It's Wednesday and I'm on spring break right now. Yay.
Here's an introduction to the second storyline we're working with. I don't like it, but maybe you will. I don't know.
Chapter Two: Peace
"Excuse me, Mrs. Museum Lady! I have a question!" A small girl with brunette curls that could make any girl jealous bounced up and down on her toes excitedly. Both of her hands fluttered wildly in the air, hoping to seek the attention of the one individual she had called for. "Mrs. Museum Lady, I wanna ask you something! It's something really, really important!" She caught the subtle glimpse of frustration that crossed the woman's face as she continued to speak over her. Despite all of this, the woman still ignored the young girl and continued to drone on about something uninteresting. Pouting, the brunette squinted to see the lady's name tag. "Mrs. Garmadon, I have a…"
The red head closed her eyes tightly and let out a long sigh. "Please don't call me that. If anything, just call me Miss Laurie." The confusion was clear on the young girl's face. "Mrs. Garmadon is my mother because she's married and stuff. I'm not married. I'm barely nineteen now anyways." All of the children currently crowded around her looked around nervously. How had everything ended up like this? One day she was fighting snakes and stone warriors and then the next day there is just nothing but tranquility across the land. Despite how terrible it was, there was part of her that sometimes wished her brother had not defeated the Overlord. At least then she would not be working in a boring museum. "What was your question though," Laurie continued, shifting uncomfortably in the polyester jacket that felt like it was smothering her. "You were saying it was important."
"I'm Brynn, Mrs. Garmadon, and I just wanted to ask you where the bathroom was because I really have to go!" The girl continued to move around, a large smile plastered across her face.
All of the energy that seemed to be bottled up inside of the girl reminded Laurie of her brother before he grew older. A smirk tugged at the edge of her lips and she took a knee, motioning for Brynn to come closer. The sea of other children that had all been standing in a loose semi-circle around the former ninja parted. Brynn excitedly approached Laurie, her dark blue eyes full of curiosity. "If you take the hallway back from where we just came from, there will be a bathroom on your second right." Laurie stood up, brushing the leg of her khaki pants off briefly. "Please don't get lost and thanks for asking. You were right, it was definitely an important question." The young girl gave a brief nod before sprinting out of the room, towards the nearest hallway. As the other children watched Brynn disappear, Laurie cleared her throat to get their attention once more. "Now, let's get back to the tour that you're all so happy to be on." A chorus of low groans filled the room, causing Laurie to laugh. "Tell me about it," the red head continued. "History can be really boring sometimes, can't it?"
"Your last name's Garmadon?" asked a boy with black, cropped hair. "I thought that was the name of the big bad guy who wanted to try and take over the world."
A sassy girl tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder before adjusting the fuchsia bracelet on her left wrist. "Nuh-uh, you're wrong. It's the last name of the golden ninja that saved the city." She watched as the boy gave her a small shove on the shoulder. "Ew, don't touch me! You're gonna give me cooties, weirdo!" Looking disgusted, the girl gave her classmate wide berth as she hurried to catch up to their tour leader. "Tell me I'm right, Miss Laurie. I mean, the golden ninja is touring the country for being so brave. I've seen the posters and everything. He's so handsome."
How old were these kids? Laurie tried to remember the exact grade she was scheduled to speak with today, but she could not. They could not be out of elementary school though. This girl thought Lloyd was handsome? Oh goodness, she must be completely delusional. "You're both right actually," she replied simply, keeping the group moving through an exhibit where the walls were textured rough to resemble sand. "They're father and son after all. The evil was purged from Lord Garmadon and the dark entity that tried to destroy Ninjago was stopped by Lloyd Garmadon. See, there's no need to fight about it."
"You have the same last name though," the boy started again, sticking his tongue out at his classmate for thinking he was wrong. "Are you a bad guy too? Do you want to take over the world?"
She stopped the group at a pillar in front a glass display. Four replicas of the ancient Fang Blades from legend gleamed in the bright, fluorescent lights. "No, I'm not a bad guy," she laughed, watching as the children crowded around to hear her answer. "They are my family though: my father and my brother." Hushed whispers started as kids standing in the back were turning to each other and chatting excitedly. "You guys don't really want to hear about all of this boring stuff on this tour do you?" Laurie asked sincerely, eliciting negative feedback. "That's what I thought. Hey, I wouldn't be here either if I didn't need a job. History really isn't that interesting to me either, but I know so much about all of this boring stuff, that it was just easier for me to take a position here." Glancing around briefly, the teenager noticed the lack of authority figures in the room. "How about I tell you guys a story instead?"
"Oh, I wanna hear a story!" Brynn came racing into the room, her sneakers squeaking on the polished linoleum floor. Two girls who had been talking with each other narrowed their eyes as the bubbly brunette ran closer to the group. Smirking, one of them stuck their foot out ever so slightly, just enough to cause Brynn to trip. Her small body hit the floor hard and a small yelp escaped her lips. Frowning deeply at the bullies, Laurie walked over to the over excited girl and helped her get to her feet. "Oh, thanks Mrs. Garmadon," Brynn smiled cheerfully, her cerulean eyes bright. "I didn't miss any of the story did I? I really, really like listening to stories!"
The girl that had tripped Brynn scoffed lightly. "What a loser."
So even now children could just be really mean. Laurie always thought that future generations would be a bit kinder to one another. Guess you could not purge the world from every evil, even if that evil was a misunderstanding and judgmental little girl. "You didn't miss any of the story, Brynn," Laurie answered, seeing the joy spread across the brunette's face. "It's not a very long story, and it's not even the best story, but it's better than walking you guys through this dismal museum." A hush fell over the school group as they waited to hear what the teenager was going to talk about.
"I used to be a ninja believe it or not. My younger brother is the most famous one: the golden ninja. He saved Ninjago from being pulled into a world of darkness." There were several boys with their eyes very wide; taking in every word Laurie spoke. "I was there for the whole thing too; fought alongside my friends and family, helping my brother fulfill his destiny. Being a ninja was the best because every day held something different. There was always a new adventure that we got to go on; a new enemy that needed to be stopped." Recalling all of the fights with the Serpentine and stone warriors was very nostalgic. It felt like everything had just occurred yesterday, but Laurie knew better. It had been about a year now since Lloyd had defeated the Overlord. She had finally reunited with her brother a little over two years ago. The time seemed to just fly by and Laurie let out a small breath. "Everything was always really fun, but there isn't any danger in the world anymore. No eminent threats or dastardly villains trying to take over the world. So we all kind of ended up going our separate ways."
Rolling her eyes, the mean girl's friend raised her hand up high over her strawberry blonde hair to get Laurie's attention. "That was a stupid story," she stated plainly, now crossing her arms over her chest. "Also, I think you're a big fat liar, Miss Laurie. There was no way that you were ever a ninja. You work in a boring museum and you probably just wish that your life had been like that."
Seriously? Laurie's ice blue eyes widened as she felt her mouth drop open slightly. Okay, not only were little girls apparently mean, they could be just downright cruel. She was secretly thankful to her mom for never sending her to school with others. It probably would have destroyed her confidence completely. Not to mention she probably would have come home from school every day and just cried in her room. Before she could think of anything to say back to the rude child, an aged man walked over. His grey hair was slicked back and he adjusted the low lying spectacles on the bridge of his nose before speaking. "Field trip is over," the teacher explained, looking about as bored as the kids had while on the tour. "Time to go back to the school." As the class gave sly grins and silent cheers of happiness, the man approached Laurie. "Thank you for taking them on the tour, young Miss. I hope they didn't cause you any trouble. They can be a handful sometimes, especially little Brynn."
Laurie glanced back towards the kids and saw them walking out of the exhibit room and back towards the lobby as Brynn excitedly approached her. "The kids were fine, sir," Laurie lied, plastering a smile on her face. The young brunette was bouncing on the balls of her feet, her smile wide. "Did you need something, Brynn?" the former ninja asked, adjusting the smothering business-like jacket that adorned her frame.
"No, I just wanted to say thanks for the tour and for the story." She gestured for Laurie to come closer and watched in awe as she actually humored her. "I bet you were probably the best ninja ever," Brynn whispered softly, her voice barely audible. "I wish I could be just like you." A smile plastered on her face, the young girl took a few steps back, now standing next to her instructor. "Thanks for everything, Mrs. Garmadon."
Giving a small sigh, the aging man placed a hand on Brynn's back, giving her the signal that it was time to go. "Please inform your superior that we are leaving and that Ninjago Elementary will more than likely use this museum again for trips in the future." He reached into a breast pocket on his grey coat and procured a folded five dollar bill which he then proceeded to offer to Laurie. She held a hand up and shook her head slowly. "Oh, very well then," he replied, stuffing the currency back into his pocket before turning his attention on Brynn. "Come along then. Let's catch up with the others."
Following her instructor closely, Brynn turned around briefly and gave a short wave before disappearing out of the exhibit hall. Laurie managed to wave back and then felt all the energy drain from her body at once. "Gosh, kids can be a handful," she mumbled to herself, ice blue eyes shut as she rubbed her temples lightly. The museum would be closing soon anyways and she was grateful. All she wanted to do was go home and sleep. "Then tomorrow I do the same thing all over again," she sighed, spotting an empty bench near the entrance to a hallway and heading towards it.
A low groan filled the air as the red head rested on the seat. This life was so at ease and tranquil. There was nothing more boring. Laurie let her mind wander, recollecting the many adventures she had been on with her brother, cousin, and friends. It had been a while since she had seen her best friends, even her boyfriend. They were all teachers now, busying themselves with education. Lloyd was off on his own, touring the country for his victory against the Overlord. She felt so alone sometimes, her heart aching for the adrenaline and companionship that came only when the world was in trouble. It was completely selfish, but there were sometimes when Laurie wished that they were still fighting evil. At least it made for an exciting life.
"A dangerous life though," she told herself, glancing back at the artifacts behind her. The faux Fang Blades gleamed in the fluorescent lights, the plastic gemstones embedded in the bottom of their handles shining brightly. "These are replicas of the Fang Blades of legend," Laurie recited from memory, one of the stories she would have to tell visitors who wanted a tour. "If brought together at the City of Ouroboros, it was said that these blades would awaken the Great Devourer, a fearsome beast from Serpentine lore. A couple of years ago, the Great Devourer was released and terrorized Ninjago City, until it was killed by Lord Garmadon, with aid from the famous ninja."
Maybe the Serpentine would show their reptilian faces for the first time in over a year. Maybe a new enemy would come to light, threatening to overtake the city. Maybe Jay would make Kai really angry for some reason and then he would randomly come down to the museum and burn it down. That would be really nice. The last thing Laurie wanted was to spend the rest of her life working in this boring place. A little fire would not hurt. Hugging her arms around herself, the former ninja closed her eyes and wished for something even slightly bad to happen in the city.
It's so...boring. And you're probably thinking "this isn't really AUish, it's just like what happened in the new season before the Digital Overlord came back". Well, that's great, but there is one, almost insignificant, factor in this timeline that ensures the Digital Overlord won't return. I'll talk about it in later chapters. If you're too eager, I'll tell you about it anyways if you PM me. It's not too big of a secret anyways.
Okay. So, thanks for reading and see you next week. :)