"Sensei, we're back!" Kai yells somewhere into the ship. The airship is bigger than I originally thought, and it looks much more high-tech. I'm glancing around when an old man carrying a teapot ascends from the belly of the ship. He has a long white beard that grazes his knees as he walks, and despite his age he moves fluidly.
"There you are," he greets us with a gentle voice. "How did it go? Did you stop the thieves?"
"We got most of them, but Ash here took care of the ones that attacked Cole," Blue, who said his name was Jay, explains. "It was pretty great."
"Oh, really?" the old man, Sensei Wu, steps closer to me. His dark eyes bore into mine as if searching for something, and it takes all of my willpower not to look away. This man's eyes put me on edge, and it terrifies me to think he might guess my intentions. "Hm. You seem vaguely familiar. Where are you from, Ash?"
"I grew up in a village at the center of the forest," I answer steadily despite the pounding in my ears. "Four years ago I was separated my father and I've been searching for him ever since. I heard about you and the ninja and I was wondering if you could help me find him." The weight around my neck grows.
"I see," Sensei Wu pours himself a cup of tea with one hand. "If it's your father you seek, I can try to help, though I don't know how much help I can be."
"My father's name is Desmond, Desmond Vizier," I say as I pull my necklace from my shirt, put off a little by its real weight. "This was his."
Sensei Wu pauses for a second and my heart leaps into my throat only to be choked down by a shake of his head. "I'm sorry, but the name isn't familiar," he says as he takes a sip of tea.
"Is he the one who taught you how to fight?" Cole asks suddenly. I turn toward him.
"You saw me?"
"Only for a few seconds before I blacked out, but yeah," he nods. "It was pretty impressive, by the way."
I choke down the redness flushing into my cheeks. "He did teach me, actually," I cough to cover up my embarrassment. "He even started up his own small dojo to teach other kids to fight. He was- is a great guy."
"Well if he's anywhere in Ninjago, we'll find him," Kai puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder, and I fight the reflex to shrug him off.
"Even though I don't know your father, something about you is very familiar," Sensei's eyebrows knit together, and a stab of fear jolts through my heart of what he might be remembering. "I will meditate on this, but in the meantime the four of you need to get back to your training. We cannot rely on others to save us all the time, or else we will never be able to stop the darkness rising."
"Well, if that's it, I should be going-"
"I think it would be best if you stayed here," Sensei says before I can leave the ship. I turn back toward him.
"Excuse me?"
His eyes meet mine and flash with something that pushes me further on edge. "If we are to find your father, it might help if you travelled with us for a while. You are the only one here who knows his face."
"We do have a few extra rooms," Zane, formerly known as White, nods before I can object.
"And I'm sure Nya would be happy to have another girl around," Kai adds. The four ninja start chattering around me until Sensei Wu finally raises a hand to stop them.
"I believe it would be for the best," Sensei says. His eyes hold me trapped as I somehow manage to nod.
"Good, then it is decided," he says. "All I will say is that you remember that this is no motel. I expect you to help around the ship, though you may also train with us if you'd like. There is much we can learn from each other's fighting styles that will make all of you that much stronger."
"Thank you, Sensei Wu," I force myself to say, though all I can see is Fang's shadowed face in the back of my mind. "Thank you."