2883/The Awkward Continues!

The Awkward Continues!
Date of Scene:	12 August 2020
Location:	Alleyways: Brooklyn
Synopsis:	Donatello and Kainashi meet again for continued awkward and less cologne. Donatello struggles with Kainashi not knowing what a date is, exactly, and Kai shares her real name with Donnie.
Cast of Characters:	Kainashi, Donatello

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Kainashi has posed:
    In olden days a glimpse of stocking would come off as something shocking now, Heaven knows -- anything goes!

    Kainashi was running around the back alleys of Brooklyn, sliding, dodging, running and bounding, wall-running over trashcans with her hood pulled over her head. She had just come off her normal patrol, and was running along what she thought would be the normal routes for the Brothers Green, including skidding along the back of a couple of pizza shops -- which smelled so good that she very nearly almost stopped off for a slice -- but she was on a mission. She wanted to see if she could run accross one without them expecting it!

    ... about the only one she couldn't, Kainashi had figured, would have been Leonardo.

Donatello has posed:
    For the past several nights, the handful auto parts stores in the neighborhood have had their garbage piling up. After a few of the owners complained to the city, it was discovered that their trash and recycling pick ups have been temporarily been put on hold due to an unusual discrepancy in the department of public works computer systems. After a lengthy investigation, it was found that a hacker called duz_machines_84 was responsible, but the trash pickups would resume now that the problem was corrected.

    Thankfully, those pickups have not occurred yet, and a certain turtle has come out into the city to pilfer the stores of their goods, in hopes of anything that might be useful for the turtle van...

    ...Except, something unexplained made Donatello decide to take the long way to the first stop, and he was inspired to hit up some of their usual patrol spots. He just had a feeling about it. The turtle even managed to stop and smell that same pizza smell, though maybe just a few minutes before Kainashi would have been there.

    But, not too far from the pizza place, Donatello might be found standing on the rooftops of a building, staring down at the alley way. His eyes watch for something -- or more accurately, someone -- perhaps just in hopes that he might spot her.

    So far, nothing.

Kainashi has posed:
    The canine makes a turn down the alleyway, her hood still up as she pauses. Her head tilts back, the read leather of her nose showing a little bit as she sniffs the air, her ears rising up. She shifts her weight a moment, cautious.

    And probably pretty warm! She's wearing her hoodie, which helps to disguise her figure, and long pants. Even at night, the city streets seem to store the heat and keep releasing it through the darkened hours. She gives a soft 'hum' sound, and then turning, she runs, hops to a dumpster, and then with a clang she leaps to the outside of a fire escape, scrambles over, and begins to make her way up to the rooftop that Donnie might just be watching from.

Donatello has posed:
    A couple of days ago, Donatello got a lesson in how to properly apply colognes from none other than April O'Neil, so there aren't any pungent aromas attached to his body this time. Nothing that would make him a sitting duck for a hypertuned nose. Still, the turtle wasn't particularly concerned with being stealthy tonight -- at least not at this part of his travels -- and could easily be seen standing on the top of the edge of the building, looking down at the alley.

    The theme of his patrol, this evening, has been being just a few minutes shy of who he's hoping to find. Perhaps just a few minutes too early or too late. Maybe even just a block too far uptown. It should come as no shocker that the turtle is on the right building but looking down at the wrong alley.

    Donatello sighs quietly, slumping his shoulders. "Well, I guess there's always tomorrow," he reminds himself before turning around and facing away from the alley.

Kainashi has posed:
    She had caught his scent, and was on the hunt. She clambered up the side of the building, hopping over. She moved with quiet feet, walking just so, so her claws don't tap against the building -- and as Donatello begins to turn around, he'll find that hooded figure he was looking for, her ears perked as she takes off her hood, and gives him a smile. The fur on the top of her head's beginning to get a bit shaggy.

    "Boo!"

Donatello has posed:
    As Donatello turns, his features suddenly contort to surprise. It's the look belonging to a person who was so sure that no one was behind him a moment ago and therefore no one was back there now.

    "Ah!" the turtle yelps in surprise.

    But then, his features soften as he looks down at Kainashi. He suddenly grins broadly, perhaps betraying a bit of excitement, which then relaxes to a lingering, casual smile. "Hi..." he begins. "What are you doing out here? I was just looking for----" He stops that sentence before the 'you', suddenly realizing that he was about to just tell the truth about his long detour.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kainashi gives a big toothy grin, showing every one of her pointed teeth in her muzzle as her lips pull back.

    "I finished my patrol around home, soooooo I figured I'd scope out if there was anything going on in Brooklyn." she gives ane mbarrassed smile, her ears flicking back -- even though the pinks turn darker as she blushes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! Must be time to switch to decaff!" she states -- and then, embarrassedly, one of her amber eyes opens, and she rubs the back of her head "... I'm not a hundred percent sure what that means, but it sounded like the Right Thing to say."

Donatello has posed:
    "Decaf?" Donnie questions. He considers that and shrugs his shoulders. "I guess? I mean, sometimes you just have to Ride the Bull." Donatello winces, as if he was watching this cringy moment instead of participating in it. Just as he would've liked to have said something clever, the Red Bull slogan popped into his brain. His cheeks flush with the color brown and he looks away for a moment. Stupid!

    Once Donnie can feel his cheeks cool down a bit, he turns to look at Kainashi again. "Brooklyn is kind of far from Queens, isn't it?" he wonders. His cheeks tense, slightly, as it appears he's trying so desperately not to smile from the conclusion he must be drawing from that. There could be a million different things worth coming to Brooklyn for.

Kainashi has posed:
    "Oooh! Good one! I get that reference! It gives you wings!" Kainashi gives a grin, her tail giving a bit of a wag as Donnie says something she considers pretty smart! Of course he'd say smart things, he's smart!

    "Oh... ah... well..." she trails off, rubbing the back of her head. "... I figured I would try my ninja skills? Alopex has been drilling me pretty hard -- and I... wanted to see if we'd cross paths... I still have some trouble. With the phones." she explains, her embarrassment turning into a bit of shame, her tail drooping, eyes lowering.

Donatello has posed:
    "Yeah...It gives you wings," Donatello agrees, his voice trailing off towards the end.

    Donatello's eyes flick between his shell phone and Kainashi as she mentions that. "Oh," he replies quietly. His cheeks, once again, fill with the color brown. "I, uh, was hoping to find you, too." Donatello looks around for a moment before pointing down at the alley. "I don't really know what made me think you could be over here, but...I don't know, I guess it was just a feeling. Normally I wouldn't go by just a feeling, but...I don't know." And, that's the truth. He doesn't. Donnie deals in cold hard facts. Heading to a spot on a hunch isn't his style.

    Donnie, taking a deep breath, points something out. "Well...We found each other," he declares.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kainashi's tail gives a wag at his declaration!

    "We did, didn't we?" Kai replies cheerily, and then she gives an 'oh!' -- and she sets her pack down. "I found... something... made me think of you... wasn't sure if it was anything you could use -- I was trashpicking again, don't tell Pex..." she states quietly, conspiritally, and then gives an "AHAH!" -- and removes a fairly ancient Game Gear from the bag. It's screen is a little scratched, but it even still has a game in it! It's Mickey's House of Illusion, but it's a game! Probably needs new batteries.

    "I... didn't know if you liked video games. But it's tech! And... I dunno, made me think of you?"

Donatello has posed:
    "For me?"

    Those two words flutter from Donatello's mouth, quiet and peppered with an intonation that suggests equal parts disbelief, elation, and genuine surprise.

    The turtle reaches out to take the device in his hands and he peers down at it. He holds it between his two hands, rubbing his thumbs gently against the buttons and screen, slowly. He stares at the scratched up screen and remains absolutely, positively silent.

    "No one's ever given me anything before," Donatello replies, his eyes locked on the Game Gear. "I mean, my brothers and father, sure, but...No one else."

    "I like video games. I mean, Mikey /loves/ them, but..."

    "I like this one."

Kainashi has posed:
    "Well... now I've given you something, too." Kainashi states with a bright grin -- and she's trying so hard not to hide her excitement at Donatello's reaction. She is, honestly, her ears are down, forced to relax. Her hands tuck behind her back. She attempts to look casual -- but she can't make her ears *and* her tail stay still. Her tail is wagging hard enough that it's just about spinning behind her. "Then I'm glad it made me think of you! People throw the best stuff away, but it makes me happy that you're happy!"

Donatello has posed:
    The turtle's eyes remain fixated on the black plastic video game system. He studies it intently, unable to keep his eyes off of it. His fingers press the buttons, gently, as if the device was powered on and playing a game. Donatello's second wave of silence is interrupted by another truthful statement.

    "I...didn't bring you anything," he states, almost struggling through the sentence. The turtle looks up, finally, from the Game Gear to look at Kainashi. "...Kai, you're..." He gulps and looks back down at the Game Gear. "...Thank you."

Kainashi has posed:
    "... you don't have to bring me anything." Kai replies quietly, and she rubs the back of her head, looking horribly embarrassed at the thought. "When... when I'm with you? I don't feel like I"m so dumb. You don't make fun of the way I look, or me being a dog, or my scars or anything." Kai's tail wags, but softer now. "You always find time to help me, even when you're busy. You deserve stuff that's nicer an' newer, but... eeeh..." her ears flop down a bit. "Alopex probably wouldn't approve of me stealing stuff like the Foot does."

Donatello has posed:
    "Well, sometimes things that are scratched up are better," Donatello replies quietly, staring down at the Game Gear. He might be referring to the video game or Kainashi's scars. Or both.

    The turtle looks up from the video game and focuses on Kainashi again. In fact, he tucks the Game Gear into his belt sash, near his hip, so he can focus solely on his friend. "Well, you're just about the nicest person I've ever met," he answers quietly. "It seems to me that you've had a lot of excuses to turn out to be grumpy and mean, but you haven't. I just think that makes you..."

    The turtle searches for a word and finds one.

    "...Wonderful." He looks away, his cheeks warm. He's just saying what he was thinking, just there, and it seems to have sprung a leak. More words come.

    "...I...feel kind of embarrassed, or, I mean, I think I should feel like that, but...I...don't."

    He turns back to watch Kainashi, tilting his head to one side. "My brain is telling me I should feel uncomfortable right now, I mean, like before...But...I don't."

    The awkwardness and discomfort seems to remain, in part, with Donatello's sudden description of his inner thought process.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai's tail stops a moment as she watches Donatello, and she tries to search for the right words. She shifts her weight as he speaks out, and her ears prick up. She watches as his head tilts, and she mirrors his action, and she purses her lips, and then embarrassedly rubs the back of her neck before she looks back at Donnie, and bounces on her feet a moment, unsure of what to say before she gives a grin.

    "Your cheeks get dark the same way my ears get hot." she blurts out. "I just figured it out!"

Donatello has posed:
    "Oh..." Donatello manages as he reaches up to hide his cheeks with his palms. The turtle looks away as she brings attention to that. "Yeah, well," he struggles. "I, uh, can't help it." After just a short moment of feeling awkward and uncomfortable, Donatello's mouth curls into a smile and he brings his hands away from his face.

    He begins to laugh, just now suddenly finding some humor in Kainashi's sudden outburst, even if it was about his cheeks. Donnie's laughter putters out to become an eventual smile before he sits down against the building's rooftop half-wall.

    "I'm going to find something for you...Just as good as the video game," he declares, looking up at her. "Something..."

    "...Wonderful." There's that word again.

Kainashi has posed:
    "Neither can I!" Kai replies, and she echoes his movements with covering up her ears in solidarity. She gives a sidelong grin, and she then joins him on the half-wall, sitting with her legs off over the other side.

    "... you don't have to, I mean, I just... I found it in the trash. And it wasn't all broken up like the other stuff. I thought you might be able to use it." she gives an honest answer, and she looks down into the alleyway a moment before she turns to Donnie. "I don't need much. I've got a bed, and some blankets, and good friends. I've got some clothes, and I've got you. Why should I ask for more?" she questions with a slight shrug, "Feels like this dog's had her day every day!"

Donatello has posed:
    A bed. Blankets. Friends. Clothes. And...

    "Me?" Donnie wonders aloud, quietly.

    After a moment of quiet, Donnie's eyes shift from the bottom of the alley way to look squarely at Kainashi. "Well, it's not always about what you need, you know? What if... What if there's just something I might want for you to have?" He gestures to the 90s video game synched to his waist. "Like this," he adds, resting a hand on the Game Gear for a brief moment. "That would be alright, wouldn't it?" Donatello's eyes seem unsure of where to look, fluttering between Kai's features before staring at her eyes and waiting for his answer.

Kainashi has posed:
    "Well, yeah, you." Kainashi points out, "You make time for me, like Alopex did. You're more than a friend." Kai gives a slight smile, earnest in its curves as it lights up her face, and her ears flick forward.

    "I... like sketch books? Pencils? If you find extra pencils, or a pencil sharpener I'll take it!" she agrees amicably, "I sharpen with a knife right now, but I think a pencil sharpener would be easier because it's just a 'scritch scritch'" -- she turns her wrist in a circular motion, sharpening a pencil with a simple sharpener "-- and not 'scrape scrape oh no I hope I don't break this again!'"

Donatello has posed:
    Something must have erupted inside Donatello, because his face seems to wriggle with the anxiety of someone who just has something important to say but he's waiting, in agony, for it to be his turn to speak again. As Kainashi turns her wrist to demonstrate the kind of pencil sharpener she might enjoy, Donatello's voice suddenly interrupts her demonstration, as if whatever is about to come out just couldn't be held back any longer.

    "Kai, can we go on a date?" he blurts out, suddenly, and perhaps slightly louder than his voice has been for the last few minutes.

    The turtle gasps, almost by instinct, at what he did, and there's a slight movement to look away in shock and embarassment. But... He doesn't. Instead, the purple turtle stares at Kainashi, determined to get an important answer to an important question.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai blinks a moment. She opens her mouth, and then lets it close with a soft sound of her lips pressing together. She tilts her head a moment, and then rubs the back of her head.

    "Like... the fruit?" she ventures, unsure, searching her brain, wracking her vocabulary a moment, and then looks clearly embarrassed and confused by the question. "How would we both fit on one? Aren't they little?" her ears flick back as she holds her hand up and indeed forms her finger and her thumb so that there is the approximate size of a dried date fruit, looking at her hand, then at Donatello. "Or like... the day of a calendar?"

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello's determined look fades. He closes his eyes really tight and thanks the universe that it did not allow Raphael to be present to witness this absolutely humiliating moment in Donatello's life. Instead of tearing this issue off like a bandaid, it would seem that Donnie is being forced to peel it off slowly and painfully.

    "No...Not like a fruit," he quietly explains. "...I..It's where we would go somewhere, together. And no one else is allowed to go. Maybe it could be to get food, together, or somehow sneak into a movie or something. I don't know, I've never had a date."

Kainashi has posed:
    "... oh." Kai states, and her ears pin back a moment. "Me neither." she replies, and she taps her feet together a moment, letting it sit on her brain a moment before she states a single word: "Pippilu."

    And her tail curls slightly, her ears drawing back as she gives a slight smile, looking back over to Donatello, the little spots that serve as her 'eyebrows' on her scarred up face rising up a moment.

Donatello has posed:
    "Huh?" the turtle replies. The word causes his brain to suddenly halt for a second, like some kind of master reset. "What's that?"

    He turns to watch Kainashi, managing a small smile himself.

Kainashi has posed:
    "My name." is the first reply, and Kai draws herself up a little, her ears flicking forward as she nervously taps her knees a little.

    "Well... if we're going to go on a date, an' I know your name... a-and-nd it's much nicer than Kainashi." she states quietly, her shoulders rising a little before she gives a small laugh, and rubs the back of her head. "Just... don't tell anyone that's my name. It's a secret. 'Pex is the only other one allowed to call me it." she replies quietly, and then very lightly, she leans against Donatello's shoulder.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello's brow rise. There's a lot of information to unpack, there. He smiles, looking down at the rooftop's surface. "Oh," he replies, quietly. "Pippilu." He tries it out. "Yeah, it's better." The turtle takes a breath and then leans just a bit away from Kainashi so he can look at her for this next part.

    "I...I'm just a little concerned that we're going to have a date but maybe we don't agree on what it is?" Donatello begins, gently. "I..see..." The teenage turtle's face betrays a small bit of agony as he searches for the right words. What could he say to explain this? What could make it right?

    "I...have a crush on you," he blurts, quickly. "So...That's a date."

Kainashi has posed:
    "I..." the canine struggles a moment with understanding, and she blinks. "Well, I like you a lot too? I mean, I kinda thought you liked me a little. You put on stuff that made you smell better. An' you're wearing a different one tonight. You showed up with pizza one night. You take time and listen to me. I didn't know what it's called when you feel that way about someone, an' when you're dim like me sometimes the words don't feel right." she explains, and she rubs the back of her head again.

    "Pex is my family and my teacher. I like you as much as I like her, just... feels different." Kainashi lets her tail wag. "But I understand if I'm not understanding that it makes things harder. I don't want to make things harder on you. 'Cause I just want you to be happy."

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello looks away for a second before turning to face Kainashi once more. "Well, I want you to be happy too!" he declares. There's a long moment of silence from the turtle before he shrugs his shoulders. "It sort of sounds like we're on the same page." He looks up to watch Kai's reaction to that. "Pippilu."

Kainashi has posed:
    Her ears rise up at the sound of her name. Her shoulders draw up, and her tail gives a wag again before she leans back against Donatello, and she takes a deep breath, curling her fingers against her legs again as she just looks down, and smiles. "I'll have to ask Alopex's permission, I think, but I'm pretty sure she'll say yes."

Donatello has posed:
    "Well," Donatello replies quietly, looking down at Kainashi as she draws near. "I...I hope she says yes." The turtle manages a smile, his brow rising. "I'll think of something really great that we can do. I promise!" The turtle stares off, immediately becoming lost in a flutter of thoughts. "It will be great!"

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai gives a bright grin. "I know it will be. 'Cause you're smart, you'll think of something great! And it'll be wonderful!" she gives a smile, taking a deep breath as she leans against him with a little more weight, then goes to straighten up. "I should get going. 'Pex already knows something's up because I keep coming home late from my patrol. I'll do my best to let you know what she says? On the shell phone?" the canine offers as she hops off the side of the building, and lands in a quiet crouch on the fire escape below, drawing her hood back up.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello looks up as Kainashi moves to leave. He nods his head a couple of times and reaches down to rest his hand against the Game Gear tucked into his belt. "Okay," he agrees. He gives the video game a lasting glance before standing up to watch Kainashi's escape route. He waves his hand into the air. "Bye," he calls out softly. The elated turtle's brow rises sharply and his smile grows. With that, he too runs off into the night, though using the city's highline as his route rather than the surface streets.

Kainashi has posed:
    And thus the two young mutants part in fair Brooklyn, elation, nerves, and confusion in variances mixed to their psyches, returning home.