Breakfast, it seemed, consisted of whatever these guys happened to have lying around their kitchen. She stood awkwardly off to the side as she watched them all rummage around their cupboards, feeling very out of place.
"Hey, cat girl!" Michelangelo suddenly exclaimed, causing her to jump in surprise. "Could you check in that cabinet?" he asked, motioning to the area behind her.
Actually feeling relieved that she now had a task, Katerina bent down and began to sift through the various objects being stored there. It appeared to be mostly a collection of random dishes and other kitchen knickknacks haphazardly sitting inside. Except, after a bit of digging, she spied what appeared to be a box of some sort. She pulled it out and read the label.
Complete Pancake Mix – Just Add Water.
It didn't look like it had been opened yet, so she rose and displayed it for the orange-clad turtle. He grinned in response.
"Alright! Nice find! Pancakes it is," he cheered.
"A bit cliché, but I guess it'll do," Leonardo decided, snapping the box up out of her grip and dropping it into Michelangelo's. "Chef Mikey, if you would be so kind," he less than subtly hinted.
"Call us when it's ready," Donatello added, as the three of them left the room, leaving Katerina alone with Michelangelo. He audibly sighed in exasperation.
"No one ever wants to help," he lamented.
"I could help you," Katerina offered without really thinking. "That is, you know, if you'd want me to. . ." she trailed, now sounding much less convicted, adverting her gaze and rubbing at the back of her neck. In spite of her hesitation, Michelangelo's face broke out into a huge grin at the offer.
"That would be great! We'll be able to get done twice as fast!" he said excitedly, making some space on the counter and pulling a couple of skillets down from where they were hanging above the island.
"Here," he said, handing her the pans. "You heat these up while I mix the batter," he instructed, and they went to work, each monitoring a burner.
About halfway through the batter, Michelangelo cast a sideways glance at the stoic cat girl. Feeling a little awkward, he thought to try and make conversation.
"You've done this before?" he asked her, noting that she didn't need any kind of instruction. She nodded that she had. "You cook for your family too?" he wondered, in an attempt to find common ground.
"You, could say that," she replied hesitantly, not really giving him anything more to go on.
They cooked the rest of the cakes in silence, only breaking it when they'd finished and brought them out for everyone to eat. This ended up attracting Splinter as well, who Katerina noted, she hadn't seen yet that morning, until there was food to be had it seemed.
"Ah, pancakes! Don't mind if I do," he said, helping himself to a stack.
The turtles chatted as they ate, discussing various topics such as: what their plans were for the day, what their friend April might be up to – typical mealtime conversation, if you were privy to such things. Meanwhile, Katerina sat quietly and just listened, not making much progress with her pancake. It didn't take long for the others to notice her lack of involvement.
"What's wrong, kitten? Don't like pancakes?" Leonardo wondered through a mouthful of food, her hardly touched plate being difficult to miss. She shook her head.
"Pancakes are fine," she assured him.
"Why you being so quiet, then?" Raphael asked her, already knowing that she was capable of talking if she wanted to.
"I – I'm sorry. I guess, I'm just not really used to, this," she attempted to explain, inclining her head towards the group.
"Not used to, what? Eating with a bunch of mutant freaks?" Donatello chimed in with no chill. Katerina hunched her shoulders, keeping her focus down on her plate, while the rest of the room flashed Donatello weary glances. She slowly shook her head again.
"No, not used to eating with other people, at all," she confessed, before glancing up to find them all looking at her with confused stares. "My mom and I would never eat together."
"But, what about at school? You went to school, right? Like April does?" Michelangelo suggested.
"Uh, well. . ." she trailed for a moment. "Yes, I did go. But, I generally made it a habit to try and avoid most of the people at school. Like, all the time, every time, at all costs," she realized with dismay.
"What?! Why?" Leonardo couldn't help asking with a laughing air.
"Because people at school find it amusing to call you a weeb and pour milk on your head," she told them with a touch of manic to her tone. She watched as everyone in the room slightly recoiled at her words, everyone except for Donatello, that is.
"Are you a weeb?" he wondered, seemingly unaffected by her confession of mistreatment. She sighed in defeat.
"Just because I watch anime and play video games, it doesn't make me a weeb!" she lamented.
"But it does make you a nerd, right?" Raphael asked in an innocent tone.
"Heh, heh. Nerd," Splinter chuckled at the other end of the table in between bites of pancake, drawing the attention of the room. He glanced up, looking a bit guilty when he noticed this. "Not to worry, cat girl. Purple is a nerd too," he offered, in an attempt to deflect.
"I am not a nerd, I am a genius! There's a big difference!" Donatello defended haughtily.
"Yeah, whatever," Splinter said, waving him off. Finishing the rest of his breakfast, he let out a loud belch before hopping up to address Katerina once again.
"So, nerd girl. Picking up from where we left off yesterday," he began, causing everyone to tense. Katerina turned to face him, sitting up at full attention. "Allow me to clarify that my line of questioning to you was not to try and make you feel unwelcome. I simply assumed reuniting you with your family would allow you to feel safer and more comfortable. However, based on your reactions last night, I now assume this is, not the case?" he guessed, pausing to see how she would answer.
Katerina lowered her gaze before tentatively shaking her head. She didn't trust herself to say anything out loud, for fear that she might end up making the same mistake again.
"But, won't your mom get worried and wonder where you are if you don't ever go home?" Michelangelo asked with concern. Katerina just shrugged.
"I doubt it. I'm guessing it'll probably take her about a week to even notice I'm gone," she mentioned casually, but still resulting in looks of alarm from her audience at the implications. Donatello, on the other hand, simply narrowed his eyes dubiously.
"Your own mother won't even notice you're missing?" Raphael asked in disbelief.
"She's – not exactly a good person," she reasoned.
"So, let me get this straight. You have pretty sucky parents, and you're bullied in school?" Leonardo asked, but didn't really wait for a reply. "No wonder you're such a head case!" he exclaimed, shaking his own head in wonder.
"Was," she corrected automatically, but almost instantly wished she hadn't, because now they were looking at her expectantly for clarification. "I was bullied in school," she decided to continue for them. "But, I graduated early so that I could try and –" she suddenly stopped short when she realized that she was potentially heading into oversharing territory.
"Oh, sorry. I'm sure you guys don't care to hear about my lame, boring life," she assumed with embarrassment.
"AWWW!" both Michelangelo and Leonardo exclaimed together. She flinched at the sudden, unexpected protest.
"Come on! It was just getting good," Leonardo lamented.
"I wanna know why you graduated early, please?" Michelangelo pleaded with her. Katerina eyed them with a puzzled look, glancing around at the others for explanation.
"We don't meet a whole lot of new people," Raphael clarified for her.
"Uh, okay. If you're sure. . ." she trailed for a moment, searching for the best words. She didn't exactly have a lot of experience talking about herself, after all. "I graduated early so that I could get a job, and be able to get my own place. I was actually on my way to work yesterday when, all this happened," she explained, gesturing at herself.
"Oh, so, even if you could go home, sounds like you'd prefer not to," Leonardo surmised. She nodded that he was correct.
"Wait a second. You're just a kid, aren't you? How exactly were you planning on moving out and living on your own?" Donatello couldn't help but wonder.
Katerina paused and blinked at him for a moment. She was actually surprised that he was even still here, let alone that he was interested enough to ask! Since until that moment, he'd seemed to be much more interested in his phone than in the ensuing conversation.
"By petitioning the court and having my parents sign an emancipation form," she answered flatly.
"Whoa! You can do that?" Raphael wondered. Katerina nodded. She'd done extensive research on the subject, in fact. "That seems, pretty extreme. You must really hate your mom!" he decided.
"I don't know if hate is the right word? I just, don't want to have to live with her anymore. I don't want her to have anymore control over me," she muttered, casting a hard glare at the ground.
Donatello rolled his eyes skeptically, but if the others had noticed, they chose to ignore it.
"But, wouldn't that be kinda, scary? Living all by yourself?" Michelangelo asked with a frown.
"I've basically been taking care of myself since I was five already, so, no big deal," she assured, waving him off.
"So, when you said you would cook for you family. . ." he trailed with realization.
"Yeah, I learned to cook so that I could make meals for myself," she finished for him. He flashed her a sad look. In fact, they all kind of did. Donatello simply choosing to not make eye contact.
"I see. It now makes perfect sense why going home is not an option for you," Splinter declared, pacing a few steps away. "That then leaves us with the question, what are you going to do now?" he asked, turning back to face her. Katerina shrugged somberly.
"I – I don't know. I can't exactly go get an apartment now, or keep working at my job. . ." she trailed, once again getting that unwelcome impression.
There was a long moment of awkward silence, during which the turtles were continually glancing around at each other. It was like everyone had something they wanted to say, but were unsure about speaking their minds. Until finally, Michelangelo couldn't take it anymore.
"Why don't you just stay here with us?" he voiced impatiently. Katerina blinked up at him in surprise, but didn't get a chance to reply before the rest of the room began chiming in.
"Right? I mean, it makes a lot more sense than your earlier suggestion," Leonardo hinted slyly.
"It's not like there are a whole lot of other options," Raphael reasoned. "That is, if everyone's okay with that?" he asked, casting a sideways glance in Donatello's direction.
"Don't look at me! I don't have a problem with it. As long as she's okay with living with a bunch of freaks," he pointed out snidely.
"Come on, man! We all know that isn't what she meant, and she already apologized. Let it go!" Raphael ordered with irritation.
"Hey! She's the one who's still acting like she's gonna catch something just by being around us," he snapped back.
Katerina felt her stomach churn with despair at the declaration. She had no idea she'd been coming across that way! Putting her elbows up on the table, she dropped her head into her hands in dismay.
"I'm sorry!" she sighed. "I know, I suck at this! I'm just not used – I mean – I don't know how ta," she let out a heavy sigh, letting her head fall the rest of the way to the table. "I'm such a loser," she lamented.
"I wouldn't say that. Just a bit of a drama queen," Leonardo teased with a grin. Katerina couldn't help but narrow her eyes a bit in response from her position on the table. This was the first time she'd ever been accused of being a 'drama queen' before.
"We just, wanted to make sure you're okay with the idea," Raphael clarified. She nodded that she understood.
"Does that mean you're gonna stay?" Michelangelo asked, sounding surprisingly excited by the idea.
"Yeah, I'd really like that," she confessed honestly. "That is, if you guys are sure you're okay living with a screw up like me," she added forebodingly.
"Ah, come on. You're not a screw up either," Michelangelo tried to tell her. Katerina lifted her head up from the table to flash him a skeptical look.
"I've done nothing but screw up since I got here," she reminded him.
"She makes a valid point," Donatello agreed without missing a beat.
"What?! Nuh uh! She did a fine job helping me make breakfast, which is more than I can say for any of you!" Michelangelo defended for her, flashing her a big grin. She couldn't help cracking a half-smile in return. "You're okay with this, right dad?" he continued, turning to Splinter.
The rat man snapped to attention at suddenly hearing that he was being spoken to. It appeared that he had zoned out at some point.
"Oh, yes. Cat girl is a quiet nerd, so no trouble at all," he confirmed casually. Michelangelo did a little happy wiggle at the news.
"You seem pretty excited about this," Leonardo commented at him.
"I'm finally gonna have a cooking buddy!" he explained merrily. "You're gonna like it here with us, Katerina. I promise," he assured her.
"I – I don't know what to say, except – thank you," she offered simply, knowing that she had very little else to give.
"Hey, don't even worry about it. What kind of guys would we be if we just threw a helpless girl out onto the street," Raphael reasoned with a shrug.
Katerina felt herself frown at the comment. Of course, she wasn't a ninja or anything, but she'd never really thought of herself as helpless before. She didn't like buying into that whole 'damsel in distress' routine, usually.
"Speaking of which," Splinter interjected, once again gaining the attention of the room. "My sons mentioned something to me after meeting you that I found curious. Come, stand here," he instructed the girl. She obeyed, getting up and standing right in front of him. He studied her for a moment.
"So, would I be correct in assuming that you have never had any kind of combat or weapons training?" he guessed. Katerina stared at him with a confused look. What did that have to do with, anything?
"Um, no sir," she confirmed, but then hesitated as she thought better of it. "Unless, does a bow and arrow count?" she wondered, earning her some curious looks.
"I took archery for PE credits so I wouldn't have to play any team sports," she explained with a shrug.
"An archer, huh? Interesting. . ." Splinter trailed, as he seemed to be mulling over something, until a mischievous glint sparked in his eyes.
All of a sudden, the rat man attacked! Leaping up from the ground, he pounced on Katerina full force, lobbing a kick right at her head! Without thinking, Katerina brought both of her arms up to defend herself with a bewildered look. What on earth was happening now?!
The others all watched in shock as well, while their father continued his assault, unleashing several consecutive punches aimed towards the cat girl's face and torso. All of which, amazingly enough, she managed to block relatively effectively, if a bit crudely. He backed her up until she was against the wall, and that's where he stopped. She slid to the ground, looking rather shaken, but otherwise okay.
"W-What are you doing?!" Raphael demanded, bounding out of his seat. His protective instincts automatically kicking in now that the initial shock had worn off. The other three boys could only stare in confusion, mouths slightly agape.
"Testing a theory," Splinter answered simply.
Raphael knelt down next to the girl, placing a reassuring hand on her arm. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm okay," she reflexively answered, panting heavily from the exertion.
"What is the matter with you?!" Raphael demanded, glaring at his dad.
"Oh relax, she's fine! Blocked every blow. Quite impressive, for someone with no martial arts training," he casually mentioned.
"H-how," she stuttered, and swallowed hard. "How did I do that?" The question not directed at anyone in particular.
"Yeah, how did she do that?" Leonardo wondered, feeling more or less recovered.
"I'd say a combination of instinct and reflex. That's why I had to attack without warning. It's the only way it would work," Splinter reasoned.
"Hold up. So, you mean what happened yesterday, when we were fighting Draxum's goons, and she grabbed my bo. . ." Donatello trailed.
"Yes, I reasoned that it was probably a reflex move, but now I know for sure. Seems your new form comes with new abilities, if you do not think about it too hard," Splinter informed her.
"Why, what happens if she thinks about it?" Leonardo asked in an amused tone.
Splinter waddled back over to where the cat girl was sitting, motioning for Raphael to move back. He hesitated, narrowing his eyes at the rat man with suspicion. He gave him a long look before the red turtle eventually consented, albeit reluctantly.
"Katerina, I am going to punch you. You must try and block my attack," he informed her flatly.
"Wait! What?! But I – I don't –!" she stuttered, and made a lame, halfway attempt at putting up her hands to defend herself.
This time, unsurprisingly, Splinter's fist went straight past her guard, right into her face! She flinched hard, bracing herself for the impact. He stopped short, however, right before actually connecting. Instead, he simply extended a finger and gave her a soft flick to the forehead. She glanced up, before bringing her hands up and rubbing at the spot. The turtles chuckled in spite of themselves.
"So, if she's expecting it, and actually tries. . .?" Raphael trailed.
"I fail? What a shocker," she mumbled sarcastically.
"Okay, so her reflexes are on point," Donatello seemed reluctant to admit. "But that's it, so, what good does that do?" he asked.
"Not much, for the moment. But, it has potential. That is all I am saying," he commented before finally shuffling off into the living room.
"What does, that mean?" Katerina asked slowly.
"It means, maybe you're not such a loser after all," Donatello offered, before quickly exiting the room a second later, the others flashing him knowing looks as he left. And Katerina, simply feeling stunned.
"So, who's ready for some skate ball?" Leonardo asked, turning back to the others.
"Sure! Just let me get this cleaned up," Michelangelo began picking up plates. This effectively snapping her out of her stupor, Katerina rose to assist, helping him carry them into the kitchen.
"Would you like me to wash these so you can go play?" she offered, setting her stack in the sink.
"Aw! You don't have to do that," Michelangelo replied, placing the other half on the counter.
"It's only a few plates. I really don't mind," she assured him, sounding convincing.
"You sure?" he pressed, giving her a long look.
"Yep, I'm sure," she confirmed, plucking up a plate and the soap.
"Oh, well, thanks," Michelangelo told her a bit hesitantly. "I guess, holler if you need anything?" She nodded that she would, and he skipped out.
After the plates were washed and put away, Katerina felt compelled to wipe down the counters as well, taking care to actually lift and swipe under the random assortment of appliances and other kitchen decor scattered around. She then moved onto the cupboards, and finally the floor, not really keeping track of the hours passing by as she worked.
. . .
"And that's game!" Leonardo cheered, doing a little victory dance while the others grumpily glared back. "Who's up for another round?" he inquired of the room, throwing an encouraging hand up in the air.
"I have a better question. Who's tired of losing to Leo?" Raphael glowered, thrusting his own arm up. The others quickly following suit. Leonardo playfully rolled his eyes.
"Well, then, what do you guys wanna do?" he asked. There was a long moment of silence as the guys pondered the question.
"Anybody get the feeling that we, forgot about something?" Raphael suddenly wondered, cocking his head in thought.
"If you're referring to our new house guest, she never came out of the kitchen," Donatello informed them casually.
"Omigosh! I totally forgot!" Michelangelo exclaimed, hopping up and making a beeline for the kitchen door. With nothing better happening at the moment, the others trailed after him.
"Hey, cat girl!" he called out, slamming open the door. "How long does it take to wash a couple of–" the words faded in his throat at what was suddenly revealed to them on the other side of said door.
"Whoa!" they all breathed at once, their eyes growing large in surprise.
The kitchen was positively glowing with how clean it looked, sparkling brightly under the florescent lights above. In the middle of it all sat Katerina, who appeared to be currently going through and organizing drawers. Next to her sat a bag that she was presumably using to discard the bits of trash she was finding. She glanced back and forth at the room around her before staring back at the boys, looking sheepish as they stepped past the threshold.
"You didn't have to clean the whole kitchen!" Michelangelo protested, as they looked around.
"I don't think it's ever been this clean in here," Raphael commented.
"Oh, sorry. Guess I got a little carried away," she admitted.
"A little?" Donatello questioned dubiously. Katerina just adverted her gaze.
"Just, why?" Leonardo couldn't help but wonder. She shrugged.
"I've always found cleaning relaxing. It –" she paused for a moment, searching for words. "helps me think," she decided on.
"You are one weird cat girl," the blue turtle decided. Katerina wasn't sure how to tell him that this was only scratching the surface.
"Okay, so, now what?" Raphael asked to no one in particular. Michelangelo yawned and stretched.
"I'm tired," he stated. "Let's see what Splinter is watching," he suggested. And before she knew what was happening, Katerina found herself being pulled along by the orange-accented turtle.
Splinter, it seemed, liked spending his time watching strange, Japanese game shows. And Leo called me weird! The cat girl thought to herself as she stared at the screen. Although, the young turtle currently seated next to her seemed to be adequately entertained. She remembered seeing things like this online before, but had never actually taken the time to watch an entire episode. Let alone several in a row! Where did they come up with this stuff?
It didn't take long for Donatello and Leonardo to lose interest. One after the other, they ducked out, going off to presumably do their own thing for the rest of the evening. Having nothing better to do with herself, Katerina remained steadfastly seated next to Michelangelo, until it was finally late enough that even Splinter had, had enough and was ready for bed.
"Goodnight children. Don't stay up too late," he lectured casually before padding out of the room.
"Yeah, I think it's time we all turned in," Raphael agreed through a yawn, Michelangelo hopping up to follow him out.
"O-okay. Goodnight," Katerina told them quietly, not making any attempt to move off the bean bag under her. This must have attracted their attention, because they both paused to stare at her.
Raphael felt the urge to ask her why she wasn't going to bed, but then the realization of what that question entailed hit him before he could even utter a word.
"Wait a minute. Where did you sleep last night?" he asked instead, with a wondering tone.
Katerina didn't exactly answer. She glanced down at the bag she was kneeling on with a telling look, and then back up at him. She watched the understanding spread across his face, before it was replaced with a look of remorse, followed by a facepalm.
"I'm sorry about that!" He groaned with dismay. "Guess if you're gonna be stayin' with us for a while, we should get ya a real bed," he realized. "But, where're we gonna put it?" he immediately wondered afterwards, rubbing at his chin.
"She can bunk with me!" Michelangelo chimed enthusiastically. He bounded over and pulled her off the bag. "We can be roommates," he cheesed, squeezing her up against him in an affection hug. Katerina froze with shock and felt her face heat up. This was certainly new.
"That'll work," Raphael nodded, but then hesitated. "If, that's okay with you?" he double checked with her.
"Y-yeah. I'm okay with that," she confirmed with a nod.
"Awesome! Let's go!" Michelangelo released her, only to wrap his hand around her arm and tug her after him, likely in the direction of his room.
Several minutes later, Katerina found herself standing next to one of those Japanese futons that they'd laid out on the floor for her. Raphael had positioned it beneath Michelangelo's hammock to help with saving space. She cocked her head at it curiously.
"Sorry. I know it's kind of a weird bed," he began. Katerina just shook her head.
"No, it's great. It's like the kind they have in anime. I've just never seen one before in real life," she explained.
"Oh, well, glad you like it?" Raphael told her, although not sounding super sure.
"Also, um, here." She turned to find Michelangelo holding out what appeared to be a bundle of clothing. He pushed his offering towards her, indicating she should take it. So, she complied, lifting her hands to allow him to place them in her grasp. "I thought you might like some pajamas. These are some older ones of mine, but they're clean, and they don't have any holes. . ." he trailed, now shuffling shyly.
Katerina had to wonder where his earlier exuberance had gone. Was it because he was nervous about sharing his clothes with her? He shouldn't be, she thought, her face melting into a small smile.
"Thank you. I really appreciate everything you guys are doing for me," she told them, and they smiled back.
"No problem. I'm sure you'd do the same thing for us," Michelangelo said without really thinking. Katerina mulled over his words for a moment.
"Absolutely," she decided, before hugging the PJs to her chest. "I'm gonna go change," she informed them, stepping out into the hall.
She'd almost made it to the bathroom, when she was unexpectedly halted by Donatello's sudden appearance. From his trajectory, it looked as though he was heading into the bathroom as well. They both froze as their eyes met, Katerina ducking a moment later and taking a step back.
"S-sorry. You can go ahead," she quickly offered. However, instead of responding or stepping into the vacant bathroom, he eyed her curiously for a moment.
"Those look like Mikey's," he indicated the bundle in her arms.
"Uh, yeah. He let me borrow them. I was just gonna change. . ." she was rambling again, and feeling stupid for pointing out the obvious. She could have smacked herself!
"Well, go ahead then," he gestured towards the empty bathroom. Katerina frowned up at him in confusion.
"But, don't you. . ." she trailed.
"It's fine. I'm not in a hurry," he assured her flatly, and then waited for her to move.
"O-okay. Thank you," she mumbled, rushing into the room. She didn't want to make him wait any longer than necessary.
Throwing off her clothes once the door had safely clicked closed, Katerina quickly slipped into the worn flannel. The shirt was long sleeved and collared, and the pants were equipped with pockets and a string through the waistband that she could tie around herself. Good thing too, as she was practically swimming in the oversized clothes normally used to fitting over a bulky turtle shell. The pajamas were a soft orange in color with white trimming, making her feel like a living creamsicle. She didn't take the time to look over herself, however, hastily gathering up her other clothes.
She could feel Donatello's eyes on her as she hurried out of his way, but couldn't bring herself to return the stare. She felt like she was on such thin ice with him already, and didn't want to do anything that might make it worse. Except, what she didn't see, was the minor look of interest that moved across his face when he spied her in the new outfit.
Before he realized what was happening, Donatello found his gaze wandering over the features of the retreating girl. Michelangelo's old pajamas were obviously too big for her. The baggy legs and sleeves almost completely covering her hands and feet, plus the evident struggle to keep the shirt from completely slipping off her right shoulder, created the impression of her being extra diminutive. It was kind of, cute.
Wait! What? Cute?! No! Donatello shook his head, retreating into the open bathroom. He couldn't believe he'd just thought that! She was not cute, she was – weird! He decided to just chalk it up to a tired brain and forget it ever happened.
Michelangelo was tucked into his hammock and busy clicking away at his phone when she came back to the room. He grinned at her when he noticed her enter.
"Lookin' good, cat girl," he told her teasingly. "Orange is a nice color on you." She smiled shyly back in response and shook her head.
"Why do you guys keep calling me that? I have a name, you know," she reminded him casually, setting her clothes aside and climbing into the bed underneath him.
"But Katerina takes so long to say!" he whined.
"Well, look who's talking? Michelangelo!" she emphasized in a teasing tone.
"Yeah, okay, but we never use our full names," he defended, leaning over the edge of his hammock to peer down at her. "You got a nickname?" he wondered. She thought about it for a second.
"I used to have a friend in elementary school who would call me, Katy," she offered with a shrug.
"Katy?" he hummed, mulling over the name. "Yeah! I think we can work with that," he decided, rolling back over and out of sight. "But, what do you mean you 'used to' have a friend? What happened?" he asked her. Katerina could detect a touch of anxiety in his tone.
"Same old story, I guess. His dad got a job in another state, so they moved away and I never saw him again," she explained.
"You didn't stay in touch?" he asked.
"I didn't have any way of doing so, at the time," she told him dolefully, followed by a long moment of silence as she waited to see if he would ask anymore questions. She continued when he didn't. "After that, I didn't really have the greatest time in school. So, I just focused on getting through it as quickly as possible."
"You said you graduated early, right? That means you must be pretty smart," he reasoned.
She smiled sadly. "Not really. I'm an auditory learner and I happen to have a good memory, so school was pretty easy for me. I just got lucky, is all. I could never do anything really brainy, like inventing that high-tech battle staff that Donatello uses. At least, I'm guessing he's the one who made it?" she questioned. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Yeah, yeah. Don always loves rubbing his big brain in our faces. Apparently, he was kinda peeved you were able to use his staff so easily!" Katerina didn't have to hear the grin in his voice, as it appeared over the edge of the hammock once again. She merely blinked back at the younger turtle.
"Is that why he hates me?" she found herself asking. Michelangelo's expression softened.
"He doesn't hate you. He just has a great big ego and likes to hold a grudge," he waved his his arms wide for emphasis. "Just give him like, a day or two, and you'll be friends before ya know it," he assured her with a wink. She didn't exactly share in his confidence, however.
"He doesn't, have to like me, you know?" she pointed out. "A-and I don't really blame him. I didn't make the best first impression. I just, wanna make sure I don't do anything to make it worse," she confessed.
"Don't worry about it. He'll get over it," he waved her off, flipping around to lay back down. "Now, we should probably get some sleep," he suggested.
"Yeah, okay," Katerina agreed softly, rolling over onto her stomach, her tails tucked up in between her arms and chest as a means of cushioned support.
This being vastly superior to the bean back chair, coupled with the comfort of knowing Michelangelo was sleeping directly above her, Katerina quickly nodded off into a much more restful sleep.