Chapter Nine

Dragons Come Out at Night

The nightly Manhattan skyline was heavily illuminated by the city lights as usual, and though the skies were perfectly clear, Donatello almost wished he'd taken the opportunity to do this task while they were staying up at the farm. Nonetheless, the weather had worked out and they had found the most secluded and heightened unoccupied rooftop that night, so he was going to make the most of what they had. While his brothers grouped together for their own activity, he continued to point up towards various dots in the sky, describing them to the alien who stood a few steps away and stared upwards in wonder. Being a creature of the cosmos, Vye was certainly no stranger to the stars, but like with many things during her lifespan she had little opportunity to enjoy them or learn anything in great detail. She had been in solar systems much larger than this one, though she had also been in ones that were smaller in size too. In her arms she clutched tightly onto one of the various books she had trailed up with her as a reference guide, mainly to help her absorb what the turtle across the way was telling her in case she didn't fully understand, which when it came to Donatello's explanations, was rather frequent.

"...And that one there is Corvus. Commonly known as The Crow."

The girl slowly tilted her head as she followed his finger outlining the small path between the stars in focus.

"It doesn't look like a crow…"

"Well, not in a conventional sense, no." He looked down at her as he carried on his explanation, lowering his arm to ease the minute aching that had built from keeping it elevated consistently. "The Babylonians saw it as a raven, but it was the Greeks that actually-"

Cut short by the sudden sound of collision followed by a howl of laughter, the turtle turned to the scene behind him. His brother Raphael was lodged upside-down against the ledge on the west side of the roof, a low growl seeping through his teeth as Michelangelo continued to laugh away at his expense. The ground nearby was shimmering from a small coating of water, indicating that the angered turtle had obviously slipped somehow. He appeared to be holding something in each hand, and while he awkwardly shuffled to make himself upright again, Leonardo stepped forward, gently tossing another of the same spherical object up and down in one of his hands, looking mildly smug.

"You need to watch your footing there, Raph."

"Oh I'll show you a foot-!"

Back on his feet, Raphael raised his filled hands as he made his threat, though his brother did not flinch. He was interrupted before he could make a further move, Donatello's irritated tone catching the trio's attention.

"Excuse me," He began, gesturing towards the nearby redhead and various books piled onto the ground. "I'm trying to impart knowledge here."

Raph lowered his hands again, sarcasm oozing from his voice. "Well pardon me, Professor."

"C'mon Donnie, she doesn't need to learn all that fancy stuff! Just point at something and tell her what it's called." Michelangelo added as he juggled the small orb-like items from one hand into the other in tandem.

"It isn't 'fancy' stuff, Mikey, it's history-"

The small girl across from him then spoke up, raising her hand in a meek attempt to gain the group's attention while the other continued to hold her book close to her chest.

"Um, actually I don't mind that much. It's interesting."

Her eyes briefly began to follow the motion of Mikey's juggling act, while Raph interjected the conversation again with a smirk on his face.

"Hey, yeah. Who knows, Mikey, if they look up there long enough, maybe they'll spot that invisible spaceship of yours."

Catching the objects in his hands as his throwing came to a halt, his brother blurted in response.

"Hey, that's not funny! There really was a ship!"

No longer having a rotation of spheres to watch, Vye's cheeks puffed out in a minor pout at the snipe from Raphael. They really weren't going to let this go for a while, though Michelangelo seemed to be the one taking the brunt of the teasing.

"How would they spot it if it was invisible?" Leo quipped, matching Raphael's grin.

As Leo and Raph began to direct their ridicule towards their comical sibling, Donatello let a small sigh escape him before turning back around to face the skyline in an attempt to get back to where they were. For now he decided it would be best to skip the detailed summary of the previous constellation and move on to the next object, one of which was shining brightly in the sky. As he pointed towards the starry blanket again, Vye followed his gesture with her gaze so she too could see the small glittering curiosity.

"Oh," Having remembered what he was looking at, the excitement returned to the turtle's voice as he carried on with his lesson. "See that big one right there? That's Saturn."

"Saturn-?" Vye squinted her eyes slightly as she tried to recall which planet that was. "Is that the one that's the same size as the Earth?"

"No, that's Venus. Saturn is the one with the rings, remember?" He briefly swirled his finger in the outline of a circle to help trigger the girl's memory when she looked his way.

"Oh, oops."

Donatello smiled a little to reassure her as he continued. "That's okay, you'll get it."

Taking another look at the shining planet before looking back at him, Vye posed yet another question that plagued her.

"I've heard people say that human women come from Venus, and men come from Mars…Is that true?"

As she made her way through her sentence Donatello gave her a quizzical look, his head lulling to the side ever so slightly. She'd seen him make that face before, it was usually the way he would look at Michelangelo when he was saying something ridiculous, which already hinted at the type of response she was about to receive.

"Uh...No...That's just a saying to do with male and female human relationships."

"Really?"

"Yeah." His tone then became questioning. "...You didn't actually think humans came from those planets did you-?"

Vye averted her gaze slightly, becoming embarrassed. Of course she'd read where humans really came from in terms of evolution, but oftentimes what she would read and see on television would conflict with each other and it was hard to differentiate what was fact and what was fiction. Mind you, she had picked up that particular line from one of Master Splinter's soap operas, so in hindsight it probably wasn't the most reliable resource. Seeing her becoming more fazed by her blunder, Donatello merely ran his hand heavily down his cheek in momentary disbelief, before going back to a smile in hopes of consoling her.

"Let's just go back to Saturn."

Thankful for the redirection in the topic, the girl brought her gaze back forward again, looking up at the sky once more to try and relocate the planet in question until it was pointed out again by the turtle's finger. It was almost baffling to her that such large yet distant planets could still be seen right from where they stood, making her suddenly feel incredibly small. Beside her, the turtle's gestures became slightly more animated as he carried on.

"Actually, we're pretty lucky right now. The rings on Saturn should be tilted at 20 degrees towards the Earth." He turned to face her again, keeping his finger pointed matter-of-factly. "After this month it won't be like that again for another 8 years or so."

Processing the information, the shorter of the pair looked at him for a moment as he leaned down to rummage around inside his duffle bag. While intriguing, she wasn't entirely sure why such an event was important, but then again things like this seemed to be what excited him most of the time. The alien had begun to notice more about her terrapin housemates lately, things she never really took in while she was in her previous form. Originally in her mind, it was just as simple as "caregiver", "shines-light-in-my-eyes", "the one with swords", "the scary one" - and of course additionally "fuzzy one with a stick". Now her knowledge on the family had expanded slightly and she was beginning to understand them more little by little.

Michelangelo, her goofy roommate, was by far the most energetic yet also managed to be lazy at the same time. Leonardo was seemingly in charge, but often had a calming aura about him when he wasn't giving out orders. Raphael was still equally scary, with an almost default setting of anger, but he also appeared to joke around a lot and had been gradually more accepting of her as time had gone on. Master Splinter, their father and mentor, was calm, kind and wise - but also tough and stern, particularly if antics on the surface were involved. Then there was Donatello, the smart one. Upon realising that one simple fact early on she had started to direct most of her questions on pretty much anything towards him, which often made sense as a lot of the books she read came from his lab. He also seemed to have no problem in giving her the answers, showing a lot more patience and understanding than his brothers.

Before she could muse any further, her attention was veered away by a pair of binoculars being handed towards her. They looked slightly more advanced than the regular kind, almost custom, which probably meant it was something he had made. That was another thing she'd noticed. Taking the binoculars from Donatello's hand, she brought them up to her face, the wide end fixed to her eyes.

"You should be able to see it clearly through these." He said, reaching over again to grab the binoculars and turn them to face the correct way around.

After she gripped back on, he tipped the ocular device with his finger to guide it's focus towards where the planet should have been viewable in the sky, a faint captivated "Oooh" escaping the girl's breath. Though he opened his mouth to continue speaking, the sound of splashing from a short distance behind them caught the turtle's ear and caused the pair to halt, turning around with Vye still holding the binoculars in front of her eyes as a certain leader exclaimed.

"Ugh, come on!"

Michelangelo's laughter rang across the rooftop once again, this time accompanied by Raphael, as they both looked upon a now dripping wet Leo trying to shake some of the moisture off his arms as he complained.

"Two at once?"

Realising now the nature of their activity, Donatello shifted his weight to the side slightly as he raised his voice.

"Are those water balloons?!"

Mikey, who had now positioned himself on top of a vent with his legs swinging aimlessly, tossed his remaining two balloons up and down in his palms.

"Duh, braniac!"

"What's the big deal, Don? We all play with water balloons." Raphael added, mimicking his other brother's motion with his one remaining balloon.

"Not around my books and tech we don't!" The turtle hastily began grabbing the literature lying around on the ground and placing them inside his bag.

The turtle on the vent pouted almost as if he was offended. "Hey, come on! They're not all filled with water. There's at least one filled with sand."

All three of his siblings then turned their heads to look at him, each with their own individual look of bemusement, or in Donatello's case, horror. Raphael then barked the following question before anyone else could.

"Sand? What'd you go fill one with sand for?!"

"More importantly," Leonardo stepped forward as he demanded sternly, water still trickling down him. "Which one is it?"

Their now intimidated brother leaned back slightly as he hid his own balloons behind his back sheepishly.

"Uhhh…It's a surprise."

"Are you stupid?!" Raphael made a swipe for Mikey's legs only to miss as he hopped off the vent with a yelp.

"It was to make things more interesting!" He exclaimed, keeping his distance on the ledge of the roof as his brothers started to close in on him. The brains of the group joined in on this motion, not enjoying the concept of potentially getting not just water, but also sand granules all over his stuff.

While this was going on, Vye continued to look around with the binoculars she still had clutched in her grasp, quickly distracted by all the distant views she could now see up close. It was surprisingly hard to keep a steady focus, leading her line of sight to shift and move frequently and most times she caught herself looking down into the lights of the city instead of the blackness of the night sky. Even that was an interesting view in and of itself, however, peering ever so slightly into the lives of the humans that still bustled down below them. One particular street came into focus, and she caught a small group of people standing around just outside the opening to a darkened alley. They seemed to be loitering innocently, until they crowded around what looked to be a distressed passerby, and as one of the characters turned their back, a particular marking showed across the arm revealed by their rolled up sleeves.

"Uh...Donatello?"

Her beckon went unnoticed as the brothers behind her continued to hound their youngest sibling, Raphael now grappling with him on the ground in an attempt to pry the balloons out of his hands.

"Give it up, Mikey, before I beat it outta 'ya!"

"Where's your sense of adventure, Raph?! Ow! Not the face!"

"Michelangelo, hand over the balloons!"

The girl turned her head to look over her shoulder, all while keeping the binoculars fixed where they had been so as not to lose her view point, and began attempting to raise her voice above the heckling.

"...Guys?" Still not quite loud enough. "Guys!"

Finally catching the group's attention with a turn of their heads, though Michelangelo still continued to fight off his brother's force, Vye pointed down towards the cityscape.

"I think there's something going on down there."

Leonardo frowned slightly and walked over to the ledge to join her, gently taking a hold of the binoculars from her grasp and looking in the direction she had aimed it in.

"It looks like those guys you told me about...The ones with the scary lizards, um…"

"...Purple Dragons." He finished with a serious tone.

"Yeah, them."

Getting the opportunity with his brother's now slacking grip, Mikey freed himself from his entrapment and shuffled to join his siblings in grouping by the ridge of the roof. As Leo handed the binoculars over to their creator who had moved to stand on the other side of Vye, he posed a question.

"What do you think? A mugging?"

"Most likely." Donatello examined through the lens, watching the thugs drag the civilian further into the alley beyond his sight. "That or a very unorthodox business meeting."

"I wanna see, I wanna see!" Mikey hopped up and down in place, making grabby hands towards the ocular device only to be rejected by his brother slapping them away.

Raphael followed up by pulling one of his Sai out of his belt and spinning it around his finger.

"Sounds like a cakewalk to me. What are we waitin' for?"

"Alright." Leonardo ordered as he turned to the others, then looking at Vye. "We'll go deal with these guys. Vye, you head back to the lair."

"Huh? Wait, can't I just sta-Ah!"

Not even giving her a chance to finish her sentence, the stern leader lifted the girl up in his arms, gripping tightly onto her legs and shoulder as he made a small leap to begin his careful descent down the building with his brothers in tow not long after. Having reached street level in the secluded alley below, he allowed her back onto her feet by the nearest manhole cover, pulling it open for her.

"It's too risky to just leave you up on a rooftop, it'll be better for you to just head back home."

Donatello then stepped forward, having been the last to drop down after gathering his things, and handed her the now book-filled duffle bag.

"You'll be safer there, besides, these books should probably get back too." He said, trying to soften the order from his sibling.

"But-"

It was then that Raphael butted in, a mild glare in his eyes as he stared her down.

"Beat it, kid."

Flinching at the sudden aggression, Vye took a moment to look down at her shoes before nodding and awkwardly making her way down the ladder with the bulky bag now slung over her shoulder, Leonardo quietly sliding the cover back over the entrance when her head was just out of sight. Donatello looked over at his hot-tempered brother with an apathetic frown, a slight plea in his voice.

"Raph…"

"What? What's she gonna do? Come with us and throw books at 'em?"

"Y'don't have to be such a bully about it though!" Michelangelo added.

Raphael raised his voice, unhappy with the turn on him. "Hey, it got her to leave didn't it?!"

The squabbling stopped as Leonardo placed a hand on both Raph and Don's shoulders, hinting that they should move forward.

"What's done is done, she's on her way home." He turned his head to Don. "She should be able to find her way back okay, right?"

Mikey then chimed in with a grin, proudly pointing his thumb towards himself as he spoke.

"Oh don't worry, I made sure of that!"

Within about 15 minutes, the main door to the lair let out a clunk and hiss as it opened, Vye squeezing through when the gap was just big enough. Still feeling a little dejected, she let out a sigh as she made her way towards the lab, only to be met by Master Splinter coming across at her from his meditating spot.

"Ah, Vye, you have returned." He greeted. "Where are my sons?"

"Oh...There were some Pink- Uh- Purple Dragons, so they went to go deal with them."

"And they sent you home? By yourself?"

The girl nodded, the rat responding to the answer with a sigh and a gentle shake of his sunken head. The carelessness of his sons astonished him once again, but knowing of the alternatives he was glad that she at least made it home in one piece.

"I apologise for their foolhardiness. I sincerely hope the journey wasn't a struggle for you."

"Oh, no, it's okay." She waved a free hand in dismissal, the other pulling a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket. "Actually...Mikey drew me a map, but uh...Well…"

Master Splinter squinted at the paper as Vye turned it around for him to view. All that could be seen were some swirling lines assumed to be directions for paths and a few crudely drawn smiley faces with the odd unreadable comment. His expression slacked slightly as he fought the urge to bring his hand to his forehead.

"I am surprised you made it back at all."

"It wasn't too hard." She smiled a little as she put the paper back in her pocket, adjusting the strap of the bag still weighing on her shoulders. "Leonardo and Donatello have taken me on a few walks around the sewers so I have a little grasp on where to go...But it is pretty confusing."

Gripping onto the bag strap with both hands, her gaze met the floor. She knew it was better that she was sent away, and it's not like she wanted to be in amongst all the fighting, but the impact of Raphael's earlier snap still stirred in the pit of her stomach. Sensing her unease, the rat in front of her rested both of his hands on the top of his cane for a moment as he spoke softly.

"Well, it is a relief to have you home safe." As the girl looked up again, he turned around to begin walking on towards the kitchen, beckoning her with a wave of his clawed fingers. "Come now, let us make some green tea...And you can tell me all about what Donatello taught you today."

"O-Okay."

Flustered by the sudden movement and invitation, Vye stumbled slightly as she quickly moved to put the duffle bag down near the lab, and then proceeded to follow the composed rodent as they made their way to prepare the soothing hot beverages.

Back on the surface, the four ninja turtles had already made their way to the scene occupied by the Purple Dragons and their innocent civilian. Hiding themselves high up in the shadows, they watched carefully and quietly as one of the larger thugs grabbed the long coated man and shook him vigorously, yelling something unintelligible. Not caring for the act, Raphael let out a grunt as he reached for his Sai, shifting his gaze to Leonardo who held his finger to his lips, waiting for his other brothers to look his way before turning this hand motion into a gradual countdown. On his signal, the quartet all jumped down in unison, taking down a surrounding goon each with only the use of their legs, and leaving the single dragon and his victim surrounded, both men letting out a surprised yelp.

"Aw, man! It's those costumed freaks again!"

"Now that's not very nice." Leonardo retorted, drawing his katana from the sheaths on his back.

Raphael seconded the draw with his own weapons, giving them a brief spin before gripping them tightly. "Yeah, we're just levelin' the field."

As the grounded men struggled to their feet again, the four turtles all held their weapons at the ready as their leader yelled the order to attack. The individuals then collided with one opponent each, leaving the two remaining men shuffling towards the wall. Using his Sai to hold off the large chain being pushed against him, Raphael took a hard look at his attacker's face before growling and forcefully bringing his knee into the man's stomach to weaken him, followed by a swift kick with the soul of his foot. The slackened grip on his chain allowed the character to fly back, hitting the nearby wall with a thud.

"Hey, do these goons look familiar to you guys?" He called out to his brothers.

Mostly distracted by their assailants, all that could be heard in response were the sounds of grunts and weapons clashing. It was incredibly dark so making out faces was difficult, but Donatello caught on to Raphael's comment as he held out his bo staff to guard against the man swiping at him with the rusted guards on his knuckles, only to then grab onto the stick itself, and allowing the turtle to throw his opponent's weight across to the other side of the alley with a single swing.

"Now that you mention it…" He replied, readjusting his stance. "They sort of look like the guys we fought back when Dash was sick."

As his own enemy came into a brief patch of light, Michelangelo stopped spinning his nunchaku upon his own realisation.

"Oh yeah."

The active spin quickly continued as the man charged towards him, but a couple of swift hits of the batons followed by an overhead leap and kick to the back neutralised the attack effectively.

"But where's that big ugly dude? I gotta bone to pick!"

"That doesn't matter now." Leonardo insisted, having already taken down his first target and moved on to the central leader, who was still gripping tightly onto his trenchcoat wearing victim.

As he moved in, his brothers followed, circling in closer on the man until he stumbled. Holding his blade in close towards the thug's neck, he narrowed his eyes sternly as he stared him down.

"Let him go."

Instead of the expected compliance, he was met with a lowly chuckle from the man, causing him to grip tighter onto the handle of his sword.

"Alright, y'want him? Here you…" As the gang leader spoke, the victim grinned and pulled away the long flowing coat he was wearing. "...Go!"

Revealed from beneath the jacket was the large mysterious gun the "victim" had been concealing the whole time, aiming it towards the turtles. The leader did the same by grabbing his own weapon from a nearby trash bag and letting out an accomplished high pitched laugh.

Taken aback by the sudden move, Leonardo reversed slightly and only looked away when the clicking of various other guns came from his peripheral hearing, his brothers all doing the same in turn. Suddenly there were a lot more gang members than before, excluding the ones they had just taken down, who must have been hiding in wait. They were surrounded.

"We had to turn up empty-handed last time yous freaks got involved…" The leader sneered. "...So we organised a little surprise."

Just as Michelangelo took a step back from where he stood, he bumped into something that let out a grunt, causing him to turn around and yelp. Seeing the familiar bulky man looming over him, he cowered in his stance slightly, beginning to spin his nunchaku in defence.

"Um- Y'know I was only joking about the 'ugly' thing, right?" He tried to laugh off the insult, only to follow it up with a shriek as he was grabbed by the arm and thrown into the nearest wall, his shell hitting hard against it before he dropped into the dumpster just below the place of impact.

"Mikey!" Raphael yelled, quickly turning to growl at the surrounding thugs.

With a slick hand gesture, the leader set out his next command. "Get 'em, boys!"

Gunfire followed in the form of small purple lasers zipping towards the turtles, Donatello quickly making a slide for the dumpster, and Leonardo trying to deflect them only for a moment before beginning to retreat backwards. His hot-tempered brother however, still angered at the assault on Michelangelo, made a charge ahead only to be tugged away again, being dragged behind a nearby set of trash cans on the other side of the alley that were holding steady but gradually wearing down from the laser damage. Raphael shook Leo's hand off of his arm so he could gesture towards the heavily armed gang just beyond their cover.

"Talk about upping the artillery!"

"Those aren't just any weapons, guys." Donatello announced from across the path, peeking out from where he sat. "They look like...Triceraton guns."

His brothers took another look through a small gap between the cans, and sure enough they could see the signature triangular shape of the barrel on each of the weapons their enemies possessed.

"But I thought there were no more Triceraton munitions left in New York." Leonardo lowered his voice, concerned.

"Well they're clearly gettin' it from somewhere!" Raph gestured again towards the gang.

The trio flinched as the gunfire edged closer to where they were, Leo and Raph ducking as the lids to their small wall of metal were blown clean off with a loud clatter. Not daring to peek around again, Don remained huddled in his spot behind the dumpster as he whispered loudly at his brother.

"What should we do, Leo?"

Suddenly the rear lid of the dumpster creaked as Michelangelo poked his head up from under it, his head covered in abandoned food and waste.

"I say we get the shell out of here!" A squeal came after as he felt the lasers hit the lid on top of him, ducking back into the safety of the large metal bin with the top closing down with a clatter. Concurring, Leonardo began to raise himself slightly, while still remaining sheltered by the trash cans.

"Mikey's right, there's too many of them. We should retreat, and fast."

Though he didn't like the idea of backing away from a fight, Raphael knew that his brothers were probably right and nodded simultaneously with Donatello, and also Michelangelo as he peered out from inside the dumpster again. Taking a brief moment to observe their surroundings, Leo's gaze finally fixed on his trash-ridden brother.

"Alright, Mikey. When you hear the signal, give me a boost."

"What?" It took him a couple of seconds and looking up to click into the leader's idea. "...Oh! I get it."

Mikey chuckled a little as he lowered himself and allowed the lid to fall back into place.

Leonardo waited for the rate of gunfire to slow down, and eventually it came to a full-blown stop with the leader speaking up again as he began to step closer towards the end of the alley.

"Come on, you weirdos! Don't tell me yous are scared of a little laser burn, huh?"

Suddenly Leonardo leapt across towards the dumpster, stopping the man in his tracks and causing him to yell. As his feet met the surface with a clang, the lid promptly burst open from the force of Michelangelo's kick, making use of both of his legs, and allowing Leonardo to gain enough extra air distance to reach a high tier of the wall. It only took him another swift couple of small leaps to make it to the rooftop. Taken by surprise, the gang leader stumbled back with a pointing of one finger, indicating for his underlings to aim as Donatello followed the lead and made the next leap onto the dumpster with the aid of his bo.

"Get them!"

The order followed with further gunfire that blew straight past the turtle as his brother kicked the lid again from underneath, propelling him upwards and quickly reaching the same vantage point as Leo. Raphael very quickly joined them, holding onto the side of a railing to call down to his brother still in the trash bin.

"Alright, Mikey! You're up!"

The hulking man that had thrown the turtle into the dumpster, who was now also holding his own gun, slowly approached the contraption with his hand poised above the lid about to open it. Unluckily for him, the covering moved for him and collided with his chin, forcing him to tumble backwards as Michelangelo hopped out and carefully landed to crouch on the bin as the lid fell back into place.

"Whoops, didn't see you there!" He grinned towards the larger man, feeling smug that he managed to get a bit of revenge. The look lingered as his gaze fixed on the rest of the gang who all closed in on the bin and aimed their guns. "I guess I should return the favour, huh?"

The group paused for a second, puzzled by the comment as the turtle reached for something tucked into the sash around his waist. They then reconfigured their aim as he tossed something small and round towards them, a ninja star quickly following to meet with it. As the star ripped into the balloon, a flurry of sand burst out towards the gunmen, causing them all to grunt and yell as the tiny particles met with their eyes.

"See you later - Or not!"

Letting out an overly confident laugh, the turtle promptly made his escape, leaping up the wall to grab onto Raphael's hand that was held out ready to catch him. Though partially blinded, the gang leader shouted from the bottom of the alley to open fire, and the onslaught of lasers continued even with the impaired aim. Raph made an attempt to start pulling Mikey up to the roof, when the heat of one of the lasers just grazed his arm, a grunt of pain escaping through his teeth. He almost let go of his brother but managed to regain his grip quickly, growling as he put more energy into pulling with his now slightly burning arm.

"You...bonehead…!"

Soon he had pulled Mikey to be level with him, and they both made a scramble to join their brothers on the roof, just narrowly missing the still clumsy purple missiles shooting in their direction.

"See? I told you sand would make it more interesting- Ow!" Mikey quipped before receiving a smack up the back of his head from Raph.

"Yeah, real smart, wise guy."

Not wanting to stick around, the four all promptly began to make their way across the rooftop, hopping onward to the next and trying to get as much distance as possible before they would head back down to street level in their escape.

The cup of tea resting in Vye's hands brought her a comforting warmth. She still wasn't particularly keen on the taste, but she'd grown accustomed to the soothing nature of the heat and smell that radiated from the beverage, even if she could only take a tiny sip at a time. Kneeling opposite her, Master Splinter gradually sipped at his own tea with much more ease and enjoyment. The girl tried to mimic his posture as best she could, but after a short amount of time her legs would begin to cramp, not used to sitting in such a position, and once in a while initiated a shuffle to try and get more comfortable. He insisted that her body would adjust in time, but she failed to see that becoming possible.

Having been told about what she learned that day, even though she showed clear gaps and misunderstandings, Splinter smiled a little to hear the intrigue in her voice, bringing to mind fond memories of his own sons when they were young and curious. At least that was how it would usually go, this time the tone was short lived and she seemed distracted, soon staring into her cup of tea while saying very little. After one more delicate sip of his drink, he commented.

"Something troubles you."

"Huh?" She looked up from the view of her reflection to look at the rat in front of her. "Oh. Um...No, I'm fine…"

He said nothing in response, merely savouring another hint of the tea in his hands. Vye looked down again, knowing there was no point in trying to hide anything.

"Well...I guess it's just…"

She took a pause, trying to find her words as she watched her reflection bouncing around the surface of the beverage cupped in her hands.

"Sometimes I don't feel like I'm...particularly helpful…" She began, Master Splinter now looking at her carefully. "Like today, I know it made sense for me to be sent home but it still made me feel sort of...bad."

Her thumbs gently traced the rim of her cup as she continued to speak, still unable to shift her gaze up.

"All of you have been so kind to me since I came here, and I've been learning a lot...I just wish there was more I could do to be useful to everyone."

It was only then that Master Splinter lowered his cup, placing it on the floor in front of him before resting his now empty hands upon his lap. As he began to speak, Vye finally looked up from her own drink to look at him.

"Usefulness does not make up the worth of a person, especially in a friendship. Or a family for that matter." He held out his palm, continuing to explain softly. "I understand that you wish to reciprocate the help that you have been given, but understand that has been done of our own free will, not with the expectation of it being returned."

The girl looked at him with large eyes for a moment, taking in his words. As they began to settle with her, she moved her gaze back to her cup while she shuffled her legs, the discomfort setting in again. The kind words had eased her a bit, though she still couldn't quite shift the nagging in the back of her head.

"I know...But...I would still like to, if I can." She mumbled.

A lighthearted chuckle left the rat's lips before he responded, amused at the hint of stubbornness in her sentiment.

"I am sure that you will find something. In time." He closed his eyes in thought for a moment. "Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon."

All the redhead could do in response was tilt her head. The rat opened his eyes again to see her confusion, continuing.

"It is a Japanese proverb. It means 'Experience the beauties of nature, and in doing so learn about yourself.'" He smiled. "I believe that is what you are doing right now."

Starting to feel a little lighter in her chest, a small smile formed on Vye's lips as she nodded in reply. She didn't know how he did it, but Master Splinter always seemed to know just what to say. Lifting her cup to her lips again she braved another taste of the tea, only to poke her tongue out slightly as the bitterness infested the inside of her mouth.

Before either of them got a chance to move on to a new topic, the sound of the main entrance opening with a clatter alerted both of their attention, heads turning to look across the hall as the four young terrapins entered the lair. While the rat grabbed his walking stick from his side to help pull himself to his feet, the girl across from him gathered up the cups of tea and placed them on the tray beside her, picking it up as she too decided to stand. Her legs felt a brief rush of static as they straightened, causing her to wobble for a moment until she regained her balance and made headway towards the kitchen with the used crockery in her hands. Her trip halted as she watched the turtles, something catching her eye. Taking a quick detour, she approached them along with Master Splinter.

"Are you guys okay?"

Her question went unanswered as she immediately scrunched up her nose at the sudden aroma that bombarded her, forcing her to pose another, more pressing query.

"Ugh- What's that smell-?"

Raphael cocked his thumb towards his orange-masked brother, placing his hand on his hip.

"That'd be the trash king over here." He answered, quickly following it up with a flat swipe of his hand. "Don't ask."

"What? Do I really smell that bad?" Michelangelo looked puzzled as he lifted one of his arms to shamelessly sniff underneath it.

Cringing at his brother's actions, Leonardo tried to sway the conversation back to Vye's original question by replying to her.

"We're fine, Vye."

The girl looked doubtful as her gaze brushed across all of them. They all had various smears of dirt and other outdoor debris speckled over them, as well as what looked like the beginnings of small bruises. Those in themselves weren't unusual, but having experienced such blemishes due to her own clumsiness she knew that they hurt, or at the very least were the result of something that did. The injuries didn't seem to bother them, despite how they stirred a worry in her, but the redhead's main concern soon hit as her gaze reached Raphael, who had a minor burn forming on his upper arm.

Though she wanted to say something, she hesitated, and then lost the opportunity when Master Splinter spoke up to his sons.

"Though you may have been doing a good deed, you all still acted rashly."

Taking this as her cue to leave, the small redhead ducked her head slightly as she turned around and made her way into the kitchen to put away the contents of the tray she still possessed in her grip. Once she was out of earshot, the rat continued with his scolding.

"You need to be more careful and consider the consequences of your actions."

The four brothers glanced at each other sheepishly before looking back at their father, their heads sinking slightly. Normally they'd protest at least a little, but having just been pulled into what was obviously a trap, the lecture felt a little more justified and deserved. To show their acknowledgement of his words, they all responded simultaneously.

"Sorry, Sensei."

Seeing their repentance, Master Splinter bowed his head briefly, then brought his hand up to cover up his nose, unable to handle the lingering stench any longer.

"And Michelangelo, I strongly suggest you go take a shower."

Poking his head out from behind his brothers, the turtle whined. "Awh, but Master Splinter, I already took one today!" His complaint was met with a unified wavering of the hands from the other three ninja in front of their own snouts.

"He's right, Mikey. You smell worse than the Garbage Man." Donatello commented as he began walking off towards the lab to pick up the duffle bag Vye had previously left there.

Taking mild offence to the comparison, Michelangelo huffed and stomped his way towards the television area, being greeted by Klunk trotting over from behind the couch.

"Hey, Klunk! Did'ya miss me, huh? Huh?" He smiled as he approached the cat, reaching out to lift him.

Almost immediately, Klunk's fur stood on end and he let out a threatening hiss as the smell from his owner's hands attacked his sensitive nose. Stung by the betrayal as his furry friend ran away to the safety of the couch, Mikey's arms and shoulders slouched in defeat. Followed by the badly hidden chuckles of his siblings, he then turned on his heel and marched towards the bathroom, barely noticing Vye as he passed her in the kitchen.

Vye paused for a moment to cringe as she caught wind of the foul odour again while it briefly went by, attempting to wave it off with her hands. She had already put the tea set in the sink and was now rummaging through the cupboards in search of something in particular. If she remembered correctly, there was a small box on one of the higher shelves that contained various small objects used to treat an array of basic ailments. Pulling herself up via the countertop, she scrambled to grab the box once she located it successfully and opened it to have a browse inside. She recognised some of the utilities in there, April had shown her them a couple of times before, but having rarely used them herself she found herself mulling extensively over what she even needed to use. Finally selecting something, she shuffled herself off the counter after carefully putting the box back in its original place.

Beginning to settle down after the ordeal in the city, and their lecture from Master Splinter, the remaining three turtles had scattered themselves around the entertainment area. Raphael had planted himself on the comfort of the sofa, Klunk indecisively prowling across his lap, while Leonardo and Donatello stood by the computer desk, deliberating the Purple Dragon's puzzling weapon acquisition. As the red-masked turtle began clicking at the remote to skim through the various television channels, he lightly scratched at the mark on his upper arm.

"Do you want me to take a look at that, Raph?" Don asked, noticing the motion.

"Nah, it's just an itch. It barely grazed me." His brother responded, waving the remote around. "Those bozos can't aim for nothin'."

Shrugging it off momentarily, Donatello returned to his conversation, though Leo shared his look of concern briefly before doing the same. Raphael set his attention back to the tvs in front of him, attempting to watch whatever was showing on that particular channel. He found himself unable to focus however, as he felt the burn of a nervous gaze observing him. Though an attempt was made at continuing his activity, it only lasted about ten seconds before this started to irritate him, causing a hint of intimidation in his voice as he spoke out suddenly.

"You know I'm a ninja and I can sense you standin' there, right?"

The girl behind the nearby pillar flinched, having been caught out. Despite how much he'd warmed up to her, there was still something about Raphael that made Vye nervous, and after the way he snapped at her earlier it was even more difficult to approach him than usual. Still, there was no use hiding if he knew she was there. She shuffled out from behind the pillar but froze as soon as the turtle's gaze hit her. Unable to move any further, she gripped onto the small packet she held in her hands for a moment before throwing it straight at him. Raph caught the item with ease, glancing at it before looking back at her with indifference.

"What's this for?"

Vye began to tug at her sleeves as she spoke, trying to avoid further eye contact.

"It's a…" She paused. She couldn't remember what the item was called. "It's for your arm."

The gesture finally clicked, and when Raph looked at the packet he realised she had tossed him a band-aid. Caught off guard, he took a moment to respond.

"Uh...Thanks, but I don't need it."

Vye's shoulders slumped a little at the dejection, though it was somewhat expected. Watching her expression that followed his words, Raphael groaned and pointed his band-aid-free hand towards the girl.

"Stop it, stop makin' that face."

"Huh-? W-What face-"

"The face, that stupid one you do."

"Wh-"

Unsure of what Raph was referring to, all Vye could do was stutter, and when he suddenly got to his feet with a growl she traced back a couple of steps as he began to approach her. She braced herself for the yelling that would usually follow - only this time it never came. Instead, Raph scratched the back of his head as he fumbled for the right words to say next.

"Agh, look. I-...I'm sorry for snappin' at you, alright?" The band-aid flapped around in his other hand as he waved it up and down while he spoke, his tone softer than usual. "But y'know you can't come with us when we go fightin' bad guys. We just don't want you gettin' hurt, kid."

Vye merely stood in silence as she took a moment to absorb not just the words, but the situation in general. It wasn't often that Raphael apologised, and on top of that he didn't tend to approach things in a gentle manner - at least not to the extent that she had seen. Though a little puzzled, she felt relieved by the lack of shouting and bowed her head slightly.

"I know…" Her gaze then moved back up. "But...You guys get hurt all the time."

Surprised by the observation, the turtle screwed up his snout. His tone became a little more like it's usual threat.

"Yeah, but we can handle it."

The girl's gaze lowered again. The comment stung a little, but she knew he was ultimately right. It was something they seemed to be used to, and she definitely wasn't. Maybe this meant her gesture really wasn't that useful after all. What the pair hadn't noticed was that Leonardo and Donatello had been alerted to their exchange when Raphael had approached the small shapeshifter, fully expecting the same hollering that she had and bracing themselves to intervene should they have to. As the next pause began, Don saw fit to make his way over and gently pick the band-aid out of his brother's hand. It was becoming more clear that their guest was trying to show their appreciation in some way, but had been stumbling in the ways to do it.

"We appreciate that you want to help," He comforted. "But you're not obligated to."

There was another pause as Vye seemed to slump a little, Raphael gently digging his elbow into his brother's rib. Donatello scratched the back of his head.

"Well, uh...I mean, for starters, you can't treat a burn with just a band-aid."

The alien's head tilted to the side slightly. She hadn't known that. In fact, she couldn't even tell exactly what the injury was or what had caused it. Reading this from her expression, an idea sparked in the perceptive turtle and he continued with a smile, taking a hold of his irritable sibling's shoulder with his free hand.

"If you want though, I could show you how."

Raphael turned his head to object, insisting he didn't need the treatment, only to have his sentence cut by the pain of Donatello's fingers pinching into his skin as a mild warning. When he noticed the suddenly hopeful and intrigued look on the innocent redhead's face he conceded with a grumble.

Seeing the grumpier turtle being dragged into a medical demonstration against his will, Leonardo couldn't help but hold his hand to his mouth to cover up an amused smirk as he watched the trio make headway towards the kitchen.

As much as he wanted to join them, he instead remained where he was, thoughts of his previous discussion with Don about the Triceraton weaponry beginning to plague his mind again. Most of the New York clean-up from the Triceraton invasion was well under way, and the turtles themselves had already rid the city of alien munitions - or so they had thought. It seemed like there were still some loose threads lying around, but where was the source?

While he wanted to continue mulling, Leo was distracted once again by the sound of his brother - the patient - growling from beyond the nearby doorway, uttering something to Donatello about going easy on the antiseptic. This was then followed by even louder barking as Vye had clearly been volunteered to try following some of the instructions herself - making it unclear from a distance if she was making the situation worse or if he was complaining for the sake of complaining.

Despite the grouchy reception, the girl herself felt a small sense of accomplishment in what she was doing, aside from general interest in how the first aid functioned. It may not have been the biggest step in the direction she wanted to go - not that she knew exactly what that was yet - but it was a start all the same.