The attack wasn't as dangerous as the old ones. It didn't feel like Garmadon had put any effort in it.
Brandon made his way to Garmadon's volcano after the attack. Everyone was working, as usual. But the gossip and chatting had increased ever since Garmadon began working on his new project.
Brandon opened the door to the fireplace room and saw Garmadon reading a letter while sitting on the armchair near the fireplace.
Can't he just text or something? Brandon thought before walking up to Garmadon.
"Brandon, I see that you're here. Come on, have a seat." Garmadon pointed at the other armchair near him.
Brandon took a seat, kind of surprised at Garmadon remembering his name. He -general thirteen- wasn't dressed in his work uniform this time and carried no weapons, Garmadon told him not to because it was a short meeting and he would be back at his house as soon as the meeting ends.
Garmadon started talking while gazing at the fireplace with the letter in his lower right hand, "You know why I called you here?"
Brandon stared at the fireplace, knowing where this was going and said with a calm voice, hiding the fact that he was doubting himself and his new mission, "Yes."
"You know what you have to do, right?"
"I do."
"And does she know anything about it?"
Brandon thought and questioned himself on which 'she' Garmadon was talking about, then said after realizing who he meant, "No, she doesn't."
"I hope you didn't become attached to her or anything." He looked at Brandon, his stare promised punishment for the wrong answer as he asked, "Or did you?"
"No, she means nothing to me," he lied, but he couldn't say the truth without putting himself and her in danger along with other people he cared about.
"Good." Garmadon added, "Because it would be a shame if you did, a general not able to do his job...you know where that got the others."
"It got them fired out of the volcano."
"Exactly, so don't mess it up. Because if you did, there will be consequences, ones you wish you will never see."
Brandon nodded his head, contemplating whether he could find a way out of his new mission before Garmadon ordered him to leave.
~~~
I walked to the candy store after the attack was over. I was dressed as S/n, covering my tattoo and wearing a face mask to hide my face. I didn't come to get my job back, I simply came because I wanted some candy, and was ready to bump into Lloyd at any second to talk to him as S/n because I wanted something to do and was clearly looking for trouble.
I walked in the aisles looking for the candy types I liked when I saw Lloyd enter the place. Ms. Anne, the owner, greeted him by name. He must be one of their loyal customers.
He saw me and smiled before walking to me.
"Hey, didn't expect to see you here," he said.
"Same." Another lie.
He asked, taking a few glances at my left arm, "When did you leave the hospital?"
"Friday."
"And is your arm okay now?"
"Getting better."
"Short answers, I see." He looked around. "I'll go get some candy. I'll see you later, maybe?"
"Wait," I said, stopping him from walking away. He turned to look at me again as I asked, "I still need to think of the favor you should do for me."
"What favo- Oh...yeah, I remember." He sighed. "Can't you cancel that?"
"Nope, and I don't even know what it is for now so you should be thankful at least."
"And? Should I go get some candy or do you have something else to say?" His eyes spotted the bandage covering my tattoo.
He asked, "Did you get injured again?"
"Yeah..."
He gave me a disappointed look. "Seriously? Again? This is the third injury you got...or at least the third out of the ones I knew about. Who knows what else you got yourself into."
"I'm not that stupid, I only have three injuries, nothing else."
"Sure, if you say so." He added, "I'm going to get some candy." And he went to the other aisle.
I looked for what I wanted and bought the candy before I left the store. Lloyd took longer than me before he left as well.
When he walked out the door, I was already sitting on the bench outside the shop and smuggling candy under my mask to not take it off.
"You're still here?" Lloyd asked before sitting beside me.
"Yup, I have nothing to do."
"Not a mission or anything? Maybe some mini crime?"
"Nope, my mission was to find out who you are, and I succeeded, and now I have nothing to do."
He ate some of his candy and asked, "Did you... tell my father?"
"No, and I think I'm about to get fired... Hopefully, I won't get yeeted out of his volcano."
He kept eating and staring at the road and the people passing by.
I asked, "Is that tattoo new?"
He looked at me then at the back of his left hand. "I got it two days ago."
"It looks cute." I asked, "Was it a matching tattoo kind of thing or is it only you who got one?"
He ate more candy then answered, "I went to the tattoo parlor with someone and we both got tattoos, not matching ones though."
"What did that someone get?"
"Some random shape she drew and requested." He glanced at the bandage near my right eye.
I asked, "Was it a date?"
"That's...really none of your business."
"Come on, tell me."
"Why should I?" he asked.
I replied, "Because this is the favor you have to do. You have to tell me about your date."
"Or...?"
"Or I'll find a way to make your life a living hell."
"You should find a way to stop getting yourself in life-threatening situations first."
...That hurt.
"I will, once I hear about your date. Now tell me."
He rolled his eyes.
"Don't roll your eyes at me, I'm serious."
"Fine, but why don't we go somewhere else first?"
"Okay, as you wish."
~~~
We sat on the grass, leaning our backs against a tree at the park, watching some teens play football while we were eating candy.
"So?" I asked, "What happened on your date? Who's the girl you asked?"
"A classmate, and the date went pretty well."
"That's it? Nothing interesting happened?"
"I got a limited-edition comic book."
"That's not the kind of interesting I wanted to hear."
"What did you want to hear?"
"I don't know, some explosion, drama, or maybe you two found a dead body in an abandoned alleyway. Interesting stuff like that."
"You're not sick of explosions after one burned your arm?"
"This one wouldn't happen to me, I wasn't on your date with you."
He said, "No explosion happened."
"Damn, what a disappointment."
"No drama or dead bodies in abandoned alleyways either." He added, "But I found some dead bodies in an alleyway while I was saving the city during the attack."
Oh yeah, saving the city, sure you were. It's not like you followed the calmest girl home to make sure she's okay while other people were screaming and running around.
"Sounds like a boring date."
He asked, "Then what's your idea of a 'perfect' date?"
"Let me think." I thought then spoke, "Maybe going to the arcade. A bookstore. A reading date. F/f (favorite food). A Cinderella movie or something." I'm looking at you, Cindergreen. "Maybe even some flying among the clouds on a night full of starts and constellations, I don't know."
He blinked a few times then said, "Interesting...You're weird like her."
"Like who?"
"The girl I went on a date with."
Boy, her and I are the same person.
I asked after finding out that I already finished my candy, "Does she know about your double life?"
He glanced at me then back at the football players. "No, I won't tell her either."
"Why?"
"Because the point of wearing a mask is to become a different person, to have two lives to experience things you can't do when you're yourself," he said. "And if I took it off, Lloyd Garmadon and the Green Ninja, the most hated high schooler and the most loved Ninjago savior, will be one, and I don't want everyone to know that."