A Sense of Purpose
Chapter 10: Tea time
"Tea time?" Tigress asked herself, but then realized that Tai Lung was already walking towards the house Master Shifu had entered. "Hey, wait!"
"What?" he groaned and gave her a look over his shoulder.
Whatever is coming, it must be bad. Really bad. And I'd like to know what to expect! "What is tea time?"
He stopped and turned around, giving her a long squint. "Wow, you really don't know, do you? How did you manage to avoid things like the apple test or tea time for so long?"
"Yeah, strange how all this punishment is only being inflicted on us now that you're back," she said and gave him a short glare.
He smirked. "Cute."
"So?" she asked impatiently.
He sighed dramatically. "Tea time. You and Master Shifu will sit at a table in the sitting room. There will be lots of talking going on. And you have to drink at least a cup of tea."
"...and?" She blinked. So far, this sounded a lot less worse than normal punishment. Maybe he's just spoiled and thinks that this is bad.
"And it's really bad tea," Tai Lung added, giving her an uncertain look.
Tigress chuckled. What a joke! "D'awwwwwwwww," she mocked him and patted his head, "is widdle Tai Lung scared of a tiny cuppy of tea?" She wasn't sure what was worse - the murderous glare Tai Lung was giving her or the stunned silence behind her as her friends had abruptly stopped bickering. Oh wow, that crossed the line, didn't it?
He looked at her, then past her. Finally, a cruel smirk appeared on his face. "Your friends wouldn't be fast enough to save you, Tigress," he whispered, and she of course knew he was right. "But I'm in enough trouble already, and if I harm you, you might use your injuries as an excuse to avoid this punishment." He slowly moved his face closer to hers and lowered his voice even more. "And I absolutely refuse to be the only one to face tea time."
"If you say so." Every rational part of her brain told her to back off. Maybe not to apologize or to admit that the remark had been stupid, but definitely to retreat a bit. A little bit at least. Yeah, right, her emotional side countered, as if I'd show weakness to this jerk. She narrowed her eyes, well aware that she was sending additional aggressive signals. Not the best conditions for a fight, but I'm game.
The two felines glared at each other for a few long seconds, waiting for even the tiniest sign of an opening, considering and discarding plans for a first attack. Yet somehow, neither of them heard Master Shifu approaching. "Once you two are done antagonizing each other, please remember that the tea is ready," the red panda muttered and whacked Tigress's shin with his flute for emphasis. Judging by the way Tai Lung grimaced along with her, she hadn't been the flute's only victim.
"Yes, Master Shifu," both of them sighed in perfect unison before taking a step away from each other.
"Jerk," she muttered once Tai Lung had left them to follow his Master into the sitting room. "Okay, I think we have a few minutes before it's my turn." She turned around and blinked when she found her friends just staring at her. "Now what?"
"Are you mental?" Monkey hissed, gesturing at the house.
"If you're that desperate to get yourself killed, you should've just said so; then we could've stayed asleep," Mantis commented drily. "You know, since freaks like us prefer living and sleeping over dying pointlessly in the middle of the night."
Tigress sighed. This would be so much easier to rebut if it wasn't closer to the truth than I'd prefer... "This wasn't what I had had in mind. I just wanted to train a bit."
"And then you ran into Tai Lung?" Crane asked.
"And then I ran into Tai Lung, yes. And we... sparred."
Her four friends exchanged looks. "That... didn't really look like sparring," Crane finally muttered. "In related news, you're bleeding."
She raised her right arm, following his gestures. "That doesn't even need a bandage," she told him and rolled his eyes. When he just gave her a look, she sighed. "Okay, fine, it was more than sparring. But it had started as just that."
"And who escalated it?" Viper asked.
"Who died and made you Grand Master?" Tigress instantly hissed, then held up her hands. "Sorry, sorry, I'm just... things just didn't go too well tonight." She sat down and took a deep breath. Her friends quickly sat down around her, forming a loose circle. "Ever since my fight on the bridge, I wanted to prove to myself that it had been a fluke. That he had just gotten lucky and that I could overcome his style under normal circumstances."
"So you challenged him?" Crane asked calmly, politely not mentioning how the five of them had had to work together to at least temporarily defeat Tai Lung in what must have been the mother of all flukes.
"No. Yes. No." Tigress gently massaged her forehead. "I wanted to train and to observe. You know. Study his style while I'm not risking my life to protect all that I hold dear."
"Then what went wrong?"
She frowned. "He didn't seem to use Leopard style, but rather a weird mix between Tiger and Crane style. So I thought he was just messing with me, and I pushed his buttons a bit."
Monkey gave Crane a look, then tapped his chin. "So you made him angry, things escalated, and then we came along?"
"Yes, and that fully pushed him over the edge." Tigress sighed. "And the worst part is that I had been wrong."
"About which part exactly?" Viper asked.
The snake was looking slightly more agitated than Tigress thought was justified, but then another thought crossed her mind: She's not just moody because I almost got everybody hospitalized. Why do I get the feeling that this is about her short confrontation with Tai Lung? "I admit I screwed up in many ways tonight, but here I was talking about his style. That weird Tiger-Crane style had been real Leopard style."
"Wait, so what was the style he had used on the bridge and just now?" Mantis asked and cocked his head.
Tigress took a deep breath. "Leopard style - after two decades of focusing on nothing but his hate. The angrier he got tonight, the more his style slipped away from technique and towards incoherent rage."
"No wonder Master Shifu selected some special punishment for you," Monkey finally said after a few seconds of silence. "You messed up Tai Lung's recovery."
"I wasn't exactly the only one!" Tigress instantly hissed and got up onto her knees, ready to pounce.
"Well, you don't see us on the list of students who will be punished," Monkey teased her, but the way he held himself suggested that he was ready to counter her attack.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Crane quickly placed himself between the two bickering Kung Fu Masters.
"Let's take it easy," Viper told Tigress while Mantis was talking some sense into Monkey in the background. "You can kill him later when there are fewer witnesses, okay?"
Tigress allowed herself a brief smirk. "Fine, since you asked nicely..."
"That's better," Viper replied and smiled. "The real question is what we'll do now, right?"
"You guys should go back to bed," Tigress suggested. "Master Shifu will kill us if everybody but Po ends up being sleep-deprived tomorrow. I'll follow once my lame punishment is over."
Crane, Mantis and Viper nodded slowly. Only Monkey was scratching his head. "Are you sure it's going to be lame? Tai Lung looked fairly devastated..."
"It's tea and chatting." Tigress gave him a look. "Seriously, how bad could it be? Tai Lung is probably just spoiled and thinks this is the worst Master Shifu can do."
Monkey and the others exchanged nervous glances. Before he could question her assessment any more, however, Viper spoke up: "Maybe he's right." Her tongue nervously flicked out. "Something's not right. We almost killed each other there, so why would he pick a light punishment?"
"Well..."
"So the worst thing that could happen would be to walk in unprepared, right?" Viper was looking unexpectedly bold, and Tigress again had a feeling that things were slightly more personal than the others realized.
"Well..." she repeated, this time with a little less certainty.
"Great, so it's settled then!" And with that, the snake darted into a small opening in the wall.
"What the-" Tigress started, then gave the others a pleading look.
Mantis made soothing gestures. "Relax, she'll be fine. The houses weren't built with small people like her or me in mind, so there are plenty of gaps and hollow areas behind walls. She'll listen in for a while and then get out again."
"And you think Master Shifu doesn't know?" Tigress hissed quietly, suddenly afraid that even the tiniest sound would summon her Master. We're in enough trouble already, and Viper goes out and spies on him? "This is a complete disaster," she muttered, suddenly feeling weak.
"Oh come on, it's not that bad," Monkey told her and gave the others a quick look. When he saw their doubting looks, he rolled his eyes. "Well, at least I'm sure we've been through worse, right?"
How did everything spin out of control like that? What changed? Tigress blinked, trying to pinpoint a reason other than 'Tai Lung is to blame for everything!' - even if that was a very compelling argument. No... no. I lost control. Not just over myself, but over the others, too. I used to be the one the others followed, but now that I've been doing my own thing, it all fell apart. Maybe it's time that I fill that role again. She nodded to herself and stood up. "Okay, focus, people! Let's work on minimizing the damage. You three should go back to bed. At least some of us should get some rest before we're all half dead tomorrow." While the others were getting up, she mentally went over the events of this night again. "Oh, and Crane, make sure Po won't find his little fake confession in the morning."
"What about Viper?" Monkey asked, accepting Tigress's leadership without question. In fact, he seemed happy to know that she was slipping back into her natural position at the top.
"Don't remind me," Tigress sighed. "If she manages to get out unseen, I'll just send her your way, too."
"And what if not?"
"Who knows? Maybe Shifu has some more tea to spare." She waved her hand. "Just go."
Waiting for her ominous punishment was easier once she was alone. Tempting as it, taking a nap was out of the question, so Tigress settled for the next best thing and slipped into a lotus position. I am one with the world. The world is one with me. As her focus increased, her heartbeat and breathing fell into a familiar, slow rhythm. I am one with the world. The world is one with me. It was one of the simpler and - in her opinion - sillier mantras Tigress had come up with during her years at the Jade Palace, but it was perfect for quickly calming down and regaining control. I am one with the world. The world is one with me. Breathe in, breathe out.
"Crap, crap, crap!"
Viper's voice made her snap out of her meditation, and Tigress had to shove away her impulsive thoughts about turning the snake's skin into a fancy pair of gloves. Focus! she instead told herself. How much time has passed? Couple of minutes? Less than half an hour, surely. "What is it?" she finally asked and opened her eyes.
"Pretty sure I got caught!" Viper hissed and quickly took a look at the door, as if expecting it to explode any second.
Wow, what a complete surprise, Tigress thought and rolled her eyes. Never saw it coming! She took a closer look at the panicking snake. "Does your paint job have anything to do with it, by any chance?"
"Paint?" Viper asked her and blinked. Then she looked down at her now almost completely black body and cursed. Loudly.
"I'll take that as a yes." What are the odds that Master Shifu will blame me for this? I'll happily admit to be responsible for at least half the stuff that happened tonight, but this? No way.
"Oh shoot, he knew, he knew... he knows!" Viper was panting now, and her pupils were dilated. "Maybe I can frame Mantis? No, no, no..."
"Viper!" Tigress hissed, snapping her fingers in front of her friend's eyes. If Master Shifu does know, we only have seconds! And if he catches her like this, he might just lose it. "Listen to me, Viper! You need to leave. Wash this paint off and go to bed. You hear me? Wash, sleep. In that order."
Her friend's eyes finally focused on her. "Wash, sleep," she repeated and nodded. "Wash, sleep. Yeah, I can do that..." She nodded again, this time more eagerly. "Okay, gotta go!"
Moments after the snake had jumped head-first into a bush nearby - Tigress was sometimes jealous of the way Viper's small build allowed her to take various shortcuts - the door was pushed open. Even before she turned around, Tigress knew that Tai Lung was standing behind her now: Master Shifu never opened doors with force like that. Okay, girl, act as if nothing happened.
"Where is she?" Tai Lung drawled.
"I have no idea who-" Tigress turned around and blinked. "You look like crap."
The snow leopard was leaning heavily against the door frame, looking as if he might drop dead at any moment. "I'm fine," he lied. "Where is Viper?"
Just as Tigress was going to tell him to jump off a cliff, her Master appeared behind Tai Lung. "Go on, Tigress, tell him," Master Shifu casually ordered her. "It'll be fine, trust me."
She briefly exchanged glances with the red panda before looking at Tai Lung again. "She... er... needed some warm water. So I guess she's in the kitchen or the bath."
"Thanks," Tai Lung muttered, pushed himself away from the door, and stumbled past her into the darkness.
He's acting. Just to make me nervous about this tea time business. "Are you sure about this, Master?"
Master Shifu chuckled quietly. "Quite sure, Tigress. As Master Oogway tended to say, we're all connected - it often just takes us a while to realize it."
"I'm pretty sure Master Oogway never said," Tigress said, "but I'm about as confused as I usually was after one of his cryptic remarks."
"Come." He snapped his fingers and calmly led the way inside. "Let us talk."
As she entered the sitting room, Tigress realized that she had never been in here before. In fact, she hadn't really been aware that this room existed. Of course, a brief look around told her that even if she had known about it, she wouldn't have cared: her taste in interior decoration was biased heavily in favor of practical and functional things. The sitting room was essentially the polar opposite of this, being stuffed with cushions and colorful decorations that served no other purpose beyond being pretty. Yegh. And wow, even silly drawings pinned to the wall! "...huh?" she went at that last part. The drawings were definitely out of place in this room since they were of low artistic quality and generally looked, well, childish.
"Ah, those," Master Shifu muttered, as if noticing them for the first time in years.
"Who drew these?" Tigress asked, narrowing her eyes at them. Did I draw them? Surely not. I don't think I had ever been the type of girl who'd draw pictures with a happy sun literally smiling down at a bunch of stick figures.
"Tai Lung did."
The words made Tigress inhale sharply, and she had to resist the urge to shred them with a swing of her claws. Easy, easy. Be diplomatic about this. "And... you kept them pinned to this wall even after Tai Lung..." Betrayed you? Tried to destroy the village? Went completely nuts and had to be imprisoned? Escaped from there? Tried to murder you? "...grew up?"
"He wasn't always bad," Master Shifu whispered, suddenly standing right behind Tigress, balancing on a staff to be able to look over her shoulder. Ignoring the way Tigress flinched in surprise, he went on, "I've told you about his childhood. Happier days."
"Those days are long gone," Tigress whispered back, looking straight into her Master's eyes, trying - and failing - not to glare.
He held her gaze, then slowly closed his eyes. "I guess we all cling to the past."
Master Shifu hopped off his staff and went to sit down on a cushion at a low table, leaving a puzzled Tigress behind. Did he just agree with me, or was that some sort of lecture? Or maybe both? Still frowning, she followed her Master and sat down on a cushion on the other side of the table. It was a small table, barely large enough to offer space to four people, maybe. But it was definitely large enough for a pot of tea and two cups. Tea time, Stripey, Tai Lung's words echoed inside her head.
She watched in silence as Master Shifu poured tea into the cups, almost completely filling each one. After putting the pot back onto its place in the middle of the table, he gave his cup a long look. "So, I see your ankle is fine!" he suddenly said and gave her an innocent smile.
"Yes, oh wonder of wonders," she snarked. "Healed up a lot faster than you-" She froze when she realized that his statement had been anything but innocent. Hold on. I'm missing something here. She frowned. I've been so annoyed at being grounded that I never stopped to think about this, but... he never would have made such a bad call. My ankle was obviously fine, and yet he... "You knew," she finally muttered, feeling like the biggest idiot in all of China.
"Oh, please, you can do better than that." He smirked.
Her tail flicked back and forth. Of course he knew that my ankle was fine. Yet he told me not to train. Why? Didn't he realize that sooner or later, I'd sneak out to- She grimaced, which only seemed to make her Master happier. Okay, so he knew I'd sneak out to train, too. Planned for it, even. And come to think about it, it's terribly unlikely that Tai Lung would be able to just sneak in and out of the training hall every night without Master Shifu knowing about it. Which means... "...you set us up," she finally whispered, feeling drained by the realization that almost this entire evening had gone exactly according to her Master's plan. "You wanted me to run into Tai Lung tonight."
"You kids are so cute when you think you can outsmart me." Master Shifu chuckled. "Such as thinking that I'm not aware of all the hiding places between the walls."
"So the ink was not just a silly accident?"
"Don't you remember the old Sinner's Ink?"
She frowned and explored her childhood memories until... "Oh, you mean that time Monkey had dared me to steal from Master Oogway's cookie jar?" Back then, Monkey had been the only student at the Jade Palace aside from her. She had been the personal student of Master Shifu and he had been training under Master Oogway until Shifu had been ready to train both of them. "My hand had been black for weeks, and he had convinced me I had the plague."
"I'm dying, I regret everything!" Master Shifu mimicked her voice and cackled.
"Okay, okay, so you planned for me to meet Tai Lung," she quickly changed the subject, deciding to never bring up this memory again and making a mental note to slap Monkey. "But... why?"
"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, becoming more serious again. "I needed to see what would happen."
She glanced down at the cup of tea. "Is this about bad Tigress being out of control again?"
"Hardly," he told her, and then followed her glance. "But while we're at it, why don't you try your tea? I'm sure Tai Lung told you that you can't leave unless your cup is empty, no matter whether the talk is over or not."
"Something like that, yes." She raised the cup to her lips. The tea smelled somewhat sweet, making her guess that honey or some sort of spice mix had been involved in the making of it. I rarely drink sweet tea or tea I have never tried before. What a night to break with habits... She took a sip.
Her fist hit the table with enough force to make the pot jump an inch. "I take it you like it?" Master Shifu asked, ignoring Tigress's wild coughing.
"Ghhhhhhhhhh-" Tigress shuddered, wheezed, then shuddered again. I'm dying. How quickly things have moved from threats of kicking me out to downright poisoning me. She hit the table face-first - Master Shifu quickly took the cup out of her hand to avoid spills - and for long seconds, she tried to decide whether or not it was socially acceptable to puke onto the cushions. "Ghhhhaaaaa?" she finally asked.
"Didn't Tai Lung warn you?" her Master asked, now sounding mildly confused and concerned.
Tigress slowly pushed herself back into a sitting position. Dazed, she looked down at her hands and then at the table. Oh, crap, she thought when she realized the fresh claw marks on the table. Stupid instincts. Then her gaze wandered to another set of claw marks nearby. The second set was a bit wider than hers, but not as deep. Tai Lung. Good to know that we're not that different. "He..." She had to clear her throat. "He might've mentioned that the tea would be bad... but not that it'd be... this."
"Ahhhh, yes. My very special blend for very bad students." Master Shifu was obviously proud of having developed China's first weapon for all-out biological warfare. "Sweaty socks are involved."
Tigress's stomach churned. He... used... his... wait, what? "But you don't wear socks!"
"That's what makes it so brilliant! Also, I will inform you that I kept this mixture in a sealed box since the last time I had to use it."
Since the last time? When was the last time? ...I never had to endure this punishment, and neither did the other four, or Po. Which means... She gave her cup - which was still almost full - a terrified look. Which means that he prepared this mix some time before Tai Lung's imprisonment... decades ago... and tonight made tea from it. "I'm pretty sure this qualifies as murder..."
"Only if you die. Which you won't." He smiled. "Trust me, this blend is carefully balanced to ensure survival, if nothing else."
"Hrgh..." She waved her hand, deciding that she'd happily sit through a lecture if it meant delaying the inevitable. "Anyway, where were we?"
Master Shifu steepled his fingers. "You were wondering why I arranged for you to meet Tai Lung, and I told you that I needed to see what would happen."
"Right, right... so?"
"You two are... similar in many aspects." He immediately held up a hand to cut off any protest. "You are both highly dominant and assertive. Comes with being an apex predator, I guess."
Tigress frowned at that last bit. It had been a while since Master Shifu had taught her about the food chain - a somewhat antiquated concept in a world where prey was living together with predators in cities and could simply hire people to deal with any predator stupid enough to give in to primal urges - but she still remembered enough about it to know that she was at the top, with nothing regarding her as food. And being a fellow big cat, Tai Lung is also up there. Figures.
"I know Tai Lung, and I know you. And that's why I know that there is bound to be friction when you two are left together with nothing to keep you occupied. Of course, both of you are too polite to start major trouble as long as anybody is watching. But I needed to see what would happen if you met him in a place with no witnesses, so to speak."
She raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like you were expecting us to try and kill each other."
"Nothing so drastic, but especially after what happened during the last few months, I had to make sure that you two wouldn't suddenly have any odd 'accidents' during your training."
"...ah." Tigress thought back to her sparring session. To the way she needled Tai Lung, provoked him more and more into perverting his natural style, just so she could have a rematch with the guy she had fought on the bridge. Hoping to have an all-out fight again, doubtlessly leading to either one of them bleeding all over the place. And Master Shifu had been watching the entire thing. "Right. I'll just go on and kill myself now." She picked up her cup and drained it in one go, tilting her head back and trying to minimize the time the vile fluid would spend inside her mouth.
It still made her topple over and caused her to dig her claws into one of the cushions as she fought hard not to throw up. "Success?" Master Shifu's voice came from somewhere in the distance. When she only replied by making a retching noise, he sighed. "When you are done fooling around, could we maybe talk seriously for a moment?"
Get up, Tigress. The least you can do is show some dignity, you foolish, impulsive girl! What were you thinking, drinking all that in one go? She clawed her way back up, not caring too much about additional marks on the table by now. "Just tell me how much trouble I'm in."
"It's not quite that simple. Or rather, I could make it simple, but that wouldn't really help anybody."
"Oh good, judging by the way I feel and the way nothing I hear makes any sense, I must have died and am now having tea in the afterlife with Master Oogway." By now, she had at least managed to sit back up straight again.
"What I'm saying," Master Shifu explained and sighed, "is that both you and Tai Lung behaved better than I had feared, overall."
Tigress gave him a look. "But...?" Instead of answering, Master Shifu held up a small, wooden playing piece. Tigress's eyes widened when she recognized it. That's one of the pieces Master Shifu used to teach me control all the way back in the orphanage! As a rule, Tigress didn't like thinking about her childhood. Not because she had spent most of it training under a Master who would constantly compare her to his first child of sorts, but rather because her time before moving into the Jade Palace had not been too pretty. Everybody in that orphanage regarded me as a monster. Rightfully so, even, given how little control I had over my strength. I just wanted to play... make friends... but I just hurt people and caused endless property damage. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the playing piece. At least until Master Shifu had come along and taught me how to control my strength. He gave me these fragile wooden pieces and didn't stop lecturing me until I could handle them without breaking or scratching any. And only then did he invite me into the Palace. "I thought this wasn't about bad Tigress being out of control again?"
He gave her a thin smile. "Catch," he simply said and threw the piece up into the air.
She gave the wooden piece a look as it flew upwards. When it reached its highest point above the table, she lazily snatched it out of the air. "Surprise, surprise, it looks just like it did before," she told him, balancing the piece on her outstretched palm.
Master Shifu didn't stop smiling, and Tigress got the horrible feeling that despite succeeding, she had somehow failed. "Thank you for proving the point I was trying to make."
"What?" She frowned and gave the piece a closer look. Indeed, there was not a single scratch on it. "You told me to catch, and I caught it."
"Indeed," he admitted, still smiling. "Ah well, I'm sure it'll come to you. Drink up."
Drink up? "I just emptied my cup, Master Sh-" She looked down at her cup... which was filled to the brim again. "What the..." She blinked, her mind trying to process what had just happened. Did he... he did just fill up my cup in the second it took me to catch that piece, didn't he? The student gave her Master a look. "What are you trying to prove here? That you're faster than me? We both knew that much..."
The smile vanished from Master Shifu's face. "This wasn't about speed, Tigress, it was about your failure to notice something that was happening right under your nose! This never would have- never could have happened months ago. I taught you to always observe your surroundings to the point where you were able to block an attack by somebody standing behind you!"
"To be fair, it's kinda late, and this tea-"
He silenced her with a glare. "Your mind is elsewhere, Tigress. Not just now. And I think we both know what is keeping you preoccupied."
She sighed. "Fine, guilty as charged. It's just-... he's aggravating me!"
"No, he's not," Master Shifu countered. "His victory at the bridge is."
"BECAUSE IT WAS CHEAP!" She surprised herself with that outburst, and for long seconds, neither of them spoke. "I... apologize, Master." I take it all back, this isn't a silly or lame punishment - it's perfectly horrible for idiots like me. Without even thinking about it, she picked up her cup again and emptied it in one go. This time, she managed to stay upright, but only just barely. But while she managed to remain still, the room started to move. Oh wow, this can't be good, she thought as she eyed the far wall, which now seemed to be pulsating slowly.
"Don't worry, I have been proven right in louder ways before." The lightest trace of a smile appeared on his face again. "When you go back to your room, I want you to pack your bags." He quickly held up his hand when he saw her jaw drop. "You will be going on a short trip, nothing permanent or drastic."
She slowly closed her mouth again and frowned. "What kind of trip? ...and why?"
"I think it's time you paid the Sacred Pool of Tears a second visit."
...ahu. Her frown deepened. The Sacred Pool of Tears, commonly known as the birthplace of Kung Fu, was the location where Master Shifu had taught her the basics of Tiger Kung Fu. The same applied to her four friends and, from what she had heard, Po, too. For a moment, she was extremely tempted to ask what she would be doing there, but something told her that she would not get a satisfying answer. Either it's all about the journey itself, or something to do with enlightenment. Or friendship. Or... yeah, right. She grimaced.
"Now what is wrong?" Master Shifu asked.
"Don't tell me you're planning to have me running into Tai Lung up there in some desperate attempt to make us become friends."
He gave her a crooked smile. "The funny thing is that Tai Lung had been worried about the exact same thing when I told him you'd be going there."
"...ah." She tried not to feel like an idiot or to think about how she and Tai Lung now apparently even thought in the same way.
"But no, Tai Lung will stay here. You will have to live with me joining you on your trip."
"With you-" She hesitated. "You mean... you and me, going to the Sacred Pool of Tears?"
"Indeed."
"Alone? Together? I mean... just the two of us?"
"Just like the old days, yes."
"...wow..." For the first time in years, Tigress was feeling giddy. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of spending time with her Master again, without anybody or anything interrupting them. But now, her curiosity was getting too strong to ignore. "But... why? What will we do there?"
Instead of answering right away, the red panda fished another wooden playing piece out of his sleeve. "Oh, I'm sure that deep down, you know exactly what we will do. But I'm afraid we have almost reached the end of our little tea time, so... catch."
What's that supposed to mean? Tigress thought when the piece flew up into the air. Then again, it's hardly surprising that he gave a cryptic answer. Oh well, he has given me more than enough amazing news already! She smiled and grabbed it with her right hand.
For a moment, student and Master just looked at each other. "You're learning," Master Shifu finally admitted and looked down at the tea pot, which Tigress had held in place with her left hand the moment Master Shifu had thrown the playing piece. "But you still have much to learn."
"What?" Tigress looked down. Somehow, her cup had been filled again. "...how did you-" She froze when she saw that Master Shifu's cup - the one he hadn't touched during their talk - was empty. "I should've held my cup in place instead of the pot, right?"
"No," he told her and smirked. "You shouldn't have touched your cup at all until the very end. Your mistake was drinking when I invited you to the very first time."
He's right, Tigress admitted silently. I just should have emptied my cup in one go right before getting up to leave. "I should have known there would be a lesson here," she finally said and picked up her cup with a trembling hand. "Well, a last one for the road..."
"Oh, please!" her Master waved his hand just when she was about to lift the cup to her lips. "Put the cup down, Tigress - if you drink a third one, I'm afraid I'll have to carry you all the way to the Sacred Pool of Tears tomorrow!"
She sighed in relief and put the cup down. "Thank you, Master!"
Master Shifu simply gestured towards the door. "Go and get some sleep. You will need it."
At the door, Tigress briefly turned around and gave her Master quick salute before making her way outside. Walking was surprisingly hard, though, since the path refused to hold still for her. "Yeah, that third cup wouldn't have been a good idea," she muttered, thankful for the cool night air which cleared her head at least a little bit.
Just as she was about to drag herself all the way up to her quarters, she heard someone laughing in the distance. ...Viper? She frowned before realizing that there was another voice, also laughing. ...Tai Lung?
For long moments, Tigress just stood there, swaying lightly, trying to make sense of the apparent fact that Viper and Tai Lung were... actually having a good time together.
But then she snickered. Yeah, right. Must be some sort of tea-induced hallucination. Strong stuff, and I had two cups. And with that, she half-walked, half-crawled back towards her quarters.
Author notes:
Good God! I swear I'm not trying to set delay records! On the plus side, I'm done with my CompSci diploma thesis, so that's something, I guess. ;)
Regarding the chapter itself, I love coming up with Shifu's strange punishments and lectures. Also, the bits about Tigress's childhood (including the stuff about wooden playing pieces) come straight from the "Secrets of the Furious Five" special - just mentioning it to avoid making the impression that I'm taking credit for those ideas.
And for those curious about Viper's odd behavior in this chapter: these issues will be addressed, likely in the next chapter... which will hopefully come out a bit faster than the last few... *cough*