*: OK, the odds are that you're gonna completely know the first little
scene and there's another that you're going to recognize later on. Don't
come looking for blood cause of copyright infringement, I know I don't own
Disney's Mulan, any of the characters, save the ones I add in, or any of
the movie's scenes, but these ones needed to be used.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Now changed to more formal clothes than what she'd been wearing for her early morning training session Mulan stood just behind and to the right of Shang, facing the troops assembled before them. Shang was just finishing addressing all of them, explaining that they would 'assemble swiftly and silently every morning' and that anyone who might act otherwise would answer to him or to Captain Fa.
"Oooh," she heard in the background, "Captain Fa. I'm shaking."
Shangs eyes slanted back at her, the look barely noticeable to the troops but a plain invite clear to Mulan.
A small smile crossed her lips as she stepped forward, drawing her arrow and fitting it swiftly into her bow. "Lang," she said gruffly.
All the men save one retreated back a step leaving Lang targeted perfectly by her arrow. Spinning abruptly she fired up into the air, planting her arrow at the top of the, all too familiar, poll.
"Thank you for volunteering. Retrieve the arrow."
Whatever it was that Lang muttered Mulan ignored him as he stepped cockily toward the poll. Just as he grasped hold of it Mulan stopped him with: "Just a moment, you seem to be missing something. This," she withdrew one of the bronze disks from the box Chi Fu presented her, albeit grudgingly, with, "represents strength, and this," she withdrew the other one, "represents dignity." Attaching them both to the arms of Lang she said, "You need both to reach the arrow."
Stepping back she gave Lang room to tackle the poll.
"Well that was familiar," Mushu muttered from just within her collar. "Never thought you'd be doing that, eh Mulan?"
Lang fell, crumpled under the weight to the ground.
"All part of the plan," she replied in a hiss. She and Shang had gone over this earlier that morning, luckily. She had been expecting a wise-ass remark from someone.
Man after man tried, the more experienced getting closer perhaps, but nonetheless man after man failed. Finally, after everyone had failed Shang stepped back into place, nodding at Chi Fu.
"The following soldiers will come with me," he said, and Chi Fu began to read.
Mulan noted that a fair amount of the more experienced soldiers were going with Shang, which was both good and bad for her, but in the long run the more experienced Captain taking the more experienced soldiers made more sense. With what Mulan was almost positive was EXACTLY half of the soldiers Shang departed, leaving her with the rest and Chi Fu. 'Lucky me,' she thought sarcastically at the malicious look he sent her.
He cocked an eyebrow and made a note on his irritating little clipboard, "Day one."
"Soldiers!" She called loudly over them, attempting to quiet down the chatter that was begging to grow, silence gradually fell. "Lets get to work." Tossing out the staffs she continued to ignore all of the looks and annoyed eyebrows she was being sent and lead them out onto the practice field they would be using.
Barely an hour into their training was something went wrong. It was sudden and Mulan hadn't even seen it coming, but abruptly no one was paying attention to their work, or to her. The soldiers were gathered in a tight mass encircling something.
Cursing sharply Mulan rushed forward, elbowing her way through the pushy men, some of which stepped back, others who seemed to be deliberately getting in her way. She didn't care; she wasn't exactly being gentle at the moment.
Reaching the center of the circle she dragged the brawling men apart angrily. "What is going on here?" she demanded.
"It's his fault," one of the men snarled pointing at the other, slightly weaker looking one, still sitting on the ground.
"Yeah, he started the whole thing," another echoed.
Mulan glanced from soldier to soldier, guessing at the situation. She had different advantages to Shang, she realized, she'd been there, she knew what they were up to.
"I didn't ask whose fault it was I ASKED what was going on here," she growled. Surprised the accusing man took a step backwards. "You," she turned to the boy who had been on the ground, now standing and dusting himself off. "What's your name."
"Uh," the boy looked surprised as he met Mulans steady gave. "M-my what?"
The crowd still hadn't dispersed enough to allow Chi Fu through, thankfully.
"Your name," she replied, cocking an eyebrow, "what is it?"
"Umm," his voice was suddenly much deeper. "My name is - uhm - "
"Well?"
"I-I've got a name. . ." He paused desperately. Muttered almost under his breath he said, "HIS name is Lang,"
"I didn't ask for his name I asked for yours," Mulan replied, exasperated. Was this boy just being difficult? Somehow this situation seemed familiar but she couldn't quite put her finger on it and she didn't have time to try.
"Uh-hum, m-my name is. . .Uh. . . Chon!"
"Chon." Mulan repeated.
"Yeah - YES," he corrected himself quickly. "My name is Chon."
Mulan nodded curtly and spun to face the other two soldiers who had accused him. "Well, Chon, Lang," she pointed to the final soldier expectantly, there had to be an easier way to get their names when they weren't in formation.
"Ping," he said.
She nearly chocked. "And Ping. The three of you have some running to do. The river and back until I say stop, and THEN you have kitchen duty for the next week."
The three of them winced visibly. Mulan did her best not to wince along with them, she felt their pain, she'd been there, done that. However, she was going to have enough problems without people starting to make rumors that she was soft. She had already made up her mind that if the soldiers asked for trouble, trouble they were going to get, and she wasn't going to back down from that now.
Her voice rose so that all the men could here her clearly. "Disobedience and fighting will not be tolerated, gentlemen. You're here to learn to fight properly and if you fall out of line you can only expect to be punished. Well?" She turned back to her three examples, "What are you waiting for?"
They took off towards the river at a sprint.
"Conserve your energy," she called the friendly warning after them before she could stop herself. Shaking it off she turned back to the other men. "Let's get back to work."
She shuddered as she walked calmly back to her place in front of them, "I feel like Chi Fu," she muttered to Mushu.
"Aw, it had to be done," Mushu comforted. "What? You want these bozos walkin' all over you for the rest `a your time here? Now lets go, back to work!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Now changed to more formal clothes than what she'd been wearing for her early morning training session Mulan stood just behind and to the right of Shang, facing the troops assembled before them. Shang was just finishing addressing all of them, explaining that they would 'assemble swiftly and silently every morning' and that anyone who might act otherwise would answer to him or to Captain Fa.
"Oooh," she heard in the background, "Captain Fa. I'm shaking."
Shangs eyes slanted back at her, the look barely noticeable to the troops but a plain invite clear to Mulan.
A small smile crossed her lips as she stepped forward, drawing her arrow and fitting it swiftly into her bow. "Lang," she said gruffly.
All the men save one retreated back a step leaving Lang targeted perfectly by her arrow. Spinning abruptly she fired up into the air, planting her arrow at the top of the, all too familiar, poll.
"Thank you for volunteering. Retrieve the arrow."
Whatever it was that Lang muttered Mulan ignored him as he stepped cockily toward the poll. Just as he grasped hold of it Mulan stopped him with: "Just a moment, you seem to be missing something. This," she withdrew one of the bronze disks from the box Chi Fu presented her, albeit grudgingly, with, "represents strength, and this," she withdrew the other one, "represents dignity." Attaching them both to the arms of Lang she said, "You need both to reach the arrow."
Stepping back she gave Lang room to tackle the poll.
"Well that was familiar," Mushu muttered from just within her collar. "Never thought you'd be doing that, eh Mulan?"
Lang fell, crumpled under the weight to the ground.
"All part of the plan," she replied in a hiss. She and Shang had gone over this earlier that morning, luckily. She had been expecting a wise-ass remark from someone.
Man after man tried, the more experienced getting closer perhaps, but nonetheless man after man failed. Finally, after everyone had failed Shang stepped back into place, nodding at Chi Fu.
"The following soldiers will come with me," he said, and Chi Fu began to read.
Mulan noted that a fair amount of the more experienced soldiers were going with Shang, which was both good and bad for her, but in the long run the more experienced Captain taking the more experienced soldiers made more sense. With what Mulan was almost positive was EXACTLY half of the soldiers Shang departed, leaving her with the rest and Chi Fu. 'Lucky me,' she thought sarcastically at the malicious look he sent her.
He cocked an eyebrow and made a note on his irritating little clipboard, "Day one."
"Soldiers!" She called loudly over them, attempting to quiet down the chatter that was begging to grow, silence gradually fell. "Lets get to work." Tossing out the staffs she continued to ignore all of the looks and annoyed eyebrows she was being sent and lead them out onto the practice field they would be using.
Barely an hour into their training was something went wrong. It was sudden and Mulan hadn't even seen it coming, but abruptly no one was paying attention to their work, or to her. The soldiers were gathered in a tight mass encircling something.
Cursing sharply Mulan rushed forward, elbowing her way through the pushy men, some of which stepped back, others who seemed to be deliberately getting in her way. She didn't care; she wasn't exactly being gentle at the moment.
Reaching the center of the circle she dragged the brawling men apart angrily. "What is going on here?" she demanded.
"It's his fault," one of the men snarled pointing at the other, slightly weaker looking one, still sitting on the ground.
"Yeah, he started the whole thing," another echoed.
Mulan glanced from soldier to soldier, guessing at the situation. She had different advantages to Shang, she realized, she'd been there, she knew what they were up to.
"I didn't ask whose fault it was I ASKED what was going on here," she growled. Surprised the accusing man took a step backwards. "You," she turned to the boy who had been on the ground, now standing and dusting himself off. "What's your name."
"Uh," the boy looked surprised as he met Mulans steady gave. "M-my what?"
The crowd still hadn't dispersed enough to allow Chi Fu through, thankfully.
"Your name," she replied, cocking an eyebrow, "what is it?"
"Umm," his voice was suddenly much deeper. "My name is - uhm - "
"Well?"
"I-I've got a name. . ." He paused desperately. Muttered almost under his breath he said, "HIS name is Lang,"
"I didn't ask for his name I asked for yours," Mulan replied, exasperated. Was this boy just being difficult? Somehow this situation seemed familiar but she couldn't quite put her finger on it and she didn't have time to try.
"Uh-hum, m-my name is. . .Uh. . . Chon!"
"Chon." Mulan repeated.
"Yeah - YES," he corrected himself quickly. "My name is Chon."
Mulan nodded curtly and spun to face the other two soldiers who had accused him. "Well, Chon, Lang," she pointed to the final soldier expectantly, there had to be an easier way to get their names when they weren't in formation.
"Ping," he said.
She nearly chocked. "And Ping. The three of you have some running to do. The river and back until I say stop, and THEN you have kitchen duty for the next week."
The three of them winced visibly. Mulan did her best not to wince along with them, she felt their pain, she'd been there, done that. However, she was going to have enough problems without people starting to make rumors that she was soft. She had already made up her mind that if the soldiers asked for trouble, trouble they were going to get, and she wasn't going to back down from that now.
Her voice rose so that all the men could here her clearly. "Disobedience and fighting will not be tolerated, gentlemen. You're here to learn to fight properly and if you fall out of line you can only expect to be punished. Well?" She turned back to her three examples, "What are you waiting for?"
They took off towards the river at a sprint.
"Conserve your energy," she called the friendly warning after them before she could stop herself. Shaking it off she turned back to the other men. "Let's get back to work."
She shuddered as she walked calmly back to her place in front of them, "I feel like Chi Fu," she muttered to Mushu.
"Aw, it had to be done," Mushu comforted. "What? You want these bozos walkin' all over you for the rest `a your time here? Now lets go, back to work!"
