20
While Monkey was making his way to Viper's location, we trek back to the Jade Palace.
It was Crane and Mantis' shift, immediately after training was given its end. When they got there, Sapphire was sitting with Tigress, straddling a bowl on her lap as they exchanged soft words between one another. The two males had no idea what they were talking about, seeing as they stopped to look at them as soon as they came in, and that they also figured that it wasn't their business to ask, and kept quiet. "Ahem." Mantis said intentionally, causing Sapphire to look at them through a side glance. "Ladies," Mantis greeted, his head bouncing slightly. Crane just kept looking straight ahead at no one or nothing in particular, but he could see Sapphire facing him, even if he tried not to give her any attention.
Her eyes bore into Crane grimly, before she mumbled 'Masters' in respect. Crane felt like he was going to stiffen up with discomfort, so shifted his posture slightly. He felt beads of seat forming along the obvious parts of his body, but if she asked, he could pull the 'I was at training' card. "We can take over now Sapphire, you can... you can go." Mantis said with authority. She responded with a low 'alright', and the two stood still as statues as she crept past, cradling the bowl in her arms like it were a child. Tigress watched the scene without uttering a single word, at least, not until she left.
"Is everything alright?" She asked, her arms folding slightly. She was sitting up, and didn't have needles sticking out of her this time.
"Yeah..." Crane swallowed some saliva to gather more words on the tongue. "It's just... she might feel a bit... singled out, ya know? We're all still trying to comprehend her... you know." Tigress didn't say anything, her mouth formed the shape of a small 'o', before turning away to look out the window, where her face had a full front view of the sun. "How are you this morning?" Crane asked, trying to move from the awkwardness.
"Alright... "
"Need us to fetch you anything? Blankets or...?"
"Jasmine's preparing the broth I need to eat."
"Uh..." Mantis coughed. "Why was Sapphire holding a bowl for then?"
"Medicine." She probably had to take it on an empty stomach.
"Oh..." Silence. "The boys came by to see you before school... but you were sleeping."
"I wish I saw them..." Tigress rolled her attention back to them. Exhaling in frustration, she held her head in her paws once she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Instead of adding anything else, she just gazed down at her lap, and then at her stomach. Mantis leapt down to the stool beside her, and smiled. "What?"
"It's just nice to see there's some light to fill the tension." He moved close enough to place his head against the bump, listening intently. "Anyone in there?" He intimidated a light series of knocks, before crying out in surprise. Tigress' paws glued themselves to the sides of her stomach simultaneously, her face lightly sketched with pain. "I felt a kick!" He exclaimed.
"So did I," she said, wincing a little before hearing Crane chuckle.
"Well, that makes two people refusing to give up." Mantis commented, smiling at the moving bump. "Hang in there little guy! No need to come out yet!"
"Or girl." Crane said with a grin when Tigress looked at him. His eyes wandered around the room briefly, before he asked. "Have you thought of any names yet?"
"Mmm... in a way, yes and no." Crane and Mantis tilted their heads to the side, and she laughed at the unintentional synchronization. "Before you showed up to the Suite yesterday, Po was trying to talk to me after Sapphire left..." they soon found out what was said between the two females without knowing the dialogue. Sapphire was apologizing for what she said again, and Tigress reassuring her she understood. "One of his methods was that he knew what he wanted to call the baby. Po and I agreed that he'd choose the name if its a boy... and I would pick one for a girl, see."
Crane nodded once, before face scrunched up a little, his eyes darting towards the ceiling. "What name does Po want?" He questioned cautiously, and Mantis' eyes widen at the thought. Before the twins, Po had all sorts of crazy names for the baby. It went a bit too far, and then Tigress came to the rescue once they were born, suggesting the give one of them Lotus, and they worked on Tigro together beforehand. So, maybe this time round, Po could take the credit naming the boy, while Tigress' 'suggestion', was really her persuasive demand.
"First he wanted Li Shifu... or Shifu Josef..." They don't seem that bad, "but then he settled for Shifu Li-Josef."
Mantis laughed, his head jerking back in surprise, while Crane's eyebrows crinkled in confusion. "Kind of a mouthful that one." He commented.
Tigress just shrugged it off, saying she liked the name. "When I asked why, Po said he wanted to honor all three grandfathers in some way." She picked up a cup and took a small sip, and placed it back down on the beside table. After, she settled down, her head hitting the pillow softly. "It's a sweet gesture." They agreed, after they thought about it, that the idea was nice
"And if it's a girl?" Crane asked.
Her eyes shifted towards him again. "I haven't decided... Tigro suggested to name it after whichever eye color she can get from Po and me."
"That's a good idea..." Mantis smiled. "Or maybe mix your names together again like you did with Tigro."
Tigress' eyebrow rose at the suggestion, but her mouth was loosing the battle to keep a straight face. "And how would that go?"
"Well you could do Pigress... or Pogress? Or Tipo!" Tigress merely blinked at that one. "Ya know... the couple name everyone gave you guys at the start?"
"Hmmm... I'll think about it." She spoke in fake assuring tone, which they grew to learn that it meant no.
Crane suddenly piped up. "Could it be possible to name her after you? I know you have done it with Lotus... kind of, but still."
The corner of the feline's mouth were just twitching upwards, when Mantis laughed. "Think of the confusion!" He held his head, still chuckling while he spoke. "Po sometimes responds to Lotus, if his dad calls out the name, and next thing you know, you have both father and son standing there... imagine that but with two Tigress' running around!" He chuckled again, which made Crane think about what he said, but Tigress' face suddenly turned grim, and her paws twisted over one another. Mantis slowly stopped when no one else joined him. "Am I right?" He asked uneasily, before they both shot a serious look at Tigress.
She didn't say anything; just softly glared at the floor. "It's only starting out." Crane said quickly, straining his vocal chords by holding his neck, to stop it going any higher, while Mantis shuddered slightly. "You'll be alright Tigress, you'll make it through."
"There's still the chance it won't work... you need to understand where I'm coming from."
Mantis glared at her. "We were outside this room when you asked to die Tigress." Her ears flattened against her head. "We're not idiots."
Tigress closed her eyes, her paws detaching from her head, and repositioning themselves to hold each other in a praying gesture under her chin. Her eyes were briefly shut, and once they opened up again, she glared at them, but it was softer than what she would usually give them. "If that's the case, try be in my shoes; you and your unborn child are bed ridden with an illness that will kill one of you. There you have a choice; is it you, or the potential being that you carry. A being that has a chance of dying, before getting to live a life it hasn't seen yet... I need to do what's right."
"But it's not right for everyone else." Mantis spat, before looking shocked at what he said briefly, but seeing the dark stare the feline was sending him, he hid his shock to return the glare.
"OK! Let's not talk about this-" Crane tried to take to podium, but Mantis had beaten him to it.
Mantis tried pleading with her, but this only infuriated her. With every word he said, she felt the annoyance, frustration, and anger swelling to its total capacity. "What about Lotus and Tigro? What're they gonna think?What are they gonna do without you?! They'll be so lost... and probably turn against the baby if you go through with this plan... please Tigress..."
"What else would you suggest?! It's so easy for you because you're not the one whose with child Mantis." She snapped, standing up briefly, wobbling slightly. Mantis leapt off of the stool, and stumbled back slightly, before leaping onto Crane's hat. "If I took that path everyone else wants me to take... I can't live with myself for the rest of my life knowing that my selfish decision to live, murdered my child. I made my decision for the sake of my child. I'm willing to make this sacrifice."
Mantis shouted while Crane tried to cut between them. "It takes a community to raise a baby, and what Po says is nothing to be taken into account?"
"Believe me he has his say, but he isn't the one carrying the baby. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, both times, Po and I knew immediately it's the children that come first."
"OK! Enough!" Crane shouted, glaring at the bug that perched on his hat. "Now is not the time to fight! C'mon Tigress, sit back down."
Mantis gave out a roar of frustration as Crane went help Tigress lie back down. He clearly wasn't done. "You're killing yourself in that process, we don't wanna lose you, don't you get it?!" He screamed, before leaping down, and making a dash for the door. It opened just before he rammed into it, and he was gone. Crane and Tigress stared on wordlessly as Tai Lung came in, with a bowl and parcel in paw. His eyes were round and well defined, like he had just been spooked.
"Um... I'm not going to even ask what went on in here..." he began awkwardly, "here's breakfast?" Crane reached out, and welcomed the steaming broth in his wings. "Where can I find Shang?" He asked.
"He's out gathering some of the ingredients," Crane mumbled. He was still on edge around him, but knew he had to at least try work with him, even if no one else bothered. The last thing needed was tension that was obvious, and even more stress put upon Tigress, for the deep fear she could grow worse, and shortening the time.
"How long til he gets back?"
"He should be back soon, why?"
Tai Lung moved closer, pressing the parcel and scroll to Tigress. "Open them." Tigress opened the parcel. The flower immediately popped out, and fell to the ground. Crane's wing swooped down to pick it up in one swipe, after sitting the bowl on the side table. The rest of the contents consisted of smaller packages, but she put them aside to look at the scroll, and Crane, peaking from the side, read it out for the snow leopard to hear it also;
Four Golden Fire Tea Leaves, and one Purple Iris are in possession. Viper is on her way to her hometown, and Po has made a start for Gongmen City. I'm due to meet Viper as soon as I leave this village.
Hang in there tiger, we ain't giving up on ya,
Monkey.
"So they must be the stuff we need." Tai Lung said, as Crane took the other packages. "I'll take these to Jasmine then, shall I?"
Crane nodded, handed them over and the leopard was gone. When he turned back around, Tigress was staring down at the scroll blankly. "Mantis is just... upset, he just needs time to comprehend." he said softly, pulling the scroll away from her, and setting it aside. "We aren't going to let you down." He gave her a determined look, before bending over and pulling her into a hug. Tigress didn't hug him back, but he didn't push her. "This is going to work..." he pulled away and picked up the bowl, and passed it to her. "Both of you will be here."
Sorry if it seems short, but it's been a while since I updated so I wanted you guys to have something!
Chapter 21 is coming up asap!