Ham Song

Ham Song insisted that he and Sun Ritsu take the scenic route to the Lunch Hero. This was in part to avoid crossing paths with spirits who recognized Ritsu and partly because Ham Song had grown to adore the hilly bike trails that made up the landscape.

"Are you sure that you want to go this way?" Ritsu asked. "It takes a lot longer."

"I'd rather that than having to listen to that godawful wailing near the Heavenly River."

Ritsu did not have a response for that, but for the first time he considered whether hearing that painful moaning day in and day out was actually having an effect on his overall mood.

The two spent most of the journey in silence, allowing the early morning activity of the idyllic village life to take over. Passing bicycles chimed. The strengthening sunshine coated the dewy hills in a fresh gloss. little babbling brooks ran under the short bridges over which the two spirits passed.

At one point, Ham Song stopped to watch a kite take off and catch in the wind. Ritsu stopped too, tucking his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt. Though he took more interest in a local grass spirit hanging her laundry out on the line. The way the white linens and shirts undulated with the breeze was just as captivating as Ham Song's sky-surfing kite overhead.

Maybe he was moved by the sight, but whatever the reason, Ham Song gave his company a quiet song:

The morning is mine

Heaven may take what it wants

from me

Let Heaven

steal the Spring

or even

the friend by my side

But Here and Now,

he walks with me

As I breathe, it is so

The morning is mine

By the end of the piece, a pair of fleshy whiskers had erupted from the downward curve on either side of Ham Song's mouth, much like a catfish. Sun Ritsu noticed the sweeping tendrils and said nothing. He only nudged the pig's haunch with his ankle as a sign that they could continue on.

The two spirits made it to the Lunch Hero shortly after, trading the hillside stillness with more suburban, concrete scenery. To no one's surprise, as soon as Ritsu and Ham Song entered the restaurant, they were greeted with cheers and welcoming voices.

Ham Song chose a booth while Ritsu offered warm smiles and took their order. It wasn't long before the shrewd pig was scrunching his snout at a suspicious-looking spirit on the other side of the room. Even with his baseball cap and sunglasses, Ham Song could tell he was a sun clone.

When Ritsu sat down with the food, Ham Song said, "From this point on, I will be a better counselor to you. This I promise you, benevolent monkey."

Ritsu was in the middle of applying ketchup to his burger. He glanced up from his task, arching an eyebrow in question. "Where is this coming from, Ham Song?"

"I know you didn't ask for any counseling," Ham Song grunted, shoveling a wrapped burger onto his snout, "but you're a great monkey king and you deserve more than a recovering addict and a greedy merchant in your corner. Let the world think I'm your pet or whatever. I don't care. I'm more than that. I'm not dead weight in this group. I'm your adviser."

Ritsu seemed to not know what to say. Ham Song angled his tusk in the direction over Ritsu's shoulder. "My first piece of advice is to maintain distance when it comes to meddling in the personal business of lesser monkey kings. Like this one approaching us now."

Ham Song spoke the truth, Dear Traveler, for the spirit with the baseball cap from before was now making his way to their booth, his collar hiked up and his chin darting back and forth to check for any watchers.

"Don't worry. It's just me," Sparkplug whispered as he slid beside Ham Song, completely oblivious to the daggers the pig was glaring into him.

"Spark," Ritsu greeted, surprised yet pleasantly so since it was a familiar face.

"Shhh!" Sparkplug brought a finger to his lips, checking again for watchers.

"I don't want my fans knowing I'm here. They've been more... zealous than usual ever since I lost my spot in the tournament."

He lowered his sunglasses to show evidence of this. Both Ham Song and Sun Ritsu tensed up at the sight of Sun Shan's swollen right eye.

"They attacked you," Ritsu said quietly. Too quietly, from Ham Song's perspective. It was one of those rare moments where Ritsu's tone suggested he needed no explanations.

Sparkplug waved off Ritsu's seriousness and shrugged. "It was an accident. They get a little excited at times. Even when it seems like they're mad, they really just want the best for me, ya know? I just have to be more careful and lay low until things calm down."

Great. Another sob story for my benevolent king to mop up.

Ham Song had a mind to tell this Sparkplug to buzz off and perhaps even bite him, but he was the benevolent monkey's rival. It was bad manners to push him away without Ritsu's permission. Ham Song knew that if he wanted Ritsu to start taking his counsel seriously, he would have to behave himself.

So Ham Song dragged his gaze from across the table until he had Ritsu's attention. Then he made a small, but urgent sound in his throat before pointedly digging his tusk in Sparkplug's direction.

Ritsu stopped eating his food. He folded his arms and leaned against the stained red leather of the booth.

"What do you want, Spark?"

Ham Song was so shocked, he snorted on a little ketchup. It was a pleasant surprise, might I add. He wasn't expecting Ritsu to catch the meaning in his look that quickly.

But even with his new, guarded position, Sun Ritsu was listening intently to whatever Sparkplug was going to say.

"I know, I know," Sun Shan sighed. "You're a busy Sun and I'm out of the competition. I don't want to take up too much of your time. Usually I would go to Zhaoling or Blue for this sort of thing, but I don't know if they'll understand."

Sparkplug folded his hands in his lap and looked down at them. He took a deep breath, removed his sunglasses and said, "I've always looked up to Blue Force and Barefoot. But, as much as I don't want to admit it, ever since graduating from the academy, it's been hard to stand on my own two feet in the world of fame."

Ham Song narrowed his eyes, trying to get a read on where this possible request was going. Sparkplug moved his folded hands to the top of the table and went on.

"I don't want fame to shape me into who I am in the world of ranked spirits. I can feel myself going down that path of the typical sun clone celebrity. When it comes to Barefoot, he has such a strong will that even in this environment, the attention doesn't phase him. And then there's Blue Force. He's strong enough to make the sacrifices necessary to get what he wants. Not to mention, he also comes from a family of nobles, so he's used to being in the public eye and competitive environments. But me?"

Spark let his hands fall open and looked up at Ritsu.

"I'm just a guy with a knack for taming thunderbeasts. Everything else doesn't come so easy for me. I'm a people pleaser at heart, but I'm at least smart enough to know that this could lead to a career that I don't want."

Ham Song's dark eyes bounced from Sparkplug to Ritsu. The Fry Cook Hero's expression was unreadable. He uncrossed his arms and leaned forward to take a bite out of his burger. He ate silently, neither encouraging or discouraging Sparkplug to continue.

The summoner cleared his throat. "Yeah... Sun Zhaoling and Sun Tie Quan are great. They've always supported me, but they weren't my first role models. As much as I try to earn their respect, I've never wanted to be like them."

Ham Song didn't like where this was going. He'd admit that Sun Ritsu was doing a swell job of playing the part, but there was no way in Heaven he could take on an apprentice right now. Sun Shan would have to look elsewhere.

Sun Ritsu paused in his eating.

Sparkplug lowered his gaze to his hands again.

"Back at the academy, I used to get teased for having posters of the Earthbound Sage in my dorm. They all say she's washed up and too old school. So I took my posters down and didn't breathe another word of her except to Zhaoling and Tie Quan. But that admiration I had for Sun Terra – that never went away. Since competing alongside her, I can't shake the thought that I'm missing out on an opportunity. Seeing her in person made me remember why I wanted to become ranked in the first place."

"Have you talked to her yet?"

Both Ham Song and Sparkplug jumped a little at the sound of Ritsu's voice. His interruption resounded in the small booth, like some divine revelation coming through the intercom.

Sparkplug blinked a few times.

"Well, no. I... I haven't."

"Why?" Ham Song interjected. "Because you're afraid of what your fans will say?"

Sparkplug chuckled nervously. "Smart pig you've got here, Ritsu."

"You're out of favor with them anyway," Ritsu said. "And you yourself said that you don't want your career to be at the mercy of their approval."

Sun Shan was nodding so hard that Ham Song feared his neck would break in half.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! But–" Spark swallowed a lump in his throat. "What if Sun Terra turns me down? Asking to become someone's apprentice is... it's a big ask. And I've never known her to take on proteges."

"You never know until you try, Shan." Ritsu gathered his trash and got up from the booth. "Come on, Ham Song."

The pig wharfed down the rest of his food and grunted empty apologies as he climbed over Sparkplug's lap in order to leave the booth.

Ritsu did not linger to witness Sun Shan's reaction, but Ham Song stole a look over his shoulder to confirm that the sun clone agreed with Sun Ritsu's advice and had, in that short span of time, already internalized it.

As soon as they were out the doors of the Lunch Hero, Ham Song muttered, "What a dolt. You didn't tell him anything he didn't already know."

Ritsu reached for his smokes.

"True."

There was an unspoken but that Ritsu conveniently let die on the end of his cigarette.

Once again, Ham Song exercised self control and instead of pushing the issue, tapped his little hooves against the concrete and asked, "Where to next, monkey?"

"Back to the hotel," Ritsu said, breaking into a brisk stride. "I need to rest and maybe read some of those articles Bodhi and Seven have been saving for me."

Ham Song shuffled to keep up with the sun clone. The walk back was not as scenic now that everyone was awake and the over abundance of tourists were out.

"Ham Song," Ritsu said once they reached the quieter, grassy knolls.

The pig lifted a floppy ear. "Monkey?"

"I wouldn't mind another song. Like the one from this morning."

Ham Song smirked and put a little more spring in his step. He looked to the sky, seeing what could inspire him to fulfill the request of his handsome monkey king.