Listen
It wasn't that noticeable until it smacked them in the face, and when it did, they didn't know what to do. He had been quiet more times than they could recognize. He would still talk; still ramble; still excitedly rattle off the hundreds of cool Kung Fu and martial arts knowledge he knew because of his nerdy nature, but it was different. He was acting different.
How could that be?
For instance, Tigress and Monkey were eating in the barracks' kitchen when Po gleefully ran in. "It's here! It's here!"
"What's up, buddy?" Monkey asked, still eating his meal.
"The Kung fu convention is here! It's where all the cool awesome Kung Fu legends come and visit their fans! Master Lao Shun, is going to be there, and Master Gin Sung, and Master-"
"Why are you so excited, Po?" Tigress asked.
"Because! It's where I learned most of the Kung Fu stuff I know! I was actually the three-time reigning champion in Kung Fu Trivia," Po said proudly.
"I see," Tigress smirked a bit under her lips. "I can't wait to see what you're going to do this time."
"I know right?!" Po jumped with a wide smile on his face. Monkey cover his snicker with his hand as Tigress continued to smirk. "What's better, since I'm Dragon Warrior, I get to talk with some of the biggest names in Kung Fu history! It's my biggest dream ever!"
"I'm sure that they'll think the same of you," Tigress replied.
"Aren't you guys coming?! You'd be celebrated there."
Monkey and Tigress glanced at each other. The simian rubbed the back of his head with a flimsy smile. "Sorry, Po, but uhhh... we're not really into stuff like that," Monkey replied. "Unless it's something that's mandatory, I'd like to stay away from those kinds of crowds."
"But... it's your job. It's what you do every day?"
"Yeah, but the adoring fans start to get... a little annoying after a while. The whole thing just reminds me of my Cousin Min who spent all of his time locked up in his mother's basement collecting coins and other stuff. It really comes off as uhhh creepy."
"O-Oh," Po said. He turned to Tigress. "And what's your story?"
"There's a major difference between what the people think Kung Fu is about, and what Kung Fu is actually about," Tigress replied, coolly though not harshly. "These conventions aren't always the most accurate about showing that. Sometimes it just seems like a cheap way of getting gullible people to spend lots of money on what they want."
"Oh," The panda said. "O-Okay... I guess. I'll just... go then." The large bear left without much else to say. Tigress and Monkey looked at each other, worried.
"That was unusual, right?" Monkey asked. "He usually tries a lot harder to convince us to go."
"Did you want to go?" Tigress asked.
"Not really, but I thought he would try to persuade me at least."
"Come to think of it," Tigress replied, "He has been more... reserved lately. Like the time we were trying to find a strategy to find that girl that was kidnapped last week. Do you think he's upset?"
"The food hasn't been raided."
"Monkey," Tigress said with a glare.
Monkey sighed, "I don't know. Maybe we're just looking too much into it."
Of course, things were beginning to get more complicated than that. Po's attitude started to become more closed off. Though he'd talk and readily speak with people, he'd often stop himself mid-sentence before simplifying what he wanted to say. There were also times when his usual weird questions were replaced by more interesting ones.
"Master Shifu?" He asked one time, "What's another word for brainwashing?"
"Hm? Uhhhh persuade."
"Too weak."
Shifu rose his eyebrow. "Then Indoctrinate." And he spelled it out for him.
"Thank you, Master Shifu."
"Why do you ask?"
"Just wondering," Po replied and went on his way to his room.
It's normal for Po to be weird, but when weird is the standard for someone it can lead people to make the wrong assumptions about that person. One time, the team was searching for new information about a group of bandits' hideouts that they couldn't seem to find. A map lay on the barracks' kitchen table, and the Furious Five poured over it. "The thefts have been increasing in the southern region and we can't figure out where the bandits are or where they're escaping to," Tigress reported, "There are some mountains in those regions, but we can't be for sure who or what we're up against."
"We'll inform the Emperor about the situation. I'll need you and Po to make sure that everything is okay in the mountain village there. They might need your help." Shifu looked around the group, failing to find the panda. "Panda!"
"I'm right here, Master Shifu," Po said cooly from a chair behind the group.
"Oh? Did you-"
"I was listening," Po replied, though the way he was listening didn't sit right with them. He had his arms crossed and his leg crossed over the other while he stared at them. There was no smile or sight of food anywhere. "You want us to go to the mountain village and make sure they're not getting hurt by these bandits."
"Umm... yes."
Po gave a small nod and watched the team get back to work.
Later on, Po and Tigress were preparing their journey to the southern mountain village in the courtyard when Master Shifu called Tigress. "Master Shifu?"
"Tigress, I want you to make sure that Po is okay on this trip. He's been... distant recently, but I don't know why."
"I've noticed it too," Tigress replied, "But I don't know, Master Shifu. He seems fine, although a little depressed."
"That's what I'm worried about," Shifu sighed. Just then, Zeng emerged from the Training Hall with a large scroll and gave it to Po.
"Thank you, Zeng," Po smiled.
"You're welcome, Dragon Warrior," Zeng replied shakily and walked back, but not before getting stopped by Master Shifu. "Master Shifu?"
"Zeng, that scroll you just gave Po, what was in it?"
"Nothing. It's blank. The Dragon Warrior has been asking me to give him blank scrolls a lot recently. Usually at night time or early in the day."
"He doesn't sleep?" Tigress asked.
"He does. He asks for them when everyone's asleep. I don't know why he needs them. He burns them whenever he's done with them," Zeng answered and went on his way. Shifu glanced at the striped warrior as they shared a nod. Master Shifu waved the two warriors goodbye as they traveled down the mountain and out of the valley.
Po munched on some food on the way but rarely talked other than to ask how far the village was. Pretty soon, they were at the mountain village and started asking around for clues. The village was small, a little suspicious-looking to Tigress's standards. There were more large animals than in most villages: gorillas, boars, wolves, some rams, and gazelles. But they all looked like they were a part of the village, helping and working with each other.
Of course, while Tigress was asking these questions to local villagers, Po only talked with one or two people before patiently waiting on Tigress to finish. The tiger huffed a bit. "Are you going to help?" she asked.
"I am. I'm letting you do the talking like you told me when we got here, remember?"
Oh yeah. Tigress did say that when they got there, but she didn't expect Po to actually... do it. And she didn't know why Po seemed so... what was that emotion? Bored? Annoyed? Tigress couldn't remember the last time Po was annoyed with someone, especially her.
With no more clues to help them, they camped outside of the village for the night at the foot of the mountain. Tigress watched the fire as the panda sat in his tent in total quiet. Tigress growled impatiently and marched over to his tent. "Po?"
No answer.
"Po?" Tigress gently opened the tent flap and saw Po hunched over next to a lantern, writing on the scroll that Zeng gave him. "Po?" The panda didn't answer. "PO!"
"WHAA!" The panda straightened up, looked around, and saw the orange cat piercing her amber eyes at him. "Oh! Hey, Tigress."
"Po, we need to talk."
"Okay," Po said. He put the writing stuff down and walked out of his tent to the fire. Sitting down, Po gazed at Tigress, who only stared back at the fire for a moment, listening to the crackles of burning wood. "Is... everything alright, Tigress?"
"I was just about to ask you the same question."
"Huh?"
"Po, what's wrong? You haven't been yourself in a while. You've been more distant."
"What are you talking about? I'm still here," Po replied.
Tigress rolled her eyes. "I'm not talking about physically."
Po narrowed his eyes. "I know what you meant Tigress. I meant I still talk and hang out with you guys."
Tigress's head perked up a bit. Po usually wasn't this defensive. "Then why does it still feel like you've changed?"
"How have I changed?" Po asked.
"You don't talk as much."
"I'm busy listening to you guys."
"You don't talk as much about what usually excites you."
"Do you guys even care about that?"
"That's not the-" Tigress paused. Slowly the cogs in her head began to turn. "Po... Are you doing this because you think we don't care?"
"I know you care, Tigress. Just... not to the level I do. It's okay. I'm fine with it."
"No, you're not. That much is obvious."
"Well, it doesn't matter," Po grumbled, glaring at the ground.
Tigress sighed, "What have you been writing?"
"What?"
"Zeng mentioned that you've been writing a lot."
"It's... personal."
"Is that why you burn the scrolls you write?" Po's eyes widened. "Zeng told us that too," Tigress explained. The panda hung his head while the fire burned between them. Tigress stood up and sat next to the panda, only an inch or two away. "Po? What's wrong?" Po sighed. "It's okay, Po. I'm here to listen."
"Oh now you are," Po fired back. Tigress's head jerked back.
"Is... Is that why you're upset?"
Po took a deep breath. "Tigress, do you know what it's like not to be listened to?" It took a while for the words to register in Tigress's ears. She looked away for a moment, thought quietly, and then nodded slowly. "Over time," Po continued, "I just felt like no one really listens to me. Not seriously anyway. And the only time anyone ever actually listens is when major stuff is going on." Po threw his hands in the air, "But I have to listen to everyone. You, Shifu, my dads. But then when I turn around and tell everyone what I think, they just think I'm annoying."
"We don't-" Po looked Tigress dead in the eye. Now he looked angry, and there was no room for polite lying in his eyes. The tiger sighed, "Not anymore."
"Still. People don't take what I have to say seriously. Heck, I actually figured out why we couldn't find the bandits in the mountain village already, but I wanted to keep it to myself because-"
"Wait, wait, wait. You know where the bandits are? Where?"
"In the village."
Tigress's face fell. "I mean, where in the village, Po."
Po scoffed, "See? This is what I'm talking about. You immediately think I don't know what you mean. The village IS where they are hiding! All of them are bandits. That's why they all look weird and buff, but they don't look too weird because most of those guys are low-class bandits that don't have any wanted posters. That's how they can slip away so easily."
Tigress blinked. It made sense. If the whole village was the hideout, the bandits could blend in with the common people, especially if they were the common people. It would also explain why no one complained about the bandits living around here.
That didn't explain one question. "How did you know that?"
"Remember when I was talking with one of the kids? Kids know a lot more than you'd think and they're more truthful, too," Po said as he crossed his arms. "But this is what I'm talking about. You guys don't listen to me. I'm not expecting you guys to have the same awesome joy and passion that I have, but I'd like to know that my feelings and thoughts matter somewhat," Po sighed, pausing for a minute. "That's why I write. At least the paper listens to me. And it gets my mind in order instead of rambling to you guys. Especially when you're not listening."
The crackling fire was all that remained. Tigress couldn't figure out what to say. The panda had a major point. Regardless of what they thought of his unusual ideas, they could still listen to them and see what they could do. They did it with everyone else, why not Po? Tigress sighed as she leaned back against the logs they used. She guessed it was because they had looked at Po as the younger one of the group. The baby brother that they had to take care of, and that wasn't too bad in the beginning. But he had grown in strength and in wisdom. It wasn't that he had changed. They refused to see that he had changed.
Tigress looked up at the patchy-cloud night sky before making another sigh. "I get it."
"Do you?" Po asked doubtfully.
"I do. There were plenty of times Master Shifu disregarded my thoughts. I guess I have to unlearn some things from him," Tigress chuckled a bit. "I'm sorry, Po. You're right. We should listen to you more."
"I'm not saying that my ideas are brilliant and should be the go-all battle plans," Po said. "I'm just saying that... I'd like to be a part of the talking a bit more, that's all. To feel included."
Tigress took a small breath and nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry." She stood up and helped the panda stand up as well. "Now get some rest. We have to travel back home. And YOU have to Master Shifu what you've learned."
"I'm not sure he'll listen."
"Then I'll just repeat what you said," Tigress smiled.
"Heh, thanks, Tigress," Po smiled back, "I feel a lot better." Tigress nodded and headed into her tent. The panda watched her go from his small spot at the fire. Then he got up, went into his tent, and pulled out the scroll he had been writing on. He sat back down, smiling and looking at the paper. Then he tossed the scroll into the fire and watched the paper crumple up and char as the ashes rose softly into the midnight sky.
"Listen, or thy tongue will make thee deaf" Native American Proverb
The End
