So...This chapter is primarily padding for things to come
The three remaining Turtles apologized to Ichabod and Marzipan for Raph's outburst.
"Sorry about that..." Don said "...Hopefully Raph's fear of bugs won't jeapordize the mission."
"A dung beetle isn't even a scary bug!" Mikey said "Just a gross one!"
"What they eat is gross," Don said taking a deep breath "I'm sure this Beulah is probobly a lovely person, she just...Can't help being what she is, or what she eats."
"Dung beetles only eat the droppings of herbivores and omnivores, though they prefer the droppings of the latter, pure carnivore droppings are apparently too 'rich' for them." Ichabod said "Don't ask me how I know this..." He blushed deeply "...Please, PLEASE! Don't ask me how I know this..."
And everyone took that to mean, Ichabod had...Uh...Personally provided a meal to a hungry coprophage, maybe the creature was starving and it was an emergency but either way the Turtles and everyone else listening was content not to know about it.
"Either way..." Marzipan sighed "...Seems like all that can be done now is more planning by the higher ups that I don't have any part in,"
She went over to Uncle Gus and Jonathan and placed either arm around their necks drawing them in.
"I'm famished!" She said "How about we all have an early supper?"
It was clear Marzipan wanted to bring her Uncle and Jonathan closer together so she was having them both over for supper so they could get to know each other even better.
"What do you have planned?" Gus asked as the four of them walked away together.
"Today was such a scorcher..." Marzipan said "...I was thinking gazpacho..."
(Because the human founders of Mizzer were Neo-Hippies, their beliefs about peace and non-violence and that vegetarianism is more civilized than meat eating (Even if most of their desendants have by and large given up on vegetarianism, the Biollante Wars where the Earthlings were terrorized by giant carnivourous plants really got it through their heads that just because you love nature doesn't mean nature will love you back) have had a profound influence on the Mizzer Humanimals, thus Mizzer Carnivores at least the Carnivorous Mammals have tried to, if not become complete vegetarians try to become slightly less dependant on meat as a kind of great spiritual quest, it is raditional for the Mizzer Carnivores to have one meatless day a week where any animal protien they do eat comes on ly from milk and eggs 'gentle, non-violent' sources of animal protien and for some picky eater cubs they may have more than one day where cheese is their sole protien source, mac & cheese (Particurally the kind that comes from a box) cheese pizza, etc over Mizzer's five thousand year history because of all those generations eating more bread and vegetables, Mizzer Carnivorians have developed flat human-like molars for grinding up plant matter, their front teeth resemble the normal teeth for their species but their back teeth are much different from other Humanimals of their species who have diets much more similar to their ordinary counterparts)
With that the Turtles decided to return to their home dimenstion, but as they walked, Don kept feeling the urge to rub the sole of his right foot against his shin.
"You OK Don?" Leo asked
"My foot..." Don said "...Just feels like this mild burning sensation..."
"That's the foot you got branded..." Leo said seriously "...When did this feeling start..."
"During the meeting..." Don realized what Leo was getting out.
"I...I think I'm gonna stay at Belladonna's apartment tonight..." Don said as he turned to leave with his wife.
"Think he just wants her to blow her frost breath on his foot?" Mike asked Leo
"I think..." Leo said "...He wants to consult her advice on what the burning sensation might mean, cuz if he's learned anything from this world is that this worls is filled with magic and has a way of putting up big warning signs for you if you know what they are and how to pay attention to them..."
Don was finally beginning to understand the magic of this realm and to respect it, perhaps someday he might be able to freely wield some of that magic...
So a short chapter but I finally got in some jokes I had been wanting to write for a while, like Ichabod referring to 'something' that happened off camera making it a 'Noodle Incident'
