Dancing with Katanas

Chapter 24: Her Strength

The door to the lab gently creaked open. Donnie's ears perked; he wasn't expecting company.

A pair of heavy, solemn steps entered his room, and the turtle instantly recognized who it was. His hands loomed over his current project, tension taking hold as a small cup settled beside him. The scratch of stoneware against metal sent a chill down the turtle's spine with the same raking feel of nails digging into the hard slate of a chalkboard. He rolled his shoulders, attempting to shake off the unpleasant feeling.

"Um..." A voice floated down to Donnie's ears; the smooth, mellow timbre could only belong to one of his brother's. He caught Leo scratching his neck awkwardly, "I made you some tea."

"Oh..." the scientist eyed the cup with more than a hint of disdain. "...Thanks?"

Leo made no move to leave, looking down at Donnie with what he deemed was hopeful expectancy.

The turtle's cheeks tightened as a grin forced itself painfully across his face before he reluctantly scooped up the delicately handcrafted item.

Much like the rest of Leo's Japanese ware, the cup was simple, letting the craft speak for itself as its modest bone-white skin stood proudly before him. He couldn't discount the art behind the cup; it was indeed beautiful. However, the contents of it left something to be desired.

Donnie clenched his teeth, preparing himself for that seaweed and dirt flavor he had come to associate with tea.

As the first slurp hit his tongue, he grimaced at the bitter taste that washed over his tastebuds. -- Yep. It still tasted like seaweed and dirt.

The leader grinned, missing the disgusted shiver that ran down his brother's frame. Satisfied, he turned his attention towards the monitors.

Donnie watched as his brother shifted his weight from one foot to the other in the silence that followed. A habit, he had learned, that Leo developed when he was nervous about something.

The tips of the leader's fingers softly began tapping against the matte porcelain nestled between his large green hands. Donnie's body tensed as each hit ricocheted through his nerves like electricity. His eye twitched in irritation. But the more he tried to ignore the sound, the more it magnified itself in his ears like an itch he couldn't scratch.

Donnie coughed the rest of the tea down, hoping it would end this hellish experience.

He wiped his mouth from the few dribbles that didn't make it in. "Again, thank you." He set the delicate cup down. "That was um... interesting."

When the leader didn't seem to acknowledge the empty container, he cleared his throat, "So... Can I help you with something, or...?" Admittedly, It was getting harder to keep the agitation out of his voice.

"Oh, no, I just...," Leo hesitated, "I just wanted to see what you were working on in here." He looked around for an item he could use as a point of interest. "Oh, this is kinda cool, right?" He picked up an item and rolled it between his palms.

The genius huffed, snatching the household tool away, "Leo, I hardly think you would find a common screwdriver 'cool.'"

"Oh, right." The usually confident turtle scratched his head sheepishly at his apparent flub.

Donnie was at his limits. He glowered, no longer bothering to hide his irritation, "Was there an actual purpose to this visit, or is this a new form of torture you're implementing on me?"

Leo's eyes narrowed with disapproval before reverting to a look of unease. "No." He mumbled, "I had the tea made and... well, figured I'd come and have a chat with you."