001 ⚔ [video]

[duelkatana]

[It's been almost a week. Almost a whole week since Leonardo and his brother were fished from the ocean and led to the magnificent walls of Keeliai. Since they've adjusted to living in a world where their appearances didn't elicit more than ironic comments from its residents. And almost a week since they've hunkered down in one of their suites, taking turns watching the network and hitting up the city streets in search of their missing brothers.]

[Results have been nonexistent so far. And it's not doing either of them any favors - Raphael is getting more frustrated and stir-crazy as time wears on, spending more time out looking and leaving Leo in charge of combing the network. And disciplined as Leo may be, sitting in front of a computer 24/7 is really more Donnie's thing; it's not going to be long now until his own frustration becomes too advanced to ignore. The last thing Leo and Raph need right now is for both of them to be irate.]

[So maybe it's time to switch gears. Leo's fairly certain that Raph has kept off the network since his first appearance there...so it might benefit them to have a proper introduction. They've got to get used to talking with the other people who are trapped here eventually, right?]

[...right. So.]

Um...hello. My name is Leonardo. About a week ago I arrived here with my brother, Raphael. Some of you may have already met him. [I'm sorry if he was mean to you.]

I've, ah, been led to understand that this place serves as a sort of - nexus for our spirits? [At least, that's how it sounded to him when the kedan spoke of being between life, death, and dreaming.] If that's the case, we have two more brothers that should have ended up here. Our circumstances were the same in our world before we left.

...if you've seen anyone like us wearing purple or orange masks, please let us know. [He hesitates, and the next part is rather sharp.] Or - an explanation for why we can't seem to find them, if there is one.

Comments

[bothbarrels]

[ He's resting, lounging on York's couch, when this message comes over the console, and the thoughts it provokes are bothersome. Similarly, he and South had both been there when Maine had attacked. South didn't have an AI, so he'd simply assumed when she hadn't arrived here that she'd gotten away. He needs to believe that. He doesn't want to believe her soul got lost on the way, or something.

(Though he still had trouble reconciling the fact that this was still clearly his physical body. He still had certain scars from old battles. This wasn't fully a spiritual realm.)

He sits up, slowly, and thumbs the console control thoughtfully before responding. ]

Couldn't it mean that they survived?

[duelkatana]

[...there's always that chance. Might be dead, might not be, the kedan had told him, after all. Leo isn't sure which thought is more disturbing about the idea: that his and Raph's souls have been stolen away from what should have been an end, a state of peace - or the fact that Mikey and Don will wake up and suddenly be short two older brothers.]

[In this case, though...they've come close to dying far too many times to count, but Leonardo isn't quite sure about this time. He's had plenty of opportunity to go over the incident in his mind, and it just doesn't add up.]

[Leo sets his jaw, thinking very carefully about his answer. There's still a bit of residual discomfort from speaking so openly with a stranger. ]

It's...likey that the situation my brothers and I were in was a non-lethal one. Our enemies fought honorably, using tonfa as their weapons. [A beat.] It felt more like a test than actual combat.

[bothbarrels]

[ Similarly, North is running the scenario of the last thing he remembers through his mind, trying to sort out the order of events. South going around the ridge, Maine spotting him, Maine dropping off the cliff. He's fairly sure those final moments were his last among the living. Maine had come after Theta; he had no reason to kill South. Especially if South had been too late to intervene. ]

Hm. I don't know what tonfa are. But accidents do happen.

[duelkatana]

Weapons used in martial arts, primarily for self-defense. Traditionally non-bladed. Think...a police baton. [He might sound a little distant as he rattles this off, like he's reading from a dictionary. It's true: accidents happen. But for such skilled warriors to make two grave mistakes with nonlethal weapons...]

[He shakes his head. It's all just speculation, anyway.]

[It suddenly strikes Leonardo that this man seems to be rather committed to the possibility of death, and it makes him wonder what his situation was before he left. He should probably be careful with how he phrases his next question.]

The kedan mentioned that death is only one of the possible reasons we're here. Do you believe that?

[bothbarrels]

Considering the last thing I remember? Yeah, I do. I had...something, that I was being hunted for. My sister was with me, but she didn't have one. So as far as I've been concerned, if I was killed for the item I had, at least she got away.

[Video]

[alpha_squad_leader]

[Victor is a little surprised since even among mutants, it isn't every day he meets another green guy. And even when he does they tend to be evil or formerly evil. He gives a little wave before speaking.]

Uh, hi. It sort of sounds like you got here around the same time I did. I'm Victor, by the way.

I'm not so sure this is some kind of spirit world. [He has doubts about the whole story from the kedan but he's not going into it right now.]

It might be that your brothers just aren't here. I mean if this place pulled in people who were all together then my whole economics class should have ended up here with me.

[Video]

[duelkatana]

[Leo nods respectfully at the introduction; normally he'd be a little friendlier, but his mind is running on a bit of a single track at the moment. He does, however, note Victor's opinion about the nature of the world - he's got his own doubts about it, but it's something he'll come back to later. For now:]

I don't mean to pry, but was your class caught in a - compromising situation?

[Video]

[alpha_squad_leader]

Err, what do you mean by compromising situation? [Since it could mean a few things.] I doubt we were in one either way. We were just filing in for class. The teacher wasn't even there yet.

[Video]

[duelkatana]

[Well, he meant something along the lines of "were you about to possibly be killed"...but this is a much better scenario. Leo actually perks up for a moment, caught between confusion and relief.]

Really? So you weren't in any danger at all?

video;

[trainwrecked]

[... hey, your brother wasn't mean to Bucky...]

Hi, Bucky here, already met Raphael, yeah. Just wanted to say that the two of you coming from the same time is more like an exception than the rule. A lot of us who know each other just... Well, I come from earlier than my friends, while another is from much later. And we showed up at different times.

So the fact that your brothers haven't showed up doesn't mean something went wrong, or that they even realize you're gone. More like - they're not here just now. Could show up even this week.

video;

[duelkatana]

[That's a lot to take in. Leo steeples his fingers and stares somewhere to the side of the screen for several moments, brow furrowed. When he looks back to speak, the edge to his voice is gone; he's more contemplative than anything else.]

So the situation back home doesn't necessarily decide who ends up here?

video;

[trainwrecked]

Not that I have been able to tell. Maybe others have different opinion on the matter, but.

[He shrugs at the screen.]

So, basically, I wouldn't necessarily worry, until or unless somebody shows up and says you should.

video;

[duelkatana]

[His gaze turns sharp]

Has that happened before?

[video] couldn't resist.

[tactile_telekinesis]

So...what are you guys? Some kind of turtle ninjas?

Sorry, only seen you, the other dude and big cuz, Shelly.

[Kon is the master of subtly and manners and stating the obvious. He also thinks you're pretty cool looking.]

[video] never do. :D

[duelkatana]

You could say that. [siigh. Oh well.] Thanks anyway. Though...we're not exactly related to the big guy.

[video]

[tactile_telekinesis]

You're not? Huh.

If I ever see another turtle guy, I'll make sure to give you a shout.

[video]

[duelkatana]

Thanks. I appreciate it.

video;

[zerotoawesome]

You're related to that other guy? [Because their appearances aren't obvious enough, really.

video;

[duelkatana]

If you're talking about the turtle who appeared on the network last week, yes. He's my brother. You've met him?

[DID HE PLAY NICE?]

video;

[zerotoawesome]

Red mask, turtle-like appearance, kind of an asshole, but also pretty awesome? Yeah, I met him.

Is you're whole family like you two?

[MOSTLY.]

video;

[duelkatana]

[Yep, that sounds like Raph all right.]

Four, actually. You've met Raphael - the other two are Donatello and Michelangelo. [and they're missing :c]

[Video]

[nogutsnoglory]

If I see your brothers, I'll give you a shout out. So far I've only really seen you. [Eddie at least isn't making any giant turtle jokes. FOR NOW.]

Similar circumstances or not, they might have not ended up here at all. Someone else from my world or whatever ended up here 'fore I did in a different way.

[Video]

[duelkatana]

[Your discretion is appreciated.]

That's what I've been hearing. It sounds like the circumstances back home don't have as much an effect on our presence here as I'd thought.

[Video]

[nogutsnoglory]

[Lets see how long it lasts.]

With how weird and- vaguely explained everythin' fuckin' is, maybe it's a good thing they aren't here? They could be home?

[Video]

[duelkatana]

According to the kedan, time is stopped back in our universe. If they're telling the truth, and if the incident that brought us here is unrelated...it would make sense.

[Only the skepticism in his voice couldn't be deeper if you'd told him he mutated from a bunny. It's not quite Leo's style to accept an explanation spoon-fed to him.]