On Friday night April cannot wait to get on her patrol. She even manages to assure Donnie that yes, she still remembers the rules, and yes, she's going to stay out of trouble, in less than two minutes. That's actually a first. And a new record.
But after their encounter in the lab - also known as really amazing sex - he seems so much more lenient. She has to keep that in mind.
Who knows when she's going to need a mellower Donnie again?
And then she's topside, and she takes her time climbing the nearest fire escape.
Of course she could do it faster, but she wants to do it right.
She wants the training with Karai to pay off.
Besides, she doesn't know when exactly Karai will start watching her. And she wants to cut a fine figure. Hopefully, it'll spare her some of Karai's teasing comments. And maybe, just maybe it'll get her a compliment.
Not that she does it to fish for compliments. No, not at all! It's just that, well, compliments are nice. And coming from Karai, they'd be the icing on the cake. Because Karai isn't known for compliments. Or for being nice.
Although…
April stops the thought before it can settle down.
She is so not going to think about this again!
She has more important things to do, she tells herself as she latches onto the rooftop. Way more important things to do, like getting over this rooftop without being seen. There was something Karai showed her before they switched to katas on their training session.
Breathe silently, but deeply, short breaths don't get enough oxygen into your brain, so you might make mistakes.
April nods and then heeds Karai's counsel. She gets it done easier than during training, although there's still room for improvement.
There's always room for improvement. She knows that, too.
She moves through the shadows, silently, using each cover she can find on her way over the rooftop.
Yes, she could march straight over it. No one would care. She's a human wearing weird clothes, that's all. But she wants to make it right.
Halfway over the rooftop she feels a prickle on the back of her neck, and she knows that Karai is here.
She might have been around before, but now April can feel her.
It makes her heart miss a beat and she stops for a moment. Karai is watching her . She needs to be even better from now on.
Keep it together, O'Neil , she tells herself. It's just Karai. She's watched you before.
This is the voice of reasoning. But there's another voice in her head, too, and it rises to speak shortly after.
But not after your training , it says. Not after …
April pushes the thought away. But it brushes her, and she remembers. Oh yes, she remembers all too well.
She fights the urge to violently shake her head and keeps moving.
One step at a time, one step at a time , she's telling herself over and over again. It keeps that other voice at bay.
She doesn't know how she makes it over the next hour or so, but she's relieved when the prickle at the back of her neck is gone, showing her that Karai has left.
She hopes that this other voice in her head is going to shut up now.
It doesn't, though, and she has to continue her mantra until she can flee into Donnie's bed and arms that night.