Your reviews are much appreciated, everyone! So sorry for the delay, but here you go!
Shen took his time walking back up to the throne room, keeping the insidious smirk on his face to a minimum. He honestly couldnt believe how EASY this had been, to have things go his way. His biggest obstacle, to be rid of the other kung fu warriors, was an easy one to overcome; all he had to do was point them in the direction of his collection of cannons and let them dispose of the weapons at their leisure, keeping his largest and most powerful to himself, naturally.
It seemed to be a fair trade, really. They came to stop him from using his weapon, and so they shall; in return for the panda. Easy, too easy.
Shen walked into the throne room, noticing the five kung fu warriors' intense glares and getting a sense of smug satisfaction of the fact. "Greetings, kung fu warriors," he addressed them for the first time, giving them a mocking nod of the head. "Welcome to my most HUMBLE abode, and apologies for your incarceration- "
"Where's Po?" the tigress interrupted, her hands twitching in the cuffs. "What have you done with him!"
Shen turned his beak up at her. "How rude," he muttered. "I was JUST getting to that..." He shook his feathers out from agitation and recomposed himself. "As I was saying, I apologize for your incarceration, and I am here to say that I have..." He thought about what he wanted to say before going the simple route. "...Changed my mind."
The looks on the kung fu warriors' faces was priceless, so much so Shen actually had to struggle to keep a straight face.
The tigress got over her shock first and growled at him. "You expect us to believe that you just 'changed your mind'?" she demanded. Shen gave her a smirk.
"Yes," he replied. "Because I have." He motioned for the guards to take off their cuffs. "You see, my dear, the panda and I have come to an agreement of sorts, and offered something in return for the weapons." He paced over to the window and gestured to an adjacent building nearby. "In that building is my weapon collection. It is yours to do with as you please." He then pointed to the large cannon in the room with his wingtip. "THIS one, on the other wing, will stay with me."
The serpent flexed her body loose from the cuff's restraints and glared at him. "Where is Po?" she too questioned, the others mirroring her glare. Shen couldnt resist rolling his eyes in exasperation.
"He's not dead, if that's what you're concerned about," he scoffed in reply. "As I have said, we came to an agreement- "
"What kind of agreement?" the tigress bit out, clenching her fists tightly. "We wont have it if you hurt him- !"
"NOT that it's any of your concern," Shen sneered right back, "but we agreed that he trade himself for the weapons. Simple as that."
Confused silence settled among the kung fu warriors for the briefest of moments, then the monkey spoke up. "Why would he trade himself? What do you want with him?"
Shen's smirk broadened as he paced in front of them, both enjoying and finding annoyance in their persistence to get answers. "The panda- "
"His NAME is PO," the tigress snarled. Shen's train shuddered and flexed in agitation of being interrupted yet AGAIN.
" -PO, then," he snarled right back. "PO is, at present, the one and ONLY alternative to complete and utter annihilation of kung fu and all those who choose to fight with it!" His plumage flared up threateningly. "HE has already agreed to trade himself in return for peace, and the safety of you five. However..." A blade was unsheathed from under his sleeve, its silvery glint making its threat evident. "...If you continue to irritate me with your questions and threats, then that particular term of the agreement will be annulled, and believe me when I say that I will not shed a tear over your shed blood. Understood?"
More silence as the peacock and the five kung fu warriors had an intense stare-off.
After a few tense moments, Shen relaxed his plumage and straightened up, slipping the blade back up his sleeve. "I have already given my word to the pan...Po...that I would let you free, and that I would give you my weapons for you to dispose of at your leisure. However, I wont have you loitering in my city, so you have one day to do it before I'll have you FORCEFULLY evicted." He gave them a pleasant, yet creepy smile. "Have I made myself perfectly clear?"
The five just stared at him, mixed degrees of shock and anger on their faces. "Good." He jerked his head to the stairs. "Now get out."
It was the longest time before the five kung fu warriors began to trudge off one by one, starting with the crane and ending with the tigress, who gave Shen the evillest of evil eyes.
"If you hurt him," she said softly with barely-restrained fury, "I will kill you."
Shen only smirked. "You're more than welcome to try," he replied just as softly. "Lucky for both of us it wont come to that, now isnt it?" He jerked his head to the stairs again. "Go."
She glared at him for a few moments more before going down the stairs, leaving Shen alone in the room.
The peacock stood alone in the room in silence for the longest time, hardly believing how EASY it just was to turn the fates to his favor. Everything was going perfectly to plan.
...So far, anyway; the hardest part, getting the panda to trust him and rule with him, was still yet to come.
Ah, well. He would cross that bridge when he came to it.
"Shen."
That odd twitch he had developed in his right eye recently returned when he heard the Soothsayer address him. "Oh, what NOW, old woman!" he groused, not deigning to look at her, but knowing she was barely his train's length from him.
"...The Tigress has a point I agree with, Shen," she said, a razor's edge to her voice. "You have caused that panda enough suffering as it is, and you will hurt him further over my dead body."
"Dont tempt me," Shen muttered under his breath. "I've already promised his well-being to those nuisances, and under your annoyingly close scrutiny, I'm SURE the panda shan't suffer more than he absolutely must."
Though he remained staring out the window, he could feel the Soothsayer's glare on his back.
And for some reason, it sent a shudder through his feathers; however, he shook the ominous sense of doom off and went back to ignoring her.
He already had the panda, who had agreed to his demands, and as long as the mahjong chips were played right, everything would go according to plan. He would have his glory, and would not have to suffer the agony of defeat.
...So why did he still have the niggling feeling that something was soon to go wrong?