lucetilogs | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who:

semper_cogitans and

gaijin_ninja at first, with

i_speak_softly ,

the_mikester ,

honorthecode and

ninjacane probably joining in afterwards
What: Robert desperately needing his butt rescued
When: Backdated to yesterday (March 23), after the events of this thread
Where: Near the riverbank of the stretch of river between the bridges near Community Building Four. Will probably move to House 55 later
Summary: After an extremely short sprint away from Yuber (thanks to Litchi), Robert's pretty much passed out on the riverbank. Then he has a rather unlikely knight-in-shining-keratin come to rescue him. Shenanigans follow.
Rating: Gods, I have no idea. Tentatively saying R because Raphael is involved and things will likely get awkward later, but it'll most likely only be for language and/or violence - two things you can't really avoid with the TMNT

Robert is not doing well at all, by anybody’s standards of “well”.

Sprawled out on the ground with his forearms streaked with mud from where he’s collapsed on the sodden riverbank, shaking with utter exhaustion and terror; fear’s still coiling in his gut and driving him to get up – except he can’t, because he is so totally demolished physically from even the short sprint from the fountain’s perimeter to the riverbank. Adrenaline spikes through him even now, enough to make his hands tremble – but he still can’t will himself to get up. It’s useless. He’s useless. Litchi is there, in front of the angry Yuber – possibly even dying for his sake, dear gods - and he’d been too useless, he had needed to run...

He sobs softly, losing himself to the feeling of panic that threatens to overwhelm his rationality, even when it still sits there in his mind, quietly, coldly; surveying the situation, making notes. Yuber wasn’t attacking before I left. I sent out that message on the journals.

The question is... had anybody actually heard that message?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Don gains three things from this exchange: first, that he will probably be called on to rig up the best security system he can manage on limited resources (limited in a very different way than they are at home, that is); second, that freedom versus safety is about to regain its place as Raph and Leo's favorite topic of heated debate; and third, that Splinter is staring at his boyfriend. Don watches the stare, sees Robert's reaction, and silently wills Splinter to just talk to them. Preferably somewhat later, after ordering the other three inmates of house 55 to go to their rooms and put their hands over their ears.

This is not the introduction he'd been hoping for.

Freedom versus safety is most definitely his favorite topic of debate. Or at least the one he fights for most passionately. All his life all he's wanted was freedom. Luceti doesn't exactly give him the type of freedom he wants, but it's a start, and probably about as good as he's ever gonna get. Leo and his paranoia aren't going to stand in the way.

"There're people way more dangerous than Karai around here, and I ain't never had a problem. Just mind your own business and they'll mind theirs. If Karai's got a problem, we'll deal with it. Think we can handle her without her ninjas crawlin' out of the woodwork around here. No problem."

Yeah, so his last encounter with her has made him cocky. That'll probably come back to bite him in the ass later, but it's logical enough for him at the moment.

"That doesn't mean some won't crop up now." Leo says evenly. He's standing firm on this, for him it's not up for debate. Look at all the enemies they made back home, without even trying. This paranoia has kept them alive back home. It's not about to change suddenly just because they're in a different place.

"We shouldn't be enjoying this freedom. We shouldn't just drop our guard because of what's been given to us." It's annoying him that Raph and Don already seem used to it. Mikey too. It's not something he can get used to in a couple of months. If he ever will is up for debate. Too much of this place has him paranoid, primarily the people.

Splinter seems satisfied by Robert's reaction, enough that he turns away to watch the faces of the others as they speak. Robert is currently harmless and is intimidated by him. That is a start. He will have to speak with Donatello and Robert at a later time.

"Leonardo is right--just because she has not attacked us yet does not mean she will not attack us in the future." Splinter tightens his hand around his cane. "We cannot afford to be complacent in this matter."

Edited 2011-03-31 02:32 (UTC)

"We're not going to drop our guard. But that doesn't mean we have to go underground again either."

Mike knows that he is the bit player in the Leo vs. Raph debate, but he still says it.

The debate is a difficult one for Robert. Freedom versus safety - at home, on Terra, both were non-negotiable. Both were default.

Not here. In fact, here neither seem to exist. Not to Robert's viewpoint, anyway.

But from what he understands, this place is - at least superficially - more accepting than the Hamatos' home had been. It was safer for them here. They were more or less equals with the rest of the villagers; all of them were in the same reduced state of rights...

Of course, there is a subtle heirarchy still. But Robert cannot see that, just yet. He may never be able to, unless it's explained to him.

Right now, the biggest thing to him is that this sounds like the family is going to pull itself away from everybody else in Luceti, and that might cut him off from Donatello.

He gives Donatello a furtive look of almost-panic at this. Will this stop us from being together? Robert desperately hopes that it won't happen that way... but in the end, there's nothing he can really do to stop it, not without infringing on the rights of the family.

Don catches Robert's look, and gives him a tiny head-shake and a subtle squeeze on his knee.

"If the pattern holds, there won't be any more newcomers for another five or six weeks. That's enough time to do whatever we're going to do." He pauses, then says: "Personally, I vote for working out a truce. This place is too small to have enemies. None of us will ever have a moment's peace, and it's not like anyone can ever win..." He trails off there. Surely Karai is reasonable enough not to become embroiled in an endless standoff.

A truce. Ha. As if they haven't tried that before. Raph doesn't really believe that Karai would just lay down and let them have a truce after what they did with the Shredder, but he'll say nothing, looking to Splinter and Leo for their reaction. Just because he doesn't believe it will happen doesn't mean he'll fight it. The idea of a truce might be enough to let Leo and Splinter ease up on the paranoia for once and let him keep his freedom. That's all he wants.

Edited 2011-03-31 14:48 (UTC)

"Considering just this morning she sent me a message threatening to kill you you guys. Wanting a truce is the last thing on her mind." And by Leo's tone, it's probably the furthest thing from his mind too. He had been hoping to keep that message to himself. Her anger seemed mostly pointed towards him. It was his business to deal with her. But right now, it was needed to be said.

A truce may have been possible before they took out the Shredder. But he doubted it would be possible now. The wound of betrayal was still too fresh.

Edited 2011-03-31 17:47 (UTC)

Splinter frowned at the information from Leonardo. So the woman could not be trusted to even hold a truce, or at least not willingly. As much as he hated to think of it, a truce was truly their only option. Otherwise, they would be forced into a never-ending battle of futility. It wouldn't be pretty, even if they did outnumber her.

"If that is so, we must secure our home from intrusion as strongly as possible," Splinter glanced at Donatello for a moment. "Whether she will grow to understand the wisdom of a truth is currently irrelevant: we must focus on the now. We must be cautious and, at most, risk being seen by her while in the company of others. She is willing to attack us, even in daylight, and the only advantage we have is to turn the community against her."

... wait, did Splinter really just say what he just said? It was not a solution he particularly liked, especially since it still left them open to attack, but it was far better than sneaking out at night, and they would need further supplies eventually. They had never had that option before back home, and so it had never been considered. As much as Splinter disfavored relying on the presence of humans to dissuade her from attacking them (and the fact it might not be a deterrent at all), Karai would likely eventually realize her options were limited. Otherwise, if she still attacked them, she would become infamous in the community. They could use that to their advantage. Night attacks meant that any potential allies that his sons made would not be present.

"But we must also delay her from finding our home for as long as possible."

That sounded more normal. Not that this situation was normal at all.

Mike actually opens his mouth to protest (more like whine) when what Splinter is actually saying hits him, and he closes it with a soft clack of teeth. They HAVE to go out during daylight? They HAVE to stick with people?

Is Splinter a pod person?

Oh, no, there he goes. Keep the ~~lair~~ house hidden. Okay.

Mike can barely contain his excitement.

Robert doesn't appreciate quite how abnormal this rhetoric is from Splinter. Mostly because he doesn't realize just how dangerous it was back on the home world of the TMNT... but he does see this as a positive thing, that the turtles won't be forced to hide all the time when they're perfectly good people, just because one imbecile has a problem with them.

And Robert will very gladly cultivate favour for the turtles. He already knows several people who would stand up for the turtles to begin with, or at least certain members of the family, and that can easily be extended. Karai won't know what hit her if she tries to attack the Hamatos... or attack by proxy, for that matter.

Mostly this means Robert can be with Don. In daylight.

He seeks out the hand on his knee and twines his fingers - as best he can - with it.

This advice gives Don a bizarre, jarring, sense of displacement. All his life it's been stay in the shadows, stay away from people. Now, suddenly, it's go out with a buddy, stick to the well-lighted path. The kind of advice he thinks normal children get from their parents.

Part of his mind backs away from this, and latches happily onto the familiar, already churning out ways to prevent Karai from learning where they live.

And a last, even happier, part is kept grounded by Robert's fingers in his.

Wow. That went even better than he was expecting. So Splinter won't try to chain them to the house after all. That's all that matters in Raph's mind. Splinter's actually letting them out. The rest is just gray area. Sure, he goes out in broad daylight every once and again, but Raph's always been a lone wolf by nature. He'd go crazy if he didn't have some alone time to roam the shadows by himself. He'll just use Splinter's plans like a guideline like he always does and hope he doesn't get caught.

Then there's another point:

"Think it'd be pretty stupid of her to try and ambush us at home, y'know. Ain't like she's got any kind of back-up. She'd be just askin' for a beatin'."

Leo frowns in disapproval of the idea. But he keeps his tongue, he's not about to speak up against Splinter. Depending on others, mostly strangers to defend them. This was bound to only lead to trouble in his mind. Since this could also lead to complacency. He planned to stick to the shadows, the protection it gives.

"It doesn't matter, we secure the house. She's not the only threat in this place. Whether you've had trouble before or not."

Splinter did not particularly like the idea himself, but the logical side won over his emotional side. There were no sewers they knew like the back of their hands, and there weren't more than a few sources to find food or supplies. No dumpsters, no garbage dumps. Only stores. Luceti was too small, practically a fishbowl. The buildings were too spread apart to truly remain hidden on top of everything else.

Running into her again was inevitable. All they could do was make sure that they weren't alone when it happened. They were lucky in that she was just one person and could only do so much without her Foot Ninja. Avoiding nighttime, when few are out and an ambush point easily established, would help avoid some of her potential attempts to harm them. If their home was secure, then that would be another deterrent.

"We must also not be seen entering, leaving, or within our home," Splinter added to Leonardo's statement. "She cannot plan any sort of attack if she has no knowledge of where we live."

More tactics. Boring. Mike had been doing that instinctively anyway. Family meetings never did hold his attention for long, especially when things seemed to be going mostly his way. So he's rather pleased when Klunk wanders in the room, bumping his head against his leg. But what's this? There's a newcomer here. Klunk saunters over to Robert, in the way of cats, looking up at him when he reaches him as though he'd just noticed he was there. He stretches his neck out, clearly asking for fingers to be presented for sniffing.

Mike watches intently. You better not do anything weird to his cat, Robert.

Edited 2011-04-02 18:37 (UTC)

Robert actually looks surprised as Klunk approaches, mostly because he's never seen a domestic cat before.

"Felis catus? You have a companionship with one?" He can't help but smile, despite his weak state, and he offers his fingers carefully for a sniff.

Cat whiskers are ticklish... Robert murmurs softly, "I have never seen a domestic cat before... They are rather a good deal rarer on Terra."

"Be nice," Don murmurs to Klunk, because the kitten is not always good at judging whether or not a playmate would be amused by the sensation of his claws in their flesh. To the more intelligent occupants of the room, he says, "The security measures would have to be invisible - anything else would just advertise where we are." He taps his chin thoughtfully. "I think what we really want is a way to prevent her from seeing through the windows, without her knowing that she can't see through the windows... but the technology for that just doesn't exist here."

"What about that guy Helios? He did that spell for the playground, right? Can't see why he couldn't do it for here too."

That's right. Raph just suggested they use magic. It's just another thing that's changed during his year here. If you told him he'd be saying this a year ago, he wouldn't believe you. He hated everything to do with magic. But here, he can see it's capable of doing some good.

"Can this Helios guy be trusted?" But if he made something for a playground, he can't be that bad. He could hope. Leo's reluctant about using magic, but if it helped to keep the house and them safe, he'd be willing to go along with it. "If it would keep her from finding our home. Then we can look into seeing if he'll do it." If the guy would want to. Especially for people he barely knows.

It was less the magic and more the stranger part that was the problem for Splinter. He did not know Helios, and therefore, Helios could not be trusted by Splinter's opinion. Before they decided to rely on this Helios, Splinter would demand to meet him. Having helped with the playground did win him some points, but the playground was for human children, not turtles and a rat. Things changed between species.

For now, there was nothing that Splinter could add to the debate. He did not know Helios's abilities, and therefore decided to listen to this debate first. If they decided not to use him, then voicing his concerns now would be a waste of time.

All Splinter could do was frown slightly.

"Hmm..." Mike puts his hand under his chin in an exaggerated gesture of thought. "A way to not let her see through the windows... without making her think there's something to see... I believe these are called... curr-tains."

Robert continues gently allowing Klunk to inspect his hand as he listens to the flow of the conversation. He immediately perks up when Helios is mentioned.

"Mr. Sprenso - er, Helios - is a close friend of mine." Someone might notice the minute waver around 'close friend' - though it doesn't really betray whatever remnants of attraction Robert has, it may show just how strange it is for him to actually say that about anybody - "I am c-certain he would be more than willing to assist you, especially since... he already has something of a rapport with Donatello, and he has never been anything but kind and gentle to anybody, non-human sapients i-included, to my knowledge." Robert offers something of an uncertain smile.

"However, if none of you mind... I would suggest attempting something less... obvious first. I have no r-real knowledge about magic, but I would presume that it would be d-detectable in some manner, and such a... disturbance would draw more attention than another, less-obvious method - such as the c-curtains proposed by Michelangelo."

His voice is finally starting to waver a little less... and he probably looks less pathetic than when he was initially dumped on the couch. He's almost okay enough to sit up on his own by this point, and inspecting the cute cat nearby is a reason to do so.

Don immediately latches on to this idea, and wonders why he didn't think of it sooner.

"The point, Mike, is that most houses don't have their curtains drawn all the time. Any house that did would look suspicious - like it was hiding something. But Helios' barrier..." His fingers begin twitching rapidly, as he works out the logistics. "It's invisible, and I don't think Karai can detect magic. Even if she did find the barrier, and realized we were inside it... she still couldn't get through." He looks up, smiling. "Helios would do that for me. All we'd have to do is write our names down." Another tick of the fingers. "And the names of anyone we would want to be able to visit us."

He turns to Master Splinter with an earnest expression. "Sensei, Helios is a teacher. He runs a school for non-humans. I think you would like him a lot..."