" LOUJIN!"
Loujin huffed as he ran in his training armor. Boy was this stuff heavy! But he would spare no rest for his legs so long as that sister of his chased him. " IT WAS NOT ME, I SWEAR! "
" WHAT WAS NOT YOU?? "
" The - * cough* - THE PANTIES, I SWEAR, I DIDN'T STEAL THEM! IT WASN'T ME WHO HUNG THEM ON THE -ACK! "
A sudden gust tore through the grass with such force that it carried his entire left side and sent him flying in a spiral, landing hard on his belly with a loud " OOF!" Sprawled over the ground, it took him a while to recover, pushing himself up on his arms. It took him a few seconds longer to spit out the grass and groan as he felt the ache over his body and muscles... and a louder groan as he saw the shadow looming over him. He turned his head, trying to offer the most apologetic grin he could manage.
" Uh...hello, sister.."
Looking at her like this, Loujin began to question the sanity of his friends that had called his sister " beautiful". She had the cold, hard eyes of a wolf, and the lines that crossed her face, emphasized by her makeup, made him think he was looking straight at a demon. He had never really checked if she had " a nice figure", because he was frankly too busy trying to avoid seeing her at all. She was only the harbinger of bad news. The frown on her face proved that today was no different.
" I will ask you about the panties later. But for now.. Father asks us to return. "
Loujin let out a louder groan. Great.. the only person who could be worse to see than her.
========================================================
Main Hall, Ironwind Residence
" Father. "
Loujin watched as his sister bowed low, then fell to a kneel. He followed quickly, though being still in his training armor made it much less graceful than she managed. Why did he have to use this stiff leather, anyway? It just wasn't fair that his sister could do her training in a loose, comfortable silk robe while he had to practice in the hot sun with this. Not that he'd want to be in the same dress-robes like hers, of course - that was far too flowery, but would a little more flexibility be too much to ask?
" Heping.. Loujin. "
The deep bass of the voice echoed through the halls and brought Loujin's attention to the front, where the old man was seated. Old, but from his view, the elder pandaren was just as severe and forbidding as before. His cold stone gaze pierced into his son, and the young man could not help but shiver.
" Why were you late? "
" Loujin - "
" Both of you. "
From the corner of his eye, Loujin could see that even his sister was taken aback by this. But the expression of surprise lasted a mere few seconds before she nodded slowly, her face changing back into a mirror of their father's. " Loujin failed to obey the summons in time. I failed to catch him for the summons in time. "
" Failed. "
How she could tolerate looking at their father, Loujin could never fathom. Now that the old man was bearing down on her, he could sneak a peek between both of them - their father with his unflinching gaze, his stern expression, and his sister, her own somber expression held through his near-interrogation.
" Yes. "
Her reply was short, but there was shame in it. Shame that their father picked up on, and seemed to relent with. A curt nod and the old man seemed interested in other affairs.
" I call you here today because of the outsiders that you must have heard of. "
" Yes. "
" Uh...n-yes. "
Loujin swallowed hard, hoping his father would not catch on the hesitation. Why did he think it was a good idea to lie, anyway? But the old man seemed to ignore that, if he had noticed it. Instead the elder pandaren drummed his fingers on the edge of the armrest as he continued. " These outsiders..there is talk that among us, many wish to help them. To join them. "
His meaning seemed obvious enough, long before he actually said it. " You will not join them. "
Loujin watched as his sister bowed in reply, in consent. He followed the motions, though the wheels had already sprung in his head.
" Yes, Father. "
" Hmph. "
" Is there anything else, Father? "
The elder pandaren looked over them with a passing glare, then shook his head. " No. Return to your training. "
" Yes, Father. "
