Don't Hold Back; Metro's Waiting:

"Did I say something wrong?"

He can see his mother's brow furrowing at the question. The cracked screen distorts her image ever so slightly, causing a thin line to run on the lower right side of her body.

"No, you didn't sweetie," Felicia says, looking over to something he can't see off-screen. "Sometimes people don't turn that easily. You know that." Gouten closes his eyes and sighs. "I'm proud of you. If you told me a few years ago that you actually followed someone to talk to them, I would've had a heart attack."

Gouten can't help the smile that comes to his face. "Bit dramatic there, aren't you?"

"Please. Getting you to make friends or even talk to other people was like pulling teeth." Felicia smiles back, wide and serene. "But really, Gouten. I'm telling you, it's fine. You tried and that's all that matters."

Gouten hums and looks beyond his phone. It's propped up in the corner of the kitchen, leaning on a few herbs and spices as he prepares dinner. Nothing fancy - he hasn't had the time to shop yet - but he figures preparing some steak and pasta would be nice to take his mind off of things. "How're the kids?"

Felicia ducks her head into her chin so Gouten can't see her mischievous grin. "I was hoping you'd ask." Gouten's brow goes up, and before he can ask what she means, the device is yanked from her hand and moments later, all he can see is eyes, hair, chubby cheeks and smiles.

"Big brother!"

"Go-Go!"

"Gouuuuteeeennnn!"

Gouten smiles, real and genuine, and turns his full attention to his phone. "Aloha."

The excited voices overlap in a stream of introductions and squeals, but Gouten manages to make it all out.

"Easy, easy. I only have two ears." He says, watching the screen shake and Myrtle's large glasses come into frame, taking up the entirety of his screen. Her glasses reflect his image, but her smile is blinding. She says something to him, excitedly blabbering in Hawaiian about her day and everyone else's, only pausing to catch her breath when the device is pulled away from her and back into his mother's hands.

"E mālie, everyone. It's pretty late where your brother is, so he can't stay up much later. He'll call again soon."

There are a collective series of dramatic groans and protests and Gouten chuckles, turning his attention back to the pot before him while his mother continues to talk. He brings the pasta to a low, slow boil, sprinkling in a handful of salt, something his future self will be thankful for when he has to wash the pot. He keeps his family in the corner of his eye while he focuses on dicing the red pepper in his left hand, turning it over with each successive swipe of his knife. There are no wasted pieces, and Felicia knows it's because the excesses have found their way into his face.

Sometime later, when Felicia manages to calm the kids down, she clears her throat to get Gouten's attention.

"Be light with the seasoning," She lightly chastises. "You'll make it too salty."

"No such thing."

Felicia hums and chews on her bottom lip. Gouten turns away from the meal.

"We got another one today. A few hours ago."

A series of emotions run across Gouten's face before settling on cool understanding. "I see. Who are they?"

"A pair of twins, actually. Boy and a girl. Both look about six or so. The girl doesn't really speak much English and her brother doesn't speak at all. I've been trying to teach her, but she's a bit... hesitant."

"Hawaiian only?"

"Japanese, actually," Felicia corrects. "Mixed like you are. I feel bad for them, and here I am, just hoping things get better."

"You raised me, didn't you?" Gouten says jokingly. "I wasn't exactly the nicest person in the world. I'm sure you could raise a rock into a boulder if you wanted."

"You talked back then."

"Not like now."

"No," Felicia concedes. "Not like now. Honestly, I only told you because it reminded me of something; you remember the day we got Myrtle?"

Of course he did. He didn't think he could ever forget. He was in his late teens, a young man trying to get his life together and pick up the pieces of what he's shattered. When he had come home, the girl was there, in the living room in one of his shirts that was far too big for her. She was painfully thin and small, covered in tears, and dirt. It took only a single conversation for Gouten to storm out in a blind rage and...

"Yeah. I got arrested that day."

"Don't sound so happy about it!"

Gouten shrugs, "I won't apologize for it. They deserved it."

His mother sighs, but doesn't argue. "A part of me is glad you're not here so you don't get yourself in any more problems."

"That bad, huh?"

"Mhm. But hey, it's late and you should eat and sleep. It's a what? Five hour time difference?"

"Around there." It was then that Gouten yawned, as if his body had just realized how tired it was. "You're right."

"I know." With one more smile, they say their goodbyes and Gouten goes back to his dinner. Thankfully, he hadn't burnt anything in his negligence, but the stillness in his cold, open apartment was taking a bit to get used to. The only thing he could hear was the white noise of the city below, cars, tires and idle conversation. It made eating a bit less quiet.

" - and that's why it's important to always balance a healthy diet with push ups after a prolonged gaming session!"

Gouten walks into Buckler a bit later than he had before, made eye contact with Luke, and nearly walked right out.

"Good!" The man claps. "Now that you guys are here, I've got another task for you. Nothin' crazy. Today's an off day. Your mission is to just lay back. Relax for the day. Except..." He points Gouten out of the crowd, "...for you. I have something else for you." People give Gouten various looks, ranging from jealousy to pity.

Gouten raises a brow, suspicious and cautious.

"It's nothing bad, trust me. Come with me to the office real quick. Everyone else, you're dismissed."

Gouten takes a step forward and someone grabs his arm. It's Tiko with wide eyes. He pauses in his track, but doesn't spare her more than a side-eye.

"Go -"

"He's gone." The words were blunt and free of cruelty, but he can still see the hurt passing in the girl's eyes. "We should just leave it alone."

"What? We can't just leave it alone!" A vein pulses from her forehead and neck as her lips turn into a tight frown. "He just - you said we'll be there when he crashes! What happened to that?"

"Nothin'." Gouten says cooly.

"Nothing? So... that's just it? You don't care anymore? He just came and left and you're fine with that?" Her words were sharper than he'd expected, and the grip on his arm tightened ever so slightly. He looks at her out of the corner of his eye, locking his gaze into hers.

"You still care too much, Tea."

Tiko's scowl turned into a glare. "Listen -"

"He was my friend, too, y'know?" Gouten cuts off, keeping his voice even, even as Tiko's face falls and her grip goes slack. Gouten frees himself by walking forward. He doesn't look back. "He'll crash. And we'll be there."

If Luke has anything to say about the exchange, he keeps it himself. He keeps his composed, light smirk the whole time Gouten wordlessly follows him into his office. The place is sparsely decorated, save for a single picture on his desk of a young Luke and a man Gouten assumes is his father.

"So, how's trainin'? I've heard good things about you from Alice." Luke asks conversationally.

"'S that right?"

"Yepperoni. She said you're the strongest recruit she's seen... well, ever. That's kinda why I called you in here. If I'm bein' honest, the program isn't really prepared for people like you." Luke leans on his desk and faces the man with his arms crossed.

Gouten suppresses a flinch. "Like me? So, what? You're kicking me out?"

"Kicking you out?" Luke throws his head back and cackles. "God, no! What I mean is that you're pretty strong, dude. Stronger than the beginner level we usually get here. What I'm saying is that you'll be... sped up, a bit. On a bit of a shorter leash." Luke pauses and shakes his head. "Poor wording. Look, you get to do more heavy lifting, okay? I was gonna offer Bosch the same thing but..." he trails off, gesturing into the empty room.

Gouten frowns. "I see. What brought this on?"

"You did," Luke says without skipping a beat. "I've been meaning to mention this to the whole class, but now's a good-a-time as any." He gets serious, uncharacteristically so. Luke's head tilts down and his smirk changes; gone was the boyish charm, replaced by humbling melancholy. "What is strength to you?"

"Strength means being physically strong."

"Good, but that wasn't what I asked. If I wanted the definition, I would've read the dictionary. I'm asking, Gouten, what is strength to you?"

Luke holds his gaze, unblinking and Gouten feels distinctly uncomfortable for the first time. He looks down at his hands, then the ceiling, and then out of the single window overlooking the docks.

"Strength is... survival." He says, but his answer sounds pathetic to his own ears. He powers through it, compelled to continue. "Strength is the ability to survive. To fight another day. The strong survive."

Luke doesn't say anything for what seems to be an eternity, mulling over Gouten's words. The silence is agonizing, and heavy.

"Not bad." Luke speaks in the same lighthearted tone he usually did, but there's an edge of seriousness in his voice and the look in his eye is just a bit more direct. "Everyone has a different meaning, but know this: strength is a process. Strength is a long road that not many people can walk without stumbling. It's a great thing, y'hear? Great and scary. It isn't a game. This road doesn't really have an ending."

"I know."

"I'm sure you do," He smiles and gestures to the window, and the room, and then to Gouten. "But life with only strength is pretty empty too, don'tcha think? It sucks being strong and that's it. But somethin' tells me you already knew that too, didn't you?" His words hold no ill-will or accusation, just honest observation. It doesn't stop a weird pit from forming within Gouten's stomach. "Your mission is to find something to do. There's a lot of fun around Metro. Beat up a few punks, will'ya?"

Gouten swallows down hard, regaining his composure. "Is that all?"

"Yep, again. After that, go see some sites. There's a museum in the area she's in. Learn about Metro, get a bite to eat, fight people. The day's yours to do whatever."

Gouten hums a non-committal sound. "That's all?"

Luke doesn't respond for a moment, so Gouten starts to leave. His smirk falters. "Sorry about Bosch."

He doesn't look back. "I'm probably not the one you need to say sorry to."

Gouten got lost almost immediately. His only saving grace is that Tiko had given him some form of direction.

Tiko: uhhhh, museum?

Tiko: Have you tried opening a map?

Gouten: You are supposed to be my map.

Tiko: Do I have 'map' on my forehead? Can't you just look it up?

Gouten: I don't even know what it's called. Coach didn't tell me.

There was a brief pause between messages, in which Gouten tried to look up his destination. Then his phone pings again.

Tiko: My trainer says it's near the park. Can't miss it.

Tiko has sent an image!

Tiko: She says hello.

Gouten: Are... you in China?

Tiko: Chinatown. Anyway, I've got to go, good luck.

Metro City was a variable maze of recurring buildings, sounds and scents, and if he didn't know any better, he'd assume he'd walked past the exact same people more than once. It was a bit uncanny, a perpetual luminal space.

The only thing that stands out is a blob of pink against the grays, reds and light shades of brown. She sees him the same time he sees her, since her hand goes up in an exaggerated arc, waving around until he approaches.

"Hello there," She beams. "Wasn't expecting to see you on this part of town."

'This is a different part of town?' Gouten thinks absently.

"You're alone today, huh?"

"Somethin' like that." His eyes trace her outline, chewing on his bottom lip. Words are on the tip of his tongue, lost in trying to find their way out. "Thanks. For the help, I mean. I didn't get to say it last time."

Alice's blush made her entire form a bit more pink, something Gouten hadn't thought possible. "You came all the way over here to thank little ol' me? C'mooon. It's been my pleasure." She doesn't look him in the eye, nor even really at him, for a while before clearing her throat. "What about you? Starting to get an idea of what this 'strength' business is all about?"

Gouten snorts, but there's no humor in his voice. "Something like that."

"Heh heh, fancy yourself a quick learner, do you? I feel like you're getting ahead of yourself, but I like the confidence. So, hypothetically speaking, let's say somebody... me, for example..." She takes a step forward, intending to be mysterious, but given her stature and colors, Gouten finds it more amusing. "...gave you a step-by-step guide on how to get strong. If you followed those instructions to the letter, would you be satisfied with the result? Probably not, right?"

"...no," Gouten concedes, "Probably not."

"Exactly," Alice says, looking proud of herself. "Strength is something we must find on our own. In order to find it, you've gotta talk to people more, sorta like we're doing now. You want to find people who are strong - the legends - and ask them to impart some knowledge onto you. Take my style for example, you called me a wizard for that fireball I threw, right? Well, I learned it from a fighter named Chun-Li. If you're looking for a guidepost towards strength to call your very own, it'd be well worth heading to Chinatown and looking for Chun-Li and learn her style."

Gouten absorbs the information and nods. "Where's that?"

"Give me your number, and I'll send you the location."

Chinatown isn't as far as Gouten had assumed, less than fifteen minutes if he walked, and five minutes if he chose to really move. He's not in a rush, but there's been a faint buzzing in the back of his mind that's steadily gotten stronger with each leap he took. He easily bounces from rooftop to rooftop, eyes narrowed in concentration, focused on the source. The faint buzzing gets louder and louder until he can feel it in his very bones. It feels like power in its rawest form, yet it's refined almost to the point of beauty. A warm energy, not dissimilar to his mother, but distinctly different.

He focuses so intently that he fails to notice the changing architecture of the buildings and the increasingly angled slopes and ornate roofs make it harder to find his footing. He curses his mistake and changes course, landing on a flat roof with railings, startling the small group of men already there.

"Wha - who - how'd you get here?!" One asks, but Gouten pays him no mind. His eyes instead fall to the center of a large, open area. There's a large, bright red gazebo decorated on all sides with golden paint, capped by two layers of sunburnt orange cones. People are moving out and about, dressed noticeably different than any other people he'd seen thus far. Slowly faded the modern, western fashion into something older; traditional Chinese martial arts gis on every other person.

What catches his eye though, is the commotion in the middle. There's a fight.

There's a young girl, no older than sixteen, if he had to guess, circling a woman clad in blue. The woman makes no movements, standing stock still with her arms behind her back, but Gouten can tell by the minute sway of her posture that she's ready to strike at a moment's notice.

The teenager charges, wildly yet precisely, and begins a volley of open-palmed strikes and chops, each of which is dodged by the woman with the grace of flowing water. To her credit, the teen doesn't over-extend a single time. Her moves, though immature, are tight and well-practiced. A particularly strong palm aimed at the woman's midsection is dodged and countered by a series of high knees, one to the girl's palm and the other to her stomach. She lurches and recoils, using her smaller size in an attempt to sweep the woman's feet.

She dodges that as well, as well as every single follow up strike the girl throws. It's as though the woman isn't fighting at all, but dancing. Each move is so graceful and natural and refined that Gouten assumes that she's some kind of ballet dancer. Another attack, a leaping overhead kick is once again avoided, and Gouten can both see and feel the frustration building on the teen's face. She takes a deep breath and takes a stance identical to Alice's. The woman had yet to move her arms and squares her feet. Challenging. Daring. The teen shoots forward and glides in the wind with her foot out stretched in possibly the wildest move Gouten has seen yet, an act of desperation.

The woman in turn also jumps, displaying almost inhumane dexterity, clearing the little girl by several hairs lengths and tapping her in the back of the head as she sails by. The teen lands in an unceremonious heap on the ground and quickly turns.

"Kikoken!"

A palm thrust and a brilliant blue ball of energy illuminates the entire plaza. The woman, despite the ever decreasing distance, easily dodges once again, letting the energy sail harmlessly into the air... directly at Gouten. Someone yells at him to move, but he ignores them. A single hand is all he needs to catch the projectile in his open palm, keeping it there until it fizzes away into wisps. It feels weird, like he's holding compressed air and water in his hands.

"Li-Fen, I'm disappointed in you." The woman lightly chastises. "It's all that fooling around on your PC."

The girl - Li-Fen - sits cross-legged on the floor with her head tilted down. She looks up with her rosy cheeks in a pout, "I'm not fooling around! You're just way too good."

The woman offers a non-committal sound and turns over her shoulder to look at Gouten. "Sorry for the trouble, I didn't mean to get you involved. Are you okay?" She asks, a serene, honest look on her face.

Gouten nods and in a single bound, leaps off of the tall building, ignoring all of the gasps and shouts until he lands a few meters away, crouched down. He stands to his full height, taking in the woman's appearance in full. She's an undeniably beautiful woman, wearing a pale blue cheongsam with patterns of the sky, clouds and birds all over. A deep blue pair of leggings and black flats complete the look, and she sweeps back her already slicked-down hair when Gouten takes a step forward. "Never better." He says, smirking. She's the source of the power, and when he realizes, he can't help the undeniable feeling of calm that threatens to overtake him. The buzzing has stopped entirely.

She looks up at him, clear brown eyes locking onto his golden ones. "I'm Chun-Li." She introduces. He can see out of the corner of his eye Li-Fen staring at him with slightly widened eyes and slightly parted lips. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Before Gouten can answer, a familiar voice shouts out from the crowd. "Gouten!" He can tell it's Tiko before he turns around. She looks a bit frantic and studies his person up and down. "You just jumped off that building! Are you insane!?"

"It was faster than the stairs." He says simply. Tiko gawks at him.

"I - you -..." She sighs, words failing her. "Of course you'd say that. What are you doing here? I thought you had to go to a museum for coach."

"Later," Gouten drawls, "I'm actually here for Chun-Li."

"I see. You're in pursuit of strength, hmm?" When Gouten doesn't respond, Chun-Li continues. "That's a feeling I understand all too well. I've had a long career as a fighter myself. I've faced all kinds of opponents. That includes fiercely powerful ones..." There's something in her tone that grabs Gouten's attention, but he doesn't comment. "And friends forged in the fires of competition. But after all those years of fighting, I decided it might be time for a break."

Gouten hums thoughtfully.

"That's why I'm here teaching the locals kung-fu." She pauses and gestures around her. Droves of people from all walks of life, young and old, adorn the Chinese gi and practice their form with an impressive level of dedication. "I can't promise that it will provide you with the strength you're looking for..."

Gouten frowns.

"But I'd be happy to teach you a thing or two. Let us begin, Li-Fen." Li-Fen perks up at the sound of her name and smiles wide enough at him that Gouten wonders if her face hurts. She sways in place, swaying her shoulders and waving in one motion. "Come on everyone, get in line."

After getting a quick drink of water from Tiko - "you almost drank it all at once, you horse!" - Gouten walks towards the front row of Chun-Li's students.

"Come on! Hurry!" Li-Fen says, appearing from behind him... somehow. Gouten speeds up his strides, but still seems to be moving too slow for the girl's liking. She shuffles behind him and uses her small hands to push him forward in his lower back. She's surprisingly strong and actually moves him, which he finds interesting.

Gouten gets in line with Li-Fen on his left and Tiko on his right and they all silently regard their teacher. Chun-Li says nothing, as she doesn't need to. Her eyes close and she takes a deep breath, moving her hands in a slow, methodical motion, one palm facing upward on her partially extended arm, and the other faced down and near her elbow.

Her eyes snap open and she throws a punch. Everyone else does too, and a moment later, Gouten mirrors the action. She goes through the motions of an intricate kata and Gouten follows along, progressively getting more into it until his motions mirror her flawlessly. They make eye contact, and for several fleeting moments, it's as though the rest of the world ceases to exist. Chun-Li's moves, like before, are akin to water, but if she were a river, Gouten is a waterfall. No less fluid, but far more intense. He has no idea how long they're there, in this space, but he doesn't want it to end. His power - the latent energy that exists within him, just out of arm's reach - is rumbling through his very body. The buzzing is back two-fold and Chun-Li is once again the epicenter of it all, her form and the power she exudes making the world appear in grayscale.

They move as one, blow for blow, kick for kick, breath for breath. And then Chun-Li smirks at him, challenging, and raises her knee to her chest and then kicks upward, suspending her foot high above head in a standing split.

Gouten tries to do the same, but only gets half-way before he stumbles and falls over, and the illusion breaks and color is restored. He grumbles, and not because of Li-Fen perfectly mirroring Chun-Li's pose and giggling to herself, and definitely not because of Tiko's smug face.

Thankfully, he's not the only one to fail the exercise, if the groans and gasps behind him are an indication. It stings his pride a bit less. When he gets back to his feet, Chun-Li is standing there, gazing at him expectantly.

"For the time being, you're my student." She says, "Why not try chatting with some of your fellow disciples?" The look on her face is kind, but her words don't feel like a suggestion.

Gouten does, and the first person he finds is a man called Lao Tang. He's an elderly man with more wrinkles on his face than black hairs in his beard. "Greetings, young one." He says politely, "Did you choose to become Chun-Li's student after being captivated by her beauty?"

Gouten blinks slowly, unsure if he heard the question correctly.

"Oh, no need to worry. You'll face no judgment from me." Lao Tang chuckles, ignorant of Gouten's flat stare. "Choosing teachers on a whim is perfectly fine. That said, putting your heart into studying under one master is an equally viable approach!"

Most other people have similar advice and nuggets of wisdom. Most of which are things he's heard before in Hawaii, and eventually after making a full lap around the area, he ends up looking at a girl sitting cross legged on a circular chair with a laptop resting on her knees. There are more stickers than he can count, and it reminds him of every single device his mother owns.

"My name is Li-Fen. I guess I, uh, also count as one of Jie-jie's students. That means "big sister", just so you know. Not that we're actually related or anything." Li-Fen explains, looking up from her laptop and smiling at him. He understood. He's been called 'big brother' more than he has his name. "I basically just hang around and soak up her coolness..." her rosy cheeks get a bit more flushed, "...and cash."

Gouten snorts. "Naturally. It's okay, though. I have family not related by blood either. It's not defined by that anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said. Family is more than just blood. I'm sure she doesn't mind if you just hang around. You may be the thing keeping her sane..." When Li-Fen's expression gets more thoughtful and tilted, Gouten turns away, wondering exactly where that line came from. Not wanting to think about it, he turns back to Chun-Li.

"Well? Have you had the chance to talk to the other students and learn about apprenticing?" She still has a strange look in her eye, strained but calm. Gouten nods. "I know you're currently trying to master my style... but I can't say for sure whether or not my techniques will be a good fit for you." Her words, though polite, carry an underlying meaning. Gouten makes a face. "Only you can discover a style that's truly yours. And the only time you can do that is...'' she pauses, Gouten hanging on her every word. "... in combat."

"Combat, huh?" Gouten says, keeping his gaze level.

"Goodness, our new student is serious about training, I see."

"Li-Fen..." Chun-Li lightly chastises. Li-Fen shrugs. "Ah, if it's alright with you, would you mind keeping an eye on Li-Fen for me?"

"...why?" Gouten raises a suspicious brow.

"She's quite talented, you see. But I fear she lacks direction."

'And I don't?' Gouten doesn't say. "I see... but isn't it fine for her at that age? How old is she?"

"She's sixteen. And yes, I suppose it's fine that she's young, but direction is more important than speed. Many are going nowhere fast, and I do not wish for her to be the same way. Seeing someone as diligent as you might light a fire under her."

"I can... try."

"You don't seem too confident about that."

"Because I'm not." Gouten admits. "But I can try. I'll promise you that much."

Chun-Li smiles at him, "Trying is all anyone can really ask of you, isn't it?"

Gouten snorts, "I suppose so. Hey, kid." He says loudly, getting Li-Fen's attention. "Come with me."

Li-Fen tilts her head and then looks left to right. She points at herself. " - what? Who? Me?"

"Yes, you. Let's go." She fumbles around with her laptop for a few moments before standing up and walking over to him. Chun-Li looks amused. "We're going on a little trip."

Li-Fen looks suspiciously at him, and then back to Chun-Li. "...where?"

"Training."

"Did Jie-jie put you up to this?"

"Absolutely. Now, let's go."

Li-Fen, seeing no way out, sighs and shrugs her shoulders. They make it a full five feet before someone interrupts.

"Hey!" Everyone pauses and turns towards the source of the voice, an enchanting, baby-faced - albeit disheveled looking - sunkissed policewoman. Her uniform is a mess, sporting several small discolorations around the neck and arms, and her hat is so lopsided, it's a wonder how the thing hadn't fallen off. Several strands of her black and auburn hair stick to her forehead, while what remains in her high ponytail is sporadic and messy. "You...! You move so quickly, my god...!" She says after several gulping breaths.

Gouten, without missing a beat, walks up to the nearest vendor and grabs a water bottle and tosses it to the woman. The seller protests, but a single glance that was just a bit too nice makes him swallow his words.

She nearly finishes the whole thing in one go, and pants for a few more minutes before regaining her composure. "Thank you. Where was I?" She asks, emerald eyes looking wide before narrowing. "Oh, yeah. You!" She points an accusing finger at Gouten. He blinks.

"...me?"

"Yeah, you."

Tiko looks between them and her eyes fall on Gouten. She sighs, exasperated. "What did you do?"

"Nothing...?"

"Why was that a question, Gouten?"

The policewoman gathers herself the best as she could, fixing her hat and uniform, and then marches directly up to the man. The crown of her head barely comes up to his shoulder, and yet, she still tries to project an air of determination and professionalism. An air that's immediately shattered when she tries, and fails to pull out her ticket book. After the third attempt, she makes a frustrated, flustered sound.

"You need help with that, nani?" Gouten offers.

"No, thank you. I'm just...AHA!" With her ticket book finally free, she pulls out a pink and blue pen and clicks it thrice. "Okay, sir. Thank you for waiting. Do you know why I stopped you?"

"I don't think it's because you want to take me to dinner." He says dryly.

The woman looks flustered for a moment, before clearing her throat. "Er, no. You were trespassing. Several accounts of it, I might add."

"When?"

"When you were running across rooftops." The woman says cheekily, starting to scribble down on her papers.

"Oh." Gouten says intelligently. "Wasn't me." He flicks his head and gestures for Li-Fen to follow, walking past the woman without a care.

"Uh, sorry, Tera!" Li-Fen announces, skipping to catch up.

The policewoman sputters and spins around, jogging to get in front of him again. He doesn't stop walking. "Hey, wait! What do you mean it wasn't you? I saw you!"

"Did you now?" Gouten challenges, "And when was this, officer...?"

"Hopps! Tera Hopps. And just now!"

"Wasn't me."

"I can sense you."

That gets Gouten to stop. He winces.

"She's actually Jie-Jie's strongest student."

"That would've been good to know, kid."

The officer, Tera, looks quite pleased with herself as she hands Gouten the paper. "Whoo! That's the fifth one today! Now step aside, citizen! I'm off to help make the streets a safer place."

"By giving out more tickets?"

Tera deflates ever so slightly. "We all gotta start somewhere, right?"

"She's a newbie," Li-Fen comments when Tera gets out of earshot. "Just started the force a few days ago."

"Is that right?" Gouten wonders aloud. He snorts, looks down at the ticket before tearing it in half. "I like the enthusiasm at least."

"Uh... aren't you gonna pay that?"

Gouten almost laughs. "Nah. First lesson, kid. Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Now, let's get going, the museum isn't close, and I don't really want to take the subway."

A small bead of sweat drops down Li-Fen's brow. "Uh, right."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed.