Theories of Relativity (NINJAGO JAYA)

Hydrostatic Equilibrium

Nya clung tightly to her brother. She was a fierce warrior, trained in the arts of samurai and ninjutsu, a decorated soldier who fought in countless battles to save Ninjago. Fear? She ate fear for breakfast. But right now, she was completely out of her comfort zone. Right now, she was just a girl, vulnerable and scared.

Nya took in her surroundings. A trance dance song wafted through the air, full of four-on-the-floor beats and a catchy hook. The song blended nicely with the neon lights of the skating rink, reminding her of the city Terra Technica in Prime Empire. The lights faded into the twilight sunset and cast a warm glow on her kimono, alternating between orange, pink, violet, cyan and gold. Beats from the song were amping her up, she wanted so desperately to glide gracefully across the rink as if she were dancing, but like her brother she couldn't find her balance.

Why? She was a nimble ninja, capable of jaw dropping flips, jumps and acrobatics. Why was skating so hard for her and Kai?

Nya glared at her teammates as they hooped and hollered around the rink.

Go skating they said, it will be fun they said.

She fully regretted being so easily persuaded to go to the roller rink. This wasn't part of the plan for the night. The team plus some additional elemental masters had agreed to attend the cherry blossom festival in Ninjago City. Nya was excited to show off a new kimono, gorge on spicy popcorn chicken and dango, enjoy shopping and the pretty lights at the night market, then sneak off to a secluded rooftop and kiss Jay during the firework show. It was supposed to be a fun night to bond with the team and other elemental masters, not fail miserably at roller skating.

Determined not to let the night be a total waste, Nya sucked up some courage and tried to push forward. Instead her foot slipped from under her and she lunged forward, only to be pulled up by Kai at the last second. She wobbled ungracefully and attempted to readjust her grip on his arm, only to lose her footing again. This time her foot shot out wide to the side, pulling her into an awkward side splits and almost tripping Kai. He reacted fast and pulled her back up again, losing his balance in the process. They finally managed to right themselves after an embarrassing display of ungracefulness, staggering around like a newborn lamb. Nya wondered if modifying her kimono for skating was such a good idea. Skylor had insisted, citing that a greater range of motion for the legs was necessary for skating.

"This goes against the rules of the kimono," Nya protested.

Skylor rolled her eyes at Nya. "We are ninja Nya, always be prepared." She finished adjusting the folds on the robes so that Nya's legs were exposed all the way to her upper thigh. Skylor had an impressive way to modify the long skirt of the dress to give the impression it was naturally a short skirt.

Nya shifted back and forth in the mirror, examining the new look. Of course it looked cute, and it would probably attract much unwanted attention from onlookers. Maybe it would get her extra attention from Jay . . . not that she needed it. Jay never lacked in the attention giving category.

Skylor rolled her eyes at Nya. "Yes it looks cute," she informed the water ninja. "You will appreciate the extra range of motion on the track. Come on let's go, the others are waiting."

Nya sighed, shaking the kimono memory from her mind. Their teammates kept lapping them. They watched as PIXAL and Zane sailed elegantly past them, holding hands and twirling each other, seemingly lost in their own little world. It was disgustingly cute. Nya and Kai simultaneously narrowed their eyes at the nindroids' joy.

"Tell me again why are we doing this?" her brother wondered out loud.

"Because we are stupid," Nya replied matter-of-factly.