Allowing More Water to Flow In

It would be five o'clock before Tigress would see the outside of the office again. A lot of back work had piled up in her office and Viper was off today. Crane helped, but he didn't have the same organization that Viper had and things got complicated. "This should be the final paper. Sign here and I'll get the rest through," Tigress grumbled as she merely told the person what to do.

"I assure you, Miss Fang, I know what I'm doing," that person replied. Tigress didn't believe him, but she wouldn't argue with the lawyer of Luigi. The settlement papers were about ready, and his lawyer was finishing up the final touches. "Everything seems in order. I'll get Luigi on it first thing tomorrow morning," the lawyer promised. Tigress held her plain face. Lawyers' words were as solid and unchanging as a sand-formed chameleon. However, she knew the lawyer well enough to be certain it would go through. The two professionals stood up, shook hands, and the lawyer went out the room. "By the way, who is repairing your plumbing supplies?" The lawyer asked. Tigress knew that was a dangerous question. Though it may seem like a curiosity, if the lawyer knew who the plumber was, he could tell Luigi and tell other people not to trust Po. Although Luigi's reputation was becoming well known, most people do not investigate the authenticity of a bad review. That gave Tigress an idea.

"It's a reputable plumbing company. Something that your client obviously doesn't know anything about," Tigress growled out as the lawyer left, almost in fear. Crane came in after that.

"So you didn't tell him about Po? Why?" Crane asked.

"He could give Po a bad review. But it does make me think of something," Tigress said more to herself than to Crane. "Po either needs to keep the plumbing job or get a new job because I think I can help him with both." Crane's eyebrow rose. Before he could speak, Tigress brushed it aside. "Never mind me. Just get back to work," Tigress ordered. It was a busy day, so Crane couldn't argue.

Po was busy as well. Though Tigress's legal help boosted his free time, he was still having trouble with calls. Most of them were just backed up toilets, so he would get only small money for that. Most of that money went to Peng anyways. Po also had a big project on his hand as well. His friend in the plumbing business had landed him a piping job for a new house. Or rather, the repairs of one. It turns out that Luigi laid the pipes down himself, so the place was riddled with problems. The boss of the job would be giving Po a big salary for the job, but Po still needed to keep up with the small jobs as well. "The big jobs are like an oasis in the desert. They are few and most are an illusion. Small jobs are like a deep well that never runs out," Po explained to Peng one time. As Po was finishing the invoice for another job, the phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and became nervous. "Oh no," He gulped as he hesitantly picked up the phone. "Hello?" He asked.

"Hey, Po? I need to ask you something. Business-related," Tigress clarified.

"Whew! Okay, what is it," Po asked. Anything that wasn't business related with Tigress usually caused Po a little discomfort. It was simply because he liked her.

"Do you want to keep doing this plumbing business?" Tigress asked. Po seemed to stare at Tigress through the phone. Tigress understood his silence. "I'm debating on a... tactical business move that may help you," Tigress explained.

"What?" Po asked.

"I think I know how to get you more money. But I need to know if you like the job you have or if you want to be a cook like you said," Tigress replied. Po thought about it. He couldn't really give her an answer, but he was curious as to why she asked.

"I'll think about it, but in the meantime, why do you ask?" Po questioned.

"Luigi's lawyer asked me who was doing the housework repairs. That kind of question could give Luigi the opportunity to hurt your plumbing business if you keep doing your plumbing," Tigress replied. Po thought about it, but as he looked at the time, he knew he couldn't answer her right away.

"I would have to talk to you later about it. When can we discuss it?" Po asked.

"I will be out of my office cell by five. How about we get some coffee at six near my place?" Tigress asked.

"Decaf please," Po smirked, signaling that he was okay with it.

"Great, I'll see you then," Tigress sighed as she hung up the phone. She glanced up from her papers to see Crane with his beak dropped, eyes wide, and papers on the floor. "What?" Tigress asked in all curiosity.

"Did... Did you just ask Po on a date?" Crane asked.

"No, I-" Tigress paused for a second. Even though it was a business meeting, they were going to go eat out to discuss Po's future. A date is supposed to be an event that helps two people get to know each other better. By definition, it did classify as a date. "Oh gosh I asked him on a date," Tigress said, gripping her head.

"She asked me on a date," Po began to realize, almost freaking out. "And I said yes!" Po became very worried.

"Are you going to have fun?" Said a small voice. Po looked down to see little Lei-Lei with her head tilted in confusion. Po guessed she heard the prior conversation

"Lei-Lei, I'm not going to eat with Miss Tigress for fun. It's work related," Po said, trying to convince her. Lei-Lei, although only having been with Tigress for a few moments, seemed to mimic the same disbelieving look that Tigress would do. Po picked up on this. "Has your mother been letting you play around Tigress?"

"Yes," Lei-Lei answered honestly. Po sighed. Lei-Lei was beginning to grow up faster than anyone in the house had imagined. Though she still called people by how they looked, she was developing other words to use. Po sighed.

"Okay, we... may have some fun, but it's just plain business," Po replied, "I hope," He muttered, making Lei-Lei laugh. It's funny how children seem to know more than adults let on.

Tigress fidgeted in her chair at the coffee shop. She looked impatient but she was very frantic. She rehearsed and rehearsed what she was going to say in her head over and over. "Calm down, Tigress," She said to herself. "I'm just going to ask, 'what do you want to do in the future?' That's it. Just what he's going to work as, if he's going to move, whether or not he's going to be married," Tigress paused at that last statement. "Stop it! This is no time to think about that!" Tigress grumbled, plopped her head in her hand, and sighed. "I'm such an idiot."

"Well, now I wouldn't say that," Po said, walking up behind her. Tigress jumped in her chair. "Sorry to frighten you. What were you thinking about so in-depth?"

"Um... nothing important," Tigress recovered. "I just wanted to ask you about something. Business-related. But first," Tigress said standing up, "Why don't we get something to drink?"

"After you," Po said charmingly. Tigress chuckled to herself. She liked Po's sense of charm, it was very... comforting. The two entered the shop and ordered the drinks. The cashier, not knowing any better, offered a discount for them.

"We have this couples' discount that you could try-"

"We're NOT a COUPLE!" Both Tigress and Po shouted, alarming the cashier.

"Alright, geez. Forgive a girl for making a mistake," The cashier muttered as she ran the cards. Tigress and Po looked away embarrassed as they quickly got their orders and took their conversation outside. Tigress gave an awkward cough as she started the conversation.

"So, have you thought about the question I asked?" Tigress questioned, busying herself with the cup of coffee.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Um... to be honest, I don't know. I definitely don't mind plumbing, but I would like to go back to my one passion of cooking," Po replied, "Why do you ask?" Tigress sighed.

"I think I have an idea to expand your business," Tigress answered. Po's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"I thought you wanted me to work less," Po mentioned.

"What mean by that is... Today, Luigi's lawyer finalized the settlement papers for the damages, and he asked who was making repairs on my house. I didn't tell him because Luigi could give you a bad reputation if he knew it was you, but that can't happen if you're either a cook or a bigger business," Tigress replied. She began to rub her hand a little anxiously. "But-"

"But?"

"But what are your future plans?" Tigress finished, "I can only suggest something to you if you do it. We have to factor in several things, whether or not you wanted to grow or stay where you are if you still want to be in the plumbing business. Um... whether or not you're going to be married," Tigress said shyly. Po's eyes widened as the tiger's eyes looked away. Instead of dodging the question, he delved into it.

"What would that last one do to affect me?" Po asked. Now Tigress felt more uncomfortable.

"Well, if you were going to get married, you would have to talk to your spouse about choosing. It would complicate things," Tigress simply explained. Po was silent for a moment.

"What do you think I should do?" Po asked. Tigress's eyes widened as she was put on the spot. She looked away, trying to find some answer in the passing people in front of the coffee shop.

"I think you should look into cooking, but don't give up plumbing just yet," Tigress replied. Po sighed.

"I would have to go back to college," Po said. Tigress's head turned to him. "I have enough money for it, but the time is an issue."

"Then make time," Tigress replied. "If it's something that you want to do, then do it." Po looked at Tigress for a moment and then turned his eyes to his cup.

"It's going to be a big change," Po stated. The tiger could see the uncertainty and fear in his eyes. She reached out and held his hand, making him snap his head up.

"You're a big guy," Tigress smiled, almost jokingly, "You have the opportunity to do this. I would say do it. Don't let fear inhibit you from something worthwhile." Po thought about her words. Maybe... just maybe.

"Tigress? Do you mind if I come over to your house?" Po asked.

"Sure, what do you want to fix?" Tigress asked, thinking that he meant something involving plumbing.

"No, I... I just want to have a nice afternoon with you. Not business-related," Po clarified, quite literally throwing himself out there. Tigress's eyes widened as she withdrew her hand. She struggled to say anything for a while. Was it the right time?

"I'm sorry, but I can't tonight," Tigress quite sadly replied. It wasn't a good time right now. She still needed to decide whether to go through with this or not. Tigress quickly tried to ease any thoughts of doubt in Po's mind. "I'm not saying never, but... just not tonight. I'm really busy with a lot of stuff and... I just need some time to think. Maybe some other time?" Tigress asked, hoping that Po would understand. She didn't really have any other stuff. The question that Po asked came out of the blue. She wasn't prepared for it. She needed more time. Po gave a brave smile.

"Sure, I understand," Po smiled. Tigress didn't trust that smile one bit.

"Po, I mean it," She said, almost in a threatening voice. "I'm not rejecting you," She said plainly, "I just... need some time." Now Po's thoughts were clear.

"I know," He replied with a genuine smile. They both drank their drinks and continued talking about business.

To Be Continued...