[Look at him!! He's even more adorable and precious as a child! Casey is now pretty much glued to the video feed while more tears build up in her eyes.]
Y-yes! Son!! Mom is here! I'm alive and I'm here and everything's going to be alright little man!!
[Okay, well at this point April gives up trying to be dignified about it and just drops down to sit cross-legged on the ground, hauling baby Casey into her lap and holding the relic up for him. Her voice is friendly and not at all wet, shut up:]
Jones, you better get your ass here now, then. We're near the ice cream food truck outside the apartments in Epiphany.
[He's getting all up in the relic's grill, pressing his little nose to the screen, hands pawing at it like he can get his mom to crawl through the screen. He of course understands distance communication - anyone in the fam would know even so long - but logic isn't really kicking in, at the sight of Suddenly-Not-Dead Mother. He's baby, he can be somewhat excused.]
I'm coming!! Mother is coming, precious baby child!!
[The moment April mentions their location, Casey starts bolting towards the nearest station at top speed while still holding the phone in front of her.
She can hear his every word, and given what April says, she can guess how that sentence ends. She can feel her heart breaking, and tears stream from her eyes, ensuring that the path she takes won't suffer from any kind of drought.]
I- I'm here now and I'm on my way! I don't want to leave you, I promise!!
[She's gonna let Casey paw at her relic all he likes, one arm wrapped around his waist for support. You know, Auntie April is here. But this is gonna take a while.]
Casey, tell me where you are and I'll send you a short cut! [Mayhem's here somewhere. Probably. Oh, harassing the taco vendor.]
[It takes a bit for him to remember how screens work, and he backs off enough to watch the scenery fly by as she runs, fixated and searching for little glimpses of his missing mother. He's still sniffling, tears persisting, but at least he's not wailing dramatically about it. The sight and sound of her has him more eager than distressed, the more time passes, and the closer she gets.]
Are you far away? We can run, too!
[He hasn't seen Mayhem yet, so the idea of teleporting hasn't occurred to him.]
A short cut?! [She is aware of several methods of teleportation associated with the Turtles. So she blurts out the name of the nearest street signs. And then smiles softly at the feed.]
I'm sure you can run real fast! But don't worry, Momma's coming to you!
[April doesn't even have to ask. By the time she glances back to Mayhem, all she catches is the bright little signature of his teleport. What a nice brat he's being today.]
She'll be here in just a few seconds, kiddo.
[And yup, there is a -paf- and a Mayhem appears on top of the street sign in question, jumping down once he sees Cass. Ready to go? Because he isn't giving you a choice, c'mon :Db]
[That promise has Casey looking around frantically, trying to will her apparent revival into actual reality before his eyes. As soon as Mayhem teleports them back to where he and April are, he'll be reaching out for her, wriggling in April's grasp.]
[She leaps into the air right at Mayhem! And once teleported, she lands and rolls directly towards her son, leaving a stream of tears as she at him like he's a target marked for hugs.]
[He will absolutely snot all over Mom. As soon as he is released, Junior is scampering to meet Casey in the middle, jumping up to be held, and setting free a high-pitched wail at the sight of her. It's been about a year since he lost her, so he's had time to adjust, but at the same time it's only been a year. Everything is still very fresh.
The moment they make contact he's clinging on for dear life, face buried against her shirt, getting it very wet in record time.]
Mom, Mom, Mommy, you're back-
[Might be difficult to peel him off her for a while.]
[And so it begins. The snottening. A scared exchange of mucus between mother and son.
She might not have born him yet, but it still feels like instinct to hold him close and tightly, like nothing else matters in the world. While she felt connected to this boy from the beginning, being with him as an actual kid feels like it's engaging her maternal side on a whole other level. As she holds him and cries on him, she gently rubs his back.]
Yes, of course. I- I am back! I am here, a-and everything is fine! Everything is going to be alright, you, you brave little boy!
[That revelation is still weighing on her mind. The idea that she could die so soon in her son's life - it makes her cling to him even more.]
[Ah, and just like that Wine Aunt April has become a third wheel. But you know what, April is kind of glad to escape the snottening for now. She'll watch them for a few moments with a wet sort of smile, and then sidle back off a little ways. To replace her ice cream, currently melted on the pavement and on her ass!
And also to maybe make a, uh, relic call. You guys carry on being snotty without her.]
[Sorry April, he'd apologize if he understood! But he saw you like, yesterday. He doesn't notice her departure (for now), merely clings and sobs and cries for... a while. Lots of pent-up emotions he's been learning to bury, because trauma and bad coping methods, mostly. Never too young for that in the Hamato family.
After a bit he settles enough to draw back so he can actually look at her. There are some differences, but there's no mistaking, this is his mom. He reaches up and gently pap-paps her face, marvelling at how he can at all.]
You're real... where did you go? I missed you lots! Every day!
[O-oh... something about that little hand patting at her face awakens an extra well of warm, fuzzy motherly feelings, and a fresh set of tears well up. I create this boy. He's made from me! It's still a lot to process.]
I, uh, I'm here now! [She realizes he must be talking about the original her. The one who actually had her and died. But she's not even sure how to explain that to a child. She barely even understands it all herself!]
I- I know I was... gone... but right now I'm here! A friendly fox brought me here. S-so that I can have more time with you! [Which is all technically true! Now that she knows her fate, she wonders if part of the reason that the fox brought her here was so she could meet her son.]
Now we can keep spending time together, a-and have all sorts of fun!
[His eyes brighten at the suggestion. Pressing her for further details on where she'd vanished to isn't firmly on his radar, so he's very easy to distract. What's more important is that she's here now.]
Really? You mean it? You don't have to go away and fight now? [Oh, wait, that clicks with something he'd been told earlier.] Auntie April says there's no Krang here! None at all! We're safe!
[Well okay technically she said nothing will hurt him here, but he can read between the lines.]
That's right! Mother is here to stay! [She frees a hand to rub his head.]
Everything's gonna be better now! There's ice cream, and your auntie's right! None of those awful, awful nasty Krang things that I totally have met before! [A nervous laugh.]
Also, I'm a Legend now! That makes your mom one of the coolest heroes! [She gives a proud flap of her wings.]
[He opens his mouth to agree - obviously, Mom has always been one of the coolest heroes, if not THE coolest on account of being Mom - but when she flaps her wings he notices them for the first time. Everything else was just too exciting.
Awestruck, he reaches a hand out towards the feathers. They're so pretty...]
Wow, wow! Are you an angel? Am I dead now?
[He sure doesn't remember dying. He also doesn't sound especially bothered about the answer potentially being yes. If the afterlife is a nicer place with pizza and ice cream and all of his loved ones, it doesn't seem so bad...!]
No!! [She responds very quickly, as a knee-jerk reaction to the general idea of dead son boy.]
You are not allowed to be dead! I forbid it!! I am like an angel, but a very alive and super awesome one! [She does bring her wing in closer so he can feel the feathers.]
In fact, maybe I should take my prized son out for a flight!
[He's very much okay with being alive as long as everyone else is! Carefully (as gentle as a little kid can be, anyway) he touches the feathers first, then strokes them, fascinated. Those are really attached to his mom, she can move them... wait, she can fly too!?]
[April just gonna look over at them mid conversation with Mikey and wave at them. And slap her ice-creamy butt for good measure. Yeah, she heard you, you lil menaces. Go forth, fly, etc.]
[Casey snickers along with her son, acting as an adult beacon of maturity.]
Yes, it is quite foolish, isn't it? [With that, back to 100 percent son focus.]
Now hold on tight, my child! Away we go!!
[With that, holding tightly to him with both arms, she flaps her wings to lift off the ground, and then sets off! She's flying low and slow at first to help him adjust. And to save some of the fun!]
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Y-yes! Son!! Mom is here! I'm alive and I'm here and everything's going to be alright little man!!
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Jones, you better get your ass here now, then. We're near the ice cream food truck outside the apartments in Epiphany.
[...dammit, now she has ice cream on her ass.]
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S-sensei- sensei said- everybody said- you- Mom-
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[The moment April mentions their location, Casey starts bolting towards the nearest station at top speed while still holding the phone in front of her.
She can hear his every word, and given what April says, she can guess how that sentence ends. She can feel her heart breaking, and tears stream from her eyes, ensuring that the path she takes won't suffer from any kind of drought.]
I- I'm here now and I'm on my way! I don't want to leave you, I promise!!
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Casey, tell me where you are and I'll send you a short cut! [Mayhem's here somewhere. Probably. Oh, harassing the taco vendor.]
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Are you far away? We can run, too!
[He hasn't seen Mayhem yet, so the idea of teleporting hasn't occurred to him.]
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I'm sure you can run real fast! But don't worry, Momma's coming to you!
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She'll be here in just a few seconds, kiddo.
[And yup, there is a -paf- and a Mayhem appears on top of the street sign in question, jumping down once he sees Cass. Ready to go? Because he isn't giving you a choice, c'mon :Db]
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[She leaps into the air right at Mayhem! And once teleported, she lands and rolls directly towards her son, leaving a stream of tears as she at him like he's a target marked for hugs.]
MY SONNN!!!
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Seriously though, the second she sees the telltale shimmer of Mayhem's return she's letting go. Go get snot all over your mother, kid.]
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The moment they make contact he's clinging on for dear life, face buried against her shirt, getting it very wet in record time.]
Mom, Mom, Mommy, you're back-
[Might be difficult to peel him off her for a while.]
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She might not have born him yet, but it still feels like instinct to hold him close and tightly, like nothing else matters in the world. While she felt connected to this boy from the beginning, being with him as an actual kid feels like it's engaging her maternal side on a whole other level. As she holds him and cries on him, she gently rubs his back.]
Yes, of course. I- I am back! I am here, a-and everything is fine! Everything is going to be alright, you, you brave little boy!
[That revelation is still weighing on her mind. The idea that she could die so soon in her son's life - it makes her cling to him even more.]
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And also to maybe make a, uh, relic call. You guys carry on being snotty without her.]
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After a bit he settles enough to draw back so he can actually look at her. There are some differences, but there's no mistaking, this is his mom. He reaches up and gently pap-paps her face, marvelling at how he can at all.]
You're real... where did you go? I missed you lots! Every day!
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I, uh, I'm here now! [She realizes he must be talking about the original her. The one who actually had her and died. But she's not even sure how to explain that to a child. She barely even understands it all herself!]
I- I know I was... gone... but right now I'm here! A friendly fox brought me here. S-so that I can have more time with you! [Which is all technically true! Now that she knows her fate, she wonders if part of the reason that the fox brought her here was so she could meet her son.]
Now we can keep spending time together, a-and have all sorts of fun!
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Really? You mean it? You don't have to go away and fight now? [Oh, wait, that clicks with something he'd been told earlier.] Auntie April says there's no Krang here! None at all! We're safe!
[Well okay technically she said nothing will hurt him here, but he can read between the lines.]
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Everything's gonna be better now! There's ice cream, and your auntie's right! None of those awful, awful nasty Krang things that I totally have met before! [A nervous laugh.]
Also, I'm a Legend now! That makes your mom one of the coolest heroes! [She gives a proud flap of her wings.]
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Awestruck, he reaches a hand out towards the feathers. They're so pretty...]
Wow, wow! Are you an angel? Am I dead now?
[He sure doesn't remember dying. He also doesn't sound especially bothered about the answer potentially being yes. If the afterlife is a nicer place with pizza and ice cream and all of his loved ones, it doesn't seem so bad...!]
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You are not allowed to be dead! I forbid it!! I am like an angel, but a very alive and super awesome one! [She does bring her wing in closer so he can feel the feathers.]
In fact, maybe I should take my prized son out for a flight!
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Oh- please, please! Can we? Really? I want to!
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Yes, absolutely!! Let me show you the skies!
[But she does think to call out to April.]
April, we're going flying!! ...Also, there's ice cream on your butt!
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Ice cream on your butt!
[Kiddo that's your fault...]
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Yes, it is quite foolish, isn't it? [With that, back to 100 percent son focus.]
Now hold on tight, my child! Away we go!!
[With that, holding tightly to him with both arms, she flaps her wings to lift off the ground, and then sets off! She's flying low and slow at first to help him adjust. And to save some of the fun!]
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