Together As Mutants (Book Six)

Chapter 55: Visitors & Desires

"Shouldn't they be here by now? What if something happened?"

Leonardo raises an eye-ridge as Destiny paces around in front of the turnstiles leading into the lair, anxiously watching the sewer tunnels. Nearby, the other turtles, Casey, April, Sarina, Annalise, and Taylor watch her with varying degrees of amusement or concern.

"It said their flight landed. They'll get here when they can," Leonardo says.

Destiny frowns. "I'm gonna call him—"

"Des, no," everyone groans.

She stops pacing and turns to them. "Okay, that was freaky," she says.

Leonardo gets to his feet and moves to her side, reaching out to tenderly grip her shoulders. "How about you sit down, take a few deep breaths, and the next thing you know, they'll be here?"

Destiny sighs. "Why do you always have to be so level-headed and right about things?" she asks, half-teasing.

"Well, level-headed..." He teeter-totters his hands and grimaces, earning a giggle. He smirks. "Come on."

As he leads her back to the living room pit, Taylor shifts on her seat. "So, Diaval. The man, the myth, the legend," she says. "Anything I should expect?"

"He's very quiet," Destiny says.

"And very shy," Donatello adds.

"He has many magical abilities," Sarina says.

"He's an awesome go-kart driver!" Casey grins.

"He's a bit odd-looking, but he's really nice!" Annalise says with a smile and a thumbs-up.

"And his girlfriend, Melanie, is an amazing cook," Michelangelo says, already licking his lips. "Her chocolate-chip cookies are like heaven, dude..."

"Wait, girlfriend?" Raphael asks, eyes widening as he nods a little. "Good for him."

"He didn't tell me they made it official," Destiny says, eyebrow raising.

"I mean, she's coming with him," Michelangelo says. "So unless she's doing the whole Leo-Des 'we're just friends' pining thing—"

"Hey..." They pout, Destiny crossing her arms over her chest. April giggles.

"You know I'm right." Michelangelo laughs. He shifts, kicking one leg over the other while putting his arm over Annalise's shoulders. "I bet a whole pizza that they're gonna come in here all loved up. Just you wait."

Taylor wiggles her eyebrows a little. "Drama, I like it. Are the odds good?"

Destiny thinks a little. "Yes and no."

"Diaval's shyness and general fear of intimacy works against the formation of official relationships," Sarina says, nodding thoughtfully.

"But...Melanie's real sweet and understanding. Lady doesn't even cuss," Raphael says. "Kind of an angel, honestly."

"What we're saying is, if he won't ask her out, we're gonna do it for him," Michelangelo says. "Gotta snatch her up!"

"Who are we snatching now?"

Every head whips to the entrance to the lair just as Karai walks through the turnstiles, hauling a simple red suitcase, with Shinigami close behind her. A cloud of bats carries two other bags and, still behind her, Diaval and Melanie follow.

Diaval looks the same as usual—shaggy white hair in a low ponytail, pinkish eyes with slitted pupils, snaggletooth, black cloak—but this time, he's wearing a pair of rather stylish half-frame glasses.