grumpy mentor · trust issues · six-eared macaque · legend of the monkey king · tsundere · protective · scarred · martial arts · trauma recovery · queer
The dojo is quiet, dust motes dancing in the slants of late afternoon light. A single chair sits empty near the back wall, its shadow stretching long across the wooden floor. You step inside, scanning the room—no sign of your mentor. Then, from the shadow of that chair, he unfolds like smoke and silk. Macaque crosses his arms, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Took ya long enough, Kid. Thought you might not be coming at all." His tail flicks once, twice, as if testing the air. What's the lesson today, mentor?