Cole had just entered the bar. He saw Celia at the front bartending, he figured he should apologize for the way their date went. He went to the front and she pretended not to notice him. Ok so she was mad about the date.
"Hey, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for ruining our date last night, I thought you would enjoy committing crimes" Cole said.
"Why would I enjoy that? A date is supposed to be a time to be fancy and have fun, it's my only time to get away from that stuff and just dress nice and relax" she huffed and crossed her arms.
"I'm so sorry I didn't know, listen I know I blew it but maybe I could make it up to you, please baby? I promise no crime or anything of that sort, I realize that you are an amazing woman and I don't want you to lose interest" Cole said. This sounded better in his head, now that he put it into words it sounded silly and he fully expected her to yell at him about how she never wanted to see him again. She sighed.
"Oh alright, but this time just come over to my house, we'll have a nice romantic dinner in the garden, and then you can meet my father!" she said.
"Meet your father?" Cole gulped nervously.
"Haha, don't look so nervous, he'll love you" she giggled.
"So come to my place, hmm about five? Will that work?" she asked.
"Yea, five works for me" Cole said.
"Great! Here's the address" she wrote her address on a small slip of paper.
"Can't wait to see you tonight!" she said excitedly. Cole merely nodded and rushed to the privacy of his apartment. He was pacing back and forth. He ran a hand through his hair and heaved a sigh. He called up Sensei Wu and Simon and Tommy.
"I'M GOING TO MEET HER DAD! Oh my gosh! I don't know what to do!" Cole yelled into the watch.
"Calm down Cole, this is huge" Simon said.
"I know! The stakes are so high! I can't mess this up! But I already blew the date! How will I make sure I don't blow this too! OHMYGOSHICANTDOTHIS!" Cole worked himself up into a panic. He began pacing again and muttering to himself.
"Cole! Get a hold of yourself" Sensei said.
"Sensei you don't understand! If I blow this I could blow the whole operation! Everything would have been for nothing! I-I can't do this!" Cole was freaking out.
"Yes but freaking out isn't going to help, you need to calm down, we'll talk this through and come up with a plan" Wu said. Cole took a minute to recompose himself.
"Ok, I think I'm good now, sorry I lost it for a second there, anyways how will I impress him? Do I pretend to be unimpressed by him? Or do I act like I'm one of his biggest fans?" Cole asked.
"I'm assuming when you first meet him he will do the talking first, so just gauge the kind of man he is and respond accordingly" Simon said.
"Try to get his name and of course whatever big thing they are planning if you can" Tommy said.
"We believe in you Cole, we know you won't fail" Simon said.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence…." Cole muttered.
"Just don't overthink it and you'll do fine" Wu said. And with that they hung up. Cole sighed, that was hardly helpful at all. Just then there was a knock on his door. He got up to answer it. Ming was standing there.
"Hey Rocky, is everything ok? I thought I heard shouting" Ming said.
"Oh yea, heh sorry about that, I got into an argument with one of my friends" Cole said.
"Oh ok, I just wanted to make sure you were ok" she said.
"Oh yea, I'm fine thank you" Cole said. She gave him a kind smile before heading back to her own apartment.
Cole decided to go to the park and enjoy the nice sunny afternoon to ease his mind. He sat on a bench. If he made a fool of himself or said the wrong thing and made her dad mad, he would ruin everything. His chance to get in good with the Overlord's would be gone. He would have faked his death and left his friends and father heartbroken for no reason. So no pressure at all.
He looked around at the nice scenery, there was a nice breeze blowing. He didn't know if it was part of being the master of earth or what but he always loved the outdoors. Sure he liked to be inside playing video games with his fellow ninja a lot but truthfully he'd rather be outside. In fact he enjoyed his brief stint as a lumberjack so much that he seriously considered going back to it. Out there in the woods just him and nature it was so peaceful and the men he worked with never expected anything of him. They never expected him to save the day or solve all their problems. Don't get him wrong he loved being a ninja and saving the day and helping people. But sometimes he wondered what it would be like to just be a regular old lumberjack; he certainly wouldn't be put under pressure to fake his death and go undercover as a criminal. Cole still shuttered to imagine the fall out it will cause when this is all over and everyone knows he lied. Sheesh he might have to become a lumberjack just because everyone hated him and didn't want him around.
He looked at the statue they erected in his honor. Imagine how angry everyone will be that the statue was put up for no reason. On and around the statue were notes from people thanking Cole for saving them. Each one described how Cole personally saved them or their family. It touched his heart to see how he personally made an impact. He knew the many times they stopped threats to the city but he never knew the extent of the impact it made personally. He read some of the notes.
Dear Cole
Thank you for lifting the rubble of our apartment building after The Great Devourer attack, you saved my family that day, you are so brave and strong and I can't thank you enough.
Love Emma
Dear Cole
Thank you for standing up to that thug that was robbing my parents, I'm sorry it cost you your life but you saved theirs, thank you so much your kindness will never be forgotten.
Love Josh
Dear Cole
Thank you so much for helping me when my car lost control and crashed boy I thought I was a goner, I couldn't believe it when you picked my car up out of the ditch, man you are so strong, thank you for saving me
Love Caroline
By the time Cole finished reading he was in tears. These notes reminded him why he did this job. To protect the city to save lives. Suddenly he had more resolve than ever. He would get to the bottom of this gang and make sure the people of Ninjago City could live in peace again. Surely everyone would forgive him once they understood why he did what he did. He was just doing his job as a ninja. Well the walk in the park did its job, he wasn't freaking out anymore. He headed back to his place. Once again he was faced with the decision of what to wear. Well when he went on his date Celia was dressed fancy. So he wondered if he should wear a nice suit. He rummaged through the closet to see if they got him any fancy clothes.
"Yea this is it" he said as he pulled out a black pinstripe suit. It had a black bowtie that went with it and silver cufflinks with obsidian glass in the middle. He picked some freshly polished black loafers and a dark gray fedora with a silver satin band around it. Man he was going to look so sharp he would have to fight the ladies off. He got ready early and headed to a flower shop to get her some flowers. But he wasn't sure which ones to get. He really should have asked her what her favorite flower was. Based on the purple dress she was wearing on their first date he was going to assume her favorite color was purple so he got her a bouquet of purple morning glories with a purple ribbon tied around them. Yes this was going to win him some brownie points and she'd be happy to know that he didn't steal them.
He drove to the address, there was a gold fence surrounding the property. Suddenly the gold gate which had a giant gold O in the middle opened for him. He guessed the O was for Overlords. He drove in and came to a giant manor. He couldn't believe the size of the house. It was a brick house with stained glass windows everywhere. He pulled up to the front and got off his motorcycle. He walked up to a giant double door made of solid gold. Also with the O on it. Just as he was about to ring the doorbell an elderly man opened the door.
"Ah, Mr Rocky, right this way" he said. Cole entered the house. It was even more impressive on the inside; they appeared to be in a foyer. It had white marble floors. Just ahead of him was a grand staircase. There was a flight of ten steps that led to a banister that split into two separate staircases with gold railing and white marble stairs, there was a red carpet stair runner going up the stairs. He looked up and there was a gold tile ceiling. Hanging down from the ceiling was a giant diamond chandelier that Cole was pretty sure cost more than the entire city. The walls were covered in a mural painting of the classic heaven and angels and there were very ornate sconces on either side of each doorway. Cole's jaw dropped, he could not begin to imagine how much this place costs.
"Yes I know it's quite a lot to take in but we really must get to the garden" a voice cut into his thoughts. Cole realized he was falling behind. And ran to catch up. He was led down a long hallway, they came to some huge double french stained glass doors. The elderly man opened them and they led out into a peaceful garden with beautiful flowers growing all around them. In the middle of the garden was a wooden gazebo that had white twinkle lights wrapped around it. In the gazebo was a small round table with two gold chairs with ivory cushions. It had a candle in the middle and an ornate ivory table cloth. Cole guessed that's where dinner would be.
"Please have a seat, Miss Celia will be out shortly" the elderly man said before disappearing back inside. Cole had to admit this garden was stunning and he was a little envious.
"Well you look dapper" he heard. He turned to see Celia approaching the gazebo. She was wearing a flowing royal purple ball gown with long sleeves and a diamond sash around the middle. She was wearing dangly amethyst earrings and a festoon style amethyst necklace. She had on light makeup and her hair was braided into a crown. She wore purple jewel encrusted wedges and he noticed she had gold and amethyst rings on every finger. Dang she wasn't kidding when she said she liked to be fancy. She took her seat.
"Wow I cannot believe that such a stunning woman exists, you look absolutely amazing baby" Cole winked.
"Aww thank you, you look really handsome yourself" she said.
"Here I got you these" Cole handed her the bouquet of morning glories.
"Aww you're so sweet!" she gasped and took the flowers. She sniffed them.
"Don't worry I didn't steal them" Cole said.
"Good" she smiled.
"Wow, this place is so beautiful" Cole said.
"I know, this is my favorite place to be, I come out here and read or eat, I just love it out here" she said. Then a butler came and placed two fancy crystal wine glasses in front of them and poured them some sparkling apple cider. Cole took a sip. It was smooth and refreshing. He was starving and he wondered what was on the menu for tonight. He looked at her and realized that she looked worried. Oh no, was he blowing it again. What did he say? What did he do?
"Are you ok baby? You seem worried" Cole asked.
"Can I be honest with you?" she asked.
"Of course" he said.
"The truth is, the real reason why I got upset with you last time is, I never wanted to be apart of my dad's criminal empire, honestly it disgusts me, Of course he expects me to follow in his footsteps and take it over, but I really don't want to" she said.
"Does he know?" Cole asked.
"Definitely not, he would be so angry if he knew, it's so hard, like why can't parents respect the fact that their kids might follow a different path then them" she sighed. Just then plates of food were set in front of them. It appeared to be steak drenched in some kind of sauce and vegetables and mashed potatoes. It smelled so amazing his stomach growled in excitement. He had to resist the urge to be rude and just dig in. They were handed white satin napkins and their drinks were refilled.
"Thanks Lucian" Celia handed the chef a wad of cash. And they began eating. Oh my gosh it was so good. No offense to Zane but Lucian just might be a better cook than him.
"You know, my dad was a performer, and he so badly wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but I didn't want to be a performer, and it drove a wedge between us, which is part of what drove me to be a criminal, I did it just to spite him" Cole said. Taking another bite of his steak.
"Wow, I'm sorry your dad drove you to be a criminal" Celia giggled. Cole swallowed his mouthful before speaking.
"Yea, parents, am I right" Cole chuckled.
"I'll drink to that" she held her glass up and took a sip. They finished their meal and then dessert was brought out, it was a decadent chocolate cake. Which Cole practically drooled over. It was so rich and moist it made Cole's mouth water. By the time he finished he was stuffed.
"Oh my goodness, I don't think I've ever been this full in my life" he patted his stomach.
"I take it you liked the food?" Celia asked.
"Yes, you are lucky if you get to eat like this all the time" Cole said. She laughed. Staff came and cleaned up their plates and glasses. Then they fell into silence; but it wasn't necessarily an awkward silence.
"Well I suppose you want to meet my father now" she said. Oh yea he had kinda forgotten about that.
"Oh yea, I'd love to meet your dad" Cole said.
"Alright then let's go, I believe he's in his lounge right about now" she stood and motioned for him to follow. He followed her, she led him back inside through a different pair of stained glass french doors. They went up a flight of gold stairs to a hall that was golder than Lloyd after he defeated the Overlord. Every square inch of it was covered in some form of gold. Gold doors gold doorknobs gold floors gold gold gold everywhere. It honestly was starting to hurt Cole's eyes. They came to a set of giant of course gold doors with the O symbol on them. Celia briefly knocked before opening the doors and they entered another eye burningly gold room. This man loved him some gold. In the middle of the room was a stage where a gold and red velvet throne sat. But what really stood out to Cole was there were cats everywhere, he could count at least ten and judging by the gleaming eyes coming from the dark spaces in the room there were much more. Ok so he loved gold and cats apparently.
"Dad this is Rocky, the man I've been telling you about" she said. Cole gazed upon the man that led the whole Overlord's operation. He was not at all what Cole imagined he'd be like. He was a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair. He had a goatee and sideburns. He was a rather tall man with a stocky build. He had on a gray pinstripe suit and fedora there were gold accents all over his suit. He was wordlessly scrutinizing Cole with unreadable brown eyes whilst petting a gray cat that was laying in his lap.
"Hmm, so you're the man that my sweet daughter and two of my men have taken a liking to?" he asked. Cole was shocked at how deep his voice was.
"Yes I am" Cole responded.
"Bap and Bam talk a lot about you and how skilled you are, tell me Rocky, do you like cats?" he asked.
"I love cats, they are so fierce and brave, and they have an attitude that says nobody tells them what to do" Cole said.
"Of course I do" Cole lied.
"May I see your cat?" he asked.
"Uh well, I don't have my cat with me I'd have to go get it" Cole was mentally panicking.
"Surely you have pictures, right?" he asked.
"Actually I don't, my cat hates the camera and always runs away whenever I try to take some" he realized that was the lamest excuse ever.
"But give me just a minute and I'll bring my cat over so you can see" Cole left the room without waiting for a response. He sent a panicked text to Simon.
I need a cat!
Uh like the kind of cat that goes meow?
Yes! The cat that meows!
Odd request but ok we're on it
Bring it to 1495 Goldpan Ln and hurry!
Cole grew more anxious with every minute that passed. He was afraid that the leader would know that he didn't really have a cat. Just when he was about to start freaking out. Simon and Tommy pulled up and got out of the car with a carrier. He heard some frightened meows coming from the carrier.
"Here you go, this is a six month old orange tabby, we just picked her up from the shelter, the poor thing was going to be put to sleep" Tommy said.
"Thanks!" Cole grabbed the carrier and quickly ran back inside. More frightened meows.
"It's ok kitty I promise, but I need you to act like we've been friends for a long time, I don't want him to know we just met, can you do that for me" Cole said. Cole went back to the lounge.
"Sorry about that, but here we go" he set the carrier down and opened it. After a few moments of hesitation out came a rather nervous orange kitten with white forepaws and tabby stripes on her tail. The hulking man got off the throne.
"What a beautiful cat, love her socks, what is her name?" he asked. Shoot Cole hadn't thought about that. He'd have to come up with something on the fly.
"Orange! This is Orange my ride or die partner, picked her up from the shelter, she was next in line to be put to sleep, I took one look at her and knew I couldn't just leave her to die in the shelter so I adopted her" Cole said. Orange climbed up onto Cole and sat on his shoulder.
"You two seem very close" he said. Cole breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh yea, we're very close, Orange is my best friend" Cole patted the kitten. She purred and nuzzled him.
"You know, I like you Rocky, you love cats, my men say you are an excellent criminal, I think you would be a valuable member of The Overlords" he said.
"I would be honored to join The Overlords, my skills will serve you well" Cole said.
"I expect it will, we'll talk about your initiation later, for right now my show is about to come on, you can show yourself out" he returned to the throne and turned a giant flat screen TV on.
"Of course" Cole and Celia left the room. They walked back to the front where Cole's ride was.
"Well thanks for having me over I had fun" Cole said.
"I had fun too, and congratulations on getting accepted into my father's gang, we'll have to celebrate sometime" Celia said.
"Yes we will….well I'll see you later" Cole said. And they hugged before she headed back inside.
"Hey, thanks, you really saved my skin back there, you're such a good actress" Cole stroked Orange. Cole just realized he had no place to put the carrier on his motorcycle. He had a better idea. He put Orange in the coat of his suit and threw the carrier away.
"You're too good for carriers anyways" Cole said as he took off on his motorcycle. Orange was super chill and didn't freak out once during the entire ride back to his apartment. He walked inside his place and put Orange down so she could explore the place. He called Simon and Tommy.
"Well I'm in, he was impressed with me and now he wants me to join them" Cole said.
"Good work Cole, oh by the way we got you everything you'll need to care for the cat" Simon said.
"Thanks, sorry but I wasn't able to get his name or the plot" Cole said.
"That's ok, that will come as you get to know him" Simon said.
"I'm a little concerned though, he spoke of an initiation" Cole said.
"Yea most gangs have them, I would be cautious though as some gang initiations can be pretty violent" Tommy said.
"That would be a problem, what if they ask me to like…commit a murder or something? How would I get out of it?" Cole asked.
"You'd just have to fake it out, like you did your own death" Simon said.
"Well ok, I just wanted to tell you guys how the meeting went" Cole said.
"Good job, this is a big step in the right direction" Simon said. And with that they hung up. Cole headed to his bedroom. Orange followed close behind him. He got in bed and she jumped up there with him.
"You know, you're such a cool cat, why would anyone want to get rid of you? Or were you a stray?" Cole asked. Whilst petting her head.
"Well, I'm going to enjoy working alongside you, you just keep up the ruse that we have been friends for awhile now" Cole said. She meowed in response.
"Oh you're so clever" Cole said as he let out a loud yawn. He tu
