Kelev: Ah, you knew it was coming, huh? I hope it didn't sour you on the story. We'll definitely be getting back to Tai Lung, but not for another chapter or so.
RenkonNairu: I would have liked to have dragged it out a bit longer, but the 'breaking point' last chapter seemed like a good point of no return. Had Shifu not pressed the matter, it might have lasted longer. (Yes, when in doubt, blame the fictional character, lol)
jla2snoopy: Partially, but also Tao's had a crush on him for ages, which has been tempered by the fact that she really does feel jealous of him. Or did, at least. Much to her chagrin, he still seems capable of taking on anything and coming out on top. That she feels she should have been told about Tai Lung sooner is meant to be more or less implied. The Wu sisters were a concept from an early stage of the movie, and I think they'll work out well for what I have in mind. I hope...
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Chapter 15: What One Got Right
Shifu stared bemusedly at the mah jhong board. The tiles stared back with complete indifference. He couldn't recall how exactly he'd ended up down here in the village, but he'd been snagged off of the street by the excessively friendly goose who was Po's father. The other man had insistantly pulled him into the residence at the back of the shop, directing his temporary help to manage the Golden Harvest restaurant while he saw to his guest.
Shifu found himself quite confused by the entire ordeal. They'd started a game at some point that he could only dimly recall, and now he'd been sitting here allowing himself to blabber on about some of his own deep-seated demons just to keep himself from thinking about what had happened back at the palace.
One of those demons concerned the noodle-shop's apprentice.
"..Surely you have noticed the parallels?" he finally stated, looking back up at the goose's smiling face.
Mr. Ping shrugged his feathery shoulders and straightened his hat before reaching for his teacup. "I had really never thought about it, to be honest." He sipped the brew thoughtfully and favored his guest with an expression that clearly showed his honesty in the matter. He'd clearly thought about it exacly zero times in his life and was only just now wondering if he should. That was the problem with Po Ping and his odd father, everything was so open and on the table that sometimes the red panda found himself nearly mistaking it for simple-mindedness.
As Mr. Ping's staggering number of wins at mah jhong against the cagey kung fu master would attest though, he was anything but.
Shifu's gaze hardened. "You hadn't...? Come now my friend, think about it now, then. A foundling child, raised by an unattached parent who pushes them towards a future of their choosing, not the child's.. and then that destiny somehow becomes warped and the future is denied? My son and yours, it scares me how much they are alike."
The red panda's posture slouched. "It worries me. Greatly." He reached towards the board, and matched another pair of tiles. "Or perhaps it isn't just our sons who are alike, perhaps it is we two. We're like reflections. One who got it right, the other who got it wrong." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I just wish I knew how you managed it."
Mr. Ping leaned back in his seat, considering the statement and the playing field thoughtfully. "Po came to me, the morning of the tournament, and asked me if I'd ever wanted to do something besides run the shop. I had to admit it, there was a time when I had crazy dreams of making..." the goose threw a quick glance around the room and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper "..tofu!" He leaned back and cackled at the notion, either not noticing or caring about the odd look on his opponent's face at the revelation.
"Well, Po wanted to know why I didn't follow that dream, and... well.. I told him, but I didn't tell him the whole truth. I told him it was just a silly dream. What I didn't tell him was that I had never actually tried tofu back then. After the first time I tasted it, I knew.. there was no way I could make something I didn't like!"
The goose chuckled, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye. "Po had never tried kung fu before your Master Oogway chose him as the Dragon Warrior. And still, he loves it, even after he discovered it's hard work! Do you realize how extraordinary that is? He used to complain about the work when I'd send him up to the attic to fetch down the lanterns for the moon festival!" Mr. Ping slapped his thigh with mirth as he laughed.
Shifu sat uncomfortably, staring at his small, dark-colored hands. He suddenly was forced to appreciate that he didn't know what his son had enjoyed, or if he'd even had an opportunity to enjoy anything beyond his training. "Tai Lung.. enjoyed kung fu too.. but I can't help but be concerned that.." The twofold turmoil inside of him demanded motion, and he shoved himself away from the table and began to pace Mr. Ping's small sitting room, self-doubt gnawing actively at his thoughts.
"Who am I to train someone like your son? And what am I training him to be? Sometimes, I think that I'm the one in training, and he is my teacher, because I am constantly having to find new ways to get him to pay attention and practice!" He sighed, folding his arms behind his back and staring thoughtfully at the many homey decorations of the Ping family home. So very different from the Jade Palace's barracks.
"I've greatly enjoyed my time with Po, but recent events make me think that perhaps I am unfit to be his master."
Mr. Ping smiled knowingly, and left the board to fetch the small cooking pot that he'd left simmering by the fire. "This isn't about Po. This isn't even about training, is it?" He carefully retrieved the steaming pot and returned to the table with it. "Why are you so upset, hmmm? Tell me, why were you out wandering the streets? You looked as lost as I've ever seen a traveller look." He nodded sagely and shot his guest an approving grin.
"Good job not falling into the hole in front of Mr. Ling's, though!"
One large ear twitched anxiously at the question and the memory of the awkwarp hop-skip around the crater outside of the fishmonger's.
"Things are... a bit out of sorts at the palace," Shifu admitted slowly, returning to the game table as though he was approaching his executioner. "And I'm discovering that I am ill-equipped to handle the changes."
Ping's eyes widened. "Ahh! Is this about the lady Tao? Po tells me about the disruptions at the palace when he returns to the shop to do his chores." He paused suddenly, looking intrigued. "Tell me, do all of your students go home so often?"
Shifu settled back into his chair without looking up. "Never."
"Then why..?"
"Because I'm afraid of what I'll turn him into if I make him follow the same routine that I pushed on my son. If he wants to maintain two homes, I'm glad to let him do so. You've kept his heart pure for this long, I'm happy to let you maintain it."
"You're a silly, strange one, Shifu." the goose shook his head in wonder of it, still stirring the concoction. "Po keeps his own heart, we all do unless we give it away." The cook doled out a bit of what appeared to be soup into Shifu's long-empty teacup. "Now, you agreed to be my taste-tester, tell me what you think." He folded his feathery fingers and watched the red panda expectantly.
Shifu sniffed the concoction with the utmost caution. "It smells... odd."
Mr. Ping rolled his eyes. "I didn't ask you to smell-test it, you've got to taste it! Honestly, who goes into a restaurant and just smells the food?"
Shifu gave the goose a doubtful look, but raised the cup carefully to his lips. His eyes shot open in surprise, and he downed the entire thing in one gulp. "What WAS that?" he demanded, amazed. "And what was in it?"
"Ooooh no! I can't tell you that!" Mr. Ping chortled, stirring the pot and taking a small cupful to his own mouth. "It's an old family secret," he winked, and gave his guest a nostalgic smile. "I used to make this for Po, when he was sick or just down-hearted. It always brought a smile to his face. He got picked on a bit, being the only panda in the village. He'd come home and hide in the closet where I keep the linens, and wouldn't want to come out. Not even for dinner! Dinner, mind you!"
"I didn't know what to do, since I didn't know what was wrong. Then one day, one of my neighbors told me that Po was being pushed around by some of the other kids his age. What could I do? I couldn't fight Po's battles for him, so I did this. I called it 'spirit medicine', and told my son it doesn't matter what a soup smells like. What matters is the taste, the essence of it. Some people might be reluctant to try something that's different at first, but once they know it from the inside out, they cease to notice the exterior qualities."
The goose nodding knowingly at Shifu. "Your problem isn't bullies though, is it?"
The kung fu master shook his head hesitantly, but allowed his host to ladle out another serving of mysteriously savoury broth. "Not exactly. Lady Tao-hua and myself had a confrontation today. Things were said. Things that I'm not certain what to think about. I'm forced to reconsider my perspective on her in light of them."
"Such as?" Mr. Ping prompted, glancing idly towards the mah jhong board that was still laid out in front of them and finally making his own move.
"I always thought of her as a spoiled child and a crass little brat. She was such a nuisance, getting into everything and no one ever seemed to make a move to stop her. Now.. looking back I suppose that was why. She wanted someone to pay attention to her, she was always isolated and alone even in their household. She told me this morning that she.." he glanced quickly up at his host, then thought better of what he was saying.
"That she'd always been jealous of me as a child, for all the attention my training under Master Oogway brought me. Her father was always preoccupied with other things, such as cleaning up after Guiren and the destruction he liked to wreck out in the farmland." Shifu's eyes narrowed in distaste, as he let his hand hover indecisively over the board, searching for another match in the incooperative scattering of leftovers.
"That boy was so violent, so eager to prove that he was better than his father. I swore to myself while watching them that I'd never allow any child of mine to run about so rampantly unsupervised-"
Shifu's mouth fell open, and he sat back, letting his hand fall slowly to the board. "I.. I swore to myself that I'd personally oversee everything that.. and I'd make sure he knew his duty to.. Oh gods, that's how all of this got started.."
"That's how it's ended, at any rate. Very nicely played, my friend! An excellent victory." Mr. Ping applauded, grinning broadly at his friend.
The red panda looked up at the goose, puzzled, then down at his hand. His fingers were resting on top of the sole remaining pair of matching tiles on the board. Mr. Ping smiled expectantly at him. "This is the first time you've beaten me, Shifu! You don't seem very excited about it."
"I.. I wasn't even thinking about it. It was an accident.. I think." An old tortoise's voice whispered something about accidents in his head.
The goose chuckled, and began clearing away the game and their dishes. "Po tells me that he had to stop concentrating so hard on kung fu before he realised what he was doing wrong. Perhaps you need to do the same?"
Shifu stared wonderingly at the goose as he bustled about the small room, putting things away and absent-mindedly straightening up. "Perhaps that's exactly what I need," he agreed. "You know, I wish you had known Master Oogway, my friend. I think you and he would have gotten along splendidly."
Ping nodded, only halfway paying attention as he glanced out to check on how his help was doing with the late lunch crowd. "Oh yes, he used to come into the shop quite often when I was a child. Very entertaining man, that one! Who do you think taught me to play mah jhong?"
Shifu shook his head. That tortoise in the back of his mind was laughing at him again.
--
Tigress stalked the barracks halls, shoving open doors and throwing accusatory looks into rooms. Thus far, she'd been unable to locate the object of her search. Po remained as vaporiously absent as a giant panda just should not be.
It was infuriating.
She'd checked the bathhouse twice, the pantry and kitchen three times, doubled back to the palace entry, investigated the peach tree that perched on the cliff, and now she was here. If she didn't find some trace of her quarry soon, she would be going door to door in the village.
His room, clear. Her room, empty. Everyone's rooms were empty. She turned the corner and stomped down the hall, scattering a few nervous palace geese who'd come in to see to the cleaning and repair the floor. That only left the palace proper, and.. she paused, throwing a curious glance back down the long hallway that led to the master's rooms. Po wouldn't dare... would he? For that matter, did she dare to check?
She cautiously placed one foot into the hallway, experimentally testing her weight on it. No Shifu appeared demanding to know what she was doing. Well, that was promising, at least. Another step. And another. Her lip curled into a reluctant grimace. They were not supposed to intrude into this hallway, but what could she do? The panda had to be found.
Another step. And another. Why was she so set on finding him, anyway? It wasn't like she was responsible for him. The buffoonish panda was a force of destructive nature, she was more likely to suffer the pratfall that his inevitable folly would cause than he was. After all, she was Tigress. She was supposed to know better than to be sneaking around like a thief in the master's private rooms.
Another step. Well, she did know better. She just couldn't seem to make herself listen to her better judgement with that stupid panda around! Her brow furrowed into an annoyed glare. Stupid panda.. he was like a black and white wrecking ball, didn't the state of the village after his one bout with Tai Lung prove that?
Another step. He'd saved them all, though.
Another step. He'd saved them all, and insisted that it was pure luck. She'd been inclined to agree. Another step, and she was outside of Shifu's door. Ever since that panda had come plummeting out of the sky, she was unsure of everything. She second-guessed herself, her master, everything. Nothing made sense anymore, because that giant blubbery ball of naive bear was constantly rolling through their lives.
She regarded the door, lost in thought. He had saved them all, though. He had brought Master Shifu the inner peace that he'd been decades without. Wasn't that worth something more than her pride? Than the strict rules of protocol?
She reached out, more troubled than ever by all this, and slid the door open cautiously. No one was inside Shifu's room. She let out the breath she'd been holding, and slid the door shut once more and risked a glance back down the way she'd come. Nothing. That left Master Oogway's room.
She slowly approached the remaining door, and gave a gentle push. The room was completely bare, save for a well-worn mat on the floor, and an entire wall full of bins, most of which contained scrolls. One such sat in the floor, apparently having not been put away, or perhaps it had fallen from its perch. Tigress picked it up, running her fingers over the binding thoughtfully before unrolling it a bit.
Blazing fire alight, burning bright is Orange
Fury and focus in every motion
Burning all who stray too near, friend and foe alike
Tigress gasped softly, in spite of herself. "Master Oogway's poetry?" She sat the first scroll down without finishing, reaching for another.
Effervescent bubbling joy in Gold
Living loving life and in spite of the trials
Laid before by small ripples in White and Beige
The tiger's eyes widened, and she began sorting through the stacks, grabbing up one volume, then another. They were all here. Each of them. Master Oogway's vast collection of poetry wasn't just poorly-metered color theory, it was a journal! He'd spoken about them all, never giving names to his students, or Shifu's, only describing them in snatches of color and hints of personality.
The panda, she noted, was described only as perfect yin and yang personified and empowered in pure heart. No wonder the old master had decided to grant him the Dragon Scroll.
Also described were the lands around the monastary, rolling in brown and green and reaching for the sky with hands crafted from the lofty mountains. Centuries of memories, hidden right in plain sight by Oogway and painted with a painstaking detail brush. She couldn't help but wonder at the three separate bins describing the changes on hue of the blossoming petals on the tortoise's peach tree.
People, it seemed, Oogway found simple enough to describe in a few hues and forms, but the ageless land he rendered with especial attention to the subtlest changes from one spring to the next. Tigress wondered then, if the long-lived terrapin had seen the world that way. If he was truly as old as Master Shifu claimed, a mere 500 instead of the nine centuries that folklore claimed, then perhaps people had been small but enjoyable flashes of light in the great rolling landscape.
She picked up the first scroll again, replacing the others that she'd disturbed.
Burning all who stray too near, friend or foe
So much power, so much strength,
But without the gentleness to truely use it.
Tigress bowed her head. Master Oogway could only be talking about her here. And she had no idea what to make of it. The gentleness to truely use strength? Master Oogway's riddles baffled her. She rolled the volume back up, and placed it in one of the bins. The old one's mysteries would have to wait, she still had the case of the vanishing panda to solve.