7028/Turtle Time in the Lair

Turtle Time in the Lair
Date of Scene:	24 March 2019
Location:	Turtle Lair beneath NYC
Synopsis:	Three of the brothers discuss - surprise - pizza!
Cast of Characters:	Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael

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Leonardo has posed:
With the sun having gone down in the city, this is the time when the Turtles begin to get more active. Sticking to the shadows is a lot easier when it's dark out, leading to an abundance of them. Before that, Leonardo's been training. Yes, again. He's also finished that training and is currently spending a little downtime in front of a video game, one of the fighter ones. With Michelangelo probably off getting pizza or something like that, it's a good chance to get some gaming in without getting beaten. The well-worn couch Splinter found some time back sees him planted at the edge of it, tongue sticking out the side of his mouth occasionally as he mashes buttons to pull off cool-looking combos. "Come on, come on, block.." he mumbles, focused as he stares at the screen, his headband pulled down where it rests like more of a scarf or necklace.

Donatello has posed:
     Donatello was looking at a microscope, working on one of his little projects. He was also without mask, but he was unmistakable considering he was wearing a lab coat over his shell. "Interesting reaction!" He comments, writing down notes without looking at the pad. Of course, the smart one passes his time with academic pursuits. "Hahaha! Prodigious!" He says, removing himself from the microscope and picking up the pad, making more and more notes as he approaches Leo playing a game.

Raphael has posed:
"Hey, Losers, I'm home!" Raphael calls as he steps into the lair, the scent of warm pizza carrying through. Going out for pizza was a good excuse to get in some Nightwatcher patrols. Tonight was one of those rare nights when nothing big had happened, and so he was back earlier than anticipated.

"Any of you caught April's new video yet?"

He sets the pizza down on the makeshift table, popping the lid open and letting the lure of its succulent contents do its job.

Leonardo has posed:
That..is not Mikey with the pizzas. The pleasing aroma of the cheese pies (and whatever else is on them) is enough to cause Leonardo to momentarily forget about the combo he was trying to pull off, and by the time he looks back at the TV he's watching his ninja character go down and go down hard. "...cripes," he mutters, throwing up his hands after setting the controller down, spotting Donatello on the way closer at that time. No throwing the controller, no swearing at the game, nothing broken. That would be abnormal.

"Hey, Raph. Which video? I saw the one with that rich guy from Gotham City the other week," he says, making his way over to the table, or whatever's passing for one tonight. Even with the tasty meal before them, he seems a little distracted. "Mikey's out doing something, and Sensei is resting," the oldest of the turtles adds. "We should make sure to leave a few slices for them."

Donatello has posed:
     Donnie keeps writing as he walks, then as if he was in a cartoon, the aroma of pizza tickles his nostrils, and he is immediately diverted from the couch to the table, all while writing down notes. "The video with the Hell's Kitchen lady, Jessica Jones." He chimes in, picking up a slice of pie, and biting down, stretching the cheese from his mouth.

Raphael has posed:
"That one," Raph jerks his thumb in Donnie's direction and grabs a slice for himself. "Ape said it should be somethin' worth watchin'. Anyways, slice for Splintah, but none for Mikey. He snoozed, he lost." He chuckles and walks over to the television, inspecting the game Leonardo was playing.

"Still suckin' at this one, eh? Funny."

Leonardo has posed:
The TV displays a 'GAME OVER - CONTINUE?' option.

It's forgotten as Leonardo inhales a slice, barely even chewing it after lifting the triangular piece of food up to drop it into his big mouth. "Maybe I'll check it out before the night's over. Is it quiet up top? You're back way earlier than I expected," he asks Raphael, looking him over for any signs of a fight. Whether there's any objection to it or not, by the time they've had their fill of pizza he'll still save something for Michelangelo.

Now with the game brought back to his attention, he scoffs, "I was winning until you showed up with dinner. Some things are more important. Anyway, I'd rather be a good ninja in real life than in some game." So there. Attention slides over to Donatello. "You been working on anything neat?"

Donatello has posed:
     Donnie is in the middle of chewing when he shows Leo his pad. "Ith a thtudy on da maillard weactionth." He offers up, showing notes on how cooking meat changes the proteins and makes it delicious. He gulps down the bite as he continues. "If the principals can be adapted into an oven, perhaps we can find a way into making a better pizza." Yes, he is using science to prove wood burning ovens are better for pizza making.

Raphael has posed:
"I jus' went out for pizza," Raph shoots back when Leonardo implies he's back early, "There weren't that many people at the takeout, s'all." So far he has managed to keep the Nightwatcher a secret from the rest of his brothers, the last thing he needs is Leo nosing in and blowing his cover. He figures anger is always a good distraction, so he adds: "Keep it up with the practice and someday ya will be."

He didn't play the field as Leonardo, but he knew the princples of the game- distraction and deflection to draw attention away from something. In this case, a sharp barb at Leonardo in the hopes of angering him and make him forget about Raph's topside activities. He doesn't have anything to add to Donnie's research, so he crosses his arms and waits for the reaction.

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo may not be as intelligent as Donatello when it comes to the sorts of book or scientific smarts the turtle has, but he's also no fool. Being dumb, as the group's leader, would be a bad mix. "If you say so, Raph," he retorts, giving his brother a longer look. "I'll stick to practicing for real. I was just unwinding a little." His arms cross almost in tune with Raphael's, nearly spitting images of each other's body language and stances.

This time, Donatello provides enough of a distraction to get Raphael off the hook. "The what?" Leo asks, moving over to give the notes a look. "If this has to do with making pizza even better, what do we need to get you to make it so?" Seems he's very much down for this idea, but maybe not if he has to actually make it himself.

Donatello has posed:
     Donnie looks a bit happy that Leo is interested in his research. "The Maillard reactions. A series of chemical reactions that occur when you cook. In this case it also concerns wood fire, in an oven, which would cook a pizza super fast at high heat. The reactions on the dough, cheese, and meats form compounds that cannot be made any other way. Like having a grilled steak instead of an oven cooked one."

  "You get bricks, to build a good oven, heat it up enough with good fuel, and bingo." Donnie says, though his notes are highly filled with the specific molecular compounds he talks about, there are diagrams of the proteins undergoing the cooking process.

Raphael has posed:
"Bricks are the easy part. We can use Mikey's head for part of them." Raphal smirks, "So how many bricks we talkin' about here? I can probably pass by one of the construction sites. Plenty of discarded bricks in there. I'll bring Mikey with me, he needs to get his exercise." By how much the younger turtle ate, it was amazing he managed to keep trim. Raph could swear he still consumed way more than he could burn.

Leonardo has posed:
It's not often that Leonardo lets Raphael slide without further probing into any suspicions, so he may have Donatello to thank for that. "And I always just thought it tasted better cooked just because. You're saying there's science behind it, too? Behind making a better pizza?" He shakes his head, seeming to find it equal parts fascinating and cool. "We'll have to try it, but is it safe to make one of those ovens down here and burn things in it? The smoke's just going to go up to the street. Someone could smell that." Buzzkill, or logical concern?

The big brother chuckles at thinking of Mikey after Raph's quip, and as Leo pulls his blue eye mask back into place he walks over toward an adjacent nook where a few tools are, gathering up a few wiping and oiling cloths, some choji oil, and an uchiko ball. Then, he adopts a kneeling postion and goes about removing his katanas and giving them a good cleaning. The others may not have to go through this sort of thing with their weapons, but doing so puts Leo in something of a quietly peaceful mood. No doubt, this sort of maintenance is something he respects doing.

Donatello has posed:
     "It will take time. But honestly anything cooking down here creates byproducts. It's just something to think about." Donnie admits, but his notes are picked up and he stands. "So, I'll draw up some plans, and look for some good place to exhaust the oven. We can make it as discreet as possible. In theory, of course."

  The purple clad turtle blinks a couple times, wiping at his eyes. "And perhaps get some shuteye too, for that matter." He says, his maskless face showing his tired eyes for the most part.

Raphael has posed:
"I'm down with that," Raphael says, stretching, "Make it an early night for once." He closes the lid of the pizza box and goes to store it in the fridge.

"Bet Leo will wanna polish his sword in private, anyways." the red turtle says with a smirk and a raised eyeridge, "See ya in the morrow." He walks by Donatello and pats him on the head briefly before he walks off to his quarters, thumbs hooked on his weapons belt.

Leonardo has posed:
"Good idea, Donnie. We can take a look later and find the best place for it," Leonardo says in agreement, though his eyes are focused on his task at hand. Until, that is, Raph's comment. "I don't know what you're talking about, bro," he says with a squint, looking up from his place on the lair's floor. Shaking his head afterward, he adds loudly enough for them to hear before they go about getting an early sleep, "I'm heading up to keep an eye on things. I don't know what's going on with all these Sentinels that are in the news, but I hope they aren't going to be a problem for us." The mutant-hunting robots might just be another topic for another time.