faceguy | [Meta Heroes] Inbox

[The other turtle nods along sagely as Leo goes over the rest. Ah, the nostalgia of simpler times.]

-what's this about giant holes? Yeah, that's not going to fly. This is a stealth retrieval operation, not an operation takedown.

[Well, all of those lessons sound like logical ninja techniques instead of some inane bullshit he has no hope of picking up. Yay?]

I never saw much reason to tone down an ability that's only good for destruction before.

[Which is less of a complaint and more a statement of fact. It's really only in the last couple months that he's started exploring its uses beyond "break shit" and "protect himself." So hey, new territory and everything.

Accelerator clicks his tongue and looks around.]

This looks like it was a lot of effort. [The only people he's seen this kind of effort from were scientists intent on running their experiments or a couple of really hardworking assassins, so this is a little weird for him.]

[Leo lights up in a smile immediately.]

Thanks! You know, I’m doing this new thing called “actually trying” and it’s doing wonders for my productivity.

[He says it like a joke but it’s a little too close to genuine.

Anyway, he is… at least a little aware that Donnie thinks this is weird and now Accelerator sounds like he thinks it’s weird and he doesn’t want to dwell too long on either reaction.]

I don’t think your abilities are only good for destruction, though… Like the sound dampening, that has to have a lot of uses!

[Donnie manages not to give Leo a Look at that, turning instead to regard the lines of tape. He nods as he considers Accelerator's abilities.]

It's all in the application. Your use of vector calculations isn't limited to a singular thing, you just have to look at how the key components of your chosen force of manipulation can be used to your advantage.

Also, you don't actually have to rely on your abilities all the time. Especially in your case when you're operating on a personal time limit. The environment can work for you- see lesson one and five.

And as great as it might seem to finish things up fast, sometimes it's better to take it slow. You draw less attention that way, and it'll be easier to pay attention to everything else around you and adjust too.

[Accelerator has to let out a little scoff. That sounds like a joke to him and this is probably the closest he's come to laughing since he's been here.]

Shit, you two almost sound like you know what you're talking about.

[That's a joke, he's joking, they're obviously well-versed in stealth missions, and even though vector manipulation is likely new to both of them it's kind of cool hearing how easily they can consider getting creative with it.

It's also a little unnerving, because they really should be acting more cautious with it. Or at least be less optimistic about the whole it can do more than just destroy things angle. If someone from Academy City heard them talking they'd probably be looking at the turtle like they'd grown second heads or something.]

How'd you two learn all this crap, anyways?

Well we are ninja mutant turtle teens.

[Emphasis on the “ninja” in this case.

Donnie will probably better at thinking of ways to use the vectors specifically, but Leo isn’t half bad at coming up with creative uses for other people’s abilities once he knows what they are. He’s turning it around in his head.]

Our dad taught us most of this. He was supposed to teach us the ways of his ancient ninja clan, but a lot of his training was… unconventional?

[To say the least!]

And a lot was learned on the job, too.

[Donnie's looking at it from a logical standpoint. It's like a puzzle to pick at, and he's more than happy to do so. Paired with Leo's ideas, they might come up with some scary stuff.]

Well, I've only got the information you've told me aside from what I'd seen when we first met. -did you ever get to try out that trick on the meatballs, by the way?

[He sidles over beside Accelerator as he nods along at Leo's explanation of...well, as much as anyone can explain when it comes to how they've learned things. Also gonna borrow the Esper's phone to prove a point.]

Also super-condensed, but I guess we learned most of it in a roundabout way before he really actually took the time to try drilling it into our heads.

But yes, cannot discount the whole "ninja" part, I think we got the basics down pretty well on our own. Kind of have to get used to sneaking around considering... this whole situation.

Fuck no. I haven't run into any more sentient meat.

[And yeesh, what do you expect him to do, practice? Pshaw.

He is also not noticing his phone going missing. Guess who never paid the slightest attention to his surroundings for most of his life because of his reflection? This guy!]

You mean the guy you said wants to sit around and watch tv all day? [Kind of hard to believe but okay.... At least the 'learning on the job' is easier to digest.] Whatever, guess if you were all living in the sewers you didn't have much choice.

[Leo sees Donnie take Accelerator's phone, and yet Accelerator himself doesn't seem to notice. Heh.

He doesn't give anything away, though, instead nodding along with Donnie's input.]

He did get around to training us eventually... Still likes to sit around and watch TV most of the time though... But yeah, like Dee said, we had to learn how to be sneaky by necessity in case we didn't want to get spotted by humans and I'm sorry what about sentient meat?

[His brain just caught up with that part.]

[Smile, Leo. Donnie gestures with the phone before snapping a shot. Gonna take a few of himself too, because Accelerator's phone is just woefully empty of, well, anything. He has to wonder if the other teen will even think to look at his gallery any time soon.

He's updating this dude's contacts because Entry 1 and 2 do not cut it. Now 'Subpar Twin' and 'Superior Twin.']

Moving meatballs. Apparently they came from the sky and were being a general nuisance. It's how we met. 'Rator was flinging manhole covers at them.

Anyway, should we get back to actual training? There's only so much we can tell you, but it'd probably be better if you tried it out for yourself. What say, Leon? A game of follow the leader, easy mode to start?

[Yeah it takes him way too long to notice that that's his phone Donnie is screwing around with, and when he does his face settles into a very familiar scowl. Fucking gremlins, both of them. He reaches a hand out for his phone while trying to stay leaning against the wall so it can keep supporting his weight, though his other hand moves up against the choker switch in case he needs to stand up properly.

He also shrugs at the meatball story because manhole covers are convenient projectiles in most situations, and that was a weird day. At least the training idea seems fine.]

Tche, whatever. That sounds simple enough.

[Oh, Leo didn't just smile, he full-on posed. Sorry about your phone, Accelerator, but it's full of nonsense now.

(He'll protest to those contact names later, though!)]

Alright, that sure seems like a super weird thing you guys are totally cool glossing over, but I guess we'll move on. We can start from here.

[Leo leans back around the wall so he can see where Accelerator left his crutch, then he pulls out his good katana and draws a portal in the air, just big enough that he can reach through with his arm and grab said crutch.]

Heeeere you go! [Luckily he did not portalchop either it or his arm. He can't really make them bigger, but they're starting to get more stable.]

[Donnie relinquishes Accelerator's phone, not even bothering to try looking innocent about it. And not at all slightly anxious because the esper's reached for his collar, no sir.]

Well we could get into detail but it'd mainly be about us having an impromptu burger grilling on the sidewalks.

[He might have been curious about where the things originated from but at the time he'd been preoccupied with too many other things to care.

When Leo uses his sword to pop open a portal, Donnie tries not to scrutinize it too much- oh who's he kidding, he lowers his goggles for a quick look. It's small but he can see the improvement in that connection. If Leo notices, he'll flash him a quick grin as he pushes his goggles up again before he looks back towards their resident esper.]

[Accelerator is swearing under his breath as he shoves his phone back in his pocket and drops his hand.]

There wasn't much else to it. [There was murderous hamburger, Donnie cooked it with mystic tech, Excelsior sucks and he's in no rush to go back to that place. God, that day was weird.

And oh what the hell, is that Leo's form of teleporting? His attention is pulled away from sentient meat adventures to stare in mild surprise at the glowy blue portal. That's a far cry from how he's seen espers do it and he'd like to know what the vectors involved are, since this is obviously a form of movement --

Nnnnope, nope, that's a rabbit hole that could take hours. He needs to focus on the task at hand right now, and ask about the portals later.]

......... Thanks. [He takes his crutch from Leo and gets it all arranged before pulling away from the wall. Trying to switch between using it and his choker like they've suggested is the goal here, but god, it's such a frustrating thing.] Alright, ready.

[Leo catches that smile from Donnie and shoots his own back. It's still pretty pathetic compared to what he can normally do, but progress is progress, right?

(Based on available data the trick seems to be sharing his trauma and then crying on various people but boy does he not want to keep doing that so he hopes that isn't the case.)

But thoughts of the portals will go aside for now! He's teaching sneaking lessons.]

Alright. Then follow me!

[And he's just going to sliiiide into the shadows and start working his way around the building, going more slowly than he normally would for Accelerator's benefit. Donnie did say easy mode.]

[Yeah, Donnie's not too keen on having to deal with a consistently crying Leo, that'd just be too weird, not to mention exhausting. He's still determined to figure this out, but it's definitely a positive thing that his brother's portaling hasn't gotten worse.

He watches Leo set off then, gesturing for Accelerator to follow. Donnie will be behind them ~~to critique~~.]

[Well, even with his crutch he's definitely turning his choker on so he can start out on a not-terrible foot. At least with it on he can keep doing the soundwave reflection thing as he does his best to follow Leo, switching it off whenever he stops to try and conserve the battery power.

Of course, he does a piss poor job regardless because he has no actual technique - he isn't thinking about balance or center of gravity outside of not toppling over when his choker is off, his stance is sloppy, at best he's keeping his crutch close to himself the entire time so it isn't quite as obvious. He's mostly trying to mimic Leo, but mimicry can only take you so far.

At least he's taking this seriously, not wanting this to be a huge waste of anyone's time. This just requires an awareness of his body that he's never had to bother with before. He always focused on his brain, doing the calculations to prevent injuries to himself when pushing his body, but never actually focusing on his actual body. He's found a brand new reason why not having his constant, automatic reflection is a pain in the ass.

Donnie is going to have a whole lot to critique.]

[Leo guides him around to the other side of the building, past what walls are still standing to his tape setup. Then he stops, turning around and rubbing his neck.]

Uh… well, good first try?

[It was actually pretty terrible, but Leo is trying to be supportive.]

When you’re using your esper thing I can’t hear you, but anytime you weren’t you were… pretty obvious.

[He wasn’t even getting as much of the visual side of things, but every time he looked back it seemed like Accelerator was just doing whatever with no regard for how his body was moving.]

[Well, it was...something.

Donnie has quietly been following behind, and at the very least that means Accelerator can't see the faces he makes as he observes the esper's performance.

Boy do they have their work cut out for them.]

On the plus side it's clear you were making an attempt? It is also pretty clear that you've never really had to sneak around before.

[He folds his arms, stroking his chin as he studies the esper while likely thinking about the earlier exercise.]

I can tell you were struggling. The crutch isn't doing you any favors for this particular exercise either but they're not exactly made for subtlety so I'm not blaming you there for trying.

Thought process as you were going through the motions? What wasn't working for you?

[He looks exasperated but not surprised. Actually getting support is also extremely strange, he's only really used to getting that from Last Order and Yomikawa.

... He decides it's best to not dwell on that right now.]

All of it? I've never fucking thought this much about my body ever, even before the brain injury. [He clicks his tongue in irritation.] Actually, I would've thought about it even less back then, since the reflection portion of my ability was constant. Who gives a shit about danger when even a goddamn atom bomb would automatically bounce off of you?

[But that's a lot of bitching and he doubts it's very constructive.]

I'm trying to lean more on my right side, because my left leg is weak. [Hence the crutch.] Just keeping my balance is hard when I'm switching the choker on and off, since the calculations I'm doing for balance and shit get turned off. I have to compensate for the change, and when it's that frequent it's a pain in the ass. It's like my whole body's getting fucking reset each time.

An atom bomb!? Really!?

[That's so cool... Wait, no, focus Leon!]

Okay, but, I think that might be part of the problem... Maybe you shouldn't be switching back and forth.

[Leo strokes his chin.] We'll be carrying stuff on our way out, so it'd probably be best to save the sound dampening for then. And it'll be easier if you don't have to use your crutch. But that means you'd have to get inside without using the choker.

[Which means he'll make more noise, but that's what the training is for!]

You'll move more slowly, but that's okay - like Donnie said, it's not a race.

But we'll have to work on that whole "paying attention to your body" thing.

[Sorry, even Donnie's gonna have to be sidetracked by that comment.]

Is this factually proven or an exaggeration?

[Inquiring minds need to know. But...he supposes they do have to focus on the point here.]

That's the thing Leo, he needs that to function at all. But I think that's a good suggestion...

[He holds up a finger, turning his attention towards Accelerator then.]

The less you have to switch between modes, the better. It would be best if you relied on default mode for movement. Balance is going to be important for that, but it's not impossible to be quiet that way. You just have to work on how you move. Which would fall under the paying attention to your body.

[He strokes his chin in thought as he eyes the crutch.]

Would a brace of some kind work better? Or is a crutch just what you're used to working with? It's kind of on the bulky side but I guess that's typical if it's supposed to be supplementing the strength of your left leg.

[Hm. Ah. He should've kept his mouth shut. Going into detail about esper level categorizations, more specifically his own level, might lead to conversations he's been trying to avoid here, so he does the helpful thing and shrugs vaguely.]

I've been run through enough experiments to know. The lack of oxygen would be an issue, though.

[He only knows that detail because of a certain flour explosion he caused when trying to kill a certain level 0, whom he doubts would have any trouble with any of this because he was on the ball when it came to a physical fight....

That gets several seconds of thoughts from Accelerator before he snaps himself out of those memories, and leans up against a wall so he can slide down to the floor. Sue him, his legs are tired and this is a lot. They're both making good points.]

So my best bet is to use my power when we're leaving and keep this thing on normal mode for most of it? Holy shit, I'm going to doom us.

[This is going to require so much exercise oh goddddd. He inwardly cringes, and looks down at his crutch.]

This is what that fucking doctor gave me to use after the surgery. I've only had it for about a month before showing up here, so I didn't have time to find something else. I was still getting used to this thing. [He still is, given how sore his right shoulder gets sometimes.]

Hey, power of positive thinking, or manifesting, or... whatever. [He's just saying random buzzwords he's heard Mikey say.] You have to think you can do it or you definitely won't.

[He'll leave the crutch conversation for Donnie because that sounds like a problem that would need a Donnie solution. Though, he is interested in what the solution would be - if one of them ever messes up their leg, this is something they'd have to think about before it ended their ninja career.

It's a learning experience for everyone here!]

We can work on building up your good muscles, though. And help you with your balance. It would be good for you to do that even if we weren't using it to commit ethical theft.

[Seriously, it sounds like this guy has never exercised at all so he probably needs it.]

Are we still calling it that? It is clearly re-cy-cling. Just not through the avenues originally intended.

[Accelerator's response at their clarifications regarding his apparent ability to shrug off atom bombs has Donnie sliding a scrutinous look back at him. It's already been established that the whole Academy City thing was messed up but now he has to wonder just why all they felt the need to make sure someone could survive those kind of circumstances.

He shakes his head, filing that thought for later as he glances at Leo, nodding along at his suggestion before he looks at Accelerator, holding out a hand for the crutch.]

Can I have a look at it?

[He'd already been thinking about ways the crutch could be improved while he'd been watching the esper use it, but having a closer look for himself would give him a better idea of what all Accelerator's fighting with here. Because it's clearly a hassle.]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

i made this icon just for you

beautiful

Re: beautiful

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject