After classes had ended for the day, April found that her friend was determined to keep to her word.
Addison's uncle, Nick, usually picked her up after school and drove her straight home. The only exceptions were when April agreed to walk the other girl home, a privilege which had been earned over hours of reassurances and no small number of walks with the young uncle live on a cellphone.
Addison had apparently texted her uncle and told him that this would be the case (without consulting April, naturally), and she now walked at April's side with a pair of earbuds in. She always seemed to put those in whenever she used her phone, a strange little ritual April had picked up on over time.
Addison had lots of little rituals. She walked slowly and even counted her footsteps sometimes (April had been absolutely floored when she learned that Addison had actually memorized how many steps it took to get just about anywhere in the school from any starting point, a reaction which had made her friend show a rare sheepishness), ran her hand along walls and furniture as she passed by no matter where she was like she needed to feel the details, and tended to stop and listen to unusual sounds before she would carry on with her day. April just figured that it was a precaution, as the other girl had a bit of a reputation at school for being clumsy.
She'd lost track of how many times someone had snapped at her friend to watch where she was going or even called her some name, and how many times April had cast dirty looks on her friend's behalf before taking her by the arm and leading her to the next class. For someone with self-defense training, Addison could be prone to making the occasional mistake and tripping herself or someone else up—but she was one of the nicest people in the world, so April had her back.
And now, Addison had decided to have hers—whether April liked it or not.
The blonde faced forward as she always did, and she was perfectly silent—just waiting for April to crack as they walked side-by-side.
"… Fine." April sighed, and Addison removed an earbud and let it hang. "My four 'secret-friends', as you called them… Their names are Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo—but they go by Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey." Addison nodded, showing that she was listening. "Like I said before: they're homeschooled and shy and they don't really get out a lot, so they don't like strangers. Happy?"
Despite the circumstances, it felt sort of nice for April to tell someone about the guys—even if it wasn't a complete truth. After all, the police did not believe her about the Kraang who kidnapped her father. She doubted her friend would believe that she was running around with four… teenage mutant ninja turtles.
Addison had always been a good listener. It had been what endeared April in the first place; Addie could listen to her talk about missing her mom or frustrations with her dad, and the blonde had been a shoulder to cry on after April's father had been taken away in the night.
In return, Addie vented the occasional stress about her overprotective but well-meaning uncle and another friend of hers: Casey Jones, a hockey player the blonde girl would affectionately refer to as "Jonesy" and who April had yet to actually meet.
April just knew that this "Jonesy" was apparently loud and stubborn with a bit of a temper, but a loyal friend with a protective streak and a soft side to him. He was also smarter than most believed, but more street-smart and technically smart than academic. He also had a strange habit of shouting "goongala" as a sort of battle-cry just before he knowingly got into trouble; April had asked what "goongala" even meant, but Addison could only shrug.
For all of her snark and stubbornness, Addison had always been caring and protective of her friends—a trait which had helped endear a certain turtle in red to April in spite of his temper and constant attitude. Raph reminded April of Addie, so she liked him right away.
Addison had been the first friend April had made on their first day of high school. She was younger and shorter, but she had been fiery from the start and she had stuck with April through everything—transition and tragedy, good and bad and crazy.
Having met the Turtles on September 29th, April had known Addison for just a month before her world had seemingly ended as she had known it—and it was nice, having something so stable she could fall back upon despite the brevity of their friendship.
Addison remained a constant, surprising but never really changing.
Addison tilted her head. "Hm. And these four dudes… which I'm not going to question, 'cause it's 2012-" April snorted. "They're the ones keeping you up at night?" Addison frowned, her brow furrowing. "April, you've never really been down with weapons or fighting—not like me, despite my best efforts to get you to learn some skills so you'd be safe. Today, you said you've started to consider it. What are you not telling me?"
April huffed, then she sighed. "I dunno, Addie. A lot's changed since my dad went missing, and… I want to stay safe, to keep my friends safe, and to find him. Does that make sense?"
"It does," Addison told her, stopping and turning to face April. "But I get the feeling it's more than that. Why the late nights?"
April stopped to look back at her friend, frowning, and she saw that—as usual—Addison would not look directly at her. She never looked directly at anyone, ever.
April's suspicions had been growing for months, ever since she and Addison had met in their history class on the first day of high-school. The other girl may not have known that April knew what was really going on, but the redhead had a sinking feeling that she was not the only one with a big secret worth hiding.
But the big question was: how could April ever confirm it? If April was right about this, the younger girl had trained herself to near-perfection when it came to hiding it.
Addie never looked people in the eye, she lived with her uncle, she avoided conversation about her family, she barely went anywhere without her uncle being nearby, and she gave off an air of fragility despite her strong personality. Nick never wanted her breaking routine or out of sight, and both he and his niece were obsessed with the idea of safety. Addison had strange quirks and habits, always needing ritual and familiarity.
April's suspicion was that Addison had been abused by her parents as a child, resulting in some pretty severe anxiety. She lacked trust, was taken in by her uncle, didn't like being alone, and needed to be assured of safety and consistency at all times.
That was the only explanation April could think of—and her father, who she had confided her concerns in, seemed to agree. Addison had come over to April's house from time to time, and—after she had gone over the entire place, walking slowly and running her hands over furniture and wall-fixtures just as April had seen her do at the school—she had interacted with April's father with a bright grin and a thousand questions when she learned that the man was a psychologist.
That memory made April smile, but she quickly shook her head and returned to the present.
"... You made me promise not to look for my dad alone," April began cautiously. "But your uncle would never let you help, especially not after dark." Addison's face fell at that, and April felt a bit bad. "So… I asked my friends to help. That's why I'm so tired."
Addison blinked, surprised, then her worried expression returned. "So, what? You're out at night with these guys, wandering the streets and hoping you'll pick up a lead?"
"There's research involved," April told her, then she sighed. "Look… I know who took my dad, but the police are no help. My friends and I, we have to do this on our own."
Wrong choice of words.
"April, what's going on?" Addison asked warily. "Did your dad get mixed-up in something, like that Dr. Rockwell guy on the news?"
April definitely could not tell her friend that Dr. Rockwell had been turned into a psychic monkey who reacted violently to negative emotion.
That would probably end badly.
"Sorta," was all April could say. "He was taken. We don't know why, but… we have to get him back. My friends have helped me find some leads, and… we can do this."
Addison's brow furrowed. "April, you're sixteen. This sounds huge."
"I know," April admitted. "But you have to trust me. I'm okay, really."
Addison just seemed to look beyond April for a moment, then she sighed and cast her eyes down. "I hope you're right about this, Apes."
"I am," April told her gently, then she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, trying not to cringe as she felt the other girl jump a little bit under her touch. "My friends look after me." She offered a weak smile. "Though… they've got nothing on you, Addie. Really, thanks."
Addison blinked, then she offered a small grin. "Someone has to hold the rationality around here. I've got yours in one hand, Nick's in the other."
"And none for yourself?" April teased gently.
Addison snorted, finally relaxing a bit. "You know it."
Addison lived in a good area of town.
April knew that her uncle, Nick, was a sort of 'jack of all trades' when it came to his income—he was a food critic (who, ironically, could not cook to save a life according to Addie and would take that secret to his grave), he played the drums and guitar and sometimes ran gigs with a local band (Addie warned that, while he was a skilled instrumentalist, his singing left much to be desired), and April was ninety-percent certain that she had seen him playing a comic-relief character in the occasional off-Broadway play (but he never admitted to it, even as his niece smiled when April brought it up).
However, April knew that his specialty was freelance writing and that he could leave Addison in their apartment for hours at a time as he explored the city to gather information to produce articles and books on a wide range of topics. April first heard about a certain restaurant, Murakami's, through a book of his which discussed the stereotypes and stigma around being blind, the challenges of being blind in New York City and elsewhere which came from both a lack of consideration and toxic attitudes, and the stories of capable blind workers and businesspeople who had learned to find their own way in spite of judgement and adversity.
It had to be books like that, April decided, that paid for their apartment. She did not know how else the little family could afford such a place in the city.
They lived in a tower which was a hotel for most of the lower-levels and then became luxury apartments at the higher tiers. The first floor had a doorman as well as a cafe and shops—and separate elevators for guests and residents, all of which required keycard activation. It was almost a town in itself, and secure—
"Thanks," Addison said at the door, giving a grateful smile as both the doorman and the lady at the desk in the lobby watched her with care. April knew that Addison had pretty much grown up in that building, so everyone knew her. "Just… be safe, alright?"
"Of course," April told her friend, smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay," Addison agreed, then she turned and entered the building.
As soon as her friend was safe inside the apartment complex, April drew her phone and leaned against a nearby wall as she made a call.
"Mr. Murakami?" She paused for a moment, then she smiled brightly. "Yes, it's April O'Neil. It's good to hear from you, too… Yeah, I'm doing as well as I can. I'm still living with my aunt, and some friends of mine are helping me out. Addie and Nick are still keeping an eye on me… Well, I'd like to make a reservation for five tonight at eight—if that works for you… Thank you! I'll see you then!"
Inside Addison's apartment building, the blonde teenager was frowning as she listened to the conversation from an opened window in the building's first-floor café.
"You look like you're fixing to do something reckless, Addie," the woman behind the counter noted with a worried frown.
Addison blinked, then she 'looked' back and gave a small smile. "Hm. Do I?"
/\
The Lair had become a second- well, third home to April in the months since her father was taken by the Kraang.
Whenever April was not at her aunt's apartment, at school, or hanging out with Addison, she seemed to be there—spending time with Leo, Raph, Donnie (who seemed to harbor a crush on her, which she really would have to address at some point as he came closer and closer to becoming one of her dearest friends), Mikey, and occasionally Master Splinter as the Turtles trained and they all researched to try and find any leads on April's father.
Recently, Splinter had offered to teach April how to fight as well in order to ensure her safety, and—given what had happened to her father and the new threats she and the Turtles seemed to be coming up against every week—she had almost-immediately agreed to something that Addie had been telling her to consider for months. That made April feel a little bad…
She could still remember how Master Splinter had insisted on the difficulties of being a kunoichi, and how April had smiled when thinking of her friend's tired grins after a long night of training ending with a dinner at Murakami's and said she knew that. Splinter had been surprised…
…
April gave a small smile.
"Well, I have a friend who studies ninjutsu," she explained, and the ninja master blinked. "And kickboxing. I'm told she's kind of a fighting prodigy, actually."
Splinter took this in, then he squinted. "… Not under Chris Bradford, yes?"
"Oh, no." April chuckled awkwardly as she waved that idea off. "I'm pretty sure she calls him-… Well, it's not important what she calls him." Splinter raised an eyebrow. "But my friend, Addie, has been training since she was a little kid. Her uncle really insists on her being able to protect herself, no matter what." April crossed her arms. "She's actually tried to convince me to learn how to fight before so that I could be safe. She… worries, a lot."
"She sounds like a good friend," Splinter noted, seeming to pick up on April's tentativeness while discussing the other girl.
"Hm." April glanced down at the floor, giving a small smile, then she looked back at Splinter. "I only met her at the start of the school year." She looked away again. "But, um… Addie's probably my best friend, topside." Her little smile returned as she glanced at the doors to the Dojo. "Raph actually reminds me of her."
"She sounds like quite a character, then," Splinter decided, and he chuckled as April laughed. "But you seem to worry for her, as well."
"… Addie's fierce," April told Splinter in all seriousness. "But… I don't think she's had the easiest life. She looks out for me—and for this other friend of hers, Casey—but… I worry that she doesn't look out for herself as much, and I've got some theories about why that is and-" She shrugged. "I guess I just wonder what difference I can make."
"A friend like you, I am certain, makes all the difference in the world to this girl," Splinter told her kindly, and April blinked in surprise. "And if you are true friends, then… it's perfectly normal to worry about each other. Just remember that you are both fierce, my child."
…
April smiled at the memory as she entered the Lair, and she paused at the top of the subway terminal steps and rested her hands on her hips, grinning at the sight of each of the Turtles going about their days.
Leo was watching Space Heroes, way too close to the television for it to be good for his eyes.
Raph was feeding his pet tortoise (April never corrected anyone when they said 'turtle', feeling it was a bit of a sensitive subject), and he was smirking as a frustrated Mikey tried to beat his high-score on the pinball machine.
There were noises coming from Donnie's lab, indicating that he was hard at work.
Master Splinter was probably meditating, training himself, or preparing a new lesson for his sons or April in the Dojo.
Smell aside, this place was more like a home than anyplace April had been since she lost her father. She was grateful… but it also made her sad, knowing that there were some things her friends could not experience because of how they looked: high-school, walking around in the sunlight, going to a restaurant…
She could not help with most of those things, but she could help with one.
Every little bit helped.
"Hey, guys!" She greeted, and the three Turtles in the main area of the Lair looked up. There was a crashing sound from within the lab, and then Donnie poked his head out as well. "Good news: we're going out, tonight."
"Out?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow. "Out where?"
Leo sometimes gave the Tylers a run for their money when it came to caution.
April crossed her arms, grinning slyly. "It's a surprise." She turned away, gesturing as she started to leave the Lair. "Come on!"
After a moments' hesitation, she heard four sets of feet following behind her.
/\
As April walked alone down the sidewalk, long after darkness had fallen across the city, she figured she would look pretty reckless to someone like Addie or Nick.
That was only because her friends, in a bid to go down unseen, were following behind her in a ninja-like fashion… which was slow, very slow.
Hopefully, Mr. Murakami would not mind if they were just a few minutes late.
April paused in front of a theatre, turning back and deadpanning as she rested a hand on her hip. She knew that Leo, at least, had been close behind her just moments before.
"You guys wanna speed it up a little?" She asked, annoyed.
"Are you saying that turtles are slow?" Donnie's voice asked, and April jumped a bit before glancing back to see him behind the ticket-booth.
Raph and Mikey appeared on the other side of the ticket-booth, Mikey's expression and eyes brimming with hurt. "That's a hurtful stereotype!"
"Trust us, April," Leo suggested as he hid behind one of the theatre's decorative pillars. "We should stick to the shadows." He gave a strained smile. "People tend to like us better when they don't know we exist."
Okay, that hurt.
"Sorry!" April told him awkwardly, clasping her hands before her chest. "I'm just so excited to get you out of the sewer for a change!"
"What are you talking about?" Raph asked, irked. "We go out all the time!"
"Yeah, but tonight you're going to do something besides hitting people," April replied, and Raph actually looked disappointed—he even let out a dramatic "aw". "Don't worry, you're going to love this noodle-place I found."
She didn't need to go into the whole story about Nick and Addie, just yet.
Donnie looked worried. "And you're sure we'll be welcome?"
April nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yeah. Mr. Murakami doesn't care what you look like. In fact, he won't even know what you look like." Time for the big reveal… "He's blind!"
"Awesome!" Mikey beamed, only for Raph to whack him on the head. "Ow!" He blinked, then he smiled sheepishly. "I mean, for us—obviously..."
As the five got closer to the noodle-shop, they heard crashes and grunts of pain, and April found herself running towards the restaurant. In her rush, she failed to notice a yellow and black Camaro pulling up at the end of the block.
There were a bunch of thugs trashing the place, and April's eyes widened. "Oh, no!"
"Who are those creeps?" Donnie asked.
"The Purple Dragons," April replied bitterly as they moved to a window to get a look at the situation. "They think they own the streets around here… We have to help!"
"So much for not hitting people, tonight." Leo sighed, but he gave a devious smile.
Raph shrugged, smirking. "Oh, well."
Addison heard crashing noises as she approached Murakami's restaurant with her cane, moving it across the pavement to prevent any trips over unseen obstacles. When she was walking alone, it was best to drop the act and use what she had to keep herself safe.
It took a bit of convincing for Nick to drop her off, but Addison had insisted that she would be meeting April and that they would be just fine until 10:00.
Addison collapsed her cane and placed it in the leather satchel at her hip when she arrived at the correct building, and she frowned as she realized that the noises she was hearing were coming from within. There were people fighting, and she could hear someone coming out the front door: two sets of steps, one labored and one struggling.
"Whoa!" A familiar voice exclaimed in surprise. "Addie, is that you?"
April.
"Addie-chan?" Another voice asked tiredly.
Mr. Murakami.
"What's happening?" Addison demanded, stepping forward. "Are you guys hurt?"
"He's a little roughed-up," April admitted. "I'm fine, a-and my friends are trying to take care of these thugs. The Purple Dragons, Addie, they just don't know where to draw the line."
Addison's eyes narrowed, then she took a deep breath. "Well, then—I guess we'll just have to show them."
"Addie?!" April sounded worried as Addison turned to the door and closed her eyes, listening. Some of the voices sounded younger than the others, and those were probably April's friends… "Hey, what are you doing?!"
Addison opened her eyes and smirked. "See for yourself."
The first Raph saw, the big goon he was fighting was suddenly hit over the head with one of the frying pans that had been scattered around the shop. The guy grunted, not going down at first, then he turned around just in time for the frying pan to slam into the side of his face and send him dropping to the floor with a groan of pain.
The girl standing there had crazy blonde hair and bright green eyes, but she did not look Raph in the eye as she huffed before smirking. "Well, that was hardly 'proper form'—but it'll serve."
"Uh…" Raph raised an eyebrow, well and truly thrown off.
The girl tilted her head. "One of April's friends?"
"Yep," Raph answered without thinking.
The girl nodded. "Good. Would've been pretty awkward if I had to hit you, next." She then squinted before taking the frying pan and throwing it, sending the spinning projectile across the room to smack the guy Donnie was fighting right in the nose. "Oh..! That had to hurt!"
"Whoa!" Donnie looked over, his eyes wide, and Mikey stopped eating some ramen for a moment to look over at the girl curiously. "Who-?"
"Get out of here," Leo commanded, having released the leader of the Purple Dragons relatively unscathed.
The man blinked, surprised, then he smirked as he shoved Leo aside before going to his friends and rousing them. "Come on! Let's go!" He looked back, pointing. "This ain't over, Greeny!"
"Rude," the girl remarked dryly, crossing her arms and glaring after the men as they ran off. "I should've aimed for him."
"I know, right?" Donnie glanced at her, huffing despite his wariness of the stranger. "I wonder how many braincells he put to work on that."
"I doubt there were any," the girl told him seriously as she adjusted her flannel.
"You just let him go?!" Raph demanded, marching over to Leo. "What the heck was that?!"
"They weren't exactly a threat," Leo pressed. "They'd had enough."
"Dude! They were beating up a blind guy!" Raph protested. "There's no 'enough'! Now, they'll think we're wimps and we don't have the guts to finish the job!"
Leo glanced down, frowning.
"Uh… You don't mean 'finish the job' as in-?" The blonde girl raised an eyebrow as she mimed her throat being sliced with her finger. "Just- Just going for some clarification, there."
The Turtles all looked at her, their eyes wide, then April was suddenly coming back into the restaurant and leading Mr. Murakami by her side. "Wow! That was great, you guys!"
"Thanks, April," Donnie replied, wariness forgotten as he smiled at her. "Did you see when I caught the one guy and flipped him onto the counter? Did it look cool?" He laughed to himself at that. "I bet it looked cool!"
"The coolest!" April replied, smiling awkwardly.
Donnie deadpanned. "You didn't see it, did you?"
"No, I did not," April admitted. "I was kinda busy, 'cause-..." She glanced at the blonde girl, her eyes wide. "Addie, what are you doing here?"
"I am the one who brought you here in the first place, after you read about it in my uncle's book," the girl—Addie, apparently—replied with a grin. "Can't a girl grab a bite to eat at the best restaurant in the city?"
April raised an eyebrow. "She can, but on the same night when I was planning on grabbing a bite with the friends she was expressing clear concern about earlier that same day? A bit too big of a coincidence, dontcha think?"
"Okay, fair." The other girl sighed. "Look, you had me worried. You told me you were going out to look for your dad, who someone the police won't believe you about apparently has captive someplace, and that you were considering combat and weapons training after months of giving me excuses—and you're tired all the time." She gestured to the Turtles, frowning. "Now, I find your 'secret friends' getting into it with the Purple Dragons? Apes, you gotta admit—I miiight've had a point."
"... You're the worst," April decided, but she was smiling.
Addie snorted, grinning. "You know it."
The Turtles just listened to this exchange with wide eyes, uncertain of how to respond to anything that was happening.
Thankfully, Mr. Murakami cut in. "My friends, I am indebted to you. Please, allow me to make you a meal—free of charge."
"I think we can allow that," Raph decided, grinning.
Addison crossed her arms. "Only if you let me help you clean up around here."
"Always so stubborn, Addie-chan," Mr. Murakami teased, and the girl huffed. "You've been coming here since you were six, and some things haven't changed at all."
Addison rolled her eyes, then she grinned. "Something's gotta be stable, around here—aside from food quality, that is."
Mr. Murakami chuckled, then he addressed the Turtles again. "What is your favorite dish?"
"... PIZZA!"
As Mr. Murakami sped around the kitchen, whipping together a meal through the use of sharp reflexes and his honed senses, Addison made her way around the noodle-shop with a broom and tried to handle some of the damage.
Subtly using the broom to guide herself around and find scattered items, she soon had them all piled up and hoped that it was an improvement.
"Addison, please: sit down," Mr. Murakami insisted as he flipped the contents of one of his frying pans, a smile on his face. "You've done more than enough."
"Okay, okay." Addison sighed, leaning the broom against the wall. "It's all piled-up next to the back wall. I've left the broom over the center of the pile, leaned against the wall."
Mr. Murakami nodded. "Thank you, my friend."
Addison nodded back, then she made her way over to the counter and sat down. "Smells good, Murakami-san."
"Hm." Mr. Murakami grinned. "Not all of my experiments turn out so well. I have high hopes for this one, though."
"Me, too," Addison assured him, then she crossed her arms and leaned on the counter. "You're a maestro in the kitchen, Murakami-san." She noticed how quiet it was and raised an eyebrow. "So… what's up, fellas?"
"Um..." The youngest voice started. "Hi?"
Addison blinked, then she 'looked' in their direction and grinned. "Hey. Now, whatever Apes has told you about me—I swear, I don't bite." She paused, then she 'glanced' at the ceiling. "Well, maybe-" She snorted, casting her eyes back in the voice's direction again. "Nah, I don't bite… unless provoked. Then, someone's losing a finger."
"Who are you?" One of the older voices asked. That was the one who had granted the leader of the Purple Dragons mercy.
Addison feigned a gasp, raising a hand to her chest. "Oh, so she'll tell me about you yet tell you nothing about me? I'm wounded, really..."
"You always are," April noted snarkily.
Addison huffed. "Well, maybe you should stop picking on me like this, Apes. One can only take so much emotional blood-loss, you know." She lowered her hand. "Addison J. Tyler. Friends call me 'Addie'."
"... Dudes, this is awesome!" The young voice spoke up again, sounding elated.. "This totally makes up for Chris Bradford!"
"Chris Bradford?" Addison asked, perplexed, then she snorted. "Oh, geez. Don't tell me that you guys got mixed-up with that diva."
"Well… just a little bit," the voice that had asked April about flipping someone onto the counter admitted sheepishly.
"That sucks, dudes," Addison told them honestly. "Guy's a real pain in the tail, especially when one of his students loses in a competition." She 'looked' down at the counter, smirking. "Still waiting for them to make a Karate Kid-type flick about the summer of '09—but no romance, only snark and combat."
"Heh." The voice that belonged to the first person Addison had spoken to seemed amused by this. "Sounds like my kind of movie."
"Gotta work on my pitch," Addison mused, and she heard some chuckles. "Hm. And here, April said I shouldn't meet you because you're 'asocial'." She grinned. "So, introductions?"
"Right, right..." The flip-guy voice still sounded confused. "Well, I-... I'm Donatello, but you can call me Donnie."
"Raphael, or Raph." The first voice.
"Michelangelo, or Mikey!" The youngest voice.
"I'm Leonardo, or Leo." The mercy-voice.
Addison nodded, taking this in. "Nice to meetcha."
As Mr. Murakami prepared the thank-you meal, the Turtles couldn't stop looking at Addison like she was an alien—and April could not blame them.
Addison had been bizarrely calm about the whole… giant mutant turtle teenagers carrying ninja weapons… thing, and it was downright weird.
"So, you're a fighter?" Leo asked at last. "I saw you get some good shots in."
Addison nodded, looking over in his direction. "My uncle started having me trained when I was four." She shrugged. "We live in New York City, one of the most heavily populated and chaotic places on Earth. Precaution, right?" She tilted her head. "... I'm guessing that's why you four were trained."
"Yeah, you could say that." Donnie smiled nervously.
Addison nodded in reply, and Mr. Murakami 'looked' over at her.
"Now that their food is well underway… What will it be, Addie-chan?" He asked, beaming.
Addie gave a slight smirk, then replied: "The usual, Murakami-san."
Murakami nodded, smiling like he always did, then he went back to work as the Turtles looked at Addie with more and more curiosity.
"The usual?" Raph asked. "What's the usual?"
Addison shrugged, giving a small smile.
"The usual is my code for 'surprise me'," she replied. "Wherever I go regularly and I've made some friends, I say the same thing—and I request whatever the chef wants to throw at me, when I visit someplace new and it seems like folks'd be okay with that kind of thing. Gotta read the room, y'know? Otherwise, I tell my uncle to close his eyes and pick something random. I like being surprised."
Mikey raised an eyebrow. "What if you get something that looks really nasty?"
"I tend not to judge things by how they appear," Addison told him.
The Turtles blinked a few times, surprised, then they finally relaxed in Addison's presence.
Finally, the Turtles and Addie got their meals: Pizza Gyoza.
And instead of all of them being disgusted, they actually thought it was great!
"Even you?!" April asked Addison, shocked.
The other girl nodded, beaming as she continued to eat. "These are amazing! I've gotta have Uncle Nick try them!"
The odds were, he would like them.
Nick Tyler was weird like that.
As the group ate, Mr. Murakami explained to them all of the trouble he had with the Purple Dragons.
Addison clenched her fists, her eyes narrowing in frustration. "Maybe I should have pounded in a few more dents."
"Maybe you could have, if Lame-o-nardo hadn't let 'em go," Raph muttered, and Leo looked away with a huff.
Addison raised an eyebrow.
"That's a stupid nickname," she said, and Leo looked at her hopefully. "Try Leo-nerd-o instead. Simplicity is key."
The Turtles' jaws dropped, then the three youngest laughed and while Leo huffed.
Raph clapped Addison on the shoulder. "I like this girl." He smirked, missing how she jumped a bit at the touch. "Snarky, willing to kick some serious jerkwad tail, AND she even likes making fun of Leo!"
"Not so fast." Addison picked up her tea and took a sip. "... RaFAIL."
Raph's eyes widened as the other three started laughing at him, then he grinned. "Oh, payback's gonna be quick and painful."
"Bring it," Addison insisted, and April shook her head.
"Really, don't," the redhead advised. "She's nuts."
Addison pointed at April. "You knew this coming in. It's too late, now."
"Yes, yes—I know." April deadpanned. "The infestation has progressed too far."
Addison snickered. "Hell wouldn't take me back, anyway."
There was a beep from outside, and Addison blinked before she sighed. The girl got up from her seat and crossed her arms, rolling her eyes.
"Sorry, guys," she apologized. "Looks like Uncle Nick's here to crash the party." She gestured towards April with her head. "She can give you my number. If you four ever need back-up for anything, call me. I'll be there."
"Addie, please," April tried, frowning. "Your uncle barely lets you out of his sight when you're not home."
Addison gave a small smirk. "Apes, I'm fifteen. I think that the whole 'rebellious teenager phase' is long overdue." She gave a little mock salute. "So, I'll be seeing all of you around. Take care of April for me 'til then."
With that, the blonde turned and left the noodle-shop.
"Wow." Donnie stared after her, then he looked over at April. "Um… So… she was nice."
"Yeah." Leo nodded, frowning. "But she-... I don't know. Maybe I'm just used to people reacting to how we look with insults or -well- screaming, but-…" He glanced over at where Mr. Murakami was washing some dishes. "He is one thing." He looked back at the door. "But she-... Why wasn't she afraid of us?"
"Honestly?" April shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea. Addie's always been fierce, but… she didn't even question anything. She just stepped in to help, and-..." She chuckled, shaking her head. "I shouldn't even question it, at this point. Like I said, she's fierce. I always thought of her and Raph as being on the same wavelength."
"She definitely had… personality," Leo agreed, and Mikey snickered at the look on Raph's face while Donnie just grinned.
"Well, I like her!" Mikey insisted, looking at the others with a smile. "She's super-cool, and she seems to really like us!"
"Yeah, she does," April agreed, offering a warm smile. "And if there's one thing I've learned about her, it's that she's loyal to a fault." She chuckled. "But I think you got that when she tracked me down to make sure I hadn't joined a gang or something. Geez, I must've had her more worried than I thought."
"She had some good points," Donnie agreed. "From an outsider's perspective, your behavior would be highly suspicious."
"Yeah." April cringed. "At least she didn't bring Nick into it. All things considered, this was a pretty merciful intervention."
"Sounds like you've got a good friend watching you back," Raph noted.
At that, April's smile returned. "Yeah. Sure does."
I'm starting to remember why I liked this character so much.
And I'm hopefully correcting some of the issues with her previous descriptions, now that I've done a lot more research.
Also, I was careful to include a few little details that would help cover-up any hints to the Turtles' true nature.
Example: Addie's 'standard cartoon character outfit' includes a green flannel, she has green eyes, she wears green jewelry, and she has green streaks in her hair—so she thought the whole "Greeny" comment was directed at her. XD
I'm also developing Nick's character alongside Addison's early on, the main OC and her guardian, so that Addie's support-system has an explanation before we get into the chaos that causes it to be neglected on occasion.
Fun times, right?
...
But really, it was super important to get the little details down with their behavior—where they would choose live given their means (something that not everyone could afford), rituals and habits, little things that someone unaware of the circumstances would view as a quirk rather than a habit formed out of necessity or precaution.
April, being the daughter of a psychologist, decides that everything is due to a mental attribute rather than something physical.
Addie's not perfect with her deception, but she's good enough to be given the benefit of the doubt to those whose first guesses would be "anxious", "shy", or even "clumsy" rather than "blind".
There's also a lot to do with trust, here. Nick has to trust April before he'll leave Addison alone with her, and Addison has to trust that April—while not knowing everything—won't leave or lead her astray on their walks.
However, they still don't trust April with the truth. Everything is built around a standard, and they worry that everything they've worked for could change if the standard was revealed to not be the case.
...
It was also pretty neat to write for the Turtles in this chapter.
There were some parallels with Addie that I didn't notice, the first time I wrote this. They, like my character, are cautionary as they move through the city and must keep their secret from the world—she can't see, and they can't be seen.
They also don't accept her acceptance right away. After Chris Bradford, they're reasonably concerned especially when they face a stranger, who could judge them for something that is A) not wrong even if it is not socially accepted and B) out of their control though not necessary to change.
They're similar in some ways, opposites in others. They just don't know why, yet.
And poor April is caught in the middle. XD
I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)