The Countdown

Listen to your heart

Around dinnertime, Po slinked back up to the Jade Palace to alert his friends to the fact that he wouldn't be joining them for dinner. He wasn't enthusiastic about spending the evening with Scorpion since she always tried to kill him, but his dad was pretty stubborn, so he had to go along with the idea.

I just hope she doesn't try anything else, he thought to myself. Like poison me in my sleep.

The Dragon Warrior reached the top of the Thousand Steps and proceeded to walk to the kitchen where he intercepted Viper.

"Hey, Po," she called over cheerily.

"Hey Viper," Po answered, trying his best to muster a smile.

Viper eyed him curiously. "You look a little down," she noted. "Is everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm perfectly fine!"

"Are you sure?"

Po sighed. "I just have to spend dinner with my dad," he admitted. "Not that that's a bad thing! It's just...he has a...date...."

"Oh," Viper said, understanding. She eyed him. "You don't like this girl either?" she asked, remembering the first time Po mentioned Mr. Ping getting a date.

"I don't mind my dad getting dates," Po assured the master. "It's just that this particular one dad was dating last time and they broke up because she turned out to not be the person he thought she was."

"Oh, I get it," Viper said, knowingly. "You just don't want him to have another broken heart?"

"Exactly. And-"

"Just keep an eye on Scorpion, okay? You never know what she's planning."

Po did a double-take. "How'd you know it was Scorpion?!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"I might have put two and two together during the Autumn festival when she tried to poison us," Viper admitted. "I mean, you're dad had a new girlfriend that you weren't particularly fond of that we apparently knew, and then Scorpion shows up during the Autumn Festival with all of the poison in the moon cakes..."

"Oh," Po said simply with a nervous look. "Um, you're not going to tell Shifu, are you?"

"If Scorpion's redeemed herself, I don't think it's necessary to make any mention of the incident," Viper told him with a smile. She glanced over at the kitchen and added, "I'm assuming that you're not making dinner then?"

"Afraid so. Dad wants me to spend some quality time with him and Scorpion."

"And Tigress?" Viper asked.

Po looked at her in surprise, but she was quick to inform him that she had gone down to the village to check up on Tigress and while passing by the noodle shop, Mr. Ping had called out to her to remind her to pop by the noodle shop for dinner. Po clapped a hand to his head. "Daaad!" he grumbled irritably.

"Don't worry, the others don't know about it," Viper assured him. "I already gave Tigress a cover story."

"Thanks, Viper," Po said with a smile. "Normally I wouldn't mind hanging out with her freely, but Mantis and Monkey seem to enjoy making bets and teasing me."

"I'd actually worry more about Mantis," Viper replied. "He's going out with Quan-Ying for an evening picnic and he might see you."

"Oh. Well, we'll be in the noodle shop, so I think we'll be okay."

On cue, Mantis hopped over to the group humming away to himself alongside Monkey who was placing bets with him and wishing him luck on the picnic.

"Don't get into another fight," he warned.