Owner	Pose
Leonardo	And so it was Splinter decreed a freeforall battle. Each must try to defeat his brothers and stand tall as the winner. But then the stakes got raised, for the victor of the battle will get to order his favorite pizza for a whole week! For this match, Leo is using wooden bokken so as not to have to hold back his technique, as using sharp weapons on his brothers is not ideal. Still, they are very finely carved wooden bokken, and they are also well balanced. They just don't cut. And so it is the battle is joined...for pizza! And the right to have favorite pizza! Watching from the sidelines, Splinter says, "Begin!" Leo doesn't make any moves initially, instead eyeing the other 3 from his position on the north part of the arena circle. He prefers to let others move first, so he can choose how to strategize. It'll also tell him who's gotten on someone else's nerves lately.
Michelangelo	Tomorrow is Mikey's birthday. As if he wasn't already distracted enough. Even Splinter putting pizza on the line - the youngest turtle has his head in the clouds. So while everyone else is squaring off, he's just sort of... hanging back. No all out attack or anything. Just chilling turtle over here.
Raphael	Raphael was not one to wait around for someone else to make the first move. He was always the one itching to get into the thick of things first. The same held true for sparring, and when they were all gathered together, he took up a spot at the south end of the circle. Fitting, as he was in many ways Leonardo's exact opposite even if they complemented each other well in battle while on the same side. As opponents, their sparring sessions were often the most heated, the most competitive. "Now which one of you should I beat up first?" he wonders, putting on a thoughtful expression as he begins to circle. "The Boy Scout, the Nerd, or the Kid Brother who ain't even sixteen yet?" He paces, twirling one of his sai in hand. They're also even more blunted than usual, made for safe sparring.
Donatello	Donatello holds his bo staff like a spear, gripping it with a fist and pressing the tip into the floor. He looks from one brother to the next. From the leader, to the hothead, and finally to the...uh...birthday boy. Donnie reluctantly opens his mouth, knowing that it's just going to make him a target.     "That's not fair, Raph. We're all nearly the same age," he explains, glancing to Michelangelo briefly. Still, that's as much of a defense as he's willing to put up. Donnie, like the others, remains at his corner.
Leonardo	Leo, ever the spiritualist, gives no indication of what he's thinking, or planning. Instead, he opens his senses to the world around him...to the natural sounds of the sewers, to the breathing of his brothers, to the words they bandy about. It is all input, and requires him to notice every input possible, despite having only two eyes. Find the center within, let them come to him. Leo's breathing slows, becomes quieter, harder to hear. His shell moves slightly less, as he stands there. He is ready.
Michelangelo	"We're all wallflowers! Looking for a pretty girl to ask to dance?" Mikey asks, looking confused. He's not usually the one to attack first. Are they all waiting on him? He spins his chuk idly, then glances over to Donnie. "Say, did you ever get Kai's phone number?" he asks casually.
Raphael	Raphael stops in front of Leo, sizing him up. "Let me guess. You've already got the whole thing planned out in your head." Then he does the same to Donnie, but he says, "Nearly, but Mikey will always be the baby bro." No attack made yet. On to Mikey, and a small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Yo, get your head in the game. Pizza's on the line here." He's made up his mind. A swat is aimed at the back of Michelangelo's head, for how else /could/ this have begun?
Donatello	Donnie begins his assessment of the scene. Leo, he figures, is likely to continue his meditation for at least thirty more seconds, which might give Raphael an opportunity to attack first. Raphael wouldn't sucker-punch Leo, Donnie decides. Or perhaps he would, but Leo would anticipate it. Donatello frowns, so desperately trying to find the right combination of events. The one permutation Donatello abandoned before any others was the one where Mikey was attacked first. No one would do that. But then...     "Shut /up/, Mikey! That's, like, the second time you've brought her up. She's just a new friend I made," Donnie insists. Before he has a chance to take it further, Raphael renders Donatello's calculations completely and utterly wrong. Someone has attacked Mikey first.     Donatello tilts his bo staff forward and moves into the circle. He doesn't move to strike Michelangelo, but instead stands before him with his bo staff held in front. "She's just a friend!" he insists, his cheeks turning a gross shade of brownish purple.
Leonardo	Leo makes no moves, as both of his brothers gang up on Donnie. As the genius predicted, Leo's meditations go on unabated. Ganging up on Mikey was a dangerous proposition, for his natural talent could explode on one or even both of his brothers at such a provocation. When Raph approaches, Leo makes no moves. The surge of aggressive intent simply wasn't there, and so no reaction was made. His eyes don't twitch, his mouth doesn't move, and he grows ever more statuelike over there. But still, his mind takes notes. Raph wants to make Mikey pay attention, and Donnie was antsy about Kai. That is useful information he may be able to exploit later. All the same, he grows ever more still over there. And dangerous. The counter attacks he's been known to launch from that sort of zen state are absolutely brutal.
Michelangelo	Tagged twice, Mikey ows and winces, before he steps back. "I'm out!" he announces to the others. Did he just totally throw the match, just to get back to his corner? He mopes back to where he was and flops down, leaning back. "Sorry sensei, I'll get em next time!" Because really, for Mikey? Pizza is pizza. Doesn't matter what toppings are on it. Settling in, he reaches over, taking out a battered old handheld console and starts to beep boop on the buttons. Noone's thrown out a Nintendo Switch yet for him to play Animal Crossing on.
Raphael	Raphael stops in his tracks, openly staring at Michelangelo as he bows out immediately. His arms spread out wide, palms facing forward, both with the sai in them. "What? You can't just quit right away! That's not how this works!" His reaction is a mixture of surprise and budding frustration. Totally not fair. Donatello's annoyance is something he tries to stoke, to feed on. "Tell him, Donnie! That ain't right! You too, Leo!"
Donatello	It's not common for Donnie to agree with Raphael, but these are strange times. He too stares at his brother Michelangelo, just as dumbfounded as Raph. He stands there, bo staff in hand, and relaxes from his readied stance. "Wait a second, wait a second, Raph," he urges.     "You okay, Mikey?" he asks, glancing briefly to Splinter before stepping out of the circle and towards his younger brother. He wasn't excused from the exercise but steps out anyway.
Leonardo	Leo exits his meditative state, because there's clearly something wrong with Mikey. He's not a quitter. And 'get 'em next time? Really? No. Something's definitely wrong here, and it can't just be his birthday. He likewise runs towards the video games that Mikey suddenly tried to play, and drops to a knee in front of him. "Talk to me, Mikey. What's bothering you?" The battle is forgotten by this point. Splinter says nothing. He continues observing as if the excercise never stopped.
Michelangelo	"Guys, it's nothing!" Mikey promises with a grin towards them. "You all have your fighting thing going on. I was just thinking about things, you know?" he asks them as he pulls in his knees. "We're down here - away from the world, and there's so much out there. And it's just... eh!" He laughs. "I get enough with Cowabunga Carl!" he promises the trio. And then he gives them all a swift smile. "Plus, you know when we're out there, I'll have your backs." See, nothing wrong here. The youngest of the four makes a shoo motion with his hand. "I'm good, promise!"
Raphael	First Michelangelo goes off, then Donatello after him, then Leonardo after them. Raphael throws down the sparring sai and says, "Man, this is some bullsh--ow!" Seems Splinter is still as fast as ever with his walking staff, delivering a sharp smack to the back of /Raph's/ head, giving him a stern but knowing look before nodding in the direction of the other three. "Whatever..." the red-masked turtle gripes under his breath, rubbing his head. "Obviously it ain't nothing. Yeah, we've been down here most of the time but you know why. And we all still gotta train together and stay sharp. So I ain't buying it." Crossing his arms, he gives his opinion of the situation, yet he keeps his distance. One foot still in the circle, one out.
Donatello	"Oh, come on, Mikey," Donnie urges. "We're not going to buy that." He glances over his shoulder at Raph and nods. "What's /really/ going on, Michelangelo?" He moves his bo staff back to vertical, leaning on it a little bit.
Leonardo	Leo watches his youngest brother. "So much out there...and for all you just claimed Carl gets enough of it...I don't think he does. You perform for parties, and you know what it's like to be an entertainer for humans, but those humans never get to know the real you. We live in concealment, and the connection you really want...doesn't happen through Carl, does it?" "...So tell me...what do you really want? Within the limits of what we can do with our secrecy, what can we do to help you really enjoy a day?...whether it's tommorrow, specifically, or any other day." After all, Mikey has a very special day coming. Leo 'missed' his due to being in South America at the time, but he doesn't want his lonely experience to be shared by this brother of his...or any of them. In short, 'I'm good' is not a statement Leo is buying.
Michelangelo	He didn't want to get into it. But with the others pestering him, Mikey sighs, "So there's this thing tomorrow." His birthday, right? Standing up, he leaps up to his little section of the lair. Coming back, he's carrying a concert poster. "Her name's Kaminari, and she's really big in Japan. And she's having the first of three concerts tomorrow night and I'd really like to go. He looks to the others. "I found a way we can get in and watch from the rafters. Noone would even see us!" he says encouragingly. "It'd be like evasion and hiding training." Just on a large scale.
Raphael	Technically, Raphael has not left the battle arena. That should make him the winner by default because the others all quit first. He can go over that with Splinter later. "You /do/ remember we're ninja, bro? We can't just go around out there letting everyone see us, even if there are others out there that look even more different. What do you think would happen if someone tracked us back here?" he asks pointedly, only to pause and frown as Michelangelo heads back to his room for..a poster? his expression just sort of goes flat at this. He won't be the first one to offer an opinion on the idea except to mutter, "Really, Mikey?"
Leonardo	Leonardo drops his head...and considers for a while. Maybe there is a way they can do this for Mikey. "...Donnie. I need you to make a hologram projector. Or modify one you already have. To make wherever we're standing look like empty space. If you can whip that up in time...we should be able to take him to the concert, preferably with a rooftop view. We just have to make sure Mikey here doesn't get too excited and leave the hologram."
Donatello	Donnie's attention briefly lingers on Leonardo before settling on Raphael. "Raph, you're right. We're ninja. I don't see why we couldn't use our skills to go to the concert and remain in the shadows," he offers. Donnie nods at Michelangelo. "He's got a plan that involves the rafters."     But then, Leo has an idea. "Yeah, I mean, sure. Something like that could work," he casually answers. "You know, if you want..." Inside, Donnie is squealing with joy.
Raphael	Raphael makes a face. "If this is some band Mikey's into, I probably wouldn't like it anyway." He waves a hand. "But it's gonna be your birthday and we're still brothers, so I guess if Donnie can make it work, I'll be there one way or another and make sure all of you stay outta trouble." It doesn't mean he has to be there listening to the music himself, but he could at least keep an eye on the place so the others can enjoy things unbothered. "By the way, you totally quit on the sparring, so that means I win. I'll be making the pizza decisions around here for the next week," he reminds them all.