LOVE
The longest wait of his life. Yet he wasn't busy with the preparations for a festival! But arranging that dinner turned out to be more tiring and stressful than it should have!
Fortunately, Lu-Chu was willing to cook for them, not finishing her hope and recommend Shen to be kind to his likely future daughter-in-law.
Did you think about that when they first came out? No, Shen had decided to take it one step at a time. Being inexperienced he wanted to proceed slowly and with caution to avoid ruining everything!
It was early afternoon and to keep busy he had decided to lock himself in the laboratory. With him were Syaoran and Xu while Mei, Hua and Shu had had a sudden engagement and by after lunch they had disappeared.
"As if we didn't know where they are!" The wolf complained about. "Are you sure you want to be holed up underground like moles all afternoon?" Xu asked, nervously moving his tail. "Why? Are the others training?" The wolf asked by raising his ears.
"Of course! They want to be able to protect themselves from poachers!" The panther answered.
"It's winter! I don't think humans try a shot! They're clumsier than Bao in moving in the snow!" Xu said as he placed some large fireworks in some crates filled with straw.
It was January. Many were surprised when, in November, they had not been segregated inside the castle because nothing had changed the previous year. Indeed, the previous escape routes had been sealed and the guard had doubled. So running from inside the castle, as it was the first time, was now impossible!
Rose had told them that she did not even know the motivation in the face of her father's sudden decision, as lately she spent a lot of time outside the castle walls, another bizarre behavior since she had always felt safe among those thick stone walls, especially in winter!
Peacocks and other animals often became ill due to the cold as their homes were built with poor material and windows had not been sealed. Perfect for hot summer, but bad for the cold season.
For this reason many had moved to live in a group, in a single dwelling. They were tight, but they warmed each other.
Shen's was one of the few to have been quite fit to retain as much heat as possible and now shared the house with Syaoran, Xu, Guo, Hao, Kuen, Kun, Qiao, Meng and Chan. It was fortunate that the peacock had designed the house with many rooms, so they could all be quite comfortable, which is not common in other dwellings.
Concerned about the harsh winter the animals had decided to prioritise the need to overcome that season, a problem that never existed before since humans, even before the decision to use an entire wing of the castle to them, locked them up in a small but warm structure. In recent years the temperatures had undergone a sharp change, bringing much more snow and cold, so the decision of the castle had not been so bad... it's a pity Derek had already changed his mind...
"Or maybe they could try because they know that no one expects such a move from them!" Syaoran insisted.
"If they come we will face them!" Shen said as he experimented with black powder with a small model of his new invention. It was a metal cylinder positioned horizontally from the ground and inside was put gunpowder and a piece of spherical metal, in this order.
The dust, exploding, gave the alloy such a boost that it became so fast and powerful that it pierced a thick wooden plank. Life-size, according to Shen's calculations, his power would have been devastating. What he needed to use against humans!
He had called it: cannon! Once free, they would collect all the metal needed to build one or more so they could have a defense weapon to use against those of humans. He would protect his new family and friends! Perhaps this desire was born from his previous experience as ruler. Even then his job was to protect his people and despite the outright towards him, shown by many, he had done it to the best of his ability.
When the shot started the result was what was hoped for. Despite being a model, the cannonball, though much smaller than a life-size one, pierced the wooden plank in front and she as if it were butter. A mischievous smile opened up on Shen's face: once they fled, the hopes of a return to their homeland became more and more concrete!
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Rose leaned completely on the bench. This year there would be the final second-grade exams, and students could hear the phrase "Study the whole program for the final exam!" And in case they had the same professor for two hours, at the first sixty minutes the teacher repeated the catch on time.
Rose was ahead of the history program... but why it was necessary, indeed it was planned to study dead languages!
Of course, it is true that many of the modern languages come from those... Death!
But no one talks to her anymore and if there was one thing Rose hated to do it was to learn to speak something other than Italian! That was hard already! With all the verbs, a giant vocabulary with millions of different words even if some shared the same meaning was already a challenge to read a new book, without having to resort to the brick as soon as it came across a word unknown to her!
As if that were not enough, then there would be English, just to finish the morning wonderfully!
Lucky she would go to the reserve in the afternoon, so she could relax her mind for a few hours. It was a saying, since she had a lot of work to do with his friends too!
The ghosts had reported interesting news. Apparently Carmela was aiming to oust her father. This was confirmed by the large number of spies who responded only to his orders! The girl, along with her friends, had studied the various evidence carried by ghosts, that is, old documents, to get a picture of the situation. Even eavesing their conversations had proved very fruitful for Genji and Dishi. The problem was that they knew what he had done, but he was smart enough to hide his intentions regarding his next move!
Maybe Derek knew something, too! She would have justified her many travels, the number of which had suddenly increased, without her knowing the reason!
Then, one morning, Sam had arrived with shocking news: Derek had set out to catch new animals!
Rose was stone-faced! He had gone without her... with any of the animals in the reserve! Usually he carried someone next on whom he used the power of sapphire, so as to have protection without being forced to use their weapons! Either Derek went crazy, or he found out that she knew the truth about her parents, or she didn't consider her her daughter anymore after realizing who she really was...?
Or he still didn't trust animals, at least not so much to let them out, with or without the influence of the diamond...
And now she found herself lying on the school bench dying of boredom, with questions and doubts like that thronging her mind!
The bell of recreation was a liberation! Beatrice and Caleb were elated to her, "The hydroelectric power station is well guarded, but I think one of your spies may be able to go unnoticed!" Caleb said.
Sam, Adam and Teo immediately joined the conversation "I downloaded a plant map so I could study all the steps well! I think, however, that a microphone must be given to those who infiltrate!" Said Teo starting to unroll a huge sheet "He's right! The more chances of success there are, the better!" Beatrice said. "Do you mean that whatever can increase our success rate calculated on the basis of all the factors to the contrary, it needs to be taken into account?" Adam asked, who often amazed others by being a genius in mathematics and physics. "Yes, but I speak like mere mortals!" He teased the girl. "Once the hydroelectric power station is shut down, the whole country will find itself without power!" Sam specified, "So, goodbye cameras!" He concluded satisfied.
"A point in our favour! If the problem is general maybe my father will not suspect us!" Rose admitted happy, "Well! Beatrice and Caleb, you will follow the spy, while Sam and I will check the situation at the castle. Adam you will stay with the animals and Teo will wait for you at the agreed point once outside the walls!" explained the girl.
"What are you doing?" A voice foreign to the group made everyone take a hit.
Adam flew a monopoly board by slamming it over the seedling while the others threw pieces of the game onto it.
After this improvisation, the six boys turned to the intruder: the Headmaster!
"Good morning!" They said in chorus, "Have you forgotten how to play this game?" asked the gentleman with an amused expression in his face.
"No! ... We invented a new kind of monopoly!" Teo said he was denied making excuses! "And what changes?" He asked the principal to be serious again, even if in his eyes you could see a hint of curiosity.
"We can't tell you!" Beatrice answered on impulse, "Why not? I'm the Principal, and it's my right to question my students to make sure they're not breaking any rules!" He explained sternly.
"But it's a secret between...comrades! We can't betray... foundation!" Teo said, and then asked what he had just said.
The Headmaster at the time realized that it was simply a game between boys. Being the members of that group very marginalized, he decided to let them do it.
"You're right! When you take an oath you keep it! Continue with your secret monopoly but don't be long to get back to class when the bell rings!" Headmaster said before walking away.
A big sigh came from the group as soon as the adult turned the first corner.
"Never bring such compromising evidence again!" Beatrice said furiously, turning to poor Theo. "You didn't say anything when I showed them to you! So it's also your fault!" the boy accused.
"Question!" Adam introduced himself. Everyone turned to look at him waiting for it to continue "Once the power is gone you won't hope you can open the gate and run away! After what has happened he will be ready for any eventuality!" The boy said, posing yet another problem.
"What do you know the current will suddenly blow?" Theo asked. "He's right!" Caleb said, telling his friend, "He's going to be on high alert! But how can we know what he's going to do?" He asked, "What if we use a diversion?" Beatrice asked, "Which one?" asked Theo curiously "Something that can divert his attention!" The girl said.
"He asked you the idea you have in mind, not the definition of "diversion"!" Adam said it seemed that his new friend didn't take their intentions seriously.
"Let's not forget her! We have to keep an eye on her!" Sam said. "The spies will tell me about his moves, but remember he's unpredictable!" Rose said, referring to Carmela. She had plotted to kill her mother, and even though the Master had told her that she was not honorable, she hoped, one day, that she could return the favor!
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It was ten good minutes that he was looking up in the mirror in search of some imperfections that he could fix. Shen wanted to be impeccable in appearance as well as in manners. For that evening he had worn his beautiful silk robe, along with the iron gloves he had not worn for a long time. Kung Fu is a martial art that does not hurt, that was just the motivation... yes, even the Master had played a role in that decision!
The blades had decided to leave them with his dao guan. By now with Kung Fu he was almost on par with a Master and had decided to trust more of his abilities than to rely on weapons. The gloves on the feet were just beauty.
Everything was ready. Candles, starter, and every course had been put in the kitchen ready to be served. He would have thought about it, which made him nervous since he wasn't good at bringing dishes... in the Tower of the Holy Flame had never to think about it...
His friends had helped him organize and then they disappeared, as if they had never set foot in his house!
A slight knock on the door made him literally run towards it, only to slow down just before reaching it in an attempt to recompose.
Once open, he gasped. Lang Min wore a blue robe that did not contrast at all with his colors, indeed, he seemed to be perfectly in tune with them. Pink, green and a hint of brown complemented the dress she wore.
"Hello Shen!" she said, looking down to study it well in turn.
That robe was magnificent. The white feathers of the peacock seemed to stand out, but at the same time its precious embroidery accentuated the beauty of the fabric.
After a few minutes, Shen recovered from her initial stunner and invited her in, "Take a seat! Come and sit by the fire, you'll warm up!" the peacock said, nodding toward the chimney.
After taking her coat and hanging it in the lobby, he followed her to the sofa on which she had sat. "Before now you've never dated women much, have you?" Lang Min asked with an amused expression in his face.
"What makes you say it?" Shen asked to swallow bitterly so as not to start arguing even then. "You're too tense!" She said she "And why should I be so?" The peacock asked.
They earned each other at a moment of embarrassment and Shen, not knowing how to act taken a bouquet of flowers behind them and offered it to her. Lang Min ended silence with a pure surprise of surprise "They are beautiful!" She said smell the Good Scent "Never as much as you do!" whispered the peacock to observe her closely with wonder. "Where did you find them?" She asked you to consciously know that in winter they could not survive. "Rose got them!" replied the peacock.
"So does she know about us?" She asked for the paviless "What?" Churches Shen lost "You're not courting me?" She asked "Is it working?" He asked for his ass immediately after the moron. "I think so!" replied Lang Min and the Peacock heard his heart start beating fast.
"There's only one thing... " She said "I'm listening" He encouraged her, "We must be honest with each other! Shen... who are you?" She asked, completely distraught him. The peacock opened his beak to answer but closed it immediately. After a few more moments of hesitation he spoke "You will judge me if I say so!" Admitted.
"No, I won't!" She answered. "Listen, I promise it will be me. I'm not going to pretend to be someone else, but I'd rather tell you later... it's something that will have a big impact on our relationship!" Insisted Shen, "Then you wouldn't want to tell me right away?" Lang Min asked, which was increasingly curious and at the same time intimidated. What was he hiding? What could affect their relationship so incisively?
Was Shen being paranoid or was it true?
"It will affect our future, not the present!" Said the peacock desperately seeking an escape route. "Does it have to do with your "real blood"?" She asked.
Shen looked down and avoided her not knowing how to respond. This time he couldn't have avoided it! And maybe he would have lost it even before he had fully conquered it.
"Are you a nobleman? A real? Are you the ruler of any city?" She asked, astonished her.
"Not the sovereign... I will become when my father dies..." whispered Shen as if he hoped that she could not hear him.
Lang Min stood by her with sheer astonishment. She should have figured it out! From the first moment he saw it he understood that he was different, but he could not even remotely imagine that it was for that reason! Shen was a Prince!
Hell! Why did she always have to aim so high?! He probably expected some noblewoman who was worthy of him... thing that she wasn't... his father was rich yes, but he was not a nobleman!
She felt she loved him, but she was sure she wouldn't be up to it in case their story worked! She had always been very shy and introverted and her father had not helped at all! She knew well that a Prince had many important tasks to perform, including numerous comparisons with his people! A ruler? Let's not talk about it!
It was intriguing and frightening at the same time to have taken the mask off that peacock!
"Are you going to go back to your city... to claim the throne?" She asked intimidated "No!" The shot of him surprised her even more "I've never been so happy as in the last four years! And I finally realized that's not my place!" confessed to the peacock for the first time ever.
"Oh... less bad!" Lang Min said with a sigh. This time it was Shen's turn to be surprised "Why?" He asked curiously to hear the answer.
"I don't know how to deal with a Prince!" She admitted, "You don't have to think about the Prince, it's just me!" Shen said by laying a wing on her side, finding that contact incredibly comforting.
"It goes for me too! I'm just Lang Min, not a spinster with a rich dowry!" She said, referring to a part of her past that she was still trying to forget, reciprocating the squeeze. Shen smiled, "Are you hungry?" He politely asked, "I'm dying!" She confessed to him. They both laughed and with a smile on their faces they made their way to the table.
Sorry for this unexpected break, but I had to work on this new couple!
Lang Min is much smarter and stronger than you think that's what attracted Shen from now on!
And I hope that with time, their relationship will strengthen!
And most of all, I had to show that the boys are also working on designing a good plan.
See you soon
X - 98