Several minutes later, the Ninja were scattered across the palace, taking their designated positions around it. Outside, Kai and Nya, with their hoods on, were on the top of the walls as Nya was coming up behind Kai. "Southeast side's clear." She said to her brother.
"Here, too." He replied before noticing something. "Wait. Look." They look down to see Hutchins in the gardens before stopping when a loose roof tile being stepped on was heard and looked up to see the two Ninja looking suspiciously at him before he immediately went back inside.
"Who's watching who?"
In the hallway, Gewuji and Maggie were both admiring the sword collection, mostly looking at the Wachowskis, as Hutchins notices them. "Any sword you find the most interesting, ladies?" He asked.
"Uh, not really." Maggie replied, as they both don't turn to him.
"By the way, Magna, are you by any chance related to a Dr. Robert Hall?"
"You know my father?"
"Yes, I was hoping to repay him for saving my life."
"What did he save you from?" Gewuji asked.
"I'd rather not talk about it. Carry on." He resumes walking by as the girls look at him, suspiciously.
"Is it just me, or is he rather cautious about us?"
"I'm not sure."
"Well, we better be careful from now on."
At another part of the Royal Palace, Geoff, with his hood on, moves along the second tier roof before stopping around a corner. "Northwest is clear." He said into his communicator before looking down. "Wait a moment, I just saw a muzzle flash. I'll check it out."
By some bushes, there was a young man, in black clothing and a black cap on backwards, taking pictures of the palace as well as certain part of it with a camera. "This will make a really excellent scoop." He said before taking another shot, continuing before a blade appears and is held at his neck. "What the-"
"Give me a reason not take off your head." The photographer turned to where the blade was coming from and saw that it was Geoff, who is holding his bisento at the photographer's neck.
Near the entrance, Hutchins sees Geoff, who had removed his hood, bringing the photographer forward as he was handcuffed from behind his back with a zip tie while he held his camera. "Where did you find him?" He asked as Geoff stopped and made the photographer do the same.
"In the bushes."
"I thought the gardener had cut them." Sounds of clinging was heard before they all turn around to the entrance and see Clive, now clean shaven, no longer wearing glasses, and wearing proper police clothing, holding up his police badge to the rude guards, but they don't comply.
"Let him through, he's a cop." The guards raise their partisans aside as Clive soon came up to them. "I called him over to pick this trash up." He pushes the cameraman to Clive.
"Stop shoving me!" The cameraman yelled.
"Shut up. You're being detained for trespassing on royal property." He soon looks at the camera to see some photos of Harumi and the Ninja while Clive grabbed hold of the photographer. "Invasion of privacy and suspected member of the Sons of Garmadon." He hands Clive the camera.
"What? Do I look like a biker?"
"Check him for tattoos at the station, Clive."
"I'll do just that." Clive said as he drags the photographer away. "Come along."
"This isn't over!" He yelled as he was forced forward. "My lawyer will be on your ass for violating my rights."
"Your lawyer won't be able to lift a finger when they hear about you trespassing on the premises of the Royal Palace."
"He can try!"
"Might want to look around for any broken walls, Hutchins." Geoff said.
"Good point." Hutchins replied before walking away and Geoff watched him leave, looking suspiciously at him.
Inside, at the buffet table, Jay shoves a slice of cake into his mouth before being satisfied by the taste, grabbed two more slices, and turned to an unamused Cole. "Are you sure you don't want any?" He asked with a mouthful of the cake. "This cake is delicious."
Cole almost feels tempted, but Blake comes between them. "I thought your body was a temple." He said.
"Oh, right." Cole replied as he backed away and Zane came up to them. "My body is a temple." Jay soon shoved both slices down his mouth.
"Well, the buffet is clear of any threats, and they're out of bologna." He lowers his head, in disappointment.
"How come you didn't call Blake a party pooper when he hasn't eaten any cake?" Cole asked.
"I'm avoiding the junk food for obvious reasons, you rock brain." Blake replied. "Besides, Jay wouldn't call me a party pooper anyway."
"Don't worry." Jay said. "That surgery aftermath still giving you pain?"
"Little." Blake gets out a medication bottle of Codeine, opens it, gets a pill out, and swallows it while putting the bottle back. "Dr. Hall said I can keep having these until I run out."
"Can we discuss now what is a party pooper?" Zane asked Cole.
Cole groaned and facepalmed. "Jay's upset I'm the responsible one. With Master Wu gone, someone has to keep us in check."
"In that case, you are correct. You are responsible. It is nice to have a pooper at the party." Zane then walked away as Jay and Blake then laugh at Cole, who groans before Zane turned back. "Uh, by the way, I gotta ask, Blake, how did you know the Royal Family?" Jay and Blake stop laughing as Blake turned to Zane.
"After Lloyd destroyed the Great Devourer and the reconstruction of Ninjago City was underway, my father and I were personally invited to dinner with the Royal Family by Hutchins, because he was one of the builders who helped rebuild the city. It was around the time that the Emperor and Empress adopted Harumi. She was quiet. They said it took her over a week for her to finally speak. The day she did, she said rude things about the Ninja and myself, as Samurai X. That made me stop eating dinner and I left, without my father, who was then dropped off by Hutchins. He knew what was going on."
"And what did the Empress mean by, 'the consequences of what would come after something terrible'?" Cole asked.
"Uh, there was something involving the princess just a few days later."
"Really?" Jay asked. "What?"
"Well..."
Up ahead, by the Mask of Deception, Lloyd was looking at it. "So, you're the Mask of Deception." He said. Shattering was soon heard from Harumi's bedroom behind him, causing him to turn to it, shocked before walking cautiously over to it. "Princess?" He looks around as he came up to the door. "Princess Harumi?" He immediately opened the door. "Are you there?" He looks around before being shocked by the sight of the room was completely a mess, and the window was open.
Immediately heading out to the balcony, Lloyd looks around for anyone suspicious, until he sees an individual, wearing green clothing, and carrying a sack over their left shoulder, climb onto the shingled archway, briefly stopping. "He's got the princess." Looking to the side, hoping to get someone, Lloyd changes his mind, put his hood on, steps onto the railing, and jumps off, immediately landing on the second tier shingled roof before jumping from roof to roof as the kidnapped did the same before he briefly stopped as the kidnapper placed down their sack and looked around to see Lloyd, who quickly moved back with his back on the shingled roof, but was too late as the kidnapper resumed running before Lloyd gets back up and continues chasing the kidnapper, sliding along one roof, somersaulting onto another one before briefly stopping to try and look around until he sees the kidnapper grab hold of the second top railing of a building's balcony and immediately slid down the shingled roof that he was on, jumping onto another one before jumping to another one and runs along the top of it, dropping to slide off and back flipped as he fell until he landed on a flat rooftop. He gets up to see the kidnapper run along another rooftop before jumping onto another one as he continues his pursuit, but stopped when he came at the edge and looked down to see the rooftop the kidnapper was on was too far. "You gotta be kidding me." Moving back a little, Lloyd immediately ran forward and jumped, swinging off a clothesline, and then another before grabbing onto a ladder, which comes loose and hangs as Lloyd looked down to see some people looking up and concerned about him before the ladder immediately broke and was close to falling until someone grabs his hand and pulls him up. Lloyd notices the one who saved him was the kidnapper, and immediately backed away, poising. "Who are you?" The kidnapper then took off their hood, revealing to be Harumi. "Uh, Princess?" He takes off his hood. "I thought you were kidnapped." He moves his hands behind his back. "I was trying to save you."
"Was that what that was?" Harumi asked. "From my vantage, it looked like I was the one saving you."
Lloyd looks away a bit to hide his blushing before looking back up. "Then who's in the bag?"
"You mean what's in the bag?" Harumi opens the bag to reveal some food. "Food for the less fortunate. Even though I'm confined to the palace, I still try to give what I can."
"But your bedroom, it was ransacked."
"Yes, I can be quite a slob. Thank you for noticing." She sarcastically spoke.
"I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean-"
"The princess is gone!" Hutchins was heard as they both look to see him on Harumi's balcony, as he was looking down at the two rude guards, who immediately take off. "Find her!"
"They can't know I left the palace." Harumi said as she came up to a nearby clothesline. "You have to disguise yourself." She grabs a white jacket and blue jeans and throws them at him. "Hurry." Lloyd hastily puts the provided clothes on, hiding hiding his gi behind a vent, and they both jump off the roof, coming across a street where some fishermen and garbage were around.
As Lloyd briefly looked back, Harumi took off before he went to catch up with her, struggling a little. "These damn jeans are too tight." He muttered to himself as he caught up with her.
"Sorry, only ones on the line."