tushanshu | [VOICE | Backdated Pre-Event] Survey

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[VOICE | Backdated Pre-Event] Survey

[You wanna play it this say, Raph? Taking surveys to prove a point? Fine. Let's play.

It's not about who cares - well okay, to be fair, that's the MAIN reason they developed such fine-tuned stealth skills in the first place. But that's not the only reason a ninja should stay hidden. With enemies who would probably not announce themselves first, who would see him and his brothers on the Network and then proceed to silently hunt them down one by one...

The last time the team faced Shredder, he nearly killed them all, starting with Leonardo himself; the memory of seeing the intent in Oruku's eyes while facing down his blade remained a deeply chilling moment. But now Leo's team is down by one, they're not always together and they can't just stay underground here. If Shredder found one of them out in Keeliai, alone, with no way to contact the others for help...]

How many people have had their enemies show up.

[A question with the cadence of a statement. That's how you know he's serious, apparently.

If this survey turns up zilch? Leo will have to concede the point completely. But he doesn't really suppose that'll be the case. Let's find out.]

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[Leo grins, and the affection he holds for his brothers is far clearer than he realizes.] Well, it's not Mikey or Donnie, that's for sure.

I gotta say, I've made more allies here in a month than we ever had back home. [Plus what you can call "friends", Leo.] Like, more than doubled. [Which isn't difficult, considering he could have counted them on one hand.]

... You're a mutant too? [Where Leo comes from, mutants don't look human. That's... why they're mutants, and Raph has said enough for both of them on that topic. Still, he likes Bruce; the human respects Leo, he's soft-spoken and not used to having allies even though he looks normal. Maybe whatever makes him call himself a mutant is the reason, in which case he does have something in common with Leo's family.

The turtle leans forward on his elbows, clearly becoming engaged by this tidbit of information.] You mean... you have some kind of power, right?

[His obvious affection leads to some genuine interest on Bruce's part, where ordinarily he doesn't tend to ask direct personal questions.] So there's four of you? From your world.

It's something. I guess it's a good thing. [He sounds like he isn't sure of that, but is trying, if largely in vain, to be optimistic.] At least we can be... honest. [That's the biggest difference for him.

Which means that he does get an honest response here.] I think the technical term is human mutate. I was born human and developed a genetic... anomaly, you could say, later on. But effectively I'm a mutant.

[There's a pause. Bruce seems completely unenthused about it as he says, reluctant,] Yes. I have power. [Notably not a power.] But I try not to use it.

I have three brothers, but - they're not all here. [The carefully measured evenness in Leo's voice is the big red flag that says how much it bothers him to be separated from even one. This family is spectacularly codependent.

Leo's good at jigsaw puzzles, and he's collected a lot of key pieces. Bruce is a shut-in; his mutation is dangerous; he tries not to use his power.

Unbidden, Leonardo thinks of Leatherhead. He was dangerous too, but not through choice. All Leo had seen initially was a danger to his brothers; it had taken Mikey's compassion and innocence to get through Leatherhead's PTSD and in the end they gained an ally, the only mutant outside of the family who didn't want to kill them.

However he's meeting Bruce now not as a monster, but as a calm, troubled man who doesn't want to hurt anyone. Maybe his isolation is even due to his care not to unleash his dangerous power. Leo respects that a lot, and there's a quiet regard in his eyes as he looks at the screen.]

.... Someone I know likes to say that knowing when not to use one's strength is the sign of a true warrior.

[Bruce doesn't understand missing family, but he does understand having someone that feels like a limb, and there's aching phantom pains when they're not there. He's missed Betty every day for the past nine years, except that brief intermission in the middle when he'd seen her, as beautiful as he'd remembered.

That he has no hope of seeing her again, even if he does get back to his world, makes his voice soft and introspective when he replies.] I'm sorry. [He's never been good at platitudes, can't try to tell someone that something is better than it is. So all he says is,] At least you have some of them.

[The second half of their conversation leaves Bruce feeling slightly uncomfortable, because he never feels that any respect for him is deserved. He made his own bed and all he's doing is laying in it. It's just desserts. But he tries to play it off with a slight laugh, raising a hand to rub along his jaw.] Well. I'm not much of a warrior. At all.

But I agree with the principle. And power is, is just a weapon, and if you can't control the weapon then you shouldn't use it. [That much, at least, he believes wholeheartedly.]

[Leo is acutely aware that he's lucky he's not here alone. Not that he couldn't have taken care of himself, because of course he can. But the ache of Donnie's missing presence would be like nothing in comparison to being all alone out here. Leo has a cousin who must be going through something like that; another cousin only has a single brother here. Leo is lucky to have two. Neither does Leo miss the pain that ghosts behind Banner's eyes.] Yeah.

[Not much else can be said, but Bruce's sympathy is both unexpected and soothing. It's not false, just straightforward and true. Leo doesn't need anyone to lie for his comfort and again Banner's approach is reminiscent of his father's.

Coming on the heels of that similarity, Leo can't suppress the hint of a wry smile as Bruce professes not to be a warrior right before spouting wisdom akin to one of Splinter's lessons. The man might not be a born fighter perhaps, but he has wisdom. Sorry Bruce, there's no getting away from Leo's admiration if you keep pulling out lines about responsibility.]

A weapon you can't control is a danger to yourself and your allies. He taught us that, too. [But Leo can respect that Banner doesn't consider himself a warrior, even though the turtle himself considers it a high honor. With an unwanted, dangerous power, Bruce probably doesn't like to fight at all.] But if you're not a warrior, what are you? Er - [Leo gestures with his oversized hands to emphasize] - I mean, if that's not too personal a question.

[He feels similarly that there's nothing else to be said on that. There's no sense dragging out saddening topics that don't have anything to be done about them. Bruce has expressed his sympathy, genuine and brief, and other than that, he's not about to open up further.

Bruce's entire life is about responsibility. He's oriented it around it and never hesitated to take it on himself-- in fact, arguably, one could say that he refuses to let it go. His overwhelming guilt comes from how responsible he feels, and he's always quick to shoulder it.]

Sounds like a smart man, [he says with a wry smile. Some things you just can't run from, and the fact that as long as he can't control the Hulk, he's a danger to everyone around him is one of them. It's inescapable.]

It's not personal. I'm a scientist. Uh... a nuclear physicist, some biochemistry. I've been doing some work since I got here. [This is a vast understatement, but Bruce is a master of those.]

My sensei. [Leo's elaboration is brief; no further explanations or qualifiers are needed. An observant person such as Bruce can easily notice that the young turtle's tone warms with the mention, much the same as it does for his siblings. "Sensei" is far more to him than his teacher.]

A scientist? [Leo's eyes light up as he recognizes Bruce's fields of interest as similar to those preferred by his absent brother. It sounded like the sort of thing Donnie likes to work on, anyway.] It's a shame you just missed Donnie. He would've liked to have somebody to talk shop with.

[He has enough experience traveling around and taking martial arts and meditation to know that 'sensei' can mean a lot more than just teacher.] For you and your brothers? [he clarifies.]

I'll have to keep an eye out for him in case he returns. Seems like there's a lot of, of interest around here. [To put it mildly. Bruce doesn't know what to do with all this interest in his scientific expertise after almost a full decade of working alone, and foraging for scraps in the garbage to build centrifuges out of.]

Taught us everything we know. [Teacher, master, father: Leo gives away a lot in the words he chooses and how he says them – with pride, filial affection and deep respect, pointing to the fact that this person is the central guiding figure in Leo's life – but he doesn't realize.]

Well [Leo quantifies and gestures], most of what we know. The skateboarding we picked up on our own.

I'll point him in your direction when he does. [Because one of two things will happen: either Leo will leave and go back home, or Donnie will get here sooner or later. There is no other option.

Also, the odds of Bruce picking up on Donnie's presence before Leo does are infinitesimal. He's smart enough to make a shout-out to his brothers on the network using audio, not video.]

I guess a lot of people are hoping that a scientist will be the one to figure a way out of here.

[That gets a shade of amusement.] Skateboarding. I've never done that.

[What is having fun or engaging in age appropriate activities... Bruce had certainly never done either at that age. Or had a positive father figure. He finds it impossible to relate, but it's nice to hear that not everyone has his experiences.]

I'll do my best, [is all he says about that hope.] But I think it'll be a collaborative effort. Science can't answer everything. [He's had that hammered home pretty firmly by now.]

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[VOICE | Backdated Pre-Event] Survey

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This is exempt from "dropping pre-vacation comm threads" b/c <3 dis CR omg

despite being slow, I refuse to drop this, too!!

aw yes. set up a power-drain event log soonish y/n/mfy?

yess maybe the other one we have going now could turn into action spam? :3 and wrap this one up?

Dude yes 8Db

excellent!