Ninjago: Amplified 【 Midnight Masquerade 】

【2】 - At Midnight's Peak

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【2】

At Midnight's Peak

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Aurora stared out at the scene in front of herself, feeling completely out of her element.

She and her friends had only just arrived at the masquerade party, and yet she already felt intimidated. Of course, that wasn't due to the criminals in their midst; it was instead the sheer unfamiliarity of such an event that evoked such a reaction.

After being admitted into the masquerade, Aurora and her friends passed through the massive front doors of the palace venue, trailing after the crowds.

The second they stepped into the main room, it seemed they had been taken to a new world entirely.

Before them was a massive, circular ballroom made of dark, polished stone floorings, flanked by towering golden pillars decorated with elegant flower arrangements and ribbons. Crowds of more people than Aurora could count filled the large, open clearing, separating themselves into respective groups. Some milled around at one side of the room, laughing boisterously with one another. Others preferred to dance in the center of the floor, beneath the sparkling chandelier that hung overhead. Meanwhile, a small orchestra played graceful music across from the crowds, the pleasant songs sounding above even the loudest chatter.

Two stairways stood at opposite ends of the ballroom, leading to upper floors filled with even more people. A few balconies overlooked the dance floor above, which seemed to attract most of the crowds.

Peering closer, Aurora soon realized why. Tables surrounded by masses of people were set there, and the groups' loud tones shouted a crude mixture of curses and taunting remarks. Aurora assumed they must've been gambling, judging from the obvious split in the crowds' demeanor.

"Are you KIDDING?" Eris' shocked tone sounded from the space between Onyx and Akiri. "They got an ORCHESTRA for THIS?"

"Of course they did." Onyx scoffed under her breath. "They obviously haven't spared any expense just to show off."

"That's not the only thing unexpected," Akiri nudged Aurora's side, gesturing over towards the crowds of strangers with her eyes. "It doesn't look like all of these people are criminals."

Looking around the room, Aurora realized that her best friend was right. Some of the people surrounding them appeared much too friendly to have wicked intentions; though, Aurora figured that was all just a façade to match the theme of the party.

"It's hard to tell." Aurora nodded. "Gold? What do you think?"

"She might be right, actually." Gold's voice sounded over their communicators. "They might be wearing masks, but I can still recognize some of these people. We've seen them before in other villages."

Aurora caught on to the android's trail of thought, and she forced away a grimace.

"I hate to say it, but... I think they may have anticipated being caught."

Damn it.

"So they invited locals to some once in a lifetime event to save their asses," Onyx rolled her eyes. "Sounds about right."

Aurora's eyes scanned the crowds again, weighing their options. Their mission certainly wasn't going as planned already.

It would be more than difficult to find their culprit when they couldn't deduce between innocent and guilty. Yet they'd made it into the party already; there wasn't any harm in trying.