tushanshu | [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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[SORRY RAPH

It was reflexive one-up that he didn't even want to win. He's not expecting sympathy or anything like that, especially not from Raphael. He didn't want that either. It was what it was, and that was something he had to deal with in the healthiest way possible...

By pretending it doesn't exist, joking inappropriately, and punching people until he feels better.]

Really? Because I was just thinking the only way I could be more awesome than I already am is if I could do some sick ninja moves... [Not that he's asking for help or anything. Because he totally doesn't need it.]

Well, uh... [Raph doesn't really know how to teach someone, so he's just gonna pretend their previous conversation didn't happen in favor of something a little lighter.] What do you already know? You look like you know some stuff.

[What previous conversation?] I know how to punch people, and I can do some pretty decent wrestling and grappling moves, but dude, you just freakin' danced around my punches half the time.

[Yeah see Raphael mostly just kind of does it. Without thinking too hard.]

Okay so...I'll start with the basics I guess. [It's weird, teaching Santo when he knows the guy can knock him into next week. It's sort of like teaching Splinter.

He selects one of the most basic kata he knows; a series of blocks, punches and kicks without too much complicated movement, and the problem with Raphael is that he disregards form for speed. He prefers randori, a freestyle form of training that's more or less a spar, but Splinter always runs them through their kata in the morning first and Raphael always ends up rushing and it makes his form sloppy.

He runs through it once, all thirty-seven moves, then looks over at Santo expectantly.]

[Santo really didn't pay that much attention in their martial arts classes back home. While everyone else was learning how not to get the snot beaten out of them, Santo was always the one doing the beating. He never understood the point, really. Why block when most things couldn't hurt him? Why work on form or deceptive strikes when all he had to do was overwhelm the opponent with brute strength?

Needless to say, Raphael goes through the entire kata, and even though it wasn't a complicated one, it still looked pretty impressive, and unfortunately so fast that Santo loses track after about the third move.

... So he just stares back at Raph.]

... How about we just go punch out some assholes instead? I learn better by doing anyway. [Meaning he didn't get any of that.]

Oh thank God. [Doing kata is fucking boring man, you're not missing anything at all. Besides, learning form is so you can regulate how you fight so you can better protect yourself and deal damage at the same time. What's the point of that if you're like Santo and you kind of don't need to protect yourself, like, ever?] Let's go.

Hey, you should have said something if you knew training was gonna be this lame.

[Not that Raph teaching him is lame, but he's looking forward to learning by example instead... And to really work out all the frustration he's built up on some kedan's face.]

Yeah... Hey, Raph. [He holds out his fist for a bump. It's not a "thank you" or an apology for getting all feelingsy. It was a totally manly non-feelings way of showing that Raph was an awesome fighting partner (friend).]

[Raph glances up; smiles a little bit.

It's a first for him, having a friend his brothers don't have, and he likes it. Santo's his friend not by circumstance or birth, but because he chooses to be, because Raphael has something to offer that Santo appreciates.

Feels good to be able to help, even if all they did was spar and talk. Raphael usually works out his messy brain jumbles when he's sparring or working out, and he hedged his bets on figuring Santo was the same. Having your friends dying and then choosing to sit out for the sake of protecting the rest is a heavy decision, one Raphael thankfully has not had to make yet, and he's pretty sure that even if he's had more intense training -and maybe for longer, too- that Santo's been an active player on the field much longer than his 6+ months.

Even if someday, when they go back home, Santo forgets about him and he forgets about Santo, Raphael's still glad they're buds now.

Yeah. [He knocks his knuckles against Santo's.] Don't mention it.

[Now c'mon. There's bound to be some criminals that need rehabilitation.]

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