Soph

If you wanted to get a good spot on the shore of Ninjago City's beach, you had to get there early. Like, ready to leave the house at 6:00, not waking up, but ready to go. In the city where the asphalt absorbed heat like no other and any outdoor drink was at risk of evaporating into thin air, the beach was a popular summer spot.

They had all agreed to get there at 6:30. The sun would be rising and the beach would still be pretty empty. Nya's group, which included Skylor and Keith, had gotten there exactly when planned. Lloyd's group, with Levina and Star, made it soon after. It was the other two groups falling behind. One may assume Zane's group would be on top of it but it holds Cole, Jay, and Kai as well. Harumi's group was no better with just Eva and her.

But after an extra 30 minutes Zane and his three joined, and an hour after that was Harumi.

“If Eva decided to wake up on time..” Harumi grumbled under her breath, which was met with a groan from the one she was criticizing.

“You couldn't have, like, poked me?”

Eva retorted.

“I did, several times.”

“I just think you guys didn't wanna have to set up.” Lloyd cut in, much to both Harumi and Eva's dismay.

“Hey make sure you guys put sunscreen on! It's supposed to get up to a hundred and two today.” Star chimed in, running up to hug her sister. Eva half hugged her back.

Keith and Eva had never been too close, and she wasn't very approachable. Especially not after her ‘reintroduction’. Keith found her mother and sister alright though. He let out a light chuckle at the banter between the few, Skylor and Nya doing the same. Eva walked over, a large bag hanging on her shoulder. Keith decided to hop up.

“Need help?”

He asked.

“It's just a bag. Thanks.”

She places it down right behind the cooler Keith was sitting down next to under the large umbrella Levina had brought.

“It's a bunch of..stuff I baked.” Eva said, almost looking embarrassed.

“Oh, well thank you.” Keith gave a smile, which Eva reflected. Hers was more awkward looking though.

Keith turned his attention towards Levina and Lloyd. Levina was determined to teach Lloyd how to surf this summer, like for real. Keith had narrowly escaped such a fate solely because Lloyd agreed. Not that he was so opposed to having Levina teach him, it just made him nervous. Over time he had been working on the whole ‘messing up = disappointment’ thing, but habits built up over years take years to break. Even if it was just over learning something that was supposed to be fun, like surfing.

Levina stood at the shore, her board under her arm. Her pink hair was back in a braid, a good way to keep it out of the way and untangled. She was almost..glowing? That's what Keith thought at least. She looked in his direction and smiled, and that made Keith feel good. Lloyd came up to the side of him, carrying his own board.

“Wish me luck..” He mumbled, just loud enough for Keith to hear.

“You'll be fine. I told Levi not to be too hard on you.”

Lloyd smiles, and begins his very short journey to the shore of the beach to meet Levina. Keith smiles. Yeah those were his people. What a good feeling.

Harumi walked by, sunglasses on, sorta looking like a celebrity. Which, in a weird sorta way, she was. He couldn't tell for sure, but it looked like she was staring out at Levina and Lloyd too. She had this weird vibe when they were all together. Like she was cocky and full of herself but simultaneously nervous and insecure. She pretended it wasn't extremely obvious.

“I like your swimsuit.” Keith said, attempting to bond a little. It wasn't like they were going to stop seeing each other anytime soon.

She turns, almost taken off guard. Then she looks down at herself. It was a basic black bikini with red details.

“Thanks, Eva made it.”

“She's pretty talented huh?” He gestured between the bag of goodies and Harumi's suit. She nods. “You think she'd make one for me?” He gestured towards his own swimsuit, one of those full bodied ones that cut off mid thigh in a nice dark plum color. He was pretty pale.

Harumi laughed, “Too much fabric for her to work with.” Which gained a laugh out of Keith. FSM it felt good to laugh. Every time he did it reminded him just how good things were. It made him weirdly sentimental. Like a strange longing even though he was experiencing happiness in that very moment. He found relatability in Skylor. They both felt that way a lot.

“You think they'll talk to me?” Harumi cut back in, Keith's laugh dying down. She was looking back out to the two at the shore.

“Yeah. Probably.”

That was all the confirmation Harumi needed. She began, albeit awkwardly, walking towards them.

Time passed, as it always did. Sitting under the umbrella was practically a death sentence, even with the shade. By 11:00, almost everyone had gotten in the water to cool off. Which made for a long line of sandals at the shore's edge. The sand was too hot to walk on without them. And Keith had found himself in a game of waterball. Which was just trying to hit a volleyball in water and keep it in the air as long as you could. It wasn't a perfect set of rules. He hadn't planned to get his hair wet, and it sounded a lot like a game where your hair would get wet, but it took very little convincing from Skylor. He figured it wouldn't be too bad.

It was pretty bad. Eva was almost a different person. She became incredibly competitive just as the rest were. Nya kept being accused of cheating since she's, well, the elemental master of water. She most definitely was cheating too. Kai kept debating between not getting his hair wet and diving in the water to make a huge splash. Star was just really bad at the game. It was certainly an experience.

“Mine!”

“MINE!! MINE!!”

Both Star and Kai dove for the ball at the same time. Star bailed at the last second, not wanting to get hurt. Kai still ended up tackling her. Laughter erupted from the group, including Keith, and the feeling came back. The longing for something that isn't there. That deep pit in his chest at something missing. What a feeling. He shook his head, no use in being sad at the beach!

Cole was next to hit the ball, and it went to Eva. Despite the ball being bright white, Eva had to squint to see it. She was at a disadvantage with one eye. She hit it over between Keith and Skylor. No way Keith was trying to get that. And as he thought, Skylor had it completely handled.

After a while many grew tired. It was hard to run in water. Great workout though.

“Hey! You aren't allowed to use magic!” Nya yelled in Eva's direction after a very convenient wind hit the ball.

“Oh but you can use your elemental powers?” She yelled back, throwing the ball at Nya just as she did her voice. That was a game ender. It sparked a friendly game of who can stay above water longer between the two. Which evolved into chicken somehow.

Keith preferred to watch from the shore for a minute, letting his body rest a moment. He moved his towel from the shade to the sun, next to Harumi who was tanning.

Eva held Jay on her shoulders, and Cole held Kai.

“You're telling me you don't wanna join in on that?”

Harumi jested at Keith, who laughed.

“They'd put me up against Cole, no thank you.” Harumi now laughed.

Then peaceful silence. The sounds of the beach enveloping him completely. Waves hitting the sand while joyful screams and yells could be heard. And of course laughing. If he really focused, he could hear everyone's voice individually. He thought he could hear Levi and Lloyd's too, but they were further down the beach with a group of other surfers, and there was no way he could hear them when they were actually surfing. He had liked to do this on the island to calm himself. Just listen to the sounds of waves and nature. And whatever weird stuff the other cultists were doing.

The silence was interrupted by Harumi's voice.

“Welcome back.”

Keith opened his eyes, seeing Eva beginning to sit down on the other side of Harumi. She was soaked, her hands moved to her hair to ring it out.

He really wanted to talk to her more, and he really wasn't too sure why. Maybe it was the fact that she was always part of his life without him even knowing. He unknowingly grew up around her mother, and then they finally met when the ninja were in need of Star. Now she's closer to his dad than he's been for quite some time. It was a strange feeling. Part of him felt as if she was going to recount every single thing he did back to his father. Like she was some sort of spy with an ulterior motive.. It would fit in with her past.

He was also unlearning that part of himself. His father eventually always found out what was going on in his private life. As private as his island life could get. Partially because he was very open with his father. Partially because the things he wasn't open about were found out through other sources. He was still unlearning the fear of secrets. And also how to keep healthy secrets.

Keith hadn't noticed at first, but Harumi had gotten up. Leaving just her towel between Eva and him. Once he did, he couldn't hold back.

“So, how are you?”

He asked, Eva looked up from her phone. The other hand was in a large chip bag.

“Oh, uhm,” she stuttered, like she wasn't expecting to be asked, “fine. How are you?”

It seemed as if she was just as nervous as him. That lifted some pressure.

“I'm doing well. How's your mother?”

“She's good. Recently she and…Clouse have taken up bird watching. I don't know how much of it is actually bird watching compared to talking shit. But y'know, they're having fun.”

She actually said his father's name. Cautiously but she said it. That almost made it worse. Keith now knew, fully knew, that Clouse really was a part of her life.

She started again,

“Y’know, uh, we talk about you a lot.”

That's not adding any pressure.

Then quickly after,

“It's all good things I swear.”

That still didn't help.

“That's good to know.” Was it getting hotter outside? Actually, it probably was.

Why would Eva need to talk about him too? She barely knew him.

But Keith just heard that his father still talks about him, fondly.

“You should come by some time. My mom makes some great food.”

Keith doesn't respond verbally, instead he nods. Laying his head back onto the towel. She had just, very informally, invited him over. To see his dad. A pit formed in his stomach. The weird one where it felt like something he wanted so badly, was just out of his reach. Like he could see it, but couldn't touch it.

“Wanna get in the water?”

He finally responded. Off topic. Some sort of deflection.

Eva groaned, “I literally just dried off.” But her irritation was all a facade, because she was already rolling up the open end of the chip bag.

__________________________

Around 2:30 everyone began packing up. It was starting to get pretty crowded and they were pretty spent. Zane of all people, ended up napping during the unsaid designated tanning-chill-time. Jay was the only one who actually got sunburnt, but it was one awkward patch on his leg that he didn't put sunscreen on.

As Keith walked into the cool AC of Skylors and his apartment, he smiled. He went over to their shared erasable calendar hanging on the wall. It very rarely got used as their schedules were pretty consistent with each other and they both lived relatively boring lives. Not counting Ninjago City's shenanigans. He took the black marker magnetized to the side of the board and wrote “Dinner with dad. 6:30.” He even took a step back to look at it like it was a piece of artwork.

Just seeing it on the calendar made him want to throw up. The pit in his stomach weighed heavy.

The city had a certain life to it, but perhaps that fact was far more amplified after living underground for the last few months. Maybe, despite her grievances with it, it was always like this; animated in veiling nescience that the citizens surrounding the municipality wore by choice as they go about their diurnal lives.

Eva leaned against the rufous-colored brick wall of a shop, arms crossed over her midriff, eclipsed in a slightly hemail shadow, watching and waiting – for what, you may ask? She wasn’t quite sure herself anymore. It’s all she really did lately; watch and listen and wait. For the most part, it was annoyingly excruciating to have nothing more to do then live such a performative sedentary life when she had much more paramount things to be tending to. Nobody, not the cars that drove past the street nor the people that barely acknowledged her as they walked by, realized just who she was or what she could do.

Her potential — her power — unknown, hovering just above the surface.

The last few years have been eventful for her, to say the least. The SOG had fallen, their reign over Ninjago slipping through the cracks in their group's foundation despite their efforts. Who knew resurrecting a dead guy as your proclaimed Emperor had negative connotations? Then again, neither was joining a group run by the old friend (and eventual ex) she met at a behavioral camp.

That probably should have been the first red flag.

Eva brought one of her handmade cigarettes to her lips, slowly inhaling. An uncomfortable feeling loomed in the husk of her missing eye. Thank the First Spinjitzu Master for the concept of eye patches. Uh, that reminds her of her unfortunate time with the crew of the Misfortunes Keep; as so many things do. She’s more than comforted now that they’ve been taken care of. There was a faint hint of sea salt in the air and she grimaced.

The contact between her and her cigarette broke, and the back of her head softly hit the hard cement wall behind her. Strips of sorrel hair softly blew in the light wind.

After having been abandoned by Misfortunes Keep following her using up the rest of her usefulness to them, she had been found by those who were previously thought to be dead; one of these individuals turned out to be her mother. Her real mother, alive and even well.

Despite the drastic changes, her life had been on pause in a dull state of meliorism. She lived in shadows and secrets, not allowed to step into the sunlight unless told; and that command has gone unspoken.

Eva tossed the cigarette on the ground and crushed it into the pavement with her heel.

Something was watching her. That, or someone.

She had sensed it some time into her internal seclusion. A looming presence kept their distance, but close enough to take notice. She took off from where she had been standing and began walking. Not too quick or frantic; she couldn’t let whoever was tailing her think she noticed. Was it one of the ninja, she wondered? Had they finally found her after her betrayal? Does her sister know? She managed to avoid detection thus far due to her less than desirable appearance. No, it couldn’t be them. The ninja, despite their aforementioned moniker, were the opposite of discreet. If they had found her, they would be tumbling over themselves, allowing their emotions to get in the way. That’s just how they were and based off of formulaic evidence that’s how they would respond to her existence.

Eva turned a corner and ducked into an alleyway, then another and another, and then a couple more before she broke out into a full on sprint, attempting to lose her assailant. It was at that point she knew she was being chased and that – whoever they were – wouldn’t give up so easily.

She kept running until she entered a roofless atrium, a part of a long abandoned building mostly likely torn down due to another battle the city had faced. Walls were crumbling, greenery had taken over where rumble had not. A balustrade covered in a dusty patterned red carpet stood high on the only structured wall connected to the second floor. Spots like these were popping up all over town, even with numerous recreational efforts funded by the city's government. The place was just another stain on Ninjago’s up and coming clean-slate image.

She skidded to a stop in the omphalos of the atrium, breathing heavily. She whipped around, eyes searching every nook and cranny. Did she lose them?

She feels his presence before he sees him.

“You may think your new appearance hides you from Cyrus Borg’s recognition scanners, but I can still sniff you out with ease.”

“Keith,” Eva breathed out, shock filling her chest, the revelation rattling her. She had expected anyone else, but not him. She pivots on her heel, looking up at the source of the voice.

Keith jumped from where he stood on the railing of the balustrade — with the precision of someone who had often gained a thrill from the challenge of breaking his excellent balance. He flipped once before landing flat on his feet.

He had changed in the last few months, having undergone a metamorphosis not entirely unlike her own. The thin, short style of his ebony hair that had been acquired after his father had been destroyed on the dark island had grown out again, replaced by two thin braids built from the crown of his forehead trailing down the beginning of his back. His outfit hadn’t deviated from their original color scheme – purple, red, black, gold and white – but the design had changed; Eva was sure the ninja’s gi designer Hetty had given it to him. It had her brand all over it; tactful with a smudge of elegance and flashiness. He bore his usual weaponry; a doubly bladed jade staff he had earned (or so he says) from the tomb of the great Anacondria leaders, which he dragged around everywhere. Had Skylor not put her foot down, he would have continued to keep it in the storage closet at Chen’s Noodle House. He slowly twirls the weapon in his hands, handling it with care.

He points one end of his staff at her. “I didn’t think you had the guts to show your face in this city again.”

“You thought wrong.” She replied just as impassively. Although, he was almost right.

He shifted his feet, moving into a combative stance. She parroted his actions, taking up a more defensive poise. So, this was how it was going to be, huh? Ninjas and their friends, always so quick to fight. But that’s fine; she likes a good fight anyways. Keith makes the first move in this match but she's ready for it. He sends a kick towards her face but she blocks it with her forearm, then parries with a kick of her own. He swings his staff at her but she dodges with an inch to spare. Moving quickly, relentlessly, would end this swiftly.

She kept him at a distance, striking him away with the high kicks, nicking him with tips of her tightly wrapped feet.

Her movements were arranged in an acrobatic way, more like a practiced dance than a real battle; while his were strict, spry yet harsh, like ice-cold snow beating down on your skin. Juxtaposed, their fighting styles couldn’t be more different in contrast, however they each held their own, a perfect — almost equal — balance, neither able to tip the other on the scales.

Perhaps that’s what made it so fun; or maybe it was because they had no interpersonal connections with each other, making it easier to fight one another. They could just let loose, no guilty feelings or remorse for what they might do to one another.

The only connection they had was mutual company; and that wasn’t saying much.

Surreptitiously, she slips a small dagger from a secret compartment in her clothing and sends it flying towards his head.

His fingers dispersed in an outstretched position and suddenly her arm was unable to move. The dagger held still in the air, as if part of a photograph. A blue aura surrounded her limb, enveloping it in its essence. She looks back at Keith, and realization suddenly dawns on her. She was foolish to forget the power he had inherited from his late uncles. It was the most threatening thing about him; beyond everything else she unfortunately knew about him from outside sources. He was the first Elemental Master of Time in the last forty years. Such a thing was not to be taken lightly.

“You’ve… You’ve gotten better.” She sputtered out, feeling an unreliable quiver in her knees.

“So have you.” He panted, the sweat of his brow shining in the sunlight. Clearly he hasn’t totally adjusted to his new abilities yet if he was already tired after using them.

But they both have special tricks up their sleeves, for neither were as hapless as they seemed.

An invocation dances on the tip of her tongue, vocalizing a violent attack that strikes his left shoulder blade, knocking the adjacent arm temporarily unconscious. His staff tumbled to the ground.

“You… you’re learning magic?” Keith airs the question as he tends to his sprained arm, already aware of the answer.

Faintly, a smile brushes her face. Eva shrugs, rolling her shoulders with her newly freed mobility. “Just a new hobby I picked up recently. Surprised?"

He cooked his head. “With the company you keep? Not at all.” He stands taller, a determined look in his eyes. “Would you like an expert demonstration?”

“Sure you got that in you?” Eva asked jocularly. “You’re looking a little winded there.”

Keith’s scowl deepened to a concerning degree. “It’s not me you should be worried about.”

His hands flicker with deep purple sparks, an invisible power circling his presence. He launches an uncoordinated blast of magic her way, like an uncontrolled sizzling firework. It didn’t look as refined as it should have.

Magic was just like that. Its sui generis nature was something to be both loved and contested. It made it seem unpredictable but Eva was always one to take control; and control she would have once she fully mastered the dark arts.

The skin of her knees hit the floor to avoid the blast, scraping gently in a hunched over position. She pressed a palm flatly to the ground, drawing a swift-spoken incantation from her lungs. The small perimeter around her rumbled to life, power sparking from the cracks in the cement, from the shadows that envelope the ruins. A dark sorcery permeates around her.

With a sudden leap, she darts forward, sending that same hand into Keith’s chest. The power provided by the exhilaration and the spell sent him fumbling backwards.

A cloud of dust built up between them, causing spurs of coughing fits.

“W-Where did you learn that…?” Keith choked out as he wobbled on his knees, the familiar spell having knocked the air from his lungs, hindering his respiratory system.

“Like I said,” Eva heaved; “it’s a hobby.”

In a fit of rage, he tackled her to the floor, pining her down with his feet.

“Tell me where you learnt that spell!?” The second round of asking sounded more enraged than ever. Clearly, he recognized the form of magic she was using against him.

She smiles with a certain harshness, but the same cruelty doesn’t reach her eyes. “Your father has proven rather useful to me.”

The impetus of her words struck true, as her opponent stumbled, his grip loosening.

Keith’s eyes grow wide in shock. “What…?”

Now that he’s distracted, his power over her all but vanished, she swings her back leg against his and twists her hips. He falls to the floor, head hitting the ground in a way where he blacks out instantly, limp against the stone.

She crawls up from the floor, breathing heavily. “Lights out.”