Possession: Charlie's Story

Stiix and Stones

Have some fluffy art ♥. It's the last episode with human Cole 😭

Stiix. A backwater town that was literally built on the water. It wasn't the most pleasant place. Dreary grey skies loomed over head and the smell of fish was pungent. Stiix was home to the lower class of Ninjago, people who couldn't afford to live their lives in the city.

The ninja walked along the docks leading into the fishing town. Charlie kept her focus on getting the scroll of Airjitzu, but her mind kept wandering. Sitting on a sign, a fisherman waved to them. "Welcome to Stiix." He said smiling. "Watch your step. Oh, I caught one." He pulled back on his pole, reeling in an unseeable fish. "It's a big fella. Ugh, whoa. Whoa!" He was pulled into the water. The ninja rushed over to the side to see if he was okay.

When the man treaded water, muttering, "dagnabbit." The ninja moved away. Charlie's attention was brought to Kai, who had suddenly sat down. He twisted his fingers nervously.

"I didn't know you were afraid of heights." Jay said.

Kai glanced down nervously. "I'm fine with heights. It's water I hate."

"Didn't seem to be a problem before." Zane noted.

The Red Ninja shot a glare at his friend. "Before I could make a Fire Dragon at will." He stood up, cautiously picking his steps. "Since Morro's taken over Lloyd and our powers gone, I haven't felt–Aagh!" A plank of wood broke beneath him, causing the Fire Ninja to grip tightly to the slippery wood. Cole pulled him up. Kai narrowed his hazel eyes at the water below.

Charlie looked around at the village around. "Well, now that we know ghosts don't like water either, at least we should feel safe surrounded by it."

They made their way into the village. The smell of fish and rotting wood was overpowering. It was so strong that Jay and Cole covered their noses, but Charlie tried to refrain. She didn't want to offend the locals, seeing as they didn't look like the nicest bunch.

"Ugh, what a dump." Jay complained. "You'd think the thief who stole the Scroll of Airjitzu would have better taste."

Cole uncovered his nose to speak. "Uh, this is Ronin we're talking about. He'd steal the sea if it were worth anything. We just have to figure out what rock he's under to get to the scroll before Morro does."

Zane nodded. "Let's split up and start looking."

~~~~~

It didn't take long to find Ronin's pawn shop. The old wood building was practically an overstuffed shack. Random treasures were everywhere, and some was just normal stuff, like flower pots. Cole found something that caught his eye. "Wait a minute, this is my dad's Blade Cup trophy." He held it up. "What's it doing in a pawn shop?"

"Selling stolen goods?" Kai asked. "Ha, sounds like we might have stumbled on the right place."

The only problem was there was no Ronin to confirm it. The criminal bounty hunter was nowhere to be seen. Charlie looked around the cluttered room. He had to be here somewhere. Then, as if waiting for a cue, a light whistling reached Charlie's ears. She turned to see Ronin walking in with a vase. He was just the same as when they last saw him. Strawberry blonde hair covered with a red straw hat, hazel eyes, one covered by an eye patch, and the same orange armor with blue cloth. He stopped short when he saw the ninja.

"Ronin." Jay growled.

"Huh." The theif turned to leave, but was stopped when Jay grabbed his arm.

"Going so soon?" The Blue Ninja asked.