Aaand I'm back! Friends, neighbors, countrymen, I now present to you, the second installment in the Silent - Forgotten series! Please enjoy!
-???-
I quietly nodded my head to the beat as the music surrounded me through the simple presence of headphones. I was alone, but I didn't mind. I wasn't lonely. I could live without friends. It wasn't...harming me inside. I sipped the hot coffee in my hands, the scalding drink burning my tongue but waking my body. I tapped my foot unconsciously as I waited for the bus.
It arrived, and I climbed in silently, my face as numb as it was before, despite the bus's warmth. I sat by a young man, probably in his mid-late teens, with scruffy blond hair, his jade green jacket nearly resembling a master's robes.
"Hello," he told me, his voice gentle. "Where are you going?"
I could have nearly dropped my blazing joe in surprise at his talking to me, but I didn't. I just shrugged. "I dunno. Home, I guess."
He looked at me. "Do you do this every day? Going around being alone all the time?"
"I dunno. I just live alone and it goes from there."
"Do you ever feel...lonely?" he asked, looking into my eyes. His own were the brightest emerald green I had seen in years, partly obscured by those golden bangs that couldn't hide their glow.
"I don't know," I told him blankly. "I'm just used to it. I've always been alone. Ever since..." I stopped. I was telling this random stranger.
"Ever since...?" The boy glanced up.
"It's not something I should tell you," I replied coldly. "I don't know you."
"But I know you." He looked straight into my eyes. I noticed he had an aura of maturity far beyond his age. "Haruka. Your parents were abusive. They hurt you and were hard on you. And then they neglected you, but they were fighting each other. Finally, they divorced, and a few years later each one was lost, one on the Day of the Devourer, the other on the Day Ninjago Stood Still. You're only 15."
I looked away. "Don't remind me." I looked back at him. Only subtly aware of the sharp tone of my voice, I added, "I didn't get your name, anyway."
He sat in silence.
"They call me Melody," I said in an attempt at getting him to tell me his name.
I lead Melody across the city in search of the Bounty; one new recruit down, two to go. I was surprised at how calm she was, despite her past as an abused child and an orphan.
"So...how old did you say you were?"
"Fifteen," she replied.
"Wow," I told her. "Did you have a little dose of Tomorrow's Tea or something?"
"I'm tall for my age," she answered.
"Oh." I chuckled. "Should have figured."
"Lloyd," Melody warned me.
"What? Did I say something wro-" Then I felt it. My right foot crossed my left and the latter felt like it was being pulled up hard enough that I felt a few bones crack. This stabbing pain crossed it, and I bit my lip and squinted my eyes shut. Man, was I seeing stars.
Before I could make my last wishes before my inevitable death, a soft gasp was audible from behind. That's when I realized I'd fallen into a huge crater in the street. And a girl, her white hair long and neatly cut, was standing behind me. But I didn't see a knife or a mask. I must have been dead. Harumi had betrayed me and passed weeks ago.
She helped me up and looked down, saying in a voice that definitely belonged to the princess, "Your leg. Do you want me to look at it?"
"Harumi," I told her. "That's you, right?"
She stepped back a little, but nodded.
"I thought I'd destroyed you. I...pushed you off a cliff."
"I would have let you," she replied. "Then I realized how stupid I really was to think it was all your fault. I realized how...not me...what I did was. So I sacrificed the Mask of Hatred to make me invincible for one last time and spare my life."
"And they didn't find you?" I replied. "I thought they would have cared about the princess."
"Oh, Lloyd." She laughed, as if what I'd said was funny. "I'm not a princess. I was merely adopted by the royal family so I had someone to take care of me. I'm just a normal girl of blood that's anything but royal."
"Well, you're not alone in that," I replied. "Remember Jay?"
"Why wouldn't I? He was a funny guy."
"He was adopted too," I explained. "His parents abandoned him as a baby. He was adopted by-"
"-a loving inventor couple, I know," she replied. "And his real parents are Cliff Gordon and the previous Master of Lightning."
I lead Melody across the city in search of the Bounty; one new recruit down, two to go. I was surprised at how calm she was, despite her past as an abused child and an orphan.
***
"Who is that?"
Hm? Are they recruiting girl ninja for the team or something? Something's going on. . .
Should Harumi... -stay good but have some sass/toughness/hotheadedness that wasn't there before? -revert to her former evil ways? -act cute and nice at first, but gradually reveal a crazy side or something?
Aaand I'm back! Friends, neighbors, countrymen, I now present to you, the second installment in the Silent - Forgotten series! Please enjoy!
-???-
I quietly nodded my head to the beat as the music surrounded me through the simple presence of headphones. I was alone, but I didn't mind. I wasn't lonely. I could live without friends. It wasn't...harming me inside. I sipped the hot coffee in my hands, the scalding drink burning my tongue but waking my body. I tapped my foot unconsciously as I waited for the bus.
It arrived, and I climbed in silently, my face as numb as it was before, despite the bus's warmth. I sat by a young man, probably in his mid-late teens, with scruffy blond hair, his jade green jacket nearly resembling a master's robes.
"Hello," he told me, his voice gentle. "Where are you going?"
I could have nearly dropped my blazing joe in surprise at his talking to me, but I didn't. I just shrugged. "I dunno. Home, I guess."
He looked at me. "Do you do this every day? Going around being alone all the time?"
"I dunno. I just live alone and it goes from there."
"Do you ever feel...lonely?" he asked, looking into my eyes. His own were the brightest emerald green I had seen in years, partly obscured by those golden bangs that couldn't hide their glow.
"I don't know," I told him blankly. "I'm just used to it. I've always been alone. Ever since..." I stopped. I was telling this random stranger.
"Ever since...?" The boy glanced up.
"It's not something I should tell you," I replied coldly. "I don't know you."
"But I know you." He looked straight into my eyes. I noticed he had an aura of maturity far beyond his age. "Haruka. Your parents were abusive. They hurt you and were hard on you. And then they neglected you, but they were fighting each other. Finally, they divorced, and a few years later each one was lost, one on the Day of the Devourer, the other on the Day Ninjago Stood Still. You're only 15."
I looked away. "Don't remind me." I looked back at him. Only subtly aware of the sharp tone of my voice, I added, "I didn't get your name, anyway."
He sat in silence.
"They call me Melody," I said in an attempt at getting him to tell me his name.
I lead Melody across the city in search of the Bounty; one new recruit down, two to go. I was surprised at how calm she was, despite her past as an abused child and an orphan.
"So...how old did you say you were?"
"Fifteen," she replied.
"Wow," I told her. "Did you have a little dose of Tomorrow's Tea or something?"
"I'm tall for my age," she answered.
"Oh." I chuckled. "Should have figured."
"Lloyd," Melody warned me.
"What? Did I say something wro-" Then I felt it. My right foot crossed my left and the latter felt like it was being pulled up hard enough that I felt a few bones crack. This stabbing pain crossed it, and I bit my lip and squinted my eyes shut. Man, was I seeing stars.
Before I could make my last wishes before my inevitable death, a soft gasp was audible from behind. That's when I realized I'd fallen into a huge crater in the street. And a girl, her white hair long and neatly cut, was standing behind me. But I didn't see a knife or a mask. I must have been dead. Harumi had betrayed me and passed weeks ago.
She helped me up and looked down, saying in a voice that definitely belonged to the princess, "Your leg. Do you want me to look at it?"
"Harumi," I told her. "That's you, right?"
She stepped back a little, but nodded.
"I thought I'd destroyed you. I...pushed you off a cliff."
"I would have let you," she replied. "Then I realized how stupid I really was to think it was all your fault. I realized how...not me...what I did was. So I sacrificed the Mask of Hatred to make me invincible for one last time and spare my life."
"And they didn't find you?" I replied. "I thought they would have cared about the princess."
"Oh, Lloyd." She laughed, as if what I'd said was funny. "I'm not a princess. I was merely adopted by the royal family so I had someone to take care of me. I'm just a normal girl of blood that's anything but royal."
"Well, you're not alone in that," I replied. "Remember Jay?"
"Why wouldn't I? He was a funny guy."
"He was adopted too," I explained. "His parents abandoned him as a baby. He was adopted by-"
"-a loving inventor couple, I know," she replied. "And his real parents are Cliff Gordon and the previous Master of Lightning."
"Right."
"Who is that?"
First of all, Lloyd said that she was 15, right?
Second of all, NOOOOO!
Third of all, DON'T TRUST HER! At least not yet.
Fourth of all, how does she know about Jay's parentage?
Should Harumi... -stay good but have some sass/toughness/hotheadedness that wasn't there before? -revert to her former evil ways? -act cute and nice at first, but gradually reveal a crazy side or something?
What do you mean, revert to her former evil ways? She was always evil and will always be evil.
Aaand I'm back! Friends, neighbors, countrymen, I now present to you, the second installment in the Silent - Forgotten series! Please enjoy!
-???-
I quietly nodded my head to the beat as the music surrounded me through the simple presence of headphones. I was alone, but I didn't mind. I wasn't lonely. I could live without friends. It wasn't...harming me inside. I sipped the hot coffee in my hands, the scalding drink burning my tongue but waking my body. I tapped my foot unconsciously as I waited for the bus.
It arrived, and I climbed in silently, my face as numb as it was before, despite the bus's warmth. I sat by a young man, probably in his mid-late teens, with scruffy blond hair, his jade green jacket nearly resembling a master's robes.
"Hello," he told me, his voice gentle. "Where are you going?"
I could have nearly dropped my blazing joe in surprise at his talking to me, but I didn't. I just shrugged. "I dunno. Home, I guess."
He looked at me. "Do you do this every day? Going around being alone all the time?"
"I dunno. I just live alone and it goes from there."
"Do you ever feel...lonely?" he asked, looking into my eyes. His own were the brightest emerald green I had seen in years, partly obscured by those golden bangs that couldn't hide their glow.
"I don't know," I told him blankly. "I'm just used to it. I've always been alone. Ever since..." I stopped. I was telling this random stranger.
"Ever since...?" The boy glanced up.
"It's not something I should tell you," I replied coldly. "I don't know you."
"But I know you." He looked straight into my eyes. I noticed he had an aura of maturity far beyond his age. "Haruka. Your parents were abusive. They hurt you and were hard on you. And then they neglected you, but they were fighting each other. Finally, they divorced, and a few years later each one was lost, one on the Day of the Devourer, the other on the Day Ninjago Stood Still. You're only 15."
I looked away. "Don't remind me." I looked back at him. Only subtly aware of the sharp tone of my voice, I added, "I didn't get your name, anyway."
He sat in silence.
"They call me Melody," I said in an attempt at getting him to tell me his name.
Should Harumi... -stay good but have some sass/toughness/hotheadedness that wasn't there before? -revert to her former evil ways? -act cute and nice at first, but gradually reveal a crazy side or something?
What do you mean, revert to her former evil ways? She was always evil and will always be evil.
Nothing can change someone as insane as that.
Yeah, I guess you're right...she is an abusive, sadistic sociopath. Bye-bye, possible redemption arc. Off to the asylum (that or prison) she goes.
![[uni]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/mPKcREJAtrpeAXSOgaOH.png)
I would have missed it. 
I would have missed it. 
