AFTER THE WAR
Episode II: The Lovebirds
The couples celebrate Valentine's Day. At different stages of their relationships, some are nostalgic, some are full of warm and fuzzies, and some are tense…
Ninjago City Park
Ninjago
Thursday February 14, 2019…
For the first several years of his life as a street orphan, Morro's reading material was restricted to sidewalk graffiti—and all that literature really taught him was swear words and stupid slogans. So, when Sensei Wu took him in, learning to read was a big step in his new life.
And he read everything he could get his hands on. History, poetry—everything.
Not surprisingly, when the ninja came to Earth, he did the same thing. He was most interested in religious literature; he found that the lives and writings of the Saints of the Catholic Church answered many of the questions he was left with after reading the Bible, which had mysteriously appeared in Ninjago centuries ago.
With the Feast of St. Valentine (aka Valentine's Day) approaching, Morro had decided to do his research. As Morro and Zee took a walk through Ninjago City Park, he shared what he learned about St. Valentine, including his life ministering to persecuted Christians in the Roman Empire and his fate as a martyr.
As he ranted, he and Zee held hands, and Zee paid rapt attention, finding his enthusiasm about the facts he had learned profoundly endearing.
"Morro," Zee said when Morro was done, "you're so cute when you ramble about things."
Morro was going to respond, but just smiled instead.
Pratt Cinema; Prattville, Alabama
Earth
Jay and Nya had been "officially" back together for nine months, but it didn't feel like it. They went on that walk back in May—on Jay's birthday, and then had to separate less than a month later the first of June when Jay and the others went to Earth to prepare to defeat Rikayla.
They were apart for five months until the Guardians returned with the Golden Weapons the first of November.
When the war ended with the destruction of Rikayla and her army and the banishment of the Overlord, Jay and Nya felt like could finally have a real relationship. Their favorite date activities included cooking together and taking walks through the Billingsley woods, but tonight they were in the mood for a movie.
So, Jay teleported himself and Nya to a somewhat secluded alley in Prattville (where no one would notice a couple suddenly popping up out of thin air) and walked the remaining two blocks to the only movie theater within a hundred miles of Billingsley.
After arriving to the theater and seeing to their popcorn needs, Jay and Nya made their way to the auditorium where their movie was to play (they had decided to skip the Valentine's cliché of a romantic movie and see a comedy instead).
They got there early, so they had some time to talk before the previews started.
"You know," Nya said, "it might sound strange, but I'm glad we had to separate for a while right after becoming a couple again."
"Why is that?" Jay asked.
"Because now we'll never take our time together for granted, knowing what it was like to lose it once."
Jay smiled, put his arm around Nya's shoulders, pulled her in, and kissed her.
"You're right," Jay said as the previews started.
Once many laughs were had and the movie ended, Jay and Nya exited and were making their way through the lobby when there was a commotion.
"Hand over the cash! I'm not asking again," an unknown voice demanded.
Jay managed to get a glimpse through the crowd of a large man in a ski mask pointing a handgun at the poor employee manning the concession stand, who was shaking in his shoes. The robber was accompanied by two other similar armed and masked men, who turned their guns on the other theater employees, daring them to call the police.
Jay and Nya looked at each other, and Jay smirked.
"Go get 'em," Nya whispered.
Jay snapped his fingers, and the lights went out (he felt the need to keep his actions discreet for the sake of keeping the Guardians' presence on Earth a secret, for now, as Mack had insisted).
A blue and white tornado of lightning dashed about the room for a couple of seconds, after which the lights came back on to reveal the robbers disarmed and tied up in the middle of the floor. Jay and Nya slipped out, and no one missed them.
"Never a dull moment," Jay remarked after they had teleported back to the Hut.
Also in Prattville, Mack took Anna out to a lovely dinner of Italian cuisine at Olive Garden. Anna insisted that Olive Garden was too extravagant, but Mack insisted (in part because of his somewhat lucrative new job as principal organist at Resurrection Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama).
So, to Olive Garden they went. They didn't talk much during the 30-minute drive, and it bothered Mack. When they were about 10 minutes away from Prattville, he spoke up.
"Anna," he said, "is something the matter?"
She looked at him, a sadness on her face. "You tell me."
"I don't understand."
Anna sighed. "I feel like every time I watch you drive away from my house after a date, it could be the last time I see you—some threat comes up and you have to go off to fight again."
"Anna, we've talked about this before." Mack struggled to keep frustration out of his voice. "Rikayla is destroyed, and the Overlord is trapped in nothingness and can't escape. Even if something does arise—"
"See," Anna interrupted. "You don't know, something could come up tomorrow for all you know."
Mack took a deep breath. "I have a duty. I must fulfil it—who else can?"
"I'm not saying you shouldn't," Anna snapped. "I'm not selfish. I only wish I knew peace would last."
Mack sighed. "Me too."
They didn't talk about it anymore. They arrived at Olive Garden and ate their lovely dinner, mostly quiet with the occasional small talk. Mack paid the check and the couple left. He dropped Anna off at her house and went back to the Hut.
He went to his room in the Elemental Temple and lay down, where he would stare at the ceiling until time to start tomorrow's sunrise exercises.
His relationship with Anna was over the moment he first left Earth to meet the ninja—he knew that. He had denied it, and he would continue to deny it as long as he could, but he knew it. And he sensed that Anna knew it too.
Anna was the only person Mack had ever dated, so he didn't know how to end the relationship, even if he thought he was strong enough to do so.
So, he lay there. Denying.