AN: We're on CHAPTER 22! YAY!

Review Replies
SylasPantz: I love Kai being a sweetie too! And I didn't want to fall into the "Kai is a constant touchy grump who is always suspicious" trope that seems to be pretty consistent in fanfics. Because, when you think about it, he's not really like that in canon. The only grudge he's ever really held was against Garmadon in season 1, when he didn't trust Garmadon being an ally. Not only was Kai in a bad place then, having an unhealthy obsession with the Green Ninja and everything, but he HAD A VALID REASON for not trusting Garmadon. *sigh* But anyway, I digress...

Megaslamencex: Sorry, I can't say I do. Yeeaah, Ronin's gonna be fun, lol.

phetiamwantip: Yesss, Kai apologized because he is secretly a good boy. *pats Kai's head affectionately* Tbh, Ronin... Ah, you'll see.

2240713356: Kai's my second favorite Ninja, no way am I going to have him be a jerk the whole time.
Lol, I don't blame you. This site makes the text TINY.

Tomura-chan: Ooooo, what set?! I'm working on collecting the Crystalized sets myself; I like the minifigures. :)


There was a brief debate about what song to sing. Since Kai was vehemently against "Ninety-nine Bottles of Tea," I offered to teach them a sea shanty I knew, which appealed to all four immensely. That was how we arrived at Stiix loudly and clumsily belting "Wellerman."

Everyone was laughing as we dove toward the town, but the mood sobered quickly when we landed. Despite it being early morning, the mist hovering over the town gave it a gloomy atmosphere. The people who saw us land looked at us suspiciously, and I saw a couple of guys whispering to each other as they eyed us. My senses were suddenly on high alert, and I took a slow deep breath to calm my nerves. I reminded myself that the boys were literal ninja, and they could easily fight off any thugs who tried to mess with us. Even so, I made sure to stick close as Zane led us through the streets of Stiix. Every place we passed was shadier than the last, and the boards creaked ominously under our feet. The boys conversed blithely, seemingly oblivious to the stares we were receiving. I was surprised they weren't more wary.

"So what's the plan once we get to Ronin's?" Jay asked, "Should we just grab the Scroll and run?"

"I say we make him give it to us himself," Kai said, smirking as he punched a fist into his palm, "He deserves it after what he did to us last time."

"I have a better idea," I cut in, "How about you all let me do the talking?"

"Uh, no offense," Jay chuckled, "But you don't know Ronin."

"Yeah, I do," I retorted, slapping the boy's shoulder in reprimand, "Foreknowledge, remember? I've got it all planned out. Just follow my lead, don't let Kai talk under any circumstances, and we should be fine."

"I'm sorry?" Kai sputtered, giving me an offended look, "What exactly is that supposed to mea—?"

"According to the data Pixal and I collected," Zane interrupted, glancing back at us, "Ronin's pawn shop should be just around this bend."

As we turned the corner, we were met with the sight of a shabby-looking building. It didn't stick out too much from the rest of the town; it was old, patchy, and seemed undoubtedly sketchy. The sign above the door was half-off its hinges, and the lettering was faded to the point that it was nearly unreadable.

"Are we sure this is the right place?" Cole asked skeptically as we took a moment to scrutinize the building from the outside.

"Affirmative," Zane responded immediately. I frowned at the building, uncertain. It was difficult at first, but I found if I stood in the right place, the structure took on a vaguely-recognizable shape. Finally, I nodded.

"I think Zane's right," I said, turning my eyes to the other boys, "This is it."

Cole and Jay exchanged looks, but Kai seemed convinced.

"Then what are we waiting for?" he asked as he began to stride purposefully toward the shop, "Let's get this sleazy creep."

The rest of us hurried to catch up with the boy as he pushed open the door and entered the shop. A small bell tinkled as we walked inside, and I winced; I had been hoping to search the shop for a bit without interruption. Thankfully, one glance at the front desk proved that Ronin wasn't currently present. The boys began to disperse, inspecting the various junks and relics that the shop held.

"Check this out," Kai said, and he lifted a green-tinted, slightly-dusty sword from a bin, "Jade Blade."

"Weapons, armor…" Jay muttered as he sifted through items. He picked up a dull brass teapot. "Teapots?"

I glanced at the teapot as Jay turned it over in his hands, and my eyes widened.

"Oh my gosh, Jay, lemme see!" I exclaimed, rushing over. The boy let out an indignant protest as I plucked the teapot from his hand and scrutinized it. It was dusty with age, but Jay's handling had wiped off enough grime that I was able to make out the jumbled markings that adorned the pot's surface. When I wiped away a bit more dust, careful not to twist the swiveling sides, I thought I saw a faint, orange glow emitting through the pot. My heart rate quickened.

"I knew it," I whispered and clutched the teapot close, "Thank goodness you found this."

"Um, what exactly is it?" he asked, scrunching up his face in confusion. I blew out a heavy breath.

"The Teapot of Tyrahn," I replied, carefully sliding some of the swivel bits so the markings were further apart, "It's got an evil pirate genie trapped inside, Nadakhan. In the original timeline, he comes in as one of you guys' major villains after the ghost crap."

"Whoa, wait, there's a bad guy in there?" Jay stepped back, now eyeing the teapot with alarm. I grimaced.

"Yep. Nasty too. He was supposed to be freed by Clouse, who escapes the Cursed Realm sometime when Nya kills the Preeminent. Since Clouse found the teapot in Stiix, I had a theory Ronin had it in his pawn shop," I grinned smugly, "Guess I was right."

Jay frowned and looked like he was about to say something else, but Cole wandered up.

"Enough messing around," he said, "We've gotta find the Scroll, preferably before Ronin comes back. Abby," he turned to me, "Where did you say it was again?"

"In a pot next to his desk," I responded, shoving the Teapot of Tyrahn into my bag as I started for the front desk, "Unless he hasn't—Nope, it's here."

Giddy with excitement, I skipped over to the blue pot and peered inside. Sure enough, I found a tightly-rolled piece of parchment peeping out at me. I glanced up once to make sure Ronin wasn't going to appear suddenly before I carefully drew the Scroll up out of the pot. Instantly, the boys clustered around, chattering with eager questions.

"Is that it?"

"Will we be able to fly?"

"Lemme see, lemme see!"

"Okay, chill," I laughed. I pulled the Scroll out of the way of Jay's groping hands, only for it to be plucked from my grip by Cole.

"Hey!" I protested, moving to snatch the Scroll back, but the boy raised it out of my reach, grinning. I huffed and decided to let the matter drop, though not before I punched him in the chest as revenge.

"Geez, someone's feeling violent today,"the boy remarked, completely unfazed as he unfurled the Scroll. The rest of us waited with bated breath as he skimmed the scroll, a thoughtful frown on his face. After a tense pause, he looked up at us with a grin.

"This is it," he said. Jay let out a victorious whoop, and Kai and Zane high-fived as Cole rolled up the scroll, chuckling. I grinned at their ecstasy and almost missed a flash of movement from the doorway behind the desk. Glancing up, I saw a man slowly trying to sneak back into the back room. From his burnt auburn hair and the odd-looking patch over his right eye, I recognized the man as Ronin.

Before the crook could slip away, I called out with a smirk, "Hey, I think you need a better bell. We've been here for, like, ten minutes."

Ronin froze as the boys all whipped around. He looked stricken for a split second before his expression quickly smoothed out, and he plastered on an easy grin.

"Hey, boys, fancy meeting you out here," he said, moving behind the desk, "Look, if this is about our last encounter, it was only business."

"Dude!" Kai exploded, his eyes smoldering, "You left us in the mouth of a—!"

"I can see you're still upset," Ronin cut him off quickly, "Let me make it up to you…"

"Net," I intoned dryly just as the Vengestone net dropped from the ceiling. The boys flinched, but as I expected, the net caught without even touching us. I glanced up once at the failed trap before turning my eyes back to Ronin, who looked even more nervous now.

"Uh, that was a mistake," he chuckled awkwardly, "I can explain that."

"Forget it," I butted in before any of the boys could speak again, "We got what we came for anyway, and now we'll be out of your hair."

"Wait, I'm sorry," Ronin held up his hand in a time-out gesture before he gave me a half-bewildered, half-wary look. "Who are you?"

"She is a friend," Zane said firmly, stepping up beside me protectively, "That is all you need know."

I cast the Nindroid a grateful look as Ronin frowned, but he only shrugged, "Fine, it's your business. So what are you guys here for anyway?"

"The Scroll of Airjitzu that you stole from the Library of Domu," Cole retorted, brandishing the rolled up parchment, "And we've got it, so we'll be going now."

"Whoa whoa, hey," the man spoke up in alarm as the boys turned to leave, "You've got to pay for that, you know!"

"Excuse me?" Kai sputtered, "We have to pay you for something you stole—"

"Relax, I've got it," I said, reaching into my satchel. The boys gave me disbelieving looks, and Ronin's face lit up. He leaned forward over the counter as I pulled a small card out of the bag and handed it to him. His eager expression melted into confusion as he frowned at the card.

"Wha… What is this?" he asked. I grinned.

"A 'Get Out of Jail Free' card," I responded, ignoring the burst of muffled snickers that exploded behind me, "You let us take the Scroll, and we won't turn you over to the authorities for stealing it in the first place. Deal?"

"Ah, to tell you the truth," the man chuckled again, but there was almost a note of warning in his tone, "I was hoping for something more financially valuable. You know, this place ain't easy when it comes to upkeep."

I rolled my eyes, but conceded, "All right, how about this? We take the Scroll, we don't turn you over the authorities. Non-negotiable. But you let me get this," I pulled the Teapot of Tyrahn out of my bag, "And I'll pay you something equally valuable."

Ronin didn't reply immediately as he raised an eyebrow, giving the teapot an appraising look. Meanwhile, Cole leaned over to me.

"Abby?" he asked in a hoarse whisper, "What exactly do we want with an old teapot?"

"Tell you later," I whispered back. In a louder voice, I added, "So, Ronin; what'll it be?"

"Depends," He answered, his eye finally flicking back up to me, "What have you got?"

Without a word, I drew a small box out of my bag and set it on the counter. I made sure to keep one hand on it as I explained, "This is Felici-tea. When brewed correctly, it will give you good fortune in all of your dealings for twenty-four hours after drinking. However, when brewed incorrectly, it'll give the opposite effect of bad luck. Although, then you could just give it to your enemies, so it's kinda dual purpose."

For a second, Ronin's mouth twitched in a grin of anticipation—Geez, this guy read better than an open book—but he stopped quickly. Schooling his expression into impassiveness, he said doubtfully, "I dunno… How do I know you're not playing me?"

"Oh, please," I rolled my eyes again. "I could have walked out with this teapot, and you wouldn't have been any the wiser. But I prefer to have honest dealings. This tea is the real thing."

A pause. Jay had a look on his face like he wanted to say something, but was holding himself back with great struggle. I chose to ignore him and the other guys in favor of watching Ronin. He was still hesitating, but I figured it was more out of hopes of getting something better.

"Come on," I said, getting impatient with the man's antics, "I'm not just offering you one successful deal, I'm offering you multiple. It's not going to get much better than this. Are you really going to pass it up?"

At this, the crook finally cracked.

"All right, all right, deal," he snatched the box from my hands. I nodded curtly.

"Cool," I said, "Pleasure doing business with you, Ronin."

"You too," he responded with a nod, and I felt a thrill of excitement at the smirk he gave me.


*as they're leaving the shop*
Cole: Abby... What are you doing?
Abby: *aggressively duct-taping the sides of the teapot* Taking precautions.

AN: Felici-tea is not canon to Ninjago, I just made it up, lol. Hope you guys don't mind me using it as a plot device.