Now this is a dance he's done before... in a manner of speaking. There's a familiar anger pulsing under his skin as he draws closer to Casey's suite in the Metal Sector, heating his blood - but it's not the same as before. It's nowhere close. This time it's accompanied by a sadness he can't quite justify, and a wisdom he can.

Loss. Actual loss, rather than the obsesssion of what could have been. He has one comfort in resorting to this visit, and it's that even though his reason for doing so has scaled up in gravity, his attitude going into it hasn't.

He's not sure he fully trusts himself to let off steam responsibly, though, and at a time like this, he can't take chances with his own hotheadedness. The usual, surprisingly effective protocol in this situation is to take someone with an even hotter head so that he's busier keeping them in line. But Raph... he's a no-go. Not this time.

There's a natural alternative, of course. Leo doesn't know him well - hasn't even really gotten a chance to say a word to him yet. But if there's one value intrinsic to Casey Joneses everywhere, Leo's willing to bet money that it's knocking a few heads together. May as well make their first meeting a fun one.

Well... that's what he's banking on, anyway. When Leo drops at the window of the suite Mike had directed him to and taps the glass, though, he's pretty confident in himself.