Ninjago NG Book 2: Dark Mysteries

2: Dancing Dilemmas

Paige and the others were standing in a semi-circle when Seth came out. He shoved his hands in his pockets while the cool breeze rustled his wet hair. A slight shiver ran down his spine as he stared over Homura's shoulder watching Paige as she held a thick manila piece of paper with swirly handwriting written on it.

"It is an honor to be invited. Only those who have helped with the prosperity of Ninjago are invited to Cyrus Borg's annual party," Paige explained as she continued to read the invitation. Apparently, her father and mother had kept the teenagers being invited under the rug, but it did make sense. Pixal was one of Cyrus Borg's inventions; it would be expected for her daughter and the rest of her ninja team to be invited. They also slowed Adekave's invasion down and kept the city safe for the time being.

Karl and Brook were starry-eyed. Karl had only dreamed of attending one of Cyrus Borg's parties. He had also thought that even if he did good for Ninjago City, he wouldn't be considered "important" enough to receive the invite, so this came as a shock to the matter wielder. Brook bounced with energy, wanting to run and call his parents and tell them, but he waited to see what Homura and Seth decided.

Homura stepped away, slightly startled when she felt Seth resting his head on her shoulder. Seth just raised an eyebrow at her. She ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head to herself. A party meant there was a dance, especially since it was a formal party. That also meant she would have to look like a doll, and she hated that. It made her want to vomit. Makeup, ribbons and fancy updos, the works... but the worst thing she absolutely despised were the dresses. Those stupid things hindered her mobility if she ever needed to fight at a moment's notice, and the heels, oh, that was the nail in the coffin.

"Man! I hope we can go, what do you say Seth? Homura?" Brook and Karl both asked, jumping up and down simultaneously. Homura turned, catching Seth's eye and shaking her head no, but Seth responded with a cheeky grin before clearing his throat. Homura sighed, not liking where this was going.

"It sounds like a great idea! When is the dance, Paige?" Seth asked the nindroid. Paige looked down at the invitation, taking a moment to skim the letter for the date.

"The eighteenth of December. That gives us precisely two weeks to get ready," She responded, gently placing the piece of paper back into the envelope. Brook and Karl quickly shared a smile as they dashed to their room, already putting together something nice to wear for the event that was still a couple of weeks out. Paige turned, seeing her friend who had stepped away, and mumbled to herself. Paige handed the invitation off to Seth and approached the fire wielder. "Homura, is something wrong?" Paige asked.

Homura popped her head up from where she had it buried within her hands. "That party... T-there is a dance, isn't there?" she whispered. Her words were at such a low decibel that Paige had to take a moment to tune herself to pick up what she was saying. Wordlessly, Paige placed a reassuring hand on Homura's shoulder.

"Of course. There always has been. ...Can you not dance?" Paige whispered back. Homura's gaze diverted to the side and nodded her head sheepishly, as a light blush dusted her cheeks. Paige looked over at Seth, who seemed to be at a loss reading the invitation. "...Or are you afraid of having him ask you to the dance?"

"Maybe," Homura admitted, "I just don't do well with large amounts of people knowing who you are and wanting to follow you around all the time." The fire wielder fiddled with her hair anxiously. Paige nodded and took notice as Brook appeared in the training yard once again. The lightning wielder conversed quietly with Seth before he began to meet with Paige and Homura.

"Hey guys, sorry to interrupt your conversation, but..." Brook cleared his throat, "Paige, since this party typically involves dancing and stuff...would you, uh," he placed a hand on his neck as he fumbled around with his words. Paige waited patiently until Brook began to talk again. She already had a hunch about what he was going to say. "W-would you like to be my date to Cyrus Borg's party?"