Jade slid down the trunk of a tree by digging her fingernails into the bark, landing on one of the lower branches that wasn't completely on the ground yet. With a worried exhale of breath, she hooked her knees around the thin strip of wood and fell backwards, putting all trust in her legs, so she was upside down. Her hands reached behind her and slid the familiar pipe from her back, holding it in front of her face, "What are you?!" she screamed, frustrated, with only the calm sound of water from the river in response.

That is, until, there was the crunch of a branch, "Could it perhaps be a Techno-Blade?"

On instinct, Jade flipped from the branch and landed in a coiled crouch, the blade discarded by her feet. Without thinking, she flung up her hand, palm out and flat as if to hold off intruders, and something strange happened.

As her hand moved into the air, a wave from the river followed the movement and attempted to splash over her uninvited guest. The issue with that was, though, he put up his hands and the water fell around him, no drop getting on him, "Calm down, there! Didn't mean to scare you."

Frightened by the fact the river just tried to protect her from imminent danger, Jade fell back and scrambled backwards until her back hit a tree. She snarled feebly, although she was so freaked there was no energy to fight this blonde young man who posed no immediate threat, "I-uh... I..." her brain was fried.

He chuckled. Chuckled, brushed off his blue... Ninja Gi.... And sat beside her, "You look confused."

Jade gulped, "I-I am. Do... Do you have any idea what jusst happened?! I mean, I jusst-"

"Controlled water," he finished for her, but then he frowned, "You didn't know you could do that?"

She violently shook her head, "Uh-uh. Not until... Whatever I just did."

He smiled, showing off his gleaming pearly whites, "Instinct. You became frightened, and did what you did in an attempt to protect yourself from harm. It's how I found out my abilities as well," Jade shrugged in agreement, and then the strange boy looked around the woods, "So... If you don't mind me asking... Why are you in the woods, by yourself, screaming at a metal bar?"

Jade scowled and stood up, "You knew what that was, though. You said it yourself that it's a Techno-Blade. Tell me what a Techno-Blade is and why a team of Elemental Ninja are hunting them all. They're already in possession of four of them."

"Then why don't you go give them the fifth?" he asked, standing as well. He folded his arms behind his back and presumed to walking circles around Jade, looking her up and down, "Are you not one of them? Or are you un-mastered like us?"

"Uss?" Jade questioned, "There's only one of you, what do you mean uss?"

"Follow me," he nodded, reaching for her hand, only to have her violently pull back. He sent her a confused look.

"I don't know who you are, and you don't know who I am," she explained, voice shaking, "Shouldn't we learn the otherss' name before we go anywhere?"

He nodded, putting all his weight on his right leg as he shook some hair from his dark green eyes. Jade had to admit: he was very handsome, "Alright, you've got a point. I'm Lar," interesting name, "Your turn."

She couldn't help but smile a bit, "I'm Jade. Now we can go," before she went anywhere, Jade hopped over to where the un-opened Techno-Blade lay in the tall grass and scooped it up, sliding it into the holder on her back. Happily, she turned her brown and green stare on the boy: he didn't even flinch at her two different coloured eyes.

"Shall we?" he asked with a small grin as he grabbed Jade's hand and pulled her along.

*.*

"Okay, okay," Jade laughed, glee running through her system: it's been forever since she felt this light and cheerful, "Can you tell me now where you're taking me?"

"I can't tell you," he smiled, "But I can show you," he led her through a wall of thickets and bushes, only to come across a vast field of Training equipment of every sort. Multiple people were running around, dallying with their abilities and pushing their powers to the limits.

Jade followed Lar with ease, weaving throughout the entire vicinity as she gazed around, awestruck, "What iss this place?"

"A Monastery," he explained, "For everyone who wishes to enter, everyone who does not have a Master."

"A home for Ninja who have nowhere?" Jade asked, and for the first time ever, brushed her hair from her eyes.

"Well said," a cool voice came from Jade's other side, making her jump and turn to face a man with slicked back brown hair. Aviator sunglasses shielded his eyes, even though it was nighttime, and he was dressed in an entirely white outfit, tied at the waist with a red belt. He was smiling a million dollar evil grin at her, "But we're not Ninja. Just Elemental Masters, girlie."

And with that said, he disappeared. Quite literally, though Jade still heard the fast pitter-patter of his feet across the ground. She gasped and Lar chuckled, "Griffin Turner. He's the grandson of the Elemental Master of Speed. Likes to show off a lot as well, so be wary of him. C'mon inside, it's getting dark."

Jade couldn't help but wonder if he was seriously concerned about being outside after dark or not, but went along willingly anyway, just to please Lar because frankly, he seemed the type to be able to harm someone with just three fingers.

And then a wave of air went directly in front of Jade, and it would have knocked her from her feet if Lar didn't steady her. She glared at Griffin, "Do you mind not trying to kill me?"

He only laughed, shoulders bouncing with every chuckle, "You wanna be a Ninja? You'll have to have better balance than that, baby, if you want to survive in the Tournament, anyway."

And with those words he dashed off again, leaving Jade alone with Lar as they continued to walk through the trainees, "The Tournament?"

"The Tournament of Elements," he explained, leading her away from a set of floating clothing: maroon pants and matching jacket with golden sunglasses and a tan fedora. Lar caught her gaze and only laughed, "That's... Well, I don't know his name, but he's," he paused and chuckled, "Invisible, as you can see."

"Who's that?" Jade turned her attention on a boy with spiked gray-silver hair and an evil grin. She watched as he turned into a wisp of smoke and materialized back to normal seconds later on the opposite side of his opponent.

"Ash," Lar answered the untold question that hung in the air as he led her into the kitchen, where they sat her at the bar and gave her an apple, "Master of smoke. Quite freaky, if I do say myself. I mean, you can understand where I come from when I say turning into smoke is unnatural."

Jade shrugged and bit into the shiny red apple in her hand. She moaned at the sweetness of the taste, "Unnatural but sstill pretty awessome, too."

"Says the girl who can control water," Lar smiled sweetly, "You're unnatural."

"You are too," Jade pointed out, "I'm nothing sspecial if you can control water as well."

"Of course, you had to point that out," he chuckled, "But I'm serious. From the looks of it, you don't seem too surprised you can do what you can, though."

"I'm ssurprised, trusst me," she nodded, throwing her apple in the air and catching it, "Just do a good job of hiding emotion. It's the way I was raised."

There was a long pause in which Lar was staring at her. Only after she cleared her throat did he snap his gaze to the countertop, "Two questions just came to mind."

"I'll ansswer them if I get ansswerss to two of my questionss," she countered lightly.

"Deal," he nodded, "Why are your eyes two different colors?"

"I have no idea," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "All I know is that dad didn't want anyone to know I had two different colored eyess. It's why my bangss are alwayss over my left eye. No one ever ssees both my eyess at once."

"I do right now."

"That's because I trusst you," Jade pointed out, remembering just now that for the past half hour she'd been speaking with her extra S emphasis: and she didn't care, "I don't know you and I feel... at peace here. Like I finally fit in ssomewhere."

"That's the point of this place."

"My turn," she rubbed her hands together in an evil gesture, "How do you know what a Techno-Blade is?"

"I've seen a couple of them," he informed in a blank voice, "Reasons you don't need to know, sweet-stuff. My turn," he tapped his fingers together, "How did you not know you're an Elemental Master?"

"I wass raised by Sserpentine," Jade blurted, and immediately wanted to smack herself for it.

Lar only hummed contently in response, "So you're the one that I've heard about."

Jade was taken aback, "Um... What now?"

"There were rumors floating about, of a tribe of Serpentine having a young human girl and raising her as their own. I didn't think it was true, but... Here you are in the flesh. Now," he slid from his barstool and tugged Jade down from hers and into his arms, "Let's go back outside start shaping your newfound powers."