Work Text:
Gilkuy.
Chiaotzu turned and raised his eyebrows. Tien was fidgeting with the long sleeves of his surcoat, his three eyes wide and concerned. The one set in his forehead darted to the side, towards Shen. The Crane Hermit was setting the table but his movements were too forceful. Chiaotzu met Tien’s eyes and nodded, a sinking feeling in his stomach.
“What is ‘gilkuy’?” Shen asked, and the boys froze.
“Nothing, Master,” Chiaotzu said as Tien ducked behind him. He had learned to leave these matters to Chiaotzu, who was much better at defusing potential tantrums. “It’s a nonsense word. Tien’s not great at telepathy yet so he sometimes just throws out sounds.”
“Hmm.” Shen turned and towered over them. “Sounds like a fruitless exercise.”
“It’s a training exercise I came up with,” Chiaotzu said confidently. “I’m sorry you overheard, Master, we’ll try to keep quiet in future.”
Shen tightened his lips but nodded and turned back. The boys let out silent sighs of relief. Another disaster averted.