[VOICE | Backdated Pre-Event] Survey

[anything_it_takes]

[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.]

Comments

hope you're having a good one :D

[neoguardian]

[He managed to wring a laugh out of her if nothing else, because battle preference is just one of those casual conversations.]

Y-you know, this is the first time I've ever really thought about it...but it's possible that the energy spears chose me...you think that's possible? [Hey, she seems impressed, or maybe it's just because she can't tell he's trying to be cool because he already seems cool to her.] Though I gotta admit, I think throwing boulders is a pretty bad way to take out a bad guy, I kinda like it.

It was lovely, Portland is beautiful <3

[anything_it_takes]

[Uh-oh. Once Leo figures out she thinks he's cool, there will be no end of showing off and bad catchphrases.]

Well, Sensei always said that no weapon chooses you as much as you choose it. But, personally? [Leo smiles, lopsided with wry confidence, and glances over his right shoulder at the red-braided hilts of his chosen weapons.] Nothing else feels right.

Maybe we should feel bad for them - that could do some pretty bad damage! [He grins and winks, entirely too proud of himself.]

I want to go to Portland for The Frying Scotsman

[neoguardian]

[She'll try not to let him know, but no promises can be made there.]

I wish I could say I was really using a weapon, but I think that's just how my abilities have manifested. [She too glanced over Leo's shoulder giving the swords a curious look. Choosing the weapon, it was a pretty curious thing to her.] I think I'm a little bit like my grandfather, he always liked using his fists...he said it felt cleaner...though I think he meant it felt like it was fair.

Feel bad for them? Weeeeeeeellllll I guess I could be merciful. [She laughed a little bit at that.] Maybe, just a little bit...tiny bit. Okay...so we'll nix the boulder and trap them in a ball of chaos energy...it would make a great game of 4 Square.

Road trip!

[anything_it_takes]

[He WOULD enjoy having a fan club, even if the only member is one precocious echidna. Leonardo catches the glance at his katana and is sorely tempted to show off, even though he really shouldn't.]

Do you know how to fight with normal weapons? Er - not that there's anything wrong with fists. That's one weapon that'll never get knocked out of your grasp.

[Leonardo's eyes sharpen at her comment about fairness. Splinter's lecture on the topic had left too strong an impression for him to let her get away with the same misconception.]

Only fight fair if you're prepared to lose [he warns. Then Leonardo grins]. But trapping your enemies in a ball of chaos energy doesn't sound very fair. How's that work out for you? [The grin sharpens with a keen sense of mischief.] Need another player?

Woooooo~!

[neoguardian]

[She wouldn't mind seeing a little sword exhibition, not that she would say as much.]

Not really, no, I do have knuckle claws...but that still counts as fists huh?

[Of course Lara-Su would take any measures necessary to protect her home because that was her job, but excessive force went against what she believed was right.] Is that lesson one? [Still, she was a novice, and that was pretty sound advice so she nodded sagely in acknowledgement.]

No...no it doesn't sound fair, but it is kind of fun...[She may look guilty, she's totally unrepentant.]...and it usually works out pretty well, I'll have to show you sometime, if...you know...we ever come across a badguy! [It works on misbehaving children as well, but she'll keep that one to herself, instead she'll return that grin with one of her own.] It's a lot more fun with two players, or more.

[anything_it_takes]

[Knuckle claws. They've hardly escaped Leo's attention, but with the topic of weapons, he's reminded of just how deadly that basic concept can be in the hands of a skilled master. A lot of things are deadly when backed by the appropriate skill.]

They still count all right. But some of the most dangerous warriors I've met prefer fists. [Of course, they were typically (but not always) reinforced with brass knuckles, spikes, or full-on blades. In fact, if Lara is observant, she may notice that some of the comparatively recent scrapes on Leo's plastron are parallel blade marks spanning the width of a hand or forearm.

If - and when, as is increasingly becoming likely - they talk more on the subject of fairness, Lara-Su will find that Leo advocates not so much excessive force as he does simply stacking the deck.

When she calls his advice a lesson, Leo blinks in mild surprise, then chuckles and rubs the back of his neck. He hadn't consciously meant to take her under his wing, but it seems to have happened anyway. Leo doesn't mean to be picking up trainees or students, but he seems to be developing a talent for finding good people who just need a little advice to make most of their abilities. And having a good-natured, idealistic hero personality in the first place, Leonardo wants to do the right thing and give his fellow heroes an extra edge over the villains.]

Heh, I guess it is. [A thoughtful look of consideration mellows his expression into something no less amicable, but a little more serious.]

Look, Lara… I can't teach you to be a ninja. But if you'd like – I don't think Sensei would mind if I gave you a few pointers.

[His tone makes it clear that this isn't lightly-offered. They might not have known each other long, but Lara-Su is quite clearly a hero where she comes from. It's a big responsibility to assume tutelage – particularly for Leo's secretive clan – and yet somehow, knowing what he does of her, it wouldn't feel responsible not to.

Leo's a responsible kind of guy.]

I woke up thoroughly amused XDDD

[neoguardian]

[No ninja icon for Lara-Su, but here, but there's always this, the Echidna equivalent of a ninja.]

Oh...well what if your knuckle spikes are part of your fists...does that double the dangerous? [Taking her gloves off she breaks out her retractable knuckle spikes, they seem to be very much a part of who she is...like having a weapon built into her body. She's a little preoccupied with the idea that this could be the equivalent of a sword in terms of being a weapon.

Though, just as soon as Leo takes a more serious tone, he has Lara's full attention, she might be a trainee still...but she's studious and empathetic as well. This is something that, apparently, means a great deal to him which is a concept that she can respect because being a Guardian means a lot to her as well...and it took a lot of begging and convincing to get her father to even think about training her.]

I understand, being responsible for the power that you wield is important, I wouldn't expect you to hand it down pell-mell. [Not that she could teach someone to use Chaos Energy without a Chaos Emerald anyway, but even still it was important to use caution.] Without a deep level of trust you never know what someone could do with what you teach, your good intentions could easily be corrupted. I can respect and admire that.

[Lightening up a little bit, Lara crack's a smile.]

I appreciate pointers and advice though, it'll go a long way when I'm training.

Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week

[anything_it_takes]

[Any lingering reservations about taking Lara Su under his tutelage are dispelled when she makes the astute observation about responsibility. Of course, he already knows that the echidna starts from a place of wielding great power and striving to do good with it, as well as her pre-existing attitudes towards fair play; both are important (although not entirely conscious) factors in his judgment call.

Leaning forwards to get a better look at her natural arsenal, Leo is reminded of his enemy Dog Pound. However, the mutant dog-man's spikes were jagged, sharpened (and permanent rather than retractable) bone, his left fist the size of Leonardo's entire body. Lara doesn't have that particular mutation, but Leo does wonder how much force her knuckles (so to speak) can deliver. Her hands are surprisingly non-tiny next to his own gargantuan flippers, which – although he knows this more from instinct than from a systematic knowledge of the physics – probably means they sling around a lot of weight in comparison to her body size.]

Well, Sensei says that any weapon is an extension of your own body – but yours actually are… So yeah, I'd say it gives you a head start. Not very many people were born with brass knuckles. [And here we go with yet more alliteration. A grin of good-natured pride flickers across his face, but the frivolity is passing, because they're getting to the good stuff now.

Leo loves martial arts. They are his heritage, the path to his father's approval, the foundation of his daily survival skills and thoroughly intertwined with his self-identity. He's beginning to find that he loves to talk shop in front of an eager and attentive audience; it reminds him of time spent in the dojo, of Splinter walking one of them through a particularly challenging maneuver, and how it feels to fully master and understand a move himself.

In other words, fun and serious are now one and the same, and the light in his eyes reflects a lifelong passion.]

But. They're only dangerous if you can hit your target. And to deal with something like these [Leo gestures with one oversized thumb towards the red-wrapped hilts jutting over his shoulder] you have to have a lot more than just good aim.