"Oh, have you two met before?" Magpie baited, fully aware that Phoenix and Aruna hadn't seen each other since before his regeneration.

"In a dream, in a fantasy, in a past life…" Phoenix mumbled as he got down on one knee and took Aruna's hand in his. "I don't know where I first met you, but my heart tells me you are extremely important."

"Why thank you." Aruna blushed even more.

"Please, come in, my precious diamond." Phoenix requested as he stood up and guided her into the living room.

Magpie watched with a degree of astonishment, slowly closing the front door. She'd never seen him remember his soulmate's name without prompting, but then again, this entire regen had been one big ball of surprises. She wandered back to the party, and saw Phoenix introducing Aruna to Zane and Pixal, as one would introduce a steady partner to one's parents. It was a very wholesome thing to witness; even though both droids had already met Aruna, they played along to let Phoenix have this moment.

"How wonderful to meet you here." Pixal smiled.

"It's an honour for me, I couldn't possibly miss my darling's milestone cycle." Aruna smiled back.

"We're so glad you came to the party," Zane nodded. "Phoenix, perhaps Aruna would like a refreshment after her long journey here…?"

"My thoughts exactly," Phoenix agreed, looking at Aruna. "will you join me in getting something to drink?"

"Of course..." Aruna purred.

The two of them left hand in hand, and Pixal gave a romantic sigh.

"Are you alright?" Zane asked, putting his arm around her.

"Oh Zane, he reminds me so much of you," Pixal mused. "the way he looks at her, it is exactly how you have always looked at me, even before I knew what love truly was."

"To be so open to love, and to recall his soulmate without any of his other memories, indicates to me that we've raised him well," Zane kissed her on the cheek. "at the very least, we've been a positive influence on him."

"I was worried that we would not be able to raise a human child, even a child that grew as swiftly as he has," Pixal stated, watching from across the room as Phoenix politely handed Aruna a drink. "but this whole situation has made me realize that I do have nurturing instincts... Perhaps, we could build a child... Someday."

"It sounds as if you've made up your mind, about more than just this," Zane noted. "I take it we will be moving to New Ninjago?"

Pixal nodded.

"I need to be closer to our son, but I also want to be closer to my father," She explained. "ho-oh's accelerated growth imparted to me more anxiety about the finite existence of humans."

"We will call your father now before it gets too late in the evening, and we will announce our decision to the team tomorrow." He confidently declared, taking her hand in his.

"Are you sure you are alright with leaving the temple?" She asked. "I do not want you to feel 'steamrolled' by my emotions and desires."

"Most of us will leave the temple eventually, it isn't untoward for those of us in relationships to want to 'branch out' to our own space." He insisted.

The two of them strolled away from the excitement of the party and headed towards the communications room. Zane was having a minor internal moment of anxiety; was he really ready to leave the home and family that he had been with since his father switched off his memories, all those years ago? He glanced at Pixal, who bore an excited grin on her face, and his heart soared. Just one look at his beloved wife and he knew – as long as he was with her, he was home.

As they approached the comms room, they were surprised to hear someone already in there, having a video call of their own…

"…Well, this is your decision to make, my dear," Mr Borg's voice rang out. "I'm happy to accept that this is what you want."

"I still want to do the job you created me for though…" Kiku responded.

Zane and Pixal looked at each other in mild confusion; what was Kiku talking about?

"You can still do the job I created you for!" He reassured her. "I sent you to Sensei Wu to train for the express objective of preparing you for a mobile position – you were never meant to have a stationary career."

"So, it's really okay?" She wondered.

"Dear daughter, your ultimate purpose is to go wherever you are needed; to gather intelligence, to run important errands, to act as the external ears for the security and betterment of New Ninjago, etc." He asserted. "you may choose your own base of operations."

"OMG thanks so much dad!" She beamed.

"Have you discussed this with the Sensei?"

"I kind of spoke to him first," She admitted sheepishly. "I wanted to get permission before I discussed this with you."

"Truly you have undergone a phenomenal amount of improvement, and become a newer, better version of yourself Kiku; I am so proud of you!"

Fearing that she was eavesdropping on an intensely private conversation, Pixal reached out and knocked on the comms room door before anything else could be said. Kiku practically jumped out of her casing, as Pixal and Zane walked in.

"Apologies for interrupting," Pixal bowed. "but we were hoping to discuss something with father and since you already have him on a video call, we wish to make the most of this opportunity."

"Of course," Kiku sighed in relief. "we were pretty much finished anyway, right dad?"

"Indeed." Cyrus smiled.

"Well, I'll leave you guys to it!" Kiku decided, wandering out the door.

"Good evening, dear daughter and son-in-law, what a wonderful surprise to see you!"

"Hello father," Pixal grinned. "thank you for giving Phoenix such a wonderful gift for his 18th cycle – the chain suits him so much."

"It seems he also enjoyed his shopping trip, if the delivery that arrived at the temple is anything to go by," Zane chuckled. "it was extremely generous of you to bestow him with the card."

"He's a good boy; he's as honest as the day is long and as level-headed as his father," Cyrus hinted as Zane gave a proud smile. "goodness knows I trust him as much as I trust the two of you – you've both done a fantastic job raising him."

"Thank you," Pixal bowed. "caring for him has been an eye-opening experience, and we have something we wish to tell you."

Cyrus leaned toward the camera and gave an expectant glance.

"Last year, around Christmastime, you expressed an interest in retiring, and having us run New Ninjago in your place," Zane briefly looked at Pixal and tightly squeezed her hand. "we have made our decision – we gratefully wish to acquiesce to your request for us to take over."

Cyrus' face lit up, his eyes widened, and he clasped his hands together.

"What joyful news!" He chirped. "I am so happy I can barely contain myself!"

"We're going to inform the team first thing tomorrow morning, so as not to overshadow Phoenix's celebration this evening," Zane mentioned. "but we felt it was important to inform you first."

"Oh, this is fantastic! I was so hoping you would decide to come here," Cyrus nodded fervently. "hopefully, this transition will not be too painful for you Zane, as I know you've been with the ninja for a long time, and they are your family."

"You are also my family, Mr Borg," Zane stated as he let go of Pixal's hand and put his arms around her. "as is Phoenix, and although the idea of change is frightening, we feel the time is right for that change to happen."

"I will set the gears in motion, get the paperwork in order, and we can discuss this further at a later date," Cyrus beamed and wiped the wetness from his eyes. "in the meantime, please continue to enjoy tonight's festivities."

"Thank you," Pixal widely smiled. "have a good evening, father."

"I shall, goodnight to you both!"

And with that, Cyrus gave one last smile and hung up the video call, leaving Zane and Pixal in the silence of the comms room. The glanced at each other, then savoured a warm, profound embrace. Pixal sighed and nuzzled into Zane's shoulder. Zane kissed her on the forehead and a satisfied rumble left his throat, which made Pixal's heart swell.

"We should get back to the party before we're missed." Zane murmured.

"In a moment, I'm enjoying the peacefulness of this contact." Pixal replied.

Aruna was pretty much floating with happiness. Phoenix's arms were wrapped around her as they swayed to a delightful slow song. She could hear his heartbeat and feel the warmth of his body as it surrounded her like a haze. Her ears folded down, her tail wagged joyfully, and she let out a blissful sigh. They were not the only couple partaking of the romantic pop song – Jay and Nya, and Kai and Kiku were also swaying softly – but even without a word, Phoenix made her feel like there was no one else in the room; that it was just the two of them. The dreamy male vocals and sweeping piano were downright hypnotic, and Aruna never wanted this moment to end.

Alas, the song in question was less than four minutes long, and before she knew it, the song was over. Phoenix softly pulled away, just enough to flash a demure grin at her, then he led her away from the makeshift dancefloor as Cole put on a much more energetic track. Phoenix escorted her to one of the sofas that had been pushed against the wall, then went to get her a cold drink. He returned with her favourite soda and sat beside her.

"Thank you darling," She smiled. "that was wonderful."

"Wasn't it just? Being with you feels so natural, it's as if I belong by your side." He smiled back.

Aruna's heart skipped. His voice was like melted chocolate when he spoke that way, and even though it was the sort of flirtatious thing he would say pre-regeneration, it was clearly said with sincerity. Phoenix put his hand on hers and she was briefly startled by the sudden contact.

"Do you remember me?" Aruna asked hopefully.

"As soon as I saw you, I remembered your name, I remembered your beautiful eyes, and I remembered your importance in my life," Phoenix answered. "I did not even recall my sisters when I first saw them, but you… there's something special about you…"

"Will you be coming home soon?" She queried further.

"I will be going back to the city with my sisters tomorrow," He nodded. "perhaps then we can spend some more time together, since you live in the city too."

"…How did you know I lived in New Ninjago?" She tilted her head. "I don't recall telling you that."

"For some reason, I have this image in my head, of an apartment building on the upper east side with a new age store in one of the first-floor units." He clarified.

"That could be anyone's apartment building..." She looked at him through her peripheral vision.

"But how many apartment buildings have a gorgeous lady like you living there?" He purred. "With a pet eagle?"

Aruna suddenly blushed – how did he remember Stella but not remember his own sisters?

"You're looking a little overheated, my diamond, let's go out for some fresh air." He suggested.

Taking her hand once again, he assisted her to stand up and gently guided her into the hallway, with the intention of going to the back door to enjoy the cool summer evening.

However, as they walked into the hallway, a charm from Aruna's bracelet unexpectedly fell to the floor. She paused, turned around and bent over to pick it up. Aruna was unable to bend 'like a lady' because it hurt her hip, so if she dropped something she would literally bend at the waist and reach down to get it. When she reached down to find the charm, Phoenix got a good look at the curve of her plump rear end pressing against the fabric of her dress. He couldn't resist – he brushed his hands across her cheeks.

"Eeep!" Aruna squeaked as she felt the heat on her backside.

She immediately stood up straight and turned on her heel to look at Phoenix, blushing red as a traffic light. Before she could open her mouth to speak, she saw the expression on his face and froze. His eyes were hazy and half-lidded, he was grinning and biting his lip, staring at her as if she were his prey.

"Aruna…" He growled.

"Phoenix, are you okay?" She asked quietly.

"Of course," He insisted. "let's go somewhere more private, to talk about things."

"Certainly." She smiled.

Phoenix held her hand and led her into the meditation room. The instant she stepped into the room, Aruna felt an overwhelming aura of peace and serenity. She followed Phoenix to an ornate screen, and behind it was a cosy little sleeping area; a shikibuton mattress, a comfy duvet and pillows, and a lamp.

"How charmingly snug this looks," Aruna noted, as Phoenix sat down and patted the area beside him. "oh, thank you."

Aruna, being the proper sort, sat in a formal position with her legs neatly tucked underneath her.

"Is this where you've been sleeping this whole time?" She asked. "It's so tranquil in here, I could definitely curl up and sleep, no problem."

"Actually, this was set up especially for tonight," He grinned. "I've been sharing Cole's room since my 8th cycle, because he was helping to train me, but for my 18th they wanted to give me my own space."

"It's very nice of them to train you, and for Cole to give up some of his privacy to help, I must thank him for his kindness." She declared.

"I'm sorry for invading your personal space…" Phoenix apologised.

"It's quite alright," Aruna blushed. "I… I rather liked it…"

"You did?" He probed.

"W-well yes," She admitted. "secretly, I have always wanted that kind of… attention from you."

"Is that why you call me 'darling'?" He murmured, leaning toward her.

"S-sort of," She stammered. "I have called you 'darling' for many months, because you always treat me so kindly and so delicately."

"You were always there for me too, Aruna," He mentioned. "I recall when I was diagnosed as diabetic, you checked on me regularly and started keeping snacks in your bag for me; you even bought a blood glucose monitor because I kept forgetting mine."

"I worry about you, darling, I know what can happen when it isn't kept in check, and I didn't want to lose you," She confessed, then immediately realised what she'd said. "not that you belong to me or anything, I just wanted to help you cope with it and-."

Phoenix halted her hasty backpedalling with a gentle whisper of a kiss, left directly on her warm, sweet lips. Aruna's blush deepened, and her eyes went as wide as dinner plates.

"Aruna, my precious diamond," He growled. "I know how much you care for me; I remember how your pink eyes would shimmer whenever you looked at me, how your cheeks would go red when I smiled at you, how concerned you got when my blood sugars were too low."

"Darling, I have always been enamoured of you, from the very first day you approached me," She purred. "in the days that followed, your gentleness and manners drew me in further – I dreamed of the day when you would bless my lips with your kisses."

"You don't have to dream anymore…"

He leaned over, curled his arms around her and pulled her close, then pressed his lips on hers. She gave a small moan as he kissed her, his mouth was so hot, and she felt herself wilting at his touch. Phoenix caressed her cheek and tilted his head, kissing her more firmly and relishing the sound of another of her cute little moans. After a few moments of their sweet embrace, Aruna relaxed enough to put her arms over his shoulders, and Phoenix put his free hand on her waist.

They sank into their own little world, wrapped in each other's arms and locked in a sumptuous kiss. Aruna was making little happy mewing sounds, as Phoenix rubbed his tongue along her lips and wordlessly asked for permission – which she happily, yet anxiously gave. She had never been kissed before, and she assumed that perhaps, he hadn't either in this current regeneration. But his dominant behaviour and wandering hands made her wonder if he remembered his past experience. Phoenix put his hands on her shoulders and slipped the straps of her dress down her shoulders.

Aruna whimpered.

"Are you okay?" He murmured.

"Just a little nervous." She whispered back.

"Don't worry, I'll make you feel better." He assured her...

To try and prevent arousing suspicion of their rendezvous in the meditation room, Phoenix and Aruna returned to the party in a staggered fashion; Aruna got redressed first, and after checking her hair and makeup in the bathroom mirror, strolled back into the living room as nonchalantly as she could manage. She poured herself a cup of soda and was soon joined by Nya, also looking to get a drink.

"Hey there," Nya greeted her with a cheeky grin. "looks like you enjoyed the slow dance…"

"Oh, it was delightful!" Aruna sighed. "It's a pity I had to take a call from my pet sitter, I've missed out on additional chances to dance with him."

"Pet sitter?" Nya enquired.

"I have a pet bird-of-prey, Stella, and she's never been away from me before," Aruna mentioned, before fabricating a believable alibi for where she disappeared to. "I hired someone to watch her, and they forgot where the tinned salmon was – well then I asked how she was doing, and the sitter and I were chatting for far longer than I expected."

"Oops!" Nya chuckled. "Been there a few times!"

"I didn't mean to be on the phone so long, I wish I could spend more time with Phoenix…" Aruna lamented in a hinting tone.

"Maybe you could stay over? I'm sure it would be okay, I mean, Jasper's staying over too." Nya suggested.

"Really?"

"Sure, I mean, Phoenix has got his own sleeping space tonight…" Nya winked.

"Oh, has he now?" Aruna blushed and bit her lip, playing naïve.

Lloyd was just walking past them, so Nya quickly grabbed his shirt sleeve.

"Everything okay, Nya?" He asked, looking at her hand as she let go of him.

"Yeah, we were just wondering if Aruna could stay over tonight?" Nya wondered. "I know Phoenix is going home tomorrow but she's missed out on so much time while he's been regenerating."

"I don't see why not," Lloyd smiled. "where is he anyway?"

"I'm not sure," Aruna shook her head. "I had to take a phone call not long after the slow dance, I haven't seen him since then."

Having overheard Aruna make her excuse of taking a call, Phoenix soon appeared from the direction of the comms room.

"Ha, speak of the devil…" Nya joked.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Phoenix asked.

"Where did you get to, darling?" Aruna batted her eyes at him.

"Just wanted to drop a line to grandpa to say thanks for the gifts he gave me," Phoenix fibbed. "I already thanked him at the time, but I also wanted to tell him what I got when I went shopping with Cole – in all the chaos of the surprise party, I forgot to do it when we came back."

"Aw, that's so nice!" Nya praised.

"Aruna was hoping to stay over, you don't mind sharing your space, do you?" Lloyd smirked.

Phoenix took Aruna's hand in his and kissed it.

"I would be honoured…" He leered at her.

"Oh my…" Aruna gasped, putting down her drink to fan herself for a moment.

"Well, that's that sorted anyway," Lloyd yawned. "I'll see you guys later."

"You're not tired already, are you?" Nya looked at the time on her phone. "It's not even 10pm yet!"

"I'm still recovering from the early start a few days ago," Lloyd explained, rubbing his eyes. "my body clock isn't back to normal yet."

"Don't you dare go bothering Magpie," Nya warned. "she'll be coming back to the party once she's finished packing."

"So distrustful of your leader…" Lloyd tutted disapprovingly as he shook his head and made his way up the stairs.

He got to the top of the stairs and, after taking a cursory glance down to see if the others had gone back into the living room, he approached Nya's bedroom door. Lloyd knocked a peculiar beat on the door then walked into his own room, sat on the bed and waited.

Soon after, someone made the same peculiar knocking rhythm on his door, and he smiled.

"Fluff the feathers..." A female voice said aloud.

"...Fan the fire." He responded.

Magpie entered the room and quietly closed the door behind her.

"Seems like you can't sleep without me these days," She grinned. "perhaps I should record myself singing so you can listen whenever you need to."

"I just want to make the most of my time with you before you go home," Lloyd gave a charming half smile. "as long as you don't mind, of course."

"Why would I mind?" She whispered, sitting next to him on the bed and affectionately kissing his cheek.

"Nya said you were busy packing."

"Packing can wait, I'd much rather be helping you." She beamed.

Magpie took one of his pillows and put it on her lap, then patted her lap with her hand. Lloyd sheepishly lay down and placed his head there. She started to run her hand through his silky, golden blonde hair, and began humming the opening bars of the song she was going to sing for him.

"~A gentle breeze, from Hushabye Mountain... softly blows o'er Lullaby Bay...~" Magpie beamed at Lloyd serenely. "~...It fills the sails of boats that are waiting... Waiting to sail your worries away...~"

Lloyd blissfully sighed. He was loving this attention so much, almost as much as their more intimate moments. Her delicate fingers stroked his hair, her voice soothed his mind, and he savoured every second of it.

"~It isn't far to Hushabye Mountain, and your boat waits down by the quay... The winds of night so softly are sighing... Soon they will fly, your troubles to sea..."

Magpie also enjoyed these quiet times – a wholesome, peaceful instance, just the two of them – and if there was anything she loved the most about it, it was the silent spread of oxytocin that flooded her body, emotionally bonding her to him.

"~So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain, wave goodbye to cares of the day...~" She sang as he gave a big yawn. "~...And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain... Sail far away, from Lullaby Bay...~"

Lloyd glanced up at her with a soft, doting expression.

"Is it wrong that I really love it when you sing for me?" He paused. "You make me feel so happy and comfortable."

"It's not wrong, not at all," She smiled back at him. "I adore petting your hair and watching your sweet face as I sing... although I do feel like a cougar sometimes; you know, because of the age gap between us…"

"It doesn't bother me," He gently shrugged. "does it bother you?"

"A little, but I've never dated before so I'm dealing with a lot of confusing thoughts and emotions." She admitted, still stroking his hair.

"Yeah, me too… I mean, I've been interested in someone before, but it's never gone anywhere," He nodded. "…do you think this will go anywhere?"

"It could go somewhere, I guess it depends on where you want it to go." She stated vaguely.

"I… I don't know really, but I definitely want it to work; do you want it to work too?" He queried, nervously playing with his fingers.

"I certainly want to try…"

"Even if I have no idea what I'm doing?" He baited.

Magpie gave him a warm grin.

"~Goodnight, my angel, time to close your eyes… And save these questions for another day…~" She softly crooned. "~…I think I know what you've been asking me… I think you know what I've been trying to say…~"

Once again, her voice was luring him into a tranquil slumber. He smiled at her as his cheeks went pink; he felt so reassured by her honeyed tones.

"~I promise I would never leave you, and you should always know…~" Magpie used her free hand to caress his cheek – just the feel of her hands stroking his hair and face was so soothing, and Lloyd was quickly drifting away. "~…Wherever you may go, no matter where you are, I never will, be far away…~"

His head tilted to one side, so he was now facing her satin-draped torso, and his emerald eyes fluttered closed. She continued petting his hair as an appreciative rumble echoed from his throat.

"~Goodnight, my angel, now it's time to sleep… And still so many things I want to say…~"

She immediately stopped singing when his subtle snoring alerted her to the fact that he was now asleep. With a reverent smile, Magpie kissed his forehead and sat there for a few minutes just watching him sleep.

"You're so innocent-looking when you're asleep you know?" She whispered, chuckling to herself as she delicately stroked his bangs. "Who knew there was a sexy demon under those golden waves?"

Suddenly, there was a knock on Lloyd's door. Magpie could hardly ignore whoever was knocking – Lloyd was asleep and couldn't answer it himself.

"Hello?" She openly asked.

"Are you decent?"

Magpie chuckled, recognising the voice of Nya.

"Yes, we are."

Nya cautiously opened the door, and pretty much snorted with laughter on seeing Magpie with Lloyd's head on her lap.

"I knew he wouldn't be able to stay away from you," Nya giggled. "I told him to leave you alone because you were busy, but he just couldn't do it."

"He wanted my company," Magpie admitted. "I wasn't going to say no when we're about to be 2 hours apart."

"You seem pretty attached to him," Nya commented as though Lloyd were a puppy. "and here I thought you two were just out for a bit of fun."

"Oh no, it's always been genuine interest, right from that very first 1am video call where we initially met," Magpie smiled nostalgically. "and how could I not be drawn to him? He's such a sweet person."

"He should be with the amount of candy he eats!" Nya joked.

"I was almost finished packing mine and Phoenix's things," Magpie clarified. "but I can't resist Lloyd's glittering green eyes, and when I saw him looking at me with that charming half-smile, I knew I wouldn't be able to say no to helping him sleep."

"So… are you gonna make a go of things?" Nya wondered.

"Yes, we both want to try, but time will tell if we can get it to work; I accept that he's essentially a public figure, and that he has many female admirers," Magpie began. "if he can accept that I have male admirers because of my part-time career, then we'll be golden."

"And if not?"

"Then it was beautiful while it lasted…" Magpie sadly smiled.

Her heart broke a little to think that they might not be a permanent thing, but she wouldn't ask him to give up being a ninja because of his fanbase; all she wanted was for him to do the same and not ask her to give up burlesque because of her own devotees. Nya sensed Magpie's sadness and put her hand on the girl's shoulder. Magpie glanced up at her with heterochromatic eyes full of melancholy.

"Come on, turn that frown around," Nya beamed empathetically, softly poking Magpie's cheek. "you're missing all the fun going on downstairs."

Magpie grinned at Nya with great appreciation. Though she was a ninja – confident, strong, smart and no-nonsense – Nya still understood the pain that Magpie felt.

"Thanks Nya," Magpie smiled. "you go ahead, I'll be right behind you."

Nya nodded and left the room, leaving Magpie with her thoughts, and the young man she loved resting in her lap. Magpie gave him another kiss on the forehead and took in the scent of his hair; freshly washed in anticipation of the party. She adored him, and she wanted more than anything for their relationship to flourish and thrive. With one delicate kiss from her lips to his, he sighed happily in his sleep.

"Magz…" Lloyd breathed.

Magpie beamed to herself, and smoothly – tenderly – shuffled out from under the pillow where Lloyd was resting, then slowly placed the pillow flat on the bed. She silently walked over to the door and paused to look back at him. He was dozing peacefully, and she blew him a kiss before she walked out, hoping that he would have dreams as sweet as himself.

Songs: Hushabye Mountain and Goodnight My Angel were sung by Hayley Westenra and do NOT belong to me.