Chapter 4: Brightly Matching Pallet

"I hope everyone was able to blow off some steam," Jun said while she placed a tray of teacups on the table.
"Yeah, that was quite something," a glasses-wearing Zafina said while meticulously wrapping Miharu's leg in a bandage.
"I think we're done," Asuka said while putting the bag of ice she had put on her head on the table.
"You know, for someone who nearly never tests herself competitively you pack quite a mean punch," she said facing Miharu.
"Thank you," Miharu replied softly.
"Oh, and I didn't mean it about you being a ginger. I was merely testing you."
"Hmm... bitch," Miharu said laughingly.
"Though you do know that you still couldn't hold a candle to Xiaoyu, right?"
"I know. Everything I learned, I learned from her. Hey, where is she at anyways?"

"I miss him so much!" a seated Hwoarang cried hysterically on a seated blank-staring Xiaoyu's shoulder.
"I do, too!" she cried equally upset whilst hugging him.
"Why did he have to go, Xiao? Just why?" a teary-eyed Hwoarang inquired whilst tightening his reciprocated hug around Xiaoyu's small frame.
"Dude... are you sure you miss him as just a friend?" she asked him sternly.
"What do you mean?" he asked seemingly, genuinely oblivious.
"Never mind," she said unengaged.
"You know, people always think I'm a good-for-nothing, a bum. No one expects anything from me. I'm just a street rat that gets into fights more often than he should.
The only people who've always respected me are my master Baek... and Jin," Hwoarang confessed as he let go of his grip.
"I feel like that, too sometimes," Xiaoyu said.
"I'm just a small girl. No way am I gonna defeat Thai boxers or grizzly bears. Yet here I am. I've got technique and I could throw dragons if I wanted to.
Still who's to blame people who think otherwise?" Xiaoyu paused.
"Look I know it's a struggle. We're fighting an uphill battle. But hey, it gets easier when you have some friends who appreciate you. Maybe that's what you're missing.
Maybe you just need to find yourself some friends. Or better yet: a girlfriend."
"I haven't thought of that before," Hwoarang said. "Maybe it'll be good for me being here a while. Though it'll only be complete once we've retrieved the one who's missing."
Xiaoyu hugged him tight and said: "I'll get him back for us. I promise."

"I have always been skeptical about this 'chi' kung fu exponents always mention, but now that I've seen it with my robot-eyes there seems to be some sound, empirical evidence for it," Alisa complemented Lei as she repaired the damage to her open core using a soldering iron and pliers.
"That or my visual sensors must have been malfunctioning."
"Thank you," Lei replied slurping some tea in an upright fetal position.
"And I must say if anyone's able to defeat Lord Mokujin it must be you... even though you have the slight unfair advantage of being a killer droid."
"It's not everything," Alisa said.
"My fixed programming doesn't seem to allow me to improve methods or learn new ones. I have yet to find a way around that. And that's not everything..."
"Oh?" Lei asked interested.
"There are certain programs in my operating system which I cannot override.
When I hear Jin's voice for instance I cannot do anything else but comply to what he says so I'm afraid I won't be of much help during that fight."
"Can't you just ask Geppotto for help?" Yoshimitsu inquired as he sharpened his sword on a stone.
"I have asked him before, but it seems the entrance to this program is very well protected by several codes and passwords.
One of which being a voice key. So only Jin has access to it.
It would take a computer genius to crack this one."
"Can't you do it yourself?" Raven asked with his arm in a band-supported cast.
"Again my programming doesn't allow me to willingly change anything."
"You know we have some really bright computer whiz kids down in the lab, maybe you should come along to Hong Kong sometime?"
"If they can do something for me, that would be nice," Alisa said slightly hopeful.

Xiaoyu and Hwoarang entered the room.
"Xiao!" Miharu enthusiastically yelled as she hopped over on one leg.
"Where've you been?" she asked whilst briefly glancing towards Hwoarang.
"Wait a minute? You two wouldn't happen to be super secret romantic friends, would you?"
"What?" Xiaoyu asked surprised. "Uhm, no. I'm in love with Jin. That's why we're here in the first place. Remember? I mean seriously... anybody home?"
"Just because you're in love with someone doesn't mean you can't have a screw buddy on the side, you know," Asuka very formally blurted out.
"Oh, speaking from experience?" Miharu inquired.
"What? No!" Asuka stuttered as her complexion changed to beet red.
"Oh, liar, liar. Pants on fire!" Miharu teased. "Anyways, is it true, Xiao?"
Xiaoyu stared wide eyed, then narrowed her gaze and said:
"You're all crazy! I mean we're just finished beating each other up. We're far from 'super secret romantic friends'."
"Oh, so you like it rough, do you?" Miharu insisted.
Xiaoyu grunted annoyed: "Could we change the subject please?"
I mean what happened here? It looks like a bomb exploded in here."
"If only that were true," Alisa said softly.
"No we're just getting to know each other," Miharu said.
"With our fists!" Asuka added.
"Guys, I've got the feeling you're not taking this as seriously as you should," Xiaoyu replied.
"I mean, how are you supposed to fight injured? At least Hwoarang and I know when to stop," she said looking at him as he flexed. "Right?"
"What? ...Oh, sorry, yeah. Right!" Hwoarang said as if he wasn't following the conversation.
"We're sorry, Xiaoyu!" Alisa said.
"You should be."
"It's just that..." Alisa whispered.
"What?" Xiaoyu asked.
"It's been a long time since we've had a real challenge," Asuka continued.
"We're basically all masters at our individual styles. It's like; who can touch us? Only other masters, that's who."
"That's right!" a chipper Miharu added.
Xiaoyu shook her head and turned it towards Jun.
"Lady Jun? Do you think you have what it takes to whip this sorry bunch of hoodlums into shape before the final showdown?"
"Oh, you better believe it, honey!" Jun said sardonically with atypical sass as she sipped her tea.
"This withered bouquet shall be an arrangement with a brightly matching pallet once more!"

"Guys, we may have a situation," Raven interjected.
"Yes, it seems Lars, Angel and Panda have slipped out of our awareness," Yoshimitsu continued.
"They better not be double agents out to leak intel on our operation here," Raven said.
"Two of them can't speak. I doubt they'll be telling anyone anything. And the third one I trust," Jun said stoically.
"There's more than one way to communicate," Raven replied.
"Shush, wait. Do you hear that?" Zafina asked as a distant laughter sounded.

The entire party went outside. There they found a bikini-wearing Angel and a swim short wearing Lars playing in the lake with a wet, frolicking Panda.
Playfully wrestling each other, doing heads-under, splashing at each other, playing a Marco Polo-like game consisting of grunts and angelic words that couldn't be understood by any human on the planet.

"Well, at least some of us got along from the get go," Zafina observed.
"Yeah, two of which can't speak. I should've known," Jun added.
"Last one in is a rotten egg," a swimsuit-wearing Xiaoyu said as she bombed herself into the water.
"Uh, what?" Jun said surprised.
A speedo-wearing Hwoarang soon followed.
Zafina looked at Jun; "Whaddya say, Jun? Time for some last fun before we get serious?"
Jun smiled kindly: "Yeah, let's do it."
"Aren't you guys coming?" Jun asked the wounded agents behind her.
"We'd love to Jun, but..." a cast-wearing Raven said.
"It's time for us to hit the hay," a staggering Lei finished.
"And my damaged chassis can't handle water," Alisa added.
And so it was decided. The wounded fellowship went to rest as the rest played joyfully before turning in.