☆}Cyllene/Lenn

There is a wrinkle in the corner of Shen's eye.

It's a small thing, made from squinting and smiling, visible only because his whole face relaxed in anticipation for the kick, and it unnerves Feng enough that he actually misses. Shen moves out of the way, what was supposed to be a victory hit barely skimming him. Old master grits his teeth and ducks, just in time to avoid the attack from behind. Mui's fist flies above his head, far too close, now focused on Shen. Feng crouches under her, catching the right leg. Switches weight between his feet and swipes, dragging her leg with him. She slips away from his grasp, shrewd girl, using the momentum to enter high somersault. Mui bends herself, the kick so obvious it almost makes him cringe. He deflects, readying his fist and- Ah. Left elbow, hidden by her frame, bashes him in the jaw with a fleshy crunch. Few drops of saliva mixed with blood drip from his mouth. Distraction helps Shen the most. He backflips a few meters from her and stops, one hand on the tiles. Mui doesn’t wait for him to catch his breath. Instead she dashes, her arm pulled back, aiming for his back. But before it reaches, Shen puts all his weight on the hand and kicks upwards. With the power stored in his bent knees, he strikes her in the stomach. She chokes out quick guttural gasp. Mui swirls around and slides back, putting some distance between herself and the other fighters. Three pairs of eyes cross above the field, the labored breathing synchronized for a moment. Muscles tensing at the same time, ready for more-

The sound of the gong reverberates in the air, calling for a stop. "Alright, you all, that's enough!"

Three heads snap in the same direction. Mei's standing there, with the mallet on her shoulder, foot tapping the ground and towels in her other arm. She points at the water clock next to a gong. "The time's up already. You would have noticed if you weren't so bull-headed." "Mind your tongue," Feng hisses. Mei sighs and drops the mullet next to the instrument. "You've been at it for hours! The sun's coming down soon anyway, just give it a rest for today." Feng looks at the horizon. There's still at least an hour of daylight left. But Mui is already turning her back on them, stretching her arms with a pop. Shen follows her example, slowly working through the most exhausted parts of his body and the match is over like that. Without a victor once again. Feng presses his lips together.

"What was that half-assed kick? Getting sloppy, are you, old man?" the boy mocks between breaths. He doesn't respond to the obvious provocation. Not because he doesn't find it insulting. No, he doesn't respond for the same reason he missed. The wrinkle distracts him. It's nothing weird. The boy is, Feng suddenly remembers, soon to be thirty. It would be weird if he didn't have any at this point. It's easy to imagine him with crow's feet in five years or so, with how much he smiles. Feng stands in place, forever twenty eight, and finds the dread pooling in his gut for the first time in years. "By the way, there's something you should know." Shen leans away. He puts a hand at the back of his head and looks almost sheepish. "Mui will have to take it easier soon. Cut down on more demanding fights, rest longer, stuff like that." "What? Why?" He sends quick look her way. An injury? No, he would have noticed. Sickness? Curse? Artifact? He licks the blood from his lips. She showed such promise, she's way too young to be out of the game yet- "Congrats shitty old man, you're going to be a shitty old grandpa!" The confusion must be clear on his face, because Shen continues before he can collect himself enough to respond. "Yeah, came out as kind of a shock to us too. Guess we weren't as careful as we thought." The boy smirks. "But really, it's hard to stay focused whens she does this-" "Spare me," Feng finally finds the strength to speak. "I have no interest in your sex life." "Alright grumpy. Anyway, we hadn't told the others yet. Mui's scared people would fuss over her too much. You know she doesn't like attention." "Why are you telling me then?" "Well, we knew you would throw a hissy fit if it turned out one of your favourite opponents suddenly had to take a break, so we're giving you an early warning."

Shen smiles again. The wrinkle disappears in the creases, but it will be there. Today, tomorrow, next year, joined by the others. How long will it take before this tree stops growing and starts withering? Whatever Shen thinks his silence means, his face softens. “Well, I heard that people are usually better grandparents than parents. So you’re going to be okay, I think.”

Feng glances to his left. The two girls- the two women are chatting on the side. Mui is drying herself, muscles glistening with sweat. Her stomach is flat, no sign yet of something new growing inside. She laughs at something, snorting. Scars, both old and new, adore her forearms, the map of years lived. Mei is a scrawny little thing next to her sister-in-law, but it might be the first time Feng realizes how much she has grown. Maybe some part of him would always look at her and see tiny child wailing in her crib in the middle of the night. And yet, the baby fat and uncoordinated teen limbs are long gone. The woman before him has all the curves expected from an adult, her smile sharp and eyes crinkling in delight. Mui notices his gaze and sends him another tired smirk. He scoffs in response, steps forward, reaches for the towel in Mei's hand.