[open] I'm too sleepy to have something witty to put here

[faceguy]

WHO: Leo and anyone!
WHERE: Temba
WHAT: just post Mermay things + EVENT THINGS
WHEN: the days following the mermaid event
WARNINGS: none

A: Reunion (closed to Donnie)

It's very odd to be so sure you've always been a sea turtle one minute, then wake up and realize you were always a semi-aquatic red-eared slider. That's the feeling Leo is having now, as he wakes up in the workshop where he's been living alone and the world is no longer under water.

As he blinks and adjusts to his memories correcting themselves, he realizes what woke him up: a series of pings from his communication advice. Many pings from his communication device, actually. Rolling over and grabbing it from the side of his bed, he blinks blearily at the flood, then sits up straight and throws himself to the floor.

The messages are all from Donnie.

He scrolls back and sees that they cover weeks, the first a big batch as Donnie asks what happened in Temba and desperately tries to get Leo to answer, the rest becoming more periodic over time. Donnie's been trying to get through to him the whole time he was a semi-fish.

Donnie is still here.

Leo's already out the door by the time he sends a return message.

hey
where are u?

He left the factory so fast he forgot to change masks, his sleep eye mask pushed up on his forehead.

B: Stuck in the Suburbs (open)

So everything's okay now; Donnie's back, and the two of them are reunited. A happy ending for everyone!

Except for the part where they're still stuck on an alien planet lightyears from home, with no clear idea of how to get back.

Those are just details, though. Surely they can figure something out - they just have to find clues.

Thinking Donnie had gone home hadn't exactly made Leo eager to go out the last few weeks, something he's kind of regretting now that he has to walk most places. But now that things are okay again, he's out exploring, looking around all the places he hasn't seen in Temba yet. And this exploration leads him to the subdivision, and all it's semi-intact but still functionless and empty houses.

It's kind of creepy. It reminds Leo of those old movies where they'd build a town in the desert for nuclear testing.

He doesn't really have any clear aim, he's just wandering around. Though he does pause at one point and pick up a rock, then lob it through a window for a satisfying crash.

Perhaps you witness this act of petty vandalism. Do you say something to the Youth?

C: Sk8er Boi (open)

One of the good things that happened at the space port: Leo got a new skateboard! And he hasn't gotten much chance to ride it yet, thanks to spending the last several weeks as a sea turtle, but now he has his land legs back and it's time to test this baby out.

He sticks to the main parts of town where the roads are better, meaning, of course, that he is skateboarding around more populated areas. Well, populated being relative, but maybe you'll see the turtle zipping and zooming around, grinding off of the fountain or doing kickflips by the diner.

Or maybe he'll be looking the wrong way and accidentally run into you. Whoops!

D: Cheese Grater (Event/Open) (CW: violence, death (mostly off screen))

Leo didn’t mean to get caught in the storm, but when Donnie didn’t come back before it started he went back into it. Admittedly not his finest idea, but it’s the only one he had.

The memory that he, and you by extension, has stumbled into is a chaotic one.

He’s in the underground lair, but it’s crumbling, and there’s something attacking, huge and made of metal. It roars and swipes with massive, savage claws, and it’s all Leo can do to grab on to his little brother, popped in his shell. Across the room, his older brother protects Donnie from certain doom.

Whether you take a spot in this memory or just watch it play out, things are clear: this is a losing battle.

E: Something Lighter…? (Event/Open)

The New York skyline moves by fast, seen from the rooftops and not the street. Leo and his family are jumping the gaps together, and they’re moving fast.

Leo is truly in his element here. He’s been doing this for years, and he’s good at it. He knows exactly how much force to put into the jump, exactly how to angle his feet for a smooth landing. If you take his place, you can feel how it is for him: freeing and exhilarating, every jump as exciting as the last. He enjoys this feeling, the swoop of his stomach in midair before he comes down. With his brothers laughing and jumping beside him, and his dad out in front, he’s about as happy as he’s ever been.

If you aren’t taking his place, well, try not to get motion sick as the memory rushes to keep up.

Comments

A

[thepurpleone]

The last couple of days have been a haze, mostly because Donnie had been running on fumes and the near-delirious need to just keep doing things. Every time he checked his tablet he was reminded of how many days had gone by, and each reminder always threatened to send him spiraling with anxiety again.

The first notification he gets that tells him things have changed isn't from Leo, but from Robotnik's repurposed robot that he'd left in the shuttle, a confirming notification echoed by yet another bot he'd installed on the train. Temba was accessible again. That's all the information Donnie needed as he grabbed what his things and made a mad dash for the hangar.

He'd made no progress in his attempts to soup up the shuttle, so the ride back is painfully slow and only stimulates him to anxious pacing. Maybe he shouldn't have drank that mug of coffee before he'd left but he needed to refuel, needed to be sharp, needed to-

The sound from his communicator has him jump several feet, shaky hands digging it out of the bag he'd stuffed it into, and for a moment, he can only stare. Finally dropping down to sit, Donnie fumbles out a message, glad at least that it's only him on this shuttle at the moment.

omg whathappned are you okay???
I'm heading back from Shka eta

How long had he been on here? He does a quick check, hoping he's not off from his estimations during the trip out.

20 min

He can't be bothered with proper punctuation and complete sentences right now, Leo's finally answering. He's okay! Please be okay.

[faceguy]

The lack of proper punctuation and spelling is the biggest red flag Leo could possibly get. Donnie's freaking out. Leo can't blame him, because he's also freaking out.

we got put under a dome and everyone turned into a mermaid

Does it sound crazy? Yes. But it is what happened!

Leo pulls up the map and turns to head toward the shuttle terminal, going as fast as he can. He wishes he could portal, but he doesn't know what it looks like so he'd probably end up in the wrong place.

im fine, u good?

[thepurpleone]

what

Of all the things Donnie figured could have happened, people turning into mermaids isn't anywhere on the list. Briefly he wonders if Leo's pulling his leg, but he doubts his brother would do that, not after the better part of a month has gone by without saying a word.

He closes his eyes, trying to calm himself down, blaming the coffee and lack of proper sleep and not at all some weird onset of complicated, messy emotions. He's got fifteen minutes at the very least, fifteen...okay, fourteen now, fourteen minutes to pull himself together before this stupidly slow thing finally lands.

At the next ping, Donnie looks back down at his communicator, feeling like he's all thumbs as he hesitantly taps out a response.

yeah
Yeah, I'm fine. I just
no one knew what was going on. We culdn't get back to the city

[faceguy]

I dont kno how else to explain it dude

I thought you were gone

Leo slams the delete on that and just sends the first part. Okay, so he thought Donnie had gone home and he hadn't. He's been here the whole time. So all that depression and loneliness Leo was feeling the last few weeks was for no reason and that means he can totally drop it now and just go back to normal!

Sure.

yeah we couldnt leave either
couldnt even try
they altered or memories or smth

Whoever "they" is in this situation.

A few minutes later Leo makes it to the shuttle terminal. He can't help but pace while he waits.

[thepurpleone]

It'd be much too convenient if they had an explanation. As annoying as it is, Donnie finds himself unsurprised. Why would Leo know what had happened? The following message only further unsettles him.

Altered how?

Surely they're no longer altered if Leo can figure that much, right? Donnie bounces his feet as he glares down at the screen in his lap, like that would make it give up the answers and explanations they want. He checks the time, whittled down ever so slightly. It's going to be the longest ten minutes ever, but one can bet that he's standing by the door the moment Temba comes into view from the cockpit.

B.

[manofmanynames]

As it so happens, Fang is resting nearby on a porch, reclining on his strong tail for balance with his hat pulled low over his eyes and his arms folded. Was he actually asleep in such a position? It’s hard to say. But he certainly seems alert as he pulls out his popgun at the sound of breaking glass. When he sees it’s just Leo, he snorts and puts it away.

“What are you doing, kid?” he grunts. “Did your brother find you? He’s been awfully worried.”

It’s been a strange month trapped in Sh’Ka. He’s glad to be back, and he was thinking of moving into one of these houses ... but not if it’s going to get vandalized by restless kids.

[faceguy]

Leo jumps, unaware he was being watched by… what is this? A rat? A gopher?

Not that Leo is at all startled by an animal talking to him, for obvious reasons. Only startled at being caught.

He looks over, smiling innocently. Ah, so this guy knows Donnie.

“Oh you know. Make a wish and break a window.” He waves a hand. “Yeah, Dee found me.”

[manofmanynames]

A weasel, a jerboa, a wolf ... take your pick.

"That's good. What was happening around here anyway?" Fang grunts. "I've just been hearing weird, vague answers that don't make much sense. Something about mer-people."

[faceguy]

“Oh, that’s ’cause we all got turned into mermaids.”

Leo is using “mermaids” gender neutrally. Merpeople? Merfolk? Eh.

“This whole place turned into a big upside down fishbowl.”

[manofmanynames]

Fang stares at him for a long moment.

"... I'm glad I missed that."

He can't imagine being without his strong tail (even if a fish tail would be strong too).

B

[work_wife]

And apparently he's not as alone in the suburbs as he might have been. It's nothing complicated, just Robin trying to get some exercise in. This place is really messing with her head and sometimes, sometimes, she thinks more clearly on her bike. Which was why she was pedaling around now.

Why she heard the crash.

Why she stops, looks around, and calls out.

"Rocks through windows are pretty good ways to get into buildings. Just wondering who is doing some B&E."

[faceguy]

Leo turns when he hears Robin call out, meeting her eyes. If he feels any shame at being caught, he doesn’t show it.

“There’s probably nothing worth stealing,” he says dismissively. “You ever hear of breaking a window to make a wish?”

[work_wife]

"Nope. That's not a thing I've heard of."

She does approach now, off her bike and wheeling it along.

"IT's useful for breaking into places though. Or vandalizing them."

[faceguy]

He puts a hand to his chest in mock offense.

“Are you accusing me of either?”

Very rude!

[work_wife]

"I don't know. What are you doing it for?"

Because it sounds like vandalism. But she can't say without knowing his stated purpose.

C

[ziedrich_bearer]

It's definitely an incident of Leo looking the wrong way. Gladio too, almost too long. But he hears the board and manages to move at just barely the last second. Still means his toes are being run over, which of course earns a loud shout of pain.

But hey, he didn't become a giant wall for Leo to slam into, right?

[faceguy]

Oops.

Leo stops, hopping off the board and kicking it up into his hand.

“Heh, sorry big guy.” He rubs the back of his head. “Didn’t see you there.”

[ziedrich_bearer]

Shit. Gladio bites his lip to keep from cursing, because yeah, that would be wrong. But damn it hurt.

"That's impressive," he does manage to say, and it's not biting so much as 'how did you not see me, i'm huge'. Leo himself pointed it out. Big guy. "You didn't mean it, so it's not really that big of a deal."

Even if he needs some ice.

[faceguy]

Ah, come on, surely he can handle a little skateboard over the toes!

“Heh, well, you said it, so no hard feelings!” He claps Gladio on the arm.

[ziedrich_bearer]

Yeah, he can. But it still hurts. Pain is still pain.

"None. For now. But you really need to watch yourself. Most people aren't as durable as I am."

D~~~ I had to

[thepurpleone]

This...isn't a state he'd wanted to ever see his home in. Donnie slows from the dash he'd made once he'd seen his brother and called out to him, but the city's all vanished and no, no, no- what is this? What happened???

And then suddenly a terrifying form he had hoped to never see again comes lunging right for him.

It's a strange thing, feeling like you're two different people at once, especially when in reality you're one in the same. Donnie finds himself moving, caught up in Leo's memory, a convenient cast member drawn in by the storm.

finally gets a chance to rewatch the episode so I stop mixing fights up lol

[faceguy]

The lair is on fire, Leo's odachi is gone, and his other brothers' weapons fall in short order. Everything is surely hopeless now, the Shredder is too strong and there's nothing they can do to defeat him.

That's what Leo is thinking, when there's a green flash, and someone - a human - seems to appear to save them.

"Stay away from my family!" Karai yells, launching into battle with a weapon made of her ninpo. With her intervention, the boys are saved, and Leo moves close to Donnie.

"Come on," he says urgently, breaking free from the mirror of himself still watching the fight. "We don't need to watch this."

XD

[thepurpleone]

Why is everything burning? How did things go so wrong? It makes him feel sick to his stomach, seeing his brothers helpless, seeing Shredder somehow even worse than he had been as a raging beast...

"Who..." Donnie starts but already finds himself knowing the answer, attention immediately drawn to this human stranger who wields some sort of mystic energy of her own. Leo hadn't mentioned her in detail, but there seemed little other possibility.

He barely notices Leo- the actual Leo, has joined him until he hears his brother speak. His hand reaches out almost hesitantly as he reassures himself it's just to make sure, and he's torn between wanting to retreat and needing to know what happened.

[faceguy]

The real Leo grabs the hand offered to him, even as his eyes return to the same direction as the memory. Logic tells him he needs to grab Donnie and go, get out of here before he sees too much.

Emotions tell him to stay and try to change this. To bring about another outcome.

He doesn’t want to watch Gram-gram die again.

Speaking of, Karai is still in the fight. For a moment it almost seems like she’s going to win, Shredder breaking apart-

But a hand reaching out for her makes her stop.

“Father?” she asks.

Leo knows where this is going now. His hand shudders in Donnie’s grip.

[thepurpleone]

Donnie's fingers tightens briefly around Leo's the moment he feels that hand in his. Should he be seeing this? Should he know? But...eventually this is what he'll have to live through, isn't it? That very thought makes him stiffen, hand squeezing Leo's anew with that fresh wave of anxiety.

And then he feels Leo's response as they continue to watch, and he knows this can't be ending well. He tries to wrench his gaze from the scene, looking at his brother's face.

"L-Leo...?"