Ping scowled at Mushu. He was tired after a busy day but he was going to make zongzi. It was the fifth day of the fifth moon and he was going to participate in this festival. He usually spent the Dragon Boat Festival making zongzi, as it was traditional for all the family to join in.

"Just light a fire for me." He grumbled, in no mood to verbally spar with his guardian.

"This time, I will. But you need to be finishing up quick and heading to bed, princess." The guardian snapped, before turning and leaving. Ping smiled gently at his retreating body. It was a relief to know the dragon was only unhappy because he was still trying to guard his charge.

"Want some help?" a soft voice cut through the tired fog in Ping's mind.

"Captain Li!" he yelped as he jumped up then tripped over his own feet and landed on his butt with a thud.

"This shouldn't be a solitary activity." Li said, his lips twitching. Was he trying not to smile? Ping stared blankly at the man.

After a few moments, Li frowned and shifted uncomfortably. A moment later he held out a hand.

"I'm sorry I've been… unkind to you." Li apologised awkwardly. Ping then realised he had been staring gormlessly at the captain for a long time and reached out to grasp the man's warm palm.

"Don't worry. Everyone does it." Ping replied, giving the man a self-depreciating smile.

"That doesn't make it ok!" Li hissed. "If anything, that makes it worse. I have been doing this kind of thing all my life, even when I was little I played games similar to this with my father. I forget that most people, like you, probably had a normal childhood."

"My childhood wasn't normal. Your childhood wasn't normal?" Ping glanced down at his hands. "Shall we make these then?"

"Indeed." Li smiled at him, a full and brilliant expression that made Ping's heart flutter to be on the receiving end of it. "My father has always planned for me to be in the army. When I was younger, he used to teach me how to work out the best strategies: how to spot both weak and strong points…"

"You didn't play?" Ping asked, concern filling his gaze as he looked at the captain.

"I did play… just not the games I hear others talk about."

"I didn't play normal games either. I was sick a lot so my sister used to decide what we would play." Ping crushed a bamboo leaf in his hands as he thought of his well-meaning sister.

"I have two younger brothers. One is seventeen and the other is eleven. Father… doesn't play with them."

"You mean everything he wants in a child he has found in you?" he wrapped straw around the leaf, trying to focus on what he was doing than seeming too intent on Captain Li's words.

"I wish he hadn't. I wish he would notice them. Those boys are wonderful."

"So he was too interested in manipulating you and not interested enough in your brothers?"

"When you phrase it like that it sounds terrible." Li curled forwards, as though trying to protect himself from some invisible foe. Ping put his bundle down and pressed a hand to Li's back.

"Don't worry Captain Li. You turned out pretty good." Ping said, a smile twitching at his lips.

"Ha! Thanks." Li barked out a laugh. He reached a large hand out and set it on Ping's skinny shoulder; it was really warm.

"It sounds like my father. He loves my sister more than me... it isn't that he doesn't love me, but I think he just didn't know what to do with me, especially when I was younger."

"Because you were sick?"

"Yes."

"Well, you turned out pretty good too."

Ping pulled away. Self-doubt filled him as he thought about how poorly he was doing there.

"I'm pathetic. I can't keep up with anyone and you won't let me join in with certain things."

"I forgot." Li whispered, shame clearly etched on his face. "Come on. These need to steam and I need to begin making up for my terrible behaviour."

Ping obeyed, standing and following Li through the dimming light to the armoury tent.

"You'll need a small bow…" Li muttered as they entered.

"They made me one." Ping whispered, feeling a need to stay quiet.

Silently, Li located the bow that was labelled for Ping, grabbed a bow for himself and grabbed two quivers. His limbs began to tremble in anticipation. Was Captain Li going to show him how to shoot? How would he explain that he had already been practising over the past few weeks with Chien-Po?

"This would ideally be done in better light…" Li said softly.

"I've been practising with Chien-Po!" Ping blurted out, having decided not to tell Li about that. He cringed and hunched forward, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Hey, it's ok." Rough fingers pushed Ping's chin up, and he slowly opened his eyes.

The dark eyes of Captain Li were focussed on his face, gazing at him with an intensity that implied there was a meaning behind the expression that Ping was apparently missing. Instead, all he could focus on was remembering to take another breath. After a long moment, Ping took a deep breath and forced a question out.

"W-Will you… Chien-Po… I know you didn't want me doing archery so he shouldn't have bothered with m-me… But…"

Li managed to tear his eyes away from Ping's face, looking down at the equipment in his hands.

"I won't complain that he was helping you until now. However, I am now your teacher and I would prefer you not to be the pupil of any other master… especially one who is not yet a master himself."

Ping watched curiously as a deep flush spread across Li's face.

"Of course not, Captain Li." He said respectfully, bowing slightly.

"No." Li put a hand out to Ping. "Outside our lessons I would not have us be master and apprentice. I have not been much of a commanding officer to you and barely deserve the , I have been thinking about it while Chi-Fu was complaining and I decided that I can never expect people to do what I tell them to when they weren't raised in the same way. I have been stressed, and filled with fear about my father and I have unfairly taken it out on you. I have been a poor Captain, and a terrible officer."

"Don't say that!" Objected Ping, who was sure he couldn't have coped half as well as Li had with the task he had been given.

"I must, because it is the truth. Called me Shang. After all, I call you Ping."

"Shang." The boy muttered softly, trying the name out. It was odd, but he would try.

"Ping." Whispered Shang for a moment, his expression slightly vacant. "Um… Oh, archery. Come on. Let's see how you are doing."

The captain turned away again, and Ping grinned, even as he wondered how he would explain this to a protective guardian.