The following is a filler chapter for reaching 10 chapters outstanding. The mini plot following is completely able to be skipped over if the reader so desires. Thank you for reading so far, and here's to 10 more!
. . .
"Lloyd... are you afraid of God...?"
"No. But I'm afraid of you."
. . .
The rain woke Lloyd up from his short nap on the boat. Well, it might have actually been the two Droids that sat in front of him- one was rowing, the other sat facing away from him but toward the rower.
"Are you going to just sit there Pixal?" the one rowing asked the other.
"As compared to what Zane? Standing?" the other asked, sounding rather bemused.
"Not standing! Rowing."
"Rowing?" the one known as Pixal asked as she handed something Lloyd's way. "Didn't plan on it."
"What's this?" Lloyd asked, still sounding a bit drowsy from the nap he had.
"So you expect me to handle the burden?" the one now known as Zane asked, sounding as if he didn't hear Lloyd. Pixal didn't seem to answer him either.
"No, but I do expect you to do all the rowing." Pixal told Zane.
"And why is that?" Zane asked, sounding a bit annoyed but curious.
"Coming here was your idea." Pixal said as if the answer was simple.
"My idea?!"
"I made it very clear I don't believe in the exercise."
"The rowing?"
"No, I'd imagine that's wonderful exercise."
"Then what?" Zane inquired.
"The entire thought experiment." Pixal told him prudently.
"Excuse me," Lloyd spoke up, "How much longer?"
"One goes into an experiment knowing one could fail." Zane continued.
"One does not go into an experiment knowing one has failed." Pixal said back.
With a sigh, Lloyd looked down at the box that Pixal had given him earlier. The box was made of wood, and the top had a gold nameplate that bore the words 'Lloyd Green: 5th Ninja, Spinjitzu Master.' Lloyd opened the box to find a postcard and a separate code on the lid's interior. In the box's main interior lie a gun, which Lloyd cocked and placed into his belt loop before picking up a black and white picture of a girl he felt he vaguely knew. Out of curiosity, Lloyd turned the picture over and the back was a message scrawled on hastily read 'Bring to Ninjago unharmed'.
"Perhaps you should ask him?" Pixal then said as Lloyd's ears tuned back into their conversation. "I'd imagine he has greater interest in getting there than I do."
"I suppose he does." Zane agreed dimly. "There's no point in asking."
"Why not?" Pixal bemusedly asked.
"It's because he doesn't row."
"He doesn't row?!"
"No, he doesn't row."
"Ah, I see what you mean." Pixal agreed as they came up to a small port. Once the boat was close enough to the ladder, Lloyd stood up and started to climb up the wet thing onto the deck. Lloyd looked around and saw that no one else was there. When he turned back, he found that Zane and Pixal were already starting to row away.
"Hey!" Lloyd shouted back at them. "Is someone meeting me here?"
"I'd certainly hope so." Zane said.
"It does seem like a dreadful place to get stranded." Pixal agreed.
"Maybe there'll be someone inside..." Lloyd mumbled to himself as he started to walk up to the lighthouse. He didn't have to walk for long before coming to the lighthouse door.
"Hello," Lloyd said as he knocked on the door, "It's Lloyd Green, I guess you're expecting me?"
The door slowly opened under the weight of Lloyd's heavy knocks. Carefully, Lloyd entered and the first thing he saw was a small basin of water with a hand crocheted sign that read 'Of they sins, Shall I wash of thee'. Lloyd walked up to the bin and stared at his own reflection in the basin. Looking from the water to the sign, Lloyd stepped away with a grimace.
"Good luck with that pal." he muttered before walking away.
. . .
Some shenanigans later...
. . .
Lloyd woke up in the sand. Not feeling at all pleased in any way, he looked around for the girl.
"Where is she?" he muttered to himself as he got up. Aimlessly, Lloyd looked around, his only clue to go on was to follow the sound of some kind of music that played on the other end of this beach-like place. Eventually, he reached the point to where the sound originated from, and there he found her.
She was dancing.
"Hey Miss..." Lloyd said as he got closer to her, unsure of how to approach her. The girl did not seem to answer him as she kept on dancing.
"Miss?" Lloyd said again, "Could you just-"
Having a feeling she wasn't going to listen him, Lloyd approached her directly.
"Hey...!" Lloyd said louder as he got closer to her, "Miss... Miss Minerva...!"
That got her attention, but it did not break her new free spirit.
"Hello!" Minerva said to him happily. "This is wonderful! Come dance with me Mr. Green!"
"I don't dance." Lloyd told her grimly.
. . .
Five Minutes Later (and no, Lloyd didn't dance...)
. . .
"Mr Green, over here!" Minerva said happily as she walked up to two almost familiar persons.
"Dragon?" the male asked Minerva.
"Or the cage?" the female asked.
"Or perhaps the dragon?" the male said to the female in a rather irritated tone.
"Nothing beats the cage." the female told her other quite firmly.
"These two again..." Lloyd mumbled to himself. "How do... never mind."
"Look at these, they're amazing!" Minerva said as she turned to Lloyd. "Which one do you like more? The dragon is beautiful... and the cage in somber, but there's really something special about it."
Lloyd looked at her. Was he really going to make this decision? With a sigh, Lloyd looked at Minerva and gave his answer.
Which one would you choose?