Querencia

S2 E17: Ruminate

(n.) to think deeply about something

For two weeks, Lloyd and [M/n] danced around each other, avoiding the talk they needed to have. Lloyd had spent the first week hiding away – pretending nothing had happened – with Kai and Nya, but when they moved into Wu's new school he had no other choice than to stay with [M/n] at Cole's house. 

[M/n] had tried to broach the subject, but had chickened out, been interrupted, or outright ignored, so his attempts had stopped. Everything had been a little awkward, but for whatever reason, when they took to the skies, that tension melted away. 

With Wu and the rest of the ninja having finished up their work on Wu's new school, [M/n] and Lloyd were heading to join them in the grand opening.

Phoenix, Lloyd's newly named Golden Dragon, dove through the clouds, trying to lose Ara before they could be caught. Lloyd looked back to see if [M/n] was on their tail, laughing when he saw no sight of the Silver Ninja. His laugh was abruptly cut off when Ara burst from the clouds beneath them, only barely missing colliding with Phoenix who screeched in surprise as Ara spiraled away. 

Shouting, Lloyd urged Phoenix forward in the hopes of tagging [M/n] one last time before they made it to the school. Diving, Ara easily outpaced Phoenix, slamming into the ground with a triumphant roar that had Ultra responding. 

Easily dismounting, [M/n] ran a hand down Ara's snout while Lloyd dismissed Phoenix, dropping to the ground. Together, they headed up to the remodeled school. 

The wrought iron gate now held the symbol of the FSM, while the school had been repainted the walls a nice white with the shingles being replaced by pale yellow ones that seemed almost gold in the sunlight. 

"[M/n]! Lloyd!" Cole shouted, throwing open the door to the school. "It's good to see you two! How's Ninjago been?"

The Italian swept them both into a tight hug, squeezing tightly. 

"Busy," [M/n] reported, smiling fondly. "But it's been calming down."

"The repairs are nearly done, but people are still afraid," Lloyd admitted, shaking his head sadly. "A lot of people are still displaced, so the shelters are a little full and fights have gotten pretty common. Luckily, it's been small fights, ya' know, people wanting more space for themselves and their families or wanting extra food portions." 

"So, you guys planning on settling down in Ninjago City or is it just gonna be temporary?" 

"We'll likely stay," [M/n] stated, glancing at Lloyd who was nodding. "The Mayor offered to give us a salary for watching over Ninjago since the people feel safer seeing us around. And apparently our presence helps keep crime rates down, since we're the heroes of Ninjago." 

Cole grinned at the sarcasm.

"Hey, maybe you'll get a nice, fancy penthouse," Cole joked, waggling his eyebrows. All three cracked up as he led them to the newly outfitted teachers lounge. 

"[M/n]!" Nya called, dragging the man into a hug. Pulling away, she did the same to Lloyd, squeezing him tightly until his laughs took on a wheezing quality. "Lloyd! Oh, I'm so happy you guys made it!"

"We're glad to see you as well. Even if it has only been two weeks," [M/n] teased, catching a slight tenseness as Jay walked in, immediatley choosing to start teasing Lloyd. "Did something happen between you and Jay?" 

With Jay effectively distracting both Cole and Lloyd, Nya dragged [M/n] by the elbow to the corner of the room. "I broke up with Jay."

[M/n]'s brows raised, but he said nothing, letting her spill her guts out.