12718/April is asleep, PARTY TYME

April is asleep, PARTY TYME
Date of Scene:	08 September 2022
Location:	April and Harley's Apartment.
Synopsis:	Leo and Terry meet up after saving April from Vapires. So, basically, a tuesday.
Cast of Characters:	Leonardo, Terry O'Neil

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Leonardo has posed:
Having seen to April's safe return to her apartment, Leonardo and Vernon spent several quiet moments sitting on the couch in front of the turned off television. They'd attempted small talk, the typical things:

"Weather's been kind of weird lately." "Yeah, a lot warmer than usual this time of year."

"Did you ever start watching that show I told you about?" "I did... it was funny. Not really my sense of humor, but I can see how you'd find Will Arnett amusing. You remind me of him."

The two of them are like oil and vinegar (he meant water obvious -edit).

With April finally asleep, however, Vernon has vacated. It's weird being around the turtles for him... they're more manly, less cowardly, and arguably better with the lady(ies).

Which leaves Leo alone to stand April guard duty for the rest of the night, since she'd just been attacked by god damned vampires. So, with his feet kicked up on the table, remote in hand, and grubhub sending over a pizza, Leo settled in for a night of much earned relaxation. Because at some point he's going to have to explain to Master Splinter why he has to replace one of his swords.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal did spend a good amount of time filing paperwork, presenting statements, and then frantically writing the copy for the Daily Planet because the vampires are NOT the only creatures that would hunt an O'Neil down under threat of extracting blood. But once that has been done, Vorpal emerges from the Rabbit Hole and into April's apartment.

Admittedly, he is not in his dashing uniformm, because that uniform has been torn to shreds by claws and he needs to get the replacement. He is also covered in bandages all over his torso, arms and legs, which is why he is clad in a pair of running shorts and sneakers. It's important to keep the bandages uncovered, for the first few hours.

"Pssssst" he says, peering from the other side of the hole, "Is the coast clear?" he asks, before setting foot on April's apartment. Clearly, he meant Vernon. He and Vernon get along like...

Well, cats and dogs.

Leonardo has posed:
Leo had his pizza and he had his Blossom on Hulu.

It might be a classic, but they touched on some pretty big topics for a show from the early 90s.

And the themesong was catchy.

"Don't know about the future... that's anybodies guess... there aint no good'a reason for gettin' all depressed..." The leader of the turtles duck swerves his shoulders to the song, dangling a slice from his hand to chomp a bite.

Then there's a Vorpal.

He's not even embarrassed because this show rocks.

"Yeah, he's gone." A slice of pizza is held up over his head for the redhead. "Hungry?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Oh, you bet!" the cat grins and takes the slice, "How did you know? Oh, I could marry this slice right about now, I haven't had anything to eat since lunch!" The slice is devoured almost before his butt hits the couch. "How's Ape holding up? How are /you/?" he says, glancing over the turtle to see if he had any injuries. It was inconceivable to him for Leonardo to get injured. He was too cool, too... well, ninja, in Terry's mind.

The cat leans back against the couch and exhales, letting the fatigue wash over him. "I think I'm gonna cancel my tickets to see Vampire Weekend next week. Suddenly I'm just not in the mood," he quips, and then stretches. And winces at the stretch. Right. Wounds. "... ouc-- oh hey! It's Blossom!" he says, scooting over to grab another pizza, "My mom used to show me this show when I was a kid!"

Leonardo has posed:
"A sensai predicts the future of his pupil." Says the turtle who is younger than the redhead to whom he is speaking. Leo smirks over at Vorpal and leans back into the couch. His katanas are buddled up beside him, leaning against the arm of the sofa where he could easily reach them without impeding the sheer level of laziness he exudes without even putting effort into it.

Gone is his black garb in favor of... well... his shell.

It's good to be a turtle.

"She'll be fine. She's tough.. I mean she lives with Harley Quinn, this can't be /that/ shocking right?" As for him? He laughs and waves a hand, finishing off the crust from the slice he'd been eating. "Arguably, not a Tuesday for me, but I shouldn't be surprised. New York is a weird place."

Nodding, he flicks his wrist and points at the screen, "It's the episode where Blossom's mom reflects on her breakup with Nick while reading a letter from Blossom that focuses on her broken relationship with Vinnie. Truly, revolutionary story telling." Actual episode.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Ooh, I think I remember that episode. Hey after this one, we should pull up Clarissa Explains it All. We can watch the episode where she writes a program to get her computer to compose a poem for class!" He grins and chomps up on another slice.

"This was... mundane for me. There's stuff that's gone on I haven't kept you up to date for during my summer break, Leo. You almost didn't get me back," he chuckles, putting his feet up on the table, imitating his Sensei. "I went to Wonderland with the gang. We saved it, too... but, long story short, it was dying and it needed someone to keep dreaming it into life. Without thinking about it I sort of... did it. And I would have been trapped there for all eternity if... well. My team hadn't knocked on some serious... metaphysical doors."

He grows quiet. "I was able to talk to April in her dreams, once, while I was trapped there." He glances at the turtle, "I tried looking for you, but I kept getting pulled back. I was figuring April would tell you eventually, if they couldn't find a way to bring me back." A little smile appears on his face, "It's also why... 'm a little more chaotic than usual. Since coming back, I'm kind of... well." He waves a hand. "More chaotic. But I /think/ I was effective!"

Leonardo has posed:
Of all the turtles, Leo prefers the older shows. Raph likes sports, Donnie likes dicovery channel, and Mikey likes tiktok... but Leo? Leo likes 90s sitcoms. Except Sinfield, because that show wasn't god damn funny, I don't care what anyone says.

He grins at the mention of the episode of Clarissa, "When we were younger, nine or ten I guess, I wished I had a friend I could just... come over. Climb in their window and live vicariously through their otherwise mundane life." Which is precisely what he does with April. Though it is debatable how mundane her life is.

But that doesn't stop him from listening to Terry's recanting of things that have transpired while he was back in Japan... which is where he goes whenever he's not being played (meta) and this writer takes over (double meta).

"So you went to wonderland and saved it by dreaming about wonderland, but almost got stuck in wonderland because you dreamt of wonderland." He manages to say that with a straight face as if it makes perfect sense to him. He even nods, "Glad you made it out."

Peering over at the redhead. "You did pretty good. At least from what I saw tonight."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Yeah, that's about the gist of it- and I came back to... Vampires. After Wonderland, they seem so mundane... well, aside from the fact I /have/ a vampire friend. She's cool though, she's a novelist and a spellcaster. She doesn't do the 'I vant to suck your blehd' thing." He smirks, and turns to look at the TV. "I'm glad you're back, I missed having you in my head to tell me not to be so impulsive." Vorpal grins then, "... we might need to do double duty. Wonderland unlocked... some things, I suspect." He peers back at Leo and reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you for getting to Ape so quickly. I knew you had her, so I could focus on blasting the undead without worrying. If one thing I can count on, it's Sensei always having my back!"

Leonardo has posed:
"I didn't mean of those vampires any harm, specifically. I cannot, from a morale standpoint, condone them drinking the blood of sentient beings, but that's arguably kind of selfish. We don't get terribly bent out of shape when a lion wrestles down a gazzelle. I think the only thing separating a vampire from nature is they feed on people." Leo considers the intricacies of that and turns his hand over in a shrug. "Morale platitudes, though. There's a whole vegan movement about animals having faces." Which is a whole can of worms he's not interested in exploring... as an animal himself.

"Mmm... yeah. That's where they messed up." He nods towards April's room. "She might be trouble magnet, but she's my trouble magnet. It was good to have you there. I knew I didn't have to keep eyes in the back of my head.. which is rare because I usually reserve that for my brothers." Putting Vorpal in a class above most other people.

"Whatever it takes to keep you grounded. Most of your strength comes from that chaos, however. Trying to separate you from it would probably end up being a regression... you'll never be a Samurai." His grin doesn't faulter, "But we can find a comfortable middle ground."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"If she's your trouble magnet, what does that make me? The trouble filings?" the Cheshire cat cackles and leans in against Leonardo, stretching his legs onto the other armrest of the couch. "A trouble... um. Okay, I am finding myself at a disadvantage because I don't know that much about tools and hardware. Trouble... wait, no, It'll come to me..." he starts counting off on his finges. "Ballpeen hammer? Dynamo? Um... measuring tape? No, I'm not tall enough." He chuckles and shakes his head, "You say that now about the chaos... but..."

He grows quiet for a second. "You know, Leo... it's not easy. I did something for Lois' birthday, and it... was kind of wacky and weird, and /nobody really got it/. They were kind of staring at me and it was this whole 'why did you think this would be a good idea?' and I thought it would be a hit."

He sighs softly, and shrugs, "Sometimes I feel like the only person who really 'gets' my weird is Harls. And don't get me wrong, she's a great friend, but... it's kind of a wide world out there. Makes ya feel kinda lonely at times."

Leonardo has posed:
"You're more like a Trouble personified. It doesn't ahve to be a tool, sometimes it's just a state of being." Leo says it good natured, clipping a brief nod and a half grin as he fishes up another slice of pizza. The box is nudged over towards the redhead, there aint much left... eat while it lasts.

"Mm..." He takes a bite and hums while he chews. "People are who they are. Most everyone who meets me thinks I'm a stick in the mud, fun sucking, joy vampire- not to bring things back to them or anything." He sucks some sauce from the outside of his thumb and takes a bite from the crust. Pizza doesn't last in a turtles hands.

"What they don't realize is that I shoulder a lot of responsibility. I have to look out for everyone.. not because they're incapable of looking out for themselves, but because that one time I don't, and something happens, I'll never forgive myself. So people assume that it's me thinking they'll fail, when it's actually me not even wanting them to ever know what that feels like."

The crust is gone.

"Which isn't fair. But it's who I am.." He motions over to the bedroom, where April sleeps, "She is who she is... you are who you are. It's not about people understanding you because few can.. and fewer will try if they don't... it's about accepting regardless of that fact."

His brow furrows, glancing around, then over at Vorp. "And it seems like most people do."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The cat pauses, and then slowly looks over Leonardo's shoulder. "... sometimes understanding is good, Leo. Believe it or not, I actually understand. What you're talking about. That's how my mom is. How my mom /had/ to be while I was growing up, even though she's naturally as wild as I am. Or I guess I am as wild as she is. You get my drift."

He reaches over and grabs another pizza slice, and begins to nibble at it slowly. "I get you. And if I were in your situation, I'd probably have done the same. To watch over my family. It just so happens I had someone that was watching over me."

He smirks, and raises an eyebrow. "I don't think you're a stick in the mud. Hey, we've gotten to loosen up sometimes and have fun. Sticks don't do that. They just... stick." He ponders. "Ok, I need to work on that turn of phrase."