This chapter does include some of my ocs. Check my profile for some info!

"Well done, students," Shifu dipped his head towards his six students, who shared glances as if a break was about to come. "You have done well today."
The students bowed in unison as Shifu continued speaking, keeping their silence at bay. They were all waiting for those few words of hope that could get them down to the village to discuss the plan. It felt almost like waiting to open your birthday presents, was what the suspense was like to the students.

Po almost felt like holding his breath, but he decided against it.

"I have some things to take care of," Shifu said, and Tigress and Po shared excited and hopeful glances that this could be it. "Take a break, I will be back shortly."

Yes!

THIS was exactly the moment they were waiting for! A chance to slip away to plan their master's birthday. Hopefully Shifu didn't find them out, but the students had bigger problems than that. It didn't necessarily have to be a surprise, but the students thought it good to do it that way, anyways.

The students bowed and recited the usual, "yes, master" before waiting until Shifu left to get REALLY excited amongst themselves.

"Okay, okay, this is it!" Po half-exclaimed-half-whispered. "I'll meet you guys at Mei Lang's house with my dad, hopefully he'll come along."

"I hope so," Tigress said. "We'll meet you there, Po, okay?"

"Okay."

Po ran down to the village almost as fast as he could in anticipation for the later gong. Shifu's "afternoon" breaks were usually a bit longer than the other ones, so Po felt like he and his friends had a good chance of going to the meeting and making it back in time for class.

Po ran straight into his father's noodle shop and pounded on the door. Thankfully no customers were here to witness Po's pleading for the meeting for the quick birthday plans.

"Dad, are you home?" Po yelled through the open-order window, glancing widely around the place but not seeing anyone. "Dad?"

After a little while of wrecking his mind to the point of thinking that his dad was not home or wouldn't show, Mr. Ping answered the door and greeted his son with a friendly nod.

"Hello, son." Mr. Ping smiled, as he usually did in his open-greeting. "What can I do for y-"
"I need you," Po spoke, blurting everything out to his complacent and lenient adoptive father, which made him rather rushed. "Can you come with me to Mei Lang's house, we're planning Master Shifu's birthday."
"His birthday?" Mr. Ping blinked. "Po, you do know that it's tomorrow, right?"

"I know, I know, but I NEED you." Po pleaded, doing everything he could to encourage his dad to come.

Po's satisfaction was at an all-time high as his father let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, well, okay…" Mr. Ping shook his head in amusement. "I suppose I'll come."
Po blinked in shock and surprise, and was VERY and INCREDIBLY thrilled. Perhaps we'll actually be able to pull this off!

"Okay, great, let's go!" Po grasped his father's arm and half-dragged him out of the noodle shop to the point where they were practically RUNNING towards Mei Lang's small house where the rest of Po's fellow students were already there. Piao and Ping Chang sat on one end of the table while the students all stood as Mei Lang was feverishly writing ideas down on an open scroll laid out at her end of the table.

"I'm here, we're here!" Po exclaimed, rushing into the house and crashing through the doors, almost making Mei Lang fall off her chair in shock.

"Thank goodness," Tigress breathed out in relief, "We don't have much time so let's plan."
Mei Lang rested her head complacently on her hand and let out an exasperated sigh. "It's always something with you Shaolin students, isn't it?"

"Listen, if we don't want to be suspicious we have to be fast." Po said, pulling out a chair for his father who painfully slowly sat into it. Po pulled the chair back in for him, in respect, as he continued to speak.
"Does anyone have any ideas?"

"I mean, this is your master we're talking about." Piao spoke, placing her hand on the table and leaning forward as if to attract attention. "Do you have any ideas?"
Po sighed, and leaned forwards and placed his head on his hand in a similar fashion like Mei Lang.

"I don't know…." Po trailed off. "What do you think he'll like?"
Crane put his head to one side, as if cautiously thinking and choosing good words. "Perhaps a nice dinner?"

"No, he doesn't really care about that," Po shrugged off, "Does he?"

"I don't know," Mei Lang spoke up, flicking her ear. "I mean, dinners are nice."
"I could work with that." Mr. Ping spoke up. "If you need help."
"Yes!" Monkey exclaimed, getting excited about the whole idea. "We should host a dinner for him up at the palace, in the Jade Palace's Arena."
Po thought it was a rather good idea, if Shifu liked fancy dinners and what-not. Po racked his brain. What should we do? Are we even sure that's what Master Shifu wants?
"Wait-wait, hold on." Po finally got the bravery to intercept the other student's rather too-swift planning. "Are we SURE that's what he wants to do? And remember, if it's at the Jade Palace we have to be extra cautious if we want it to be a surprise."
Mei Lang frowned. "Oh, true. He hears everything."
Tigress let out a long sigh. "What do YOU think, then?"

Po placed his hand on his head and frowned, racking his brain again for any useful information or memories of the past where Shifu had said something that he liked. As far as Po knows, his master's not totally one to really reveal his personal life to his students in such an open manner.

Po sighed. If we don't come up with something then we'll really ruin his birthday, won't we?

"I'm sure he doesn't need a party," Ping Chang muttered, "he's probably had millions, and it probably would still be nice if you did something nice for him."
"Like what?"

Ping Chang submissively raised up his hands in surrender. "I don't know, you're his students."
"Yeah, but you're his friend."
"Students come above friends."
"Pft, yeah right." Mantis retorted, but he had a mischievous gleam in his gaze that was hard to miss, even if he was so small. "Viper, Crane, you've been quiet, got any ideas?"
Crane and Viper shared glances, but it was Viper who slithered forward and dipped her head. The two silent students of the six suddenly became the smartest in the room just by thinking and listening. (*like Shifu had said, imagine that!*)

Viper let out a soft sigh and addressed her friends with just a few signal words to catch their attention.

"I actually….think I might."

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