Prompt: Spring cleaning
Set a few months after season 10 ~
"Kai!!"
The red ninja stopped admiring his hair in the mirror to wonder what the others could want from him so early on a weekend. Surely they didn't know he'd taken the last slice of cake? Cole was always the prime suspect for such crimes. Nya's voice rang out from the back of his mind, saying something he couldn't quite remember. He slipped on his shoulder armor piece and left the bathroom to join his friends.
Almost immediately, Kai bumped into Lloyd in the hallway as he was vacuuming. Uh oh, Kai realized, spring cleaning time.
Nya's words suddenly returned to him clearly, "This weekend we're all going to be pitching in to clean up the monastery. Are you listening, Kai? This weekend. Don't make any plans and don't expect to play video games all day. I'm telling you for the fourth time, just to make sure you remember."
"Hey sleepyhead, ready to join the rest of us? It's pretty bad, we need everyone." Lloyd turned off the vacuum to talk to Kai.
"Uh, yeah I just.. I was gonna go into the city real quick. We're missing some cleaning supplies" Kai lied. He was happy to do his part and help cleaning, but only when there was a good reason to. They'd just done all of this work a few.. weeks ago? Maybe a month, but it definitely hadn't been longer than that. There was no need to do it again so soon, and if they wanted to that was their choice. Of course they wouldn't see it that way. Kai just needed to get out for a few hours, let them do the work they were apparently so eager to do early...
He tried to slip through the kitchen quietly without having to lie to anyone else, only to have a heart attack when Jay started coughing. Apparently he'd been having a break and a drink, but decided to stand in the kitchen without the lights on.
"And where are you off to?" Jay asked suspiciously, taking note of the sneaky posture with which Kai had tried to creep through the kitchen.
"Getting more cleaning supplies" he kept his lie straight.
"Zane did an inventory last night, we have everything we need."
"Yeah, but the vehicles needed more gas and a wash, may as well get more supplies too while I'm out right?" Kai tried again.
"I thought Pixal was taking care of the vehicle maintenance. Actually, I don't even know where they are now... have we started parking them somewhere else?"
"She's fixing them up, I'm gonna do the basic stuff" he improvised.
"Okay then" Jay seemingly lost interest in pursuing the lie.
Now all Kai needed to do was cross the courtyard and get outside the gates. Naturally, Cole was there to question him. Nothing was ever easy.
"I hope you're not planning on ditching us today" he said before Kai could spout any lies
"Sorry, I've... got a date?" Kai bashed himself inwardly for changing his story.
"Of course you do. I'm sure that you planned it before the spring cleaning thing came up, too?"
"You got it, buddy. Thanks for understanding" Kai dashed away before Cole could stop him. What he said was partially true, at least. What better way to pass the time away from home than with Skylor? Even if his date didn't know it yet.
Hey, date today? Actually.. now? he shot a quick message to her, stumbling on the steps down the mountainside. He almost crashed into Nya as she ascended the steps.
"Where are you-"
"Sorry, date time! Ask Cole. Actually no, don't talk to the others" Kai realized how flimsy his lies had been.
Kai's pocket buzzed and he grinned as he saw her response. Sure. Could use the help. Nobody could resist the Master of Fire!
~
Kai approached the address Skylor had sent him with a confused expression. It wasn't her place or a noodle shop, it was... a warehouse?
"Hey! It's good to see you" Skylor greeted him as he reached the front of the warehouse. She took his hand and Kai's flame flashed across his hand onto hers. Feeling her touch always put him at ease. He could feel the constant chaos of every element swirling together within her, even when she didn't have them all. Her element of amber was a reflection of all the others, a chaos that soothed him as it more than matched the wild blazing of his own element. She felt warm, in an intangible sense that comforted Kai.
"What are we doing here? And what exactly is 'here'?" Kai smiled back at her.
"It's an old warehouse of my father's. With all the cleanup going on in the city recently, somebody stumbled on it. It was off the books, so I'm guessing it's not as innocent as noodle trucks."
Skylor moved to open the large doors and flipped the light switch on the inside. The entire warehouse was filled with Anacondrai-styled vehicles.
"Well," Skylor stared at the massive warehouse, "you up for some spring cleaning?"
Kai just groaned and breathed out deeply.
~ Finally, I got a little Kailor in here! I wanted to try to get a little of each major/canon ship in here (except poor Lloyd, I haven't done him yet I know, we'll see if he fits with any of the prompts).
