Wisps: Recollection (Ninjago X Reader)

79. But No one Said it was Easy

"You want me to just stand there?"

"Gonna have to tell her the truth, Wu." You focused back on Zane, Cole failing to lecture Wu the whole trip. Yours somewhat easier from Zane, their strategies poured in your whirring head. "C'mon, we can drive over and call her out..." Not that there weren't several chances with the vehicles sputtering and malfunctioning. Clearly these were rushed to the road by their hunters. "Or I'll force ya over the next time this breaks."

'...I hope the Baron's is too.' These situations never work like that. "Ugh."

"Pay attention please. In that situation, yes. There is no other way around it."

"Cole, I can't tell her, that would ruin what I saw."

"What if it was just a dream, Wu?" You sighed. "I don't like this. Or that."

"We'll make sure you're–" Kai's voice came through the intercom.

"That's not the problem." Your hand roughly played with a wispy strand of essence. Smoke rose and twisted at the light, fading it out. Your spirit is dampened. Half of the dilemma came from just existing. The other a vague chance it all turns out right. You're throwing the whole thing off: you're not the right fit. 'This isn't how I usually do things...'

"We're not going to get it right the first time, or the next–"

"I get it, Cole." You can't get hung up now. Zane skimmed the lines sketching your twisted face, ticking surface emotions. You relaxed your anger.

"There is nothing left, other than to review." Or tried. "And to practice..." He thumbed the scar on your cheek. "Being careful." Your lips formed a frown, not fighting him on that. "I remembered you acquired this one from your mask breaking fighting Cryptor. And then you started picking at the scab from when a civilian threw a rock at you getting off the bus–"

"Geez, you record all my injuries or something?"

"I've a habit of that for everyone. But it's mostly you who always makes it to the top of the list with revisions. Even above my most reckless friends." He kept his contemplative touch and gaze there. "This is one of them that just seems to draw my eye. Its story has an irony."

"Really?" Tracing the habit, your hand twitched, hooked for another lecture that would've come. Moments played out, one of them lingering and hurling your stomach to flip in disgust. "...you've always been observant. And I just... never gave you a second thought after all that."

"I've an inkling of why, Pixel aided in that, and I've never been one to hold grudges."

"Pixal or not. Thank you."

"What brought this on?" You slid his hand off, where it hooked your finger, itched at a forgotten scab. "Picking scars rings all sorts of things, I can imagine. It is recent for you, isn't it?"

"It's hard to see it that way. With everything, hah." Compacted and stretched just to be added with more. "Feels like I haven't really gone past anything. A blur. I reel back in, and I'm here. Or somewhere else in gone days... that's not what I wanted to say."

"No, but you seem like you want to pick at it as you did when we were struggling to understand. But it was Pixal that did. You both helped me." You sighed. "Ah, was that unpleasant–?"

"I'm sorry. After all that, I, I used to see you only as an extension of Pixal. Used you."

"I could see that from when we first crossed paths... as enemies. Even small instances such as the one in Kryptarium." He isn't surprised, critical with an earlier instance, "I was dragged off. It wasn't until I was in pain... you helped. It was strange seeing you worry. But it was understandable. And somewhat helpful. Your stubbornness handled that well, your ebbing panic and trying to quell mine, your carefulness yet firmness, helped ground me."