Artemis followed Leo through the tunnels and sewers her satchel slung over her shoulder carrying her table cloth, sign and cards. Leo was carrying the table and chairs, he glanced over t her from time to time but she seemed content to keep her thoughts to herself. It was such a strange change of pace from his brothers and even Master Splinter who, while he valued his quiet time, tried to teach his sons everything he could in any spare minute leaving little in the way of silences. It was actually making him uneasy and he cleared his throat before speaking. "So… Tracey is really protective." He winced, it sounded so lame.
Artemis looked up at him her dark eyes full of a self possession he wished he could feel. She gave him a small smile. "Tracey has had good reason to be. I got hurt pretty bad in the last place we ended up and then I let myself get possessed by a force so evil I still have nightmares. And we're in foreign territory for reasons we don't understand. I'm used to the unexplainable, I've spent the last 15 years as a practicing witch, the unexplainable it normal for me but Tracey grew up in Logicville, home to Science High and Normality Lane. This is so outside her norm she needs my familiarity with the weirdness to feel stable."
Leo started to ask a question then stopped not wanting to offend her. Artemis chuckled. "It's ok Leo. I've heard it all before. You won't offend me."
"Why did you let yourself get possessed and what do you mean 'practicing witch?" He asked kind of in a rush.
Artemis stopped and he stopped and turned to look at her. She was smaller than he was by a foot or better but at the look in her eyes he felt younger than his 18 years, he didn't really like it but he admitted it in his head. She looked tired, worn around the edges and like she didn't remember how to be happy. "I did it so she wouldn't." She said softly. "Tracey is one of the most giving people I know, she cares about everyone and has such a kind heart. She's been hurt before but she's never seen the things I have, or done the kind of soul damaging work I have and I couldn't stand the thought of her being tainted by that evil piece of shit. And he would have tainted her, he would have done it just because he could and probably just to destroy the light that lives in her soul. I took the damage because that's what I do. I am her shield and her sword, I stand between her and the dark and scream into the night that the sun will rise again." She shook herself and ran a hand through her hair. "Sorry, I don't know why I got so poetic."
He frowned a little but it was beyond him to really understand what she'd been talking about. "So what about the witchcraft thing?" He prompted hoping that would yield more understandable answers, he wasn't stupid by any means but this was the sort of thing Master Splinter would understand more than he could.
Artemis started walking again and he resumed the lead. "I walked away from my parents religion, christianity, when I was a teen and started praying to Gods and Goddesses. Paganism or witchcraft encourages you to take charge of your own destiny and you can learn to use rituals and tools and special items to cast magic and enforce your own will on the world."
He thought about that. Master Splinter was Buddhist and he was himself uninterested in religion by and large. He knew Donnie was an atheist choosing to believe in the power of science and logic and Raph couldn't be bothered either way. He had no idea where Mikey fell as far as religion was concerned, he didn't think his youngest brother had it in him to be self disciplined enough to believe in anything. "Do they answer you?" He asked not even sure why he asked.
"In my world they do sometimes, and in Greece where we were before we came here they were so close I could feel them all the time. Here it's like they don't exist." Artemis replied picking her way over a pile of trash.
"But you still believe in them."
She looked up at him and he thought he saw something of the Dragon she could become for a split second. "Do you stop believing in the Moon when the Sun rises in the morning? Does the sun vanish just because it is night? Just because I can't feel them here doesn't mean they don't exist somewhere."
It was something Master Splinter might have said and oddly that comforted him. He nodded. "Ok, I can understand that."
She smiled and picked her way around another pile of trash. He looked up through a grate and took the left hand tunnel; she followed him and he couldn't help watching her. "I believe in me and my brothers." He said abruptly and didn't know why he'd said it.
"You should. Believing in yourself is crucial to living in the world. You have to be strong in yourself, in who you are or the world will shake you apart." Artemis kept her eyes forward.
"Sometimes I don't know who I am… or who I want to be." He admitted.
"It would be strange if you didn't." She replied and looked up at him. "Leo, you're almost 18, you are just starting your life and finding a place for yourself in the world. Doubt is part of it. The trick is not letting the doubt define you. You're a good leader and a teacher but you may decide one day you don't want to be either, and that's fine. You might decide one day that that is the core of your identity and that's fine too. The important thing is that you set your own path but don't be afraid to try different roads too."
He nodded and looked up another grate. "Ok, this is us. Be careful."
He helped her up through the grate feeling a little embarrassed when his hands brushed her thighs and butt, she was pretty and he was a guy. He stopped that train of thought at the station and leaned against the tunnel wall thinking about who he was and who he wanted to be while Artemis started selling her fortune telling talents.
When Artemis and Leo returned to the Lair Mikey and Donnie were working on the Garbage Truck and bickering playfully. Master Splinter was sitting in the livingroom reading and Tracey was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Raph but lately Leo had notice his brother getting moody and wandering off by himself for hours at a time. Artemis hung up her bag and went in search of Raph, she wanted to spar with him. When she knocked on his door it swung in on damaged hinges, a leftover of his propensity to slam doors in a temper. What she saw boggled her mind, the sight of Raph cramming a bundle of what looked like knitting under the bed as a ball of variegated blue yarn rolled towards her. She picked it up and walked into the room using her heel to close it behind her. He snatched it away from her but it was too sudden and the knitting came out from under the bed and he groaned picking it up. "What?" He asked annoyed. "Knitting helps me calm down."
Artemis took the knitting and examined it her finger tracing the cable knit scarf. "Its really good." She smiled and handed it back to him. "Tracey crochets, I knit."
"I crochet too sometimes." He admitted and tucked the knitting more carefully under the bed, his room wasn't a total wreck but it was definitely a guys room.
"I spin yarn to destress." She said softly and patted his arm; he cleared his throat embarrassed and rubbed the back of his neck, she made him feel like an idiot whenever she was around, she was pretty, curvey, a fighter and she didn't make him feel like a wimp for knitting.
"So uh… how was the fortune telling?" He took a step back and tried not to blush when he realized he could see down her top because he was that much taller than her. She seemed unaware of her effect on him.
"Good, I made about $300 bucks so better than average." She looked around then back at him. "I came to see if you wanted to spar."
He swallowed and blushed in spite of himself but she ignored the flush on his face, for which he was intensely grateful. "Sure." He waited for her to leave before him and shut his door promising to himself that he would fix the latch soon.
Tracey slowly came out of her meditation to the sound of Raph taunting Artemis and vice versa punctuated by the sound of soft thumps, grunts and the odd yelp or two. She stood in the middle of the floor, breathing heavily as the water around her subtly churned from the vibrations of her feet on the metal floor. Droplets of her sweat joined the water beneath her feet and her body shook from exertion she had put forth with her meditations and trying to get the lightning under control. She hadn't stopped since her little mishap with Mikey that morning and she was damn sure that she wasn't going to let it happen again. Letting out a breath slowly, Tracey relaxed her stance and pushed her damp hair back out of her face. She smirked when she heard another soft thud followed by Raph's distinct grunt when he hit what she assumed to be the floor. Her shirt was soaked. Starting at the base of her neck, a trail ran down between her shoulder blades to the middle of her back. The front of her shirt stuck to her chest and she plucked at the material, shivering a little when it returned to it's place against her flesh.
"Before I eat tonight a shower it definitely in order." She figured, dabbing at her face with a short hand towel that she had brought for her next meditation session.
"Better go see who's kicking whose ass now." Tracey walked quietly to the training room that she and Leo had been practicing Boken in and stood off to the side as to not draw attention to herself and to silently observe the proceedings.
She watched Artemis and Raph circling each other, Artemis was in a loose low crouch that kept her center of gravity low. Raph was in a different stance and both were grinning fiercely panting for breath. Tracey could see a dark bruise forming on Artemis's shoulder and down her bicep but she didn't seem to care and Raph had the remains of a nose bleed. Mikey, Donnie, Leo and Master Splinter were watching the match and Donnie had a scoreboard up on the wall. They were tied at 9 points each. Whoever got to ten first would win and both were competitive enough to want the win. Raph got impatient first and tried a strike, Artemis spun inside his reach and tried for a leg sweep but he twisted to the side pulling his leg out of her sweep and tried for a backhand strike. Artemis ducked and came up with her fist trying for an armpit nerve strike but Raph saw it coming and rolled away popping up and swinging into a roundhouse that would have sent her to the mat if she hadn't leaped over it like a child jumping rope. Raph had to finish the circle and it left his back open and Artemis leaped on his back jamming her fists at angles down into the junction where his neck and shoulders met. He grunted in pain from the nerve strike and her weight dragged him down to the mat. Splinter called the match and Artemis slid down to the floor panting for breath.
'That's my girl.' Tracey thought as she smiled and nodded. "Quick, precise, and deadly as always my sweet." Tracey was always impressed with Artemis's martial art skills. She loved watching her move and wished that she could have the same skills, but knew that she would need years of training and discipline to be as good as she was. Looking at Raph she stepped forward and held out a hand to help him up and patted his muscular arm and shook her head. "Sometimes my dear it's better to be short in stature than have all the muscles. Better luck next time."
Artemis gave a breathless chuckle. "Oh he almost had me hon. He's fast and his reach is way longer than mine, I got lucky just now." She flopped back on her back and tried to catch her breath.
Raph grinned and rotated his shoulder laughing, he reached down and helped her up. "Girl you beat me, luck or not you beat me."
"You have to admit Artemis, you do have a lot of luck." Tracey replied, giving her a high-five. "Despite the things that have happened in the past, you've acquired a lot of luck since then... well, it doesn't look like that at the moment because we're being forced to travel in mysterious ways but hey, we have to take the good with the bad and keep moving forward." She gave them all a nod and a smile, happy with her statement.
Artemis nodded and pushed her hair away from her sweaty face. Master Splinter moved up beside them and looked them both over. "You both showed tremendous skill. But it i almost time for dinner. Perhaps a shower first though."
Tracey bowed respectfully to Master Splinter and then nodded. "Yeah we definitely need a shower, but Mikey and I have to excuse ourselves. We have a date tonight and we will be back in a few hours, before you boys have to go on patrol tonight to be sure." Tracey said, giving Mikey a wink and a smirk. "I promised him dinner and a ride."
Artemis blinked and glanced at Mikey who looked a little embarrassed, Leo, Donnie and Raph stared at him and he flushed. "A date?" Raph asked curiously.
Artemis smiled and headed towards the showers. "I'll cook dinner tonight after I shower."
"Don't take up all the hot water, I'd like to fly with fresh feathers tonight if you don't mind." She said with a knowing look on her face. "I'm going to arrange to pick up pizza from Steven and then grab a shower so by the time we're ready to leave all we have to do is pick it up, eat and fly." Before she turned on her feet to leave the training room, Tracey looked to Master Splinter and nodded slightly to show that she was considering the conversation they had talked about over breakfast that morning. She also owed Mikey as an apology for what happened earlier too, wanting to make sure that everything was alright between them.
About 15 minutes later Artemis shuted to Tracey that the shower was free. Donnie had gone back to his computers, Leo was practicing with the Katana and Raph was working the heavy bag. Mikey had disappeared into his room and they could all hear him shuffling through the general mess he lived in looking for something. When Artemis emerged into the kitchen she made a beeline for the fridge and started pulling out ingredients. She set a pot of water on to boil and rinsed rice quickly before setting it to cook. Master Splinter watched her work before speaking up. "Artemis, why did you learn so many forms of martial arts?"
She paused in the act of pulling out a carton of eggs then kept working. "My father was physically abusive, I started learning Karate to get strong enough to keep him from hitting me. I kept learning new forms after as a sort of therapy. So I wouldn't be a victim again."
He gave her a sad look but nodded. "I see. You have skill and control."
She smiled and stirred the rice. "Thank you."
While she cooked she started humming and then started singing softly. When Tracey got out of the shower she heard Artemis singing and oddly the sound of a masculine voice singing. Shutting off the water, Tracey let herself drip dry for a moment before looking around and listening for a minute longer then grabbed a towel so she could dry the water from her arms. She moved onto the rest of her body and then wrapped the towel around her, tucking in the corner at her chest. The satchel she had brought with her held her fresh clothes and plastic bag for her phone and clothes that she would wrap up to protect them when she and Mikey flew that night. Putting on the denim hip huggers and the tank top she had arrived wearing to this world, she laced up her boots and hung up her towel to dry. Tracey shouldered the satchel and ran a brush through her hair quickly before leaving the bathroom and used her phone to check the time as she went to the kitchen. "Hey Artemis, I'm heading out now... have you seen Mikey?"
"He's in his room. I think he's looking for something." Artemis replied chopping veggies.
"Okay, I'll go check on him and then we'll be off... I wonder what he's looking for. Oh well, I'll have my cell phone and I'll call if something comes up. Master Splinter." She mused and nodded before shrugging her shoulders and double checked her satchel to make sure that her wallet was there so she could pay for the pizza. "Well see ya later."
Giving Artemis a wave from over her shoulder, Tracey walked to Mikey's room and knocked on the door, waiting outside until given permission to enter. "Mikey are you ready to go? Pizza should be ready in about ten minutes."
Mikey opened the door in a rush and Tracey and Artemis both saw why he'd been banging around. He was dressed in the worst suit imaginable, a dark blue polyester thing that fit oddly over his shell with a bright orange tie. Artemis carefully set the knife she'd been using down on the counter and came over. "Mikey… where did you find my Grandfathers Seersucker suit from the 70's?"
He flushed and fidgeted as Raph started laughing. Artemis shot him a look and he shut up. Artemis turned Mikey around so she could see the back. "Mikey, I can make this fit you, and fit well but it'll take a few days. Why don't you find me your cleanest button up shirt without a logo on it and a black or blue tie." She smiled at him gently. "Give me the suit coat when you come out, leave the pants on."
He went back into his room and Artemis exchanged a look with Tracey as if to say 'He tried at least.'
When he came back out he was wearing the shirt open over his shell. Artemis turned him around and nodded. "Do you mind if I cut this along the back so it fits you?"
"Sure." He said a little uncertainly.
Artemis smiled and went to the kitchen grabbing a pair of scissors and a roll of double sided tape. She cut the back of the shirt so that the collar looped over the back of his neck and the back tied like an apron under his shell. She used the tape to secure the edges in a false hem and then moved to the front and buttoned him up smiling. She took the tie and tied it quickly then told him to tuck the remainder of the shirt into the pants and smiled when she stepped back. "There you are, I knew there was a sophisticated handsome young man in there."
He smiled a little hesitantly and ducked his head. "Thanks…"
Artemis looked at Tracey and smiled. "Have fun on your date guys."
"We will, don't wait up for us." Tracey replied and smiled as she looped her arm with Mikey's. "You make these clothes look good Mikey, but you didn't have to dress up for our date. I would enjoy your company no matter what you wore, you have the same personality and humor I do and that makes for an exciting time." Tracey gave him a warm smile and patted his arm fondly as they walked to the front of the lair. As they passed by Master Splinter's room she gave him a wave and they vanished around the corner.
"Alright, Mikey my sweet, you know where to go from here so please lead the way."
Mikey led the way and in about ten minutes they were above ground collecting their pizza and climbing up a fire escape ladder to a rooftop he insisted had the best view of the skyline at night. He'd brought a few bottles of orange crush soda with him and he handed her one."I thought that's what you're supposed to do on a date ya know? Dress nice, try to act a little less like a total dork…" He rubbed the back of his head and flushed. "I kinda suck at this, the only girl who ever really noticed me was April but she's dating Casey and I'm a walking talking monster."
The can of orange crush soda gave an angry hiss when Tracey opened it and it fizzed up, bubbling over the side. She held the can aloft until it stopped and then she took a quick sip while she listened to him, nodding. Slowly Tracey put her soda down beside her and redirected her attention to Mikey. She swallowed and hesitated before reaching over and resting her hand over his own and gave it a squeeze, making him look at her.
"Then perhaps I am a monster too." Tracey said with a sigh and taking another sip of her drink, looking out at the beautiful starry sky.
When she looked back at Mikey she saw that his expression was one of confusion. Tracey took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. Looking at him she nodded to indicate she meant what she said. "Firstly you're not a monster Mikey, you or your brothers, so don't you dare think it. Master Splinter was right when he said' that normal people fear what they don't understand', but that's only half the story. Even us 'normal looking' people are considered abnormal in some way if we don't conform in the same ways with all the other human beings... Take Artemis for example, she is a practitioner of the magical arts and prays to all manner of Gods and sees many things that are still invisible to me. Do you think she's considered a normal person by other people? Not likely."
Tracey opened the pizza box and offered the open box to Mikey so he would eat before the pizza got cold. "Though this is the first time we've actually met, you remind me of me. Well when people go on dates they do dress up and try to look their best but then most put on a mask and say what they think will get a positive reaction from their date. Then the evening may go well, the next few dates may end on a positive note, and then they'll try to make hasty advances and things fall apart from there... I prefer my dates, like you, to be themselves and show their true sides."
He took a slice of pizza and looked out at the skyline. "But… what if this is part of me?" He ask and shrugged. "I like to goof off and stuff but that's not all I am ya know? Like I want to be more than just the goofy little brother… I want to do stuff… my brothers don't really take me seriously but I'm good at other stuff." He frowned down at his pizza and then took a bite.
Tracey nodded and scooted a little closer to him, leaning in a little so he had her undivided attention. "There's nothing wrong with being a goof... I can relate to you there because I'm constantly making Artemis laugh and we always have a good time." She said, trying to encourage him with another kind smile. "What else do you like to do?"
He finished a slice of pizza and reached for another and thought about it. "I like mixing music… like DJing and stuff." He hesitated and blurted out the next sentence a if he had to say it fast or he'd chicken out. "But I really really like writing screenplays and I really want to have one be good enough to be on TV." His face went bright with a blush and he stuffed the whole slice of pizza in his mouth looking down at his hands.
"That would be brilliant!" Tracey answered, clapping with excitement and nudging him gently with her own and nodding. "If you have any that you've written I would love to read them. I like to write stories myself and perhaps Artemis may know what we could do next or if we can get a hold of April then she could probably help too."She sat up straighter and took another sip of her soda and let out a happy sigh, her legs dangling over the roof's edge.
"I love listening to some techno, instrumentals and a few others. If we have time tomorrow would you work your magic on some turntables for me? Hm, perhaps a party... yeah! We could throw a party and we could invite April and Casey."
He stared at her his mouth half open, he looked stunned. "No one ever wants me to mix…" He mumbled finally.
Tracey's mouth fell open a little and she gaped at him. "Well then they don't know what they're missing, it's your passion and you should act upon it. Your choice in music and what you do with it is a type of self-expression and you shouldn't have to hide that." She replied, placing her hand on his arm. "My writing is a passion of mine, but I haven't published anything because I write them for the fun of it, it helps get my thoughts down on paper... it also relaxes me."
She finished off her third slice of pizza and then downed a large gulp of soda, letting out a satisfied 'ah' when she swallowed. "What else relaxes you Mikey?"
He gulped down his drink and belched. "'Scuse me." He mumbled and shrugged. "Video games, skateboarding, basketball… normal guy stuff. What about you? When you're not getting dumped in different universes I mean."
"Nice one, but I can do better." She laughed and downed a very large gulp of her soda and waited for a moment before she felt a gurgle rise in her throat and released it. "Was that me?" She put on an innocent face before bursting into laughter and pushed some hair out of her face.
"Hm... mostly writing, but when I'm not working for my main job, Artemis and I run a crafting business. Originally we were at a convention where we were selling our crafts when all this happened. If I have any time to myself or a free day where I don't have any responsibilities, I would like to ride horses... so far it's been the second best thing to feeling free." She answered tucking her hair behind her ears when a gust of wind tossed it up and over her shoulder again. "Since we've traveled here the first would be my newly acquired ability to fly."
"What's it like to fly? Like with your own wings?" He asked curiously.
He grabbed the second to last slice of pizza and bit into it watching her.
"I've always imagined flying would be like jumping horses. When my horse would prepare to jump I could always feel my heart rising in my chest and the adrenaline rush through my veins. In the middle of the jump I could feel the wind rushing through my hair and over my skin and it felt so right... a sense of freedom was strong when I rode horses." She answered, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the stars again. "Since we've been here and have the ability to transform into winged creatures, the comparison has been a very close to jumping with horses. Do you have a sensitive stomach?" Tracey grabbed at her satchel behind her and started to pull out the plastic bag she put in there before she left.
He shook his head and grinned. "Nah. Raph used to swing me around by the ankles to see if he could make me puke. Never worked."
"Oh that's good, I'm don't have a sensitive stomach either. I'm about to show you what it's like to fly." Tracey replied, standing up and turning her back to Mikey. "If you wouldn't mind putting our trash in the garbage bag that's in my satchel I'll get changed and we can go for a flight."
She kept her back to Mikey while she changed out of her clothes and put them in the plastic bag she had had in her hand. Stepping out the the edge of the roof, the wind picked up her hair and flung it back behind her. Arms out to her side, Tracey took a final look at the stars and let herself plummet forward, free falling for a few seconds before she let out a triumphant cry before transforming and soaring with mighty wing beats that carried her upward again. Thunder rumbled through the clouds and she circled the building before alighting onto the roof again. She gazed at Mikey through orbs of golden hue and she bent her head forward, nudging his shoulder tenderly. Mikey grinned and reached out to touch her feathers. "They're so soft." He said softly and laughed.
With her help he got astride her, he had her satchel slung around his back and he checked one last time to make sure it was secure before they took off. Tracey had shuffled herself to the edge of the building and ruffled her feathers until Mikey was surrounded by their plushness and nearly hidden from view. Stretching out her wings, twice the span of her own body size, she crouched down on her talons and bunched her legs. At the same time she pushed off from the roof ledge, Tracey swept her wings downward for the lift she needed to launch them both into the air. The sudden rush of air flitted through her feathers and soon enough they were gliding over the clouds, the soft rumbling of thunder trailing behind them. Tracey beat her wings at the appropriate intervals, having caught onto the different times, temperatures, and wind patterns that required her to do so in order to keep herself up. 'This is the freedom I have longed for... and it is something that I will remember forever.' Tracey thought to herself as they flew.
A low rumble in her chest soon rose to her throat and escaped from her beak. A series of chirps and squeaks followed her cry and she looked back over her shoulder to see how Mikey was doing. Much to her delight his eyes were wide and a smile on his face lifted her spirits. She liked to see him happy and this was the real Mikey, the one she hoped his brothers would come to know before too much longer. Together they traveled through the night for a few hours, having the best view of the moon and sky. After a time Tracey angled them back towards the lair, sweeping her head from side to side and scanning the ground and buildings with her golden eyes for any threats to them. She wanted to make sure that they were safe and as it turns out all was well and she hobbled to the street before stepping into the shadows and chirping for her satchel. Upon receiving it, Tracey transformed with a few grunts and dressed quickly.
"Thank you for a wonderful evening Mikey." She said softly, standing up on her toes and kissing his cool cheek. "Remember... things aren't always greener on the other side. Even normal people are afraid of other normal people. You shouldn't ever want to be anyone other than who you are, so long as you are true to yourself, no one else's opinion matters."
When they got back to the Lair Artemis and Master Splinter were playing a game of cards. It was quiet in the lair, the other three brothers having gone out on patrol. Master Splinter informed Mikey that since he'd been on a date he had the night off. When Mikey headed to his room Master Splinter gave Tracey a grateful smile and laid down a handful of cards which made Artemis groan. "That's it, the cards hate me tonight. I'm headed to bed." She gave Tracey a hug on her way by.