The Silent Man's Whisper [ninjago]

26 | rejected

The hallway was long and carpeted, although the carpet only served as a temporary mop for the countless dirty stains it had collected over the years.

Lloyd and Wu's footsteps dragged across the carpet as they walked, their destination a familiar yet eerie door.

"Are you sure this is necessary, uncle?" Lloyd asked. "I just...I don't want to..."

"You don't want to see him," Wu finished Lloyd's unfinished sentence. "That is understandable."

They stopped in front of the last door of the hallway. Wu knocked on the wood and stepped backwards. He looked back at his nephew. "Your father can be a lot sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

"Vinny, have you forgotten your keys again?" Garmadon's voice came from behind the door right before it was yanked open. "I have told you time and time again—"

The three stared at each other in complete silence.

Lloyd's stomach churned in both disgust and longing. Seeing his father for the first time in well over three years felt like a punch to the gut. He felt bitter about the fact that he was here, living in his own apartment a hundred feet above the ground, where nobody knew about his existence if he desired so.

But the other side of Lloyd, the one that held pieces of his lost childhood, longed for a connection to the man in front of him. Lloyd wanted to meet his father. Really meet him. He wanted to get to know his father, not in his fighting skill set but him as a person.

What was his favorite meal? Did he have any embarrassing stories to tell about Wu Lloyd could use against him later on? What was his favorite color?

Probably black, since his heart was that color.

To make the silence less awkward, Wu offered his brother an unsure smile. "Hello—"

"No."

Garmadon closed the door with a loud bang.

Wu and Lloyd looked at each other in disbelief.

"Open the door!" Lloyd banged on the door repeatedly, making a lot of noise. "Right this instant!"

"Go away!" Garmadon yelled back, his voice muffled by the door.

"Brother, please open the door. We have to talk."

"Talk to the door, Wu. I don't want to talk to you."

"You're going to open this door," Lloyd warned, kicking the wood with his foot to emphasize his words, "or else I'll kick it open. You don't want your door to be broken now, do you, Dad?"

The door suddenly opened, startling Lloyd, who quickly stepped back. Garmadon stuck his head out to glare at the Green Ninja. "Why did you say 'Dad' like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like this: Dad."

Lloyd blinked. Garmadon blinked back.

Then the door was shut again.

"This is ridiculous." Wu shook his head, his hand raking through his beard. "Brother, we only want to talk with you."

"Why now?"

"It is...a complicated matter, one we would have to speak about whilst having eye contact."

"We fear the end of the world is near," Lloyd added, knowing he struck a nerve.

A second later, the door was pulled open again, and this time Garmadon's whole body was on display. A customized, four-armed baby blue bathrobe was wrapped around his body, the belt a darker shade of blue to match his slippers. One of his arms was holding a mug with camomile tea in it. Its scent lingered in the air.