Fledgling Cranes

by Satu-D-2

Chiaotzu has been living under the thumb of the evil Crane Hermit, Master Shen, for as long as he can remember. The only bright part of his life is spending time with the little triclops who shares his room. But Shen has eyes on the boy and the vast potential he holds. Based on the Pint-Sized Prompts by the wonderful u/Atojiso. February Love and War

15. Foldable

February 15th: Foldable - 100 words - No one's battlegear would be complete without a nifty weapon!

A brief interlude.

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Chiaotzu examined the crowbar in his hands. It was heavy, solidly wrought iron with a wicked curved hook at the end.

"I don't know how practical it'll be," he said to the eager shop assistant, swinging it experimentally. The vicious points sliced easily through the air. "I wasn't really looking for…"

"Oh, it's very practical," the assistant cut across him. "You can use it to crack open difficult crates. You can use it as a weapon to protect yourself!"

"Protect myself? Against what?"

Chiaotzu swung the crowbar again. It was fun to swing. The weight pulled at his arms and the hook caught the air to make a soft whooshing noise. Of course, all the functions she'd described so far he could do well without this heavy, expensive chunk of metal. But she didn't need to know that.

"Sir, if you would hand it back?" Chiaotzu raised his eyebrows slightly (Sir? Really?) but dutifully handed it back to her. She grinned and lifted it easily. "This is a masterpiece of design, sir. See."

She pressed at the base of the hook and a small saw toothed blade unfolded. Another press, an almost absurdly delicate pair of scissors. Yet another and somehow the curved spiral of a corkscrew appeared. With each press more and more tools thinned out the apparently solid form of the crowbar. A screwdriver. A pair of tweezers. A pair of pliers. A series of knives, from short and stocky to a long razor thin blade. And finally a small thin toothpick.

Chiaotzu gaped, open mouthed, as she easily wielded the sunburst of gleaming metal tools, spinning it and grinning.

"So you see, sir, this is a very useful and valuable tool. As well as a weapon."

"You keep mentioning weapon," Chiaotzu said, but he couldn't help the smile that touched his lips. "Why is that?"

Her smile faded a little. "You…are from the Tsurusen'nin school, aren't you?"

He didn't even hesitate. His smile didn't slip. He shook his head. "Never heard of it. I will take this crowbar though. And some chef's knives if you have any."

Her smile returned, her eyes lit up, she pulled a roll of different sized kitchen knives from beneath the counter. Chiaotzu picked his favourites and paid for them, tucking them into a bag he'd fashioned from the worn cloth of the Crane School surcoat. This had been a productive outing.