The Curious Tale Of Momoda

Elusive

"Hmmm, very interesting," Shifu muttered at the kitchen table. He sat across from Po with a plate full of his usual noodle soup with dumplings. Po gulped down another dumpling as Shifu stroked his goatee. "And is Master Tigress okay?"

"I think so," Po said. "That fight took a lot out of her, but she kept Momoda on the edge." 

"And she's still sleeping?" Po nodded. It was noon, which made the red panda more anxious. "In their fight, was there anything unusual about Momoda?" 

"Yeeaaaaah. She was quiet."

Shifu rose an eyebrow. "She usually isn't?"

"I... don't know what is usual for her."

"Fair point."

"But she doesn't seem to be harming anyone right now," Po said. 

"You mean other than you and the others."

"And the bandits."

"Who count as people being harmed." 

Po rolled his eyes. "I say we just keep a close eye on any activity tonight. But let's leave Tigress to sleep."

"Hmmm," Shifu murmured, stroking his beard. "But if Tigress and you are having a hard time with this tiger, it might be time to call in reinforcements."

"You mean other Kung Fu Masters?" Po asked. Shifu nodded. "Is that really necessary?"

"Po."

"This isn't me asking because she's flirting with me," Po said defensively. "It's just... crime at night is down and she helped Crane get his girlfriend."

"Girlfriend? They're officially dating?" Shifu asked. Po's smirk made the red panda shake his head. "It doesn't matter. I was hoping that Master Tigress could defeat her where you couldn't."

"Why?"

"Because she's a female."

Po rolled his eyes again. "Just because Momoda is a woman doesn't make it harder for me."

"No, she's an attractive female that is flirting with you. I'm not questioning your ability, Po. I'm just saying that it is dangerous."

"How would you know?"

Shifu smirked, "Because I've been there before. More times than you think." 

"Hmph," Po huffed. "Alright, I guess we can try with the masters." 

"I'm glad you can see it my way, Dragon Warrior," Shifu smiled. 

"But," Po said as Shifu left his seat, "Try not to make the wrong decision just because she's not doing things the way you want."

"We have laws and rules about how people should act, Po. You know that."

"And yet, people don't exactly hate her. Heck, they seem to actually like her." 

Shifu turned around and narrowed his eyes. "How do you know this?"

"Uhhh well," Po tapped his fingers together. "I... may have heard some stuff from my... dad."

"Gossip you mean."

"Okay, okay. I know I'm not supposed to listen to town gossip, but before that, I thought the same way you did. And then Momoda showed up." 

"Correlation doesn't mean causation, Po," Shifu sighed. "The very presence of this feline doesn't mean that gossip is true or should be listened to. Especially when that kind of information can so easily be turned against you. Something you should know about."