Storm Clouds

°•| Shadows of Fate |•°

"...So I'm like, fine, you may be a wolf, you may be the scariest bandit in Haijin Province..." Po continued while chopping up more vegetables and dropping them into the broth, "...but you're a lousy tipper."

"Really? So... how'd you get out of there alive?" Crane asked while pointing a wing incredulously at him. He and the rest of the Five alongside Jia had overheard movement in the kitchen and had gathered to find Po busy at work and now sat around the small table.

"I mean, I didn't actually say that, but I thought it... in my mind," Po muttered sheepishly while flipping some bowls into the air before expertly lining them up on his arm. With practiced ease, he ladled soup into them, "If he... could read my mind, he'd have been like, 'What?' Order up!"

Po looked around expectantly as he slid the bowls over to the Five-save for Tigress-who promptly dug in.

"Hope you like it."

"This is really good." Mantis said, his tone surprised. Lei hummed in agreement while shoving another spoonful into his mouth.

"No, c'mon. You should try my dad's secret ingredient soup. He actually knows the secret ingredient." Po stated bashfully.

"What are you talking about? This is amazing." Viper disagreed while Jia nodded in silent agreement.

"Wow, you're a really good cook." Crane added.

"I wish my mouth was bigger." Mantis continued to which the others laughed.

"Tigress, you gotta try this." Monkey insisted while gesturing to his bowl with a spoon.

"It is said that the Dragon Warrior can survive for months at a time on nothing but the dew of a single gingko leaf and the energy of the universe." Tigress replied while depositing a tofu cube into her mouth and chewing cauptiously.

Silence falls on the group as they turn to look at Po, who shrugged sheepishly as he sat down.

"I guess my body doesn't know it's the Dragon Warrior yet. I'm gonna need a lot more than dew. And, uh, universe juice." Po eventually replied as he picked up his bowl and took a giant gulp. When he lowered the bowl, a noodle was left hanging from his upper lip like a mustache.

The others snicker, causing Po to look up at them in confusion.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing... Grandpa." Lei replied with a grin at which the rest started laughing. Jia shook his head at his antics before continuing to eat as Tigress looked around in mild disbelief.

Glancing down, Po realizes he's wearing a noodle mustache and plays it up. Moving back, he drops down to his knees, his fists on his hips in imitation of Shifu.

"You will never be the Dragon Warrior unless you lose five hundred pounds and brush your teeth!"

The group laughed as Po continued.

"What is that noise you're making? Laughter? I never heard of it!" They kept laughing as Po reached over and grabbed two empty bowls and held them up like ears.

"Work hard, Panda. And maybe, someday... you will have ears like mine."

As the rest of the Five laughed, Tigress suddenly looked up and froze. The Five looked up soon after and stopped laughing as Shifu entered behind Po, Oogway's staff grasped gingerly in his hands.

"Ears. It's not working for you? I thought they were pretty good." Po looked at the stone-faced Five. Glancing up, Jia's eyes narrowed as she registered the distraught practically oozing from his frame. The two locked eyes for a moment before Shifu looked away, his expression pained.