TMNT Magic RP Rae/VC

Cassidy walked into the small dingy garage shop watching her friend inspect a bike that was covered in a beautiful grey wisps of magic that kept it afloat. Her friend’s hands were coated in black and it was all over her jeans and her grey t-shirt that was only used for situations like these. She stayed silent until her friend placed the bike down in a gentle motion, the kickstand coming out at last minute so that the bike could rest.

“Your magic was wasted at the school,” Cassidy said, going over to one of the tool boxes and leaning against the wall next to it. She watched as Madeline pushed her black hair out of her eyes and turned her gaze onto her friend.

“Where’s Mikey?”

Michelangelo was Cassidy’s boyfriend of a year. They went to raves together, partied like the night just won’t stop and had similar magical colors. Michelangelo wore brightly lit neon colors, practically standing out in every way while Cassidy was more modest with a trademark jean jacket, long brown wavy hair that she never tied up, and jeans and a shirt. If anything, she looked more hipster than she did raver, but that was just Madeline’s thoughts.

“Probably getting a lesson from Master Splinter.”

Madeline heard about Master Splinter a lot. He was one of the greatest magicians, able to wield shadows to effective lengths. Not many magicians were able to control an element or even know the magic to be able to do it. She smiled faintly, it was still surprising that four of the brothers had that ability. Then again, magic wasn’t just a talent.

Anyone could be a sorcerer. It just took nerve and a lot of guts.

“Well, probably a good thing.” Madeline sighed, looking at the bike. “I don’t know what the kid did to this, but he managed to jam it up pretty well. The steering’s messed up on the left side.”

“How on earth did he do that?”

“Turning on the handlebars too hard maybe.” She sighed, “It doesn’t matter, I can fix it. It’s just going to take a bit of time.”

“Do you have time for a break?” Cassidy frowned. “You don’t want to wind up being like Donny.”

Donny was Mikey’s brother. Apparently, a techno geek and one of Cassidy’s closet friends that wasn’t Madeline. “I can take a break. What are you thinking?”

“Lunch for starters. Your stomach sounds like something like a rebellion. I can hear it growling form over there.”

“I should ban you from seeing Mikey,” Madeline hummed. “You’re starting to steal a lot of his personality.”

“Stealing or borrowing? There’s a difference.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re stealing.” Madeline pretended to think about it. “You’re not married.”

Cassidy’s cheeks turned the brightest pink. “Ma-Maddie! No!”

“What?!” Madeline turned to Cassidy with a smirk. “Ypu don’t want to marry him?”

“No I-“

“So you do want to marry him.”

“Wai-“

“Relax, oh my god.” Madeline burst into laughter. “You should see your face.”

Cassidy didn’t look pretty with bright red cheeks and a flustered expression. She was gripping at her palms tightly, like she was either ready to send her magic at Madeline or to bolt for it. “Come on, before you get anymore ideas.”

They ate lunch and Cassidy insisted on coming back to the shop with Madeline. When they got back they saw a man standing in front of the shop, talking to someone on the phone.

"/Yes/ I put the right info in my phone! Do you have any idea how far I had to fucking walk here, Mikey, lugging this thing? Only to find out they're closed?! Hell if I know when they'll be back and I'm freezing! YES! If you would call your girlfriend and have her call her friend that /would/ make me happy, you little shit!"

"Or you could turn around?" Madeline called out to him. "It's not like you have eyes in back of your head now do you?"

Cassidy wasn't certain if a face-palm would work in this case, but she did it anyway. Mikey was probably laughing now if he heard.

Whipping around, billows of white air swirling around him from his breath, golden eyes landed on Madeline, "Never mind, Mikey. They're here. I'll see you at dinner." With that he hung up and stuffed his phone back in his pocket, only to run his fingers through his brown-red hair a second later. He was leaning against his hefty red and black Harley and as the girls walked closer he moved away from it, "I think the winter weather's gotten to my bike. I've no idea what's wrong, but if you could get her to at least start up I can putter her home and have my brother look at it."

"Donny's the-" Cassidy turned to Madeline who walked over to the bike and hummed. She sighed softly, knowing that she lost her friend before she even spoke.

Madeline tried to turn it on, but it didn’t give too much. The cold wouldn’t have done it to a bike already warmed. Yet, it wasn’t moving. She got off of the seat and she snapped her fingers and lifted her hand up, opening the garage part of the shop. She started tinkering and messing around, troubleshooting the most common of problems. Luckily, it was quick. “Well, good news for you, it’s just a dead battery. I can jump it enough so that you can get home, but after that you’re going to have charge the battery up and keep your bike in a warmer part of the garage. Your battery drains during cold weather.”

"You're an energy neutralizer?" Raphael said instead, watching her float her tools back to their proper place while she searched instead for her jump equipment.

“Something like that,” Madeline answered as she looked around for some jump cables. The guy wasn’t going to miss a bit of battery power. She had extra chargers if she needed it. “I’m more or less adapt to blocking people out rather than letting them in. I think that’s why my teacher’s threw me out of school.”

“They threw her out because she was mouthy.” Cassidy explain from the side, “She didn’t like the rules all that much. Tried to expand on her magic without their say so.”

"I hated that, too, like when they tell you to only read one chapter and you've finally hit a spot in the book that actually isn't boring. I'm not much of a reader but Donny would always read ahead and complain to me about how he had to pretend he didn't," Raph grinned a bit in amusement at the memory, "You know, you look a bit familiar. What's your name again?"

"I'm Madeline. Maddie if you want, I'm not picky." Madeline located the jumper cables and walked over to Raph's bike, she flipped the hood to get at the battery and placed the cables there, then she moved to her client's bike and flipped the hood. "I hated that too. I know a lot of my schoolmates think I'm wasted here, but I like my job. It's a lot more interesting than school."

Cassidy smiled, her eyes bright. "I keep telling you that you'd like her, Raph."

"You kept saying her name and I couldn't for the life of me remember who you were talking about even though she sounded familiar. I /do/ remember you now I have a face to go with the name," Raph told her, relaxing when he heard his motorcycle roar back to life, "We were in the same classes together."

Madeline thought about it for a moment, were they in the same class? "What's your name?" She asked, looking at him with squinted eyes and a wrinkled nose, trying really hard to place who he was.

"Raphael...Hamato. Second oldest of four brothers. Usually fighting with my elder bro, Leo," Raph shrugged, "I tend to be the butt of Mikey's jokes and Donny's the only one I legitimately get along with."

"Wait weren't you the guy who started laughing when I slapped a guy rather than punched him because he was trying to get me to do his homework for him at a price?" Madeline frowned, "Or was that Mikey?"

"I'm still, to this day, shocked you didn't punch the bastard." Cassidy shook her head from side to side like a disappointed sister.

"I started laughing because I /did/ expect you to punch him and the shock factor got me. Then again I thought slapping was something Cassidy would do, but she ended up punching some jock in senior year," Raph cracked a smirk.

Cassidy's cheeks turned bright. "Oh I forgot about that. Mikey and Don had to pull me away."

"I heard about it," Madeline smiled bright. "Good. I hate being predictable. It makes my skin itch. Your bike's alright now. It has enough juice to get you home and probably out for an emergency trip. But yeah really keep a charge on it."

"I'll do that, thanks. I was shopping for some of Mikey's art supplies and comics when it went down," he held up the shopping bag, "I hope the ink I got is alright and didn't gel up or anything. I put those in my pockets just in case."

"You should try a warming spell." Madeline leaned against her client's bike, easily balancing on it. "I hear it works wonders."

"Duh, I didn't think about that," Raph rolled his eyes at himself, but he got closer to his bike and crowded her space, "How much do you want for your time? Or can I pay you back by coming to help out? Unless this isn't your shop?"

Cassidy quietly slipped her phone out of her pocket and quickly typed out a: R&M=L??? to him and slipped it back while Madeline was trying to figure out how her mouth worked again.

"Um. Well. It is my shop." Madeline said slowly. "It's just a charge of a battery, so I normally do those for free. But if you're going to insist...you can help me out if you want. I wouldn't mind."

Cass got a buzz not a minute later: wut omg no way? pics!

"Awesome," Raph pulled out his phone and pulled up the contact list, then handed it to her, "I know where this place is now, but this'll be best if you get totally swamped and need an extra pair of hands. I mentioned Donny fixing my bike, but he built it from the ground up so that's the only reason."

Madeline thought about it for a moment before entering her contact information in and handed it back. Cassidy discretely took a pic and quickly sent it to Mike: Tell me if I'm seeing things. Have Donnie double check. Or Leo.

"I guess I'll see you around, thank you again. Cassi, you still going hang with Mikey later?" Raph asked as he pulled away from Madeline and rolled his bike towards the garage entrance, swinging is leg over and situating himself, getting ready to ride out.

"Yeah I am." Cassidy grinned. "If he's not too busy with you." Her smile widened at his confused expression and she shooed him off. "Go before your juice runs out again."

Just as he left Cass got another text: He's totally trying to flirt with her! Leo's better at body language but Donny totally agrees! : 3

"Who on earth are you texting?" Madeline stared at her friend as Cassidy giggled like mad.

"No one!" Cassidy slipped her phone into her pocket. "You know, Raph just reminded me, I have to go. See you!"

"Wait! Get back-....Jesus fucking Christ I hate it when you super speed...." Madeline groaned, watching her friend disappear.

~*~

The day came and went, the other client coming to grab their bike and leaving Maddie alone with her shop. It wasn't like she never had things to do. After all, she had to balance the book and log her clients, times it took to handle everything, among other things. It was hard by herself, but she was managing. She wasn't well known, anyway, in the boonies of New York, her shop hidden in some nook and a lot of the time it was an emergency stop rather than a full blown repair place.

So when a woman in her mid-twenties walked in wearing a cream colored sweater with a loose rolled neck and tan vest, black jeggings disappearing into black heeled ankle boots, she looked very out of place. "Hey, kiddo, are you here?" she called just like any old friend would.

"In here." Madeline called from another part of the garage. She snapped her fingers and the register opened so she could put the money in and started writing something on a notebook. "Not a kid." She continued belatedly.

"We talked about this," the woman with firetruck red hair removed her sunglasses and laughed softly, "You call me a kid I call you a kid back," she got to the counter and leaned against it, "How have you been doing? It's pretty dead in here today, so what are you up to?"

"Nothing really." Madeline shrugged as she finished the paperwork that she needed. She waved her hand with a flourish and watched as her books neatly went back together, pencils back into their small cubby and her chair pushed in. She probably used her magic too freely, but at the same time, she didn't care. "I had an offer for hired help should things get swamped. I didn't have the heart to tell him that it was wasted effort. At least, not till emergencies start piling up." She sighed softly. "Coffee, Andrea? Lots of cream?"

Andrea pawed at her cheek, "Mreow! Lots of cream, you remember what I like!" She giggled and motioned for her to lead the way to her living space behind the shop, "It's not wasted effort if he's good at what he does. You'll have to call him in on a day you're feeling lazy, even if it's really not that busy, to see what he can do. He probably doesn't know how much you really use your magic to help you out."

"Considering that I dropped out, I think people think that I'm a no magic type of person." Madeline smiled as she walked away from the garage and into the next portion of the house. Unlike a lot of places, it was small. Severely small. The living room could only fit one couch and coffee table without making it look crowded and the kitchen had a stove, a bar counter that was obviously the dining room with a couple of stools and a sink that was cleaned. She waved her hand and the coffee pot opened, a spoon dipped into a large glass container filled with coffee grounds and measured out a few spoonfuls. Another wave of her hand, and the coffee pot went over to the water, which was turned on and warmed already, before gliding back and pouring it into its' designated spot. Once coffee was turned on, Madeline brought down two mugs, the only thing she didn't do with magic and set it on the bar counter. "What about you?"

"You know, I notice your magic is a bit of a lighter grey than what I remember. Something good happen? Is it that guy?" Andrea teased, leaning back in the couch after taking off her coat and folding it over the back, "My dance classes are going rather well. I always get a boom in business closer to Christmas and New Years because of the parties people want to hold and such. I've got the day off today and tomorrow, though, so I'm going to probably take my painting supplies and go do a few winter 'scapes at the park."

"He knew me at school," Madeline wasn't ashamed of that. "He..um...was there when I slapped a guy for the first time rather than punched. Thought it was really funny." She rubbed her lips together nervously for a moment before shrugging. "People would want those winter pictures. Holidays are the season for love and giving and all that stuff Cassidy's into."

Andrea grinned, "I hope so. I have to mail off some prints and things from my website as well, but besides that things are going alright for me. Are you alright surviving on your warming spells right now? You're pretty stubborn but I can spare a bit for a new space heater or just a new blanket, maybe some new work gloves? Early Christmas gifts and whatnot."

If there was one thing in the world Madeline hated, it was this. Cassidy just merely dropped things off and "forgot" them. But money was hard, and harder that Madeline wasn't well known. Magic could only get one so far. She was just thankful that all she had to worry about was utilities on this place. She had to swallow her tongue at some point, it wasn't like she could ditch here and live at Cassidy's for the winter. Not when her and Mikey were so close to moving in with one another, if not this winter then soon. "Space heater." She said, gritting her teeth painfully as she admitted this. "I'm paying you back when I can."

"Oh, pfffft, It's not like I'm paying your rent for you," Andrea waved her hand, "You don't ever pay me back or gifts. I'm happy knowing that you're alive, I really am. You've been through a lot, kiddo, I got your back," she gave her a thumbs up, "By the way, it sounds like you may be on to something if that guy knew you from school, as long as he wasn't one of the ones who gave you trouble. Might be fun to reminisce and see what else he remembers."

"Does anyone want to remember what happened in high school?" Madeline questioned as the coffee machine beeped. Sighing, she got up and took the empty mugs with her so that she could fill it with coffee. She waved her hand towards the fridge to get the cream and guided it over to Andrea. She brought the coffee mugs over and set one in front of her while cuddling with the other. "Think I'd rather want to know him as a person. Though I think I'm talking to a pot and kettle here, I'm not an open book sometimes."

"Not really, no," Andrea shrugged, "Speaking of, talk to me about something else! It's been a while since we last saw each other! How's Cassidy doing? She and Mikey living together yet? I really should meet them sometime I swear, you talk so fondly about them and about how they really should be married and have cute babies by now."

Madeline groaned, setting the coffee cup on the table and rubbing her face with her hands. "Not yet, I think they're planning on finding a home. I wouldn't doubt that Mikey's planning on moving in and doing the proposal at the same time. He'd do it in an overdramatic way too, and enduring. Though that baby comment. Not yet. I don't want Cassidy growing up yet. She's a /kid/ and so is /Mikey/ oh my god, they'd break a child."

"They'd break a child..." Andrea drawled her echo, "Nice. I love the way you put that. Alright, sure, but totally married. High school sweethearts you told me once? So they've been friends longer than they've been together. So you know, it's about time. Christmas and New Years is the most popular time to propose, along with Valentines. The question is, will he go for /overly/ sparkly dramatic or will he go for sickeningly sweet and romantic dramatic?"

"Why are you tormenting me? Is it because I refuse to be set up by your blind dates?" Madeline demanded as she took her coffee and sipped at it. "I don't care how he proposes to her so long as he does it /nicely/ and not in a way that'll force her to say yes. That's all I care about there. As well as what she wants with the wedding. Like her flower crown that I know she's dying to wear and I know Mikey doesn't have any shame what so ever and will probably more than likely wear a twin."

"He would. They'd go for a spring or summer wedding just so they can have it outdoors," Andrea nodded firmly, sipping her coffee that could be questioned about whether or not it really was after how much creamer she used. It was a good thing she didn't come over very often or Maddie wouldn't have any sugar either. "I'm glad to hear they are going good for themselves. They sound like they deserve it."

"I agree." Madeline nodded, smiling softly. "They're good, kind people. Not enough like them." She sighed softly and looked at Andrea. "I should just buy flavored coffee milk instead of just making you coffee and watching you dump all that creamer in it."

All Andrea did was grin at Maddie and take another sip while staring at her, her hazel eyes dancing.

~*~

Cassidy was never more glad that she learned that speed spell until now. Madeline was fast, she had been on the volleyball team and nearly made it to the track team years and years ago once a upon a time. The spell only lasted for ten minutes, but it was enough of a head start. However, it meant that she had to wait at the small cafe for a bit longer as a hindsight. It didn't matter. She liked the clamor of the diner that they frequented, and she liked the waitresses and waiters there as well. Despite it being cheap and not so great looking, it was comfortable and the food was really good for the price. She smiled when she heard the door ring and she looked to see Mikey looking for her. She waved her hand to get his attention and beamed. "Did you see Raph come home?"

"Ah, no I didn't. I was already on my way here. We do live in a different part of the city, after all," Mikey laughed softly and he tousled her hair, "I keep telling you you should carry a brush with you in your purse! You used the speed spell again!" he snickered and sat down, "Have you ordered anything yet?"

"No waited for you." Cassidy beamed, reaching over the table so that he could hold her hand. His hands were warm, so she knew that he either had a warming spell in his pockets or was carrying a warming packet that some non-magical people liked to carry. Not everything needed to have magic, unlike what Maddie believed. "It's a shame you weren't there at the garage. Sparks were flying, I really had hoped that Raph might be "the one" you know? He might cool his temper somewhat if he had someone to rely on."

"Maybe. He chills out when Donny talks to him, anyway. He was pretty intrigued more than Leo was, really. Leo's the overly protective one, even if if he admitted that the posture Raph was in said he was interested. Leo doesn't /do/ love at first sight, the spoil sport," Mikey rolled his eyes and squeezed her hand in both of his, "How about we get some nice warm cocoa for ya? Miss Icicle Fingers."

"Coco sounds /lovely/," Cassidy sighed happily, grinning from ear to ear at the squeeze of his hands. "I don't know if it's first sight. It sounds like to me that Raph admired her since high school before she dropped." Luckily just then, a waitress came and they both ordered cocoa and Cassidy asked for whipped cream on hers. "Did you see that apartment that I was telling you about? What did you think?"

"Two bedrooms is perfect, since you can set up your youtube space in the bedroom or living room and I can deck out the other room with all my art and comic stuff," Mikey agreed, "We should still check it out in person. Pictures may say a thousand words, but they really don't do much for size and feeling unless you see it for yourself. Who knows? We may not really like the layout. I dunno, I just like options?" he winced a bit.

Cassidy nodded, "I agree, I've been trying to search and see what's out there, but I want to stay close to the city. Your brothers are here and so is Madeline. I don't want her to think I up and abandoned her for something in the suburbs." She shrugged a little, her cheeks a bit pink. "I don't want any of them to think that we're eloping."

"Is Maddie teasing you?" Mikey's eyes scrunched up with his cheesy smile, "I love you, Cassidy. Things will work out when they're meant to. That sounds /super/ spiritual and stuff, but it will. I won't leave you hangin' I promise. For now, one step at a time. There's plenty of apartments out there for us to explore."

Cassidy beamed brightly and she leaned over the table and bumped her nose with his before sitting back down, still smiling. "I guess I'm just impatient. I love you too. I know you won't leave me hanging. You're not that mean." She squeezed his hands with hers even though he was still holding onto one hand. "How was your day today?"

"Bland and boring until I came to see you," he winked at her. Just because they'd been together for forever didn't mean he had to stop making cheesy pickup lines, "Haha, Splinter-sensei made sure we did our daily routine and all before letting us go do our own thing. Donny's Tech job is going /fantastic/ and I sold another print. I'm kinda worried about Leo and Raph, though. I mean, Raph finding Maddie today was great. It's just...they've been losing purpose. Yeah we do our thing at night, but it's the same grind and we gotta be so careful. I don't think they're jealous of us, per se, but I swear I hear a little sadness in Leo's voice or see even longing in Raph's eyes. If Donny's feeling the same way I dunno, since he's so wrapped up in computer work...though that might be his coping mechanism?"

Cassidy felt her heart break. She loved his brothers and to hear them suffering like this was sad. Her shoulders slumped and her grip on Mikey's hand loosened a bit. "We met in High School." She smiled a little. "Anyone would think that a high school romance wouldn't last forever. I mean, it's rare as it comes. Leo and Raph deserve someone to care about them. They're good, lovely people, if not stubborn and pig-headed and aggressive to all hell." She mostly was talking about Raph in that last part.

She looked at Mikey sadly. "I understand the loss of purpose though. Maddie's not doing so well either. It's not jealousy of us or anything like that, but...you know her shop's not getting a lot of business. She's scared that she's going to have to shut down...and really live on the streets." She sighed softly. "I don't know how to keep her safe this winter. When I told her about our plans to find an apartment, she started to dig her heels in every time I offered her a place at my apartment. We're not moved yet or anything, I keep telling her it's just a search, but it's like...she's stubborn you know?"

"Yeah, babe, I know," Mikey murmured, "We'll see what happens. We won't let her end up on the streets. As stubborn as she is, if anything bad happens then she knows we got her back." He looked up when the waiter came back with their drinks and he gave her hand one more good squeeze before letting go, "After this, let's go for a walk through the park, mm? There was a fresh dump of snow this morning so the ground should look fresh and sparkly."

"I bet it'll look so beautiful." Cassidy squealed, happily. "Until, of course, a spontaneous snow ball fight takes place." Her eyes sparkled.

"Oooh, now wouldn't that be a tragedy," Mikey smirked right back at her.

()

Occasional swirls of yellow magic circled Andrea as she painted the scene before her. She had plenty of warming charms on so she was plenty toasty, and the snow was kind today, not falling, so her canvas and easel were safe. This one also had a drawer with it's own warming charm to keep her supplies from freezing.

Children were trying to ice skate on the frozen pond in front of her. Several were failing, but they were determined as they kept getting up and trying again. The parents were off to the side, standing close or sitting in the nearby bench and tending to the ones who wiped out and needed to be consoled. It was always a pleasure to paint children. Of course, none of their faces were included to save identity, and she'd already had one parent storm over to her only to leave apologetic.

Andrea was so focused on her project that she jumped when she heard the sound of a shutter, and looked over her shoulder to see a young woman cursing and muttering that she thought she turned the shutter off. "May I see the picture you just took?" she smiled at her. The girl hesitated, but she nodded and inched closer.

Her black hair was choppy and went to her mid-back. She wore a puffy white jacket and black pants, an outfit that would clearly cause her to disappear among the trees should she bolt for it. She also looked fairly Asian in her ethnicity. The camera she was given was quite expensive and it was well taken care of.

The picture she had taken was...gorgeous. Caught mid-flick of her brush, Andrea's breath caught in her throat. "If I gave you my e-mail information, would you send this to me when you get home?" she asked, "I love this. I would love to use it on my webpage. Would you give me your information, too, so I can credit you? You could always put it on the picture itself, as well, if you're worried."

Those dark brown eyes widened, "I...um...yes. I can do all of that." She cleared her throat and took her camera back, watching Andrea carefully as she fiddled around in her drawer for a notepad and pen. Once she was given the e-mail and the woman's name, she hesitated when writing her own, "I...dunno if I should really be doing this."

"Shy are you?" Andrea teased playfully, "Unless you're not doing photography to get recognized, then it would be a good idea to at least have your name, dear. I need your e-mail so I can make sure it doesn't end up in my junkmail."

She should've ran when she was caught. Chewing her bottom lip, she hoped she wouldn't be reprimanded. Sighing deeply, she wrote down what was required of her and held the notepad out to her.

"Sumi? Beautiful name. Come, talk to me," she waved her hand, "I need to take a break as it is."

"I...really should be going...?" Sumi fidgeted.

"Then walk away,it's that easy. I'm taking a break regardless," Andrea shrugged. She went back to her easel, cleaning up her brushes and capping her oil containers, humming to herself as she did so. She heard the snow crunching and then the creak of the bench.

"What do you want from me?" Sumi demanded, her tone defensive.

Andrea took a sideways glance at her, "What makes you think I want something other than the picture and to talk? You remind me of my acquaintance, Maddie. Stubborn and a loner. Is your magic grey?"

"What makes /you/ think I'm a magic user?" Sumi's lips pressed into a thin line. Within the next second she gasped as yellow magic swirled in front of her face.

"I can feel it, obviously. Relax," Andrea snorted, rolling her eyes, "What is your problem? What are you so stressed about?"

That made her go silent. Sumi swallowed thickly and her stomach twisted. "I'm just...worried about tonight. I have an...errand to run and I really don't want to. I never want to, but I have to."

The redhead tilted her head at her, "Advice that I was given a long time ago is to never do what you don't want to do. Unless you're okay with being miserable all your life, do what you want. You were doing that just now, weren't you? Photography, something you enjoy. I can tell in the way you captured me in that shot. Ah, by the way..." she dove into her jacket pocket and pulled out her wallet, handing Sumi a solid twenty, "Now you /have/ to send me that picture."

Sumi stared at the twenty. She couldn't...deny it, because she was being paid for the photo. Yet she really wanted to. Grumbling she put it in her pocket. "I'm going to go now." With that, she stood up.

Andrea watched her walk away and hummed softly, wondering just what that errand was supposed to be that would make her fret like that. Sumi really was similar to Madeline. Humming again, she leaned back against the bench and continued to watch the children play.

~*~

The stars were twinkling. They were a lot brighter on this winter night than Sumi was. The woman at the park...her words kept bothering her. It had been such a short conversation overall, but something about her set her on edge. Was it her bright magic? Her hair certainly had matched. She just hoped she got her stupid photo in her e-mail. That was something she'd sent off before coming here, unsure if she would actually survive the night. That was always a concern. While the brothers had refrained from killing unless necessary, especially in their early years, more and more of their soldiers were ending up with snapped necks, broken backs, cracked skulls and plenty of stab wounds. They had figured out that while they tried not to kill, that didn't mean the Foot had any qualms about it. Even she had taken a few lives in the line of duty.

However, as of late that was all it was. Duty. Shredder's actions were becoming gruesome in their own right and it was destroying Sumi. Even now, she returned her gaze to the men hauling crates into the trucks from the storage containers around them. Crates full of weapons. They were going to start a war on the streets...and all she wanted...

"Sumi..."

Sumi jumped and whirled around, holding her breath, "Karai." She greeted back.

"You are deep in thought. What is it?" Karai narrowed her eyes, "Are you doubting what we are doing?"

Sumi didn't answer, just looked back as the giant buffed man called Hun carried two crates with ease, one on each shoulder, and the sound of it was like a troll stomping it's way along the boardwalk, "They're going to be here. I'm just wondering when. They had to have followed our trail so far. Are we ready to fight them?"

"Even if we end up only having a small battle, we have taken plenty of weapons. So it doesn't matter," Karai grunted, "We could disappear as soon as they arrive if we wanted to. Tease them. Make them think they had us."

Of course. It was all a ploy, wasn't it? Sumi closed her eyes and turned around, "I am going to walk the perimeter, then." She headed off. As Andrea said, if she wanted to leave it was that easy. Really, though. Was it? No, she could never just.../walk away/. The Foot would find her, Destroy her. She didn't have the means to go under the radar and disappear.

It took a minute, but once she was far enough away she leaned against a storage crate and sighed deeply, staring out into the water now instead of the sky. It was lovely, the lights dancing off the water like starlight. "I wish I had my camera..." she muttered.

"Camera? So you're a photographer?" The shadow questioned, making her stiffen and draw her weapon. Donny watched as she cautiously looked around the crate to see if he was there. He knew that he was going to get a talking to later, but she didn't look, nor act like a Foot Solider. He knew that he was dressed intimidatingly. Purple bandanna and navy blue outfit to help the shadows blend him better. He silently moved on the roof and watched as she looked up. "Whoa, hey." He held his hands up. "Not the enemy yet. Just a friend. A...badly dressed friend."

Sumi grunted, "Yet, you say..." she fingered the hilts of her tanto blades, "Purple...so you're Donatello. We all know you're colors, whether or not we've fought you before." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes...I like photography. Not that you'd care. You'd sooner kill any of us than know our stories."

"Who told you that?" Donny asked, frowning. "We don't kill by the way. Not unless we're not given options. Which, your clan doesn't give now do they?"

"No, I admit we don't," Sumi shifted, not particularly liking the height advantage he had on her, "I've had to. Though, why are you talking to me? Shouldn't you have knocked me out by now since you don't? Or are you so confident that I won't cause a ruckus?"

"I'm not a savage." Donny blinked at her. "If it answers your question, I'm not all that confident, but I'm hoping that you won't. I also don't want to knock you out. It's been a while since I talked to someone that's not my brother or Cassidy."

"What about your other comrades? The one with the hockey mask and the redheaded tech girl?" Sumi twirled one o her tanto between her fingers, not willing to drop her guard, but...he seemed about as disinterested in fighting as she was.

"The hockey mask is more Raph's friend. April's my friend, but their busy with the upcoming wedding as well as trying to help Mikey and Cassidy get an apartment together." Donny sat down criss-crossed and looked around at the area. "Do you ever think about walking away from all of this?"

"Maybe..." Sumi narrowed her eyes as she heard shouting and clanging of weapons, "You were just trying to stall me!" She yelled as she let her magic swirl around her hands. As Andrea had guessed, it was a sad grey color. Rolling her body back she did did what could've been perceived as a 'flapping' motion with her arms, letting her blades fly from her hands and towards Donatello. He laid back to avoid and she flipped and cross her hands, twisting and twirling her arms together, causing her weapons to fly around him as he continued to try and avoid her attacks.

"If that's what you think stalling was, I wouldn't have talked." Donny explained as he dodged another weapon. He knew better than to go up against someone with grey magic. His magic was practically useless here. "I meant everything."

"Just what were you trying to get at, huh? That I should walk away?!" Sumi screamed at him, "It's not always that easy!" Twisting her hands again she finally got him off of the storage container he was perched on and summoned her tantos back to her hands, charging at him.

"You're right. It's not easy." Donny had to use a lot of footwork and a lot of balance to keep steady and to keep dodging at a constant rate. She was angry and disoriented and there were plenty of shots that he could've taken to end it quick, but decided not to. "But is it worth it? Life isn't meant to be spent in misery. That's only going to kill you faster."

"It's not fast /enough/!" she managed to pin him against an entirely different crate, her weapons embedded in the metal on one side of his head, the other poised in the air. She panted heavily, staring at him, and then the color drained from her face as she realized what she said.

"Come home with us." Donny said, abruptly. It broke his heart to hear this, and even though his brothers might suspect her, he knew better. "Or at the very least walk away with us."

"Donny! Shit, I gotcha!" shouted Raph's voice, and a Sai came spinning towards Sumi, cutting across her hand and she jumped back away from Donatello. He was just waiting for that, though, and she was only able to shield herself for impact as the red banded Hamato brother barreled into her. Her shriek was brief as she toppled over the edge of the platform they stood on. Reflexively she reached out towards the hand that shot out to catch her, but their fingers didn't even brush and she crashed into the icey water below.

~*~

She was cold but she was sweating. It was an odd feeling, really. Groaning, she moved and flt pinpricks everywhere. She must've been in the same position for a long time. Hissing, she shifted a little more until she could get herself on her elbows and gasped for air. She was so hot and at the same time she wasn't. Was she on that time or something? No...She remembered going into the river. Had she been through hypothermia? Her body would be trying to regulate itself then. Was she home? A quick glance around now her vision wasn't spinning...no she wasn't. Though she did see another woman with black hair huddled under some blankets. Did she have the only heater? "You saved me?" she croaked.

Madeline looked at the girl curiously. "Considering you're not in the hospital I think that's your best bet." She told her honestly and moved the space heater that Andrea gave her towards her a little more. "Sorry. I'd take you to a hospital, but apparently you're wanted. So...not a good idea."

"You know what the symbol on my uniform means?" Sumi looked around for the said outfit. It was all folded up on top of a wicker basket that was no doubt the hamper. Since it was only wet, then this girl must've just dried it for her. She was only in her undergarments after all, so she crawled over to grab her shirt and pants before darting back to her covers. Flipping them around so she wouldn't be under all the sweat, she put her partial outfit on under the safety of the warm cocoon.

"You're a badass ninja bitch." Madeline replied as she stood up and stretched a little. "Do you want something warm to drink? Coffee? I think I might have something for coco."

"Eloquent." Sumi hummed, "Mocha? A little of both?" she requested.

"Not sure about how well it's gonna taste, but..." Madeline hummed as she walked over to the kitchen, using her magic to prepare the coffee and to grab the coca. She only grabbed the mugs without magic and set it down. While she waited for the coffee to brew, she looked at her new guest with interest. "So what made you be a ninja to begin with? Sounds like a horrible job if you ask me."

"Unlike everybody else, you don't set me on edge..." Sumi watched her carefully, "It isn't all it's cracked up to be, no. Death, blood and shadows are your life. I didn't /want/ to be, before you get the wrong idea. I was brought into it."

"Sucks." Madeline watched the coffee pot for a while and she waved her hand again towards one of the drawers and a loaf of bread came out along with a couple of plates. Once the toast was in the toaster, she flourished her hand again and let it all go back to place. "Well. They probably think you're dead now. Might want to get a haircut and change your name unless you have an urge to go back there. I mean, I'm not gonna tell you what to do."

"I could survive without the rest of my things, but...they have my camera and laptop. Besides, they know I wouldn't die that easy," sighing she leaned forward, bringing her legs up, "I'm Sumi."

"I'm not telling you my name." Madeline tapped her head a few times. "I know better." The coffee machine beeped as well as the toaster going off. Once more she flicked her wrist and the kitchen moved around her while she stayed by the counter. Once the coffee/coca was made and the toast buttered and jammed up and everything placed away, she carried the mug and tray over to Sumi, but skitted away quickly so that Sumi couldn't do anything like hurt her and grabbed her own things. She wasn't cruel to keep her distance forever, but she didn't sit down on the only couch that she had, happily sitting on the floor. "So am I walking you out the door once your clothes are warm or am I hiding you?"

Sumi looked out the window and sighed at the sun peeking over the city buildings that surrounded them, "I will leave once I've finished what you've given me. I don't want to cause you trouble. You're a civilian, so the only way you can know what I am is because you know the brothers. That could be problematic and you don't deserve it."

Madeline raised an eyebrow up. "Kid I could make an argument that you're trouble already. I could demand you to stay and work off being an annoyance. I'm not dumb. I know exactly what I'm hiding you against if you take my offer. You shouldn't assume whose a civilian and whose not just by a sentence. Fast way to get killed."

What she said to Donatello ringed in her ears and she sighed, "No. I'll leave, and I'll repay you somehow another day. Thank you," she sipped at her mocha, allowing the conversation to drop. She was grateful, she really was. She couldn't sit back and take up space with a woman who obviously could barely support herself let alone two people.

~*~

When Raph walked into her shop, she was immensely grateful and she was exasperated. "You too huh?" Something must have had happened during the fight. She was a little disappointed in Sumi for leaving, but like she told her. She wasn't about to dictate what her life was going to be. She had enough of that already. "I have five clients," she decided to drop the subject when Raph gave her a look. Yes him too. "Normally I would've asked to show me what you can do but...I'm in a jam." She was only one mechanic and even though she did use her magic to help her fix the bikes, her attention had to be on one bike at a time. Two of the three would be leaving in anger that she wasn't getting their bikes done. "If you can work on one and I work on one, we can probably get this to work."

"Alright, let's see what our priorities are," Raph agreed, following Madeline around her shop, seeing where she put a lot of her tools before they went and figured out what car or bike to work on next. Raph's magic wasn't dispelled my Madeline's and he was able to summon things and get things to work nearly seamlessly within the hour. When he worked, he became very focused, though he did joke around with some of the clients that hung around to watch their vehicles be worked on while Maddie was fairly quiet, zoned in on what she was doing.

They both did their best to get things done as fast as possible, but after the first five rolled out more kept coming in. It was getting on seven when they were finally able to shut down and clean up.

"Phew," Raph laughed a bit breathlessly as he collapsed onto her couch, watching as she made coffee, "Man, what a day! Beats going to the gym anytime," he grinned, "Even though you got that sink out there my hands are still a mess!"

"Yeah. Oil stains." Madeline said with a small smile as she started the coffee. She let her magic do most of the work, once more only handling the mugs. Mentally her mind was a thousand miles away, doing bookkeeping, how many hours Raph worked with her and what she should pay him. She knew that her funds were tight, and hiring another hand was going to drain so much of her resources, but she knew better than to consider this as charity or help.

He deserved that pay. "You looked upset. Earlier." She was bad at this. This was why Cassidy was around, why Andrea kept her company. "Did you -um- get into a fight or... something?"

Raph snickered and shook his head, "You don't talk to people much I noticed. All business with the customers," he leaned forward, draping his arms over his knees, "Donny got in trouble with our dad, and he was giving me the cold shoulder because I fucked up and misinterpreted something. I kinda don't want to go back home, but I gotta face the music sometime, eh?"

Madeline wondered what it was that he misinterpreted. She winced a little when he pointed out that she didn't talk to people. It was true, Cassidy, Mikey, and Andrea were the only people she talked to normally. She wasn't sure where that put Sumi. Oh speaking of which. "I had a Foot Ninja stay last night. She fell in a river, Mikey texted me all dramatically and told me that if I was nearby if I could save her or do something heroic. Things I don't do. She has a lot of issues. She's a bad reminder, but...not a horrible person."

"Wait you /what/?!" Raph stood up swiftly, "She was here? That...I didn't know you knew anything about the Foot. Yeah, I saw her in a position where I thought she was going to hurt Donny and I attacked her, made her fall into the river. Donny tried to catch her, but wasn't fast enough. He's been super upset with me," he explained his situation in full, "Shit, now I don't know if I should tell him she's okay? He might go looking for her...you said she left? Think she went back to them?"

"More than likely." Madeline watched him swear again and pull at his hair. She scratched her neck and looked away for a moment. "I'm not good with advice, that's Andrea's job." She said hesitantly. "I -um- wouldn't go after her and I wouldn't tell Donny. He'd -ah- make her feel threatened. She has to decide for herself. Otherwise -um- you're not much better than the Foot." She sighed after a moment. "I know the Foot. She liked to think that I didn't know anything. Called me a civilian. I didn't give her my name. So I'm safe for now."

"That's...that's good, at least," Raph seemed to relax a bit, "I gotta agree with what yer sayin', though..." he sighed deeply, "Just, let me know if she comes back? Or message Cassidy since she knows. I want to keep an eye out, is all. Donny was...really super upset, even before Splinter talked to him. I have to ask, how...do you know about the Foot?"

Madeline sighed as she waved her hand and the coffee pot floated over towards the mugs. She grabbed the pot from mid air and poured them coffee and sent it back to the holder. "I tangled with them before. I dropped out of school and in my shame ran away from home. They thought I was easy prey and realized very quickly that I was...not. Then I started pissing them off. Was someone in danger? I hide them. Was someone getting chased? Easily distracted. There were times I was in on the wrong territory, but they couldn't fight me. Turns out the only people who can fight a grey magic user with magic is a grey magic user. Besides a white magic user but those are hospital people and healers and I'm not fighting someone who knows where to stick a needle and make it count. No way."

Raph laughed at that last bit and clapped her on the shoulder, "I getcha. What about black magic? Or is that just...out of the question entirely?" he asked and went to sit back down on the couch, "Sumi...Donny said she was a grey magic user. I would wonder what would happen if you two went against each other." He tapped his chin, "So...what's the strangest magic color you've ever seen?"

Madeline banged her head on the table, surprising him. "I let a grey magic user into my home. I let someone who could have the means to /kill me/ into my home. I am so fucking glad I didn't let her know my name and I hope to god she changes sides. Fuck. Okay." She picked her head back up. "Yes, black magic too. Grey, white and black are the only ones that can fight against a grey magic user. Everyone else is free game." She paused in thought. "I think the weirdest color I ever seen was pink. Cassidy's pink magic in fact. Her pink magic is so fucking bright. I think hers and brown are the rarest. Maybe green. Possibly green magic might be pretty rare now that I think about it. I haven't seen someone use green yet."

"I don't...think Sumi would've hurt you, with the way Donny talked about her and all, but it was a good idea to be cautious," Raph hummed as he watched her, drinking his coffee with just a bit of sugar added to it instead of creamer, "I don't know anyone with green, either. My dad uses brown, though. I've seen Cassidy's since she hangs with Mikey, and I completely agree with you. I asked my dad this before and he was a bit illusive about it, but do you know if magic can change color?"

"Not drastically like from green to blue, but shade wise? Yeah." Madeline summoned a small magical sphere in her hands, colored a very light snowstorm grey. "My color used to be darker, like the start of a brewing thunderstorm." She explained as she dispelled it. "Now it just looks like the storm is just about gone. Maybe soon it'll be light enough to look like it was a very cloudy day. Maybe even lighter. Or maybe it'll turn dark. Maybe, since I'm in the middle of white and black, I'll go full black. I don't know if grey magic users ever turn white. Maybe they do. Grey is the only shade that's in between white and black, which is why they can fight against grey without much resistance."

"Ya know, kids might actually learn things from you rather than the masters that blather on for ages," Raph smirked at her, taking another swig of his drink, "Man, this coffee is amazing. Where do you get it? I should bring you a bag of my favorite next time I come over to help out. I get beans instead of pre-ground and grind it myself with one of those electric ones. So much fresher that way. Donny got me into it since he's the coffee fiend. Leo drinks tea more, I'm kinda the middle ground, and Mikey only gets coffee in the morning or before a mission. Any other time it's tea only."

Madeline's cheeks turned a bright pink and she looked away. "I -uh- got it at a grocery store. There was a sale. I can't...I mean I don't have time to grind up beans." Too expensive, and even if she could afford it, the time that she would need to invest in it just wasn't something that she had. She shifted. "I should probably start calculating how much I owe you for today."

"Gimme half of whatever you figured in your head and we'll go from there, yeah? With me on call, you can take on more customers," Raph winked and stood up, "I'm willing to wait until you get a bit more revenue in, Madeline," he promised and drowned the rest of his coffee, going to the sink and rinsing it out. After setting it on the counter, not sure where her cups went, he headed for the door, "I should get home before it gets too dark. Crazier drivers come out," he chuckled. Using his body to block her view from where she sat, he drew a symbol on the wall next to the door with his red magic and as he moved he waved his hand over it to hide it, "I had fun today," he crossed his finger over his chest with a laugh, "I'll see ya around."

Madeline watched Raph leave her apartment with a slight frown. Only half? She smiled a little as she finished off her coffee and waved the cups to the sink. She was kind of thankful that he didn't say anything about her home. That he didn't look around or look at her with pity. It was nice. He was nice. Much nicer than she remembered him being.

Then again, that was probably her she was thinking of.
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