Rose rotated her ankle from side to side, working out the sore muscle and cursing herself for pushing it too hard. Her leg hadn't given her trouble in a long time, but she'd become overconfident and was paying the price for it. I'll ice it once I get home, she thought. In the back of her mind, Rose knew she probably shouldn't go to the rehearsal scheduled for the next morning but… she also knew an all too familiar fear would force her to go. The fear of the powerful overlord known simply as: rent.
Rose loved New York. Born and raised, something about the hustle, the anonymity, and - if she was being honest - the glamour, endeared the city to her. Unfortunately, all of those things came with a very high price. Specifically $3000 per month, not including utilities. And Rose's only source of income was dancing. She was part of a group that regularly got hired at different events around the city as entertainment. All the girls had to be versatile, and able to dance a number of different styles. True, it was her dream job, but the pay was… well, unreliable to say the least. She had yet to actually be late with rent, but was usually scrambling at the end of the month to make ends meet.
This left her in a precarious situation when it came to her leg and its occasional flair ups. A torn muscle from her teenage years had left her right leg weak, and prone to reinjury. Usually she was careful with it, but winter was a busy time for the group, and she'd overdone it.
"Hey Rose. Need a ride tonight?" Callie's question broke Rose out of her mental battle of rent vs. pain. She looked up at one of the few friends she'd made in the group. She responded automatically with:
"Thanks, but my apartment is like 6 blocks away. I don't mind walking." and immediately kicked herself for refusing the ride. Her ankle would not thank her for that decision. Callie threw her a parting smile, and walked out the door. Rose sighed, and began gathering her things.
As Rose left the dance studio, she inhaled the cold air and did up the last couple buttons on her jacket. It was chilly, but not freezing yet. I'll have to get a new winter jacket, she thought as she walked. Her old one was, well….old. The arms had more than a few holes, and the fleece lining was wearing so thin, you could hardly call it a lining. The denim jacket she had on just wouldn't cut it once the December cold hit.
Rose was so lost in figuring out what expenses she could cut out to afford a decent coat, that she didn't notice the three men sculking in the first alley she passed on her way home. She didn't hear their footsteps behind her, or sense their presence as they gained on her. She was finally yanked out of her reverie when the strap of her bag was nearly yanked off of her shoulder.
"Hey!" she exclaimed, turning to face the men she was now very aware of. The three of them wore black pants with open vests, and were covered in dragon tattoos. They must be Purple Dragons, Rose realized in growing horror. The gang had been in the news lately, accused of being responsible for a number of muggings and other violent crimes. And of course, Rose had to run into them on the night she re-injured her ankle. Great.
"What's in the bag?" asked the big one closest to her.
"A leotard, some tights, ballet shoes, and a couple energy bars. You can have those if you want, but I don't think the clothes would fit you." Dammit Rose, this is not the time for sass, she reprimanded herself. Rose couldn't help it. Sarcasm was how she responded to stress.
"Look, sweetie. We don't want to hurt you. Just give us your money and your phone, and we'll let you go." he responded, stepping closer to her. It was then that Rose noticed that the other two men had knives in their hands. Okay, so these guys are really serious then.
"Hey, man. If I had anything, I'd give it to you! But I'm approximately $20 away from living out here, instead of up there." Rose answered, sticking her hands up. The big man narrowed his eyes.
"I don't believe you." he said, before swiping at her with an open hand, attempting to grab the bag again. Rose jumped back out of the way. Her heart was pounding, and her palms were sweating, but she tried to keep a level head. She'd taken about three years of kickboxing in high school, and still practiced at the gym every now and then. She'd never actually had to use it though…. The man made another grab for Rose, but this time she didn't jump back. As he latched onto her left arm, she brought her right fist up and hit him squarely in the side of the head. He let go of her arm and stumbled back, more out of surprise than actual pain, but it was enough time for Rose to turn and take off running. As she ran down the block, it became apparent very quickly that she could not outrun the goons with her ankle the way it was. She had to lose them somehow.
Rose ducked into an alley, hoping that by breaking their line of sight, she'd be able to double back to the dance studio. She knew the code to get into the back door, the only problem was making it there before her leg gave out…. Her hopes were quickly crushed when two men appeared at the far end of the alley she had just entered.
"Shit!" she hissed under her breath. She ripped the bag off of her shoulder and threw it on the ground.
"Here! You want the bag? Have it! Just let me go home!" she yelled to man she had hit as he and his buddies came into view behind her. He just shook his head at her as the gang advanced from both sides.
"I don't think so, sweetie. You made this personal. Someone needs to teach you respect." they were a mere five feet away from her on either side now. With no other options, Rose brought her fists up to her face, remembering the fighting stance her instructor had taught her and preparing for a fight. At that moment, she saw something drop from the rooftops behind the three gang members. It looked like...a man? But, bigger somehow. Bulkier. Whatever it was made no sound as it hit the ground in a crouch, and then rose to its full height, the men approaching Rose still oblivious to its presence.
Rose knew she should be focusing on her attackers, but she was transfixed by the strange figure. Suddenly, it snatched one of the Purple Dragons off of his feet, throwing him against a building wall. The thud of his body alerted the rest of the gang to the figure's presence, and they quickly turned their attention on it. The big one that had grabbed Rose had eyes as big as saucers.
"It's one of them!" he cried, the resolve of the other men becoming noticeably weaker as they seemed to recognize the strange figure. Rose heard the rattling of a chain as an object struck the big man in the head. He dropped to ground as the last man standing between Rose and the stranger flew backwards, seemingly from a solid kick to the chest.
"Get out of here!" the figure called to Rose. It was tempting to take his advice and run, but...she didn't want to leave her newfound savior alone with the two remaining gang members on her other side. She told herself she was worried there were more Purple Dragons around that might grab her, but in all honesty, she wanted to meet this mysterious vigilante. Instead, she turned to the Purple Dragon nearest to her and kicked him in the stomach. The stunned man doubled over, giving Rose the chance to knee him in the face, sending him stumbling back, toppling a garbage can and sending him to the ground. Rose felt a moment of pure elation, realizing she'd just taken someone down all by herself. I'm a fucking badass! She thought, grinning. At that moment, she was knocked to the ground by the last standing Dragon. She cried out as the force of the impact knocked the breath out of her. The man knelt above her, knife in hand, and Rose watched in horror as he raised it high above her throat. Then, he was gone. Her rescuer had knocked the assailant off, and slammed his head against the garbage dump next to the spot Rose had fallen. Finally, Rose got a half decent look at her protector now that he was out of the shadows. He was big, muscular, and seemed to have some large pack on his back…? As she got to her feet, he quickly dodged back into the dark shadow created by the garbage dump, crouching slightly so that his whole body was covered by blackness.
"Hey, it's okay. They're all gone now." she said, comforting him as though his life had ever been in danger. He said nothing, just watched her with eyes that seemed to...glow? Rose peered closer, trying to get a better look at him.
"Are you okay? Did you get hurt or something?" she took half a step closer to him.
"I'm fine! Y-you should go now." he answered, in a voice that nearly sounded scared. Now she was really worried he'd been injured, and just didn't want to pay for a hospital visit. He sounded young too.
" I'm not going anywhere until I know you're okay. I've got some first aid supplies at my apartment, please just come with me and let me help you. I owe you that much. I mean, you probably just saved my life." she took another step towards him, reaching her hand out. He seemed to shrink further into the darkness.
"You really don't want me to do that, trust me." he replied.
"I'm not taking no for an answer." Rose said, grinning at him and hoping that whatever injuries he had sustained were things that she could fix with her basic first aid knowledge. He seemed to seriously consider his options, before realizing he didn't really have any. The man sighed.
"Okay. But don't say I didn't warn you." with that, the man stepped out of the shadows and stood in front of Rose, fully illuminated by the moonlight. No, not a man. His skin was green, and what Rose had thought was a pack seemed to actually be...a shell. Christ. He's a 6-foot tall turtle! Rose thought, panicked. What the hell have I gotten myself into? She stepped backwards, fear clouding her judgement, until her eyes landed on his face. He looked like a dog that had just been struck. Pitiful, and scared, and even hurt by her reaction. She stopped backing up, and took a few deep breaths. Get it together, girl. He just saved you. You owe him the benefit of the doubt, and you did offer to fix his wounds. She then noticed blood dripping from a slice on his right arm where the last Purple Dragon must have cut him when he was tackled off of her. Rose swallowed, and gathered herself.
"You are hurt." she said, gesturing to the wound. He clutched the arm to his body.
"It's nothing. I'm fine." he said again. Rose managed a smile.
"Hey, I told you I'd fix you up, right? I live just around the corner. What's your name?" he seemed cautious, but answered her all the same.
"I'm Michelangelo, but most people just call me Mikey." He seemed shy, bashful almost. Rose extended her hand.
"Hi, Mikey. I'm Rose. Thanks for saving my life."