Turtles In The Roaring 20s

Chapter 13: Home At Last

The clock was close to striking four in the morning when Raphael's friends, Casey and Slash, finally returned him home. After their outing at the burlesque club, all were ready to call it a night. The Hamato family lived in a luxurious penthouse suite up top one of the tallest apartment buildings in New York City. As Raph approached the entrance to the large fancy building, he stops and looks at his two friends.

"Thanks again for the night out, guys," Raph tells them.

"No problem, buddy," Casey says. "After everything that happened, you needed it."

"And are you sure no reporters got a shot of me at the Burlesque club?"

"I'm positive," Casey assured him, "I overheard a few of those nitwits complaining that they couldn't get a good shot of your face."

"The least the papers could do is claim they saw you there, but with no photographic proof they won't bother saying a single word," Slash adds. "Still, as much fun as we did have, I think it's safer if we all don't return to Galactic Gals for a while, especially you, Raphael. Some of those reporters might go back there in hopes that they'll spot you again."

Raph sighs. He hates to admit it, but Slash is right. It was best that he doesn't return to the burlesque club to avoid any risk of getting caught by reporters again. Normally Raphael couldn't care less, after all, he didn't want to go to the burlesque club in the first place, but his opinions on the club changed. He knew because of the situation and risk he wouldn't be able to return to see Mona Lisa perform again. Not for a while at least.

"Well, goodnight, guys," Raph says as the doorman opens the entrance door for him to enter the building. "I'll see ya at work."

"Goodnight, Raph," Slash and Casey respond as they head off and continue, walking down the street as Raph enters the hotel.

Inside, Raph found himself in the main lobby of the building. The floors were shining black and gold checkered tiles, while the walls were papered beige with clean white trim. In the center of the main lobby was a crystal chandelier sparkling above everyone who walked through. Under it was a lounge area of velvet chairs, most occupied at this late hour by luxurious men and women, both human and mutant. Cigar and cigarette smoke encircled the group of opulent strangers.

Making his way through the lobby, Raph finds the elevator. An older gentleman in a dapper hotel uniform, Raphael knew as the elevator attendant, greets him, to which he acknowledges, but stays silent. Opening the elevator for the mutant turtle, Raph enters, and the barred doors close. The attendant then pulls the lever to the floor Raph desired and up they went. It only took a minute before the elevator finally stopped. The barred doors opened to reveal the Hamato's penthouse suite on the top floor of the building, with the elevator opening directly inside the main living room.

After thanking the attendant, the elevator door closes behind Raphael, leaving him alone in his penthouse home. It was quiet. He could assume the rest of his family was asleep. Raph enters the penthouse into the main room, the living room. A large space with two lounge sofas, a glass coffee table, and a fireplace, as well as the etched door leading to a large balcony to show off the beautiful view of the city.

Exhausted, Raph flops down onto the couch and sighs in relief, finally relieved to be home after the long night.

"Someone was out late," a cocky voice suddenly says, breaking the living room's silence.

Raphael jumps from where he laid and turns to see that his brother Donatello was lounging on the other couch across the room, looking up from his novel he was reading with a sly look on his face. He must have been sitting there for a while reading his book, so still like a statue that Raph didn't even notice him when he entered their home.