Flower Power

* 5 *

As if Daisy's mood wasn't already bad enough, it began to rain after a while. 

Daisy hung there for an hour, thinking about nothing but wringing Birdonna's neck. She was so furious that she didn't notice when Toadobuki came up, holding a purple umbrella over his head. 

"Hard day?" he called up to her. 

Daisy glared down at him. "You're the last person I want to see right now, wrinkles." 

"I'm insulted," the old toad huffed. "Here I come, intending to cut you down, and you hit me with the snarky attitude again. Perhaps I should just leave you up there and give that lunch I prepared for you to the fish." 

Daisy scowled. "Don't. You. Dare." 

"That's what I thought. Now hold on, I'll get you down from there in a jiffy." 

Five minutes later, Daisy was on the ground, and the two were walking home through the mud. Daisy held the umbrella up over the toad as they crested the hill towards the dojo's plateau.  

Toadobuki didn't say much on the walk back, for which Daisy was grateful. Her fury hadn't quite gone away yet - it was still sitting in her stomach, bubbling and threatening to boil over. She was afraid that she'd lash out if Toadobuki said something even slightly offensive.  

When she got in, Daisy found a hot bath waiting for her. She got in, scrubbed all the mud and dirt off of her body, and got dressed in an orange t-shirt and cargo shorts. It was still raining when she padded her way into the kitchen, where she found Toadobuki sitting at the table with a plate of steaming Japanese food at Daisy's seat. Daisy's stomach growled: the fight with Birdonna had completely drained her. She sat down and began stuffing her face with food. 

After a while, Toadobuki spoke: "So, you lost." 

Daisy's temper flared - she almost yelled something very insulting at the toad. But at the last second, she grit her teeth and refocused on her food.  

Toadobuki looked impressed. "Very good," he said. 

That threw her for a loop. "Very good?" 

"Yes. You controlled your anger right there. That's a first." 

Daisy scowled. "It wasn't easy, believe me." 

"I imagine so - it's how you lost that fight, after all." 

Daisy clenched her fork in her hand. "Shut up, geezer." 

Toadobuki laced his fingers together and looked gravely at Daisy. It startled her: he wasn't making fun of her. He was being serious.  

"You don't want to admit it," he said quietly, "but I think you know it's true. Think about it." 

Reluctantly, she did, and she found that he was right. She'd been furious for just about the entire fight with Birdonna - the anger had clouded her mind, kept her from being able to plan her attacks correctly. No wonder she'd gotten strung up by the ankle. 

She ran her hands through her hair. "Okay. Yeah, I guess. Yes. You're right." 

Toadobuki nodded, pleased. "Good. Acknowledging - and accepting - the problem is the first step to overcoming it. And you're going to need to overcome your anger if you want to defeat Birdonna in the next fight." 

Daisy looked up, surprised. "Whoa, whoa," she said. "The 'next' fight?" 

"Yes. The rematch." 

Daisy shook her head. "I thought that was over with, old man. Birdonna challenged me, and she won. End of story." 

"Yes, but I'm sure you don't want to be seen as Toadobuki's pathetic apprentice for the rest of your time here," the old toad pointed out. "Gossip spreads very quickly down there in the village, Daisy. If they get wind of your failure, it will undermine your credibility as a martial artist."