sᴇᴠᴇɴ ʏᴇᴀʀs || 𝙊𝙣 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙙 ||

sᴇᴠᴇɴ ʏᴇᴀʀs, ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴠ

After breakfast, the room empties quickly. Donatello escorts his partner off in some direction, Raphael strolls away with Nylla, Mikey grabs the female guard with a hasty excuse of training... Splinter is the last to remain aside from Omorfiá and Leonardo. He sips his tea, enjoying the peace.

Leonardo stands, bowing to Splinter. Omorfiá quickly rises, bidding the same respect to the mutant who had a hand in her rescue.

"I hope you choose to remain, Omorfiá," Splinter speaks, his mere voice kind and wise with years of experience. "We have more than enough room for another."

Omorfiá pauses beside Leo, shuffling her feet. "I will.. meditate on my choices, Master."

Her reply seems to please him, as he smiles into his cup.

Calmly, Leo gestures for Omorfiá to walk with him, the two stepping through the halls in approach to the gardens.

In the sunlight, without the company and gaze of Shredder looming over her, the carefully tended, vibrant land is far more calming and inviting. In the sunlight, many flowers bloom of all colors, bursts of color against the lush green of the land. Omorfiá looks around with restrained awe. Leo is able to catch the wonder in her eyes.

"It's my pride and joy," he speaks up, approaching a clear area of thick green grass, and kneeling there.

Stopping all movement, Omorfiá turns to him, one eyebrow raised at his words. Leo swears she looks subtly impressed.

"You tended to this?"

His smile is sheepish and shy, it being apparent that he's not one to normally boast about these things.

"I.. yes. It is my hobby."

Despite no invitation, Omorfiá joins Leo where he sits. She kneels among the grass, reclining to one side. Her eyes roam around the gardens again, with a different perspective and appreciation.

"You seem surprised. Why?" Leo asks, admiring her without secrecy in the sunlight and her renewed spirit.

Omorfiá briskly shrugs her shoulders. "I merely wouldn't expect it from you.. being a noble. I thought you lounged about.. chased women."

She catches the way his face reddens, his laughter soft as he turns his head away. "Oh- no.. no, I am.. I am just a gardener at heart."

Omorfiá nods, hands mindlessly running through the grass around them all this time. The blades are soft and grow together closely, almost knotted and tangled together. Omorfiá enjoys the sensation of freely running her hand over it— a small sliver of the liberty she now has.

"You did well," Leo speaks up, looking between her and her moving hand. "That was smalltalk, in a sense."

"Was it?" Omorfiá sighs, distracted. Finally, her eyes look up to him, capturing his staring gaze. A question seems to dangle at his mouth, unspoken. "What is it?"

"Ah-..." Leo finds Omorfiá catches him off guard, often. He averts his eyes again, clearing his throat. "Well, I wanted to ask- you- your eyes... yesterday..."

Omorfiá's features turn sour with dread, her hand suddenly closing into a fist in the grass.

"It was nothing."

Leo hears the unmistakable fear in her voice, spawned from years, perhaps her whole lifetime, of being afraid of what might be done to her for revealing anything not human about her. A fear beaten into her, taught to her, the very reason she immediately denies any inhuman occurrence that he witnessed. He nods slowly, eyes glancing at her.

"Of course."

His lack of questioning doesn't ease the tension that grips in her throat, only making her fear further inquiries.. he couldn't merely cast off his curiosity so easily, no... no, it would eat at him, and he would return with more demanding questions.