No P.O.V.
After the midnight incident the Mistresses of Shadow and Magic took different ways. Paty locked herself in her room to cry her heart out.
Zai went with Cole and told him what happened. Of course the new traveled to the whole Bounty in a few hours. Around 4 am everyone was up, staring to the ceiling; feeling frustrated. No one actually had a good sleep that night. If someone managed to fall asleep, they'd be tortured by horrible nightmares.
The Overlord won. He got what he wanted.
Few Days Later
Almost everyone in the Bounty was reunited on the dinning room of the Bounty feeling horrible, discussing the risk that it implied having the Overlord's soul in a friend's body
They couldn't hurt their friend. But the Overlord wouldn't hesitate to hurt them.
Jay walked in the room, with his eyes red from crying. He didn't take good the new, well no one actually did. But Jay became hysterical. He hurt his hand last night when he punched the wall in frustration.
— Hi Jay, is your hand better? —Potato asked sweetly.
— Does it really matter? —Jay asked ironically.
Morro was about to stand up and beat the blueberry ninja up, but Potato pulled his sleeve, giving her boyfriend (*cough* future husband *cough*) a warm yet slightly awkward smile as a code of "It's okay, he's more hurt than me". Morro frowned a bit, but nodded, respecting Potato's petition of not hurting Jay, and sat down. Wrapping his arm around her. Her safe-zone.
Jay sighed loudly sat next to Zai, and hide his face on his arms as he leaned into the table. He groaned in both pain and frustration. Zai patted his back.
— As much as I appreciate the pity, I'm okay —Jay said, clearly in a bad (awful) mood.
Despite they don't like Jay's mood. Nobody actually blames him, his girlfriend had their worst enemy rooming freely on her soul. And like Lloyd pointed out the last day: "Paty once told me, the first thing she needed to become strong, was becoming free". That left everyone with a deadly doubt on their heads. Does that mean the Overlord will get stronger? Strong enough to control Paty? Will they have to fighting her one day? Would she still fight beside them if it happens?
And if that wasn't enough, no one has seen Paty since Zai and she found out the Overlord was "free". Food isn't a problem, since she can spend a long time without food. Water, she has her elemental power. But still, everyone is worried sick. She hasn't talked to anyone, not even Jay.
Well, no. She talks to ONE person. Cole.
Which probably is a good booster for Jay's horrible mood. Jay feels betrayed, again. The poor thing is too insecure.
But being fully honest, not even Cole was able to see her. They talked through the door. He sat next to it, probably she does the same. And he listens to her, and he gives her a good advice.
Jay is obviously dying from jealousy. But Cole is a better listener than him, as sweet as Jay is, and as much as Paty and him love each other... Is well known that when Jay is stressed out, he becomes temporarily deaf. He refuses to listen, and that's why Paty hasn't talked to him.
But it's not like she has told much to Cole...
— Jay, we get you're angry, but don't be rude with the girls, it's not their fault —Cole said.
— Don't lecture me dirt clod —Jay groaned.
— Okay that's it. Go to your room. You're grounded —Cole replied.
Zane began to giggle as silently as he could. Everyone else gave him a weird look.
— What?
— Pun... intended? —Zane giggled, slightly embarrassed.
Everyone was pretty emotionally vulnerable, and it was pretty impressive that it was Zane they one who noticed the little accidental pun Cole did, so couldn't help but laugh a bit. Except Jay.
— Oh my gosh, Zane what the heck?! —Potato giggled.
— Paty stop —Ronin couldn't help but chuckle— Oh, sorry... Zane.
While everyone was distracted, Jay abandoned the room. He was going to gave one more shot at talking to his girlfriend.
He stopped in front of her door. He took a deep breath and knocked.
— Cole? —Paty asked from the other side.
Jay remained silent.
— Hi Jay —Paty said.
— Hi.
— ........
— I wanted to ta- no. I'm going to listen. I want to know how you feel.
— .........
— I want to help you... Please, allow me to help you.
— What do you want to know?
— Is the Overlord hurting you?
— Not really, physically no, but he threatens me, to give him the control, or he'll talk it, and kill you all. I'm scared.
Jay waited until she finished, and when she returned to silence, he asked something different.
— Have you consider... Giving him the control?
— No, I'd never do it voluntarily. As much as I admire his fighter tactics, I'd never let him use my body for his twisted plots. I'm not a puppet.
They kept the "listen, wait, ask" dynamic for a while. And as they talked Jay's mood slowly disappeared. He smiled again, and he wasn't defensive like he was.
— Is he telling you something bad? Besides the threatening?
— He tried to be "diplomatic" yesterday. Telling me I'm fighting for the wrong side. That I'll find out that sooner or later.
— Do you believe that?
— Sometimes I guess, I did before, and I suppose he knows it.
— What do you mean?
— Jay...A-Are we the good guys?
That question caught him off guard. She wasn't sure if what she was fighting for. She was doubting the team's ideals. She was considering herself a villain.
— O-Of course we are! We fight to protect our land and our people. That is being a good guy!
— But isn't that what some of the bad guys we fought did? Morro was helping the Preeminent, his Realm. Nadakhan avenged Djinnjago. An innocent Realm that died... Because of us...
Jay heard her sobbing from the other side of the door. His heart sank.
—Yeah but... You brought them back! You're a good girl, yes or yes.
— How can I be a good girl if the physical manifestation of evilness is on my soul?! —Paty yelled— I'm not a ninja anymore. Maybe... MAYBE I'VE NEVER BEEN ONE!
Jay paused to think for a decent answer, to such a horrible statement.
— You see the gi you're wearing? Look at it, and think about all the people you saved. And tell me, are you a bad girl?
— Ummm........I'm in my pijamas.
Jay groaned and even through the door, Paty could hear and see him blushing madly.
— Well how was I supposed to know? You haven't let me see you, I don't have x-ray vision to see what you're wearing!
— I do could think about all the movies I've watched in this pijamas tho... and tell you, am I a geek?
— Oh you're such a tease...
Paty giggled softly, for the first time in days. Jay will never know, but in that short while they've been talking; she told him more than what she told to Cole in days.
— You know... once I dated this girl, and she cheated on me, with one of my best friends... But despite it destroyed me at first, there was this other, cute, smart, sweet and charming girl...
Jay made a pause to chuckle at the flustered noises that came from inside the room.
— It's impolite to interrupt Paty. Well, anyways, this wonderful girl, always cheered me up. She healed my wounds, even some older ones I never showed to anyone else. But... this girl, told me once that "There may be times when people hurt you, insult you, and leave you wounded on the ground... But they will never destroy you unless you allow them. Wounds heal, insults are just dumb words, and you can always stand up if you fall. But it's your choice to be happy and become stronger, or suffer on the ground".
— ................
— I think that girl was pretty smart, don't you Paty?
— H-How can I stand up... If I'm chained to the floor?
— Well, it's your choice to break those chains, you will never see how strong you can become if you let someone else tell you how to feel...
Jay expected that Paty would storm out of the room and hug him. Maybe kiss him too... So he waited. One minute. Two... five... Twenty...
She remained quietly locked on her room. Jay's bad mood returned and he left cursing the Overlord under his breath.
The next day...
There was another meeting to discuss what to do about the Overlord. And Jay was punctual this time. But his mood was worse than ever. He kept interrupting, groaning, or being sarcastic. Everyone was about to murder him.
— Hi guys, is it too late to join the meeting? —a soft voice asked.
— PATY! —everyone yelped happily, but Jay.
The girls rushed to hug her first. Then she went individually to give a kiss in the cheek to everyone. As both greetings, and as an apology for making them worry.
As usual she was saving Jay for the last. But when she was about to kiss him. He looked away. She gave him a confused look.
— Don't feel bad, he's been on a mood for a few days —Kai said.
— Oh really now? —Paty smirked.
— None of your business Power —Jay groaned.
— Oh~ you just made it my business mister —she said.
She sat right on his lap and force him to stare at her. Everyone was curious to see what she was going to do.
— Make bets, give me a time to make him laugh —Paty said confidently.
The bets went from 5 seconds to 5 minutes. The winner wouldn't train in days, and the looser would have to dye his hair pink. Of course it was only a playful bet and nothing of that would happen.
Paty raised her index finger and showed it to everyone else, as a proof that it was as ordinary as anyone else's finger.
— With this common finger, I will get my sexy assistant here to laugh —Paty said, pretending to be a magician of a kid show.
No one knew what she was going to do, knowing this pair: probably tickle him. But she was in such a good mood, that no one said anything, and just watched.
— Alright, Jay look at me.
Jay gave her an annoyed groan. But obeyed, staring blankly at his girlfriend.
Paty raised her finger in front of Jay face and smiled.
— This little finger will make you laugh~ —she chanted, and her finger froze on its place.
Jay's frown disappeared. Slowly the corner of his lips started to twitch. He was fighting a smile, and he was loosing. It didn't took long after that for him to give up and chuckle softly.
Paty made a funny face. Jay became a red-faced giggling mess. Paty smiled triumphantly. And soon everyone laughed at the dorky scene. They were as playful and cute as they always were. It was like the Overlord didn't even existed.
— How long did it took him? —Skylor asked.
— Thirteen second, Paty wins —P.I.X.A.L. stated.
— Oh c'mon! —Kai groaned.
— What can I say? I know my boyfriend~
Before Jay could protest, Paty smashed her lips against his. It was sort of scary to see how quickly it got intense. Jay literally fell on the floor, she fell in the top of him, and not even that stopped them.
— Guys there's children watching! —Misako said. Paty just gave her a thumbs up.
Misako covered Lloyd's eyes and tried to cover Erika's eyes but that girl is just too smart to get trapped like that. Kai covered Nya's eyes. And Ronin covered Potato's eyes but the little thief girl out smarted her older brother and managed to see anyways. The 2 love birds finally broke the kiss. Staring at each other smiling romantically.
— Not on a mood? —Paty asked.
— Not on a mood —Jay smiled.
— Now that... "that" is over. What made you come out of your room? —Morro asked.
— Someone reminded me, that, it doesn't matter of the Overlord is on my soul... it is MY and just MY choice to be happy. Not Nya's, not Henry's, not even the Overlord can choose that for me.
— Leave me out of your problems —Nya said.
— Yeah, yeah sure —Paty said.
Paty's face became pale.
— What's wrong? —Steph asked.
— The Overlord wants to talk to you —Paty said.
Paty made a bubble appear, it had a pair of vengestone cuffs. She put them on herself. And chained herself to a wall.
— Just in case... —she muttered.
She took a deep breath and her eyes turned blood-like red, loosing her usual pale green eyes. Her face lost all the joy and sweetness it had moments ago, there was just the expression of a cruel serial murderer.
Everyone' blood ran cold.
— Hello ninjas~ Good to talk to you again —'Paty' said.
Her voice was completely different. It wasn't her voice. It was the Overlord's voice, he was using her as a microphone.
— What do you want asshole? —Zai snapped.
— Just talk, no need to attack. You wouldn't want to hurt your friend, would you?
— ¡TÚ...! ¡TÚ... PEQUEÑO HIJO DE PUTA! —Erika yelled.
— Tsk, tsk, tsk... I wouldn't say such naughty things, we wouldn't like if your friend suffered... an accident... —the Overlord threatened.
—You dare to hurt her and I swear I will... —Morro menaced.
— Or what? Whatever you want to do to me, she'll suffer it, not me. You ghost ninja should know best —the Overlord pointed out.
— That wasn't- I never wanted- I just- I... I... —Morro didn't know what to say.
The Overlord is right. I hurt her a lot... Morro thought.
— He's different now! —Zane said.
— Yeah! He changed! —Erika said.
— And that's what is important —Potato said, squeezing Morro's hand— what matters is that he's changed, he chose to change.
Morro smiled, he felt that someone had faith in him, someone was protecting him, an caring for him.
— Oh I certainly agree —the Overlord nodded— and that's why I will brake her, she will give in control to me... and everyone will bow to me! I will be the new Master of Magic!
— You'd be the Mistress of Magic, you're in a girls body —P.I.X.A.L. pointed out.
— Don't mock me technology girl!
— Oh my gosh P.I.X.A.L.'s right! —Steph giggled— The Overlo- I mean the OverLADY...
— ENOUGH! —the Overlord said.
Paty's face was turning a light pink.
— Is he blushing?! OMG! —Lloyd laughed.
After a few seconds of mockery, the Overlord yelled humiliated and took a deep breath and Paty's face regained her usual calm expression. She collapsed on the floor. Cole and Zane helped her up while Kai unchained her.
— I hate when he does that... —Paty whined.
— Do what? What did he do? —Mirayo asked.
— He was about to insult you and try to use my magic —Paty said— I had to rip him off the control... That makes me dizzy...
— You mean you gave him control? —Sensei Garmadon asked.
—Not completely, just enough so he could communicate, I think he deserved that at least... —Paty sighed— I should've guessed it was a bad idea.
She cover her face and curled up. She was shivering. Jay hugged her. Trying to make her feel better. She was making a few quiet sounds.
— Oh Paty, I'm sorry. Don't......... laugh? Are you laughing? —Potato asked.
Paty fell on the floor, laughing happily. But a few tears escaped her eyes.
— No matter how messed up I can get, none of you... abandoned me... —she giggled.
She hugged Jay. And began to pull everyone into the hug. Soon they were a warm and sweet dog pile.
— No ninja is left behind. We're a team —Skylor said.
— Not a team —Cole smiled— a family.
-------------------------------------
This chapter has a special lesson. No matter what happens it's only YOUR choice to be either happy, or miserable. Don't let anyone, no matter how much they want, to take that beautiful power away from you: they ability of being happy.
And always smile. There is someone who really cares about you, even if you can't see them.
See ya my RusherNinjas,
~Paty OUT!