outsiders to be invited..."

"Please," Lloyd implored, "You would be really helpful. And like I said, something doesn't feel right, and I know you're good at finding things out. Besides, I don't think the king would mind one more person."

"If you're sure..."

"Absolutely."

Once Lloyd left Skylor shooed me out of the shop. "You need to pack! Now get out before I drag you out myself!"

I laughed at her reaction, "Ok geez. It's really not that big of a deal."

"Yeah, you're only going to visit the Ivory Kingdom!"

"I really could care less about that. I'm only going because Lloyd asked me to."

"Yeah, sure. I'm positive there's not a certain ninja you want to be around," Skylor joked, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"You sound like a middle schooler!" I countered.

She stuck her tongue out at me, "Just get home safe and get ready. I want to hear all about this when you get home."

When I arrived home I pulled out my duffel bag and threw in some clothes, hoping that the weather would be similar to the mainland. I also grabbed a few bags of tea. There was no telling what the situation could turn out to be. After mixing up a few teas, I took a quick shower and packed a few toiletries. Lloyd said he would come by at first light to take me back to the monastery. I rolled into bed, setting my alarm for 4, and fell asleep.

The blaring of my alarm pulled me from sleep. I sat up and rubbed my eyes as I turned my alarm off. Throwing on jeans and a t-shirt, I pulled together a few more belongings that may come in handy, made myself some coffee, and waited for Lloyd. Within a few minutes, there was a small knock at the door. Grabbing my bag and tugging on a sweatshirt, I opened the door.

"Good morning," he smiled, "All ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," I replied half-heartedly. "Are you sure it's okay that I'm coming along? What will the others think? Do they even know you asked me to come?"