Master Chen.

The vast hall of Chen's palace, more like an indoor market than a dining hall, was filled with an unimaginable hum. Elemental masters sat at long tables laden with steaming bowls of noodles. They chatted and argued, while some, like the Master of Metal, simply chewed gloomily, glancing around.

But of course, the noisiest and most chaotic was the ninja table.

"These are my noodles, Cole!" you roared, trying to snatch a piece of fragrant meat from your friend's bowl with your chopsticks. "You already ate yours!"

"You're just greedy!" Cole, grinning, deftly parried your attack and shoved the meat into his mouth. "Do you hear how it crunches between my teeth? Divine!"

"I 'll kill you right now," you growled mockingly, but your eyes sparkled with mischief. You were too hungry for a real fight, and contented yourself with stealing a pie from Cole in the confusion.

"Hey!" Cole said indignantly, but you were already chewing, smiling cheekily.

Jay sat nearby, intently munching on his ordinary noodles, occasionally snorting when drops of broth landed on his chin. Lloyd carefully stirred his noodles with mint, glancing at the chaos at the table with a slightly condescending smile. Beside him sat Sensei Garmadon, seemingly immersed in his tea. But his gaze, gleaming sharply from beneath his half-closed lids, darted around the room.

He watched.

He mostly watched Klaus, Chen's bustling assistant, as he carried trays of condiments. But every now and then, his gaze lingered on another person. The host of the feast—Master Chen.

Chen sat at the head of the table, like a spider in the center of a web. He smiled kindly, making comments to the masters, but his eyes... His eyes swept the room until they found one target.

Chen's gaze bored into your back. It wasn't angry, or even appraising. It was different. Sticky. Studying. As if Chen wasn't just looking at the fire ninja, but already scanning you with his eyes, calculating what advantage he could extract.

You didn't notice it, but Garmadon

Ninjago