A Geeky Cook
"So what's the difference between a nerd and a geek," Krystal asked. Krystal, Song, Po, and I were relaxing at Ru's house. Ru had gone to visit a friend's and he wanted us to house-sit, that is Krystal and me. Po and Song came along because Song said she needed the exercise and Po had almost become the woman's midwife. Anyways, I was explaining to them the difference between a nerd and a geek when Tigress barged in. I would have said 'strolled' but the way she opened the door wasn't really a 'quiet' way.
"Po-"
"Shhh!" Krystal hushed, "Lion's telling us something." Tigress begrudgingly sat down... right next to Song. I could tell Song was uneasy, Tigress was hostile, and Po was blissfully oblivious and curious about my conversation.
"You see, a geek is a genuinely enthusiastic enjoyer of knowledge. He knows things like the back of his hand and freaks out, much like Po, whenever he sees or experiences something like it," I smirked as Po just glared at me. Krystal, Song, and even Tigress were lightly giggling. "Anyways, a geek can actually be a very beneficial person to have. They have a wide knowledge of particular things, they often know how to get out of situations and other predicaments, and they are the easiest one to train if you know how to." I could see Po's demeanor change to one of pride. Tigress rolled her eyes at the sight.
"So what about a nerd," Krystal asked.
"A nerd is seen as a know-it-all, who constantly talks about some subject even when others have completely no interest. It's like when Po constantly lectures on things that aren't Kung Fu at all," I smirked while Po glared at me again.
"You just like rising and destroying my pride, don't you," He muttered.
"Pride leads to destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall," I replied with a smile. "Anyways, nerds just talk too much and can most times be obnoxious and annoying. Whereas geeks can actually shut their mouths."
"Sound like you, Po," Tigress teasingly asked. Po made a face.
"But, if not treated well, geeks can become... well... bad," I said struggling for words.
"For example," Krystal continued. I wished she hadn't.
"For example, the thieves of Goo-Lang," I explained. It was interesting to see the change of attitude in the room. Song was curious, Tigress was oblivious to Po, and Po was the one who seemed hostile and uneasy.
"What do you know about the thieves of Goo-Lang," Po asked. He knew that I knew about him, but he didn't seem to care.
"Well, these thieves use to be very young kids, but like so many people who are seen as outcasts, they were picked on and treated badly."
"How awful," Song said sadly.
"Well, what goes around comes around. These two or some say, three kids, became experts in figuring out ways to pickpocket people and steal. But the weird thing was that they started to steal from people they didn't like, who were often rich bratty kids, and give the items they stole to pawn it off and give the money to less fortunate people," I said.
"So they took from the rich and gave to the poor? That seems fair enough," Krystal reasoned. The entire room looked at her. "I said 'seems'."
"Anyways, they started to get better and better at their little skill. They got so good that they could steal the pants and shirt of any person they wanted. But they would always give the money to the poor. They wore black suits to blend in with the night. The people who tried to pursue them would always see them disappear around the temple of Goo-Lang. They were the top thieves. And as quickly as they appeared, they suddenly vanished. That's the legend of the Thieves of Goo-Lang."
"Wow, you really tell the best stories," Tigress said.
"It wasn't that great," Po muttered.
"Something the matter, Po," Krystal asked.
"I... I just don't see the whole thrill of being a thief, especially one that could steal robes and people's socks," Po remarked.
"You didn't seem to have a problem with Song," Tigress pointed out.
"Can we leave that in the past," Song added.
"I agree," Po said.
"Actually, I would think you would have some kind of pride seeing that you were one of the thieves," I explained. Song and Tigress gasped while Krystal glared at me. I knew I shouldn't have told them, but they needed to know.
"You use to be a thief?! Now wonder you were attracted to Song," Tigress said.
"Seriously Tigress, please stop that," Song reiterated, "But how could you be one of the thieves?" Po was silent for a while.
"Like Lion said, it was a tough time," Po simply put.
"Why didn't you tell us," Tigress asked, seemingly hurt.
"I don't think you would have accepted a thieving panda. You barely accepted just a panda," Po replied.
"Why didn't you tell us afterward," Tigress rephrased. Po was silent for a moment.
"I... I didn't want to disappoint you guys. I mean, like that. I didn't want you guys to see me as a...crook. Plus, there was just something inside of me that said you wouldn't look at me the same way."
"So you never reframed from saying it because you didn't want to lose your title," I asked.
"I could care less about my title," Po snapped sharply. "I was... I was more worried about the fact that you guys wouldn't like me anymore."
"Oh Po, your friends will always be there for you. No matter what you've done," Song said. She elbowed Tigress in the ribs while Po wasn't looking. Tigress glared at her but Song glared back. I guess she wanted Tigress to say something to him.
"She's right Po. It doesn't matter what you've done in the past. What matters to us is that we can help you and do care about you. We may not know all about you, but we can learn," Tigress said actually smiling at the end. Po smiled back.
"Anyways, Tigress what did you come here for," I asked. She nervously scratched her head.
"Um... I forgot," she lied.
"Well, I should be going back home. Why don't you come with me Master Tigress? We can probably help you remember what you forgot," Song said smiling like a little deceitful child. Tigress managed to force a smile. As they exited the door, I smiled.
"I'm going to like these two. I really am. Po, go after them so they don't kill each other," I said.
"Tigress wouldn't hurt a pregnant woman."
"You don't know that. You really don't know that!" I answered. He stood up and went to the door. "But Po, you should tell them more about you and the past. I would hate your past to affect them in any way. And Tigress does speak the truth. They do care about you. So I would tell them because the more time you don't tell them, the more you will end up hurting them." Po grimly nodded as he left. Then Krystal punched my arm hard. "What the freak, woman!"
"That's for telling them about Po."
"I didn't know if it was true or not. But I was right about what I said. OW!"
"Oh stop being a baby. That barely hurt the 'All-powerful Lion Warrior'," Krystal muttered.
"ALMOST all-powerful! Your punches still hurt! OW!"
"Get used to it," She shot back. I grumbled under my breath as she smirked at me.
"Come here you," I exclaimed as I tackled her to the ground and tickled her senseless.
It was the next day we noticed something different about Po. We just couldn't really put our finger on it. He was talking, he wasn't sad or anything. He seemed to be his usual self. It was by suppertime that I realized what was wrong with Po. The Furious Five, Krystal, Po, Song, and I were eating at my house. I was in the middle of eating my homemade bread when I stopped myself and said to Po, "Why are you so quiet Po?" While Po had been talking, he wasn't talking as much as he usually would. At the shop with Tigress, he would just ask simple short questions and give simple short answers or greetings. Tigress even told me she didn't know that Po was in the shop half the time because of this. Po only shrugged.
"No reason," he said simply.
"Are you sure," Krystal asked.
"Yeah, you haven't said much today. I keep forgetting you're here at the table," Mantis stated. Po rolled his eyes.
"So what? The first time I decide to shut my mouth for a while and you guys don't like it," Po said a little annoyed.
"We're not saying we don't like it," Tigress said, "We're just a little concerned." Po shrugged.
"I decided not to talk. What's so interesting about that," Po said. The way he said it wasn't really allowing for more questions, so Krystal decided to talk about something else.
"This is a very great dinner you cooked for us Po. Everything is wonderful," She commented.
"Thank you," Po simply said. Then an idea came into my head.
"Po, who does the cooking in the Jade Palace, besides you," I asked.
"Zeng, sometimes Viper and Crane," Po answered shortly.
"Hmm, could you teach Tigress to cook," I asked.
"No," The reply was short, sharp, and didn't leave room for argument. I laughed as Krystal took over.
"Why not?"
"She nearly burned down the kitchen the last time she cooked. Since that time, we said, 'never again.'" I could see Tigress's sour face.
"It wasn't that bad," Tigress said.
"Oh it was bad," Viper agreed. "The soup had a copper like taste to it. Come to find out, she accidentally used an old copper spoon to stir the soup. Crane nearly didn't make it." I was snickering the whole time.
"Did you, at least, try to teach her," Song asked.
"Oh, we tried," Monkey said, "Viper failed, Crane couldn't do it because he was still weak from the soup, Zeng would not do it because he didn't want to get poisoned." I laughed.
"Couldn't you have stayed on the topic of why Po wasn't talking," Tigress growled.
"I could have but this is funnier," I laughed.
"So why not you, Po," Krystal asked.
"We didn't think of asking Po because... well we didn't think Tigress would have the patience for it," Viper carefully said.
"Wise decision," Po said.
"You could teach her," I said, "It's just like Kung Fu."
"Kung Fu and cooking are two different things and I treat them that way," Po reestablished.
"Listen, you said that she needed to get out more. What's different about this? Plus, might I remind you that she's working in your father's kitchen. What happens when he needs a cook and you're not there?"
"There is nothing you can say that will make me teach her," Po firmly said. Tigress spoke up.
"Po... I do want to learn. There are some... social graces that I don't know about yet. You would be a great teacher to teach me. Please?" Po looked at her soft kind smile and couldn't break free. He sighed.
"Fine. We'll start tomorrow," Po said.
"Good and Song can be the one to taste my food," Tigress said with a devious smile.
"Oh no! I'm not going to get poisoned by you! Po's going to be your test dummy, not me," She protested. I laughed.
"I really am going to like these two," I said to myself. I smirked at Po when the two cats were finished with their food and gone. Po grumbled lowly.
"I said, 'there is nothing YOU can say that will make me teach her'. I didn't say her," Po answered. While he and I cleaned the table as the others went out, I asked him again.
"So why were you so quiet," I asked.
"Lion," He groaned.
"Just be honest," I said. He was quiet for a moment.
"I was thinking about what you said the other day. Most times, I am a nerd and I don't know when to shut it. I just wanted to try to be silent for a change."
"Follow your own advice," I said. "Don't try to be someone you're not. Besides, I think you're actually more dangerous when you don't speak and all you do is think in that head of yours," I said as I poked him in the forehead. He playfully swiped my hand away as he left the house, leaving Krystal and me alone.
"Well, that was eventful," she said.
"Really? I hadn't noticed. There's been a lot of things happening," I replied as I went to my room to write the day down.
"Is it me or is Crane starting to get darker because of the soot? He seems to smell more and more like smoke," Krystal said.
"He works at a blacksmith what did you expect," I asked as she hit me in the head with a pillow.
"You think Po will be able to teach her?"
"Nothing is impossible," I quoted.
to be continued.