.9th Strike. [video]
[Akihiko is seated on a broken stool, his back to the camera of the communications device, conveniently left on by Jeane.
The young man looks over his shoulder tiredly, to the blonde woman kneeling on the floor behind him- who mostly blocked his body from the cameras view.She smiles up at him, wiping a dirty cloth over his pale skin, freshly cleaned from blood and dirt- though still clouded with bruises.
Left behind are dark, unnatural marks uniformly criss crossing over his arms and shoulders- even his hips. Remarkably similar to those of the woman near him, his teacher.]
Jeane: What do you think, Akihiko? [Softly, almost into his ear.] You'll never become stronger if you can't accept your mistakes along with your victories. With these, you'll never forget what you've done- what you've gone through. They set you apart from everyone else.
[Even his clothing was different, fashioned by the woman into a near copy of her own- form fitted and ideal for the hand to hand fighter. The woman ran a gloved hand down over his bare back, inspecting her work as a whole.]
Akihiko: [The boy's voice is hoarse, low and exhausted.] Is this really me?
Jeane:[A low chuckle, and she squeezes his shoulders, perhaps a bit too hard.] You ruined your school uniform when you killed that man Akihiko. The only place to go is forward, you can't go back now, right?
[The young man nods silently, standing with some effort. His tattoos and new outfit in full view, he's like a strange clone of his female companion.]
Akihiko:... Right.
The young man looks over his shoulder tiredly, to the blonde woman kneeling on the floor behind him- who mostly blocked his body from the cameras view.She smiles up at him, wiping a dirty cloth over his pale skin, freshly cleaned from blood and dirt- though still clouded with bruises.
Left behind are dark, unnatural marks uniformly criss crossing over his arms and shoulders- even his hips. Remarkably similar to those of the woman near him, his teacher.]
Jeane: What do you think, Akihiko? [Softly, almost into his ear.] You'll never become stronger if you can't accept your mistakes along with your victories. With these, you'll never forget what you've done- what you've gone through. They set you apart from everyone else.
[Even his clothing was different, fashioned by the woman into a near copy of her own- form fitted and ideal for the hand to hand fighter. The woman ran a gloved hand down over his bare back, inspecting her work as a whole.]
Akihiko: [The boy's voice is hoarse, low and exhausted.] Is this really me?
Jeane:[A low chuckle, and she squeezes his shoulders, perhaps a bit too hard.] You ruined your school uniform when you killed that man Akihiko. The only place to go is forward, you can't go back now, right?
[The young man nods silently, standing with some effort. His tattoos and new outfit in full view, he's like a strange clone of his female companion.]
Akihiko:... Right.