#Elasia OC

[elasianpreistess]

New Blog

I’ve decided to start doing all my interactions involving TMNT over on my new blog Elasianstar. if you follow me on here for teenage mutant ninja turtle content check me out over there! it will be mostly centered around my OC Elasia Aquila’s interactions with the turtles but i’m excited to get rolling in the TMNT community! ive already posted a few short stories and drawings as well as my first feature length piece “The World on a Turtle’s Back” i hope to see you there!!

[elasianstar]

D#1 destruction therapy

(Authors note: ok this didn't turn out exactly like I had planned but I needed to express my frustration over finals week some how. and now that that's over I should be more regular in writing more shorts for my tmnt alchemical au featuring my OC Elasia Aquila's growing relations with the brothers! @tmnt-l0ver and @waterstar2016 here's that destruction therapy fic I was thinking about, hope you like it! Now back to our usual unscheduled programming.)

...

“No Mikey for the hundredth time I can't play assassin's creed tonight. I'm sorry but this organic chemistry final on Thursday is more important right now. If i don't get at least a B in this class my scholarship could drop a tier, I'm right on the cusp of the 3.25 requirement.”

“But Elasia! Do you know how impossible it was that I found a copy of Black Flag at the dump! It's only been out on the 360 for 5 years!! You have to play it with me, the guys already said no and I need to check out the multiplayer features so bad!”

“Michelangelo, leave the young lady to her studies she is obviously stressed my son, And I don't need any more plucked feathers littering my kitchen floor.”

“But!...hai sensei.”

“Now my daughter, what has you so stressed to be mutilating your skin and wings in such a manner.”

Realizing that I'd chewed four of my talons to stumps and my face was bleeding where I'd picked at my lips I quickly wiped my face clean and in a dull gold glow healed my self inflicted wounds before speaking.

“Sorry Master Splinter, I'm just worried about this organic chemistry final, I retook the class over the summer to try and improve my grade but I'm still worried about dropping my GPA below the requirement for my scholarship. You wouldn't happen to know anything about the reactivity patterns of aromatic compounds would you?”

The blank look on his face was one I've been quite familiar with on friends and family. Beside some comforting wisdom I knew the fatherly old rat would be little help.

“I'm afraid I find myself a bit lacking, but perhaps if you asked Donatello…”

“Ask me what Sensei?”

Distracted I hadn't noticed the tallest turtle brother slip into the kitchen, but by now I was used to being snuck up on. I even managed to turn the tables from time to time, seems even ninjas forget to look up every once in a while. Anyway…

“Ah, there you are my son, it seems Elasia is having quite a stressful time studying her organic chemistry. Would you mind assisting her, I'm sure it would be appreciated, though she would never seek help of her own accord…”

It took all I could muster not to shoot a look back at the teasing old man, I was fiercely independent and he often liked to poke fun at the trouble I would get myself into because of such habits.

“Yeah sure, I could use a break from updating the tri-dimensional stealth apparatus.-"

“3D maneuver gear bro!!! You always forget my cool names!”

“- You just ripped that off attack on titan Mikey! Anyway yeah I'd be happy to help, let's head to the lab and we can buckle down.”

“Thanks Don.”

…

“So if I poison this with a lindlar’s catalyst I should be able to stop the hydrogen bonding and replace one of the newly bonded hydrogens with a bromine and magnesium to create the grignard reagent. Right?”

“Not exactly, you're still missing part of the equation.”

“God Dammit! We've been at this for hours and im still a bumbling idiot!!”

“ Youu Just keep telling yourself that, this is difficult curriculum and not everyone is wired for chemistry. You're doing pretty well, for a biologist.”

“You try identifying the race, sex, and age at death of a mutilated skeleton and get back to me. But that still doesn't mean I'm going to do well on this stupid standardized test. I'm screwed.”

“Hey you said yourself that nobody does well on that test, and with the curve you're sure to get a decent grade. You're more than proficient at this Elasia, you just have it in your head that you're an idiot because you don't understand absolutely everything and you feel like you have to beat yourself up about it in some sort of self depreciation based motivational technique.”

“Because it's expected of me ok!!”

My forehead hit my hands and I stared at the symbols on the page. I'd say it was like interpreting hieroglyphs but I know how to read those.

“I've always been the smart one, ever since I started school I've got good grades and brought back what I learned to teach others. It's expected of any of us that manage to get through education. We bring our knowledge to the communities and fill in the gaps left by the self taught, bring new information in to better ourselves. Felix was good at literature, Toni was good at agriculture, Gabe was the nurse and Charles was the mechanic, I was the family scientist. I'm supposed to be good at this!”

“science is a spanning and specialized discipline, it's highly improbable that you would be expected to become an expert in every field. You know what, come with me. We're taking a break, you need one.”

“No I have to study.”

Donnie picked me up under the arms and hauled me up against his ribs like a sack of flour. Trapped short of possibly harming the slender terrapin I hung there in defeat as he carted me off down the tunnels.

“Now you aren't leaving here until you've worked through this frustration. Grab a sledgehammer.”

We were in a chamber somewhere near the city dump if my internal map was correct. Sitting in the center of the space were a couple of old lemon cars, their windshields shattered and their bodies severely smashed. A row of different sized sledgehammers hung on a far wall.

“Damn, someone have issues?”

Donnie didn't make eye contact, he just tossed me a good medium ranged sledge. 15 pound head, about 2 foot long in the handle. It felt good in my hands.

“Raph isn't the only one who needs to blow off some steam sometimes. I simply prefer this to accidentally damaging one of my projects, or beating my frustration into my brothers. But only the car on the left is mine, the right hand one is mikey's.”

The right hand car I think used to be an old Ford aspire, I say I think because it's not much more than a twisted mangled mess of scrap metal.

“Damn Mikey has more issues than I thought.”

“He doesn't like to talk about it, got pretty good at hiding his emotions when we were little. I think he believes he has to be the family sun, like it's his job to keep all of us happy. But that's his story to tell, you've got the honor of first contact. Give it a swing.”

I looked the car over judging the dented and torn chassis to find the optimal striking point. The handle of the sledge itched in my hands, begging me to get to destroying. Eyeing a spot over the back fender I pulled back and swung the thing like a baseball bat. The contact sent a burst of kinetic energy through my arms and my hands felt like they had been bit by stinging ants but seeing the crumpled dent I left behind in the body of the old car made something bubble in my chest. Narrowing my eyes I swung again, and again, and again, the head of my hammer tore through the body of the car and dented the trunk lining so badly that the trunk hatch popped open and I proceeded to beat at the hinges of the hatch until I could easily tear it from the vehicle. God it felt good, to hear the rending of metal and feel the numbness in my arms chest and back from the exertion of beating the living shit out of the old Taurus.

An angry war cry of a skene erupted from my throat as I picked my next target and I found it matched by a much lower growling sound that seemed to shake the cavern and rattle my bones. Looking over at Don I got an idea, I brought my hammer down against the roof of the car I was now standing on and let my skene echo with the clashing of the metal, staring at Donnie in challenge. He returned my challenge with his own battle cry, a warped sound between an angry churr and a heavy metal scream as he crushed the hood of the car into the engine cavity. The walls shook again but neither of us seemed to care as we egged the other on, more and more violent sounds bursting from our pent up rage and frustration to echo through the tunnels. I'm sure we could probably be heard at the lair with how loud we were being. I bet it  sounded like we were trying to rip each others heads off though we couldn't care in the least. It felt good to beat the shit out of something, and even better to voice our fury at such a level.

What I hadn't taken into account however was the effect of Donatello’s earth shaking bellows. Not until a large concrete slab worked it's way loose from the chamber ceiling above.

We both noticed the shifting air pressure at about the same time, ducking and rolling to the safety of the tunnel moments before the stone could make impact. A cloud of dust and debris raining on shell and feathered flesh as we shielded ourselves. The screaming of crushed metal and the clacking of falling stone the only sounds before the cavern went dead silent.

Laughter, my brain had nearly shut down in response to the danger and now all I could manage was to fall back on my wings in raucous laughter. I couldn't breath as my lungs fought to hold on to the air my body was quickly expelling. My stomach hurt and my eyes were fuzzy with tears as my mind fought to reboot through the remaining adrenaline. When I came back to my usual level or relative sanity Donnie was also laughing softly, wiping wetness from his white eyes.

“Holy shit, that was close.”

“That was so your fault…”

“What! You're the one who started the whole ordeal.”

“But I'm not the one who operates at what I'm supposing is the relative resonant frequency of shifting tectonic plates. Note to self, don't get in a screaming contest with a golem underground, or anywhere near a volcanic fault line.”

Wiping the dust from his glasses he blinked his eyes back to normal a hint of adrenaline fueled craziness still on his face.

“Remind me to avoid Hawaii and Montana then. Woah…”

The clearing dust revealed a nearly 10 ton slab had landed where we had been standing minutes prior. The old brown Taurus crushed beneath it like it had been made of rice paper.

“Yeah, no more screaming in the tunnels for Donatello.”

“That could have seriously crushed us.”

Jumping to my feet I clapped Don on the carapace, keeping my face light and jovial despite the nervous sweat beading between my wings.

“Yep, but it didn't. All fingers and toes are accounted for so let's scoot our asses the hell out of here. Please.”

“Heh, yeah sure...let's go…”

Don was in a daze most of the way back to the lab. His fingers smoothing over the various gadgets and gizmos strapped and even bolted to his body, counting buttons in his head and twisting knobs to feel the subtle clicking of gears. I let him have the first go at the dojo shower while I cleaned up the stuff from our earlier study session. Compared to the chaos we just experienced the final didn't seem like that big of a deal. Not when realization hit that I was living with four volatile young men with the untapped potential to command the fury of nature and little to no training to control  such energy. Organic chemistry looked like a cakewalk in comparison.

….

One week later.

“Yes Hell Yeah! SKEEEEEEE!!”

A happy little wiggle, and kicking feet as i rolled up off the couch and jumped up to hang from the rafters in joy was what the guys rushed in to see when they heard me.

“What the hell? What's goin on in here babe?”

“I DID IT!!!! I GOT A B+ IN ORGANIC!!!!!!!”

Swinging down to land in front of Raph I couldn't control myself and gave him a big celebratory kiss. Right in front of his brothers. Raph froze in shock and embarrassment but I hardly noticed as I was practically bouncing on the balls of my feet between each of the guys as they congratulated me.

“good job jazzycakes! Looks like I lost our bet, I'm making you a big dinner of fried fish to celebrate fluffball.”

“Good work Elasia, I know you had been worried, but you stuck through and reached your goals. I'm proud of you.”

“Hey I told you didn't I, you need to give yourself more credit. You're pretty bright, for a biologist.”

I couldn't help but beam, light radiating from me like a star in my excitement.

“Thanks D! I guess you were Right, all I needed was a little destruction therapy, or should I say disaster therapy.”

[elasianstar]

Group Training

Ever since the guys had their awakenings last June Wednesday night has become elemental night. After daily training with splinter the guys would take a short break and then, they were mine.

Training started with meditation, linking with the spirit of the elements. When linkage had occurred each of the Turtle’s elemental marks would glow in the corresponding color. Yellow for the eastern winds, Green for the northern earth, Blue for the western waters, and Red for the southern flame. Once all four elements had been called a ring of silver cordoned off the sacred circle. Once my own energy, deep Purple for the spirit of the self, was called the silver circle was sealed in gold and practice could begin.

Placed at the four cardinal directions were items dedicated to each specific energy for the guys to practice manipulation on a small scale.

Mikey had feathers of various shapes and sizes, he was tasked with manipulating the wind to move them in specific ways. building his sense of control by reigning in his boundless energy.

Donnie was given a small sand garden with buried crystals. His task was to manipulate the sand to reveal the crystals without manipulating the crystals themselves or scattering the sand. Focusing on releasing energy gradually instead of in extreme bursts built by bottling his energy. This was intended to help him find balance instead of bouncing between extremes.

Leo had a simple bowl of water. To help him learn to relinquish control I tasked him with dipping his hands in the bowl and letting the water flow where it wanted, allowing the element to bind with his energy without him being in direct control. To feel and learn the natural flow.

Raph had his penny candles. Controlling his more volatile emotions to direct the flame to burn the target object hanging above without burning the others surrounding it. or melting his candle into a useless puddle of wax as he had many times already.

As they worked I stood guard, ready to act should anything go wrong. My hold on each colored soul loose yet ready to pull it from the form of its vessel and break the connection to the element should things get out of hand. The disconnect between body and soul acting as an emergency shutoff switch. Luckily I hadn't had to use it yet.

Mikey had been the first to crack the secret of control on the second practice session at that.

“I've got it! I've got it look!”

He had picked up a single feather with a breeze, making it flip end over end. His arms moving as if he were hitting the feather with his nunchaku instead of performing with visualization alone as I had instructed. We all learn control in our own way I suppose. And if you think about it the fluid yet rapid motion of nunchaku isn't much different from the motion of wind.

From there he had been tasked with learning to further manipulate the element, performing different “Tricks" with the feathers before moving to less and less aerodynamic objects.

Soon after Donnie followed suit. Learning to use his voice to manipulate the sand as it would behave if it were placed in a subwoofer. From there he experimented with other methods of sound making, relying on his sense of touch to feel the vibrations he couldn't differentiate by ear. He even used tools such as his bow staff to produce the specific vibrations needed to control his element, keeping the flow of energy steady and constant to manipulate the material. Soon we will be ready to experiment with large stones and begin work with the more organic aspects of the element such as plants.

“After Beethoven lost his hearing he cut the legs off his piano so he could feel the vibrations to differentiate between notes. Though I'm only tone deaf I figured a similar technique would help me pin down the resonant frequencies of the stone.”

Raph was the most recent, just last week he managed to lift the tip of the flame to its target and the smile on his face was just as bright as the fire. All week he had been sparking little flames along his fingers and making them roll and jump across his skin. After splinter got after him and sent him to the hashi for accidentally torching his new altarcloth we finally convinced Raph that keeping a fire extinguisher of some sort around was probably a good idea, And to not practice around flammable objects. Let's just say I've started tying my braid into a bun at the base of my neck, just in case.

The only brother yet to manage his task was Leonardo. Every week he would sit with his bowl and meditate with his opal only to get increasingly frustrated. He was trying to coax the water to flow across his skin and would often times get a small rivulet to run up his arm, only for it to burst and send water across the dojo floor. It was like watching a child try to tame a skittish pet by repeatedly picking it up and wondering why it struggled to get away.

Well I was going to get him properly bonded to his element before I left for school if it killed me.

That’s where we were now, the guys clustered behind leo as he focused on the calm pool.

“Water is an extremely dynamic element, often displaying much of its own will. You have to learn that you do not control the mischievous nature of the creature, you simply learn to utilize it as it is. You can dig a new bank for a river but its course will always shift in its own way.”

His hands dipped into the pool causing slight ripples across the surface and not much else before stilling again. Time passed in silence leo’s eyes never leaving the surface as he kept his breath calm and meditative. After a while though the eldest became impatient, the glow of his element mark growing in intensity as he urged the water to begin to flow up his arms. When it reached his elbows however it burst from his control and splattered over the dojo floor. In his frustration Leo flung the bowl and began pacing around the room muttering under his breath and rubbing at his face with his still damp hands. Drops of rampant fluid drained down the razor edge of his katana to gather unnaturally at the tips, giving me an idea.

“LEONARDO.”

He stopped in his tracks, instinct telling him to pay attention to his teacher.

“I have an alternative plan. Would you entertain me to attempt it?”

The defeated look on his face softened and he nodded, eyes still glued to the spilled water on the floor.

“Come on...hey Donnie?”

“Yeah E?”

“Grab one of the overhead sprinklers from the greenhouse and bring it to the main room for me?”

“Yeah sure thing, Come on Mikey, ill need another set of hands to keep it from getting banged up on the tunnel walls.”

“What do you have up your sleeve this time Myojo?

“Just watch Red, you'll see.”

…

Once everything was gathered i set my plans in motion.

“Allright Leo, i want you to stand in the pool at the bottom of the entrance slide, ready your katana and close your eyes. Ok Donnie, start up the sprinkler. Now leo i want you to go through your katas, don't pay any attention to the water beyond keeping your connection strong.”

With a steadying sigh Leo started going through the familiar motions, his feet planted securely in the flowing chanel as the pricking of falling water kept his mind scattered from focusing on any one source of his element. After a few minutes the water at his feet inexplicably stilled, retaining a glassy smooth surface despite the movements of the katana wielding kappa or the raining droplets coming from above.

“Well i'll be damned, the son of a bitch actually managed it.”

“Quiet Raph, OK Leo, keep doing that but slow down, focus only on keeping your motions as smooth and calm as possible, as you would if you were doing tai chi.”

As his speed decreased and his breath evened out to the point of being nearly undetectable in his chest the water at his feet began to gather, lifting above the surface proper in a smooth mound. A thick rivulet about as big around and as long as a human arm started to form, flowing up one of his legs to slither over his shell and his left shoulder. The falling droplets helped give the creature form, long spikes supporting flowing fins sprouting from the writhing curling mass of its body as its tail thinned out to a trickle of a point and the squarish face took shape and sprouted its own fins. The creature looked like a mixture of a fancy koi and an eastern dragon, twirling along Leo’s arms and down the length of his blades with its translucent and wavering body.

“What is that?”

“Uisce, the spirit of water. A mischievous trickster of a creature who does not take to rigid orders, the ancient japanese called her mizu.”

Mizu continued to follow the motions of her host for a while before losing form and becoming a strong torrent that followed the tips of Leo’s katana like a set of divining rods.

“Leonardo continue your motion but do not open your eyes until i tell you, when you do you will not stop, you will not hitch or falter in your breath, you will remain calm and finish whatever motion you are currently in before reacting. Do you understand.”

I did not wait to be given an answer signaling for him to do as i had instructed. When his eyes opened he was greeted with the sight of twin torrents, dancing from the ends of his blades like a gymnast’s ribbons.

“Good focus only on suggesting the path, do not force your element. Speed up, let's see if you can hold it.”

His nod was slight, sharp eyes trained on the swirling and crashing water. I picked up an apple from the table and threw it at him so that he would be unable to block it with his blades. The water moved against it's flow to sweep up the fruit, rolling and bobbing it amongst itself.

“Don cut the sprinkler.”

The rain stopped and the water fell back to settle in the pool but the apple still bobbed as if being played with by a cat. Leo looked at me and I gestured to the now partially eaten fruit.

“Try and take it.”

When he pulled the apple away the water burst forward to follow it, taking the form of the water spirit again as it attempted to snatch it from Leo’s hands.

“No, it's mine now. You've had enough.”

It perched on his arm and just sat there looking at him for a moment before spitting a jet of water into his face.

“Ah! Ppphhhhh! You little…”

The creature disappeared again but not before Leo managed to knock the apple away to roll across the floor and rest at Raph’s feet. A spark jumped from his fingers as a wavering canine form fell on the fruit in a spreading bloom of flame before taking a more solid shape to gnaw.

“Lasair, that isn't yours… oh no Leo stop her!”

The water spirit jumped on her brother and a burst of hot steam filled the room, revealing a third competitor for the prize. It had a body like a serpent with three sets of wings and a razor beak.

“great now Goath is after it too, Mikey, Leo, Raph get ahold of them before i do.”

“....”

“....”

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE THOSE THINGS!!”

Really thought they’d be used to this by now, really didn't want to have to do this today but with three fighting chaos beasts threatening to destroy the lair i'll have to.

Raph’s POV

What in the hell? When you think you’ve finally seen it all you see three supposed elemental spirits battling it out for a half eaten apple in the middle of your goddamn living room. I can't even be surprised anymore, i didn't know what to even start doing about this and on top of it Elasia just up and disappeared. She was the one who knew how to deal with all this shit.

Great now there’s another one, this one was so dark it looked like it was just a hole in reality with sharp gold eyes and wide wings. When it landed one three toed foot grabbed the apple and stared the others down. This one was bigger than the others, and not as weird lookin. It was just a shadow shaped like…. Really? A damn raven, she was behind this.

The raven took the apple in its beak and broke it into four chunks, dropping one piece in front of Me, Mikey, and Leo. the creatures followed and started crunching at the bait. Now they were well behaved, figures. The raven took the fourth piece and hopped to the couch, it dropped the piece and nudged it behind and a thin vine wrapped around it and pulled it into its hiding hole. The raven fluffed itself all self satisfied and cawed like it was bitchin at us before it took off for the shadows of the tunnels.

Elasia’s POV

“What are you waiting for get a handle on your spirits! Do i have to do everything?”

“What if it bites me?”

“Mikey, Goath isn't going to bite you. If anyone should have control of their element its you. Now just grab the thunderbird.”

The smokey bird serpent slithered right up his arm and wrapped itself around his neck where it promptly fell asleep.

“Awwww, he’s so fluffy! Who's a good bird.”

“See, now get a hold of the others before they act out again.”

Leo’s jumped back in the water and crawled up on the retaining wall to sit next to her master. Otherwise ignoring him until he came to her, sitting on the wall next to the Koi dragon and reaching out to stroke its fins. Raph’s just looked up at him with the same look of fed up confusion as his master.

“What did you say his name was again?”

“The celts call him lasair, it literally means flame so whatever tongue you want to use.”

“Kaen, here.”

The hellhound looked at the floor in shame as he shifted closer to his master. He looked like a doberman with way too many teeth but he was acting absolutely pathetic as he gazed up longingly at Raph. it didn't take long for the big softie to break.

“Don't give me that face….fine, up! Good boy. Ah don't, gah! God what’s with dogs and lickin my damn face!”

“It won't come out.”

Donnie was tugging on one of the vines trying to dislodge his spirit from its hiding place.

“That’s because she doesn't understand. Crann is shy so you have to be gentle. You know how to handle your element, its part of you.”

Donnie got down on all fours and peered behind the couch, taking a minute to breath and try and get a good look at the creature. He made a low rumbling sound almost too low to hear and held out his hand, waiting for the creature to make the first step. A thin vine edged out of the darkness, soon followed by an eldritch abomination of various plant parts that wound itself around his arm.

“See, she’s a sweetheart.”

Donnie looked like he was expecting her to bite his limb off.

“What is...she.”

“She’s a yateveo, a devil tree.”

It looked at Donnie with what could only be described as it's face, a single purple orchid about the size of a tennis ball. The blossom tilted this way and that before slowly moving to rest on his shoulder, the mass of vines following and wrapping to get a hold on most of his upper body.

“I think she likes me? Hey hey heyheyhey! watch the vines Ki! And give those back I need those….”

Ki dropped Don’s glasses back on his face and started in on some other method of curiously exploring her new master.

“So what are these things.”

“Mizu was laid back over Leo’s lap, every once in a while trying to snap at the long tails of his mask.

“They are the spirits of the elements.”

“But I thought you said we were the elements?”

“No I said you were the Guardians of the elements. You are mortal, the elements have to be around even if you’re between lives so they take the forms of elemental spirit beasts. When you are alive they are bound to your souls by nature and that is why you can control them. There are five, one for each of the elements air, earth, fire, water, and spirit. When you figured out how to control your element you in turn tamed your beast and by building your skills you work to train it.”

Like a Pokemon?!”

“Yes, I never quite thought of it like that but the process could be considered similar.”

Mikey looked down at his elemental and gently ran it's long smoke tail through his fingers.

“I was going to name you Kaze, but now I have to call you zapdos.”

“Do they go away or are they permanent, like pets?”

“They do go away, they can only manifest when you are connected to your element. When you break the connection they are released back into the aether. They won't come every time, usually only when they're called, but Mizu drew them out this time and just had to start a fight.”

The water dragon cowered behind her master’s arm.

“I think you're leaving one little question unanswered babe…”

Raph was looking at me through squinted suspicious eyes, still petting kaen so he obviously wasn't too upset yet.

“I don't know what you're talking about?...”

“Elasia, do you think I'm a fucking idiot. The thing was a black hole in the shape of a raven.”

“I've told you that before.”

He crossed his arms in front of his chest and rolled his toothpick between his teeth.

“Well delight me with a re-telling then.”

Great, I would have to word this just right. I spun my ring around my finger to center my train of thought and spoke to the open air, not really looking at anyone in particular.

“Do you guys remember how I said in our mythology Elasia is the guardian of stars, which in turn are the spirits of our people? Well it's more than mythology, my mother is the angel Lunis and I'm literally the guardian of the firmament, the resting place for souls out of circulation. The Black hole raven as you put it is what I look like when my mortal form is between lives. I'm the spirit and the guardian in one package where you are the Guardians to your individual elemental spirits, connected but not one.”

“Which means, come on I'm sick and tired of not getting the whole damn story. Kick the mystery shit. Explain how that relates to us, and these.”

He gestured a bit too roughly toward Kaen and the poor thing whimpered. Raph immediately started to scratch behind its ears in silent apology to the innocent beast.

“The four earthly elements were born when the earth was formed, first in earth and fire, then water, and finally air. Spirit however came much later when the earth and the heavens met and formed the firmament around the time of the start of intelligent life. When spirit was born into a mortal body and the 200 year cycle of souls began the elements became a problem, a threat to life. Their first forms were those of monstrous beasts who carried the full power of their element within themselves, you would know them as titans. They fought constantly and brought chaos to the earth so the highest power separated them into two forms, mortal guardian and immortal elemental. one to perform the duty of the element and hold the majority of the power and the other to hold the living mind, the connection between the conscious world and the natural order. The element of spirit because of the direct tie to the soul couldn't be separated from her body completely so she was tasked with watching over all intelligent life and maintaining the cycle of souls in her firmament along a cycle congruent to her own life. To do so her form was split into one mortal and one of her mother’s ether connected by the soul of spirit. The mortal form was tasked with guiding and teaching the guardians of the elements. The five are supposed to act as a governing force, being reborn every 200 years to guide the realm of intelligent life, which once included humans, to balance and prosperity with the planet. It is my duty to make sure you can handle your elements or you could lose control and harm someone, or worse expose us all and ruin any chance of restoring the balance.”

Leo spoke first, making the connection I feared my friends would make.

“So is that why you're here? some sense of duty, you feel obligated.”

“I didn't say that Leo.”

“Elasia wouldn't do that shit bro, She’s our friend. Look at all the stuff she's done, she showed us we weren't alone, we don't wear patchwork scraps from the junkyard anymore. We have real jobs, we aren't freeloading off April and Casey. We have people like us. Elasia gave us dignity, showed us we didn't have to grow up loner street rats!”

“Grow up Mikey and stop with the rose colored glasses shit. It's obvious she’s been manipulating us, anything for her precious people. She couldn't even tell us what she was, let alone what she did to us to make us even bigger freaks!”

“Raph…..”

He looked at me like he didn't even know me, like I had stabbed him in the back, and then he wouldn't even look at me. I felt heartbroken, was he that mad at me? Over this?

“Raphael, just listen please. This means nothing, you're still my best friend, my sparring partner, my bonded. I wanted to be all those things long before I knew what you were, screw prophecy, screw mythology.”

At least he stopped, he was listening.

“I love you Raphael Hamato. Me, Jazz the 21 year old girl, not the star loving the flame. I. love. you! Leo, Mikey, Donnie, you brothers are my closest friends!! I give you my word by my soul. You feel that at least right? You know that? Guys?”

Donnie stood up first

“I believe her, you wouldn't do half of what you do if you only felt obligated by your nature. You treat us like family E.”

“Donnie…. I promise I'll always be your family.”

I felt Mikey’s hand grab mine and I looked behind with tears in my eyes at his smiling face.

“Super awesome gaming buddies?”

“The best gaming buddies. Thanks Mikey.”

He gripped my hand in our special handshake, eyes sparking with loyalty and friendship. I was blubbering like a baby but my grin was nearly exploding.

“Ah stop that, you know I love ya like a big sis Jazzycakes.”

Leo was next, his eyes stayed on the floor.

“I apologize for doubting you Elasia, don't cry due to my insensitivity. I should have known better than to think you regarded us as any less than friends.”

“I'm crying because I'm happy Leo, you guys are my best friends. I always wanted friends, don't ever think I don't care, that I think you guys are an obligation.”

Mikey wrapped me up in a hug and Leo went far enough out of his comfort zone to squeeze my hand real quick.

“Mikey you're squishing me….”

“feel the all mighty power of my friendship!!!”

“gah! I'm going to have plastron shaped bruises for an hour! Noooo let go!!!”

Mikey had licked all up my face before dropping me, gasping for air, for Don to catch.

“Gross little ass.”

“You already said you love us can't take it back!!”

“Get ready E, he’s never going to stop, You're family.”

“Great…..Thanks for the lift Don but can I get down now?”

He put me down and went to pet my head. I grabbed his neck and pulled him down to my height and tapped his cheek to my own.

“That's how family shows affection where I'm from, it's like a hug.”

He tapped me back, whispering as he gestured over his shoulder.

“I think there's still someone you have to speak to.”

Raph was staring at the wall across the room, Kaen mirroring him. None of the elementals had left, choosing to stay and comfort their masters.

“I think that's been enough training for today.”

“What do we do about the elementals?”

“Keep them around and get to know them or send them back to the ether to do their jobs, it's up to you. Just keep them out of trouble.”

The guys took the hint to disperse leaving me alone with Raphael, who was still staring at the wall.

“Raph, Big Red please just talk to me. We both know you stewing in this will only make it worse.”

Before I could touch his arm he pulled away, sulking his over to the edge of the pool where he sat heavilly on the cement retaining wall. I wasn't giving up, instead I followed him, jumping up on the wall and balancing on my toes as I made a show of creeping up beside him. When I plopped down beside him he didn't get up so that was a good sign.

“Raphie, please talk to me.”

Nothing, but he didn't pull away when I took his hand. He was still wearing my studded choker necklace on his wrist, I lined up our hands by the matching bands, two of my clawed fingers to each of his. His hands were always so cool, absorbing energy like a sponge. Their smooth calloused texture was addicting to run my fingers over, I always enjoyed playing with his hands.

“There's just one more thing that I need to know. If this is love, why does it scare me so? Well, it must be somethin that only you can see? 'Cause I can feel it, baby, when you look at me.

So tonight I'll ask, the stars above How did I ever win your love? What did I do, what did I say To turn your angel eyes my way?”

We just sat there for a while, him staring off in thought letting me lean against his arm, humming our song with his big hand clutched in both my own.

“Why didn't you just tell me?”

“Because I knew you would react exactly how you are now. You would doubt the fact that you even meant anything to me and think of yourself as just a mission or an obligation. And I was afraid, afraid that when you found out about my lineage that you would turn me away, treat me like a goddess above your station like everyone else. I was afraid you would force yourself to forget how much I care about you under some delusion that you aren't good enough for me.”

He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me up onto his lap, burying his chin against the base of my neck and pressing his face into my wings and hair.

“Nothing since we met you has been normal. I just feel like I'm being swept down a river with no way of seein the rocks on the bottom or where I'm going. I don't even know what to do or think anymore because every damn day it seems like another off the wall thing happens. Last night I was a mutant turtle with fire powers and shit and you were my bird human hybrid girlfriend that could work with souls, I can deal with that easy. Today I discover that my brothers and I are titans of creation reincarnated and you're literally a goddess of death and the afterlife.  Apparently it's our job to lead a whole race of people across the world and we barely manage to keep New york from some major apocalyptic tragedy every other year! I'm scratching the ears of a hellhound made of fire for Christ's sake! It's a little much to take in at 10:00 in the goddamn morning!!!”

I laid back against him, wrapping him in my feathers and tucking my head up under his chin. Maybe a little teasing would help.

“If it makes you feel any better Mr.Titan, the term is demi-angel, reaper works too, I'm far from being a goddess…..And Raph, you don't have to worry about this all on your own, you've got your brothers, and you've got me. Between the five of us what can't we manage?”

He was looking at me again, sizing me up as he thought things over, the edge of his lip jumping with a smile that didn't know if it wanted to form.

“What the hell am I going to do with you?”

“Why don't we just start with the understanding that we aren't hiding things from each other anymore and go for a nice drive to the dog park. I bet Andromeda would love a nice run with her new brother, we can pick her up from April and Casey’s on the way.”

“Sounds damn good to me.”

I jumped up off his lap and shook out my misplaced feathers, beaming at him over my shoulder.

“Well come on you big pain in the ass, we’re wasting moonlight!”

There was that smile, he knocked me out of the way with a playful shove as he tried to get a head start to the garage. But he didn't notice the shadow that flew past his head until he found me waiting for him, laid over the back of his bike like a showgirl with my wings spread and fluffed.

“What took you so long loverboy…”

“Get on your own bike and we’ll see who can ride harder. Oh and Myojo?”

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me roughly against his plastron as he kissed me so roughly I saw supernovas behind my eyes.

“I love you too.”

It took me a few moments to work through what had happened, until I heard his engine roaring away from the shop.

“You cheating motherfucker! Get back here Raphael!!!”

...

BACK AT THE LAIR

“BOYS! WHAT HAPPENED IN HERE? IT LOOKS LIKE A TORNADO CAME THROUGH MY LIVING ROOM!!!!!! IT HAD BETTER BE CLEANED IN FIVE MINUTES OR YOU'LL SPEND THE NIGHT IN THE HASHI!”

“How much do you want to bet Jazzy knew dad would find out about the mess and that's why she and Raph took off.”

“Oh I know that's exactly what happened mikey.”

“Come on guys, just let the two have their fun. Help me fix this table Leo.”

“Still not fair they get to go have fun and we’re stuck cleaning. I was going to the skate park with Mondo and Alley Cat tonight!”

“Just help Mikey!”

[elasianstar]

Realized I never really drew a good pic of my OC Elasia Aquila.

[elasianstar]

R #13 Accidental anger (Angst fic)

“I think I want to try for a degree in physics and mechanical engineering, oh but chemistry….”

“I can get you all the necessary paperwork Don, it'll be pushing it but we might be able to even get you in for the fall semester. You just have to decide on a major.”

“But there are so many choices! Physics, mathematics, engineering, psychology, chemistry… I can't choose!”

“Well can you narrow it down to your top 3? A double major and a minor is doable in 5-6 years if they're all in similar disciplines.”

“Ok, I think I'll stick with physics and engineering…. And a minor in inorganic chemistry.”

“Are you sure?”

“mmmmmmm! Yeah just put it down before I change my mind again. I can't believe you got me in, I'm going to be an actual college student!”

“Yep, as soon as we send these enrollment papers in and get your classes finalized you will be an official Columbia college Cougar.”

From where I stood in the tunnel outside the lab I heard it all.

I couldn't believe it, Donnie was going off to college with Elasia in the fall…

That evening Elasia’s POV

Raph has been acting really strange today, I mean not entirely out of the ordinary, but I haven't seen the red banded brother this irritable in months. He was stalking around the lair and bouncing from thing to thing in an attempt to keep himself in check, beating the snot out of his training dummy, cleaning random spaces, he even started knitting after a bit but his restless mind wouldn't let him relax. I tried approaching him to see what was wrong but he just brushed me off without a glance.

“Don't worry, Raph just gets like this sometimes, let him work off the steam and he’ll be fine. This is nothing like the explosions we endured as kids, Raph was a real live wire back then. This is most likely nothing that won't blow over.”

“I don't know Leo, I've never seen him quite this steamed, not even at you. He's been so good at keeping himself in check recently, he's been so proud of his self control. This isn't normal, something is wrong and I know it.”

“Guys! Fajitas are ready!!!”

Mikey's voice brought us all running to the kitchen, the chaos of flying plates being caught and the chatter between the brothers feeling normal and comfortable compared to the funk of the rest of the night. Then Raph made it to the kitchen and the atmosphere chilled almost instantly as he roughly snagged a plate and plopped into his normal spot on the bench between me and Mikey. He didn't make eye contact or even spare a kind word just started serving his portion of food and eating in a fuming silence. The others acted like nothing was wrong and soon the usual chatter started back up.

“And I helped this old lady with eyes all over move a futon we found out at the dump into her apartment. I think her name was Sicily if I remember right, her son is coming home from serving with the coast guard soon and she needed to set up a place for him to stay until he could get situated. She was really nice, afterwards she brought out homemade cookies and showed me a few of their old photo albums.”

Mikey was chattering away, he's been so much happier since he started volunteering at the small mythic community. His eyes were brighter and he seemed more willing to express himself.

“The scrappers are treated like heroes over in the compound, I don't see why you guys don't stop in and help out some time.”

Leo smiled a bit between bites of the delicious roasted peppers the younger had prepared, gesturing with his fork as he talked.

“Things are going pretty good at the market actually, selling my extra fresh produce is working out. I even have a few return customers, there's this older guy with hooves, Devin, who comes up every week from new Jersey. He cleans me out of hot peppers every time I take some down. I can't believe we lived down here our whole lives and never knew they were over there. Feels good to actually help people who are like us, who can look at us without seeing a bunch of freaks.”

“Oh and Don, your gadgets are actually selling pretty well. The kids love your little tin toys. You could start up your own shop and do nicely, or I bet I could convince Tobias to set up a little section for your stuff at the toy counter in his shop.”

“I might actually consider that Leo, making them does give me a nice break from upgrading our stuff and my lab projects.”

“what's the point.”

Raph's comment was almost too quiet to hear as he shoved off from the table.

“What's that all about Raph?”

“I said what's the Damn Point! You'll just end up leaving and then what! You'll be too busy with your stupid degrees to do anything else!!!”

His plate went whizzing past Donnie’s head and crashed into jagged shards that littered the floor. Something broke in behind Donnie’s eyes and soon he was launching himself over the table to get in his larger brothers face. Bo staff caught between twin sai as they struggled against eachother.

“Well sorry if I want my chance to better myself! You know more than anybody that I've always wanted This, to actually have a chance to be a part of the scientific community!”

“Well whoop de fuckin do! Donnie’s the smart one, he's going to make something of himself!”

Raph managed to throw Don away, his sai still buried in Don’s staff. But his anger was growing, all his wards were down and his eyes glazed over white as he lost himself.

“IS WHAT WE DO NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU DONATELLO, HUH! IS PROTECTIN PEOPLE AND HELPIN PEOPLE TOO DEMEANIN FOR MR. EINSTEIN! YOU'VE GOTTA ABANDON YOUR BROTHERS TO BE HAPPY HUH!”

“Raph honey calm down no body is…”

“DON'T YOU OPEN YOUR SLY CONIVIN LITTLE MOUTH! YOU WERE FUCKIN IN ON IT! I HEARD YOU! IT WASN'T ENOUGH FOR YOU TO JUST LEAVE, YOU HAD TO TAKE MY BROTHER AWAY TOO! GET YOUR HANDS OFFA ME!”

“He flung me of of his arm like i weighed nothing, sending me flying across the kitchen to crash against the steel cabinet. I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and warmth running down my chest from where the edge of the cabinet had bitten into my flesh. I couldn't process anything else in that moment, he actually hurt me.

“DON'T YOU DARE TREAT HER LIKE THAT!”

Mikey swung on his older brother, his smaller form not allowing him to do much more than further anger his behemoth of a sibling when his punch glanced off Raphael's jaw. A whirlwind picked up, grabbing heavy iron cookware and flinging it at Raph in an attempt to fight him off as the enraged turtle charged the perceived attacker. Mikey's arm was caught in the larger’s grasp and a harsh pop was heard as his shoulder was wrenched out of place and he was tossed to land beside me on the floor.

“RAPH COOL IT. YOU'RE HURTING YOUR FAMILY, IS THIS REALLY WORTH IT? WE CAN TALK THIS OUT!”

Raphael was past getting loud, his anger turning his voice to embers, a low crackle to match the fury in his eyes. He had his oldest brother pinned high up to the kitchen wall, trying to fight back would only lead to more injuries.

“You were in on it to werentcha Leo? Sendin MY brother away. you never thought Don was a good enough fighter, drove him to spendin all his time in that damn lab to try and earn your approval. Now you're sending him away and he's never gonna come back.”

Raph's scales were starting to glow with heat, the edges turning black as the air around him started to shimmer like the mirage over the highway in summer. Tongues of flame started to flick over his fingers, climbing the thick columns of his arms as he reached for his eldest brother's throat.

“ENOUGH!”

Donnie’s voice shook the lair like an earthquake, causing a shower of dust to overtake his brothers flame, and smother the oxygen from him. The sound of the two falling to the floor and Leo’s harsh coughing gasps signalling for Donnie to stop.

When the dust cleared, the level of chaos became extremely apparent. Mikey was trying to use the counter to push his shoulder back in, my own blood had stained the floor as more seeped from the deep gash in my shoulder and I was sure my collar bone was broken. Kitchen utensils were embedded in the wall and a thick layer of dust covered everything. Leo was regaining his breath in the corner, burns in the shape of Raph's hand and forearm across his chest and shoulder. In the middle of it all was Donnie, on his knees looking absolutely shell shocked. His glasses were missing and blood trickled from the side of his head where he had been struck as Raph charged Mikey. He had Raph’s head in his lap and he was wiping the dust off of his unconscious brother’s face as he checked to make sure he was breathing.

“this is all my fault…”

Stopping the flow of blood i hauled myself up off the floor with my left arm just as Mikey managed to snap his shoulder back in. A small whisper of pain the only sound in the room as he approached his brother with cold yet worried eyes.

“No Don, this is as much my fault as it is yours. But I don't understand what the problem was.”

By now Leo had gotten himself up off the floor and was helping Donnie haul Raphael's limp body to the needle room.

“Whatever it was I think the two of you owe us all an explanation. But after we get everyone patched up. Elasia, do you think you've got it in you to help out?”

My calm mask wasn't fooling anybody, my ankles were shaking and I was holding my arm funny to ward off the pain in my shoulder.

“Yeah but I'll need Mikey to go get one of the bags in my fridge upstairs. Do you think you can manage it MC?”

“Y-yeah, but why?”

“Don't question it, just go get it please.”

Donnie’s wounds were the most troubling so I tended to him first. Having Leo check to see if his skull was cracked from the blow while I checked his eyes for sign of concussion and readied the disinfectant.

“Here, I don't know why you needed this but…”

Biting into the bag I ripped off the corner and drained the entire contents in front of all of them, sighing when the quick release of energy flowed into my shoulder to repair the broken bone.

“Works faster than solids, I needed the energy to heal myself before I could help any of you. Couldn't wait the three days for the bone to re-fuse. Now Donnie hold still, this is going to sting like a big bitch but I have to clean the wound before it's healed.”

Pouring a thin stream of disinfectant over the wound to wash out any dirt Donnie just set there, staring at the turtle charm hanging around my neck as I dabbed clean gauze over the wound before sealing the flesh in gold light.

“Mikey are you ok?”

“Yeah, just a little sore but I think my arm is ok.”

“Could you try and find Donnie’s glasses? Come on Don let's get you laid down, try and close your eyes for a bit. Get calmed down.”

Mikey left to find Donnies specs as i moved on to help Leo. His burns weren't severe enough to warrant an emergency but he had to get cleaned up soon or risk infection. His plastron was discolored and he had several blisters along his shoulder and forearms.

“I have to wash the hide before I drain the pustules.”

“Just do it. I can handle a little pain Ane.”

The cleaning cloth accidentally popped one of the larger blisters while I was cleaning and Leo gripped my free arm to steady himself. His grip got stronger as I lanced each obtrusion to his hide and flushed the whole area with anesthetic. I would surely have a bruise for a few minutes, but what was another bruise. What was another scar.

Mikey returned with Donnie’s glasses, miraculously without damage and I had him help both of his brothers to their quarters to let their bodies continue healing on their own. Now to deal with Raph.

There were no burns to deal with, just a few superficial cuts to be cleaned. He was breathing fine and a dark bruise was forming on the side of his head where he had been struck with a chunk of concrete. I cleaned him up and left him there to heal. Keeping my emotions controlled and sterile until the boys had left the room.

I placed my hand over Raph's chest, feeling the familiar tug of our bond as I drew his energy from his body. As it coalesced into its solid form I cupped the softball sized soul in my hands. The surface of it blazed with fire but it did not burn me, it refused to hurt me. I felt my chest tighten and my throat swell as I dropped the thing back into his body and turned to face the mirror. The cracked glass obscured my figure somewhat but there was no missing the new scar slashed cleanly across my shoulder. The edges of the tight silver flesh were pink, signs of my body fighting an infection due to the wound being sealed uncleaned. My skin was covered in coagulated blood, flecks of gold making the macabre sight seem alien in the flickering fluorescent light. My eyes were blown out gold and my teeth were sharp, body wound tight and ready to fight. Though I had been unable to land one blow against him to protect my friends, he had flung me without a second thought

I leaned my forehead against the shattered mirror and just stared back into my own eyes for a while. I didn't move, I tried not to think, i just let my mind and my emotions run their course until I was too exhausted to hold back anymore. My eyes welled with tears and my knees gave out as I fell to the floor. For the second time in as many hours I couldn't move of my own volition, my body just sitting there, rocking back and forth as I was forced to stare at my pathetic self in the mirror.

“You call yourself a warrior, but you didn't even try and do anything. You could have shut it all down but you just sat there and watched. You're pathetic, you're weak and spineless, you don't deserve to carry their name. You aren't the Elasia, that mark on your arm holds as little value as you do. You're nothing but a coward, a guinea pig, a worthless animal. J.4.2.2. J.4.2.2 J.4.2.2. J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2

J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2…..”

I didn't feel the hands on my shoulder, I heard voices, but they sounded far away, through deep water. In a different time, past heart rate monitors, past the whirring of drills and saws, past dripping IV’s that made my blood run thick in my veins and my lungs heavy with fluid.

“Elaaaaaa…...elasiiiiiii….Elasia!....JAZZ!”

J.4.2.2

I started breathing again, my eyes wide with panic as my body thrashed and clawed at my binds, thick leather wrapped tightly around my wrists and waist holding me in place. Unable to fight, unable to protect those who looked up at me through thick iron bars. Wide innocent child's eyes, bright blue…

I came around to bright blue eyes filled with tears, to a bear hug squeezing me tight.

“Come on Elasia, Jazz, wake up please. Come on..”

“lemme go.”

The words passed my lips as a hoarse whisper but they felt like panic. My body moving to scramble away from my binds despite the hurt look on my friend’s face.

My vision cleared as I allowed myself to breath, the smell of antiseptic fueling my fearful visions never leaving but being overtaken by visions of my friends as they watched over me from a short distance.

“What's happening, what's wrong jazzycakes?”

The green souled one put his hand on the blue eyed one’s shoulder.

“Panic attack Mikey, just let her breath.”

Mikey, Don, Leo, …., My friends, safety, home.

My heart rate slowed and I was able to get up off my knees and forearms to sit comfortably again. Mikey slowly got closer and I held out my arm for a hug. Safe, my friend, I was safe.

“Mikey….”

“Yeah Elasia, it's Mikey. I'm right here.”

“Donnie, Leo.”

They moved as if they had been holding their breath, moving closer to comfort me as well. One hand on each of my shoulders. I was crying again, little hiccup skene sounds bouncing out of my fluttering ribcage.

“I did nothing, i couldn't protect anyone. I, I, I…”

“You did nothing wrong, things just got out of control. It was all a massive misunderstanding. Donnie explained everything.”

“Leo?”

“Yeah?”

My face must have said what I meant because I couldn't find the word. I felt his hand tighten slightly around my shoulder for a moment, a small twinge in my collarbone helping bring me back to clarity.

“You're welcome. Sis.”

It was then that the sound of coughing from the cot across the room caught all of our attention. Donnie and Leo left to take care of the issue, leaving me with Mikey as he continued to stroke my wings to keep me calm and grounded.

“Raphael.”

“Yeah sounds like he's finally woke up, perfect timing as usual.”

Mikey sounded less than pleased as we listened to the conversation behind the curtain.

“How bad was it?”

“You dislocated Mikey’s shoulder, threw Elasia across the room, almost gave Don a concussion, and I'm wrapped up with 2nd degree burns. How bad do you think it was.”

“I'm sorry Leo, I don't know what came over me I just…”

“Its nothing we haven't gotten through before, wounds heal. No permanent damage was done.”

“You didn't tell me what happened to Elasia. Is she alright? I didn't hurt her did I?!”

“Raphael, sit down.”

“No I want to see her. I have to see her!”

“She is in no state of mind to see you.”

It got really quiet. Raph’s voice getting more dejected.

“What happened.”

“We think she had a panic attack, she wasn't breathing when we found her. When we got her around she kept mumbling a string of code on rapid repeat looking like she was lost in another world.”

“J.4.2.2.”

“Yes, what does it mean. We have to help her... without you.”

…

“It's her identification code, her name JAZZ, from when she was a child. She was kidnapped, taken to a lab. Held there for years, they did things to her. I'm not telling you any more without her, I promised.”

“We still need to know how to help her, Elasia is our friend too.”

“There's really nothing you can do, just don't leave her alone with her thoughts until she gets back to normal.”

“Hey, Leo.”

…

“How bad is she? I don't remember much past Don coming over the table at me.”

“You broke her collarbone and sliced her up pretty bad, but she's resilient. She patched us up, all of us.”

When they came back around the privacy curtains I was standing, my hair rebraided and my skin washed as well as I could manage in the needle room sink.

“How is he doing?”

“He’ll live. But for now I think it's best things stay a little distanced between you two. Go on with Mikey, He’ll help you get fixed up and help you keep your mind off things while Don and I straighten this out.”

Once we got most of the way down the hall I heard the fighting start, no screaming like last time but the tenor of their angry voices echoing down the corridor had me shaking slightly.

“Come on jazzycakes, let's finish getting you cleaned up. Then we can play some Spyro while you get back to normal.”

“Thanks Mikey.”

“Hey you did the same for me when that hurricane blew through the city. I've got your back girl.”

…

That night after I'd gotten tucked into bed I heard a light knock on the door.

“Come in.”

It took a minute but the door creaked open slow and Raph stepped through. His bandana was wrung between his hands and his eyes were on the floor. i could see the edge of Leo’s shell around the edge of the doorway. he was obviously behind Raph’s sudden burst of apologetic courage.

“I said come In Raphael.”

He just nodded, closing the door behind himself before sitting in the chair by the bed.

“Are you not going to look at me?”

“I don't want to see the damage I've caused.”

“Then leave, because living stuck in the past is no way to spend an eternity. We must all learn to move past our mistakes and better ourselves for the ones we love.”

He lifted his head and I could see that one of his eyes was nearly swelled shut. A big purple bruise taking up the entire side of his face from his temple to his jaw. His good eye was puffy from tears.

“Tell me Raphael, what damage do you see?”

“You've got a new scar.”

“Yes and on this body what is another scar.”

“You're favoring your left arm.”

“I am still sore, my collar bone was snapped. But it’s whole now, the pain will have completely faded by morning.”

“Your eyes are cold. I can feel mistrust like slime running under my shell. I hate it. I hate that i made you feel like this.”

“Then know it and just realize the consequences of your actions. Learn to talk to someone instead of stewing in your own mind and letting a situation spiral out of control. I don't believe Donatello enrolling in an online program with a few supplementary night courses demanded the events that transpired earlier today.”

“No it didn't, i’m sorry. I feel sick, I can't even bare to be alone with my own thoughts knowing I hurt you the way I did. If there's any way I can earn your forgiveness…”

“Raphael… Raph, baby. There is no forgiveness to be earned, it is already given. I know in your soul that you would have never intended to hurt me had you been in your right mind. Yes trust may become bruised, but it heals quite easily in the right circumstance.”

A choked sob broke from his throat as he reached for me, only to stop himself, harshly withdrawing in fear his advance would be unwelcome. 

“Raph, hun. set up here on the edge of the bed next to me.”

He moved like anything he touched could shatter in an instant, his hands still wringing the fabric of his bandana. I reached out and touched one of his hands, causing him to completely freeze. He hardly even breathed.    

Taking his hand in both of my own I moved it back and forth in my grasp, running my fingertips over the uniquely shaped bone structure and tracing the lines in his palm. I did this a lot when we were alone together and it helped soothe both of us. There were no blocks now, everything was shared between our bonded souls. When I was content I took his hand again and held it to the side of my face. it nearly enveloped my skull in its breadth and the hide was rough and battle worn, but it felt cool and safe against my skin. His eye shifted from his hand to my own face as we simply held eachothers gaze for a moment. From there i felt him trace over my new scar, fingertips grazing from the crest of my shoulder nearly to the upper swell of my breast and back. My own hand having slid down his arm to trace over his bruised face.

“Scars are nothing more than marks of trials you were stronger than.”

My hand grew warm as the energy flowed between our skin, restoring his eyesight on his right side but no more. After some time we both withdrew, hands tucked into laps and words left unsaid to hang in the mindspace unneeded. We knew what the other was thinking, the looks on our faces and the emotions flowing along our bond were more than enough.

“I had better let you get some sleep.”

“Yeah rest does sound pretty good after such a stressing day.”

He stood to leave but before he could turn the handle of the door I spoke.

“Did I say you could leave?”

“No ma’am.”

“Red….”

“Yeah?”

“Get your scaley ass in this bed before I have to get up and drag you over here myself.”

Without another word he climbed up into the bed, resting on his plastron as I tucked myself against his side to lie on my own stomach. The feeling of his arm draped over my lower back was safe, nothing could harm me like this and even our minds lay still. His breath slowed to the rhythm of sleep and I wiggled upward to be on the same level as his head. Gently pressing a kiss to his bruised temple I whispered in his ear before falling asleep.

“Even though I may leave your side, I'm never gone from you. I promise.”

[elasianstar]

R #7 Bump (Slightly NSFW)

The boys were heading off for patrol without Raph tonight. he pissed off Leo again, shirking orders and almost getting the four spotted, so he's benched. Master splinter would be in the meditation room all night with explicit orders not to disturb him.

So since Raph was in trouble I spent the night in Donnie’s lab, working on four specialized batches of masking serum. I had my music up a little loud, allowing myself to get lost in the sound of the guitar, hips swaying to the beat as I made the calculations and measured out the exact weights of each reactant needed. Stewing some to extract oils, grinding others between mortar and pestle before adding each batch to the still Don had leant me. The resulting bottles of grayish fluid would need much more refining but they were a positive step in the right direction.

“You know I can feel you watching me.”

His voice was low and careful from where he had been watching from the lab door.

“Can't a guy watch his girl work?”

Corking the second vial of potion I turned to lean back against the lab bench, goggles perched low on my nose so i could look over them.

“Not when said guy is in time out and is supposed to be practicing his kata as punishment.”

“Awww come on Myōjō, ya know good and well Leo’s just power trippin.”

“Don't you Myojo me Raphael, I agree with Leo, your stealth could use some major improvement. Especially when you get riled up.”

“I can't believe you're taking his side on this!.......Fuckin fearless leader boy…..doesn't know teamwork if it slapped him upside the damn head….”

I reached up and grabbed his jaw turning  his face toward mine as I held my ground, his hand, raised by instinct, stilled mid air.

“I never said I was taking his side, merely that I agreed that you needed work. I don't think making you mindlessly go through your Kata is the way to do it, but Leo is the leader. In order to make a functional team you sometimes need to just grin and bear it, no matter how much you may disagree.”

He sighed, shaking his head out of my grip and running his hand over his bandana before looking down at me through the corner of his eye.

“Why do ya always gotta be the sane logical one?”

I hooked my arm around his leading him to sit in Donnie’s skateboard chair.

“Because somebody's gotta drag your scaly ass back down to earth. Get you thinking rationally again. Now you can take a short break and watch me work if you really want, but when Leo and the others get back you'd better be back in the Dojo or it'll be another useless fight.”

“Yes ma'am.”

I smirked over my shoulder at him as I started up the still for the next batch.

“Damn straight mister.”

…

“Alright, I've got the stock solutions made and they should keep in this form. Now I just have to separate the solution into a carrier oil over the course of a few weeks and then further refine it with the pollen of ghost orchids until it turns periwinkle blue.”

I felt his hand on my waist as he looked over my shoulder at the tangle of laboratory equipment.

“And that should turn us human?”

“No, there's nothing that will actually accomplish that feat. This will however cause you to appear as human for a number of hours per dose. If I got the calculations right, I'm not used to working with a quasi cold-blooded metabolism.”

“Ya know what? Ya can really put a friggin damper on things when ya go all Don on me. Scientists…”

He wrapped me up so I couldn't move for a few minutes, his chin resting on top of my head.

“Sorry Red. You know I don't care what you are right? I like you all big and scaly.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you're always so nice to cuddle, you stay cool and I really enjoy the textures of your skin and your shell. They're nice to run my hands over, if you'd let me I'd probably be happy just doing that for hours. I also like that you're so much bigger than me, I'm so used to being the one people look to that it's nice to feel like I can be held and cuddled and cooed over from time to time.”

I turned to face him, reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck while he held my waist. My fingers found the knot of his bandanna and swiftly undid it so I could get a good look at his face.

“Your eyes, I've never seen such a wonderful shade of green, like sunlit peridot sprinkled with flakes of gold. You’re so expressive even when you're trying to hide behind that faux tough exterior. Your face is well balanced and pleasing to the artist in me. The smooth even planes of your nose and the soft gradient between the darker tones around your eyes and the lighter ones around your beak, I could draw you for years and never get tired of it. Your chubby cheeks and your strong jaw that give you a look of innocence, of goodness, despite your years and all you've seen. And your lips, they’re soft and plush and every time you kiss me it feels like i'm diving, terminal velocity, it takes my breath away and I never want to pull up.”

Before I could continue I felt those very lips press passionately against my own as wonderfully rough hands moved to smooth over my lower back and hold me tight to that perfectly large body of his. Lips parted without question as tongues danced around each other like flint and steel, lighting the fire between us to burn ever so brightly. When my hands smoothed over the scattered scales on his neck and shoulders I felt a shiver spark across both of our skin as his hands moved higher to caress the space right below my wings. Fingertips barely brushing the sensitive skin just a few inches higher…

I was expecting the fall, sweeping one of my legs behind his knees as I pressed against the smooth edges of his chest scutes. What I wasn't expecting was for him to stop kissing me, wrapping himself around me almost in entirety, protecting me, as he fell backwards into the chair.

What HE definitely wasn't expecting was for me to start kissing, hot and open mouthed across the exposed skin of his collar bones and up to the sensitive spot on his neck where the end of his slider marks met his pulse point. That deep rumbling Purr buzzing through his plastron too low to hear but definitely able to be felt as I pressed myself closer to him, straddling his waist as his hands took up their expedition across the valleys and plains of my own form. A happy little skene left my lips as his own nuzzled in to give my neck a similar treatment, hands running over the curve of my outer thighs as I pressed my chest close enough to feel the pounding of his heart behind his armored flesh.

My skin was so hot and his cool hide was like an oasis, quenching the fires his hands had started.

“Ah, Raphael, hmmmm, my angel, my perfect… ahhh!”

The feel of his teeth gently grazing over my pulse point mixed with the roughness with which he grasped my ass sent my head rolling back in pleasure, a shaky chirping sound overtaking the words on my lips as i pressed my hips down against his lower plastron. There was a bulging there, something pressing at the softer, more cartilaginous scutes just under the slope of his hips. When I gave it a testing grind he stilled almost immediately, eyes screwed shut as he fought to control his breath.

“Elasia, please d..don't do that. Not yet babe. Haaaah…”

Pulling my hips back I rolled to the side, tucking myself in the nook between his arm and his body as I sat sideways across his lap. I placed my hand carefully over his heart and we focused on calming breaths until he felt like he could open his eyes again. His lips pressed carefully against my forehead and his fingers matched the rhythm of my own gently running along the tendons of the inside of his forearm in calming, grounding motions.

“You ok Raph?”

I felt his breath huff against my hair.

“Yeah, I'm good........... sorry.”

I looked up at him through my hair where it had fallen across my forehead.

“Don't be sweetheart, it's totally fine if you aren't ready or if you feel uncomfortable to let me know. If you need me to back off I will, every time, without question.”

He just held me, focusing on breathing for a few minutes until I felt familiar souls approaching from the south tunnels.

“The guys are back, let's see if you can be stealthy enough to get back to the Dojo before Leo notices you weren't doing your kata.”

I turned back to my work, the only hint that he had even moved being the gentle touch of his fingers as they brushed across the edges of my hair.

[elasianstar]

R #9 POET

I haven't gotten to spend time with Raph for days. The guys were dealing with some pretty heavy shit and when they weren't in the dojo Raph was usually asleep or stuck in the hashi. Outside of Friday night elemental training I hadn't seen him in a few weeks and July was coming quickly to a close. By mid August I would have to go back home for the fall semester and I found myself craving the attention of my hotblooded terrapin more than ever. I often found myself sneaking into his room before he would wake up to curl myself up next to him, always waking to a brief kiss on the cheek before he was off to the Dojo again. Always training.

…

The leather bound book had been left open on his nightstand, it's visible pages stained with heavy globs of ink as if the pen had broken from the force of the words. Slash marks cut across the page like scars.

I Let people down,

I hurt people,

Fuck fuck fuck fuck.

FUCK

My chest felt tight as I read the hastily scrawled words on the page. Though the text was simplistic and crudely composed it held an emotion that was difficult to replicate. It was raw, defeated, angry…

It felt hopeless.

Flipping to another page about halfway through the book I found another couple poems. These were cleaner, more practiced.

Your eyes are cold and full of pride,

Feet still, shoulders set, hands steady,

A perfect little soldier, always at the ready,

They don't see the turtle inside,

Those cold lying ice blue eyes.

…

I am an emotional creature

I can not take things lightly.

Everything is intense to me,

The sounds of the city,

The way my brothers wake me up.

The way my fists connect to concrete...

My emotions crumble the stone.

Flipping again to the last few pages they took on a new tone… pressed amongst the pages here was a spiky pink flower and a small downy black feather.

…

Across a room

So tangled in imagination

It felt like a lifetime

And you hadn't even said hello

…

So soft

So violent

So tender

So crude

As beautiful as the night

A bloody fight

So true

So calm

So…

happy

...

My biggest fear is that someday you will see me,

The way I see myself

…

Below the last was a very rough doodle, a gigantic shadowy figure with blank eyes. Red ink slashed across the image in sets of three.

The next page was unused so I left a poem of my own in my chicken scratchy script;

The only thing that matters,

Is for someone to see more in you,

Than you ever thought there was to see.

Below the poem I drew two souls dancing together in the void. I shut the tome, hiding the secrets within before hurrying out of the room.

...

His poems stuck with me that night, the emotion there, the newfound depth behind the quiet, action forward man I had slowly come to know surprised me. But then again Raphael was always surprising me. He was so much more than the hot headed brute others saw him to be. There was a deep set compassion in everything he did, every action held a depth of thought and emotion many couldn't see, much less understand. Raphael sees the stars and he sees eternities and stories where many saw emptiness, He simply kept those thoughts in his head, only letting them spill out onto the pages of that worn leather book.

…

A few days later I found a new poem, written in red across my vanity mirror.

You be thunder

I'll be lightning

When it rains we will always be close to each other.

You can see me and I can hear you.

When the room lights up from your window I am all around you.

When I hear the crack of thunder, it's your voice.

“Raph?”

Above me in the ductwork a pair of white, covered eyes shone from the shadows where he had been watching me. He swung down without a word, strong arms wrapping around me in an instant as he held me close.

“Missed ya.”

“me too Red. I'm sorry, I read a few of your poems. I know it's supposed to be private.”

“I don't mind you saw them, just don't let the guys find out… especially fearless wonderboy. Don't need the temptation to break his beak again.”

He sat back on the edge of the mattress so I could stand between his knees, our foreheads pressed together as his fingers smoothed over my neck and upper arms in soft swirls. His hands spoke a poetry more poignant than words on a page. Love songs and poetry lasted on the ear and on the lip, but action, tender glances and gentle touches? They seared the flesh and soothed the soul.

“I think I actually have an idea for another one if you want to hear it?”

“shoot.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to the place his ear would be before I spoke, keeping my voice tender and steady.

“I love you, I said.

And you waited for the but…

But instead came my arms saying no matter what.”

He was frozen, my heart hammering in my chest as I fought to keep myself composed. I had actually said it, I was the first to say those three little words. After knowing each other for three months and being bonded for one of them I was more than sure of myself, but I was nervous for how he would react.

When I felt his hands tighten on my hips I was prepared to pull away, hiding behind my bangs and refusing to look even remotely in his direction as I did so. Until I felt his fingers under my chin, slowly guiding my gaze back to his.

There was worry in his face, his eyes clouded with doubt. The motions of his hands still as they rested on my hips as if suddenly afraid to hold me too tightly. His voice was hoarse and burbly when he spoke.

“Don't tell me this is all a joke, tell me ya really mean it.”

My eyes welled with tears my head nodding frantically.

“Yes, for so long now. I love you, I love you so damn much Raphael.

His embrace was bone crushing, hands tangled in my hair as he kissed me. Fire sparked between us in that kiss, an inferno meeting a supernova as all kinds of love wove amongst our bond, tightening it. When he pulled away I found myself chasing those rough yet passionate lips. wanting more of him though he left me in a void, oxygen burned away by the flame.

Though no other words were spoken the meaning was clear.

(I love you too.)

[elasianstar]

“You gonna stay under there all day or are you gonna tell me what’s wrong?”

R#8 HAPPY TURTLE NOISES.

Training had been tough on Raph today. Between getting his shell creamed by master Splinter and then getting into another knock down drag out with Leo a few hours later he was bruised, beaten, and more than a little exhausted by the time I made it to the lair. Mikey didn't even greet me, as soon as I walked through the door he was pointing down the tunnel to Raphael’s room.

“You might want to go see if you can fix Raph, I think Leo and Sensei finally broke him.”

Inside his room I found a lump of blankets piled on the flatbed truck Raphael had converted to his bed. The lights were out, the perfectly arranged glowing stars on his curved ceiling casting just enough light for me to make out the basic aspects of the furniture while I climbed up beside him. Flicking on a lamp He didn't make a sound, didn't move at all as i flung myself up over his carapace, limbs splayed over the generous curve. When i pulled back the blanket he was almost completely tucked under the edges of his shell, humanoid form keeping him from completely retreating inside but doing a damn good job of trying. All i could see poking past the chipped edge of the impenetrable dome of bone was the top of his head, the edges of his triceps and his feet.

“Bad day hun?”

He didn't make a sound, drawing tighter in on himself and burying his face into the mattress. I had an idea...

Raph’s POV

Its been too quiet, is she gone?

When i looked up i saw bright green eyes and that silly shit eating grin. She was knelt on the bed in front of me, mimicking my posturing with her limbs pulled up under one of mikey’s bean bag chairs that she had hauled in somehow without me noticing. It was piled up on her back to look just like a damn shell. Only her head was poking out and when i peeked out at her i felt her reach out and peck a kiss on my nose. I was stunned.

Elasia’s POV

The shocked look on his face was worth the hour i’d spent balled up under that hot sticky vinyl bag. The thing smelled like BO and old pizza. And when i kissed his nose and made one of those little purring noises he makes he downright lost it. The laugh bubbling up out of the big brute was almost as heartwarming as the crooked grin on his face. I made the sound again, cocking my head to the side like a curious puppy and his eyes softened on me. I could feel the low rumble of his own purr through the mattress

“You gonna stay under there all day? Or are you gonna tell me what's wrong hun?”.

He still didn't feel like talking but he did stretch forward to press his forehead against mine, his hand coming up to run lazy fingers through my hair for a few moments before grabbing me and rolling over onto his shell with me hugged tightly to his chest. The beanbag fell to the ground forgotten as i tucked myself up angainst him and just let him hold me for a while, my wings spread over us like a blanket. He kept making those little purring sounds, too deep for me to hear but the vibration of the sound through his plastron was unmistakable. I’d ask him about them sooner or later, but for now i was just glad he was making them again. There was one thing i knew for sure, i loved his happy turtle noises.

EXTRA: The sound of Raph’s laughter hid the click of my camera as i caught the perfect shot. The guys had to see this, Raph was actually laughing! He hasn't laughed like that since we were kids. And the look he was giving her when my camera actually caught the shot, this was one for the scrapbook. I just had to keep him and Jazzycakes from finding out or they would both have my shell.

[elasianstar]

R #6 Fire

“So why are we doing this?”

It was Friday night and Raph and I were doing our usual rooftop training. I had him sat cross legged on the roof, a peridot in one hand and a Pyrope garnet in the other. About three feet away a candle flickered on a pedestal at about eye level.

“Well you already know how to recognize and block the emotions of others. I figured this test could not only help you learn to control your own emotional state, but also help you to realize your connection to your element and find a way to control it.”

Moving behind him I put my hands on his shoulders before placing a kiss to the crown of his head.

“Ok. Now I want you to focus on the candle flame, see if you can get any form of reaction from it. We can work from there.”

His eyes never left the faintly flickering flame, breath becoming deep and regular as he worked himself into a meditative state.

He sat there for about an hour, still as a statue and barely breathing as he focused. The flame seemed to mirror him, whether he noticed this or not I didn't know, but the flame had ceased flickering and now stood straight and calm. A thin trail of smoke curled from the tip of the flame toward the sky.

Focusing on memories of joy I questioningly nudged Raphael's energy with the thoughts, feeling his wards loosen to allow the influence in willingly. The flame began to dance again, jumping up and sparking gently in the night.

Memories of sadness caused the flame to dim and the smoke to become heavy, it's scent cloying.

I tried anger and the candle was reduced to a pile of wax in a ball of flame.

“Dammit! I had it!”

“you had the connection, but you were letting me control the intensity of the emotion, when I withdrew that control is when you lost your own.”

I pulled another candle from my bag and replaced the melted mess, relighting the flame.

“You were able to connect with a small flame but I don't want you even attempting a larger flame until you hone your control. Keep trying this, get to where you can control the fire on your own and we can try amping up the intensity of the emotion through your empathy. Your control over your element can only be as tuned as your control over yourself. But still, good work, I wasn't expecting you to even form the connection and you proved me wrong. It took me years to be able to connect properly with soul energy.”

I sat down to his left and ran my finger over the mark on his wrist. It was glowing dimly, casting red light on the surface of the stone in his hand.

“Try Again”

[elasianstar]

The World on a Turtle’s Back Chapter 8

RAPHAEL’S POV

My brothers were setting up for a movie night when Elasia came into the living room. Instead of being in the pajamas we expected her to be wearing she was in her training leathers, she threw a shiny gold top over it and was wearing a studded leather jacket over that. Her hair was styled and she was wearing bold makeup.

“I'm going out with my brothers for the night on flock business, I want you guys to just stay put while I'm gone. I'll be back around 2AM, don't stay up for me.”

We waited until we heard the sounds of their motorcycles leave before stealing the keys to the van. In our defense they were right on a hook in the kitchen. Donnie had snuck a tracker on her bike the last time she had brought it to the lair and we followed at a safe distance into the depths of the city.

They were in what looked like an old warehouse district, ancient factories with busted windows and graffiti tags line either side of an abandoned railroad line. One of the buildings stood out from the rest, it was about 10 stories tall and painted with an alien landscape. It was just like one of the drawings in Elasia’s sketchbooks. In the foreground however was the beastly figure of a troll with clownish face paint, leaned over the form of a scantily clad woman with a knife held behind her back. The neon sign over the door called the place the dark carnival.

Donnie pulled the van into an alleyway nearby and we took to the rooftops sneaking into the building via the air conditioning vents. Club music echoed through the vents and as we followed the sound, lights and fog let us know we were on the right track.

“Aww no fair, Angelface went partying without us!”

“Like we could go with her blockhead, we'd be shot down as monsters before we got to the door.”

“I don't think so Raph, look through here.”

Donnie was peering through the vents with his goggles as he waved us down.

The whole place was one central room with walkways going around it all the way up. On every level mythicals and humans danced and drank and had a good time while on the stage below a man with hands that looked like bird feet and aviator shades scratched records with another man with the tail of a snake instead of legs. People with colored skin and bug wings danced and performed aerial acrobatics from long silks hanging from the ceiling while furred folk showed off on the lower dance floor. A large twisted tree grew in the center of the building and glowed strange colors in the blacklights.

“Sick, we should totally be down there!”

Leo stopped Mikey from opening the vents by pulling him back by the edge of his shell.

“Hold back, there's a reason Elasia wanted us to stay at the farmhouse. We scope that out first.”

“Well then let's at least find a vent with a dance floor view, I wanna watch Time Reaper and Union Jack drop fat beats!”

“Time Reaper and Union Jack?”

“You didn't see the big shiny sign on the DJ booth man? Crow dude and snake man, Leo!”

“Fine Raph you take him down while donnie and i stay up here.

but we stay put until I give the signal, got it?.”

We found a nice grate just to the left of the curtained stage so Mikey could watch the DJ’s work. On closer inspection the crow man also had a bird’s feet and tail, his body giving off the same smoke as the nightmare back at the farm. He had a broken sword hanging on his hip from a heavy gold chain and his band t-shirt had a hole in the center where red stained bandages wrapped around his scrawny chest. The snake man had bright green scales scattered over his shoulders like freckles and was wearing a tank top bearing a British flag. Around his throat he wore a spiked dog collar and sharp yellow claws tipped fingerless gloved hands that shot across the turntables. His wild blonde hair was streaked with the same acidic green as his scales and his slitted yellow eyes were ringed in thick black eyeliner.

There was a man with frosted hair and glowing blue eyes working the bar, when the hand that wasn't wearing a white silk glove touched the glasses they would become frosted over with ice. He wore a baby blue suit jacket over a slightly unbuttoned shirt, a black bow tie tied around his bare neck.

Two women with grey skin and orange horns worked the bar with him, each wearing different shades of blue. The smaller one in teal wore bright red shades and a bright red leather jacket that ended just above her midriff. Her hair was cut in a bob, the ends curling upwards and streaked with teal. Her “sister" had longer hair streaked with cobalt and she wore a heavy bikers jacket covered in studs over a dark blue tee. Her shades had been broken on one side leaving a sharply winged eye to gaze bitchily at her patrons while the other side glinted with 7 red gemstones pressed into the glass.

I couldn't see Elasia or her brothers anywhere.

After a while of watching the club patrons having fun the lights went out and the music stopped dead. Signaling for mikey to stay put I moved a little further down the vent shaft to try and regain a visual. The sound of the curtains on the stage rising was all I could hear until the crow DJ started speaking in low smooth tones.

“Ladies and Gentlemen and Beings of all configurations, the dark carnival is proud to present to you, Furie and the BFT!”

The scaled DJ was lit by blacklight on the left of the stage, a union jack guitar hung from his shoulders over a white button up shirt that was unbuttoned halfway down. As he started to play a familiar melody the lights faded in on the bass player, a tall young man with shoulder length blonde hair, a single curl hanging in front of swirling blue and violet eyes. He was meek but the notes from his sparkling white bass guitar were strong and deep. A pair of moose antlers stood proud over his skull as long bony fingers plucked the strings. The crow DJ came up behind him to compliment the bass with cool smooth piano notes, his shades were gone and his skin had turned to shadow behind bright red eyes. Finally the drummer came into the light, he looked a lot like the bassist but his skin was California tan, thick muscle peeking out from under a ripped Tee instead of his brother’s sinew and bone. his shorter hair was honey blonde instead of pale cornsilk, a single cowlic stuck up from the front over deep blue eyes the same shade as the blacklight. He had an American flag the shape of a star painted on his right cheek.

the guitarist slithered up to the mic.

--”On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair,

Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air.

Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light

My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim

I had to stop for the night.”

The dark empty stage was lit by a single amber spotlight through the mist. Elasia stood there, wings slightly spread, her outfit had been replaced by a sheer dress that shimmered, metallic gold outlining every dip and curve. Underneath she wore a skintight black leotard.

--”There she stood in the doorway;

I heard the mission bell

And I was thinking to myself,

‘This could be Heaven or this could be Hell’”

Her bare arms moved like water, tangling themselves in her hair and winding around her body

with the flow of the music. Her wings shifting around her body to show a flash of skin here and there as she danced.

--”Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way

There were voices down the corridor,

I thought I heard them say…”

The other members of the band joined in the chorus as three dimmer lights revealed the trio, each one wearing dark tights, their colored shirts unbuttoned and their wings high and strong.

--”Welcome to the Hotel California

Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)

Such a lovely face

Plenty of room at the Hotel California

Any time of year (Any time of year)

You can find it here”

They stood in pose as she wound her way through them, delicate hands touching skin as she practically used them as stationary objects to flip and twirl off of before spinning away. once again solo in her spotlight as they came to life in the background.

--”Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes Benz

She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends

How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.

Some dance to remember, some dance to forget.”

She worked with each one of them in turn, first in waltz, blue light overtaking her form and hiding it under an elegant ball gown. Second in a bouncing fox trot, her dress turning the same rich plum as her lips under ruby light. Third she danced a scandalous tango sparked with twirling gold bathed in rich emerald. Each dance held a spark of intimacy, a strong hand holding the wide-set hipbones of a bird, the other cradling the lower back as if in an embrace. Slender fingers entwined in gold, white, and chocolate hair, she caressed their faces as if they were lovers before spinning away leaving them forgotten. i felt a knot tying itself in my stomach while something in my chest was practically trying to shove me through the vent toward her.

--”So I called up the Captain,

"Please bring me my wine"

He said, "We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine"

And still those voices are calling from far away,

Wake you up in the middle of the night

Just to hear them say…

Welcome to the Hotel California

Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)

Such a lovely face

They livin' it up at the Hotel California

What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)

Bring your alibis.”

Dropping to the floor she spread her body long against the smooth dark floor, obscured by the smoke. A flash of a limb or the shadow of an impossible pose being the only sign of her as the three males danced in an acrobatic tandem, wings spread like fallen angels if the faces of nearly every woman watching were any indicator.

--”Mirrors on the ceiling,

The pink champagne on ice

And she said ‘We are all just prisoners here, of our own device’”

Rising up onto her toes like a long silk scarf lifted by a fan she pointed her leg straight up into the air, arms wrapped around it as if chained. Her wings were spread straight out behind her, sparkling with golden stars against a deep velvet night as she spun slowly around her makeshift post. Her skin was dyed gold in the light, only to be broken by her markings and scars, a silver spiders web tempting those watching to edge closer. I lent against the vent, the light squeak of protest causing me to hold back. I wanted to see more of her.

--”And in the master's chambers,

They gathered for the feast

They stab it with their steely knives,

But they just can't kill the beast!”

The trio surrounded her as she faked struggling against her “restraints” each one drawing back as if raising a knife only to bring empty fists down harmlessly against her body. She arched her back in fake pain, eyes having been nearly closed the entire time flying open wide, mouth open in a silent scream before dropping once again to the floor.

--”Last thing I remember, I was

Running for the door

I had to find the passage back

To the place I was before

‘Relax,’ said the nightman,

‘We are programmed to receive.

You can check-out any time you like,

But you can never leave!’”

Her movements changed now, crouched low against the floor. her eyes glowed with hunger and her dance took on a predatory stance. moving sharply and pausing in positions mimicking a wildcat stalking it's prey from cover. The amber light turned blood red and her dress took on a similar appearance against her snow white skin. Emerging from the fog, her golden halo of a spotlight gone, she encountered each man again in turn. Instead of her varying dances of seduction from before she danced a sharp and violent pasodoble. claws raked skin harmlessly, carefully practiced to avoid hurting her partners. As she finished her mouth fell to each one's throat as they fell back into placid compliance.

The Snake man's hypnotic voice faded to the music as each of the men lifted her in tandem from behind, her arms and legs held back as her wings spread wide. She looked like a goddess ruling over her subjects as they twirled her gracefully through the air. Trading her off between them in spectacular acts of timing and skill. Finally she was passed to Francis as their wings mingled in perfect contrast, sunlit white to rich black, spinning together as all the lights faded out.

My hands balled into fists against the jealous fire in my belly.

…

When the lights came back on the dancefloor was empty, each of the dancers placed nonchalantly amongst the crowd and redressed in their clothes from earlier. The crow and snake were back behind the DJ table and the audience exploded back to life with the opening to The Monster by Eminem.

I heard the light crackle of my radio as my brothers chattered across the airwaves.

“Did you guys see that, talk about hot, i can feel my shell tightening!”

“ Mikey show a little decorum, those are her brothers and Elasia is our friend.”

“Those acrobatic maneuvers were impressive though, who knew her body could bend and twist like that. could prove to be a significant combat advantage in close quarters.”

“Now we know why she didn't invite us along.”

“Yeah yeah we get it, now is this little recon mission over? I'm heading back to the fuckin van”

“Somebody has a crush on Elasia!”

Mikey’s teasing tone had me gritting my teeth as i rounded the corner of the vent, when he saw my face his mouth snapped closed and he started crawling away through the vents as quickly as he could and remain silent. I chased him through the tunnels back toward Leo and Donnie’s scout point, making threatening lunges for him to get him to move a little faster, put a bit of fear back in him. When we got to the last corner of the vent though we heard the sound of rending steel before the floor of the vent fell out from under us.

The impact of my shell against the concrete floor knocked the wind out of me so hard that i almost didn't see the glowing tree twist around on itself to break Donnie’s fall, The entire room was silent as every eye was on us. When i got back on my feet and shook off the sheet rock and concrete dust i looked up to meet Elasia’s eyes. Her face was twisted in anger and in something i couldn't place. there was a smudge of something red on the corner of her mouth.

The crowd started to murmer, a single word forming, Golem.

I looked behind me to check on my brothers to stall. The glowing tree was bending down to the floor to gently set Donnie on the ground. leo was helping him out of the tree because his legs were shaking, his eyes were wide behind his glasses where they had been knocked askew on his face during the fall. The chant of the crowd was getting louder, the same word over and over.

“Golem.”

Elasia brushed past me, her wing grazing my arm as she went to Donnie. She grabbed his hand turning it over before wrapping him in a hug. She lifted his arm into the air like the victor of a boxing match for everyone to see. In dark black was a triangle tattoo similar to Leo’s except his was marked by another line that sliced the tip off of the triangle pointing down toward his elbow.

“The Golem has returned!”

Leo grabbed donnie’s other hand raising his arm to show his mark, the word Undine joining the murmurs of the collected creatures.

“The Undine! The spirits of the West and the North live amongst us once again!”

Her brothers and the band members surrounded us to hold off the swarming crowds as Elasia wrapped us in her wings, shoving us through a door behind the stage.

“You four are in so much fucking trouble when we get home, I TOLD YOU to stay at the house and now all of Elasia knows your faces! Splinter is going to kill me!”

“You are the one who just started announcing us to the crowd!”

“I had to, one of the guardians of myth just fell through the fucking ceiling and willed a diamondwood tree to bend! If i hadn't spoken there would have been pandemonium!”

“My scans should have caught the weakness in the vent shaft, this is my fault. I didn't intend for this to happen…”

Donnie’s anxiety was ramping up into high gear, as he rocked gently, running his fingers over his straps to try and calm himself. It hasn't been this bad since we were kids. Mikey got to him first, putting one hand over his chest and one on his shell.

“Its ok Donnie, bro, just breath. That's right in and out, what's the 28th digit of pie... 34th.... 14th.... 65th? Just keep breathing.... steady.... You good Don?”

Donnie nodded, pulling on his mask tails to ground himself. Elasia knelt in front of him careful not to do anything that might trigger an aftershock.

“Donnie, Donatello look at me hun. It wasn't your fault, your soul was merely responding to the danger, just like how Leo shoved us out of the lake. Do you understand?”

Donnie nodded, pushing his glasses back up on his beak.

“You were born with a gift, it would have manifested itself sooner or later. This wasn't your fault, don't ever be ashamed of being who you are.”

She turned his hand over and traced the mark on his wrist, it glowed bright green.

“Donatello Hamato, You’ve been chosen as the Golem. Your soul will survive the test of eternity, your body and mind will be as steady as the ground, your soul one with the plants and the stone of the earth. Be proud of who you are as the mountain never bows to the pressures of the sky.”

Elasia’s pov

I followed the van home on my bike, inside i could see three of the brothers souls huddled together while Leonardo drove. Donnie took a little to pull out of his panic but his brothers were quick to act, even Raphael stopping his brotherly bullying to comfort his hatchmate. I had hoped that the brothers would take their awakenings with more and more ease as each took on their new abilities but it seemed that the mixture of the unexpected fall, the overwhelming attention, and my own outburst had triggered Donnie’s anxiety. I had suspected he had some minor anxiety issues stemming from being the quiet and often overlooked brother but he had gone into a full panic attack. I would have to apologise when things leveled back out with the brothers.

When we got back they all headed to their rooms without a word but a few minutes later I heard all four voices coming from the morning suite. They would probably end up sleeping in a pile, they usually ended up doing that when one of them was overly stressed or injured.

I was dressing down for the night when I heard a light knock on my door.

“Come in Leo, it's unlocked.”

When he entered his eyes immediately scanned the space for potential escape points before landing on me with an ice cold resolve. I gestured for him to sit on one of the four plush cushions on the floor around a short card table.

“Tea?”

I gestured to the black teaset in the center of the table, it was painted with the ethereal forms of running animals in bright silver. After regarding the set he nodded, watching as i poured two cups before taking a seat on the cushion opposite from him at the table.

“You wanted to talk with me?”

“What are you doing Elasia?”

I set my cup down with a sigh.

“Honestly i'm not doing anything, i simply wanted to give you four a week out of the city, a chance to see that you don't need to keep yourselves hidden in the shadows of those sewer tunnels all your lives. I mean i had my suspicions about your latent abilities after handling your souls, but if my radiant magic energies didn't trigger your awakening in the month i've spent with you guys i was convinced that my suspicions were false. The events of today were not a part of my plan in the least.”

He sipped his tea slowly before speaking, his voice taking on his “leader tone”

“So you did have a plan, i suspected as much, watching you train, you never fail to have some hidden trick in place when you would get into a tight corner.”

“Yes, though the main plan was to simply get you four some much needed down time, i was also hoping that through the course of the week i would become closer with one of your younger brothers.”

he sipped his tea, contemplating the swirling tea leaves in the cup as his face subtly twitched through his thoughts..

“You're good for him, since you started your secret training every week, he hasn't been as prone to his usual outbursts. Something about you is almost taming him.”

“So you noticed… i haven't been doing anything to change Raphael, i've only been showing him how to deal with his own abilities. I showed him how to deal with the overwhelming influx of emotion he felt on a daily basis and over time what started as simple acts of compassion, turned into more.”

“I don't understand, you say that Raph possess some sort of supernatural sensitivity to emotion?”

the cup was on the table now, half finished.

“It's called Empathy, it's typically a rather common skill, even humans can become skilled empaths with the correct training. What you interpreted as an extremely brash and aggressive nature in Raph was simply him becoming overwhelmed by the influx of emotions he was naturally feeling from the people around him. Once i taught him to block out and deal with those ambient emotions his true self started to shine through, he really is quite a kind and caring person, he just has a skewed way of expressing that.”

“Yes, chasing mikey through the vents with threats to rip his shell off is definitely affectionate.”

“Well that explains why you fell through the ceiling, but think for a moment, has Raph ever seriously hurt any of you?”

He thought for a moment.

“Not Donnie or Mikey but he has left me with a few good cuts and bruises over the years.”

“That is mostly because you fed most of his intrusionary emotions, he was compounding your anger on top of his own. But truly think, Raphael bench presses 1000 pounds as a basic workout. If he really wanted to hurt you, don't you think he could?’

The look on leo’s face told me everything i needed to know, the young man literally wears his emotions on his face. He had never thought about Raph pulling his punches, he was only thinking of the surface emotion of his interaction with his next eldest sibling. Interpreting the words coming out of his mouth as his intention instead of looking any deeper.

“A good leader understands how his charges think.”

He nodded, eyes returning to the cup, his face so muddled with emotion that i had trouble reading him.

“I think i understand what you had meant now.”

“I didn't tell you any of this, i promised Raph that this information wouldn't get out. But i don't lie to my coven. You four are as close to me as my own brothers.”

“They aren't even your real family.”

“The blood of covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. When you've lived as many times as i have you come to realize the truth of that statement, you will as well someday.”

He stood to leave, bowing slightly in thanks before turning to go,  stopping in the door though he turned to me.

“You said you had suspicions, did that include all of us?”

“The Sylph and Salamander will wake in their own time. For now i believe your brothers may need your presence, there is a storm on the horizon.”

[elasianstar]

Becoming Human part 2

Authors Note: HEY GUYS! I know ive been gone a while, college has been hell, ive actually been working on my next several postings since August, bit by bit as inspiration hits. it may not be written the best, just give me a chance to get back into the swing of things. Thanks for reading -Jazz

“Hey Alex, yeah its Elasia. Yeah i need a little help if you're up to it? Yeah i finished a masking serum for the guys and we’re going out tonight. Even if it's just for Mikey i could use another chaperone. I can pay your way, i just need help making sure they don't get into any massive trouble. You can? Great, meet us at the lair in 10 minutes. Yeah you can bring your camera. Awesome see you then.”

“Boom!! Who’s ready to PAR-TAY!!”

To say Mikey looked interesting was an understatement, he was wearing orange striped basketball shorts, and a too big t-shirt that looked like a crazy bowling alley carpet. Finally his reddish blonde curls were pulled into a faux hawk and decorated with rainbow shutter shades.

“I personally don't think we’re ready for this, what happens if there's an attack on the city while we’re like this and we can't fight?”

“Well at least this could prove an adequate test of balance and focus under extreme motion.”

“And you look totally awesome Bro!”

Fitted dark blue jeans and a dusty grey and blue plaid shirt cuffed at the elbows gave leo a classy East meets West look when paired with his high ponytail and thin pencil bangs. All he needed was a nice belt buckle and some boots, but some sneakers borrowed from Raph’s collection would do.

Don had gone simple, his usual cargo pants tied with some cordage from the lab, fitted black tee, (where and why he had a shirt that small I don't know it didn't come from my stash of my brother’s clothes) and his usual seashell necklace.

“Now where’d Raph go?”

CRASH CLANG CHSSSSSSHHHH TUNK THUNK THOMP.

“Dude! You better not have messed up those heads! You know how long it takes to scrap a fully functioning drum kit??? And don't even get me started if you scratched my sick paint job!”

“Get off my back Mikey! I was tryin to do a back-flip off the landing and mis-judged the strength it would take to get over there. These tiny muscles won't work right.”

“You're human Raph, that means your muscles will only work at human capacity. You're still pretty damn strong but don't go trying to throw any shipping containers or jumping off high rises any time soon.”

“Yeah figured that one out already, now come get me out of this thing will ya?”

“Man not my Base!!! I almost had that tuned perfectly bro!!!”

Raph was stuck legs first into the bass drum from the front, apparently having slid into Mikey’s drum set. The New York skyline painted on the decorative head ruined, much to Mikey's horror.

“I spent a week painting that!!”

“Sorry Mike, I'll help you find a new one.”

“Knock Knock! Is anyone here?”

Mikey’s eyes went as wide as saucers as his precious drum set was forgotten and he took off toward his room for me to snag his collar.

“Oh no you aren't going anywhere.”

“Let go i can't let Alex see me like this!”

“Mikey they’re a shifter, i doubt they care what you look like.”

“Doubt i care what who looks like? This adorable redhead you’ve got hanging by his collar?”

“Alleycat!! Don't look...wait, adorable?”

Gosh the blush on their cheeks was so cute.

“Yeah. can I?”

That camera never left their neck and they  were quick to get a shot before Mikey had the chance to start hamming it up.

“Too late, gotcha. Want to see Mickey?

“Come on let's give the lovebirds a minute, letem get all the sickly sweet outta their systems.”

The sound of the whining Polaroid and giggles faded to Leo and Don’s nervous chattering as Leo tried to talk Don out of this.

“Seriously D, we can't be this reckless already, i mean an amusement park? That many adrenaline fueled people in a close packed environment is just asking for trouble. We don't even know if this potion is even stable, what happens if we revert mid ride and can't escape, or if it causes a technical issue and people get hurt?”

“Leo you forget the world of mythics is a lot larger than what you're used to, there are safeguards and protocols in place in case of a critical failure. If the masking serum fails there’s a 20 minute window before the mist gives way and humans actually notice the change. That’d be more than enough time to escape. And if by some miraculous circumstance we can't manage escape there are teams that can be dispatched to tamper with the social consciousness to erase our presence to no more than urban legend. We’ll be fine, live a little.”

“Plus we will be in an entirely different state thanks to the port stones so there’s even less possibility that anything could happen if we were seen. If my calculations are correct that leaves a 10% chance of serum failure and a 0.001% chance of catastrophic circumstance, given i fully understand all the variables at play.”

Raph grabbed his elder brother’s shoulder and looked him straight in the eye, the only parts of them that were physically unchanged. He still towered over the elder, but the gap between the two had closed significantly under human restriction.

“We’ve wanted this our whole lives Leo, Don't go letting Mominardo go and fuck it up. We’re human for a night, i don't really feel like wasting that opportunity.”

…

“Welcome Back to The Midwest Boys!! The home of the most unobservant humans in America, and the central hub of mystic life. Next stop Worlds of Fun!!”

Mikey and Raph were hooping and hollering from the bed of the truck as it sped down the highway toward the tops of the roller-coasters in the distance. Hell even Leo looked like he was enjoying the feeling of the wind in his new hair as he almost stuck his head out the back passenger window, bobbing along with Donnie's techno music over the speakers. When the old dodge settled to a stop in the parking lot it was like an explosion as the four burst from the truck, taking off for the front gate with the excitement of children. People were giving them odd looks, brushed off moments later as the antics of young men.

“Guys...GUYS!! LEO, RAPH, DONNIE, MIKE! GET YOUR SCALY ASSES BACK HERE!”

Leo was the first to freeze, Don and Raph tripping over him to land flat on their faces as Mikey vaulted deftly over the pile.

“Michael…”

Oh that did it, Alex's voice was ice and it stopped Mikey in his tracks, peeking over his shoulder with a meek grin as he gave us time to catch up.

“I know you're excited, but part of appearing human is acting correctly, while running and jumping is more accepted at an amusement park you have to be courteous to the other patrons. No running or flipping over people, and no climbing any of the trees or structures unless you want to get us kicked out…”

“Now tell mom you're sorry…”

I gave Alex a dirty look, but I couldn't hold it, the 6 of us bursting into a fit of laughter. Mikey threw his arm over Alex's shoulder, playing with her matching ruddy blonde hair, and Raph grabbed my hand to pull me toward the ticket booth.

“Go on lead the way ma.”

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!!!

Well great, what now.

The security guards were waving their wand metal detectors over Leo when they started going off near his belt. Reaching in to the waistband of his jeans out came a stack of three shuriken.

“You can't bring weapons into the park son…”

When they tried to take the intricately designed weapons Leo went to reach for where his katana would usually be on his shell. Luckily Don was close enough to stop him before he got too far.

“Sorry officer, we'll take them back to the truck. Hey E, get our tickets for us k?”

He knocked Leo upside the head as they turned back for the parking lot.

“What the SHELL is wrong with you?”

While i was buying the tickets i noticed Leo and Donnie re-approaching the gate, only to get a full pat-down before they were allowed to enter, oh i love my idiots, i love my idiots…. Now people were staring…

“Lets get out of here, COME ON GUYS!”

Raph knocked leo upside the head as well when they re-joined the group, grabbing him by the hair as a low grumble rolled through his chest, both their eyes widening.

“The hell…”

“We can't churr Raph, we no longer have the equipment to create or interpret such subsonic sounds.”

“Yeah i figured that out Don, just stop being a dumb-ass Leo. Bringin weapons to a park, what the hell were you thinking?”

Leo just shouldered his way past, nose in the air.

“I don't have to explain myself to you.”

Raph moved to start a fight but i grabbed his shoulder, pulling him down to whisper in his ear.

“He's just feeling a little exposed, too many people, a strange place, you guys don't even have the protection of your shells, cut him a break.”

“COME ON, I THOUGHT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AN AMUSEMENT PARK!! LETS GO!”

Mikey took off running, jumping into a flip to snag Leo by the shoulders like he had hundreds of time before, flinging him into a flip, only to land on his ass, mikey bouncing along on his rump a few meters ahead.

“I think your center of balance is a little off Mike!”

That got the big blue grump laughing again, thanks Mikey.

Alex ran past laughing, snagging Mikey by the collar.

“Come on Mickey! Lets try the Fjord Fjarlane!! I call outer seat!!!”

Alex drug Mikey to his feet, towing the poor boy toward the first ride still limping from his less than stellar landing, Raph and Donnie taking off soon after leaving me behind with Leo.

“Hey i told Red to back off, i get that your feeling off, but it'll be fine.”

“How do you know.”

“Because i do, now you just have to trust me, do we have a deal Brother?”

I held out my hand with the spirit spiral mark on it and after a second of deliberation he met my gesture with his own.

“Come on let's go have some fun, Sis.”

By the time we had ridden the Fjord Fjarlane, the  Finnish Fling, The Scandi Scrambler, and the Viking voyager spirits were high again. Even Leo was smiling like a goof and we still had 4 sections of the park left to get through, it was going to be a good night and we were all buzzing with excitement.

“Hey hot-stuff, wanna go find a nice dark corner with me?”

The feeling of a hand gripping my hind end had me spinning, grabbing some greasy asshole’s wrist and twisting it until he was buckling under the strain before the guys could even react.

“There anything wrong babe?”

At the sight of Raphs towering form glaring down at him from over my shoulder the creep paled. Jerking to get out of my grip on his arm as i squeezed just enough to threaten breaking it.

“No i think i've got this Raphie Bear, go have fun with your brothers… I’ll take care of the trash.”

When i looked back down at the guy my eyes were golden, fangs bared, and crest raised. “You touch any woman against her will again and you'll be seeing me, and i promise they won’t find you.”

I threw him down on the ground, watching as he scrambled away backwards, knocking over a couple little kids before taking off. God damn doing that felt good.  

DING DING DING DING DING….!

When i made it back to the guys Mikey was sinking basket after basket on one of those trick carnival games. his enhanced strength and aim, though lesser in this form, were plenty to crush the hopes of the carnie running the booth’s hopes for a quick buck. Destroying the high score soon Mikey was holding a giant sea turtle plushie, using it as a puppet to tease Alex. I felt Raph’s hand on my lower back, his extra fingers held together to make it feel more like his natural form’s hands. Probably so i wouldn't freak out and break his wrist.

“Pick a prize Tweeter.”

“Raph you don't have to do that….”

“How many days can i win my girl a carnival prize without being carted off to a freak show? Now pick something E.”

I scanned over the disgustingly pastel prizes until my eyes landed on the perfect little stuffie. It was a black dragon made of faux leather with a fluffy red belly and gold wing membranes, horns, and spikes.

“That one, in the dart booth. The Dragon.” “That tiny thing, come on, give me a challenge girl.”

“You told me to pick Red.”

“Fine, let me show you how it's done.”

Handing over a dollar bill the carnie passed over 3 red darts.

“Pop three gold balloons for the dragon.”

Raph’s face scrunched up as he searched for the targets the carnie indicated.

“What’s the ploy here, those balloons are barely inflated at all! The dragon is one of the smallest prizes here, you trying to cheat me carnie?”

“You wanted a challenge big guy.”

He just gave the carnie a dirty look, weighing the dart in his hand before pinching the tip between his first two fingers, the other two tucked tightly to his palm as he stared down his target.

“Damn darts aren't even sharp.”

I ran my hands over his free arm, focusing on the balloons almost as hard as Raph was.

THUNK

One gold balloon started lazily dripping paint down the board. The carnie gave Raph a look at utter disbelief, only to be met with a smirk as Raph readied one dart in each hand.

THUNK, THUNK!

Three spots of gold paint stained the board where balloons had once hung and Raph was preening, head and shoulders thrown back, chest puffed out as he pulled me tight to his side.

“I think you owe my girl here a stuffed dragon.”

...

“I'm going to name him Lucius. He’s so cute!!”

The tiny stuffed dragon was barely 4 inches tall, just big enough to tuck in a pocket, but the stitch work on him was absolutely exquisite, gold embroidery outlining glittering scales along the tiny little body.

“Glad you like him babe.”

I was a lot more ecstatic than i thought i would be, jumping up to throw my arms around Raph’s neck and making lots of happy chirping noises as he supported my weight in his arms and pressed his forehead to my own. Our laughter mixed in a bubbly fountain mixed with chirps and low growling pseudo-churrs as he spun me around in his arms before i let go and just let myself hang upside down limply from his grip.

“Ok i'm dead, you killed me with cute fluffy romantic crud. You've gone and done it, speak of my greatness in my eulogy….”

“Get a room you two.”

Raph flipped Leo off, a self satisfied smirk at actually being able to do so pulling at his lips as i popped back upright. I stuck my own tongue out at Leo before grabbing Raph’s slightly stubbled jaw and pulling him in for a kiss. It was different but it was still completely Raphael, teeth scraping at my bottom lip before i pulled back, only for him to follow until i put a hand against his throat.

“We’re still in public babe, later i promise.”

He rolled his eyes as he let me back down, another low growl rumbling through him as he whispered in my ear.

“Fine, but don't expect me to play nice.”

His hand traveled down my back to cup my rear as we moved to catch up with the guys as they ran off toward the fury of the Nile. he started chuckling when i removed it, slipping it back a few times before i swatted him.

“Behave.”

“Make me.”

Raph, Mikey, Alex, and I squeezed together in one boat as Donnie and leo hopped in the next one only to be joined by two college girls in swimsuits cut off from their own parties. I couldn't help but grin like a proud mother as the two fumbled through trying to talk to the two bombshell beauties that had been practically dropped in their laps. It wasn't long though before i heard laughter coming from the boat behind us as we were shoved off down the artificial white water rapids.  I quickly forgot about that however as we crashed into the first bouncer and a wave of green dyed water sloshed over us and into the boat.

“EEEEEEEEE! Oh god it smells!” Mikey couldn't help but laugh, throwing an arm around Alex.

“Smells better than the waterslides back home, you don't seem to mind those babe.”

Another wave crashed over the boat, this time on Mikey’s side, plastering his poofy curls to his face and washing those god awful shutter shades into the river. The shape of the wave however… a nearly transparent water dragon leapt over the edge of the boat and slipped back below the surface. Back in the boat behind us Mizu was perched on leo’s forearm like a hawk, the two girls in the boat sporting glittering fey’s wings barely visible in the shadowy tunnel. Mikey screwed up his face and a gust of wind blew over his form before cutting a deep trough in the surface of the water, shaking the boat and making Leo fall back into the blue fairy’s lap. My eyes went gold and i could see both elemental beasts play fighting at the surface of the water. A raven’s caw stilled them both, sending them back to their masters before we exited the tunnel.

“Good going bonehead.”

A spark of flame jumped from Raph’s fingertips to bite at Mikey’s face before being extinguished in a puff of air.

“What about incognito don't you understand?”

“Have a little fun babe, no one saw us.”

I tugged on Raph’s soul and made him slap himself in the face.

“You're right, this is fun.”

“Point made, now stop that shit, its creepy.”

“Yeah, and? I'm creepy.”

“And that’s why we love you jazzy cakes.”

By sundown we had ridden every ride at the park at least 3 times. Mikey’s favorite was the Patriot roller coaster, Leo loved the detonator, and Donnie rode the cyclone sam an extra 5 times on his own after the rest of us couldn't handle it anymore.

“What did you say your favorite ride was Red?”

The lights had come on in the park with the setting sun, illuminating the one ride we hadn't tried yet, a tall spire that took swinging seats up to its top for a scenic view of the west Missouri countryside and nearby Kansas City. The pulsing lights flickered in his eyes as he watched the pairs of seats spin lazily 300 feet above our heads.

“I didn't say Tweeter. But how about we try that one out.”

Mikey had just shown up at the bench with armloads of food so Raph was able to drag me off without the others noticing. He hadn't seemed this excited all day and i couldn't help but wonder exactly what was going on in that head of his as he hoisted me up into one of the swinging seats of the steel hawk. The ride wasn't one of the most exciting yet his hand was practically vibrating as we slowly rose up into the air.

“Hey Elasia?”

“Yeah Raph?”

He turned in his seat to face me, scanning over the burning horizon as the moon peeked up over the lights of the distant city.

“Remember that dream you told me about?”

“Huh? You mean the one where peeps were taking over the world?”

He looked at me like i was the greatest treasure in the world and i found myself unable to look away as he spoke.

“No, the other one. With the raven and the phoenix doing the hawk thing you told me about.”

Before i could bring the specific dream to mind he leaned across the gap between our seats, fire burning in his eyes as he kissed me. I could see it now, two birds, talons clasped as they spun, falling from high in the air. I barely felt something stir between us before i was overtaken by the melding of our souls suspended 300 ft in the air. Fire licked across my skin, biting crackling heat that dared not burn, as molten gold peeled back the haze of mist hiding my beloved from me. God why couldn't i get any closer, i needed to get closer, to find more of this delicious adrenaline fueled heat, to have more of him.

We were jarred out of it by the jolt of the ride locking in at ground level, eyes opening in a drugged haze.

“Um Red?”

Three fingers carded through my hair before freezing in shock. Yeah we should run. “LEO CODE GREEN, CODE GREEN, MOVE MOVE MOVE!”

Who knew how long we had until the last of the mist wore off, the guys already looked like turtles to me again, luckily no one else was noticing the four giant mutants as they tore through the park toward the gates. I couldn't help but think we got back to the truck just in time, heart thundering with a new type of adrenaline as i put the pedal to the floor and we sped back to the portstone to NYC.

“WHOOOOO THAT WAS SICK!!! We gotta do that again E, tell me we’re doing that again.”

“Sure Mikey, at least we know how long the masking serum lasts now.”

“It does feel good to be a turtle again.’

“It's strange that the reverse transformation didn't hurt as badly as the initial one, just a few muscle aches.”

“That’s because its easier for structures to retain their native form than to be molded into a new one Don. Don't worry though, the transformation into human form gets easier with practice.”

It did feel good to have my boys back to normal, Mikey and Alex took off down the tunnel to do god knows what, and Leo drug Donnie off to the dojo.

“Come on Donnie, lets spar, i need to feel like myself again.”

“Sounds like a good idea Leo. You guys coming?”

It was hard to keep a straight face when i felt a familiar three-fingered hand weave through the bases of my wings along my spine, i could practically feel the evil little smirk on Raph’s face.

“N-no Donnie, We’ll catch up later.”

They both gave Raph a strange look before disappearing toward the dojo. As soon as they were gone however i turned on the red clad brute, eyes narrowing in scorn as i grabbed his mask tails to yank him down to my level.

“You are in so much trouble mister.”

“What are you going to do about it.”

By god i loved the feeling of his fire along my skin.

[elasianstar]

Tempted to stop writing the turtles with my OC Elasia Aquila.

Between world on a turtle's back and my shorts series I've written several hundreds of thousands of words and am just not getting the response I was expecting. I know my turtles are a little oc but I guess people just don't like my stuff. This doesn't mean I'll stop writing I probably will just take some time to get re acquainted with the turtles and try something else.

[elasianstar]

Reposting the last chapter of "The World on a Turtle's Back" because it is today that the chapter is set. On the night of Lithia Elasia and Raphael struck their bond, and the elemental guardian of fire woke finishing the circle and starting the Elemental turtles AU. Happy Lithia and may you find your love by firelight!!!!

The World on a Turtle’s Back  Chapter 9 (Finale)

The next day I woke to the smell of summer rain. Sending a quick message to the barn aid I decided to take a morning for myself before fixing breakfast for the guys. I pulled on my training leathers and using the side door onto the uncovered patio I jumped up onto the roof of the house. The wind was whipping in from the west, it would be more than strong enough.

Before I could act though I heard a light scraping on the edge of the shingles, a 2 fingered hand having grabbed onto the edge of the roof. Raphael was pulling himself up, his eyes looking over at me curiously.

“Thought I’d help ya with the animals again and I find ya up here. Whaddaya up to?”

“Watch.”

Keep reading

[elasianstar]

R #10 KICKING ASS

“You know good and well i can hold my own in a battle Leo!”

The eldest brother stood his ground, arms crossed across his chest as he stared unblinking down at me, Trying to intimidate me. I could practically feel my plume and feathers puffing as i bristled under his gaze.

“Really  leo? You know good and damn well she can kick your ass. Pull the stick outta your tail and just let her come on one fucking patrol!”

“I thought you were the twin Don…”

The snickering from the younger two caught my attention and i realized just how closely Raph and i were mirroring each other, even our aggressive body language was similar. But that didn't change the fact that i was still pissed off at the blue clad brother. I had been asking to go on patrol with them for a month and every time he would just throw a harsh no in my face before running off. Never giving me a chance to plead my case. I know it had caused a few fights between the eldest brothers but Leo was immovable once he had made a decision.

Smoothing my plume down and shaking out my wings i put on a calm mask, even managing a small smile, grin and bear it, thats how you move on.

“Fine i recognize you have made your concrete decision Leonardo.”

Spinning on my heel i moved to march my happy little ass to my room. But not before stopping to pat Raph’s bicep, my expression telling him to try and let it go, just wait…

Raphael’s POV

“What the everloving fuck. This is the third time Leo. When are we going to actually get to smash some heads!”

The last two robberies on the police scanner had been hit before we could even get there. We found the thugs already thoroughly beaten and hanging from the street light in both cases. This time though the criminals hadn't been so neatly packed, They were strewn across the floor of the jewelry shop they had been ransacking. There were a few bullet holes in the wall high up as if the hero had attacked from above or the thief responsible had been knocked to the ground before firing.

“You think it was spidey?”

“No Mikey he and Deadpool are in charge of the South side. They wouldn't interfere on our turf.”

Don’s scanner damn near blinded me and i shoved him away by the face, bout the only place i could touch without possibly breaking some techie shit.

“Plus I'm not getting any traces of the nylon-carbon nanotubule solution his webs are made of.”

“Daredevil then?”

couldn't help but huff at his wild accusations.

“No that lowball super micrromanages the Irish quarter. We wouldn't be crossing over with him here.”

“It doesn't matter who got them, the cops are on their way. We need to roll out.”

...

We watched the cops haul them off from a nearby rooftop.

“This is the fifth bust Joe, the tartaruga brothers are really on their toes tonight.”

“Nah Griffin, this ain't them. No, their calling card is different, they use that little squiggle symbol thing. This guy isn't leaving a sign. Gotta be new.”

“Guys! Not even the cops know what's going on, there might be a new hero in the area!”

Mikey looked so frickin excited I half expected him to bounce off to find this new mystery vigilante. Though that might not be such a bad idea, scope them out and everythin, even the other supers tended to get a bit...antsy, around freaks like us.

the static on don’s scanner was interrupted by voices and police code, he checked his holographic map a red dot popping up a few blocks from here.

“Hey Leo we got another hit, it's close. Providence and Christopher, gang activity in the old shirtwaist factory.”

“Maybe we’ll actually get to do somethin this time.”

The look fearless shot me was perfect, I was getting under his shell in all the right ways. I could practically see him steamin as we took off across the rooftops, pouring on the speed, he was going to get there first this time if it killed him.

…

When the vent popped open in the factory and we looked down everything looked fine, no gunshot holes in the wall, no tied up criminals. Looks like we got here first this time.

“We got a tag, unknown heartbeat twelve o’clock. Looks like our new buddy just got here too.”

There was a motion in the shadows of the steel girders above the gangster operation, a smooth sweeping that melted into the darkness. Something small and thin. A low humming sound started to echo through the factory, followed by a high pitched whistle that scattered the sound, making it impossible to tell the location of it's source. The gang members scrambled to find the intruders, guns pointed into the shadows as they broke guard and rank. It was the perfect moment to attack but Leo signaled us to hold back.

Apparently our little friend thought so too.

It moved down the wall like a spider, keeping an impossible grip to the imperfections in the old brick walls and industrial piping. Thin pale limbs stretching from the black shadows of the body to grab the next hold as it slunk down behind the oblivious goons. From there it slid underneath the large industrial vats filled with laundered cash and waited. The gang members were becoming more and more scattered as the piercing whistle bounced around the warehouse.

When one got to close it sprung, grabbing them by the legs and slamming their head against the ground before dragging them into its cover. It did this four or five times before moving to a new spot and repeating the process. Never once did it make itself visible, moving through shadow like an animal. It stalked them like a predator, and they were on the menu.

The remaining gang members, there must have been maybe six by now, were starting to get paranoid. A few poc shots ricocheted off of cast iron and brick, cautious of the shadows. The creatures trick wouldn't work this time.

The humming and whistling stopped and the warehouse fell silent except for the heavy breaths of the survivors. Gun barrels whipped around the room, eyes wide and searching in the low light.

A laugh exploded through the silence, an animalistic sound laced with insanity. The surviving gang members cowered as the shadows grew and took shape on the far wall. Long, spidery grasping arms, a heavy form with curling horns and a thrashing tail,  long jaws filled with dripping teeth. A torrent of gunfire burst toward the form and the creator of the shadow used the sound and the sparking of the shots as cover to attack.

In the flashing of gunfire I was only able to make out pieces of action. Pale skin as strong slender arms wrapped around a throat and squeezed. Sweeps of shadow accompanied by the thud and squish of fists hitting flesh. The spark of steel as it sliced shallowly to incapacitate someone much bigger than them.

Glowing gold eyes.

The attack was swift and the attacker soundless, leaving the gang members strewn in bruised and bloody heaps. Those golden eyes shot to the ceiling from the shadows toward our position and in a second they were gone again. Melding into the night as if they were made of darkness, disappearing.

“Holy shit, what was that thing! It didn't just take them down, it was like it was hunting them!”

“I’m not sure I didn't get a good look, Donnie did your feed catch anything?”

“No, but scans show that a few of the gang members are down a few cups of blood. Other than that they're relatively unharmed”

“We have to try and catch up with them, come on!!!”

“according to the scanners the police are already en-route. These guys aren't going anywhere any time soon.”

“Come on then! Let's go try and catch them!”

Mikey took off, swinging up through the steel girders and scrambling back through the vents before anyone could snag him. This was definitely going to be interesting to say the least.

“Keep on his tail but stay vigilant, weapons at the ready.”

With a swift nod I followed Don into the vents, keeping guard at the rear in case that thing decided to come out of the shadows again. I was cautious, but something was telling me we had nothing to fear. I didn't trust it, my hand on my sai anyway.

Back on the roof Mikey was anxiously scanning the skyline for any sign of the new vigilante. A shifting shadow, a sound, anything that would give away their position.

“Aww come on! They couldn't have gotten far! Donnie, are you getting anything on the scanners? Maybe we can find them at the next bust.”

“No Mikey the sun is going to be up in under an hour, we’re going back. Maybe next time.”

The sound of shifting stone caught our attention. In a small patch of shadow behind the air conditioning units, three o’clock. My sai clutched tightly in my hands I prepared for a fight, my brother’s shells at my back as we watched the shadows. Something small was crouched there, it was completely hidden in the darkness, but I could feel it move as it breathed. My barbels were pricking slightly under my chin with each silent breath.

“Dude we aren't gonna hurt you, we just wanna talk. You're super stealthy bro, you gotta show us some moves!”

The shape grew, back pulsing with each breath as claws scraped across the loose stone of the tar roof. A low growling from the creature had our formation tightening.

Except that wasn't growling, this thing was churring, or trying too. Gold eyes flashed too low on the creature to be anatomically correct.

“Come on babe, it isn't funny anymore, time to show yerself.”

The shadow seemed to disappear, but only if you thought that what you were looking at was really that big. The sharp snap of the steel heels of her boots was the only sound as she revealed herself, Gold eyes burning like stars until the light touched the edge of her face. Her head was thrown back in pride, eyes never leaving Leo as that smug grin showed off her fangs. she was preening, and he knew it.

“Really Red, I had a jumpscare planned and everything. Party pooper…”

“Gonna take more than that to get past me babe, I knew it was you as soon as I saw those eyes of yours.”

The grin on her face seemed to literally twinkle, her eyes shifting from green to gold as she blinked, getting as up in Leo's face as she could at 5′4″.

“Can't handle myself huh? Have to protect me huh? Who just took down several armed assailants single handedly?”

“Yeah totally jazzycakes! You were a living shadow, you might not be a ninja but you got skillz gurl! High three… high three...total props.”

Leo’s glare had Mikey drawing back into formation eyes on the floor and fists balled.

“Though you showed promise my decision still stands.”

Elasia mimed polishing her talons leaning against the air conditioning unit as if she were bored.

“And I acknowledge your decision, but due to the fact that it was a stupid ass decision I have elected to ignore it.”

She flicked something across the roof and turned to look old fearless in the eye. I felt a little proud, she was under half his mass and she still stared him down like she could knock his dick in the dirt. Her whole body was coiled and her plume was puffing with her breath, feisty little viper.

“ I'm not one of your soldiers Leonardo. I'll help even if I have to tag along from afar. I'm sick of waiting around while you guys protect the city! Every night I cook and clean and doctor out of the goodness of my heart while I sit in the lair wondering if you four will even come home, I'm sick of it!”

The sound of her talons scraping against his plastron was the only noise as she shoved him. Her calm and arrogant mask had near completely fell as she forced herself to speak that last statement out loud.

“You four put yourselves at risk every night and expect me to just sit back and be fucking fine with it? Well guess what Leo, I might be bonded with Raphael but you guys are my family too. If any of you are gonna die I'm gonna be right there too whether you like it or not! I just found you guys, i’m not waiting a whole lifetime to see you again if you do something stupid. So you can say I'm not going on patrol as much as you want but as long as I'm in New York I'm going to watch your backs!”

Her eyes just stared up at him in silence, brimming with tears from her emotional supernova. Leo wasn't moving on this.

“Elasia, maybe there is something else you could do, I could always use help designing gadgetry. That has saved our shells on numerous occasions.”

“Yeah, that and you're always helping us hone our skills! Look I can already make whirlwinds!”

A loose wrapper blew in a few circles around mikey's feet before rolling away on an actual breeze. A hint of happiness and pride sparked across her face but Leo froze it over again.

“The sun is rising, let's go team.”

Leo leapt from the building without looking back, Mikey and Don were right on his tail but they kept glancing back, apologetic looks on their faces. God Leo needed his face pounded into the concrete. Elasia just watched them go, her face taking back it's usual mask.

“Babe…”

“Red don't… I just, don't want to hear it right now.”

Her eyes were on the brightening sky, her shoulders slumped in defeat as she chewed her lips. I could tell her mind was racing into places she didn't want it to go. But I also knew talking about it would only make her “mental train keep going down that track.” Her words not mine.

Instead I put my hand on her hip, pulling her close until her wings brushed my chest. Her wings were so freaking soft I wanted to bury myself in them and just hibernate for a month, but I also knew they were delicate and didn't want to damage the feathers. or invite her to make me spend another several hours helping her preen like after Mikey and I got her with the whipped cream bomb. It was 100% meant for Donnie I swear…

After a while of just holdin her she began to rock gently back and forth, dancing to a song I couldn't hear as I swayed with her. I couldn't help but nuzzle my face into her spiky hair, her feint flowery scent mixed with sweat dust and blood. I remembered watching the attack in the factory and seeing the aftermath of every battle I hadn't seen and something in me swelled with pride. My girl, beautiful and deadly as hell.

“So proud of you babygirl, you kicked some serious ass tonight.”

I felt her laugh more than I heard it. She looked up at me and I felt those soft lips on the underside of my chin.

“Did you ever doubt I could?”

I held her a bit closer as she wiggled deeper into my arms.

“Never, just wish I'd been there to see all of it, to help you out.”

“Babe nothin taking me down short of a direct shot to the head, and that ain't gonna…. Well shit.”

She stilled against me and her hands flew up to smack against her forehead. Common body language when she believed she'd made a fool or ass out of herself.

“What's wrong?”

“It was never about me.”

The questioning sound was caught in my throat when she pushed off of me in favor of frantically pacing the roof. Her hands were carding through her hair as her gaze shifted from the ground to the lightening sky and back.

“It was never really about whether I was good enough or about protecting me! Leo knows I can handle myself in battle, he never denied that. This was about you!!”

The way she looked at me was like she had just solved the world's hardest puzzle. And I was a bit confused, but that isn't uncommon around her, or Don.

“Yeah I can handle myself, even if I am hurt my soul energy will patch up any injury to my vessel pretty quickly. What Leo was so worried about was you Raph. He's afraid that should worse come to worst you would drop your guard to get to me, to protect me. He knows how to use your protective instinct amongst the four of you but I'm a variable.”

Her hands were gesturing through the air like crazy and she was talking pretty fast but I think I heard most of that.

“I think he fears that you would feel more compelled to protect me than your brothers! But that's ridiculous, if I needed protecting I wouldn't be so adamant about helping. And if worse came to worst… there's always the next time around. Death doesn't mean the same thing to an elemental, yeah it's painful and it sucks and the first few years of the next life are always awkward. But it isn't the end, there's no need to get all bent out of shape about one round ending a little earlier than expected!”

The look on my face stopped her, I couldn't breath all of a sudden… her head cocked to the side like a confused puppy before her eyes widened in realization.

“But you would wouldn't you. If I were to fall you'd break for me…”

“Mother moon why am I so stupid! You and your brothers, you're elementals but you haven't had a rekindling yet. Your minds are still hardwired to relate death to the endgame. No matter how things would really work you would see me as gone if I fell, you would still feel compelled to mourn me as if I were gone forever…”

Her arms were around my neck in an instant, gentle cooing sounds breaking me out of suspension as her hands smoothed over my neck and scalp. Was it dusty out here?

“How could I be so blind?”

“yer Stubborn and emotional babe. I get it.”

There was that silent laugh again.

“Yeah I guess we aren't that different. But Raphael…?”

ok this was serious… she almost never uses my full name anymore.

“Hm?”

Her grip on my tightened and she borrowed her face into the crook of my neck.

“If something, theoretically, did happen...You promise me you won't mourn too hard will ya? I mean we'll always see each other again.”

I didn't respond at first, looking down at the triangular mark on my wrist, this strange new energy that's taken hold in my brothers’ and my life. This new world that opened to us thanks to her. I still didn't understand most of it.

“I don't know if I can promise that Myojo, but I’ll try.”

I felt her nod against my neck before she let me go. Her eyes were on the sun as it sat on the edge of the skyline, my finger grasped tightly in her small pale hand.

“I guess that will have to do. Come on Red, the sun is almost up and I owe Leo an apology.”

[elasianstar]

R #5  Guitar hero

“every time Pandora comes my way I get high Can't explain the sensation To get it on I gotta watch what I say Or I'll catch hell From the women's liberation Sweet Pandora Good-like aura Smell like a flora Open up your door-a for me Sweet Pandora Good-like aura Smell like a flora Open up your door-a for me Sweet Pandora Mama crack a smile for me Just for me, just for me Just for me, just for me Just for me, just for me Just for me…”

My fingers flew across the struts as fast as I could manage, slipping from the controls from time to time and causing my multiplier score to plummet. Mikey was backing me up on the drum kit but the relative unresponsiveness of the old ps2 guitar hero kit was making things difficult for him as well.

“Now I ain't what You'd call a city slicker Or claim to fame To be a slitty licker But every time Pandora comes my way I get high Can't explain the sensation To get it on I gotta watch what I say Or I'll catch hell From the women's liberation Sweet Pandora Good-like aura Smell like a flora Open up your door-a for me Sweet Pandora Good-like aura Smell like a flora Open up your door-a for me Sweet Pandora Mama crack a smile for me Just for me, just for me Just for me, just for me Just for me, just for me Just for me, just for me”

“Oh yeah Booyahkasha! 90% on hard, gimmie that high three sista!!”

“Coulda done better, my stupid fingers kept slipping from position. But sure, good job Mikey.”

“Ah come on Angel, live a little,  you and Leo can be such snobby perfectionists. Learn to kick back and chill with the music.”

“I mean it was pretty pathetic, Pandora’s box isn't that difficult of a song.”

Turning on my toe I propped the plastic guitar on my hip and returned the red masked turtle’s playful smirk.

“Oh? I'd like to see you do better mister rockstar.”

Vaulting over the couch he held out his hand for the controller, flipping through the options before settling on a song.

“Psychabilly Freakout! No way man, that's the hardest song in the game!”

“I bet he couldn't do it on expert mode.”

Without a word the difficulty meter clicked to red, Raph's two giant fingers dwarfing the keypad as his breath slowed and his eyes narrowed in concentration.

“Its a Psychabilly freakout!!!”

The notes didn't start out slow, immediately a rain of colored buttons fell down the screen accompanied by a flurry of clicks from the controller. Raph's fingers didn't even ever lift from the struts, rolling across the keys or flattening out to press multiple buttons at a time as the moved almost too quickly to trace. His eyes never left the screen, ninja reaction time playing a key part in the balance of the game as well as musical skill as he seemed to anticipate the coming patterns as insane and convoluted as they were. Mikey and I just watched with wide eyes, he never seemed to miss a note and the score just kept climbing and climbing.

“WHOOOHOOO! YEAH BEAT THAT, YOU PLAYING WITH THE WOOO!”

“HOLY SHIT BRO THAT WAS SO OFF THE CHAIN! YOU KILLED IT, YOU GOTTA GIVE ME SOME TIPS RAPH PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEAAAASEEE!”

The brothers were jumping around in what I've come to recognize as their victory dance, weaving around each other, shadow boxing one another amongst whoops and hollers and plenty of high threes.

“Yeah that was pretty impressive, but I knew you could do it the whole time.”

I patted him on the chest, winking before swaying down the tunnel to the Dojo.

“I just like getting you to show of for me, Raphael…”

“Damn bro, you really impressed her. Go get her dude.”

“What nah, she’s just playin coy.”

“Dude no she was totally givin you the bedroom eyes, and that sway, it was straight out of a frickin romance novel bro. Do you ever see her actin that way around me and the guys?”

“You watchin her mikey?”

“DUDE! I would never be watchin your girl like that, in terms of shitty romance novels just consider me the que...weird, best friend. Jazz and me, we’re best gaming buds, I help her paint her claws. now go get her and stop raggin on me!”

I couldn't help but grin from where I was hiding around the corner. Mikey always had my back, I'd have to find him a new anime figure, he's been into Yuri on ice lately.

When Raph entered the Dojo I was perched on the bench press bar with my long legs crossed over each other nicely, my hands brushing lightly over steel and iron.

“You wanna show off just for me baby?”

His shoulders rolled and his neck popped as he bounced over on his toes, that sexy showoff grin making my heart flutter as he grabbed the bar from under me and hoisted me in the air.

“You devil woman, sweet Pandora.”

…

[elasianstar]

R #3 Displaying

Red really was not my color, it looked terrible against the rosy tint in my cheeks and upper arms when my skin wasn't bleached white by magic. Before I met Raph I think I owned one red garment, a red and black flannel that I'd gotten for when I'd gone to the markiplier live show last winter. I usually wore black with splashes of blues, purples, and greens. Those colors worked a lot better on me and most of my wardrobe was composed of such hues.

But the way those sharp green eyes would follow me, burning peridot tracking my motions when they were accented by bright splashes of crimson or burgundy.

Let's just say I owned a lot more red and I wore it often.

Some days it would be the light accent of red stud earrings, only visible when the longer wavy portions of my hair were brushed aside. His eyes would snap to me, training on the color like a bull after a matador. On other days it would be more obvious, a red tank top, a short scarf tied around my waist or the column of my throat, or that ever popular flannel. He would always be in a better mood on those days, not snapping at his brothers antics and irritations near as violently, a bit of a smirk or a goofy grin showing off his slightly pronounced canines. He loved it when I called him my snapping turtle. 

Those days would usually end in us disappearing for a few hours to cuddle and kiss off in a tunnel or out on a rooftop somewhere, his hands wandering a bit more than usual, pushing his self set ‘respectful boundaries’ in the early stages of our budding bond. When his hand smoothed over the generous curve of my ass for the first time I turned as vermilion as the low cut tank top that threatened to show off the top of my black bra. My plume fluffed almost instantaneously, my wings rubbing together and my pulse pounded in the sides of my neck as I kissed down the thick veins that ran down either side of his throat.

The low rumble of his churr had me kissing and sucking the spot where his pulse ticked at the base of his throat as those large, battle toughened hands squeezed and kneaded at the firm round of my posterior before gently smoothing over the curve and the back of my thighs. Pulling me closer before starting the pattern of strokes and pets back at the back of my head and down my wings to grab at the tender flesh again. My own hands smoothed over the chest and stomach plates of his plastron before dancing over the tense muscles in his shoulders and up those bright slider marks I loved so much. Small chirping skenes of pleasure falling from my lips as he sucked a dark mark into the flesh above my collarbone, my whole body was warm as it pressed greedily against his cool form, begging for more. 

But too soon it ended, Raph's hands stilling against my lower back as his forehead came to rest against my own in a gesture that was slowly becoming familiar. Our breaths calmed in tandem an understanding between us that we were going to take this slow, that we wouldn't let the more animal sides of both of us sidetrack the more personal aspects of our growing relationship.

It didn't keep me from wondering what he'd do if I were to wear the little red dress with the white cotton lace fringes that I bought the other day at the market though.