Okay, wow quite the response from the last chapter! Yes, Tai Lung will return and he is on his way. Po's time at the Palace is winding down as we speak, but before we get to the end, this chapter is like chapter 13 and just a plot filler. Hope you enjoy it all the same.

Enjoy the Read...

Chapter 21

Meeting Zeng

It had only been a few days since Sai's attack on the Village and since then, the Furious Five have done nothing but work to show the Panda what it means to be a Kung Fu Master. Though, they certainly had their work cut out for them when the Palace servants returned to work a mere 3 days after the attack on the village. But of all the Masters who were nervous about Po meeting the Palace staff, none were quite as anxious as Shifu.

Over in the student barracks, Po was once again in front of the stove standing in his black pants and his brown robe with black trim. While looking over a pot of his noodles, he began adding in the vegetables while the Five Masters behind him chatted away, save for the Tiger of course. She rarely ever contributed much to the group's conversations if at all. That morning, the insect had once again asked Po if he'd be willing to fix enough noodles for the two of them and although Po was still trying to wrap his head around how the Mantis was able to consume as much food as a grown pig, he did in fact agree to the request without much interest, much to the Master's surprise.

It was only once Po had agreed to make Mantis some of his noodles that Monkey, Crane and Viper also asked if they could have some. It had been weeks since Viper had last had a bowl of the Panda's cooking, since he had left a bowl for her outside her room as a way of thanking her for the bedroll, blanket and pillow. Although she enjoyed the noodles immensely, asking the Panda to make any for her was just something Viper wasn't comfortable with doing, thanks to the Panda's hostile attitude towards them all at the time.

As Po was scooping up five bowls of noodles, he quickly threw in just a bit of seasoning and lined his left arm with 4 of the bowls while holding his own in his right paw. As Po walked over he stood at the edge of the table and waved his massive arm in a half circular motion, sliding each bowl in front of its respective target, starting with Crane on his right, then Monkey, followed by Mantis, and finished with Viper just to his left.

Monkey looked up and whistled asking, "Wow, talk about service! Where'd you learn to balance so many bowls like that?" Po just shrugged his shoulders and stepped back to lean against the counter saying, "Just something I picked up working for my Dad. He'd always have me carry out the group orders because I could carry more food than he could. Other than that, I typically stay in the kitchen."

Crane took a whiff of the soup and asked, "How come? You don't have to wait on the customers?" Po just shook his head as he took a bite of noodles saying, "Not unless my Dad asks me to. I…Try not to be at the front of the store as much as possible." Viper then asked after taking a bite of her own soup, "Why not Po?" It was then that Po closed his eyes and became very quiet and Viper thought she may have crossed some sort of line she hadn't realized.

But after a brief moment Po admitted, "I…I'm not exactly great with…people. That, and before I couldn't read at all. I never told my Dad about never learning how to because I didn't want to disappoint him. So I just tried to stay in the kitchen where I could just be by myself and still help my Dad."

Everyone was now staring at the Panda and Po just looked up once he realized they were all looking at him and asked, "What?" Mantis then pointed one of his…Things, at the bear and stated, "I think…that might be the most any of us have ever heard you talk at one time." Po just looked away and Viper gave the insect a "way to go" look, she tried to save the conversation with, "So how did you learn how to cook then if you couldn't read the recipes?"

But it was useless, Mantis's comment had already done the damage and Po replied quickly, "I just watched my Dad. That's all." and with that, Po set his now empty bowl down on the counter. He still refused to sit down at the table with them during meals, and Tigress speculated that it was because he was never allowed to share a meal with a Master before and the behavior had literally been drilled into the Panda. Getting him to change his ways and open up around the Five was proving to be a difficult task. What made matters worse, was that the Panda had very little patience to begin with so trying to convince the Panda to do anything without pushing him too hard was proving to be an incredible challenge.

Po was about to leave the kitchen when Shifu walked in through the door, and Po just stopped dead in his tracks. For a brief moment the two just stared at each other, Po's face completely serious just like Shifu's. The Five watched the two closely before Po stepped to the side and allowed the small Master to pass, his eyes never leaving the Red Panda as Shifu stood before his students and greeted, "Students."

Immediately the Five shot up and bowed saying in unison, "Master!" Po just raised his eyebrow at the action and just crossed his arms and stared at the back of the Red Panda's head. Shifu never joined them for breakfast, so why was he here? Curious, Po decided to stick around and leaned up against the counter once more, his eyes never leaving the Red Panda.

Tigress then asked in disbelief, "Master Shifu, are we late for training? I could have sworn we had more time. Please, forgive us!" Shifu shook his head no saying, "You are all not late for training." Viper then asked, "Has something happened in the village then?" While Crane asked, "Is it a mission?" Shifu however was visibly losing his patience and it was apparent by the way his ear was now twitching and immediately all were silent as the old Master took a deep breath and sighed in slight frustration.

When he looked back at his students he said simply, "No, nothing is wrong. I am actually here to speak with YOU Panda." At this Shifu turned around and Po raised an eyebrow in question asking, "Me?" Shifu nodded as he explained while the others watched him expectantly, "Yes, you. Once you are finished with breakfast, I want you to meet me over in the Hall of Heroes. Today, I shall be assisting you with your reading and we will finally get you started on learning the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu."

Po just blinked at the Red Panda and asked in utter disbelief, "You…are going to help me?" Shifu nodded and appeared unsurprised by the Panda's reaction. The Five Masters behind him though all exchanged nervous looks with each other. Having the two people with the shortest tempers in the entire Palace in the same room alone hardly seems like a sensible idea for any circumstances, Let alone for a few hours! But none dared to question Master Shifu…except for Po that is.

"Why?" Po asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowed slightly while Shifu's face remained surprisingly calm, though it was not without considerable effort on his part. Shifu however was indeed showing signs of frustration as his ear twitched briefly, an action noticed by Tigress alone. Shifu then stated, "Because It is what I have decided we shall be working on today Panda. That, and there is another matter you and I must attend to that you will no doubt require assistance with."

Po then asked, his tone showing that he was getting tired of the brief explanations already, "And that is…what exactly?" Shifu sighed before looking Po directly in the eye and said, "You need to write a testimony explaining that Boar's crimes against you and any others you know of so that he can be locked away for a LONG time. Being the only one associated with him, the task falls to you and you alone." Po just stared at Shifu for a long moment before asking in an unsure tone, "What's a…testimony?"

Tigress, who was getting used to having to explain certain words to the Panda then explained, "It's just a report Panda. You tell the guards at Chor Ghom everything you know about Sai and everything he's ever done to you and anyone else you know of on paper. Just like how you left a message for your father the other day."

Po nodded that he understood but remained silent. He didn't like the idea of talking about and re-living every moment he spent as Sai's slave, but the idea of it potentially locking the Boar away forever so that he could never torture anyone else ever again was enough to make Po agree to the task, he just wasn't convinced it would work.

"And he'll be locked away forever, just because of this… Testimony thing?" the Panda asked unconvinced. Shifu then shook his head no saying, "No. Not because of a regular testimony…but because of the Dragon Warrior's testimony." Po's eyes immediately narrowed even further and his face now in a deep frown. He hated whenever people referred to him as this Dragon Warrior person and what was really irritating was that it was happening more and more.

How many times did he have to say it? He didn't want to be the Dragon Warrior! The only reason he never said anything when Monkey called him it a few days ago was because it seemed to scare Sai quite a bit.

Po was about to say something about it when Shifu beat him to the punch saying, "Now, go and wait for me in the Hall of Heroes Panda…you are dismissed." Po just sighed as he left the kitchen in a huff and disappeared around the corner. Shifu then turned to face the Masters and his expression changed slightly to one of worry as he started, "Now that the Panda is gone, there is an issue I wish to discuss with you all."

His students all nodded and eagerly waited for him to explain. Shifu then revealed, "As of today, the Palace servants will start coming back to the Jade Palace. So far, only a few have returned for now, but in a few days all of the staff will have returned to work. This can potentially prove to pose as quite a…problem." as Shifu indicated the Panda who had just left. Tigress then asked, "What do you want us to do Master? We can't keep the Servants away from the Palace forever." Shifu then looked at the table before admitting, "I'm not sure to be honest. I am unsure of how the Panda will react to seeing multiple servants moving about the Palace."

Viper then asked, "You don't think he's going to think that they're…like him, do you?" But Shifu's face told her that that was exactly what he thought. Shifu then explained, "I cannot be sure, but we must be prepared for anything. This is also why I have decided to bring him to the Hall of Heroes this early today." This time Monkey spoke saying, "Because none of the servants have made it to the Palace yet." Shifu nodded as he confirmed, "Precisely. Hopefully the Panda will give me the opportunity to explain everything to him…though, if not the task shall fall to all of you. He appears to have a higher…tolerance, for the lot of you as opposed to myself."

Mantis then asked, "No offense Master Shifu, but that's not exactly a shocker." Shifu looked at the bug darkly as he watched Mantis lower his head saying, "Apologies Master." But none the less, Shifu sighed before saying, "Hmm…when you are finished, you are all to report straight to the Training Hall. Except for you Tigress." Tigress looked up and asked, "Master?" Shifu then turned to her and explained, "Master Oogway has requested your presence at the Sacred Peach Tree at your earliest convenience. Do go and see him once you are ready."

Tigress nodded as she said, "Of course Master Shifu. I shall leave at once." And with that Tigress got up and placed her plate in the washtub before turning to her Master and gave one last bow before exiting the kitchen. Once she left, Shifu also turned to his students and said, "That is all, be sure to go straight to the training hall once you are all finished." And with that, Shifu began to follow Tigress out of the kitchen, whispering to himself, "This is going to be a LONG day."

As Tigress was making her way over to the Peach Tree, her mind was constantly worrying about the Panda's reaction to the palace staff. Did he know the difference between Slaves and Servants? It seemed incredibly unlikely based on his lack of an understanding when it came to Masters. This concerned Tigress. If Po thought for one second that the Jade Palace had ANY slaves working there, then Master Oogway was as good as gone.

That's when a new thought hit her. Tigress hadn't been able to speak with Master Oogway yet about his role in the Panda's dark past. Now was her chance! Master Oogway wanted to see her for some reason, so once she learned the purpose for her summons, Tigress planned on asking the Grandmaster for his side of the story.

It didn't take her very long to reach the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom and upon her arrival, Tigress saw that Master Oogway was balancing on his wooden staff by only one foot, as he appeared to be deep in meditation. Not wishing to disturb him, Tigress waited patiently behind the peach tree a small ways back and watched the Elder Master for a time.

After only a few moments though, Master Oogway opened his eyes and said without turning to look at Tigress, "Ah, Master Tigress, and how are you this fine morning my dear?" Tigress bowed respectfully despite the fact Master Oogway was facing away from her and replied, "I am well Master. Master Shifu said you wished to see me?" Oogway slowly descended his staff and climbed down to the ground, giving the old stick a quick twirl before turning to face the Tiger Master, a warm smile on his face.

It was only then that Tigress noticed for the first time, That Master Oogway was actually wearing his green sash …backwards? Normally Master Oogway wore it at all times with the Yin-Yang symbol covering the back of his shell, but today for some odd reason, Tigress observed that he now wore the sash with the symbol facing the front of his shell.

Seeing her confusion, Master Oogway prompted the Tiger, "Is there something you wish to ask me Master Tigress?" Tigress merely stared at the turtle briefly before shaking her head no saying, "N-No Master Oogway." Oogway smiled at the Tiger's respect towards his decision and said simply, "Good, then perhaps you will join me in practicing our Tai-Chi this morning?"

Tigress simply nodded and moved to stand next to her mentor. But the minute she did she recalled that there was something she wanted to ask Oogway about the Panda, but the old Turtle had already started to perform the forms and motions they were accustomed to and Tigress knew she was going to need to wait to ask. She dared not to interrupt any kind of training with her questions, especially when she could just ask the Grandmaster once they were finished.

Po was slowly making his way over to the Hall of Heroes. To say he wasn't happy would be an understatement. His reading lessons were hard enough to begin with, but having to spend the next several hours with the Red Panda reprimanding him for each and every single mistake he was bound to make was just devastating. But maybe if he suffered through it without too much trouble, maybe the red Panda would allow Po to go to the Training Hall afterwards?

Out of all the things he had done since coming to the Jade Palace, the training hall was by far Po's favorite part of the training. Not only was he able to blow off some steam inside its walls but being able to study the workings of the equipment up close was always enough to put Po into a decent mood. He even had torn apart one of the wooden warriors that he would often destroy one night just to see how it was made to spin around. Then he had tried applying the same design to his wooden figurines, allowing some of the larger ones to twist their torso and bend the arms.

After nearing the steps to the Jade Palace, Po was so wrapped up in his thoughts about trying to see if he could make the legs of his figurines bend when he almost didn't notice a lone figure sweeping away over by the palace gates. The only reason Po DID notice him, was because the figure was humming a casual tune which managed to reach the Panda's ears forcing him to stop and look over towards the gates.

There standing with his back to the Panda stood a single Goose wearing a bright yellow robe with a matching yellow hat, who was sweeping away in front of the Gates. Po just stared at the stranger for a long while and didn't say anything. He never made his presence known and he never moved from his spot. Who was this goose? Where did he come from? And why was he… sweeping?

After a moment though, the goose did turn around and noticed the Panda watching him several feet away, but upon seeing him, the Goose honked and dropped his broom in surprise as he backed up into the door and hit his head against it, causing him to cry out in pain, "Ouch!" as he stumbled forward and tripped over his own broom, landing flat on his face. "Oooohhhh." The goose groaned in pain.

Po quickly rushed over to the goose and picked him up off the ground effortlessly asking, "Are you alright? I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you!" The goose then looked up at the Panda and suddenly became rigid as he began stuttering, "O-oh my. Y-you're the Dragon Warrior! N-no need to apologize, I tend to scare easily anyway." Once Po had the goose on his feet he thought to himself, "Again, people are calling me that even if I've never met them before?!" Po then looked at the goose curiously asking, "How did you know the Turtle wants me to be the Dragon Warrior? I've never seen you around before."

The goose then brushed off the dust on his Robe before saying, "My apologies Dragon Warrior, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zeng, Head Messenger and Servant of the Jade Palace!"

In that instant, Po's mind went blank as he just stared at the goose in confusion. "Wait…did he just say…Servant? They have…Servants at this place!?" Zeng looked at the Panda curiously as the Panda continued to stare at him blankly. "Oh dear, did I say something wrong?" the goose wondered as he asked, "Um…Dragon Warrior…Sir, are you alright?" Po immediately shook his head clear and his eyes narrowed in rage causing the goose to become incredibly nervous.

He couldn't believe it! This entire time The Masters here had servants in this place. But after he thought about it he realized he was the one who was being foolish and ridiculous. How could he not of suspected something like this from the beginning. They were Masters for crying out loud ! Po's thoughts were distracted again when the goose asked in a whisper, "Dragon…Warrior?"

Po immediately looked down at the cowering goose and immediately his face softened. The goose was downright terrified and Po supposed he had every right to be based on his reaction. So after taking a deep breath Po collected his thoughts for a second and asked, "Please, don't call me that. My name is Po... just Po" Zeng although looked a bit confused by the request simply said, "Er…alright…if you say so Drag-…Er…Po…Sir."

Po just looked at the goose crossly and Zeng clammed up at once. Po then looked around briefly as he asked, "I've never seen you around the palace before…does that turtle keep you underground or something?" remembering how Sai always kept Po locked away in a cellar at night. Zeng laughed heartily thinking that the Panda was merely joking, until he saw the seriousness in Po's eyes. Then he simply coughed and answered, "Turtle? You must mean Grandmaster Oogway! Oh heavens no! Master Oogway would never do such a thing. No, the Grandmaster simply gave the Palace staff a rather generous Vacation about a month ago. The others will be coming back to work in a few days."

Po's eyes widened as he asked, "Vacation? Others?" then Po had another thought, "A month ago…that's around the time I first came up here…so the turtle kept them away so I wouldn't know about the servants? But then…why would he just let them go on a vacation? Why would he let them leave the Palace at all!?"

Po then asked, his attention completely on the goose once more, "You said your name was Zeng right? How many of these…"Servants" are there exactly?" Zeng smiled as he answered honestly, "To be honest, I think there might be maybe 25 of us, but I believe Master Oogway was talking about hiring a few of the Villagers to make things easier on us once everyone gets back. There is just so much work to do!"

Now Po was confused. Quickly, Po walked over to a nearby bench and took a seat, with Zeng following him expectantly. Once he was seated Po looked up and asked, "Hold on a minute…He's going to …hire… more people?" Zeng nodded excitedly as he said, "Oh yes! You see, with only the absolute necessary tasks getting done over the past month, the Jade Palace is behind on SO much paperwork. Master Oogway was talking about hiring a few of the Villagers to help with cleaning the grounds while the people who have worked here the longest can help with the tougher tasks. I tell you the timing is perfect! There's a Pig I know who sells Garlic in the Village who needs to make a little bit of extra Yuan, so a temporary job at the Jade Palace would be perfect for him!"

Po was staring at the Goose still with confusion covering his face and Zeng suddenly started to fear that he may have been wasting the Panda's time and so apologized, "Oh dear, forgive me um…Po…Sir-" the goose clearly wasn't comfortable with being so informal with the Panda and Po was starting to lose his patience because of it. "I swear…ever since more people found out about this stupid title it's like they see me the same way as the rest of them."

But he pushed his thoughts aside as Zeng finished"- I shouldn't be bothering you with such unimportant chit chat. I'm sure you are very, very busy with your training!" Po looked at the Palace behind him for a minute and remembered that he was supposed to be meeting the Red Panda up there. "He can wait…I want to learn more about what that Turtle hasn't been telling me."

But just as the goose had turned around to go back to his sweeping, Po grabbed the goose by the back of his robe and hoisted him up saying, "Just a minute there Zeng." as he plopped the goose down on the bench beside him forcing Zeng to give an involuntary "Honk!?" Po then eyed the goose suspiciously "You said that the Turtle pays you people to work up here? In what way?"

Zeng looked a bit confused as he answered, "Well with money of course! I mean, it may be an honor to work at the Jade Palace but it's also a Job. Not all of us citizens have what it takes to sell or craft goods in the village. Some of us are really good at cleaning, or tending to the grounds, or in my case, delivering important messages on behalf of the Jade Palace!"

Po then asked as he looked around at the Palace, "A job? Here? My Dad lets me work in his restaurant whenever I can and pays me money…not that I use any of it. Is it sort of like that?" Zeng looked at the Panda with a blank stare and once again Po was beginning to feel like he asked another question that was "Stupid" but the goose surprised him when he nodded his head saying, "Yup. Exactly like that!"

Po just sat there completely baffled as he looked to the ground and asked, "Does he at least pay you all well?" Po had heard multiple times throughout his life that some slavers used to pay their slaves what was considered a pitiful sum for their work to keep them happy, especially if they sent them into a village of some sort for errands. But never had he heard of a Master paying anyone a decent amount of coin. Zeng then said with a smile. "Well, we may not earn enough to own anything like the Jade Palace, but it certainly is more than enough to get by."

Po then raised an eyebrow asking "Really? Is that…good enough?" Zeng smiled as he answered "Oh yes, More than enough. I'll be honest, I worked many jobs before when I was younger but I never enjoyed them as much as I enjoy working for the Jade Palace. The history, the architecture, not to mention getting to work in the same place as some of China's greatest Kung Fu Masters-" at this Po tried his best to stifle a quiet growl but it did not go unnoticed by the goose. But Zeng kept his mouth shut all the same and continued"- And besides…even if I were to be offered another messengers job, say, for the emperor of China perhaps…I couldn't leave Master Oogway, not after everything he's done for not only the village, but for me too."

Po looked down at the goose asking, "What do you mean? What's he ever done for you?" Zeng smiled as he looked out towards the Peach Tree where Po noticed for the first time Oogway and the Tiger were practicing their…Tai Chi he believed was what he thought they called it. Zeng then said in a simple tone, "Many years ago, my mother had gotten really sick. She had a rare illness that she wasn't going to survive without treatment and medicine. But the ingredients necessary were incredibly rare…and expensive."

Zeng lowered his head for a moment and Po asked, "So…your mother…died?" Zeng surprised him though as he shook his head no and smiled, "No. But if it weren't for Master Oogway she would have for sure. You see, I had stopped coming to the Palace so that I could care for her. One day, Master Oogway came to our door and asked me why I was no longer coming to the palace. I didn't want to burden the Master with my own personal troubles at the time which was why I never said anything before. But when he was there at my door…I told him everything; that I simply hadn't been coming to work so that I could take care of my Mother in her final days. After that, Master Oogway just left saying that he understood."

Po just rolled his eyes and was about to comment when Zeng continued, "The next week, Master Oogway came to my door again, but this time he wasn't alone. He had three healers with him, all who had all the ingredients needed to make my mother's medicine. I tried to tell them that I couldn't pay for it but Master Oogway pulled me out of the house saying to let the Healers help my mother. It was only then once we were outside did Master Oogway tell me that he had sent for the greatest healers nearest to the Valley and paid for all of my mother's medicine in full."

Po was dumbfounded when he heard that. As he was staring at the goose he asked, "He did?" Zeng nodded as he went on, "Yes, I couldn't believe it either. All that medicine was so expensive but that didn't matter to Master Oogway. He was just curious as to why I never came to him sooner. When I told him that I would never have asked him or anyone for such a large amount of money, he just looked at me and said, "Young Zeng, there are far more important things in this world than money. Family is one of our most sacred treasures and we should never be afraid to ask for help especially for such a reason." "

Po looked away and thought about everything Zeng had said. He couldn't believe that Oogway would have done something so…selfless. And for just anyone. Immediately Po thought about his Father, Ming and Dun. If any of them were in that kind of situation…would HE be willing to go to a Master for help? Even if it was the Turtle…or one of his previous Masters? "…I guess…I really would do anything for them…no matter what it cost." The Panda reasoned when the Goose's word's reached his ears again. "That's why I couldn't just leave the Jade Palace. Master Oogway has just been so amazing to me that I couldn't dream of working anywhere else."

Po nodded that he understood and Zeng got up saying, "Well, I really should get back to work before Master Shifu finds me slacking off. Heh heh, oh the last time he caught me taking a nap in the Hall of warriors I thought he was going to throw his cane right down my throat!" Po smirked at that as he added, "Yeah…he is a bit…harsh." as Po selected his words carefully.

Zeng looked up as he smiled saying, "I'm sure you're just being nice. Between you and me, I've overheard the other Masters complaining about how impossible he is as a Master. But…I suppose when you lose your son the way he did…" Po perked up as he asked, "You mean Tai Lung? What happened to him anyway? Tigress just said he left one day." Zeng nodded as he said, "Yes…and since then, Master Shifu's never been the same. I think Master Tai Lung leaving was much harder on him then he lets on."

Zeng then gasped as he pleaded, "Oh please don't tell him I said that! He'll have me wiping the floors with a leaf for a week!" Po just nodded as he assured, "Hey, I'm the last Panda you need to worry about getting you into trouble with a Master." Although curious about Po's choice of words, Zeng just smiled as he said, "I really need to get to it then. It was nice Talking to you Dragon Warrior." Po immediately crossed his arms and said, "Seriously…don't call me that." Zeng immediately amended himself with a bow, "Right! I'm sorry Po…Sir." And with that, Zeng began walking over to his broom while Po watched him sweep for a minute.

Soon though, Po spied an extra broom leaning by the Gate and so he walked over to it and picked it up and began sweeping a small ways away from the goose. "What are you doing!?" Po turned to see Zeng was staring at him with his mouth wide open in shock. Po just shrugged his shoulders saying, "I'm helping. You'll get this done a lot faster with some help, right?"

Zeng was trying to find his words as he said, "W-well yes but…you certainly don't have to-" But Po cut him off saying, "Great, then let's get sweeping." And the Panda began sweeping once more, taking wide strokes with his broom which were twice the size as Zeng's. Zeng however didn't move as he continued to stare at the Giant Panda who had his back to him.

Po smiled to himself as he worked. Being around the goose made him feel strangely a bit calmer. Maybe it was because he was the first person he had seen up here that wasn't a Master, or maybe it was because Po felt a certain kinship with the goose having both worked for Masters even if it was in different ways. That and helping the goose with the sweeping brought back some good memories of Dun, back when he always helped Po fill up his cart loads of Iron Ore so that they could train together faster. Even though Dun always did most of the talking back then, Po still enjoyed his company and his teacher's help.

Although what Zeng had described to Po about his connection to the Palace wasn't slavery by any means, it still struck the Panda as a bit strange that Oogway had basically hidden them all from the Panda when he first got here. "Because he knew if I saw them so soon I never would have stayed…that's why-" But his thoughts were interrupted by Zeng once again.

"But…won't Master Shifu be upset that you aren't training?" Po huffed as he explained, "Please, it wouldn't be the first time he's made me clean this entire palace as part of my "Training". How do you think the floors in that Hall of Heroes place got so shiny?" Zeng then gasped as he asked, "That was you!? I've been trying to get them that clean for years! How did you do it?" Po smirked as he made a small circular motion with his wrist saying, "It's all in the wrist. Small rotations, some muscle and a little spit gets the job done a lot quicker. That and when he makes you do it for 4 hours nonstop you tend to do a better job anyways."

Zeng nodded his head as he asked, "You sound like you know a bit about hard work. What did you do before becoming the Dragon Warrior if you don't mind my asking?" Po just shook his head no saying, "I don't mind. Before coming up here, I worked with my Dad in his noodle shop. Still do whenever they let me leave this place from time to time, but not as much as I want to." Zeng nodded as he clarified, "You wish you could help your father more." Po nodded as he admitted, "It's just…I owe him so much. So when I came up here, I felt like I was letting him down, even though he wanted me to come up here."

At this point Po was surprising himself with just how much he was telling Zeng but after receiving an understanding nod from the goose, Zeng said, "I'm sure he understands. I mean after all, his son is the Dragon Warrior, right?" Po just glared at the goose for calling him the Dragon Warrior again, causing Zeng to honk again saying, "S-sorry." Po just sighed as he continued sweeping.

A few minutes of awkward silence passed and Zeng thought he had crossed a line, when the Panda asked, "So…what's it like being a messenger?" Zeng smiled as he looked up and smiled saying, "Oh it's the greatest! I tell you, it's the greatest job I've ever had, why just last week I-" And so Zeng dove into all his recent jobs he had carried out as a messenger, while Po smiled and listened on with interest, learning all of the different places the goose had been to in just a few short weeks.

Unbeknownst to him though, Shifu was watching from a small distance away, and although he was originally nervous about the Panda meeting the staff, once he watched him interact with the goose, he noticed the Panda had begun to relax around Zeng a bit. "Perhaps we are not so doomed after all?" Shifu wondered as he turned to leave and made his way up to the Hall of Heroes to wait for the Panda.

Like I said, Nothing too exciting, but I couldn't just not have a scene where Po hasn't met the Palace servants yet. You know? it would have been a MAJOR hole in the plot if you ask me. I'm already halfway done with chapter 22 so I'm hoping to have it out in just a few days. Something tells me you guys will really like the next couple of chapters. I don't expect too many reviews for this one but hey, they can't all be fantastic and exciting...that would be too hard to write! :)

Thanks for reading and remember...

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