Chapter 683 (Patreon)

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“Kukku.”

Burying my face in Mama Bun’s soft, silken fur, I sullenly ignore whatever Monk Happy is trying to say. It just takes too much effort to parse through his words, probably because he’s almost always smiling. His body language indicates patience and forbearance while his expression is one of blissful contentment, and neither one matches with what he’s trying to say, which throws a wrench in the works when it comes to understanding his verbal message. Song’s expression also rarely matches her words, but her body language speaks volumes, as does her Aura, which she uses almost without thinking. Then there’s Lin-Lin, whose words, expression, and body language all match, alongside something that feels similar to Aura, but isn’t really Aura. My sweet wifey just projects her feelings all the time, and I suspect the reason is because she never bothers hiding her mood, like the rest of us are wont to do.

And I could learn something from this, because I’m tired of my demands being ignored. I want the rooster, and I want it now.

“Kukku,” I say again, interrupting whatever explanation Monk Happy is trying to give, adding a measure of stubborn insistence alongside the verbal demand, even though I know it’s childish. I just want to see Kukku. Is that too much to ask? It’s been... well, I don’t know how long it’s been, but at least a day since I got it into my head to cuddle up with Kukku, because I bet he’d be all soft and snuggly like a nicely feathered bed. This time, Song takes over and simply shakes her head telling me the rooster is unavailable, but I will not be denied again, not today. I want to see Kukku, and nothing will stop me, even if I don’t really know why I so desperately need to cuddle him. I mean, he’s cute and all, especially when he does his little happy dance or has the laughing birds all nestled on his head, but I have Mama Bun in my arms, Ping Ping and Guai Guai snoozing beside me, and Aurie curled up around me, so I should be all good to go for my now customary mid-morning nap.

And yet, something in me stubbornly refuses to sleep until I have the rooster in my lap.

Well, maybe not my lap, as he’s pretty big. Don’t think he’ll fit, but we’ll make something work. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and I’ve got a hankering for some rooster snuggles. How does Kukku sleep anyways? Does he lie down, or does he sit and rest his head on his own feathery floof? I can’t say I’ve ever seen a sleeping chicken, though I know the laughing birds just settle back on their haunches and lean against one another for support. Adorable is what it is, and I kinda wish they were more willing to cuddle, though I suppose they’re just worried I’ll roll over and crush their hollow bones, which I admit is a pretty good reason to sleep elsewhere. I mean, there are times when I think about what’ll happen if Mila has a nightmare while snuggled against me, but I’ve just accepted that sleeping next to my beautifully freckled red-headed wife is totally worth the risk of inadvertent death through crushing.

“Mila.” Wait. No. Well, yes. I do want to see Mila, and Yan, and even Luo-Luo kinda, as it’s wrong to creep on Song and Guard Leader always snorts when I eye Lin-Lin with pervy intent, but that’s neither here nor there. Focus Rain, you have a mission and you need to keep to it: cuddle the fluffy rooster while you both nap. Simple enough, right? “Kukku.” Yes. Tell them. You want Kukku. No, you need Kukku. Make them understand. “Kukku."

Yes, that should do it. The rooster should be here any time now. Any time at all...

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True to form, my stubborn sleep strike fails as I doze off long before my demands are met, but in my defence, I’ve been denying myself sleep for about four days now. I haven’t really figured out why, but visiting my Natal Palace is no replacement for sleep, even though there’s a disconnect between my body, mind and soul. I suppose all three facets of my existence require downtime, so even though my body and mind are technically asleep, my soul being here in my Natal Palace means I’m not getting the full benefit of a good night’s rest. I don’t know why they won’t bring me to see Kukku, or why the rooster never comes to visit, but I need the rooster’s help to recover, but Monk Happy just doesn’t get it. Alas, my outer self lacks the ability to explain or even understand why he needs to see the rooster, so all I can do is act like a spoiled child and refuse to do anything else before my demands are met.

Patience is a virtue, so they say, but only a real Saint can deal with me when I’m at my most stubborn. Now I just have to keep whispering in my ear and avoid falling asleep in my Natal Palace, else I’ll have to start back at square one.

“Find Kukku,” I tell myself, whispering it like my new mantra. “Cuddle Kukku. Fall asleep with Kukku in your arms. You can do this. You need to do this. There are wives to reunite with and quin pups to cuddle.”

Also an Empire to lead, but that’s best left out, as I’m trying to motivate my outer self to get his ass in gear, not discourage and cause him to stubbornly procrastinate. Sometimes, I hate myself, and the rest of the time, I loathe me, but it is who I am, and I have no choice but to live with it.

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Waking up and feeling no more rested than before, I rub the sleep out of my eyes and take stock of my surroundings, if only so I don’t roll onto any floofs while stretching. Mama Bun is still fast asleep in my embrace, while Ping Ping is snuggled up beside me with Guai Guai splayed out on her shell, but the rest of my floofs are gathered around Song and Lin-Lin as they beg for the scraps of their lunch. Greeting me with her bright, cheery smile, my wifey leans to one side to touch her head to mine while offering me a bite of her dumpling. Despite knowing she’ll pull her chopsticks back before I can chow down, I make an exaggerated lunge for the delicious bait and collapse against her when I inevitably fail. Her melodic giggles reminds me of happier times back in the village, of simpler times when my greatest ordeal was changing diapers for the twins and learning how to write with a calligraphy brush.

Truth be told, I never really got the hang of using a brush, and I pretty much gave up on it after ordering a set of custom crafted metal pens, but having seen the beautifully artistic renderings done by Luo-Luo and the monks of the Brotherhood, I have the urge to go back and try my hand at calligraphy again. I never really understood the point of art before, but now I see it for what it is, a way to take a known constant and add your own personal flair to it. Everyone who sees it will recognize it for what it is, writing that denotes a specific term or phrase, yet if done correctly, your version will be uniquely different from what anyone else has ever done. It could be something as simple as changing the order of brush strokes, or drastic as stylistically altering the curvature of the lines, but even if the end result is instantly recognizable as your written name, it’ll be done in a way that’s entirely your own. Sure someone might’ve done something similar before, and others can copy you in the future, but that’s not important. The important part is that you’ve now left your mark on the world, because even if no one ever sees your work or knows it was you who created it, there’s no denying that it’s yours.

The monks consider this one of the Three Desires, a craving for existence in the form of self-identity and permanence. Life is suffering, and we suffer because of the Three Desires, so their end goal is to forsake the Three Desires and ascend to another plane of existence. That’s why they burn their works of art whenever they’re done with it, whether it be scrolls, canvases, carvings, or even sheet music, because this ensures everything they’ve created will disappear once the people who remember those works of art re-enter the cycle of reincarnation. I don’t know why, but it saddens me to see their incredible works of art destroyed each and every night, probably because the world is ugly and depressing enough that going out of our way to destroy beauty almost seems like a crime. There’s a lot I agree with regarding the monks and their Noble Eight-Fold Path, but there’s a lot I don’t agree with either, but then again, I never intended to become a card carrying member anyways.

Even if I agreed with everything they were laying down, I will never willingly become a eunuch. No thanks, not for me, I like my penis very much. No homo.

A poke to the cheek draws me out of my tired musings, and again, Lin-Lin’s cheery smile is there to greet me, this time alongside a platter holding my lunch. Lowering her head in impish apology, she offers to feed me again and promises that there will be no more games, not until I’ve eaten something at least. A note of concern tarnishes her otherwise sweet and girlish demeanour, and I belatedly realize why; I’ve been sleeping a lot more these days, and she’s worried I’ll slip into another coma. Feeling like an idiot for not noticing sooner, I try to reassure her as best I can, with an Aura of confidence which pales in comparison to the real thing. Not my fault, because in order to project an emotion through Aura, one must truly feel it, and I can’t feel confident when all I have to go on is a gut feeling. I think I’ll be fine and that my sleepiness will pass, but I don’t know this for sure, and Lin-Lin senses as much despite my best efforts to claim otherwise.

“Kukku,” I say once more, somehow just knowing all my woes will be fixed once I find the rooster again, and Lin-Lin gets this look in her eye, like she’s scheming about her next prank, but she doesn’t say anything and sets to feeding me my lunch. I could totally eat by myself, but she enjoys feeding me and I enjoy being fed, because then I don’t feel like a monster for not sharing with my obviously starving bun-buns. I don’t know how they do it, but they act like they haven’t eaten in days when the truth is they’ve eaten so much they can barely hop around anymore. Greedy little rabbits is what they are, never satisfied with what they already have, but then again, they’re practically babies with plenty of growing ahead of them, so I don’t see the harm in feeding them a bit more. Unfortunately, my sweet wifey refuses to let me share, adamant that they’ve already had enough, so they’ll all have to settle for head pats and chin scratches for now.

Honestly, it’s probably for the best. Cute as their begging may be, the rabbits are starting to look a little chonky, which isn’t great for their health.

Having long since woken to the smell of food, Guai Guai doesn’t bother to beg or steal, he simply wanders over to try and take what he sees as rightfully his. When Lin-Lin denies him, he rears up on his hind legs and raises his arms above his head in a fit of anger, only to rein in his emotions once he thinks things through. Falling back on his butt, he pulls up some grass growing between the cobblestones and munches on that instead, all the while glowering at my sweet wifey in sullen accusation. Out of all the animals, Guai Guai is the best at expressing his emotions, because he’s the best at understanding them. The bunnies want food, but they don’t know why they want it, it just smells delicious and they must have it. Guai Guai knows this food will be good for him, and while he might not be hungry, he still wants to eat and thinks there’s more than enough to share.

I still find it strange to have this little red panda here, who might well be Guan Suo reincarnated, but I’ve come to understand that Guai-Guai and Guan Suo are two separate existences, and the only similarity between them is the red panda ears and tail. Everything else is different, because Guai-Guai is a clean slate, completely and utterly distinct from Guan Suo in every way that matters. Guan Suo was a person, but Guai Guai is just a red panda, with a red panda’s thoughts and desires. He doesn’t ponder about the past, wonder why he’s different from everyone else, or worry no one will love him. He just goes about his day, not caring about anything so long as he has food, shelter, and Ping Ping by his side.

I wish I could do that, just focus on the here and now all the time, but I can’t. I would love to stay here in the monastery and idle my days away learning calligraphy and waiting for my problems to fix themselves, but I would never be able to live with myself if my family came to harm and I wasn’t there to help. Even though I was lost and drowning as Legate, the title offered some protection against the nobles of the outer provinces, but now that Shaui Jiao has refused to acknowledge Luo-Luo’s authority, I’m worried others will sense blood in the water and start pushing the envelope. Ideal as it might be, here in the monastery, I want to be whole again and stand with my family once again. I’m sick of being a burden all the time, and while I know I need to be here in order to recover, I’m not entirely sure how the Brotherhood is supposed to help me when I can’t string a whole sentence together in any acceptable time-frame.

Also, why the hell am I so god-damned tired all the time? I hate it.

Gathering Guai Guai into my arm, I cuddle him close while he angrily gnaws on his paws. Unable to resist, I hand him one dumpling while avoiding my wifey’s unspoken disapproval, but seeing the red panda politely take the dumpling in both paws and dig in is just too cute to resist, especially when he bumps my chin with his head in thanks.

The rest of my meal goes by without event, and Lin-Lin sits with me in the courtyard while we do nothing in particular. The animals wander around and play amongst themselves, while Song Demonstrates the Forms and keeps looking to me for guidance, but the truth is, she doesn’t need it. I can’t guide her on what to do, because she already knows the answer herself, she just lacks confidence. The poor girl is still trying to put together a working combination of movements, starting with her quick draw and moving on from there, but while she has a plethora of functional possibilities to choose from, she is unable to decide on one single solution. For good reason too, because there is no real answer to her question, which is, “What combination of movements is strongest?”

There isn’t one. For any specific situation, there could be one combination that would be best suited for those particular circumstances, but there is no single combination of movements that will be best in any and all situations. Song has the basics down, so all she has to do is practice the combinations until they become second nature, and then decide which one to use in the heat of the moment. Thus, there’s no need for any guidance, and though I’ve tried to explain it to her through Aura, she isn’t quite getting the message. I’m trying to tell her to persevere and keep at it, but she seems to think I mean ‘you’ll get it right eventually’, as opposed to ‘you’re already on the right track’.

On a whim, I play with the bears and teach them how to better defend themselves from Princess, who is surprisingly adept at using her smaller form to overpower them both at once. In their defence, neither Banjo nor Baloo know how to Reinforce and are timid by nature, but they still shouldn’t be getting bodied by the weasel-bear half their size, even if Princess is a bonafide Spiritual Beast. When the lessons fall though and the bears grow tired of wrestling, I leave them to snuggle with Song and go chase Blackjack and the wildcats around the monastery rooftops until they’re too tired to keep going. While I would love nothing more than to settle down for another nap and rest my tired head, I stubbornly stay awake so Lin-Lin won’t worry so much, and also because I don’t really want to nap without Kukku, no matter how tired I might be. To keep myself alert, I play with the rabbits and laughing birds in the courtyard, the former of whom have finally learned not to be too rough with their large feathered friends, all while keeping a close eye on Jorani out in the burgeoning Defiled village. The monks are too lax about letting him mingle with them, so I’ve got to look out for him just in case the pregnant Chieftain tries to eat him. By the way she studies him when he isn’t looking, I’m not sure if she’s sizing him up for the bedroom or the cooking pot, but either way, I doubt Jorani would appreciate it.

I know it seems shallow to judge solely by appearances, and truth be told, Asmani isn’t even all that hideous as far as Defiled go, but there’s just something about her and her tribesmen that is physically unappealing. It’s not like they’re all disfigured or anything, but seeing them is like looking into a funhouse mirror and seeing a distorted version of yourself. Only that mirror image isn’t you, but another person altogether, someone who generally wants to tear you limb from limb and eat your still-beating heart before it gets cold. The fact that these particular Defiled are trying to better themselves is admirable, and the presence of my Natal Souls whispering in their ears goes a long ways to allaying suspicions, but I still can’t bring myself to trust them without question, not like the Brotherhood seems to.

Before I know it, Ping Ping and Mama Bun finally wake up from their long nap and another day has passed me by, with me having accomplished exactly nothing. At least it’s time for dinner now, which I always look forward to, not just because the food is delicious, but it’s also the time when the monks showcase what they’ve been working on all day. However, while Song doles out meals for the animals and keeps things from devolving into an all out brawl, Lin-Lin hooks her arm around mine and keeps me from heading over to help out, flashing a mischievous grin while displaying the basket in her other hand and conspiratorially mouthing ‘Kukku’.

Leave it to my sweet wifey to get things done. It seems she’s gotten a bead on the rooster’s location and I can finally cuddle him to sleep, assuming the big rooster is willing of course. I’m sure he is, as he is super friendly now that he’s no longer afraid of me, though I haven’t seen him since he and Monk Happy came to pick us all up from Taduk’s garden. Lin-Lin has it all figured out though, as she skips her way out the monastery gates while dragging me behind, leaving all of the animals behind, even Blackjack who watches us go with his big, brown eyes. The other animals don’t really mind since it’s meal time, but sweet Blackjack is the youngest of the bunch save Guai Guai, and out in the wild, he’d still be in his parents’ care right up until he learns how to Cloud-Step and hunt for himself. That day will come soon, I can feel it, but for now, he’s still dependent on us for food and safety so he’s understandably upset to see us go.

It’s okay little guy. Even if Lin-Lin and I aren’t around, you have plenty of people and animals to keep you safe.

A little nudge with Aura sends him scampering over to Tawny One, who is more than happy to hug him while they eat, unlike Mama Bun who might lash out if she thinks Blackjack is trying to steal her food. The sweet girl is from the streets and doesn’t mess around when it comes to meal-time, so it’s best to give her a wide berth when there’s greens to be munched on. Bidding the rest of my floofs a fond and silent farewell, I follow Lin-Lin down the trail until Guard Leader finally sees fit to reveal herself. Handing me the basket, Lin-Lin climbs onto my back and clings tight, so excited I can feel her heart beating against my back, and I have to focus to keep my hands from wandering. That being said, I’m already cupping the back of her thighs, albeit just above the knees so it’s not so lewd, but my sweet wifey is all sorts of soft and curvy now, a not-so-subtle reminder that she’s all grown up now. Twenty years young and eager to marry me, and I can’t say I’m any less enthused, even if I am a little conflicted about the whole ethics of reincarnating with the memories of my past life and marrying what is essentially my closest childhood friend.

Granted, I met Yan and Mila around the same age too, maybe thirteen and fifteen at best, but Lin-Lin is so pure and chaste, I feel wrong for even thinking about tainting her, despite how much I want to...

Noticing Guard Leader’s unseen scowl, I quickly focus on unsexy thoughts to calm my ardour and focus on my surroundings instead, as the Arid Wastes is full of danger and uncertainty. Guard Leader has everything under control though, as she gestures for me to Conceal and follow, which I do without actually understanding how I’m Concealing or Cloud-Stepping, only that I can and it’s almost as easy as breathing. If I focus too hard on what I’m doing, I’ll falter and fall out of the air, so I turn off my brain and bask in Lin-Lin’s warm embrace and quiet delight as I carry her away into the sky. The cool, crisp air fills my lungs as we move towards the setting sun, leaving the lush oasis around the monastery to head deeper into the barren desert at what basically amounts to a crawl. Though we are both capable of travelling hundred of metres in a single Cloud-Step, Guard Leader moves us slowly over the sand dunes with an overabundance of caution, avoiding burrowing bugs, nesting birds, and vigilant rodents with the utmost of care. Considering I’ve seen her dive head-first into the open mouth of a giant shark and punch her way out, this leads me to believe that the Arid Wastes are far more dangerous than I previously thought.

Right, I actually forgot about that. Even GangShu was nervous when travelling here with Jorani and Daxian, to the point where he would rather inflict pain and hardship on his sons than take it easy. The only reason our journey here was so easy was because we had Kukku’s Talent to protect us, his almost unique skill of sending his foes into a pleasant dream state with a single crow. I should figure out how he does that and try to replicate it, because that seems like something that would come in handy, especially if I can fine tune my targets like Aura, because then I could put whole armies to sleep with a single word. Or maybe a lullaby. I should learn an instrument, so I can study the whole musical Aura thing more closely, but I’m not a big fan of the zither or pipa. Flutes aren’t my thing either, but the only other option would be some type of horn, which also doesn’t really appeal. Where are the guitars, pianos, and saxophones? Now those are cool instruments, not like the weird ones they have here in the Empire.

Coming out of my thoughts to stop Guard Leader from bringing us directly over a pit of terrifying worm things, I convince her to go another way even though she still can’t sense the danger. Pragmatic as always, she simply accepts my warning without question and circles us around the worm things, which I somehow just know are bad news and don’t want to deal with. I don’t even know how I know they’re there, because I can just sense the bad juju emanating from their nest, but I also sense they’re full and sleepy, so we don’t have to go far to avoid them. Soon after the close call, Guard Leader brings us to a gated archway built into the side of a sand dune, or maybe the archway was here first and the dune formed around it. It’s the first sign of civilization I’ve seen since leaving the monastery, but the doorway puts me in mind of the Northern Wall and the concrete districts, as it’s made from a similar material. There are no markings on the archway, or the sturdy steel-reinforced doors barring our path, leaving no clues as to who might have built these. The architecture is completely different from anything I’ve seen in this world, though they put me in mind of a nuclear bunker from my past life, albeit one with a low tech wooden door instead of the customary steel vault ones I’d come to associate with that sort of thing.

Rather than knocking, Guard Leader kicks the door open and heads inside to clear the way before signalling for me to follow. Once we’re in, Lin-Lin clambers off my back and directs me to close the door behind us, her smile conspicuously absent as she peers around the dark interior with unvarnished curiosity. I doubt she can see a thing, but she isn’t missing much, as the room is empty and unfurnished save for a second set of doors on the opposite wall, a man-made cave that might fit ten people comfortably at best. Before Guard Leader can barge through the second set of doors, they creak open to reveal two spade bearing monks, aged no-nonsense types standing with weapons at the ready. The candlelit hallway outlines their lean frames as they stand with polearms pointed towards myself and Guard Leader, but with one free hand closed in a fist save for their index fingers pointed forward at the ground towards us. A warning, one I only recognize thanks to my improved ability to read body language, which raises questions as to why the monks learn these hand signs in the first place. Is it because they’ve met others like me, who have trouble understanding language, but can read body language perfectly? Now I feel better about coming to the Brotherhood for answers, though I’m a little miffed it’s taken this long to see progress.

While I muse over their hand signals, which I belatedly remember are called mudras, the two monks utter something and issue an Aura of warning, one devoid of anger or reprimand, but before Guard Leader can escalate by saying something curt and rude, I butt in with the only thing I can really say. “Kukku.”

Caught off guard by the request, the monks share a silent exchange without taking their eyes off Guard Leader. Again, I somehow sense their Sendings flitting back and forth, and I feel like I can almost hear them, like a radio tuned into the wrong frequency and getting muffled noise over static. Sensing Guard Leader’s rising vigilance, I turn to her and pat her arm in quiet request to calm down, and to my great surprise, she does so after shooting me a begrudging look. Though her veil covers her expression, her eyes speak volumes and I can tell she’s saying she hopes I know what I’m doing, and I hope so too. These are definitely friendly monks of the Brotherhood, because even though I don’t recognize them, I can sense that they have no ill-intent. They’re just miffed that we’re here, because we shouldn’t be, but so long as they let me leave with Kukku, I’ll be happy to get out of their hair.

The monks say something out loud and gesture for me to follow, which I do without thinking because it just seems right. One of them stops me almost immediately and points at Lin-Lin beside me, who scrunches her adorable features into a pout before grudgingly letting go of my hand and crossing her arms in pique. Even her tantrums are adorable, so I give her a quick kiss on the forehead and hand her the picnic basket too, because if she has to wait here with Guard Leader, then they shouldn’t have to go hungry. Ever the thoughtful wifey, she pulls out a steamer of buns which are somehow still warm and hands them over to me, her smile coming back so quickly it’s as if it never slipped.

Honestly, I love the vegetarian cuisine here. From the smell, these buns are chock full of garlic, chives, and chili peppers, with a splash of soy sauce for extra flavour. Biting into one reveals its packed full of vermicelli and dried tofu as well, adding even more substance to the soft, moist buns that is simply out of this world. As the doors shut behind us and we move down the dark hallway, I notice the monks studying me with open curiosity, and I offer them both a bun as well, but they politely decline. At least one monk was won over by my efforts though, while the other is still on the fence, but so long as they aren’t openly hostile, then I don’t really need them to like me. I would like it if they did though, because I don’t see any reason they shouldn’t, as I am nothing if not pleasant and likeable.

Okay, that’s a lie. I’m an infuriating person to be around, and I have no idea why people like me, but still... these specific monks don’t know that yet.

At the end of the hallway, two more armed monks stand at the ready, but I already knew there were more people from the Sendings I sensed. The first two monks stand aside while their comrades open the door for me to pass, each of them making a mudra that offers me hope and good wishes, though I do not understand why. Mentally shrugging instead of stopping to think things through, I head into the unlit room and immediately regret my decision as the doors slam shut behind me. Waiting for my eyes to readjust to the darkness, I can sense at least one other living thing in here with me, but not through any supernatural means. No, I know there’s something here because I can hear it breathing, deep, heavy snuffling sniffs as it takes in my scent. Long seconds pass in tense silence before I can finally see again, and I find myself face to face with two, fathomless orbs of darkness, looming at me from overhead and full of promised threat and violence.

To which I respond by holding out my steamer to offer him a bun.

The change is immediate as those eyes soften in delight, and a giant paw reaches in to carefully grasp one steamed bun between two deadly talons, and then another paw follows suit. Pleased with my offering, the big guy settles back on his haunches to savour the treats with relish, while I munch on another bun and study him. Though it’s difficult to make out colours in the darkness, my mind is already filling in the gaps, because I know who I’m looking at and it is taking all my self control not to launch myself towards him for a hug. That might spook him, and I don’t want that, because as adorable as this panda might be, the missing operative word is ‘bear’, and he’s a big, nearly feral one at that.

So this is the Abbot’s Spiritual Panda Bear, a hulking, heavy-set chonker of a specimen, one the size of a minivan. With his bandit eye markings and big, floofy belly, he looks remarkably adorable without losing any of his fearsome bearish features, namely the giant fangs, razor-sharp claws, and massive body just rippling with muscles. Though not quite as advanced as Ping Ping was before her ascension, the panda isn’t too far off, or at least I don’t think he is.

I wonder what his name is. Something stupid I bet, since the Abbot has terrible naming sense. I bet panda fur is crazy soft. And there’s so much of it too, what with him being so big and all. Oh man, I could sleep on that belly with all of my floofs, so long as he doesn’t move too much. Wouldn’t that be something?

“Bwak-bwak?” Kukku’s curious clucking draws my attention away from the panda and I offer him a steamed bun as well, an offer the rooster is more than happy to accept. Wrapping my arms around him in a hug, I sink into his soft feathers and sigh as he hugs me back, wrapping me in his wings and neck. Almost falling asleep on my feet, I stumble when Kukku moves back a step and realize he wants to bring me somewhere, so I follow him to the corner where I see the whole reason he’s here.

It’s the Abbot, looking far too thin and older than I remember, his body slowly wasting away as he battles against his sickness. Clucking again in hopeful suggestion, Kukku’s gaze goes from me to the Abbot as if asking me to help him, but I wouldn’t know where to start. Lumbering over with a huff, the panda watches me from above and makes ready to strike if I should even show a hint of threat towards the Abbot, who Kukku and the panda both love dearly. Assuring them through Aura that I mean no harm, I seat myself beside him and finish the rest of my steamed buns, though the panda takes a third without asking. Just like Pong Pong, who thinks all shrimp belong to him. Rude.

I don’t know what’s wrong with the Abbot, and I can’t figure it out either, but maybe it’s because I’m too tired to stay awake any longer. Snuggling into Kukku’s feathers, I make myself comfortable and take the Abbot’s hand, because somehow, I feel like this is important, so important my brain is still telling me to hold his hand even though I already am. Whatever it might be that ails him, the Abbot has held onto life for this long, so I suppose another night won’t hurt. I’ll figure it out first thing tomorrow, but right now, I’ve done what I came here to do.

I finally found Kukku, and now it’s time to snuggle him and sleep. I did it guys. Wooo, go me. A small victory, but one I find immensely satisfying to the extreme.

Chapter Meme