tello-oneil

[tello-oneil]

They sigh a little in relief that Blue accepted that explanation for now, and that she isn't trying to hide in the sewage water anymore. They both still desperately need a bath, though.

Not the point. They gently squeeze Blue's hand, chirping in reassurance.

Her expression melts at Raph's plea and his big puppy dog eyes. She hugs his head close, kissing her on the head.

"Of course we can baby. Of course."

Their brow furrows a bit in confusion. They click a little, tilting their head and tugging gently on Raphie's arm. They frown a little.

"I thought you said we couldn't get back, though..?"

@raphie-hamato-oneil

[A human is standing in the lairs, looking around. She seems lost]

( @gl-carol-oneil )

*She stared at the human in the lair before running off to tello (trouble went eep)*

"Stranger in lair"

@tello-oneil

[tello-oneil]

She leans back slightly from the hug, cradling Raphie's face in her hand and brushing her tears with her thumb, looking into her baby's face for a moment. She shushes the turtle gently, pressing their foreheads together.

"It's okay baby, it's okay. I'm so sorry that happened to you, but it's not your fault."

She squeezes Raphie tightly back.

"I missed you too, sweetheart... I missed you so much."

They chitter softly back to Blue, focusing on her rather than the emotions of the situation. They frown slightly, trying to think of how to explain the concept of a mom, if she doesn't know what it is already.

They chirp to Blue, waving at her before beginning to sign.

*M-O-M, or mom, is someone who takes care of you. Someone who keeps you safe, and loves you. Um... Like older siblings, but different.*

They look slightly confused, chirping slightly. They're not entirely sure how to explain it, but they're trying.

*Family. Mom is family.*

@raphie-hamato-oneil

[A human is standing in the lairs, looking around. She seems lost]

( @gl-carol-oneil )

*She stared at the human in the lair before running off to tello (trouble went eep)*

"Stranger in lair"

@tello-oneil

[tello-oneil]

She looks nervously to the source of the noise. Seeing Raphael, she makes a noise somewhere between utter relief and pure confusion. She drops the pen, catching Raphie in her arms.

"Oh, darling... Raphael..."

She squeezes her child close, shaking a little. Raphie has been missing for months. Wet, warm tears of relief roll down her cheeks as she cuddles the turtle close.

"Oh, baby... I thought we lost you..."

She continues to hold tightly onto Raphie, sweet, choking relief filling her every pore. She's okay. Her sweet baby is okay, and she's here.

They watch as Raphie runs up, smiling slightly as she reunites with Carol. Mom's been so worried about Raphie. It'll be good for both of them to have each other back, they think.

They watch Blue run up to Raphie, chirping slightly. They move closer to her, reaching out and tapping Blue's shell lightly, chirping for Blue's attention.

@raphie-hamato-oneil

[A human is standing in the lairs, looking around. She seems lost]

( @gl-carol-oneil )

*She stared at the human in the lair before running off to tello (trouble went eep)*

"Stranger in lair"

@tello-oneil

[tello-oneil]

[Raphie receives a text from Tello]

'Hey Raphie, whenever you're up would you come to the lair entrance? Mama's here, but Blue is super wary of her. Mom's got her distracted chasing the laser pointer rn.'

@raphie-hamato-oneil

[tello-oneil]

She chuckles softly, fondly watching Blue chase the dot around.

They awkwardly shift in place for a moment. Blue doesn't seem scared anymore, at least, but only because she's distracted. They wonder how long it'll be until Raphie wakes up.

They pull out their phone, pulling up Raphie's contact and shooting her a quick message. That way she'll know, whenever she wakes up.

[A human is standing in the lairs, looking around. She seems lost]

( @gl-carol-oneil )

*She stared at the human in the lair before running off to tello (trouble went eep)*

"Stranger in lair"

@tello-oneil

[tello-oneil]

She smiles, moving the pointer around for the turtle to chase. Works like a charm.

They watch Blue chase the laser dot for a moment, blinking in mild surprise. They then look to mom, if only to keep themself from wanting to chase the dot as well. They're glad to not have to make the decision on what to do right now.

*Thanks. That's blue.*

They think for a second.

*Name is B-L-U-E.*

They add to clarify.

She nods a little, still playing with the turtle, who she now knows is Blue.

[A human is standing in the lairs, looking around. She seems lost]

( @gl-carol-oneil )

*She stared at the human in the lair before running off to tello (trouble went eep)*

"Stranger in lair"

@tello-oneil

[tello-oneil]

They squirm a little, uncomfortable. They chirp quietly, glancing between Blue and mom. Blue tugs again at their hand, trying to pull them back to the lairs. Their tail twitches a bit. They hum uneasily, unsure what to do.

She watches Tello for a moment. She can't quite make out what the other turtle is signing from this angle. She tries to think how she got Donnie to interact with her before they trusted her.

She feels in her pockets, finding a pen and her phone. The phone isn't exactly helpful at the moment, but the pen... well, her kids- April included, honestly- seemed to enjoy chasing the laser pointer dot around. She's found that turtles are surprisingly similar to cats. Maybe this turtle will enjoy it, too?

It's worth a shot. She pulls out the pen, clicking the laser pointer on and pointing it by the feet of the two turtles.

They huff slightly, shifting. They glance back at mom again. She's digging in her pockets, for some reason. They turn back to Blue, flapping their free hand uneasily.

"... um... mm..."

They trail off, eyes zeroing in on a familiar red dot on the ground between them and Blue.

[A human is standing in the lairs, looking around. She seems lost]

( @gl-carol-oneil )

*She stared at the human in the lair before running off to tello (trouble went eep)*

"Stranger in lair"

@tello-oneil

[tello-oneil]

They frown a little, humming slightly as Blue hides behind them again. She grabs their hand and tugs at it, whining softly. They look back to her.

They huff a little, not sure what to do about that. They glance back to Carol, clicking slightly. How would mom handle this? Or Raphie? Or Mikey? Or even Yi?

They sigh a little, gently squeezing Blue's hand. They hope it's reassuring.

"Okay. Um... why don't you go and find Raphie?"

She winces a bit as the turtle hides behind Donnie. She hums, holding her hands up placatingly. Glancing to her child, she notices them glancing to her, unsure. She wants so badly to just go over and show the new turtle that she's not a threat, but she knows that going closer at the moment would probably signal the opposite to them. She continues watching, concerned, making herself stay put.

[A human is standing in the lairs, looking around. She seems lost]

( @gl-carol-oneil )

*She stared at the human in the lair before running off to tello (trouble went eep)*

"Stranger in lair"

@tello-oneil

[tello-oneil]

They smile a little, relieved Blue at least came out of the water. Their tail wags a little. They stand up, glad to get off the dirty sewer floor. They click a little. They're going to need a shower, too. They watch Blue.

She watches as the turtle emerges from the water. The poor thing looks awful, dirty and covered in scars. They're smaller than Donatello is. And is the poor thing branded? What kind of monster does that to a child? She feels her chest heat up in boiling hot anger. That brand proves that those scars were made on purpose. Mutant or not, a child deserves to be loved. She'd love to give whatever sick, twisted sadists are behind this child's scars a piece of her mind. Probably in the form of a fist. Or a chair.

She grits her teeth a little, careful not to let her anger show. She doesn't want to scare the poor turtle. She takes a deep breath, doing her best to push aside her rage. Whoever they are, they're not here right now. There's nothing she can do about them. However, she can do her best to be there for Tello's new friend.

She smiles softly, waving slightly to the new turtle.

"Hello sweetheart. I promise, I won't hurt you."

[A human is standing in the lairs, looking around. She seems lost]

( @gl-carol-oneil )

*She stared at the human in the lair before running off to tello (trouble went eep)*

"Stranger in lair"

@tello-oneil

[tello-oneil]

She lets Donnie escape her worrying hands, noticing their discomfort. She's confused though as they walk towards the sewage water, of all places. She's slightly less confused when they start talking to another turtle- and then more confused, because there's another mutant turtle - submerged in the water.

She stays where she is, watching quietly from a distance, though she burns to make sure Tello really is okay and find out where they've been. This new turtle seems to be a little panicked, especially with the way they're hissing, and she doesn't want to freak them out more.

They frown a little, tilting their head in thought. They hesitantly kneel down, getting a little closer to Blue. They shake their head a little.

"No, it's okay! I didn't trust her at first either, but then she saved me from being kidnapped. She's a good human, really!"

They chirp a little, shifting uncomfortably as they sit on the gross sewer floor. They try really hard not to think about it. They're doing this for Blue's sake, and by extension for Raphie's sake. They're trying really hard to trust and include Blue, for Raphie.

"And Raphie trusts her, too! You can even ask him."

[A human is standing in the lairs, looking around. She seems lost]

( @gl-carol-oneil )

*She stared at the human in the lair before running off to tello (trouble went eep)*

"Stranger in lair"

@tello-oneil

[tello-oneil]

They chirp happily, tail wagging and hands flapping, too distracted by seeing their mom to recognize Blue's distress. They smile widely, running to their mom.

"Mama! "

Relief floods through them as they hug her tightly, chirping happily. Mama's here! They'd missed her.

She catches Donnie, still a bit shocked by the situation. She holds them tight for a moment, relieved they're okay, before pulling back and checking them over for injuries.

"Tello, baby, where have you been? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

She fusses over them for a moment. They'd scared her, disappearing like that.

They click a little at the worrying, glancing back uncomfortably to where Blue was... only, Blue isn't there anymore. Their brow furrows in confusion for a moment as they scan the surroundings, until they hear whining. They look to the source of the sound, recognizing Blue partially submerged in the sewer water.

'Yuck...'

They stick their tongue out slightly in disgust, shaking their hands a little. Blue is definitely going to need a bath. They told Raphie she did! Now she definitely does!

They click a little in confusion at Blue's signs. Danger? No, it's mom!

But Blue hasn't met mom yet, has she?

They chirp reassuringly to Blue, wriggling out of their mom's hold and making their way as close to the water as they dare.

"It's okay, Blue! It's just my mom, Carol!"

They smile encouragingly, hesitantly holding out a hand.

"She's super nice. You'll love her, promise!"

[A human is standing in the lairs, looking around. She seems lost]

( @gl-carol-oneil )

*She stared at the human in the lair before running off to tello (trouble went eep)*

"Stranger in lair"

@tello-oneil

[tello-oneil]

They frown a little, tilting their head in question, but let Blue lead them to the sewers. They groan a little, very much not wanting to go into the sewers.

They're distracted by this for a second, but follow Blue's pointing after seeing her sign.

They go slack, eyes widening.

"... Mom?"

She frowns a little, continuing to look around.

She whips around in surprise, heart leaping as she hears Donatello's voice call out to her. She gasps, staring for a moment.

"Donnie? What-?"

[A human is standing in the lairs, looking around. She seems lost]

( @gl-carol-oneil )

*She stared at the human in the lair before running off to tello (trouble went eep)*

"Stranger in lair"

@tello-oneil

[tello-oneil]

Their brow furrows slightly.

"Well... yeah, there's lots of strangers in the lair."

She turns, scanning one of the offshoots of... whatever this place is. She hums slightly, an uneasy expression on her face. She could have sworn she saw movement there.

[A human is standing in the lairs, looking around. She seems lost]

( @gl-carol-oneil )

*She stared at the human in the lair before running off to tello (trouble went eep)*

"Stranger in lair"

@tello-oneil

[tello-oneil]

They chirp as Raphie squeezes them, giving a slightly awkward smile. They glance over at Blue in her hideout.

She doesn't seem so bad, now that she's not trying to murder them. They hum a bit in half-committed agreement.

@raphie-hamato-oneil

*Blue is back with yi holding her hand, she looks upset and sad*

"Sorry.."

@genius-in-training

They stir, blinking at the turtles. They look confused for just a second before comprehension crosses their expression. They rub their eyes a bit, trying to wipe the sleep from them.

They hum a bit, glancing up at Raphie before turning back to Blue.

*(It's) Fine*

They huff slightly, still looking a little hurt.

@raphie-hamato-oneil

[tello-oneil]

They chirp, smiling a bit more naturally to see how happy Raphie is. Guess this really does mean a lot to him.

They click slightly in sympathy as Blue tries to slink off. There is a lot going on right now. They give her a little wave.

@raphie-hamato-oneil

*Blue is back with yi holding her hand, she looks upset and sad*

"Sorry.."

@genius-in-training

They stir, blinking at the turtles. They look confused for just a second before comprehension crosses their expression. They rub their eyes a bit, trying to wipe the sleep from them.

They hum a bit, glancing up at Raphie before turning back to Blue.

*(It's) Fine*

They huff slightly, still looking a little hurt.

@raphie-hamato-oneil

[tello-oneil]

They stare at the brand for a moment, an odd feeling twisting a bit in their gut. They frown slightly at it, but nod and give her a smile.

*Good to meet you*

@raphie-hamato-oneil

*Blue is back with yi holding her hand, she looks upset and sad*

"Sorry.."

@genius-in-training

They stir, blinking at the turtles. They look confused for just a second before comprehension crosses their expression. They rub their eyes a bit, trying to wipe the sleep from them.

They hum a bit, glancing up at Raphie before turning back to Blue.

*(It's) Fine*

They huff slightly, still looking a little hurt.

@raphie-hamato-oneil

[tello-oneil]

They watch the interaction between Blue and Raphie. They're still not 100% sure what they think of the idea that Blue is their sibling.

They hum a bit.

"I'm Donatello, but I go by Tello. I'm Raphie's sibling." they glance at Raphie again, still a bit skeptical and confused. "So I guess... that makes me yours, too?"

@raphie-hamato-oneil

*Blue is back with yi holding her hand, she looks upset and sad*

"Sorry.."

@genius-in-training

They stir, blinking at the turtles. They look confused for just a second before comprehension crosses their expression. They rub their eyes a bit, trying to wipe the sleep from them.

They hum a bit, glancing up at Raphie before turning back to Blue.

*(It's) Fine*

They huff slightly, still looking a little hurt.

@raphie-hamato-oneil