tushanshu | [TEXT] Leo to Team, COME IN TEAM

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[TEXT] Leo to Team, COME IN TEAM

[The cart ride into Keeliai is long, exhausting and stressful. Leo presses himself into the furthest corner to hide (which still leaves him painfully visible) even as his sharp blue eyes peer through the slats, taking in as much of the alien city as possible.

On one hand, this is the most amazing thing Leo's ever experienced, an exhilarating adventure straight out of Space Heroes. On the other, he's never felt so alone, out of control and exposed in his life. Sure, he always wanted adventure, but not without the guys - and not hauled down a city road in broad daylight, surrounded by people turning their heads in curiosity.

At least the few kedan on the street who take a close enough look into the open-backed cart to spy him out don't scream or run. But there are some stares, and he can feel the undercurrent of hostility like a flame inches from his skin. There's a tension in the air in some parts of the city they go through, a hard look to some of the kedan when they see someone not like them...

Leo slips into his appointed building like - well, like a ninja, or as close as possible while lacking the cover of darkness. When he gets to his temporary quarters he leans his shell against the door and sighs wearily; alien robots and plant monsters are one thing, but this? This is an entirely new level of crazy.

Water had seemed a natural choice when the kedan gave him options. He's glad of his choice now as he splashes some from the room's small fountain over his head, then winces as he does the same to the burn mark forming on his shoulder. It's not serious, but Leo's entire arm aches and tingles from channeling Justin's electrical shock through his katana. He's certainly pulled smarter moves.

Hopefully whatever jerked him "sideways" during that explosion also took his brothers through in slightly different places, and he can link up with them again once they all get their bearings. He knows the team can handle this situation, but first? They have to be together.

He'll start canvassing the city come dusk, one Sector at a time if he has to. But until nightfall, Leonardo has time to kill, and he isn’t about to sit around doing nothing.

Settling in at the console, Leo sets it up for a text message - and pauses, considering his options. This is a public network; he has to get a message out that his brothers will understand if they're listening, but that won't arouse too much civilian curiosity or alert any enemies.

There is one thing... He'd batted around an idea for a code word with Donnie. The problem being, it was never official - Leo just hadn't anticipated a realistic situation where it would be useful. The idea was just idle talk.

He hopes that if Mikey or Raph are alone out there, they'll recognize his reference. Donnie will catch on at least, if he's listening. One way or the other it's the best Leo's got until he can search the rooftops.]

ANy New Yorkers out here? if you know the 2nd Time About shop on Bleeker, contact me ASAP

[Ryan to Dauntless, come in Dauntless...]

Aalso. Look, I got the story from the kidan ans I know i can;t be the first person to ask. But Im looking for any leads on how t get back to my own world... stories, rumuors, anything. Thankyou.

[Please don't let him be alone out here. Leo presses Return.]

[ tl;dr Enter one cagey ninja turtle boy with delusions of being a Great Hero! Leo v.2012 is here and super worried about his bros ;A; ]

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...yeah.

[He doesn't want to talk about this one.]

Watch out for the other me here.

[OK you know what Raph, the less you say the more Leo has cause for worry. He hears the terseness of his brother's voice, can tell he's not just being brusque, Raph doesn't want to discuss it because talking about it makes him uncomfortable.

Leo is hardly his brother's nanny, but the reality that his brothers have been without his guidance for two whole months is gradually sinking in. So whatever happened to make Raph's expression go carefully neutral? Is Not Okay.]

What happened.

[You know Leo, your brothers managed fifteen years without your guidance and somehow made it out relatively unscathed. You are definitely not Raph's nanny, and now that he's gotten this on top of Donatello all but accusing him of going on a wild rampage and expecting people to come after him because of Raph-

Yeah he's getting really annoyed here.]

None of your business.

Just watch out for him. He's got a temper. [Yes, Raphael is aware of the hypocrisy here, and he also knows it should say a lot about how unhinged this guy is if he says he has a temper.]

[Raphael's obviously on his last frayed nerve here. Leo's done fighting; he raises a hand slightly in placation.]

Alright, I'll try not to get him angry.

[Okay. They've been over everyone so far, except for...]

What about the other me?

[At THIS point Leo's not sure what to expect.]

He's fine.

[Grumpily obliging, because he's glad Leo decided not to push it. Then again, Leo can always tell what's too far with Raph.]

He's not gonna be a problem.

[Yeah, Leo's not interested in a Real Fight, and he knows when it's going in that direction. He might not understand Raph a lot of the time... but he Gets him.]

Thank goodness for small favors.

Aww man, you really didn't just say that out loud, did you? That's like, asking for trouble.

[Says a voice from a nearby shadow. A nearby shadow that suddenly has the munchies and starts chewing on something crunchy.]

Begging for it really. Like...watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat sort of way.

[HOW THE FUCK IS HE SO QUIET]

Mike! Nobody invited you, get lost!

[HOW DID HE SNEAK UP ON THEM okay to be fair, when Leo's engaged with his brothers he really doesn't focus enough on his surroundings. That has been proven over, and over, and over. STILL.

Hey, that sounds like...]

Is that popcorn?

[Are you creeping up there watching them talk and eating POPCORN????]

[Ninja.]

I did that already, get lost I mean. It was kind of embarrassing, really. My own fault though, I really don't get out nearly as much as I should.

[From the brief sound that follows there's the sound of someone brushing brushing their hands together, presumably to get rid of crumbs.]

Seaweed chips. Or...at least I'm going to pretend they're seaweed chips. It's traditional that this sort of thing require either candy or something with a good salty-crunchy mouth-feel.

Stop talking.

[The real question is, how long was Mike there listening?]

Were you following us?

[YEAH. HE NOTICED THE "NINJA" PART. THANKS.

Leo just folds his arms and glares at the source of Mike's voice. He's backing his bro on this question.]

Why would I need to? You outright announced where you were going to be. It was just a matter of finding my way here.

[Slowly Mike emerges from the shadow. And why yes, he's smiling...of course he's smiling.]

[DON'T YOU DARE ANSWER HIS QUESTION WITH A COMPLETELY REASONABLE EXPLANATION]

Yeah well, this isn't a meet and greet! I'm trying to talk to my brother here!

[Leo winces. Mike's kinda got them there. Leonardo had been too busy ~~being a bossy-pants~~ taking charge of the situation to worry about one of the other resident mutant turtles inviting themselves.

He's about to ask if there's a particular reason Mike is here, when he... realizes the mask is red. You know, on top of all the other bizarre physical differences. And there are a lot of them.]

Huh.

... Did somebody else choose orange?

[Sorry Raph but this is still all very new and disorienting to your brother. He's had a long day.]

Edited (~) 2013-04-17 07:36 (UTC)

[That's our Mike, telling the truth when it isn't his turn.

Judging by his expression, Mike was just about to swat at Raph with a jibe that was equal parts snark and genuine affection. Of course...that expression shifts when Leo's question catches his attention.

That's when the snark completely melts away and a look of pure amusement takes over.]

That's adorable. You guys share a brain!

[The voice is wrong, and the inflection isn't quite right, but aside from that this Mike could easily be their Mikey poking fun at Raph for talking to his pet turtle.....again.]

They all wear red.

[Note the lack of irritation and demands that Mikey switch his color this time. Yeah, he read the conversation between big Leo and Mikey about why they all wear red bandannas; even Raph has his honor, okay.]

[It never occurred to him that they might NOT have wound up with different colors. Yet it seems to suit Mike, along with his strange two-toed feet and strangely-shaped face sporting an over-broad, toothy grin.

Leonardo's not distracted by the differences of his brother's dimensional twin for long though. The ribbing almost derails him and Mike gets treated to a second or two of flustered embarrassment over being called adorable before Leo recovers his composure and scoffs.]

Okay, very funny Mike. Is there a reason you're out here eavesdropping?

[You know, now that you mention it Mike does not the lack of apparent irritation from Raph with regards to his choice of mask color. So much so that his attention is instantly diverted from Leo back to Raph, who has earned his very own single brow-ridge look of impressed astonishment.

He's still looking at Raph when he begins to answer Leo.]

Curiosity. I mean, I knew right away that you weren't from my world, so I figure that frees me up from the ol' cloak and dagger routine.

[He half shrugs.]

I mean...isn't the better question why the heck are the two of you meeting out here?

[Don't you look at him like that. He's still tempted to toss your ass off the roof. He's still all offended that you decided to leave and go back home after a while. One would think you didn't appreciate the semi-constant abuse!]

That would be because of Captain Paranoid over here. [A rival to you, Mike, without the homicidal tendencies.] Why, your Leo isn't all obsessed with secret plans and meeting places and whatever?

[It's a good thing Raph spoke up first, because Leo's answer involves the word "debriefing." Fortunately the Captain Paranoia line derails him. ~~That's Captain RYAN to you.~~

Still, being paranoid is better than being careless. RAPHAEL. With your VIDEO CAMERA. Leo's hands rest on his hips and he shoots a quick glare, but there's only a fraction of the energy needed to precede a genuine lecture or a fight. It's just obligatory Leader Attitude and he immediately moves on.]

Okay, look. WE are out here because I just got got to Keeliai, and my brothers and I need to touch base.

So I appreciate that you came out here to meet me, Mike, but it might take a little longer than half a day to find that portal.

[Leo isn't sure if there will be a genuine portal or not. But he DOES have faith that he'll get them home, whether it will take science, alien technology or ouija boards, and that confidence warms his voice with a friendly smile. This isn't the right hour or place to horn in on Leo's family time, but he's got a soft spot for Mike. Leos always do.]

Edited (ouija boards!) 2013-04-18 18:44 (UTC)

[Let's be honest here, Leo. Everyone has a soft spot for Mike, which how he's able to get away with the sheer amount of crap that he does.

Mike looks from Raph to Leo and then back, arms folding across his plastron as he does so.

This not only brings his bandaged arm into view, but shows how much more easily he moves with it...on the off chance that Raph wants to give that roof toss a thing a go]

No, not really. Back home we trust each other, so there's no need for obsessive paranoia when it comes to each other.

Trust.

It's why I didn't feel I needed to warn Donnie about the traps, because I trusted his abilities to get through them without getting hurt, just like I assumed he'd trust my skills to not outright kill him in the first place.

[Yeah, he heard that part.]

I'm not here because I'm worried about the Portal, Leo. So long as I'm here I'm going to trust that my brothers can take care of themselves. They're not idiots...well, okay Raph is sometimes but that goes with the territory.

I'm here because I'm curious why you didn't trust your Donnie's computer skills enough to just... say where you lived over a secure line. Why don't you trust each other? You guys are actually brothers, and you're meeting like spies in the night. What gives?

...

Oh and because I thought it'd be funny if I showed up.

Edited 2013-04-18 19:04 (UTC)

[Leo had noted this Mike's comparative eloquence, but now it's striking. Mike speaks calmly, intelligently, with keen perception for everything that's been going on around him.

And then he accuses Leo of not trusting his brothers. Normally it would be so far from the truth Leo would meet it with nothing more potent than annoyance. But right now, with his arm still smarting from his battle with Justin, it's a little more personal.

Ice hits his spine; Leo's eyes widen with shock and he sucks in a sharp breath. Mike just blundered into a hard, uncomfortable kernel of truth - but it has nothing to do with the Network or Donnie's skills or Mike's traps or even Leo's intel games, and a lot more to do with certain choices he made regarding a particular kunoichi.

You really think Mikey and Donnie wouldn't understand? Raph's accusation, snarled inches from Leo's snout moments before the spar devolved into a fist-fight. Raph had been right in the end. Leo hadn't trusted his brothers to bare his feelings about Karai, and in the end his misplacement of trust had gotten them all hurt.

That wound is fresh, completely unhealed, and far too raw to diffuse with a small joke. Leo's back stiffens and his posture changes, eyes narrowing.]

I trust my brothers and their skills. [His voice is tense with insult over even saying that. This is something that shouldn't have to be said.] What I don't trust is - is this place! And until I know what's out there, I'm not giving out the location of a safe hiding spot over an unfamiliar Network!

[Leo thinks it's self-evident why that's risky, for a million reasons. Not the least of which is that it's simply a Bad Idea. And you know what? He doesn't trust Mike's traps much either.]

And you know what Mike, speaking of your little set-up - if our Mikey gets here and I find out you let him just wander around in there? You and I are going to have a problem.

Raph.

[Leo turns away, and relies on his brother to hear his tone and follow him across the rooftops. This place is putting a sour taste in his mouth. It's past time to move.

He doesn't know the area particularly well, but right now Leo doesn't need to know where he's going. Just... away from here, with his brother. Everything else he'll work out on the fly.]

[That is a bigger reaction from Leo than Raphael had been expecting. He'd been on the edge of snapping himself, but from Leo? His brother's anger takes the wind out of his sails, makes him wonder about what he's missing from this Leo's life and also wonders if it has anything to do with that Foot girl he'd met on the roof. There's not much that can agitate Leo to the point of storming out of a conversation, but judging from how he'd hemmed and hawed over talking about Karai, Raph thinks she might be one of them.

Leo snaps to the side and calls for Raphael, but he pauses. Even if Leo gets a little ahead, he can catch up.

He looks at Mike. Yeah, okay, so they were overheard, but Raphael isn't ever going to be one to apologize for saying nasty things about someone. Not that often, anyway. There's a whole lot he's feeling and if he had the time, a whole lot he could put into words, but he's in a hurry.]

Don't talk about my family like that.

[He turns and jumps. He needs to catch up.]

[That was a thing that just happened.
What the thing was, exactly, Mike isn't entirely sure. But he is sure that something just happened.

One of April's first real complaints when she took in Mike and his brothers, was that if they weren't smiling it was really hard for her to know if they were okay. That there was something about their expressions, something she just couldn't wrap her mind around. She hesitated to use the word alien, but for lack of a better word it stuck. Mike assured her it just took practice, that they really weren't as inscrutable as all that once you got to know them. Mike's ability as a turtle to human/human to turtle interpreter was one of the first things that he and April bonded over.

Even with his honed by years of practice skills, Mike still isn't sure what just happened here.

But he does know that whatever it is, it takes Raph by surprise too. Well, for all of the couple of seconds it takes for the rusted gears of Raph's brain to start grinding.

There's a story there, and considering how Leo just pulled a Raph and stropped off...it had to be a good one.

These turtles, they're younger than he is by a year. There's nothing that happened in the past year that Mike can think of that would make his Leo react that way, well...nothing that doesn't involve Raph and a really large wrench.

...

Maybe...maybe that's why they're always talking about their Michaelangelo like he's a moron. Maybe, Leo didn't stay Raph's hand in time. Maybe their Mikey is a halfwit because of it.
Maybe, just maybe it wasn't Raph's hand that needed staying at all. Maybe it was Leo's. And this response here is the guilt that followed in the wake of that one fateful moment.

Cripes, that's dark, he thinks to himself as he watches the brothers disappear into the night.

He toes the ground in dejection for a moment.]
"it was nice to meet you."

[It's a sentiment he mumbles to no one in particular.

It's the last sound he makes before he rejoins the shadows and disappears into the night.]

Edited 2013-04-19 02:03 (UTC)

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/PLACEHOPS because Leo is a drama bunny

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