Chapter Text
Morro splashed some cold water on his face, staring at the murky ripples on the surface. He scowled at his reflection as the water settled, tying his black hair back with a leather cord. A strand of green fell out, and he blew it out of his face, straightening and heading back to the campsite. The smell of smoke from the campfire greeted him as he approached, and Dusk jumped up to direct the smoke away from the others surrounding it. The warm glow of the flames shed a soft light onto the familiar faces nearby, the elemental masters chatting and laughing with each other as the sun went down. Eyes burned into Morro as he entered the circle, and the line between his eyebrows grew harsher as he ignored the stares. Being the Master of Wind, he belonged with the elemental alliance, but deep down, he knew he didn’t. Everyone knew. His jaw tightened. That was only more incentive to prove he had a place here. Pointedly, he took a seat on a log near the campfire and pulled out a blade to sharpen it, ignoring the brief moment of tension that fell on the group. As soon as it had come, it was gone, and Morro was again invisible as they resumed their activities.
Sono played a hypnotizing tune on the guitar, the soft music a lovely background to the din of chatter. Hibernus relaxed on a chair made of ice (a good distance away from the fire) as the lovers Ray and Maya giggled flirtatiously, whispering in hushed tones about some secret or inside joke. Leo and Levi engaged in an arm wrestling match while Misako studied maps alone under the light of a lantern, under a canopy off to the side. Morro couldn’t help but note that Master Wu had not yet returned. Following the disastrous battle of Jamanakai, he had gone to recruit his brother, Garmadon. Despite the Serpentine and the people of Ninjago living in some state of peace for millenia, there had always been tensions between the species, and these tensions had only increased as Serpentine began to raid human villages for artifacts and munitions. A war was on the horizon, and Wu had wasted no time in gathering the elemental masters to hopefully reach a truce. These hopes were quickly shattered as the previous battle had been a total defeat, with the Anacondrai emerging victorious and uniting the Serpentine tribes against the Elemental Alliance.
“Hello, Morro,” Misako greeted softly, pressing a steaming cup into his hands. “I brewed some tea and thought you might like a cup. It’s mint, your favorite.” Morro accepted the cup with a small bow of thanks, his posture relaxing slightly at the offer. Misako took a seat beside him with a quiet sigh, gazing into the fire for a moment before turning her attention back to Morro. “I do hope they return safely.”
I’ll bet you do, Morro thought, and he evaporated the thought as soon as it came, chiding himself for the inappropriateness. “So do I,” he answered flatly, only half-meaning it. Carefully he took a sip of his tea, never having been the best at conversation.
A shrill voice pierced the air in way of friendly, energetic greeting, and Morro knew without a glance that the Master of Lightning had arrived. Lisbeth entered the campsite, greeting her friends and colleagues while her sister, the Master of Thunder, held back, mustering up a smile as she bowed in greeting. The team had been hearing of Kamiki’s arrival for weeks now, and upon seeing her for the first time it was impossible to believe the two were sisters. They looked to be complete opposites, with the former having blond hair while the latter had dark sapphire locks. Still, the two shared the same piercing hazel eyes, with the younger’s leaning slightly more green than Lisbeth’s blue. Misako went to greet them, and Morro turned back to sharpening his sword, unwilling to make conversation. The elemental masters chattered on, taking a break from the stresses of war to socialize and make conversation. Fascinating that they all got along so well, Morro thought to himself.
The cacophony of voices only grew more enthusiastic as another familiar face entered the campsite. Morro glared as he saw Wu return side by side with Garmadon, quickly averting his gaze as he was not in the mood for conversation, especially not after their last argument. Morro flinched as a hand clamped onto his shoulder. “Hey kid, you got tall after all!” The startle caused a sudden gust of wind around him, ruffling his hair and clothes. Garmadon only laughed at his reaction, unapologetic for the fright.
“I’m not a child,” Morro hissed, turning to face Garmadon. His fingers tightened around his cup, knuckles turning white. Morro hadn’t seen the man since he went to train with Master Chen, and he had grown quite a bit in Garmadon’s absence. Morro was no longer the scrawny child Garmadon had known, but a skilled warrior, and a strong one at that.
“Haven’t seen you in a while,” Garmadon commented unfazed as he took a seat on the opposite side of the log, ignoring Morro’s hostility. “You still planning to defeat the Dark Lord?”
Morro grit his teeth, burying the rage that suddenly burned in his gut. Wu had never thought he was fit to be the Green Ninja, but Morro was determined to prove himself alongside the other elemental masters. Hopefully seeing Morro excel in real battle would help him come to his senses. Of course, Wu was too busy flirting with Misako to even notice Morro lately, and Garmadon seemed to be under the same kind of spell, already distracted by her presence. “We’ll see,” Morro answered flatly, keeping these thoughts to himself.
Like clockwork, Garmadon was once again by Misako’s side, standing just a bit too close for comfort as far as Morro could see. The two giggled over nothing, Misako playing shyly with the end of her brunette braid. Morro scowled into his cup, Garmadon’s words having hit a nerve with him. Morro knew he was worthy as well as capable, having trained under Wu for the better part of the last ten years. Once again he reassured himself; Wu just needed to come around.
Kamiki took a seat next to Lisbeth beside the campfire, mustering up a social smile as she listened to her sister’s frenzied conversation with the Master of Earth. Being younger than Lisbeth, she had been recently preoccupied with training at the martial arts school she had studied at since she was young. Their parents had insisted their daughters get the best training possible for the new masters of Thunder and Lightning, and so they had. Finally Kamiki had graduated from the school, hardly getting the chance to celebrate before joining the Elemental Alliance. While she wasn’t thrilled to be thrust into war, she was happy to be side by side with her sister again.
She scanned the campsite, recognizing a few familiar faces from when she had last met the elemental masters. She recognized the few strangers as Brook, Master of Nature, and of course the Time Twins, Krux and Acronix. They hadn’t met, but she had been informed of their arrival as well by letter. Her gaze lingered on the young man with the green streak in his black hair. He didn’t seem familiar, and she wondered what his element was.
“Morro, the Master of Wind,” Libber explained, following Kamiki’s gaze. “He’s a real pistol, that one. As a kid he nearly destroyed Wu’s dojo trying to win a fight against another child. Story goes he just showed up at Wu’s doorstep one day, and the guy took him in. Crazy, huh? I’m sure he’s only making things harder for us, but anyone would be scared to kick him off the team anyway.”
As if hearing them, Morro suddenly glanced up. Kamiki wanted to look away, but his dark eyes caught her off guard, holding her attention longer than she meant to. “Showed up on the doorstep, you say?” she mumbled curiously.
“Yeah. The guy likes to be left alone. I’d probably just stay away if I were you.”
Kamiki stared a second longer, breaking her gaze as soon as she realized she was staring. She hummed in acknowledgment, turning her attention back to the campfire as Wu called for the team’s attention.
“My brother and I have caught wind that the snakes are headed towards Headstone Road,” Wu announced. “What they are planning, we are unsure, but if it’s anything like Jamanakai, they may be acquiring more weapons. Fortunately we are now joined by the masters of Thunder and Lightning, as well as my brother. If anyone can get in contact with more warriors, we need all the help we can get.”
“Our forces have increased since the last time they saw us,” Ray piped up with a smirk. “They won’t know what hit ‘em.”
“We’ve had time to strategize and train,” Dusk added. “They’ll never see us coming.”
“Let’s not get too overconfident,” Garmadon interjected, halting the cheers. A smirk broke through his solemn facade as he laughed. “I’m just kidding, we’ll kick their asses. Let’s give ‘em hell.”
The cheers quickly resumed, and Morro quietly slipped away to his tent. He would give those snakes hell, alright.