Twenty-eighth Theory [Action]

[i_speak_softly]

((All-over-the-place-dated, from this morning to whenever Raphael gets back from his mallynapping. Call it the 18th or so.))

((ETA: Ends on the 12th with Raphael's return.))

[Raph never comes out of his room this morning. Don knocks on his door as he goes to start the coffee. Comes back a few minutes later, bangs again, tells him it’s time to get up for school. Goes looking for the scattered pages of his homework.

Orbits past the room a third time, shouts that they’re going to be late. Gets impatient with the lack of response. Opens the door.

Finds the room completely trashed. The bed empty, the window wide open. The air is too still, too cold.

Don doesn’t go to school today.

He spends the morning moving around the house, cleaning, preparing. In the afternoon he heads out, a heavy pack over his shoulder.

For the rest of the day, the rest of the week, as long as it takes, Don can be found roaming Luceti, watchful for Raphael’s return. He’ll be in the woods and at the lakes, standing on roofs and circling the outskirts of the village. Some nights he’ll return home, some nights he won’t.

He’ll eat on the move. Rest in fitful catnaps. When he can’t walk anymore, he’ll sit in meditation, searching the astral plane for Raphael’s aura and shoring up his connection with the healing spirit. Then he’ll rise again to continue his lonely hunt. He won’t stop. Not until Raphael is home, and safe.]

((Name the place/day/time/any other scene-setting you feel like throwing in. Pretty much anything is fair game.))

Comments

[action]

[herotypical]

[It's night time, and Buffy is on her nightly patrol. One bad-ass battle axe is slung over her right shoulder; however, when she sees Don she breaks out the friendly smile.]

H-hey, hey? Don!

[action]

[i_speak_softly]

[He shortens his stride and turns on the spot, one hand moving for the bo staff on his back. His stress levels and the axe say yes, but the smile and the face under it say no. His hand moves away.]

Buffy.

[action]

[herotypical]

Chill. [Her smile persists.] It's just me.

[action]

[i_speak_softly]

You're out late.

[action]

[herotypical]

What can I say? I'm a night owl.

[A tilt of her head.] But so are you, of course. Would that make you a night turtle? Are turtles nocturnal?

[Action - Tomorrow!]

[goldenglasses]

[Out in one of the open fields on Wednesday, Vash will be sitting trying to get in contact with Kipinn the wind spirit. Although with how unhappy he looks right now, he's probably not doing a very good job.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Splinter always said that meditation is more powerful when multiple minds reach for it together. This stranger looks like he's having a hard time doing it by himself. Don lowers his heavy pack to the ground, sinks to his knees, and tries to find the quiet place within himself. He could use the short rest.]

[goldenglasses]

[After a moment Vash opens his eye to see who has joined him in the clearing. Huh... isn't that the guy who punched him not too long ago? No, this one seemed different.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Don opens one eye too, sensing he's being looked at.]

Am I disturbing you?

[Action] (Early moring, outskirts of the village)

[consultmybooks]

[Giles it out for a walk that morning when he spots Don making his rounds. He pauses, frowns in curiosity, and tries to get his attention with a wave]

[i_speak_softly]

[You are a very meddlesome person and Don doesn't even know your name yet. But he'll slow his pace just enough that you can catch up and walk with him if you want to.]

[consultmybooks]

[...yeah, Giles follows. He pulls out his journal, writes something, and passes it to Don]

How is everything?

[i_speak_softly]

[Don frowns. Why the passing of notes?] Not good. As usual.

Night sometime

[after-march.livejournal.com]

[April is sitting on the front steps of the house she shares with the turtles and Derek. She's got a hot cup of coffee cooling beside her and a warm sweater and hat on.

She knows from reading the guide and talking with others that Raphael has been taken by the droids--an event that brings back uncomfortable associations from her past with Stockman's mousers. It's bad, but...at least she knows where he is.

Donatello, on the other hand, is really worrying her. And she doesn't blame him for his behavior, and she won't say a word to him about it when he comes back. That doesn't stop her from sitting out here and keeping watch for him, even though it's pretty late.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Don nearly trips over April as he comes out of the house, which pretty much puts the kibosh on ninjaing away unnoticed. He could run for it but - he doesn't. After he regains his balance, he just stands there awkwardly, waiting for April to say something.]

[after-march.livejournal.com]

Hey.

[i_speak_softly]

[He readjusts his pack on his shoulder.] Hey.

[hippocraticly.livejournal.com]

[ This face asks Donatello, why are you on the clinic's roof? as McCoy cranes his head to look at the turtle. ]

Get down before you break your -- [ ... Neck doesn't seem right. ] -- shell.

[i_speak_softly]

[There's nothing to see up here. What was he thinking?]

[He makes a standing leap from the edge of the roof, flipping over once and landing in an easy crouch. He wastes no words explaining himself.]

I'm waiting for Raphael to come back from the Malnosso. Who knows what will be broken.

[hippocraticly.livejournal.com]

[ That is enough to stop McCoy raging at the fact Don just jumped off the roof and nearly gave him a heart attack. ]

... Damn it. A friend of yours?

[i_speak_softly]

My brother. He would have been the one keeping everyone away from me when I was in your clinic with a concussion.

[action]

[wise_maiden]

[Sometime after school, a couple of days after neither of them showing up ... and when she's considerably less exhausted from certain things, Raine will just try stopping by to see what's up. Unless he sees her first, somewhere else, as he hasn't actually been home.]

[action]

[after-march.livejournal.com]

[April hears someone at the door and goes to answer it.]

Oh! Raine, hi!

[action]

[wise_maiden]

Hello, April. I... hope you don't think it's strange of me to come by unannounced, but I thought that I would check in, since neither Donatello or Raphael have been to school for a few days.

[action]

[after-march.livejournal.com]

[April leans her head against the doorframe.] School, huh? Well...Raphael has been kidnapped. I guess you never heard. And Don...well, he's been spending pretty much every waking hour looking for his brother in case he gets dropped off anywhere. I have no idea where he is right now. You want to come in?