A/N: At long last, the addendum to Grass Whistle arrives! To kick off this five-part collection of deleted scenes, here is my special present to everyone who wanted to see more Dr. Julien and Nya—a little chat that the nerd dad and nerd daughter probably had at some point on the Dark Island.

Some spoilers for the (AWESOME) backstory revealed in Sons of Garmadon, but I'm sure we've all seen that season by now.

Grass Clippings

Dr. Julien couldn't remember the last time building had been this much fun.

For one thing, engineering and construction of his creations had always been a solitary practice for him. Few of his family members or neighbors back home had quite shared his peculiar passion when he was growing up; as an adult, he'd been utterly alone in the Birchwood Forest workshop.

Even when Zane came along, equally fascinated with machines, he had never quite been a peer to his father in creating them. The Falcon, for instance, had been Zane's idea—Julien's execution.

He hadn't minded it too much. Julien had created Zane to be able to choose what he liked, and he had. Even if he sometimes wished for someone else to share his hobby, he wasn't going to grudge his son that choice.

And then, there was Lloyd, who with just a little bit of instruction was coming along nicely as an apprentice; and the girl—N-something...oh dear...Nya!—who was already a genius in her own right, the first one he'd met in years, and with all her life ahead of her too.

So much young talent. Between the two of them, they both talked at a million miles an hour and always seemed to have so much going through their heads at once. It was all very exciting.

Julien found himself at the back fender of the combat vehicle with Nya while she set some wires under the chassis. Conversation had turned to Samurai X, the mech that had made it possible, and the adventures she'd been on with the boys.

She looked a little jealous and despondent as she stared into the jungle. The other boys had left for their mission long ago.

Julien found himself wringing his hands. It was clear she was upset.

"And yet," he asked slowly, "they left without you?"

Nya sounded too chipper to be honest. "Oh, you know," she said, partly singing her words. "They're the ninja! Going off on their...great adventures."

She went back to work in the mess of wires."Like Sensei said," she added, completely factual, "the final battle belongs to the ninja." She sighed, and the last words were hardly a whisper. "No place in destiny for a samurai."

Julien twiddled his thumbs, unable to focus on his work. He had to come up with a way to sympathize. He absolutely knew how she felt—he'd been there.

He settled on a distraction and a story.

"Not to change the subject," he said, putting his screwdriver back to work, "but...how do you think I felt, when I discovered that my son was one of the ninja?"

Her head flew up, and she stared, clearly caught off guard. "Uh, proud? Happy?" She shrugged. "Maybe surprised?"

"All of that, yes," he answered. It was true enough. "And yet, there was a part of me that felt pushed to the side—like I was no longer as important as he."

She couldn't meet his eyes, and she stared at the bowels of the panel in front of her.

Ah. Right on the money.

"I'm not an elemental master, Nya," Julien went on, keeping his voice as gentle as he could. "Normally the powers are passed down from parent to child, but Zane received his abilities from the last Master of Ice. And because I had nothing to do with it, there were times I felt...dispensable."

He was wringing his hands again. It was utterly terrifying, being this vulnerable.

But Nya sighed and simply turned to watch at the blue waves teasing at the shore. "I know the feeling."

Lloyd was busy hammering blades onto the drill at the front fender, and the CLANG CLANG CLANG was probably why he couldn't hear them talking. Nya began to pace.

"It's always Kai." She was beginning to rant. "It's always been Kai. I've never been able to measure up. First he's older than me," she said, gesturing widely in front of her, "and then he's a guy so he's stronger than me, and then he goes and becomes a ninja! And I'm left in the dust."

Nya's arms dropped to her sides, and her voice got quiet and sad. "Father always said we could be anything we ever wanted. But all I wanted was to be good enough." She hung her head. "To be like my brother."

Julien nodded. He traced a seam on the chassis with one finger. "It's ugly, isn't it?" he whispered. "To feel that you aren't needed?"

"But I know I am!" she cried. Julien looked up in surprise as she stepped forward. "That's just it. Samurai X fought alongside the ninja lots of times. Even if my mech isn't here, I could do more than this. I could be stronger. But I don't know how.

"So I'm here, making machines, while the boys go off on adventures." She huffed a sigh and knocked the heel of her hand on the driller. "And I don't say anything, because I'm scared."

Nya set her forehead against the metal surface in front of her.

Julien frowned. He stepped forward, took off his glasses, and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I completely understand," he said gently. "But perhaps..." He rolled the bridge of his glasses between his thumb and finger and tried to collect his thoughts. "Perhaps we can take comfort in the fact that it's better to be weak on the side of good than strong on the side of evil." He added darkly, "I know that from experience."

Nya raised her head, a tiny, sympathetic frown on her face. "You know that no one can hold you responsible for what Samukai forced you to do," she said.

"No, of course," he countered. "But I did it anyway. I can't dismiss it."

She glanced away as if in thought.

He took his hand from her shoulder and placed his glasses back on his nose to look over the driller vehicle. This enormous machine was almost complete, and when it was finished, it would be used to fight a battle in which he couldn't participate himself.

But maybe that was all right.

"My part to play may be small indeed," said Julien. He'd already made up his mind about this. "Perhaps I'll never be a major player in this game. But as long as I may be on the right side...that's enough for me."

Nya smiled at him, but it melted away soon enough. "I wish it was enough for me."

Julien smiled. "You're still young," he said. "Perhaps you'll find your way to make a difference some way that nobody expected."

Nya didn't answer again, but this time, the look in her eyes was more hopeful.

"If destiny has no place for you," Julien went on slowly—and maybe this was what he wanted her to hear all along, "then you will create a place for yourself. Whether it's big or small, it will be important."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "We may have only met a few days ago, but I know a force to be reckoned with when I meet it. I can't imagine it working out any other way."

Nya laughed, light and carefree like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. And then she leaned in and hugged him.

Oh, darned socks. She was taller than him too.

"Thanks," Nya said into his shoulder, and her voice sounded tiny and happy.

"You're welcome," answered Julien, and he returned the embrace as gently as he could.

What a remarkable, remarkable girl.

But he still couldn't help being nervous. "I guess I did all right, then?" he asked when she let him go. "I never had a daughter. I don't know exactly how to..."

Nya gave a small laugh. "You did great." Her smile got bittersweet and rubbed her hand up her arm. "Dad used to say the same thing."

Julien's smile felt incredibly shy.

She returned a similar smile and spun a pair of wire trimmers in her hand. "Well...back to work, I guess. Our little part in destiny!"

Julien laughed. "Indeed."

Absolutely remarkable.

A/N: Julien just adopts everybody without even trying. I'll continue to post more of these deleted scenes as I finish writing them!

Reviews are compliments.