3776/A Smug Rectangle

A Smug Rectangle
Date of Scene:	11 October 2020
Location:	Jones Farm
Synopsis:	Vanessa and April drop some supplies off at the farm and meet up with Sally and Donatello. April presents the turtle a gift of a Stark Phone, which receives a lukewarm response. Vanessa and Donnie agree to do bo training once they're both feeling up to it.
Cast of Characters:	Donatello, Vanessa Carlysle, Sally Pride, April O'Neil

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Donatello has posed:
    Summer's transition to autumn had already begun, weeks ago, but this is none more apparent than at the Jones Farm. The hired help had been temporarily dismissed to account for the changing seasons, which has allowed the farm to become the stomping ground for an unusual group of mutants. They had already made progress on the farm by adding some of the comforts of home -- notably, electricity and a short-range private mesh network for the Shell Phones. The source for those comforts, the mutant turtle known as DONATELLO, stands in a clearing just in front of the dilapidated barn that forms a central hub for the farm's spokes.

    The turtle stands among the blowing leaves, pointing his bo at the ground with one hand and posing his other high above his head. He holds this position, takes a breath, and precisely moves his hand down to take hold of the bo's other end. This is held for a moment longer before Donatello suddenly strikes at nothing. He takes a breath and nods. An improvement.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
A familiar looking SUV pulls up over at the farmhouse. Familiar at least for someone who saw Vanessa bring it to the farm the day before. She parks near to the farmhouse and then climbs out, going around to the back and opening up the hatch. There are a number of boxes and bags in there, which begin getting transported into the farmhouse.

Food is visible in some of the containers as they get carried iside. A bag of chips sticks out of one, some paper towel out of another. One set of bags have the Radio Shack logo on them.

It takes a little while to get them inside, after which Vanessa walks back out front. She's wearing a pair of boots and blue jeans. A black sleeveless top hugs her body, and she has a flannel shirt tied about her waist, though the extra warmth isn't needed after carrying things back and forth into the farmhouse.

She pauses a moment to stop and look at the picturesque beauty of the farm. She's spent enough years in the slums of New Lots that she still hasn't really adjusted to frequently seeing views like this. As she looks around at the colors of the changing trees, she finally spots the purple-masked turtle standing over in the clearing by the barn, going through those movements with the bo staff. She pauses where she is for the moment to watch, as if not wanting to interrupt, and perhaps waiting for someone else to join her.

Sally Pride has posed:
Cats are good at climbing, so at least Sally had that to help make herself useful. She had volunteered to climb up onto the roof to help with installations, so Donatello didn't need to strain his still healing body more than necessary. As well as clean off some branches left there by the autumn winds, and other idle fussing about.

It also gave her a great vantage point to keep an eye on much of the rest of the farm, and vehicles when they come to go. The lioness walks over to the edge of the roof when she hears one such vehicle driving up, though when she sees what it is and the familiar occupants she calms back down, and sits at the edge. She waves, but not wanting to disrupt Don with his practice, keeps her typical witty greetings to herself for the moment instead of shouting them for half the farmhouse to hear.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello's progress through his bojutsu kata was a labored one, at best. The hooded sweatshirt hides it well, but his movements have been given a vague splash of awkwardness as he tries to complete the motions. After another strike, the turtle leans forward and points his mouth at the ground. He takes a few deep breaths and then straightens out. On the way up, his eyes rise to take notice of Sally Pride up on the barn. He returns her wave with his own. Before there's a chance to call out, Donatello's attention shifts to the SUV and its driver.

    By the time the turtle is able to get over there to help, the groceries and supplies have already been carted inside. "You seem like you're really trying to get on our good side," Donatello points out, a smile forming. He sounds good-natured -- perhaps even artificially so. The turtle has some ground to make up for after treating Vanessa so rudely the other day.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa catches sight of Sally when she waves, moving a hand to shield her eyes from the sun to see her better. She gives a friendly-looking smile and returns the wave with one of her own.

Her gaze drops back down to Donatello as he starts walking over towards her. Vanessa's expression is a touch less certain than the soft smiles that are often her expression with nothing else going on.

She glances towards the farmhouse at Donatello's comment and back to him. "Just trying to help out," she says simply. "April was about the nearest I had to family for quite awhile. And she cares about you guys. So that makes you important," she tells him, adding a small shrug at the end and a similar little gesture with her hands. "Looks like you got the wire strung up. Power all good now?" she asks, glancing towards the pole and the line running to the barn.

Sally Pride has posed:
"Well she brought food and electronic parts. I'd say she knows what she's doing when it comes to getting on the good side." There's the Sally sassiness calling down from the roof. "Not that I'm complaining, it saves me from having to make extra trips back into the city."

The lioness doesn't bother with a ladder, she just scoots off the edge and jumps to the ground, legs flexing to absorb the landing with little trouble. She's made much higher leaps for her life before, this was a simple hop. Feline agility and all that. She's just in her usual pants and cutoff top; the leather jacket needs to be repaired -again- thanks to the damn rats. "Yeah. Should be. And I cleared the roof of any potential obstructions and such." One hand rests on her hip. "I considered putting out a 'Do Not Disturb -- Ninjas Training' sign but that would kind of defeat the purpose of laying low," she jokes with a lazy smirk.

April O'Neil has posed:
April emerges from the farmhouse not too far behind Vanessa, wearing a yellow hoodie half-zipped up to her chest, a pair of faded blue jeans with the knees torn out, and a pair of black and white jogging shoes. She'd carried some supplies in to the house as well before speaking to Casey for a few moments.

Now, coming back outside, April steps down off of the front porch and takes a moment to roam her eyes aruond the place. April looks to Sally first, seeing her and offering a wave with her right hand. She strides toward Van and Donnie. "Hey." She softly says.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello nods his head at that. April's family as far as the turtles were concerned, so any friend of hers, and so on. Donatello moves the bo into one hand and into a vertical, spear-like position. He subtly leans his weight on it and takes a deep breath. "Well," he begins, squinting into the sun. "We do appreciate it. It can be hard to go out and get supplies these days." He manages a smile. These days.

    "Hey, Sally," Donatello greets. "Hey, April." Donatello takes in a deep lungful of air and lets it out carefully. He nods his head at Sally and glances over her to watch the barn. "The Shell Phones should be working on the farm now that the van is hooked up to power. I fitted it with a quick release mechanism -- my own design -- so we can just drive off if necessary. It took a while to find a proper rectifier, but I got one." Somewhere, something electronic that belongs to Casey Jones does not work anymore.

    Donatello takes another careful, measured breath before he turns to face Vanessa again. "Hey, Vanessa," he begins, his voice rising a couple of notes. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for being kind of a jerk to you the other day. It's no excuse, but the last couple of weeks have been a pain in my shell." Literally and figuratively.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa watches Sally handle that jump so easily, getting a soft smile at the demonstration of her ability. And she breaks out in a warm grin at the mention of the sign. "Probably a good call," she agrees with a warm laugh for Sally.

Vanessa turns as April emerges from the farmhouse again. Flashing her a quick smile before turning back to Donatello. "I brought a few things from Radio Shack. Some USB chargers and those sorts of things that I figure might have been left behind but that most everyone needs," she says, "Left them in the kitchen on the counter."

As he comments about the other day, one can probably read that it was on Vanessa's mind, and likely the cause of her uncertain expression. "Thank you," she tells him. "I know you've been through a lot. And I'm a stranger to you and all. You're protective of your family," she says with a little nod. "It's ok," she tells him and offers Donatello her hand. "Friends?" she offers.

Sally Pride has posed:
Sally Pride perks up at the mention of chargers. "Oh, you are a life saver! I only have one that plugs into the car lighter socket on me." Then folds her arms as she leans back against the wall of the barn. " Besides, you were there when we needed all the help the most. I'd say that counts for more than any past faux paus." She's happy to see them air out the previous issues and make up all the same. "And one hell of a shot I might add, getting it through that improvised flashbang."

April O'Neil has posed:
April grins at Sally's words to Vanessa and nods softly at her before looking to Vanessa. "I'm still having nightmares about that shot you put past my nose, ya know?" She teases her friend, and her scary good archery skills.

"Oh! Donnie!" April then startles a bit as she raises her right hand up to her hip and shoves it into her front hip pocket. "This... is... well, the first of a series of gifts I'm going to get for you and the others." She says, drawing a certain something uot of her pocket and offering it over to the purple clad turtle. "The Shell Phones are great, and serve their own specific purposes, but I thought it was time you get something ... more than that too."

She offers Donnie a brand new Stark Phone. "Picked it up at the store too. I'll get the others ones as well." Out her back pocket she pulls a leather case that she offers to Donnie as well. "I've already set it up, it has six months of service loaded in to it. My number, Vanessa's number, Casey's home phone, and a few others. I want you guys to be safer, and this is step one of that, I think."

Donatello has posed:
    "Radio shack?" the turtle questions, one half of his eye ridge rising a touch. His look suggests that the tale of that retailer's meteoric rise and pathetic fall was able to reach even the depths of the New York City sewer system. The tale of an electronics mecca being reduced to a place that humans bought batteries.

    "I mean...thanks." A slight grin is given, meant to indicate that his displeasure is nothing more than a joke.

    Donatello gives a sideways glance to Sally and shakes his head. "No," he corrects softly. "Vanessa didn't do anything. No faux paus. I was just being..." Don't say Raphy. "...kind of a jerk." And with that, Donatello extends his large hand with those three, oversized fingers, and gives Vanessa the strangest handshake one could offer.

    April's sudden offer of a gift earns a bit of the turtle's curiosity. He releases Vanessa's hand and turns to face the other human. When the item is placed into the cradle of his hands, Donatello falls quiet, his mouth forming a thin, straight line across his face. His eyes lower as he stares down at the small rectangle. "...Oh..." he replies softly. He doesn't look up from the Stark Phone, but makes sure not to activate its touch screen. "Oh..." he repeats, just as softly as the first time.

    "I..."

    "Thanks, April. I'm..."

    Another long pause. "...Everyone's probably going to love these," he eventually manages, still staring down at the device in his hands, his voice totally lacking the enthusiasm that most teenagers would feel after being handed a Stark Phone. Donnie doesn't look up.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
As Sally expresses that the chargers will be helpful, it earns a smile from Vanessa. "Glad they'll help," she tells the feline woman. "And if there are other things you could use, let me know? I live in Starling but am spending a few days in New York each week, so can try to get back up here with things.

Vanessa turns back to April and gives her a tiny grin. "Trust me, the nightmares would be worse if that rat had made it to your nose. He looked hungry!" She hesitates and glances down at her leg. "And rabies shots are as unpleasant as you've heard. Even if there's just four of them now instead of... what was it before? 15? I don't even know," she says with a cringing expression.

She shakes Donatello's hand and smiles at him. "All in the past," she tells him warmly. She lets go as well as April brings over her present to them, drifting over to Sally's side to let April and Donnie talk. "So, didn't really have a chance for the best of introductions. Vanessa," she offers to Sally, along with her hand again.

Sally Pride has posed:
"Congratulations, Miss O'Neil, you've managed to make the geek speechless." Sally chimes in, amused. It's hard to tell if she's not catching why Don is at a lack of words, or that she's just going along with the moment because it does amuse her.

The lioness unfolds her arms and pushes herself up from leaning on the wall. And makes sure to rub her hand off on the thigh of her pants before grabbing Vanessa's offered one and shaking it. "Sally Pride. And yeah. Don't get me started on shots. Any shots." She shudders a little, which gives her tail a flick to the side. "I've been in too many science labs as it is for that sort of thing."

April O'Neil has posed:
April's eyes go over to Vanessa to sork at her. "Fair point. I'd prefer not to haver my face chewed off by an angry giant rat." She adds, her hands going behind her to slip her fingers in to her back pockets. Her stare goes over to Sally then as she and Vanessa exchange handshakes, she grins at her. "I mean, it's just a way to stay in touch quickly. You can get Discord on it, and tons of other things. Discord, Donnie! We can share all our WoW stories while not even at our computers!"

April's come to know him well enough to know that his speechlessness doesn't look like 'good' speechlessness. She suddenly frowns.

"Did I get the wrong one?" Tech people! So hard to shop for!

Donatello has posed:
    It's not a good speechless, no. Donatello's eyes rise to give Sally Pride the briefest of looks before refocusing on the gadget. He's really getting it from all angles right now. Sally calling him a geek. April, his best friend -- former best friend -- describing how the Shell Phones have had their time in the sun. And now the stupid Stark Phone cradled in his hands. The turtle takes in a deep lungful of air as he stares back at the smug rectangle, the purple tails of his eyemask blowing about in the wind.

    "Really, April, thank you," he replies meekly before tucking the abomination under his belt. One of his large fingers rises to swipe away a thin line of moisture underneath each eye before he lifts his head completely. "Everyone will like them a lot more," he agrees. "I mean, I heard they have games that Mikey can play. And I'm sure Kai will like the dictation feature," he adds, his voice growing quieter towards the end of that.

    The turtle looks down, again, at the shape made by the Stark Phone underneath the material of his belt. He secretly frowns at it. Where was this thing when he needed a rectifier? Donnie sighs. It doesn't have one.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa gives Sally a sympathetic look at her mention of time spent in labs. Though Vanessa is brimming with curiosity about pretty much everyone here in that regard, she doesn't ask. Some things you should probably just get to know someone gradually on.

She glances over at the conversation between April and Donatello. As he mentions Mikey, that sparks her memory. "Someone who I have a lot of respect for, had once mentioned in a battle in Metropolis against those invading aliens, that he'd fought alongside a Mikey who had drove what he called the turtle van," Vanessa comments. "I brought it back up the other day, and he commented he never saw him again or had a chance to thank Mikey. So you could pass that along to him if you want? Coming from another person who uses a bow, I'm guessing he'll know who it came from with that."

Sally Pride has posed:
If Vanessa asked sometime she'd likely get most of the story. But right now, when everyone still has a lot on their minds over the last week's events? Maybe it is better to wait until another time.

Sally reachs over to very gently pat Donatello on the shoulder. "And no one is saying to replace the Shell Phones." 'Big Sister' Sally does have some inkling of what's going through the teen genius' mind after all it seems. "They serve a very specific and special purpose for our little network on social outliers. A -standard- smartphone," yes she just called something from a Stark company -standard-, for the sake of massaging' Don's bruised ego a little, "means they won't have that purpose cluttered up with, like," she twirls the other hand vagely as she thinks of an example, "Mikey taking the bandwith to download a bunch of cute cat videos."

April O'Neil has posed:
April nods softly toward Vanessa's words on Mikey. "Yeah, I have the footage of him in the van in Metropolis that was picked up by the Channel Six affiliate out there. He uh... wasn't even remotely being discrete." There's a faint grin then from April before she looks to Sally, and then to Donnie.

She raises her right hand and points at Sally, then at Donnie. "Exactly what she said." She tells the turtle. "I'm not saying the Shell Phones gotta go, I'm saying this is a way to increase options, and options a-plenty, are far superior to options... uh... a-limited."

A frown then, followed by a sigh. "I should've gotten the Wayne Tech phone. I knew it." She looks to Vanessa. "I said it, didn't I? It has the seamless edges and the bendy screen thing, which seems like a gimmick, but would probably be way better for a Ninja's cell phone."

April leans back against the wooden fence post behind her and she sighs. REGRETS!

Donatello has posed:
    "Yeah," Donatello agrees, nodding his head at Vanessa. "...I'll let him know you said so. He'll like that..."

    As April retreats to the fence, Donatello turns to watch her and tries his best to smooth things over. It's hard. "It's great, April, really," Donatello replies softly. It isn't and he's not the greatest liar, but he's trying. His brow rises and he manages a store-bought smile. "Plus you already set it up...so I don't get to." !!! "...have to."

    He drags a hand against where the belt keeps the Stark Phone safe. "It's great," he repeats, trying to convince April that he really feels that way. "I mean, now I don't have to make more of the Mk 2." He looks down at the ground as he summons the words. "...I made the Mk. 2 for Kai so she could take pictures of things she might want to draw later. It has a camera." Another breath. "...And these have like...I don't know, three cameras, so, I mean, that's three times better. And...she could dictate so we don't need to send emoji's back and forth, right?" Another breath. It would seem that Donnie prefers the old ways.

    The turtle looks up at Sally for a moment, his eyes showing a another bout of embarrassment. "Yeah...well, the Shell Phones can't download cat videos, anyway," he explains. "So, Mikey will like these." He's really getting raked through the coals with this.

Sally Pride has posed:
That.. did not go as well as intended. Sally frowns for a moment as she releases Don's shoulder. Then decides this is one of those times its probably better to cut the losses. "I still don't see why people would stand in a line three blocks long in the middle of winter just for a phone. You people dont even have fur to keep warm," she comments off-handedly as she turns to walk away from the group. Stretchs her arms over her head for effect. "I think I'm going to go take a cat nap."

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa Carlysle slips her arm around April for a moment before letting her go. She glances over, reading Donatello's expression and tone. "You know, some things are good for out in the world doing normal stuff. But with you guys trying to lay low? It probably makes sense to have your own communications too. Ones that are totally off the grid. I know a guy who knows a guy, and some of that other stuff isn't as secure as a group like yourselves would want to use for sensitive communications. Not a bad idea to have both," she says. "I mean I've got a phone too. But if I work with the person that Mikey met, we use our own comms off those networks?"

April can probably guess where Vanessa's knowledge in operational security comes from. Because the woman who used to lock and relock the trio of deadbolts on the door of her rent controlled apartment surely never knew about such things.

She looks towards the barn then. "So, would you mind giving me a tour? I saw some cool stuff you had before but didn't really have time to... well, time to do anything," she says, not delving into the attack deeper. But giving Donnie a chance to go show off.

April O'Neil has posed:
April had folded her arms over her stomach while the others talked, she'd looked over to Sally to see her sauntering off, and then back to Donnie as Vanessa tried to help make sense of the Stark Phone.

"You can give it to Mikey too, if you'd like, or just shut it off and put it in a drawer somewhere. It's good either way. You definitely should keep working on the Mark twos, and Mark threes if you get there, cause hell, Donnie, you keep advancing like that and you're gonna be a billionaire tech designer yourself some day."

She glances back tothe farm house. "I better go check on Casey, he said he was gonna start dinner, and well... yeah, I should make sure it's not just him doing that." She smiles at them both and pushes off of the fence post, then turns to walk back toward the front porch of the house.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello manages a smile in Sally's direction. He knows what she's up to and it's appreciated. "Yeah, well, it's good publicity, right?" he manages with a shrug. Donatello takes a breath and watches April pass by on the way to the house. "April, thanks for the gift," he calls over to her. The turtle stands there, dumbfounded and still. On one hand, his ego was bruised, battered, and pushed off a ledge. And on the other, well, he wasn't the most gracious gift-receiptient. It /was/ a nice thought, in a way. He lifts a hand to wave at April, taking another helpless breath.

    "A tour?" the turtle questions, tilting his head to the side. "I'd like to, but I really don't know my way around the farm too well. You should ask Kai -- she knows all the spots," he explains. His hand moves to gesture to the woods that surround the farm. After a pause, he looks back to the barn. "I could show you the things that we managed to bring, I guess?" He points to the barn and the Turtle Van parked inside.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa Carlysle's eyes go to April, and if their gazes meet, she gives April a reassuring and warm look, one touched with an air of approval for the other woman. Vanessa slowly turns back to Donatello then, nodding. "The things you brought back would be great. So have you guys been building your own gear a lot?" she asks, ready to follow Donatello's lead.

"How is it that you came by your skills with electronics? Tinkering on your own, or did Splinter or someone else show you a lot?" she asks with curiosity. Vanessa glances back over her shoulder towards April walking towards the farm house. The woman lowers her voice so just Donatello will hear her. "Flowers are always a good way to let someone know you care about them," she comments. "Especially girls named for months like April where flowers come out," she adds with a little grin.

Donatello has posed:
    As the pair move towards the barn, April is given a lasting look from the turtle. He's sorry but not entirely clear why. With a sigh, he looks back to the barn as they approach. "Oh, yeah," Donatello explains. "Since the beginning."

    When they reach the barn, Donatello opens the back of the Turtle Van to reveal its cargo area. At first glance, it could be mistaken for a normal van, but has been reinforced on the sides and its windows have been blackened completely. There are some cardboard boxes of odds-and-ends from the Lair, which they could get to, but the cargo area of the van is full of oddities. An array of communications equipment -- mixers, radios, scanners, and wall-mounted computer screens make it obvious that a lot of work had gone into this. The van is attached to the top of the barn by a thick, black cable, so that this equipment could run without drawing from the van's battery.

    "I...I dunno, I just started," Donatello explains, his head tilting to the side. "I mean, how did you learn to fire your bow the first time you tried it?" The turtle manages a smile and shrugs his shoulders. "I bet the first time just...happened, right? But then you learned more on purpose. It was like that."

    At the mention of flowers being a carrion call for someone he might care about, Donatello's eye ridge rises a touch and he looks at Vanessa closely. "Does it work for dogs, too?" he wonders quietly. So much for girls named for a month.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa moves along and takes a look at the inside of the van. "Reinforced," she comments idly as she checks out the rest of it, as if that's the kind of thing she notices. "Really nice setup in her, Donatello," she tells him.

She turns back to him at the question about the first time she shot her bow. Vanessa fights to keep the small smile off of her face. "Something like that, yes," she lies. She understands what he means, even if the example he chose wasn't one that made the point.

She glances back towards the farmhouse. "Oh, well I meant, a way to smooth over things. But... ah, for dogs? I really am not quite sure. It might. Or if not, finding something else she really likes," Vanessa suggests. "I could try to find out. Subtly. If you want?" she offers, smiling over to Donatello and shrugging.

Donatello has posed:
    Smooth things over, hm? Yeah, Donatello understood, loud and clear, but what wasn't clear was why he was in the wrong on this one. Still, he lets it go and nods his head. "Yeah, well, maybe that's a good idea," he agrees, reaching into one of the cardboard boxes in the rear of the van. But for dogs? Well. "Oh, that's okay," he explains. "I already know. She's an artist -- probably the best you might ever see. I made her this laser-powered pencil sharpener to instantly create a sharp point. It might be my greatest design." It's honestly not, but that's how Donatello categorized it in his mind. The turtle peers into the cardboard box, as if to find something, but then frowns at it.

    "Maybe she'll like flowers, anyway," he wonders with a shrug. "I've never given anyone flowers, but...well, I'll try and see."

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa Carlysle smiles over to Donatello and tells him, "Good luck with it. Hopefully she likes the smell of them, with the sensitive nose and all." Vanessa gives a suitably impressed look about the laser pencil sharpener. "That sounds like a pretty nice gift too," she confirms to him.

Vanessa leans back out of the van and looks around the rest of the barn. "Does the farm house have enough room for all of you?" she asks him. "It looked like it was pretty large. Also, anything else you could use brought out on our next trip?" she asks, slipping her hands into the pockets of her jeans.

Donatello has posed:
    "Oh, yeah, I know," Donatello adds with another rise of his eye ridge. "I know. I once put on this cologne and it...well, it was not a hit. Ask April about it some time." The turtle takes a breath and shakes his head. Stupid, stupid idea badly executed. "Even Casey was able to see through me trying to give him the remaining bottles," Donnie adds with a smirk. On the subject of the farm, the turtle shrugs his shoulders. "I think it's fine. I haven't really hard any complaints, other than the total lack of noise." There's a moment of pause before he nods his head enthusiastically. "Yeah, actually, if it's not too much to ask -- marshmallows?" he wonders, looking over at Vanessa with some hope in his eyes.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa Carlysle gives Donatello a little motion of her hand, pointing a finger at him. "Marshmallows it is. Not only that... you've had a s'more before haven't you? Chocolate bars and graham crackers to melt them over?" she asks. "We'll be sure to put that in the next trip," she assures him, pulling out her phone and jotting it down quickly and sending it to herself as a reminder.

She glances over towards Donatello's bo staff. "You looked pretty good with that. One of the weapons I use as well. Maybe after I've had a chance to heal up we could train together?" she suggests. "Still learning all I can."

Donatello has posed:
    "Thank you!" the turtle enthuses. "I thought everyone might like to do that, you know, with a fire and all that. Since we're kind of stuck here we might as well make the most of it." Donnie manages a grin before moving to close the rear doors of the Turtle Van. He turns to face Vanessa again and tilts his head off center once more.

    "Oh," he answers softly. "I mean, sure, but..." Perhaps free of the burdens of trying to impress another, Donnie shrugs his shoulders and comes clean. "We could train if you want to, yeah. But, earlier...My kata moves were pretty terrible," he explains. "I'm...not ready yet." His words are vague.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa's gesture makes that seem to not matter to her. "Neither of us are in normal shape," she tells him. "Which is fine, we can wait until we are. If I try to push my leg too much, my boyfriend will probably thump me about the head to make me stop," she says. "Not that he does that. I'm just joking around," she assures Donatello with a little grin.

She draws in a deep breath. "The air out here is really nice though. The city always has a smell to it. Car exhaust and... too many people," she says with a sigh. "Well, think I'll go help April make sure everyone's fed tonight before we head back to the city." She smiles over to Donatello. "Probably back out in a couple of days."

Donatello has posed:
    "Well, we can certainly do it once we're both feeling better," Donatello agrees with a nod. He gives the Turtle Van a lasting glance, his eyes lingering on the power cable that dangles above -- the cable providing the power to keep the Shell Phone network active while at the farm. A bit of air passes by his teeth before he turns back to Vanessa. "Yeah, well, I miss the city," he explains. "It's so cold here. And too quiet." Donatello takes a couple of steps away from the van and the barn and looks over a shoulder at Vanessa. "Thanks for your help," he adds. "Really, everyone appreciates it."

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
"Glad I was able to help," she says. "And glad you guys are all ok. That was a LOT of rats. At least they'd probably have a hard time getting that many out here. Speaking of, maybe next time we can sit down and I can find out a bit more about who or what that was, and what's going on?" she asks.

But for now, time to get dinner ready. She gives Donatello a little wave and heads off to the farmhouse.