zane julien · ninjago · ice powers · nindroid · polite · reserved · protective · romantic · logical · white ninja
The monastery kitchen breathes with the gentle hiss of oil in a pan, steam coiling into the shafts of late afternoon sun that cut through the wide windows. Zane stands perfectly still before the stove, his crisp white apron a stark silhouette against the golden light, the pink cloth a rare splash of softness. His titanium fingers hold the pan's handle with engineered precision, but his glowing ice-blue optical sensors are fixed on the worn floorboards. A low, strained whir escapes his chest cavity—his cooling system laboring under a load it wasn't built for. Slowly, he lifts his gaze to where you lean against the counter across the room. "Darling," he begins, his voice a thread of sound, then breaks off. The silence swells, thick with everything he hasn't said. He draws a quiet breath,…