We Hope Your Rules And Wisdom Choke You

Chapter 16: We escape

By the time Jay reaches the parapet of The Bounty, the wheels of the gurney have already been put up. It rolls loudly against the wooden floor, invading his ears before disappearing through the cabin door as Cole directs it to the medical room.

By the time Jay returns the rope ladders to their storage- a box at the bow- Lloyd has already greeted Nya with a friendly hug. He gets dragged into the cabin beside her as her hand lays gently on his shoulder, directing him.

They're acting normal, he realises. Lloyd is acting normal with Nya. It's just Jay.

The boy's father- no longer in his oni form, Jay realises- follows after him silently, but as the two ninja disappear into the halls of The Bounty, the Dark Lord stops.

He catches Jay's stare, a complicated expression on his face. Garmadon looked as if he had something to say, and Jay wasn't sure if he was willing to hear it.

Before Jay can ashamedly look away, to stare over at the forest or just anywhere else, the man steps towards him, strides slow and careful. Jay watches as Master Wu steps into the cabin as well, not even sparing him a glance as he hurriedly follows after his nephew.

Jay snaps his attention back to the towering figure that was Lloyd's father. He was closer now, too close for Jay. He steps back as Garmadon steps further. He sees this, and stops where he stands.

They stand still for a second. Jay tries not to move, feeling as if he was dealing with a wild animal. If he so much as breathed, the beast would attack.

Is he going to do what Lloyd did?

Jay shivers.

Scare me into silence?

Garmadon scrunches his nose, his brow furrowing further than it usually was. Jay breathes in, preparing to run, when-

"What did he say to you?"

Jay's breath hitches. That wasn't what he was expecting. Not at all.

What does he mean? Wouldn't he know what Lloyd had said?

Wasn't he in on this?

He backs away, a slight shuffle that Garmadon puts his full attention on. They're both on edge, maybe too on edge. But Jay could never be too careful.

Garmadon steps forward, mimicking the lightning ninja.

"What did he say to you?" He repeats himself.

Jay presses his lips into a firm line, the chill fever of fear shivering down his spine.

Why is Garmadon so adamant about this? Jay tries to put the pieces together.

Garmadon had known what was in the tomb. He knew, and he knew what happened, so he knew that Jay wasn't supposed to see the evidence. He should know why Lloyd threatened him, he should know the gist of what he said. According to Jay, he should know everything. He was involved, he should.

Jay still doesn't say anything.

There was no point in joking, or denying the events, because Garmadon knew.

Jay says nothing.

Garmadon just steps closer, closer and closer and Jay dances his dance until his back presses against a familiar cerise parapet. He can't escape any further.

Garmadon still stops, a safe distance between them as he quirks his eyebrows with his words:

"You need to tell me what he said."

With that, Jay finally realises for the second time that day that Garmadon wasn't asking him. He caves, not yet understanding why the man was so adamant.