The next day in the lair is rather peaceful. The turtles have a morning training session with Master Splinter, one that Destiny opts out of on Donatello's orders. After, the five teens take to engaging in other activities; Leonardo and Raphael playing video games together in front of the TV, Donatello lounging near them on his computer, Destiny and Michelangelo playing pinball.

A loud whoop sounds from the entrance to the lair, followed closely by ringing laughter. Destiny stops the game to glance up at the noise, her eyes falling on two regular human people; one a redhead girl, the other a boy decked out in hockey equipment. She recognizes them from the pictures in Donatello's laboratory.

She freezes, the pinball disappearing between the levers with a resounding honk of failure. Michelangelo swoops in and bumps Destiny out of the way, hardly noticing how on edge she looks. She takes careful steps backwards, claws unsheathed, tail fur fluffed, fangs showing through the hesitant open-mouthed grimace on her face.

"Hey guys!" the girl says, not noticing the newcomer. She adjusts the bag on her shoulder, leaning her weight onto one hip. "Sorry we haven't dropped by lately. Casey and I have been pretty busy with school."

"Nah, it's all good, April. We've been pretty busy too," Donatello says, straightening up as he flashes a smile. Destiny notes his cheeks turning pink.

April's bright blue eyes widen, freckled cheeks lifting. "Oh yeah! Mikey told me!" She looks around, still failing to notice Destiny. In her defence, the wolf has taken to hiding behind a rather sizeable pillar. "Where's the new girl?"

Destiny feels tremors crawl up her spine, a sick feeling building in her gut. Questions, thoughts, and fears race through her head like squirrels on miniaturized treadmills; what if they scream and run? What if they laugh? What if they call her a freak? She knows they've accepted the turtles, but are they going to be okay with her?

"She was just here," Michelangelo says. He pivots in place, eye-ridges furrowed. "Desti-bear! Dezzy? DESTINY!"

"Screaming isn't gonna help, Mikey," Raphael snaps.

"Find her soon, dude," Casey says, fiddling with one of the straps on his glove. "I wanna meet this femme-mutante..." he adds, a teasing smirk on his face.

Donatello rolls his eyes. "That was some of the worst French I've ever heard, Jones."

Casey laughs as he shrugs his shoulders, his nonchalance only serving to make Donatello angrier. April shakes her head as the faintest trace of a smile lifts her lips.

"Des?"

Destiny jumps and claps a hand over her mouth as she spins around, finally ripping her attention from the conversations happening outside of her hiding spot. Leonardo stands behind her, a shocked countenance decorating his features. He holds up one hand in a half-wave.

"Sorry," he apologizes. Destiny takes a few deep breaths, making him step closer to her. "Uh...are you okay?"

She looks at her feet, pressing her shoulder against the concrete pillar as she purses her lips. She shakes her head, making his face fall.

"They're going to scream," she whispers, wrapping her arms around herself. She swallows, her voice getting even quieter. "I don't want them to be scared of me."

Leonardo looks up at April and Casey, his jaw clenching, and then returns his attention to the wolf. "They won't be scared of you."

"How do you know?"

"Just...trust me."

He holds out his hand to her, a pleading smile making his eyes twinkle. She slowly accepts his offer, shaking a little and accidentally adding pressure to their touch. His hand is warm and strong, and while the gesture itself is simple, it still acts as a comforting reminder that the leader in blue is beside her.

Leonardo pulls her after him, out into the open. "Guys! I found her!" he calls, making the other five teens turn towards him. The blue-masked turtle flashes a charming smile. "April, Casey, this is Destiny," he says, gesturing to her as he tugs her closer to them.

Destiny gives a shy wave with the hand that isn't wrapped around Leonardo's, trying to resist the urge to hide behind him like a scared kindergartner on the first day of school. She realizes a second too late that her claws are still visible, making her scurry to hide the appendage behind her back.

"Woah..." April comments, her eyes widening slightly.

"I expected an actual...humanoid wolf," Casey mentions, looking almost as shocked as April. His expression, Destiny notices, his slightly disappointed while still being interested.

Destiny straightens up in surprise. No screams reach her ears, no horrified looks bore into her...

"You...you aren't scared?" she asks.

April shakes her head. "Nah, once you've seen as many mutants as we have, you kinda get used to it." She shrugs, flashing a kind smile Destiny's way.

Leonardo, on the other hand, winks as Destiny glances his way. She can just see him saying, "I told you so."

"Are you a full mutant or just a kinda mutant?" Casey asks, stepping closer to Destiny and shoving Leonardo aside.

"What do you mean?" she asks, her eyes following him as he moves in a steady circle around her.

His dark eyes flick upwards from where they'd been examining her appearance. "I've seen a lot of mutants, wolfie, and you look really different from them. Most of those guys are giant, freaky animals or something."

Destiny tenses, forcing herself to swallow back some comment referring to her wolf form. The turtles give each other knowing yet slightly anxious glances. Casey doesn't notice their reactions.

"Basically, you look like a human with some wicked scary contacts and some hella realistic ears and a tail," he adds, prodding her arm and making her bare her teeth. He notices the grimace, his face brightening further. "Dude! You've got fangs too? Wicked!"

He smiles widely, revealing multiple gaps in his teeth, and steps back to look her over again, nodding rhythmically as his bottom lip pouts out in a "not bad" gesture. Destiny fidgets beneath his gaze, seeking out someone else to focus her attention on, and her eyes fall on Michelangelo—who stands behind Casey at a distance. The turtle imitates a wolf, miming roars and claws.

Destiny arches an eyebrow. Michelangelo urges her to go on with a big thumbs up.

In one swift movement, there's a giant wolf in Destiny's place and Casey is shrieking as the said animal pins him to the ground. April's hand snaps to her belt, but halts as she realizes that the animal isn't attacking.

Destiny's large tail swings back and forth like a furry pendulum, her bright green eyes fixated on Casey. The boy wheezes, his breaths quick but his chest straining to lift beneath the giant paws on his shoulders.

"Okay...okay...mutant wolf. Got it," he gasps.

A rumbling sound emits from Destiny's throat as she gets off of him. He scrambles to his feet, taking her in with widened eyes. She remains in place as he takes in the massive muscles rippling beneath her black fur, her wide mouth and glinting teeth, and the fact that the top of her head is easily over six feet tall.

April tentatively reaches out and touches Destiny's shoulder, to which Destiny's giant head swings back and a growl escapes her. April instantly jumps away, making the wolf's face soften.

"Sorry. Force of habit," she apologizes.

"Oh god, the wolf can talk too?" Casey asks, flopping onto a chair. "What else?"

Destiny barks, making him twist away from the noise while causing the turtles and April to laugh. Destiny transforms easily, returning to her usual appearance and clothing, which unfortunately is still very tattered and very old.

April is the first to actually notice her outfit. "Wait, is that really what you're wearing?" she asks, sounding incredibly concerned. "That shirt is practically falling off!"

Destiny looks down at the material, just now noticing how homely she must look. Her shirt is baggy, at least two sizes too big, and it hangs off her skinny frame like a shawl. One sleeve (the one Diaval ripped with his arrow) is hanging off her shoulder from the tear and is showing the strap of her bra. Her pants, as per usual, are torn, lopsided, and are only being held up by the string she tied around her waist to act as a belt.

"Um..." Destiny looks at her feet, scuffing her shoe against the floor. "This...this is all I have..." she whispers, her shame making her face feel hot.

April gasps, spinning to face the turtles. "You guys didn't think to get her some new clothes?"

The brothers look between each other, faces slack.

"Uh, we don't wear clothes," Donatello says, raising his hand.

"Well, yeah, but," April says, resting a hand on her hip as she shakes her head, "you could've asked me! I could've brought her some!"

Destiny's eyes widen. "You don't have to do that for—"

"Ssh, nope, don't say that," April says, returning her attention to the wolf mutant. "If there's gonna be a girl other than me around here, I'm gonna help you out. Consider it a token of friendship."

"But—"

"No buts! Come on, I need to check a few things," the redhead says, grabbing Destiny's wrist and starting to pull her towards the bedrooms. "Do you have a room?"

"The guest one?" Destiny answers, although it comes out like a question.

"Awesome." April smiles and waves at the turtles. "Be back soon, guys!"

With that, the girls disappear out of the line of sight. Casey's eyes flicker over every turtle in the vicinity, waiting for a reaction as a smug look appears on his lips.

Donatello sighs and smacks his hands against forehead. "Why...did we not think of that?"

Casey laughs, resting his hands behind his head. "Clothes are a pretty obvious thing, dudes."

"You and April wear the same thing every day," Michelangelo says, shrugging as he hops over the bench and sits down next to Casey. "I thought Desti-bear didn't need another outfit."

Casey blinks a few times, looking down at his own clothing. Everyone else stares at Michelangelo. The orange-masked turtle smiles as he takes in the different gazes he's receiving, completely oblivious.

"What?" he asks.

Raphael shakes his head and sighs. "Nothing, Mikey. Nothing."