[They can't honestly think either of the guilds would just be cool with two teenage disasters having a tank with god-knows-what kinds of armaments racing around the country..........
He doesn't say that part out loud, though. It would probably cause more outrage.
He also isn't sure if them acquiring a car here is all that much better.]
[God, they're older than him. He didn't expect that.
He sighs and looks at the pictures Donnie is pulling up, raising an eyebrow and realizing just how hard they are leaning into the whole turtle style thing.]
That's a lot of fucking effort put into the aesthetic. [Which is very commendable!! In fact -]
I know, it's not exactly subtle, but why travel in anything less?
Oh! I know I have a few...
[Donnie starts flicking through photos until he comes up with shots of the Shellhogs. Which may or may not have Leo and/or Mikey posing in some of them.]
Accelerator is silent for several moments, glancing up at Leo, then back down at the photos. He wouldn't know anything about sex appeal and he's pretty sure saying that out loud is only going to introduce an opportunity for more sass that he would be absolutely terrible at handling, so he tries to skirt around that subject.
Even with the pictures. At least he knows what brother #3 looks like?]
They look like something out of a movie.
[Like Akira or some shit.
He also points at one of the photos with Mikey.]
Which brother is this?
Edited (Shut up I didn't forget to add this.) 2023-05-02 03:52 (UTC)
[Leo is unfazed by Accelerator not saying anything to that. He just leans in to look at what picture he's pointing at, even though he has a feeling he already knows.]
That's Mikey. He's our little brother.
[Leo misses him so much but he can't dwell on it right now.]
If he shows up here you better tell me this time, Accy.
[He mostly means it as a joke, but... okay maybe he's still a little mad about it.]
Technically the base vehicle for the tank did come from a movie...
[But he is totally taking that as a compliment, 'Rator.
Donnie's expression softens a little as he looks at the picture, a sharp contrast to his usual expressions. He knows he misses Mikey and Raph so he can't imagine how much more Leo does.
He does cast a mildly dry look at the esper with the implication of Leo's comment. It's not something Donnie cares to revisit himself, but the way he arches his brow at Accelerator suggests they'd both like to be in the know if any other turtles surface around this place.
But at least Accelerator had apologized on that rooftop, so he doesn't let the esper stew too long. He holds out the guy's crutch.]
Anyway, if we're packing up, I guess I'd better give this back. Sorry, you'll have to work with it a little longer. I know you're getting attached to that one but I'm not sure how long it'll last for you.
[Right, name acquired. But at what cost, because that friendly reminder from Leo is causing a fresh wave of guilt to wash over him. He has apologized to Donnie, albeit poorly, but he has yet to do so with turtle #2 (#1 technically).
A kind person would say something right now, but Accelerator just feels awkward and a quickly increasing need to get out of this social situation and put himself in an environment that suits him better. AKA, go be alone.
His expression remains impassive the entire time.]
[And because there's a strange sort of comfort in it, he reaches up to hit the switch on his choker so he has his powers back.
Except he's still holding the crutch Donnie made.
There's a BANG!, like a gunshot going off, and a small explosion of sparkly light where the crutch once was. There's a shockwave too, a smallish one since his reflection isn't reflecting a whole lot. All of that is bouncing right off Accelerator harmlessly - he only looks down because of the noise, and the fact that this reflection is feeling entirely abnormal compared to normal instances.]
[Leo isn't actually expecting an apology, so the lack of one doesn't faze him. He just shrugs in a sort of "you do you" way.
And then Accelerator switches on his choker.
At first Leo doesn't know what's happened, or even that the two events are related. All he registers is a sound like a gunshot, and his immediate instinct is to protect Donnie, but in that moment the only thing he can do to accomplish that is throw an arm in front of him (like that would stop a bullet).
And then he realizes that there's purple light debris and the crutch has disappeared, and as his brain catches up with the situation he lowers his arm again.]
Uh... whoa?
[He's seen Donnie's mystic tech get destroyed before (though not often), but the flashy method has him a little stunned.]
Donnie flinches back at the sudden reaction, mostly at the suddenly unexpected release of whatever concentration he was putting into maintaining that mystic-tech crutch. He shakes his head, looking past Leo at the remnants of his ninpō.]
What the...
[Immediately he's pulling his goggles down as he looks at Accelerator, piecing things together even if he's still not exactly sure what all had just happened.]
[The light sprays outwards away from Accelerator, kind of like water, before dissolving into nothing. Like it was never there to begin with.
Accelerator notices the turtles' reaction in his peripheral vision, but his focus turns down to his now-empty hand. His reflection is back on, a reality-warping layer overlapping with his AIM field, which is normal for him, but that was anything but. When he reflects something he knows exactly what's going to happen, where whatever he's reflecting is going to go, and that....
It takes him another half second of thought before he's deliberately stepping further away from Leo and Donnie. He's doing his best to keep his expression measured, but he's tense and inwardly he's trying not to freak out. The last time his reflection did something unexpected the results were not pleasant.]
I didn't do that on purpose. [......... Y'know, just in case Donnie gets mad about that.]
[Accelerator puts more space between them, and Leo leans back from Donnie, relaxing his body more slowly than he’d like. Man, his fight response triggers easily these days… (Can’t imagine why.)
But Accelerator says he didn’t mean to do that, and he probably didn’t. He looked as surprised as they were, even if he was more subdued about it. And it makes no sense anyway. So no reason for everyone to be so tense! Just an accident.]
I’m guessing… your esper powers have some weird reactions with our ninpo.
[He wonders what would happen if Accelerator tried to use one of his portals with his powers on, then thinks it’s maybe better they don’t find out.]
[Donnie looks more annoyed than angry about it, and that's because he is.]
I should've figured that, but then again, I didn't realize the extent of your reflect until today, not to mention that funky aura thing you've got going on there...
[He's...more upset at himself for not having considered adding that possibility to his calculations, it seems. And he's back to tapping at his computer. More data, more notes-
...it occurs to him that it's probably a good thing Accelerator's choker wasn't actively on esper mode when he'd tried to take a look at it on the roof. The backlash from the sudden dispersion of his mystic-tech crutch was like being stung by a rubber band snap. He's pretty sure he doesn't want to find out what would happen with a bigger, more direct connection.]
[An abnormal interaction with whatever mystic energy ninpō uses does seem like the most likely explanation, but Donnie's comment (" - the extent of your reflect - ") makes Accelerator inwardly wince. This shouldn't be a repeat of the incident when he was ten, he's had control of his reflection for years now.
But there's the new addition of this supercomputer, and he's uncertain chalking it up to ninpō is a good idea. What if the computer caused an irregularity in his calculations? Or what if being here was causing him enough stress - enough unconscious mental instability - that his calculations were just incorrect?
There are a lot of unknown variables here. It's making him agitated.]
That's probably my AIM diffusion field. [Unless the Confluence did something new, or the supercomputer is doing something to him right now....
Urgh, he doesn't like this. He reaches up to his choker again, hitting the switch. As soon as he does that his legs give a little wobble, and he quickly jabs his other hand out to take his normal crutch back.]
I need to go re-run some calculations, make sure it was just your ninpō and not anything else. [AKA he needs to go check his brain, preferably somewhere away from people in case his Personal Reality gets even more unstable.]
[Funky aura? AIM diffusion field? Yeah, Leo has no idea what they're talking about anymore.
What he does know is that Accelerator seems kinda... freaked. Well, not that he's acting outwardly freaked, but he turned off his choker, so Leo thinks he's definitely shaken by what just happened.]
Are you gonna be okay? We can walk you back.
[He doesn't know exactly where Accelerator lives, but he figures they can just get him to his building, anyway.]
[Preoccupied as Donnie is with trying to work out this new puzzle, he isn't really paying as much attention to Accelerator as Leo is.]
We could run some tests once you do that, that seems the clearest way to figure it out. At least I'll kind of know what to expect, but it'd probably be better to do something small scale...
[He blinks then, prying his eyes from his computer as Leo asks the esper if he's okay, finally looking towards Accelerator again.
It is hard for him to really gauge someone like the esper. He's used to dealing with his brothers who more often than not broadcast every emotion they're going through. Not someone more like...himself.
That realization makes him frown as his brow furrows, but he doesn't reiterate Leo's inquiry, though he is now giving them both his full attention.]
[Getting into the details now would mean sticking around, which isn't something he wants to do. He shakes his head vehemently, reaching for his crutch.]
It's probably nothing. I don't need any damn help walking back.
[Let's run some tests is a reasonable suggestion to make, he knows this, but right now all it's doing is reminding him of the scientists back in Academy City. Follow our plans and participate in our experiments, they had said. Yeah, look how that turned out.
On top of that he really isn't used to being offered help. That's just - it's very uncomfortable for him. They mean well, and what does he even do with that except grumble and walk away as quickly as possible? Which makes him look like a huge asshole, though to be fair that's what he is, and at least he's holding back from berating them like he did when Donnie apologized back on the roof.
He clicks his tongue, irritated with himself.]
I'll figure this fucking thing out and get back to you two.
[It's not exactly how he goes about making his brothers stop bothering him when he needs some space but he recognizes it for what it is now.]
I'll let you know once I get something together for that crutch.
[He nods at Leo then, gesturing for them to go. Not that he had been doing physically as much as the other two had but keeping his ninpō running in the long run does about the same thing for his appetite.]
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He doesn't say that part out loud, though. It would probably cause more outrage.
He also isn't sure if them acquiring a car here is all that much better.]
I'm amazed you two can even drive.
[Assuming they can.
(Shit, they probably can't.)]
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At that observation, Leo huffs, folding his arms.]
We can drive just fine. Especially me - you ought to see me when I’m on a Shellhog, I leave everyone in the dust!
[They aren’t licensed, but they also don’t have birth certificates so who cares. Official documentation? Never heard of her.]
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[No license, in a tank or on ridiculous motorcycles and in the streets of New York. Clearly they're experts by now.]
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Firstly, I don't know what that is. [Shellhog? At least they're sticking to their aesthetic with that name.] Second... how old are you two now?
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[Leo waves a hand dismissively.] We’re sixteen.
[Two whole years of driving experience!]
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Donnie's poking at his phone, pulling up pictures as he steps over by Accelerator.]
Here, why are we even just talking about it- look, is this not amazing? And here would be where the motorcycles would launch...
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He sighs and looks at the pictures Donnie is pulling up, raising an eyebrow and realizing just how hard they are leaning into the whole turtle style thing.]
That's a lot of fucking effort put into the aesthetic. [Which is very commendable!! In fact -]
... Do you have any pictures of the motorcycles?
[Yeah okay he's curious.]
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Hey, aesthetics are important. I wouldn’t be caught dead in something that didn’t look as hot as me.
[Luckily for them all the tank is very cool.]
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Oh! I know I have a few...
[Donnie starts flicking through photos until he comes up with shots of the Shellhogs. Which may or may not have Leo and/or Mikey posing in some of them.]
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Accelerator is silent for several moments, glancing up at Leo, then back down at the photos. He wouldn't know anything about sex appeal and he's pretty sure saying that out loud is only going to introduce an opportunity for more sass that he would be absolutely terrible at handling, so he tries to skirt around that subject.
Even with the pictures. At least he knows what brother #3 looks like?]
They look like something out of a movie.
[Like Akira or some shit.
He also points at one of the photos with Mikey.]
Which brother is this?
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That's Mikey. He's our little brother.
[Leo misses him so much but he can't dwell on it right now.]
If he shows up here you better tell me this time, Accy.
[He mostly means it as a joke, but... okay maybe he's still a little mad about it.]
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[But he is totally taking that as a compliment, 'Rator.
Donnie's expression softens a little as he looks at the picture, a sharp contrast to his usual expressions. He knows he misses Mikey and Raph so he can't imagine how much more Leo does.
He does cast a mildly dry look at the esper with the implication of Leo's comment. It's not something Donnie cares to revisit himself, but the way he arches his brow at Accelerator suggests they'd both like to be in the know if any other turtles surface around this place.
But at least Accelerator had apologized on that rooftop, so he doesn't let the esper stew too long. He holds out the guy's crutch.]
Anyway, if we're packing up, I guess I'd better give this back. Sorry, you'll have to work with it a little longer. I know you're getting attached to that one but I'm not sure how long it'll last for you.
1/2
A kind person would say something right now, but Accelerator just feels awkward and a quickly increasing need to get out of this social situation and put himself in an environment that suits him better. AKA, go be alone.
His expression remains impassive the entire time.]
... I'm going to walk back normally.
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Except he's still holding the crutch Donnie made.
There's a BANG!, like a gunshot going off, and a small explosion of sparkly light where the crutch once was. There's a shockwave too, a smallish one since his reflection isn't reflecting a whole lot. All of that is bouncing right off Accelerator harmlessly - he only looks down because of the noise, and the fact that this reflection is feeling entirely abnormal compared to normal instances.]
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And then Accelerator switches on his choker.
At first Leo doesn't know what's happened, or even that the two events are related. All he registers is a sound like a gunshot, and his immediate instinct is to protect Donnie, but in that moment the only thing he can do to accomplish that is throw an arm in front of him (like that would stop a bullet).
And then he realizes that there's purple light debris and the crutch has disappeared, and as his brain catches up with the situation he lowers his arm again.]
Uh... whoa?
[He's seen Donnie's mystic tech get destroyed before (though not often), but the flashy method has him a little stunned.]
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Donnie flinches back at the sudden reaction, mostly at the suddenly unexpected release of whatever concentration he was putting into maintaining that mystic-tech crutch. He shakes his head, looking past Leo at the remnants of his ninpō.]
What the...
[Immediately he's pulling his goggles down as he looks at Accelerator, piecing things together even if he's still not exactly sure what all had just happened.]
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Accelerator notices the turtles' reaction in his peripheral vision, but his focus turns down to his now-empty hand. His reflection is back on, a reality-warping layer overlapping with his AIM field, which is normal for him, but that was anything but. When he reflects something he knows exactly what's going to happen, where whatever he's reflecting is going to go, and that....
It takes him another half second of thought before he's deliberately stepping further away from Leo and Donnie. He's doing his best to keep his expression measured, but he's tense and inwardly he's trying not to freak out. The last time his reflection did something unexpected the results were not pleasant.]
I didn't do that on purpose. [......... Y'know, just in case Donnie gets mad about that.]
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But Accelerator says he didn’t mean to do that, and he probably didn’t. He looked as surprised as they were, even if he was more subdued about it. And it makes no sense anyway. So no reason for everyone to be so tense! Just an accident.]
I’m guessing… your esper powers have some weird reactions with our ninpo.
[He wonders what would happen if Accelerator tried to use one of his portals with his powers on, then thinks it’s maybe better they don’t find out.]
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I should've figured that, but then again, I didn't realize the extent of your reflect until today, not to mention that funky aura thing you've got going on there...
[He's...more upset at himself for not having considered adding that possibility to his calculations, it seems. And he's back to tapping at his computer. More data, more notes-
...it occurs to him that it's probably a good thing Accelerator's choker wasn't actively on esper mode when he'd tried to take a look at it on the roof. The backlash from the sudden dispersion of his mystic-tech crutch was like being stung by a rubber band snap. He's pretty sure he doesn't want to find out what would happen with a bigger, more direct connection.]
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But there's the new addition of this supercomputer, and he's uncertain chalking it up to ninpō is a good idea. What if the computer caused an irregularity in his calculations? Or what if being here was causing him enough stress - enough unconscious mental instability - that his calculations were just incorrect?
There are a lot of unknown variables here. It's making him agitated.]
That's probably my AIM diffusion field. [Unless the Confluence did something new, or the supercomputer is doing something to him right now....
Urgh, he doesn't like this. He reaches up to his choker again, hitting the switch. As soon as he does that his legs give a little wobble, and he quickly jabs his other hand out to take his normal crutch back.]
I need to go re-run some calculations, make sure it was just your ninpō and not anything else. [AKA he needs to go check his brain, preferably somewhere away from people in case his Personal Reality gets even more unstable.]
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What he does know is that Accelerator seems kinda... freaked. Well, not that he's acting outwardly freaked, but he turned off his choker, so Leo thinks he's definitely shaken by what just happened.]
Are you gonna be okay? We can walk you back.
[He doesn't know exactly where Accelerator lives, but he figures they can just get him to his building, anyway.]
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[Preoccupied as Donnie is with trying to work out this new puzzle, he isn't really paying as much attention to Accelerator as Leo is.]
We could run some tests once you do that, that seems the clearest way to figure it out. At least I'll kind of know what to expect, but it'd probably be better to do something small scale...
[He blinks then, prying his eyes from his computer as Leo asks the esper if he's okay, finally looking towards Accelerator again.
It is hard for him to really gauge someone like the esper. He's used to dealing with his brothers who more often than not broadcast every emotion they're going through. Not someone more like...himself.
That realization makes him frown as his brow furrows, but he doesn't reiterate Leo's inquiry, though he is now giving them both his full attention.]
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[Getting into the details now would mean sticking around, which isn't something he wants to do. He shakes his head vehemently, reaching for his crutch.]
It's probably nothing. I don't need any damn help walking back.
[Let's run some tests is a reasonable suggestion to make, he knows this, but right now all it's doing is reminding him of the scientists back in Academy City. Follow our plans and participate in our experiments, they had said. Yeah, look how that turned out.
On top of that he really isn't used to being offered help. That's just - it's very uncomfortable for him. They mean well, and what does he even do with that except grumble and walk away as quickly as possible? Which makes him look like a huge asshole, though to be fair that's what he is, and at least he's holding back from berating them like he did when Donnie apologized back on the roof.
He clicks his tongue, irritated with himself.]
I'll figure this fucking thing out and get back to you two.
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But he will this time, because Accelerator isn’t family or even really a friend; if he doesn’t want help then Leo won’t force it.]
Alright, well, let us know what you figure out. Worse comes to worst we just won’t use our abilities around you while you have that thing turned on.
[It’s not like they’ve never gotten around without them before, Donnie especially. They can make it work.]
Come on, Dee. I wanna get food on the way back.
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[It's not exactly how he goes about making his brothers stop bothering him when he needs some space but he recognizes it for what it is now.]
I'll let you know once I get something together for that crutch.
[He nods at Leo then, gesturing for them to go. Not that he had been doing physically as much as the other two had but keeping his ninpō running in the long run does about the same thing for his appetite.]
Sure. Pizza or something else?
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