[voice; action]

[seriouslytwisted]

[voice]

[Exploring and ninja-ing around is turning up a whole lot of dead ends and questions with no answers, so now Raphael is going to try his last resort.

Conversing with strangers.

Making sure he has his voice only function on (pretending that little SNAFU with it in his earlier conversation didn't happen) he reluctantly addresses his fellow...strand-ees.]


Okay, seriously. How many of you people actually buy that "you are in the in-between" story?

[the mystic new-age voice for the quote helps set the atmosphere, yes it is necessary]

---

[action]

[Before this post, Raphael will be swimming around in the Water Sector, trying to keep as hidden as possible but needing to surface to breathe and also sneak back up onto the docks occasionally when he can't cross sections in water. He's a stealthy little bugger, so the average Joe might miss him, but anybody with serious training or extra-sharp senses might find him.

...or you might catch him when he's losing his temper and angrily kicking over a barrel after talking to yet another tree-hugging native yokel, whatever.]

Comments

[seriouslytwisted]

Actually, yeah.

[...]

But flip it. 'Ninja turtle' instead of 'turtle ninja.' Sounds stupid when you say it backwards.

[notamachine]

[...]

Sounds stupid when you say it at all.

[seriouslytwisted]

You're right. Sounds just as stupid as your face hitting the dock. [HAHA. GOT YOU THERE.]

[notamachine]

Yeah, shorty, you're a real comedian. [Dean gets back to his feet and watches Raph for a minute. He's evaluating.] How old are you?

[seriouslytwisted]

[Raph is in a good mood since he floored this guy after he talked trash about him, so he'll actually answer his question.]

Fifteen. Why, takin' a survey of everybody who kicks your butt today?

[notamachine]

[...He isn't even half Dean's age.

...Dean's soft spot for kids is showing.]

You got a family?

[seriouslytwisted]

[Okay now it's getting slightly invasive...if only because Raph's not used to people asking before going AHHH IT'S A MUTANT FREAK or KILL THOSE MEDDLESOME TURTLES or something]

Why, you writin' a book? What's with the questions?

[notamachine]

[...Yep, kid's got a family.] Just curious, relax. You throw a guy into the ground, I think I deserve something in return.

[seriouslytwisted]

You were kind of asking for it.

[But yeah, he's kind of got a point. You really only get away with throwing family to the ground; strangers is something different.]

All right, fine. I got three brothers and a father. Anything else?

[notamachine]

Three? Damn. [Dean gives himself a little shake.] And I thought one was bad enough.

[Okay. Kid turtle-thing definitely not a threat, just sulky. Sulky is fine. Annoying, but fine.] My name's Dean.

[seriouslytwisted]

[Raphael folds his arms and glares, just to prove Dean's observation about his sulkiness.]

...Raphael.

[And maybe because he's THAT desperate for something familiar, that he's even considering discussing things with a complete stranger -at least he can beat this stranger up so he won't be a danger to his family- he's gonna ask,] You've got a brother?

[notamachine]

[Awww, his lower lip sticking out and everything. Ain't he a cutie. Dean almost likes him. Doesn't trust him for shit, but almost likes him. Almost.]

Got a nerdy little asshole of a brother, yeah.

[God, he hopes Sam is okay.]

[seriouslytwisted]

Yeah, I know that feeling.

[Another pause. Stiiiill not sure.]

He show up here with you?

[notamachine]

No. [Not that anyone Dean's talked to has seen and not that Dean has seen himself, anyway. So no is probably the right answer.] And I hope he doesn't.

[seriouslytwisted]

Wait, what? Why? [The only thing Raphael can think about is finding his brothers, if they're here, or getting back to them.]

[notamachine]

Do you want your brothers coming here? Or do you wanna get back to them? Because I don't know about you, kid, but I'd rather be back where I belong with him than drag him to wherever and whatever the hell this is.

[LOGIC]

[seriouslytwisted]

[Raphael just wants them and Splinter nearby, not that he's going to admit that aloud. Him, Raphael, homesick and missing his family after just a day and a half in this place? Forget it.

But the guy's got a point. Ugh. And Raphael hates it.]

I just wanna know if they're okay.

[notamachine]

[Dean crosses his arms and hangs his head for a second. He's picking up what Raph is putting down.]

I get that. Seeing if you can find a way out of here is gonna do you a lot more good than kicking barrels, though. Even if kicking barrels is kind of awesome. [Little grin.] That thing went what...15 feet? At least? Dude.

[seriouslytwisted]

[DON'T PATRONIZE HIM. He's fifteen, not five, ya jerk.]

Yeah that's actually called 'anger management,' and that's why there's no dead kedans floating in the water instead. Nobody answers any of my questions, [he says sharply, snapping at a passing native and watching them scurry on] so obviously finding a way home isn't going to be a diplomatic process.

[notamachine]

[YOU ARE YOUNGER THAN HIM he will patronize you if he wants]

Trust me, finding your way home from places like these is never a diplomatic process. On the upside, none of these bastards is actively trying to kill us.

[It's a nice change, actually.]

[seriouslytwisted]

Yeah well, at least if it's trying to kill me I can try to kill it back.

[If he does it now he just feels like a dick because they're like, normal citizens. Just way less cooperative.

Raph plunks down on the edge of the dock and sulks angrily.]

[notamachine]

...You got me there.

[This would be a lot more satisfying if he could kill things back, wouldn't it? This is the quietest, most polite place to be trapped that he's ever been in and he's waiting for the shoe to drop.]

[seriouslytwisted]

Whatever.

[Raph grabs a pebble from the dock and throws it into the water. He sits quietly for a while, just generally being angry and slowly calming back down into something more manageable. He doesn't know who this dude is, but he at least knows he can take care of himself around him and the guy hasn't actively tried to put him down yet, despite the gun in his waistband that Raph had seen when he'd flipped him forward. He's all right.

If he does try something weird, Raph'll just jump into the water and that'll be the end of that.]

How old're you, anyway?

[notamachine]

[Poor Raph. Poor Dean, too. The both of them stranded here without their families. Both of them worried.

Good thing Dean decided not to shoot, huh.]

34. [Because it's not a big deal to him.]

[seriouslytwisted]

[wow

old]

Huh.