I apologize in advance for this chapter.
Review replies:
Zena: He needs it.
KitKat: I'm sure they'll have things to bond over.
Entity: Morro is a nice guy.
Aurro: The fandom you say? *eyes emoji* And thank you! The main parts of the trilogy tend to be more story/action based, but I always sneak some fluff in because I can't help it. :'D
Ebony: Or a lot. Just make a bunch of holes. I'm sure Karen won't notice.
Kat: Yeah, I know I would. Just go around with a knife... chopping off fingers... making a collection... well, if it helps, try to remember WHY they're 1-B/2-A. Cause of the Jays fighting in like chapter 4 or 5.
MarbleBird: He's trying his best.
MNM: No worries! I could tell you in one of these replies, but someone *cough* Nicole *cough* is about to get some character development, so that will hopefully clear things up for you.
Everyone dissing Lloyd for not realizing it's Nicole: come on guys it just didn't occur to him he's trying his best I swear
"Don't say it." Nicole ordered.
"Say what?" Morro A tilted his head.
"'I told you so'."
"But I did tell you so."
"Shh." Entirely against all of Nicole's assumptions, Lloyd A had sent his girlfriend to offer Morro an apology, in person. Andreea had readily agreed when Nicole asked to accompany him, saying that was a given. This whole thing was very, very suspicious. Nicole had to be careful to keep a handle on everyone's emotions. She didn't want Lloyd trying anything. Logically, she could have made him so wracked with guilt that he was desperate to apologize in an attempt to feel better, but… she was still suspicious.
As they approached Lloyd's room, Andreea stepped aside, waiting for them to pass by before taking Nicole by the arm.
"Morro, go on in." She said sweetly, and Nicole bristled. "I need to have a word with your girlfriend."
"Um, I don't think so." The dream mistress yanked her arm out of her grip. "You want Morro to go in there, alone, with him?"
"He won't hurt me." Morro hastened to say. "Andreea wouldn't lead me into a trap."
"Would she?" Nicole gave Lloyd's girlfriend a nasty look, who scoffed.
"You're far too protective of him. He's an elemental master, he can handle himself even if Lloyd did attack him."
"She's right, Nicole. It's fine." Morro smiled, trying to comfort her, then opened the door and stepped into Lloyd's room. Nicole grumbled under her breath as he closed the door behind him. Apparently the confidence she had given him was backfiring on her.
"Alright, fine. What do you want?" She snapped, turning to Andreea.
"I want you to stay out of Morro and Lloyd's business." Moving at lightning speed, Andreea whipped a pair of black cuffs out from behind her back and snapped one onto Nicole's wrist. The dream mistress blinked.
"Hey, what the ****?"
"Let them work this out for themselves. They don't need you messing with their heads." Nicole stared at the cuff on her wrist for a moment, then grabbed Andreea by the arm and snarled,
"Get this off me, right now. My powers are the only thing keeping Lloyd repentant. Without my influence, they're going to kill each other!"
"No." Andreea, infuriatingly enough, seemed steadfast in her decision. Wherever she had the key for these, she wasn't going to just hand them over. "You underestimate Lloyd. He is sorry."
"My powers are making him act like that, you dumb *****!" Nicole shoved her against the wall, but Andreea shoved her back.
"Like I said, let them deal with this on their own. If they're going to fight, so be it. They need to work this out between them."
"Last time they tried to work things out, Lloyd snuck up on Morro while he was asleep and cut off his fingers!" Nicole snapped. "That's not- how is that 'working things out' at all?! They're just going to fight!" Shoving her one more time, the dream mistress spun around and pushed the door open to see Morro and Lloyd facing off in the center of the room, ready to fight.
"Hey!" Nicole yelled, and they turned to look at her, the orb of energy in Lloyd's hand disappearing as he clutched his bedpost to stay upright. "What's going on? What happened to apologizing?!" She demanded, playing dumb as to the effect of her powers being negated.
"Something happened."
"He did something!" The two spoke at once, Lloyd pointing at Morro accusingly.
"What?" Nicole crossed her arms, trying to hide the cuff on her wrist.
"He started to apologize, but something- I felt different." Morro didn't drop his fighting stance, wind whipping around him. "I think he felt it too. I got more… scared."
"He stumbled," Lloyd continued. "And then he moved to attack me."
"I didn't until you started moving! He got up and moved towards me!"
"I wasn't going to attack you! I was trying to figure out what you did!"
"Alright, stop!" Nicole snapped. "Can you just get this over with? Nothing happened!"
"Something did happen." Andreea said behind her, and Nicole looked over her shoulder to see her leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. "I cuffed her. Turned off her powers. She was playing with both your minds, what you felt was her influence being removed." Both boys turned to look at her in shock. Lloyd looked angry, and Morro looked… wounded.
"I was trying to help," She started, but Lloyd cut her off.
"'Trying to help'? How is making me feel horrible help at all?! Especially since you didn't even intend for me to be sorry!" Nicole stared.
"Wait, how did you-"
"I told him you didn't think he would apologize." Morro said quietly. "Nicole, you-" He bit his lip and turned away, and Nicole took her chance to try and explain.
"I was giving you confidence. Trying to make you less scared. I was trying to help."
"Yeah, well, you know what else I felt switched off?" He snapped, turning back to look at her. "My affection for you. Did I really even ever love you? Or was that just you playing with my head?!" Whirling around, Morro stormed from the room. Nicole stared after him for a moment, keenly aware of the heavy chain dangling from her wrist. Then she spun around to face Andreea, who was- was she smirking?!
"Why?!" She demanded. "You knew this would happen, didn't you? Do you get a kick out of making people fight, or what?!"
"A good relationship is built on trust, Nicole. Not mind games." Was her smug answer.
"Wrong! Everything is built on mind games! Society is built on everyone's perception of each other, which is altered by everything from body language to word choice! Even a passing glance is tactics to bring about some change!" Andreea's smirk faded, and she shook her head.
"Nicole, if you think like that, it's no wonder you act like you do."
"It's not a matter of 'me thinking like that', it's how the real world works!" The dream mistress snapped. "I didn't make him love me with my powers, I used them, yes, but I used other methods of emotional manipulation, like talking to him!" The older girl put up a hand to cut her off.
"It's not me you need to convince, it's Morro." Nicole clamped her mouth shut, glaring up at her.
"Fine." She spat at last, then stormed out of the room towards Morro's. About halfway there, she stopped short. No… Morro was hurt and upset. He wouldn't want to see her until he'd had a time to think about what had happened, and probably sleep on it. Instead, she turned back towards her own room. She had to think of something she could say to make him trust her again.
TheDarknessReturn
Lloyd sunk to the ground, panting, as Andreea turned from the doorway Nicole had just exited through.
"Lloyd!" She exclaimed, hurrying over to him. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah- yeah." He leaned against the bed, stretching his half-leg out in front of him. "I took- I took off my prosthetic so I wouldn't scare him. I thought it might be better if I couldn't even stand to attack him if I wanted to. But- but then I got angry and stood up and- standing on one foot only works for so long."
"Oh." Andreea sat down beside him, grabbing his prosthetic leg from where it leaned against the wall and helping him strap it on. "Here. Do you need some water?" He shook his head.
"No, I'm fine." They were quiet for a few moments as she fastened the metal contraption to what remained of his leg. "That didn't go well at all." He said at last.
"I think it went fine."
"I didn't get past 'I'm sor-' before I was sidetracked."
"Yes, but I got Nicole to listen to me for two seconds." Andreea shook her head. "The more I get to know her, the more I realize how messed-up she really is."
"Well, I don't know her very well, except for her powers, but she did spend the last year or so of her life in a city ruled by a heartless, cunning murderer. Oh…" he pressed a hand against his forehead. "I bet she's the one giving me nightmares."
"I wouldn't put it past her." Andreea sighed. "She doesn't… she doesn't really trust anyone. And I don't think she's deliberately being creepy and manipulative, I think… she genuinely thinks that's how relationships work." The pink ninja shook her head. "Whatever the case, what she's done is out in the open now. If she really loves Morro, she'll have to repair her relationship with him on her own. And if she doesn't, well… Morro deserves better."
"I could argue that with you as far as what Morro deserves." Lloyd muttered. "But, if she's a jerk who plays with people's emotions with the end result of eventually ditching them… yeah, even Morro deserves better than that."
"Exactly." Andreea leaned back on her hands. "I'll ask Morro to come back later so you can apologize to him, as long as you're still sorry and that wasn't just all her." She gave him a side-eyed look, and he shook his head.
"No, I'm still sorry. She underestimated me."
"Good. I'll invite him back once he's not so upset over Nicole."
"Okay. What do we do until then?"
"Wait, I guess."
"Mmm." The two fell silent. "Andreea?" The blond spoke up again at last. "I think I will take that water you offered."
"Alright, I'll get it." The diamond master stood.
"Thanks, babe."
"'Babe'? What's with the pet names?"
"I don't know. I just feel better than Morro and Nicole."
"Dating isn't a contest, Lloyd."
"But it could be."
"Stop."
all the morro x nicole fans: I'm sorry. everything will turn out fine, I promise.
~FFF