*panicks in writer* oh my gosh okay, uh- *checks update history* it's been like 3 WEEKS?! I am so sorry, that was not supposed to be that long. I will say that my next few updates are probably gonna be really all-over-the-place so sorry in advance, and if I go a while without posting, I promise I'm not done with this story. Thanks for sticking with it though, I appreciate it.

Review Replies:

arrowchristian: *laughs evilly in angst* don't worry, I have too much fun writing Jay for me to just leave him like that. I did think Lloyd could use a break from being the punching bag though.

WafflesAndLifeProblems: thanks so much for the words of encouragement! I greatly appreciate it for real, and I'm hoping to get back into a semi-schedule for this (though we'll see how that goes).

Anyway, this one's a little short but FINALLY here's chapter 6.

By the next morning, the rest of the team (save for Jay) had learned of Eve's decision to stay and help them fight the Master of Soul. No one had really said anything to her about it, but she knew they all knew. Lloyd found her in the kitchen finishing breakfast. "Good morning!"

She finished off her toast, stretching her sore arms. "Hey."

"How did it go yesterday? With the training, I mean."

She shrugged. "I think I made some progress. I can keep smaller portals open longer. Shields are still tough though."

"Hmm." He grabbed her now-empty plate and took it to the dishwasher.

"You doing okay?" she asked. "You and the other guys seemed pretty out of it when you got back."

He nodded. "I'm fine." He sat down across from her. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that. Are you sure you're up for this?"

Eve thought for a moment. "I gotta try, at least. Zane said that she attacked innocent people." She paused and swallowed. "Besides, I'll have some pretty good teachers."

Lloyd hesitated. "Alright, if you're sure. I've got to head to the precinct to talk to the Commissioner about yesterday, but Zane already offered to give you your first lesson. If you're comfortable with that."

She blinked and nodded. "Oh, okay. Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem, I don't think."

"Okay, great. The courtyard gets a little crowded for training so you guys will take it after the others finish up. He'll find you."

She nodded again. "Sounds good. Good luck at your meeting."

He pulled an expression somewhere between a grin and a grimace. "Thanks."

"What's first?" Eve asked as she followed Zane into the courtyard.

"Lloyd told me about your baseline test yesterday," Zane replied. "I would like to see it for myself before making any decisions about what is next." He glanced back and smiled at her. "He is very proud of your courage, by the way. I hope this plan to work with us is successful."

After a minute or two of testing out her abilities (without straining herself, Zane was very clear on that), he took a step back and thought for a moment.

"Have you unlocked your True Potential?" he asked finally.

Eve shook her head. "I'll be honest, I don't even know what that means."

Zane smiled. "That's alright. Achieving True Potential is within the realm of possibility for any Elemental Master. It usually occurs when the person in question faces and overcomes a block of some kind. I unlocked mine, for instance, after I found out and came to terms with my status as a Nindroid."

Eve's jaw dropped in spite of herself. "You mean to tell me you didn't always know you were a Nindroid? How?"

He chuckled. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I've been asked that on a few occasions, and I still don't know. I just… didn't, I suppose." He raised a hand, palm down. "But since unlocking my True Potential, my powers have been stronger." He clenched his hand and summoned a fistful of ice. Eve watched as spikes grew out between his fingers. "For example, my ice is much colder now, and doesn't melt nearly as fast."

He held out his hand, and Eve tentatively reached out. She could feel the cold radiating from the ice even through the air. It stung her skin, and she pulled back slightly.

"What would my True Potential look like?" she asked.

Zane let the ice in his hand dissipate. "I can't say for sure, but I imagine it would make summoning easier, and it may unlock your teleporting capabilities."

Eve grinned. "Alright! Let's do it! How does it work?"

He chuckled. "Not quite like that, unfortunately. I would encourage you to take some time, perhaps this evening, and reflect on any possible blocks you may have. Everyone has one. Achieving your True Potential isn't always something you can train for or towards. In the meantime, let us work on your stances."

"My… stances?"

He nodded. "Your form is one of the most important bases of being an Elemental Master. The wrong form could throw you off entirely." He nodded towards her feet. "Watch me. For shields, which are a defensive move, you need to be firm and assertive when you call one up." He brought his arm up to mimic her shields. "You use your left arm for shields. So you'll want to plant your right foot about the same distance from your body as your left arm. Like this."

She nodded and tried mimicking his stance.

"Good." He nudged her right foot back slightly. "Now, when I say, try planting your foot this way as fast and as smooth as you can. Don't worry about the shield arm yet. And, now."

She stamped forward.

"Again."

Stamp.

"Again."

Stamp.

He nodded. "Well done. Keep practicing that form, and I'll show you one other one that may work." He brought his arm into place again, only this time he stepped forward with his left foot, leaning into the stance. "See how I'm bracing with my knee? This stance isn't quite as stable as the first, but it will help if you need to throw a shield up fast. It also allows your right hand more freedom to move."

They worked on both stances a few more times before Zane had her start casting with each stance. She was amazed at how much more… natural it felt. She doubted her shields had any sort of structural soundness still, but… it was a start. She was just beginning to tire when Zane called their first session to an end. "You did well Eve. I'll talk to Lloyd when he returns and we will determine your next lesson."

She frowned in surprise. "Wait, that's it?"

He chuckled slightly. "I admire your eagerness, but for now, that's it. Don't worry, there's still a lot to do. But if you're to join us in facing Soul, we would all feel better if you were trained right."

She nodded a little dejectedly. "Alright, fine. Thank you."

She followed Zane inside and headed back down the hall towards the guest room. As she passed Lloyd's room, she heard him muttering to himself. She paused. He sounded angry.

She hesitated, then knocked.

She heard movement inside, then he opened the door a bit. "Hey, Eve."

She frowned in concern. "Are you okay?"

He nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine, just-"

She rested a fist on her hip. "Lloyd Garmadon, you are lying through your teeth. It's written all over your face, you're not fine. Don't even try to pull that."

"I-" He took a breath, then sighed and stepped aside. "Come in."

She stood in the middle of the room as he shut the door and flopped down on his bed. Without looking at her, he passed her his phone. "I thought I was ready to go back and delete this. Obviously I'm not."

She took it hesitantly and looked at the screen. It showed a blurry selfie of him and a pretty blonde girl. It was hard to tell, but it looked like they were on the Destiny's Bounty somewhere. They were obviously laughing; the girl was trying to give Lloyd bunny ears. "Who is this?"

"Harumi," Lloyd answered, his voice laced with venom. She'd never heard him sound like that before.

"Wait, like Jade Princess Harumi? Crazy, resurrected-Lord-Garmadon Harumi?"

"The same."

She sat at the end of his bed. "I didn't realize-"

"Neither did I."

Eve was quiet for a moment, looking at the picture. She knew that the Ninja had met the Royal Family at the start of the Sons of Garmadon Era, but she'd had no idea that Lloyd and the Princess had been friends. During her few interactions with him since… well, everything, he hadn't said anything. "Do you want to talk?"

He shrugged as best he could lying down. "I don't know. It's only been a few weeks since she died. I still don't know what to think."

She set his phone down. "You never told me any of this. What happened?"

He rubbed his face. "I thought she really liked me. I liked her." He met her eyes. "I liked her a lot, Eve. But she was just using me to bring back my father. She tried to kill me and my team and made my life basically a living hell. And I fell for her whole act. She said there was never anything there, but there was for me. I just- I feel so stupid."

Eve clenched her fists. She'd hated Harumi for a while, after everything that she did, but this was the last straw. She'd hurt Lloyd. For Harumi's sake, it was a good thing she was already dead. Eve forced herself to take a deep breath. Anger and hate weren't going to get either of them anywhere.

"Lloyd, I'm so sorry. What can I do?"

He shrugged again. "I dunno. I just need to get over it I guess."

She sat down next to him and flicked his foot. "Hey. No. This is obviously a big deal, and if you just shove it down and force yourself to get over it, you'll never feel better. Harumi was horrible to you. No one deserves that, especially you. But you need time to grieve. If you bottle this up, you're doing yourself and the team a disservice. So process however you need to, but please be smart about this. Okay?"

He sat up. "Right. I just- I still can't fully believe she stabbed me in the back like that, and now she's dead. That's even more to- I don't know. I hate that a part of me still cares. But most of me is just bitter."

She wrapped an arm around his shoulder and he leaned on her. "I'm really sorry kiddo."

He chuckled weakly at the term from before the Tomorrow's Tea. "You know I'm your age now."

She shushed him. "Nope, I've still got a year on you."

"Damn Tomorrow's Tea couldn't give me one more year."

"Language."

Without breaking the hug, he poked her in the kidney. She shot backwards and accidentally kneed him in the ribs.

"Serves you right, jerk!" she laughed as he groaned. "Now come on. You should play a video game or blow stuff up in the courtyard or something."

He smiled. "I could use the target practice."

Alright, kind of a short one but I hope it was enjoyable, leave a review if ya want, they always make my day. Until next time!