i used weird terms for different ship parts
they're all defined at the end just in case
~
You could hear a quiet tune coming from inside the ship.
"Yes!" You clearly heard Jay's shout. "I got the radio working!"
You held a small grin as you turned back to your task. The ruined sails of the boat resembled enormous folded dragon wings. The fabric was littered with holes and tears and a great layer of dust and sand covered it. Ropes tangled around the tall mast, some still seeming quite durable despite their age. You wanted to believe that everything was still salvageable. You've been using your Element to clean the sails off, and you're thinking of finding some sewing materials and climbing up to patch the holes in the sails.
You're probably the best person to do that, anyways, with your extended reach and fair practice. You might chat with Wu and Nya afterwards to ask about the best way to fix the sails, once they return.
"Heads up!" You glanced back to the doors into the ship. Cole gently moved through the open doors with a two-person couch upon his shoulders. It never ceases to amaze you how strong Cole is with his Element. "Old couch coming through."
You offered Cole enough room for him to pass as you continued cleaning the sails. You eventually calmed the winds and glanced towards the end of the boat. Cole dropped the large couch off the ship before heading back up and into the ship (but not before offering you a wave and asking if you needed any water).
You stepped off the ship and approached the growing pile of unwanted furniture. There was a sign posted up front you couldn't read. You glanced over the garbage for anything you could salvage.
The pile mostly consisted of stained furniture and carpet, though there were a few boxes of miscellaneous objects lying around. You checked through the boxes for a short bit. You managed to find an old bag, some spare fabric and string, and a scrap of metal you could use as a needle.
It should be good enough to patch the sails with. And if it isn't, you're sure you could fix it once Wu and Nya return with more supplies.
Well, if they do get some sewing supplies. You'd forgotten to tell them to purchase some. You're sure Wu would, but you never know.
With a worn bag of supplies, you headed back to the sail and stood before the mast. You stared up at the towering wooden pole before beginning your climb up the rigging. With the shape of the sails, it'll be difficult fixing the holes towards the farther ends. You'll just start from the inside and work your way outward.
You tossed your bag into the nest before hopping in yourself. You glanced up at the shredded flag still waving in the wind. You couldn't make much of the pattern, though you'd like to assume the black flag bore a white skull and crossbones as their pattern.
You've read some children's books before about pirates, so you knew the stereotypes.
There were also a few objects within the nest that survived the possible centuries of time. You found a broken handheld telescope, its metal rusted to the point of dust and its glass lenses missing. There was also a long length of rope that seemed quite sturdy enough to be used You left the telescope behind, though you ended up taking the rope with to help you with your task.
You tied the rope to the top of the mast before tying the other end around your waist. Most likely, it'll catch you if you slip and fall. Best case scenario when you slip, you bruise your hips and have to walk in pain for the next several days. Worst case, the rope snaps and you hit the ground, breaking something important.
Hopefully, it doesn't come to that.
Your bag hung upon your shoulders and draped over your chest, making it easier to reach for your materials. You slowly climbed down the mast towards the first hole you wanted to patch. The hole wasn't all that large, though you definitely needed a scrap of cloth to help even the fabric out. You found a stray piece of cloth in your bag and held it up to the hole. It seemed good enough, so you gathered your materials and began sewing.
It was certainly difficult using only one hand most of the time. You were able to use your other hand to thread the needle, though you couldn't let go of the mast with your arm. You did your best to patch the hole, poking your fingers several times along the way, though you soon repaired the hole.
Now onto the next.
"(Y/n)!"
One of your feet barely slipped, though you kept a firm grip on the mast.
"What are you doing up there?"
You did your best to hide your confused expression as you glanced down at the ship. There stood Kai, staring up at you with what you wanted to believe was a nervous expression.
"Fixing the sail?" You called back down.
"Isn't that a bit pointless, though?" Kai called back. "This thing's not going anywhere!"
You blinked. You glanced up at the single hole you've already fixed. To be fair, Kai was right. This ship was ancient. Even if you repaired the sail, there were so many other things broken on the ship it wouldn't sail anyway.
You were so focused on cleaning and fixing, you'd forgotten to account for the fact that maybe you're not helping.
You're not helping?
You placed your needle and thread into the bag before reaching for the rope around your waist. You struggled to undo the knot before eventually giving up. You'll climb down closer to the bottom and untie it there. If you manage to fall, it'll be far less of a drop then.
You climbed down to the lower end of the sail before settling on the bottom yard. You reached for the rope and attempted to untie it once again, though quickly stopped in surprise. Your other hand, the one that held onto the mast and suffered through several pokes of your needle, was just barely bleeding. Small streaks of blood stained your fingers.
You were so focused on your task.
You wiped off what blood you could before working on the knot around your waist.
"You alright, (Y/n)?"
You looked down at the deck once again. Jay had joined Kai, now, and the two stared up at you.
"I'm okay," You called back. "Just... can't take the rope off, right now..."
The two ninja glanced at each other anxiously before glancing back up at you. "You sure you're okay?" Jay questioned.
The knot loosened enough for you to untie it. "Yeah?" You did your best to sound confident, though your voice quavered just a little bit. "I'm okay." You reached for the mast and began your climb down to the bottom.
Once you were close enough to the ground, you leapt from the mast and landed. The ground cracked, and you stumbled forward in surprise. You turned and glanced at the ground, which now held a tiny hole where you had landed.
At least you didn't fall through. That would've been a great mess to repair.
"(Y/n), your hand!" Jay was immediately by your side. He had held out a hand to your wrist.
You jerked your hand back before slowly showing your palm off. "I'm alright," You said. "Just a little injury. I'll go clean up."
"Well, uh," Jay offered a small smile. "At least, we got the plumbing working? You can wash your hand in any sink without any dust showing up like, uh..." Jay let out a nervous laugh, "like this morning."
You held a tiny grin. "Thank you." You turned and quickly headed into the ship.
"Wait, (Y/n)," Kai called. You heard the two follow after you.
You glanced back at the two curiously.
"You sure you're okay?" Kai repeated the question.
"Yeah," You lied through your teeth. You showed off your hand. "It's just a little—"
"No, uh," Kai nervously interrupted you. "We, uh... meant emotionally."
"'...Emotionally,'" You repeated. It was a word you hadn't heard in Ninjagoan, before.
"Yeah, like, uh," Jay quickly began to ramble, "like... are you feeling pretty, uh... upset, or anything? We... kind of get that you lived at the monastery a lot longer than anyone, and the fact that you seem okay just doesn't really sit right with most of us, and we're just wondering if you're actually doing okay?"
"Yeah," You held your ground. "I should go wash my hand, now..." You turned before the two could interject. You could hear them following you, but you did your best to ignore them. You ducked into the kitchen and headed to the sink.
Like Jay said, the sink was working. Its metal was almost completely clean, and the water that rushed out looked almost pure. You silently washed your hand before inspecting it. The cuts seemed to have healed mostly on their own. You're sure the scabs will stick around for only a couple of days before your hand looks good as new. You dried off your hands and checked one last time.
"(Y/n), there you are!"
You glanced over to watch Nya enter the kitchen. "Oh, you're back."
"Yup!" Nya held out a small bag. "We bought some stuff for you, too."
You took the bag and glanced inside. There were small rolls of fabric and a small plastic box of supplies.
"I would've dropped it off at your room, though I didn't know where your room was," Nya held a small smile and offered a shrug.
You sniffed once as you blinked back your tears. You quickly reached out and hugged Nya. She had let out a surprised squeak at your motion, though soon relented and offered you a hug.
Nya let out a short laugh. "Wow, um... Are you okay?"
"...Yeah," Still, you refused to admit how you were truly feeling. "Just... really happy." To be gifted something you thought was important so soon after losing everything, it tore at your heart in a way that felt bittersweet.
You heard the sound of a horn outside. You glanced up curiously before setting Nya down (you didn't even realise you picked her up during your hug) and heading to the kitchen's exit. You peeked outside for a moment just as you heard something crash outside.
"Looks like we have visitors, huh?" Nya mentioned. "And some loud ones, at that."
You left the kitchen with Nya right behind you. On your way to the ship's exit, you heard the four ninja talking to one another.
"They don't know when to quit!" You caught part of Jay's ramblings. "If they start yapping, don't encourage them, okay? If you start talking back, then they'll keep talking, and suddenly the whole day's gone and—"
"Okay, we get it. Your parents talk a lot," Kai interrupted the blue ninja. As you approached, Kai mumbled, "Cherry doesn't fall far from the tree, huh?"
"Jay's parents are here?" You quietly asked.
Jay glanced your way in surprise before nervously fidgeting. "Yeah, they are," He stumbled over his words. "I just visited this morning! I don't know why they're here..."
You heard another horn honk outside, followed by something falling over. Whatever Cole had set up out there was probably scattered around.
Jay flushed red before rushing outside. Everyone tagged along and headed out to the ship's deck.
"Does the ship have a name?" You quietly mused when you exited the boat. You've heard of pirates naming their ships. Maybe your friends did the same?
Cole offered a short nod. "I think Jay called it Destiny's Bounty—"
"Yeah, yeah, I did," Jay spoke a bit too quickly. Jay dashed over to the edge of the boat and peered over. "Mum, dad!" Jay forced some happiness. "What are you doing here?"
"'Destiny's Bounty,'" You pondered. You've heard 'destiny' before, dozens of times. Morro had mentioned it a few times before, and Wu had talked about it from time to time. You glanced up towards the large wing-shaped sails. You spotted your small fix from all the way down there.
It was a fitting name, you thought.
"Ma, I visited you this morning," Jay urgently stressed.
"Oh, but you didn't stick around for any cookies!" An elder woman voice joyously replied.
You looked over towards the side end of Destiny. Two elder parents had boarded the ship. Jay's mother wore a neat sweater over a floral shirt despite the hot weather. Her grey hair was up in a bun and she wore small wire glasses on her face. She carried a plastic box full of cookies. Jay's father stood right beside his wife. In contrast, Jay's father wore a pair of oil-stained overalls over a light blue dress shirt. A pair of old goggles rested upon his grey hair.
"Your mother took quite some times to make them perfect!" Jay's father quickly stated. "And you didn't even stick around to see my latest invention!"
"You hardly stay at the junkyard," Jay's mother mentioned. "You need to visit more often!"
Jay flushed at his mother's words. "Ma, do we have to talk about the junkyard in front of my friends."
"Oh, don't be so upset," Jay's mother kindly scolded. She glanced towards the other ninja. "He hates when we mention he was born in a junkyard."
Then her eyes landed on you.
Your fear spiked for only a moment before the woman's expression brightened. "Oh, and who might you be?" Fearlessly, Jay's mother approached you. "Aren't you tall? I bet you're pretty strong, too!"
Your brain stopped functioning for a short while. "I, uh... what...?"
"Hell yeah, (Y/n)'s strong," Kai jumped into the conversation. "They could almost take on Cole, and he's the strongest one here."
"They can?" Cole curiously glanced between you and Kai.
"Certainly," Zane added. "They had managed to hold you off for quite some time while you were under hypnosis."
Your face burned with embarrassment. The last thing you were expecting was a compliment. You were expecting Jay's mother to run off in fear at the sight of you, not for her to walk right up to you and say that you seemed strong.
And your friends weren't helping at all.
"Isn't that fine to hear?" Jay's father exclaimed. "I could certainly use a hand with some of my bigger projects. Maybe you could stop by and help out!"
"Dad, seriously?" Surprisingly, Jay's face seemed as red as yours felt.
"Thanks, um," You hesitated. "It's nice to hear." It was felt good being complimented in a world where the nicest thing people called you was "weird." "I like your shirts..." You nervously said. You weren't sure what else to say.
"Oh, you're too kind," Jay's mother bashfully stated. "Thank you!"
"I haven't changed shirts since Monday, but thank you," Jay's father held a small smile.
"Ed, dear," Jay's mother gently smacked her husband's upper arm. "You're not supposed to tell people that."
"Whoops," Jay's father, Ed, held a grin.
"Okay, well, you got to deliver your cookies," Jay butted into the conversation, "can you please leave?"
"You haven't tried my cookies, though!" Jay's mother exclaimed. "I want to see what your friends would say about them, too! I did something a bit different, this time around."
"Maybe you can... stay for lunch?" You quietly offered. You were very unsure if that was the right choice. It was almost lunch time, anyway, and Wu and Nya had just returned from shopping.
"What?!" You flinched at Jay's outburst. Or, maybe it wasn't.
"Oh, we'd love to!" Despite that, Jay's parents seemed excited to be offered such a simple thing. Jay's mother held a wide smile. "Thank you so much!"
"We have not started lunch yet," Zane began, "but I could start making something. In the meantime, though—"
"Jay could show you around the Bounty," Nya cut Zane off. "He and the others have been spending all day cleaning the place up."
You glanced at Nya questionably. Why was she making Jay hang out with his parents...?
"We'd love a tour!" Jay's parents ecstatically exclaimed.
Jay only looked frustrated and annoyed. "Okay, come on."
You nervously stepped out of the way as the family of three headed on into the boat. Jay and his parents disappeared, leaving you outside with the others.
"Well," Kai was the first to speak. "That was something."
"Indeed," Zane mentioned. He then looked to Nya and Wu. "I am free to use the kitchen, correct?"
"Of course," Wu nodded. "Use whatever you like."
"(Y/n)," Zane glanced at you. "Would you like to help?"
"Oh," You paused. You had to think for a moment. You've cooked for the others, but never for anyone outside of the monastery. Maybe you could try, see if your cooking holds up. Besides, Jay's mother seemed like a good chef. Perhaps she could offer you some new tips as an outside source. "Sure. What are we making?"
~
nothing like looking up ship diagrams because i like using correct terminology
in case some are new terms:
mast = the tall pole on the ship that holds the sails
rigging = the ropes and nets that connect the mast, sails, and deck to each other (unless i'm wrong which is highly likely)
crow's nest = that big bucket at the top of the mast that someone can stand / sit in
yard = the part of the mast that's horizontal to the mast? it holds the bottom and top parts of the sail in place?
also yeah i copied the conversation between jay and his parents from my other story i'm sorry