Love and Wits

"Hello, Leona," Maz said glaring at the little lion, "Nice to see you."

"The same," Leona glared back. The two just stared at each other silently. Lillia looked a little confused.

"Am I missing something here?" The lamb asked.

"Well, considering the fact that I found peanut butter in my mane, I was just wondering if Leona had anything to do with it," Maz replied. Lillia looked at the little girl lion.

"I'm innocent. Just like I'm sure that Mr. Maz didn't take my brush," Leona growled at the smirking lion. Lillia rolled her eyes. The two had had an interesting battle of the wits lately. But Lillia couldn't help but notice something odd about Leona.

"Why do you need a brush?" She asked. Leona pulled off the straw hat that she had been wearing. Her head-fur had been messed up in ways that Lillia couldn't even understand. "Oh, that." Leona and Maz returned to glaring at each other. "Leona, why don't you use my brush?" Both lions looked at the lamb.

"You have a brush?" Maz asked.

"Why is that such a surprising thing?"

"Well, I didn't think you were one to... care about your appearances," Maz replied.

"I still have to look good," Lillia answered. "Now, go look for my brush and you can use that." Leona nodded and went away. "And you, let's get that peanut butter out of your mane." Lillia moved him to the kitchen where Po was drinking some water. He spat it out after looking at Maz and laughed.

"So, I'm guessing you and Leona have matched wits again," Po smirked. "I still don't understand why you're arguing with her. She's been here for a month now and you've been playing this childish game with her." Just then, Tigress came in with a ton of stuff on top of her, like she had slipped into the garbage. She glared at Po.

"Po!"

"What did I do?" Po asked.

"You left one of your dolls on the floor, I stepped on it and slipped into the trash bin!"

"Sorry, I forgot," Po sheepishly smiled. Tigress sighed.

"I'm going to take a bath and make sure that Po is as far away from the bathroom as possible guys," Tigress said, giving Po one last glare. Maz and Lillia looked at Po's embarrassed face.

"Why does she want you away from the bathroom so much?" Lillia asked.

"You don't need to know," Po replied. "Okay, other than my do- I mean action figures, I'm mature for the most part."

"Po, the day you're mature is the day the world ends," Maz remarked. "OW!"

"Stay still you little cat," Lillia fussed as she snipped away the peanut butter in Maz's mane.

"Anyways, why are you messing around with this girl?"

"She started it," Maz told Po.

"Yeah, but your uncle really started it," Po said. Maz looked away ashamed. "Retaliating the same childish tactics isn't the way to get someone on your side. That's not what you did with Lillia."

"Keep me out of this Po," Lillia muttered.

"Ow!" Maz exclaimed.

"But the panda's right. If you want this girl to remotely respect you, you're going to have to stop playing these childish games with her. And just let Po do that."

"Yeah," Po agreed. "HEY!" Maz and Lillia laughed. "Well, I'm going to train. Master Shifu and I will be practicing a new move."

"So we should expect you to come back to the kitchen in... five minutes," Lillia teased. Po glared at her.

"Focus on the cat's mane, Lillia," Po remarked and left the room. Maz and Lillia laughed. Lillia managed to snip the last part of the peanut butter out of Maz's mane.

"There, all better Hmph!" Maz interrupted her with a kiss. Lillia melted but then pulled away. "You've got to stop doing that." Maz gave a childish grin. Lillia shook her head.

"I still can't believe they're allowing Leona to stay here," Maz muttered.

"I'm still surprised that you keep playing these games with her. Why didn't you act that way with me?"

"Well..." Maz fell silent. "It's complicated." Lillia raised an eyebrow. "It's nothing like that! It's just... complicated."

"Okay," Lillia slowly said.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Since my brother is finally married to Empress Zora, they don't need me at the council. So I don't have to do any political homework."

"Which means you still need to do your self-defense practice," Lillia sternly said.

"Yes, ma'am," Maz sighed going away.

Meanwhile, Po went to Master Shifu in the Hall of Heroes. "Ah, Dragon Warrior, you're finally here."

"Am I late or something," Po asked, not realizing that he was being timed.

"No, I want to talk to you," Shifu paused for a moment, gauging what the panda would do, "About Tigress." Po immediately seemed nervous and anxious.

"Wha who why do you want to talk about her?" He asked. Shifu sighed.

"Well, I've... been hearing some things and-"

"Do any of them have to do with a... bathroom?" Po asked. Shifu looked at him confused.

"What do you mean about the bathroom? Do you need to use it?" Shifu asked. Po seemed a little more relieved.

"No, I'm just... hehe."

"This is serious Po. I want to know if you... are seeing Tigress," Shifu questioned. Po's eyes widened and darted around the room.

"What makes you say that?" Po asked.

"Well, I've noticed that you two spend a lot of time together and that you two are practically inseparable. That and Leona saw you two kissing," Shifu explained. Po felt impossibly nervous.

"Yes, we... have been... seeing each other," Po replied. Shifu nodded. He went to the back, got a small box, and gave it to Po. "What is this?"

"It's for when you're ready," Shifu said.

"Ready for what?" Po asked. Shifu could only smile.

"You'll see," Shifu replied, "That's all, for now, Po." Po bowed unsurely and began walking away. "Oh, and Po, you can peek all you want only when you're married. Until then, no going to the bathroom when Tigress is there," Shifu said.

"Who told you that!" Po asked embarrassed.

"I have my ways," Shifu said, leaving the panda alone flustered. Though he wanted to know what was in the box, he decided that there were other pressing matters. Shifu knew about them. Po dashed to Tigress's room and burst through the door, where Tigress luckily had a towel wrapped around her. Po reddened instantly.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry! I should have knocked," Po said, immediately going outside. Po nervously waited as Tigress got dressed and came outside with him.

"Now, what is it that you nearly broke my door to stumble upon me barely clothed," Tigress smirked. She smiled at Po's shy reaction. Po snapped out of it and remembered the matter at hand.

"Shifu knows about us," Po replied. Tigress's smirk went away.

"How do you know?"

"He told me."

"How did he know?"

"The little munchkin named Leona saw us kissing," Po said. Tigress seemed sad all of a sudden.

"And what did he say?"

"He didn't seem like he was angry about it. He just gave me this box," Po said.

"What's in it?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to open it just yet," Po said. Tigress smiled as she came closer to Po.

"Well, I didn't hear Shifu's stern rebuke in that whole thing. So that means that we're in the clear," Tigress smiled. Po's eyes lit up.

"Yes, I guess we Op!" Po was interrupted by Tigress's lips on his. He just relaxed into the kiss and smiled as he pulled away. Then he became nervous. "Oh, did I tell you that he also knows about the bathroom incident?" Tigress's relaxed face turned into a shocked and angry one.

"You told him that!"

"I didn't! But I know who did and he's going to be dead," Po said slamming his fists together. "Anyways, I'm officially banned from the bathroom when you're in there... well until... never mind."

"Until what?" Tigress asked.

"Well, Master Shifu said I was banned from being around the bathroom when you're in there until... we were married," Po said with a red face. Tigress's face was red as well, but she smiled nonetheless.

"Good," She smiled. "Because you know that good things come to those who wait," She said close to his face.

"Yeah," Po nervously said. "But remind me I have to KILL Monkey," Po muttered. Tigress just shook her head.

Continued...