A/N: Everything that has happened: Every canon installment until Season 1.
This chapter takes place before, during, and after the events of Season 1 Episode 1: Rise of the Snakes.
Cole
Hunger was never meant to be Cole's only trait that he hated about himself. Embarrassed of other traits as he was, hunger unfortunately was always the most consistent. At the forefront of his mind he remembered what it was like to live with it on a constant basis. As he grew older in the bowels behind the stages that he would perform on in his childhood, he always found a snack shoved into his pocket. They would almost always be planted there by his mother.
During almost every break that was given him, whether rehearsal, recital, or show, Cole could be found in the darkness crouching over himself under a hidden stairwell in secret. The crumbs fumbled off the tips of his large hands, and the sounds of muffled enjoyment struggled to echo across the walls.
His mom was the best. Impressively, she had always known what he was craving for each day. But good things never last forever.
In the present at the stroke of midnight in a home that was severely new to him, he was sneaking across the monastery in pursuit of the satisfaction of his infamous hunger. It could only be curbed by one thing: leftovers. The previous night it was Zane's turn to cook, and as always it was delicious. And tonight, like most nights after Zane's outing as head chef, unlike the lightning that his best friend Jay controlled, Cole would strike that dinner twice.
The halls of the monastery were quiet tonight, sans a bit of the standard sounds of sleep apnea coming from the room of Master Wu and the occasional soft whimpers from Jay jolting from his dreams. He was easing closer and closer to the dining room on creaking floorboards. It was nearly impossible for him to not make noise, but he persisted in treading carefully. Cole would pass the tv room that was still humming with life and cooling down from use after their dinner.
He was unaware of how much time passed while he had some sleep. He had tired out and went to bed early that night. After doing the dishes, which was always one of the chores he hated to do, Cole did what he always did when he was either bored, full, or if the TV was occupied: train.
Waiting for Garmadon to return became tiresome.
He was also nervous, which made him train more eagerly that day. The Lord of Shadows, Lord Garmadon, was still MIA. A talk with Wu, which usually curbed any existential dread and philosophical issue, didn't work this time. Wu's account of the dark villainous brother he once knew as a kind and noble man that was banished and sent to the underworld unnerved him. On some level Cole was grateful that Sensei was so open to him. Cole also knew what it was like to lose someone so important to him by a force out of his control. He often thought how painful it must have been to face it again with just a young man from a team Wu himself assembled to face Garmadon as their eternal foe.
Still perturbed by that day's events, traveling forward he entered the door of the kitchen and headed further to get to the fridge in the right hand corner of the room. His stomach growled and in an outward expression of heightened anticipation he rubbed his hands together with a deviously conniving smile. Halfway through the walk, he stopped when he heard a crash outside. His face dropped. It definitely came from the training equipment.
Cole wanted to resume his walk toward the fridge, and almost did thinking it was nothing. He caught himself as he remembered the story of Garmadon and the present danger. He groaned in a huff at the loss of his midnight snack, and turned on his heel to see what was going on.
At a brisk pace he turned the corner of the hall after making a right exiting the kitchen. He was unsure if any dangers that were waiting for him were indeed Garmadon or the lack thereof, but just to be safe he gently opened the double doors outside to the training grounds of the monastery. Cole began to lightly tiptoe into the darkness. He heard a growling sound and the fevered panting of someone rather annoyed.
"Ugh. Dumb machine." said the lilting voice of an angry woman to herself. "Give me just one shot at that time! Please? I know I can do it."
In the darkness of the courtyard he could see a figure returning to the start of the Spinjitzu course. Her back was turned, but by the sound of her voice he clearly knew who it was in an instant.
Nya.
Cole then sighed in relief of his fears and the mounting pressure built inside his chest began to lower and left him. Now was the hard part, getting Nya's attention. He had only known her for a couple of weeks, no longer than a month. She was strong. Independent. Never took no for an answer. His approach required the knowledge and intelligence needed to: one, not scare her, and two, not offend her in any way.
Cole was unsuccessful at both.
"Hey, Nya!"
"Ahhhh!" Nya exclaimed. Not loud enough to wake anyone, but loud enough Cole knew that she was shaken by the thought of not being alone in the middle of the night. Nya quickly turned around, her hair flicking across her face, into a common fighting stance. "Who's there?"
"Oh, gosh. Sorry, Nya. It's me, Cole!" he said, stepping forward for a better view. "Are you alright? I heard a crash. Had to see what's going on."
"I'm fine." Nya said. "Whatcha doing up so late?"
"Getting some leftovers. Got a little craving for it again." Cole said as he placed a hand tapping gently on his stomach.
"Don't blame you. Zane never disappoints." She said as she set herself up for the course again.
"I know right?" he agreed. "Say, why are you out here while it's so dark? You're gonna get hurt."
"No I won't, I can handle it."
"You sure? I can go get a candle to light the torches for you if you want, or I could just get Kai to stand in the corner for a while." Cole snickered at his own joke.
"Ha Ha. Very funny." Nya said sarcastically. "Thanks, I'll take care of the torches, but if you want to get a candle that's okay."
"Sure, I got it." Cole answered as he went back into the monastery's den to get a candle and a match that resided in the junk drawer. When Cole lit the candle and returned, Nya was almost halfway through the first leg of the course nearing the carousel of spinning swords. Cole hid behind the door to not interrupt her new try at the training course. As he watched with intrigue he noticed one thing in particular about her technique. Precise movements didn't matter to her as she went faster. Too fast.
Nya traversed the standing pillars swiftly as a whirlwind, flipping from one to another. The added difficulty of each one moving up and down as the course's motors ran at its brisk pace. It was entirely impressive to Cole, but he became more nervous as she approached the swords. She flipped into the carousel with ease. As the blunted edges of the swords came closing in, up and down and twisting back and forth, Nya glided along on the conveyor belt moving below her. She hesitated, tripped up and flipped over the sword that was ahead of her. It hit her in the stomach, dragged her along the spinning carousel, and flung her into the ground.
"Nya!"
With the candle clutched in his hand, almost crushed from the fear of her fall, Cole raced to the place where she resided. She slowly rose, still seated, holding her side and wincing a little bit as he approached.
"Are you okay?" he asked. "Anything hurt?" He put his hand where her hand had been, feeling for anything that felt like a bump or something that bruised. She stiffened a little.
"Yeah." Nya grunted as she got up and towered over him, looking down and picking up the candle he still held in his grasp. "I'm fine. I just need to take a breather."
Nya left him with his candle in her hand and lit one by one the torches that were placed against the walls of the monastery.
"When was your last break? You look tired." Cole said as he got up from his spot on the ground.
"After dinner Jay and I watched a movie with Zane after helping me move into my room." Nya said. "Never watching that movie with him again."
"What movie? I was in the weight room." Cole was very curious. "Also, um Jay or Zane?"
"Oh. Zane." Nya laughed while she lit the second of the four torches in the courtyard. "It was a pretty sad movie but he was hysterically laughing all the way through."
"Weird. But sounds like him." Cole was curious again as Nya walked past him to light the third torch that was to his right. "Did you get everything you needed out of your last place?"
"Yeah. It was just a few of the last things I needed for my s-" she stopped herself from talking and walking, tripping on her words before she resumed. "Uh… for my room."
Well that's weird. She doesn't stutter that much. Interesting. Cole thought to himself.
"Oh. Okay."
Their silence lingered through the air as Nya finished with her task and blew out the candle. She came back to give it back to him.
He nervously scratched the back of his head. "Hey, since you're on a break, want some food? It will help you feel better. Whatcha want? I'll get it for you." Cole asked.
"Oh, sure. Um, some of Zane's chicken please." Nya said. "You don't have to heat it up."
"Ok. Be right back." He sped through the door and resumed his initial trip to the kitchen. In the fridge he collected what he needed. Cole removed the cover of Zane's chicken and placed the pieces in a smaller bowl, enough for two, after picking it apart and getting the good stuff.
Once Cole was done he put the chicken away into its old spot, but before he closed the door he decided to get a piece of the chocolate cake. He got a plastic knife, took off the cover, cut a slice, closed the door of the fridge and was on his way.
When he came back to the front door of the monastery, mouth full, Cole would come to find Nya sitting on the steps of the entryway. The fire's flickering flames lit her back as she was hunched over herself. As he carried the food more forward, Cole noticed her arms were criss-crossed over her legs as her head rested on top of them tilted towards the start of the course. She made a quiet sigh. He approached her slowly.
"Hey, I'm back." he said softly, sitting on her left. "Is there something wrong… or bothering you?"
"Wrong, no." Nya said, turning her head towards Cole never leaving the support of her arms. "Bothering me? Yes."
"Tell me about it." Cole said. "Shoot."
She sighed again. "It's not really anything."
"It is if it's making you ticked off." He said putting the bowl in front of her, taking a bite of his cake.
"No, it's nothing, it's just…" she said, stretching out her point with her arms. "I just want to complete the course and beat my brother's record. I've seen him fight, I can too." She starts to pick up pieces of chicken to eat. "I know I'm worth more to the team besides just being Kai's sister who got captured."
"You couldn't help that. Weren't you and Kai facing the army of the underworld all by yourselves?"
"It's just that I'm good at everything I do, and yeah I did fight off the Skulkin that were after me by myself." Nya observed. "I just haven't had this much trouble with stuff like this before."
"Don't be too hard on yourself. Kai wasn't the first to complete the course the fastest. That distinction goes to Zane. And Jay, he was the first one who discovered how to do Spinjitzu before Kai ever did."
"Really?" Nya asked, grabbing a few pieces of the chicken from the bowl and smiling to herself. As the chicken approached her mouth, after thinking a while, she looked at the course again with a frown and shook her head. "It doesn't matter, I just need to be perfect, and practice makes perfect."
"No, believe me, in my experience, perfect practice makes perfect. I'm pretty big. I had to go for accuracy first, not for speed." Maybe so do you… he thought. Cole put the bowl down next to him. "Get up."
"What?"
"On your feet, I wanna show you something." He put what remained of the slice of cake into his mouth and moved to the center of the courtyard. He finished his mouth full of food before speaking again. "Get into your neutral stance."
They stood face to face and Nya followed the directions she was given, though she was a little stiff. Cole noticed the stiffness and reacted.
"Don't be so stiff." Cole said, dropping out of his pose. "Okay, stand up straight and tall." He went over to Nya and straightened her asymmetrical shoulders with his steady hands. He kept his hands on her shoulders to keep her steady before he continued. "Good. Now close your eyes."
She did, but only after a confused expression.
"Okay, now, take a series of deep breaths." Cole instructed. "In and out. In and out." Nya's breathing began to ease and began to slow. "Good. Now don't freak out, I'm just going to do some adjusting." He looked over her shoulders again, walking around for a better view of her back. After looking her over he traced with gentle hands over her sweat-dampened shoulders and moved them into a different position.
"Is this really necessary?"
"It will be, I promise. This is just basic body conditioning." Cole said. "You are really tense. This is gonna help a lot." He made an easy kick to the outside of both her legs. "Keep your legs apart the same distance as your shoulders. It will create more balance for what's next."
"If you say so." Nya said.
He remained behind her for the next set of instructions. He positioned his head to speak softly into her ear.
"Okay. I want you to think of your favorite place, your happy place. You got it?" He said. Nya nodded in agreement. She opened her eyes, and she tried to say what it was. He stopped her from going any further. "No, don't tell me. This has to be all yours. Eyes still closed. Breathe like you did before, and relax. Find your center."
Nya obeyed. Her breathing grew slower as her chest rose and fell, Cole could sense that she was getting more and more relaxed. He positioned himself to look at her from the front.
"Okay, now I'm gonna do something real quick. Keep going, stay in your place. I've got you."
Cole raised his hands to gingerly cup her face. She winced a moment but her head went limp, silently giving him the permission to do as he pleased. He adjusted her head to balance on her shoulders.
"Keep your head here." he said softly, Cole's hands leaving her neck to her forearms. "Raise your arms to the sky, and make them feel as if they are rising by puppet strings. Stretch what makes you comfortable."
"Okay." Nya said in a hushed voice, clearly gone. He released her and she slowly stretched her hands open to the night's air.
Good.
"I'm going to tell you to cut those strings one at a time, there is one on your wrists, your neck, your arms, and your back at the base of your spine." Cole instructed, pressing a hand to all the parts he listed one by one. "You have to treat them as if it is the only thing tethering you to the sky. Let them go as soon as I say so. Stay in your place, keep breathing, feel the wind, you're doing great."
Cole saw the hints of a smile that was seen on the curve of her lips, as if everything in the world that moment was going right. He returned the smile that she gave and he took that to his advantage.
"Wrists." Her hands went limp. One minute slipped.
"Arms." They fell to her side immediately. Her body carried the weight of her arms with a puff of air through her mouth. The pace of her breathing remained the same as before. Another moment fell.
"Neck." Her chin hit her collar as she released the imaginary string that held up her head, the tension clearly gone from moments before. Cole was impressed at her progress. A moment, then:
"Back." Nya's body made a wave as her torso and her limbs came crashing down before Cole. When it was done her hands were near her feet as she swayed from side to side, bent from the waist down. After a few moments of swaying he gave her the final set of directions.
"Good form." Cole said in approval, then quietly with ease, he spoke to her again. "Stay in your place, breathe like you were, and I need your back to follow my hand. It's gonna go from the base of your spine until your back rolls up straight again. Got it."
"Mm-hmh." Nya muttered in agreement. With the agreement by her made, Cole placed the hand at the small of her back.
"Now start to roll your back up to a standing position, but follow the pace of my hand, okay?" Cole then used the tip of his hand to slowly creep up her back. She followed this direction perfectly. Nya hitched a little bit as she followed his hand when he approached the middle of her back, setting up to hold the rest of her body when she stood straight again. Before he resumed he helped lift her head with his other hand, so she didn't go too fast. It was welcome and when Nya had risen all the way to stand straight up, he released her head and let it do what it may.
"Okay. One last deep breath in and out and we're done here. Let the place you had in your head be where you are now, and open your eyes." he gently said, holding her up by the hand that was still against her back. "How was that?"
"Good. Great actually. I've never felt anything like this before." Nya said in her relaxed state fluttering her eyelids open and biting her lip. Still leaning against his hand, a gentle weight and comfortable pressure between her shoulder blades she asked: "Who taught you that? Wu?"
"No, uh, Wu didn't teach me that." Clearing his throat, Cole stepped away from her pulling at his shirt a little, and took his previous position. He stood in a fighting stance before her. Face to face. "Now that you're relaxed and loose, let's see your neutral stance." Cole said, the subject dying on the vine.
Nya came to her stance after a deep breath.
"Okay, the trick to the course is timing, the key is to look forward before stepping forward." Cole said. "If you're approaching and the sword is passing at the bottom then you kick up and over and if it is coming from the top, kick low and duck and the momentum from the carousel should pull you forward."
"Makes sense." Nya said. "What else are you going to teach me?"
"Dodging, basically. I am going to give you a series of moves and you block them, but every once in a while I will use my forearm to go through your chest and you use the kick to push forward. Or I will use my leg to try to sweep your legs and use the kick forward to jump over it. Like this."
Cole did a series of jumps in front of Nya, one after the other and told her each of the processes to achieve the move. A stance, a kick, and a jump with his back leg. Then another: A jump, duck, then slide.
He asked Nya if she wanted to see each of them again, and her reply was always a no.
"Are you sure?" he said.
"Never felt more sure."
They took their stances and started the fight. Cole started into the sequence of moves that he would use into the night. For an hour or two, he picked apart her stance. How to get a higher jump and landing with more stability. The placement of her feet in the slide under his arm when he would sweep to knock her back.
Nya again and again, kicked against the space between the rise and fall of Cole's arm. There were a few hiccups along the way, tripping up on the kick before the landing, not going forward enough and slipping on the cobblestones of the courtyard. Cole would pick her up every time, and she would get stressed but he would lead her through it.
They did the exercise once more and they were only done when Nya went through a sequence without any mistakes twice.
When she succeeded it seemed to Cole that she was quite skeptical of his approach. "So, that's all you got for me, huh?"
"Yep. That's it. That's all you need." Cole said matter-of-factly. "You ready to do the course again?"
"Okay." Nya let off some steam with a breath. "I'm ready."
"You got the stopwatch? I'll time you as you go through, but don't think about the speed, go for accuracy and trust your technique. " Nya looked toward the course, and he gave her shoulder a little shake to snap her out of it. He held out his hand. "You'll do great. Give me the watch."
Nya gently placed the stopwatch that she pulled from her pocket into his outstretched hand. When she walked toward the first leg of the course he could sense her hesitance from feet away. But she stopped, took a series of deep breaths with closed eyes, and after a moment of peace she nodded to herself. Nya stood next to her intended target, the carousel of the spinning fighting dummies, and eased herself to her fighting stance.
"Ready? Set? Go."
Bursting out of the gate to the first carousel, Nya started the course more steady and he could already see the improvements. She swerved and kicked the dummies out of the way. They swung back and forth as she punched her way through. She successfully traversed the spokes on the first set of pillars a hop at a time, no fancy flips, taking her time.
Cole looked down on the stopwatch. Nya was actually making good time. As she approached the final spoke of the final pillar, she stopped, surveying the surroundings and counting out the timing out loud. He heard the watch ticking away as his mouth was held open, waiting impatiently for her next move. She jumped to the carousel and when she landed she almost fell. Cole gasped.
As the carousel spun a few times she had both hands and feet on the conveyor belt keeping her footing. He let out a sigh of relief. Nya then morphed her form into the neutral stance. In anticipation Cole bit his lip. Let's see if she learned something here.
The rotating swords were coming at her and as soon as the sword in front of her began to lower in front of her, she jumped and kicked across the open air of the lowered sword. After that show of prowess in the lessons she was taught, she flipped to the first pillar of the second leg of the course. Cole let out a congratulatory shout as Nya cheered and did a series of flips from one pillar to the next.
The axes came next and Nya waited for the right timing again and landed on the carousel, kicking and ducking, sliding underneath an ax. With the momentum she moved forward and completed the challenge with no problem. She flipped from post to post on the last leg before she jumped to the fourth and final carousel of the swinging balls of spikes. She waited on the spoke of the final pillar and did her special move to kick across to the moving platform in between two of the four sets of the swinging obstacles. She ended the course with a tuck and roll toward Cole and hit the ground.
She landed with a thud out of the final carousel in a crouch and Cole hit the button on the stopwatch ending the run. Done and breathing heavy, she looked up towards Cole with a smile on her face. It hit her that she completed the course like thunder catching up to struck lightning. Nya laughed to herself and it became wild in her excitement. She looked back at the course and screamed out in a happy fit.
"Yes! I did it! I really did it! So, how did I do? Wasn't that great?!"
"You did great, Nya." He looked at an imaginary watch. "Welp, look at the time, I gotta go."
"Cole?! Hey, where are you going?"
"I was just on my way back to bed." He started to fake a yawn and walk away. "It's getting pretty late."
"Wha- Wait a minute!" Nya came closer to where he stood, exasperated and dragged him to her. "Come on, Cole. Just tell me." Nya said, her mouth turning into a pout. "I didn't do it, did I?"
Handing the watch over to her to see it he replied, "Well, I don't know, all you need is just five more seconds, so…"
"Just that much?" she said, beaming looking down at the stopwatch. She ripped it out of his hands to take a good look. "All I need to shave off is 5 seconds?"
Cole held in a gut busting laugh. "Yep. Keep practicing it just like that Nya, over and over as perfect as it can be, and that speed record is as good as yours."
"Thanks. Thanks for everything." She let out a little squee and gave him a quick but tight hug before she ran to start the course again.
Before Cole sent himself away with a laugh and a pair of blushing cheeks and a "You're welcome."
Nya's success was something he was going to hold over Kai's head in the morning, and the rest of Cole's friends were gonna be in earshot.
He walked a jubilant stride back to the monastery to get some shut-eye. Sleep and the promise of tomorrow could not be more welcome.
—
So, Lloyd Garmadon is out on the rampage again. When will that kid ever learn?
Cole never thought he would meet a kid that was so unlike him than Lord Garmadon's son, other than the hunger. Not for power, or control, but for candy. That was familiar. Dealing with the kid, even for him, was too much for him to handle.
Here, there, and everywhere were the Serpentine. A myth finally made flesh by the boy's antics and all Cole wanted to do was fly back home on the dragon that he named Rocky. Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes! More video games sounds like more and more of a blessing at this point.
Reconnaissance to Jamanikai Village became even more of a catastrophe when Cole noticed the many sets of red eyes that were slowly creeping down the street towards him and his team. Like zombies they pushed forward, and Kai and Jay were worried and babbling about one thing.
Nya.
She told everyone before they left to fight Lloyd Garmadon for the second time she would be there. Truth be told he was thinking about her too, the night before cycling through his mind. He wasn't as worried as much for her than his team was because of it. Nya completing the course and watching her fight calmed him down. All this talk about who would rise above the others to be the Green Ninja overshadowed thoughts of her for a time, the hunger of defeating a man who could gain control of the known universe could do that to you.
How much would we gain, or likely me, with such a title? Glory, fame, notoriety…? Noticing that more guys wanted to get closer to me? Getting girls like Kai claimed he got? It was a possibility. A far off one, for sure, but possible.
Nya could handle herself, and Cole knew this, so it wasn't a surprise that right after retreating from the Hypnobrai tribe of the Serpentine and the horde of hypnotized citizens she came to find him and the team safe and sound.
"When you hear them rattle their tails, don't look them in the eyes. That's how they get you."
She told them how to evade the Hypnobrai and their powers of control, go to the general, get the staff, and save the village. Sounded easy enough. Thoughts of who would become the Chosen One being was far behind Cole and the team, talking of making Sensei proud of becoming said team, followed by more of Jay's niceness that was taken as unnecessary flirting.
"And, Nya, you can be an honorary member."
Nya came back with a "Gee, Thanks." So sarcastic and condescending that the only thing Cole felt in that moment was pity, looking toward his brothers for the same sentiments in their eyes. After everything she had done the night before, and what she did to outrun the Serpentine unscathed only proved to him even more that she was worthy of more. She followed his team, close behind Cole, hopping from rooftop to rooftop.
In hindsight Cole would look at that moment as a time in which he would always listen to Nya carefully, do what she says, and follow through on her directions.
The Serpentine were closing in, Kai was using his Spinjitzu to his advantage, Jay harnessed the lighting in his nunchucks to blow away the snakes, Zane freezing snakes in their tracks, and Cole was lying in wait, intending to strike the general and win the day.
He was successful at both, but was caught off guard, too slow. He didn't celebrate. All Cole remembered was getting the staff, his vision going black, then the sound of Nya's panicked voice.
That shook him out of it.
"Cole!" Nya came down from the sky, and he caught what he believed to be the high kick that helped her complete the course. It struck a punishing blow to the Hypnobrai that was closing in on Cole as he held the staff of antivenom.
Cole was frozen in his place, as if pinned to the earth. Couldn't move. Stuck. Why is everything so blurry? Was that her shaking me by the shoulders?
"Cole, the antivenom! In the fountain!"
He did what he was told, putting the staff upright in the fountain. He saved the village, winning the day, because of her. Cole couldn't have been more proud.
—
"When am I gonna get my own dragon?" Nya said to the ground.
"Patience Nya, Your time will come." Wu replied.
Cole overheard this conversation, and was looking at the ground the whole walk down the steps to the end of the path to the dragons that would fly them home. This time not only was he just grateful for the ride, but the girl who he felt sorry for who saved his life. He believed in Wu and his wisdom with his whole being, and when growls radiated from his hungry stomach Cole knew exactly what to do next.
—
Cole was always good at following written and given directions from his mentors. Step by step in the practice rooms of his father's dance studio, lessons always stuck with him fast and often. Most of the productions that he would finish off to make his father proud came to him like muscle memory and he would always be the first to have it down. An enemy of Cole's was when the moves choreographed by his father in later years became almost impossible. His father's pride came before Cole's fall.
Disappointment became something of muscle memory as well, but it made him numb over time. Missing due dates to learning new material, being late to rehearsal, taking too long for breaks and the final nail in the coffin, the Triple Tiger Sashay. Do other seven year olds go through all of this? He would think. Mistakes of his past would creep up behind him often like a snakebite, memories of that would keep him up at night making insomnia another enemy entirely.
A recipe book was his enemy now, along with his numbing fear of disappointment. Cole knew that cooking wasn't his strong suit but he insisted. Not feeling very well, and wanting to make an impression, he thought it would be a good distraction. After he said his dishwashing duty was still his as well, Jay chimed in with a:
"Whatever you say, Cole. As long as I don't have to do them, knock yourself out." He continued to speak to the crowd behind him. "Hey, maybe his cooking will be good this time? Maybe?"
"Why? Is Cole that bad at cooking?" Nya asked.
"Well, sis, he's not the best in the world but he does make up for it in confidence." Kai said. "I'm down too, just get a recipe book this time, okay Cole? I don't trust you around a can of chili by yourself anymore."
"Come off it, Kai." Nya said. "Do your best, Cole, I trust you."
That's when they all went their separate ways. Zane, Jay, and Kai, to the TV, Wu to his room and Nya disappearing out of the monastery.
—
After everything was said and done, Cole thought it looked pretty appetizing. It definitely looked like the picture. Definitely. For a chowder it came up a bit thicker than he thought, but he made it look pretty with some garnish of leek to add some color. Perfect.
Cole set the table for six, and called them all to the table. Wu and Zane entered first taking their usual seats at the heads of the table, followed by the voices of Kai and Jay.
"Thank the First Spinjitzu Master! I'm starving!" Jay exclaimed, getting jammed in the door with Kai. There was some grunting to get out of the door first, but they were broken apart by Nya, tugging Jay to her side to give Kai room to find a seat at the table.
Cole noticed the blush on Jay's face as Nya's hand was around his bicep. He kept on stuttering and babbling until they took their seats on the other side of the table. He didn't get what they had to say as Wu stopped to thank him for the meal.
"It looks wonderful, Cole. Thank you." Wu said.
"Ah, it was nothing." Cole replied.
"Well then let's dig in."
"Wait! Uh… Master Wu…" Cole looked at the crowd and all of the eyes staring questioning glances his way. "I um, actually… I decided to make dinner tonight for a special reason tonight. Can I make a toast first?"
"Of course, go ahead." Sensei Wu said, pressing him on.
"But not too long okay. Kicking Serpentine butt made me extra hungry, and this actually does look appetizing this time. Good call, Jay." said Kai.
"I concur." Zane seconded.
"Ah, it's no big deal, just vouching for a great friend. I trust him not to poison us intentionally." Jay responded
The table laughs. Cole, being nervous and holding himself up from the nerve to move.
"Okay, here goes." Cole clears his throat and lifts his glass of juice and starts to speak. "I know it has only been a while since we all moved in together and there hasn't been a moment that I have not been grateful. There are times when I don't usually speak up when I have something to get off my chest."
"No kidding. It takes a lot to get something out of you." said Kai.
"You're right. Which is why this dinner is dedicated to my new family, our new home, and most of all to our new member: Nya." he turned to face her at his seat at the table, the look on her face was of alert surprise after a look of passivity.
"Not only did she save me from the grip of the Hypnobrai, and came up with the idea that saved Jamanakai Village, if she wasn't there for us when we needed her most, the Serpentine would have won today."
"I'm sure everyone here agrees with me Nya, that even if you don't have your own dragon, a power, a powerful weapon, or even the gi. You are worth more than any of those things, you're a friend, a confidant, or as Jay said, an honorary ninja. We can only ask that your stay here be as welcoming as you have been to all of us."
"To our new family, our new home, for all the things we have, and to-" Holding out his cup towards Nya, Cole didn't know what to say next. What was something simple he could say that could sum up how he felt to have her around and make her feel like she did belong? "Uh, to our uh-"
"To our new sister!" Zane exclaimed to finish the sentence off.
"Our new sister!" The rest of the room cheered.
A little held back from the interruption from the congregation he continued timidly, raising his glass a little higher. "Heh. Yeah. What they said."
"Oh, thanks! You are too sweet." said Nya.
"Let's eat!" Jay said.
Cole waited patiently to see the happy smiling faces on his newfound culinary prowess. For the first time in a long time he felt hopeful of the prospect of someone, anyone, being impressed with him in something he tried that was new. It made him take a pause when Jay took his first bite, he usually was the first one to make a comment. Cole was surprised to find that Jay's first bite was promising. He didn't say a word. Not one. He just kept on chewing, chewing, and chewing. Well that's new.
Kai was next to say something. "Hey Jay? You alright?"
Jay said a hearty "yeah" through a mouthful of food. He even got to mouth an "Mmm-Hmm" as well. Cole began to smile to himself.
Wu took a bite after and he had his usual poker face on. He started a new conversation. "So, how has your training improved for today after the battle? Are you ready to start fresh and early tomorrow? I'll be waking you all at 6."
"I will! With all this talk of living up to our true potential and unlocking our golden weapon's powers. I feel I could take down Lord Garmadon with a single blow, prophecy or no prophecy."
"Wanna make a bet then Zane? The next person who beats my record becomes the honorary Green Ninja?" Kai said.
Wu and Cole let out a scoff and Jay a moan through his teeth.
"You're on. As soon as dinner's through we meet in the courtyard. Mano y Mano." Zane challenged.
"Well, it's really funny you mentioned that Kai, because I think you are already too slow to make that bet." Nya said.
"Me? Too Slow? Ha-ha, very funny. How is that, sis?" Kai asked
"It's cause you're looking at the girl who already beat your speed record." Nya then pulled out a stopwatch from her pocket and pushed it on the table towards Kai's position at the table.
A shout from the rest of the table and a snuffed out cheer from Jay rang out in exclamation. Kai's face was a look of surprise, betrayal, and being dumbfounded. Through the mutual noise of congratulations and approval, Nya caught Cole's gaze across the table. With a smile she winked in his direction. He returned her gesture in kind, and started in on the dinner he prepared himself. He was surprised to find that it was just as he feared. Disappointment finally sank in.
"Zane?" Wu whispered.
"Yes, master?" Zane answered in a low voice. Cole could hear every word.
"Do you have any more leftovers?"
Yep. It was bad again. Great.
—
What was supposed to be a trip to the restroom for Cole became a harrowing experience after dinner. He didn't even remember saying where he was going this time. All he would know was absentmindedly walking towards an unknown destination. Cole always had a hold of his head, but tonight was another story. He unwittingly pressed on through the hall and the doors of the monastery. Walking through the hall, cautiously and with purpose he approached the meditation room of Sensei Wu.
There it was. The staff of the Hypnobrai. Cole wanted to touch it. Grab it. The golden staff was so beautiful, so ripe for the taking. The words then repeated itself through his subconscious.
No. Be patient. In due time. Be ready.
Over and over again. Cole could not shake the grasp the words had on his thoughts, so he listened. He backed away from the staff slowly, the object never leaving his sight as he left the room. As he exited the room, he closed the sliding doors behind him. He heard a different voice this time.
Cole. Cole. Cole? "Cole!"
Shaking his head and snapping out of a trance he thought he must have looked like a crazy person, staring at the doors that led to his master's room. Wait. Where's the bathroom?
"Hey, Cole. Are you okay?" Nya asked.
Cole, in a fit of fast thinking looking at the door, came up with an excuse to the best of his acting abilities.
"I was uh… going to the bathroom." Cole said nervously, turning to face her.
"No, I just came from the bathroom." Nya said, perplexed. "What are you really doing here? Wu and Zane were looking for you. Weren't you supposed to do the dishes again tonight?"
Caught.
"Oh, yeah. I was… I was looking for Wu too. I wanted to meditate a little bit, get my head on straight."
"Oh, okay." she said. "I understand."
"Yeah?" Good.
"Well, I'm not Wu, but do you mind if I help?" Nya asked. "A lot of crazy things happened the past few days. Lloyd coming back, and then again with the Serpentine, the Chosen One/Green Ninja thing you guys kept fighting about."
"Sure you can." Cole answered as they started walking toward the kitchen. "By the way, we're not really fighting, it just feels like a glorified argument at this point."
"Ah, I get it." Nya said, matter-of-factly. "A classic case of boys wanting to take down the big bad and gain all the glory."
"Exactly." Cole said. "Read my mind."
"Okay, so what's bothering you?"
"What you said. All that stuff can take a toll." he said, rounding the corner of the hall. "Plus, I almost lost the antivenom staff, and the dinner didn't help matters either."
"What? It was nice. Honestly. Not every meal fixed under this roof is gonna be a gourmet meal and a lot of us really appreciated the initiative. There is always next time."
"Well, at least I knew Jay was excited. He usually hates my food and he masked it with a joke. A good sign, and he didn't complain this time."
Cole noticed as soon as they walked through the door that Nya bit her lip, and he knew she wanted to say something, but she was interrupted by his groan at the amount of dishes he had to do. Plates of both his duck chowder and the remaining leftover chicken from Zane's stint at cooking were left in the sink, doubling the load.
"Well, here we are." Nya said. "I'd love to help you but I've got to check on something."
Before Cole could turn on the sink, at the corner of his vision he saw Nya start to turn and leave, but stopped herself and got closer. She put her hand on his shoulder in a gentle vice, turning him to her.
"Thank you for the toast. It really did mean a lot to me, and the tips to beat Kai's record. Just to see the look on his face was worth a thousand speeches of how great I am." Nya said. "And thanks again for supper Cole. It sure was… interesting. But like you said, perfect practice makes perfect."
"Well, thank you. Anytime, Nya. Anytime."
The smile she gave him was gentle as her eyes were big and kind before she turned away. Nya was on her way into the hall and Jay was walking by the door holding his jaw and moving it around and up and down. She caught up to him quickly, holding out a hand to catch him.
"Hey, Jay I was just looking for you. You alright?" Nya asked.
"Yeah. Thanks to you." he said with a smile.
As their voices faded away Cole got lost in his chore. The fear of disappointment subsided and his hunger to impress became insatiable as he smiled through it. Cole thought to himself: If you like that, one day I'll fix you some of Mom's favorite violetberry soup, and it is gonna be perfect.
That's a promise.