FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

When the human awoke the next morning he would find a very large bouquet on his side table, which immediately begged the question of how Mandarin had gotten into his room, much less carefully set a heavy vase full of water and flowers next to Chiro without him awakening. It was unfortunate that Mandarin's intended romantic gesture had been accomplished in such a borderline-creepy way, because it probably was not a good omen for the date itself. On the plus side, they were beautiful roses, which Chiro soon realized were the same colors as the Monkey Team, with an emphasis on Mandarin (and Chiro's) signature orange hues among the bouquet. As Chiro's eyes adjusted from sleep, he noticed that the flowers themselves were faintly glowing, which could be the reason that Mandarin had insisted on borrowing Gibson's lab the night before.

'Well, um... they're nice if nothing else.' He thought to himself as he got out of bed, the faint glow of the roses were a nice touch. Still, the fact that Mandarin had sneaked into his room last night and placed these without notice, he kind of wondered if he had snuck in before to watch him sleep, or any of the others for that matter. No, no, he shouldn't think that, his team was better than that... right? He got up and got ready for the day, flicking on the lights so that the glow of the roses wasn't quite as evident, the effect was slightly creepy the longer they stayed there.

Unlike Otto the day before, Mandarin made no appearance before Chiro was ready to leave his room, and upon opening the door he saw a handwritten parchment on the opposite wall. It was in Mandarin's own artistic hand, he and Antauri being the only two on the Super Robot who practiced calligraphy with any real enthusiasm, and it read: "Dearest Chiro, I hope that this morning finds you well, and I would be most appreciative if you would join me in the Left Foot at your earliest convenience. With Love Fondest Regards, Mandarin."

Chiro had always found it sort of funny that the two of them could do calligraphy, even when the two explained that the Veran Mystics had taught them. He wondered why they had bothered with such a skill, it wasn't very useful now that everyone either communicated via communicator or electronic messages of various forms. Still, he thought it looked nice, especially when compared to his own handwriting (public schools on Shuggazoom didn't put much of an emphasis on penmanship). "Left foot, huh?" He muttered to himself as he made his way down. He... ignored the poorly scratched out word for now, thinking that it was bound to come up sooner or later anyway, and it wasn't like he was opposed to the idea.

Down in the left foot of the Super Robot, Mandarin paced nervously, and tried to tell himself he was only stretching in preparation for the date. But he was hand-springing backwards across the floor, vaulting over unused equipment, and almost literally bouncing off the walls with anxiety, so he was much relieved when he finally heard Chiro approach. "Down here, Chiro!" He called to guide the boy to the storage room where he had kept the surprise. The room was dimly lit and the only real light source was a spotlight that pointed to something just about Chiro's height, covered by a sheet.

The team leader in question made his way into the storage room, somewhat confused. He wouldn't lie, the team had experienced a few situations similar to this before, and the surprise they encountered was never good, so he was a little weary. "Uh, morning Mandarin." He waved awkwardly at the orange monkey, still glad to see him regardless.

"Good morning, Chiro!" Mandarin replied, clearly delighted by the entire situation, and he gestured to the shrouded object. "Are you ready?" He didn't wait for a reply before sweeping the sheet off of the mysterious thing to reveal...! An empty display case. "Ta-da!"

Chiro smiled a bit, obviously confused, "Thanks...?" He chuckled a little bit. "I'm going to go ahead and guess there's some sort of meaning behind this display case, because I like to think you'd have something better in mind if you were going to give me a gift."

"But of course!" Mandarin beamed proudly, his long tail lashing behind him in excitement. "It is for the prize at the end of our date! Oh, and here is your blind-fold. Our date is filled with surprises! We will travel in the Fist Rocket 3, which Sprx has generously agreed to let us borrow! I asked him courteously." Several hours earlier, Sprx had been on the ground with Mandarin pulling hard on his tail and threatening to courteously remove it. It was still a vast improvement over his former leadership style. "We will leave as soon as you are ready! I have already packed a lunch." He produced both blind-fold and lunch basket from behind the display case and held them out to Chiro, smiling eagerly for approval.

"Oh, surprises?" Chiro was somewhat wary, first of all something told him Sprx did not in fact agree to have the Fist Rocket 3 borrowed; at the very least not courteously, that thing was his child as far as the red simian was concerned. Secondly of course was the fact that Mandarin said the date would be full of surprises, which... well, he liked Mandarin, really, he did, but from him, a surprise was usually an extra round of training because he wanted Chiro to reach his full potential. He held up the blindfold to inspect it a little, "Uh, well, I already grabbed a quick breakfast so, I don't think there's anything left for me to do."

"Excellent!" Mandarin clapped his metal hands together in approval. "Then we will leave immediately." He took Chiro by the hand and held their basket in his tail as he lead the way to the elevator, and then down the corridor to the Fist Rocket 3, where he insisted Chiro put on the blindfold and get comfortable in one of the chairs as he scampered up to the cockpit. It was soon after that when Chiro felt the lurch of launch and acceleration as they sped off towards whatever destination the former leader of the Monkey Team felt was the perfect date location.

"So uhh, do I get any hints as to where we're going?" He asked as he tried to get comfortable, which was a little difficult in the small aricraft.

"You will seeeee!" Mandarin sang back from the cockpit.

Well, that was... comforting. He was getting increasingly nervous about where they might be heading. He knew deep down that Mandarin didn't have any ill intentions planned, but that didn't mean he couldn't have decided to take them somewhere horrible that he would think of as a great idea. Like a cooperative survival exercise or something...

It was an undetermined amount of time later that Chiro felt them slowly descend, and Mandarin's metal limbs clattered and clanked as he scurried back to the human. "We are close, now! That irritating Sprx insisted that I ensure no damage to his precious vehicle, or we would be able to land even closer. But this is alright as well! It is very scenic!" He gently tugged Chiro's blindfold up to let him know it was okay to look now, and when they got to the door, the current leader of the Monkey Team saw that Mandarin had not been kidding: "Scenic" was certainly one way to describe the landscape around them, which seemed to be the inside of some vast crater, and a veritable jungle that echoed with the sounds of rushing water and wildlife.

"Whoa." Chiro whispered as he took a step forward, looking at the incredible view before him. "Where is this? I didn't feel us leave the atmosphere. Did we?" But he was fairly certain there was no place like this on Shuggazoom, at least none this size. Still, he had to admit, even though it was beautiful, there seemed to be a slight sense of something... wrong, about this place, although he couldn't put his finger on it.

"This place is sacred." Mandarin stated in a more subdued tone than his usual excitement. "It was once the sight of a volcano's eruption, and the walls that were created by the explosion served to save it from the disasters that turned the rest of the Zone of Wasted Years into a wasteland. It was discovered by an order of monks who worshipped Quintessence many years later, and revered as a place where life triumphed over adversity." He smirked up at Chiro. "This way..."

Chiro followed after his date, taking careful not to trip over the many roots and brambles that populated the ground. He had to admit, it was those moments like back on the rim of the crater that probably made him like Mandarin as much as he did, those moments where he became serious and subdued. It was during such moments that the orange primate lowered his defenses just a bit, and Chiro saw that he, in spite of everything, did actually care for the rest of the team, and him.

The path Mandarin lead Chiro on was overgrown, but his laser sword had already cleared the vegetation that would have impaired their progress, and it was not long before Mandarin whirled around and gestured excitedly at Chiro. "We are here! Are you ready?" After waiting almost three seconds, Mandarin swept aside one of the large leaves in their way, revealing their destination. "It is an ancient temple!" He gushed.

"Oh!" Chiro said, mildly surprised. Archaeology wasn't exactly a specialty of his, but even he could see that the temple was indeed very old, as well as beautiful in that... old world sense. "How did you find a place like this?"

The temple was indeed beautiful, and it seemed less like the traditional cubes or pyramids, this one looked more like a bud on the verge of opening. "It was created by the monks I mentioned before." Mandarin explained, as he lead the way to where they could presumably get inside. "It was always intended for the jungle to reclaim it, and it has. But before they left, they cultivated a treasure within to be claimed by others who revere life as they do." He turned and spread his arms, clearly waiting for Chiro to connect the dots.

It took a few seconds but Chiro started to laugh a little, "Wait so... we're going on a treasure hunt?" That was awesome! This was actually looking like it would be a really cool date! "But... why did you wait until now to tell anyone about it?"

Mandarin frowned and folded his arms, his tail lashing behind him again. "...I fully intended to tell my brothers of this place, but it was during a time of... tension that I discovered this place, and the timing would have felt... incorrect. During the disagreements with my leadership, I would spend more and more time away from them, and it was during such an excursion that I located this temple and learned of its origin. I wanted to bring it back to prove my worth, but when I returned to the Super Robot to request their aid in retrieving it, I was drawn into an argument and... the situation grew worse. It was only recently that reviewing my journal rekindled my memory of this place, and I realized the opportunity to enjoy a day with you AND procure a priceless treasure for our use in the battle with the Skeleton King!" By this point, they had reached the base of the blooming temple, and he gestured to a circle among the symbols that lined the wall. "Now, if you would be so kind as to use the Quintessence that they worshipped to open the door...?"

"Oh, so they worshiped the power primate, huh? I figured that was what you meant but, I've never heard it called the... Quintessence you called it? Is that like the fancy name for it?" Chiro knew that there had been a few religions and cults out there that worshipped it, but the only one he was at all familiar with were Antauri and Mandarin's old teachers, the Veran Mystics. He summoned his power, and aimed at the circle, letting loose a small burst of power at it. "So... do you have any idea what this weapon is?"

"I do not know, but the inscriptions state that it will bring "Life to the Lifeless" and "Bloom as long as Life endures." which sounds quite promising! I could not investigate it myself because I have never masted the Power Primate to the degree of yourself and Antauri, so this will be an adventure for both of us!" Mandarin lead the way into the temple, his eyes glowing red as he scanned ahead for danger or traps. It was unlikely the monks would be out to kill anyone, as that would be contrary to their entire philosophy, but they likely left ways to test for worthiness.

Chiro was a bit weirded out by that description, 'Life to the Lifeless' sounded a little ambiguous about whether it would be good or not. 'Bloom as long as life endures', was a little better however. He wondered how much of the temple would remain accessible, noting that these ruins often aged better than one would expect. "So... why do you like me anyway?" He never really had a chance to chat with Otto during the date, they were too busy having fun. Might as well do so with Mandarin.

The monkey in question had been scampering up one of the walls when Chiro innocently posed the question to him, and he lost his grip with a squawk, saving himself at the last moment with his laser sword as he slowed to a stop upside-down next to Chiro. "What?! I... Why do you ask?" He retracted his sword and hopped down, looking nervously at everything except for Chiro. "Oh look, a puzzle!" Mandarin spoke up suddenly before Chiro could reply, pointing to a floating orb that had different animal and plant symbols inscribed upon it.

He couldn't help but smirk at Mandarin's reaction. He knew the orange monkey wasn't the best at dealing with feelings, but he hadn't expected him to be so nervous about it. "I mean, I like you too, you know that right? I wouldn't have agreed to date you otherwise." He chuckled a bit as he looked at the orb, trying to make sense of it.

Mandarin was trying to focus on the puzzle, but Chiro's comment had made him blush heavily and duck his head to avoid being seen. Instead of answering that, he leaped up and grabbed the orb to climb around it and examine the symbols. It seemed to be separated into three different sections, with thin grooves indicating where the sphere could be moved, and Mandarin triumphantly snapped his fingers when he felt he had the answer. "It is a matching puzzle! The animals and the plants are all from particular areas, and we have to match them up! Help me deduce the solution, Chiro!"

"Specific areas? So, basically we have to match them up based on where each of them is from. Well, that won't be too hard..." Assuming he knew what the plants and animals were. He supposed this puzzle did somewhat make sense, it was life focused after all. He spotted a few that he knew, and began to point them out to Mandarin, hoping that together they knew enough to solve them. "Heh, maybe you should've taken Gibson instead, I bet he'd know all of this no problem."

"Gibson is boring!" Mandarin snapped, and then cringed as he realized his harshness had leaked out again. "...I am sorry, Gibson is not boring. I have never understood him, and so it was easier to dismiss him rather than try to see from his perspective." He followed Chiro's suggestions and ran backwards on the sphere to turn it so that more of the symbols matched, and when they were in their proper place they glowed green.

Chiro smiled a bit, somewhat sad that Mandarin still had that anger in him, but also glad that he had gotten a lot better since he had first joined. "...I was really scared of you at first, you know?" He says as they stare at the orb.

Mandarin blinked down at him in confusion, and then pointed at himself. "...Of me?" Looking back, he could understand why that was, considering he was the one living in isolation away from his brothers, his fur a mess and his metallic parts showing signs of rust. The fact that he'd been nearly feral hadn't helped matters either, but it had never occurred to him that Chiro would be genuinely afraid of him. "The truth be told, I was probably even more afraid of you. Here you were, living proof of my utter failure to lead my brothers, standing as a shining example of everything that I was not." Mandarin gave Chiro a wry smile as he gave the orb another spin, lighting up more symbols.

Well, it was more than just that, to be honest, "Really? I figured you hated me at first for replacing you. I mean, Antauri used to talk about you when I first joined, how great a leader you had been, and I thought I had so much to live up to. And... I was afraid that I'd end up even worse than you, you know? That if you had been so great, what would happen to me? I mean, I was, and still kind of am, just a kid who got lucky." He set to work trying to solve the puzzle.

The orange monkey actually chuckled at that, giving the human a fond smile. Between his agility and Chiro's directions, soon almost all of the puzzle was glowing, and with one final flourishing spin at the very top, Mandarin leaped backwards off of the top of the orb and landed next to Chiro. Now complete, the orb shimmered and transformed into a map of Shuggazoon, as it had been before much of it had been reduced to a wasteland. Mandarin sighed and glanced up at Chiro. "Puzzles and games and competitions of all kinds, I have never had much difficulty excelling at anything I put effort into. I had thought that leadership would just be another challenge to master, but my brothers are far more complicated than any game or riddle. I served them poorly as a leader; you have already surpassed the standards I have set." The glowing map of the planet shone more brightly, and the door on the other side of the room opened with a slow rumble.

"Thanks." Chiro is about as sincere as one can be when he says it, and looks at the orange monkey fondly. "So... I've got a question for you, it might sounds a little silly but uh..." He glances at the large brows and mustache unique to the former leader, "Why did you decide to grow your hair out? I mean, the others always have their face hair nice and trimmed and stuff. Are you the only one who can do it? ...Not that I don't like it! I'm just curious."

Mandarin reached up and contemplatively stroked his own face-fur. "...I honestly do not know. It grew during my... time apart from the others, and I did not feel compelled to shave it down evenly when I rejoined them. I presume they can grow their fur out as well, they simply declined to do so." He shrugged, though he himself wasn't certain. He was different from the others, he just didn't know if that was down to even the follicles of his hair.

"Heh, well I do like it, it makes you look, I don't know how to put it... mature?" He gave Mandarin a pat on the head and made his way over to the door, peeking inside the other room.

Mandarin swayed on his feet for a moment, briefly overcome by even that slight friendly contact from the one he admired so ardently. The next room seemed to be more of a narrow corridor than a chamber with no apparent traps or tricks, so the two of them proceeded cautiously until they felt a low rumble underneath their feet, and turned to see the stones nearest to the entrance of the room falling away. "A pit trap? What does that have to do with life?!" Mandarin sputtered as they raced towards the exit.

Chiro wasn't sure either as they raced along, "Uh... it's a challenge to not die maybe? Or maybe this is just because the temple is really old!" Either way, it didn't matter, they were easily fast enough to make it, albeit left panting afterwards.

The distant splashing noises drew their attention to what the rumbling had concealed: The deep pool of water beneath the floor, where the stones had fallen. Inscribed on the walls below where the floor had been where images of falling rain, and as they watched a mist descended from above to freeze in place and become the new floor. "...Oh, the water cycle. I still say it is dumb!" Mandarin insisted, folding his arms petulantly.

"Weird. And yeah, I agree, these monks were kind of stretching it." To say that this was confusing was an understatement, although Chiro supposed he had seen worse. Indeed, the exit before them wouldn't budge, and he guessed they had to descend down to get where they needed to be.

Mandarin hesitated at the edge, glancing at Chiro and then down at the frozen water before gingerly extending his hand to the team's leader. "May I help you down?"

He took Mandarin's hand without a second thought, as he had many times before during missions, but... now it felt somewhat different. It felt really nice. And he gripped it tight as he lowered himself down with Mandarin's help.

Between Mandarin's dexterity and his energy sword, Chiro had a relatively easy time climbing down the wall, and soon they were both carefully testing their weight on the ice. As it seemed to support them safely, Mandarin took a few experimental steps forward, and then began to shift his weight to slide from side to side, and then he was skating on the smooth ice with ease, smiling in surprised delight.

"Uhh..." Chiro, however, could not say he was quite as skilled as Mandarin. He could skate, sure, when he had actual skates on. With just normal shoes, it wasn't quite so easy, and he had trouble keeping balance as he stepped along.

Mandarin noticed his predicament, and was soon sliding against him, with one hand on Chiro's hip and the other on his back to carefully steady him as Mandarin propelled them along the ice. "It is all right, Chiro."

The leader did his best to keep himself steady, even with his... well his boyfriend's... hands steadying him.He laughed a little bit, "Thanks Mandarin, you're good at this." He smiled at the other as they made their way across.

The orange monkey preened in self-satisfaction as he helped his boyfriend to the exit, and into the chamber beyond. "I am quite good at anything I put effort into, as I have said."

Chiro laughed, "Okay don't get too cocky mister." He had to admit though, the date was going pretty well, better than he had expected.

The room beyond the floor of ice and water was a much larger chamber, with a dirt floor and round, smooth walls that Mandarin would have had trouble climbing. They both looked around for any clues as to how to traverse this chamber, and it was Chiro who discovered the small altar with a hard, round object within. "But how do we utilize it?" Mandarin puzzled, glancing at the small object, and then the dirt floor.

"Uh... maybe we plant it?" Chiro guessed as he peered at the dirt floor. "I mean worst comes to worst we just dig it up again, right?"

"Ah!" Mandarin clapped his metallic hands together, and scampered out of the chamber, then returned quickly with a sheet of ice he had carved out of the floor. "And we can use this for water!" He said excitedly, holding the ice up high as Chiro dug the hole and buried the seed before Mandarin used his energy sword to melt the ice and water the seedling. For a few moments they stared hopefully at the mound and waited, before a tiny green bud popped up and showed two flowers. Mandarin frowned at it; "Perhaps we need more wa-" Whatever he was going to say next was lost as the plant suddenly exploded with vines, leaves and branches, gently picking the two of them up off the ground and quickly lifting them towards the ceiling, where the next doorway awaited them.

Chiro had honestly been surprised that it grew so fast in the first place, when the bud popped up. Last time he checked, most plants took a couple of days to pop out like that. Of course, it quickly became clear that it was not a normal plant when it burst out of the ground at such high speeds. He yelped as they rocketed up, grabbing on to Mandarin as a means of support, still clinging to him a bit when they came to a stop.

Mandarin found that their rapid ascension was a distant secondary concern to the fact that his face was now firmly pressed against Chiro's chest, and all he could smell was the scent of his crush and leaves, as well as being acutely aware of the beating of the human's heart. When Chiro gingerly regained his footing to look around at the room they had been grown up to, Mandarin remained with all five limbs firmly wrapped around Chiro's torso.

"Uhhh..." He looked down at the orange monkey still hugging onto him tight, smiling a bit. "Thanks Mandarin, but I... don't think carrying you would work through the whole temple. Plus, you guys are a lot heavier than you look." Still, it did feel nice to be embraced like this...

The Orange Monkey pulled back, blinking his bright red eyes several times in surprise before he jumped back and began pacing nervously. "My apologies, Chiro! I was just... startled! We should continue!" The chamber they found themselves in now seemed to be a dome-shaped, with a stylized mural of the sun covering most of the ceiling, and no apparent means to proceed.

The human shook his head with a smirk. One would think that Mandarin, having admitted his feelings and all, would be less embarrassed by such things, but still it was... cute. Huh, maybe this is what he was like from the other's perspective a lot of the time. "I liked the hug if it makes you feel better." He added as they stepped inside, before staring up at the ceiling.

"...You did?" Mandarin asked meekly, his tail curled around his legs and his posture hunched. When Chiro confirmed that he had, Mandarin seemed to relax and explore the room with more gusto, building up speed to run along the walls using centrifugal force as he sought out clues. When he noticed the runes on the side of the walls, he paused to study then with careful scrutiny before reading out loud. "Only... master... quintessence... passage..." He muttered.

Chiro was kind of amazed at Mandarin's physical prowess. He and Apollo always seemed to be having a silent competition as to who was stronger, and although the yellow monkey seemed to be the winner a large majority of the time, Mandarin was never far behind. Still, he was somewhat puzzled by the message. "So... I need to show my skills with the power primate, right? Or something like that."

"Probably." Mandarin conceded, and then backflipped his way back over to Chiro and looked upwards. "The center of the design is the most likely place. But it would require much power. Can you do it safely?"

Chiro laughed a little, "Of course I can!" He might have gotten better over the past few months, but he was still a bit too cocky at times for his own good. This was actually extremely dangerous, depending on how much energy was needed. Still, he took aim, and began to charge up a shot, essentially an overpowered normal attack of his.

Mandarin took a few cautious steps back, feeling a little awed by the display. All living creatures held the Power Primate within them, but there were precious few who could harness it like this, including him. That being said, it might not be enough if the requirements were for a "Master" of the Power Primate, as Chiro was still just a very talented beginner. But that was something Mandarin could help with, and he did so by carefully embracing Chiro once again. "I am going to channel my Power Primate into you in order to boost its effects!" He explained, trying to keep his face from lighting on fire as he focused on summoning his inner life energy and sending it into Chiro. For his part, Chiro would feel a strange sensation of warmth flowing into him, that moved like a living thing into his own body and filled him with a sense of satisfaction and peace.

Had Mandarin not explained himself, Chiro would be very confused right now. As it was, it felt extremely strange to be suddenly filled with warmth and contentment, in a way he had never felt before. As corny as it sounded, it kind of felt like he was feeling what Mandarin felt for him. Still though, now wasn't the time to get all mushy gushy, they had an important artifact to find. He continued to charge his shot, far beyond what he would normally be capable of. When it finally reached what the boy felt like would be a breaking point, he yelled and let it loose, shooting right up into the center of the dome.

It impacted against the ceiling with a thunderous "BOOM", and yet when the dust cleared and the two figured on the floor were panting from the expended energy, there seemed to be no change. Just as Mandarin was about to suggest a second shot, the center of the sun emblem began to glow a gentle golden light that spread across the whole design, filling the room with its radiance until they both had to shield their eyes. The intensity diminished after several moments, and when they felt it was safe to look again, there was a spiral staircase leading up to the new opening in the roof, and a green glow beyond. "I believe the prize we seek is there. Are you prepared, Chiro?" Mandarin asked, and then remembered himself and hastily disentangled himself.

Chiro was honestly too stunned to notice Mandarin's hasty untangling, and simply nodded with a smile once he regained composure. "Let's hope it's everything you think it might be." Honestly though, even if it wasn't, Chiro would admit, this date was worth it.

They climbed the spiral staircase more slowly than they would have if they hadn't just shot a substantial chunk of their life energy at a rock, but Mandarin still had the juice he needed to ascend more quickly and search for new traps. What he found, however, was no trap. "Chiro! You must see this!" He called down, as Chiro closed the gap and arrived at the top of the stairs as well. Every single inch of the room around them was covered in carvings of animals and plants, winding together in a web of life that was impossible to disentangle. All of it leading up to an altar, in the center of which was a bulb, from the top of which a sprout with two small leaves emerged, all glowing with the Power Primate. They approached cautiously, and when they touched the plant it shone more brightly, unfolding and revealing the treasure within: A jade statue of a grinning, stylized monkey.

"Whoa." Chiro whispered, wondering firstly what the purpose of all of this was, but soon realizing it was all so beautiful that he didn't care too much right now. He glanced over at Mandarin, grinning, "I've gotta say, this is a really awesome date so far." He tilted his head as he turned back to look at the statue, "Does it do anything, though?"

Mandarin very gingerly picked up the statue to examine it, drawing on his training to try and sense its purpose. "...It contains vast amounts of the Power Primate! It seems to have been... absorbing them for eons. Even if we do not find its proper purpose, it would be much better to keep it in our care than allow the Skeleton King to learn of it. Would you like to carry it, Chiro...?"

"Huh, so... it's kinda like a battery." He inspected it as Mandarin held it out to him, but grabbed it. "Okay." He takes it, and almost immediately drops it, grunting as he heaves it back up, "Whoa, warn me next time about how heavy it is! I'm not quite as strong as you guys, remember?"

"Sorry!" Mandarin apologized quickly, and helped Chiro to hold it with his much stronger robotic limbs. They turned towards the staircase when a glint of light caught their eyes and they turned to see that there was a crack in the walls. On further inspection, it was actually the seam to a hatch that opened more fully. "Oh, of course! It has to be able to absorb the energy directly from the jungle! I suppose that this would have saved us more time, but that wouldn't have felt... proper, would it?" They peered down to the jungle far below from the top of the bud-like temple, and Mandarin's rocket pack popped out. "Chiro? May I slowly escort you and the... idol to the ground?" He offered his hand.

Proper or not, it would have saved them time, although Chiro supposed it wouldn't have been as much fun. He smirked at Mandarin and took his hand, "Just don't go treating me like a maiden or something."

"Try to avoid swooning in my arms." Mandarin teased him, smiling warmly as he shifted Chiro to carry him bridal style while Chiro carried the idol in his lap, and Mandarin leaped out of the opening to activate his jet pack on lower power, only slowing their fall to a safer descent as the jungle beneath them grew closer. After that it was a matter of finding their old path (Which had already started to get overgrown once again) and making their way to the Fist Rocket 3. A check around the ship to make sure nothing had stowed away and that all was working properly, and they were ready to lift off and head back to the Super Robot with their precious cargo in Chiro's grasp.

Chiro was a bit uncomfortable in his seat, trying to find a good position while carrying the heavy idol wasn't easy but... yeah, it was worth it as he glanced up at the orange monkey flying the ship. "Hey, Mandarin?" The former leader glanced back at him as they flew along, "Thanks, this date was pretty cool."

Mandarin's curious expression turned into one of the most open smiles Chiro had ever seen on the former leader. "You are most welcome, Chiro! Did I not promise you it would be? ...And thank you for giving me the chance."

"No problem. I um... well, I look forward to the next one. Maybe I'll plan it." He would like to see if he knew Mandarin as well as he knew him.

The orange monkey laughed at that. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Chiro. There are still four more dates to get through, and you cannot play favorites just yet." Mandarin could have suggested that he was already Chiro's favorite by virtue of giving him a priceless gift and an unforgettable day, but he was determined not to sabotage his relationship with Chiro or his beloved brothers.

"I know! I'm thinking the same thing about Otto. I just think it's only fair that I plan for the next ones." Honestly, he enjoyed both dates a lot, just in different ways. Sort of like how his teammates themselves were different. "By the way Mandarin... do you think you guys will start dating? The rest of the team I mean, I don't see any reason we all can't date each other."

Mandarin was silent for a little while before he spoke up again. "...Some things take time, Chiro. I have no doubt that Otto and Gibson will fumble their way into a romance, and Sprx and Apollo will likely rekindle their romance. But beyond that, I couldn't say."

Chiro nodded. He had been wondering, not only because of them but, well, from the way Antauri talked about him, he was pretty sure that the second in command once had a crush on Mandarin. Oh well, Mandarin was right, it would be a matter of time. For now, he was just glad to head back for the day.

The flight back was peaceful, and it was a with a sigh of contentment that they reattached to the Super Robot and made their way back, Mandarin fetching the display case from the storage room and the two of them placing the idol within to grin at everyone in the common room. Once the display case was carefully secured to prevent any damage or undue movement, it seemed that the date was officially over, and an awkward moment rose as they tried to figure out how to say goodnight. Mandarin shuffled his feet and looked at everything except Chiro, but eventually he looked up at him and give him a nervous smile. "...You asked me before what it was that I loved about you? There is too much to name, and I could not list it all without sounding cliche. Your traits each come together like the colors of a rainbow and make something greater than the sum of their parts. And that is what you have always been to me. A rainbow in the dark." Impulsively he reached out, took Chiro's hand, and planted a kiss before scurrying away to his own room in embarrassment.