𝙇𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙙'𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙞𝙙𝙨

Chapter 3: Patrol Of The City

Seven hours later, and Lloyd's on group patrol with Zane. Usually this would be more of a police unit job, but some suspicious activity came to attention, and it was better thought the ninja would take a gander themselves. Nya and Jay took the east side of the city, and Kai is working his way out of the centre with Cole.
   Normally Lloyd wouldn't find an issue with the pairing, but after this morning, his stomach is worming with anxiety - because they must be gossiping about him. They have to be. Kai is probably droning on, and on, and on about the blonde boy's hindrance as a little, and Cole is probably nodding his head in full agreement.

A few times, Lloyd debated bringing it up to Zane - to vent this flurry of betrayal, and shame, and rid his head of at least a quarter of it - but it's Zane. Not to say he doesn't feel, or can't understand, but he'd give Lloyd the same old advice: "Have a conversation with Kai about it." And besides, Zane isn't human, let alone an age regressing mess like Lloyd. On occasion, he's felt envious, and wistful of Zane's ability to switch off his emotional response and reader box. Because if Lloyd could do that, maybe he wouldn't feel so shit half the time. Zane's eyes flit over him as the pair walk the streets of Ninjago city.

"I detect minut irritation in your shoulders and back." Zane comments, breaking the silence between them. "Is this because you're wearing your binder past the suggested and recommended time frame-"
"Zane!" Lloyd hisses back, feeling a slight pinkness overcome his face. Nobody's supposed to know about the whole trans thing - well, nobody more than the team. The general public are unaware, and it should stay that way. He doesn't need uncomfortable, transgender related questions popping up next time the lot of them are interviewed for the press. Zane's gaze returns ahead of him. His suit always looks so pristine. Considering he's the only person on the bounty to actually enjoy ironing, this is unsurprising.

"I'll take it off when we get back, okay?" Lloyd mutters, beginning to fidget with his hands. He can feel strands of hair across his face, itching and tickling his skin - it's becoming irritating. Zane nods passively. He wasn't wrong about the strain on Lloyd's shoulders and back. But... What is Kai saying? Count twelve under his breath. One, two, three. Kai thinks he's so useless. Four, five, six. And he's right too. Seven, eight, nine. It's getting cold out, and this hair is frustrating, and itchy, and annoying, and he can't seem to keep it out of his damn face. Ten, eleven, twelve.

And then his eyes float to his shoulder, where Zane's hand now rests. His silvery blue eyes snap with light, and his head tilts. "Lloyd, are you feeling alright?" There's a soft inflection of concern in his voice, and Lloyd suddenly realises something. If he were to be wearing shoes with laces, he would not know how to tie them. "He has awful self-control at times" and of course, Kai is right. Lloyd runs his hands through his hair, shoving it away from his face. It's still breeding aggravation for him. The frustration trickles out in the stamping of his feet, and the scrunching of his nose. His age becomes more unclear in his head, and everything feels too much again - too big, and monstrous. Zane's hand slithers to Lloyd's waist, and the ninja guides him round a corner, into a secluded alleyway.
There's a quiet buzz in Zane's head as his processor switches filter modes. When Lloyd's regression became apparent, and the information wormed its way around the team, Zane's child filtering system found more common use. Depending on the age group he's interacting with, Zane can swap filters, in order to communicate most effectively to the target audience. To maximise child safety and communication, Zane can simply enable child filtering - whether needed for physical children, or internal ones.

"Little one, you are dealing with large feelings, aren't you?" His voice gathers Lloyd's attention, as the boy leans against a wall, repeatedly dragging his hair away from his forehead. Numbers slip lower until nothing above five can be assured. Lloyd nods. Everything feels itchy - as if he's covered in bugs. It's not unheard of for Lloyd. Previously Cole had requested he hang up some dragon decorations with him, and it ended up with one smashed in pieces on the floor, all because it was unglazed ceramic. Cole didn't understand how a texture had the ability to illicit such a reaction from someone, but Lloyd could only profusely apologise, he too dismayed by the way it made his teeth hurt.

"Icky..." Lloyd grumbles, stamping his feet. Zane raises an eyebrow. "I want... Want bed, and juice." The boy's voice fades into quiet, and he scuffs his feet. Kai would be more equipped for this, but thoughts of the fire ninja were making him feel a bit nauseas today. Zane puts his finger to his ear piece. He walks up the alley, yet Lloyd can still figure out what he's saying.
"I am taking Lloyd back to the bounty... Yes... He has regressed... No, the area is safe." Everyone is talking about him lately, huh? Lloyd ambles after Zane. When they're out in public, and Lloyd gets like this, Kai always insists on holding his hand. Makes enough sense - a few times the boy had wandered off by himself and gotten lost. Zane's hand clasps around Lloyd's. His fingers are always cold. Most of Zane is cold, aside from his chest, with everything running at maximum efficiency, and all the whirring of important parts. He's always been more than a tin can boy.

"What would you like to do when we return to the bounty, little one?" He asks, leading Lloyd out of the alleyway, and back up the street. After a moment to think, he settles on a rather familiar answer. "Bamboo and bed." Lloyd mumbles back. Zane's hand feels so much bigger than his when he's little like this. Bamboo is of course, the name of one of Lloyd's remaining stuffed toys. A slightly disheveled, worn-out looking panda plushie that he can barely sleep without. It was the first stuffed toy he ever got - the one Sensei Wu had given him when he was brought into the group - and into safety.
Often Lloyd's consistent rambling to, and about Sensei Wu had been the reason for teasing from the likes of Jay, or Kai. But Lloyd's attachment to his uncle is tough. Wu became a sort of father to him, when his real father wasn't around to do his duty. So as silly as the others find it, for Lloyd, sometimes the only thing he wants in littlespace, is his uncle.

Zane gives a nod, and squeezes Lloyd's hand. The boy tries his hardest to keep up, even though Zane's a notoriously fast walker. He's just tired. Really tired. Bamboo is waiting in his bed, and it's likely that Sensei will be meditating or reading, which means he'll likely let Lloyd sleep on his lap. Lloyd yawns, watching a car drive past. This wasn't really how patrol was meant to go...