Legends of Ninjago: Book 3: The Four Fangs

Chapter 14: Choice Words

((Hey there, real quick I wanted to let you all know about why my posting schedule has been kinda all over the place recently, lol. Simply put, it's the Holiday Season! The most busy time of year! So if I don't post a chapter one week, or it's very late, that probably just means I have gotten very distracted baking pies, being forced to socialise, cleaning, or just trying to regain hours of lost sleep. Rest assured, that after January 3rd, this craziness should subside. In the meantime, go be with your families and friends and enjoy yourselves this holiday season! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or whatever you celebrate this time of year, and a Happy New Year to you all! ❤️))

There wasn't much they could do about the Hypnobrai besides monitor them, except Cole of course, who didn't want to be anywhere near those snakes right now. Instead, he waited in a corner of the back stage area where it was slightly quieter and tried to center himself. To focus on what he needed to do. They would be up to perform again soon.
Someone came over and stood next to him.
"How are you feeling, Cole?" Liu asked gently.
"Better," he replied, but he wasn't entirely sure if he meant it. "Just trying to get my head in the game."
Liu nodded thoughtfully and Cole watched the older man from the corner of his eye. There would be no telling what could happen within the next two rounds, and the reality of the Serpentine's presence not only put the mission in danger, it put his father in danger. After everything Liu had done for him these past few weeks... didn't he owe him the truth? At least somewhat? He clinched his jaw and fiddled with cuff of his sleeve.
"Hey, Dad?" Liu looked up at him, and Cole could only face the ground. "There's something... I think I need to tell you..."
He swallowed and opened his mouth, but then a sudden hand on his shoulder made him stop. Liu was smiling at him. "It's alright. I know."
"You do?" Cole asked, very surprised. How could he possibly know about the ninja training and the elemental powers and everything? Unless Wu told him maybe?
"Yes. And I love you too," Liu went on, his moustache wrinkled by his tight smile. "You're mother loves you too."
Cole's eyes dropped to the floor again and he nodded in a defeated sort of way. Of course his father didn't know. He was too busy traveling and performing to notice. Of course he didn't know.
"Thanks, Dad," he said quickly, still not entirely sure if he meant it.
About halfway into the second round, Spin Harmony was called into the waiting area. As they stood there, all anyone could think about were the Hypnobrai who were hiding somewhere up above them in the stage lights. It was lucky for them that they were immune to their hypnotic powers, or else they'd be done for. Cole felt his stomach squirm as he lamented the fact that he was the only one who was not so protected protected from their attack. Letting Scales into his head was the worst decision he had ever made, and he was still paying for it. Someday soon, however, he was hoping he could return the favour.
So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, least ways not to the audience, and they'd have to keep it that way if they hoped to ever get their hands on that trophy. The show needed to go on.
"Cole?" Ann suddenly asked next to him. He stole his courage and looked straight at her. She seemed uncomfortable. Was she still nervous about performing?
"What's up?" He whispered.
"I was thinking about something," she said slowly. "Your dad... what he said about my singing... it would help us a lot if I could sing the way he was talking about, right?"
Cole thought for a moment. His dad could be a little nuts sometimes, but he usually had impeccable judgment when it came to singing. Whatever it was he had tried to teach her was probably worth trying.
"Do you think you can do it?" He asked, watching her fingers idly fidget with themselves.
"I'm not sure..." she replied. "Your father said that I needed to feel the emotions of the song, but I've never..." she broke off and for a moment it almost seemed like her cheeks were flushing under her mask. "Have you ever been in love?"
Cole felt his whole body go rigid as she stared up at him with bigger eyes than he ever thought possible. She was earnestly asking a question, looking for an intelligent answer, but there was scarcely a coherent thought to be found in Cole's mind at the moment.
"Uh—um—well," he stammered, feeling very warm all of a sudden. Darn it, what should he say? "I might have..." he eventually mumbled.
"What's it like?"
He took a breath and stared at her, standing there looking like an angel. His heart was jumping in his chest, his hands felt sweaty, and his stomach felt almost nauseous. But she was perfect.
"It's beautiful," he whispered.
Ann turned away, her eyes studying a million private thoughts as they swirled around inside her mind. He swallowed one more time as he reminded himself that he couldn't afford to get distracted. They needed to win, not gaze into each other's eyes. He could do this.
The curtain dropped on the group in front of them and it was time.
Everyone took their places, a bit more confidently this time, and waited patiently for the announcer to introduce them again. Cole stole a glance up above him, but it was too dark to see anything, least of all a Serpentine. He decided not to let his eyes linger, though, just in case they were up there, waiting for a chance to steal his mind. The very thought of it sent this nasty feeling through his nervous system.
"Hey," Ann whispered suddenly, drawing his attention. "Right hand at my waist, my hand in yours. I'll follow your lead."
Cole breathed even harder and tried not to smile too broadly. He could do this. They could do this. With their arms locked into place, confident stage smiles at the ready, the curtains rose, the lights blinded them, and the music began to play.
"You're walking along the street or you're at a party," they both sang, circling around each other, while the others mirrored them in the background. "Or else you're alone and then you suddenly dig! You're looking in someone's eyes, you suddenly realise... that this could be the start of something big!"
There was definitely something happening. Ann's performance had practically come alive compared to the first round. Or maybe Cole was just imagining it. There was something about her smile that just felt more genuine, something about the way she danced that felt more passionate. It made him want to match that passion, and also release some of the butterflies in his stomach.
"There's no controlling the unrolling of your fate, my friend," Ann sang solo, doing her little hand-motion routine to match. "Who knows what's written in the magic book."
Then Cole rejoined her, taking her hand. "But when a lover, you discover, at the gate, my friend... invite her in without a second look!"
As they entered into the next verse, Cole could've sworn he heard something. Something mechanical. Something above them.
He only had a moment to think, but a moment was enough. He could sense the motion long before he saw it, glancing up just once before he pulled Ann into an aerial just as one of the stage lights fell from the grid and smashed into the floor where she had been standing not a moment ago. Rather than stopping, though, Cole led them in front of the giant thing and finished the verse with a dramatic pose.
"...that this could be the start of something grand!"
The crowd was understandably startled, and several people had screamed, but they finished their second round routine, and none the worse for wear. Better yet, his mask hadn't come off, the others (from what he had seen) managed to hit all their marks, and the only major mishap was, you know, the giant stage light that had nearly crushed Ann.
The show was immediately sent to intermission, the curtains closed, and the stage crew started swarming the place, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. If those snakes were trying not to cause a scene, they sure were doing a real great job of it.
"Are you okay?" Cole asked Ann as they exited the stage. "I didn't pull on your arm too hard, did I?"
"I'm alright," she said, looking back at where she'd been standing. "Just glad that I'm not paste. Thank you."
"You're welcome." He had to keep taking deep breaths, though, in an attempt to slow down his heart.
"We're all thinking the same thing, right?" Kai asked.
"Duh," said Jay. "Do you know what it would take for something like that to just fall on a whim?"
"We need to take up a more defensive strategy," Zane said smoothly. "The Serpentine—"
"Cole! Ann!" Liu blurted, running toward them, Nya at his heels. "Are you hurt? What happened?"
"We're not sure," Cole lied. "But we're fine."
"Cole pulled me to safety just in time," Ann explained.
"Hmm. Pity," Nya quipped under her breath. Ann shot her a withering glare.
"Thank Heaven," Liu breathed. "I'm going to have a word with the chief of the lighting crew. This is simply unprecedented!" As he stormed away, Nya turned to them, a worried look on her face.
"Was that what I think it was?" She asked.
Cole nodded. "But they won't get a second chance. Come on, while it's still intermission."
"Where exactly are we going?" Ann asked as he led them through the chaos that was backstage.
Only once they had made it to a quiet corner did Cole say, "A little recon," and took off his top hat, mask, and tie. Up above him, there were heavy bars and beams and platforms used for maintenance in the space above the stage known as the fly tower, or grid. It was a little out of reach, but that was no problem for him. He gauged the distance, then, using his training and strength, leapt up and grabbed hold of the nearest beam. From there, pulling himself up was child's play.
"What are you guys waiting for?" He asked them, looking down.
Kai, Jay, and Zane all made their way as quietly as possible, but Ann and Keaton lingered on the ground.
"I don't think your dad would appreciate me ripping this dress," she said. "We'll stay down here and poke around a bit."
"Alright," said Cole, and then, as he turned back to the others he added, "Travel by shadow, boys."
They began making their way through the jungle gym that was before them with all the grace and silence that their one year of training would allow. Cole's dancing shoes were most definitely not up to ninja standards, but he made do. More than anything else, he was looking for those no-good, scaly, slimy monsters who had to be nearby, but so far the only other people up here were the stage crew, trying desperately to figure out what had happened with the lights. They wouldn't find anything though.
Cole led the group further in, keeping all of Sensei Wu's lessons about stealth in mind. His all black suit helped a lot with that.
Soon enough, though, it became clear that the Serpentine had retreated, although where to was still a mystery. There weren't a lot of options, least of all quiet ones, and the more Cole thought about it, the more he began to wonder if the Serpentine had figured out a way to make themselves invisible.

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