[Even though Steph was sticking to the back streets in an attempt to fly under the radar, she sure caught the attention of a certain turtle who makes prowling around dark alleyways about as routine as brushing your teeth in the morning.
Things have not been all that great on the turtle. Yeah, it's been hard for everyone, getting kidnapped, being attacked by zombies, and getting left in the dark about more things than the Emperor actually decides to let on. Getting scolded on the network like little kids to stay away from the worksites wasn't all that great either. But what really bothered him? Was crawling around in those nasty, living sewers like a bunch of maggots infesting a wound. Being a turtle himself, knowing what it's like to have that kind of damage to his shell, made Raphael want to stay as far away from the healing wounds as he could.
So today, he starts out on the outskirts of the city, where the zombie attacks were light and the you can see the shoreline across the wastelands in the distance. It's as good a spot to brood as any.
But the purring of a motor shakes him out of his reverie. A bike. And not just one of those cruddy little excuses for dirt bikes the kedan like to ride around on. This one's obviously had a lot of work put into it, and it reminds him a little of his own bike back home. He has to get a closer look.
Raphael would be the first one to admit he can be a little impulsive. And sometimes bikes just tend to bring out the crazy in him. He doesn't even think twice when he starts following the thing. He needs to blow off some steam after the last few days, and this's the best opportunity he's gotten all day.
Roof-hopping isn't the best way to keep up with a moving vehicle, but he makes do. And as he follows, he realizes how much effort the driver's putting into being stealthy. It takes him a few more minutes to figure out exactly who they're tailing.
A group of kedan, headed out for the ocean. Kirin-drawn carts full of building materials take the main trek as the people on the bike snake their way through the city. Interesting. After what Leo ran into in the sewers, he's ready for some action of his own. Maybe today he just might find it.
Just before the caravan leaves the city, Raphael leaps off a neighboring rooftop, landing soundlessly atop a cart full of building materials and instantly disappearing out of sight.
It's hard to keep an eye on the bike, but every now and then he catches a glimpse of light reflecting off metal behind the crumbling ruins of an abandoned village or a rocky outcropping off in the distance.
He has no idea what he's getting into.
It takes a while to finally get to the shell's edge, slipping out of the cart barely a moment before the kedan start dragging out the packages of supplies. He ducks under the carriage as the workers heave the parcels toward the exposed shell of the shoreline. Soon as the coast's clear, he slinks through the maze of parked carts toward tall dunes made of sand, debris, and rotting plant matter just out of reach of the sweeping waves during high tide.
The kedan are up to something, but he's way more curious about the people on the bike. Hopefully they're still around somewhere. He'll have to backtrack toward the direction they were headed and see if he can't pick up a trail.
It doesn't take him long to find tire tracks where the sand has blown across the exposed scute, heading toward another part of the dunes where centuries of ocean storms have swept debris against an uneven patch of shell. He pricks his ears at the the sound of low voices and follows silently, staying out of view.
What he sees are two Foreigners, more of those Justice Force wannabes who run around in tights acting like they're God's gift to Keeliai. They would have all the cool toys.
From his hidden perch, he watches the pair, wondering how much they'd really miss that bike if he decided to take it out on a little joyride.]
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Things have not been all that great on the turtle. Yeah, it's been hard for everyone, getting kidnapped, being attacked by zombies, and getting left in the dark about more things than the Emperor actually decides to let on. Getting scolded on the network like little kids to stay away from the worksites wasn't all that great either. But what really bothered him? Was crawling around in those nasty, living sewers like a bunch of maggots infesting a wound. Being a turtle himself, knowing what it's like to have that kind of damage to his shell, made Raphael want to stay as far away from the healing wounds as he could.
So today, he starts out on the outskirts of the city, where the zombie attacks were light and the you can see the shoreline across the wastelands in the distance. It's as good a spot to brood as any.
But the purring of a motor shakes him out of his reverie. A bike. And not just one of those cruddy little excuses for dirt bikes the kedan like to ride around on. This one's obviously had a lot of work put into it, and it reminds him a little of his own bike back home. He has to get a closer look.
Raphael would be the first one to admit he can be a little impulsive. And sometimes bikes just tend to bring out the crazy in him. He doesn't even think twice when he starts following the thing. He needs to blow off some steam after the last few days, and this's the best opportunity he's gotten all day.
Roof-hopping isn't the best way to keep up with a moving vehicle, but he makes do. And as he follows, he realizes how much effort the driver's putting into being stealthy. It takes him a few more minutes to figure out exactly who they're tailing.
A group of kedan, headed out for the ocean. Kirin-drawn carts full of building materials take the main trek as the people on the bike snake their way through the city. Interesting. After what Leo ran into in the sewers, he's ready for some action of his own. Maybe today he just might find it.
Just before the caravan leaves the city, Raphael leaps off a neighboring rooftop, landing soundlessly atop a cart full of building materials and instantly disappearing out of sight.
It's hard to keep an eye on the bike, but every now and then he catches a glimpse of light reflecting off metal behind the crumbling ruins of an abandoned village or a rocky outcropping off in the distance.
He has no idea what he's getting into.
It takes a while to finally get to the shell's edge, slipping out of the cart barely a moment before the kedan start dragging out the packages of supplies. He ducks under the carriage as the workers heave the parcels toward the exposed shell of the shoreline. Soon as the coast's clear, he slinks through the maze of parked carts toward tall dunes made of sand, debris, and rotting plant matter just out of reach of the sweeping waves during high tide.
The kedan are up to something, but he's way more curious about the people on the bike. Hopefully they're still around somewhere. He'll have to backtrack toward the direction they were headed and see if he can't pick up a trail.
It doesn't take him long to find tire tracks where the sand has blown across the exposed scute, heading toward another part of the dunes where centuries of ocean storms have swept debris against an uneven patch of shell. He pricks his ears at the the sound of low voices and follows silently, staying out of view.
What he sees are two Foreigners, more of those Justice Force wannabes who run around in tights acting like they're God's gift to Keeliai. They would have all the cool toys.
From his hidden perch, he watches the pair, wondering how much they'd really miss that bike if he decided to take it out on a little joyride.]