The next morning, Wu and Matilda insisted the youths go out to do some shopping for disguises—even Eagle Talon, who had protested at first, before Matilda finally persuaded him that dressing up in human clothes along with the ninja was the only way to rescue Little Leaf. Talon groaned and grumbled about it, especially about actually having to go into Ninjago City to the mall with the ninja and pick out his own clothes. He didn't see why he had to change his choice of wear, and for once the other boys agreed with him.
"We've already got stuff to wear to parties," Cole had proclaimed stubbornly. "Why do we have to go out and buy new clothes?"
"Merlin's beard, you're going in disguise, for heaven's sake!" Matilda had snapped back impatiently. "You aren't very well going to go into that den of lions wearing your custom-made tuxedo, now, are you? You're pretending to be Dog Bone's guests—esteemed crime lords—not grubby high schoolers at the prom!"
"So, what exactly is the look we're going for here?" Nya had questioned.
"Go for sordid gangsters pretending they're going to a royal ball but they're not really taking it seriously because they're just in it for the snacks," Matilda had huffed.
"That... sounds... good?" Nya had said.
Thus Cole, Nya, Zane, Lloyd, Liana, and Eagle Talon found themselves is the local mall in search of half-decent disguises. The boys—especially Eagle Talon, who found himself completely overwhelmed by the strange environment, loud noises, and odd smells—went about the task sluggishly, rummaging half-heartedly through the rows and hangers for something to pass off, in Matilda's term, as "sordid gangsters pretending they're going to a royal ball but they're not really taking it seriously because they're just in it for the snacks".
Nya and Liana, on the other hand, immediately split up from the group and darted amongst the women's section, sharing discreet whispers and girlish titters every once in a while.
Liana had never liked shopping for clothes very much. After the accident that left her permanently blind, picking out new toys, dresses, school supplies and such became a very difficult and uncomfortable experience. She couldn't see the latest "Bobby Builders" sets Philip loved to play with or her "Mia And Me" dolls. She couldn't see the clothes she was wearing or wanted to wear, and she couldn't see which binders had cute puppies on the cover or the colors of her crayons.
Thus her family found themselves with the task of picking them out for her. Liana acted like she didn't mind not being able to see her toys and books, but inside it hurt that she would never be able to see the lovely colors of her mother's dresses or her own dolls' smiling faces. She learned to identify everything by touch, and eventually the memory of sight faded away into the constant nothingness she lived with today.
Her mother was the one who took her shopping for clothes. Liana still remembered one of the first times the two of them had gone to the village shop after the accident: her sixth birthday had been near at the time, and her mother had wanted her to wear a new dress for her party. She remembered the buzzing chatter of the fellow customers surrounding her, and the clip-clop of their shoes. She had felt very small in the enormous space filled with loud people, and had clung to the warm, comforting hand of her mother as she was led down the hallways and aisles.
"Feel the ruffles of this skirt, Liana. Do you like them?" Her mother had handed her young daughter one of the dresses on the rack.
Liana had run her chubby little fingers up and down the soft, thin material. Lines of cloth stood up from the skirt, and she felt somewhat puffy ruffles at the arm holes. The little gown felt comforting and elegant, and the child hugged it to her chest. "I like it, Mommy."
"I like it, too." Her mother's fingers had run affectionately through her daughter's hair, which she had braided into pigtails that morning. "And won't the pink and blue colors match your lovely hair so well?"
Young Liana had frowned in confusion. "I can't see the pink and blue, Mommy," she'd said. "I don't even remember what they look like."
A long moment of silence followed. The comforting fingers left her hair abruptly. The little girl felt a twinge of unease when she couldn't hear her mother anymore.
"Mommy?"
"I— yes. Of course." She heard her mother's voice. It sounded oddly strangled, as if she was choking on something. "I'm sorry, honey... I—I forgot." A shuddering gasp followed, and Liana had realized her mother was crying.
"Don't cry!" the little girl had exclaimed anxiously. She didn't know why her mother was crying, but it scared her. Her fear overwhelmed her, and her young voice began to quiver. "Did I do something bad?"
"No!" Her mother had gasped. "No, no! Of course not, honey! I just—" She choked again and hugged Liana tightly. "I'm sorry— I— I just wish you could see."
From then on Liana had left the decision of picking out clothing articles to her mother. At age thirteen she finally stopped coming to the mall. She told her mother that she didn't care what it looked like as long as it was acceptable and comfortable.
She didn't care about the style of clothing or what colors or patterns she wore, for how can one care about a soundless, lifeless thing when they cannot see it? Clothes were merely a way for humans to protect their thin bodies from the natural elements and to be modest, and Liana didn't see why the girls at school always made such a terrible fuss about it. It irritated her when someone would ask her something such as, "So, what're you gonna wear to Angela Morrison's birthday party?", to which she would reply sarcastically, "Clothes—unless we're going naked this year."
When her parents passed away, Liana had been at the age when she pretty much stopped growing, so she was able to wear the same things for years afterwards—even though when she came to Stiix, Hallie and Tiffany would complain that her clothes were always so old-fashioned and outdated.
With this history of clothes-shopping in mind, it was only natural Liana accepted the task to pick out outfits for the occasion with reluctance, and thought that she would make Nya very uncomfortable in the fact that she couldn't see the numerous dresses on the hangers and would need help finding matching articles. Nya hadn't sounded too keen on shopping either, mostly because over the years being on the ninja team had made feel like she ought to leave behind her feminine side.
However, confidence flared in Nya once they had entered the mall, and she took Liana by the hand and led her easily down the hallways and aisles of the ladies' sections. She adjusted herself to Liana's needs and inspected potential outfits for her, letting her feel the shape and physical style of the skirts and gowns. Nya found clothing that complimented Liana's complexion and physique, and Liana made her decisions based on her sense of touch.
After an extensive search—during which the two girls chatted and tittered happily to pass the time—she finally settled on a soft, slim qipao dress with silk, swirling ridges across the skirt. Nya told her it was blue with pink outlining that had cherry tree blossoms and colorful flowers designed on it, and that she looked very beautiful in it. They also chose a matching masquerade mask for her, in order to cover her scarred face and pupiless eyes. "You're playing the part of a rich crime lord's daughter," Nya explained. "So you'll be wearing something slightly fancier than I will. I'm going to be more of a street rat."
Though without sight, Liana took part in helping Nya choose something, too. She would trace her fingers along the patterns, sleeves, skirt and such when Nya came out of the dressing room and judge it from sense of touch. The final product of her outfit included ripped jeans, a stylish leather jacket, and a messy ponytail wig. Liana obviously couldn't see what she looked like, but she claimed that Nya "felt" cool.
When the girls finally finished their mission and met the boys at the front of the mall, Liana heard Nya suck in her breath and chuckle. "Tell me shopping wasn't that bad, boys!"
Liana heard Eagle Talon huff and an intake of his breath as if he were about to say something, but Cole replied first. "Next time we're shopping for gangster disguises with a werecat—" He growled, "You help Talon find a suit, and I'll help Liana choose a dress."
Liana smirked. "I'd sooner let Eagle Talon choose for me."
* * *
"The party starts in just a few hours, when it's getting dark," Nya announced. "I've got the guest list Zane and Pixal adjusted, so we might as well establish who we're going as now."
After returning from the shopping trip, the motley rescue team gathered in the bridge of the Bounty to go over the plan. Liana, Nya, Cole, Zane, Lloyd, Talon, Wu, and Matilda all faced each other in a sort of jumbled-up circle.
"Now, we all have wrist communicators to contact each other, right?" Nya clarified.
"Oh, is that what these are?" Matilda exclaimed with her familiar edge of sarcasm. She held up her thin wrist adorned by a wristwatch-like contraption and eyed it critically. "I thought this was some sort of new fad the kids are into."
"You press this doohickey and talk to it like it's you guys, right?" Eagle Talon asked, staring curiously at the communicator strapped to his own wrist. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around the technology the humans were introducing him to, but he was trying earnestly to understand. He didn't want to be make a mouse-brained mistake and cost the entire mission—that could put Little Leaf in even more danger.
"Yeah." Nya nodded briskly in his direction. "Pretty much. Anyway, Master Wu and Matilda will stay here on the Bounty nearby and stay in touch with everyone. As long as we wear these wristbands, they'll be able to keep track of everybody."
"Speaking of everybody," Zane interjected. "I believe now would be a suitable time for those of us involved in the undercover mission to learn of who we are playing as. You do have the new guest list, don't you, Nya?"
"Of course." Nya gestured to the computer screen, where a tab holding a list of names had been pulled up.
"Before you organize yourselves and make your undercover identities permanent on the list," Wu interjected. "Miss Ravencroft and I have decided we would prefer it if the Nya and Liana each had a partner to stick with."
"What?" Liana raised her eyebrows, and Nya beside her frowned. "Why?"
"Why do you think?" Matilda retorted. "You lot are joining a very dangerous crowd where men outnumber the women, and you're going to have to split up into smaller groups so as to not be conspicuous. And you two are both very young and very pretty."
Liana caught her meaning and exclaimed rather indignantly, "We can take care of ourselves! We're not helpless, you know!"
"We know that, but they don't," Matilda pointed out. "We know perfectly well that the both of you could give any of those villains a run for their money, but you could blow your cover if you're flinging grabby men across the snack table and smashing them against the wall. That won't help Little Leaf much, would it?"
"I guess not..." Nya accepted with acquiesce.
"Good." Matilda scanned the boys. "Nya, you can be Cole and Talon's younger sister. You all have the hair for it, and Cole and Talon's eyes are even the same color."
"Could Liana be my sister?" Lloyd suggested. "I mean, we both have blond hair."
"Yes, but yours is more golden and thicker, while hers is lighter and of a different texture. Not to mention the fact that in physique you two don't share very much in common." Matilda decided in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, "You can be her boyfriend."
Both Lloyd and Liana suddenly looked rather uncomfortable, and Lloyd glanced at her awkwardly. "Uhh... OK."
"So that's settled." Matilda said with a note of approval. "Good. How about names?"
"Oh—right." Nya glanced back at the computer screen. "Zane, you're going to be Mr. Orville 'Steel' Miller—otherwise known as one of Dog Bone's experts in mechanics, building his machines and smuggling parts across the village borders. We can change your speech pattern to fit your character, and you can say that a exploding fuel tank accident or something led to you getting facial surgery, which will speak for your—um—titaniumness."
"That sounds good," Zane agreed.
"Lloyd, you'll be Mike Lucas, a former circus blade-thrower who joined the riding parties and is known for all the men he's taken out for trying to cheat him out of his dough."
"That's going to be my boyfriend?" Liana exclaimed. "Jeez, I have bad taste."
"Hey. I resent that," Lloyd protested lightly.
"Liana, you'll be Pearl, the daughter of George 'the Blade' Merriweather, a rich crime lord who works with Dog Bone. Cole, Talon, since we're siblings, we'll be..." Nya looked at the computer and tapped a few adjustments on the keyboard. "Jason, Leo, and Holly Baldry."
"Great. I've always wanted a brother and a sister." Cole rolled his eyes.
"Two sisters are enough, thank you very much," Eagle Talon said.
"Please tell me you two won't be arguing the whole time we're there," Nya groaned.
"Well done." Matilda smirked. "You three will pass off easily as siblings."
"By the way, Nya, if we're all going as these people," Cole asked. "Where will the real ones be? Won't they come to the gathering, too?"
"I deleted their invitations before they could see them." Nya winked. "So we won't have double trouble to worry about."
"Let's go over the plan one more time," said Lloyd, drawing the group back to the point of the meeting. "We'll get in through the main gate in separate groups: Zane by himself, me and Liana together, and Cole, Talon, and Nya last. We'll mix in with the crowd, get a hang on what's going on and who we should watch out for—"
"While keeping contact with each other using our communication watches, of course," Zane interjected.
"Of course." Lloyd nodded. "We'll find out where they're keeping Little Leaf prisoner, then one of us can get her with the others keeping a lookout while there's a speech going on or something. We have no idea what they'll be doing in that castle, so we're going to have to be alert for any chance to slip away."
"Let's not forget the moonstone Dog Bone has," Cole said, arching his eyebrows. "If we want to stop those filthy, mouse-eating cats from using those moonstone pieces to do who-knows-what, we're going to have to get that jewel."
"Mouse dung to that!" Eagle Talon snapped, glaring at Cole.
"Oh— uh— sorry," Cole stammered awkwardly. "No offense, I mean, Talon..."
"How was that not offensive?!" Talon huffed. "We may be enemies, but while we're stuck in this deal I don't have to listen to you talking dirt about brave warriors—"
"Brave warriors who steal and kidnap innocent people?" Nya challenged.
"Corpus bones! Won't you lot shut your traps!" Matilda exclaimed.
Cole and Talon simultaneously scowled at the witch, but refrained from retorting.
"We don't want to get into a fight with Dog Bone or any of his goons," Lloyd continued. "So we're just going to grab Little Leaf and get out of there as fast as we can."
"And what? We just leave all those gangsters to do their own thing?" Nya asked, frowning.
"We'll have to," Lloyd responded grimly. "The Moon Tribe is our main concern right now, and I don't think we can take on all those gangs without the whole team. With Kai and Jay out of commission, we're vulnerable."
There was a brief moment of silence. Then Nya spoke up. "Well, what are we waiting for?"
Eagle Talon's feline eyes flashed with anticipation. "Let's crash this party."
* * *
Evening was falling upon the thickly wooded valley. Torches cast flickering shadows across the stone walls and structure of the massive fortress. Men bearing muskets and swords drifted up and down the wall surrounding the palace, glancing lazily into the surrounding pine forest and once in a while sharing quiet, idle comments with one another. Light and music came from the main building where at least several dozen people were gathering into through a pair of great wooden doors.
Light flooded down from the tall, narrow windows and the balconies suspended up on the sides of the building. Elegantly-dressed silhouettes could be seen drifting to and fro the balconies, and chatter emanated from the openings, signs of the party having begun. Above the towering fortress, the stars beginning to gather in the night sky glittered coldly.
Two shabbily-dressed men bearing arms stood at the foot of the main gate, looking bored. All they had been doing all evening was asking the names of anyone who showed up at the wall and requested entry, checking to see if their names were on the list, then ushering them inside the palace courtyard. The amount of people showing up was now steadily decreasing, and the guards were beginning to grow idle.
One of them—a dark, shaggy-haired man wearing a worn rice hat and a katana at his belt—glanced up at the towers standing behind him, catching sight of small figures standing at the windows where faint music and light seeped through. "I hope our replacements come soon. I'm getting hungry, and it sounds like a sweet party up there."
"Y'know it's mostly rich folks just standing around jabbering about money an' stuff, right?" His companion responded lazily, leaning against the wooden gate. "Not really what I'd call a wild hootenanny."
"But they've got food, and it smells darn good." The first guy smirked. "So's the ladies there."
The second man grinned back, revealing yellow and crooked teeth. "Yeah, well, we'll get in there and have our fun when— oh, look, more of them guests."
A single man appeared from the shadows of the trees, wearing simple clothing adorned by a wide leather belt carrying several pistols and blades. A wide-brimmed hat shielded his eyes from view, but from what the guards could make of his face, it looked strangely metallic—as if his entire face were made of silver—or titanium.
The guard with the beard pulled out his clipboard and asked in monotone, "Name?"
"Mr. Orville Miller," the man replied. His voice sounded oddly robotic, but the guards took little notice of that.
"Oh, yeh—you'll pass, Mr. Steel." The guard pulled on the latch of one of the towering gates, and the other man assisted him in opening them. Mr. Miller gave them a cool nod as he passed through, and the gates were closed behind them.
"How many more of these guests are left, Barty?" the first man puffed as he shut the gate. "I'm getting tired of opening and closing this darned gate over and over again."
"Just a half dozen more or so," Barty replied, leaning his back against the gate again. "Our shift's nearly over."
"Good, cuz I'm starved. I feel as thin as a stick."
"You certainly don't look as thin as a stick." Barty smirked at his companion's slightly overweight belly bulging from his shirt.
"Hey!" The guard curled his lip. "You ain't so skinny yourself, Mr. Prim an' Perfect! How'd you like to lose some of those extra pounds with my fist up yer—?"
"Save it, Bob, there're more of 'em." Barty gestured to two more figures emerging from the trees. One was a young lady in a lovely blue qipao dress and a masquerade mask adorned in soft blue and white feathers made to look like a swan's. Her pale blond hair was styled into a stylish bun held together by flower pieces, and her rose-red lips curved into an enticing smile. If the guards hadn't been had their gazes entranced by her appearance, they might have noticed the nervous, fluttering rise and fall of her chest.
With the young woman was a young man who looked to be around her age. He had his arm around hers, was wearing a green hoodie, a belt holding a notched katana in a sheath, and worn boots. The hood of his sweater worked on hiding his golden hair, and his eyes glittered nervously from under the bangs.
"Name?" Barty pulled out his clipboard again.
"Pearl Merriweather," the girl responded primly. "Daughter of George 'the Blade' Merriweather. And this is my boyfriend, Mike Lucas."
The young man at her side seemed to be biting back a cringe.
"Oh." The guards shared an uneasy glance. Whatever games they were planning to play with this girl evaporated like mist as soon as the Blade's name was mentioned. Nobody wanted to get on his bad side. "Yes— yeah, you can pass."
As they shut the gates behind the couple, Bob whispered cheekily, "Pretty thing, ain't she?"
Barty cast Bob a hard stare. "Don't get any wise ideas, chucklehead. You try messing with the Blade's daughter, yer a dead man."
"Just joking," Bob responded lightly. His gaze turned away lazily. "Reckon they got turkey up there? In that dining hall?"
Barty licked his lips at the thought. "Yeah. For sure. Probably covered in gravy."
"An' pizza?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Probably have cake, too," Bob said dreamily, smiling wistfully.
"An' caviar."
"What's caviar?"
"It's rich folks' food," Barty replied. "It's fish eggs or somethin'. Supposed to be real fancy an' stuff."
"Ew. Fish eggs?" Bob made a face. "Sounds gross to me."
"'Course it does to you, 'cause you ain't got no taste—"
Before they could begin arguing, three more people appeared from the depths of the pine forest. Two of them were young men who looked rather alike each other—each had coal-black, shaggy hair framing their serious faces, and thick eyebrows above their glittering green eyes. They wore leather jackets, dark, sleek pants and matching boots.
The third companion with them was a younger girl with a pretty, alluring face and a ink-black, messy ponytail framing it. She wore a short leather jacket and ripped jeans, giving a rough, yet attractive, appearance. Though the small group at first glance looked to be a street-rat, raggedy crew, expensive jewelry and weaponry at their belts were a sign of wealth—not to mention danger.
Barty heaved a quick sigh and pulled out his clipboard once more. "Names?"
One of the young men answered, glancing at his companions as he did so. "I'm Jason, this is my brother Leo, and our younger sister Holly—we're the Baldry siblings."
"Uh-huh." Barty turned to the gate and pulled. "You're in."
He and Bob pulled the gates open, and the three guests quickly slipped in. After shutting the gates behind them, Bob exclaimed, "Dang, how many people are coming to this thing?!"
"A lot," Barty grunted. He scratched his beard and picked out a flea. "Y'know, those boys looked like brothers, but not the girl."
"Well, yeah, probably because she's a girl," Bob responded.
"I know she doesn't look like a brother, chucklehead!" Barty snapped. "I meant she didn't look much like she was related to them."
"Ohh." Bob smirked. "Maybe Mummy had a lot of friends."
Barty laughed, "Yeh, maybe."
Just then, yet another figure arose from the shadows and strode quietly to the gates. Barty sighed again and grabbed his clipboard. "Name?"
The figure stepped into the light of the torches and murmured, "You need not know it."
Barty and Bob squinted at the person in from top them and frowned. It was a middle-aged man with shaggy hair hair wearing animal skins, and an oddly-shaped sheath was strapped to the leather belt around his waist. There was a wild, unkempt appearance to this character. His eyes reflected the light of the fire of the torches, making them glow eerily.
"Uh, yuh, I do, actually," Barty retorted. "We can't let you in unless yer name's on this here list."
The man shrugged casually and smiled. "Oh. That's all right. I'll let myself in."
Claws flashed from his hands and slashed through the air, ripping through their targets with a sickening sound. The two guards choked and tumbled to the ground before they could scream.