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Hi Mom!

The way he explained it, he used to do a lot of cleaning back in his world, so it's something he's confident in and he likes doing it because he's good at it. I checked a few times to make sure it wasn't upsetting him or giving him bad memories, but he really seemed happy to do it, so if he likes it, who am I to say no? Especially since he likes the chores I don't like much.

I think you should get to have ginormous wings if you wanted to fly. It wouldn't hurt anybody to have them! Maybe it would be cool. I DO think you're legendary with or without, though. Would you want flying wings, if you could have them?

I'm not going to tattoo my face! I don't even know what I'd put there. I get red slider markings like Leo when I use the disguise brooch to become a turtle, so if I did anything, maybe it'd be that. But I don't actually want to do it, so it's a moot point. I'm not a turtle, I'm just me. (You're making me blush :) ) I *am* Hamato though, so I was thinking maybe the Hamato emblem. Do you have some kind of symbol that represents you?

A scrapbook is a great idea! We have tons of new photos at this point. And I have that nice printer begging to be used. You should come over and hang out after work, we can find some books and make a copy for each of us.

Love you love you,
Casey

Hello my darling son!

Well, that makes this old heart of mine so thoroughly happy. I love that he's found so much joy in life at your side, that the two of you are so good at balancing the other out. Just like Peter and Leo, you are both such a perfect match. I do love to see you both taken care of by one another.

Oh, that is so very kind of you, dear, but I'm quite content on the ground. :) I think climbing trees is about the highest I would prefer to ever be, for now, at least. My natural wings will just have to do! (I say, as if I'm at all displeased with how glorious they are!)

Pray, I can not deny that the thought of you with little slider markings has made me just the slightest touch emotional. Wouldn't that be such a beautiful tribute to your father? I think, in that one instance alone, I will grant you permission for face tattoos, but only for that one! That being said, the Hamato emblem would be a fine choice instead, to represent your roots entirely. As for me, I do not. It's not something I've ever considered, nor have I the family history to pull from. What might represent Delloso de la Rue, hm? I can think of nothing that encompasses the whole of my being so easily.

Though, if I were to get something, perhaps a marking for each of my boys. Footprints, perhaps.

It sounds like date, my love. I can not wait a moment longer!

See you tomorrow,
Mom

Dear Mom,

I'm glad too. I think I'm so, so lucky. All of us are, to have found each other the way we did. In the bigger scale of things it hasn't been that long, but I really can't imagine life without any of us. (Now I have to, what's the phrase? Knock on wood? I read about that a while back. Thirteen, leave us alone.)

Your wings are super glorious, of course. I wonder if it would be hard to control if you did have another pair? Like, you'd really have to practice flapping one pair instead of another. I remember how hard it was to figure out flying with just one pair as a bird. And I never thought of it as having wings as an owlbear, since they work as arms, too. Though wings ARE wings for birds... wow, I'm suddenly glad we don't have to overthink this.

You saw the photo on my board with me and Leo as turtles together, right? I'll send it too. [There's a copy included in the envelope, now.] The disguise brooch picked the form for me, and at the time I don't think I was ready to say it, but it really nailed the idea, huh? If I was gonna be a turtle, I'd want to be like my dad, or if not him then at least like one of my uncles. But maybe not exactly the same? Sometimes I think about the scale markings I got coming here, on my arms and back- they're not really MY marks, just copies of my family's. I always thought it would be kind of cool to have my own. Maybe that's what the tattoos would be for instead. Something that's just me.

If I had to pick a symbol for you, I think it would be flowers. Or some kind of plant, for sure. That's just my first thought, though; we met when you gave me tea for the first time, you have that flower halo, and the first time you asked if I wanted to be family, you were making flower crowns. What if it was a flower crown made of symbols for everyone? Or a flower for everyone, something that represented the whole family. That could be cool. I bet it would look really pretty.

Love you,
Casey

My love,

I often feel much the same way, that all of you have been in my life for so much longer than you actually have. It is astounding to think I have existed for thousands upon thousands of years before any of you were even born. I think it reminds me of how truly special it is that we all even met in this place. We have everything fighting against us meeting and yet here we are, the happiest family to ever live.

It makes me feel that our family can truly withstand everything.

Truth be told, I'm glad I don't have to overthink it either. :P I'm perfectly content as is, with this single, non-flying pair of wings.

Ah, that does make so much more sense now that you've put it that way. You deserve to have things that are simply your own, not just continuations of others. Well, I am all for whatever tattoo ideas you might have then, even if they involve your face.

(Though I will beg you to consider it before you follow through! Just to be certain it's what you want!)

A specific flower to represent everyone in the family, all making up a single flower crown? Casey Jones, I could have considered this for ages and never come up with an idea so brilliant! But pray, now I'll have to think of flowers to associate with all of my boys. And certainly, some are easier than others, but some might take some real noodling! (Donatello.)

I am so grateful to have you in my life. Always, my love,

Mom

Dear Mom,

I am going to be a little whiny for a minute! My chest still hurts! Maybe I should have gotten a smaller tattoo. It does look really cool, though. I feel cool looking at it. It's like, I don't need it to be a part of anything, I definitely know that! But it still feels good to carry it, like sensei's slider marks. I don't know. I keep looking in the mirror and smiling at myself.

Thanks again for going with me, I don't regret. I do wish bodies healed naturally faster. I'd try magic but I don't want to mess it up! (It doesn't hurt a lot, it's just. You know how scabs are? I keep wanting to pick at it.)

Lately I've been talking to some people who're unhappy about being here, or questioning how I can be happy, and sometimes it's hard to give them a good answer. I mean, I always tell them that my family is here, I have two amazing moms and all my brothers (and whatever Donnie counts as), April, and Hunter, and Peter... even with trials and the weird stuff Thirteen does, this is a good home for me. And sometimes I say my old home was worse, but that somehow comes across as insufficient. It's not like I'm telling THEM to call Folkmore home, it's just my opinion. Does anyone question you on that sort of thing? What do you say? I feel so awkward, not hating Thirteen. I don't LIKE her, just. I love it here, mostly.

oh sorry for the short letter today I just heard cannons above. The pirates are back! I'm gonna fight them :) (very safely)

Love you forever,
Casey

My darling,

My apologies on the lateness of this correspondence! The shop has had a revolving door these last few weeks, as everyone rushes in to get their summer clothing in order before the weather gets too hot. I daresay I've barely slept just to keep up on all of these orders!

But all of that to say, I love you, my sweet child. Your presence at the shop is always such a delight and comfort in my life. It makes the hours fly by.

Do not pick at it!

I'm certain you know that, but the mother in me needed to remind you! As for the bruising ache that you feel, while I agree with you that we shouldn't use magic to heal the skin as it may alter the artwork, perhaps I could settle a little soothing magic just to ease that discomfort for you. You need only say the word and my magic is all yours.

(And also, when you feel comfortable showing it off, send me a picture of it ASAP! I want to see how it's healing. :) )

As to your question, yes, I do feel as if my sanity is called in question at least once a week or so by those who refuse to see this place as anything but a prison. I'm aware things are very different for you and I - we have lives in Folkmore and our families are here with us - but at the same time, I've learned so much about myself and what kind of owlbear I want to strive to become. Thirteen has been kind to all of us for the most part, giving us all the space to grow. When I'm asked that question, I always return to you boys as my answer to why I love it here, but I think even if we hadn't met, I would have found some peace in this place. Maybe not the utter happiness I have now, but a calmness to my soul.

I can only hope that all of those who question being in Folkmore find their own reason for wanting to stay.

I love you endlessly,
Mom

[Included in the envelope is a printed selfie of Casey, tugging the neckline of a loose tank top down and finger-gunning the healed tattoo on his chest. It looks pretty good!]

Dear Mom,

I'm glad I waited a bit to write this letter. I'm still reeling from everything, but I feel much more calm now. Like I can leave the apartment and follow the usual schedule without panicking about sensei not being around when I come back. I still can't believe he's really here.

I'm happy, but I'm also worried. He seems bothered about disrupting my life or getting in the way of what I have here. But he isn't! He's part of it now. I've told him, but he's so stubborn and I can tell he's thinking about it. Can I ask: when my other mom showed up here, I wanted to make sure you knew I still loved you, didn't want to replace anyone, I could have two moms. Did I do okay? Is there anything else I could have said or done to make things easier for you? If I missed something, I'm sorry... I just don't want him to think I don't want him around. He's acting like he's some kind of washed up relic, but he isn't! He's my dad. We came from the same terrible place. I've lived here almost two years, so what? He lived in the original New York for 16. We both know how life can be good, and how it can be bad. Being here together doesn't change us. We carry that world with us, and everyone we lost.

Sorry, that's a lot. Everything still feels like a lot right now!

The tattoo looks a lot better now. I think it's healed good. I managed to not pick it, though I definitely scratched it. Not much at least. Now that it looks more like it should, I'm happy I did it more than ever. I haven't really shown it around, but with summer in full swing, it's time to swim, right? So I guess it'll come out.

I think I'd like it here too, even without you and everyone else from home. It does make our lives here soooo much better though :) I'll hope for the same, that people can be happy here in some way. Even little ways. (Ice cream and velvet chairs exist here. That's enough for me!)

Love,
Casey

My Casey,

Breathe, my little cub. Everything is going to be alright.

I must ask that you give the older Leonardo the space and time that he needs to adjust. I know it would be so much simpler for all of us if he could just be swept up into our arms as a happy new addition to our little family, but that wouldn't be fair of us to expect that of him just yet. You know exactly the kind of traumatizing world that he's arrived from and how complicated he must be feeling about being here instead. Just be patient, my love, and give him the space he needs.

Quite like we had to go through when I first asked to adopt you. It feels like a lifetime ago, like we were both completely different people back then, but you had every right to need time to figure everything out within your heart. That's all that Leonardo needs now. Just time to think and the reminder of how much you care for him.

As for me, please do not worry. You did everything you could to soothe me then and I have not forgotten it. Try not to misplace any of your concern over him as guilt over you doing something wrong. All you've done is love him and carve out a space for him to settle when he's ready. The rest is in his hands.

I wish I could make this easier, but I promise, it won't be like this forever.

So what you are saying is we need another family day at the lake, hm? Or perhaps a beach day instead.

(Though let us be clear, no velvet chaise is going to be half as wonderful without a giant, fluffy mother to come snuggle on it with, hm? :>)

You always make me so proud of you.

Love You Always,
Mom

Dear Mom,

I've been trying to follow your advice, promise. It's really hard, though. Giving him time, that's easier. But space? I just want to follow him around everywhere, check in on him all the time. He keeps telling me he's the parent, so it must be exhausting. I feel bad but it's hard to make myself stop. The fact that where we came from was so hard is one of the reasons I don't want to leave him alone. I remember how hard those days were. If not for you and everyone, I don't know if I would've come out of it okay. There were some pretty dark days. You all gave me hope, that I might have a future. But I'm still alive, I never died. I'm not sure how to help sensei feel that same kind of hope.

I will keep trying, though. He deserves it. He's earned the chance to live again, to have fun and experience a real life, not just war, like I did. I hope we can all help him together, and that Thirteen lets him stay long enough to get there.

I'm glad you still feel good about everything. I know I've been kinda distracted and focused on sensei for a while, but I'm not forgetting you! I'll keep visiting like always. I never want to miss out on time with Mom :) But if you ever feel neglected, please scold me. You can even ground me! (Although sensei might unground me. What's the word? Co-parent? I hope you're getting along!)

I think a day at the lake or the ocean would be really nice. The lake might be better? It's closer to your place, and everyone might have a better time with freshwater. Dad's arm can go in water, but it's heavy and the salt might mess with his joints. I'm not sure about Leo's arm, but I'm sure Donnie thought about waterproofing. We didn't have to worry about big bodies of saltwater back home.

Of course the chaise is best with you there! Whether it's cuddling or just the sound of you working in the background, it isn't the same without you around. That's why I didn't bother getting one for my place.

Love you love you love you,
Casey

My darling son, my perfect boy,

You are doing so well. Never doubt that. As long as you are being led by your heart and following the love you hold for your sensei, I know that to be true. Just continue to dig deep for that patience, alright? It will come in time. The thing to keep in mind is that we have unlimited time in this place. That alone will be such a freeing feeling to Leonardo once he's able to let himself feel that relief.

But knowing what I know of it, he's stubborn, so it will take some time. Just keep reminding him that he is still just as loved even when he's struggling as he is. He may need the reassurance.

(Though let me be clear that I will pull rank if he attempts to undermine my parenting. No one un-grounds my son but me!)

Then it's settled. A little lake date for the whole family come August, with a full lunch spread. Any requests, dearest? I can get started making a menu immediately! Does your Leonardo have the same favorite foods as the younger Leonard does? Is he as opposed to eating salads as you? Pray, I hadn't even considered I need to learn everything I can about his tastes! I will need to play catch up very quickly.

Please don't fret, I understand the importance and I am giving you the space you need. (Do you see what I did there? :> It is the same advice that I gave you to!) What time that we do get together is the most precious to me, even if it is simply sitting in my shop and listening to you tell me about your day while I work. Every moment means everything. Besides, we have forever. I can wait while you tend to your Sensei and bring him around to our side of things.

(I suppose, in a sense, it makes me his mother as well, does it not? How strange to consider.)

Anyway, I love you, darling. Be well and be good to yourself most of all.

From your feathered parent,
Mom

To my fantastic feathered mama-san,

I think I'm getting better at the whole patience thing, but of course this month's trial is coming right for the jugular. Things always get hard again right when they're starting to get easy again, huh. Well, I'm very lucky to have so many loving and supportive parents around, so I'm also trying to do the give-myself-grace thing, too.

(You can pull rank, and he can pull rank, and it would be kind of funny to see you try to out-parent one another. The only winner would be me, though, because I have both of you! Unless it ends with me still being grounded...)

Looking forward to the lake party. For food, let's see. Something cool and easy I think, based on how warm it's getting. Lots of fruit and vegetables! But not all salad. Food that's easy to eat with wet fingers, so maybe not sandwiches this time. Cheese... oh, how about those trays? Those char-cutie-ray or however it's spelled. And do you know any recipes with marshmallow fluff? Sharon told me about it at her wedding and I got kind of addicted.

I don't actually know much about sensei's tastes, because I only ever saw him eat the same stuff I ate growing up, which was just leaves and rats and whatever else we could salvage. So there wasn't really favourite anything anymore. He seems to like the food I've been cooking at home, so we'll learn as we go. He loves pizza still! So pizza is a must. He likes grilled cheese which is good because me and Hunter eat it all the time.

Thinking about you as sensei's mom is too weird. Or Uncle Tello's... I think Leo's having a hard time with sensei being here, and I've been trying to keep them separate in my mind more these days. So even as a joke, we probably shouldn't say that kind of thing. I'm sure it'll be fine, but I do want to be careful.

Love you always,
Casey

My little cub,

(It still delights me whenever you call me that! It's just so darling!)

I love you endlessly, my darling boy, but I would win and I refuse to hear otherwise. :>

A charcuterie is a such a brilliant idea! A little spread of everything, so there will be at least a few different selections that everyone likes. And I can still incorporate Donatello's favorite snacks without having to include them on the side for him. We could do a dozen different meats and cheeses, olives, pickles, and a whole assortment of fruit! I think you just figured out exactly what I'm going to put together for the family. But I don't believe I've ever tried marshmallow fluff before. Is it the middle of a marshmallow? Or something else entirely?

Hm, and perhaps a pizza or two, just in case. I know it is something all of you are so fond of. What toppings would everyone most agree upon?

Pray, I did not realize that our Leonardo was having a difficult time with your father arriving. Did he say as much to you? Would it be too intrusive of me to ask him myself? Or should I wait until he comes to me first? I so hate to put him on the spot again, but I want him to know how loved he is. The very last thing I would ever want to do is make him feel like he can't come to speak to me.

Forgive me. I shouldn't be asking you any of those questions. That isn't a burden you should ever have to carry. I just am so used to speaking my mind fully in these letters, sometimes I do cross the line of what is appropriate for a parent to ask of a child. I'm very sorry, my Casey.

I love you endlessly and always,
Mom

Dear Mom,

I'm bringing marshmallow fluff to the party now. I think it goes good on graham crackers, like a s'more. It's like if marshmallows were made into a gooey spread. It's soooo tasty. I found a recipe for a s'more cake and I'm gonna make it for you :)

For pizza toppings, I think everyone likes different things. I'll ask around! But the easy option is cheese and pepperoni for sure. Everybody likes that.

Leo didn't really tell me, but when I said sensei was here, he was kind of weird about it. I think he's happy for me but not for him? He was cagey and when I checked in, he agreed that WE were okay, but we didn't get into the sensei thing. You know how he is, he never wants to really share what's bothering him. I'm probably the wrong person to ask, anyway. I'm not exactly neutral on this one.

Never be sorry for speaking your mind! It's important to me that you can. It's not a burden or anything, especially when I worry about this stuff, too. I just wish I could help. Whether he talks to you or not, I know you'll do what you do best and support all of us. So maybe just keep an eye on him... Donnie, too. Uncle Tello's being a jerk and I can't figure out why. It's so stupid. ~~This is supposed to be~~

Thank you for being you <3 there's so much going on but when I talk to you all that stress kinda melts. You're the best.

Love you, love you, love you,
Casey

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