The frog kept croaking. Owlette tried again to push it out of her mind, but the noise was insistent. She focused on her breathing. Air in, slow and quiet. Air out, a gentle release.
An Yu said, "Clear your mind. To meditate properly, you must release yourself from the cares of the world."
Croak. Croak.
Owlette sat cross-legged in the pagoda courtyard atop Mystery Mountain. She opened one eye. Catboy, Gekko, and An Yu had their eyes shut, their bodies upright yet relaxed. They looked peaceful. Owlette realized she was slouching. She straightened her spine a little and closed her eye. If only that frog would be quiet.
Croak. Croak.
An Yu continued, "Allow your spirit to become tranquil. You experience each moment as it comes and let it go as it passes. You are united with the ground beneath your body and the sky overhead."
More breaths. The frog was fading into the background now. It was still there, but it seemed less important. Owlette began to feel serene, steady, and composed.
"You have left behind your bodily needs. There is no more hunger or thirst or fatigue. Your emotions, too, have gone. You no longer feel anger, or doubt, or fear, or envy, or lust. You are free."
No more lust? Owlette definitely felt lust now and then. That was a hard emotion to avoid, especially with two sexy boyfriends. But she wasn't going to think about them right now. She would focus on her breathing. She would leave lust behind.
"You do not fantasize about the bodies of those around you. You are not attracted to them anymore. You have made peace with your cold and empty bed. Being a thousand-year old virgin no longer torments your sleep."
Gekko stood up and stormed to the edge of the courtyard. "Super Lizard Grip," he muttered. He climbed the wall, sat on the edge, and rested his chin in his hands.
Before Owlette even realized she was moving, she was at Gekko's side. She grabbed his hand. "Talk to me," she said.
"I can never tell with her," Gekko said. "Is it about me? Her? Both of us?"
Owlette squeezed his hand and waited for him to talk.
Gekko said, "You remember how I used to come here to train with her? She can be a really good teacher. Maybe a little strict, but only because she's trying to get you to be perfect. Anyway, for a while I thought we had a thing going on. Not a romantic thing. A lizard thing. You know, because I'm Gekko and she's the Dragon Girl. Sorry, I don't think I ever told you."
Owlette nodded. She had known. Maybe he didn't remember it as romantic, but she did. He had been a little too excited to train with An Yu and a little too eager when a mission took them to Mystery Mountain. But it had been a long time ago, back when she thought of Gekko as just a friend, before she had even noticed how cute he was.
Gekko continued, "But she's kinda … different. Eccentric. Maybe it's because she's from another time. Or maybe being trapped in a gong for a thousand years did something to her head. She just says what she's thinking, no matter what it is. And sometimes it was kinda sweet, like, 'I appreciate the hair growth on your chin.' But other times it was weird, like, 'The pagoda houses scrolls of sexual instruction which I often read in the morning.' I mean, it's okay with me if she does that, but I didn't need to know. It didn't bother me until I realized she was getting serious about us. It was when she said, 'We will conceive at least one child in the reverse cowgirl position.' And I was like, 'I can't do this any more.' Most of the time she's fine. She's still a really good teacher. So I tried to break it to her gently. I thought she understood. I thought she had gotten over it. But I guess not."
Owlette put his arm around him. "It's not your fault she's like this. Do you want me to talk to her about it? Or would that be awkward?"
"She wouldn't realize it was awkward."
Owlette flew back down to the courtyard. An Yu and Catboy were continuing to meditate. "An Yu?" said Owlette. "Can I talk to you?"
"Of course," said An Yu. She and Owlette sat on the pagoda steps. "Have I given offense? Is that why Gekko left us? I should apologize."
"It's not exactly that. An Yu, are you still attracted to him?"
"Of course. He is the most attractive boy I know. I find myself thinking of him at inopportune moments. I must overcome my attachment to him now that he is one of your boyfriends, but it is difficult. It is particularly hard on the mornings I read the scrolls of sexual instruction housed in the pagoda. I find myself imagining—"
"Whoa, stop!"
"—the reverse cowgirl position with him—"
"Too much information!"
"—oh. Have I given offense again?"
"Kinda," said Owlette. She didn't want to feel offended. An Yu was just being honest. It was too honest for comfort, though. "Look, it makes Gekko uncomfortable when you talk about being attracted to him. He doesn't want to be in a relationship with you."
"I understand. I will not speak of my attraction to him in his presence again. But may I ask your advice? I would like to know how you made yourself appealing to him."
"Like, clothes? Hair? That sort of thing?"
"Gekko does not want to be my boyfriend. Instead he wants to be yours. But I have learned that relationships come and go. In the future he may not want to be your boyfriend anymore. If that happens, I would like to be ready to regain his affection."
Owlette's voice rose almost a whole octave. "You want my help in stealing my own boyfriend?" she yelled.
"No, nothing like that. You are my close friend. He is your boyfriend right now, and I am very happy for you. But I do not know why he is your boyfriend and not mine. The scrolls of sexual instruction are silent on this point. They assume one has found a willing partner but do not say how that is done."
Had she been talking to anyone but An Yu, Owlette would have assumed this was a prank. An Yu, however, was earnest. Owlette knew she meant every single word.
An Yu asked, "Would it help to offer the forward cowgirl position instead of the reverse?"
Despite herself, Owlette giggled. "That has nothing to do with it," she said. "We don't even do that kind of thing with each other. Not yet, anyway."
"Oh. I had assumed that you had already tried all of the basic positions in the scrolls. I thought you might even have tried some of the more challenging positions. They are said to lead one to a state of heavenly rapture. Are your boyfriends not satisfying you properly?"
Owlette blushed. "Oh, it's fine. We're fine. We just haven't been ready to, you know—"
An Yu became excited. "All three of you are already here! This is a perfect opportunity! I will show you the scrolls and you will try all the positions. I will watch and critique your form. That way you will get to experience the transcendental bliss promised by the scrolls. It is the least I can do for my friends! I will tell Gekko. You and Catboy can prepare."
"Wait!" said Owlette, but An Yu was already gone.
Owlette watched An Yu sit next to Gekko. An Yu said something, and Gekko recoiled. He began shouting. Even at this distance, Owlette could hear the rough anger in his voice. An Yu stayed stone-faced. When Gekko was finished, she bowed her head, wiped a tear from her eye, and spoke to him softly while Gekko listened. Gekko's response was tense but not harsh. Soon he and An Yu began talking quietly.
Catboy was still meditating. Owlette sat next to him and closed her eyes. Air in. Gekko and An Yu would be okay. Air out. Slow. Easy. Owlette left her troubles behind for a moment. She trusted Gekko. He would explain his feelings to An Yu. It might take a lot of explaining, but she trusted An Yu to listen. She trusted them to be alone together, too. She knew Gekko loved her and would stay faithful to her. She knew An Yu was her friend and wouldn't try to seduce him. Owlette wasn't worried. She could let go.
The world faded away. Owlette felt as if she were floating. The delicate moonlight permeated her body and dissolved it. Only her soul remained. It remained because it had two anchors. She reached out to touch the close anchor. It was another soul, and it felt calm and solid. It touched her back. It was Catboy's soul, and its touch made her feel calm and solid, too. Owlette reached for her other anchor. It was a soul, like Catboy's but troubled. She touched it, and the soul loved her touch. It was Gekko's soul. It touched her back, asking for more. She caressed Gekko's soul again. She anchored it just as it anchored her. Gekko's soul came nearer. It rested next to her soul and Catboy's soul, and the three souls bound themselves together in joyous union.
A fourth soul joined them. This soul felt hard and strong. Owlette recognized it as An Yu's. It reached out to Owlette, Catboy, and Gekko. Together they stroked it, and it smiled. It liked them, but it didn't want to join their union. It was already anchored here, to the mountain. If it was going to unite with another soul, that soul would have to be anchored to the mountain, too.
With a start, Owlette realized she had something to do. She opened her eyes. Catboy, Gekko, and An Yu were sitting in a circle with her, all meditating. It would only take her a moment. She left quietly. When she returned, she was not alone.
A week passed. Owlette knew to give An Yu time. If her plan worked like she hoped, An Yu would be busy.
The next time the PJ Masks saw An Yu, they were chasing Night Ninja. He and his Ninjalinos were scheming to get into the pagoda again. By the time they caught up with him, he was at the courtyard gate.
"This time, my plan is unstoppable!" Night Ninja declared. He held up a crowbar. "What's the point of being sneaky when you can just force your way in?" He jammed one end of the bar between the doors.
The Splat Monster rose up from behind the gate and roared. It picked up Night Ninja, coated him with sticky splat, and rolled him down the side of the mountain. It turned to the other Ninjalinos and roared again. They ran away in a hurry.
The Splat Monster vanished. A moment later, the gate opened, and the crowbar clattered to the ground. An Yu picked it up. "What a primitive strategy," she said. "He was more difficult to stop when he tried to be clever."
Teeny Weeny hopped onto her shoulder. He squeaked and struck a proud, self-satisfied pose.
"Yes, it does help to have you around," said An Yu. "In more ways than one." She gave Teeny Weeny a sly smile.
Teeny Weeny squeaked again. Catboy said, "Night Ninja's gone, so sure. We'd love to meditate with you. If we're not interrupting anything."
"No, not at all," said An Yu. "Besides, we haven't had the chance to thank you. We've been here on the mountain for so long, yet somehow we never thought about each other that way until you brought us together. And it's been good. Very good. The reverse cowgirl position is even better than I was hoping for."