(n.) bubbling enthusiasm.

She watched him, knowing she should be practicing her audition song, rather than trying to shave her legs in the kitchen sink. That was the reason he'd even agreed to meet Emelia in the first place... to give her time to practice.

That, and because Vienna had somehow managed to convince him that her mother would never believe the toddler. Not once Emelia blurted about the strange mutant her older sister had brought over.

But it was too much to resist, seeing Donatello— reserved, coy, anxious Donatello— parading around with a little girl on his shoulders, with Artemis trailing gleefully at his heels.

"Careful, Turtle Boy, Ms. Flutterbucket is fragile!" Emelia squealed, clutching at her elephant as he spun in circles, holding onto her feet.

"Meles, he has a name," Vienna lightly scolded, rinsing the razor under the faucet and grabbing a towel to dry off her feet.

"Though 'Turtle Boy' is much preferred to 'Ugly Mutant Freak'," Donnie chuckled, flopping back onto the couch and sending Emelia into the pile of pillows. Artemis yipped happily, running circles around the pair of new companions.

"When has anyone called you 'Ugly Mutant Freak'?"

"Some blonde woman on Broad Street. Man, you should've seen how fast she ran in those stilettos." He laughed again, though the humor had died in his brown eyes.

Hasty to change the subject before things could get awkward, Vienna hopped from the counter, wringing out the hems of her high-waisted shorts and stroking her legs. She offered him a goofy grin. "Don't you love the feeling of just-shaved legs? Like God himself banished the coarse hair and replaced it with silk."

"First of all, that's extremely odd to be telling me. Second of all, when would I have ever felt just-shaved legs?"

"You've never felt them?! Well, step on up, take a gander at these smooth calves!"

"Get your feet out his face, I wanna play another game with Turtle Boy!" Emelia pouted, prying her big sister away from her new friend and showing Donnie to her play chest of dress-up treasures.

"So, tell me again why you decided to shave your legs in the kitchen?" D inquired while the tot placed a king's crown atop his head and knocked his mask askew.

"My mom told me not to leave Meles unsupervised." Vienna fingers idly tickled the ivories on the baby grand across the room, marginally trying to avoid her sister approaching with a frilly tutu. "I might as well follow THAT rule, seeing as I've broken the rest of them."

"Such a rebel," he mused with a smirk, adjusting the cape Emelia had placed around his neck and watching her try and coax Missy into a hot dog hat, to no avail. "And yet, here you are, doing as your mother told you, rehearsing songs you don't want to perform, staying in a house you don't want to be in, making art instead of music. What would your mother say?"

"My mother has no say in the decisions I make. I'm an adult now." Her hands switched from playing a waltz to a frenzying tarantella.

"And yet..." he gestured directly to her activity at the piano, as if presenting every single controlled choice in her life as an example.

"And yet." Vienna blew out a breath in consensus, letting Meles guide her to sit on the bench, watching as she began tying her feet to the floor pedals. She shot him a playful glare. "Like you have room to talk. It's not like your life has left much room for spontaneity on your part."

"You're right. With all the kidnapping, deaths, heartbreaks, and chaos, I feel like my brothers look at me like a ticking time bomb these days." Donnie's face changed to subtle irritation, plucking the cardboard scythe out of the toy box and giving it a lazy twirl. "Like I'm fragile." He looked over at Vienna, eyes sparkling with unfamiliar candor as he admitted, "I think that's why they're getting pissed when I go off on my own these days. Leo probably thinks the restrictions he puts on me are the best way to get me to put my problems aside."

"Well, screw them." Vienna shrugged, making a crass hand wave out of Emelia's field of vision to no one in particular. "You're fine, and you're your own person, not some machine anyone can order around."

"Says the girl trying to get into Juliard, when college isn't even her thing."

"Coming from the guy who's spent his life chasing after a girl who's not worthy of him in the slightest."

Before Donatello could respond, Emelia jumped on the couch adjacent to her sister, clearing her throat loudly to gather the attention of her playmates.

"And now," she narrated deviously, crouching on the couch arm and showing off the pair of scaly wings strapped to her back. "Meles the Dragon and Missy the Hot Dog is gonna eat Princess V! Rah!"

With that, the little girl lurched forward, grabbing onto her big sister and holding onto her for dear life while Artemis jumped onto the young woman's lap, the sounds of a tearing tutu filling the air as the dog's paw dug into the fabric.

"Oh dear!" Vienna feigned fright, but her giggles went unsuppressed. "Whatever shall I do? My pretty princess bones will surely be ground to dust!"

"Only the brave Turtle Prince would be able to get you 'way from me and Missy," Emelia cackled, keeping her grip firm on her big sister's arm. "But he isn't nowhere! You're mine!"

The trio of role-players paused, glancing over at Donnie expectantly. The terrapin's body stiffened, and he reluctantly waved his cardboard scythe in 'hello'.

"That's your cue, Charming," Vienna whispered, giggling again when his face began turning red.

"U-umm... fear not, fair maiden!" Donnie tried, stepping forward and prodding Emelia's foot.

"Rah! You think you can take me down?" Meles squinted, pointing at him and shouting to Artemis, "Sick'em, Hot Dog!"

Donatello laughed along with Vienna as the small canine hopped down and began lightly nipping at his heels. "Ha! The mighty Hot Dog! The fiercest creature in the land!" He leaned close, poking Emelia's tummy. "Well, second fiercest. It looks like I will have no choice but to... send her into a feathery abyss!"

In a heartbeat, the dog was tossed into the array of pillows on the couch. Artemis barked in shock and glee, her panting tongue the only thing visible beneath the hot dog hat that had fallen over her eyes.

"Oh no!" Miles squealed, climbing about her sister's body until her arms were wrapped around Vienna's head to keep balance. "Turtle Prince, you slayed my Hot Dog!"

"Worry not, itty-bitty beast," Donnie consoled, now beginning to familiarize with his role as hero. "I have only banished thine companion. But, 'tis thee that must be-eth afraid, for THOU art the one who hath trapped thy lovely princess. I have no choice but to reveal my naught-fathomable wizardry to defeatest thou, Dragon!"

As Donatello dashed off into the kitchen, Emelia leaned close and whispered, "He's a good pretender. Have more play dates with him, 'kay?"

"You got it." Vienna smiled affectionately, gazing over her shoulder at the turtle now throwing a ceramic mug filled with suspicious ingredients into the microwave. "My, my, whatever is my handsome prince up to? My royal toes are starting to fall asleep."

"The 'handsome prince' prefer-eth the humble title 'great sorcerer'," Donnie bashfully corrected, ripping open the door as the microwave dinged and executing an impressive front flip out of the kitchen, presenting his gift to the tiny dragon. "Gather near, and bear witness to my latest creation of eggs, flour, and Nutella!"

"Yummy..." Meles' eyes were all but sparkling, as she leaned closer and inspected the contents with child-like wonder.

"Or, in dragon-speak..." Donnie smirked, thrusting the mug under the tot's nose. "Instant Brownies."

"Gimme gimme gimme!" Emelia cried, her pudgy hands latching onto the cup, legs unlatching from around Vienna's middle as she tumbled to the floor. Before she could register what happened next, Vienna was standing atop the piano bench, binds already undone.

"The trick hath calmed the angry dragon's temper," he observed, jutting his chin toward the little girl, devouring mouthfuls of the sweet.

"Oh, my! What unmatched bravery my prince possess-eth!" Vienna proclaimed, hugging him and mumbling into his chest, "My hero!"

"I...Y-you're welcome," he muttered, hiding his flustered blush as he pried her from him, only to pull her close again when the bench started to wobble precariously.

"See? I told you you should smile more often. That grin makes you all the more irresistible... to the ladies, that is." She tightened her hold on his biceps, lest she lose her footing and slam into the piano keys with her hind end.

Donatello chuckled, adjusting his grip on her waist at the same time pulling her flush against him. "I only ever smile like this when someone's rendered me incapable of recalling what made me melancholy in the first place, Princess V."

It was her turn to blush, her gentle laugh ringing in his ears. He watched her, her eyes green now in the late afternoon sun. It was getting easier to lock eyes with her, he'd found. Now that everything was out, now that there was nothing left that he could keep from her...he found her wonder and curiosity comforting. Like no matter how much crap came down on her, her eyes would see nothing but a bright world.

"Now, kiss!"

The notion was so startling he actually lost his grip. Donnie winced at the cacophony that resounded when Vienna tumbling backwards onto the keyboard. He stared at the girl, rubbing her now-sore behind and causing more notes to sound, at a loss. He snapped his head to Emelia, gawking at her. "Excuse me?"

"Prince gotta kiss the princess!" Meles frowning, setting her pudgy hands on her hips.

"He's just a friend, hon," Vienna groaned, stiffly sliding off the piano with a descending trill of keys.

"He's gotta play his part! You can't chicken out! You guys is doing it all wrong!" the toddler pouted, eliciting a timely whine of protest from Artemis as well.

"He likes another princess." Donatello flinched at the nuanced sharpness in her tone as Vienna stood and brushed herself off.

"No!" Emelia stomped her foot. "You guys is ruining it. You're s'posed to ride into the sunset!"

"And live happily ever after?" Donnie asked wearily.

"Yeah! And have five pretty girls you name all Emelia."

At that, Vienna and D exchanged humiliated looks. "Well..." V grabbed his hand before he could reason. "Better get on that baby making, Don! You heard Meles!"

"What?!" Donnie screeched as she pulled him toward the bedroom.

"What?" Emelia asked, equally confused. "No, you can't have babies 'til you're married. Mama said that... hey, Vienna, why did Mama say that? How does this work any who? Where do babies come from? I mean, Mama said they come from your tummy, but what would Turtle Boy have to do with that? Vienna, where do babies come from? How does—"

The door slamming effectively silenced her. Vienna leaned against the door, all embarrassment as she glanced over at Donnie, leaning against the frame beside her with a breathless laugh.

"And that," she explained, sliding to the floor and staring at the sinking sun through the bay window, "is how you get rid of the little sister asking too many questions."

"Had me scared there for a second," D admitted, settling into a seat beside her. "I thought you were implying we'd actually have to—"

"Fuck?" Vienna huffed out another guffaw. "I decided to spare you that woeful fate. Be thankful. Emelia isn't usually this easy to dissuade—"

"You didn't dissuade her, you just shut the—"

"You get what I mean, yeah?"

"Yeah."

They sat, listening to Emelia's muted protest before the sound of the TV turning to Dragon Tales relaxed their tensed shoulders. A steady stream of dings began emitting from Donnie's phone, and with a heavy sigh, he extracted the device from his belt and tossed it onto her bed.

"Probably Leo," she mused, rubbing a smudge from the corner of her lenses.

"Don't care. Just want some time to think without any of them in my ear."

Vienna nodded, her glasses reflecting the bright light seeping through the window and refracting small frames of luminescence onto the floor.

"Should be able to see Cassiopia soon."

"Come again?"

"Star constellation. Your room's in the perfect position to view it, just before the light pollution takes over."

"Huh. Never thought I'd get to see the stars again, once I moved here." Vienna traced the outline of her kanji tattoo, listening to the happy theme song echoing from the hallway. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why do you still love her?"

"Love isn't an easily transferrable feeling, V." His words felt hollow, like he didn't believe he was saying them. Their meaning felt empty now, somehow. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

He chuckled at her mimicry. "I've been wondering for the longest time. What's your eye color?"

She looked over at Donatello, her eyes a startling blue in the dimming light. "Can't really tell. My mom says they mirror everything around me."

Donnie contemplated this, tilting his head and searching for the right words. "Kaleidoscope eyes. Seems like they transform with your emotions, I notice. YOU control them, not the things around you." He muttered under his breath. "You're too one of a kind to have anything change you. "

"...yes. I suppose you're right." She lightly punched his arm. "Kaleidoscope eyes. Why didn't I think of that?"

He laughed again, and his diastema peeking between his lips stunned her into laughter as well. Though it was short-lived, as the phone began incessantly buzzing again, and Emelia's excited shouts began to permeate through the door.

"I should go." They both said it at the same time, and without a word, the bespectacled woman led the turtle to the window. Her hand brushed his arm, asking for his patience for a moment.

"Let's run away," she stated matter-of-factly, making him tense in wariness. "Just us two friends. Let's get away from it all."

He decided to humor yet another of her random thoughts with a snort. "Where? I'm sorta confined to the underground city..."

She shrugged, leaning her weight on the windowsill and pointing north. "Outside the city. Where you can see the stars all night. In the wild, maybe. We could make clothes out of tree bark and eat bugs."

"I really don't think that would be very logical—"

"Screw logic. Screw priorities! I don't wanna worry about anyone else. At night, we could see the stars and not think about ninjas, or futures, or heartbreak."

Donnie shook his head, though he couldn't deny the lifting of his heart about that 'no responsibility' bit. His lips turned upwards in the slightest. "Yeah. That sounds nice, actually."

"And then you could teach me all about Case of Peas."

"Cassiopeia."

"Whatever."

Voices from the other room growing louder pulled them out of the fantasy.

"I should go." Again, in stereo.

Vienna grinned, embracing him quickly and promising, "We'll talk later."

"Promise?" He winked slyly, and she returned the gesture.

"Promise."

She couldn't watch him go. Honest, she would have watched him disappear into the haze of smog and rooftops, but the increase in volume had caused her skin to prickle nervously. Vienna pushed out into the living room, calling, "Meles, sweetie, is Mama home?"

Instead of the expected sight of a pigtailed girl in front of the television, Vienna caught sight of the blonde young man in the entryway and stopped in her tracks.

His hair had grown longer, she realized, down around his shoulders, accentuating his surfer aesthetics and beach-life jawline. His skin was Brazilian, tanned from countless days in the sun. He had board shorts and a ragged t-shirt on, falling-apart flip-flops not distracting her in the least from his bright smile.

Her eyes flicked to the window, hoping Donnie had departed swiftly enough for no one to see him hitching a ride home on the rooftops.

"James?"

"What, no 'hey James, how's it going James'!" he asked with a coy wink. "I missed you too. Been a while since I got one of your letters."

"Look who I found on the subway!" Ms. Bardi quipped, tossing her keys to the counter and turning to help Emelia pick up the toy chest.

"Didn't peg you as the ballerina type, Van Gogh," he continued when the brunette still said nothing. Her old nickname brought a wave of memories upon her.

"It... It's a costume," she whispered, glancing down at her shredded skirt and trying to hide her shock in vain. She glanced back at the door, hoping the need for hospitality wouldn't move her to change plans with her other friends.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" she cried, giving him a ginger hug. "How was Europe?"

"Not bad. Got to see you're namesake town. Man, you would LOVE Austria."

"Would I?"

"Yeah, you would... what's going on? You're different." James chuckled, pointing with a bit of malice at the skyscrapers out the window. "Guess the concrete jungle'll do that to a person."

"Vienna, who's this boy Emelia keeps talking about?" Ms. Bardi shouted over Artemis's startled barking. "Did you have someone over?"

"No." Her answer was quick. Too quick.

"Liar." James grinned, crouching to try and quiet the canine. "Geez, even Missy's changed. It's like she doesn't recognize me."

"You've been gone awhile."

"Who's Turtle Boy, Vienna?" Ms. Bardi demanded.

"He's my friend!" Meles squealed.

"Where's your dad?" James inquired, peering around.

"He... he didn't come with us. Don't you remember why we even moved here? I told you before, James, my mom didn't want to see Dad and Veronica together all—"

"Right, right." He cut off her robotic explanation. "Divorce is a bitch, and all that.

"Vienna Renee, answer me!" Ms. Bardi snapped her fingers like she was calling Artemis, but her pert gaze was directed at her daughter.

James stood, giving up on trying to calm down the dog. "Don't worry about it, Ange, Van Gogh here is too much a prude to get into any trouble with a boy."

"I'm not a prude." Where she would've giggled endlessly in the past, Vienna now frowned in disdain.

"I swear Mama, he's real!"

"No, he's not, Emelia!" Vienna tried desperately.

"I'm having my doubts about that, young lady." Ms. Bardi scowled.

"Whoa, your tattoo looks even better in person!" James praised, pushing up the sleeve of Vienna's shirt for a better view.

"Cut it out, James!"

"Lighten up!"

"Vienna, you know how I feel about—"

"SHUT UP, EVERYONE!"

The room went quiet. Even Missy had stopped her obnoxious barking. Vienna held her head in her hands, feeling the quiet peace that had come with star-talk and play-pretend crash down.

"Vienna..." James set down his backpack, pulling her into a hug. "Are you okay?"

His embrace was too tight. Where it used to feel secure, now his overly-swollen muscles felt suffocating, his skin-on-skin contact unfamiliar. Vienna pushed back, trying to set aside the confusion and focus on her mother.

Figure out a lie.

Keep Emelia quiet.

Get out ASAP, before they trap you with small-talk.

Distract. Divert. Digress.

"Mom," Vienna shrilled, hoping the shock from the upcoming statement would erase Donatello's visit from everyone's mind. "I don't want to be a pianist. I'm not auditioning. I'm not going to Juliard."

At least the look of fury on Ms. Bardi's face meant Donnie would be kept secret a little longer.