3028/DonKai: Date Night

DonKai: Date Night
Date of Scene:	22 August 2020
Location:	Brooklyn Rooftops
Synopsis:	Date night for Kainashi and Donatello. Some hilarity, some touching moments, and a second date is totally in the future!
Cast of Characters:	Donatello, Kainashi

---

Donatello has posed:
    Like the other multiplexes in the city, this one runs according to an absolutely strict timetable. After precisely thirteen minutes of previews, the lights go down so the movie can start. After the ending credits, there's exactly nine minutes when the employees can clean up spilled popcorn, unstick the floor, and kick out any customers who haven't left yet. All of this runs like clockwork for all twelve of the individual screens in the multiplex. All of it is controlled by computers, nicely networked together for maximum efficiency.

    Except for tonight. Thanks to the mysterious hacker known only as duz_machines_84, theater number four has fallen off schedule. A little SQL injection got him an initial foothold into the server's database and from there he was able to escalate to a shell and finally upgrade his privileges to root. With that access, he could have done anything he wanted. Alter a movie's ticket price? Sure. Upload the movies to the internet? Absolutely. Make the soda machine shoot Coke into the lobby? Maybe! But, he did none of those things. All duz_machines_84 bothered to do was create a two minute gap in theater four's timetable. Tonight -- and tonight only -- theater four would have a short window of time in between the previews and the movie itself. That's two minutes after the lights go down and the actual start of the film. Anyone trying to enter the theater under the guise of total darkness would pick exactly this moment to do so!

    And so, our heroes arranged to meet on the roof of the theater! Donatello arrived early, having set up a nice little spot for the pair. A large, refrigerator box was brought up to the roof and covered with one of those red-and-white checkered tablecloths from Rupert's (thank-you to Woody!). On the makeshift table is a single candle that looks like it has been previously melted -- probably a dumpster find -- and a closed pizza box, of course. Sitting on the ground is a small cardboard box, closed, and roughly the size of a small television. A nervous turtle paces back and forth. "Hi, Kai! You look beautiful," he rehearses. Sigh. Donnie shakes his head. "Stupid! ... Hi, Kai, uh, thanks for coming? Lame!" He shakes his head. "Pippi...I....No, no..." A large exhale of air.

Kainashi has posed:
    Pippilu - Pippi, Pip, but most often currently Kainashi was also nervous. She had spoken to trusted advisors (Sally Pride), consulted the masters (Alopex) and studied strategies (she watched movies from the 80's on VHS that involved dating. Apparently it involved singing and dancing numbers and an awful lot of hair grease? And cars flying off? That didn't seem right!), and now felt like she was ready (after getting a reminder that if anyone got handsy it was OK to say 'no' and throw them into a dumpster), and had left her home around sundown.

    When she arrives, she's not in her usual outfit. For one, she was wearing a midriff-baring, pink-and-white hooded top with short sleeves, with the hood down. She's wearing relatively clean jeans, with holes stuck through the knees to better allow her digigrade legs. Her hair's beginning to curl and wave a bit as it grows out, and shes got a barrette in it with a sparkly red daisy on it, and her nails -- both on her hands and feet - are painted red to match.

    She hops over the edge of the roof from the fire escape, looking incredibly nervous as she holds her hands in front of her, trying to figure out if this was too much clothing, not enough clothing, if red wasn't her color.

    And seeing Donatlelo, she takes a deep breath, her shoulders squaring up a moment, nd she gives a little whisper of "Hi, Donnie"

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello had been given zero advice. Had he asked, he probably would have received a lecture from Leonardo about their many enemies and how going out to a public place was a security breach. Michelangelo would probably have asked to come along. And Raphael -- well, Donatello didn't even bother trying to figure out how he'd react, because there was no universe in which he would have let his brother find out. At least not right now.

    Donnie didn't get dressed up for this. It didn't even occur to him that clothes could be anything other than a disguise, but he's likely going to realize his error in a few moments. As far as color? Well, it's the standard splash of purple, which does happen to be his color. Fortunately, he was able to read between the lines of April's suggestions on it and did not, in fact, bother with the cologne this time.

    The turtle's pacing begins to get a little more hurried, as if he might solve the problem of what to say to Kainashi by merely picking up more speed. "Miss Kai, I'm so glad that I could make your acquaintance, m'lady..." he tries out, lowering his voice an octave and standing up an inch taller. Where the heck did that come from? Donatello's greetings are getting worse by the minute. And a minute more will be too late!

    As the turtle is about to open his mouth to try out just one more, he's interrupted by the whisper. The voice. It's her's. Gulp. "Hi Kai, you look..." he begins, settling on the phrase he found used most in the movies and shows he was able to review. Donatello turns around to face her, mid sentence. And then he notices. The outfit. The hair. The barrette. The red.

    "...Beautiful..."

    When he says it this time, it gets pushed out of his mouth with a small gasp of air, lacking any of the phoniness from the one he rehearsed. He doesn't say it, but Donatello's face seems to be in the middle of going 'wow!' But then, his brain catches up to his heart.

    "Um," he begins, suddenly losing that moment of clarity and sinking back into awkward nervousness. "Well, uh, I mean, you always look..., uh, Not just now...But...I..."

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai blushe,s her ears drawing back to try and hide her embarrassment as she squeezes her hands, her scarred face twisting in abit of a smile. She breathes out, her shoulders rising up a moment as she bounces a little on the ball sof her feet. She gives a smile, and a mall laugh, her tail wagging behind her. "Ah.. th-thanks! I figured it was a special occasion and... and this seemed like a popular kinda outfit from the city." she states quietly, ignoring the continuing commentary on her looks. She knew her scars pretty well.

    "You look like... yourelf! Which is good. You're very likeable!" Kai replies, and takes a deep breath. "And you smell like yourself too, which is even better."

Donatello has posed:
    "Heh, I....I guess it's lucky that you don't mind the smell of turtles and sewers," Donatello replies, looking awkwardly at the roof ground for just a moment. He winces a little. Maybe don't bring up sewers, Donnie? A chirp comes from his Shell Phone but Donnie doesn't answer it. It does, however, provide enough of a distraction to kick him out of this nervous funk, at least for now, and more focused on their plans. It was alerting Donatello that it was a very particular time. Just enough time to have dinner before their brief window of opportunity to sneak into the movie theater.

    "So, uh, I've never been on a date before, so I hope this is okay," the turtle declares, taking a deep breath. He moves to the side slightly so Kainashi could get a better look at the setup. A sad candle, a red-and-white checkered tablecloth, and a pizza. Oh, and a mysterious cardboard box sitting nearby. Donatello reaches for a small object tucked into his canvas belt. It appears to be a 9 volt battery with some coiled green wire attached to one of the leads. He bends over, moving close to the table, and moves the exposed end of the wire to touch the other side of the battery, which produces a small spark. Just enough to get that candle re-lit. The turtle smiles, turning to look at Kai.

    "What do you think?" he asks, gesturing to phase one of their evening: dinner.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kainashi steps a little closer, and Donnie could almost see her heart pitter-patter a bit as she hitches her breath. A fancy dinner! A view of the city that most people don't get? One of her favorite people in the world? And fire!

    What more could you ask for? This was a date! And she gives a grin, her tail continuing to wag as she makes her approach to the table, looking it over with the biggest, brightest smile.

    "I... think this is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me." she smiles, rubbing the back of her head. "You didn't have to go through all this trouble!"

Donatello has posed:
    "It was no trouble, Kai... I just..." Donnie begins to explain, interrupting himself with a sudden influx of air. "...wanted us, you, to have a nice time. Oh! I forgot!" The turtle lowers himself to his knees and opens up the mysterious cardboard box just a touch. He's clearly trying to get something out of the box without allowing Kai to see into it. He slowly removes two items from the box: two plates -- reusable, breakable, actual plates! They're white with the familiar blue trim that IHOP has on all of their plates.

    Donatello places a plate on the table, across from where he's kneeling and where he presumes Kainashi will be. He places the next one on the table in front of him. "So, I kept seeing things about wine, but I don't think you're supposed to have it, since it's made from grapes..." Donnie explains. "So, I figured this was the next best idea..." From the box, he pulls out a plastic bottle of apple juice and two styrofoam cups -- sadly, he couldn't find any real ones. "So, it may not be wine, yet, but we can pretend." He sets about pouring them two cups of the juice, blissfully ignorant as to whether the pair would have even liked wine if they had any. Probably not. While it's not easy to see into the box, it does seem to contain at least one other mysterious item.

Kainashi has posed:
    "That's all right, I don't think I can drink wine. 'Pex keeps a list of the stuff I can't eat. GUess my stomach's more sensitive..." Kai explains, embarrassedly, and she sits down as neatly as you please, her tail still wagging as she sniffs a little at the apple juice, holding her cup in both hands a moment and enjoying the sticky, sweet, browny-red scent of the juice. "Ah... do people do the bread thing on dates?" she questions, her head tilting slightly and one ear rising up as she peers at Donatello, trying to be polite and not peer into the box.

Donatello has posed:
    "The bread thing?" Donatello wonders. "What's that?" The turtle peers at the pizza box and opens it up, revealing a pizza that seems to have been custom made for the evening. One half of the pizza seems to be piled with every possible meat that a pizza place would be willing to put on there. The other half is plain, but recognizably pizza. "I didn't bring bread, just this..."

    Donatello splits off one of the meaty slices and slides it onto Kainashi's plate. He takes a plain one for himself. "You know," he begins. "I think we've got this date thing figured out. Pizza on a roof. We're good at that!" The statement seems to carry a certain nervousness behind it, which Donatello squashes with a mouthful of pizza. Despite asking Kai, the turtle only had a slightly greater understanding of what one does on a date.

Kainashi has posed:
    "You know, when they hoist their drinks up and go 'Bread!' -- ... oh! NO! Toast! Cooked bread! A toast!!" Kainashi corrects herself, looking embarrassed, and she accepts the meaty pizza. Mmm. Meat.

    "We're very good at pizza on the roof!" she agrees without criticism, just happy to be with Donnie. Her tail is still wagging, and she looks out over the city. "And it's a great view. And it's nice to share it with you."

Donatello has posed:
    "Oh, toast!" Donatello agrees, nodding. He recalls toasts from movies and television but not one he's ever participated in. "I suppose we could? If you want."

    But then, Kainashi explains her current assessment of the city, the view, and his company. Donatello blushes and briefly looks away. "Well, I....I also, and..." he tries. But then, Donatello finally just gives up on trying to be smooth. He puts his pizza slice down.

    "Kai, how do you do that? How do you just say what you're thinking like that? I have all these thoughts going through my head, too, but I...I can't seem to say them to you...At least easily."

Kainashi has posed:
    "... well... I just... I just do?" Kai states quietly, and then her ears draw back, and she gives a small shrug of her shoulders. "I mean, it's the truth. I haven't said anything you didn't agree with yet. I just say what's on my mind, mostly, which sometimes means I wander off on tanning-gentles but I think it has to do with the fact that I'm not very smart. You probably have way more thoughts going through your head. Like, mine's just kinda a one way street. Nnrrryow, y'know?" she adds quietly, rubbing the back of her head. "An' yours is like a major highway with big thoughts and little thoughts and smart thoughts..."

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello falls into a moment of quiet as he considers Kainashi's diagnosis. The turtle picks up his pizza slice and manages to get another bite into it before he sets it back down onto his totally breakable and not-paper plate. "You always say that about yourself," he observes. "But that's not what I think when I see you."

    Donatello takes a deep breath and takes a nervous sip of his apple juice. He makes a face at that taste, thoughtfully filing away as 'bad' in case he's ever offered juice in the future. Donnie sets the cup down, his hand shaking a little bit as he does. "Well..."

    "I just think you're the greatest. You're the single nicest person I know and also the strongest," he begins, his words picking up speed as he goes. His heart is currently locked into a race with his nervous brain. The heart is a sprinter, but the brain goes the distance. He won't be able to keep this up for much longer.

    "And...I just keep thinking about that day we met in the sewer and you tried helping me find my shuriken. You didn't even know me but you still wanted to help me!" he blurts out, quickly. It's just word-vomit at this point. "And....When I'm with you...I don't feel like...such a...nerd." That last word leaves his tongue with some venom, as though he's been called that word one too many times by his brother.

    "So, I guess I'm saying...thanks for coming on this date with me."

    It probably would've been a better speech without that last line. It's a rare moment where Donnie really doesn't sound like the smartest person in the room. It's like his brain momentarily lost control of his mouth.

Kainashi has posed:
    "Well... I mean, I am kinda the strongest when I can lift cars up..." the canine replies quietly, rubbing the back of her head, and then Donatello's talking gets quicker. She blinks a couple of times her ears drawing forward. "But... what's so bad about being a nerd? You're super smart! You're the smartest person I know. And you get so excited when you have the chance to share something smart," she shakes her head "Even if I don't understand it all the way, it's nice because you're happy when you get to. And that's one of the things I like about you. And you took time out of your day to help me patch up my foot. You knew I couldn't eat grapes without me having to even say anything, and that shows that you care -- unless Alopex told you first, in which case it still shows you cared 'cause you remembered it!" she points out, her hands moving -- one while still holding that plate with the slice of pizza on it, and as she throws her hands up to add to the exclaimation, the pizza goes flying off to the side, sailing over the side of the building and down to the street, followed by a 'ARGH! WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE PIDGEONS UP TO NOW?!"

Donatello has posed:
Donnie's eyes follow the arc of the slice up and over the walls of the roof. When the voice shouts out, the turtle closes his eyes and laughs a silent laugh. His features are good-natured, as though he expects Kai to be laughing about it, as well. "Here, Pippilu," he says, carefully pronouncing the name he only recently learned. "Let me get you another one." The turtle smiles and plucks off another meat-filled slice. He sets the pizza onto her plate and then scoots closer to the cardboard box, having just become more aware of how much time they have before they need to sneak into the movie.

    "So, I wanted to return the favor of the video game you gave me. I tried to find something for you, but ... I tried and I couldn't. So, uh, I made you something..." he declares, his voice bringing with it the same nervousness that someone has when they give someone a homemade gift instead of buying something. Donatello reaches his hands into the darkness of the box and pulls out a really....unusual...item and sets it down on the makeshift table.

    The object is a small, metal rectangle, about the size of a small shoebox. There's a hole in one of the smaller sides and a tiny glass window on both of the larger sides. It has a roughspun, homemade quality, with visible weld marks and the general vibe of not coming out of a factory. An unused pencil sits on top of it, pinned to the box by one of Donatello's fingers.

    "So, you had said that you don't really have a pencil sharpener that you love," the turtle nervously explains. "And, I couldn't really find one. So... We were talking about waves, remember? The....night you...sat close to me." It's clear that the turtle remembers, judging by the stammer in his voice. "...The waves....The shell phones. So...lasers are waves, too. They're waves of light that are really narrow and have the same wavelength. And I thought...well, this would be even better than those other pencil sharpeners."

    Donatello sticks the end of the pencil into the hole, which brings the blunt end of the wood into the small, windowed compartment. Once the pencil is fully inserted, a bright laser can be seen cutting into the wood, giving it a sharp, pointy tip. The turtle pulls out the pencil and holds it out for Kai. With his other hand, Donatello moves the laser sharpener towards her, as well. His eyes look over at her, hopefully.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai -- Pippilu -- looks embarrassed a moment at the flight of the meatza, and then turns back to Donnie with an embarrassed expression before he shares another slice with her, and she taps her fingers nervously a moment as he talks about returning the favor.

    And he brings out the box. She blinks at the whole of the item, her nose giving a wiggle to pick up the traces of flux attached to the telding, and she tilts her head a moment, and as he explains where he got the idea her ears draw back in embarrassment.

    But she looks in wonder as he explains, ad then watches in fascination as Donatello produces a laser-powered pencil sharpender, and she gives a squeak of delight, covering her mouth a moment as her ears draw up.

    "That... that's so cool! You scienced a better pencil sharpener!" she replies, "And it doesn't even make grindy noises! This is the greatest!"

Donatello has posed:
    A look of relief seems to wash over the turtle's nervous features. Instead, he smiles brightly, excited that she likes his creation. Donatello pushes the laser-powered sharpener closer to Kai so that she knows to take it.

    "I'm really glad you like it," Donatello admits, now just a touch more relaxed. "I mean, maybe focusing high-powered lasers together to sharpen a pencil is a little dangerous, but...you're a little dangerous," he admits with a smile. It's clearly meant in a positive way, paying a compliment to Kai's strength. Finally, Donatello takes out the last item from the box: a small clear bag of popcorn, likely stale, and likely from yesterday's dumpster, which happens to be just a few dozen feet below them.

    "Can't see a movie without popcorn. I read that the buttery topping they use isn't good for dogs, but I was able to find a bag that wasn't buttered. It won't be as good, maybe, but I think we'll like it, anyway."

    With that in mind, Donatello stands up and extends a nervous hand to Kai. "We have to hurry if we're going to sneak into this movie."

Kainashi has posed:
    "I like plain popcorn, it's got fiber!" the canine jokes, and she stows the pencil sharpener in her bag, giving Donatello the brightest smile as she hops back to her feet with her tail wagging still as she gives a nod. "Right! Movie -- what movie are we seeing? Is it a mushy romance movie or an action movie?"

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello leans down to blow the candle out. "Well," he begins, handing the popcorn bag to Kai. "We can only see the movie they have in theater four. I arranged for two minutes of darkness before the movie in theater four, so we'll have no trouble getting in unnoticed."

    And then, the answer to that question. "Uh, well, I had considered that, and, uh, I mean, you're a ninja dog and I'm a ninja turtle, so...I thought the action movie might be the right choice," he explains. "Besides... that romance movie might have scenes that..." The turtle searches for the rest of the sentence.

    "We're both so new to this whole...date thing, but we've been ninjas for our whole lives. I thought maybe we should stick with what we know?" he offers. It sounds like he might not be sure that he made the right choice. The turtle begins to walk towards the ladder on the side of the building.

    "In two minutes, the exit door is going to open with people from theater six. That'll give us another minute to slip into theater four under darkness."

Kainashi has posed:
    "Wait, wait, hold up -- you're a *turtle*?" Kai gasps in mock-surprise, her tail still wagging as she listens to Donatello explain -- and then her tail stops wagging. And she purses her lips a moment, and then her ears lean back as the thought progresses and her eyes go wide. "ACTION MOVIE IS BEST IDEA, YES. We should do that one! Every time!" she squeaks as she follows him down the side of the building, pulling her hood up over her head -- not... that it hides her legs or her tail. Or her furry arms. Or stomach. Or back.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello gives Kai a 'very funny' kind of look, though he grins from ear...slit(?) to ear slit. With that, the absolutely-a-turtle begins a slow climb down the ladder. Once he reaches the alleyway, he positions himself in a crouch against the wall so that when the exit door swings open, he can catch it and keep Kai and himself hidden from the people walking out. Donatello pulls out his Shell Phone and checks the time on it. "Ready?" he whispers. He uses his other hand to silently count off 3--2--1....

    Like clockwork, the door swings open and a mass of humans come spilling out. They go blindly out towards the street, having absolutely no reason to look behind them into the shadowy alley and towards the figures hidden behind the door. Any movement or noises from our heroes would just be covered up by the crowd's energetic descriptions of their favorite parts of the movie.

    Once the last human comes through the door, Donatello slowly peeks out from behind it and into the movie theater's corridors. "C'mon," he whispers and reaches a hand out so that he can tug Kai into the building.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai has gone into Work Mode. Her tail has stilled and lowered. She's crouched. Her eyes are wide, amber brown peering out from under the hood as the two of them move into the theater proper, slipping through the hallway. HEr ears are up under the hood, listening for anyone who might come around corners or catch them unawares. She stays very close to Donatello as he leads her through the theater, trusting his reading skills.

Donatello has posed:
    "It's just around this corner and then on the right..." Donnie whispers to Kai as they move quietly through the theater's well-lit back hallways. This is where the emergency exits lead. Most people use the main theater door to leave, but there are always a few who go out this way, which is fortunate for Donnie and Kai!

    They're almost home free, as the large door market '4' is just at the end of the hall. But...theater three's lights just came on to indicate that the employees inside have begun their cleaning. It wasn't an issue for their plan, so Donnie didn't bother worrying about it. But...perhaps he should have.

    "Hey! Buy a ticket like everyone else!" one of the employees shouts from inside theater three, having seen a little bit of motion go by in the door's small window. The teenage employee approaches the door and gets close enough to get the briefest glimpse of a large, bi-pedal turtle and a dog with an exposed midriff going around a corner.

    "Nope, nope, nope," the employee mutters to himself and promptly turns back to clean up theater three, deciding that he'll clean up popcorn for $10 an hour but won't get involved with whatever the hell just went past the door. Not tonight.

    Donatello comes to a stop near the door for theater number four. He glances at his Shell Phone and smiles. "Right on time," he whispers. With that, the lights in theater four go down and Donatello opens the door slowly.

Kainashi has posed:
    The dog pauses, her eyes catching the light as she turns to the teen yelling at them, and puts a finger to her lips before she follows Don around the corner, her tail disappearing around the corner. Eye shine was useful for intimidaton purposes!

    So the duo comes to the door, Donatello opens the door, and Kai goes through first, sniffing the air. There's the smell of popcorn! Butter! Cheddar! Nachos! Extra jalapenos! The scent of candy and hot dogs and all the good stuff at the theaters before she breathes out, and also has a good sense of the people. Some phones are lit up as the theater's dark, but she can roughly smell the rows that have the most people (the most food smells and rustling), and she reaches back and very, very gently takes Donatello's hand, as if he was made of glass, and pulls him up towards the back rows.

Donatello has posed:
    Even Donatello can smell a small part of the food that must be in the theater, and according to Wikipedia's entry on turtles, he doesn't have the greatest sense of smell. For a moment, the turtle becomes self-conscious as he watches Kai's reaction to the theater. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what's going on, and he gives the lame bag of unflavored, unbuttered, unsalted popcorn a rueful look. But...

    Donatello only has a moment to feel sorry for himself because he feels a furry hand take his and lead him through the darkness. Suddenly, all is right. Donnie's eyes squint to try and acclimate to the darkness as they move before he whispers out to Kai. "We only have another thirty seconds before the projectors are going to light up the room with the movie..."

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai may be too used to working with Alopex, because there's a hushed whisper, distant words, and as they reach the back, there's another little tug against his hand, and Kai manages to get into a chair without destroying it in the process. Major win in her book!

    And she gives a grin at Donatello in the darkness, knowing he can't see as she peels back her hood and leans back in her chair.

    With ten seconds to spare.

Donatello has posed:
    It's true. He can't see so great. The turtle moves, hurried, crouched, and ultimately...guided, through the darkness. He had his chance to lead them through the hallways, earlier, but now he's forced to awkwardly get pulled past the rows of people and without the use of one of his primary senses!

Donatello manages, despite the relationship his eyes have with darkness, to find his seat next to Kai's and he quietly lowers himself into it. The turtle takes a deep breath. "This movie...had better be good," he whispers, glancing over at Kai in the darkness, a smile splashed across his face. A lot of trouble went into getting this far, so a good movie is the least the universe could do to repay that effort.

Kainashi has posed:
    The darkness in movie theaters is a living thing, and Kainashi is comfortable init, leaning back in the seat, and bouncing a little bit in excitement.

    And then, Donatello would feel her leaning against him again, just lightly against his arm, her shoulder and back slightly against him as the lights come on this actiony movie!

Donatello has posed:
    A life of ninja training even produces a turtle comfortable moving in the shadows, but it usually comes with quiet moments spent watching and getting acclimated to the darkness. But...that's not tonight! Still, they made it into their seats without anyone spotting them -- or at least, anyone willing to report them. After their short adventure to get to their seats, Donatello has relaxed and found his place in the darkness. After all, it was the darkness he engineered! He slides down in his seat, slightly, to reduce his silhouette.

    Once Kai settles in, Donatello turns his head to watch her and smiles again. He reaches a hand across his body and makes soft contact with the part of her shoulder that leans against him. It's a small gesture, meant to acknowledge her presence and communicate that he appreciates it.

    On the screen, the title dissolves in: 'FIRESTORM'. The opening scene is a doozy -- the sort of high energy, adrenaline-filled set piece that sets the tone for this film: utterly ridiculous action that never lets up. It's a highway scene with quick cuts between cars that are clearly involved in a high speed chase. It keeps cutting between these two cars... when suddenly, a helicopter begins flying in, attempting a high-speed landing on one of the cars.

Kainashi has posed:
    And right about the moment when Donnie brushes his fingers to her shoulder, Kai leans her blocky head right on his hand, catching it there. In the light of the movie, the thin, short whiskers on the end of her muzzle can be seen shifting. Her nose moving, and when offered popcorn, she happily takes some to carefully crunch on. As the adreniline builds though, she gets closer and closer to the edlge of her seat, straightening up a little (though keeping some of her weight against Donatello), and she seems pretty pumped up by the action!

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello manages a smile as his hand gets trapped by Kai's head. The turtle looks down and considers his predicament. His left arm has been draped across his chest and currently remains tucked between Kai's head and shoulder. His right arm remains on his armrest and unable to reach for popcorn, as the angles are all wrong. Donnie tries to bend his elbow to see if he can bring his hand back to reach the bag, but it's all useless. Donatello's brain starts to get to work on how he can reach for some of that popcorn without using his left hand, which he seems content to leave where it is!

    
    On the screen, the plot seems to be unfolding. The driver of the first car, Steven Kingsley been framed for MURDER and on the lamb! His pursuer? Detective Melinda Ironside, the city's most dangerous law-enforcement officer -- she plays by her own set of rules and doesn't like paperwork! But! There's a third piece in play -- Vice President Roland Firestorm (HEY, THAT'S THE NAME OF THE MOVIE!), sweeping in on an attack helicopter with a briefcase of evidence that proves Kingsley's innocence. But! Before he can deliver the information.....

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai lets up on her head, freeing Donatello's hand, and sits up a bit more to free his arm. Her ears are up. Her fingers are gripping the edge of her seat as she watches the *Vice President of the United States* sweeping in on a helicopter with a briefcase! "C'mon Firestorm you can't let an innocent guy go to jail!" she squeaks quietly, thoroughly enjoying the brainless action flick.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello's brows raise and his mouth smiles broadly as Kai reacts so positively to the movie! He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Has there ever been a better night? Claiming victory for planning the world's best date, Donnie reaches into the bag and takes his own handful of the nearly stale, flavorless popcorn. He puts a few of the pieces into his mouth and munches on them with a smile still on his face.

    On the movie screen, Vice President Firestorm lands his helicopter on Detective Ironside's car while it remains in hot pursuit of Kingsley! The helicopter door swings open and Firestorm steps out and onto the roof of Detective Ironside's car! The soundtrack is loud, energetic, and absolutely perfect for the scene. "Detective!" he shouts from on top of the car. "Detective! You have the wrong man! The real killer was....." Before Vice President Firestorm can finish, he is suddenly struck in the chest by a sniper's bullet and flies off of the car and out into traffic. PLOT TWIST! The person whose name matches the movie title was shot in the first ten minutes! In the background, something explodes.

    The crowd in the theater goes wild for this.

Kainashi has posed:
    "Oh noooo! Vice President Firestoooorm!" Kai whispers in anguish as she explosion rocks the theater, wincing a little bit at the sound. She is still leaning against Donatello's arm in the back of the theater, her eyes wide as she watches the screen, enraptured. She had never seen a TV screen so big!

    "This is the /best thing ever/." she whispers to Donatello, her tail wagging in her seat as she watches!

Donatello has posed:
    Anyone near enough to Donatello, or anyone with sensitive enough hearing, would catch the accelerated pitter patter of his heart racing. The best thing ever, she said! The turtle's smile grows and he whispers back, "Yeah, it really is! I wish I worked up the courage to suggest this a long time ago." It's the truth, he does.

    Some time in the film has passed...

    "I've had it up to HERE with these screwball, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants shenanigans! How am I supposed to explain this to the MAYOR?!" Chief Quimble screams, her brow glistening with beads of sweat, as she stares down Detective Ironside from her seat behind the desk. She's a no-nonsense type with very little tolerance for anything that's not completely by the book. Standing there, quiet and stalwart, Ironside takes her lumps.

    "Chief," Ironside begins, her jaw clenching down on an unlit cigar that's seen better days. "...The Vice President's assassination couldn't be prevented."

    "The Vice President's assassination?!" the Chief screams, now more enraged. "What in the hell do you mean?"

    "Well---"

    "Sorry I'm late. Yeah, just what in the hell do you mean?" a familiar voice calls from the doorway. The Chief looks up and Detective Ironside turns around to see....none other...than....

    VICE PRESIDENT FIRESTORM!

    The crowded theater goes bananas for this.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai audiably gasps as the VICE PRESIDENT reappears! What witchcraft is this? Bodysnatchers? Shapeshifters? Fever dream?!

    The smaller canine mutant keeps herself against Donatello, maybe as a way to anchor her so that she's not TOO MUCH into the action. Her tail wags, giving a 'thump thump thump' againt the back of Donatello's shell as she watches, and she gives a slight sniff, as if she would be able to smell through the film if it's the same person or not! Her nose wiggles, her thin whiskers popping forward as her ears go p.

Donatello has posed:
    Even Donatello's imagination is captured by this. The VP is alive? Let's see how they explain this! Donatello peers over at Kai as she remains enthralled in the film. He smiles again and rests a leathery hand on her forearm, where she's leaned against him.

    "Vice President Firestorm!" The detective raises one eyebrow and reaches up to remove the cigar from her mouth. "I thought you were dead. You...."

    "Took a bullet from a sniper on the hill? Flew off of the car and into traffic? Were caught in an explosion from a gasoline tanker that got rear-ended?" The Vice President finishes, brushing some dust off of his suit.

    "Yes. All of that," Ironside replies, unamused.

    "I guess I'm just...unimpeachable."

    The theater goes nuts again -- clearly this is a crowd mostly made up of people unaware if the Vice President could or could not be impeached. It doesn't matter. They LOVE the back-and-forth.

    "Mister Vice President," Ironside begins, still unamused. "You said I had the wrong man. You said the real killer was..." The detective waves her hand in the air, as if to motion for Ironside to finish her thought.

    "The President of the United States."

    The soundtrack suddenly booms with menacing, low-tone horns.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai had no idea what the word impeach meant, but she was digging the back and forth. She pauses a moment, feeling the leathery palm of Donatello's hand on her arm, and she straightens a moment, blinking, and she turns her attention from the movie briefly to give a Smile to Donnie, and then lean her head back against his shoulder, just as nice as you please.

    "OH no. Not the President!" she whispers, "The Prez is the bad guy this entire time?!"

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello winces in the darkness. Had he done something wrong? The turtle snaps his attention fiercely back at the movie screen and moves his hand back to its spot on the arm rest. "Sorry," he manages in a hushed tone. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Donatello swallows nervously, making way for a response to Kainashi's question about the president. "I guess so?" he whispers. "I must admit, I didn't see that coming." These movies tend to be by the numbers, but none of them so far have featured a conflict between the President and Vice President. Anything could happen.

    On the screen...

    "The President?" Detective Ironside squints, clearly a little suspicious of this turn of events. "I mean, I wasn't exactly expecting you to say that, Mister Vice President."

    Meanwhile, the Chief has repositioned herself at her filing cabinet, happily looking for the form that she'd have to fill out for something like this. The bureaucracy that might be associated with a crime like this...well, it's what she lives for!

    "That's right, the president," Firestorm agrees. "All of the victims were found with one of these..." The camera cuts to a close up of a picture held by the VP. It shows a body with the presidential seal pinned to its chest.

    "Well, I'm glad I didn't vote for him," Ironside quips.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai reaches back over, with her other hand, and picks up Donatello's hand by the wrist -- and puts it back on her arm. Seems she approves of the movement, her ears relaxing, her head back on Donatello's shoulder as they watch the screen. Her ear tickles a bit against the side of his head when it moves, the soft tip giving soft 'whack's against his skin as she watches the movie. She remains quiet, intent on watching the movie and content that Donatello wouldn't feel bad about her leaning against him like this.

Donatello has posed:
    There's a quiet noise that anyone familiar with what's going on would recognize as a sigh of relief. Donatello glances down at Kainashi and manages a relaxed smile. The tension from moments earlier has passed, and the turtle is once more free to look at the screen, content that he hasn't ruined the evening in some unexpected way. He gently taps his finger against her forearm a couple of times. Just a private gesture that seemed right in his mind.

    Some time in the film has passed...

    The action has moved to a cargo plane, cruising in the sky at a comfortable 38,000 feet! The rear of the plane is open and the wind is loud! Vice President Firestorm and the President of the United States are together in the cargo hold of the plane, engaged in a fight! To any trained ninjas in the audience, the fight is sloppy and uncoordinated, but to everyone else, it rivals any other action movie they could name.

    "You've only got five minutes, Firestorm!" shouts a familiar voice from the cockpit.

    Detective Ironside sits at the controls, a dead pilot slumped on the ground. Attached to the cockpit's instruments, a digital red clock counts down from 5:00. A bomb, clearly.

    "That's four more than I need!" the VP shouts back.

Kainashi has posed:
    Coming up on the Thrilling Conclusion! Kainashi's able to suspend her beleif a little, knowing that these are 'actors' and not real people -- mostly -- but her nose wrinkles at some sloppy footwork. Any ninja in the audience would be able to call it out -- though she doesn't. She's quietly camped against Donatello's side, her tail still gently thumping against his shell as she looks at the screen, her heart pounding in nervousness as she leans forward slightly, giving an audiable whine in concern.

Donatello has posed:
    The sloppy fighting continues -- the VP and President exchanging fake blows in the back of a cargo plane being kept in the air by an untrained police officer! "I don't know how much longer I can fly this thing!" the detective shouts, eyeing one of the steam gauges in the cockpit as it chirps. Bingo fuel.

    The startled detective gasps and instinctively yanks back on the yoke. The plane pitches upward suddenly, but the two most powerful people in the country continue to beat up on each other! Just as it might seem like the VP has it made -- since he is the primary protagonist of this schlock-fest, the president gets a decisive blow in. Vice President Firestorm falls and tumbles out the back of the cargo door and into the empty sky!

    And here's the most exciting shot from the movie trailer -- a shot from over the VP's shoulder as he free falls. The President of the United States stands, seemingly triumphant, in the open cargo door's frame. Just as he is about to turn to move towards the cockpit, the camera cuts back to the VP, who has begun shooting his pistol at the cargo plane, as he falls towards the ground!

    "Mister President...You are....fired," a voice calls out. It's Detective Ironside! She gives POTUS one last punch, but she makes it count! He's down! The detective straps the bomb onto the president's chest and gives him a kick so that he slides out of the cargo plane. The bomb reads 1:00. Meanwhile, Ironside begins to carefully make her way back to the cockpit so she can regain control of the nosediving plane!!

    Action movie physics take over and Firestorm seems to fall at a slower rate. As the cargo plane rights itself, the Vice President sails through the air and manages to fly back into the cargo hold. As the door closes, Vice President Firestorm moves into the cockpit and finds a seat in the co-pilot's chair. A loud explosion comes from outside the plane as the bomb finally reaches 0:00.

    "Mister President," Detective Ironside greets, nodding at Firestorm before she turns back to the flight instruments. She grabs the radio and begins to talk into it. "This is Cargo plane N452---- Actually, this is Air Force One."

    The crowd begins to cheer, clap, howl, etc. The credits begin to roll. Unlike a typical movie, the lights do not come back on.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai is on the edge of her seat! She gives a soft 'oh no, oooh no! Look out!' as she watches the fight, throwing a punch with her free arm as Donatello taps against her other, and at the end of the movie, her eyes are going wide as she watches the pain going into a nosedive! She squeaks, bringing her hand up to her muzzle, and once the day is saved -- she cheers! With her free hand in the air -- though she does reach down to grab what remains of the day-old popcorn bag, and gives a grin as she looks to Donatello.

Donatello has posed:
    The theater crowd is hesitant to go. It would seem that they're waiting for the lights to come back on, as if that's the instruction to go home. Eventually, though, the people in the theater begin to stand and make their way up the aisles and towards the exit, using the small amount of light from the aisle's safety lighting to guide their way. Not everyone goes, of course, since some folks like to watch the entire credits to make sure there isn't some sort of after-credits scene, and others...well, are mutant animals waiting for everyone to leave.

    Donatello's brow is raised, amused, as the plane's radio designation changes from mere cargo plane to the illustrious Air Force One. The turtle turns his head to look at Kai as she cheers and a smile forms on his face again. "I guess you liked the movie!" he observes, his voice rising above a whisper now that the film has ended. The turtle grins and looks back at the screen, idly curious if there's more after the credits. Besides, they'll have to wait a couple minutes before making their exit in secret.

Kainashi has posed:
    "I liked it! It was a good movie, even if their fighting as really awful at the end. I coulda taken them both with my eyes closed." Kai gives a wry smile over at Donatello, and then rubs the back of her head. "AH, seem like you didn't mind me leaning up against you. It as nice. And your hand on my arm also felt nice." she states gently, her ears flicking a moment in the lo light of the credits as she looks to Donnie ith a little grin.

Donatello has posed:
    "Oh yeah, you absolutely could take them," Donatello agrees heartily. Not long ago, he described Kai to April as not only the nicest, but also strongest person he knows -- and he meant it. "No question." He smiles.

    But then, Kainashi goes and just describes their seating arrangement with plain language that couldn't possibly be twisted. Donatello's face changes color, as it often does lately, and becomes warm. And that's saying something, since he's supposed to be cold-blooded, right?

    "Uh, no, I...Well, yeah, I...." the turtle begins, unsure of how to proceed with this. "I...Well, yeah, I mean, I...I think that's okay on a date, right? I mean, I don't know for sure. I don't want to give you the impression that I've gone on a lot of dates -- I haven't had any before, but...It seems right?" He manages a weak smile and then, for good measure -- and to make his point -- he reaches over and rests his hand on her forearm again, this time without the movie to soften the awkwardness.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai pauses, seeing the cheek darkening a little bit, and she blushes too, her ears drawing back a moment before she take a deep breath and then states softly: "Well. You can put your hand on my arm any time you want." she states gently,, and leans a little more against him with a grin. "I dunno why you're embarrassed by it, it's... it's af-feck-shun, right?" she inquires "...unless I should be embarrassed? Is... is it bothering you?"

Donatello has posed:
    "No, I'm...I'm not embarrassed," Donatello explains quietly. "And you shouldn't be. And...it's not bothering me." The turtle smiles down at Kainashi and takes in a lung full of air. "I just...I'm kind of frightened. But in a good way? I mean, I..." He reaches up and gestures to his head. "I just keep going around and around in circles about what to do and what to say. But...you seem to have it all figured out. I'm kind of jealous," he adds. His mouth curls into a smile at the end, indicating that there are no hard feelings behind his jealousy, but rather just a simple desire to be as natural as Kainashi seems to be. The brainy one does not have this figured out -- not by a long shot.

    "I thought I had this mutant turtle thing all figured out. But then...well things are changing. I...I guess I'll just tell you. After meeting you in the sewer, I mean, I played it cool, but...I haven't thought about anything since," Donatello admits. "And so...now you know."

Kainashi has posed:
    "... but I'm not smart. Your brain's big and wrinkly and full of lasers and mine is just kinda the sound a TV make when I got the dial stuck between the channels." Kainashi replies quietly, and she rubs the back of her head a moment iwth her free hand, listening to Donatello speak, she feels her ears draw back a moment as she head tilts a moment, and attempts to work the words, but they don't come out right away.

    "... you're still bothered about looking for the shuriken?" she questions quietly.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello's face sours slightly. He chose the wrong words. "No," he replies. "I'm not bothered by the shuriken. I just stole one of Leo's." Good advice from Raph.

    "Since meeting you that day...I haven't thought about anything else. You." He manages a nervous smile. "Anything else but you."

    The turtle breathes a sigh of relief as he just let it out.

    But then, Kai's description of herself inspires Donatello to say more. "Kai...We're different in some ways, and alike in others. I like you exactly like you are," he admits. "You're kind and you're strong...And you make me happy. I wouldn't want you to be any different."

    And with that, the turtle turns to face the screen, which is beginning to show the names of the people who were part of the movie's third unit.

Kainashi has posed:
    He chose the right words, Kai just didn't put them together the right way. She blinks a moment at the expression change, and shrinks away about a half-inch, her ears drawing down, before he speaks up again. She blinks, and then the insides of her ears turn a bright red, visible even in the dim light of the theater, and they don't even pin back. She just sits there, blushing in embarrassment as she puts it all together.

    "/OH/." she states, Dawn over the Shore. "I... I..." she stammers.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello nods his head quietly, hearing the gears begin to turn in the seat next to him. "Yeah," he adds, as if to confirm her 'oh!'. He takes a deep breath and lets it out. "So, I mean, that's what I was trying to tell you. And why it's kind of hard to say."

    Donatello manages a smile and shrugs a shoulder. "I keep trying to figure this out, you know, like anything else, but I keep coming up short," he explains. "A brain full of lasers, like you said, and I can't even really figure this out. But..."

    Donatello manages a nervous smile. "I guess I don't need to figure it out," he decides, finally.

Kainashi has posed:
    the canine looks startled a moment, and shifting her wait as she listens to Donatello, and she gives the slightest bit of a smile, hops in her seat, to her knees, and Donnie might feel the tickle of whiskers and a cold nose against his cheek.

    And she sits back, her tail wagging as if she did something really grand and impressive and brave, the theater largely empty except for the to there.

    "We can figure it out together." Pippi confirms quietly.

Donatello has posed:
    With the quiet in the theater, a gasp could easily be heard. Donatello's cheeks, both of them, become warm -- even he could feel it, despite his cold-bloodedness. A long, nervous exhale of air, and then Donatello manages a dopey smile. He's smart, usually, but not now.

    "Okay," he agrees, his voice kind of fluttery and vague, with a little bit of a star-struck quality. Was that his first kiss?

    The theater really does feel empty. It won't be long before the teenage employees that run the place could sort out the computer error keeping the lights off. Sure, they were happy to not have to clean this theater tonight, due to the glitch, but they won't stay out for much longer.

    "We better go," Donatello whispers, slowly managing to bring himself up and out of the chair. "My friend April said that if the date goes well, I should see about walking you home," he explains. "I think it went well, but... I don't think I can walk you home. And I don't think you can walk me home. But...maybe at least a block or two?"

Kainashi has posed:
    "... yeah, I don't think we can walk each other home yet -- but maybe go for a rooftop?" the canine gives a slight smile to Donatello, and rubs the back of her cheek. "Otherwise I would totally let you walk me home, but it's a long walk back to Brooklyn."

Donatello has posed:
    "Okay!" Donatello agrees to the rooftop. The turtle shuffles towards the aisle and begins to lead the way towards the rear, emergency exit. Their exit is certainly going to be much more laid back than their entrance was.

    In fact, it's not long before they're out in the alley and ready to climb back onto the roof top! "I was asking April about what to do on date since she has been on so many of them," he explains as they go. But then, he admits... "But, she didn't seem to happy about that. And I don't think she really told me to do anything...except to just be ourselves."

Kainashi has posed:
    "That's a good idea. I don't think I could be anyone else." Pip replies as she lets Donnie lead her out of the place and back up to the rooftops. She takes a deep breath of the fresh air, and she breathes out.

    "Who's April? That's... that's not the human with the mask, right?" she stammers a moment, looking both concerned and dismayed at the idea of the mask-clad-man giving Donnie dating advice.

Donatello has posed:
    Who's April? And then...how she relates to Casey. Hm. Donatello shakes his head. "No, that's Casey," he explains, without the same concern that Kai might have. "April is...Well, she's the first human we ever revealed ourselves to. I guess Casey's the second." Donatello thinks about that. Was it Casey or Woody? Doesn't matter.

    "April has been taking care of us. Keeps us in pizza," he adds. Donatello manages a smile. "I think we were all a little ga-ga over April, at first," Donnie explains as they go. "But...well, not anymore." The turtle suddenly finds himself tripping over his words again. "Not me, anyway."

    It's true, though. In the past, Donatello would probably have been mortified at the thought of asking April O'Neil for dating advice, but...that had come so easily. April Who?

Kainashi has posed:
    "Oh." Kainashi considers a moment as she walks a few steps. "I've never had a human friend. Not since being this way, anyway." she frowns a moment. "Humans just... don't seem like they're nice people. Not like us, anyway." she comments quietly, then rbs the back of her head.

Donatello has posed:
    Donnie begins climbing up the supports for the fire escape so they can get into the rooftop again. "Yeah," he replies, calling down to her. "I know what you mean. But, you'd like April. And she'd like you. She's not really too phased by us mutants...Anymore."

    Donatello hoists himself up and over the half-wall that forms a perimeter around the roof. He extends a hand down over the edge, ready to give Kai a boost in the form of a tug.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai reaches up, and then hesitantly retracts her hand, embarrassed a moment before she swings herself up.

    "She sounds smart too, especially if you go to her for advice. Pex and Sally didn't.. have a whole lot of advice other than to be myself." she gives a little, embarrassed laugh. "... guess they're smart too."

Donatello has posed:
    A touch embarrassed himself, Donnie retracts his own hand, as if to try and act like he never offered it to begin with. She didn't need his help. Why would she?

    "I dunno, I just thought she might know about this stuff," he explains. He begins to slowly walk towards the dinner tableau from earlier. Without the distraction of the movie, Donnie starts to fall back into his own head here. He desperately searches for something to say. To do. To Donatello's own horror, what he comes up with isn't that great or romantic.
    "So..." he begins. "Do you want to bring home the meat half of the pizza?"

Kainashi has posed:
    "Oh, ah... no, Alopex prefers burgers, and you purchased it, you should take it home." she explains quietly, and then she rubs the back of her head.

    "... I still don't have great control of my hands when I get nervous. All I picture when someone offers me a hand is their fingers snapping like pencils."

Donatello has posed:
    For a guy who was just told that his date might have fantasies about snapping his fingers like pencils, Donatello seems relieved. He smiles, relaxed. Oh.

    "But...I got the pizza like that because I know you like all that stuff," he explains. Suddenly, that pizza is the most important thing in the world. It's an external force to focus the awkwardness on.

    But then...Donatello's mind reverses a touch. When I get nervous, she said. There's some common ground to be had. "Wait, you're nervous, too?" he asks suddenly.

Kainashi has posed:
    "... about hurting people, yeah." Kai admits, and she sits on the little half-wall, looking up at Donatello, and then back to her hands.

    "... I can bend steel bars, rip doors off hinges, lift up cars and walk away with them, but I can't hold some weapons right because I'll break them if I get scared, or too excited. An'..." she raises her gaze a little, "I don't wanna hurt you. Becase if I hurt you, you're not gonna like being arond me as much, so I'm always more on guard and trying not to break everything around me."

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello watches Kai carefully as she explains her situation. His eyes study her, trying to make sense of her predicament. After a long, careful silence, Donatello nods his head a couple of times. "Wow," he admits. "That sounds tough." The turtle begins to pace back and forth a couple of feet, bringing his hand up to his chin, as if to suggest that he's thinking.

    "Perhaps something might be done about that," he muses. "Maybe some kind of reinforced gloves I could wear. Or maybe some sort of pressure alarm that you could have that would alert you when you're applying too much pressure on something."

    But then, Donatello manages to linger, briefly, on the simplest option of them all. "Or, we could just not touch each other," he slowly concludes. He stops pacing and looks back at Kai. "Nah, I'll figure this out." A smile forms.

Kainashi has posed:
    THe canine blinks a moment as Donatello begins to pace, and she rubs the back of her head, her ears drawing up at the first sggestion, and then pinning back at the second -- and then just falling, in defeat as Donatello suggests they not even attempt to touch. That wold be the safest option.

    "... well, leaning against you doesn't hurt you. I mean, I weigh the same even if I'm sper strong. So it doesn't push anything over unless I'm braced againt something..." she rubs the back of a shoulder in consideration. "I'm... I'm working on it! If I'm not nervous I have better control. Most of the time."

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello manages a smile. "We'll figure it out together!" he declares. "Like you said before."

    In fact, he sits down on the half-wall next to Kai and nods his head. "I'm nervous, too," he explains. "But instead of breaking your fingers, I'm worried that I'm going to say something..." He searches for the word. "...silly. And then you might not want to be..." He searches for the word. "...Friends." The turtle manages a smile and shrugs his shoulder. "But...everything seems to be working out."

Kainashi has posed:
    "Why would I not want to be friends? If.... if I'm confused, I should ask for clair-ic-fi-cation." Kainashi is trying her best to use big words. She gives a soft huff of a breath, and almost frowns, but it comes in as a sort of a pout. "... and Raphael says mean stuff and I still consider him a friend," -- and then her expression flattens, and her tone goes flat-as-Kansas: "and I like you more than I like him."

Donatello has posed:
    "Oh, I know, it's silly, but it's just something that makes me nervous right now," Donatello explains. He shrugs his shoulders. "And you're nervous about breaking my fingers." The turtle stares forward, considering that. One of their anxieties is based in uncertainty and newness, while the other one is based in cold hard facts. They're not equivalent. They'll figure it out.

    "I'm used to having everything figured out, Kai. And I...can't figure /this/ out," he explains. "It's just a feeling I'll have to get used to." Donatello manages a smile and looks down at the roof's surface for a moment. There's an audible gulp from inside the turtle before this next part.

    "Can we do this again? I mean, maybe not exactly this, but...another date," he asks, moving his eyes to watch for her answer.

Kainashi has posed:
    "... well, yeah?" Kai replies, sounding confused a moment. "I'd really like that!" she confirms, her tail giving a wag as she hesitantly asks "And... maybe we cold run joint patrols together? You know, two sets of eyes, better than one and everything."

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello smiles widely. "Yeah?" he confirms. "Okay, then!" He sits up straight, suddenly a bit more elated. Her suggestion does elicit a slightly confused look on the turtle's features, but it does earn a shrug of consideration.

    "Well, that's not really what I had in mind," Donatello explains. "But if that's what you want to do for a second date, we can do that. I'm just...glad that you want to."

Kainashi has posed:
    "... I meant more as a way to spend time together without us both getting our tails handed to us." Kai gives a grin. "I'm pretty sure your master wouldn't like you to be idle, an' I know Alopex wants to keep patrols rnning so we can continue to help others." Kainashi rubs the back of her head. "... can fighting crime be a date?"

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello grins back, thinking about that. "Well, that sounds pretty great," he answers with a ready smile. At that second question, Donnie shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know," he answers. "I mean... It's not what I was thinking of when I asked, but..." He searches for the words. Instead of finding something more substantial, Donatello just shrugs once more. "I'd be happy to do anything."

Kainashi has posed:
    "Good, okay, good." Kai rubs the back of her head again, and then sheepishly looks up at Donatello. "... thank you, Donnie. Tonight has been the most fun I've had in a long, long time. It's..... it's really great to have someone who thinks I'm great." she smiles, her scarred up face plan to see in the lights of the city around them. "You're great."

Donatello has posed:
    A slight frown appears on Donatello's features. It's not anger, but rather confusion. "What do you mean?" he asks, astonished. "Kai...You're great all on your own. You don't need me thinking it for you to be great. You're like...a fully charged lithium ion battery. Or...a prime number!" He offers up a bright smile, which then fades slightly as he compares her to a battery and a number...But, Donatello's brain isn't completely in gear right now.

    And then...she calls him great. He takes a breath and turns to watch her, catching the city's lights as they illuminate her features. He manages a smile and then...slowly reaches up to lightly bring a finger against one of those scars.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai was about to answer something back before she catches the movement. She blinks, stiffening slightly as Donatello reaches for her face, Her ears draw forward, then back, the tattoo of her name flickering in the lights and movement of her ears, and she almost backs away.

    And Kai allows Donatello to touch one deep gouge in her face, whorled fur twisting in wrong directions, furless skin in pale marking against the tightness of the tissue underneath.

    Her skin is warm. Dogs run even hotter than humans. She gives a little shudder beneath his hand, but doesn't pull away. Her breath is unsteady in that moment. Her fingers curl at her sides, her amber eyes open, watching Donatello.

Donatello has posed:
    As if being puppeted by another, Donatello lets his finger gently brush against the marbled spot on her face, just for a moment, and then takes his hand back. It's impossible not to notice her shutter and her fingers curl. He smiles uneasily at Kai before looking down at the roof again. "Sorry," he begins, his voice suddenly lacking any force behind it. "I...didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, there. It just...seemed right."

    Despite the obvious discomfort that was just created, Donatello's face has turned a muddy sort of brown. But then, he considers his skin for a second. "I guess turtles are...cold," he adds, watching his fingers for a moment. "Or...maybe just I shouldn't have done that."

Kainashi has posed:
    "N-no, it's okay. It's okay. It's okay." Kai repeats herself in a hoarse whisper, her eyes welling with tears for a brief moment, with her hands shaking a little before she just leans her head forward, and ker-pomphs her head against Donatello's shoulder. "It felt like it was okay to do. No one ever touches them unless it's to make 'em or bandage 'em." she whispers. "I don't even touch my face. But you can. It's okay." she whispers. "I won't push you away."

Donatello has posed:
    Oh gosh. Oh gosh. Oh gosh. Horror fills Donatello's face as he watches Kai's reaction to this -- her tears, her shaky hands. The date that had been going so well was on the verge of unraveling from something he wasn't even sure why he did!

    But then, her head falls onto his shoulder. Donatello's eyes widen. What does he do?! The turtle reaches an arm forward and around, as if to draw her closer, but his hand stops a couple of inches away from making contact with Kai. He lets it hover on the air there, afraid to touch her.

    "Kai," he whispers. "I'm...I'm sorry. I... should've realized. I..." The turtle's breathing intensifies, as terror prevents him from really processing what Kainashi is saying to him. "I just...It...I don't..." He just stammers, paralyzed with his words. "I'm sorry."

Kainashi has posed:
    And that's when he'd get a soft 'thump' in the plasteron. Just a tap, from her loosely closed fist.

    "Why are you sorry?" she sniffles. "Alopex was the only one who ever touched my face with any reason without hurting me. And now you touched it without me even being hurt. I let you touch my face. I draw you in my sketchbook all the time. I don't want you to be afraid of touching me the same way I'm afraid of touching anyone. I don't want you to be scared of me. Any part of me. 'Cause I'm dumb and rough and broken--" and she keeps her head there, against his shoulder, one fist against his cheest, the other hand at her side.

    "-- but you make me feel like I'm not."

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello's eyes remain fixated on the horizon initially, trying really hard to listen as Kainashi makes her admission. He's still horrified at what he's done. There's some nervous, perhaps even panicked, breathing from the turtle.

    "I just...I should've...I don't know. I just...I forget, sometimes. Your face is..." he begins, now struggling for the words. He remains that way, stymied for a moment, before allowing his arm to hold Kainashi across her back, drawing her nearer.

    "Your face is..." he tries again. "...what would be in my sketchbook."

    Finally, Donatello raises his other arm and brings it around Kainashi, as well. The thumping of his heart is almost deafening.

Kainashi has posed:
    Donatello holds Kainashi -- Pippilu -- in his arms. She's warm. And fuzzy. The shorter fur feels like a wiry form of velvet. Her tail is curled and down to the side, the tip brushing against his leg before she takes a deep breath

    And very
        very
            *very* carefully

    -- her arms loop very loosely, as much as they can, around Donatello's midsection.

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello lets his cheek lean gently against Kai's head. Without any way of regulating his own temperature, the warmth of a dog against him is a new, and absolutely wonderful, feeling for the young turtle. And, while we're at it, Kainashi's fur is softer and her body is less pointy than his own.

    "I'm sorry," he whispers a final time, letting that be the end of the matter.

    With that settled, Donnie falls quiet, content to sit there with Kainashi and enjoy the moment. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, as if he was gently deflating a birthday balloon.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai get to enjoy the moment of quiet, the sounds of the city all around them as she breathes out against his chest. The weight of his head against hers was comfortable. The feeling of the plasteron against her front didn't bother her in the least, and she continues to gently hold against him, for several heartbeats, feeling her own slow, her ears relax -- and that tail give a little wag.

    "Don't be sorry. Be Donnie. I like Donnie much better than sorry." she murmurs against him.

    "We're gonna figure things out. You're smart and I'm tough. We're gonna be fine."

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello lets out a quiet laugh. She may have a point, there. "Yeah," he replies quietly, giving his head the slightest of nods -- with his cheek against Kai's head, the nod was small but enough to be felt. "You're right. We'll figure it out." It's the second or third time they've agreed on this point, but Donatello might not be sure what the 'it' is, but it doesn't trouble him.

    "Remember at the end of the movie when the plane became Air Force One?" he asks, casually, without letting Kai go to answer. He manages a smile, just happy to sit there, holding her, and getting her take on the movie they just watched. "What was your favorite part?"

Kainashi has posed:
    "... the fighting parts, an' the explosions, an'--" Kainashi begins, the rawness of their moment passing as he lets her go, and she giddily begins to recount the movie, embelishing on some parts, as if Donatello hadn't *just* seen it with her. She even makes airplane noises, her tail wagging so hard that it goes in circles

Donatello has posed:
    He manages a smile. "It really had a lot of fighting and explosions," he admits. A movie like that always leads with a fight and ends with an explosion. Donatello can't help but smile through her demonstration of the movie, including the airplane noises. But then, it would would seem that time marches on...

    "I think it might be getting late," he explains, glumly. The turtle turns to look at her and manages a soft smile. "But I think tonight was really great and we should do it again. We could do anything for a second date -- if you want to beat up on some criminals, we could do that!"

    Donatello stands up from the half-wall and offers a hand to help Kai up, fully aware of the risks.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai pauses, and she does give a yawn, her lips pulling back and stretching over her teeth, tongue curling and everything, and she gives a stretch of her arms.

    "I should be heading back, Pex will be worried." she explains quietly, and then she looks at the offered hand -- and very gently puts her hand in his.

    "We don't have to beat up criminals. But next time dinner's on me." she gives a bright grin. "I have a couple ideas."

Donatello has posed:
    Donatello smiles, giving Kai a gentle tug to help her up. "Okay," he agrees with a nod. His smile remains, almost as if he's struggling to get rid of it. "So, then...we'll do one of your ideas." The turtle takes a deep breath and raises a hand to give her a wave. "Thank you for my first ever date," he adds suddenly before smiling broadly again. "I..I'll see you, Kai." With that, Donatello gives her forearm a brief touch with his hand before taking a step away to go their separate ways.

Kainashi has posed:
    Kai watches as Donatello retreats, and raises her hand to wave, taking a couple of steps backwards before she pauses, and drops her fingers, feeling the scar that Donatello had touched for just the briefest moment, before pulling her hand back and looking at it.

    "... his head is full of lasers and hearts." she murmurs to herself -- then turns, and takes off back towards The Bronx.