Of Milk and Cookies

Homesick

Author's note: After finally joining Wattpad, I've decided to begin publishing my work from Fanfiction.net here as well, so some of you may recognize this story. "Of Milk and Cookies" is inspired by a headcanon of mine – I like to think that as the youngest members of the group (who were often left behind while the others were on missions), Nya and Lloyd are actually quite a bit closer than we see in the show itself. This particular chapter takes place directly after Season 1 Episode 4. It is my hope that readers both new and old will enjoy my take on the adventures of Nya, Lloyd, and the rest of their family. Thank you for stopping by!

-GwenBrightly

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Lloyd woke with a start and sat up, temporarily confused by his unfamiliar surroundings. Through the darkness, he could barely make out the faint outlines of the wooden walls bordering the room and the bedroll beneath him. This definitely wasn't the Anacondrai's tomb, or even Darkley's boarding school. Where on earth was he? And then, quite suddenly, the events of the previous day came rushing back to him as he collapsed back onto the bed and groaned. Pythor had pretended to be his friend – and then promptly betrayed him and stolen the map to the remaining snake dens.... Stupid Pythor! Stupid snakes! Why hadn't anyone ever told him how despicably untrustworthy they were? Lloyd decided then and there that he hated snakes. He hated them with a burning passion. They could all go die in a hole for all he cared. Yes, that seemed reasonable.

At least his uncle, Sensei Wu, had taken pity on him and brought him to stay on the Destiny's Bounty. Not that Lloyd needed anyone's pity. The son of the dark lord would have gotten himself out of that mess eventually. But here he was, aboard the flying ship anyway. He had to admit, the bedroll was decidedly more comfortable that sleeping on the ground like he had been doing the past few weeks. Maybe Lloyd was better off living with his uncle for a while, even if his students were a bit too goody-goody for his taste. He still hadn't forgiven them for humiliating him when they hung him from that sign post – it had taken days to rid himself of the stench of rotten vegetable - or for destroying his super cool treehouse. Lloyd smirked, already thinking of ways he could get back at the ninja. Pranks were his specialty. Living aboard the Bounty would totally give him lots of opportunities to get them back, and he wouldn't even have to worry about food or shelter, because his uncle would insist on caring for him – temporarily, at least.

Suddenly, Lloyd felt himself involuntarily flinch at a noise that sounded to him like a cross between a dying pterodactyl and a groan. Was it just the creaking of the old ship's walls, or had some sort of monster managed to sneak aboard the ship, ready to devour them all at the drop of a hat?! Now wide awake, Lloyd found himself missing the dormitories of Darkley's Boarding School. At least there, mysterious late-night noises could be explained away as the prank of some incorrigible child, ripe with motivation to torture some unsuspecting fellow student – usually him. Though annoying and generally inconvenient, he had rarely had a reason be truly concerned when he heard some form of racket. He was used to being the target of pranks and other forms of questionable behavior, after all. Here however, unfamiliar noises could be anything. Sure, it was certainly unlikely that some sort of creature was about to kill everyone in their sleep, but Lloyd had no way of knowing for sure. Refusing to stay in the dark room with the spooky noises and vaguely threatening shadows any longer – No, he wasn't afraid – and knowing that sleep would be impossible at this point, Lloyd sighed and climbed out of bed. Maybe a snack would help. He had seen the kitchen earlier during a brief tour, and sugar always made him feel better.

Quietly, Lloyd slipped from his room and crept down the darkened hall to the kitchen. Arriving at his destination, he began rummaging through the cupboards. Nothing. Surely the Ninja kept something sugary on hand. Where else would Jay get his seemingly endless supply of energy? No, there had to be sugar somewhere. It was just a matter of finding it, and there was no way Lloyd was going back to bed without fulfilling his craving for something sweet. He continued to scour the cupboards for any sign of sugary goodness, but all he could find were pots, pans, and some strong-smelling cleaning spray better described as an instant migraine. Lloyd growled quietly in frustration. With his luck, he'd never find his quarry. It was probably on a shelf too high for him to reach... As he continued to ponder his unfair existence, another figure moved through the shadowy halls, interrupting his search.