the curse - 1 - [rottmnt - COMPLETED]

#25

“Okay guys, I have some clothes here. The girl and I are about the same height, so they should fit better than her actual things. I also did a little research and learned a little more about these coins she stole, but nothing suggests anything special other than that they are very old and part of… Hey, are you even listening to me?"

April walked around the TV angry and pulled the plug. Why did she always have to do this? She felt like an annoying big sister.

Raph looked up with an apologetic smile, and Leo let out a quiet "Damn!". Both brothers lowered the controllers.

April rolled her eyes and groaned.

“Are Donnie and the girl still asleep? Where's Mikey? And Splints? I didn't see him in the projector room."

"Dad just came back in a bad mood and disappeared into his room with a bunch of books…" Leo replied, "I think he's up to something…"

"Mikey wanted to see if our main cast were still asleep, but… now that you mention it. He's actually been gone for a while…" replied Raph, and he tapped his chin with a frown.

"Oh boy…" April said, turning to see for herself.

—

April wandered through the abandoned train station that the brothers have occupied for a number of years now. She found it far more comfortable here than in the sewers. Just because of the smell…

Two different trains on different tracks were used by the brothers as their rooms. Raph and Donnie on one train, Leo and Mikey on the other. Splinter's room was off the beaten path, in an old staff lounge. In between, the train station rose, where little by little the bar, projector room, a large round training room, Donnie's laboratory, kitchen, bathroom, gaming room, skate ramp and a few other 'essential' spaces were created.

April still found this lavish space grotesque in a city like New York. On the other hand, the turtles themselves provided electricity, water, and coziness and the last thing in particular was very difficult to do in a train station, even if this one was a real gem.

The young journalist peered into Mikey's room. It was empty. She was making her way to Donnie's room when she heard Mikey's excited and rapid voice. It came from the kitchen.

—-

"Maybe we should go to April and Mikey's after all..." Raph said as the game started to load again.

"You only want to leave because I'm having a real run!" teased Leo and Raph countered

"Like you last night?"

"Oh please! That was something completely different! And don't distract! I almost got the high score…”

"I'm looking for the two now, and by the way, why didn't Casey get in touch after we tried to contact him?"

“Eeeeeey! Are you serious now?!”

“Leo, April was right. There are more important things to do!"

"But we're stuck as long as Dad locks himself in and Donnie and his fairy tale princess get their beauty sleep!"

“There are these coins and April found something out. You really weren't listening, were you?"

“… Casey got in touch by the way.”

"And since when did you know that, and why didn't you tell us that?"

“…”

"I'm going to find April and Mikey."

Raph left the room and Leo looked at the controller in his hands. The truth was, he wanted to avoid seeing and speaking to the others. Especially with Donnie. Oh boy, why does he have to be so impulsive sometimes? Leo sighed. Things had gotten better since they hit their twenties, but sometimes the impulsiveness still got the better of him - sometimes good things came of it, but most of the time it didn't…

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, got up from the floor and threw the controller onto the couch further back as he left. “Raph! Wait for me!”

—-

“And the last missing piece was Dad's old tea pot! He's been in our kitchen all these years!" exclaimed Mikey, “and then they had all the pieces together and Shredder showed up! But he couldn't fully escape the prison dimension yet because Gramgram kept him there - it wasn't until we freed her there that Shredder had his full power."

Mikey got the steaming rice off the stove. He knew you shouldn't eat junk food when you're exhausted and injured. And so he had made rice with vegetables.

A large worktop cut through the middle of the kitchen like a counter, and she sat there with the 5th glass of water and listened to him with great attention.

"Gramgram?"

“Our great, great, great, great, great…” 

“Karai was your great-grandmother?” she looked as if she had been hit and realization took hold of her… She knew what that meant and made a hard decision, but he next moment she was distracted.

"Hey, how do you know her name?" Mikey announced as he poured rice and veggies into a bowl, lightly seasoned it, and set it in front of her.

“I…” She looked down at the bowl of steaming food. It smelled good. Wistfulness rose in her.

"Mikey, what are you doing!?" April stood in the doorway and stared in amazement at the scene in the kitchen.

"Rice and vegetables?"

"I did not mean that!"

She stomped into the kitchen and pulled Mikey's head to her face by his bandana and whispered much too loud.

“How can you tell her your entire life story!!! You don't even know who she is!? You don't know anything about her at all! Where's your mind!? What's the matter with you all?!”

Mikey felt caught, but was outraged at the same time. He made food for the person who saved his brother's life and was seriously injured because she did so! How can this be wrong!?

He started to reply when he and April glanced over at her. The young woman was still sitting there, as if she hadn't even noticed April, looking at her bowl of food. They saw her moved face. Wistfulness and loss were reflected in it, and she swallowed hard.

“It's been a long time since anyone made me something to eat. I thank you." she said quietly and looked down for a moment to hide her feelings at least a little.

Mikey looked at April, and now April felt a hit of guilt. She sighed and looked with a silent ‘sorry’ to the turtle, and he forgave her straight away.

Embarrassed, April went over and sat down next to her and turned to face her. The young woman had collected herself and looked at April.

'The female voice from Donatello's call to his family. So there is no female turtle?' she thought.

"Sorry that was a weird act on my part," April confessed, "Can we start over?"

‘Her eyes are really unusually green,' the young journalist thought to herself, and was relieved when the other woman smiled at her.

"I'm used to strange situations. Please don't worry. Because you're right, I'm a stranger and from your point of view, I can understand a degree of caution." she looked over at Mikey, "So thank you for your trust. You have my word that your story is safe with me."

Mikey and April remarked on the formal and dialectic language. She seemed very wise to them, how she summed up the situation with calmness and reflection.

"I'm sorry if I have to ask you something else, and I don't want to seem rude…” she looked extremely meaningfully at Mikey, who was now very perceptive and started to hold his breath.

"But could I have some chopsticks, please?"

Mikey's eyes widened, his mouth formed a silent 'Oh!' and when he and the young woman looked at each other, they had to suppress their laughter.
April realized the sympathy the two had for each other and smiled.