(A/N): I'm going to retire from the workforce before I finish telling this story probably. And that may just be how it is. Read my fic, boi.
Also chapter title is nothing original because this is literally just the remaining of the third day in the mansion.
With Kai and Karlof back, the group had been comfortable delaying further exploration until the next day. The guest room they'd been using as a makeshift base until then proved too small for the full group, so they had relocated to a more spacious area with several smaller rooms and beds that Jay had found.
With that settled, next came first aid and catching the two newly-found elemental masters up on what they'd learned between getting them properly fed—the magic, the clockmaker, the mysterious elemental master and their Serpentine spies.
"So we can't leave, talk to Nya or the Sensei, or keep track of time, and you're telling me magic is behind all this?"
"That's our running theory, anyway. Kai, quit moving, you're messing with the bandages." Lloyd fussed with the fresh roll of bandage he was wrapping around Kai's thankfully-uninfected arm.
"Isn't that a little overkill? Give a man a fighting chance here." Kai groaned, but readjusted his arm obligingly.
"You're telling me, " Jay agreed, seated in front of Zane and absentmindedly spinning one of his tools. "It's like we're stuck in a horror video game or something. If we did something wrong to the universe, could Lloyd's grandpa just come out and say that?"
(Lloyd made a face at the casual reference to his heritage.)
"Sorry I couldn't get your face patched up any better, Zane. It's rough doing repairs with a mini toolkit."
At length, Jay finished soldering together the ripped wires under Zane's jaw and smoothed his faceplate down. The significant structural damage and the worst gashes had been fixed with his small toolkit, but he didn't have the resources to fix the cosmetic damage.
"That is perfectly okay, Jay. I am adequately functional after your assistance, and you are also in need of rest. I could not ask for more."
(In his head, PIXAL grumbled that he certainly could ask for more. He elected not to share this with the group.)
"Yeah yeah, I get it. Still, it's weird to me," Kai mused. "Where's all this magic coming from? Should we be worrying about Clouse or something?"
Skylor winced.
"According to our evidence, it appears that whatever caused the current state of the mansion occurred during the Serpentine War," Zane chimed in. "It is unlikely someone has acted upon it recently."
"Still," Skylor whispered, eyes dark. "Can't rule anything out."
Kai let out a concerned huff through his nostrils. He could guess perfectly well how Skylor felt about the mansion's ties to the Serpentine War, and by extension, her jerk father. They'd talked about it, of course, how what you came from didn't determine who you were, but it probably didn't make the burden any easier in a haunted death mansion.
"But what happen during big war?" Karlof asked.
"That's the million dollar question, isn't it?" Cole slapped a hand over Karlof's back, smiling wryly.
The group dissolved into half-hearted banter about what they'd do with a million dollars, but Karlof's question lingered in the back of their minds. War, spies, magic, and the only remnants of all of those things hunting them down?
What had happened, indeed.
10 March XXXX
A piece of news to myself from two days ago: you did not remember to pick the journal up 'tomorrow'. Or 'yesterday', I should call it now. In my defense, it has been busy. This mansion has an intricate system of passageways, a relic from the days when it was more actively used as a base of fighting operations. Very fitting for a clan of warriors, but it calls for much walking as the refugee shelters are set up. They are beginning to come together, to a point where it is possible to move a couple groups of people from their temporary locations in the upper floors. There is stirring of unrest amongst them, talk of conflict. I suspect they are becoming antsy at having to stay put so long. Alas, that is just how it goes sometimes. Already when I was making my way here, I saw swaths of forest and expanses of civilization ravaged by war. Given the choice of their mobility or their lives, I would say they picked the correct option.
I have spoken with many of the Shuravansha for their strategic input in the event of battle, but for decisions on the hideout I defer to the Clockmaker, as he owns the mansion on a technicality. We have spoken much over the last several days as preparations are made, yet I have learned little about him besides his comportment. He carries himself quietly and seriously. On the drop of a hat he becomes waspish and impatient, but apologizes quickly and excuses himself with haste. Oddly, he does not appear to have the warrior's heart possessed by the other Shuravansha, yet they are quiet and respectful around him; I have yet to hear them refer to him by any name other than his title. Something about him is strange, but I have not the time to investigate in detail, sadly.
Throughout the course of my stay, I have been besieged and shadowed by many children, particularly the Clockmaker's daughter, Sayika. She's a sharp little thing, for ten years old. She's tailed me, asking all number of questions about my duties. I don't think I can even recall how many stories about battles and strange encounters I've told her. Good thing being a part of the Alliance gives plenty of material to draw from. In return, she bragged about her studies and Shuravansha training—her favorite class is sword-fighting and weapons training with Aya. The name faintly rings a bell for a serious Shuravansha woman I have discussed with on occasion. At any rate, I'm surprised that her attention on me has not run its course after the first day, but it reminds me of how my sister and I were once …
I have not thought of her in a long time, but now is not the time to reconnect. Letters to or from anyone who is not relevant for this mission would put them in jeopardy. I have received correspondence from my Serpentine friends, but I have burnt it after memorizing the information. I cannot afford to have physical evidence of their work. It would put them in danger. Even if my diary were to be read, I do not specify their identities or what they have done.
All I feel safe to say is: if we are to shelter everyone before an attack, we must act quickly.
"Maybe we should go search a little longer before we give up for the day?"
"Lloyd. Green machine." Cole fixed the younger ninja with a weary look. "We've literally been out all morning and we had to fight that spirit again. We found Kai and Karlof; let's just be happy they're safe and get some rest. Then we can have a fresh start tomorrow."
Lloyd hummed hesitantly, but Kai jumped in to agree.
"Karlof and I have been searching. We haven't had any more luck than you. Aren't you gonna give me the chance for some beauty sleep?"
It certainly wasn't just him and Karlof, either, but Kai kept the thought to himself. Skylor had picked up a bad concussion, and Cole, try to hide it as he might, was really struggling with whatever the spirit did to his head. And that wasn't even getting into whatever Jay's deal was.
Lloyd's gaze traveled between the two of them before something in his face shifted and he nodded, sitting back down.
"It's all boring and bleh in here," Jay declared abruptly, before reaching into his bag and pulling out a small box. "If we're stuck in here with nothing to do, I say we make things a little more exciting!"
"This mansion is essentially a mass graveyard. I do not see much excitement in that," Zane frowned.
"Come on, I can't really do anything about that. Don't be a party-pooper, Zane."
"Are those cards?" Cole craned his neck up from being slumped on the floor to get a closer look at the box. "When did you even have time to bring those?"
"A quick round of Solitaire when we set up camp beats listening to Kai go on about his lizard's Chirp followers anyday."
"Take that back! She deserves every one of them!"
"Metalonian engineering students best in the world at poker!" Karlof declared, "Karlof in."
"Uhhh, I'll keep my money, thanks," Jay said, shuffling the colorful, Fist-to-Face-themed playing cards between his hands. "I have a video game to save up for."
"Last Legend XVII? I had thought that the production of the game was drastically delayed due to labor conditions at the studio," Zane deadpanned. "You may be best off considering the development progress moribund."
"You guys are so mean to me. I try to liven things up around here, and this is the thanks I get. Hey Skylor, you wanna play something? We could do Old Maid if you have to keep things simple for the busted noggin—"
"Hey," Lloyd protested. "We never said we didn't wanna play!"
Meanwhile, Skylor blinked at her name. As the ninja and Karlof bickered over what game to play first, she felt the quietest of laughs bubble past her lips.
The mansion had sent a world of dread crashing over her head (and she didn't just mean the concussion.) She still had no idea what had happened to Shade, she had a terrible feeling about her father's connection to whatever curse was trapping them here, and besides Kai and Karlof, she didn't really know the other ninja well enough to be comfortable with them.
But for company in a haunted mansion, she could certainly do worse.
At length, the group compromised by deciding on Go Fish to start. This went without event for the first few games. After that, though, Zane somehow figured out a way to maximize the amount of sets he had collected and end the game in five turns flat. PIXAL was probably involved, but given she was in Zane's head, they would never know. Dirty cheaters, the both of them.
Lloyd suggested BS next, to a slew of horrified older brothers demanding to know where he'd learned that language—("Guys, I literally went to Darkley's. ")—and what the public would think if they knew what the esteemed green savior was really like.
For a few rounds, all was well.
Then Jay started trying to make his callouts wrong on purpose to hoard the deck, and well … it got nightmarish fast after that.
"You've been sorting through your hand for two minutes," Kai groaned. "Do you have the 6s or not?"
"If your hand was this big, you would be taking a while too. Four 6s!" Jay crowed, finally setting down a full set of 6s. "Don't even bother playing, Cole, I have all the 7s."
"Dangit."
"This is not how this game was intended to be played," Zane protested feebly.
"Do … all your card games go off the rails this hard?" Skylor asked, one amused eyebrow cocked.
"Don't ask questions you don't wanna know the answers to," Lloyd said. Jay crowed victoriously in the background.
The blessing of their new headquarters really sunk in once the group's circadian rhythms averaged out into something resembling nighttime. The hall they had relocated to opened into several more rooms, which each seemed to have a set of beds, small dressers, and assorted personal belongings. Not every door opened, but the ones that did proved plenty to accommodate them. With relieved sighs, the ninja staked out beds for themselves and put their things away for the night.
Restless and uneasy as the air was, eventually it calmed as people fell asleep, leaving only the frigid chill of the room untouched by the faint fire flickering in the hearth. Lloyd watched the change, rubbing at the goosebumps under his gi and shoving aside the keen awareness that he was alone to keep watch for the first half of the night.
A fist softly bumped his shoulder, making him stiffen before conscious thought kicked in.
Well.
"Hey, green bean."
Almost alone.
"Kai," he exhaled. "I thought you wanted your beauty sleep?"
"Eh," the fire ninja shrugged. "I'm over it. I'm already beautiful. Besides, who else is gonna remind you to lighten up?"
"I don't need to lighten up! I'm plenty light!" Lloyd protested.
"You look like a startled cat."
"That's just because Jay smacked my hand three times in a row when we played Slapjack. I think I heard some bones crack in there…"
"We've gotta stop letting him pick the card games on missions," Kai snorted, before his expression pinched. "I'm glad you didn't get turned into ghost feed. When we showed up and you weren't here …"
He shook his head, messy brown hair shadowing his eyes.
"And then I ran into Karlof of all people instead of you. Great company until you're stuck with him freaking out over being trapped in a bad situation. Again."
"Geez, he wasn't so bad on the way here."
"Well, that's before the mansion happened." Kai sighed, a hefty thing that made his shoulders heave. "But here we are."
Lloyd fumbled in the dense silence hanging between them, picking through Kai's words and battling the lump in his throat before he responded.
"I'm glad you're okay too, by the way. You were missing for so long …"
Something in Kai's expression crumbled. He moved closer to Lloyd, briefly ruffling his hair with one hand before his arms squeezed around his sides in a tight embrace, fingers digging into his gi like Kai wasn't planning on ever letting go. Lloyd tensed in surprise before the warmth seeped into his skin and he leaned into it, blinking back the prickling in his eyes.
Wow, had he missed Kai.
Abruptly Kai hissed lowly through his teeth and rubbed at his arm. Lloyd's gut dropped in alarm immediately.
"Oh, right! Your arm's hurt, isn't it? How bad did it get? Did you scratch something open? Is it infected?"
Kai huffed and gently pushed Lloyd's face away from his bicep. "Please, I'm fine. Zane literally gave me a clean bill of health this morning. Afternoon? I dunno anymore. It's healing slow, but I'll live. You, though …" Here he gave Lloyd a once-over that immediately made him want to cross his arms defensively. "You're all scratched up. What happened?"
"Skylor got hurt when we ran into the spirit for the first time, soooo I had to hold it off solo for a while?" At the look that crossed Kai's face, he added, "It wasn't that big of a deal, everyone else found me and now I know how to fight back."
"You—" Kai sighed. "Just don't get into anything else like that again. This place causes enough problems as it is."
"Same to you," Lloyd muttered back. "I heard about your whole adventure with getting lost in the middle of the night."
"I had to!" Kai tried to sound indignant, but he was too tired to muster up much exasperation. "Karlof would have been toast otherwise. Here, how about we both promise to not get up to any more shenanigans and I show you pictures of Flame Junior until you get bored and go back to your watch shift?"
The velocity at which Lloyd scrabbled to sit up and crane his head over to look at Kai's screen could have given the speed of sound a run for its money. The bearded dragon was a goof, and Kai loved taking pictures and videos of her for his Chirp account, so Flame Junior was practically a mini-celebrity in her own right and Kai had some truly side-splitting photos of her.
"Hey look, it's you," Lloyd snickered, leeching off Kai's warmth and pointing at a photo of Flame Junior with the juice of a strawberry splattered over her mouth.
"Can everyone stop reminding me about the Pop Rocks-hot sauce incident?!"
Voices, so many voices, screaming and begging, closed in over a carpet of furious eyes and outreached glinting claws and—
Cole woke up, heart pounding in his chest, to an unfamiliar ceiling. Blearily, he blinked the last vestiges of sleep away and sat up, head racing as he tried to remember where he was and, oh.
Right.
The mansion.
He forced a breath up through his nose, then out through his mouth. Then again. It shook a little less this time, and he rubbed his eyes clear on the exhale while he stood.
Illuminated by the faint firelight, Jay and Karlof were asleep on their individual beds, Karlof positioned awkwardly in the small cot. Zane was tucked carefully in a corner, sitting up with his systems shut down to recharge. They all looked more dead than asleep, and Cole shuddered at the thought. Only a few seconds later did it register that Kai's bed was suspiciously empty.
Where was he? If Kai had gotten himself lost again after just coming back, he'd punch him square in the face, he would—
Setting his jaw and swallowing the pit in his throat, he stepped carefully to the door of the suite and opened it. He sighed in relief at the sight that greeted him.
Kai was sitting against the wall, bag and belongings still scattered near him. Evidently he'd never left. Next to him, Lloyd leaned with his head pressed to Kai's shoulder, still except for the faint rise and fall of his chest.
"Hey Cole," Kai called out, voice thick with sleepiness. "Don' worry, 've been keepin' an eye out."
Cole fought the smile creeping up on his face. The current state of affairs was awful, but it was good to have his family back.
"Go to sleep; I've got this. I won't tell, tough guy."
"You do not know what has been lost there. If you go to that mansion, no one will speak your names ever again. You will be forgotten. Do you understand yet?"