Leo

"Hey, hey, hey, hands off the sharp things," Leo said, raising his hands in what he hoped was a I-mean-no-harm-unless-you-get-stabby kind of way. "Frankly, if we get into a fight I'd probably win, so don't go picking a battle you'd lose, 'kay?"

He sighed overdramatically. "Now that we've got that out of the way...so. 'Good cause'. I can appreciate that, provided it's true. But I still have some questions. Such as, do you know anything about the events that led to this..."

He gestured to the streets. "Anthropomorphic circus?"

Kat

Kat wasn't sure if he was serious. She could be a bit too quippy for her own good, but the last thing she'd have done is plagiarize. But it was all too easy. If everyone she hit up for an interview explained their whole backstory with the barest of prompts, she'd be on easy street. He had to be messing with her. If she was in his place, she'd have done the same thing.

"Oh please. If you want to scare me away, you'll have to do better than that. Perhaps without quoting the latest craze. It certainly doesn't explain the bandages. Do you see me wrapping my tail in a four foot cast? If you think you're some sort of freak, you're in good company."

She sighed, pulling her employee card out of her pockets. It wasn't fancy, but it got the job done.

"For what it's worth, I'm not hounding you on a whim. Sticking my nose where it's not wanted is part of my job. Sad but true."

She flashed her credentials. Mutant Town News wasn't the biggest name in town, but it was the only one this backwater district had. Her picture was scowling, but she was never photogenic.

"But if you're worried about the police, don't be. If they went after every two-bit hoodlum in these parts, they'd be doing their jobs. Now, if you raised your banner at City Hall, maybe you'd get their attention."

Art actually gives a small smile at the fact she actually recognized what he was referencing. "Not a lot of people get that." he notes. "And yes, fair enough, Miss Katarina." he nods, taking the card. "As for wrapping my appendages in bandages, I simply dislike looking at them." He peers at the card, and nods. "Mutant Town News. Explains your, how did you put it? Sticking your nose in people's business. Not that I should criticize you for that." At the comment about police, he sniffs. "Possibly the one good thing about this place."

Katarina

Katarina snatched her badge, sticking it back in her pockets.

"Hands off the merchandise if you please. I'm not proud of it, particularly the mugshot. But it's better than getting written up for misplacing identification."

She stared dully at her badge, lingering on the photo. It wasn't a bad picture. Even the scowling added some character. But it wasn't her. None of this was her. Running around on all fours and being eager for the next Mc Fishwich wasn't her. But ever day she spent in this wretched hovel made it easier to forget.

"Though you're not alone. This may not be the smartest thing to say, but I'd give anything to be free of this fursuit. Even my firstborn if it came to it. Is it so wrong to want to be normal?"

Edited by kkhohoho on Jun 8th 2023 at 7:46:14 AM

Art simply nods, looking at his gigantic claw. "I'll admit that this form has some... benefits." he grumbles. "However, it seems to cause more harm than good." His eyes turn piercing. "So it isn't so bad to hope for reversion." He sighs to himself. "Well." he intones. "I'm past my bedtime." he begins to walk away, but stops, turning to Katarina. "Miss Katarina, it was a pleasure, despite your sharp tongue." he says. "If ever I need someone to sniff around, I know who to call." he smirks very slightly, pointing to his nose(?) as he does so.

Edited by Jules-Firenze on Jun 8th 2023 at 9:38:58 PM

"It's Mayor Stockman's bloody 'quarantine zone'."

The rogue attempted to do air quotes while still holding her knives.

"Used Stocktech to buy up a bunch of property, walled if off and started corralling any mutants his Mousers catch into it. Which, yaknow, after the bomb six months ago there's a good lot of them running around. 'Scuse me for getting conspiratorial but I bet he's rigged this place to catastrophically burn down..."

Katarina

"I suppose it was. If you're in the neighborhood, perhaps we could do this again? There aren't many people for me to talk to in this place. Shocking, I know..."

The truth was more complicated. There were plenty of people to talk to, but there weren't many she wanted to talk to. Or who wanted to talk to her. She wasn't exactly a people person. Before this all started, it wouldn't have bothered her. But she was starting to get lonely.

Leo

Seriously?! Was this person being deliberately obtuse? He hadn't been asking about that, of course he knew about the parts with Stockman, he was there! Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Leo spoke again.

"Let me be more specific—do you have any idea of who set off the bomb?"

Art

"I suppose." Art harrumphs. "Most people here are too absorbed in their mutations to talk to." "I have a busy schedule, but I can find time for you." He holds out his giant claw. He couldn't exactly shake hands without snapping them off, so he keeps it closed to fist bump her. "Good night, Miss Katarina."

Edited by Jules-Firenze on Jun 13th 2023 at 4:02:49 PM

A Stocktech employee stepped in, and looked to the mayor. "Mayor Stockman..."

Baxter Stockman idly twirled a pawn in between his fingers. "Yes?"

"Mutant Town continues as normal... though there have been... reports."

Stockman quirked a brow. "Yes?"

"Some say they've seen... turtles."

Stockman smiled. "So... finally showing up, aren't they?"

"Oh. Nope, can't help ya there. Odd that in the wake of the bomb no one got blamed for it, innit? I mean I don't see Stockman doin' it given he's not too fond of mutants so why create more but..."

The rogue flipped a knife as an idle moment of thought flickered through her head.

"It ain't outside the realm of pos'a'bility that he'd make a problem just to claim credit fer squashin' it."

Leo

"...dang it."

Seriously? Another dead end? This guy seemed to have just vanished off the face of the—

Wait a second.

Stockman?

"...Stockman isn't outside the realm of possibility, actually. Which would be just embarrassing, if he flew under the radar this long. I always thought Mutant Town was specifically to spite us, but..." He leaned forward a bit, resting his chin on his hand. "You've actually got a sharp mind, Mr...?"

The rogue rolled her eyes a little bit.

"Miss. Nightingale. Not my real name but gotta keep things secret in this industry, innit? What's your handle then?"

Leo

Well.

Well well well.

This promised to be interesting.

"Before I answer, you answer a question of mine." It was hard to see, but Leo wore a somewhat smug grin now. "How do you feel about working with the greatest ninja this side of New York?"

"Long as you're okay with running with the finest rogue on the eastern seaboard. Sound acceptable, mister nameless ninja?"

Meanwhile, the finest street vendor of cabbage-based food stuffs in the tri-state area was driving his truck to a secret warehouse....

Edited by Nodrog on Jul 19th 2023 at 1:36:07 PM

Leo

"Fair deal. Try not to fangirl too hard."

And with that, Leo lightly dropped into view.

He gave her a moment to take it in; a giant turtle could be just a bit overwhelming. (Even if "giant" was stretching it a bit with him, he was barely above five feet.) Then, he grinned and dramatically bowed.

"Yes, I am in fact one of the ninja turtles you have heard of on the news. The leader, in fact." He straightened. "Name's Leonardo. Everyone calls me Leo. Yes, I do do autographs."

A pause.

Leo looked up at Donnie. "You can come down too."

Donnie had been watching silently from the shadows, taking in the entire conversation. There were numerous points where he was tempted to jump in, but he managed to stay himself. Finally, when his fearless leader called for him, he landed silently behind the blue-clad turtle.

"Thank you," he replied. "My name is Donatello. Or Donnie, if you want." He gave Leo a pointed look, then shook his head with a slight smile. "And Leo? Maybe we should be more careful about who we let see us? Especially if it's on the news? Whatever happened to strike hard, and fade away without a trace?"

A large rhino man sat before the two, smoking a cigar nearly as large as his thumb, it seemed almost comical. The guys with guns however made it clear things were less than comical, he took a drag and looked to the two mutants before him.

Octavius, and Diana, an octopus and an axolotl, not his first choices.

This was Jensen "Big" Biggs, formerly one of the heads of a few of New Yorks crime families, until he got caught in the blast of the mutant bomb. He set the cigar down and looked at the two. "Alright, ready to get your assignment?" he asked.

Leo

"She doesn't have a camera, we'll be fine. And as leader—" Leo swept an arm out in a flourish "—you can rest assured I've thought this through, and it is a good course of action. Who do you think I am, Raph?"

He laughed a bit at the thought.

Octavius "Octobrawl" was not happy.

He had gotten in so much trouble working for the Purple Dragons, and now to be taking orders from this overgrown ogre... it made his blue blood boil. However, try as he might, he just could not make it straight. He just needed to bide his time, and working for Biggs was the best way to do that so far.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Octobrawl said, stretching idly as he stared down Biggs. "What's the order, sir?" Despite being huge, Big Biggs stood a good few feet taller than him, and he knew that getting on his bad side was a good way to turn himself into calamari.

Diana in the undergeound.

Diana was pretty happy she had finally been employed once again it was getting boring at her place and she will get payed, she wasnt used to working with another person but the octopus will do.

"Ready as always boss."

She said with an air of confidence and pride her hands at her pockets, she wondered where she could get one of those cigars.

Biggs set down some photos. "There's a shipment coming in from an old subway line, supposedly related to Stocktech, new weapons, toys, even medicine and rations."

He flipped over some other folders. "Here, that stuff is worth more than gold, and I need all I can get to build my empire."

Biggs took a drag. "You two are to meet up with some of my goons and get them. Simple, yes?"

"... Huh."

Oh sure she wasn't asked to fangirl too hard, but even that was still a very restrained response to the arrival of a second turtle ninja and confirmation they were supposed to be specific ones from the news.

"Well then, nice to have some friends in the shadows innit? Still gotta find someone who can handle these supplies though..."

Donatello furrowed his brow.

"I wasn't talking about her," he pointed out, gesturing towards her. Then he pointed out towards the exit of the alleyway. "I meant that for ninjas like us, being on the news is a bad thing. We had to dodge like 5 watchers to get here. You can't be careless in a place like this."

Octobrawl took a look at some of the photos, narrowing his eyes and examining closely.

"Simple meet-grab-n'-go? Child's play," Octobrawl replied. "Simple, yes."