Chapter 23; Dance to the Rhythm of Gears… part 1
Zane's POV
(BTW Lya200… Emma did not knock on any wood… ;D)
I let out a deep breath and wipe a drop of sweat off my forehead. High levels of stress embody around my person, as I am concerned if I am overheating and I decide to use my ice powers to try to cool myself down. It will be fine, fine indeed, I hope. I just finished with the packed lunch I shall bring to Emma's and mine's date. I smile with pride because of the completion of this task, however I feel anxious about this date. I look up at the clock and see that we should leave soon. I hurry to my room to get into appropriate attire. I wear something similar to a sport coat, something not too formal but hardly causal. (I am unsure of what Zane would wear; I did some investigating-investigating sounds to formal as to what I did actually-and came to that conclusion. Do not blame me… e_e) I grab the basket and the flowers and knock on Emma's door. I get no answer. I open the door after knocking a little louder and to my surprise no one is there. I begin to wander around the bounty searching for Emma and walk into the game room to ask if anyone has seen Emma.
"Whoa, oh, oh, what's with the get up frosty?" Cole asks and I look down at what I am wearing.
"Well I…" I pause and decide to ignore the question "I am looking for Emma, have you seen her?" I ask Cole and Kai.
"I haven't seen any of the girls in a while… but Anne was in here earlier. Emma may be where Anne is." Cole says.
"Man Zane, you look whipped!" Kai says rudely with a whipping motion.
"Excuse me?" I ask and frown.
"Look at what you are wearing! And flowers?" Kai adds.
"At least I am not forever alone; unlike you, especially if you keep thinking that way." I say and leave the room abruptly. I forget what Kai said and continue my search for Emma.
Emma's Pov
"Zane should be here by now!" I say looking at the clock.
"Does Zane even know you are down here?" Laura suggests and all our eyes open widely with realization.
"I hope he is not wandering around looking for me…" I say.
"I will go check if Zane is." Cece says.
"Thanks Cece you're a life saver!" I say and Cece leaves. We all wait anticipating Zane's arrival in silence.
Zane's POV
I have looked almost everywhere except the brig for Pete's sake! Where could Emma be? I would not think she would leave the bounty. I walk around the deck trying to think of where Emma could be and turn around to see Cece walk behind me. I was about to ask where Emma is but she says something first.
"Are you looking for Emma?" She asks and I am taken by surprise.
"Why yes I am." I say.
"Follow me then." She then walks with a large smirk on her face and I think confusedly as to why she is so happy. She leads me to the brig… the only place I didn't check… how ironic. "You should wait here. I will get Emma for you." She then enters the brig.
Emma's POV
Taping my foot, I eagerly wait for Cece's return with Zane. Opening the door, Cece then enters the room.
"So…?" Anne asks.
"Zane is outside!" Cece says "and he is waiting for you Emma!" smiling, I dash to the door and turn the door knob. Poking my head outside the door, I see Zane waiting outside. He turns around and his ice blue eyes meet my daylight stars. I smile and open the door completely but he just stands there. His blue eyes widen in happy surprise and a tint of light pink like the French tips of lotus flowers shows on his cheeks. I notice he is holding flowers and a basket. He also looks very sophisticated. Smiling at how nice he looks, my eyes wander upon every inch of his handsome attire witch is in a pure white. Noticing myself to be blushing myself, I place my cool hands over my warm face. Concerned as to why he has not said anything and is simply staring at me, I then decide to knock him out of it.
"Zane…?" I say. Shaking his head, he steps out of his daydream.
"I apologize… I am unsure of what came over me… However you look extraordinarily beautiful Emma! Oh and I got you these…" He says and hands me the flowers. I start to blush again.
"You look nice too Zane, thank you." I say and look at the beautiful flowers. How did he know I love Daffodils? "I love Daffodils!" I say and Zane pauses for a second.
"I thought you would." He says after a moment's pause in deep thought. He leads me out to the deck.
"Where are we going…?" I ask and Zane smiles.
"I think where would best be left as a surprise, Emma." He says with a smirk.
"Okay…" I say and we leave the bounty and into Ninjago city. Striding on the pavement beside Zane, I breathe in the buss fumes. Zane is holding a basket and I am curious as to why. He notices my interest and smiles. He moves the basket to his other hand so it would be farther away from me. I stand up strait and we continue our pace. We turn right and I see that he has escorted me to a park near the edge of the city near a lake. As we enter I notice how close I am by Zane. We wander around the park as it seems like Zane is looking for something. Eventually, he stops in a place with a nice view of the lake. I watch as he looks through the basket and pulls out a blanket.
"A picnic…?" I think out loud and Zane looks at me.
"Is that not acceptable?" He asks and I blush.
"Oh, it's defiantly acceptable Zane!" I say with a smile and a blush. I do not think I have really had a picnic before like this. Zane sets the basket down and spreads out the blanket. We both sit down and Zane grabs the basket. After a while Zane brings out all the food.
"What did you make Zane?" I ask.
"Avocado and ham sandwiches, green beans, Strawberry hand pies, and…" Zane reaches inside the basket. "Lots of iced tea." he then hands me the pitcher and I 'dig in', pouring myself a large glass. Zane hands me a sandwich and we both begin eating.
"Zane… This is fantastic." I say taking another large bite.
"Thank you" Zane says and I start eating some green beans. Sadly, this meal ends eventually. After we finish eating both Zane and I wander around the park and the first thing I see is…
"SWINGS!" says I before dashing to the swing set near our picnic area. Zane follows me confusedly as I sit on the swing. I get myself going as Zane watches in the distance. "What are you doing over there Zane?" I ask.
"I have not gone on swings before…" Zane says and I gasp. I get off the swings and I motion for Zane to sit down. I start to push him and explain to him the concept of 'swings'. After a while he gets it and I sit in the swing right next to his. I get started much faster than Zane and eventually I match his height.
"We're married!" I say as we swing in sync.
"What…?" Zane asks and I face-palm realizing Zane does not know what I mean.
"Oh Zane, that's just a childhood joke when two people are swinging in sync next to each other. Don't take it literally." I say and he nods his head. Eventually Zane and I loose our sync and I get much higher. I look at the bright blue sky as I swing upwards. The sky has a few clouds some more puffy and others flat like a board. I feel my hair float in the breeze. Zane also seems to be enjoying the swings. After a while both Zane and I get off the swings. We start to walk by the lake.
Zane's POV (Zane's version of the date so far)
I wait outside the brig for Emma to come out so we can go to the park where I plan on setting up the picnic. I hope the food I prepared is acceptable… I tasted it and I thought it was good. Is Emma fine with going out for a picnic instead of going to a restaurant? Should I make reservations just in case? However if so what would I do with all this food I prepared…? I think the picnic would be successful and I see no need for that. I look at the door as Emma peaks her head out the door. Emma opens the door and I just stand there looking at her. Surprised, I am unable to move and I stand in place. At first I see the sky blue of the dress and then I gaze upon every inch of fabric to take it in as a whole. Her short sleeves puff up like a regal ball gown and the top portion is tight around the waist, exaggerating her large hips as the dress cascades down to end with white lace. When adding the scarf and the sunhat I am taken away to a ball room with marble walls with large windows revealing a garden. It seems I am ready to take her hand and begin dancing right at that moment.
"Zane…?" Emma says in her satin and calm sophisticated voice… and I shake my head as I am released from my fantasy.
"I apologize… I am unsure of what came over me… However you look extraordinarily beautiful Emma! Oh and I got you these…" I manage to get out still dazed and hand her the flowers.
"You look nice too Zane, thank you." Emma says and looks at the beautiful flowers. "I love Daffodils!" Emma says… The Daffodils… those flowers resemble good fortune and happiness in the future; I picked them selfishly as I hoped that the good luck would rub off on me… However they are also deeply symbolized with beauty and Love.
"I thought you would." I say and lead her out to the deck.
"Where are we going…?" she asks and I smile.
"I think it would best be left as a surprise, Emma." I say with a smirk.
"Okay…" Emma says and we leave the bounty and to Ninjago city. We both walk through the city right next to each other on the sidewalk. I notice Emma investigating the basket I am holding. I smile knowing it is a surprise however I move the basket to my other hand moving it away from Emma's sight. We turn right to enter the park. There is an art festival going on in the park and I plan on us going there after lunch. I look around the park unsure as to where we should eat however I conclude a spot near the lake would have the most acquiescence. Without a word I take out the picnic blanket out of the basket. It would seem obvious now we are having a picnic.
"A picnic…?" Emma says and I worry if she would not like a picnic.
"Is that not acceptable?" I ask and I see her face turn red slightly.
"Oh, it's defiantly acceptable Zane!" She says with a smile and a blush and I feel relieved. I set the basket down and spread out the blanket. We both sit down and I grab the basket.
"What did you make Zane?" she asks.
"Avocado and ham sandwiches, green beans, Strawberry hand pies, and…" I reach inside the basket "Lots of iced tea." Knowing her love of tea, I then hand her the pitcher and she pours herself some tea. I pull out our sandwiches and I hand her one. We both begin eating.
"Zane… This is fantastic." Emma says and I feel happy that she enjoys the meal
"Thank you" I say. After about thirty minutes to an hour with some light conversation our picnic finishes with success. We begin wandering around the park as I am thinking about the art festival.
"SWINGS!" I hear her say and run off to the swing set near our picnic area. I watch as she sits down on the swing and I follow confused. I have no prior experience on 'swings'. "What are you doing over there Zane?" She asks on the swing.
"I have not gone on swings before…"I say and she gasps. She gets off the swing and motions for me to sit on the swing. She walks behinds me and I feel her push me and I start to swing back and forth slightly on the swing.
"All you need to do is to move your legs back and forth. Have your legs spread out strait when you swing backwards and curl in you knee when going forward." Emma explains and helps me in till I get the hang out of it. She then gets back on the swing besides me and eventually meets my height and we swing in sync.
"We're married!" She says and I stare in shock. What…?
"What…?" I do not quite understand what she means… because that is definitely an untrue statement. She is not even eight-teen, she is seven-teen and I will be forever biologically 18… I am not sure how it could ever work…
"Oh Zane, that's just a childhood joke when two people are swinging in sync next to each other. Don't take it literally." She says and I nod my head in understanding… That is a reasonable explanation to her earlier statement. After a while we loose our sync and Emma gets much higher. I am able to look at the bright blue sky as I swing upwards. However my attention turns to Emma as I watch her hair float in the breeze like a raging storm and time slows down as I take in her beauty. Her sky blue eyes glimmer like ripples of a pond with excitement and Joy. Her hat struggles to stay on her head as her Scarf hangs loose and joins her hair in the breeze. Her dress flows with the force of the swing set and with delicacy folds constantly. Sadly, eventually our time on the swings come to an end and we then begin to walk near the lake on a path beside a steep hill. If you were to climb down you would meet with the water. We both walk besides each other on the pavement near the water… I look into Emma's eyes, I wander further into those twin skies more profoundly and eventually we become closer and closer… soon we are merely inches apart and our stare is unwavering…
And I shall stop right there. The next chapter shall continue their date. I am happy because I was able to write chapter 20, 21, 22, and 23 all in one week which was my goal before school! (School already started but this was prewritten...) CLAP I TELL YOU CLAP LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER CLAPPED BEFORE! *Zane besides me tied to a chair claps his tied hands terrified.* you all should take Zane's example… I HOPE YOU ALL LOVED THE FLUFF! DO NOT WORRY; SOMETHING TERRIBLE WILL BE HAPPENING EVENTRALLY! MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *dark clouds appear behind me as I laugh evilly. Later from above those clouds Jay is strapped to a chair on the space needle and strikes lightning in the distance.* I hope you all loved the chapter! I am so grateful for all the reviews I have received and look forward to see ones in the future!
"Ninja, today I wish for you to finally meet your match [which is…YOUR FANGIRLS! (Dramatic music)]" ~Lord Garmadon, double trouble.
SergeantSarcasm7 at your service!