[A/n: Unnecessary explanation...: I didn't like chapter 8 because it felt like I was just summarizing what I had planned for it. If I had done it the way I normally do, the chapter would probably have been way longer.]
To March, it felt like every snake's eyes were on him. Then again, his own eyes hadn't had time to readjust to how dark it was underground, so it might all be in his head. Either way, you'd think he'd be used to stares by now. Only difference was that this time it was more because of his 'prisoner' than his appearance, and that was a nice change.
If the reward for Cody was as big as Amelia had made it sound when he overheard her on the bug (and it probably was, considering he was the 1st hybrid with 2 powers and one of the few without a hiss), then why isn't anyone trying to take him? March tried not to worry about it and instead focused on making sure Cody didn't escape.
"What the heck isss wrong with you?! Are you insssane?" a harsh voice whispered in his ear, making him jump slightly.
Amelia. Of course she's here, March thought, she's normal. And hasn't poisoned anyone with her fangs. Then again, he didn't remember doing it the first couple of times; Cody had told him about it afterwards, and March didn't trust him at all anymore. Who's to say his 'losing control' wasn't just Cody's hypnosis? Speaking of hypnosis, he could feel Cody trying to use it, and fighting it without closing his eyes was giving March a headache.
"Did you go mute or what? I asssked you a quessstion!"
"Should've asked him if he bit himself," Cody laughed.
"I can imagine him-" she jerked her thumb towards Cody, "doing sssomething like thisss out of sheer ssstupidity-"
"Hey!"
"But you? I figured you were sssmart enough to realize they'd never give the reward to you. They obviousssly want you too, jussst not quite ssso much."
"I'm not here for the reward, Amy!"
"Then what the helk are you gonna do with me?"
"Again with the helk? What does that even mean?"
"It's a combination of-"
"Nobody cares, Cody! And March, tell me what and why."
"What and why...? Oh, yeah."
-[slight time skip cause I'm lazy]-
"Sssome friend I'd be to let you do any of that. Sssinccce when do you play hero?"
"Sssinccce Cody became a lunatic."
"Still right here!"
Amelia glanced down slightly at Cody. "Your grip is loosening. I wonder if I still have those handcuffs."
"Where the heck'd you get handcuffsss?"
"Ssstole 'em from a cop," she grinned slyly, a mischievous glint flashing in her eyes.
"You can be real scary sometimes."
"Aw, thanksss, Cody. But you only sssaid that because you're the one I'm ssscaring."
He couldn't feel his hand. Or move it, for that matter. He shook it with the other hand, pinched it, and was flicking himself when Lloyd walked in. He immediately stopped, but the golden ninja still gave him a strange look.
"I can see how you'd be upset over your voice, but that's no reason to hurt yourself... or whatever you're doing..."
"If Jay actually wanted to hurt himself he'd be using a real weapon," Kai said from behind him, "So why were you doing that?"
The blue ninja really didn't feel like playing charades, so he grabbed a notebook (a simple but, in his opinion, brilliant idea of Nya's) and wrote, 'I can't feel my hand,' on the first blank page.
"My hand falls asleep sometimes, it's not a big deal."
"Anyway, do you have any idea where March is? He kinda left because Kai-"
"Hey, let's not play the blame game!"
"Kai, you practically said he's been useless."
"He has."
"But you don't just flat-out tell someone that! What if he's sensitive?"
"Yeah, sure, Lloyd. The snake with red eyes and fangs is sensitive."
"Do you remember how he reacted to Jay calling him Rainbow Clown Snake?"
"He got mad, so what? I'd be mad too if someone called me a clown, and that doesn't mean I'm sensitive."
"No, it means he, and you, have feelings."
Kai was silent for a moment. "Anger is a 'feeling', but it's not exactly a good one."
"You're one to talk."
"What I'm getting at is, does he have... good emotions, like, I don't know, sympathy or..."
"It seemed like he felt guilty when he yelled at you."
"Which time?"
"How much have you two fought?!"
Lloyd facepalmed when Kai started to count on his fingers.
"Never mind."
