We Hope Your Rules And Wisdom Choke You

Prologue

The girl before him circles her prey, more vulture than human, as she tells the tales of her past—a tale of lonely grievances, scheming, a tale of recognition, and betrayal. Her emotion is raw, and harsh, but calculated and sharp. She has a purpose for the stories she shares with him.

The girl is honest, something she had never been before. At least not with him.

The boy is gullible, trusting everyone he meets. Especially with her.

Is honesty even necessary when your target is so foolish?

The girl concluded her tale.

"With King Vangelis's operation shut down, I had to get the last of the Crystal King's Vengestone from..." The white-haired girl stood proudly in front of him, a hand resting firmly against her leaning hip. "...Less... reputable sources."

The flaxen-haired boy was confounded. She... had been alive all this time. A criminal leader, a twice orphaned, once resurrected girl, who he...

"You were there all along?" Lloyds' hands shook as he wrapped his head around the newfound revelation. He glanced at the familiar chains cuffed to his wrists. "You were the mysterious Vengestone buyer we were trying to track?"

Harumi stalked an arch around the captive boy, brandishing the keys to his freedom in her slackened left hand. "The greatest villain is the one that got away..." She spun the keys, taunting, "...Remember?"

The ever-gullible boy stared longingly at the vengestone keys. Vengestone, vengestone, everything is vengestone! These chains, those keys... the army of statues.

Lloyd stares once more at his cuffed wrists, the pieces slotting slowly together. "So you're using the Vengestone to build an army?" Harumis ever narrowing eyes answered for her. This still explained naught. Pythor, Vangelis, Aspheera... "...But what are you gathering all these villains for?"

"Well, I needed enough players for my villainous volleyball team, of course." The girl spins the brandished keys playfully, emphasizing her sarcasm with a dramatic flick of her hand, and a shrug of her shoulders.

Lloyd was not only gullible.

He was also denser than a neutron star.

His eyebrows arch, and furrow, "Are you serious?" he questioned. He was utterly baffled by her bewitching mind games.

Harumi tenses, flailing her arms at him before yelling "Of course I'm not serious!"

She scoffs.

Lloyd jumps to his defence, "Well it's hard to know with you sometimes!" He waves his hands in a similar motion to Harumi. He realizes but does not acknowledge this similarity.

The dark-clothed girl lashes away from him. She walks confidently, "How you ended up leading Ninjago's greatest heroes is beyond me." She shakes her head, "It's amazing how gullible you are."

Lloyd's gaze becomes fixed once more below him, to his cuffed wrists. He's embarrassed. He's lost.

"I don't normally fall for things like that-" Harumi smirks, "-but I'm a little frustrated and confused right now."

Lloyd is more embarrassed with himself. Why is he sharing his emotions with his enemy? With... No, with Harumi? Of all people to trust, he'd learned his lesson. He'd bitten that Apple, but he was awake now, and he would never fall for her lies again.

He shuts his mouth.

The girl chuckles at his words. Lloyd regrets his words.

Harumi doesn't face him when she speaks. "Well, this is only the beginning of your frustration." she swivels her neck towards him, her dire expression frightens Lloyd. Something he would never admit. "Because the next part of my plan involves breaking into your precious monastery of spinjitzu." she ferries her point by smiling mischievously at him.