3408/DonKai: Checking in

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DonKai: Checking in
Date of Scene: 17 September 2020
Location: Alleyways: Brooklyn
Synopsis: Donnie and Kainashi check in after Dom the Bomb's capture of the latter. Kai is concerned about Donnie's hands, Don's concerned about Kai's head and the future.
Cast of Characters: Kainashi, Donatello




Kainashi has posed:
    A quiet, overcast New York night. The weather had begun to get cooler now in September and there was the promise of rain in the air. The colors in Central Park were beginning to turn from greens and jades to the fall reds and oranges, the evergreens stubbornly refusing to change with the times.

    There was a slight breeze up on the rooftops tonight.

Donatello has posed:
    A lot of things happened in the past few days. Friends have died. Secrets have been shared. Street thugs have been bruised. Energy drinks have been emptied. And the mutant turtle known as Donatello has not slept. Some nights have been spent as his computer, working to get the Miyagi AI to be at least a little useful in its primary task: find any connections to Dominic Dominic. So far, it's just been providing the same news articles that anyone could find, as well as John Mayer lyrics. Other nights, Donatello has been sneaking out of the Sewer Lair and trying to dig up information the old fashioned, percussive sort of way. So far, nothing.

    On this evening, however, the turtle has found a small amount of nervous peace. He's perched on the top of one of the taller buildings that looks out at the foliage of the park. In his hands is a small parcel, its contents concealed with ornate wrapping paper and a bow. His hands, wrapped in the bloodied canvas straps that protect his knuckles, are shaking a touch -- likely from being fueled by an endless stream of B12 and taurine. It could also be nervousness. He takes a breath and looks up from the object in his hands, watching the leaves intermittently pluck free from their trees and take flight into the air. He takes another deep breath and lets it out.

Kainashi has posed:
    And with a soft 'hup', Kainashi appears. She's back to wearing her dark hoodie and dark jeans, but at least she seems more steady on her feet. She brushes herself off, her normal pack on her back as she straightens up and... sniffs. Sniffs the air a couple of times, and her amber eyes set on Donatello.

    "Donnie -- are you all right? I smell--" she pauses, hesitantly as she walks over to him, nose twitching. Her own wound was mostly hidden behind the hood, but it was clear to see some white gauze around her head to keep a dressing in place. She isn't shaking, but she is all right.

Donatello has posed:
    And so, Donnie's wait has come to an end. He turns his head to face the voice. His purple eye mask hangs at his neck, revealing tired, swollen eyes. Dark rings of skin form deep bags that tell the story of a turtle that seriously needs to catch up on his sleep. Unlike earlier disputes about his smell, Donatello doesn't seem too alarmed by Kai's comment.

    A number of expressions form on the turtle's features. Joy? Relief? Concern. His eyes linger on the gauze poking out from behind the confines of the hood. "Kai..." he greets, his voice still somewhat hoarse from his adventures this week. He rises to his feet and takes a couple of steps towards her.

    "I know, I know," he declares, smiling faintly. He knows the smell. "Kai...I'm so glad to see you! I've been..." Worried? Concerned? Furious?

    "..."

    He doesn't find a word for that sentence. Instead, he takes a couple more steps in her direction and takes a deep lungful of air. "...Kai, how are you? Are you okay? Is Alopex taking good care of you? Is your dressing fresh? Does it need changing? Do you have a concussion?" he asks, suddenly and quickly.

Kainashi has posed:
    Her hood moves as her ears prick forward, and Kai gives a wince at his voice. She reaches up to remove her hood, showing the gauze over the head injury, and as Donatello steps towards her, she moves towards him, and immediately looks to his hands. "I'm... I'm okay." she states quietly. "Alopex has been making sure I'm... ah... with it? SHe asked me or-ee-en-tah-ting questions over the last few days. She made sure the bandage was new before I left. An' I had a concussion. My eye-spots were two different sizes and I threw up twice on the way back to the Den." she states, with embarrassment as she rubs the back of her head. "... the truck hit me pretty hard, but I think I dented the guard rail -- what about you? Are you okay? Why is there blood? Are you injured? Did the bandages get changed recently? You weren't fighting one of your brothers were you? Did Raph hurt you? I'll hit 'im with another dumpster if he did!"

Donatello has posed:
    As Kai advances towards him, Donnie closes the gap. He stops a distance that would be slightly closer than would be used for polite conversation -- as if he's not concerned, whatsoever, about the theory of personal bubbles. Donatello's eyes study the gauze, squinting his eyes slightly. It looks good -- certainly up to his standards. He gives a nod and manages a smile. "It sounds like Alopex is doing well. Making sure that you're okay, I mean," he replies. There's a pregnant pause. "So...Alopex changed your bandage before coming? She knows you were coming to meet me?"

    But then, the subject of his own handwraps comes up. The turtle manages an embarrassed smile and shakes his head. "No," he answers. "Raphael has actually been...he's been surprisingly great. He...well...I told him what happened. And what happened." The Don the Bomb incident. And the date.

    Dodging the question about the bloodied hand wraps, Donnie glances down at them and turns his hands so that the palms are visible and the blood stains fall out of sight. This calls attention to the wrapped item and its red bow. He extends his hand towards Kai, raising it so that the wrapped trinket is at eye level. "I made you something," he explains. In his hand is a small item, about the size of a flattened tennis ball, wrapped in silver wrapping paper and tied with a red bow.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kainashi gives a sheepish grin.

    "I tell Alopex about most of the stuff. She's... she's my best friend and my mentor." she lets her ears flatten back, her tail curling slightly behind her. "... and I'm an awful liar. The tail tells." she states, reaching back and showing off the whippy red-and-white tail.

    And she pauses a moment, trying to work out the inferrance, and Kai looks a little concerned. "You... you told Raph about me... you... us?" she ventures, and she tippy-taps on her feet for a moment, nervously. "Is he going to tell the others? Your Master?" she questions in a small voice, still holding onto Donatello's hand -- but when he turns his palms up, the smell of the blood remains, a strange tang in her nose and on her tongue tasting of copper metals -- and then she blinks as the silver paper and red bwo catch her attention. Her nose twitches, her whiskers give a little wiggle, and her ears come forward.

    "You... made me -- but you already made me something, and it works great!" she states in a quiet hush, her ears drawn back as she accepts the little gift.

    And there is a little part, deep, buried inside of her brain that automatically went 'BALL?' at the gift.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello returns the grin with one of his own. While he reserves a certain fear of Alopex -- knowing that she could command away all of this -- he takes comfort knowing that the fox is taking good care of Kainashi. The tail is given a glance, a smile, before he looks up to watch Kai's eyes as she works through what he's told Raphael.

    "He won't," Donnie assures, smiling. "And...if he does...well, I don't care. Nothing can keep me from you." It's a nice declaration, one made in earnest, but it only lasts a moment -- Donnie realizes what he said and suddenly becomes a little bit awkward, a little bit uncomfortable. He looks away.

    "Besides..."

    He manages a shrug, though one that reeks of a false confidence. "...Raph said that Master Splinter probably already knows. He knows everything." It might be the first mention of Splinter's name. A weird name for a turtle.

    "...I just had to tell him. To get him to...understand," he begins, quietly. "...It's been a...well, it's been an interesting week." There's a lot not being said there.

    And then the attention to the wrapping and the secret it contains. A ball, perhaps, would have been better. Maybe more sentimental, but this all new for Donatello. He remains, presently, a practical turtle. Unwrapping the gift would reveal the Shell Phone Mk. II. It's slightly larger than the original model, but this one can take pictures! Machined into its outer case is 'KAI', a partial match of the one on Kainashi's ear -- it's just missing the 'nashi'.

Kainashi has posed:
    "Splin-ter." Kainashi pronounces the name, and purses her lips a moment as she regards the gift. "Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Splinter. Why does his name sound less fancy?" she inquires, "Alopex is a fancy name, it has the 'ex' sound to it. My name's not so fancy." she gives a small smile,

    And a ball is a worrysome thing to give your potential relationship person. Even if she is a dog.

    So, Kai opens the packpage and -- it's a phone! She gives a little 'oooh' sound, and turns it over in her hands, and sees the symbol. She rubs at her left ear a moment, the skin inside the ears and around her nose turning a bright pink as she blushes.

    "THank you, Donnie... it's wonderful! You'll have to show me how to use it!"

Donatello has posed:
    "You've got two names -- three, really," Donnie explains with a curved, subtle smile. "I like sixty percent of them."

    But then, Splinter's fanciness comes up. "Less fancy..." Donatello repeats, considering that for a moment. He reaches up and rubs his chin. A thinky gesture. "Well, he named us after the great Renaissance artists. But...Well, someone else named him," he explains. It's all a little unclear.

    "You know, I rarely think about the artists," he begins. "Donatello. Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi." It rolls out of his mouth, as if he's practiced it. "I'm named for an artist...But you actually /are/ an artist." He smiles, the largest he's managed for days now. Donnie takes a step to find a seat on a nearby half-wall overlooking the park. He looks up at Kai and manages a smile, giving her some time to unwrap the Shell Phone Mk II while he further editorializes on his own name. "You know, Leonardo really has the name I probably should've had. Leonardo da Vinci was a great inventor. An engineer. A scientist."

    "I found your Shell Phone," he explains. "It was broken, but now it's the best one. It can even take pictures! I thought you could take pictures of things you want to sketch."

Kainashi has posed:
    "So you're named for an artist -- and you're an artist too, Donnie, just you can't draw!" Kai points out, and she holds up the shellphone. "Your art is machines, and technology. Science can be an artform." she replies quietly, and she sits down next to him, her tail giving a slight wag, showing off the phone again as if it proved her point. She didn't remark about the broken one.

    She holds the shellphone carefully, knowing an errant squeeze could break it.

    "I... don't know much about artists. Ren-a-sauce or not. I just kinda draw what I see." Kai replies, and then tilts her head back a moment "... or what I want to remember. What I care about." she gives a wry little grin as she looks to Donatello "And now I can take pictures too, so I can take a picture of you on my phone and then carry it with me all the time!"

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello looks down at the ground for a moment, his feet dangling off the half-wall. "Perhaps you're right," he agrees. "Maybe we're both artists, in a way."

    Kai's comment about having a photo of him in the Shell Phone causes a small hitch of air from the turtle. He should have made two of Mk II's!

    Donatello watches the park's trees, its leaves moving through the air, before he turns his head to face Kainashi again. His hands rest on his legs, with his palms pointed upward to hide any evidence of violence on his hand wraps. He watches Kainashi, managing a smile. His eyes trace her features, going from her nose, to her ears and the start of a would-be hairdo. They linger on her eyes and then his smile fades.

    It's not an omen, but rather inspiration. Perhaps it's the park's leaves, the chill in the air, or the absolute awful week that these two had -- each in their own way. Or, perhaps it's just that the normally brainy turtle is allowing himself to be guided by something else. Something without equations or solder. Without binary digits or drag coefficients....

    ...Donatello appears to be inching his face closer to Kainashi's, his swollen, tired eyes, slowly closing. It's what they do on television.

Kainashi has posed:
    "I think in this case, I am. You're smart and work things with your brain. I work a pencil with my hand... and my brain. It's weird." she gives a small smile, turning over the shell cell, customized, in her hands a moment before she turns her attention back to Donatello.

    The breeze ruffles through the wiry waves of her almost-hair. Her ears flick forward as he watches her, smiling. She grins back happily, her amber eyes on him as her tail gives a wag... and then Donatello closes his swollen, tired eyes. He leans forward. Kai leans back just a touch, unsure, her tail pausing in its wag as she holds her breath, her shoulders rising up a moment, and then she leans forward, and there is just the briefest touch of her muzzle to the side of his mouth, almost to his cheek as she shyly pecks a kiss against Donatello!

Donatello has posed:
    It seemed right, normal, just. One of those moments where it wouldn't happen if there was an opportunity to think about it, to convince himself not to do it. But, there are moments that just seem right and this was that kind of moment for Donatello. In those painful, quiet seconds, the turtle inches his way forward, finding a small amount of boldness and courage to guide his way.

    But then, once his face is just about to make contact with Kai's, he turns his head a touch to account for the unusual shapes of their heads. His moment of courage is replaced with a certain shyness of his own, his eyes shut tightly -- as tight as they can get. He manages to plant a shy peck of his own, lined up with the side of Kainashi's muzzle, and then pulls his face back.

    Instead of recoiling in the nervous horror he is undoubtedly feeling, Donatello turns to face the park. He looks down at his hands, which have balled into tight, nervous fists resting against his legs. He relaxes his hands and allows his glance to linger on the trees and leaves blowing about below.

    For now, he's content to be quiet and let the moment speak for itself.

Kainashi has posed:
    The young canine is blushing pretty badly at that point, also turning from Donatello to look at the park... and then she leeaaans against him again, letting her legs hang over the side of the building.

    "... how did you hurt your hands?" she questions quietly, one ear up and at his shoulder, as if his shoulder had a secret to share. Her amber eyes lower down to his hands again.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello watches the park, as if it might try to escape if he didn't. He, too, is blushing pretty badly. His face, honestly, has seen better days. His swollen eyes and the bags below them, the general sickliness that comes from not sleeping, and now the gross brown color his cheeks turn when they're flush.

    "Oh..." he replies, looking down at them as he turns his hands to look at the wraps and their stains. "...Well..." Suddenly, Donatello looks ashamed. He takes a breath and lets it out slowly.

    "I've...I've been..." he begins, quietly. "...going out. There were a lot of people there that night. Some of them must know things. They seem scared of that guy, Dom, but..."

    "I tried to be scarier."

    He turns his head to watch Kainashi, his features showing some remorse. "We usually would say Raphael is the one with strong emotions," he explains. "But..." He turns to look at the park again, allowing his head to tilt to the side and lean softly against Kainashi's, opposite the medical dressing.

    "He's not the only one."

Kainashi has posed:
    "... Donnie, we're monsters to humans. We're already scary." Kai states gently, but she reaches down, and she takes one of his hands. She gently pulls it, resting it in her own warm hands. She has paw-pads, and they are warm against his leathery skin, though calloused in some places. The details of their shared trade. She just holds his hand, very gently, as if the gentleness might heal it.

    "... but... you don't need to be scary. They got lucky. They hit me with a truck and I hit a guard rail. It knocked me out, but not before I did some damage to them. Humans... even the ones I'd want to be around? They're scared of me in particular. I look mean. But I'm not mean. And you're not mean. So don't be scary for me." she fumbles a moment, trying to order her thoughts. "... you're good and gentle."

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello looks down and watches as she takes one of his hands. His eyes dart up to meet her own. His own hand is chilly, matching the temperature of the night -- Kai's warmth sends a shiver up Donnie's arm and into his shoulder. He knows what it could mean if she holds his hands, but he leaves them there. Trust.

    As Kainashi describes the nature of their lives, the turtle nods his head a couple of times and looks back at the park, imaging all of the humans that might be enjoying it right now. Sure, the park closes at night, but there are always stragglers.

    "Kai," he begins, his voice still a touch hoarse. "...I just got so...angry. I couldn't think about anything else but you...And what they did. It made me feel so helpless. I had to do something. Have to do something. But..."

    "You're right," he agrees softly. "It wasn't me. But...it seemed like maybe you needed me to be someone else this week."

    He was, too. His science-based approach, Miyagi AI, produced nearly zero results in its attempts to find information online about Dominic Dominic. Meanwhile, several of his lowest-level goons have each made arrangements at crooked doctors and vets in order to get their wounds patched up. That approach, however, also produced zero results.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai continues to gently cradle Donatello's hand in her own two, her thumbs rubbing against the sides of his for a moment or two as she gathers her thoughts. She takes a deep breath, and she turns to look at him.

    "I never need you to be anyone except who you are, Donnie. And it's okay to be angry. Alopex was /really/ mad. She brought her special sword and everything. She never takes that out unless she knows there's a Good Reason, but being mad makes your brain go dark and fuzzy, and you can't make good de-siggin's when your brain's dark and fuzzy. An' it's worse when you're mad at yourself because then you just beat yourself up."

    That's right. Anger clouds the mind and turned inward it is an unconqourable enemy.

    Kai somehow paraphrased Splinter.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello allows his fingers to curl slightly, to try and make brief contact with Kai's. To return the gesture. The comfort her touch can provide does not easily come from the skin of a turtle. But, he tries.

    "I'm not usually angry like that," Donatello adds, a certain discomfort in his voice. "But...I just hated thinking about them doing those horrible things to you." He lowers his eyes.

    "I wanted to do something bad to those guys. I almost did." It's true -- he managed to find a couple of them but circumstances resulted in their escape. Twice. A touch of relief can be heard from his voice.

    "I'm kind of relieved nothing happened. I just...wasn't thinking," he explains, ashamed. If he did what he wanted to do, Donatello probably would have never forgiven himself, despite his anger.

    As Kainashi describes anger and its effect on the mind, Donatello manages a smile. There's something familiar about her line of thinking, here. "You know, Kai," he begins. "...I always learn something from you." It's true, he does. It's just not the kind of stuff that could be learned from books. It's how he learned that maybe he too is an artist.

    Donatello allows himself a smile as he continues to watch the park.

Kainashi has posed:
    "I dunno how you learn anything from me. You're a lightbulb. I'm a sack of rocks." the canine gives a slight grin, and then she very, very gently gives Donatello's hand a squeeze.

    "They didn't do anything. They hit me and put me in a cage. I've been through worse." she replies gently, her head still on Donatello's shoulder as they watch the park together. "We'll find him. And we'll make sure he can't hurt anyone else. Or maybe he'll be eaten by a shark, who knows?"

Donatello has posed:
    "Well, you're tougher than me," Donatello answers in response to Kainashi's casual attitude towards that night. "We'll find him, you're right." He takes a deep breath and leans his head against her own, making a point to avoid the dressing. His eyes slowly close.

    Donatello reaches his free hand across his body and rests it on top of Kainashi's, eager to return her gesture with one of his own.

    "I think Alopex wants to talk to me," he suddenly mutters, his mouth no longer making a point to pronounce his words carefully. "I hope she's not mad at me. I hope she'll let us be friends."