Ninjago: Heart of the Storm (Slow Editing) (Re-Write)

Chapter Six: To The Mall

The sky shimmered and shined, like a giant rainbow had blanketed the sky and stretched out over the land. As the sun started to rise, it had caught the colors of a blazing, aflame ember as it rise in the east. The faint outline of the moon was in a pale circle of silver, glowing faintly in the dawning sky.
In the dining room of the Monastery, everyone at the table engaged in some amount of different conversations, some more than others after breakfast. Nya was telling Audra about their break for the day and Kai soon took his turn to tell her about their past adventures before the Oni Invasion. Jay and Cole were both bickering playfully. Zane was talking to Pixal about their next date (if nothing chaotic happened again) as they went back to steering the ship. Lloyd was speaking softly to his parents and his uncle.
"You ready to go to the mall Audra?" Nya asked over her shoulder. She gathered everyone's plates and set them in the sink, leaving them for someone else to take care of.
Audra hummed quietly and nodded to Nya's question. Though, she's a little nervous about the situation.
"Great! Grab watcha you need and let's get going!" Kai chimed in, almost as energetic as Jay.
Audra returned to her room, putting on her shoes and jacket, grabbing her backpack, phone, and earbuds, then returned to the group. They were all waiting by the door. She didn't mind everyone going, though it would probably get kind of overwhelming at times, especially with Lloyd staring at her. He had continued to look at her all morning, it was kinda funny, but it's still a little confusing. But Audra decided to ignore it for now.
The two Masters and Misako bid the Ninja their byes as they boarded the Bounty, heading back inside as it flew away.

Once at the mall, Audra was led around everywhere by the Ninja. Her assumption of the trip being overwhelming was proven right all too fast. Audra looked back and forth between everyone as they argued on where to take her first, Zane, Pixal, and Lloyd being the only ones to keep quiet. It wouldn't have been so bad if she wasn't literally in the middle of their bickering, being somewhat jostled around. As Cole, Kai, Nya, and Jay continued on with their little debate, Audra carefully backed out from the circle she'd been trapped in.
Once she was freed from the debating circle she was able to admire the craftsmanship and beauty of the outdoor mall. The early yellow light made the buildings and balconies gleamed like ancient silver. Locals inspected the produce and goods. But among them wandered foreigners in unique clothes and women with equally unique makeup.
A group of young girls stared at Nya and Audra, some with envy while others gave her looks of old admiration. The looks she received from the young men were less divisive. They stared with widened eyes and mouths opened ajar, some even winked and flexed their muscles. Audra rolled her eyes at the sight and looked away from them.
The children's reactions were more pleasant. They waved and and smiled with innocent enthusiasm. A few elderly people and younger people were also friendly. Her eyes softened when she saw an elderly couple sitting on a bench. The husband gifted his wife a rose.
The mall was more energetic than Audra expected. There were people coming to and from various shops and stands to sell a variety of items like handcrafted jewelry, plates, and pottery, some being made right there next to the stands as a crowd of people watched the artists at work. Minstrels were playing on their lutes, accordions, and pipes. The music was infectious, making Audra to stop and listen to it with her friends.
People were selling cooked meat and deep-fried kabobs on sticks, cooked fish sliced up and served with lemon at an outdoor restaurant, fresh berries being squeezed into wine for the grownups and juice for the children, and of course sugary treats like caramel apples, pies, ice cream, and bars of chocolate, some molded into the form of animals like dogs, horses, and bears. A few were shaped like dragons or griffins, and even bunny rabbits. Audra's stomach grumbled as she took in the smell. Every aroma intermixing in a way that made her hunger grow with each breath.
Luckily, her friends shared the same story. They each continued on their way, though she couldn't resist stopping by a couple vendors selling traditional Ninjago street foods. Surprisingly, even though Lloyd ate different food, he would not let her pay for hers. She attempted to offer him some, except he refused. As she ate her noddles, her hair were slowly falling over her face, dangerously close to the steaming bowl.
"Don't make a mess, silly." Lloyd hand neared her face and he carefully brushed her bangs behind her ear. While he focused on fixing her hair, she noticed a soft smile on his face.
After they had their lunch, they went to a few clothes stores. The boys checked out some of the sporty stuff to see if anything was suitable for them as ninja while the two girls, Jay, and Lloyd had each went to the young women's section of the store. The two girls started searching through the clothing rack swift focus. Audra watched as the two of them get gussied up in different clothes (though, she has to give credit to Nya for not kicking up a fuss about it). Both of them looked amazing in the blue-themed clothes that they both tested out.
"Hey Audra?" She looked over her shoulder to see Lloyd watched her with a relaxed, contented smile. "Aren't you going to be gussied up too?"
Audra chuckled softly and shrugged with a smile. "If I could find the right clothes to get gussied up in."
"Hey Audra!" Jay's voice caught their attention, and saw both him and Nya holding a lovely dress. "Try this on for size."
She blinked in surprise and exchanged a glance with a uniquely as startled Lloyd. "Sure. Why not?" Audra carefully took the dress from Nya's arms and went into the stall door to get changed. By the time she came out of the changing room, she was wearing the dress. The dress is in a powdery blue color with silver embroidery lining it and little gems sewn onto it in a small cascading pattern, along with a silver belt hanging around her waist.
Looking up sheepishly, Audra's gaze rest on Nya. "Does... It look ok?" He voice as soft and quiet, her expression the same as a frightened puppy.
"Ok? Audra you look amazing!" Jay answered before Nya could, a giant smile spread across his face.
"Yeah, you're so getting that dress," Nya said with a hand on her hip, smiling warmly.
"I take it I don't have much of a say..." Audra couldn't help, but giggled slightly at their reactions. It made her relax a bit, dropping her shoulders down. "But I have to agree with you."
The whole minuet or two they were there Lloyd never uttered a single word. Instead, he just looked at her, eyes slightly wider than normal, mouth open just a smidge from awe. He hadn't even noticed he'd been staring. It wasn't until he got a soft nudge and an amused smirk from Jay that Lloyd snapped back to reality, his head immediately snapping towards the teasing boy to glare at him.
Once they purchased their respective clothes, they began talking to each other excitedly about their next store stopping. Audra smiled warmly softly as she listened in on their playful teasing and excited conversations from her new friends. Audra soon caught sight of the bookstore and came to a stop at the sight of it. The Ninja noticed that she had dropped back and was gazing at the bookstore eagerly. Lloyd smiled at her warmly as Audra went into the bookstore.
It was like stepping into a living dream. There's tables are made of solid wood, books were strewn across the top and stacked in piles. The walls were covered with either framed pictures and bookshelves that almost reached the ceiling. As Audra stepped closer into the library, there's more to be seen. Books were everywhere, simply everywhere, but there's also scrolls cubbyholes along the walls. Every corner had a spot to sit at and read in: a few cushioned window seats, arrangement of carpets, or some desks with chairs. There's also a media section where kids can play video games.
It was calm and peaceful in the bookstore, just as Audra liked it as she browsed the shelves looking for the latest books on myths and history. It was a subject she found endlessly fascinating. She was going down the aisle browsing the titles for one that might be useful for her next reading when a title stopped her dead in her tracks.
Not a mythical book nor a history book, but a book of adventure, romance, and the always epic battle between good and evil. Her blue eyes lit up when she found the book she was looking for. She pulled the book from the shelf and rifled through the first few pages. Oh yes, she would be purchasing this one too. Audra chuckled softly when she saw Lloyd reading his favorite comic series. He blushed slightly when he saw her smiling at him warmly.
By the next minute, the two of them both met up with their friends at the ice cream parlor with their bagged books. The owner of the ice cream polar was doing some inventory over his things and left the mini-TV on the Ninjago News channel. But as Audra started finishing up her melting ice cream, her eyes caught something that she wasn't expecting to see.
"Um... Excuse me?" Audra's uneasy voice caught everyone's attention as she spoke to the owner. "Can you raise the volume of the TV?"
The owner nodded understandingly, he took out the remote and raised the volume to listen to Gayle Gossip. "—Is that Obscuria Darkley-Oppenheimer has been reported missing."
"What?" Kai's amber eyes widened with horror and empathy.
"Who's that?" Audra asked her friends.
"Obscuria is the little sister of Shade," replied Nya. "Both of them are the Elemental Masters of Shadow."
"And it looks like we're heading to their hometown to track down Obscuria," Lloyd said softly.