Switched Opportunities

We Are Mostly Human

"I can't believe I have to wear an absurd amount of bright red... I got to say I've never understood why you all wear bright colors when you're ninja! Aren't you supposed to- I don't know- be stealthy and blend in?" Vinny pinched at his sleeves.

Cole smirked to Jay who was sitting in a chair to calm his dizziness. His hairline was still wrapped up in bandages. "Hey master of blabber! You have some competition!"

Nya, who was convinced to join them, placed a hand on Jay's shoulder. "You doing alright, Jay?"

He sighed, "Yeah, just a bit dizzy. But I'd rather stand than sit in a wheelchair."

Vinny looked at the ninja around him. "I couldn't help but notice that you guys are always worrying about your self image. Hiding injuries from the public? As a citizen, sometimes we want to know what's going on. It may be a helpful reminder that you ninja are human too."

Zane tilted his head, "But I am not human." Everyone laughed and Vinny felt his nerves lessen, even if it was a little.

Lloyd stepped up to Vinny. "I have never thought of it like that before. We all made an agreement to hide things like injuries because we don't want the public to worry that Ninjago's protectors are weakened. It's not just for the public but it goes for bad guys too. If they know we are one ninja down then who knows what will happen."

Vinny nodded, "That makes sense." His eyes landed on Jay who looked like he couldn't hold his own weight if he tried. "But I think you should make an exception. It will be more alarming to the public if Jay suddenly collapses. Maybe a wheelchair isn't a bad idea."

Lloyd turned back to Jay and grimaced. "Hey Zane? Where did they say that wheelchair was again?" Lloyd and Zane started up a conversation.

A smiled spread across Vinny's face and he saw Jay give him a thumbs up.

"Thanks for having my back. You really didn't have to do that." Jay said to the cameraman in red.

"Trust me when I say I had to. You literally would fall over on live TV." Vinny insisted.

Cole crossed his arms and leaned on a wall. "Did Zane give you the que cards with what you are supposed to say?"

Vinny reached into his pocket and pulled up folded index cards. "Yup, I think I have it mostly memorized but I'm nervous. I'm normally behind the camera, not speaking into it."

Nya smiled reassuringly, "I'm sure you'll be fine. You aren't the only one talking so no pressure. Just smile and relax."

He nodded taking in the advice. "Thanks. I just hope I can pull this off. Zane also wrote things on here that Kai would say at a time like this... is he always this cocky?"

Everyone either sighed or rolled their eyes. Zane stepped by into the room with a wheelchair. He heard what Vinny said.

"I'm afraid Kai is always that way. I have compiled many smart remarks from all these years and added some into your speech." Zane explained and rolled the wheelchair next to Jay. Cole helped Jay transfer over to the wheelchair.

Vinny cringed, "But I'm not cocky..."

"Then we'll help you unlock your inner Kai! What's the first thing you say?" Cole asked.

Vinny frowned and read the line, "Do I have to?" He received nods as his answer. He sighed and took a deep breath. "Hello Ninjago city... did you miss me?" He said sounding confused.

Cole face palmed, "You have to sell it! Say it with confidence!"

Jay perked up from the wheelchair. "Oh! Oh! Add a wink! Kai would totally do that!"

Vinny took another deep breath to prepare himself to try again. Before he could get the words out, the double doors at one side of the room opened and a security guard stepped in. "You're on, ninja."

The ninja team started to filed into the next room where reporters and fans awaited. Lloyd put a hand on Vinny's shoulder.

"Sorry if I seemed harsh earlier. I was so worried about this whole thing with the statement and Kai that I didn't notice Jay wasn't in the best shape as he said he was." Lloyd said while slowly inching to the next room.

"It's alright. I understand. I haven't been around you guys long but I can that being a ninja has a lot to it. I really respect that. Sorry if I messed up the system."

Lloyd smirked, "Well today we have to remind the people of Ninjago that we are human."

Together they stepped into the room. Blinded by camera flashes and deafened by screams. Lloyd waved to the crowd and somehow they got even louder.

Lloyd glanced to Vinny in the corner of his eye. He whispered cheerfully, "Smile."

/

Sorry it's been so long! I'm now official graduated from high school and I have more time to write again! I'm also a cosplayer so now I'm working really hard to finish up my current projects. My instagram is Akaguard. You should DM me a hello! I would like to see the people who visit me from this website.

My schedule is terrible. I wake up in the afternoon and the whole day I work on cosplay. Because I am nocturnal, at night I either write fan fictions or read fan fictions. I go to bed sooo late but I find that I write chapters best when I'm at the giggly tired phase of the night. You can probably tell by some of my writing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(Right before posting this, I updated my past chapters to say Vinny now that he has a cannon name! I gave him the name David because when I first started writing this he didn't have a name. Sorry for the confusion!)