steepwithdead | Folkmore

I'm not offended, it's the truth. Had I not been called to leave, I would have happily stayed in my temple for life.

[He's been bitten by adventure now... it was terrifying at first, but now, he can see the appeal, doing good and being with his dear friends, now a second family. Give it a few years after everything's over, and maybe he'll venture off again.]

You'd be very welcome. I could show you around. It isn't luxurious like this place, but I think it's beautiful.

You're happy at home and taking care of things. It makes sense. [Leonardo can't blame him for that. He used to just want to stay at home, sure adventures were fun, but home was different. Safe.]

I'd like to see the temple, the graves and take everything in.

Mm. That's so.

[He's glad Leo understands. Not everyone does.]

There's spells in my world that cross dimensions, of a sort. [They're known as planes, but similar theory.] There could be many ways to travel to other worlds. It would be nice if we could somehow visit the friends we've made here, after.

[With time, the turtle has learned not everyone's calling are grand adventures. Sometimes just finding your purpose is something much simpler.]

Of a sort, huh? How complicated are those kind of spells? [He's naturally curious.] When I was a teenager, before I had control over my magic, I would randomly open portals to places I've never been. Places that didn't seem like earth. Mikey and I... [He trails off for a second, before pressing on.] His magic alone opened a portal for Casey to the past. I could learn more about that and see what I can do at least.

...Hmm. [Yeah, Caduceus lifts a brow at the last bit of commentary, unsure of what to say on that. From sessions with Casey, he knows what that particular portal did. Maybe it's a bad idea to poke that particular bear. Research could (in theory) be harmless, though...] Doing that in this world might not be a great idea. Be careful.

[He knows from Draxum's experience, and Donatello as well- trying to open portals to other worlds here ends with violence and misfortune. One must be very careful. It's luck Caleb and Essek didn't blow up the house when they were messing around with it, during their time here. Anyway.]

I know a spell that can shift people across planes of existence- other worlds within the same universe, essentially. But the way it works is by attuning to an object from that plane. So I'm curious if it could be expanded to other universes, given the correct attuning object. It's never been tried because, well. Objects from other universes were not accessible in mine, that we know of.

I'm gonna aim to get a little stronger before I try anything too extreme. I don't think its my time to head out here anyway. So, no rush to try any portals between dimensions. [He promises easily enough. Aware without the right power behind it, he wouldn't get far. Unaware of the issues Draxum or Donatello ran into.]

Huh. Whenever we get sent back, or there is an option, I could probably slip you something of mine? To use as some basis anyway. I know the yokai used to have these little tokens that were used for teleportation. I never got to learn how they worked, but, whenever I get home, I could dig into that too.

It'd be a shame to end up in the wrong place because you rushed things. Or for something else to go wrong. That happens sometimes.

[This world is unpredictable at best. He's the type to bide his time and play it safe, so. Easy advice to offer.]

Might be interesting to explore, at least. Just in case. I don't know how well it works on items conjured from this world, though. Hasn't worked for me yet.

[Since anything he calls to this world should be "from" his plane of existence... the spell hasn't worked as intended so far.]

Fate has a cruel sense of humor, so, I hear you. [Knowing his luck, he'll land somewhere not particularly pleasant or be horribly maimed by pushing his luck with magic.]

I'm going to take a shot in the dark that everything here has Thirteen's magic all over it. So, we're just stuck speculating. Makes me wonder if we'd take any of it back with us. We're changed fundamentally as we come in, will it be stripped away as we go-?

Hard to say. I've seen and heard that both options are possible- we may remember, or we may not. Maybe it'll only feel like a dream, maybe the changes forced on us will carry through.

[Wings would probably be useful, in his world. It wouldn't be a terrible thing. Remembering would be alright, and in truth, he has gotten stronger during his time here. Maybe he could help the rest of the Nein with their missions better now. It doesn't sound so bad.]

I'd like to carry all of this- [He presses his palm against his chest, struggling to articulate the feeling properly.] with me. Good and bad.

Even this stupid fight with Donnie, it's still... more time with him. Something I can fix. Instead of just a memory. When I go back with Casey, I don't think Donnie would go with us. I'll take what I can get.

Edited (actually, lemme make this worse, LMAO) 2025-11-10 04:57 (UTC)

Ah...

[That, he imagines, would be a hard pill to swallow. Another goodbye to be made. For him to not join them, it would be as if he'll die all over again.]

It's good to cherish and try to hold on to these extra memories. Borrowed time is precious. Things can change over time, though. Maybe you should wait until this conflict is resolved before you worry about any of that.

[Especially with no clear way to get them back to their worlds safely, anyway.]

After you've saved the future, it's hard not to think about it. [He bats back, trying for a joke even if it doesn't land.]

You're right though. I should just... try to fix this. Instead of getting into a fist fight in his lab and calling him a stupid piss baby to his face. [He didn't call him a piss baby, but he was REALLLLLY thinking it.]

[...Wow, that... really is a fight with a brother, huh.]

What do you think "fixing this" would entail, at this point?

[No one in this family functions. The question does take the wind out of Leonardo's sails completely. His irritation drying up.]

I don't know. I thought, if he apologized to Casey, there could be progress. He won't though.

He's not willing to apologize?

[He's not especially surprised, but it is unfortunate.]

From the conversation we had? No, he seems reluctant to even do that. [All Leo really wants is Donnie to apologize to Casey.] Since we're just doing this 'to make ourselves feel better' and we're 'wasting our time'.

Edited 2025-11-13 06:47 (UTC)

...He... has quite the cynical view of his family, doesn't he.

[Yikes. Yikeronis. The very concept is incredibly alien to him.]

Pretty sure, he just hates himself. [After this long? Leo unfortunately knows that is probably what is going on.] Can't really fix that, or help him with it very easily.

Unfortunately not. I'm... familiar with that issue.

[Caleb was probably the worst of the group, but many of the Nein struggled with some form of self-loathing. It's gotten better. Takes a while, takes effort and kinder experiences.]

It can help to give them a pathway towards self-love, instead. Emotional growth, accomplishments they can be proud of. Time, care, and support. As you said- not easy. It never happens overnight, if it happens at all.

Given your knack for helping people, I'm not too surprised you've run into it before. [Caduceus has a need to help people, far as the turtle can tell. A deep well of compassion.]

When things are calmer, I'll reach out to again. Leave the door open for him. Best I can even do.

I only wish it wasn't so common that I've come across it multiple times before.

[He truly wishes for people to love themselves, as they deserve. The list of those who should hate themselves, in his mind, is very short.]

It's a good plan. Things are heated right now, you both need to cool down.

You'll probably unfortunately keep running into it. It's a lot easier to hate yourself than love yourself. [He's speaking from experience, though he doesn't get into it.]

It'll keep me from throttling him or somehow making this worse.

Unfortunate is the word.

[Ah, well. He's working on it, one suffering soul at a time.]

Throttling him definitely will not help.

It'd make me feel better. [He grumps back vaguely.] What about my mental health, huh?

[He's not being particularly serious.]

You've been taking care of your mental health in a less violent way, if I recall.

[You literally saw him for therapy?]

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