It'd been a long while since I felt like I was drowning on dry ground.
As I watched Claire, Aaliyah and Naomi grow smaller and smaller before disappearing into the crowd altogether, I realised that I was struggling to breathe.
I realised that I felt so alone. Again.
Inhaling a shuddering breath, I clenched my hands into fists at my side. My body was trembling. My eyes had begun to badly sting. I needed to find a secluded place so I could get myself together.
Stepping back, lips trembling, I felt as if the world had given way to a pit beneath my feet. I couldn't understand why I felt that way or how their actions affected me so vividly, but I knew that the sea of people swarming around would give me no mercy when I inevitably began to crumble. Tears had already began to well and my red face held no secrets.
This was mortifying.
Swallowing sharply, I spun on my feet and trampled head-first into a man. Stumbling back, I had to regain what little sense I could handle before quickly murmuring an apology and going to flee.
"Miss? You dropped something," called the old man before I could make my escape. Glancing back over my shoulder, I saw him bend down to retrieve the green ninja charm. He straightened with a pleasant smile, holding it out to me before his green eyes found mine. His smile dropped into a look of surprise.
"Y/n?" he asked, taken aback.
Oh god. Oh god. It's Greenie's- it's Lloyd's dad.
Overtly aware of looking like I was on the verge of cracking into a million pieces, I felt myself wilt in shame and embarrassment.
The first time I met Lloyd was hitting him.
The first time I met Misako was after being attacked.
The first time I met his dad (and the rest of his team, sans Kai, which was when I hit Lloyd with my car) was with a sprained ankle.
And now, here he is while I'm seconds away from a whole ass mental breakdown.
Why couldn't I make a good first impression on my crush's family just least once.
"U- uh-" shit, I cursed to myself as I crudely rubbed my face harshly and anxiously, only making it all the more red. How do I address him? Obviously not as Lord Garmadon. Mr. Garmadon? Sensei? "H- hi, mr... Lloyd's dad."
"Please, just call me Garmadon," Lloyd's dad smiled briefly. Worry clung to his face. "Are you alright?"
I was trembling. I very obviously wasn't alright, but I decided that being sassy to Lloyd's dad probably wasn't the best idea.
"F- fine," I still chirped, taking the charm from his outstretched hand with shaking fingers. I was too busy having a crisis to be embarrassed about the charm, or the fact that Garmadon would most likely tell Lloyd about it.
The look he sent would've made me laugh if it wasn't directed at me.
"Let's have some tea, shall we?" Garmadon suggested, gesturing to the little tea house to the left. "It might be able to calm you down."
I shakily inhaled before nodding, putting the charm in my pocket.
"Okay."
Following Garmadon, we brushed past the thick rugs hung up like doors to keep the tea shop patrons secluded from the rest of the mall. They did a good job at keeping out the noise, as an atmosphere of pure calm settled over me. It was a nice change from the rushing bustle of the shopping district.
"Mistaké," Garmadon nodded as we entered the quaint little shop. It was like being taken back in time - parchments and tapestries pinned to the maroon walls, lit only by candles. Rows upon rows of tea leaves sat on shelves behind the old lady at the counter. The few people that sat at the tables stared as we approached the counter.
"Garmadon," Mistaké raised an eyebrow before turning her piercing gaze to me. "The usual, I presume - but I see no Lloyd. You've finally brought me another child of the prophecy. It's nice to meet you, Y/n."
Garmadon steered me towards a table. I glanced back over my shoulder at Mistaké, who was watching me leave.
"H- how did she know..."
"Mistaké is much like my brother," Garmadon elaborated, taking a seat. Barely a second had passed before an elaborate looking tea pot that seemed expensive just to look at was set before us. I was startled, having not even seen who had set it there. Garmadon was indifferent, continuing to speak without so much as a falter. "They are particularly in tune with the cloud kingdom."
"The what- wait, so she knows about the tugging thing?"
"She will not answer if you ask," Garmadon said stiffly, as if he'd been burned before. He stared a little too hard at the tea as he poured it into two tea cups. "Trust me, I've tried."
