Unto an evil counsellor, close heart and ear and eyeâ:
oh it was almost too good to be true! sure it wasnât the full set but collecting sets were all about patience and planning. he may have made it a touch more difficult but that just made her all the more excited to finally get her hands on the prize. plus the challenge just made them that much sweeter of a catch. her maroon eyes sparkled as she watched him contemplate his fate, wondering just what exactly the poor thing was thinking exactly as he read through each line and stipulation. oh what she wouldnât give to have a peak into his thoughts on her bonus clause.
but at last he makes his move. slow and steady he made it clear he agreed to her little addition. signing away his life so swiftly, so unaware all the little extra things she could do to in order to twist him âround her fingers. a puppet willingly stringing himself up for her to play with. her pincers were quick to grab the contract as soon as he slid it back towards her. looking at the signature as he sat his shell down. eyes carefully watching only the document though she ached to take a peek.Â
her smaller hand waved towards the door in a silent command. â yes, yes. so eager. I thought youâd be a tizzly-wizzley bit more hesitant to betray the other turtleyboos. you must have been planing this coup-de-loop for a while.. â she taunted as she handed Venus his contract to be put aside someplace safe. a copy would be made of course, she wasnât nieve enough to have but one laying around but for now the master copy was going to be kept in her own private vault.Â
her eyes careful to watch only Venus as she gave her instructions on how to dispose of the battle-shell. a spot that would easily be found by the brothers but close enough to Draxum that they wouldnât suspect her right away. though she did eagerly want to see just what his shell looked like, he was always so careful to keep it hidden behind the metal. but she was in this for the long game. she would not let herself fall to her curiosity just yet.Â
so instead of prying she was careful to keep her gaze away from him as she passed her desk to stand at his side. â I will lead the way, I donât want you getting all fizzledizzled before you have a chance to be fizzlewopped. letâs see⌠you were so eager to get to it then how about we start at my libity-lab? a little sneak peak at my most recent creations for my nexus. oooh a shame I couldnât get bubbly blue bumbler into this deal as well. it would be nice to have a new champion out in the ring to keep things exciting out there. â she tutted, carefully keeping herself in his view as she lead the way down from the penthouse office to the lower levels. â did you already have something in mind for me as well, my sweet technological turtleyboo? or do I have to work for your geniusâŚÂ âÂ
     He feels horribly exposed without his shell on, unable to stop his arms from wrapping around himself. He had never had his shell off around an enemy before, at least not like this. He tries not to look around to see which of the few people in the room had their eyes on his shell. Instead, he keeps his eyes solely on Big Mama, surprised that she kept her own eyes trained down on the contract in front of her.
         He stiffens at that words. Betray. He wasnâtÂŹÂ
     â Iâm not betraying them, â Donnie tries to tell her despite the voice in the back of his head telling him that she wasnât completely wrong. â Iâm doing this to protect them from you. â He voice is full of venom in his reply, his eyes pointed and hateful at the Yokai in front of him. But his eyes donât stay on her, instead they follow the single piece of paper that was equivalent of his life as itâs handed to her masked assistant. He wants to reach out for it, grab it and tear it to bits, but it wouldnât do him any good now. He knew why he was here. He had already made his decision. He would do this. For them. What he wanted didnât matter, everything he was doing was for them.
And then his shell is being removed from the room and thereâs a whole different urge to take that back, to be able to hide back under his protective layer of metal. But he holds back from that. Instead, his eyes watched the assistant leave the room until theyâve disappeared behind him, refusing to turn his back to Big Mama yet to watch them leave the room. Even if Big Mama wasnât paying his shell any mind yet, he trusted that she was only buying her time before taking in what was easily his largest weakness ( of many, his brain helpfully reminded him. )Â
It was fine. He thought as he followed Big Mama from the Room. Once heâs alone he could call one of his other shells to him. So long as he was stealthy about it.
He followers her as she leads the way through the building. The more she talks the tenser Donnie gets. The way she chooses to talk is grating on his brain. And he has to bite his tongue as she mentions Leo. He feels coiled up like a spring but with no hope of the tension being relieved. He knew there was no way in hell she would get her hands on Leo, but it didnât stop him from seething at the very idea. Followed by the idea that he would have already thought of ways that she could enslave people to her fighting ring, he glares up at her back as he continues to follow her.
     â Of course, I havenât. Do you really think I would spend my time thinking up ideas that would benefit you? â