Bao withdraws her hand and gently takes the cup from you. She pulls the teapot towards her and begins to pour you a drink. Despite the fact that the teapot showed no sign of heat, hot tea flows freely from it. Bao gently places the steaming cup in front of you which you take again but don't drink. In a similar vein of contradiction, the cup remains cool to the touch though you can feel heat emenating from the top where the steam was rising from. As you simply stare at the cup and wait for Bao to speak while you come to terms with the death of a close yet unknown friend, the cat pours herself a cup. "His sorrow is unending." She says quietly as she sips. "In time it will abate or rather he will learn to live with them but wounds such as that do not heal. A parent will never recover from the loss of their child, they simply come to terms with the pain. And Shenlong's wounds are many..."

"What about you?" You ask. "How are you feeling? You don't need to put a brave front for me. I found out a long time ago that talking helps heal the wounds of the heart...or maybe it simply helps another come to terms with their pain." You admit.

"I don't know." She admits as she casts her gaze to the waterfall. "What emotions are mine and what are his. Sometimes they are one and the same. Other times they are seperate. Is the pain I feel mine? Is it his? It was my hand that killed them. Do I feel remorse because I took a life? Or is it Shenlong that feels remorse because he took their lives through me? Is my sadness my own or is it his?"

"How long have you felt like this?" You ask. "Like you and Shenlong are one and the same?"

Bao shakes her head. "It's nothing." She says. "I often feel like this when Shenlong feels strongly about something and I would say this is one of the strongest. I'm sure you've felt something similar with Renshu."

"Yeah..." You say, still uncertain. "I have here and there. He saw this or sensed it. I'm not sure how much he knows."

"I supposed it is to be expected." Bao says. "It would be foolish to think that somethings wouldn't bleed over."

"And you still invited me?"

"You are Shenlong's friend. Would you tell those your friends to stay away from the furneral of someone close to you?" Bao asks.

"No. I guess I wouldn't."

"What you saw could be considered sacred in some circles, but you weren't invited because you were a worshiper so there is no blashpemey for him to know." She continues and you nod. You take a sip of the tea and enjoy the memory of the taste as it hits your tongue. You feel a warmth spread through your body, like that of remembering something fondly. It seems to bolster your resolve a bit.

>What do you say?
>Ask what happens next.
>Invite Bao for real food. Perhaps she needs a change of scenery.
>Make small talk. Ask about Bao's art.
>Write in.

Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Tai%20Lung%20quest

>>5080887
>Small talk

I want to give the big Lizard a hug. But he so sad.

Also, welcome back luo. Captcha also welcomes you back, warding away R0na4

>>5080887
>Make small talk. Ask about Bao's art.
>Transition into the reason we originally came here. Ask her if your block theory has any merit or if it's just a matter of ming needing more practice.

>>5080887
>Invite Bao for real food. Perhaps she needs a change of scenery.
>Make small talk. Ask about Bao's art.
> I wish I could invite Shenlong as well, but it's better for him to come to his own terms. Also I doubt he would be alowed in the city.
> I hope you are keeping up with your art studies, because my food has become edible.
> Anyway, I have come here to talk about Ming, but if you come over you might be able to see it for yourself.
Hey boss, did you archive the last thread after it fell off the board? I can't find it on suptg to vote on it.

>>5081830
It hadnt. No

>>5081873
What, the archive or the food?

>>5081888
Both.

>>5081925
Ok, let me get what was said last thread, I stil have it up.

Your friends continue to eat and Xin Lan scrunches up their face. "I think...you burned the meat." They say. "And some of the veggies." They cough. "Oof, it's spicy too so at least that helps with the flavor. If it was even more spicy, you might even mistake it for the flavor of the chili."

"Mine is fine." Ming admits. "Meat is ok but it's kind of salty. I'm not a big fan of spicy but I think it's not strong enough to bother me."
A common enough mistake." Renshu says. "Some of the meat stayed at the bottom of the pan longer than it should have. It's difficult to tell given the color of the marinade and the color of cooked meat. Not to mention the abundance of meat that was cooked. As for the salt I cannot say." You stay quiet, perhaps that was on secret you can keep. Still, it was a lot better than you expected. Your friends weren't sick or dying. "Although, the lumps in the dough seem to be from the meat being moved around and it looks like some of the dough not cooked properly. Still, for your first offical attempt I'd say this couldn't have gone any better."
Xin Lan puts their other meat bun down. "Well I think I risked enough. Not bad big guy. I honestly thought I'd be holding a black sludge." They say.

"Err...thanks?" You say.

"I think you did a good job." Ming says. "With enough practice, I think you might be able to take up cooking duties while we travel." She says.

For me this shows the food is edible. It's still bad mind you, but definatly leagues above what TL did before, and that is the point of the little competition we are going to have with Bao, to show that you can improve and it's not hopeless.
So I'm keeping my friendly taunt to Bao. She is going to paint and she is going to get good at it.

>>5081947
Well, I tried to archive the thread but it gave me an error, and now it leads to a 404.
Suptg is probably still fucked from the server migration, there was a bit of trouble a few days ago as well.

>>5081262
Thanks anon. You and captcha.
>>5081262
>>5081612
>>5081830

>>5081960
So we've lost the sacred archives? Jedi quest it is.

I've been having real shit sleep guys. That's on me. I'll get a post going and see if I can archive it on my end.

Well captcha blames WMDs of Y2. Didn't know they aged like wines.

Huh...it is all gone. Nearly a year and a half of work...just gone. I've got a few bits and peices saved on my end but yeah...

Those fucking monks and their sand pictures lied. This doesn't feel nice at all.

>>5082027
No boss, Suptg still opens, but the thread I archived leads to a 404 saying it doean't exists, and the thread below it leads to a blank page, but the third one is fine.
The archive did go down a few days or a week ago to migrate server however, so it's probably something related to that.

>>5082030
Calm down boss, the tags don't work, but the threads still exist, if you go to the next page you can open thread 15 for example.
It started like this on the day that the archive went down to migrate, so the site will hopefully just go down and come back up later.

>>5082032
Does my archive link work for you? Because when I try to find the others via tags. It's completely blank as if threads 1-15 were never archived.

>>5082037
Tags were the fist thing to go down, than threads wouldn't open, than the site 404'd.
Anyway, we can always try to manually archive the past and future threads so this despair never happens again.

>>5082036
Sorry. Just frayed nerves from bad sleep I think. If things are still saved then that's good. I'll just get to writing then.

>>5082040
It's alright boss, I also panicked on the day it migrated, I didn't see the news and caught me by surprise.
Here's thread 15 to show it's still alive:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/4981066/

>>5082027
>>5082030
>>5082040
Ey man, ey. Ey. Just chill my man. Bitta technical issues aside, nothin is gonna get lost forever. Even if the archives went down, there are other servers that hold this stuff. So no panics.

Unable to think of anything to add to what Bao said, you mull over what to say as you drink a bit more tea. "I noticed you made yourself a home." You say a bit lamely as you look over to the tree like structure. Bao gives you a small smile.

"Oh...yes." She says. "It's not really a home though. More like...a projects studio."

"Did it really need gems for windows?" You ask.

"Well no...but glass didn't seem silly enough. So I decided that gemstones would be nice." She admits. "I think they actually look better than regular glass."

"Well you're not wrong. Though I don't think anyone in the mortal world would consider using gems for glass. If anything, I think they'd lose their mind from the shock." You say. "But project studio? I hope you mean that it's for painting. I'll have you know that my food is actually edible." Bao grabs a cookie that wasn't there before and chews thoughtfully.

"I believe that you think that." She teases.

"Hey, the others tried it and they liked it!" You insist. "I think I have made quite the improvement and so should you. Unless you've given up."

"I haven't given up. I've...I've expanded my repitoire." Bao says proudly, now slowly coming back to herself. "One of the benefits of having so much time is that I can master many skills."

"Really?" You say, unconvinced. "Show me."

"No." Bao replies quickly.

"No?"

"No." She repeats. "They're just...too good. I wouldn't want to discourage you with how much I've improved. That's all."

"Improved or cheated using Shenlong's power?" You joke.

"I haven't cheated! Everything in there was made with my hands." Bao insists.

"Oh well then let's go see." You say and stand up.

"No! You're-...can't!" She shouts but you're already half way there. You pick up the pace lest Bao comes after you. You throw open the door and step into the room.

You find yourself in a clearing surrounded by trees full of flowers and various bushes of fruits. A lake with a waterfall lays off to the side and a gazebo on it's shores. You simply stepped back outside. Slightly confused, you look at Bao who is walkin towards you with a smile on her face. "I said no." She says. "You didn't think I'd just let you walk in did you?"

"Actaully, I did." You say as you turn around to enter and arrive in the same place. Amused, you decide to test the door out by opening it and peering inside. You weren't sure what you expected but you see a dark room much like one where the candles are not on to iliuminate it. An odd view considering the glass and bright daylight. You step in, slowly, as you keep your eyes locked on Bao's amused face and slowly step backwards into the room. Again your find yourself slowly stepping towards your friend. You immediately look down expecting to see your legs in odd angles but they are as normal as can be. With a melodramatic sigh, you look at Bao's smiling face.

>What do you say?
>Ask Bao for permission to enter.
>Pick up the cat and carry her in. She's obviously the key.
>Suggest a change of venue and gets some real food. Perhaps some of your own.
>Write in.

>>5082119
>Ask Bao for permission to enter.
>Suggest a change of venue and gets some real food. Perhaps some of your own.
>Your choice Bao, I won't force my way in if you truly want this hidden. Either way, It would take your mind off things.

>>5082119
>Ask permission to enter
>If refused, pick up Bao she is obviously the key.

>>5082129
>>5082152
Asking for permission to enter. Writing.

>>5083023
So good news boss, the archive went down later that day, and than it came back changed. The /qst/ half was broken for a bit, but now it's working fine.
Unfortunaly I can't vote on it because I was the one who did the archiving.

"Maybe I please enter?" You ask with a smirk. "Or do I need to kneel and pray?" Bao giggles.

"I don't know." Bao muses as she pretends to think. "Maybe..." You give her an amused look and turn to enter once more. The door seems to finally relinquish it's secrets and you see...a mess. It was as if every kind of workshop was stuffed in there. Even things such as glass and metal working forges were in here. Despite this, what really caught your eyes, and what drew you away from the fact the room was far larger than the building outside, was the art. Art being the generous term for the myriad lumps, angles, and blobs that you see before you. As you wander around the devestation of materials, only one thought crossed your mind. Bao really had no talent for the creative arts.

"I've been practicing." Bao says proudly as she shows you a lump of metal to you. The sharpened end of it seems to imply that it's supposed to be a cutting utensil of some kind but if it's meant to be a combat knife, a kitchen knife or even a cleaver you cannot say. "See?"

"Yeah..." You say uncertainly. "But what about painting? You can't just try and win via sheer numbers in our competition you know and you have to do it in the mortal world as well." You ask as you pass a mass of chipped rock that you think is supposed to be a sculpture.

"Oh don't worry." Bao says. "I plan on winning."

While the works around you didn't give you much confidence, Bao's certainly did at least make you feel more at ease. "Well, given what happened today. I think it'll be fine to postpone our little competition until tomorrow. Just so you can squeeze in a bit of extra practice." You tease. Bao puffs up her cheeks.

"I'm better at art." She insists. "You'll see. You're the one who's gonna need practice."

"Alright. Alright." You say raising your hads as an offer of peace. "I'll be on my toes. But speaking of practice. I was meaning to ask you something." You relay your training with Ming and what you believe to be the problem or at least what you think might be impeding her progress in sensing Chi.

"Well you are asking a lot from her." Bao says. "Talent doesn't mean automatic mastery. At least, for everyone but you." She jokes. "She is right in some ways. Trying to learn something that people study their whole lives in the hopes that maybe they might get something out of it. Need I point out that it took you a few decades of litterally nonstop practice before you got anything applicable out of it."

"I was also dead." You point out.

"Exactly." She says. "Give her some time and some space. If you keep pushing her, you'll only push her away. You're expecting a lot from the poor girl. Remember, even infants learn to hear and feel before they can see."

"Is there nothing that can be done to help?" You ask.

"It's really up to her. This journey is more for her than it is something that can be taught." Bao says. "If anything, attempting to force it might even damage the way she interacts with her gift. If you truly think there's something holding her back then it'll be something mental not something to do with Chi itself or technique."

>What do you say?
>Write in.

>>5083061
Great to hear. Glad that the stuff got saved.

>>5083078
>A mental block was what I was worried about, Ming has managed to pick up everything near instantly. Xin was very affected on what happened on that ship, yet Ming shows no signs of it, I fear it might show itself in a more subtle way.
>But I also have no idea on how to teach her how to see the spirits. After all I had to learn how to speak and understand them, but sight was a given to me.
>Do you know any proper rituals for this Bao? On how others before me have achieved and taught this? The Library is quite sparce on definitive knowledge about Chi, specially on what's available for someone at my level.
>I could always go to Oogway's house and hope one of the masters is willing to share what they know if you do not, but they are a bit difficult to track down, Eureka is a big place after all.

>>5083078
Well, first I'd like to say "I WAS RIGHT" and for second

>I guess I'm just used to her mastering every task she sets her mind too. But I understand where you are coming from, all the same is there any advice you have, beyond just "wait and practice"?

We plan to tell her how to talk to them first anyway, actually SEEING them isn't really a requisite to the usefulness of the knowledge, and is something we can tackle a while down the line.

>>5083188
So I don't think the correct reply to "The journey is something she has to experience rather than be taught, give her some space and time" is "but do you have anything that I can teach her."

Oogway would probably say something about "learning is just as much a journey for the teacher as the student"

>>5083203
Yes, my autism is unbreakable.

>>5083220
Altough there is still this part
> then it'll be something mental not something to do with Chi itself or technique
So we might not be completly out of the ballpark of this being a questions of repetition.

Now for something different, do you have any ideas on how to continue her training Ming other than just do the exat same thing we have been doing over and over until it works? I'm completly dry on how to make this interesting.
If we go for that it might be better to ask Luo to just skip it until the actual important part happens.

>>5083223
Could try and force her ears open properly. Like Renshu and we, get the passive ability to listen to spectral talk.

Perhaps deal with actual problems when and as they crop up. Like skipping to the points where she describes blockages or flagging motivation.

In this paticular instance, I think my style of dealing with people is what we need to adopt. The more passive "observe and prompt when needed" until we reach these speed bumps.

As for making it entertaining, we can inter space the meditation practices with supplementary movements and lessons or straight use them as character building for Ming. She doesnt need much but it is always a chance to let her shine, especially since a lot of the time the players tend to forget she is very much an "everyman" in the scale of our group.

>>5083267
Probably best to not force them open, we nearly went mad when it happened with the chaotic mediation. The open spirit thing would probably have fucked up TL if the whole being tortured in the 7 hells didn't eclipsed it.

We really did some balls to the wall things, haven't we? By the time we reach the end of the quest we are going to have a list of achievements as big as Sun Wukong.

Setting up meditations and letting her come to her own conclusions, and having some more discussions instead of a teacher and student deal, is a brilliant idea, I support it.

>>5083272
Nah mate.
What we did was opened our perceptions of the world and didnt learn to tune out the background on demand. It was nothing to do with spiritual shit.

And yeah. We have done some mad shit but nobody will top Wukong.
Let's see, if we ignore the shit done in the movie for brevity;

1.first thing we did was become friend of the wind, even though we didnt realise it.
2.we hunted down, fought, subdued and imprisoned an ancient life/skill stealing master of the martial arts who should be extinct.
3.during the above, found and befriended a genetically perfect assassin who spent their life being trained to not be found and is forcefully spiritually at peace with themselves. Not forgetting a once in a lifetime genius of alchemy and medicine.
4. We found treasure cursed by THE dragon king of the sea, and nominal leader of the 4 dragons of the celestial bureaucracy and then forced him to come to discussion with us.
4b. We got tested by him and he decided we were good enough for him to break a generation long curse.
4c. We died during this, to save our friend. But got better.
5. We went to the land of Enlgihtened masters, became enlightened because we died upholding ourselves.
6. Saved the children of the dragons through peaceful discussion with Kai, the second father of Kung fu, and confirmed our friendship as Shenlongs friend.
6b. Learned a legendary and forgotten style of rebellion and power that blows basically anything else currently known out of the water.
7. Saved a city from a madman with an incurable poision from the depths of human hate.
7b. Helped cure that poision. But more ming than us.
7c. Befriended and bested an immortal undead assassin who's style is that merciless and enduring that he walks to his targets as an unflinching wall of malevolence.
8. Found a haunted town, fought off that town of skeletons, found its secret, put them all to rest.
8b. Endured hell as a bargain to save Renshus immortal soul and return him to life. Later regained our zen. Became his blood brother.
9. Stopped an invading army basically with 8 other people/masters of kung fu and befriended and advised the third son of the emperor on his path.
9b. Painted a picture so lovely that it is immortalised in dragon gems with Shenlong.
10. Found a mythic city of knowledge.
11. Burned water then somehow didnt.

I think I've missed some shit out. But I'm also ignoring that we helped return an emotionless assassin to the state of emotions.

>>5083292
I meant that if she open the floodgates unprepared she is going to have a similar shock, going by how much the sprites act like children, it would be around the same level of information overload.
It's basically getting a whole new sense and it being active all the time, it feels like it should be something Ming achieves at the end of her training, not as part of it. Unless that's what you meant and I misunderstood.

>>5083292
And don't forget befriend a prince, encouraged him to start his own travels, helped create the first constitutional democracy in a town, defeated a kung fu master through the power of emotions, making them question their own ways, found out a big secret of the royal dynasty and stayed loyal even while being a ceiminal, one of the first mortals to see a spirit die (we saw it both when Kai released them, and now through the ceremony), and sucessfuly redeemed our own soul in the eyes of Yama.
Right now we are also expanding the Library knowledge on chi, helping set up a enlightened master retirement home, and gave back emotions to one of the assassins.
For the future, hopefully we will redeem the other assassin, create a new bullshit style that can fight without hurting, meditate on the mirror lake and uncover the mystery of the leopards.

>And yeah. We have done some mad shit but nobody will top Wukong.
Unless we manage to solo all of heaven, yeah, we ain't surpassing the funny monke. But I think it's enough to stand side by side in adventure, we definitivaly done a mythological figure level of achievements to pass onto legends, even if few people will know the truth.

So what's the consensus?

>>5083383
Fuse
>I guess I'm just used to her mastering every task she sets her mind too. But I understand where you are coming from, all the same is there any advice you have, beyond just "wait and practice"?
>A mental block was what I was worried about, Ming has managed to pick up everything near instantly. Xin was very affected on what happened on that ship, yet Ming shows no signs of it, I fear it might show itself in a more subtle way.
Maybe
>I was mainly worried about a mental block, perhaps a more subtle fear as a result of the what happened on the ship compared to Xin's hatred for the sea. But I guess you are right, I must have become too used to her mastering anything she put her mind to. While I understand where you are coming from, is there any advice you could also give, beyond justcmore practice?

File: istockphoto-178558377-612x612.jpg (30 KB, 612x408)

30 KB JPG

>Anons blame the boat incident.
>Disregard all the chi shenanagins that nearly killed both you and Ren plus placed both of you in a coma.

All my goat keks.

>>5083421
She really should have not worried so much. Coma is just a heavy sleep, completely natural.

>>5083421
The boat is when the spooky ghosts where around, together with the library. If it was about our weekly coma and a fear of Chi overall she should had a block for more things other than sight, right?

>>5083726
Mental blocks are weird like that. Not to say you're theory is wrong. I just found it funny that the fact the big major uses of Chi and meditation you used in front of her resulted in your near death or a traumatic experience and were never considered to be the cause of any blocks she might have. Anyways I should get to writing.

>>5084149
That's true.
I guess after dying or repeatly visiting the afterlife, death and coma becomes less impactful.

>>5084181
And I mean that in trying to remember on why she would be shocked.
I was foing to rewrite my post, but accidentaly hit the post button.
I don't know how.

>>5084183
I don't mind waiting for your rewrite.

>>5084208
On, it was a write of this post boss
>>5084181
I'm this anon, my ID
>>5083394
Sorry for the confusion

>>5084216
Fuck, my ID changes.
I was going to rewrite before posting, but I somehow hit the post button instead.

>>5084216
>>5084219
Silly broadband

"I guess I'm just used to her mastering every task she sets her mind to but I understand where you're coming from. All the same, is there any advice you have beyond just 'wait and practice'?"

Bao shrugs, "Practice and wait? You can't force personal growth...I mean I guess you can if you want to be really traumatic about it." She says bluntly. "Some rather...unpleasant sects of monks and cults believe that the closer you are to the spirit realm the easier it is to come in contact with the dead in all the wrong ways. Self mutilation, inducting near death states, some even throw themselves off of cliffs to try and get close to death."

"Those kinds of worshipers exist?" You ask in surprise. It wasn't hard to imagine people taking things to the extremes when it comes to Kung Fu and you suppose that with religion it would be no different but to hear someone actually confirm it added a sense of surrealism.

"I wouldn't call them worshipers." Bao says rather stiffly. "But Shenlong has asked me to keep an eye on them incase they decide to try something that would threaten the people under his care."

"Something I should look into?" You ask.

"Not at the moment." Bao replies honestly. "But you and your friends are first on the list to ask to take care of it." She admits. "So far they're content with hurting their own people and aren't attempting any...recruitment. Most of their members are those that have slipped down that path on their own volition."

"Most? What of the rest?"

"Bandits and other people with less that honorable intentions. Most of them hired to serve as runners for supplies, others simply cohabiting due aligning goals." Bao replies.

You cross your arms. "Well...keep me in the loop anyways."

"I don't think you get a choice." Bao smirks. You nod.

"Back to our original conversation." You say. "I just think something might be happening to Ming. Xin's got a pretty fierce hatred for the ocean but with Ming I fear that it might be something more subtle."

"You just need to have faith." Bao says. "Ming must learn to overcome her own hang ups. She can lean on you for help but if you do everything for her then she would have been better left back at the apothacary a year ago. I know you're used to getting your hands on things and working through issues but sometimes all you can really do is wait."

>What do you say?
>Thank Bao and head back home. You have to prepare for your contest.
>Ask Bao something else. Perhaps she can provide insight on other topics.
>Talk to Bao about another one of your friends.
>Write in.

>>5084285
>Thank you Bao. Would you like something to eat in the material world?

If not, then just give her a pat on the back and get ready to go. And to give our condolences to Shenlong

>>5084299
Support
Also a
>Thanks for all the help you have given me so Bao, I can't imagine doing half of what I did so far without your support.
Because honestly, she has been a real MVP this quest with all the Chi and blessings.

>>5084311
Not so much half. But yeah, shes been a big help and was one of the first friends we made.

So her emotional support is a great help. And we can at least swallow the guilt of her position.

>>5084346
Half was kinda just of an expression.
Although thinking back now, if she hadn't blessed us and made Shenlong our patron, we would have died in the boat for real right? So technically everything after thread 3 only happened because of her.

>>5084378
Not really.
It smoothed things along mighty fine, and it DEFINITELY made our attempt to deal with Kai easier. But I think we could have gone along fine without.

OH, YEAH. Let's ask Bao what she thinks about Sangpo. He should have been by by now.

>>5084387
I mean, the Water Dragon God said he was only giving us a chance to prove ourselfs because Shenlong was vouching for us, but maybe he is just tsundere or something.

Oh yeah, we need to ask about Sangpo, the monkey must be visiting Eureka more now that he is going over to the mansion. We should also go visit Oogway and have a talk with the two someday.

>>5084391
While the king did say that, we were holding his cursed device hostage, not to mention the narrative nature of the quest, there was another way to do it.
We also embodied his desired traits completely. That could have won him over.

>>5084391
>>5084407
And uhh. We also have our worried friends back in the material world to take care of. We left them with our unconsious body after spasming and breaking down into tears after saying something about lost friends we never knew.

Possibly contributing to this mental block idea you had for Ming.

>>5084407
Rhat makes complete sense.
Whoever, the idea of the king of the dragon gods being tsundere is funny to me, so I shall use that explanation instead as my headcanon.
>>5084411
Yeah, we should visit them another day, just adding thimgs to our to do list.
We can porbably ask Bao about Sangpo though, either she answer right now in Eureka when time is faster, or she goes back with us to the restaurant and we can there.

>>5084299
>>5084311
Writing.

"Thanks Bao. Dunno what I'd do without you." You say. "I should be heading back. Would you like to come and get a bite to eat?"

"I think I'll wait to try your cooking tomorrow." Bao giggles. "Although, you really should practice your offers for dates with your partner, not me." She says tapping your nose.

"I wasn't...I mean...I just wanted to see if you were ok." You stammer.

Bao smiles, "You know if anyone needs to get a mental block, it's you of all people." She teases. "I can see why people fall for you. That bashfulness means your motives aren't fueled by ulterior motives. You do what you say and you do it for the right reasons not just to win admirers."

"H-hey, I've done stuff." You protest. "I've asked Renshu out on a date and everything. We spend time together and...and hold hands. Hug..." You feel your face warm up. "J-just because it's not like a regular relationship you know about doesn't mean it's any less valid."

"There we go." Bao says, patting your chest proudly. "Just what I wanted to hear. Don't let Xin bully you into thinking you're doing things wrong."

"At the risk of sounding arrogant, I think you're underestimating me if you think Xin could bully me into doing something. I can simply hold them upside down. That tends to make them settle down." You say and you decide to risk sounding foolish by adding, "How'd you know about that?" Bao merely smiles at that.

"Well, be nice to them as well. They're kind of cute when they get all excited and I'd very much appreciate it if you let my favorite author finish their book series before you make them disappear for trying to turn you into China's greatest romantic." Bao giggles.

"No...not you too." You moan.

"It's a nice book. Full of adventure and quite intimate friendship. They have quite a way with words." She says. "And at the risk of adding to their ego. Could you ask them to sign my copy of their book for me?"

You sigh. "Sure. I'll let them know. I feel like I should read the book now."

"Oh no." Bao says. "No no no. You'll ruin half the fun but..." She taps her cheek. "Hmm...you do make me want to come visit more. If only to speak to the others from time to time."

"You're more than welcome to." You say without hesitation. "I'm sure the others would love to keep your company. Maybe visiting during your breaks would help."

"With what?" Bao asks.

"Err..."

"Tai Lung, I don't regret my position and what I did in life." She says gently cupping your cheek. "You don't have to keep beating yourself over this. It's ok. It's not your fault and you don't need to serve any punishment for it. However, let's just say you meant to say that it'll help pass the time."

"Yeah..." You reluctantly agree. "And it'll help you live another life with friends. Enjoy what mortals do that you never got to do."

"Ever the martyr." Bao says with a slight sigh. "But yes, I think I'd love to visit the city again. As me. Otherwise, we'll be breaking a lot of rules."

"Come on Bao. Breaking rules is what we do." You say with a grin. "Speaking of the city though. The city's ruler. I've asked him to come visit and try to set up a place for others to live in. A kind of sanctuary for those that transcend to live and learn here. Has anything come of that?"

"Oh, him." Bao says as she thinks. "Well...he's rather grumpy but he was quite pleased to see Shenlong again. You should have seen him try to hide it. He was terrible at it. There have been some talks about that though. Currently, they're trying to figure out a set number of people. The spirit realm isn't really meant for mortals to live here but it's also not against it. Such an idea is quite novel. The problem is that you'd have to get all four dragons to agree to this and they each have their own views on what this realm is for. Shenlong doesn't hold all the authority here. It'll be quite interesting I think. I've never seen a debate amongst Shenlong and his siblings before."

"Do you need me to speak my opinions to them?"

"Oh no. I think it'll be fine. Besides, I'm not sure how well it'll seem if two of Shenlong's friends come to speak. It might seem like he'd be trying to leverage his influence. Not that it would mean anything. In the end, only Shenlong's word matters when it comes to his own opinion but the gensture would seem rather rude. He's managed to get one other dragon on board to listening to the idea but it's slow going with the other two. Frankly I'm surprised how quickly he managed to convince them to actually even give the idea attention." Bao explains.

"Right..." You say, not really understanding. "Well if you need anything...or rather when you have some free time. Just come visit us. We'll be glad to see you."

"I'll see when I can wrangle some time to go visit." Bao says. You give her a quick hug and slip out the door before returning to your body.

---

You come back to awareness in the darkened dining room. Moonlight shines through the windows and you see the moon high in the sky. The entire place is silent and empty. You assume everyone else went to sleep after trying to wait for you to return. Feeling something tight around your waist, you look around to find a large rabbit holding you tightly from behind. Renshu's breath softly blows against your neck as he lays asleep behind you, his large ears tucked behind his head and his cheek pressed against your shoulder. The warmth against the back of your neck causes your heart to race all too eagerly. Trying to calm yourself down, you quietly untangle him from your waist and carry him to bed. You know you'll have to explain yourself tomorrow in the morning and your friends will not be pleased with your abrupt departure.

As you lay the large bunny in bed, he curls up under his blankets much like his younger sister. It takes a few minutes before you realize that you've been watching him sleep all this time. Heart beating in your ears, you look around quickly before holding your breath and leaning down to plant a quick peck on Renshu's forehead. You feel like your heart is going to burst from your chest as you quickly hurry out of his room, oddly giddy for some reason.

---

"So, are you finally going to tell us what the hell is going on?" Xin Lan asks grumpily as they stuff a spoonful of oatmeal into their mouth.

"Tai Lung, we trust you but you really worry us when you don't tell us what is going on." Ming says reproachfully. "Especially when you run off again."

>What do you say?
>Write in.

>>5084726
>The situation is mostly taken care of by now. But in brief, as I turned up, it was apparently the time for three great wind elementals to die. Spirits dont die like we do, they live forever and when they decide that now is the time for it to happen, they go to their father and they. . .
Take appropriate pause to reign in emotions.
>They cease to be. Their minds and memories turn to puffs of chi and spread to the four directions and they are gone. And they were my friends, even if I never met them properly. So Bao, Shenlong and I witnessed it and their anguish pushed me out of the spirit realm. It's why I was so quick to jump back, instead of leaving them to their grief alone.

A full and proper explanation

>>5084726
>There is no need to worry, it was not another crisis for us to solve.
>I had decided to go visit Shenlong and Bao, since it has been a while, and I arrived right before a ceremony for spirits who chose to pass away.
>A spirit doesn't die like us mortals, they don't leave a soul behind. When they pass, everything is gone, except for the collective memory that they share.
>I stayed to try and give support to my friends. However, the sheer strength of Shenlong's grief and sorrow made me lose my inner peace momentarily. I rushed back to Eureka because I couldn't let my friends suffer alone.
>And now for some good news, Bao said she is going to try to visit us more frequently now.
Exactly what the other anon said, except mine is bigger, worse and autistic.

>>5084988
this

>>5084988
I like to imagine that the little autistic write ins are that voice in his head which makes him a martial prodigy that cant help but let details be included.

>>5085484
clearly that's just the chaotic mediation talking.

>>5085680
Speaking of chaotic meditation, we'll need to refine the selective listening aspect of it.

Oh shit, I didn't expect people to actually like the autism version.
>>5085484
It is both a blessing and a curse.
>>5086036
We will probably refine the chaotic meditation when we get around to making the pacifist punch style

>>5086268
I find the autism endearing, but that we should speak less as an autismo. Because we drop the linquini, but not actually being socially incapable.

Anyway, pascifist punch style needs us to put everything else on hold. Which we can do now really, put our classes on auto-pilot and spend time learning about ming as we talk her through Chi.
it can take us 10 weeks to get them all done or maybe it was 5, I can't remember. Just that 20 weeks with all our distractions.

>>5086333
I was thinking of promoting a few of the students first and than trying to create the style, that way those 10 weeks can work as a test period for them as well.

We had a list of plans didn't we? I thibk it was before the conspiracy and inveatigation.

>>5086350
that's what we planned on doing, yep

>>5084988
>>5084844
I'm fucking dead. Just covered extra shifts these last two days. I just need TL and Striped bun to get married, smol bun to marry brown bun, and Bao to marry Ming. Just devestate the waifu landscape. Bring ruination to this game...or I can get back to writing coherently. That works too. How've you all been?

>>5087010
Things are average I guess.

"There's no reason to worry." You assure, "The situation is mostly taken care of by now."

"Mostly." Xin Lan repeats as they put a handful of berries in their mouth. Renshu quietly pats their head to behave as he makes his rounds to make sure your meals and drinks are topped off.

"To make a long story short...or maybe slightly less long. I decided to pay Shenlong and Bao a visit since it had been a while both in their time and ours. As fate would have it, I came across a rather important ceremony. One where spirits go to die." You explain. "A spirit doesn't die like we do. Once they're gone...they're gone. They have no soul to leave behind, no higher plane to go to. Their entire being is released back into existence. Everything is gone as if they never existed." You motion vaguely, unable to properly convey the absoluteness of their death. "And it's their father that kills them or in this case Bao. To them it's an honor. Their final duty. But to us...I don't know. It just something hard to wrap your mind around." You take a drink and gather your thoughts as memories of sorrow tug at the edges of your mind. "I knew this before hand so I decided to stay and give support. Losing someone, espcially one's child, must be diffcult and in my arrogance I thought I could help. I was completely mistaken. To feel the raw emotion of a Great Dragon...it's unlike anything I've ever felt. These spirits were my friends even though I never met them but...to feel their presence completely vanish and the ensuing sorrow. I realized how close and intertwined their presence was in my life. It was as if they were my own children...as if I had lost all of you. Needless to say, I could not maintain my composure and was forced back to the mortal world. Then of course I returned to try an not seem rude."

The dining room goes quiet as your friends process what you said. Renshu comes around and places a hand on your shoulder before planting a kiss on your head in an attempt to help settle your nerves. "On a lighter note, Bao says she'll try to visit more often. I think that might help her retain more of her self. Also...she asked for a certain bunny to sign a certain book for her." You say.

"Well she has good taste." Xin Lan says stiffly.

"I wish you could at least warn us." Ming says with a sigh. "But knowing you, there really wasn't any time was there?" She smears some jam on a slice of bread. "But I'd rather it happen because of you trying to help someone."

"If it's any consolation, I will be serving some kind of pennace...today's the day of the competition." Xin Lan and Ming look over to you.

"Are you sure that's...wise?" Ming asks.

"Yeah, we haven't called the guard to let them know you'll be lighting their city on fire." Xin Lan points out. You give them a look and snatch the biggest berry out of their plate only to see that they stole a large bite of your meal as you did so with a smirk.

"I'm ready." You insist. "I might actually have a fighting chance. I saw Bao's art room she had...it was something."

"What dish do you have in mind?" Renshu asks as he returns to the room.

>What do you say?
>Something simple. Best to not risk burning the city down as Xin said.
>Something complicated. You want to push your skills to the limit.
>Ask your friends for a suggestion.
>Write in.

>>5087113
>Something simple. Best to not risk burning the city down as Xin said.

>>5087113
>Something simple. Best to not risk burning the city down as Xin said.
Meat Bun 2: Spicy Boogaloo

>>5087010
I've been utterly terrible, due to a sickness making my day worthless and devoid of merit. But now the tai Lung is back, so it is time for shinanigence

And oh dear, he's going insane, his antipathy is manifesting in Waifucide!

>>5087113
>Simple
Meatbun 3: the tastebuds destroyer.

>>5087283
>>5087539
>>5087737
The meatbun trilogy. Writing.

>>5087737
Well shit man. I hope you get better soon. Can't do much but if the quest keeps your mind off things for a moment then I'm glad I could help that way.

"Meat buns." You say with confidence. "My favorite dish." Ming and Xin Lan look at each other.

"That's it?" Xin Lan asks. "You're gonna win with meat buns?"

"They're good." You say, undeterred. "And I like them. That's enough for me."

"Well you're certainly not lacking on confidence." Ming points out. "I guess it's better to try and stick to something your comfortable than try something completely unknown. Like the saying goes, 'If it's not broken, don't fix it'."

"That implies it was good to begin with." Xin Lan mutters into their oatmeal as they warily eye their elder brother. A look that is met with their own warning one.

"You'll see. I think it'll be fine." You say attempting to assure yourself more than your friends. "But I have classes to teach today so it'll need to wait til this afternoon."

"Oh! That reminds me." Xin Lan speaks up. "I can't make it to class today."

"Why not? Something up?" You ask, now looking at the two rabbits. Xin Lan wasn't one to shirk something they made a habit of despite their protests otherwise.

"I'm gonna help Stripes buy groceries. We need to restock inventory and prepare for the festival. Given how picky he is for ingredients, I'm the only other person he can send while tending to the place." They explain.

"Actually, I plan on closing for a while." Renshu says as he gathers the empty plates. "I'll take the extra time to make sure things are going well. I might spend some time checking the ledgers as well. I'll make sure to have the kitchen ready for your competition."

"Thanks." You say as you get up. "I'll be heading out then. Gotta make sure the training field is ready." Your friends bid their goodbyes as you step out of the room.

Don't think I didn't hear about your little stunt last night while I slept. I didn't think you were so bold. You hear in your head. You stop dead in your tracks as your heart skips a beat. I'll be sure to return the favor. You hear Renshu add with amusement. Your face flushes and you quickly hurry to the outside of the city.

---

Your classes are slightly more chaotic than before given that Xin Lan was missing but ultimately they were just as they always were save for one thing. Much to your surprise, the old man returns still as cheerful as always. Though he does not participate, instead opting to drink juice and play cards by himself, he seemed quite happy to be surrounded by a new generation learning martial arts. As your classes wind down, he dusts himself off and stands up to offer you a drink. "Nothing like a good day of teaching those younger than you. Always nice to see the tradition alive and well."

You take the drink gratefully. "Well I wouldn't say it's tradition but I suppose you're right. It is nice to know there are others interested in what you dedicate your life too."

The old man nods. "And will you leave them like this? Wouldn't that be cruel?"

You stop mid drink. "What do you mean?"

"Their lessons are incomplete. They have no way to improve. Nothing to aspire to. Their lessons teach them the basics but nothing more. Other traditions of Kung Fu have masters to aspire to, lessons that they still must learn even after their training is complete. This style has no such thing. You have taught them how to use a quil and ink but not how to write."

>What do you say?
>Write in.

>>5087845
>The purpose is to defend themselves. If the point is to be able to use a quill and they can use a quill, that is the purpose complete. I have told them before and told them plainly that this isnt a class for learning how to fight.

>That being said, I am going to have to elevate some of the students to instructors, so if they wish to have another peak to strive for, I could perhaps try to introduce another layer of the style, either strengthening their limbs or advancing the style to defend those near you beyond just themselves. But I will leave that to them when I elevate someone, for now I am contented that if a drunk tries striking them, then that drunk isnt going to hurt them.

Our mission statement was teach them the basics. This is the game. Maybe teach them to disarm people perhaps?

>>5087760
Yeah, it's a good help Luo. But dont take that as Negging.

>>5087845
>I never meant to teach them a style, since I knew from the very begging that I would have to move on from the city soon, so I have restrained to self-defense classes.
>I made it clear from the very begging the purpose, for them to learn the basics of Kung Fu, to improve their health, and for impart bits of wisdom.
>I'm going to turn a few of the best students into instructors, so they don't become rusty once I leave, and give them a trial period of 10 day soon to see if the classes are able to survive without me and mny friend.
>Since you worry about their lack of purpose and future, perhaps you should try teaching them during that period too, maybe you will enjoy it.

Wait, what stunt Renshu is talking about? I don't remember.

>>5088033
We put him to bed. . and gently pecked him on the forehead to say goodnight.

The scandal.

File: HERESY.jpg (48 KB, 597x513)

48 KB JPG

>>5088038
By the First Girl, the only way this could be worse is if they held hand before marriage.

>>5088052
Don't worry, given Stripes' history as a rebellious evil youth I'm sure he'll skip hand holding all together and go straight to linking arms.

>>5088253
>Clutches Pearl's so tightly that there are cracks forming

DEVIANTS, DEGENERACY, INDECENCYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

>>5087958
>>5088033
Taking these. Writing.

>>5088746
Then they'll touch noses and whiskers. Hello Ms. An Bo's mom.

"I only meant to teach them how to defend themselves. If the point was to be able to use a quill and they can use a quill, that is the pourpose complete. I have told them before and told them plainly that this isn't a class for learning how to fight." You say.

"Ah but isn't that where the problem lies? You've given them a taste and now you deny them the rest. Perhaps allegory was a bit too much. You have introduced these youngsters to the world of martial arts, intent or no. Perhaps you may not have intended to teach them any more but now you leave them unable to improve even if they wanted to. Is that not a bit unfair? To not leave them some way to continue their journey as martial artists if they wanted to choose to go beyond basic self defense? To leave them with only bits and pieces rather than a map of how to continue?" The old man asks. His tone is polite, merely offering an alternate philosophical view. You ponder this for a moment out of respect for the old man's wisdom.

"For now, I am content to teach them what I am right now and I plan to hand the reigns of instruction to some of my more experienced students. Thus my classes can continue for those who wish to join after I leave." You say.

"And when those students no longer have anything to teach? What if they want to learn more and improve themselves?"

"Then perhaps they can ask the guard or search the library." You say. "I understand what it is to want to improve and go out in search of new martial arts knowledge but even I cannot hold their hands forever nor can I provide all the answers. Kung Fu is about self discovery and improvement. One must be willing to learn from both the world around them and from their own experiences to improve. Though...if you're so worried about it then perhaps you should teach in my stead when I leave. It might be more fun than Mahjong." You joke.

"Oh no. I'm retired. I'm afraid these old bones couldn't keep up with the youth of today. But...perhaps I'll keep an eye out on them." He says with amusement. "If this is how you plan on teaching them, then I will not stop you. I merely wanted to provide insight from another set of eyes."

You genuflect and bow. "And I appreciate your insight." You say. "But I think my way is fine the way it is."

"Then I look forward to see how your classes continue." He says as he gathers his things and goes on his merry way back to the city.

---

You arrive to the now empty diner with a bit of edge on your step. Despite how practiced you were and how confident in your meat buns you were, you couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. Such nervousness seemed to fade away as you stepped into the back door of the kitchen. The air in the small room was tense and on edge. You see Renshu pacing clearly upset and agitated. Even Xin Lan's carefree facade seemed to be slipping as they flip a kitchen knife in one hand. The two of you look at you in sync as you step through the door.

"What's wrong?" You ask as you look around, senses on edge.

"Nothing." Xin Lan says before throwing the knife at a wall with such force that it would have embeded itself into the stone if their brother handn't snatched it out of the air.

"We've run into...some complications." Renshu says as they start to flourish the blade in their hands if only to give them something to do.

"It'll be alright." You say, raising your hands up in a sign of peace. "We've come to far for you two to be this vauge. What's wrong?" You ask.

"We're being cut out is what." Xin Lan spits.

"What?"

"The merchants, beloved. They no longer wish to trade with us. Or if they do, they only offer us what could charitably be called, slightly less than fresh produce." Renshu says.

"It doesn't make sense." Xin Lan says. "Just a week or two ago they were glad to do buisness with us. Now they can barely look us in the eye."

"We've tried to speak with the farmers but they won't trade with us either. However they seem to be unable to by law not by choice. Something about maintaining economic balance." Renshu explains. "At the very least, not without offical permit. They seemed unaware as to why the merchant's have changed their stance on us."

"It's obvious." Xin Lan says. "Someone is pulling the strings. Those guys were either scared or disgusted at us."

"At this rate, The Warren might only last a month or so." Renshu says. "And we certainly won't be able to host anything for the summer festival."

>What do you say?
>Say that you'll go talk to the vendors and 'convince' them to change their minds. You can be quite persuasive.
>The vendors won't sell to you but that doesn't include the rest of the city. Perhaps you can ask your friends to do some purchasing for you. At least until they get banned as well.
>There is the town meetings. You could bring up your complaints there. This might not be illegal but it certainly isn't fair. Especially on this scale.
>The rabbits could always steal and leave the money behind. That way no one is harmed.
>Write in.

>>5088913
>The vendors won't sell to you but that doesn't include the rest of the city. Perhaps you can ask your friends to do some purchasing for you. At least until they get banned as well.
>There is the town meetings. You could bring up your complaints there. This might not be illegal but it certainly isn't fair. Especially on this scale.
>If they start cutting out everyone that is even related to us, than it shows that it is a targeted campaign, making our appeal have more strength. We also need to getvthe heart of the people, I recommend try to use your own contacts and friends to support and vouch for us.
Worst case scenario we get the brown bun involved, but I want to avoid using the little guy's position as leverage as much as possible.

>>5088919
I just realized this kinda is the advice we gave to the trouble makers about asking for reforms and proteating corruption instead of going off to do stupid shit that would make people against the cause.
It would be hilarious if they end up joining the cause.

>>5088919
I will support.

I also want ot check some sales laws. Because as far as I am concerned, refusal to sell food to those who are both capable of paying and have done no wrong to anyone is illegal.
Since it is a targeted assault on both their lively hood and their very means of survival, since this isnt a socialist "you will be fed" state.

Bringing this up in town meetings may give us the perfect chance to ask for the reason why. Which in such an open social place, could do some serious damage if they handle it poorly.

And if worst comes to worst. . Well, I'm not above just letting them steal and pay for what they take.
I'd prefer not too, but it isnt the most grevious sin in the world.

>>5088919
>>5088932
We want to speak to the manager. An Bo's mom style...or maybe more civilized like Hien. Writing.

You pull both rabbits into a hug. "It'll be alright you two. Are you telling me you're letting merchants beat you? After surviving an entire army? And the ocean?"

"Yes." Xin Lan says. "That's exactly what we're saying. Even you can't punch your way out of this." You chuckle. At least your little sibling's sense of humor hadn't died. The door behind you opens and Ming hurries in, panting.

"I managed to get some things." She says as she lays several heavy bags on the counter. "Went from shop to shop to try and avoid suspicion but I'm afraid a few of them already knew I'm related to you."

"Thank you Ming." Renshu says as his tension subsides slightly. "Anything helps."

"What are we gonna do?" She asks. "We can't just go sneaking around hoping to live like this. Soon word of mouth is going to spread."

"Then we'll convert our fighting tactics to the market." You say as you let the bunnies go. "We fought in the woods. Hit them and dashed away. When they were many, we appeared to do so from the shadows."

Your friends look at you confused. "So we're gonna hurl coins at the vendors from the alleys?"

"What? No. We'll simply strike from the shadows. We can ask our friends to help. We might be banned but they can't ban the city without drawing attention. If we can ask others to buy our supplies for us then we can get what we need. We can ask our students to help. I'm sure they wouldn't mind. I also know a few ladies who might be eager to help a rather mysterious Striped rabbit." You say amused. Xin Lan's eyes light up.

"Hey...that's not a bad idea." They say. "I like what I'm hearing." They punch your shoulder. "I knew you had the assassin in you. Too bad we can't kill anyone while we're at it."

"We can spread out the purchases around." Ming says, eagerly. "Ren, the cooking competition! If we spread the word that you're hosting one, then it won't seem odd when tons of people are buying ingredients in bulk! Can you split up what you need in batches so it looks like someone is trying to make a specific dish?"

"Yeah! And by seeing these purchases, people will notice and will be more interested in the shop! If so many people are eager to participate then it'll make our credibility look better too! After all, the place must be good if so many people want to join our event."

At this, even Renshu couldn't help but give a small smile. "Yes. We can spread out the more critical supplies first and work our way down. If we stagger the purchases out over several days then it will be less suspicious. We'll need to work on a few dead drops or perhaps times for them to come deliver their goods here so they can't be tracked back here."

"In the meantime, I'll go about talking to the city council during one of their public meetings. We can't do this forever and this needs to come to light. With so many eyes on us there, they'll be hard pressed to deny it or save face. We can do some damage to their credibility and perhaps restore some of ours there as well. It'll show we're willing to go through public channels rather than stoop to their level. We respect the system rather than-" You say but are interrupted with a heavy knock on the door. For a moment you assume the diner was being assaulted again from the force against the door.

>What do you do?
>Awnser the door. You won't be intimidated by anyone.
>Send out one of the rabbits to sneak around the building to confront whoever it banging on the door.
>Ignore it. You don't want anymore trouble today.
>Write in.

>>5089478
>Answer the door. You won't be intimidated by anyone.

>>5089478
>Answer the door

>>5089689
>>5089535
But seriously, what asshole is here trying to start shit. Do they not know that we are motherfucking master of the 1000 scrolls of Kung Fu.

Is it the guard, or that drunken bitch come to cause issues?

>>5089478
>Open the door, get on the floor, everyone do the dinosaur.

>>5089535
>>5089689
>>5089815
Opeing the door. Writing.

>>5089716
You messed with the brown bun for the last time. Nothing will get in his way to marry his snow princess. Not you or your unnatural cross species relationship. So the diner and everyone in it must be eliminated.

>>5091606
Unnatural gay cross species relationship with a huge size difference*
Got to weight it correctly on the heresy scale boss.

>>5091653
I mean. Renshu is only a head shorter than us? That's not too different.

. . . Right? RIGHT?!

You motion for everyone to stay quiet and keep an ear out. As you move to head into the dining room and towards the front door, Xin Lan leaps onto your shoulders and rests their chin on your head. "I'll sneak out the side and you strike from the front. We'll leave no survivors." They whisper.

You reach over your head to pat the rabbit on theirs. "Settle down." You say quietly as you reach the door though even as you say so, you pause for a moment to listen beyond it. You hear no movement or noise beyond what is normal for the market place at this hour. With no indications of danger or imminent attack, you open the door as causally as possible though you note your whole body is on edge.

You're greeted with the sight of a small cat in traveler's clothing, well worn and yet oddly clean. A basic blindfold made of torn cloth covers her eyes but that too seems too clean despite how worn it seems. "Hello. Is this a bad time?" Bao asks. "I see the shop is closed."

"No. Renshu just closed early to get some errands done." You say looking around for trouble. "Come on in." You allow Bao to enter and shut the door behind her.

"Did you see anyone else out there?" Xin Lan asks. "Someone was pretty generous with their knocks. Thought they were trying to knock the door down."

"Oh that must've been me. I'm afraid I don't really know my own strength anymore. I rarely need to manipulate things in the mortal realm anymore. I was quite surprised that the poor thing didn't buckle under the impact." Bao says casually as she follows you towards the back.

"Can't you just like appear out of thin air? Why didn't you just come in?" Xin Lan asks. Bao turns her head to face Xin Lan in what you think would be considered perplexion.

"Because that would be rude." She says simply.

The three of you enter the kitchen, now with a roaring fire crackling under a small pot. "I figured we could all use a nice cup of tea." Renshu says. "Something to wind down with and perhaps cleanse out palates after the competition." He teases, though you can feel his heart was not really into it.

"Wait, but we don't have any paints or paper for Bao." Ming says.

"It's alright. I brought my own." She says, looking behind her as she crouches infront of the flames and holds a hand out near them as if she was both reaching out and beckonging something towards her. She stands up and pulls a small scroll and a handfull of small jars from her pockets. "I just need a subject to paint. I think in order for it to be fair, Tai Lung should get to choose what I paint."

>What should Bao paint?
>Something simple like a fruit or container.
>Something complicated. Like a person. Either one of your friends or someone outside.
>Pick something from the kitchen at random.
>Write in.

>>5091715
If I remeber right, the size scale goes more or less like TL, than Ming get to his shoulder, than Renshu get's to his chest, than Xin goes to his stomach.
>>5091716
>Something simple like a fruit or container.
Box is easy, box is good. Make it a rectangular box instead of cube though, so it's the bare minimum of shadow and perpective insteaf of tryong to keep symmetry in a 3d proportion
If she manages the box she can make an apple too.

>>5091716
>Close our eyes, spin around and point seemingly at random. But due to our memory, point at Bao.

I wanna see her do some self portraits. Its funnier that way.

>>5091715
>>5091653
TL is like 6' 4" in my head just for intimidation purposes. Top of Ming's head is TL's shoulder height and Ren is only slightly shorter than that not including ears. Soo...Ming being like 5' 9" and Ren being slightly shorter than that so 5' 4"? Or in the rough estimates version without using average head sizes. Ming is shoulder height from the top of her head and Ren is around Chest height from the top of his head.

Xin is as nebulous as their gender the only constant I use with them is that when you're sitting and they're standing on the same seat, you're the same height (sans ears of course). Brown bun is only somewhat shorter than that but he's shorter than the average bun. Bao is shorter than Ren but only because she was still in her teens when she met TL. At full height they'd probably be the same if only to accentuate how tall Ming is compared to other cats. Which...fuck I think that makes her Tigress's height and that's pretty scary.

TL;dr All height sizes have a rough estimate but I never made anything specific. If we went off of their real life animal counter parts. TL is like 4' 9", Po is like 6ft tall. I think in the movie they're about the same height. Things get silly again when we try to put realism in the quest but it's always funny to think about.

>>5091728
>TL is 4'9
>Po is 6'

Man. . . If the film listened to any of that, it brings a whole new level of overconfidence to TL.
>"What are you going to do, sit on me?"
MO'FUCKA, HE BE THE SIZE OF A CAR TO YOU!

But yeah, chest height still isnt that small. Certainly not enough to justify saying size difference.

>>5091734
I don't know, it is quite different when you consider that TL is very wide too, and Renshu while strong, is leaner.
Atleast going by the references that Luo said.
And a full 1' difference is quite a lot most time. Or not, I'm not american, I can't read burger numbers, never managed to memorize how to convert it to cm or fahrenheit to celsius either

>>5091748
It's 30cm roughtly anon. It's all good and my bad for not considering the real measurement system the metric system.

>>5091748
>it is quite different when you consider that TL is very wide too, and Renshu while strong, is leaner.

that is also true.

>>5091748
A foot is imperial, and hence the measurements of greatest britain! Who's measurement system, we are reasonably sure, was concocted by a bunch of drunk mathematicians with a hatred of the common man and contempt of anyone who tries to make something else ot convert it to.

>>5091758
>>5091767
Who the fuck has a 30cm foot? Do the british have a bunch of 2,50m+ tall people walking around?
But yeah, 30cm is just the size of a ruler, just a little bigger than a head difference, which is quite common for male and female couples. Maybe it being a male/male couple is what makes it look odd.

>>5091775
6 feet is considered to be normalish. 5 feet is short. 5'7 is still a hit dinky, least around my area.

>>5091723
I will change to point at something simple.

Just ot keep us moving.

>>5091835
Nothing stops Bao making a self protrait in the future, so her painting one is stil possible.
Just make this competition fairer if both persons are on amateur level.

Who knows, maybe she will end up making something avant guard, ancient chinese picasso.

>>5091721
>>5091723
So, you're asking Bao to paint a box?

>>5092732
A box or a fruit.
Maybe a fruit basket?

>>5092732
A box, or a drawer or a fruit basket.
Keep it simple and wholesome

>>5092747
>>5092736
We'll go with a fruit basket. Plenty of shapes and shading for her to show. I'll get to writing.

"Well, there's plenty of food to go around. Why not a fruit bowl?" You say. "As long as a certain someone can keep their little paws off of it." You say tapping on Xin Lan's heels. The smaller rabbit wiggles their toes and pats your head roughly.

"Hey! I only eat the fruit so I can something to blunt the damage your food is gonna cause." They say. Renshu shakes their head in amusement.

"You'll do fine beloved. I'll be rooting for you." He says, giving you a quick kiss on the cheek. Xin Lan snickers, locks their legs around your neck and swings around to hang upside down.

"Yeah, good luck beloved." They tease as they do a sit up and kiss you under the chin. They drop down and hurry after their brother, laughing.

"I guess I'll have to be impartial...again." Ming says with a smile. "Come on Bao, we can set up in the dining room. It'll get a hot in here."

Bao nods. "Thank you but there is no need to be impartial." She says looking towards you and giving you a smile. "The fire and wind sprites think I'll win." She says.

"Hey...that's cheating. They out number all of us. You can't do that." You protest.

"Sorry but all is fair in love and war." Bao giggles as she follows Ming back into the dining room. You rub your forehead and sigh. Now there was the challenge of sorts. Seems like you were going need to put in your all, not that you were planning otherwise. You manuver around the kitchen and grab what you needed to start your meatbuns. After several days of working here you were already intimately aware of where everything was and where Renshu stored ingredients. You move by memory, grabbing things here and there, setting bowls and preparing the oven a bit better for the buns. You begin as you always do and get to cutting up the veggetables along with the meat. You always liked having things ready to move on to the next step rather than leaving them until you absolutely needed them at the last moment. As you knead the dough, making sure to not over do it, you begin to think. Was your current recipie enough? Bao had hundreds of years to practice her art. Perhaps she picked up some new tricks. Then again, her art studio didn't give you much confidence in that regard. Your friends were already pretty aware of your recipie so maybe changing it up might give you and edge.

>What do you do?
>Keep the recipie as is. You can do it by memory so there won't be much issue. It's basically another exercise by now.
>Change it up. Your friends could always go for a surprise twist.
>Try something different. Maybe add something else to your dish instead of changing the recipie.
>Write in.

>>5092804
>Do exactly what we did last time, except changing the bits that we got advice on.
If they kbow what we did, than they know how we improved.
I will look through the archive and write a step by step of what was written and what the others said to do to improve.

>>5092821
I will support this, but an important step is
>Out all of our care and focus into it

Since tha will taint the taste for the spirits. Give us the edge.

>>5092821
>>5092875
Sticking to the recipie but putting all your love for your wife Xin into it.. Writing.

You decide to stick to the basic recipe. There was nothing wrong with it and attempting to change it could only bring disaster upon the kitchen. You quickly go over your preperations once more just to make sure. Taking a deep breath, you can't remember the last time you ever felt this nervous. Did you ever? No, it was impossible not to feel like this before. Straining your memory, you recall, long ago, when you were a child and you had finally mastered a new technique. Something you spent countless nights practicing in secret. It was not forbidden to do so and neither was learning the technique. Part of you feels the sting of melancholy for how things were and the pain of remorse of how things turned out as you remember and yet fail to remember what exactly it was that you spent so long practicing. All that mattered now was the feeling of excitement, worry, and fear you felt when you finally decided to confront your father and show him the fruits of your labor.

You shake your head to clear your thoughts. Any more of this and you were liable to day dream all day. Perhaps another time you could reminisce on old memories. You continue to knead the dough for a bit longer and leave it when you think it's ready. Any more and you think you might make it too firm. Your favorite meat buns were always both fluffy and yet somehow able to hold everything in it. Not stopping to wait for the dough to become ready, you quickly grab the spices and other ingredients to make the sauce you needed to marinate the meat in it. You frown, this was going to take a while. While this wasn't a race, you do mentally face palm over not preparing the meat in advance. Shaking your head, you reach over to the powder and notice a string of whole peppers dangling near you. Ming must have bought them and hung them up as you went to open the door. You could probably use them to make your spice, after all fresh ingredients were better than preserved ones no? Not to mention, you didn't really have to wait that long for the meat to sit in the condiment did you? Maybe half the time would be enough.

>What do you do?
>Use the peppers to make the marinade. Fresh is always better.
>Stick to the powder. It seems easier to use anyways.
>Marinade the meat for the full length of time. Renshu taught you this way so it's probably how it needs to be done.
>Only use half the time you were told. Ren was probably just playing it safe with you given how well your history with cooking was.
>Write in.

>>5093222
>Marinade the meat for the full length of time. Renshu taught you this way so it's probably how it needs to be done.

>>5093222
>full length of time

Jams are actually sweeter for being preserved.

>>5093222
>Marinade the meat for the full length of time. Renshu taught you this way so it's probably how it needs to be done.
I know I said I would look at the archive for a step by step, but I got sick and can barely think and read now, so I rather not fuck this up

>>5093403
Just in case this was a double vote.

>use powder, not fresh

>>5093272
>>5093403
>>5093526
>>5093666
Staying by the book. Writing.

>>5094746
That phrase made me remember this video.
https://youtu.be/K5tVbVu9Mkg

>>5094756
Let the memes never end!

Sticking to the basics, it was just your nerves getting to you. The urge to want to impress someone was not unwelcome and it added the excitment to learning you hadn't felt in a long time. You make your brine and use the powered spice before placing the meat to marinate within it. Hopefully this time it'll have that kick you liked. A bit strong but not overpowering. Last time you didn't get much feed back on the spice though admittedly that might have been overshadowed with your mistakes.

You look around. There wasn't much left to do as you waited. Everything else was prepared and you didn't want to try and rush with the marinating. If you pulled it out too soon then you'd most likely just have the outside soaked which would be mostly cooked off when it hit the hot pan. The meat had to soak in the juices so that it would both retain them during the cooking process and for the juice itself to keep the meat moist. With nothing else to do, your mind wanders as do your eyes.

You take in all the detail of this small kitchen and despite how it was repurposed, you could still see it's age. Hints of rust here and there that Renshu and you did your best to clean up, a crack or two along the stone walls. Nothing serious but rather scars that were a testament to how sturdy and well built the building was. Spice racks and herbs dangling here and there for cooking were once medicinal ones ones stood. Your eyes slowly come down to the fire and the pot dangling above it where the tea was long forgotten. Given how long your food was going to take, you figure you could head into the dining room to wait with your friends. There was no risk in that. At the very least the meat wasn't going to spontaneously light on fire...or so you hoped.

You grab a wet rag to pull the hot pot off the fire and pour 5 cups of tea on a platter. Fortunately, being a waiter did not rely on your abysmal cooking skill and carrying a platter was no different to the dexterity training you had done. It was practically instinctual for you. You walk out into the dining room with your drinks where you see everyone doing their own thing. Ming was busy pouring over several papers, a book open on the table beside her. Bao was off in her own little corner keeping up the whimsical and mysterious air about her as she painted and also seemed to be enjoying watching people through the large window. Xin Lan oddly enough was tucked in their brother's shirt much like when the four of you climbed the mountain, their ears limp and dangling down both sides of their head as they napped happily. Renshu for his part was actually playing some music, something that you don't think you've seen them do in months. For a moment you take some time to enjoy the view of your friends relaxing. For a moment pangs of wanderlust hit you and you wonder when you'll be on the road again if only to see your family relax like this again. You wish Bao could join you as well, despite this being the third time she joined you all, she fit well with your band of misfits you think.

>What do you say?
>Write in.

>>5094922
>Go talk to Ming.

Our last chat kinda got lost in the madness.so lets see what she is up to, maybe check on her plans for the future, in regards to this mountain retreat.

I've sat thinking but I cant actually come up with the words themselves, so my apologies Luo.
My only determination is to not mention Chi, let her deal with that by herself for a bit.

>>5094922
>The food is cooking now, so I've come to wait a little.
>Give everyone a cup of the tea, including Bao. Maybe just put it nearby sobit doesn't messes
>Go talk to Ming about something
Can't think of anything now, my sickness has gotten worse.

>>5095111
Blessings on you Anon.

>>5095054
>>5095111
Taking these then. Writing.

>>5095111
Godspeed anon. Get some rest, and try not to exert yourself too much.

>>5095117
>>5095149
Thanks, this is the weirdest flu (if it even is one) I ever got, everyday I get different symptons.

"The food it getting ready." You say. "Just need to wait for some things to marinate." You say being purposefully vague to tease Bao. "I brought some tea though. Might as well have something warm to drink while we wait." You walk around the dining room and set down cups near your friends, and attempt to lean in to peek on Bao's art. Your efforts are rewarded with Bao flicking a grape over her shoulder and pelting you on the nose. Chuckling, you set the cup on a nearby table and move over to the others. Renshu gives you a soft smile and continues to play his music as you pass by and leave two cups. As you place the final one on Ming's table you sit beside her. "You forgot to carry the one." You say as you point to a random point on her paper.

"Oh, thanks. I didn't realize it given that I'm working on a essay." Ming says as she gives you a shove. "Shouldn't you be trying to keep the place from burning down?" She asks.

"Well I think I'll risk the marinading process catching fire for a while." You say. "So what are you working on?"

"This? Nothing important." Ming says. "Just someone asking me to double check their work. I swear, everday someone is asking me to help them proof read this or double check that. I'm starting to think I've become a teacher instead of another student here."

"That's a good thing isn't it?" You say as your ruffle Ming's ears. "Then again, now you can never complain that I take on too much." You chuckle.

"Very funny. Unlike you, I know how to pace myself." Ming says. "And I guess it is. It's actually a bit annoying. I'm starting to think people are getting the idea that I'm going to do the work for them. Of course the best part is seeing their face when they realize nothing new was added and they are now late on their deadlines."

You raise an eyebrow. "I'm starting to think a certain bun is a bad influence." You say.

"Oh you're right. Ren is a bad influence on me. Seeing as he's the one who keeps telling me to think more of myself than others." She says.

"Is that what he told you?" You ask.

"Yeah. He said that even too much medicine can be poison. I guess he's trying to tell me that if I try to help everyone then I might end up hurting them. I mean if I do everything for someone then they won't learn or they might come to rely on me too much. Since I'm leaving that would be pretty bad." She says.

"When'd he say this?"

"A month or so ago. It was quite a while." She admits.

"Taking his advice?"

"No. I think his heart is in the right place." She says casting a glance at Renshu, who at this point was gently rubbing a very content Xin Lan's ears. "But I can't just say no to someone who needs help."

"Sounds a bit odd considering all we've done." You say. "All the people we've helped."

"Oh he knows you're too stubborn to change." Ming laughs. "Me? I'm still corruptable."

You snort. "And so you decided to not heed his advice. He does has a bit of a point. We can't save everyone and not everyone needs saving."

"That's true...but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try." Ming says. "We never gave up because something seemed to large for us to tackle for better or worse." Ming points out.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't." You agree. "But I think we should be able to admit that...well that people will die not matter how hard we try. Not just because we weren't there in time or because it happened before we realized where to go but because...sometimes no matter how hard we try, we will fail even if failure means that someone was hurt because we were busy trying to save everyone else. But that's our opinion, forged from the lives we led. You've always had a different opinion than us. What do you think?"

"I think...we can't think like that. I'm a doctor. My job is to save lives. If I start thinking that I can't save everyone or that people are bound to die then what else will I start thinking? That one life is more important than the other? That I should prioritize or even ignore people who seem beyond saving? I can't do that. Everyone wants to live and I won't be the one to tell them that they're wrong or they don't deserve it simply because it seems like it'll be too hard to save them." She says. "I won't just let someone live in fear when they're hurt and think that their life is over."

>What do you say?
>Write in.

>>5095292
>flick her nose and tell her that she's thinking too hard about this.
>We aren't saying don't help people who are hurt. we are saying that you don't have to help everyone with their work. you have to say "no" at some point or more and more people will come to you.

>>5095292
>I appreciate that dogged determination and refusal to countenance failure. But you still don't have to keep helping with the essays every other day, especially when spelling mistakes are what you are looking for.

>>5095292
>Well, helping others is always good, but helping them help themselves is better. Feed a man fish or teach them and all that.
>Thing is, people are way stronger than they think they are. Great heroes like the five are good and all, but sometimes they make people think that they need someone else to save them, simply because they think them are so much better than themselves.
>You are a doctor aren't you Ming? Aren't there many diseases that even thoughcthey have treatments, the patients also have to have strength to overcome the symptons? It's something like that.
>The other side of the coin of knowing your limits, is knowing your bases. I thibk the sayong i not a warning about a hero's job being hopeless because they can't save everyone, but a reminder that they should inspire tge people ro carry the burden together, inspire of shouldering it alone.
>So next someone comes to you asking you to review their texts because they see you as the genious you are, remnind them that they are also smart and compentent, that they are in the scaref library and have reached where many others would never be able to.
As you can see by the return of the autistic write-in, I'm way better. Turned the first doctor had given me an antibacterial when I should be taking an antiviral.

>>5095772
>>5095598
>>5095339
Mixing and matching. Writing.

>>5095772
Good to hear though anon. Glad to know you're feeling better. Was worried you had caught the plague.

You smirk and playfully flick Ming's nose. "We aren't saying not to help injured people. We're saying that you don't have to help everyone with their work. You have to say no at some point."

"Hey watch it. You nearly broke my nose." Ming pouts as she rubs her face.

"I'm hurt that you doubt my self control." You joke.

"I could have been sent flying through the wall." She continues.

"As a doctor, you should know how resilient the body is. After all, you know there are somethings with treatments that patients can over come the symptoms on their own." You explain.

"Spoken like someone who would continue to train even if their arms were broken." Ming says with a snide look on her face. "Just because the body can get over it, doesn't mean that we shouldn't do something to help. That's the duty of a doctor. Just because the pain will go away in time doesn't mean I shouldn't offer medicine. As sturdy as the body is, not everyone is a walking army like you." She says with a smirk as she pokes your bicep. "Honestly how can you even move when you basically have rocks for muscles?"

"Because I have muscles." You laugh. "But you are right about one thing. People are sturdy and they're often stronger than they think. Of course everyone wants to be like the Five, like heroes but sometimes they end up starting to overly depend on them. They see them as the answer to all their problems even ones they can solve themselves. I appreciate that you're slowly becoming too stubborn to give in to failure, but you also need to know your limits. Renshu might be right that we can't save everyone but you don't need it to see it as a failure on our part. You could always see it as a reminder to help inspire those around you so that they can carry the burden with you. While you can't save everyone, the one person you raised up can save the ones you missed and the ones they can't save can be saved by the people they raised up themselves."

"I'm surprised Ren hasn't seen it that way, given what you've done for him." Ming says.

"Well...being stubborn seems to be a running theme in our group." You chuckle. "Perhaps he'll turn around in time. Xin seems to have come along even if they're denying it up and down."

"That's just them being them. They'll save the day while stealing your dinner if they could." Ming says.

"So other than doing other people's homework for them. What else have you been doing? What's your focus of study?" You ask.

"Well, you tell me. What's yours? I bet it was lifting heavy things wasn't it?" Ming teases.

"Someone needs to be able to carry you all when you run around and tire yourselves out. Honestly, if you had simply dedicated your entire lives to Kung Fu then I wouldn't have to spend my valuable time training." You joke.

"I'm sorry I dedcided to help the people around me rather than being able to break rocks with my fists." Ming says.

"You could if you wanted to. We'll just have to skip those pesky study days." You grin and poke Ming's nose again. "Now come on. Don't be mean."

Ming sticks out her tongue at you. "If you must know, I've been pouring over some of the formulas and recipies in the library and trying to reduce the consumption of materials without loss in quality. We travel a lot so being able to make medicines and the like with fewer ingredients means we can stretch out our supplies if things get dire. Unfortunately, it's started to draw a lot of attention and that's why I'm here with papers all around me."

>What do you say? Do you ask Ming something else?
>Write in.

>>5095918
>You are a rare genius Chan Ming, I'm sure you'll figure it out, Enjoy your Tea.
>Go listen to Renshu's Music.

I don't see much else to debate or discuss.

>>5095918
>It makes sense something that big would raise eyebrows, better watch yourself just in case any jealous monks try to mess with your papers.
>I'll be honest, I still find all that reference work and jargons to be a bit of confusing. But they are also a breath of fresh air compared to kung fu training. If progressing further didn't meant having to take even more responsabilities, I would continue my research on Chi.
>So at risk of sounding hypocritical after that talk of asking others to do things for you, try to reach the top for me, I know you can do it.
>Oh, and before I forget, I had some new ideas on how I could try to repeat what I did in my fight against tigress. I will keep a secret for now, but let's just say that you are probably going to teach me as much as I have been teaching you.

>>5095883
Thanks boss.
I got worried too when I woke up worse instead of better, so I did the test as fast as I could.

It's Christmas eve! I'll be taking the next few days off and I hope you guys can find some time to relax even if you don't celebrate the holidays. Safe and ill see you guys later!

>>5096954
Have you enjoy your holidays boss, god knows we all need it.

>>5096954
See you later Luo.

God bless and safe holidays.

>>5096997
Fortune

Your fortune: Your heart grew three sizes!

Merry christmas!

>>5097605
Ok, let me try this again, but typing on the correct field

Your fortune: Feliz Navidad!

Merry Christmas gents!

Young Stripes. I'll be back in 2 days guys. Hope to see you there and happy new years.

File: 8b9c0a53c93e6053524e72696(...).png (109 KB, 495x586)

109 KB PNG

Damn it mobile. Put in images like I tell you.

>>5099718
>>5099719
You will see us, of course.

And Stripes is pretty unhappy looking.

>>5099720
No surprises. This was around the time he was training under musashi and was a very angry and hurt youth. Of course, Musashi’s training of being straight forward and being no nonsense didn't gel well with him. Still, Ren stayed and learned if only to get strong enough to kill his father.

>>5099723
Angry hunny bunny will smile when he finally catches a fish. The tiger in him will ensure it.

Wait, if he's part big cat, how did he get from japan to china?
How did we go on that ship?! What were we thinking?!?!

>>5099728
[s]Is TL that fish? Or is it metaphorical for inner peace?[/s]

Probably by following his training and showing restraint then smuggling himself on a ship. That or doing as the big guy did and working his passage odd though that seems unlikely given how well known he was in the country at least his crimes were.

As his sensei teaches in Book of Water in his series The Book of Five Rings.

[i][green]In strategy your spiritual bearing must not be any different from normal. Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm.[/green][/i]

>>5099783
Ah right. On my phone I'm not op so no fancy text. Ah well.

>>5099783
From the book of lungism

>One may regard a teacup as empty, or a torn shirt as tattered. But from these things, you may make the most beautiful tea and spin a most elegant gown

>>5095944
>>5095929
Finally back. Getting to writing.

>>5102683
Hey boss, did you enjoy the holidays?
Probably shouldn't be asking yet when there's still new years, but fuck it.

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110 KB JPG

>>5102710
Not gonna lie. They were rough. Real rough and not in the happy hectic time with family kind of way. Dunno if it was karma or luck but it was a good thing I took a break from the quest because it gave me time to deal with it. Still have a sick cat to take care of but that's about the only thing I have control over.

All in all, pretty bad way to end the year. Still, gotta persevere and move onward. Planning a nice end of the year get together with some close friends and family if only to commiserate, tell the year to fuck off, and enjoy ourselves.

Moreover, I hope your holidays were good as well. Silver linings and all that. Gotta carry forward some positivity and good will to others. Shenlong and co knows that others might need it.

>>5102766
Telling the year to fuck itself is a good one.

Sorry got pulled away. I'll get back to writing.

"I'll be honest, all that refrence works and jargon is kind of confusing for me. But they are a nice change of pace compared to Kung Fu training. If I wasn't already streatched thin as it is, I would continue my own research on Chi. But at the risk of sounding hypcritical after asking you to think of yourself over others. Try and reach the top, for me. I know you have it in you. Speaking of Chi, I might have something I want to look into that I'll need your help for. Either way, keep up the good work and keep an eye out. Stuff that big tend to attract jealousy." You say as you pat Ming on the head and leave her to her work.

With some time still left on your hands, you head over to the two rabbits and sit down. Renshu gives you a meaningful look and a smile as he continues to play his music. As always, the two of you don't need to say anything, verbally or mentally. You simply sit in silence and enjoy the music. Though you weren't a projessional or avid listener to music, there was a noticable differnce to it. It not longer had that eerie forboding feeling to it though it still held feelings of melancholy. He leans slightly to rest against your arm and drops his ears behind his head to relax. "You know, they said they're doing this to make you jealous but I presume they really just wanted an excuse to nap." He says quietly as he motions to Xin Lan.

You raise an eyebrow. "I don't think I've ever seen them that content." You say as you resist touching their nose.

"That's because you've always been alseep when it happens." Renshu chuckles. "It's quite horrifying to see my little killer being so unguarded while sleeping ontop of you."

"Y-you've seen me sleep?" You stammer.

"Once or twice when I needed Xin Lan for errands." He says amused.

"But...I'm the one who wakes up the earliest." You say.

"You are." Renshu agrees. "That much hasn't changed."

"Are you saying that you don't sleep?"

"On occasion. The diner does require quite a bit of prepperation on some days." He explains. "It's not that big of a deal. I know for a fact you can do the same for a few days with no ill effect."

"True, but you still shouldn't do that. It's not healthy." You insist.

"Now you're sounding like Ming." Renshu says with a smile. "She is a bad influence on you."

"Really? Because someone told me you said that she should be more selfish." You tease.

"Did I now?" Renshu says as he pretends to think. "I would never. Ming is the best of us. Perhaps I was trying to tell you. After all, you did say I was into bad boys." Your face goes red and you look away only to expose your cheek and allowing him to kiss it. "Go check on your food Tai Lung. I think it's been enough time." He says.

You nod vigorously and hurry back to the kitchen catching Ming grinning at you and giggling. You take a deep drink of water before splashing the rest on your face to calm down then look at your meat. You already spent enough time waiting on this, perhaps it would be best to try and hurry up by cooking everything at once.

>What do you do?
>Cook all the meat at once. It's the fastest way and you won't need to run back and forth between batches of buns.
>Cook the meat in batches. You'll need to make the buns as soon as the meat is ready meaning that you'll have to make them in sets and keeping an eye on both things cooking.
>Try and cook everything at once. Multiple pans with meat while buns cook. Everything in a tight sequence.
>Write in.

>>5103191
>Try and cook everything at once.
>To keep time, recite the steps for the batches we need, really use our memory to it's fullest.

>>5103191
>Cook all the meat at once. It's the fastest way and you won't need to run back and forth between batches of buns.
Better for the food to be a bit cold when served than undercooked or burned.

>>5103398
Oh, and if we cook all the meat at once go through, be sure to do it in different pans.
Last time we did it all some of the meat was bad because it got stuck in bottom, and some never cooked right, sobreducing surface area should help.

Happy new years everyone!

Happy New Year's to everybody! You already know who it is from the vocaroo link, I'm back again, this time in low quality because I am in my bed and delirious. Beware it may be a tad loud because of that so just in case turn it down, yeh? It's just an update on what's been holding me up.

https://voca.ro/1mmvSs6rjurc

Oh, also I am very tired. You'll be able to hear that for sure. Anyways, I'm gonna chill out for a bit, I'll probably be around tomorrow catching up on stuff. Hope things have been going well

>>5104374
Good to see you again and happy new years! TL quest has been going on for 2 years and let's see how long it can go!

>>5104417
>It's been 2 years
I feel old now

>>5103274
>>5103398
Cooking for the buns and cats. Let's hope Ming's talents won't be needed. Writing.

Two pans, one oven. You've not sure how much you can put into the oven to keep everything cooked properly but not knowing never stopped you. You put a few more logs into the fire and place both pans to heat up. Last time, attempting to cook everything at once ended up making the cooking uneven. By splitting up the portions, you hope that you can still keep up the pace while not making the same mistakes. Once the meat hits the first pan, the familiar scent of cooking meat and spices fills the air along with sounds of sizzling. The marinade sizzles and pops as it hits the pan before the meat does and you stir to keep everything from sticking. Moving quickly, you pour another portion on to the second pan and move to stirring that.

Keeping up the tempo, you start working on the dough again and molding it so that you can dump spoonfuls of the stuffing to seal up without having to go one by one. You stop midway and turn back to stir the food again, keeping a close eye on what you think is the under cooked portions of the batch though such a thing is rather difficult given the color the sauce gives the food and your relative inexperience with how well done meat should be. Frankly, you were better simply holding it directly over the flames than messing with things like spices and marinades. Still, once you think everything is ready and you don't want to risk burning the cut up veggies, you grab a damp rag and take one pan off the flame to begin scooping it's contents into your dough. It was an odd sensasion being able to preform the phsyical tasks as easy as breathing and yet when it came to waiting and gauging the food, you felt like a child learning how vault over obstacles.

You maintain your pace, and sweep your eyes over the kitchen if only to make sure something isn't on fire. As you do so, your hyperaware senses catch two pairs of eyes peeking through a slightly open door. A small bunny and a large cat, trying to stay hidden as they watch you work. You don't let that bother you as you place the pan back on the stove and fill it up once more before quickly grabbing the second one and turning again to empty it. With quick pinching motions, you close up all the dough around the meat and stuff it into the oven to cook before repeating the whole process again.

As you work, you wonder how Renshu manages to do this every day and with several dozen different dishes at once. The idea of working with hundreds of steps, each with their own timings, just as many spices and seasonings, while keeping track of orders made your mind go blank for a moment. Was it like fighting against dozens of opponents and looking for patterns in fighting styles to make thing simple? Keeping an on the whole body rather than trying to predict the movement of hundreds of limbs? You're not sure how he does it but before you know it, you have nothing left to do and are simply waiting for your first batch of buns to finish cooking before placing in the next. You quietly drum your fingers on the counter as you try to keep busy.

>What do you do?
>Try and cook something else. Perhaps something to go along with your meat buns.
Go back to the dining hall and talk again? Would help pass the time like it did before.
>Stare at the oven. You won't be very fun to watch for your audience but you've master the ability to do absolutely nothing.
>Write in.

>>5105132
>Juggle a few spoons to pass the time.

>>5105084
they will be!

>>5105132
>Make a spectacle and a fool of ourselves. Juggling spoons works

>>5105186
>>5105309
Training is training. Juggling spoons while we wait. Maybe Bao is watching and we'll distract her enough to gaurentee a win!

Well this year is off to a fine start. Internet is wigging out. My downloads are throttled to all hell and my upload as well...assuming it's not cutting out. Luckily I got a tech coming over on monday. I'll get a write up done offline and see when I can upload it. Hopefully this thing even gets posted.

>>5105686
It's all right, we can wait

You tap your fingers more rapidly. Normally you could stand still and wait but this time...this time felt different. Or perhaps cooking would always leave you uneasy. There was countless stories of great heroes and villians who were brought down by their own weakness. Curses of which they had to pay as a price for their overwhelming talent. Was cooking to be yours? A hex placed upon you as a child by the Gods? You should ask Shenlong about it. Perhaps he may free you from it.

You clap your hands against your cheeks. No. It was just your nerves making you think foolish thoughts. You place your hands back on the counter and feel the tips strike a spoon you unconciously lean down to snatch it out of the air. As you go back to ruminating on wild thoughts to keep you busy, you flick your thumb causing to the spoon to spin over the back of it. You eye the spoon idly as you catch it. Sighing, you begin to wander the kitchen as you toss the utensil between your hands. The wait was going to kill you? What if somehow, something got into the food and everyone got sick? What if Renshu was so dissappointed in you that he'd no longer let you into his kitchen? Ming would never let you near any kind of food again and would probably try to feed you all kinds of medicines. Worst of all, if Xin even got an inkling of something being wrong they'd never let it go. The constant teasing and no doubt lewd jokes they'd mix in, it was enough to make you shiver.

Your stray hand sweeps a cup up from nearby and tosses it along with the spoon as you continue to wander absentmindedly. But what about Bao? What if she won? Would that be a bad thing? To see if she improved? Or would she take that there being no point in continuing if neither could overcome their faults. You grab a nearby pan. It's shape adding to the difficulty of juggling everything and thus keeping your mind busy. You reach out and grab a jug and then pot. Moving around the kitchen you grab various objects to juggle. This was quite nice, being able to pass the time and train your coordination.

You do hear the patter of feet hurry towards you as Xin Lan shouts, "Hey! You can't do that! My big brother owns this place and he'll beat you up if I tell him. Get back to making me food!" They pout.

With their cover blown, Ming simply walks in with an amused look on her face.

>What do you do?
>Tell Ming to take Xin and go tell the others that the food will be ready soon. You just want to juggle a bit longer.
>Try, Keyword here being try, snark back at Xin by telling him that the owner of this place is your boyfriend and you'll tell him to kick them out.
>Simply grab Xin and juggle them too. Nothing could go wrong with that.
>Ignore Xin and grab a few more things to juggle.
>Write in.

>>5107148
>Try, Keyword here being try, snark back at Xin by telling him that the owner of this place is your boyfriend and you'll tell him to kick them out.

>>5107148
>Snark back
>Threaten to juggle Xin too.

>>5107148
>Grab Xin and put them on our head. They like that.
>Get norr things to juggle. Maybe a few different kitchen utensils. No knifes of course.

>>5107170
>>5107286
>>5107493
We can probally mix all these.

>>5107644
Threaten to juggle if they snark. They snark.
Thus we place them on head and juggle more.

File: mwg7nMZGx1tqclgo_1280.jpg (545 KB, 1280x1707)

545 KB JPG

A certain bun caught snacking before they're going to pester TL at his gym.

>>5107679
xin lan is going to hit old age and their high metabolism will suddenly slam the brakes but xin lan will refuse to acknowledge this and will keep eating like usual and will end up being the steretypical short round wrinkled nugget that many asians turn into once they hit 60

>>5107692
Makes them easier to juggle. At the moment, I honestly can't imagine the crew growing old. The alternate, and not sad, future I can see is that Xin Lan becomes one of those old masters that uses their decades of exeprience and honed bodies to fuck with everyone in existence, moreso if they're their old students.

>>5107692
Just like a normal asian grandma, they are young for a very long time and get hit with the old age all at once.

>>5107695
Shit, menat to reply to this.
But for some reason it's like always like this, even the very healthy ones can just repel the curse for an extra decade.
And if they continue being active even after that? It's a small wrinky grandma that can run like a cheeta.

>>5107692
>>5107713
Aww man, I just realized you guys are giving poor Xin the Anko treatment from Naruto. Yikes.

>>5107719
>It's a small wrinky grandma that can run like a cheeta.
It's all that practice from raising their bunny snow leopard hybrids.

>>5107724
Hey, she just fot fat out of nowhere, not even the excuse of old age, she just let herself go. This however ia to become tiny round grandma once she hits her 60-70s, the unfortunate of the cool asian mother (together with the cool italian mother and the cool latina mother).

>>5107692
>>5107724
Nothing is going to stop Xin. Naught. Nada. None.

They will continue to do all these things which they can do.

You look down at the bunny, hands on their hips and cheeks puffed up in a perfect impression of that young fox that was going to marry An Bo though his name eludes you beyond the fact he was related to Hien's friend and smirk. "Really? What's he gonna do?" You ask as you grab another spoon. Xin Lan puffs up their chest.

"He's a Kung Fu master I'll have you know and he knows how to fight three guys at once." They say proudly. "And you look like you're only as strong as 2."

"Well...I'll have you know that...erm..." You clear your throat, instinctively grabbing a few more items to try to distract yourself.

"Know what?" Xin Lan asks with suspicion in their eye.

"That...erm...that...I'm...I mean...The owner is my boyfriend." You mumble as your face grows red. Xin Lan opens their mouth to say something but you interrupt by grabbing them and placing them on your shoulders. The bunny wiggles happily and they giggle.

"You know...I'm part owner too." They murmur gleefully as they trace a spot on your fur. "So it's true that we are a couple."

"But you're not a boy." You reply.

"But I can be. Just for you." They counter. "Or a girl. Variety is the spice of life you know...Our relationship will never be boring." You keep your mouth shut lest you incur the small bunny's real wrath rather than their pretending as you juggle everything. "Do some knives next." Xin Lan urges you.

"What? No. Xin, Tai Lung could get hurt." Ming finally speaks up. Xin Lan pats your head.

"My husband can handle it." They say proudly.

"What?" You ask in surprise. They shrug.

"Well you said we were basically engaged and given your track record, you'll never actually propose and hold a wedding so I decided to expedite things. Might as well."

"That's...not how it works." You say.

"I'm just being pragmatic." Xin Lan says matter of factly.

"But what about your one true love?" You say, trying to get wind back into your sails. "Your little admirer, the brown bunny." You actually hear Xin Lan huff at that.

"I'm never going to date him." They say stubbornly. "Never ever."

"Come on. You can at least give the poor boy a chance." You say with a small smile as you manage to annoy Xin Lan a bit. "You'll never know, maybe he'll save your life from bandits and sweep you off your feet to carry you to get married. Ming can be the maid of honor, and Renshu can be the best man. Imagine how happy you'll make him when he finds out his little sister has found true love." You chuckle. "Oh and let's not forget kids. I'm sure your children will be very cute. Maybe they'll have their father's ears and their mother's tail." You smile as you hear fake gagging on your head.

>What do you do?
>Try and concvince Xin to give it a chance. Might require some bribing/making a deal.
>Continue to tease Xin. It's very rare you can get this kind of advantage. Best you make the most of it before Xin becomes immune.
>Stop juggling and set Xin down. Food is almost ready. It's time for the judging.
>Write in.

>>5107745
>>5107769
Xin basically becomes a round Toph Bei Fong. That's awesome. Also can't forget the obligatory stories about how they were the talk of the town.

>>5107799
>Banish the interlopers from your divine realm, so that you may give your masterpiece the attention it deserves.

>>5107799
>Tease more
>Put the stuff back and get rid of the others, it is time for the masterpiece!

This won't kill anyone. Right?

>>5107847
>>5107854
Support
>>5107805
Kind of like a female Shifu, looks harmless but is a badass, and if you know the name you know the fame.Wheter it's about the fighting or the smut depends on the person

>>5107847
>>5107854
>>5107876
We tease then hide in the kitchen. Writing.

"Just remember," You continue. "That you must name one of your sons after your elder brother Tai Lung. I think I deserve that much. Of course, Ming also should be the name of one of your daughters as well." You motion to Ming. "After all bunnies are known to have rather large families right?"

Xin Lan bats your head with their tiny hands. "Stop! No that's gross! I don't want to have kids with him!"

"No no. I know true love when I see it and you two are definitely meant for each other." You say with a grin as you start putting things away again. "After all, the shy innocent boy always gets the hot headed gutsy girl. That's how it is in the novels right?"

"No. I'll run away and come back to you." They counter as they fold their arms over their chest. "You can't get rid of me that easily. We're married already. Now stop bullying me or I'll tell your brother in law to defend me." They say. You chuckle as you finish up setting things aside. You grab the rabbit off your shoulders and hold them at arms length.

"See? Not so fun when your on the otherside is it?" You ask.

"What are you talking about?" Xin Lan asks with a grin as they rest their elbows on your wrists and their head in their hands. "I love it when you're fiesty. Nothing gets me going when you have that fire in your eyes. But you're right. I will name our first son after you. After all, our dynasty needs a strong heir with a strong name. We'll make Stripes so happy by giving him nephews he can teach the killing arts to."

You shake your head and snort. You should have known that Xin Lan would bounce back so quickly. You set them on the ground and pat their back. "Now shoo. I have a masterpeice to take care of." You say with a laugh.

"You're going to get us all killed." Xin Lan shouts as they walk off.

"You're going to get it now." Ming says with a grin. "I think Xin likes it more when you tease back. Now they'll really think of something to take you off guard."

"I can handle it." You lie. "I'm getting better at it you know."

"Better? Sure. But you still can't talk about your relationship without looking like you're going to pass out." Ming giggles. "You have a long way to keep up with that little demon."

"And here I was thinking I was making progress." You say as you pull out a tray of buns and slide in another. "But it's like the saying goes 'Even a drop of water can cleave mountains, given enough time.'"

"If they had a choice, I'm sure Xin would outlive us all if only to spite us." Ming laughs.

"I'm sure they'd choose to be the first to go if it meant they wouldn't be alone." You admit. "Behind all their bluster, I know they care about us."

"And the sky is blue. It's pretty obvious that they do." Ming says with a smile. She places a hand on your shoulder. "And it's all because of you. The little drop of water...although a raging storm is more like it." She says. She pats your back and turns to leave. "I'll get the medicine ready. If Xin dies becuase of your food, then I'll bring them back so they can get their revenge." She says.

You grin and turn to look at the buns you made, wondering if you should try and fix them up.

>What do you do?
>Look through your buns. Pick out the best ones to give to your friends and throw away the others.
>Keep the buns but try see if you can salvaged the less savory ones. Maybe you can cook them a bit longer and try to cut off any burned bits.
>Try and make something else that can go along with the buns. Maybe it might help compliment them.
>Write in.

>>5108103
>Try and make something else that can go along with the buns. Maybe it might help compliment them.
I don't know, some fresh juice or fruit flavored milk? We did make them spicy.

>>5108103
>Try and make something else that can go along with the buns. Maybe it might help compliment them.

>>5108103
>Try something else to go with it.

Maybe use some of the marinade, mix it with cream and use it as a dip
We do need some milk to aid our friends.

Xin Lan x Tigress when?

>>5108113
>>5108172
>>5108608
Writing.

As much as you like meat buns, you do admit that meat buns alone would make for a particularly boring meal. Snooping around, you find a few fruits you think you can turn to juice. You've done it before while you were training. All you had to do was take the fruits in hand and squeeze them really hard...right?

You hold some fruit over a jug and squeeze really hard. The fruits burst at their proverbial seams and begin bleeding into the container and staining your hands. You could just as easily done this one handed but using two meant you could squeeze out every drop of juice out of them with the unfortunate side effect of leaving your hands full of fruit chunks. Satisfied with a jar full of juice, you wash your hands and get back to finishing your buns. You stack them up as best you can and trying to ignore a few of the less round ones as you hide them in the stack. Grabbing the jar of juice, you make your way out of the kitchen and into the dining room.

"Food's ready." You announce as you head to the table where everyone was sitting at.

"Finally!" Xin Lan says exasperated. "What was I saying? Oh right. Stripes, my husband is bullying me! You're my elder brother so make him stop." They say.

Renshu pats Xin Lan's head and smiles. "Very well. I'll make sure the brown rabbit will vanish by the end of the night." He says. Xin Lan glares and pouts as furiously as they can. "I see you're meat buns are looking much better than when you first burned through my favorite frying pan." They add with a smile as they look at the plate you set down.

"Y-yeah." You say. You feel as though your heart was trying to punch through you rib cage. "I also made juice..." You manage to add as you motion to the jug.

"Ooh juice. I don't think I've had that in a few centuries." Bao says as she sits down and removes her blindfold. "Everyone always offers solid food."

"Did you finish your art?" You ask, glad for a change in conversation.

"Yeah. I think I'm done." She says looking over her shoulder. "At least, pretty sure."

"That's some confidence." You tease.

"Well, one of us needs to be confident in our work." Bao says with a smile as she grabs a meat bun.

"I'm confident." You protest.

"You certainly don't feel it." She counters.

"She is right about that." Renshu says. "Your mind is running wild with uncertainty."

"That's just...excitement. Of you guys trying out my food." You say. Everyone gets a chuckle out of that as they dig in. Much to your relief, theres far less hesitation this time than the last.

"This is actually edible." Xin Lan says with both a surprise and cheeks full of food. "I'm actually surprised."

"Be nice." Ming says, shooting a look at the bunny. "You really did improve. This tastes like something I could probably buy in a shop. There's no burned stuffing or dough. Maybe you should start thinking of competing with Ren." She giggles.

"Oh I'm afraid the gap between us is far to large for him to be a threat." Renshu says amused as he wiggles his nose at one of buns. "However, Ming is right. You have improved quite alot since you started." He says gently. "While I would not sell this in my shop, I would gladly have this served in my home. This is something I would prefer over something I could find in most shops. I'm proud of you."

"I'm worried how bad you used to be given everyone's reactions." Bao says as she chews on her meal. "I've had quite a lot of food and this tastes just as good as anything else. Everyone here is making it out like you're some kind of monster in the kitchen. Even you." She says giggling. "I like it. Feel free to leave some at a shrine sometime. I'll always look forward to them. You can taste how much effort you put into these." She swallows. "I might actually need to be worried in this competition."

"The juice however..." Renshu says with a slight frown. "Well...it leaves a bit to be desired."

"It's just juice." You say. "I didn't add anything to it."

"Well...it's more like you kind of mashed the fruit into a pulp." Ming says gently. "I don't mind a bit of pulp in my drink but...I think half of the source might be in my cup."

"You left the seeds in this." Xin Lan says. "How'd you make this juice?"

"I..I umm squeezed the fruits really hard. I do it all the time..." You mumble. "I thought it tasted nice. Especially after training."

"My love...perhaps your next lesson should be in presentation." Renshu says. "The drink is edible but...well there's a reason why we have tools for juicing things. Thoroughly as well I might add." You cough and avert your eyes.

"I well...how is the spice?" You ask.

"It's not bad." Ming says. "It's definitely not as salty either. Which is the best part. It's a good bun. Unlike a certain someone I know."

"I am the best bun with the best bunny buns as well." Xin Lan says not even looking at Ming. "You're just jealous."

"All in all I'd say this was a great success." Ming continues. "But I'm still not letting you near the campfire."

>What do you say?
>Write in.

>>5109600
Put on an upright voice and cross our arms and put our nose up, act the fool.
>Well meatbuns are a dignified and royal variety of food, not accustomed to roughing it in the wild. They shall thusly make very little appearance over mere campfires.

And then we can try one of our own meatbuns, the effort should carry through.

>>5109453
NEVER HEATHEN! RENSHU FOR LIFU

>>5109600
>I would say that is for the best, don't know how I would use the pots and pans over a open fire and not burn the food. So I guess we will have to keep eating Renshu's or Ming's wonderful cooking while travelling. A tragedy really.
>Thank you all for the kind words, wouldn't have managed to improve so much without your support.
>Now let's take a look on what ypu have done Bao. As for how I was before, let's just say I used to make the saying burn water a real thing.
>>5109720
He said xin and tigress, so it would be little sisters together. Which is also heresy.
I will oppose the BGA to the end! The First Girl calls and the faithful answer!

>>5109837
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

It's me, back at it again to share a random recommended bunny video that is kind of relevant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC1Lx9WaOLU

I'm not made for the office slave life gents. I'm dying over here. I miss the infinite library and flinging spells at cultists. Sounds like a good plot for a quest. No one ever really shows what happens when the rare isekai hero returns home and loses all his magic shit. I'll try and post something but my phones mobile ip has a tendancy to get banned for some reason or another. Doesn't help that the office WiFi is down.

Less meta, I'm back at work and I was hoping to use the office WiFi to post but seems like thsts out of the question for the moment

>>5110392
Well that's because going back to your boring life devoid of adventure and having learned valuable lessons that make you a better more rounded person is not in vogue as per the recent decades.

Escapism of permanence is the norm and deviations of that sort is usually more depressing than not, which is reflective of the modern consensus on what our ancestors have made of the world and we are either unable or unwilling to change about it.

That being said, an introduction as an OP as shit isakai hero who goes forth and finally slays the lord or lady of evil from the land to return to 'reality', depowered and wiser only to be hunted by cultists is. . . A really interesting set up. I'd argue better for a well written single shot rather than prolonged story, to highlight the key point that adventure and heroism isnt for power, but rather a matter of internal betterment and affirmative action.

>>5109717
>>5109837
Being snooty about our buns. Writing.

You raise your nose to the air and look down at your friends in an imitation of Xin Lan. "Well meatbuns are a dignified and royal variety of food, not accustomed to roughging it in the wild. Thusly they shall not grace our campfires for a long while. Besides, it would be for the best as I don't know how I would use pots and pans over an open flame. I guess we'll have to keep eating Renshu and Ming's wonderful cooking for the time being. A tragedy really. But thank you all for the kind words, wouldn't have managed to improve so much without your support. Now let's take a look on what ypu have done Bao. As for how I was before, let's just say I used to make the saying burn water a real thing."

Bao smiles. "Well I'm sorry to say but I think I won this competition." She says matter-of-factly. "I have worked very very hard for this." She stands up and goes to the back of the room to grab her painting . Doing her best to cover her art with her body in order to keep it a surprise, she happily places it on the table. You and your friends lean over to get a better look at her fruit bowl.

"Wow...I can really tell the erm, passion you put into your work." Ming says weakly as she looks at the two rabbits for help. Neither say anything and instead merely nod along with her comments.

"Thank you." Bao says happily. "I think I really made the style all my own."

"You can say that again." Xin Lan mutters before having their mouth stuffed with a meat bun.

"What do you think? Ready to admit defeat?" Bao asks you. You study the picture a bit more. It was...certainly something. Far better than when you met her, you nonetheless have trouble identifying the fruits that are supposed to be in the bowl. It was as if everything was both underwater and being seen through cracked glass. The fruits looked like fuzzy shapes but upon glancing at the subject matter, you could start to make out what each thing was.

>What do you say?
>Ask Bao if the...style was a concious choice. Everything is a bit fuzzy.
>Ask Bao to explain her process. You never had a head for the more interprative angles of painting.
>Say nothing other than concedeing defeat.
>Write in.

>>5111438
>Ask her to walk us through the method.

Maybe we should try weakening our eyesight? She could have gone for a hazy daydream.

>>5111438
>Ask Bao to explain her process. You never had a head for the more interprative angles of painting.

>>5111898
>>5111545
Now practically speaking, it's likely she just can't paint worth shit.

But on the off hand. . art styles are inherently organic things, done by a single pioneer that other people look at then copy.
So perhaps on the offchance that this is the van ghou of ancient china. . Perhaps she's just got really bad eyesight and this is what she can see?

>>5112170
Oh Dragons, she has astigmatism, we got to find a oculist for magic beings.
Although if she just makes the style a little crispier so someone can eventually understand the meaning it might actually be really neat.

>>5112170
>>5112237
She's trying her best...despite training for who knows how many years. Centuries?
>>5111545
>>5111898
Writing.

Rather than be rude, you ask the only thing that might shed some light on her work. "Well...everyone has a way of doing things. Artists, cooks, sculpters, even Kung Fu masters. Mind explaining to me your methods?" You ask as you pull up a chair. "Sometimes, one's efforts are not fully appreciated until they are brought to light." You motion towards the meat buns. "Such as my woefully unappreciated cooking talents." You joke.

Bao looks at you and nods. Like always, her vast blue eyes seemed to both look at you and through you leaving you feeling somewhat exposed. "I painted what I saw." She says gently. "The shapes and form. Though truth be told, I no longer see as you and others do. So I painted as I remembered the way the world looked to me. Before I met you and my eyes opened and became clear. The world is was so limited before then..." She grabs your, Ming's and Renshu's hands placing them on the paper. "But you can feel it too, can't you? Just reach out...touch it." She whispers. You and your friends look at each other confused. "Not with your hands." She urges. "With your hearts. Your feelings."

You and the others close your eyes and reach other with your 6th sense. Immediately the painting comes to life, flourishing with life and beauty. It was nothing you could see even with your ability to perceive the astral world but even so you could imagine everything that was on the paper. "It's...it's like the bowl was right here." Ming whispers. "Each fruit inside it...almost growing there. I can almost taste it." You feel Ming's hands squeeze yours as she attempts to try and grab the invisible fruit.

"The art is enchanted. Such is the power of the woman who is Shenlong and her ownself." Renshu says. "Even I've never met someone who could so meticulously place the essence of several things and maintain their individulality."

"This is amazing Bao." You say. "I should have expected something like this. There's more than meets the eye just like when I met you." You say. "What did I tell you about practice?" You joke.

"Oh it's nothing big." Bao says.

"Hey! What about me?!" Xin Lan says with a pout. "I can't do witchcraft!"

Bao pats the bunny on the head. "Why should you? Someone as perfect as you doesn't need to change. Especially how brilliantly you shine in my eyes."

"Well...yeah...true but even so..." They mumble. Bao takes Xin Lan's hands.

"Here. Let me guide you." She says just as gently. "Close your eyes. Steady your breathing. It should be just as easy for you to see." Xin Lan grows quiet and still. "No little fountain. Don't push aside your emotions. Keep them burning bright. Let them light the way through the darkness that blinds your senses." Xin Lan wiggles uncomfrotably. "I know...it hurts." Bao says as she strokes their ears. "She won't hurt you anymore. We're all here. Shh...focus on the now...just like that. Can you see it? The fruit? The love put into the paint? The effort and affection put in to the food for you?"

"Y-yes..." Xin Lan says, clearly uncomfortable and tears running down their cheeks. Bao gently rubs their forehead with her thumb.

"That's enough for now." She says. "It'll be alright. It can be scary to open one's eyes for the first time."

"Is...that what it's like for you all the time?" They ask.

"That and more. It's rather difficult being so empathic and you have it in spades. It's no wonder you grew up the way you did." Bao plants a kiss on Xin Lan's nose. "But your soul is healing. Keep on your path my child. Don't be afraid to stray, your friends will always guide you back."

Xin Lan sniffs and nods. "You still cheated though. It's supposed to be painting." They say quietly.

"Perhaps I did. I suppose thats up to the contest creator to decide." She says with a smile and a hug.

>What do you say?
>Say you lost. It's quite obvious the time dialation made all the difference.
>Say you won. Using her powers is kind of cheating.
>Ask if she was holding back in painting. Clearly the time she spent practicing made quite the difference so you're not sure why everything is blurry despite the second effect.
>Write in.

>>5112544
>Ask if she was holding back in painting. Clearly the time she spent practicing made quite the difference so you're not sure why everything is blurry despite the second effect.
>Unfortunaly for you Bao, I win even after I lose, because this is undeniable proof that we can inprove what is cobsideted impossible. You really put us in a situation where there would be no winners didn't you? Either both of us failed to improve and we hurt our pride, I managed to do it but you don't forcing you to continue, you did but I failed, provong you had talent all along, or both of us inproved and showed that talent is meaningless conpared to effort afterall.

>>5112556
I disagree with that assessment that talent is meaningless, and instead would spin it as you put us in a situation where there are us as winners.

We fail and she doesnt, then she has been proven wrong about both of us sucking.
Vice versa, our point is still proven.
Neither of us improved would be the only state in which we cannot claim to have won, but still had fun.
And both of us. . Well, the answer is obvious.

Still I say that she won, since the point of art is to invoke emotion

>>5112544
>Say you lost. It's quite obvious the time dilation made all the difference.

>>5114140
>>5113012
So I'm going to go for we lost the competition but we won in terms of ideology?

>>5114794
Seems good to me.
But I still want to ask her if she was holding back, or if all her technique is spent on magic. Mostly out of curiosity.

>>5114794
Yep, we got what we wanted.

since we said we could improve, she said we couldn't

"I lost." You say simply. "Your art is clearly better than what I could do with cooking." You admit. "But I also won. Like I told you, we can improve even if it seems impossible. Seems like I proved my point therefore I win."

Bao taps her cheek. "Nope. I still think you're wrong." She teases.

"You know, I had more fun when I was the stubborn one of the group." You chuckle.

"You're a good teacher." Bao says with a grin.

"You can say that again." Ming agrees as she waves her hands around your body. "It's like an aura. It just sticks to us and makes us all very stubborn people. So this is all your fault and you have to find a way to fix it." She tells you. You shake your head.

"No. I don't think I will." You say as you stroke your chin, pretending to think. "It might be better for all of you to be stubborn grumpy cats. It's working out well for the bunnies."

"I'm not grumpy!" Xin Lan counters. "I'm pleasant and adorable."

"They're right." Bao says. "Very cute and fluffy." Xin Lan sticks out their tongue at you and beams.

"Don't feed their ego." You caution. "They might float up to the heavens the more hot air fills their head."

"Nope. When the avatar of the Great Dragon says I'm cute therefore it must be true. Why it's a fact of nature now." They continue. "You lucked out when you married me." You roll your eyes. The less you play into it, the less painful it would be.

"Were you holding back on your art though?" You ask. "If you could do that after practicing so long then I can't help but wonder what you can do if you went all out."

Bao laughs. "Oh Tai Lung. That is my best. If I've told you once, I told you a hundred times. I really can't do art." She says with a smile.

----

"And I think that's all of it boss." One of your students says as they place another heavy sack on the floor. "Took us a while to get everone organized but hopefully this will last your a few months." They say as they stretch to try and get some kinks out of their back. Over the last few days, you and your students had been running around and buying produce and ingredients in secret as you try to restock The Warren's stores. It wasn't difficult beyond simply gathering everyone and making sure everyone divvied up their tasks properly. It took a while but you had managed to get a nice supply, if not the best, of ingredients in store. "Hopefully this'll help your erm...partner." You nod as you mark things off a list.

"Thanks. We'll weather this one way or another but this helps immensly." You say.

"What are you gonna do? Can't keep this up forever can we?" They ask.

>What do you say?
>Write in.

>>5115028
>This is just a temporary solution, we plan to go to the city hall and see if those who blacklisted us would explain themselves. A business has a right to deny service, but when it's an organized attempt done with no explaination, specialy if it's crucial goods like food, than it becomes and attack on livelyhood.
>Not that it matters too much, my stay here is going to come to an end in a few months. I'm going to pick a few of you that I already chosen to be instructors, and old Chen is foing to help as well, and I'm letting it happen for a few weeks as a test to see if it would work or I would need to come up with another method, I don't want to leave you all alone, other than just the simple essons I passed onto you.

>>5115028
>You dont need to worry about that, we'll sort it with the city.

The second half of >>5115059 post.

>>5115576
>>5115059
Writing.

"You don't need to worry abou that. We'll sort it out with the city. Gonna go to city hall and ask what this is all about. See if anyone of them can explain themselves. This is only really a temporary solution seeing as we're only staying here for a few more months. Just need to sort a few things out like who will run the classes when I'm gone." You say as you stuff some potatoes in a corner.

"Well if you're gonna go complain, you better get a move on. The public meetings are starting up in a few minutes." Your students says. You chuckle.

"I think I'll be fine." You say. "I'm a lot faster than I look."

"Yeah but it gets pretty packed. Tons of people wanting to complain and the like. Not to mention people who simply show up to hear the meetings themselves. Bit boring though."

"You're probably right. Best if I get a move on myself then. Thanks again. I'll see you next time in class."

"No problem boss. Let us know if you need anything." You nod and wave your student goodbye before stepping out into the dining room, right into another scene.

"I said no." Xin Lan says firmly with their arms crossed and looking very irritated.

"Please." The brown rabbit begs as they offer a bouquet of white flowers. "Your brother is going to be holding their event in a few days and I just want to take you there."

"And I don't wanna go. Especially with you." They reply.

"Please! I think you're the most beautiful person I ever met! Nobody ever makes me feel like you do. I just want to prove to you that I'm not who you think I am. That I do appreciate you!" The small rabbit begs. Xin Lan has that look in their eye and you get the feeling they're going to say something unfiltered.

>What do you do?
>Try and help the boy. See if you can convince Xin to at least give it a shot.
>Grab Xin and take them with you to the meeting. Might be better if there is more than one of you at city hall.
>Leave Xin to deal with this on their own. Go get Renshu or Ming to come along with you.
>Simply head out. Getting to the town meeting takes priority.
>Write in.

>>5116034
>Try and help the boy. See if you can convince Xin to at least give it a shot.
>For someone so adventurous, you are quite stubborn to refuse change. Weren't you the one that said that you despised those who wouldn't even try new experience? It seems that your places have been swapped somehow.

>>5116034
Hey, it's the brown bo-
Oh, oh no. I can't permit the murder that is about to occur. It will register on an emotional level.

>Get their attention. "Xin"
>Distract with small talk "I didn't know you had him over for some spare training"
>Discombobulate "Hello there Doroji, did I hear something about an event?"
>Assess environment, predict and counter occular assault of irritation with defense of calm composure.
>Strike. "Since Renshu will be helping out, you shouldn't be too far from the action. It wouldn't be such a bad idea to have him show you about the venue. And you know he'll fight me or Renshu until he's allowed, heh."

>End result, killing blow deflected, counter reposte made. Emotional recovery for betrayal? 2 days. Personal recovery from the beating to follow? 6 days. The love life of our little sister? Successfully meddled with.

I'd ask you to forgive my autism, but that Implies I feel shame for this rip off.

>>5116055
>>5116065
Tai Lung is about to become the leading cause of bunny on bunny murder. Congrats.