Mike had left Don under the direction of the kitchen overseer, whose quick tongue and sharp eyes seemed barely enough to keep a battalion of excited servants organised. Don blended amongst them, barely noticed in the rush as the entire crew split into orderly lines and queued to collect the morning's offerings. Don passed delicate jugs of pale juices, a bewildering selection of teas and took one containing small servings of fruit and nuts, following the others out into the milling crowd with a steadying breath.
It was a surreal experience - something he figured he should be used to by now. The Clan Meeting took extravagance to a whole new level and it was hard not to stare as he threaded his way through the crowd, pausing occasionally when someone reached for his tray. Most of the hands that swept under Don's nose were soft with perfectly manicured nails, some painted with shining gold leaf. Some had so many jewels crusting their fingers, their hands looked like small flower gardens, others had modified kimonos designed to show off shells polished to an almost translucent finish, gleaming like dark jade or the surface of a deep pond. The extravagance nagged at him until he realised that Leonardo never wore such jewellery. It would look out of place on hands that spent most of their spare time wielding a sword, calloused and lined with the scars from old battles. Don had come to understand that Leonardo was a turtle of simplicity. Even at this incredibly important event he was in minimal formal attire and by comparison the nobles seemed almost gaudy. Deeper into the crowd and new details distracted him.
Don kept moving, feeling dazzled as he refilled his tray with wine and walked back through the hall. The day passed and his wonder began to fade to something vaguely uneasy. The reason struck him as he lifted his jug to fill the glass of a particularly impressive young lord. The Terran barely looked at him, his gaze flickering amongst the surrounding guests, a line of nervous sweat running down his neck, and Don knew. Their silks were like armour. The jewels and makeup like warpaint, and he was walking another kind of battlefield where the machinations were more subtle and the stakes were measured in riches and prestige. The young Lord moved away and Don re-focused his attention on the conversations around him.
It wasn't as easy as he'd expected. Though he'd mastered the grammatical structure, it all ran together when the speech was too rapid or the accents unusual. Leonardo spoke very clearly and while Mikey was generally talking at least twice as fast as everyone else, he was still easier to understand than most of the people around Don now. Their accents were as varied as their clan crests, some so heavy it took him a moment to decipher if they were even speaking the same language. Gradually his mind began to bend around the strange pronunciations and he began to pick up bits and pieces. Most of the chatter was on the same level he'd heard around the castle on a grander scale. Gossip about who was desirable and who wasn't - whose prospects were best and which families were the most impressive this season. Who wanted to marry who. Farming and raids and various items of trade were mentioned. The flooding had everyone grumbling about repairs and damage.
After a while, Don began to understand Leonardo's dubious reaction when he'd requested to do this. The nobles ate, drank and talked business and none of it was any more inappropriate than mild bitching about potential rivals and the occasional tense standoff between two Alphas on different sides of an issue. Not even Leo's gravest enemies would dare anything more, not here in the seat of the Hamato Clan's power where the young leader's strength was on full display. Guards in gleaming mail were stationed around the hall discretely ready for any trouble, and then there were the whispers Don had heard amongst the servants - of those who served from the shadows, the eyes and ears of the Terran forces. Shadow warriors. Don had seen one for himself and knew there was more to it than just whispers. He turned and froze, a small chill thrilling up his spine.
The ninja in question was standing to one side of the crowd looking restless. Out of black leathers and not a weapon in sight, Don could actually see how young he really was - barely seventeen and dressed like a Prince.
Paxiron. Here in his role as Heir to the Takashiru's.
Don changed his path slightly in order to observe him without being spotted. The boy left him feeling uneasy. Not that Pax had tried to talk to him, but every time Don turned around he seemed to be there somewhere in the background.
Now the olive turtle frowned, wondering why the teenager looked so unhappy.
The crowd fell silent and turned as one as a small gong struck and Leonardo reappeared, inclining his head as the family he'd been meeting privately bowed respectfully and moved to rejoin the crowd. Don didn't know how Leonardo stood it - his schedule was intense. The greater crowd would spend two days mingling and visiting with each other while Leonardo met with each family that had petitioned for his time in a private audience. Predictably, none of them wanted to seem less important than any of the others and so they all petitioned for an audience every single meeting and found reasons to justify his time. Typically they all looked pleased when they emerged, as if they'd gained some secret edge over the others with their young leader. If they looked smug enough there would be a ripple of curious bitchiness from the crowd. Leonardo seemed to bear it patiently, no flicker of boredom or frustration to ruffle his composure, and Don couldn't help but admire him for it. Later the Alphas would gather for an extended council meeting where Leo would mediate their disputes.
When Leonardo declined to see the next family Don wondered for a moment what was going on. Michelangelo went to stand behind him almost bouncing on his toes in agitation and a soft ripple of inquiry stirred the silence of the crowd. There was a sense of expectation. From his position in the hall Don saw every guard straighten subtly, heard Mike's crow of joy and glimpsed the flicker of relief cross Leonardo's face.
Don's heart was suddenly pounding. It was a moment he'd been dreading for weeks now ...
Raphael might have been dressed like a simple soldier in a combination of brown leathers and a black cloak, but nobody could mistake him for anything so mundane.
What he was thinking Don couldn't tell, but the emerald Terran moved through the nobles like he didn't give a damn. As if the floor was his and anyone on it, merely tolerated.
Perhaps they sensed it was true for they moved back from him, clearing a path as he strode through the crowd. He made no effort at formality and seemed unbothered when none of them attempted to greet him. They simply moved out of his way and anyone who didn't move fast enough suffered the misfortune of having that fierce gaze turned on them and the indignity of having to scramble out of the way.
By the time the emerald Terran was standing before his leader it was clear there was only one person in Terra that Raphael Hamato bowed to. He did so then, bending a knee to salute in a swirl of road dust.
'Brother.' Raphael greeted Leo shortly.
'You're late.' Leonardo told him simply. Raphael stood and moved to his side as the conversation in the room began to rise to the low rolling mutter of before, but this time Don could taste a change. A conflicting mix of curious derision, fear, hostility, admiration and ... the underlying scent of lust.
Leo gave Raph a quiet word and the emerald turtle muttered something in return, turned and left the room. Half a dozen guards peeled off to follow him, almost running to catch up and Don blinked and remembered to breathe again.
Someone tittered nearby. 'And Leonardo's lapdog is back.'
Don spotted a young turtle in a bright blue kimono smirking behind her delicate fan, a small group of friends clustered around her.
'Don't call him that, Azami. Not here.' Someone replied uneasily.
She shrugged delicately. 'He may be nothing more than a glorified servant, but he does his job well I'll give him that.' She gave them a cheeky smile. 'Besides, if he wasn't so common he could grind my shell anyday.' There was an explosion of shocked laughter at her crude insinuation and a few made sounds of agreement or scorn depending on their preference. Don flushed uncomfortably on Raphael's behalf. Common? Raphael was anything but that.
'If you ever fuck him I'll kill you.' Someone murmured.
Don jumped and spun in shock, tray rattling. 'What?!'
Paxiron was standing there looking bored, his eyes cool. 'I said, you're a sitting duck. Are you stupid? Don't stand there eavesdropping like a complete amateur.' The teenager told him flatly.
It was a poor cover and Don was acutely aware that was not what Pax had just said to him.
'Lord Tagatsu is out on the terrace. You should go check that he doesn't want anything.' Pax told him dismissively.
Don nodded uneasily and moved away. The request was reasonable even if the teenagers open hostility left him wary. He doubted the threat was serious but Don knew jealousy when he heard it, so what kind of relationship did the teenager have with Raphael for him to act so possessive? Mike said it was nothing more than a crush that Raphael had no intention of indulging. Clearly Pax hadn't given up on something happening between them.
Don set that aside and stepped out onto the wooden decking, his heart still bounding in his chest. Raphael was finally home and there was so much he'd planned to say - except Pax had managed to destroy what nerve he'd gathered and his pre-prepared speech was in fragments. He attempted to put it back together as he located the middle-aged Alpha along the decking.
However, Lord Tagatsu didn't need any more wine. The intensity of his breath suggested he'd had far too much already and the rough way he fumbled at Don's tray confirmed it. A jug went over, drenching Don in stinking alcohol and hitting the deck without breaking. Don bent down to pick up the fallen ceramic only to freeze as a heavy hand stroked lovingly down his shell to linger suggestively at his ass.
'Your behind is quite the most exquisite thing I've seen since I got here.' The Lord murmured appreciatively.
Don straightened so fast that what remained on his tray went sailing into the bushes, cups and all. Tagatsu crowded him against the railing, his grip tightening around Don's arm when he made to leave.
'What's your hurry? Keep me company for a while.' The Alpha cajoled sweetly. His scent invaded Don's nose, threaded with lust and alcohol and something other that made his head spin sickeningly.
'Let me go.' Don gritted somewhere between shock and burgeoning panic.
'I'm not going to hurt you my pretty one. Come back to my rooms for a while. I can be so generous when I'm in the mood.' The Alpha slurred throatily into the hollow of Don's neck. 'Nobody will miss you for a few hours.'
Something hot and wet slid over his pulse and Don gagged, shoved at his offender and managed to jerk free. He took half a dozen steps towards freedom stuttering horrified excuses, turned and smacked straight into a solid wall of Terran hard enough for his vision to flash white. Landing with a painful thud as his tray clattered to the ground, completed the awful spectacle.
'The hell is going on here?' Raphael demanded with dark suspicion, staring down at Don and then back up at his assailant.
Don blinked up at him in shock, his hand over his bruised snout. Raphael had changed into formal attire, the black robe and red dragons Don had glimpsed weeks ago, and if he'd seemed arrogant in his travelling gear there was something supremely intimidating about him now, framed in raw silk, radiating a dangerous intensity.
'Excuse me, My Lord. I was just about to go back inside. Stepped out for some air and well - you know how it is when the saki hits harder than you expected.' Tagatsu rambled nervously, inching around the larger alpha. It was almost comical. 'It's good to see you returned safely after your extended trip-.'
Raphael grabbed the man's wrist tightly and the Alpha yelped and froze. 'You've been warned before - you know the rules.' The emerald Terran growled softly. 'I catch you breakin' them again, you'll be going home on a stretcher and I'll make sure the entire gathering knows why.'
Tagatsu clearly believed him because he jerked his arm free with careful, drunken dignity and walked unsteadily back into the crowded hall without saying a word.
Raphael gave a tense sigh and looked back at Don in concern. 'You okay?'
Golden eyes met his and Don promptly forgot every word of Terran he'd learned in the last month. He'd forgotten just how intense they were. A shock went through him, tingling right down to his toes. Raphael was studying him in concern now. An answer was clearly required - he had to say something but for the first time in three weeks his mind had gone completely blank and all the came out was an intelligible stutter.
'Did he hurt you?' Raphael demanded, reaching down to take hold of Don's arms and pull him firmly to his feet. His gaze fell to the glint of silver at Don's throat and his symbol there before returning to study Don's face in dawning realisation.
'Donnie! There you are! I was worried.' Michelangelo came bounding over as Raphael blinked in surprise and released Donatello.
'Donnie?' He muttered in disbelief as Mike tugged at Don's soiled clothes in dismay. 'Seriously? Little Don?'
Mike looked up at him smugly. 'I knew you wouldn't recognise him.'
Raphael made a soft sound of approval, studying Don in appreciation. 'You did good, Mikey. He looks a hell of alot better than when I left. I barely recognise his scent - '
Mike abruptly scooped up Don's fallen tray and slapped it firmly to Raphael's plastron, interrupting him. The Alpha took it with a frown. 'He's also got his Terran nailed already, so yeah.' He drawled pointedly.
Raph looked at Don in surprise. 'What, already? He can't have picked up too much yet.'
'Apparently I'm a fast learner.' Don said to him, groping after his words with a nervous smile.
The alpha's brow dropped, a suspicious shadow falling over those brilliant eyes. 'And speakin' it too? How come you didn't say anything before?' He demanded skeptically, drawing himself up in a way that had Mike bristling.
Don found himself standing very still, pinned in place by that sharp expression as Mike stepped in front of him, slapping a hand against Raphael's chest.
'I'll explain later, Raph. Just relax - it's okay!' Mike insisted. When Raphael didn't move Mike gave him an impatient shove and the Alpha finally tore his gaze from Don to look down at him.
'He's not a spy.' Mike was adamant.
Don couldn't blame Raphael for being wary with what little he knew of their history. No less than five previous assassination attempts had been made since Leonardo had inherited his father's rule. A reasonable amount of paranoia was to be expected. He gathered his words carefully.
'I'm sorry, but you startled me and for a moment I couldn't remember what to say.' He said clearly, aware that his pronunciation was still off but confident he had most of it right.
Raphael hesitated.
'It's true.' Someone called softly.
Don and Mike turned to see Paxiron stepping out of the shadows a short distance away, his expression solemn.
'He spends most of his free time in the archives and the scholars say he learns faster than anyone they've ever met.' He told the Alpha, saluting respectfully.
Don felt a dark chill run down his spine at the quiet statement - evidence that Pax had been watching him. Dots were connecting quickly in his mind because Tagatsu had a reputation for being inappropriate or Raphael would not have reacted as he had. Which meant Pax had sent him out here deliberately, knowing he would probably be molested, drunk as Tagatsu had been. Had he been standing back there watching in the dark this whole time, waiting to see what would happen? How far would he have let things go if Don hadn't been able to free himself and Raphael not shown up? And now he was standing here pretending to be on Don's side?
Raphael barely acknowledged Paxiron's statement and so missed the flicker of anxious adoration on the teenagers face. For the first time since his arrival, Don felt a flush of real anger. He had no idea why the ninja had just defended him but this was important and he had no intention of letting petty mind games define the start of his relationship with Raphael. For weeks he'd been painfully anxious about meeting this Terran again, worried the Alpha might decide he'd made a mistake. Scared of being reminded of the bloody day they'd met and the memories that still made his hands shake. Suddenly the fear and anxiety that had been sitting in his guts for the last week galvanised into something that made his back straighten.
He met the Alphas gaze earnestly. 'The archives are a big help. I'm still learning, but Michelangelo is a good teacher and a good friend.'
'Damn straight!' Mikey snapped, turning an evil look on Raph. 'Some of us actually do our jobs you know - I hope you realise just how big you owe me for the last few weeks of drama, Raph. Bullying these old relics into line is supposed to be your job, not mine!'
Raphael seemed to come to a decision, the dangerous vibe around him fading as he grimaced in acknowledgment of the debt. 'Yeah, yeah. You know I'm good for it.' He grumbled, glancing curiously at Don.
Mike took Don's arm, resolute. 'You'd better be. Now. We're finally through all the boring stuff so can we please get to the dancing and the feasting? Unlike some people around here I've earned a bit of R and R.'
Raphael glowered at him but even Don could tell he wasn't truly angry. On the other hand, Mike's biting sarcasm was a warning sign none of them was inclined to ignore. The Alpha finally shrugged and looked Don up and down in a more neutral manner. 'You might want to get a change of clothes first. You're supposed to drink the wine, not wear it.' He told Don bluntly.
Don was saved from having to respond to that as Mike tugged him along, in a hurry to get back to the festivities he'd worked so hard to organise.
'We'll show you drinking! Meet you inside.' Mike told him impatiently and Don could only follow to avoid tripping as Raphael let them go with an amused snort, spinning the tray absently in his large hands. But beyond him … Pax's dark stare which contained nothing so simple as teenage jealousy.
Don shivered as they rounded the corner and tried to follow Mike's chatter as he was stripped and dressed more suitably for the high table. Why would Pax set him up only to then come to his defence later? He considered asking Mikey but he knew the small turtle desperately needed to relax tonight. Maybe he could ask Leonardo about it later.
Don decided to bide his time. He had underestimated the young ninja's resentment, but now it was clear even if the motivations weren't.
Don had an enemy.