"Y/n!" Misako cried from the courtyard. "They're back!"
I perked up from where I was stocking shelves before ungracefully stumbling down the short ladder and skidding out of Steep Wisdom, ignoring Ronin, who had taken to annoying me relentlessly.
Jerk.
The first thing I noticed was that Cole was slightly transparent. I tripped over my foot in shock, staring at the ninja who had a tiredly despondent look on his green-hued face. I opened my mouth to speak but I couldn't find the words. What on earth..?
"We got the scroll," Kai said wearily, holding the old parchment to the air halfheartedly. He glanced at me, dropping his gaze to Lloyd's hoody that I was swamped in, before closing his eyes and turning his head away. Any hope I had left slithered away. That look only meant one thing.
"You saw Lloyd..?" I asked, though it was more for a confirmation of my suspicion. Kai nodded smallishly. "But... no sign of him."
He nodded again. Cole detached from the group, stalking into the shop with taut, tense shoulders. I raised my eyes to the sky, exhaling a heavy, despairing breath.
"And Cole?" I was hesitant to ask. Nya answered for the rest of the group.
"Turned into a ghost while getting the scroll," she informed with a small shake of her head. I shakily sighed. Everything was suddenly going downhill. The period of sunshine had all but disappeared. What happened?
"Sorry, Y/n," Jay said with a soft voice as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "We all know how much Lloyd means to you. You didn't sign up for this."
I weakly smiled at the lightening master.
"Too late to back out now," I meekly joked, though I didn't feel like laughing. "I'm invested. It'll be okay though, right? Lloyd will come back to us?"
Instead of an answer, there was only silence. My fake smile faded while my eyes dropped to the ground and I played with the sleeves of Lloyd's hoody as I scuffed my foot. I swallowed disappointedly.
"Right," I said, my voice only just above a whisper. Garmadon and Wu entered the courtyard at that moment, both men holding grim expressions. Misako found her way into Garmadon's arms as they shared a tender hug for their missing son.
"We mustn't let Cole's situation shatter the team's resolve," Garmadon said, though it was more of an order, speaking over Misako's head. "You haven't lost, we are still in this race. So, we might be a day behind Morro, that does not mean that gives you ninja an excuse to slack."
Jay made a sound of exasperation.
"Garmadon is right," Wu agreed with a nod, though his eyes looked tired and weary. "No time to rest, you must get changed into your new gis and learn Airjitzu as quick as you can. Come, ninja, we'll board the Bounty and get her ready for air. Y/n, can you get Cole?"
I soundlessly nodded, retreating back into the shop and ignoring yet another half-hearted remark from Ronin.
I walked down the hallway, having to shove back Lloyd's hoody's sleeve so I could gently knock on the door and peek my head in.
Cole was slumped on a couch, staring at his ghostly hands. I felt a twinge of sympathy for him in my stomach. He didn't deserve that, nobody did, but especially not Cole. He's such a nice person.
"Hey," I said softly, stepping into the room fully. My hand slid from the door, hanging limply by my side. I nervously swallowed, but I couldn't quite pinpoint what I was nervous about. "Are you okay?"
Cole's eyes dragged up to meet mine. He didn't look amused. I bit my lip sheepishly as I tentatively took a seat on the couch.
"Okay, sorry," I said guiltily and rubbed the back of my neck. "That was a stupid question..."
I didn't know what else to say from there; what could I say? He'd been turned into a ghost. That's not an everyday happening, I had no idea how to react.
Cole was the first to break the silence.
"Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it," he said with a depressed voice. I glanced over at him questioningly. "Saving Ninjago, I mean. We put our lives on the line, get possessed or turned into ghosts and half the public still think we're a waste of space and not worth the time of day. I- I don't care about glory, but I wouldn't mind a little appreciation. Time after time, we save Ninjago from whoever wants to take over it. One day, we're going to fail. I can't help but think maybe this is the day."
