5.
Mulan had somehow made it through the tearful goodbyes with her family. She couldn't help but think that if she had had to go through those goodbyes the first time she probably never would have gone, or at least not have made it very far if she had.
Atop Kahn she had left through the large, wooden gates with a final wave. She was escorted by a very annoyed, muttering Chi Fu and a silent Yin Po. Yin looked torn between the two opposing forces that were only separated from a violent collision by a very thin line, which, at the moment, happened to be him and his horse. Conversation was not an option.
Chi Fu decided to make a rest stop around halfway there despite the fact that, or maybe especially because of it, the rest of the party was just fine. Doubtlessly he would also end up taking much longer than necessary in the hopes of inconveniencing them, or maybe just to be annoying.
Mulan had finally made up her mind that this would be as good a time as any to attempt conversation with Yin when she felt one of her saddlebags stir. Hesitantly Mulan turned Kahn so that the saddlebag she was reaching into couldn't be seen by Yin. In actual fact she really needn't have bothered, Yin was deep within his own thoughts and currently oblivious to her and everything else.
"Mushu!" She exclaimed. Checking herself she quickly lowered her voice to a whisper, "What are you doing here?!"
"Oh please! Where did you think I would be? Back home on the mantle lookin' pretty? I know I do it well but you need someone out here lookin' out for you, missy!"
Mulan rolled her eyes. "Well you've certainly grown more modest since I saw you last. You know I should have expected this."
"Hmm, you're right, you should have," Mushu agreed distractedly, mouth full of something or other. "PAH!" Whatever it had been was expelled. "What was THAT?!"
"Well," Mulan said condescendingly, "that should teach you to go through other people's things. ESPECIALLY if you're going to eat those things!"
"It's dark in there," Mushu defended, "I couldn't see what I was grabbing." Perching himself cross-legged atop the saddle bag, just out of view, he reached back in and withdrew something. Examining it briefly he tossed it to Mulan. "What is this?"
Looking down at the small object the chunk missing, which looked distinctly like a bite mark, did not go unnoticed. Laughing she shook her head. "Mmm," she said sarcastically, "Soap. I gotta tell you Mushu this falls under one of my personal favorites."
"Eeeww!" Mushu exclaimed, hiccupping only to produce a few soapy bubbles. "You're a sick girl, Mulan."
Giggling she gave him an 'I-told-you so' look as she popped one of his bubbles.
"What are you laughing at?" Yin asked, suddenly returning to his senses and realizing that Mulan wasn't just waiting patiently.
"My dragon ate my soap," she replied without thinking, catching herself only too late.
"You're WHAT?"
"I. . ." Mulan looked around, trying to think fast. "I-I have a pet lizard."
"LIZARD?!" Mushu cried, jumping to his feet.
Mulan clamped a hand firmly over his mouth, muffling any further objections he might make. "Shut UP, Mushu!" She added under her breath, just to further her point.
"Pardon?" Yin said.
"Uh, I call him dragon," Mulan replied, panicked. "He-he was in my saddlebag and he-" she shrugged lamely- "ate my soap."
To her immense relief Yin laughed, but then, "Can I see him?"
"Uhh. . ."
Mushu was shaking his head violently from under her hand and it would seem that he was trying to say something too because every once in a while a bubble would slip out from between her fingers.
"Er, maybe later," Mulan replied quickly, stuffing him firmly back into the saddlebag. "He's not very happy right now."
Yin shrugged, "OK. . . You really are one of a kind, you know."
"Huh?" She turned to face him curiously.
"I can't BELIEVE you have a pet lizard!" he replied gleefully, grinning from ear to ear. "I bet we could really scare Chi Fu with that thing!"
Mulan had somehow made it through the tearful goodbyes with her family. She couldn't help but think that if she had had to go through those goodbyes the first time she probably never would have gone, or at least not have made it very far if she had.
Atop Kahn she had left through the large, wooden gates with a final wave. She was escorted by a very annoyed, muttering Chi Fu and a silent Yin Po. Yin looked torn between the two opposing forces that were only separated from a violent collision by a very thin line, which, at the moment, happened to be him and his horse. Conversation was not an option.
Chi Fu decided to make a rest stop around halfway there despite the fact that, or maybe especially because of it, the rest of the party was just fine. Doubtlessly he would also end up taking much longer than necessary in the hopes of inconveniencing them, or maybe just to be annoying.
Mulan had finally made up her mind that this would be as good a time as any to attempt conversation with Yin when she felt one of her saddlebags stir. Hesitantly Mulan turned Kahn so that the saddlebag she was reaching into couldn't be seen by Yin. In actual fact she really needn't have bothered, Yin was deep within his own thoughts and currently oblivious to her and everything else.
"Mushu!" She exclaimed. Checking herself she quickly lowered her voice to a whisper, "What are you doing here?!"
"Oh please! Where did you think I would be? Back home on the mantle lookin' pretty? I know I do it well but you need someone out here lookin' out for you, missy!"
Mulan rolled her eyes. "Well you've certainly grown more modest since I saw you last. You know I should have expected this."
"Hmm, you're right, you should have," Mushu agreed distractedly, mouth full of something or other. "PAH!" Whatever it had been was expelled. "What was THAT?!"
"Well," Mulan said condescendingly, "that should teach you to go through other people's things. ESPECIALLY if you're going to eat those things!"
"It's dark in there," Mushu defended, "I couldn't see what I was grabbing." Perching himself cross-legged atop the saddle bag, just out of view, he reached back in and withdrew something. Examining it briefly he tossed it to Mulan. "What is this?"
Looking down at the small object the chunk missing, which looked distinctly like a bite mark, did not go unnoticed. Laughing she shook her head. "Mmm," she said sarcastically, "Soap. I gotta tell you Mushu this falls under one of my personal favorites."
"Eeeww!" Mushu exclaimed, hiccupping only to produce a few soapy bubbles. "You're a sick girl, Mulan."
Giggling she gave him an 'I-told-you so' look as she popped one of his bubbles.
"What are you laughing at?" Yin asked, suddenly returning to his senses and realizing that Mulan wasn't just waiting patiently.
"My dragon ate my soap," she replied without thinking, catching herself only too late.
"You're WHAT?"
"I. . ." Mulan looked around, trying to think fast. "I-I have a pet lizard."
"LIZARD?!" Mushu cried, jumping to his feet.
Mulan clamped a hand firmly over his mouth, muffling any further objections he might make. "Shut UP, Mushu!" She added under her breath, just to further her point.
"Pardon?" Yin said.
"Uh, I call him dragon," Mulan replied, panicked. "He-he was in my saddlebag and he-" she shrugged lamely- "ate my soap."
To her immense relief Yin laughed, but then, "Can I see him?"
"Uhh. . ."
Mushu was shaking his head violently from under her hand and it would seem that he was trying to say something too because every once in a while a bubble would slip out from between her fingers.
"Er, maybe later," Mulan replied quickly, stuffing him firmly back into the saddlebag. "He's not very happy right now."
Yin shrugged, "OK. . . You really are one of a kind, you know."
"Huh?" She turned to face him curiously.
"I can't BELIEVE you have a pet lizard!" he replied gleefully, grinning from ear to ear. "I bet we could really scare Chi Fu with that thing!"
