[Leonardo’s rational mind, struggling beneath cobwebs of fear, screams at him as darkness swallows the very ground beneath his feet - this isn’t right. Shredder is just a man - a master of the art, skilled, cruel and ruthless, terrifying in combat and probably a sociopath - but a human man. Not a mage, not a superhero, not a mutant of any stripe.
Unfortunately Tu Shanshu hasn’t been great for Leo’s rationality. When the second voice weaves into the laughter that scatters the teenager’s tattered composure like dry leaves, a treacherous thought fostered by paranoia sprouts and flourishes: What if Oruku got here and made allies who possess abilities Leo isn’t familiar with? What if some new ally or lackey controls shadows - or taught the Shredder how to do it himself?
Leo’s mouth is dry; his heartbeat pounds in his ears and it feels as though the heat is leeching from his body extremities-first (not a good thing for a half-reptile). Long past concealing his fear, blue eyes dart frantically as he searches the dark for any clue of an attack, any sign, anything solid he could possibly dodge or counter, something to work with, anything! But there’s just amorphous darkness and whispers behind his head, the ones he knows are there but when he turns it’s nothing.
Exhausted, terrorized, confused and alone, Leo’s skill is drowned by instinct. He knows a blow is coming, it must be. Leo flinches -
And then it’s gone. All of it. The alley is low-lit as normal, the only sound that of kedan nightlife issuing from a few streets away.
There’s a moment of frozen silence; then Leo gasps in shock and stumbles, half-falling and half-crumpling to the ground, braced on hands and knees. One katana escapes his grasp and clatters on the ground; the other remains grasped in his fist even now, but practically useless in the turtle’s current grip. He’s blowing like a racehorse; only part of that is the exertion of the chase. The rest is the aftermath of panic, shock draining warmth and feeling from his fingertips; he’s sick, shivery, trembling.
Why is he still alive? If the Shredder really had been here, Leo would no longer be in one piece, that’s for sure. Is someone messing with him, or is he just going crazy?
With a small groan, Leo leans back on his heels and presses his free hand to his eyes, trying to recover. After a moment he takes a steadying breath, retrieves his errant katana and braces the point in the ground to lever himself back on his feet.]
Went on vacation! Now I'm back!
Unfortunately Tu Shanshu hasn’t been great for Leo’s rationality. When the second voice weaves into the laughter that scatters the teenager’s tattered composure like dry leaves, a treacherous thought fostered by paranoia sprouts and flourishes: What if Oruku got here and made allies who possess abilities Leo isn’t familiar with? What if some new ally or lackey controls shadows - or taught the Shredder how to do it himself?
Leo’s mouth is dry; his heartbeat pounds in his ears and it feels as though the heat is leeching from his body extremities-first (not a good thing for a half-reptile). Long past concealing his fear, blue eyes dart frantically as he searches the dark for any clue of an attack, any sign, anything solid he could possibly dodge or counter, something to work with, anything! But there’s just amorphous darkness and whispers behind his head, the ones he knows are there but when he turns it’s nothing.
Exhausted, terrorized, confused and alone, Leo’s skill is drowned by instinct. He knows a blow is coming, it must be. Leo flinches -
And then it’s gone. All of it. The alley is low-lit as normal, the only sound that of kedan nightlife issuing from a few streets away.
There’s a moment of frozen silence; then Leo gasps in shock and stumbles, half-falling and half-crumpling to the ground, braced on hands and knees. One katana escapes his grasp and clatters on the ground; the other remains grasped in his fist even now, but practically useless in the turtle’s current grip. He’s blowing like a racehorse; only part of that is the exertion of the chase. The rest is the aftermath of panic, shock draining warmth and feeling from his fingertips; he’s sick, shivery, trembling.
Why is he still alive? If the Shredder really had been here, Leo would no longer be in one piece, that’s for sure. Is someone messing with him, or is he just going crazy?
With a small groan, Leo leans back on his heels and presses his free hand to his eyes, trying to recover. After a moment he takes a steadying breath, retrieves his errant katana and braces the point in the ground to lever himself back on his feet.]
What was that...? [Leo mutters to himself.]