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April!

[Hopefully she will not mind Rue pressing in close as they come inside to peck a quick kiss to her cheek before moving through to set down all of their bags.]

What a pleasant surprise! I hope that I will be seeing you over here more often with the boys, they could certainly use a little more positive influence in this space.

[Ah, Rue doesn't know. April grins, and she tilts her head up for the little kiss peck like she has relatives that do it all the time.]

Oh, I think you'll be seeing a lotta me over here, actually. I think Donnie woulda been mad if I'd moved literally anywhere else, so [Jazz hands!] Here I am! Not so sure I count as positive, though.

[Slightly more balanced focus, tho. Donnie is Donnie and Raph is... struggling. She thinks.]

I love that, though I do not amend my statement - truly, I think your presence will greatly improve the quality of life within this apartment.

[It's burgers and fries night, with an assortment of fried appetizers - and some sliced fruit and veggies that Rue's brought from home to help balance it all out.]

Please, help yourself to anything. Just - [and not that they baby Donnie at all ever, but they will just set Donnie's packaged food off to the side.] I'm certain you know how particular Donatello is, this is his. But the rest, you and Raphael may enjoy.

Oh yeah, his particular nature is legendary 'round here. [She says it with no small hint of fondness, and she'll steal a fry while she retreats to the cupboard to fetch out some plates to divvy up some of those appetisers. They live right by a bunch of takeout stands so April will definitely balance her meal out with a bunch of those veggies.]

You've known them a while now, huh? [Would you like a plate or is it finger food for owlbears? Offer's there]

[Rue gently declines - they are still just a touch self-conscious when it comes to eating around anyone - but is happy to come sit and chat while April eats.]

Mhm. I've known Leo and Donnie for a year now, and Raph and Casey since August. Before this world, the three of us bonded over the trauma we had to endure in another realm. Have they talked much of ADI?

[April won't push it-- could be anything from Rue isn't hungry to Rue doesn't eat, she doesn't know owlbears, not her business. But she will shove a bunch of fries and a burger onto her own plate, and her gaze gets sharper when she listens to what Rue has to say. She's glad they've made friends in these places, but... this sounds like a Terrible Time Was Had By All.]

They've mentioned it. That's all.

[She'd like to hear more, but in the wake of Leo's whole missing arm, she was trying not to be her usual nosy self.]

That's probably for the best, it was a trying time to be certain. But Folkmore has been a delightful change of pace.

[Not perfect... if Leo's missing arm means anything but otherwise, quite lovely!]

We've all become quite the family in this place. Naturally, any invitations to family events are extended to you. I would be so happy to have you join us for dinners and movie nights at my cottage.

[There is the temptation to ask for more details. But that wouldn't be fair, trying to tease out details for stuff the boys may not want her to know, not to mention sticking Rue in the middle of something. She'll ask them direct one day. (And yeah, she's veyr much stuck on the whole "oh this is much nicer in comparison but Leo lost an arm" thing because yikes, ADI sounds bad.)

So instead, she just grins at the invitation.] Ohoho, you have movie nights? Have the guys introduced you to Jupiter Jim yet? I gotta assume so.

We certainly do!

[on top of family parties, dinners, birthdays, holidays, lakeside swimming trips - Rue can and will weaponize anything into a family event.]

They have! Leo and I have been making our way through the entire catalogue of his films. And for Halloween, we won best paired costumes with him as Jupiter Jim and myself as Red Fox!

[Rue will not mention it was their own party and therefore, their own awards that they were handing out. Look, they won them rightfully, their costumes slapped.]

I believe we are somewhere in the 40s of his filmography, there's still quite the stretch to complete, but I'm quite enjoying them.

[Bless, Rue, you're probably helping keep them sane. April's all for this. She pouts.]

Aw, man, I've missed so much of the marathon. Can I join in when you start again?

[Trust them, April, the boys keep Rue just as sane in return. The owlbear owes everything to them!]

I would love that! Are you just as massive a fan as all of them?

Oh, am I. Leo's the biggest nerd of the lot of us when it comes to JJ, but the rest of us ain't far behind! We've had so many movie nights. I'm glad to see the tradition continue.

How lucky I am to be able to participate in it with you all.

[As a family.]

May I ask how you all met? You've been friends for a great deal of time, haven't you?

Oh yeah, goin' on ... uh.. .[She's gotta pause to count.] We met as kids? Like seven years ago or something like that? [Or is it six? ~~timeline is nebulous~~]

Anyway, the guys were playing basketball up on my apartment rooftop and I came across 'em. It was awesome. We hit it off straight away. [She's never been the type to scream and run away from weird-looking people.]

How absolutely darling. And to remain friends for so long, it fills my heart with such joy to know that you all had one another, especially considering how I've been told the rest of the population might react to their appearances.

[To know they had someone so trustworthy and fierce at their side, their sons would have been so lucky.]

Have Leo and Donnie spoken much about me?

A fair amount. I know you were in the other world with Leo and Donnie. And you're looking out for them a lot. [That much is pretty evident. You know, dinner delivery. Then she smiles, a little softly.]

And you helped out with Leo's...

[Arm. You know. That thing he's missing. The thing April's still plenty mad about, but she's got nowhere to direct it, so she trails off.]

[hm well, rue does not want to drop new information on their childhood friend unexpectedly before they have the chance. Rue can wait.

Thankfully, it's easy to brush that aside at the mention of Leo's arm.]

Ah yes, of course. I wish I could have done more, but I'm grateful I was able to heal him as best as my magic allowed me. And he's taken it in such stride. I'm so endlessly proud of Leo.

[rue will just not mention that they've since learned a spell for limb regeneration specifically in case something like that ever happens again]

He's done a lot to be proud of.

[Her smile is a little lopsided; it wasn't so long she saw him laid up in the medbay.]

Also a lot to kick his ass for, but that's big sister rights. [He's great, but he's also a dumbass. You know. Contains multitudes, all that.]

[big sister!!!! oh, that absolutely melts Rue's heart.]

It certainly is. I'll be happy to leave any scolding to you, then. I'm afraid that is not my strongest trait when it comes to the boys.

[Really, they get away with everything around Rue.]

Oh, I'm more than happy to yell at them for you. They'd probably think something was wrong if I didn't. [She's mostly joking on that score, but April has always been more than willing to call them out when it's needed.]

You're more of a soft touch, huh?

[...not a bad thing, honestly. They don't really have someone like that; April's the closest they get.]

[rue and april can good cop/bad cop those turtles]

Perhaps it is a weakness of mine, but I find it very difficult to treat the boys any other way but softly. They've all lived through so much. And I am so endlessly fond of them. Not to mention, all they have to do is smile and I find myself forgetting whatever it was I was going to scold them about.

[Hell yeah they can

Also the sentiment here is one that warms April to her core. Yeah, they have been through a lot-- both here and at home, so she fully understands where Rue's coming from.

April just thinks it's better if they benefit from her being just April. So yeah, good cop/bad cop it is.]

Man, maybe it's lucky you haven't met Mikey yet. That boy would wrap you around his finger in three seconds flat. [But honestly, she grins as she says it because there's nothing wrong with that.]

You are not the first person to say that!

[April is right and she should say it. Rue would be too weak to deny Mikey anything.]

Oh, I can not wait to meet him someday. And their father, he sounds like quite the character.

Oh, he sure is. The guys have told you Splints is a rat, I assume?

Yes, I have seen photographs even! He's quite, um - [Rue has always been Tall, is it rude to refer to shorties as short or tiny.] -Small, yes?

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