"There are four other elements in my Court," Zane murmured into Morro's ear and smiled as the other man practically purred on his chest where they were lying in bed in Zane's shiny new palace.
"There is Shadow, Sound, Mind, and Metal," Zane explained slowly, petting Morro's hair as they lay together.
Morro groaned lowly into Zane's collar and raised his head lazily. "So. You want me, your white knight, to fetch them all?" Morro asked, and Zane laughed lowly and stroked Morro's chin.
"What a way to describe yourself, darling." Zane laughed lowly, and Morro smiled at him. The week they spent reconnecting was a balm to his soul that Morro didn't know he needed.
In truth, he missed Zane. He missed Zane so much and was so glad they were together again after being gone for so long.
"Okay." Morro pushed himself away from Zane, getting a slightly displeased look.
"Don't worry about anything. You provide me with the means, and I'll handle everything." Morro climbed off the bed, and Zane grunted, about to reach out but stopped himself. "Well, I suppose it's time to tap into the fortune that my father left me." Zane sighed, and Morro let out a little 'huh' sound.
"Sometimes I forget how your father was probably the smartest man in Ninjago." Morro hummed, tapping his chin in thought, making Zane laugh a little, and his face softened.
"I did, too."
They gazed at each other lovingly before Morro got himself together again and stood up. "You should send me out soon." Morro hummed lowly, tapping his fingers against his thigh, and Zane snickered. "Well, give me a few days to get everything in order, and I'll send you to retrieve The Master of Shadow." Zane hummed, and Morro chuckled to himself.
Morro looked up to the glittering and reflective building that was Ninjago's biggest solar plant where allegedly The Master of Shadows was employed, as he was told by Zane, who tapped into his father and Morro's old connections to find him. Morro continued staring, uncaring about the people making their way around him. He was looking for the Master of Shadows, right? The irony is that he worked in a solar plant. Maybe it was a good cover? Eh, Morro couldn't judge. He had worked a few odd jobs in his past, so he couldn't exactly blame the guy.
He took off his sunglasses before walking into the Ninjago Solar Manufacturing Plant and up to the front desk. "Hello, I'm here to see Shade Gray. I have an appointment under the name Julien," Morro said, watching the secretary tick her eyes up and down his frame. "One moment, please," The secretary said stiffly, picking up the intercom device. "Mr. Gray, your two o'clock is here." She deadpanned, and Morro fiddled with his cufflinks for a moment before she waved him in, quickly returning to her work. Morro walked into the office, and Shade's head immediately shot up as he looked at him in confusion and alarm.
"Who are you?" asked Shade, almost aggressively, as they could both sense the elemental energy emanating from the other's elemental core.
"My name is Morro, and I'm here to offer you…an opportunity." Morro grinned, and any Elemental Master worth their salt knew exactly what he meant. And it seemed Shade was worth the effort with how he slightly perked up.
Courts weren't rare in the slightest, and it wasn't even rare for Grandeur to seek out their court. Sadly, Morro was not a Grand Element but was working in the favor of one.
So it was obvious that Morro was either going to kill Shade or recruit him and for Shade, only time would tell.
Shade's eyes narrowed before gesturing to a seat, and Morro sat with a chuckle.
"What's the job, and who's the employer?" Shade asked, carefully disconnecting his phone and intercom system before shadows encased them in a bubble.
Morro's grin got even wider. What an exciting usage of his powers. It was obviously a show so Morro could see a slight taste of his powers.
Shade paused, and then his energy spiked, and he narrowed his eyes at Morro suspiciously.
"You're not as Grand as I expected." Shade prodded, looking for confirmation that he wasn't the Grand Element seeking him out. "I'm not. Simply in the service of him." Morro explained, and Shade looked vaguely displeased.
"Wow, this really doesn't sound anything like what Chen did." Shade said lamely, bouncing his leg, and Morro tilted his head slightly. "Chen?" Morro asked, a little confused. Shade's eyes snapped up to his face before raising a brow.
"What elemental master did you say you were?" Shade asked, and Morro started making the hand symbol for air before he caught himself. He probably wasn't formally trained to be a "ninja" and was more of a "master" than a "ninja." "Air," Morro said simply, getting a small huff out of Shade. "So you weren't there. Whatever. Now, why the hell would I want to be in a group with a Grand element that won't bother to come out here himself?" Shade sneered, and Morro sighed before getting something out of his suit jacket pocket.
"What's that?" Shade asked, and Morro tilted his hand downwards to see the gemstone snowflake. "A sigil," Morro asked, leaning closer to exchange it with it into Shade. Shade's eyes brightened, and the shadows around him rolled. He could feel the promise of truth and strength that it oozed.
A Grand Element making a pass at one of their fated was rather exciting. Shade hesitated before closing his fist around it. "Who is The King of Elements? And who else would I be working with?" Shade kept his eyes on Morro before quickly tacking on his last question. "Also, do I get to choose my uniform color? If there is one, of course."
"Zane. He is the current King of Elements, the former White Ninja and Ice Ninja. You'd be working alongside him, myself, The Master of Mind, The Master of Metal, and The Master of Sound. You may choose your gi, but it would be chosen from pre-picked colors." Morro hummed, looking like the cat that got the canary. "Also, we have a generous salary offer, also housing if you need it." Morro plucked a piece of paper from the inside of his vest and offered it to Shade, who took it.
"I never knew ninjas got paid," said Shade, this whole deal sounding way too good to be true. He held the statement, still waiting to open it.
"Wu didn't pay the other team of ninja, but Zane plans on tapping into a newly discovered ability." Morro preened in amusement, and Shade looked contemplative.
"You said housing would be included. What sort of housing?" Shade tilted his head, laying the statement down on his desk and crossing his fingers over each other.
"How does an ice palace in the Wailing Alps sound?" Morro smirked and was quick to assure Shade, "don't worry, it won't be cold. On the contrary, Zane's powers over ice allow it to be quite warm with plenty of warm beddings."
Shade stared down at his hands, where he clutched the snowflake before meeting Morro's eyes. "Will I be able to choose the timing of my arrival?" Shade asked as that was probably the final deal breaker. "Of course!" Morro chirped with a smile, and a smile bloomed on Shade's face. "Sign me up then." Shade rolled his shoulders, and Morro nodded,
"I want to work out at least two weeks' notice, and I think I would like to move into the castle. How would that work?" Shade leaned forward, and Morro started to explain how this would work.
"Ah, is the salary okay? It is negotiable." Morro smiled, and Shade blinked. "I forgot about that." Shade started to unfold the paper, and then the shadows snapped, and Shade's eyes darted to Morro. "N-negotiable? Am I arguing to lower it?" Shade said, sounding breathless, and Morro grinned.
"Nope. He's generous." Morro crowed and patted himself on the back for a successful catch. All those like two weeks of planning and worrying worked out, and now his darling would have two knights with him.
One down, three to go.
Also, yes, Zane and Morro had a previous relationship kinda sorta. Morro's timeline would be post-Wu pre-death, and Zane would also be pre-Wu and Dr. Julien's death. I'm also probably going to make a separate story for the backstory.