"Well ya know, I was bound to get better eventually." He smirked a little, and then unceremoniously plopped down beside her. Not too close, he was sweaty after all.
"I have a good mentor. And... good friends who inspire me." For a moment he thought of Flynn...
"What are you doing here this time of night. Usually I have the place to myself."
"Maybe you should run laps. All this Cardio makes me sleep like a baby ya know." He smiled and moved to push up his glasses, only to find he didn't need to. Shock and Awe!!
Rinon looked down. "It's just... everyone's been coming back injured lately. And that Elephander is still out there somewhere, for the Backdraft. I mean... It destroyed my Dibison, and then I nearly totaled Jamie's Pteras. I just got Gun Sniper, but what if it's not just my Zoid that gets damaged next time? What if it's me? Or what if Dad, or Leon, or Jamie get hurt? Or Brad?"
Kensuke sighed deeply. This was one of the conundrums of the warrior it seems.
To fight, and chance one's own death. Or to not fight, and chances other's deaths.
"Every time we fight we walk the razors edge. An edge so sharp that if we slip, we will die on it's blade." Inwardly Kensuke smiled a little, he loved when he could quote old anime and no one would ever know it. "You know as well as I do, that's the risk we take when I started down this path. It doesn't make it any less hard to think about."
"It doesn't..." Rinon sighed again. "This is just so different than simple Zoid battles back home. We fight, and if we win we get money, if we lose we go down in rank..."
And then Kensuke knew he had to ask the hard question.
"Would you rather fight for money, or fight for the freedom of all mankind?" He looked her in the eyes and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He didn't mean to be cruel, and he wanted her to know it. The look in his eyes was soft, as if to say, 'I am here beside you. I fight the same battles.'
"I... I don't know." She took in a breath. "We're doing a good thing here, I know that, but..." She let go of the breath. "Zoid battles were always just sport. Zoid Warriors are celebrities. It's like... asking a baseball pitcher if he'd rather throw baseballs or grenades."
"It is." Kensuke nodded in agreement. She was right of course, but everything was so subjective. 'good' and 'bad' where simply a matter of opinion.
"I don't think anyone would blame you if you wanted to leave. But I don't know about you, but I could never go back to my own life. Knowledge will always strip you of innocents."
And then he did something a little uncalled of. He turned and moved in closer to her, his hand on her shoulder slipped around the other side, and pulled her close into a sideway half-embrace. He didn't know what else to say to show her he understood her feelings. It wasn't sympathy he was trying to show her, but empathy. He did understand and feel her emotions, even if they where not he same as his own entirely.
[Imagine the icon is more shock/blushing than angry/wth]
"I don't know if I could... Or if the Battle Commission would l---" Rinon broke off and turned bright red when he hugged her. She wasn't a stranger to hugs, she got them from her dad, or, occasionally her brother (we'll ignore Harry's attempts, he's just some idiot who thought he was her boyfriend), but... this was different. She didn't necessarily dislike it, but... she didn't know what to say.
For a long moment he didn't let go or say anything. He could feel her shock, but she didn't pull away so Kensuke assumed that meant it was alright. Before he let go, he timidly pressed his face into her hair, if only to empathize the point further, and then casually his hands slipped away from her, and he moved back.
"I would sad if you left, and even sadder if you died. The burden you carry, if the same burden we all carry, you're not alone, ya know. And if you ever do get hurt in battle, I promise I'll be there. I know I'm not your family, but I can try... if you want." He sighed deeply, but he still held a calm, contented smile on his lips. "The only family I have are the people on this ship. People like you."
Seems the endorphins from working out have all gone to his head, or was it something else that gave him his new found confidence?
"Oh." Well, that is one way to make a boy feel unwanted. Kensuke got his feet. "I should, ya know, probably hit the shower." He picked up the bag filled with books, and slung it on his back. "But I'm always around if you need me, Rinon."
"Well ya know, I was bound to get better eventually." He smirked a little, and then unceremoniously plopped down beside her. Not too close, he was sweaty after all.
"I have a good mentor. And... good friends who inspire me."
For a moment he thought of Flynn...
"What are you doing here this time of night. Usually I have the place to myself."
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"Maybe you should run laps. All this Cardio makes me sleep like a baby ya know." He smiled and moved to push up his glasses, only to find he didn't need to. Shock and Awe!!
"Do... do you wanna talk about it? I can listen."
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Kensuke sighed deeply. This was one of the conundrums of the warrior it seems.
To fight, and chance one's own death. Or to not fight, and chances other's deaths.
"Every time we fight we walk the razors edge. An edge so sharp that if we slip, we will die on it's blade." Inwardly Kensuke smiled a little, he loved when he could quote old anime and no one would ever know it.
"You know as well as I do, that's the risk we take when I started down this path. It doesn't make it any less hard to think about."
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And then Kensuke knew he had to ask the hard question.
"Would you rather fight for money, or fight for the freedom of all mankind?" He looked her in the eyes and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He didn't mean to be cruel, and he wanted her to know it. The look in his eyes was soft, as if to say, 'I am here beside you. I fight the same battles.'
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"It is." Kensuke nodded in agreement. She was right of course, but everything was so subjective. 'good' and 'bad' where simply a matter of opinion.
"I don't think anyone would blame you if you wanted to leave. But I don't know about you, but I could never go back to my own life. Knowledge will always strip you of innocents."
And then he did something a little uncalled of.
He turned and moved in closer to her, his hand on her shoulder slipped around the other side, and pulled her close into a sideway half-embrace. He didn't know what else to say to show her he understood her feelings.
It wasn't sympathy he was trying to show her, but empathy. He did understand and feel her emotions, even if they where not he same as his own entirely.
Reply
"I don't know if I could... Or if the Battle Commission would l---" Rinon broke off and turned bright red when he hugged her. She wasn't a stranger to hugs, she got them from her dad, or, occasionally her brother (we'll ignore Harry's attempts, he's just some idiot who thought he was her boyfriend), but... this was different. She didn't necessarily dislike it, but... she didn't know what to say.
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For a long moment he didn't let go or say anything. He could feel her shock, but she didn't pull away so Kensuke assumed that meant it was alright. Before he let go, he timidly pressed his face into her hair, if only to empathize the point further, and then casually his hands slipped away from her, and he moved back.
"I would sad if you left, and even sadder if you died. The burden you carry, if the same burden we all carry, you're not alone, ya know. And if you ever do get hurt in battle, I promise I'll be there. I know I'm not your family, but I can try... if you want." He sighed deeply, but he still held a calm, contented smile on his lips. "The only family I have are the people on this ship. People like you."
Seems the endorphins from working out have all gone to his head, or was it something else that gave him his new found confidence?
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"Oh."
Well, that is one way to make a boy feel unwanted. Kensuke got his feet.
"I should, ya know, probably hit the shower." He picked up the bag filled with books, and slung it on his back. "But I'm always around if you need me, Rinon."
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