What an effect such a smile has! It may not be verbal praise but he wouldn't have expected it anyway when he hasn't really done anything yet, but the approval effectively chases off any lingering anxiety for the moment.

Donnie nods, glancing curiously at where Shu has pointed out, unsure of what to expect, but he settles into an at-ready position with his staff.

There is no way he could have been prepared for what was to come, a breathless gasp escaping him as suddenly the hallway erupts in greenery. There are so many questions that whirl in his mind at this impossible phenomenon, and not without awe- but he can't be nerding out about plants now, it is simply not the time!

The sensation from whatever Shu's magical plants have done refreshes his focus as he looks, jerking his head up at the sound from the guards around the corner, and then suddenly there they are before him. It's more out of reflex that the turtlekin moves then, his staff a blur, the sound of metal whistling with his fluid motions as he dances between two of them to get around, taking full advantage of their disorientation. He connects one strike into another, the faint ringing of each staff's impact not given time to fade until all the guards are slumped on the floor.