"Finally!"
Mikey's voice resonated with satisfaction. Others green heads peered inside .
"We've finally found the dining room!" and the youngest turtle rushed to the table heavy with food.
"Careful!" Leo stopped him, suspiciously eyed the temptingly arranged goodness. There was roasted venison impaled on a spit, pile of fruit of all shapes, colors and scents, and dishes with baked goods and cookies.
"Hmmm," looked Donnie around with interest, "selection of fruit indicate the South America, but the animals seem to come from somewhere in Eastern Europe ... I've never eaten fresh passion fruit before," he said dreamily after the tour.
"Try it in combination with venison" mumbled Raph indistinctly .
"Raph!" youngest and oldest voice shouted in a synchronization. Although each with different motivation:
"This is not all yours!"
"What if it's poisoned!" "And that goes for you too, Donnie!" Leonardo continued to chastise them.
"I don't think the place is trying to get rid of us," said the pundit and experimentally bit into slightly sour orange fruit, "but the feast is here surely for some reason."
"Agreed ," replied Raph and Mikey unison with their full mouths.
Leonardo left them be with a sigh and went to investigate. That was quick. Except for full table and some chairs, there was a minimum of furniture. Only massive cupboard with kitchenware and a sideboard. The walls were decorated by many variations of Still Life with Food. One side was adorning by six statues of indistinct features, opposite one by a blazing fire in the fireplace and another door. Of course closed. And locked.
Michelangelo leaned back in his chair suppressing belch and stretched blissfully.
"Service!" he clapped his hands, "clean up the plates!"
And nearly fell off the chair when one of the statue made a move.
Everyone jumped up and intently watched the white figure approaching now retreating guest. It gathered the empty dishes, took them to the cabinets and stood back on the pedestal next to other artistic works with more appropriately behavior.
"What. Is. That?" asked Mikey the expected query.
"More like who is that," corrected Donnie and intently studied the intruder. She was slightly lower than them and has not looked made of plaster anymore. White toga, enveloping her entire body, was floating to the ground, pale makeup covered her face and hair were decorated with so many flowers and ornaments that was almost impossible to tell their color, maybe a light brown.
She was taking their inspection calmly and without moving, only her green-brown eyes were flickering curiously from one to the other.
"Who are you?" asked Leo finally.
The girl turned to him and smiled.
The commander cleared his throat: "My name is Leonardo and they are my brothers - Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo," explained politely and pointed at her: "Your name is...?"
The response was girl's raising eyebrows and Raph's chuckle.
"She does not understand" "Maybe she is mute?" "Or deaf." "Or both."
"You are talking nonsense." Donnie stepped into the debate, "she probably just reacts to certain subject. Maybe sounds?"
A very funny performance of tapping, clapping and snapping fingers had just started, then Donatello showed his multilingual skills.
"I guess she isn't too smart," Mikey tried to apologize Don's failure.
"Or you're doing it all wrong!" Raphael shoved him in mock rudeness and stood in front of the girl: "Now tell us how to get out of here, or you get a hiding!"
The pale girl blinked and shook her head.
There was a clear sound of a slap. The girl jerked and red scar started appearing on her right cheek.
Raph jumped back, startled.
"Are you mad!" Snapped Donatello horrified. "It wasn't me!" hotheaded ninja defended himself.
"That's enough," stopped them Leo and turned to now not-so white girl: "Could you open that door for us, please?"
Donatello sighed deeply and pushed him aside: "Open that door!" showed and blinked in dismay when other slapping came.
"So, is that clear?"
"No."
They were gathered in the opposite side of the room and vividly discussing.
"She responds only to a direct order," the smartest one, now greatly disappointed, explaining again. "If she can't comply, physical punishment is taking the place - thanks Raph." He felt his face burning.
"But how do we know what she can or can't do?" The youngest had never bothered to understand things as long as someone had done it for him.
"That we will have to carefully estimate. Example, I am convinced that she can't speak. Which means," he added, seeing the puzzled expression, "she couldn't say, tell nor suggest any thing."
Raphael clenched his fists, then turned on his heel and left the room. Others decided to let him calm down and they were greatly surprised when he was back in minute, holding a familiar dusty book.
"Good idea." Leonardo praised him. Raph did not say anything, but the pained expression on his face eased a little .
"You see, I was right," Donnie tapped his finger on the page, "this is a test of humility."
"Where is humility in beating servant?"
"Not our humility, Mikey. Can you see this? A figure in toga? It obviously represents her. It's painted without lips. Without the ability of even verbal resistance she must obey orders, or ... " " ...a punishment followed, we've heard that one..."
"Yes, but it is strange that it 's there too," he pointed at a small drawing of the whip hanging over the figure without mouth.
"I wonder whether it was there earlier."
Three pairs of eyes watched him questioningly.
Donatello flipped through more pages - there were completely empty.
"I mean, the book is written progressively."
"That's bad, I just wanted to read the punchline."
Donnie chuckled dryly: "I've already tried."
"Could she be the guardian?" asked Leonardo, leaning over his brother's shoulder. The book was written in a unknown language, and some pictures were quite disturbing.
"Or the fighter," chuckled Raph with better mood. Her injuries - even the light ones - were maybe not caused only by him, and that was good news.
"Or the mooonster" intoned Mikey with ghostly voice.
Everyone laughed and growing tensions started to eased immediately .
"And what's this stick over her head?" pointed Michelangelo his finger at the image near the bottom of the page.
"This is a finger, Mikey and it looks like it's our next task."
"To name her," smacked his youngest brother presenting E.T. - go - home.
It was necessary to consider it properly. What name will you choose for an unknown person in an unknown world, of a different race? Their thoughts automatically turned back to Master Splinter.
The problem was, that there had not been a lot of female artists in age of Renaissance, if at all.
"What about some piece of art?" suggested Leonardo.
"You mean Mona Lisa? Or Venus?" Mike asked with wink.
Leo looked at the girl thoughtfully: "How about Simonetta?"
"Simonetta Vespucci? Painted by Piero di Cosimo? You know that generally, there is presumption that it was not her, for she died at a time when Cosimo was 14 years old, so ..."
"I think by Sandro Botticelli" interrupted him Leo quickly.
Four pairs of eyes stared at the girl.
"Simonetta - quite nice," agreed Raph with neutral expression .
"Who's Botticelli?" whispered Mikey in Raph's ear, when Leonardo moved to the girl and with ceremonial tone said: "Your name from now is Simonetta."
The girl smiled and her makeup disappeared from face with light rustle. Her skin got the bronze tone and green color of her eyes were highlighted. There was no wrinkle over her face and no scar either. She looked like teen but something in her eyes seemed ageless.
After some quiet time turtles took their eyes off her and went back to the manual.