tushanshu | [voice; action]

Entry tags:

[voice; action]

[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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[So, Raph]

[There's a couple turtles of the ninja variety already here. And they're not a big fan of this whole...thing. Of their giant, cozy suites or of the attempts being made to drag them into the economy. They're perfectly content to just scavenge and forage like they always have in NYC, thank you very much.]

[Know what that means? Fishing! And fishing is really boring. Which means it's been more or less relegated to Leo, who is the master of being good at boring things.]

[Today Leo is on a mission to catch a few, and is sticking to the relatively quiet canals near the Wood Sector's borders to do it. He's got a net cast out in the water (don't ask where he got it) and it's not all that big, but the canal bottlenecks here to squeeze through a ravine, so it's still taking up quite a bit of swimming room. Hey, it's not like he expects anyone to be around here 8|]

[At the canal's edge is Leo, sitting beside the net completely zenned out. No seriously, this is why he gets stuck with this shit.]

[tl;dr INCOMING FISHING NET, RAPHAEL. DO YOU EVADE?]

[Raphael's been out looking for Leo (he's thinking it's his Leo) ever since Santo mentioned it, without a single sign of his brother anywhere. He's made it all the way to the edge of the Water sector, crawled through every single alley and leaped over every rooftop he could find, and now he's swimming through the canals trying to find his brother.

It'll get dark soon. While it'll help him hide, it won't help him find his brother, because Leonardo will be doing the same thing and he's better at stealth than Raphael is (much as he hates to admit it).

Leo- dammit Leo where are you?

The only comfort Raphael has is that Leo wasn't left to fight Snakeweed and that Foot Clan chick by himself. At least he's okay. Now if Raph could find out if Mikey was okay-

Okay focus, or you're going to run inTO A FISHING NET WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS DOING HERE?!

Raphael fights and struggles against it and are you serious all the air just left his lungs with that surprised scream and he's actually going to drown. He's a turtle and he's going to drown on the back of another turtle this is the WORST FUCKING DEATH EVER]

[The fishing net suddenly yanks at the shoreline with startling force, snapping Leo to attention. Immediately he spots the thrashing figure beneath the water, kicking up white foam and violently churning the surface of the canal, and almost instantly he realizes that either he just caught the biggest freaking fish ever or someone is drowning in his net.]

[In less than a heartbeat Leo's on his feet and drawing his katana. He slashes at the net attached to a stake in the ground, and the taut webbing rips free, whipping back beneath the surface at the same time he sheathes his sword and dives in.]

[Through the dark, churning water, Leo sees the figure right away - he's struggling against the loosened fishing net, his limbs tangling together as it wraps further around him. Leo kicks forward and tries to grab for him, and when his hand brushes against something hard, something like - a shell, he jerks it back in surprise. But there's no time to worry about that now; Leo reaches to grasp a loose, floating portion of the net itself instead, and then he turns around and kicks back up towards the shoreline.]

[When Leonardo makes it to solid ground, he turns around to grip the net with both hands and pull. His charge is dragged out onto the shore, and it's -]

[holy what]

[- Raph?]

[What the hell is -]

[no, first thing's first. Crouching down, Leo draws his katana again and bunches the net in his fingers, cutting layers of it away from this...guy in one swing.]

Hold on - I'm getting you out of there!

[Raphael's brain simplifies down to breathe breathe need to breathe and he barely registers motion until he breaks surface and finally, finally coughs to gasp for air. Fuck, it hurts, but he's up on the shore and he can hold himself up and cough out water onto the ground.

He almost drowned just now. What was that.

Raphael's eyesight is still blurry, and water keeps dripping from his mask back into his eyes so he rubs at them as he coughs, squinting up at the figure. Blue, with lots of green and yellow.]

Leo?

[BLEH ugh. As soon as he feels slack in the netting he shoves angrily at it, trying to tear it off, and rubs at his eyes again to get a better look at his brother. Who...does not look like his brother. He's about the same height, but he looks a lot bulkier, and his skin isn't the right color and his head is a weird shape.]

[What. The hell.]

...Raph?

[Yeah okay wtg Leo, that was a brilliant reply. But for the first time in years, he's absolutely dumbstruck, and that's saying a lot when you're a teenage mutant ninja turtle who has been to space and other dimensions and all that jazz.]

[Braining that later. For now, Leo stares in slack-jawed amazement at this mini-Raphael - he's shorter than the Raph Leo knows by at least an inch or two, and a lot less bulky, with scars in different places. And he's pretty sure that Raph's eyes have never been that shade of bright green.]

[Holy crap. What the hell is going on?]

[He's almost on autopilot when he grabs the remaining webbing and helps tear it off of Raph, and when he tries to sort out the unintelligible nonsense buzzing in his mind into something intelligent, it's almost hilarious that what automatically comes out of his mouth is actually:] Are...are you all right?

[Even his voice is different. This is really surreal and just- this is weird. This is making his head hurt even worse.

Raph shakes off the last of the netting with Leo-but-not-Leo's help and puts a hand to his plastron, backing away a couple steps. This is borderline creepy, looking up into the face of someone who is unmistakably not his brother, but is still Leonardo.]

Leo, what- What happened to you? Why d'you look like that?

[Leo doesn't back away himself, but he doesn't move forward either. He kind of just...slides his katana back into its sheath and slowly gets to his feet. STILL STARING. STILL NOT BRAINING.]

Er...like what?

Like that, like- [cough. Raphael steps forward and jabs a finger into Leo's plastron.] Like not-you! [Raph's eyes narrow and he steps back again. Is this Leo? What if this is like, some kind of robot or impersonation or something by the Kraang or the Foot or WHOEVER.]

[oh whoop - there goes the shock with that finger jab, and in its place is the timeless, beloved feeling of raph you're getting up in my face stop it. Even though this isn't...his Raph?? AUGH. He almost brings up a hand to swat that finger away, but Raph steps back again before he can.]

[OKAY. Getting his crap together now. You're a ninja, Leo, expect the unexpected or whatever.]

Raph, I don't know what you're talking about! [Okay he said your name kind of like a question, sorry.] Look, just calm down for a minute!

[Oh there's that smug 'I'm better than you so you should listen to me,' tone that Raph hates so much.

...and is probably difficult to duplicate. Lots of things make Raph want to punch people in the face, but none quite so easily as Leonardo being bossy.]

I'll calm down if I feel like it!

[Lucky for you, Leo, he feels like it. So he folds his arms and glares up at him.] All right, start talking.

[Oh great. Leo is supposed to explain this? This is usually the kind of insane thing he'd hand off to Don, who'd pull some kind of magically sensible explanation out of thin air.]

[He crosses his arms too, out of habit more than anything - he has no idea who this kid is, but he sure has Raph's inherent ability to make Leo feel frustrated and on edge, and he scowls in silence for several moments before speaking.]

I think we should compare notes. You're Raphael, I take it?

Yeah, I'm Raphael! You know any other mutant turtles in red? [Raphael is wearing his patent snarl, but Leo's not rising to the bait. He's just- just so fucking reasonable and he's being calm and adult and ugh UGH UGH. Come at him already!]

Take it easy, Raph. [It slips out before he can stop it, which kind of surprises him because that hard, level tone is...more of something he'd take with Mikey than he would Raphael. He grimaces back, narrowing his eyes.] Look, I don't know what's going on any more than you do. You look like my brother, but you're definitely not the Raphael I know.

[Raphael gives Leo another look-over, categorizing all the differences. Even his limbs are a different shape; he's no more the Leonardo Raphael knows physically than he is in voice or how he behaves. This Leo's even less fun than the other one, and that's saying something.

Whoever this is, he's not Raphael's brother. And Raph wishes he could just get angry about it, but he almost drowned and he's tired and he'd been so hopeful. He just kind of wilts; sinks down into a crouch and hangs his head with a sigh. Giving up the fight a lot easier than a certain other Raphael with whom Leo is more familiar.]

You're not the Leo I know either.

You're like some...other-dimension Twilight Zone twin. [Raph's pretty sure there was an episode of Space Heroes like this. ...not that he pays attention to that stupid show.]

[And that...really kind of takes Leo off guard. He isn't sure what he was even expecting at this point, but whatever it was, seeing the fire go out of this other-Raph so quickly is startling enough to take the wind out of his own sails. He lowers his arms and looks again, this time more slowly.]

[...he's younger. It's obvious beyond his smaller stature - his voice, how he carries himself. The way he's crouched on the ground right now, discouraged, even a little vulnerable. Leo can't remember the last time he's seen his own brother like that.]

[This is absolutely insane. There's still a disconnect between what he's thinking and what's right in front of him: this can't be Raphael. There are only four mutant ninja turtles, and only two of them are here. Some kind of trick. A trap by the Emperor or Evandau. Or maybe he's just losing his marbles.]

[But what he's seeing is Raph, not quite Leo's brother but still, unmistakably Raphael, a kid who's upset and beaten down because...Leo isn't quite his brother, either. And in the end, the battle between Leonardo's caution and his compassion has always been a rather one-sided fight.]

[With a quiet sigh Leo crouches down, bringing himself closer to eye level with Raph. Man. How does he even do this?]

Maybe we should start from the beginning. What's the last thing you remember before coming here?

[Raph's eyes flick up to Leo when he crouches down in front of him, and now that the adrenaline's worn off he's just exhausted. Yesterday he apparently almost drowned in the ocean, and today he almost drowned again. Two days ago he got his baby brother seriously wounded with his incompetence.

This is just not his week.

He'd be more insulted by Leo coming down to his level like he's some kind of little kid, but Raph just so badly wants a familiar face that he'll take one that's only halfway familiar, at this point. Almost.]

How am I supposed to know you're not a trick? Some kinda robot freak or Foot Clan soldier with a costume fetish?

[He wants to believe this Leo means no harm, but it's...difficult. He's just so naturally suspicious.]

[The question manages to shock a small smile out of Leo, because...that suspicion? Yeah, that's something he's a little more familiar with. He shifts his balance between his feet, musing over how to respond.]

[...funny how his own fears were echoed right back at him, when he thinks about it. And Leo knows: sometimes it takes trust to make trust.]

[He shifts back a respectful distance, then drops to his knees in a formal kneeling position. He loosens the strap holding his twin katana, pulling both sheaths from the leather strip tying them into their X-cross shape - and then he takes them and sets them on his right side, the sheathed blades facing in. Difficult to reach and nearly impossible to draw before your enemy; a classic gesture of friendly intention among traditional samurai. Then he leans forward into a bow.]

I mean you no harm. I swear this on my honor.

[If this Raph's Leo is anything like he is...or if he has a sensei who ingrained Bushido into them just as deeply, maybe this will get through to him.]

[If that doesn't creep Raphael right the fuck out, nothing will; sure, it creeps him out in a reassuring way, but still. A LEO. IS BOWING TO HIM. This is really disturbing.]

All right- geez, Leo, get up. What's the matter with you?

[Raph's folded his arms tightly over his plastron and is looking away, face a darker green than usual.]

I believe you already.

[what. too much?]

[Okay but really, Leo can't help a bit of a grin at that. It's not like he meant to embarrass Raph, but at least the message got through. And ordinarily he'd leave the katana at his side as a sign of continued respect, but it looks to him like this Raph has had enough of customs, so he obeys and knots them back up into their scabbards before rising into a stand.]

[...looking at Raph's flustered reaction, he's also finally starting to find a shred of familiarity in the situation. At least in addition to the still very prominent levels of WTF.]

I guess you might have a few things in common with my brother after all. [Okay yeah sorry, now he just sounds...a little bit amused. His Raph can get pretty embarrassed by all the formal stuff, too.]

[Well see, if it were Mikey bowing before him, or if it was because Raphael had won a fight, yeah. You stay down there for like ten minutes while he takes pictures and video.

But otherwise- IT WAS JUST EMBARRASSING OKAY

Raphael scoffs when Leonardo stands up -he wears his swords differently too- and does his best to pull himself back together.] Imagine that.

Anyway. What I remember before I showed up was fighting Snakeweed- [hold on] You know who that is?

Snakeweed? [what the heck kind of name is that] No, that...definitely doesn't ring any bells.

[He sees that judging look on your face Leonardo.] Wh- Look, Mikey named him. We just call him that to shut Mikey up.

You named him? [AND fought him? What exactly is this thing??]

He names things, the kid's a lunatic, I know. [MOVING ON.]

I was fighting Snakeweed with Leo -my Leo- and before that- [This throat closes up. He doesn't want to admit that he got his brother seriously hurt, not to someone who's essentially a stranger, even if he doesn't feel like it.] Before that...I was looking for him.

Anyway, Snakeweed knocked me into a wall and I saw stars, and then I'm getting pulled out of the water.

Edited 2013-02-13 08:01 (UTC)

[Sounds a bit similar to what had happened back in Leo's world - the part about being in a fight and getting knocked out, anyway. But he's already heard accounts from other people that they weren't in any danger before they got here, so...he doesn't put much stock into that.]

[More importantly. Leo's never heard of this "Snakeweed" guy, and he most certainly doesn't remember ever fighting anyone named that with his brother. This Raphael...it's like he's from a whole different world.]

[...]

[...there was a professor on the consoles the other day, and he mentioned parallel worlds, multiverses. Leo's got his experience with the Battle Nexus, and he's listened to some of Donnie's lectures on the subject, but...it all seemed so academic. It's not like Leo thought hey, maybe one day I'll be staring at an alternate version of my brother.]

[Assuming that's what's actually happening here. But he hasn't got a better explanation yet.]

Looks like none of us are in Kansas anymore.

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TIMELINING THIS FOR AFTER WHATEVER ELSE HAPPENS IN THIS POST

AYE-AYE o7

AUGH I'M SO EXCITED!!!

ME TOO /SCREAMS

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/SCREAMS AT DW and tags before class

I KNOW RIGHT

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UGH I SHRIEKED WHEN LEO BOWED BTW

(◡‿◡✿)

AHH CUTE

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