Vix paced across their room the tension of what Morro had said about trusting Ren heavy in the air. Yeah, he was chill with Azami being a dragon but dragons were beings of good. Vix was an oni, a being of pure evil, or at least according to legend. Obviously, that wasn't true, Mystake and them were living proof but that still didn't help the fact that everyone assumed that oni weren't to be trusted. "Ironic, I'm saying that oni shouldn't be labeled as untrustworthy yet here I am, lying to my boyfriend about something rather important."

Vix's mind swirled with conflicting emotions as they continued to pace, the weight of their secret pressing heavily on their conscience. The room felt stifling, and the air hung thick with the unspoken truth. They couldn't shake the irony of their own situation—the irony of advocating against stereotypes while harboring a secret that played right into those very stereotypes.

"I need to tell him," Vix muttered to themselves, running a hand through their hair in frustration. The internal struggle raged on; should they risk everything by revealing their true nature, or should they continue to hide behind the mask they had carefully crafted?

The sound of a knock on the door interrupted Vix's thoughts, and their heart skipped a beat. "Hey, Vix, everything okay in there?" Ren's voice called out.

Taking a deep breath, Vix approached the door, steeling themselves for what lay ahead. "Yeah, Ren, just sorting through some thoughts. Can we talk?" they replied, hoping their voice didn't betray the turmoil within.

As the door creaked open, Vix faced the person they cared about the most, their internal struggle mirrored in the uncertainty of their expression. "There's something I need to tell you," they began, the weight of the confession palpable in the air.

"Yeah, what's up? Oh is this about kicking Morro out because I'm so on board with that," Ren said oblivious to the severity of what Vix was actually going to say.

Vix managed a small, strained smile at Ren's attempt to lighten the mood. "No, it's not about Morro. It's... something else." They hesitated, searching for the right words, and the courage to reveal the truth. "I should have told you earlier, but it's not an easy thing to admit."

Ren furrowed his brow, concern replacing the casual demeanor he had moments ago. "Hey, you can tell me anything. What's going on?"

Vix took another deep breath, steadying themselves, and then panicked. "I'm thinking about canceling our performance tomorrow."

"Wait but why, that's supposed to be Dragonica's first show?" Vix inwardly cringed, it really was just lie after lie.

"I think we should practice a little more. It didn't sound right last week."

Ren's confusion deepened, but he nodded, accepting the explanation. "Alright, if you think we need more practice, let's do it. But remember, you can always talk to me about anything else too, okay?"

Vix nodded, a mix of relief and guilt washing over them. "Yeah, thanks. Let's just focus on the band for now."

As Ren left the room, Vix couldn't shake the lingering weight of their unspoken truth. The internal struggle continued, and the decision to reveal their true nature remained suspended in the air.

Hidden in the shadows, Morro watched the scene unfold. "Oh Vix, you really don't trust him," he shook his head with a disappointed smile.

Stepping back into his room, Morro left Vix alone in the hallway. Vix sighed, torn between honesty and the fear of judgment. The tangled web of secrets threatened to unravel, and the path ahead seemed uncertain. The presence of Morro in their life was another burden. They had been aware that Morro was listening to their conversation but seeing as he had kept to himself Vix didn't feel the need to question him.

"Hey Azami, I need to head out for some fresh air, keep an eye on Morro," Vix told the blonde as she walked by, her joy a rather harsh comparison to the Solomon atmosphere. Nodding her head and shoving a handful of chips into her mouth Azami plopped down on the couch, turning on some random movie.

Vix stepped out into the cool night air, the weight of their secret still heavy on their shoulders. The decision to trust Ren with the truth lingered in their mind, but fear held them back. The night air provided a temporary reprieve, but the internal struggle persisted.

Back in the apartment Morro had come back out of his room and joined Azami on the couch. He would never admit it but he found it quite relaxing to watch a movie with the dragon, even if it was some poorly written romance.

"Hey Mimi, I've been meaning to ask, but why does everyone refer to Vix as multiple people?" Morro asked Azami as the credits of Love Robots rolled across the screen.

Azami chuckled, tossing a chip into her mouth. "Oh, right you're not used to all this. You see, Ninjago has made an amazing improvement. Same-sex marriage is totally cool and there are more than two genders. So Vix is non-binary which means we refer to them as they, them, and their. If you want to learn more I'm sure Zane would be happy to explain."

Morro nodded, processing the information. "Got it, thanks for filling me in. Things sure have changed since my time."

"No kidding, you're an old man," Azami joked, her hesitation to forgive Morro far from her thoughts.

As Vix walked, the shadows seemed to dance around them, mirroring the uncertainty within. The decision to trust Ren with the truth lingered in their mind, but fear held them back. The weight of the unspoken secret continued to bear down on their shoulders. "One day," Vix whispered, unaware of the person approaching them.

"Excuse me, but I think you dropped this," an elderly man said, startling Vix and handing them a scroll.

Vix blinked, momentarily taken aback, then offered a grateful smile. "Thank you," they said, taking the scroll. As the elderly man walked away, Vix couldn't help but feel a strange sense of unease. Unraveling the scroll Vix was met with a cryptic message, one they couldn't decipher which was a first seeing as they had studied many languages.

"Hmm, I might have to bring this to Wu when he gets back," Vix muttered, stuffing the paper into their pocket and heading back inside.

"How was your walk?" Azami asked, noticing the flash of purple hair behind the couch.

"It was... interesting," Vix replied vaguely, not wanting to share the peculiar encounter just yet. Of course, Morro had to ruin that by being nosy.

"Whatcha got there," he asked nonchalantly but his smirk gave him away.

"It's none of your business, so quit pestering me!" Vix shouted before storming off to their room. In their room, Vix couldn't escape the internal turmoil. The scroll burned in their pocket, a physical reminder of the tangled web of secrets surrounding them and if they weren't careful everything would come crashing down in flames.