[Good, she isn't offended. Raph would have kicked him into a tunnel for all of this talking by now. His initial comparison of her to his brother really had been in error. Leo tilts his head thoughtfully before giving it a shake in the negative.]
No. Sun Tzu once said, 'Know thyself, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.' The sooner I know exactly what we're up against, the better.
[In fact, Leonardo is beginning to think that it's fortunate for this to be the first person he's had a real conversation with. He might have been more inclined to go at this solo if he'd spoken with someone less willing to talk business with him.]
Zuko, Colin, and Sans. They're reliable? And what do you mean, 'crises closer to the safe zone'?
[She smirks, and for a moment... It's approving, but just a little bit wicked. Right then, that had been a test, She could do without the pretentious quote, but he would have only lost her respect if he'd taken her up on that offer and left early.]
[It's blink and you'd miss it. The next moment, Rin nods as if to say "very well" and continues.]
It's just what it sounds like; a crisis is a crisis. To keep us from actively fighting her, the Queen likes to stir up trouble closer to home. Sometimes it's been an attempt on our lives, like whisking us into a death trap; other times it's plaguing us with an inconvenience that would make it near impossible to fight, like seeing each other's memories or dealing with evil doppelgängers. Sometimes she doesn't even have to do that, because Ozuma will have screwed up something instead.
[She shakes her head, annoyed by more than one case of this. But she's already related to him of Ozuma's struggles with competency.]
Depending on the issue at hand, there's not always something we can do but weather it out, but when it comes to saving lives, we're on the ball. Colin is pompous and has an unbearable personality, but he's smart. Reliable. His preparations came in handy rescuing Ozuma once, and during the food shortage.
Sans is possibly more brilliant, although you wouldn't guess it from a single conversation. He won't do more than play mission control from safety, if he'll do much at all, but he's the one who built that generator in the Altar Room, and developed our communication system. Actually, we would have died in October if not for him— oh.
[If Leonardo notices her catlike grin, he doesn't mention it. His head remains tilted in undeterred interest as he absorbs her words, clearly taking every scrap of information quite seriously. He notes the mention of the death trap and the food shortage - as well as the two names. Colin: a jerk, but smart and reliable. He can probably work with that.]
[Sans piques his interest as well. Brilliant, but... what? Overly cautious? The same could be said of Leonardo's own brother, Donatello, but he thinks he's reading signals in her word choice that don't seem to line up with that comparison. Even Don regularly works in the field despite the dangers. He's about to press for more information on this name when Rin pauses, seemingly surprising herself somehow.]
[Leo raises an eye ridge and waits for a beat to see if she'll continue unprompted.]
[Oh yes, definitely. It only takes a moment to realize her error, and move to correct it.]
Mm, I neglected someone before: my roommate, Kida Masaomi.
[Rin raises her head, eyes scanning the line of statues once more. Strange to think that event was four months ago now, isn't it? Some of these very people had been in the castle still; flesh and soggy bone in the cages alongside hers. The blue gaze settles on a smaller one in particular.
He'd been one of two people to save her life that day.]
Back in October, half of us woke up in cages hanging off the cliffside, on a steady descent to be submerged. I forgot because it wasn't a typical mission and I was among those trapped, but Kida-kun really came through for us.
[She looks back at Leo, waving a hand.] Despite being new here, from what I heard later on, he was the one to take charge organizing the rescue efforts on the outside.
[Which was no small task, she knows intimately. She can remember the dawning realization she had realizing the location of her cage's key. Even as she held steadfast to that glimmer of hope that things would turn out alright, she had to make peace with the fact too, that she might die hours before they found the key in that huge altar room.]
[Another Japanese name. Leonardo wonders if there's a pattern to be found there. More interesting than that, however, is the way Rin's eyes scan the room slowly as if looking for something. Once they settle, Leo's own gaze flicks to observe the object of interest. A statue of a child, more detailed than the two he'd looked at earlier. Leo isn't entirely sure what this room is, but the statues here are both diverse and plentiful. It's clearly a place with a lot of history.]
[A likely possibility hits him like a blow from something blunt: fallen warriors, maybe. Why are so many of them kids? The thought opens a gate of righteous anger that he immediately caps, knowing this isn't the place for it. Instead, Leo turns his thoughts back to Rin's explanation. Not only does Kida sound competent, she's got an actual crisis situation to back up his reliability. That's good. He nods, the name instantly floating near the top of his list of people to look out for.]
She was stuck — oh wait. You mean what she's like.
[That's right, she didn't get to her after describing Sans and Colin. For a moment there Rin thought they were still discussing the incident with the cages. She waves a scolding hand at herself. No worries, she gets it now!]
Zuko is the most dependable person that I've worked with in this castle. Like I told you, if someone is putting a group together to go out, usually it's either her or me, but between the two of us, Zuko is the one who has been here longer. She has the most experience.
[Rin tosses a long ponytail over her shoulder, brushing her hair back.]
She's quick to act in a crisis, and works strategically. Her interpersonal skills are clumsy, but not in a bad way. In a professional environment, she knows exactly how to use and work with others, and genuinely looks out for their safety. She's a good leader.
[A lot of praise, from a person Leonardo suspects doesn't give it out lightly. He finds a mild smile tugging the edges of his beak. It's good to hear that even in a ragtag, disorganized group such as this, there are people with strong leadership qualities and a commitment to looking out for their people.]
[Rin, of course, had spurned the idea of them being called her people. Leonardo wonders if Zuko would have a similar reaction, and if if not, whether that might be the distinction that made Rin put her name first.]
[In any case, he appreciates the information - but he thinks that's about all he's going to dig for on the topic of the others. Far be it from Leonardo to take things at face value rather than form his own opinions. The smile twists at one corner, and his tone tilts towards one that might even be teasing.]
That's good to hear. You guys had me worried for a minute.
[Now that he's more clued into the situation, it's easier to see a more relaxed line in his shoulders; there's even a spark of understated enthusiasm in his eyes. Ninja boys will be ninja boys.]
So. Here's the big question: think we can pull this off?
[That's the first touch of good humor she's seen to him. Underlying it is a challenge; that any answer short of yes would be a disappointment, and for that reason he anticipates what her answer will be.
Well, he's not wrong. He won't be hearing no from her anytime soon.]
Naturally. [Locking one arm behind her back, she cants her head to the side and scoffs.] I'm not staying here forever. I'll do it all myself if I have to. If I've convinced you to lend your aid, however, I won't say no to it.
[She isn't wrong, nor is Leonardo disappointed by her declaration. There's a sort of blunt pragmatism to Rin's replies that make her easy to speak with for someone goal-oriented like Leonardo; the tail end of her statement gets a nod, his humor drawing back up behind a serious expression. He's already sworn his weapons to the cause; he sees no reason to do it again. Rather, he supposes it's his turn to give information about himself. It's unavoidable if they want to form teams based on skillsets.]
As I said, I can fight. But my specialty is ninjutsu. Getting in and out without being seen. [He pauses for a beat.] I'm not sure guerrilla warfare will do us much good on this type of playing field, but I can hold my own and work with a team.
[If this were home, she would balk at the way he tells her what he's capable of so easily. Her head turns sharply towards him, in fact, before she remembers of course that's not an issue here. For ten months, she's been open with (most of) her abilities for the same reason.
It still feels strange.
She wonders if it's as peculiar to a ninja to reveal his identity as it is to a mage.]
Our opponents move through portals, so traps would be ineffective. That's okay. Aside from a few unique threats, their only real strength is in numbers. It's easy to beat them back. If ninjutsu is your specialty you'll do well, and your athleticism will work in your favor for the rest of it. The Queen is fond of puzzles; most are physically demanding.
[This information isn't given freely - if Leo's brothers were here, there's a chance it wouldn't be given at all, because Leonardo is fine with gambits insofar as he's the only one under fire should they go wrong. By first impression, Rin is trustworthy. Revealing his trade makes sense.]
[Yet her sharp, if nonverbal reaction impresses him. Does she see through his veneer of indifference? If so, she's astute; but his composure doesn't waver. It's only a disadvantage if he allows it to be perceived as one.]
[Redundant thinking in the first place, given she's an ally, not an enemy.]
That won't be a problem. I'm quicker than I look.
[An army that relies on a sea of grunts with a few more seasoned threats tossed in? That's an enemy, and a familiar one.]
What kind of 'unique threats' are we talking about, here?
Specialized shadow warriors. [She counts off two fingers.] I've seen an assassin, and these... canine-types before. The latter will try to bite you, while the assassins wield knives. Both are fatally toxic, from what I was made to understand. One little cut with a taste of their venom, and it's only a matter of time before you're pushing up daisies.
[...how did she find that out again? She's actually seen the Nightmare Stalkers in person, but neither her nor Masaomi were bitten...]
[His eyes narrow dangerously, as if envisioning these enemies in front of him. He's had brushes with deadly toxins before; dishonorable, but effective. Although Leonardo isn't excited at the prospect of facing the danger of poison again, it doesn't change anything in the long run. An enemy with knives is an enemy he can fight. The canines -- less easily, but he's fought plenty of other creatures in his time.]
[The word Assassin itself implies a certain stealth capability. Not that he was about to let his guard down before - but it helps to know that putting extra care into observing their surroundings isn't unwarranted.]
[He's setting himself up for disappointment if it happens and there's nothing to be done, she thinks. But if that's his prerogative, it's not her responsibility to correct it.]
It's their preferred tactic. Sometimes their only tactic. But you should know, only the specialized ones will make an attempt to kill you. The standard fare will try to capture you alive and drag you off into a portal.
[A look of plain incredulity knits through Leo's brow. Ambushing tactics he gets. Taking the enemy alive, or eradicating them completely, he gets. But both at once? There's no way that's anywhere close to an efficient directive. Maybe he'd misunderstood.]
Mm... I don't think so. I've only seen the stronger ones sent as in reinforcements, though I've heard in the past they've skulked about certain areas like guard dogs.
[She meant to explain to him that it's not being captured by the Shadows that you have to worry about. Supposedly, they have means to turn you into one of them. Rin makes a note to herself not to forget to bring this up with Leo again, and if it doesn't naturally happen in this thread, you can assume she addresses it at a later point.]
First, we'll want to scout a few areas. If I'm right, there should be three different paths forward. We can choose which one to prioritize based on by an assessment of difficulty, or any Shadow activity we might see.
[She snaps her fingers.] Ah, but after that, we should wait a week or two before setting out. The last time we did a scouting mission, the Queen took note of our meddling and anticipated we'd be back soon, so she upped her defensive measures. If we can trick her into thinking not to expect us this time, we'll have less trouble.
[Arms crossed, Leo taps a finger against his bicep thoughtfully. Makes sense. Though as far as he can tell, this castle is hardly a technological marvel; he has to wonder if it's really that difficult to run a scouting mission without drawing her attention.]
I can help with that. Recon is our - my specialty. [A slight slip that Leo catches right away: talking as if he's still part of his usual team. He does his best to gloss over it and continue.] Do we know what kinds of eyes and ears she has out there?
[She notices that. So teamwork comes naturally to him, huh? Maybe that's why he adapted so easily to the idea of working with her. For him, it's not as unusual. If anything given the slip-up, it might be the standard.
Do ninjas work in teams? It's not something she's given considerable thought to previously. From her studies into famous assassins, she knows of famous guilds, but she's always pictured the work itself as a solitary thing, relying on only necessary contacts and allies.]
There's her Shadow army, of course. Besides that, her magical reach seems to extend throughout this entire castle. I wouldn't be surprised if she has a crystal ball somewhere that she observes us through. Ozuma is able to shield us from her in the safe zones, but she seems to be aware of everything we do outside of those places.
The army isn't a problem, but... I'm not sure there's a lot I can do about a crystal ball. [Leo notes, somewhat dryly. His eyes flash to the smear of chalk on the wall and then back to Rin, calculating.] Unless you've got some sort of... masking spell?
If I could completely erase my presence like that, I really would do everything in this castle myself. We wouldn't be having this conversation.
[She can mask her own mana, of course, but only enough to make her pass as an average human to those with the ability to sense magic. Nothing so extensive as to hide their whereabouts. If anything, she'd expect a ninja would be better able to pull that off.]
Anyways, it's not that big of a deal, just something we should expect and prepare for. This is a big castle. She can't monitor everything at once, so once we're there it will take her time to respond. If we work quickly, we'll set ourselves up for less trouble to worry about.
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No. Sun Tzu once said, 'Know thyself, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.' The sooner I know exactly what we're up against, the better.
[In fact, Leonardo is beginning to think that it's fortunate for this to be the first person he's had a real conversation with. He might have been more inclined to go at this solo if he'd spoken with someone less willing to talk business with him.]
Zuko, Colin, and Sans. They're reliable? And what do you mean, 'crises closer to the safe zone'?
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It's just what it sounds like; a crisis is a crisis. To keep us from actively fighting her, the Queen likes to stir up trouble closer to home. Sometimes it's been an attempt on our lives, like whisking us into a death trap; other times it's plaguing us with an inconvenience that would make it near impossible to fight, like seeing each other's memories or dealing with evil doppelgängers. Sometimes she doesn't even have to do that, because Ozuma will have screwed up something instead.
[She shakes her head, annoyed by more than one case of this. But she's already related to him of Ozuma's struggles with competency.]
Depending on the issue at hand, there's not always something we can do but weather it out, but when it comes to saving lives, we're on the ball. Colin is pompous and has an unbearable personality, but he's smart. Reliable. His preparations came in handy rescuing Ozuma once, and during the food shortage.
Sans is possibly more brilliant, although you wouldn't guess it from a single conversation. He won't do more than play mission control from safety, if he'll do much at all, but he's the one who built that generator in the Altar Room, and developed our communication system. Actually, we would have died in October if not for him— oh.
[She interrupts herself, looking thoughtful.]
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[Sans piques his interest as well. Brilliant, but... what? Overly cautious? The same could be said of Leonardo's own brother, Donatello, but he thinks he's reading signals in her word choice that don't seem to line up with that comparison. Even Don regularly works in the field despite the dangers. He's about to press for more information on this name when Rin pauses, seemingly surprising herself somehow.]
[Leo raises an eye ridge and waits for a beat to see if she'll continue unprompted.]
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Mm, I neglected someone before: my roommate, Kida Masaomi.
[Rin raises her head, eyes scanning the line of statues once more. Strange to think that event was four months ago now, isn't it? Some of these very people had been in the castle still; flesh and soggy bone in the cages alongside hers. The blue gaze settles on a smaller one in particular.
He'd been one of two people to save her life that day.]
Back in October, half of us woke up in cages hanging off the cliffside, on a steady descent to be submerged. I forgot because it wasn't a typical mission and I was among those trapped, but Kida-kun really came through for us.
[She looks back at Leo, waving a hand.] Despite being new here, from what I heard later on, he was the one to take charge organizing the rescue efforts on the outside.
[Which was no small task, she knows intimately. She can remember the dawning realization she had realizing the location of her cage's key. Even as she held steadfast to that glimmer of hope that things would turn out alright, she had to make peace with the fact too, that she might die hours before they found the key in that huge altar room.]
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[A likely possibility hits him like a blow from something blunt: fallen warriors, maybe. Why are so many of them kids? The thought opens a gate of righteous anger that he immediately caps, knowing this isn't the place for it. Instead, Leo turns his thoughts back to Rin's explanation. Not only does Kida sound competent, she's got an actual crisis situation to back up his reliability. That's good. He nods, the name instantly floating near the top of his list of people to look out for.]
And Zuko?
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[That's right, she didn't get to her after describing Sans and Colin. For a moment there Rin thought they were still discussing the incident with the cages. She waves a scolding hand at herself. No worries, she gets it now!]
Zuko is the most dependable person that I've worked with in this castle. Like I told you, if someone is putting a group together to go out, usually it's either her or me, but between the two of us, Zuko is the one who has been here longer. She has the most experience.
[Rin tosses a long ponytail over her shoulder, brushing her hair back.]
She's quick to act in a crisis, and works strategically. Her interpersonal skills are clumsy, but not in a bad way. In a professional environment, she knows exactly how to use and work with others, and genuinely looks out for their safety. She's a good leader.
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[Rin, of course, had spurned the idea of them being called her people. Leonardo wonders if Zuko would have a similar reaction, and if if not, whether that might be the distinction that made Rin put her name first.]
[In any case, he appreciates the information - but he thinks that's about all he's going to dig for on the topic of the others. Far be it from Leonardo to take things at face value rather than form his own opinions. The smile twists at one corner, and his tone tilts towards one that might even be teasing.]
That's good to hear. You guys had me worried for a minute.
[Now that he's more clued into the situation, it's easier to see a more relaxed line in his shoulders; there's even a spark of understated enthusiasm in his eyes. Ninja boys will be ninja boys.]
So. Here's the big question: think we can pull this off?
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Well, he's not wrong. He won't be hearing no from her anytime soon.]
Naturally. [Locking one arm behind her back, she cants her head to the side and scoffs.] I'm not staying here forever. I'll do it all myself if I have to. If I've convinced you to lend your aid, however, I won't say no to it.
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As I said, I can fight. But my specialty is ninjutsu. Getting in and out without being seen. [He pauses for a beat.] I'm not sure guerrilla warfare will do us much good on this type of playing field, but I can hold my own and work with a team.
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It still feels strange.
She wonders if it's as peculiar to a ninja to reveal his identity as it is to a mage.]
Our opponents move through portals, so traps would be ineffective. That's okay. Aside from a few unique threats, their only real strength is in numbers. It's easy to beat them back. If ninjutsu is your specialty you'll do well, and your athleticism will work in your favor for the rest of it. The Queen is fond of puzzles; most are physically demanding.
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[Yet her sharp, if nonverbal reaction impresses him. Does she see through his veneer of indifference? If so, she's astute; but his composure doesn't waver. It's only a disadvantage if he allows it to be perceived as one.]
[Redundant thinking in the first place, given she's an ally, not an enemy.]
That won't be a problem. I'm quicker than I look.
[An army that relies on a sea of grunts with a few more seasoned threats tossed in? That's an enemy, and a familiar one.]
What kind of 'unique threats' are we talking about, here?
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[...how did she find that out again? She's actually seen the Nightmare Stalkers in person, but neither her nor Masaomi were bitten...]
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I'll handle the assassins if they show.
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It's too soon to be calling dibs, Leonardo. You won't exactly be able to guarantee that if there's a sudden attack, will you?
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[The word Assassin itself implies a certain stealth capability. Not that he was about to let his guard down before - but it helps to know that putting extra care into observing their surroundings isn't unwarranted.]
I take it ambushes are common?
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It's their preferred tactic. Sometimes their only tactic. But you should know, only the specialized ones will make an attempt to kill you. The standard fare will try to capture you alive and drag you off into a portal.
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And they all show up at the same time?
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Understood. I'm new to this world, so I'll follow your lead on this one. What's our next move?
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and if it doesn't naturally happen in this thread, you can assume she addresses it at a later point.]First, we'll want to scout a few areas. If I'm right, there should be three different paths forward. We can choose which one to prioritize based on by an assessment of difficulty, or any Shadow activity we might see.
[She snaps her fingers.] Ah, but after that, we should wait a week or two before setting out. The last time we did a scouting mission, the Queen took note of our meddling and anticipated we'd be back soon, so she upped her defensive measures. If we can trick her into thinking not to expect us this time, we'll have less trouble.
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I can help with that. Recon is our - my specialty. [A slight slip that Leo catches right away: talking as if he's still part of his usual team. He does his best to gloss over it and continue.] Do we know what kinds of eyes and ears she has out there?
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Do ninjas work in teams? It's not something she's given considerable thought to previously. From her studies into famous assassins, she knows of famous guilds, but she's always pictured the work itself as a solitary thing, relying on only necessary contacts and allies.]
There's her Shadow army, of course. Besides that, her magical reach seems to extend throughout this entire castle. I wouldn't be surprised if she has a crystal ball somewhere that she observes us through. Ozuma is able to shield us from her in the safe zones, but she seems to be aware of everything we do outside of those places.
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[He doesn't know the magic vernacular, okay.]
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[She can mask her own mana, of course, but only enough to make her pass as an average human to those with the ability to sense magic. Nothing so extensive as to hide their whereabouts. If anything, she'd expect a ninja would be better able to pull that off.]
Anyways, it's not that big of a deal, just something we should expect and prepare for. This is a big castle. She can't monitor everything at once, so once we're there it will take her time to respond. If we work quickly, we'll set ourselves up for less trouble to worry about.
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