7715/From The Field of Weeds

From The Field of Weeds
Date of Scene:	02 June 2019
Location:	Turtle Lair
Synopsis:	Splinter and Leonardo have a talk.
Cast of Characters:	Splinter, Leonardo

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Splinter has posed:
Splinter is cooking, tonight, since the boys are out -- he assumes they'll pick up a slice somewhere. He's usually right.

"Ah." He says, as he drops the breaded chicken into a pan of hot oil to fry. "Chicken Katsu. Delicious." He opens the rice cooker as fragrant steam wafts out, and checks another pan of gently simmering vegetables, as he he busies himself in the rigged-up kitchen with his stained old 'Kiss the Cook' apron.

Leonardo has posed:
Peace and quiet in the Lair, particularly because Splinter is the only one there. Each of the Turtles are busy with their own things, trusted to be careful with what they do. Whether they are or not is a different story given the variety of personalities they possess.

One who can almost always be counted on to honor the guidelines that have been set is Leonardo, and is that really any surprise? Raphael, the brooding, angry one, has his own business he often conducts that the others don't know about. Michelangelo loves to party. Donatello would probably be found off at a library or tech center of some kind if it didn't draw too much attention. Leonardo keeps to the shadows, stays out of sight, uses the rooftops or sewer and subway tunnels to get around easier.

Whatever he was up to, he is the first to return after making sure there were no eyes on the manhole cover back underground, and he smells the cooking before he sees any of it. "Father?" he calls over, before coming into view. He looks clean, for what they are, so he probably didn't get into any sort of fights.

Splinter has posed:
Splinter looks up, and sets down his wooden spoon. "Leonardo, my son. I didn't expect you to be back until late. I was just going to sit down with some dinner and watch some of the Kurosawa films your brother gave me on the Blu-Ray." His whiskers twitch. ...He was going to watch Terms of Endearment, not Ran.

"...Is something troubling you, my son?" The rat's fuzzy eyebrows go up, his black eyes keen and curious.

Leonardo has posed:
"Blu-Ray? Don't forget, we can use the streaming stuff down here too," the blue-masked turtle points out, though that does not always mean something is available on one of the many options out there.

As he approaches the kitchen area, he starts off with a few words that often brings groans to his brothers: "I've been thinking." Oh yes, he has some things on his mind. Before just launching right into it, he gives Splinter the chance to offer up a response while a glance is had at what's cooking, then the apron the rat wears.

Splinter has posed:
Splinter looks down at his dinner, and then up at Leonardo. "...Would you like some?" He asks. "I had assumed you would have stopped for a slice, my son." He knows his sons well, after all.

"You are always thinking, Leonardo. It's one of the things I like best about you." Always musing, always dreaming. ...Very much like Shen, though that, of course, is a ridiculous notion. "Unburden yourself."

Leonardo has posed:
Some would accuse Leonardo of thinking too much, sometimes even leaving him indecisive when a little impulsiveness might be more called for. But, as the leader of the group when it comes to their time topside, someone has to be the one trying to cover every possibility, each variable. "Yes..thank you." seems he did not have some pizza, or if he did he's still hungry.

"And I appreciate that, sensei, but would you tell me what happened with the Foot you encountered? I heard a few things up there, and I know you were out." Leo wastes no time getting to the point, seeking to find out the truth straight from the source.

Splinter has posed:
Splinter looks at the spoon, and then says, "You are concerned that I killed the Shredder's ninjas." He goes back to stirring his vegetables, and then he plates up a piece of the fried chicken, greens, and rice for Leonardo. He even pours him a healthy measure of sauce over the chicken.

"The way of the ninja is deception, my son. Whether or not I killed those men, the Shredder's soldiers must *believe* that they are dead, with no proof. That dread causes hesitation and confusion, which works to our advantage. You know all this -- I taught it to you long ago."

Leonardo has posed:
"I don't believe you killed them," Leonardo states what he thinks based on what he's heard. "Nobody found any bodies that I heard of, and I believe if you meant Shredder to know you killed someone, you'd make it clear. That..would send a different kind of message, but this leaves them to question." Does he have the right of it? He may soon know for sure.

Prior to that, he settles in with the plate pulled over his way, getting a pair of chopsticks for himself. Somehow, he makes them work with his hands and fingers what they are.

Splinter has posed:
Splinter serves himself, and purs two cups of green tea. "You have a deep moral objection to the taking of life. That shows strength of character, my son." One Splinter does not wholly share.

"The nature of my struggle with the Shredder is different. Oroku Saki *craves* dominance over everything around him. If that dominance is challenged, it will stoke his anger, and he will react in ways that we can exploit and used against him."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo explains, "I understand that killing is sometimes necessary. That doesn't mean I like it, and it doesn't mean I won't look for another way first if one exists." The thought of Splinter being a willing killer is not one he prefers to think about, and with all the time the old rat has spent in the Lair it's been easy to avoid thinking about that sort of thing. Leo's had to occasionally talk Raphael down and that's bad enough sometimes.

"And I understand throwing Shredder off, trying to make him think this or that, to question you. Us. Everything. He's had time to build up his strength, his power." On one hand, whatever they can do to disrupt Shredder's comfort zone, they may have to take advantage of it. On the other...

The eldest turtle occupies himself with a few bites of food, setting his cup of tea in a specific place.

Splinter has posed:
Splinter puts a paw on Leonardo's shoulder, and then he says, "It can be a challenge, to keep true to your beliefs in trying times, my son. Remember, even if you fail... you try again. One's ideals being compromised is not an excuse to abandon them."

Splinter eats in silence, for a time, and then says, "...But the Shredder and I are locked into a course that can only, ultimately end with his death. Or mine."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo nods slowly, taking a moment to tug his mask down so it rests at his neck. Without the mask in place, the turtles can look so similar to each other if not for subtle differenes in coloration and more. He glances toward the gnarled but still lethal hand, well aware of how much time has been spent in training with the rat, teaching them everything they know. "We never give up," he agrees. "And if one of you has to die, I will be sure it isn't you."

Splinter has posed:
The look Splinter gives Leonardo at that is downright frosty. "Your lives do not exist to be sacrificed for mine, my son." His expression grows dark, and cloudy.

Leonardo has posed:
"Father, with all respect, I don't believe you taught us what you did only to stand by and let you die if it's down to you and Shredder," Leonardo says, meeting the old man's eyes with his own. "He has his minions, and he's made more. We may have to deal with them, but that doesn't mean we'll leave you alone."

He seems to have more on his mind, but it waits for the moment while this more important matter is touched on.

Splinter has posed:
Splinter is quiet, the willingness of his sons to sacrifice themselves for him something the old rat is visibly grappling with. "We may need to make allies outside of our family to counter the Foot Clan's numbers. Not all of those allies may be comfortable or convenient. Do you understand?"

He finishes his meal, and then sips his tea, slowly. "...You have something else on your mind."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo steeples his fingers after setting the chopsticks down for a pause in eating. "You are thinking of Alopex, the FBI Agent Garrett, aren't you? He seems trustworthy. Alopex..I don't know yet. She seems sincere, and I gave her a chance to attack me on the rooftop and she did not as much as hint at taking advantage of the opportunity. Perhaps..you should see her in a neutral location, speak to her yourself. If you believe she can be trusted..."

He lets the words trail off, knowing Splinter will understand what he's getting at. "This Punisher, Castle? I don't trust him enough to believe we might not have to step in at some point if we do anything with him. I don't care for his methods, his willingness to kill outright when he believes he is justified. Is he so good that he's never made a mistake? You can't reverse that."

Splinter has posed:
"I haven't really met either of them." Splinter says.

"Not all allies can be taken to your heart as family. But understanding them, working with them? That's different." Splinter says. "...I will go and meet this 'Punisher' myself, and then we can make that decision together. As for Alopex..." Splinter says. "Mmmm. Bring her to me. Here."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo's brows scrunch together. Rather, there's the motion but no eyebrows to speak of, so it's not quite the same. "Here? Are you sure that's a good idea so quickly?" he asks, the surprise clear and evident in his question. "You always reminded us to be careful to protect our home from those who would find it and bring danger to our doorstep. I'm not saying she's still serving Shredder, but wouldn't it be better to do this somewhere else first?"

Splinter has posed:
Splinter lets out a sigh, and then says, "...She has forsaken the only home she has ever known, Leonardo. If we want to get to the truth of the matter, we must find a way to make her comfortable, and get past her own caution and reticience. You are right, in that we do not want to lead our enemies here, to our home." He strokes his chin. "But at the same time..."

Leonardo has posed:
"It could escalate things, but it could help cement a new ally by showing her further trust," Leonardo determines, leaving his response, at least as far as Alopex is concerned, at that. "But the Punisher, I don't want him down here. I'd rather keep him at a distance. Alopex is very good, very fast. Consider who trained her. Punisher? He doesn't miss anything. When we met him in the abandoned subway station, he had the whole place rigged to blow if he felt he had to go that far just in having us there."

Splinter has posed:
"...Then leave the Punisher to me. I will go to him." Splinter says, "...Blindfold Alopex and block her sense of smell using anise oil, so that she will not know the way to the lair. The trust she will show if she allows you to do that will be an important first step. And then we will speak to her, here."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo looks on the verge of laughing, or at least chuckling given the twitch of one corner of his mouth, but he instead reaches for the chopsticks to go back to the katsu and more. "You're probably right about that," he admits. "But be careful with Punisher. I don't see him trying to hurt you, but remember. He covers as many possibilities as he can. I was with him when he scouted out the Foot Clan clubhouse."

Splinter has posed:
"...This is not my first rodeo, my son." Splinter says, before he moves to get up, and clean up the dishes from preparing dinner. "...And I think this Punisher and I might have things in common that would surprise you."

Leonardo has posed:
Gently chided, Leonardo regardless diverts his attention to his plate. "Of course, sensei." Only after the last bit is mentioned, that Splinter and the Punisher may not be all that different, does the crease to his brow come back. "If you'd like a hand with the clean-up..?" he offers.

Splinter has posed:
Splinter gestures. "I can handle a few dishes. Go. Sleep. You will have little enough of that before your brothers come home and wake you up."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo nods, quietly finishing the last of his food before bringing the plate, cup, and chopsticks over for Splinter to handle. "Thank you again for the food and discussion, father. Before I sleep, I still have training and meditation to do, but I will seek out Alopex again very soon."