"A Rude Welcoming"


"Please… please… please…"

"Stop whining," Shen smoothly commanded, shaking the sheep's head. "When I say - all your metal…"

Shen brought his feathers down in a flurry, slapping the crying sheep's head between every single word.

"I - mean - ALL!"

The female sheep, brown garments clattering in front of her, fell to the floor of the Palace's Throne Room. Shen had at least afforded her some measure of privacy - aside from herself, the Soothsayer, and the intimidating wolf that stood against the back wall - Shen had chosen to punish the sheep in relative obscurity, rather than beating her around in front of the citizens.

"We - we - we've given all - our - pots and pans…" the sheep whimpered, clutching her reddened face. "We - we don't have - anymore…"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Shen roared, launching forward to tug at the sheep's brown garments. "YOU RAN THE METAL FACTORIES FOR MASTER RHINO BEFORE!"

"It - was - just for pots and pans…" the sheep begged, fully crying now. "He never let me - store more metal than was - necessary."

"Well it is necessary now," Shen spat, slamming the sheep down against the marble flooring. "Honestly, the nerve of you people…"

The peacock gently tucked his feathers behind his back, walking to the silent wolf. "Zhong - take care of her."

"NO!" the sheep screamed, blood loosening from her mouth. "NO NO NO! PLEASE! PLEASE!"

Shen covered his ears in disgust. "Do it quietly - and out of the city. She's well-known, so people will start asking questions if her body is found…"

The Boss Wolf gulped, staring down at the floor.

"Zhong?" the peacock noted, snapping two of his metal knives dangerously together. "Are you listening?"

"NO! NO! NO! NO! PLEASE I'LL DO ANYTHING! I'LL DO ANYTHING… LORD SHEN PLEASE…"

"Hard not to," the Boss Wolf retorted, still looking down. "Lord Shen - maybe we could - "

Yet when the Boss Wolf stared up, the peacock's gaze quickly disarmed his planned request. "Uh - never mind. Right away sir…"

"I can always count on you," Shen smiled eerily. "A friend to the end, that's what you are…"

"Please… Please… I'll find more pots… I'll find more pots…"

"Yeah…" Zhong grunted, moving to the sheep. "Come here."

"NO! NO NO! I - ERGH!" the sheep attempted, but was quickly silenced by Zhong covering her mouth.

"Quiet down," Zhong bluntly stated. "You're only making this worse."

The Wolf Boss hoisted the sheep over his broad shoulder, making his way to the stairway leading down the Tower.

The old goat - shocked into complete silence until now - watched the pair disappear down the steps. She turned to Shen, who was busy admiring the metal curvature of the massive cannon sitting in the middle.

"Such power…" Shen whispered. "... made out of something so - simple."

"You want to know my new prophecy?" the old goat mentioned quietly, voice dangerously low.

"Warrior of black and white," Shen replied in boredom, still fascinated with the cannon. "Panda. Maybe a rotten dumpling. Who cares? Don't you get bored of mentioning the same thing over and over again…"

The old goat laughed savagely, face uncharacteristically malicious. "Oh noooooo my boy… not at all…"

The peacock snarled, shoving the aged goat to the ground while he pointed a blade at her exposed neck. "Do not call me that - I am not a - "

"I prophesize," the goat let out, chest heaving in manic happiness. "That when you lose - and you will - you'll lose everything you hold dear. I prophesize that when you lose - you'll wish you were dead."

"Ha!" Shen spat, eyes glaring. "And who's destined to defeat me - who's destined to kill me?"

"You don't deserve to die," the Soothsayer mentioned. "No - you deserve pain…"

Shen's head shook with anger. His eyes were burning daggers into the Soothsayer's eyes, completely still and infuriated. He was fidgeting like a madman.

Then the goat saw it.

Saw just a flicker of what she knew was the young boy underneath all the bravado.

"I've already had my share," Shen whispered, removing his blade from the goat's neck - walking to the cannon again.

And the boy was gone. The Soothsayer sobbed on the floor, at a complete loss for what felt like the millionth time.

. . .

Gongmen City.

Nothing like home.

Nothing like the Valley.

It wasn't just the center of China.

It was the heart.

Po grimaced, feeling a cool breeze just begin to brush past him. For about five minutes, he and the Five had simply spent the time admiring the view - for across the cascading seawater, nestled on a gigantic island that seemed as big as China itself - Gongmen City stood. It felt proud and high, as early dawn sunlight just washed over the tips of a few towers and tall buildings in the distance. It almost seemed like the sun itself was gracing the city - with the rest of the world, their boat, the sea - all in darkness. But Gongmen City was supreme and everlasting, with no hint of foreign occupation to take away from its amazing glamor.

It was almost as if the city wasn't being ruled by a murderous peacock who had killed everyone in the Masters' Council.

Almost.

"Ergh, whasha - " came a weak, strained voice. " - are we there yet? Sorry - throat a little dry - oh."

Evidently, the new voice had been Alf.

The Seeker rejoined the group, closely followed by Yu.

Alf's mouth fell open. He had seen pictures of Gongmen City before they had embarked from the Valley, but nothing could compare to seeing it in full view - the mere thought that they had to go inside this brilliant landscape and save it felt almost extraordinary.

"Everyone see that?" Tigress called out at the front of the group.

Alf moved closer, trying to inspect what she was pointing at.

Out of the corner of his vision, with still a large expanse of water away from their boat - a dock was just beginning to jut out of the thick, foggy atmosphere. Though the distance between the boat and the dock still felt considerable, Alf gulped as he saw at least twenty shadows moving in the fog and on the dock - with several, glittering, shiny metal objects sticking out from their sides.

Wolves.

The only fortunate thing was that the dock seemed relatively insulated from the rest of Gongmen - a series of massive archways were the only way to lead into the stone-walled city - and aside from those entrances, the wolf soldiers felt fairly disconnected from possible reinforcements.

"Time to kick butt," Po sounded off, grinning while he smashed his fist into his open paw. "Kung fu time! Here we - "

"Po shut up!" Crane rejected immediately. "There's a lot of them!"

"Big deal, we can take 'em - " Mantis agreed with the panda, hopping onto Po's back as they both stared straight ahead at the impending dock. " - I mean - we took them all on last time."

"I don't know about this guys…" Viper noted quietly, tail curled up in anxiety.

"They look tougher than the ones we attacked back at the Musician's Village," Monkey observed. "Maybe we do a sneak attack?"

Alf and Yu walked closer to the front of the boat, pushing past most of the Five and Po.

The Seeker narrowed his eyes. Personally, he didn't see how a sneak attack would be feasible under this situation - they had already become too close to the docks, and it was just a matter of time until the wolves would start to realize that the foreign boat was coming in. Still, attacking right now was probably worse - they still had a few hundred feet of water between the boat and the docks, so the wolves could probably send in reinforcements well before the boat lands.

Twenty wolves could become fifty, hundred - two hundred. It wasn't worth it.

"We're baiting them," Tigress declared after a brief pause.

The rest of the Five took a second to nod, but shook their heads in agreement quickly. Po however, felt confused.

"Baiting them?" Po queried. "Meaning - what?"

"Hide inside the boat's sleeping quarters," Crane filled in. "Yeah - that'd give us the most time."

"We land on the docks," Mantis continued. "Then the wolves step onto our boat and - WHAM!"

"We can probably cut them off before they call for reinforcements," Monkey concluded. "I like it! Better than Po's swim to them and beat them up plan…"

The panda scowled at the giggling master.

"Experience, Po," Tigress calmly assuaged. "You'll get more of it as you keep fighting alongside us."

She moved to the back of the boat, beginning to lower the mast's flag. "Everyone else - as soon as we take out those wolves, we need to move into the city - quickly."

"Yeah, we don't know how well Shen has the city guarded," Mantis noted. "It won't take those idiots long to realize twenty wolves just stopped reporting in."

"Fine we'll go with your plan Ti…" Po sighed.

The docks were rapidly approaching. There must have been just fifty feet of water separating them from the docks. The fog shielded them for a bit, but only to a certain degree.

"As soon as we get inside the city, we can worry about figuring out where Shen is," Tigress offered. "Let's move."

A burst of movement. Po watched in typical fanboy enthusiasm as Mantis dug himself into a nearby bag of food, hiding underneath thick rice kernels. Crane and Monkey had already disappeared behind the tarp leading into the boat's sleeping quarters, while Viper hopped inside an empty barrel rolling on the boat.

Po could see the outline of a painted symbol from the dock's edge.

Red rings.

The panda involuntarily gasped, seeing images convulse in his head.

Crying.

A baby.

A wolf.

A blade stopping inches from his face.

More crying.

"Po!" Tigress interrupted, shaking him roughly. "What are you staring at?!"

"Sorry…" Po blubbered out, seeing Tigress' face doubt him severely. He ran quickly past the tarp, electing to stay hidden in the sleeping quarters.

"Now as far as you two lovebirds… " Tigress started, watching Alf and Yu at the front of the boat. "Yu - you're going to stay in the sleeping chambers until we get back."

"What?" the fox let out, annoyed. "I can hold my own! I can - "

"You don't know kung fu," Tigress simply rejected. "Until we come back - with Shen in acupressure cuffs - you're staying inside the boat."

"And how long will that take?" Yu fired back.

"Not long, if we do everything right," Tigress concluded. "Go."

The fox grumbled for a bit, making her way past the tarp as well.

The fog was beginning to clear. Tigress could observe the wolves just beginning to talk with each other, vaguely aware that a boat was approaching - but not knowing what was on it.

Yet.

"Ariel…" Tigress started.

"Yeah I know I know..." Alf cut across, walking to the tarp. "Wear the black jumpsuit, pretend I'm not fighting with you guys, only start fighting sixty seconds after you guys do, pretend I'm not - "

But she caught his hand before he could push past the tarp.

"It's not - " Tigress started, voice a tiny bit sympathetic. " - I know every time you do this, it probably makes you feel terrible… but it's not because of what you are. It's just the way China is right now."

She sighed, eyes falling to his collar.

Alf gave a weak smile back. "I know. I understand."

He gently moved his hand out of Tigress' grasp, brushing past the tarp and seeing the confusion inside the cramped sleeping quarters.

Po - giant body nearly taking up the entire back half of the chambers - squashed himself against the thick wood backing. Monkey and Crane were positioned to the panda's sides, resting on the hard flooring with their ears pricked up for movement. The only exception was Yu - huffing furiously while leaning against the wooden sides. A pair of long black garments were in her paws.

Alf smiled, approaching her.

"Here's your stupid camo outfit," the fox smirked, throwing Alf the garments.

"I told you they look bad," Po sounded off quietly. "Plus they make your chest look all slim and sucked up…"

"I think he looks hot," Crane muttered with a snort. "Po - you're just upset everytime you wear something - it bulges out."

"Shut up Crane…" Po retorted immediately.

"Yeah Seekers are built sorta weird, to be honest," Monkey giggled silently. "Slim but structured, broad up top but narrow in the middle…"

Crane, Monkey and Po began a hearty group chuckle, rocking the boat ever so slightly. Alf had already pulled on his garments, choosing to keep the pull-down mask off for now - after all, he had more time than the rest to get ready.

"I stopped growing at fourteen - and I'm twenty now!" Po declared. "I always wondered when Alf would stop growing… I heard their development is kinda slow."

"Po you never stopped growing," Monkey snickered, prodding the panda's belly.

More suppressed laughter. Alf grinned, turning to Yu. "Whatchu think Yu? I look hot?"

The fox blushed almost immediately. Yu's eyes fell to Alf's shoulders, peeking at them just begin to bulge out of the tight black garments. It tapered down finely to his small waist, creating an odd V-shape pattern. Yet he still had the same goofy smile and dark black locks streaming down his head, hazel eyes twinkling in pure amusement.

Seekers were built weird.

Weirdly hot.

"Meh, four outta ten," the fox replied sarcastically, watching Alf squeal in laughter.

"How much am I?" Monkey queried immediately.

"Three."

"Screw you."

"Hey, hey!" Po interrupted, sticking his chest out. "Me?"

Yu suppressed a wide smirk. "Po - you're a slammin' nine…"

The panda fist-pumped in victory. "I'm the hottest Dragon Warrior of all time…"

"She was being facetious, Po," Crane corrected.

"Bless you," Po replied quickly, word completely going past his level of vocabulary.

"Hold up," Monkey broke in, bending down. "I hear something…"

Everyone lied down.

The noises were real. They seemed to be coming from the outside of the tarp - and within another few moments, everyone could feel the entire wooden structure rock slightly as it collided with the edge of the dock. A flurry of voices followed - but they didn't seem alarmed yet.

Only curious.

Footsteps. From what Alf could deduce, no alarms or calls for reinforcement could have been sounded off yet - and the footsteps began to grow in size and number. A few voices, characteristically wolf-like and growling, emerged from beyond the thin tarp masking the outside.

"What the hell - Wing! This your boat?"

"Negative sir…"

"Where's the sailors?"

"Who authorized this?"

"Anybody here? This is Lord Shen's Imperial Guard - answer me!"

Everyone in the chambers still kept quiet. Usually when they were planning an attack like this, there would be an obvious sign given off to strike - a sound, a movement, perhaps a cry.

"NOW!"

Or Tigress' command.

Alf watched Po burst outside the tarp with dizzying speed. Crane and Monkey followed quickly, nearly tearing the tarp right in half. The Seeker smiled, hearing the onslaught of noises come from outside.

The angry cries of a praying mantis.

Fists against steel.

Wolves beginning to howl - then suddenly stopping as if someone had punched their throats.

Tigress' intimidating battle roars.

Po's belly banging against wood and hard metal.

Yelps of pain.

"I never understood why you gotta wait for a while before jumping in," Yu observed, casually hearing the chaos outside. "Don't the black garments sorta mask what you are anyway?"

Alf sighed, scratching the black hood hanging below the back of his head. "Shifu's idea. I guess he's being ultra-careful… Scrolls forbid a soul knowing that the Jade Palace works with the scum of the Valley…"

"You've slipped up before though," Yu playfully nudged. "Remember that time when the Five, Po and you fought Temutai in Wu Dan?"

Alf groaned, recalling the memory. "My mask slipped up once. It was barely anything…"

"Yet it made it to Valley news scrolls!" Yu recollected, eyes glazed over in fond nostalgia. "Scum of the Valley - real, or fake?"

"Like a damn urban myth," Alf smiled. "I half-expected that stupid fortune cookie lady to interview me… what's her name?"

"Ms. Li," Yu snarked. "She's such a conspiracy theorist, oh my Scrolls…"

"Yeah - her. Maybe I should give an interview... " Alf paused, waving his hands around. "... Top Ten Hottest Bachelors: featuring the scum of the Valley!"

Yu smiled genuinely. And just then, she realized it.

The moment was there. The Five were outside fighting some wolves. Po was well away, completely oblivious to the situation.

They were in a dark, enclosed area.

Just the two of them.

She had to do it. She had to kiss him.

"Looks like I've given the gang a good buffer now," Alf noted. "See ya in a bit."

Before the fox could protest, the Seeker slapped on his mask - then rushed out of the tarp. Yu proceeded to face-palm herself repeatedly.

Alf burst out, feeling warm sunlight hit him immediately. He took mere moments to process his surroundings, world acutely visible through the two black slits in his face mask.

The dock seemed larger than usual. About half of the bandits were laying unconscious on the boat, with the other half engaged with fighting the Five and Po on the wooden docks. Alf was satisfied to note that the entire group was well away from the archways that lead inside the City.

The Seeker rushed forward, hopping over some bodies to land on the wooden dock.

A blade came searing for his jugular. Alf ducked, grabbing the wolf by his front chest armor and delivering a punch straight to his face - rendering him unconscious.

Another whizz above him. A wolf had jumped in the air, fangs stretched and metal hammer swinging down towards Alf.

The Seeker grinned, leaping atop Po's expectant back to launch in the air - cleanly sidekicking the bandit into the water.

Just four more bandits remained. Mantis and Crane were tackling an especially quick wolf, armed with rotating blades - while Viper, Monkey and Po were occupied with a pair of wolf twins… Viper of course remarking on how cute they were, before smashing them with her tail.

Only Tigress fought alone at the far side of the docks, engaging a hulking beast of a wolf - several feet taller than her - who was pinning her to the ground.

Alf barreled forward, swiveling in place to kick straight forward.

The hulking wolf shifted a tiny bit, but it was enough for Tigress to break out of the pin and grab the massive wolf's head and slam it down to the ground.

Alf recoiled, bouncing back as Tigress slid next to him.

The huge wolf stood back up, growling as he pulled out a hammer and a shield from his back armor.

"Spinning Death Dragon," Tigress silently motioned.

"Why does everything have to be about death and dragons?" Alf remarked, side-flipping to avoid the wolf's hammer. "Why can't we just once call it like - Chocolate Rose Storm - or something…"

"Your femininity knows no bounds," Tigress responded, flipping back to latch onto Alf's hands. "Go!"

Tigress spun Alf around with dizzying velocity, letting him go in a flash. Alf soared forward, extending both feet in front of him at the unaware wolf.

The feet crushed into the massive soldier's chest, but it didn't launch him backward - which was perfect. Alf used the momentum to swing his upper body downward, tugging at the wolf's head to bring him at an angle - then used all his strength to kick him up into the air.

Tigress completed the motion - already in the air to bring down a double hammer fist on the massive wolf's head.

He crashed to the wooden dock, and stopped moving.

Alf smiled, noting that with that - all the bandits were unconscious. Yu had appeared with the rest of the Five and Po, all of whom rejoined Alf and Tigress. They collectively stared at the grand three archways that allowed entry into the stone-walled city behind them - every building at least thirty feet tall, from what they could tell.

"Good work everyone," Tigress mentioned.

"Yeah good work everyone," Po repeated, standing next to her.

"Now we need to focus on safely staying disguised in the city - "

"Yeah we need to hide our movements," Po repeated again uselessly. "Be all mystical and kung-fooey…"

" - And finding out where Shen is." Tigress finished.

"Yeah then we find out where - "

"Po," Tigress interrupted the blabbering panda. "I can do this part alone."

"Right right," the panda quickly apologized, standing back in a mock-formal stance. "Uh - proceed Master Tigress! We - the Dragon Warrior and the Five - um - and Alf and Yu - will listen!"

Tigress rolled her eyes. "As I was saying…"

"Wait if I'm just referring to like just the four of you," Po interrupted yet again. "Do I call you guys - the Four?"

"I've wondered that for the longest!" Monkey added. "I guess the Four would be okay - not as catchy though…"

"Yeah I like the Five better…" Viper agreed.

Tigress sighed. "So - as I was saying…"

"How about three then?" Po countered. "Would it just be the Three?"

"Woah - Let's not get crazy," Alf mocked, struggling to keep himself from bursting out laughing.

"Okay how 'bout this?" Mantis discussed. "If it's three or less, then we get called by our names. Four or more - then it's the Four - or the Five."

"What if we get more than five down the road?" Crane put in. "It's sort of weird to say like - the Ten…"

"Alright new rule," Po declared proudly. "Two or less - we say names. Three to seven - we can use the Furious Three, or the Furious Seven… etc. If it's more than - "

"AS I WAS SAYING!" Tigress yelled in desperation, waiting for Po, the Five, Yu and Alf to become quiet.

She groaned, trying to calm herself down. "As I was saying… once we get inside the City - we stay low, quiet, and track where Shen is."

"Yeah!" Po urged. "I'll do my famous stealth mode…"

"No! No! No!" Tigress uttered in frustration, walking to the panda to shake his massive frame. "No stealth mode! Repeat after me - no… stealth… mode."

"No stealth mode," Po reiterated sadly.

"If we just stick to the plan, we should be fine," Tigress forced. "Now please - for the love of the Scrolls - let's get moving."

Yu watched the Five, Po, and Alf sprint in the direction of the archways leading into Gongmen.

Sighing, she began heading back to the boat - wondering just how long it would take, to finally get some alone time with her favorite Seeker.

. . .

"Please… please… please…"

"Yeah how about you please keep quiet?" Zhong muttered under his breath, sheep still fidgeting on his right shoulder. "Making it hard for me to do my job…"

He was at the outside of Gongmen. This was a seldom-traveled area, secured heavily by wolf forces at the area's only entrance. A large creek ran in front of him, a few hundred feet away, and a thick bushel of trees began appearing at Zhong's sides - yet he wasn't quite in the forest yet. There were the beginnings of musty green grass, tempered with a few flowers and dandelions. In supreme irony - it felt like an oddly peaceful place. Peaceful enough, and secluded enough - where Zhong had removed the gag nearly five minutes ago, once confident that they were well outside the city so no one could hear the commotion. He turned around for a second, taking another moment to appreciate the massive, stone-walled city hundreds of feet behind him.

"Please!" the sheep screamed, managing to squirm off Zhong's shoulder to collapse on the ground.

"Look lady," Zhong retorted. "I'm - "

"I have a husband!" the sheep breathed out suddenly, waving her arms in fear while moving away from Zhong. "I - I have two - baby boys - they - their names are Ling and Xao - please - please - my name's - "

"Zip it," the Wolf Boss commanded. "That won't work - trust me. Lotta people usually try that - they must figure something 'bouta a name - or kids - might let 'em off the hook."

The sheep fell on the ground, prostrating at Zhong's feet. "I - I - "

"Run," Zhong commanded.

A silence.

The sheep tentatively pointed her head up, quivering. "Wha - What?"

"You heard me," Zhong repeated. "Go. Before I change my mind."

The sheep took another moment to stand up, and yet another to stare at Zhong.

A mix of emotions.

Perhaps fear. Perhaps disbelief.

Then realization.

She merely nodded her head, crying - then bolted away.

Zhong sighed, watching her run towards the creek.

Like they all did.

He brought out a small crossbow from his back pocket, loading it gingerly with a fresh arrow. He aimed directly in front of him, fingers just quivering a bit more than usual.

He waited. He had it down to a science.

A precise timing.

She was just three feet from the creek now.

Twang.

A whizz of air.

The sheep gurgled, arrow shoving straight through the back of her head. She fell forwards, perfectly tripping into the fast-flowing creek.

Zhong silently put his crossbow in the pouch again, watching the immeasurable speed of the water wash off the body - where it would drag her along for about ten minutes or so, before the creek would empty into the sea.

His throat seized, eyes slightly watering. The only solace he could take - and Shen would kill him if he knew this - was that he always made it quick.

Always.

For all of them.

For himself.

The last time he had killed someone face to face - or rather failed to kill someone - had been the same baby panda all those years ago, green eyes scarring Zhong immeasurably. He had promised himself after that - he couldn't do it anymore. Or rather - he promised to never see it happen.

Not see the life ebb from their eyes.

Not see their soul leave their body.

Not anymore.

The Boss Wolf gently walked back towards Gongmen - footsteps defeated, slow, and seemingly trapped in a recently growing mixture of cowardice, shame, and anger.

. . .

Alf wished Yu could have come with him. Gongmen City was different - yet all the same in-person.

The basics were there. Finely-built architecture, towers that seemed to stretch to the sky, dragon symbols, red houses, curved roofs, engraved stone floors and courtyards, an ever-present smell of smoking metal, artsy decorations...

And the people!

A packed population of sheep, antelope, and all kinds of citizens -

Yet there was also the negatives - the part that wasn't visible to outsiders.

The wolves. The weapons. The guards patrolling the streets, harassing everyone. The constant sense of restriction and fear - an environment drenched in subtle danger and confusion.

So the first thing the Five had to do - especially with a massive panda as their Dragon Warrior and a Seeker trying to hide in a skintight black outfit - was hide behind a bridge.

The bridge was long and white, situated above the head of most buildings and near the entrance to the city. Tigress was clear that they didn't have much time - yet it worked in their advantage, as Shen's likely location stuck out like a sore claw…

… a massive, red, spiraling tower in the far end of the city - at least fifty feet taller than everything else.

The former Palace that belonged to the Masters' Council.

"This is pointless," Mantis whispered, hiding underneath Po's belly as the Five and Alf peeked out from the bridge's side. "We're never gonna get through all these guards."

At least fifty wolves were patrolling the streets below them, many terrorizing innocent villagers.

"Stealth mode?" Po inquired in desperation.

"No," Tigress firmly rejected. "I have a better idea."

"What?" Crane fired back, keeping watch on a few guards tossing a bunny to each other as they guffawed like pure morons.

"We give Shen the Dragon Warrior," Tigress simply answered.

A long pause. The rest of the Five looked at Tigress like she had just gone insane. Po and Alf snickered to each other.

"What?" Viper asked.

"What?" Po questioned.

"How?" Alf queried.

"Trust me," Tigress simply finished.

The Five - or rather the Four - along with Alf and Po, watched Tigress carelessly leap down the bridge, and land on her feet. Immediately the surrounding villagers took notice, with a couple of pigs fainting in pure fear. The wolves quickly sounded off the alarm - but it felt redundant, as Tigress began waving her arms like a lunatic - drawing as much attention to herself as possible.

And just then, Po regretted interrupting her at the docks.


A/N

Ahhh… another dense (but hopefully not too long chapter). Too lazy to write a good A/N for now - so just this once, enjoy not having to read my usual Illiad of text!

Support? Ya…. it's… ya….

New chapters every Friday(ish)!

~TW