Of Milk and Cookies

Growing Up

"I'm worried about him, Kai..." Nya told her brother quietly as she watched Lloyd trip and fall flat on his face again on his way to the dinner table. He groaned miserably before pushing himself up, muttering something about stupid gravity.

"So am I. He's been like this all day. I think it's gonna take him some time to get used to... Well... everything. Poor kid." Kai replied. She nodded. She'd seen what training had been like earlier. Her baby brother was seriously off his game, if the lack of ability to stay on his feet was anything indication of how he was handling life currently. Lloyd was, quite honestly, a mess.

"Today's been rough. I wish there was more we could do for him..." The samurai agreed.

"Same... I guess for now, we'll just have to be patient with him, you know? None of us have ever magically lost what- 4? 5? Years of our life like that..." Nya flinched at the staunch reminder of the very event she'd been trying so hard to avoid thinking about. It was still him. His appearance was all that had changed... she'd told herself that over and over again as she'd heartbrokenly watched him struggle through things that had never caused him so much stress in the past. It was still him. The incredibly brave, generous, self-sacrificing sunshine child she'd grown to love so much. The kid who was always there with a hug when she needed it. Who had literally written a letter to Santa, asking him to convince Lord Garmadon to let them celebrate Christmas without fighting. And who possessed so much innocence that they all frequently wondered how he could possibly have survived everything the world had thrown at him. She believed that, no matter how bizarre he acted in the coming days. And maybe, somehow, they could make things right again. Someday.

"I know... I-I hope he finds an outlet for this soon ... He sure as heck can't bottle everything up inside. That's never a good idea." She commented. The master of fire nodded in agreement - he knew from personal experience how dangerous doing so could be.

"Whatcha talkin' about?" Her boyfriend asked, slipping into the empty seat next to her. She flashed him a small smile in greeting.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kai leaned in, gesturing subtly towards the newly... Taller green ninja, who was absent mindedly stabbing at his food, lacking his usual appetite. And his desire to join the others in conversation, for that matter.

"What are we gonna do with him?" Jay joined them in observing their brother in everything but blood, also worried about his well-being.

"Dunno, but someone will have to step in sooner or later if he keeps this up..." Stated Kai. The kid was gonna crash and burn if he didn't allow himself to decompress after everything that had happened.

"That's for sure," The ninja of lightning acknowledged. He hesitated for a moment, then turned to his girlfriend,

"Nya, I hate to say it, but... He's gonna be the most receptive to you, out of all of us..."

"I-You're right...I'll try to catch him tonight. After dinner..." She decided, sighing. Would their lives ever be simple?

"Good call. You got' this."

"Thanks. I sure hope so..." With little else to say, the trio turned their attention to the meal that Zane had so lovingly prepared for them, still keeping a very close eye on the subject of their whispered concerns.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Lloyd's day had started out rocky, and only gotten worse from there. He had gone straight to bed when they returned from Doomsday Comix the previous day, too exhausted to deal with the consequences of being exposed to Tomorrow's Tea. The others had insisted on relocating him to the bedroom shared by the rest of the ninja so that they could ensure that there were no complications from suddenly having his body grow on him like that. Which... Wasn't such a bad idea in all honesty - he'd been freaking out majorly about the whole thing. His family members were a comforting presence, one that he needed. A lot. Unfortunately, they had failed to account for how his height difference might affect his sleep. So, when he woke with his muscles on fire, feeling like he'd been put through a taffy puller, he promptly managed to conk his head on the bunk bed above him. Adding a migraine to his growing list of things to be upset about - along with having to borrow clothes from Kai because (What luck!) he no longer fit in any of his own. And then, he'd tripped over his suddenly too large feet on the way to the dining room. Breakfast hadn't been much better - the thought of food made his stomach churn unsettlingly. Training, though? Training had definitely been the worst part of the day. It was like Lloyd had lost any form of natural grace or balance he might've possessed in the past. Every kick, punch, and spin felt like torture. It was so comforting to know that the stupid magical tea has done absolutely nothing to improve his pain tolerance. The boy? Teen? He wasn't sure what to call himself anymore, had lost count of the number of spills he'd encountered by the time lunch rolled around. His body was gonna be covered with bruises for weeks. Probably enough to rival the ones he'd had during his time at Darkley's. Being small and shrimp like then hadn't done him any favors, and it looked like his growth spurt wasn't doing any now.