So I realized after publishing Chapter 1 that there were a few formatting errors so sorry about that.
Thanks so much, arrowchristian for the kind words! I really appreciate it, you rock.
And NerddDrawz, thank you! I explain a little about Eve's family in this chapter, with more to come.
Anyway, here's chapter 2!
Later that afternoon, Eve followed Lloyd as he passed under a half-completed gateway and entered the monastery courtyard. Her migraine was just a remnant now, thankfully, but she still couldn't completely process what had happened. Lloyd's strange behavior wasn't helping her nerves.
She looked around. A good portion of the monastery wall was under construction and looked a few weeks out from being complete. Scaffolding and stacks of bricks cluttered one corner of the courtyard, but at least the monastery itself seemed complete.
"Everyone's so glad construction's almost done," Lloyd said, glancing back at her. "It burned down a while back and the work on it has been pretty inconsistent, so we're all ready to have it finished."
She adjusted her bag on her shoulder as they went inside. "We've got an extra room you can use, make yourself at home-" Lloyd paused and put a hand to his ear. "Shoot, I'm sorry, the others are out on recon and I just got an alert I need to check. Uh…"
At that moment, a pretty droid with silver hair walked by. Eve did a double take and immediately felt rude for staring. Of course there were droids. She knew that.
"Oh. Hello, Master Lloyd," the droid said, smiling. Her green eyes glanced at Eve. "Who is this?"
Lloyd grinned. "Pixal! Perfect, okay this is my cousin Eve, she's gonna be staying with us for a few days. Eve, this is Pixal." He pulled his hood on. "Pix, could you show her the guest room for me? Just got a call."
She nodded. "Of course. This way."
"I'm so sorry, I'll be back soon," Lloyd said over his shoulder as he raced out.
"Uh… alright." Eve followed the android through the monastery and down a hallway. The guest room was small but cozy. A twin-sized bed with a simple gray comforter was tucked into one corner, and a small dresser and matching nightstand completed the room's furnishings.
"It's not much," Pixal said. "But you are welcome to stay as long as you want."
Eve smiled as she set her bag down. "Thank you." She glanced at Pix as she started unpacking. "It's nice to meet you, by the way."
Pixal nodded. "Likewise. As Lloyd said, I am Pixal. You may know me as Samurai X."
Eve's jaw dropped. "No way! You're kidding, right? Lloyd's mentioned you to me a few times but he never told me that. I am a huge fan! That's so cool."
Pixal smiled. "Thank you. Although I haven't been operating solo very often recently; it is nice to be working with the team again, although Zane does worry about me." Eve looked at her questioningly, and Pixal smiled again. There was no mistaking that it was a smile of love. "Zane is the Master of Ice. He and I- well, we always say that we are compatible."
"Aw, that's so sweet."
"I remember when the Bounty was destroyed, when Garmadon was in control of the city and the Colossus. I missed Zane terribly, but I was very relieved when I learned they could be alive. I am happy things are back to normal." She paused. "Or as normal as we can get around here, at least."
Eve knew what Pixal was referring to. She remembered when Garmadon was resurrected and claimed to be Emperor of Ninjago. She scowled at the memory of one of his servants, Ultra Violet. Her awful "game show" UltraHunt almost landed Eve in a jail cell before she got out of the city. It wasn't widely known that she was descended from the Master of Space- in fact, her element itself wasn't common knowledge- but just the fact that she was Lloyd's cousin made her a prime target.
She'd wished she could have helped the Resistance more, but her duty was with her mother and sister. So she got them out of town and made sure they were safe.
Eve started organizing the few belongings she brought with her into the dresser. Pixal sat down on the bed. "Tell me about yourself, Eve. I would like to get to know you, especially if you are staying with us. You are Lloyd's cousin?"
Eve nodded. "Yep. Our moms are sisters. We didn't see each other much growing up, but once he left Darkleys, we got close. He used to be a lot younger than me, though. Like by more than just a year." She smiled. "My sister Jade doesn't like being the youngest of the three of us now. She can deal though."
Pixal laughed. "Family dynamics are always so interesting to me. So what do you do, Eve?"
"Just work, really. I am- was a clerk at a craft shop downtown. The shop hasn't reopened yet so I haven't worked there recently- well, never mind that." She laughed. "Anyway, between that and the occasional art commission, that's pretty much it."
Pixal hummed. "I did not understand art when I was first created," she admitted. "Then, Zane gave me half of his power source. He saved my life, and I learned new things from him. An appreciation for art is one of them."
Eve sat down next to Pixal. "It seems like you guys are a pretty close-knit team."
Pix nodded. "We are a family. Maybe not a conventional one, but a family all the same." She laughed. At that moment, a loud beeping sounded from the lounge. "I am sorry; that's the Samurai X alert." She stood up. "I have to go, but you are welcome to look around and make yourself at home. I believe the rest of the team is out, but Lloyd should return soon, as should Master Wu." She shot Eve an apologetic look as she headed out.
Eve sat in silence for a few minutes as she listened to Pixal rush around the monastery. The beeping stopped and she heard what sounded like jet boosters power up and fly overhead.
"Hm." She stood up and looked around the room, uncomfortable rocking on her heels. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at her own discomfort and awkwardness. With nothing better to do, she opted for Pixal's suggestion to look around. She stowed her now-empty bag under the bed and headed back out into the hall.
From the looks of it, the monastery was one long hallway that wrapped around the main areas, with smaller rooms along the outside. She counted eight doors, plus the guest room and what she guessed was the infirmary, which were on opposite ends. Each door had a name sign on it, in unique handwriting and with corresponding elemental designs. In Pixal's case, her door featured the Samurai X logo next to her name.
Eve headed back to the main rooms. This place felt way bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. There was a complete kitchen, a dining room, and a lounge with quite an impressive flatscreen. Each end of the monastery had a full bathroom as well.
She went back to the kitchen and got herself a glass of water. The migraine from yesterday had faded significantly, but she still felt… off. She had probably dozens of questions about why she was here, and while she didn't want to rush him, she was anxious for Lloyd to return.
Being at the monastery, especially by herself, was… weird. She'd never been before and despite the construction going on outside, it was obvious that this was the Ninjas' home. She couldn't help but feel like she was intruding.
She laughed a bit as a box on the kitchen counter caught her eye; it was some sort of cereal, but the label was taped over and the words "Property of Jay, DO NOT TOUCH" dominated the front. It was such a thing Jade would do that made her think for a moment.
The Ninja were famous, sure, but really they were just people; young adults who also had normal people problems, like stealing food. It also reminded her that she had completely stepped into a life that was not her own.
Eve shook her head, deciding not to dwell on that until Lloyd got back. With nothing better to do, she decided to mess around with Space. She set her water glass on the counter and held up a hand.
A faint yellow sheen expanded from her palm and wavered before disappearing. She cursed under her breath and tried again, this time holding the shield for an extra two seconds before it broke.
If her shields were iffy, her portals were downright abysmal. Eve concentrated on the guest room, trying to visualize it with as many details as she could recall. She held up both hands and closed her eyes, slowly pulling her hands apart. She concentrated hard, just like her grandfather had told her all those years ago, and opened her eyes. Nothing.
She took a frustrated breath and gave it another go, barely managing to create a tiny yellow pinprick in the air before it burnt out.
Eve groaned. "It'd be nice to talk to you about this, Grandpa." She didn't know why the Master of Soul seemed interested in her Space, but she would probably be disappointed. Compared to her grandfather, the previous Master of Space, Eve was… well, not as good.
Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at it. A text from Lloyd popped up on her lock screen and she opened it.
L: hey, how's it going?
She texted back 'Fine. Pixal had to leave though."
L: I've been trying to get into the museum archives to do some research since we heard about the Master of Soul, and they just got back to me and said they had an opening. But I can come back and schedule another time.
E: no, it's alright, go. Gotta take that opportunity, right? I'll be fine.
The little typing bubble appeared at the bottom. Eve watched it for a good fifteen seconds before it disappeared. Then Lloyd simply replied 'alright.' She shook her head in mild amusement at his obvious concern.
A loud commotion in the courtyard made her jump, and she shot to her feet. She cautiously headed from the kitchen to the front room and peeked out the window. Her stomach suddenly tightened into a nervous ball. Before she could prepare herself, three of the Ninja walked in, laughing and joking. Black, blue, and gray-
They froze when they saw her.
Eve suddenly understood what it felt like to be a deer in the headlights. "Uh… hi?"
The girl in gray pulled a weapon. "Who are you?" she demanded. The boy in blue followed suit, brandishing a pair of nunchucks.
Eve took a pace back. "Uh-"
The boy in black pushed his hood back. "Guys, hold on-"
Eve recognized him as the one who helped her yesterday, despite not having been able to see clearly after the mugging. Now that her eyes weren't totally freaking out on her, she realized that he was actually pretty cute. Then she mentally rolled her eyes at herself.
"Guys, that's Lloyd's cousin, remember?" he was saying. He took a step towards her. "I'm Cole, I met you yesterday- well, sort of. How are you feeling? Are you okay?"
She just nodded.
The other two stashed the weapons and removed their hoods as well. The girl in gray grimaced and tightened her messy black ponytail. "I'm sorry," she said. "We've all been pretty on edge lately." She offered a hand. "Nya."
Eve shook her hand.
"I'm Jay," the boy in blue said with a nervous laugh. His curly brown hair was sticking up at odd angles, and Eve resisted the urge to smile. "Sorry about the whole 'Ninja Mode' thing, but in our defense-"
Cole elbowed him.
Eve laughed a bit. "It's fine, I get it. Uh… yeah, I'm Eve. Lloyd asked me to come here for a bit, he hasn't really had the chance to tell me much but he said something about the robberies you guys have been investigating."
Nya's eyes widened.
"Really, I'm just waiting for him to get back," Eve added somewhat lamely.
Cole nodded. "Yeah, that's cool. Feel free to just hang out till he gets here."
Jay practically hopped and grabbed Nya's shoulder in excitement. "Ooh! We were gonna play NinjaKart, you should totally join!"
Nya laughed. She reached up and put her entire hand over Jay's face. "Ignore him, he gets excited about video games."
Eve grinned, beginning to feel a little more at ease. She did her best to put her worries and discomfort aside. "I'd love to watch."
Chapter 2, Boom! Thanks for reading, reviews/feedback are super appreciated!
No idea when Chapter 3 will be ready, hopefully soon- stay tuned :)