Ray leaned against the brick wall and sighed. There wasn't much else he could do. He had managed to find a paid apprenticeship at a blacksmith shop, but it was Sunday and the shop was closed. Ray had spent the day begging for money for food. Unfortunately, it had rained earlier that morning and the few people who were out were attracted to the street performer two blocks down the road. On days like these, Ray was tempted to go back to the monastery, but he wasn't sure he was still welcome there. He had left in the middle of the night shortly after the end of the Serpentine War. As much as it pained him, he knew if he stayed he would never be able to make a life for himself. And things between Wu and Garmadon had become extremely tense ever since Garmadon had started to date some girl, so Ray knew he had made the right choice to leave. Even if it did mean he would never see Maya again.

Ray decided to call it quits for the day and got up. As he walked down the street, his stomach growled. He sighed as he turned into the narrow alley behind a pet store. Luckily for him, no one had noticed the little home he had made for himself underneath the steps leading to the store's back door. He had nailed a garbage bag to the underside of the stairs in order to keep the rain out, and a dumpster blocked most of the opening, so it was almost like he had an actual room. If he lit a small fire, then the space got quite warm.

Once he was comfortable, he pulled out his dagger and started to sharpen it. A moment later, he heard someone walking down the alley. He stiffened up. Almost no one ever came down the alley. Even the pet store employees would just stand on the top landing and throw their trash over the railing into the dumpster.

"Ray?"

It almost sounded like Maya. Ray quickly put out the fire and crawled over and peered around the dumpster. Maya was standing in the alley. She turned and spotted him.

"Ray?"

"Hi," Ray said as he crawled out of his hole.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I was looking for you. I thought I saw you walking down the street and had to see if it was really you. What were you doing behind a dumpster?" Maya asked.

"Uh… remember when I said my home in Ninjago City was missing a few things?"

"This is your home?"

"Would you like to come in?"

"Is there room for me?"

"Yeah, there's room." Ray crawled back inside and sat down. Maya hesitantly followed. He patted the spot next to him and she slowly sat down. He quickly lit a fire.

"Well, this is… cozy." Maya hugged her knees

"I know it's not much. I am trying to save up for a real apartment."

"Why did you leave the monastery for… this?"

"I don't want to live off of charity anymore. I want to make a life for myself and I can't do that if I'm living under someone else's roof."

"You could've at least said goodbye." Maya's voice quivered as she spoke.

"I left a note."

"All it said was, 'bye.' That's not a note."

"Maya-"

"I thought you loved me."

"I do love you."

"Then why did you leave like that?" Maya turned away from him and wiped away a tear.

"Maya, I'm so very sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Maya sniffed. Ray placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You deserve better than me. I'm sure you'll find someone out there who can give you everything you want," Ray continued.

"I don't want to be with someone else, I want to be with you. I love you and I want to be with you. I want to marry you."

"Marry me?"

"Yeah."

"Maya, look around. This alley is my home. I barely make enough money to buy food once a day. I can't provide for you, and I can't ask you to move into the alley with me. That wouldn't be fair to you."

"I can't lose you, Ray. I love you too much." Maya snuggled against him.

"I love you too." Ray kissed the top of her head.

"Then marry me."

"Maya…"

"Ray, if you don't agree to marry me in the next five seconds, I'll go back to the Onyx, and you'll never see me again."

"Maya, that's not fair."

"Four, three, two-"

"Alright, alright. We'll get married."

Maya kissed his cheek and took his hand.

"Thank you. Now all you have to do is meet my parents."

Ray bounced his leg nervously as he sat on the bench next to Maya.

"Would you stop?" Maya asked.

"Sorry." Ray forced himself to sit still.

"You'll be fine. Just take a deep breath and relax."

"Do you know what my boss said when I told him where I was going? He said if I'm not back by Monday, he's going to assume I'm dead and will replace me."

"You're not going to die."

"He also said I'm insane for wanting to marry a girl from Stiix."

"Did you tell him my dad is the reason for Stiix's reputation?"

"I thought if I did that, then he would start planning my funeral." Ray turned his head towards the train whistle he heard in the distance.

"I understand. I mean, there's a reason I don't tell people who my dad is."

"How do you even know he's going to be there? If he's not there, how long are we supposed to wait around for him? I told you what my boss said, and I can't afford to lose my job."

"Ray! Deep breath. It's the end of the month. Dad always restocks his supplies at the end of the month," Maya said as the train came into view.

Ray nodded as the train slowed to a stop in front of them. Maya handed him his ticket and led him to the last cabin. Ray did his best to hide his nerves as he climbed the steps. He had heard trains in the distance many times before, but he never thought he would ever have the chance to ride one. He still wasn't sure where Maya had gotten the money from. Maya said in a rear-facing seat and Ray sat across from her.

"Just relax. It's ten hours until we reach Stiix," Maya said.

"That long?"

"Yeah. We should get there about six tonight. And don't worry. My parents are going to love you." Maya stretched out and tapped Ray's foot with hers.

The whistle blew and the train lurched forward, catching Ray off guard. He clutched his armrest.

"Were you always this skittish?" Maya asked.

Ray tried to relax but found the task difficult. He was somewhat calm when the conductor came by. Following Maya's lead, he handed the man his ticket.

"Stiix?"

"My grandmother lives there," Maya lied.

The conductor said nothing and handed them back their tickets.

"Grandmother?" Ray asked.

"Someone old enough to have lived there before the pirates moved in. Trust me, I know what I'm doing. Besides, who would lie about going to Stiix?"

Ray had to give Maya that. He sat back in his seat and watched the world pass by. However, the Sea of Sand quickly proved to be very boring to look at, so he pulled out his sketch pad. He didn't want to sketch any designs for swords because he didn't want to think about work or his upcoming certification tests. He glanced up at Maya, who was reading a book. He started to doodle. About half an hour later, Maya noticed that he kept looking at her.

"What are you working on?" Maya asked.

"Nothing."

"Come on, let me see."

"It's not finished yet." Ray handed his sketchbook over. He was in the middle of a sketch of Maya reading.

"Wow. When did you get so good at drawing?"

"Wu signed me up for a free class once."

Maya flipped through Ray's old sketches. Scattered among weapon designs were drawings of their team. There was a sketch of Wu and Garmadon looking slightly miffed with each other, there was a sketch of Ice and Libby on the couch, there was one of Krux and Acronix sparring, there was a sketch of Cara with the biggest smirk on her face, there was one of Hermes lifting up a boulder, and there were a lot of sketches of the various rooms in the monastery, the forge, and the forest surrounding the mountain. Maya was impressed with the amount of detail in each sketch.

"These are really good," Maya said as she handed him his sketchbook.

"Thank you." Ray closed his sketchbook and went back to staring out the window.

It was starting to get dark when the train pulled into the station at Stiix. As soon as the train pulled away, Maya led Ray across the tracks towards the center of town. Ray held her hand and kept his head down as he felt everyone staring at him.

"Hey, look up. You see that ship?" Maya pointed to the large ship in the distance at the entrance of the harbor.

"Yeah."

"That is the Onyx Star. I told you my parents would be here."

A knot formed in Ray's stomach. He nodded and followed Maya deeper into town. She went into a tavern across from the docks. The bartender looked at the pair.

"Well, well, well, lookie what the wind blew in." Several men stood up and grabbed their weapons.

"Hey! Do you really want to start trouble with the Onyx about to dock?" Maya asked.

One of the men looked out the window and nodded. The rest sat back down, growling. Maya dragged Ray over to the bartender.

"What do you want?" The bartender puffed his cigar smoke in Ray's face.

"Two rooms. And can they be next to each other?"

The bartender threw two keys onto the counter. Maya picked them up and led Ray back outside.

"What the heck was that about?" Ray asked.

"Oh, don't mind them. As long as you mention that you're with Captain Karatagan, everyone will leave you alone," Maya said as she ran up the stairs.

"And if Captain Karatagan hates me?"

"He's not going to hate you." Maya kissed Ray. She unlocked her room and went inside. Ray glanced back at the pirate ship preparing to dock before he followed her.

"How long until…?" Ray asked.

"Oh, an hour, hour-and-a-half at least. Once they dock and secure the ship, they have to unload everything and take note of what they need. Enough time for you to unpack and freshen up."

Ray nodded and went into his room next door. After he hid his bag, he decided to take a quick shower. He was using his powers to dry his hair when someone knocked on the door.

"Are you ready?" Maya asked when he opened the door.

"Almost." He sat on the bed and ran his fingers through his hair some more to dry it. Maya left the door open as she stood on the balcony. She waved to someone and was practically jumping. A moment later, she used her powers to spray water at someone on the street.

"I'll be down in a minute!" Maya called before she ran back into the room. She grabbed Ray's hand and tried to drag him out of the room. Once he was sure everything was locked up, he followed her downstairs.

Inside the tavern, Maya made a beeline for a booth in the back corner. A middle-aged couple looked up when they approached the table. The woman stood up and hugged Maya while the tall, thin man glared at her. Ray noticed the soaking wet hat on the table.

"I'm sorry, but you didn't see me," Maya said as she hugged her dad.

"I suppose, just this once, it's okay."

"Ray, sit. My parents won't bite." Maya patted the empty seat next to her. Ray didn't move.

"Who are you?" The man glared at Ray.

"Alvis! Don't mind him, he forgets how to treat people sometimes. I'm Lily, Maya's mother. How do you two know each other?"

"We met at the monastery. Ray's the Master of Fire, and we're going to get married," Maya explained.

"What?" Alvis growled.

Ray took a step back, but Maya grabbed his arm and pulled him into the seat.

"Actually, Ray, can you please give us a moment alone to talk to our daughter?" Lily asked as she held her husband back.

"Why?" Maya asked.

"Because you're sixteen and the first thing out of your mouth after two years away is, 'I'm getting married to this boy you've never met.'"

"I'm not pregnant if that's what you're thinking."

Ray jumped up and ran to hide in the bathroom. Five minutes later, when he emerged, he saw Maya still arguing with her parents so he sat at the bar. After ten minutes of twiddling his thumbs, Alvis stormed over.

"Table. Now," Alvis demanded.

Ray nodded and briskly walked back to the table. He slowly sat down next to Maya, who had her arms crossed and was pouting.

"Let's try this again. Hi. I'm Lily, this is Alvis."

"I'm Ray."

"We understand that you are friends with our daughter."

"Yes." Ray glanced over at Maya, but she was still pouting.

"If you think the two of you are going to get married-" Alvis growled.

"Alvis! You aren't supposed to speak, remember?" Lily said.

Alvis huffed and crossed his arms.

"Anyway, can you please tell us a little about yourself?" Lily asked.

"I'm seventeen, I'm from Ninjago City, and I'm the Master of Fire," Ray said.

"What do you do for a living?"

"I'm studying to be a blacksmith."

"Studying? You're not even a real blacksmith and you have the audacity to ask for her hand in marriage?" Alvis asked.

Lily shot her husband a death glare.

"I found a paid apprenticeship. It doesn't pay a lot, but I have the first of my certification tests in two weeks, and once I pass those, I can open up my own business. And she asked me," Ray explained.

"So you don't even have the gall to ask her yourself?"

"Alvis! Have your parents met Maya yet?" Lily asked.

"They're dead." Ray told himself that a half-truth was still the truth.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"You two are not getting married," Alvis said.

"Dad," Maya argued, but Alvis held up his hand.

"You two are not getting married. Not now. Not ever. End of discussion."

Maya hummed to herself as she got ready for work. She was putting in her earrings when someone knocked on the front door. She glanced at the clock. It was only noon. Curious, she opened the door.

"Ray? What are you doing here?"

"My boss sent me on vacation until Monday."

"What happened to your certification tests?" Maya asked.

Ray sighed and looked away. Maya moved aside so he could enter. Ray plopped down on the couch and hugged a pillow.

"What happened?" Maya asked.

"Apparently, there's a written part of the certification test," Ray said.

"Oh no. Was it at least multiple choice?" Maya asked as she sat down next to him.

"No. All I got right was my name. They wouldn't even let me near the forge to prove that I actually do know this stuff."

"Oh, Ray. I'm sorry. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I don't know. It's not like I have other skills I can fall back on. This was my one shot of doing something with my life."

"Ray, it's going to be okay. Just breathe." Maya rubbed his back.

"How can you say it's going to be okay? All this does is prove that I'm not meant to have a good life. I'm never going to make something of myself. I'm going to be homeless forever. Your dad's right. I'm always going to be a failure." Ray rolled over so he was facing away from Maya.

"Don't say that. This is just a setback. It's not the end of the world."

Ray was silent.

"You still have your job, right? You're still making a little bit of money each month."

Ray shrugged.

"Okay, and I have my job here. We'll save up enough to be able to afford something. Or, I can get you a job at the tavern bussing tables and you can stay here. If you tell the owner you're with me, you can probably stay here rent-free."

"Bussing tables?"

"You need to be able to read and write to be a waiter," Maya said as she tied an apron around her waist.

Ray didn't say anything. Maya squeezed his shoulder. She wished she could magically make him read and write.

"Everything will be alright. We'll figure it out." Maya kissed his cheek. By the time she left for work, he was asleep on the couch.

Ray avoided his boss for as long as possible. He was sure he was going to be fired. While he worked, his boss stayed in his office going over the paperwork for the week. Almost an hour later, Ray was called into the office. Ray looked at his boss, who did not look happy. He meekly sat down.

"Why didn't you tell me you couldn't read or write?"

"I didn't think it was relevant," Ray said.

"Di… Okay. Okay. You can retake the test in eight weeks. However, I am going to have to submit paperwork saying you have a disability and need an oral exam. Do you still want to take the test?"

"I can take it again?"

"Yes. Now, if you had paperwork from a school or a doctor saying you had a disability would help, but I doubt you have that."

"I never went to school," Ray admitted.

"I figured as much. I'll get started on this. You can go back to working on whatever it is you were working on."

Ray nodded and practically sprinted out of the office. When he returned to his workstation, he realized he was shaking. He tried in vain to calm himself down. All week long, he couldn't focus on his tasks. Even visiting Maya over the weekend didn't help his nerves. The next Monday, Ray was still having trouble focusing. After he scrapped a third knife, his boss walked over to him.

"Ray, have you ever considered jewelry making?"

"Jewelry making, sir?"

"Yes. As a smith, having more than one skill set will vastly expand your customer base. I myself have a contract with a jewelry store around the corner. They just placed an order for fifty engagement rings."

"Fifty?"

"Yes. Let's get started."

Ray watched as his boss took some gold and molded it into the shape of a ring. He did this a few times before Ray was allowed to try it himself. It took a couple of tries before Ray was able to make one in the correct size. The next day, Ray learned how to set the diamonds. It took a few tries before he got the hang of it. By the end of the week, they had all fifty diamond rings. That evening, Ray was busy sweeping the floor when his boss called him into the office.

"Yes, sir?" Ray asked as he sat down. The box of rings was on the desk. His boss placed one of the rings down in front of him.

"I was looking over the rings, and this one is slightly defective. I don't think our client would appreciate a ring like this."

Ray picked the ring up and looked it over, but he couldn't see anything wrong with it.

"I was going to scrap it, but then I remembered you wanted to get married. You haven't bought a ring yet, have you?"

"No," Ray said.

"Well, if you want it, you can buy it."

"I don't think I can afford it."

"Sure you can." His boss pulled out the large book they used for orders and flipped to a blank page.

"I really can't afford something like this," Ray said. He set the ring back down on the desk.

"Let's see. You made it, so we can deduct fifty bucks for the labor, and I had the material already so we can take that off, and of course, I can't forget about your employee discount. That comes out to three bucks, which I can deduct from your next paycheck, or if you have the money now, I can do that. Sign on the line."

Ray stared at his boss.

"You can afford the ring, Ray. Do you want it or not?"

Eight weeks later, Ray stepped onto the street. He was super tired. His makeup test had started at six that morning and had lasted until four that afternoon. As his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, he saw Maya sitting on a bench across the street. Once she saw him, she ran over and hugged him.

"What are you doing here?" Ray asked as he hugged her.

"I knew your test was today and I thought you could use some moral support. Except you weren't in your little crevice when I went there," Maya explained.

"Yeah, it started early."

"So how do you think it went?" Maya asked as they started to walk down the street hand in hand.

"Much better. I got to touch the forge this time." Ray led her into a park.

"That's great! We should celebrate."

"Maya, I just took the test today. I won't know if I passed or not for a few days."

"You'll pass. You're a great blacksmith. Now, come on. Anywhere you want, my treat."

"Okay. But first I want to show you something." Ray pulled a small black box out of his pocket and gave it to Maya.

"What is it?"

"I made it at work a few weeks ago. I was just waiting for the right time to give it to you."

Maya gasped when she saw the diamond ring inside. She looked at Ray, who was on one knee.

"I hope it's not too late to do this right," Ray said.

"It's never too late."