Close the Circle (Find Your Path)

~4~

Writer's block, o' writer's block; why doest thou plague me?

Urgh, this chapter (and the next one...) are giving me the blues. I'm just glad that I'm finally done with this one.

Hope you guys enjoy!

~~~~~

It was an odd experience, watching a crowd applaud one's art without ever knowing that said artist was right in front of them the whole time.

Morro mused on this peculiar feeling as he floated above and slightly behind Sensei Garmadon, waiting for the applause to die down. Something resembling pride made the corners of his lips quirk up in a small smile. Yet there was a small, unmistakable hint of melancholy to it too, that weighed heavily in his chest.

He wasn't quite sure what the emotion he was feeling was, but it overall had a bittersweet quality to it.

It probably said a lot of how far he'd come in the past year, when he decided to acknowledge the bitterness, but let it float away instead of clinging to it.

Spinjitzu damn it, he really was going soft the longer he remained a ghost...

Ah, well. Cole and the others would probably be proud.

Speaking of...

"That was soooo cool!" Jay gushed as he and the rest of the ninja walked up to him and Garmadon. "The story was awesome, your story-telling voice was so good, and Morro using the wind to move the smoke into figures was just....ahhh! It was so cool!"

"Pretty sure you said that already, Bluebell," Morro snarked, but the warm feeling of pride grew stronger at the compliment.

"It was a good show," Nya said, coming to her boyfriend's defense.

"Indeed," Zane concurred. "It was quite enjoyable. I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time."

"Yeah," Cole added. "You both should feel proud."

Morro huffed out a laugh, flipping his hair in an arrogant fashion. "Eh, it was a chance to show off my awesome skills. How could I say no?"

Kai snorted. "Of course the opportunity to show off would make you forget that Sensei scared the shit out of you."

Morro's smile dropped and he glared at Kai. "Fucking watch it, Porcupine. I remember you screaming like a little girl."

"Language," Cole scolded. "C'mon, you two. Can't you go two minutes without insulting each other?"

"No."

"Doubt it."

Morro and Kai shared a glance, and smirked at each other. Cole sighed and rolled his eyes while everyone else just laughed. "Should've seen that coming, Cole," Nya teased.

"I should've," Cole groaned, shaking his head. "And yet..."

Everyone shared a laugh at that.

"So Dad," Lloyd said once the chuckles had died down some. "Was that actually a true story? Did Grandfather really help fight off an army of revived ghosts?"

"Hearing you refer to the FSM as your granddad is so fucking weird," Kai shook his head.

"Language," Cole scolded.

Sensei Garmadon ignored the small interaction, instead smiling at his curious son. "While I have personally never been to the fabled village of Stiix," he said cryptically. "I have often heard my father tell the tale of the battle that took place there." The former dark lord tapped the side of his nose. "In fact, if memory serves me right, he had a scar on his face that he had received in that very battle."