3This started out as catharsis for a crummy few days, but ended up more on the humorous side... I like it, either way. Enjoy~!
Skylor's always been good at smiling. She smiled when her father first revealed his decades-in-the-making plan for world domination, and her place in it. It had been a quiet smile then; a way of keeping eyes off her, so she could be left in peace to live her life while the adults took care of all the scheming.
The next smile she donned was charming; beautiful, carefully crafted, and a complete lie. She wore it as she snaked her way into the inner circles of the Elemental Masters, ensuring her father's tournament went smoothly as the final pieces of the plan fell in place. She wore that smile while willing the ninja to find a way to stop this, even as she infiltrated their deepest ranks.
Then, against all odds, they did. Skylor couldn't say she smiled then. Despite having all she'd dreamed of: her freedom, a business to run and actual friends, it had all been bought at a terrible price. She could see that price lingering in Lloyd's eyes as they cleaned up the island, the ghost of Sensei Garmadon still quipping to him at the cafeteria counter. Her heart twisted in sympathy; her father had been part of that price, too.
It wasn't long before Skylor had another smile on, anyway. It was gentle, apologetic, and just the tiniest bit hopeful as she scrambled to collect the pieces of, her, she supposed now, popular noodle chain's reputation. It ended up being an expensive process, with lots of news reports, rebranding and training entirely new staff at all locations. The ninja kindly helped, having picked up some tips from their time in the factory (Skylor could never apologize enough for that,) so thankfully she didn't have to train all 20,000-some new employees herself. Little by little, Chen's noodle house reopened, one shop at a time.
The noodle chain suffered a lot of abuse in the days of the Resistance; granted, all of Ninjago was abused then. The smile she wore then was tired, desperate, and just a little manic, but still positive. It had to be, to keep the Elemental Alliance going. Somehow, still trying to shake the warmth back into her fingers after a failed attempt to usurp Emperor Garmadon's element, she watched the reunion between the talons of massive dragons as it dawned on her that they did it.
Skylor found what she considers her first real smile then, as she wrapped the newly returned Kai in a massive bearhug-how dare he leave the filthy traitor-and tears of grateful, joyful relief slid down her cheeks. Everyone had smiles like hers that day, even as sirens rang and smoke still billowed from the city center. Slowly but surely, the clouds of ash dissipated, windows were put back in, and everyone started to rebuild.
Naturally, that meant back to the noodle house for Skylor, and rebuilding was a cinch for her. Having your city regularly overrun and/or destroyed, not to mention being close friends with the ninja, leads one to put a lot of savings away. She didn't even have to put in a whole new crew this time; just lots and lots of sick days. Chen's noodle house was one of the first businesses back open, and Skylor found herself taking on a lot of extra staff and a lot of customers as the city recovered from its shock.
Her smile stayed, this time, though it took various forms and was sometimes replaced all together. Skylor loves the noodle shop. She loves the city, and being a part of the Ninjago world after so many years isolated on an island. That doesn't mean she's always happy.
"Ma'am, we can't-no, of course not! The situation is still being reviewed-I am the manager, ma'am," Skylor spoke in sweet, friendly tones despite the deep scowl she was wearing. She shifted the phone pressed to hear onto her shoulder so she could screw a lid on even as she continued. "No, there needs to be-yes, ma'am, I understand, which means-" Kai watched her through his shades as she finally forced, in the sweetest voice imaginable, "alright, have a good day ma'am," through her teeth. Hitting the 'end call' button with way more force than necessary, Skylor pocketed the phone with a grumble as she cleaned up across the noodle bar from where Kai was sitting.
"Gee, why don't you ever talk to me like that?" Kai grinned mischievously. It was a full day in the shop; patrons filled nearly every booth, and Skylor's staff rushed orders in and out of the kitchen with manic efficiency. Kai was currently attempting to have a normal day in the city incognito, wearing a casual hoodie and shades. His trademark hairstyle was covered by a baseball cap.
"Believe me, buster, if you ever hear me start sweet-talking you it's time to start running." Skylor glowered across the counter, and Kai mock-flinched.
"Oh, my heart! Your words, like knives, have stabbed me once again, foul temptress!" Kai teased theatrically, one hand waving dramatically in the air while the other scrolled on his phone.
"Oh please." Skylor rolled her eyes. "Where'd you even hear that?"
"One of Cole's dumb plays," Kai shrugged, turning his attention back to whatever social media app he'd chosen this time.
"I could see that," Skylor acknowledged as she rearranged the rolls of paper towels under the counter. She didn't really need to be in the shop today, in fact she wasn't doing much to help her hard-working crew for the lunch shift. No, Skylor was mostly here because Kai had mentioned getting take-out for the other ninja, and she had offered to come in and make it on the house.
He'd protested, of course, but that wasn't about to stop Skylor Chen.
She was just about to find something else to talk about when the bell on the door jingled, and when Skylor looked up to check on the customers she did an immediate double-take. A bunch of punk kids were walking in, mohawks and tattoos and piercings, which wasn't all that strange in this part of the city. No, what caught Skylor's attention was the gun and the black duffel bag.
"Eight o'clock," Skylor muttered to Kai, resting her elbows on the bar as she observed their leader waltz up to poor Jimmy at the register.
"Aright, kid," he sneered. He was a big guy, and towered over Jimmy easily. "Here's how this's gonna go," he flourished his shotgun (quite clumsily in Skylor's opinion) as Jimmy's face paled. "You get whoe'va the bossman is, tell him to open the safe, and nobody gets hurt."
"I think that's quite enough," Kai hissed under his breath as he made to stand, but Skylor stopped him with a wave.
"This is my restaurant," she said, giving him a side-eye. Kai leaned back in acknowledgement; Skylor wasn't Chen's daughter for nothing. "Hello boys," Skylor came around the counter and stood at the other end from the thugs, arms hanging loose at her sides. Kai kept his head down nearby. "Manager here; what can I do for you?" She noticed the actual manager on duty flash a shaky, but grateful, glance.
"Well, you heard us lady," the lead thug drawled. "Open the safe and ev'ry body walks outta here."
"Hmm." Skylor rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I guess I can do something about that. Babe, care to hit me up?"
"Anything for you, sweetheart," Kai grinned devilishly, clearly enjoying this as he reciprocated her fist-bump. So far everyone in the now very, very quiet shop was oblivious to the coming storm.
"Alright," the thug grinned, "now let's go or-" he never finished that statement, instead eliciting a high-pitched scream as Skylor thrust her fists forward, and an inferno erupted just close enough to send a message. Every single one of the gangsters hightailed it before the flames had even died out, along with a few frightened customers. Whoops.
"Thanks," Skylor chuckled as she reached back across the counter and grabbed the takeout bag just put there, handing it to Kai. The red ninja stood up and pocketed his phone, offering a kiss on the cheek.
"Watching you kick butt is always a pleasure, Sky," he lowered the shades and winked, before sauntering out of the restaurant. "I'll see you tonight!" He called over his shoulder.
Skylor laughed, a broad grin on her face as she turned back around, where she was well aware her employees and customers alike were giving her wide eyes and gaping mouths. "Alright people, show's over. Back to work, chop chop!" She clapped her hands and, somewhat hesitantly, the people in the shop resumed their normal activities.
The rest of the day Skylor got nervous, awed expressions from all her crew members; especially Jimmy. A few of them made some brave approaches, but nobody really dared to ask for details on the whole ninja-fire thing. She just flashed them her usual, pleasant smile, and went on like nothing had happened.
Later that night she and Kai laughed about the day's fiasco over popcorn and a movie. The whole time Skylor smiled, wide and bright even after a long day on the job. That was her favorite kind of smile; after all, out of every expression she wore in a day, Skylor had always been good at smiling.