RPG: DIA DE LOS MUERTOS -->CONTINUATION WEEK from HELL &

[Vespera Blaze]

*Vespera found the stack of CDs in her trunk, and met Donatello in the hallway just outside the kitchen.* We're back! So. Kya said that today is supposed to be a Carnival. What that puts ME in mind of, is food, which we've had, good company, which we are, and entertainment. I dont know about the rest of you, but TV kills conversation, so lets avoid that. *She snagged Leo's hand, and shot him a grin that bordered on evil.* I say we get set up, and dance...

*She didn't give Leo a chance to respond before turning to Raph* Morning Raphael. We're staging a hostile takeover of your dojo. Come and join us!

[enigma-1]

C: *watches him go, shaking his head* If you can ever get her to come back to this place.

*takes out the pairs of amulets he's been carrying, holding one in each paw* Hope you understand, Boss.

*keeps one and sets the other on the bed, then disappears from sight*

[Machias Banshee]

*She shivered, grimacing as the adrenaline rush began to subside.*
Please....just---I need some time to think for a minute....*hiss* dammit...

[kyabetsu]

Raph laughed around the sandwich in his mouth. the look on Leo's face was PRICELESS.

R: VESPERA... heh heh... fat chance gettin' him to dance. You about nailed his feet to the floor with that. heh heh. Tell you what (raph stood from his chair and grabbed the other half a sub in his other hand.) YOU get THE TIGHTEST SHELL IN THE WEST ta loosin' up enough to fvukin' DANCE... and I"LL--- naw... MIKE"LL be your slave for a WEEK. heh. heh.

Leo: (narrowed his eyes at raph) don't go making bets you can't KEEP Raph.

R: i happen to know some stuff that would motivate MIKE PLENTY. I'll keep my end of things. Heh.. this i gotta see.

Kya sat through all of this with a vaguely worried air. the two brothers weren't fighting, but there was a COMPETITIVE tension in the room that she'd never really applied to dancing.

R: (to kya) you comin?

kya; (startled again) huh?! ... yeah! i'm right behind you.

R: good. (loud enough to reach Don's ears) somebody's gotta get DONNIE to dance. **** i wish my camera weren't locked up....

[Vespera Blaze]

*Vespera just smiled.* Thanks for the vote of confidence Raphael. If you don't want to offer your services for a week, it tells me you think I've got it in the bag.

*She paused.* So tell me. What do I get if I get YOU to dance in there?


*She led the way into the dojo. It was what she'd remembered from the day she'd worked out with them. Big open space, hardwood floors, tall ceiling, lots of mirrors. Perfect dance hall.* Music is the one thing I can get to work most of the time without being completely weird on me....

*She snagged the cd player from Don before he could protest, and plugged it in. Flipping through her cds, she picked out a burn labelled "MIX" and tossed it in.* Got a song here just for you guys....


*The music started, and Don started laughing*

There was funky China men from funky Chinatown
They were trapping when up, they were trapping when down
It's an ancient Chinese art, and everybody knew their part
For my friend, ain't you a stiff, then I'm kickin' from the hip

Everybody was Kung Fu fighting, those kids were fast as lightning
In fact it was a little bit fright'ning, but they fought with expert timing

[kyabetsu]

R: you get a fvckin' congressional medal of honor...

kya watched Vespera commandeer the stereo and throw a CD in the player. Raph slumped against a wall near the door and attacked his sandwich again. Clearly intending to finish it quickly so he could heckle more effectively.

Regardless of the irritating presence of Raphael in the Dojo it was clear that Leo was at a loss.

Leo (internal) ... great .... funny song.. okay .. so NOW what???

Raph snickered happily around a bite of sandwich and Leo stopped trying to think i through. He stepped up to Vespera smoothly. Clearly without a plan but ready to follow her lead.

kya in the meanwhile had started her own quiet "muppet" dance as soon as she recognized the chorus. It wasn't pretty or graceful, but she was clearly thrilled.

[Vespera Blaze]

*Vespera grinned at Leo as he stepped up to her, and she started to dance again. One look at him told her that he was tense enough to use as a doorstop.* Relax Leo. Just move with the beat.

*Don stood to one side and grinned as Kya waved her arms in the air as she danced. He wasnt brave enough to join her, but stood on the sidelines and tapped his foot.*


*The song was a short one, and the music shifted, coming into something with a heavier beat*

[kyabetsu]

R: (done with his sandwich, lounging against the wall-- insultingly loose and not awkward at all.) YEAH, LEO! you dance like you gotta planka wood up yer ass!

Leo concertrated on NOT grinding his teeth...

R: (between barks of laughter) YOU"VE GOT NO RHYTHM!!

Leo flushed and spun away from Vespera, pulling up short in front of Raph.
L: (through clenched teeth) ... think you can do BETTER?....

R: (blinking up at Leo... with deliberate calm, shifted his focus onto Vespera, before arching an eyeridge and smirking up at Leo-- quietly for Leo's ears only) ... you askin' me ta go dance wit' YOUR woman, cause YOU can't perform, LEO?....

Leo's knuckles went mint green as he clentched them.
L: (thinking FAST, but not necessarily WELL) NO. Vespera HAS a partener. ...

Leo looked over his shoulder. kya was still on the dance floor, but coughing from time to time and watching Vespera's feet and hips intently. She bopped gently with the music and with a series of false starts was trying to copy Vespera.

L: what about KYA, HUH?

Raph's smirk fell away.
R: (internal --looking from Donnie to kya) goddammit, Don's already pissed at me... betcha he ain't even said WORD ONE to her yet...
R: ... leo, i don't think that's--

Leo: (hissed) THEN SHUT UP.

Raph shook his head.
R: (to Leo) no. (callin' across the room as he stands) Hey kya, c'mon. We're gonna show Leo how it's done.

[Vespera Blaze]

*When Leo moved away from her, Vespera just turned and kept dancing. She caught Kya's eyes and grinned, and obligingly went through the same series of moves again for her to watch. Leo and Raph were having a conversation over by the wall. Leo was tense, Raph was cool. She caught Kya's gaze and jerked her head to indicate the two before rolling her eyes.* Should have picked Macho Macho Men for the first song.

*She glanced at the two to see if they'd overheard her talking to Kya, but they were engrossed in their own exchange of words.* Huh, wonder what they're talking...

R: (callin' across the room as he stands) Hey kya, c'mon. We're gonna show Leo how it's done.

*Vespera's eyebrows shot up, and she looked between the two brothers before turning to Don. Several emotions were running across his face, but they flashed so quickly she couldn't read them. Finally he turned to look at Kya, and shrugged a little. Its your call. The gesture read.*

[kyabetsu]

Now that Leo was out of the way, kya had a much better view of what Vespera was doing. She had been concentrating on making her hips stay in rhythm with her feet when Raph's words pulled her attention back to the dojo at large.

kya did a quick scan around the room. She really hadn't been paying attention. Leo, Vespera, and Don all wore fairly blank expressions.

kya (internal) no help there...

She looked to Raph, trying to guess what answer he wanted to hear.
kya: (guessing) yes?



Raph cricked his neck to each side to hide his moment of relief. Don hadn't objected, and she'd agreed. If either of those things had happened he'd've had to back off and lost face in front of Leo.

but she was just standing there now. the music was still going but she was clearly at a loss.

R: (standing across from her.) there any dances you DO know?

kya (with a quick glance at Don... nodded -- quietly) um. yeah. they taught us swing one year in PE instead of square dancing.

Raph grinned.
R: perfect. hey Leo you know swing? cause i sure as hell don't ... Ves. you wanna demonstrate with Kya here? then it's we each got parteners who know what they're doin' and the playin' fields' EVEN... that work for YOU LEO?!

Leo didn't say no.

[Vespera Blaze]

*Vespera shook her head at the two of them and went to change the music to something they could swing dance to.* Just remember you two. This is supposed to be fun. For everybody.

*She rummaged through her cds, and finally came up with one. The music stopped, and she queued it up before moving over to Kya.* You leading or should I?

*The music started, and they recognized the tune. Not one of them could name it, but it sounded familiar. She called over her shoulder to the guys as they danced.* Pay attention, because it picks up about here!


*Don watched the two move across the floor. His brothers might have a chance, if they were paying attention, could translate the years of practice of ninjitsu into dancing, AND let the girls lead. He figured they were both toast.*

[kyabetsu]

kya tapped the rhythm as the drums started it off.

kya; oh, you lead. I gotta remember.... okay...

she did a few patterns on her own.
kya: one, two, rock-step, one, two, rock-step...

she waited for the brassy blare to wind up the intro, took Vespera's hands and came in right with the clarinets and saxes...



Leo kept an eye on vespera' s feet. there had to be a pattern.... as the song wound up and down the dance floor, his guts began to sink.... there was a pattern, but Vespera seemed to turn it on and off again at will. She stepped out of it to spin kya, spin with kya, dance behind kya ...
L; (internal) great....


Raph couldn't quit put his finger on what she was doing with her feet, but no matter what kya was doing, her shoulders kept a steady rhythm. one , two, pause, one, two, pause....
R: (internal) heh. oh well... if it gets ugly, i'll wing it...

[Vespera Blaze]

*The song wound up with a flourish, leaving Vespera holding Kya just off the floor. She grinned and pulled her back up to her feet.* That was great!

*She turned to the guys* Pretty easy huh?

*Don suppressed a chuckle. He didn't know if the girls could read it, but Leo was nervous, and Raph wasn't nearly as sure as he was letting on. This was shaping up to be a really good show. He moved over to the cd player and took a seat.* Just call me DJ Don. Same song?

*Vespera shot him a thumbs up and waited for the guys to step up so they could start*

[kyabetsu]

Kya: that was really fun Vesita... (croup croup croup!!!)

kya took Raph's hand as he stepped up and coughed a little but managed to catch her breath and proceeded despite the rattle in her chest.

kya: (giving a brief run through before Don turned on the CD again-- and suiting actions to words) okay. Starting on your right foot. think of it as a triangle. one flat side faces your partener. Step up with the right. Step up with the left. Step back on the right to the third point of the triangle that's behind you. When you step back, rock back on that foot.... i mean, you're gonna lift your front foot.... then it repeats. only THIS time you've already got your LEFT foot off the floor, so it steps forward first. then your right. rock back on the left. step right. step left. rock back right....

Raph mimicked the foot steps hestitantly at first, but with growing confidence...
R: okay. got that. so what about all that flippy stuff?

kya: (dismissively) YOU just keep that rhythm. Since ~*I'm*~ leading this first time, i'll pull you through the fancy stuff... just remember the feet and ALWAYS come back in on the correct foot or we'll end up colliding.

R: oh.

<<<DON STARTS THE MUSIC>>

[terran631]

*MIke helps Machias into the kitchen where he fills her water bottle* Hey, you hear music? *they follow the sounds until they come to the dojo. Mike's eyes widen and he about drops Machias.* Holy ****, the world is comin' to an end. Leo and Raph....dancin???? *Machias starts laughing and has to sit down on one of the benches just inside the dojo. Mike grins and runs over to Donnie* Lemme guess, they're both wasted, cuz thats the only way I thought I'd see either of them on a dance floor.

[Vespera Blaze]

*Vespera was giving the verbal dancing tips to Leo, much like Kya was. She went through a short pass of the basics. He almost stepped on her foot, but as he picked up the rhythym it got smoother, and he felt his confidence grow. He glanced over and saw that Raph was looking a great deal happier as well.* Just hold that beat, and don't let go with one hand when I spin out. Stop me when I come back with a flat hand against my ribs. *She demonstrated, twirling out until they were seperated by the length of their arms, and then back in, coming to a stop with one arm around her, and the other at her waist.* Perfect.


*Donatello hit the start button and the music started up, and the couples started moving on the floor. He watched them, and a grin formed. Things to check off before I die. Leo and Raph dancing. Done. Next, Shredder sings a solo for the Vienna Boys Choir. He looked up at Mike when he came in* Nah, not wasted, just competitive.

[kyabetsu]

Raph had a firm grasp on the basics, but the problems with Kya leading became evident when she lost HER rhythm trying to spin him under her arm. He was too tall, and they had to stop and come in on the beat again.

R: (speaking to the rhythm of his feet.) let me lead.

before kya could say yes or no, she'd been spun out like a top and reeled back in again. Raph smiled he could handle this. keep the rhythm and the rest was free form. His grin got wider when he realized kya wasn't fighting him for the lead. The moves got faster and more intricate.

spin out, spin around, twirl from one arm to the next.... roll 'er down and arm in a dip and reel 'er back up. the music cresendo-ed one last time and kya let go... hoping to come to a STOP... he wasn't ready for her to do that and she fell out of his final spin with wobbley thud.

kya: (head in hands as she waits for the room to quit rotating) wheeze croup cough

R; oops... you okay?

kya: (nods and pales at the conflicting inputs from her inner ear)

[terran631]

MIke: *stops laughing and looks worried* Kya...you ok?

[Vespera Blaze]

*Vespera led the dance through the first half off the song, then Leo glanced over at the other two. He saw that Raph had taken the lead, and he set his jaw. The next time they came together he said softly to her.* I think I've got it. My turn.

*She relenquished the lead to him and the dance continued. Spin and dip, jump and push. Leo suddenly remembered where he'd heard this song before, and with it, came several of the non digitized moves from the movie. He'd whisper a word or two of warning for her as they came together, then tried it. She went through his legs, full extension before being pulled back upright and close. She spun away laughing, having a fantastic time as the moves got more and more complex. The music was winding up, and she pulled in long enough to whisper* When I jump, hand on my back and give me a push up. Leave it there as a pivot.

*Leo wasn't sure what she was talking about,until she pulled in close again, and tried for the flip. He realized what she was doing belatedly, and pushed just a little too late and too hard, throwing her landing off. The music cut off, and she sprawled across the floor. She'd have stood up, but she was laughing too hard.*


*Donatello didn't believe it. They were dancing. They were dancing WELL. And getting better all the time. He exchanged incredulous glances with Mike.* I don't believe it....

*The song came to an end, and both of the ladies went sprawling as the last moves didn't quite work the way they had been intended to.

[terran631]

*Mike seeing that both ladies were fine if only a little dizzy started laughing* I gotta admit Bros...aside from tossin your partners on the floor, you guys did better than I would have thought possible.