001 [Video]

[withthebrotherhood]

[The video feed shows Toad (in all his scummy green glory) focused and frowning as he messes with the console. It’s not like there wasn’t an explanation, but he’s bad at listening. And refraining from touching things.]

Ah… freakin’… stupid… Heeeey, it’s workin’!

[He immediately brightens. Then scowls again when he remembers what he turned it on for.]

So, uh, I'm new. Hi. Anyway, how cool are people with this deal? Maybe someday do something to fight the weird evil whatever it is, get a house on turtle island?

[The roof over his head aspect is actually quite a selling point for Toad. And there's something unnatural about admitting he exists on some kind of public channel and not just hiding in the shadows, but it seems to be what people do here.]

‘Cus that’s stupid, but how stupid? Is it worth playin’ along? I didn’t see a lot of dumpsters to dive in and stuff, so can you even be, like, no, fight your own monster, I’ll be over here, hiding. Do you actually get in trouble or go to turtle jail?

[He’s a follower. And a coward. Having some idea of how much of a tantrum he can get away with throwing will be helpful.]

...Toad out.

Comments

[withthebrotherhood]

I guess, uh, bullies always gotta find somebody to pick on.

[For him, this is a very generous opinion. He's pretty firmly anti-human most times.]

[solo_patria]

Quite along those lines, I fear, no matter where someone is.

[Also, he cannot personally imagine an existence for someone who is not human in a world where that seems to be the norm. It sounds...torturous really.]

[withthebrotherhood]

[That'd be a good word.]

Come to think, we didn't start poppin' up until, like, seventy years ago. They must of done somethin' with their jackbooted thugs back then.

[solo_patria]

Really? I cannot imagine how that must be to live with.

[He's impressed,really.]

It shames me to imagine how others like you would be treated by many at home. The future is...a work in progress but that one is far further from me than I could imagine. Humanity...well...

[withthebrotherhood]

[Practically having a heart-to-heart with the prettyboy flatscan. This is the weirdest day ever. Because... waking up on a magic turtle didn't cinch that.]

Most of us can pass. I just got lucky.

[solo_patria]

[Oh just wait til you meet the baby turtles and have a conversation with one!]

I would have hoped once that passing would not be necessary but...societies do seem to need to catch up to much.

[withthebrotherhood]

You're tellin' me. My buddy Domino--

[Dom would object strenuously to being so characterized.]

She's just kinda... blue. Otherwise pretty normal. Super hot, actually. Still can't go out in public.

[solo_patria]

I admit, before I came here, that is something I might have, would have,found odd as well.

It would still have been wrong of me.

[Blue? All he can think of is Molly's hair, even though Enjolras knows that such is certainly not the case.]

[withthebrotherhood]

[Hair can be cut or dyed. Domino's skin took an awful lot of makeup, and even that wasn't a very convincing effect.]

Geeze, you sound like you've been drinkin' the Professor X coolaid. Sure you're human?

[solo_patria]

Fairly certain at this point, unless the turtle has done something with my mind.

[withthebrotherhood]

[Which would not surprise him at all.]

Huh. Guess yer just a weird one, then.

[He refuses to be impressed. It's probably a trap.]

[solo_patria]

I've heard so before, I am afraid.

[Oh Enjolras doesn't expect anyone to be particularly impressed, so that's probably a good thing all around.]

I do hope that you find things here, well, workable enough.

[withthebrotherhood]

[It's still throwing off his groove.]

They gotta have the dumpsters hidden someplace, right?

[solo_patria]

Dumpsters? [Enjolras is cocking an eyebrow there.] For waste management or is this a euphemism?

[withthebrotherhood]

That's only all they're for if you're boring.

[Taking twisted pride in his street survival skills is as close to mentally healthy as Toad really gets.]

[solo_patria]

Ah, well then.

[Again, Enjolras has that brief flash of remembering Gavroche and has to smile a bit.]

Then you are by far more practical than most.

[withthebrotherhood]

Uh, yeah I am.

[He's still rattled by this human who seems largely unperturbed by him thing. Weird.]

[solo_patria]

[at home? Enjolras would have been perturbed. Here? He's conditioned now.]

I would hope that here, things are easier than you've described. It is something of a consolation when that turns out to be the case in...world hopping, I suppose.

[withthebrotherhood]

Woohoo, I gotta find a whole other universe before I can go out in daylight.

[solo_patria]

That hardly is right at all, I do agree. At least here...well, far more likely that you can.