LEO

Leo paced the middle of the warehouse's shared living space as his family sprawled on the furniture around him. It was no easy feat arranging family meetings anymore, but this particular investigation was frustrating enough to justify rearranging their lives for a check in.

"So, nothing on this Marco's place then?" He asked.

Medusa let out a hiss. "We've been watching it in ssshiftsss for weeksss now. Nothing."

"And we can't even find more of those fights to connect 'em with." Raph complained.

"We've looked, but nothing." Aries agreed with a scowl.

"Digital surveillance isn't coming up with anything either. We've dug through everything we can find, but they seem squeaky clean." Sappho pointed out.

Karai snorted in derision. "That kind of establishment is never squeaky clean."

"Which implies that the appearance that they are means they're up to something shady." Arcos added.

"Obviously they've hidden their secrets, but without some kind of clue to give us direction, we're just throwing shuriken in the dark." Donnie explained. "Sappho and I are monitoring them, but until someone slips up..." He shrugged.

Denim sighed. "Without a target, what can we do?"

"Ooh, maybe we could just ask someone there if they're the baddies?"

Everyone just stared at Mikey for a second, before disregarding him and moving on.

Leo looked to Phoenix. "Mom?"

"Keep looking."

He frowned. "We are, but..."

"Keep looking." She repeated.

He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his snout. "Is this the voice again?"

Her silence answered the question.

"It is all connected though." April said thoughtfully. "I know there's no proof, but it's true."

More unhelpful intuition from the universe.

Leo sighed. "Fine. It looks like we're going with Mikey's plan."

Mikey's 'booyakasha' was drowned out by a chorus of protests, all of which Leo ignored. Instead, he focused back on April. "I'll need you to go in and find out something, anything, we can use."

She nodded solemnly, as Donnie started to panic.

Before he could start protesting, Zoe cut in. "I could go with her."

Leo shook his head. "Too much chance of being recognized. I suspect you made an impression during your last visit."

Zoe pursed her lips, but didn't argue.

"April can't go into a place like that on her own. It's too dangerous." Donnie complained.

"Hey." April protested.

Leo held up a hand to forestall further argument. "Caution isn't producing results. Sappho and Karai will back her up. It's past time we broke this thing wide open."

ALLI/DEVON/ANTON/YUUTA

Alli and Devon each carried a paper bag up the stairs to Alli's apartment. She glanced at the loose knot on Devon's head, the woman's make up minimal and her clothes an oversized sweatshirt and leggings. Perfect. She smiled. "I'm totally ready to eat junk food and play cards."

Devon's brow furrowed. "I really wish you would've let me go home and change first. I feel like such a slob."

"Don't be silly." Alli scoffed. "I'm putting my pjs on, then I'm going to eat an actual brownie and Anton and Yuuta are going to adore you because I did. Besides, this is how you usually look and that's how you should look around friends. We like you for your charming self, just the way you are." She winked then pushed the door open. "I'm home and I brought a card-playing friend!"

The scent of baking chocolate greeted Alli's nostrils, as Anton appeared in the kitchen entry with a big grin on his face. "Is this the same friend ya promised you'd eat chocolate for if we promised to teach her ta play the game?"

Alli pouted as she approached him. "You baked without me."

His smile was unwavering as he bent over to peck her on the lips. "I wasn't leavin' anything to chance. Chocolate is happenin'." He glanced at Devon as he relieved Alli of the grocery bag. "And apparently cards too. Hi, I'm Anton."

Devon blushed. "D-d-Devon. Nice to meet you." Her eyes widened as she followed Alli into the kitchen mouthing the words, 'that accent is hot!' Behind her hand.

Alli laughed, as Anton put the groceries on the table then rubbed the back of his head, the green darkening beneath his eyes as he motioned toward the hall. "I'll uh, get Yuuta."

Devon placed the second bag on the table, already reaching inside and pulling out the ice cream. "He totally seemed like he knew what I said to you just now."

"He might've." Alli shrugged, accepting the dessert and putting it in the freezer.

"But how, I just formed the words with my mouth I didn't say them." Devon handed her a six pack of beer.

Alli put them in the fridge then closed it and looked at her still-new-to-the-Hamato experience friend. "Devon, Anton has psychic visions in his dreams, is an uncontrolled medium, and a ninja. He knows things and sees things." She exhaled a sigh, shrugging again. "He's Anton." Then she pointed to her friend. "And you covered the wrong side of your mouth when you did it. He totally read your lips."

"Oh, my gods." Devon gasped covering her mouth. "That's so embarrassing!"

Alli chuckled. "That's nothing. The Hamato train is full of surprises." She reached into the drawer beside the fridge and pulled out a deck of cards. "Here, you shuffle and I'll put drinks on the table." She handed the deck to Devon, grabbed three beers, placed one in front of her friend, then one at each of the other two spots, before grabbing a bottle of water and taking a seat at the third.

"What no beer?" Devon frowned.

"Not if she's actually going to eat a piece of chocolate," Anton answered, re-entering the kitchen with Yuuta.

"Devon you remember my uncle, Yuuta. Yuuta, Devon." Alli sipped her water, using her glass to motion to each of them.

Devon signed and spoke. "It's good to see you again." She smiled. "Alli says Scout's doing well. How are you?"

Yuuta was partway through revising a paper for school when Anton knocked on his door frame. "Wrap it up. The student has arrived."

Right. Alli promised to actually eat dessert if they taught her friend cards. He couldn't help the usual inkling of suspicion whenever Alli brought a 'friend' by.

Of course, it could be completely innocent. They did need a fourth to play, so they hadn't managed a game since Spot. She could be seeking to snag a knew regular in the hopes that getting into playing again might influence his decision.

Or maybe she just missed playing. What was wrong with him? He sounded paranoid, even to himself.

Saving his paper, he got up to head into the kitchen. The kitchen, where Alli waited with a petite, blonde woman. Hackles rising, his paranoia roared back to the fore.

"Devon you remember my uncle, Yuuta. Yuuta, Devon." Alli pointed each of them out with her water glass.

Devon looked normal enough, not dressed like she was here for an ambush blind date. And familiar. Alli seemed to think they already knew each other.

Devon signed and spoke. "It's good to see you again." She smiled. "Alli says Scout's doing well. How are you?"

It clicked. Scout's interpreter from rehab. He remembered her now. She was often sitting and chatting or playing cards with Alli and Mikey when he came and went while training Scout during her recovery. It had seemed like they'd gotten close. So, he was just being unreasonably suspicious.

He returned the smile, noting the attractive earthy tone of her warm, brown eyes. It never hurt to observe.

"I'm well and we're all pleased with how Scout's getting through this. Thank you for all the help and support you gave her." He signed, adding, "I'm not deaf, just mute, so it's not necessary to sign to me."

He couldn't help feeling a little self-conscious. It didn't matter so much with the family, given the adaptations required of his three-fingered relatives, but he was always a bit embarrassed signing for strangers. With only four fingers on each hand, it came off as having a speech impediment. As if he didn't have enough of that already.

"Mute." Devon mused. "So, you'll be signing to communicate with me, but you don't want me signing back to you because you can hear me." Her brow furrowed. "Honestly, I'm probably going to slip up. Being an interpreter, I sometimes catch myself signing to verbal, hearing people while I'm talking to them." She giggled, offering up a smile. "Hopefully, you won't be offended when I do." Her head tipped to the side a bit. "Plus, it's good manners to reciprocate one's primary form of communication when capable. And I'm plenty capable, apparently reading three fingered adjustments, thanks to the terrapins in your family, as well as four finger thanks to my mother."

He tried not to wince at the squeaking grate of what might have been a chuckle in a vocal person, signing, "No worries. Just wanted you to know that you don't have to put your cards down whenever you want to talk. Since people tend to assume, not being able to speak means I can't hear either, I try to be up front about it."

Then he headed for the counter to fix himself a bowl of ice cream, keeping Devon in his peripheral vision. Given that Mikey signed as almost unconscious habit while speaking, it made sense that she'd have grown accustomed to their family's unique vernacular. And it seemed that her mother signed with less than a full complement of fingers for some reason. Knowing that, put him more at ease than he would've thought.

"So how does one play this game?" Devon asked, redirecting her attention to Alli, who was shuffling the deck.

Alli made eye contact with Anton sitting directly across from her. "Well you have a partner, usually the person sitting across from you. Antonello here is mine."

Anton smirked. "You can say that again."

"And again," Alli purred, leaning across the table.

"And again," Anton cooed meeting her halfway then kissing her sweetly. "Always."

"Ahem. O-o-Kay then-" Devon cleared her throat and looked around uncomfortably. She glanced toward Yuuta. "Uh- is it always like this?"

Yuuta rolled his eyes and signed. "Usually worse. It's like living in a romantic comedy." He squirted some chocolate syrup on his bowl of butter pecan and sat across from Devon, signing, "We should probably play a sample hand so you can get a sense if the game before we play for real. I can deal so as not to interrupt the lovebirds' goo-goo eyes." He swiped the cards from Alli.

Devon craned to see around the couple hovering over the middle of the table. "Right. That sounds- you know what. You two stop it. Please. Anton, we've only just met, but Alli, come on, we've been friends for a solid month so I feel safe in saying, either take it to your room or sit down and let's play cards!"

Yuuta squeaked a chuckle that reminded her a little of her mother's, except more masculine. She liked it, her eyes flickering up to meet his as the couple parted lips to sink back into their respective seats.

Blushing, Alli tore her eyes off Anton to apologize to Devon. If it made her friend this uncomfortable this must be how Yuuta felt all the time. That's what he'd been trying to tell them. Only while he was polite in his misery Devon wasn't having it. "I'm sorry. You're absolutely right. And Yuuta, an open face practice hand or two would be a great way to teach her."

Anton's gaze shifted from Alli to Devon. "You got guts. I like that. We're gonna get along just fine." Accepting the cards as Yuuta dealt them Anton looked at his uncle. "Maybe if some people made their feelings known when they came up, uncomfortable situations could be avoided. Rather than making huge decisions after the fact."

"Tut-tut!" Alli scolded. "We're not fighting. We're playing cards and we have a guest. Chill out over there, Bruiser and play the game."

Yuuta rolled his eyes as he dealt. Yes, that way everyone could be unhappy. Much better.

With a series a deft flicks, he shot the cards out to land in front of each player with exact precision, until they all had thirteen.

Then he flipped his hand over and spread them out in front of him. As he considered his cards, he thoughtfully ran his fingers down his beard, an unconscious habit inherited from his father.

Devon sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, watching Yuuta stroke the long strip of fur from his chin, she wondered if it was as soft as it looked. The variations in the colored markings around his face were beautiful, his fur shiny, and well groomed. She flipped her cards over, her thoughts turning with them. She wasn't sure how to show her interest in him, she was a terrible flirt. In part because she was usually considered socially awkward, a bit too blunt, which the Hamatos seemed to handle with grace. Another bonus for her. The other problem came with what happened when she brought guys home. Her family was anything but typical and her mother, not often well received. She couldn't count how many times she'd been asked if she was adopted. And an outsider's view of her mother then seemed to translate to how men saw her.

In fact, no relationship had passed the 'mom' test.

Her heart sank as she glanced from Alli to Anton, watching them gaze at each other in some silent exchange charged with a current of obvious attraction, paired with a deep bond. And Devon didn't even know that much about how the two met. It would be obvious to anyone looking at them that they had something rare. Devon swallowed, her voice coming out softer than expected. "Uh, what do I do?"

Yuuta's eyes tracked the line of her mouth as he looked around seeking direction. It was hard not to watch as she spoke. But he shook those thoughts aside. He was a six-foot-tall rat. Best not to forget that.

Better instead to try enjoying the company of the evening rather than fixate on what was beyond reach.

He smiled, signing. "Don't worry. I'll walk you through it."