ruevealing | folkmore inbox.

Sure, hang on.

[Extracting himself from the silly dance, he returns to the dresser to check on the candle - still doing fine - and fishes a notebook from one of the drawers, flipping through to reach the gala dance notes, which he offers out to Rue. They'll find a couple of pages of little stick figure diagrams doing several numbered dance moves in sequence, with notes about how some dances go from one number to the next. It's quite detailed; he was definitely paying attention.]

[Rue is all too eager to take the notebook, peering down at the meticulous notes Casey's taken. They flip through it, humming out their approval with each new diagram.]

And how much of this have you practiced?

[He looks pleased by their quiet approval. He'd tried really hard to nail it, even if he's no artist.]

Not a lot, but at the gala Hunter let me try a few out with him. I think it went well?

[Of course he danced with Hunter. Rue is not at all surprised.

(hehe)]

Will your uncle be very much annoyed if we try something more traditional?

[Shhh nothing to see here. Did he get those pictures from Leo? Well. Leo for sure has pictures.]

Well... not like he can stop us. [Bittersweet, but accurate enough that he doesn't lose his smile.] Half the fun of being his nephew is getting away with annoying him.

[Their paw finds Casey's cheek, a gentle brush of feathers, before Rue is nodding along.]

I imagine your uncle would even take some pride in that. Getting to see his nephew just as bold as he was.

[Pulling away, Rue holds out both paws.]

The height difference may not be to our advantage, but we can go through the basics easily enough.

[Subtly he tilts his head into their paw while it rests there, briefly closing his eyes. He really is feeling a lot better. As usual, Rue knows exactly what to do.]

Yeah, I don't think my hand will reach your shoulder from here...

[It goes without saying that Hunter led at the gala. Casey knows he's short, and Hunter had also actually been to fancy parties before; it just made the most sense.]

I should have brought a potion of growth along with me to make this easier!

[But even if they can't do a proper waltz, they take Casey's hands and guide him into a gently-paced waltz, giving him time to catch up to each movement of their taloned feet, counting out numbers in time with each step. It's simple and easy and would win neither of them any awards, but it's fun.]

Then I'd be way too tall! Is there a spell just to give me an extra foot?

[Wishful thinking...

He follows their steps as best as he can, a little clumsy and faltering as he tries to remember how to do this. He's a fast learner - had to be, growing up the way he did - so he's at least keeping up well enough.]

If only I knew levitate! Alas, I shall just have to wait for you to grow naturally.

[or platform shoes.

But Casey catches on quickly - because he's their brilliant son, of course - and Rue gives him time to master every new move before trying another, giving him another spin and then again, back-to-back this time.]

[This dance is so not suited for the Palladium Drones music blaring from his relic, but Casey seems to be enjoying the spins, his smile shifting into a bright grin, then a laugh. Instead of grief, it's helping him remember the fun he'd had at the gala, stumbling through a few dances with Hunter, dressing up in fancier clothes than he'd ever owned in his life, drinking fizzy punch and listening to beautiful music. It had been a really, really lovely night.

This isn't the same, but it's still fun, and he's letting the joy back in.]

[~~Sorry that your mother is not as fun as Hunter apparently!~~

The music may not be very fitting at all, but fun enough to wash away the earlier sadness. And Rue is all too happy to keep the dancing up until they're both out of breath and full of giggles instead, finally releasing Casey to huff out a laugh.]

I think even your uncle would be proud of that performance!

[~~it's still fun he thought! just not as emotionally... something!!~~

Casey exhales a sigh, dropping down to sit on the edge of the bed. He has pretty good stamina for physical activity, but there's something about dancing that leaves him extra tickled and extra tired. Maybe it's all the face muscles he's exhausted by smiling too much.]

He'd say something like "mediocre at best", but secretly he'd approve. Mostly because you cheered me up. [He swings his legs back and forth a bit, his eyes drifting towards the candle again. It's burning steady, enough wax dripping down to form a moat to hold it firm.] Decades later, and he still hated problems he didn't know how to fix.

[Like crying children or too many feelings. But there something comforting about that, too. He could always trust Uncle Tello not to coddle him, to look at whatever was giving him grief through a fresh, unfiltered lens. To help him logic his way out of it, instead of just crying and failing to understand what made him cry.

He was so good at that.]

[Rue is just coming in to stand in front of Casey and gently drag him into a loose hug. It isn't anything like the sensation that a pair of turtle arms hugging him might feel, but it is full of the same familial love for this one young teen.]

He loved you so dearly.

[Rue does not have to guess, they know.]

Every story that you've ever told me made me absolutely certain of that. And perhaps this can be a new tradition for us. Finding some joy on this day, however we can, in honor of your uncle.

[Casey makes a soft, agreeable noise, melting into the hug and slumping against their feathers. Of course he was loved. It was hard fought over multiple years, through stubbornness, tenacity, trial by error. It's probably what makes interacting with Donnie as difficult and joyful as it is now; the love isn't there (yet), and maybe it never will be, but the challenge is back. The goal to earn it. Maybe someday, if he's very stubborn and very lucky.

The tradition of remembering the version who has been lost, however... he likes sharing that with Rue. This feels like something one should have a parent around for. And it's okay that they don't hug like a turtle- hugs were hardly ever Uncle Tello's way of showing real affection. He tolerated them, but he didn't thrive.]

Yeah... maybe I'll think about what we could do next year. Something more, um. [He considers for a moment.] Epic?

[He doesn't know how to make a memorial epic, but with all of the resources they have here, it definitely feels like it's something they could (and should) do for Uncle Tello.]

[A kiss is gently pecked on the very top of Casey's head as Rue holds him close.]

Fireworks, perhaps? Something brilliant and memorable that no one will be able to ignore.

Yeah… I like that idea. But only if it's real fireworks! [On this, he is firm.] He'd get so mad if they were magic fireworks.

[He was so particular about that- always strict on acknowledging the power of true science, even with how powerful he became with his mystic abilities. It was important to remember his roots and his passion in a world where they had so little. Part of why Casey loved hanging out with him and sensei the most: science he could do, training he could do. Of the four brothers in Casey's time they were the ones who used their mystic powers in battle the least, Uncle Tello due to staying closer to base most of the time, and sensei due to the major loss of his own. He could never be on their level, but he'd felt closer, at least.]

[For Donnie only? Rue will concede.]

Real fireworks it is, then. We'll have plenty of time to procure some, so we can make next year's anniversary absolutely as memorable as your uncle Tello deserves.

[He makes a quiet, contented noise and buries his face against them, smiling softly into the feathers. The candle's nearly burned down, the light of the room dimming, but this is the first anniversary since Uncle Tello died that he feels brighter at the end of it, the first year where things will get better. He's no longer facing the end of the world, but the beginning of life.

Next year, maybe he'll feel excited for November 17th. Fireworks for Uncle Tello... real fireworks, real explosions. Yeah, he'd love that.]

Thank you... I love you.

[He's so fortunate to have a family here, people to share a memorial with, to share stories and grieve in his own way. And to think, he'd started this day intending to hide away and keep it to himself. How foolish of him! This is so much better. He never, ever wants to take this kindness for granted.]

[Rue might not understand the full extent of it, but they know that Casey turned to them in his moment of need and they were able to help him manage the hurt associated with such a difficult day. The mere fact that their darling boy is leaving this impromptu memorial with a smile means the world to Rue.

And truly, it is exactly what Donatello would have wanted.]

What do you say that we make some especially bland food in his honor? And perhaps watch some of the movies he loves most. I feel that would be a perfect way to end this day.

[He grins at that.]

As long as it's not rats or leaves. [Even Uncle Tello would be offended by that memorial meal, and most of that bland food they had in the future was generated in his greenhouse/storage facility.] Apple juice, and Atomic Lass. That's what we need. ...Oh! How about plain pancakes? Without any syrup.

Zero rats and zero leaves. Plain pancakes, however, we can do.

[Rue bends down to peck a kiss at the top of Casey's head before pulling away, offering instead, a paw for him to take. Time to take this celebration out into the kitchen.]

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