Chapter 1: In Which Morro Took An Accidental Detour in His Robbery
Chapter Text
Waking up with his body tied to a chair was not part of his plan at all. But Morro tried to look around and read his current situation. Having lost his consciousness after painstakingly climbing a tall tower that only had windows and no entrance at all. Huh, he should have suspected from the start that this tower was strange. But Morro was already pressed and decided to climb up.
In front of him now, a young blonde man was standing with a frying pan pointed at Morro's face. The blonde's face was agitated, with his eyebrows knitted and a pair of green eyes that seemed to glow like emeralds in the light. Pretty enough, Morro would probably steal them if they were real precious stones.
"Who are you!" The young stranger who most likely tied him up screeched fiercely, but Morro only raised his eyebrows in confusion. The blonde finally repeated, "Who are you! Answer!"
"Who are you, blondie? Do you think I would give my name to a stranger who tied me up?" Morro replied fiercely, making the green-eyed blond instantly grimace. Oh, so it was also him who tied Morro to this chair. Based on his reaction, he seemed to feel quite guilty about this situation. So Morro thought of taking advantage of it.
"How about you tell me your name first, Blonde? Otherwise I'll keep calling you 'Blonde' in my head." Morro baited with a casual tone.
"I-I'm Lloyd! So you can stop calling me blonde." Blonde retorted quickly. Morro flashed a grin, making Lloyd snort in annoyance. But the young man quickly continued, "So what's your name? And why did you sneak into my tower?"
Giving his best smile, Morro said as if sneaking into a foreign tower in the early morning and being chased by all the kingdom's best soldiers was a dream he had always wanted to fulfill. "Morro Whistler. Sorry for coming so suddenly, but I'll be leaving soon. I just wanted to get my bag back and I'll be heading down now."
Lloyd blushes when given an intense, pleading look, Morro knows all too well how an innocent person who has never experienced the hardships of life on the streets reacts. With a plain and well-groomed appearance like this, of course Lloyd was a rich kid who lived a comfortable life and never interacted with people who weren't his employees: Morro could deal with this kind of person very easily.
"Uh... W-well?" Lloyd was still blushing as he slowly untied the rope wrapped around Morro on his chair.
"Thanks, Lloyd. So, where's my bag?"
Still maintaining his best smile, Morro looked at Lloyd who began to slowly take something out of his wardrobe. All the clothes this guy had were green or accented with green, did he think he was a cartoon character? Morro silently said to himself.
The young man then returned the familiar brown leather bag to its owner. Morro quickly sensed that something was wrong with the bag.
"Where are the contents?" He asked quickly, his originally casual tone of voice turned sour and Lloyd, the blond guy who had been looking like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar immediately grimaced.
Morro could see the young man's expression change quickly from grimacing, to frowning, to pretending to be tough with his chin up. He raised his eyebrows, waiting for Lloyd to start saying something.
"I'll give you back the crown if you comply with my one request!" He said firmly, in contrast to his somewhat unfocused gaze and his forehead that began to frown. Ah, what an insufferably innocent person. This must be the first time he's done such a reckless thing in his life.
"What if I don't?" Morro said coldly, hand reaching into the secret pocket of his bag.
The dagger was also taken, apparently.
Because now it was Lloyd who was holding the silver dagger with the blur and dragon engraving. Morro put on his fake smile again. Okay, maybe this was a little harder than he thought.
"Alright, alright, you win. So what's the one request you want, Lloyd?"
"Come with me to see the lanterns tomorrow." Lloyd said seriously, a pair of eyes as green as the forest seemed to sparkle for an instant when he said it. Morro blinked.
"...Huh?" Again, Morro looked at his dagger, looked at Lloyd who looked serious, then blinked again.
"What's the 'huh'?" Lloyd pouted. Hm, he looks kind of cute.
"You took the long-lost golden crown belonging to the Prince of Ninjago, which I took from dozens of soldiers, by the way. And the one thing you want me to do is for me to ask you out?"
"I-it's not a date! I need to see that lantern." In contrast to the red that had previously crept up the blonde's cheeks to her ears, now the young man's expression began to look more subdued, somewhat mixed with sadness. Morro didn't like this mood that had begun to grow gloomy. "I need to know why this lantern feels like it's... calling me. Yes, I want to see it in person!"
"So not a date, phew. Okay." Morro commented casually, deliberately bringing back the topic that easily made Lloyd look at him and frown. Haha, adorable. "So I take you out, you see the lantern, then I get my crown AND dagger back?"
"You have to take me back to this tower too! Then I'll give it back."
"Deal. Let's go then?" Morro hated to delay, and he wanted to get the crown back as soon as possible.
Just then Morro tried to step out and Lloyd's hand nimbly grabbed and held him fast. Morro stifled a cough and turned around, eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"What are you-"
"Shhh. Father, my father will be here any minute, so hide." Lloyd tidied up his ropes and chair quickly. Then his hand deftly pushed Morro towards the only place that could fit a 178-(180!) cm man without making him tingle and suffocate: The wardrobe.
Morro tried to protest, it would be better if he went downstairs and waited for Lloyd there, but Lloyd forcefully pushed him in. "Then let you be accidentally seen by Father? You wouldn't want that to happen to you, seriously. We don't have much time, be a good boy and get in quickly!"
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After hiding in the tightness of the Blonde's wardrobe, Morro could feel his mind drifting as he was almost out of breath when the voice of the creature- Lloyd's Father? who... clearly looked nothing like him began to check on his son.
There was something very suspicious about this "Father", Morro was quite sure. Even though he himself never had a father.
For example, do all fathers pay attention to their son's body condition in such detail that they have to check on him every time he comes? Suspicious, very suspicious.
But of course, other people's family matters were none of his business. So Morro stayed obediently in the wardrobe. Listening to how Lloyd begged to go into town for a day. Then ignored, then begged again, then yelled at. Then decided to ask for an unattainable birthday present, something about Lloyd wanting a "Starfarer" storybook that was apparently in another part of Ninjago. A rare book, it took a long time to walk there and get it.
As soon as Lloyd's strange father left, Morro quickly came out of the tightness of the wardrobe full of clothes. Huh, what a rich bastard.
"So young master, when do we leave?" He said casually, his sentence rewarded by a surprised squeal and red creeping up the young blonde's cheeks. Morro smiled wryly.
"Don't call me that." Lloyd looked like he believed he was showing the scariest expression he had. Morro silently matched that expression like a distressed and frightened puppy. Heh, funny.
"Whatever you say, Sunshine." Morro replied casually.
"D-don't call me that either!"
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"Stop squealing like a mouse, it's just grass."
"Are you crazy? This grass keeps tickling my feet!"
Morro sighed and patted his face with his hand. This was already the third time they had stopped because something caught Lloyd's attention, such as an insect ("Whoah, look! A wild butterfly!"), or a sight ("Water running straight from the river! So fresh! Hey, look!" "Stop splashing water at me, blonde!"), and this time... grass. Because apparently, very surprisingly, grass really tickles when you're barefoot.
Lloyd insists he doesn't need footwear, and now he keeps making weird faces or squealing every time he steps on something. So Morro decides to lunge at the noisy young man he's brought along before they start into more difficult territory -which is, of course, a city full of soldiers who must still remember his face- Morro decides to force Lloyd to wear footwear, the good news is that he has animal skins that he can easily convert into footwear, whether Lloyd protests or not, he must. wear. footwear.
"...Um, okay, it's... not as bad as I thought." was the comment that Blonde Idiot made when he finally walked back after Morro had tied two animal skins to his legs.
Morro initially just snorted, but he decided to finally answer. "Hmm. Now let's go, Sunspot."
"Again, what's with you and those nicknames!" Lloyd, as usual, protested and started giving him suggestions for more "cool" nicknames. Morro bit his lip, refraining from laughing.
"Whatever you say, Sunbeam."
"Arghh! I clearly gave you plenty of better options!"
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"Alright! I've decided!"
"Wow, and what is that decision, O, Prince Sunshine?"
"I'm going to start calling you by something related to... darkness. Since you're always grumbling and feeling annoyed with me."
Morro, who had subconsciously grumbled as Lloyd mentioned, finally chose to snort in displeasure and ignore him. This was a tactic that had a 50% success rate, which meant Morro could only pray that it would work this time.
"Hmm. From now on you are... Shadow."
Morro stopped and Lloyd groaned as his face was knocked by the back of the young man who had been walking in front of him and was now silent. Morro gave Lloyd a disappointed look, "You can do better, you know?"
"What for example, O, Lord of Darkness ?" Lloyd, noticing the annoyed look beginning to adorn Morro's forehead, began to smile innocently.
"How about, Your Lord of Darkness, Sundew?"
Red began to fill Lloyd's cheeks up to his ears. But from the determined flicker in his eyes, Morro understood that Lloyd was not about to relent. "If that's the case then I'm Your Sunshine ? Romantic, yes."
"My Little Sunshine. " Morro has been practicing this act ever since he left somewhere , for some reason, leaving someone behind. Because he realized that his life would actually be a lot easier when he started using his face more... strategically.
Tucking the mischievous golden hair behind Lloyd's ear, Morro began to look at him seriously and closer. As he saw the red blush on that innocent face, Morro began to count to three silently. One. Two. And Three-
"Alright I give up! You win. Whatever. Let's move on!"
Morro bit the inside of his mouth to hold back a grin, "Heh, whatever you say, Sunshine." He said.
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Walking through the forest wasn't the hardest part of the mission. Although Lloyd looked like he was always eager to prove Morro wrong and kept getting into little insignificant problems and losing his focus, but finally after a few times of regretting his life and convincing Lloyd that the mushroom was poisonous Blonde, stopped looking at it like that. The color is pretty? Yes because of the poison, you don't see any dead bugs next to the mushroom do you- stop screaming! It's just a bug!
They finally arrived at a seedy bar on the edge of a familiar city. Morro looked at the dislodged bar and the illegible writing other than a blue symbol that kinda looked like a drink. Lloyd beside him hugged a wooden branch and looked at it worriedly.
"Should we... enter this place?" Saying cautiously while looking around, Morro tried to hold back a cheeky smile so as not to arouse suspicion.
"Yes, very necessary. I need information about the city from this place." Or I could just ask anyone on the street when we meet the locals, but what's the fun in that? Morro refrained from saying it, instead, he enjoyed how Lloyd's forehead furrowed even more when a man with a large gash across his face walked past them and entered the bar. The faintly broken music that filled the room could be heard, along with the loose laughter of the big men and the sound of clashing weapons.
"So how was it? You ready?" Morro hoped that with this Lloyd would change his mind and cancel their agreement. Escorting an innocent brat who had never seen another human being besides his father was not a task fit for Morro. He was a thief, not a guard. He needed to regain his crown as soon as possible and prove to the man that he could.
"Morro?" Lloyd called out hesitantly. Morro shook his head. Focus.
"So how's the Blonde? It's okay if you're scared, I can walk you back to-"
"-I said I'm ready, let's go in." Lloyd cut his sentence short, his eyes flashing brightly again. As if signaling that he had made up his mind and wasn't going to change it. What strange eyes , Morro couldn't help but think.
"All right, Sunbeam. Don't tell me I didn't offer you to come back, huh."
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"Do you want to change your mind now?"
Morro could feel Lloyd squeezing his arm more firmly. "...No." He said quietly, looking very hesitant, but Morro didn't try to argue with him.
As soon as they opened the door to the bar, all eyes were on them. The music stopped and the old men stopped playing chess in the corner, the big men put down their drinks and started reaching for their weapons, stroking them lightly. Lloyd behind him looked like a puppy that had gotten into a hyena cage.
Morro took a breath and let it out, starting to smile businesslike.
"Hey guys, thanks for the warm welcome." Morro looked around him, questioning gazes returned, and some were already preparing to swing their weapons. He was pretty sure he could take out anyone who tried, but on the other hand, he had an idea that he thought was more fun than directly attacking them and forcing an answer. So he looked at Lloyd with an innocent smile.
"Lloyd," Morro pushed the young blonde forward to take center stage. From the light screech that spontaneously escaped the young man's lips, Morro was pretty sure he was very nervous. Still wearing his innocent smile, he continued, "This young man has a question for you, will you help him?"
"A-ah a-about that, n-no. It's not that-" Lloyd stuttered, he looked at Morro angrily but Morro quickly diverted his attention, pretending to walk over to look at the menu.
All eyes turned back to the blond youth who was now groggily smiling and taking in his surroundings. Those green eyes were on him, asking for help. Morro just gave him a thumbs up and smiled.
If he couldn't change this foolish young man's mind to go back to his spooky tower and be with his father who seemed to have a problem with being overprotective, maybe this place could.
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Lloyd stammeringly began to tell a story about the life of a lonely young man living in a tower. It was something that no one really asked for, but somehow slowly, the villains began to sit in order in front of the blond young man who was telling the story with all his heart. His eyes sparkled and his smile was bright, even though the story slowly began to lead to a situation that sounded sad, the smile never left his lips.
Maybe that's what happens when you give up for too long? Morro began to think silently. But he began to shake his head, a person who gave up would not plan a short escape to achieve his dreams, especially when he realized he was forcing a criminal to obey him.
Lloyd was an enigmatic and intriguing figure, all his actions were hard to understand, but at the same time, very... natural. It subconsciously makes Morro want to support him.
"Your new date looks cute, Whistler." From across the bar table he was sitting at, Morro saw a familiar woman. She had dark hair and a birthmark under her right eye, sea-blue eyes that looked at him casually, but with depth at the same time. Nya, the owner of the Merlopian's Tridents Bar was someone to watch out for. Morro had always thought so.
However, that didn't mean he wouldn't accept drinks concocted by the bar owner himself. Nya was very good at mixing, and Morro considered his arrival this time quite lucky because Nya was on duty. So he took the green drink with yellow mixed in on top, like a leaf in the sunlight. Hmmm, melon and orange, sweet and fresh. He thought.
"Unfortunately it's business, though if he offered it I wouldn't refuse." Morro replied casually, his eyes returning to Lloyd who began recounting a funny incident about a drunk man who tried to climb a tower and fell on his ass. Something about Lloyd asking him if he was okay but the guy ran away thinking he was a ghost. Morro couldn't help but smile when he saw Lloyd telling the story so expressively.
"You never relax in the middle of business, do you? What makes this different?" Nya asked again, her hands relaxing on the bar table. But cerulean eyes staring deeply into the dark green and a smile etched on her lips, Nya looked a little predatory, as if she found something interesting and was saving it for later.
"Nothing different, I also relax sometimes, that's all." Morro returned a faint smile. He didn't care if she knew his lie. Because at least, he wasn't sure what she was trying to cover up either.
"Beautiful green eyes, maybe it's just me, but do you find the glint in them a little unusual?" Nya said, her eyes narrowed in a crescent moon shape and a meaningful smile on her face. Morro only replied with a shrug, going back to drinking his concoction.
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"...All my life, I just wanted to find out what that lantern meant." Lloyd said with a sad smile, the few men sitting in a row in front of him were holding back sobs. While one of them had given up and was crying, making Lloyd rush to get a tissue and give it to the man. Morro rolled his eyes, beer in hand and was sitting at a table in front of the bar. Watching the whole foolishness unfold.
"What are you going to do after witnessing it in person?" Someone raised his hand and asked innocently from the back of the crowd.
All eyes returned to Lloyd, even Morro was quietly listening intently.
"...Honestly? I don't know." Lloyd replied sincerely, his gaze seemingly distant, his lips curled into a faint smile that looked peaceful, yet sad. Morro thought that he didn't like that expression, and apparently, neither did the rest of the audience.
"Then let us know after you see the lantern, Prince Sunshine." Picking up the tissue and walking over to Lloyd, making some of the (bandit-) seated audience members groan and mutter in protest when he accidentally stepped on them. But Morro remained nonchalant and walked over, offering the tissue to the young man who looked at him in surprise.
"I'm not crying!" He protested stupidly.
"You look like you're about to cry." Morro replied calmly, looking at the people watching them, "Don't you? He looks that way, doesn't he?"
But instead of agreeing, some of them stood up with furrowed brows, "Don't bully Lloyd!" one of them said. The other bandits also stood up and clenched their fists ready to protest. Morro sighed and rolled his eyes, since when did these people care about the innocent brat he deliberately forced to come to this bar to be pranked? Why did the situation turn around-
"Hey, hey, let's not fight! To be honest, Morro even reminded me that I have a question for you guys." Lloyd quickly extinguished the angry turmoil that had begun to spread among the bandits who had begun to stand up, still with a warm smile, he then asked, "Do any of you know of a way to infiltrate the city center without getting caught? We need to get there right away if we don't want to miss the light show!"
Looking at each other for a moment, they then began to give the information they knew to Lloyd who nodded seriously and listened to them one by one. Morro leaned against the table directly behind Lloyd. Watching again how the young man could easily make people want to listen to him.
He may not be smart, but he definitely had charisma. Morro couldn't help but come to a conclusion.
After a few hugs and tips on choosing weapons and how to flirt with royal knights to get away from them -which made Morro laugh out loud seeing Lloyd immediately dumbfounded and blushing, plain and innocent - Lloyd finally nodded and thanked them.
"Come on, it's time for us to go." Before those stupid knights start coming and finding him. Morro added silently while looking at Lloyd who was trying to carefully attach a throwing knife he received from one of the villains to his belt.
Just as they were walking towards the exit, a noise from outside was quickly heard and someone opened the door hurriedly, "Knights of the kingdom, a squad of knights is approaching the bar. Hide!"
Chapter 2: Morro did NOT sign up for this cat and mouse game
Summary:
“...So, how are we going to get out of here while those two search the entire bar?” As Lloyd crouched beside him whispered, his palm covering his lips as if he was uttering a secret, Morro rolled his eyes. Trying to ignore the blonde as his brain wondered how he could escape Kai and Cole's pursuit with Lloyd weighing in behind him.
Apparently, ignoring Lloyd was a fatal mistake. Because common sense was not one of Lloyd's forte. The crazy blond boy stomped his foot while Morro was busy trying to figure out the best route out and prepare himself to possibly fight some of the soldiers standing guard outside. Morro bit back a curse and his feet throbbed with pain.
“What are you doing, you idiot?” He said finally, Lloyd glaring at him equally sternly.
“Get me involved too, I want to know what you're thinking.” He replied no less fiercely.
Notes:
Thank you so much for all the nice comments on the first chapter! And really sorry for the long wait 3
The storyline is simple but I just have... too much ideas on different things and honestly spending most of my time drawing than writing so hehe... regardless, hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
Again, if any of you people wanna hangout (above 18 y.o, I want people more in my age group) feel free to join my dc: we talk about hc(s), oc(s), art, wips, writing, and many more! (I recently watch Lego Monkie Kid as well and has been loving it a little too much... haha, anyway!): https://discord.gg/BBtTwJrQ
Enjoy this update!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Kai's POV
Kai swore that if he ever let the upperclassman as well as the top fugitive slip out of his grasp again. Then he would throw his entire army along with himself from the top of the witch tower.
Morro, The Whistler, who was always causing chaos and stealing various types of valuables that were strictly protected by the kingdom. His genius but crazy upperclassman warrior wouldn't be so crazy as to climb up the witch tower in the forest and be eaten alive by its inhabitants, right?
Kai hopes he's not that crazy, because he doesn't want to have to climb up and find Morro's corpse and one of the kingdom's most precious treasures, the crown of the long-lost prince, left atop a tall, scary tower that's said to be inhabited by a never-aging witch who won't hesitate to lock up and eat anyone who climbs up.
But then he gets word that someone saw Morro ("I'm pretty sure it was The Whistler, his face was exactly like the poster that was handed out. Really!") entering a suspicious bar that stands just before the dense forest at the border. It was very close to where they had last chased Morro, so Kai was pretty sure that maybe, just maybe, the crazy asshole had chosen to hide there.
What a clever thing to do, making him go around looking for where Morro had gone after he lost track of him in the middle of the forest. Then it turned out that the jerk had been hiding right under his nose all this time. Kai had always disliked his senior brother.
“Stop putting on that grim face, Kai. You're making everyone nervous.” Cole Brookstone, part of the team that had to capture Morro, commented in a casual tone. The tall, muscular young man then began to smile at the other personnel who were staring at them, which was returned with a stiff smile and a withering nod. Kai snorted.
“We can't let Morro keep running from us, Cole. You know that. He's too dangerous.” Kai gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, Cole took his hand and made him let go of his sword.
“I know, but seeing you like this puts our entire army under pressure. You want them to escape before we even see Morro?” Cole pointed at their troops, they looked even too scared to nod, Kai massaged his forehead.
“If they're scared of me, then they're scared of Morro!”
“Oh, so you admit that he's better than you?” Cole Brookstone's asshole retorted with a winning smile.
Kai grumbled again while looking at Cole annoyed, but all he saw was a quiet laugh. In stark contrast to the response of the other soldiers who immediately scowled and gave distance. Kai tried to take a deep breath and hold back his emotions. Making the morale of his troops into chaos was not a wise thing, Master Wu would again lecture him, probably force him to drink another cup of his bland tea, and tell him to try meditating. Kai wouldn't be able to bear another seminar under the guise of a discussion on the types of tea and the best way to boil them, in Kai's personal opinion, all tea was just boiled leaves.
Shaking his head to ward off the miniature Master Wu who was trying to lecture him, Kai was then confronted with a seedy bar on the edge of the forest that was apparently in full swing. If the sound of loud music and the raucous laughter of grown men were any indication.
Cole swatted away his hand when he tried to open the bar door, Kai retaliated by pinching him fiercely.
“Ow! Why are you so mean?”
“Why are you always preventing me from doing my job!”
“I'm helping!” Cole said seriously, “If you go in and start threatening them one by one, do you think they'll just tell you what we need? These are criminals Kai, many of them hate us and will deliberately cause us trouble just because they don't like how we're behaving.”
... A very reasonable explanation, Kai thought, but he didn't like this explanation coming from Cole's mouth who overslept this morning, almost late on morning duty, took half of his breakfast, then pretended to rule him around like this now. But unfortunately, Kai couldn't protest if he didn't have a better reason. So he gestured for Cole to take over.
Smiling annoyingly, Cole then opened the door of the bar with an overly bright smile. “Hey everyone, give me your best drinks!”
Looking into the room, there were dozens of criminals who fell silent as soon as the door was opened with a bang. All pairs of eyes (or sets of eye, for the few who wore blindfolds) of the criminals looked at them. Eyebrows raised and foreheads furrowed, it was obvious that no one was happy with their arrival.
Cole walked as if he was invited to come and perform in this place, his smile not fading and he even made a sign for Kai and the others to follow him. To which Kai raised an eyebrow and followed with an astonished face, then everyone resumed their respective activities as if nothing had happened.
“So, wrong report again?” Kai tried to open the topic, and to be honest, he was already getting a bit uncomfortable with the strange smile still on Cole's face.
“I guess we should still ask to make sure. Let's show them the poster.”
Cole tried to show the poster they had prepared, Kai and Cole spending a lot of time making sure Morro's poster looked just the way they wanted it to: fairly accurate, still recognizable, but with an oddly-proportioned nose that they'd bet a bar of gold would send Morro into a raging fit of fury.
The medium-sized villain with the alcohol-reddened nose and slightly unfocused eyes then paused at the poster they showed him. It was as if his brain was digging up memories like puzzle pieces that were slowly being put together until finally something shone in his eyes when he replied, “No, never seen him at all. Ugly nose, by the way.”
Kai grumbled while Cole sighed. They decided to split up for a while to gather information.
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Morro’s POV
“...So, how are we going to get out of here while those two search the entire bar?” As Lloyd crouched beside him whispered, his palm covering his lips as if he was uttering a secret, Morro rolled his eyes. Trying to ignore the blonde as his brain wondered how he could escape Kai and Cole's pursuit with Lloyd weighing in behind him.
Apparently, ignoring Lloyd was a fatal mistake. Because common sense was not one of Lloyd's forte. The crazy blond boy stomped his foot while Morro was busy trying to figure out the best route out and prepare himself to possibly fight some of the soldiers standing guard outside. Morro bit back a curse and his feet throbbed with pain.
“What are you doing, you idiot?” He said finally, Lloyd glaring at him equally sternly.
“Get me involved too, I want to know what you're thinking.” He replied no less fiercely.
“You'll only interfere with my plans, be a good boy and shut up.” Looking back around, his onix eyes could see Kai who had started to walk over with slightly scuffling footsteps and a scrutinizing look around. It was a bad sign, because even though he was grumpy and liked to rush, Kai who was quiet and used his mind and eyes was a dangerous Kai. He was quite meticulous and had good instincts when he actually used them. Right now it looked like he was indeed using them.
“Lloyd, we need to move positions quickly-” Morro tried to grab the young blonde's hand to move. But someone quickly pulled back Lloyd's shirt and made him almost yelp.
“Hey-!” Lloyd quickly covered his mouth, his eyes narrowed in annoyance but soon widened.
“Uh, hello?”
Nya smiled at them, a smile that looked much more polite and kind than how she usually acted whenever Morro came over. Morro silently wondered if this was some kind of discrimination by this woman or if Lloyd had that kind of influence on people. But that wasn't important right now.
“I can show you the secret exit I have, come with me.” Saying softly, Lloyd listened and nodded happily, easily starting to follow the woman until Morro caught him by the collar.
“Ach! Stop doing this to me, what's wrong with you guys!” Lloyd whispered angrily, Morro ignoring him.
“You can't help us for free, right? Tell me what you want.” Morro said, Nya looked at him with the same smile she gave Lloyd.
“Haha, of course you have to ask for details even in a time of need like this, huh, The Whistler?”
“Say it quickly or we won't take your offer, Miss Bar Owner.” Morro replied coldly. Lloyd looked at the two of them like they were watching a ping-pong show, for the first time in half a day of knowing him, Morro saw Lloyd doing something smart: shutting up and listening.
“I can't explain everything, but I want two things.” Nya said lightly, Lloyd and Morro looked at each other. Okay, it wasn't like they had any other choice. They should at least know what this woman wanted. “The first is that I want to help you fight the royal knights.”
“We're not planning to fight them.” Morro quickly refuted.
“You may have to fight them, I want to come along.”
Morro and Nya looked at each other for a long time, both seemingly unwilling to budge. Lloyd cleared his throat and raised his hands to his chest. “C-can we hear the second request? We don't have much time!”
Morro scowled and Nya smiled happily.
“My second request is for Lloyd to tell me what he wants after he sees the lantern.”
“Uh, that's all?” Lloyd asked innocently. Morro rolled his eyes.
“Just watch out if you think you can just lie to us, Bar Owner.” Said Morro finally, Nya smiled back and started leading them through the secret passage she promised.
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Kai’s POV
Kai noticed a very familiar gilded decoration near the bar counter. There was something nagging at the back of his mind, but it was quickly broken when Cole's grunting voice could be heard running up to him. Kai looked at his partner wearily.
“I found no clues at all, what about you?” Said someone whose hands were full of a pack of fries, chicken nuggets, and potato chips.
“...Also no.” Kai was still staring at the ornament that depicted a merging stream of water and fire. There were blue and red stones decorating each side. Huh, does a seedy bar on the edge of town need this kind of decoration?
It looked dull and poorly maintained, but Kai still couldn't let go of his attention.
“Kai? Are you okay?” The hand that had been busy picking up snacks now rested on his shoulder, Kai dismissed it lightly. But Cole still came back closer and looked at the decorations on the bar table.
“Huh, for a place like this, the detailed carvings and golden color are very suspicious.” Cole touched the ornament and Kai reflexively brushed his hand away.
“What are you doing! What if it's a trap!”
“In a place like this? A trap?”
Kai and Cole looked at each other, maybe it was a trap, but what if it was more than just a trap?
“We can't find Morro anywhere, it's as if he disappeared from here.” Kai started, Cole smiled and touched the decoration again. Twisting it and a small clinking sound was heard before a platform opened up from beneath the bar floor.
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Morro’s POV
“So listen up. We're not going to try to trigger a fight with those knights.” Morro led at the front with two people behind him, they together walked down a dark passage that was apparently a secret exit that Nya had apparently made to escape. From what? Morro actually asked, but the girl only answered him with an innocent smile without context which finally made him uneasy.
Lloyd grasped the dagger given to him (he stole it from Morro, Morro added spitefully) with a difficult look. “Hmm, I agree. I wouldn't want to use this thing if given the choice.”
“I have no problem using it for you, if you give me the dagger.” Nya replied casually. Lloyd instinctively quickly moved the weapon away from the girl who did not hesitate to use it.
“It's up to you guys, but we certainly shouldn't give an excuse for the scraggly brunette and the dark hair with thick eyebrows to chase us.” Morro recalled how that grumpy Kai and the glutton Cole were at work. They were an annoying team to deal with when working together, with Lloyd and Nya by his side, Morro would have an even harder time keeping up with them while fighting those two idiots.
Just leave these two alone, his common sense told him. Morro shook his head. Shook off the negative thoughts and continued walking forward. This mission would be easy if they left immediately and blended into the crowd. Morro thought back, deciding to imagine what he would do after successfully getting rid of the noisy blonde and getting his crown back.
For sure, he would prove to the Master that he was a far greater knight than all of them. He was the one who should have been sent to search for the missing prince together with Master Wu. Forbidding him to come along and forcing him to stay in the kingdom as a new knight trainer sounded like an insult when he saw Master Wu leaving alone.
Shaking his head to erase the annoying memories of the past, Morro went back to listening to the small talk that Lloyd tried to throw at Nya as they walked down the hallway.
“So you want to teach me how to make drinks if I can flirt with the aunties who come to the bar?” Said Lloyd excitedly, Huh, wait- since when did his conversation become like that? Morro looked at the two people who were chatting, although the light was very limited from the small candle that Nya brought, Morro could see the idiotic innocent grin on Lloyd's face and Nya who was smiling wider than usual.
“Sure! I'll teach you to make any drink you want.” Nya caressed the top of Lloyd's hair, making the young man bow slightly due to their height difference. “I'll give you anything you want if you can make those beasts a little more manageable.” He said, casually.
“...Why are they beasts?” Lloyd asked.
Morro thought it was time for him to interject, “By the way, are you sure you can just leave your bar being searched by those knights? What if something goes wrong?”
Lloyd looked like his head had been zapped, “That's right! Are you sure your bar will be okay?” He said worriedly. Morro rolled his eyes, of course Lloyd had just realized.
Instead of worrying, the dark-haired woman put on her usual smile that she did when Morro knew this girl was planning something possibly horrible (like putting chili sauce in drinks and giving it away for free to poor people who didn't know, Morro had seen it firsthand).
“Hey Morro, do you know Skylor?” He asked calmly.
Morro shuddered in horror, “If possible, I hope not.” Morro began to feel sorry for his little brother.
…
…
Kai’s POV
He and Cole were just about to walk down the dark hole that appeared from under the bar floor when someone stopped them. Red hair and lipstick greeted his gaze as the amber-eyed figure began blocking the originally wide-open path.
“I'm sorry gentlemen, but this path is not open to the public.” She said softly, but the cold tone that coated every syllable didn't give her a chance to interrupt. “I'm Skylor, our new employee at Tridents Bar!”
Kai and Cole looked at each other. Cole nodded and smiled.
They ran in opposite directions and tried to push Skylor away from the secret door opening. However, Skylor seemed to realize that they were trying to outwit her, as she stood casually in front of the secret door. Putting up a stance and casually blocking them.
Cole and Kai, being gentlemen, certainly weren't trying to actually hurt her. But Skylor seemed to know that, maybe that was why she smiled beautifully and looked at Kai with a gaze that seemed to see something interesting.
Maybe Kai was just imagining things. Or maybe she was just deceiving him. Or maybe it was a combination of both. Kai returned Skylor with a similar smile before the girl swiftly pulled out a weapon, a small knife that she had apparently hidden in her sleeve. Kai set up a stance, this looks fun, he thought.
Cole tugged at his collar before Kai prepared to attack the girl.
“Uhuk-” Kai coughed and glared at his insolent friend. His eyes flashed fiercely but Cole just shrugged indifferently.
“She's trying to make you forget your original purpose, Kai. We need to go after Morro and -possibly- his gang.” Cole said. Kai grumbled because what he said was true.
“Then what do you think we should do? We still have to defeat this beauty, right?” Kai
Cole rolled his eyes, “Of course, Lover boy.” But the young man pushed Kai away and pointed at the secret door with his chin. Cole set up a stance. Kai sighed, of course it was Cole who had to deal with beautiful women, while he had to sneak around like a rat and chase after their crazy seniors and anyone else who was willing to help him.
“Oh, want to run away, handsome?” Skylor quickly darted towards him, the girl wearing an even wider smile, making her bucket eyes sparkle under the dim bar lights. Kai ran straight, trying not to answer the girl who obviously knew his weakness.
Kai liked being praised, and he liked pretty girls.
Kai shook his head and started running, while Cole sighed and ran behind him quickly. Skylor seemed to sense that something was being planned by the two men she was fighting because the sweet smile quickly turned serious as the woman took another knife from under her shirt and moved quickly.
Kai parried one of Skylor's slashes and ran faster.
Cole held the woman's hand. Twisting her body in one motion and holding her back. “Hurry Kai!”
“I know!” Kai replied while descending down the door that was heavily guarded by Skylor.
Kai silently cursed Morro for making him leave a beautiful girl who was clearly interested in him. Just watch out for that annoying guy with stupid little green streak hair, Kai would defeat him and bring him back to the castle and show off his success to Master Wu.
…
…
Morro’s POV
Morro could see the light from the end of the tunnel, his hand reflexively silencing Lloyd's mouth who was still chatting with Nya about unimportant things like painting styles and rare paints that Nya had discovered came from the ocean where the Merlopians lived.
Don't ask why Morro still knew what they were talking about even though he wasn't actively participating. Their voices were the only thing he could hear in this deserted tunnel.
Walking without heeding Lloyd's sullen protests, Morro quickly walked out and looked around. The sunlight hit his face, blinding his eyes once he reached the end. The wind blew against his cheeks, playing with his hair, making Morro instantly feel like he was back in his element.
“Finally!” A happy squeal that became more and more familiar swept through his eardrums, Morro turned around. Sighing and seeing how the sun gently caressed Lloyd's blonde locks with affection, making them shine golden, was like placing a crown onto the head of the blond who smiled innocently without a care in the world.
“Let's move quickly before they catch up with us.” Morro said quickly. Nya put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. Nodding her head in agreement with Morro's statement, though her eyes shone mischievously at Morro as if she found something funny.
“What are you looking at, Nya?” Morro squinted irritably.
“No, nothing.” The girl said with a wide smile.
Before he could ask Nya to stop looking at him with those annoying stares that he had no idea what they meant, Morro saw a sharp flash appear from behind Lloyd, a weapon.
“Back off!”
Morro quickly dismissed it, pushing Lloyd away. He swiftly covered his face and readied his weapon. Standing in front of Lloyd who still looked shocked with a scratched neck, Morro chuckled in annoyance, he wasn't quick enough to realize the enemy's presence.
Kai, who apparently managed to catch up to them quickly, smiled with canines clearly visible. It seemed that Cole decided to hold Skylor back while the faster Kai could catch up to them and hold them off until the other troops arrived.
This was not good at all.
“Hey, Morro. I thought you preferred to move around on your own like an emo, apparently you just don't like working with men.” Kai greeted cheerfully. Not to mention his cynical choice of words that Morro was sure Kai must have been practicing all the way in the tunnel.
“Hey, I'm a man too, Spiky!” Lloyd replied angrily and unnecessarily.
Morro sighed. What god did he pissed off that he has to be stuck amongst all these idiots?
Notes:
Say hi to me at my twitter: https://x.com/CherosLego10024 hehe! (i draw too many lloyd and morro for my own good)
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