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Akio sat outside with his back against the wall, his head back and his eyes closed for a very long time. He was tired, and his head throbbed repeatedly like an angry war drum, or perhaps several. While it took a while for the KB-4 to patch him up, even ever so slightly, it took even longer for the pain to subside even a little. Akio sat still, glad for the summertime air to be at its peak as the sun washed over his body and warmed his skin. He let out a sigh, a large cloud of smoke escaping his lungs as he did so, the clouds dancing in the light before him. At this, he finally opened his eyes, watching the smoke play with the air of the floating city he was in. As it spun 'round and 'round, Akio thought about what he was going to do. His anger had dissipated while sitting there, focusing on the the smoke filling his lungs. Each breath hurt, but there was a calming effect caused by the repetitive motion of breathing in ever so slowly, holding, then exhaling, letting the smoke flutter and dance around him. The taste of the smoke rolling over his tongue soothed his anger like petting a cat, the sticky wood flavor playing with his tastebuds like a child with a new toy.

The taste brought him back to the leaf that Dal'mori had let him eat. The popping sensation under his teeth, and the wash of strawberries and bananas through his mouth as he chewed. Sitting up, he thought about it more. The feel of the leaf between his fingers, soft and fuzzy like a ripe peach, yet felt much like any other maple or oak leaf when it bent. Akio was unsure why he thought about it, but the memory of that small treat made him put his cigarette out, pressing the lit end against his shoe and twisting, letting the ash fall to the ground. His thoughts trailed back to his father, and what he had said. 'Don't be like Dal'mori.' What did that even mean? When had Katsu ever met the man? Furthermore, what could he have said to his father to give him such a strong distaste? Whatever it could have been, there was a small sense of pride in knowing that another agreed, that Katsu had overstepped his bounds and said something he shouldn't have. But then, with the seed of doubt that his father planted, he wasn't sure he could ever fulfill such a deed in the first place. No matter how true the thought was, though, some vindictive side of Akio wanted to be that strong, just to spite his father.

Clicking his tongue, Akio looked towards the KB-4 unit that had recently finished up its work on him, and was now simply standing there, waiting for new orders. With a tilt of the head, he beckoned the medium sized bot over. These standard issue medical robots were never that big, but inside they had appendages which reached sizes over two times the length of it's body, and always came equipped with a basic first aid kit, a slightly more extensive med kit for emergencies, and a phone for emergency contacts. Yes, there was much more to the Bot that has been programmed into it, but these were some of the services provided. It knew things like CPR, and some appendages were able to administer electro shock, if a defibrillator was truly necessary for the situation. While the little thing may have sounded scary, the Kawa-Bots were actually rather adorable, coming in various shapes and sizes. This one in particular was a rather calming shade of cornflower blue, accented with streaks of gold and silver. The shape was cute as well, the model which the Headquarters have seem to go for being the one which rolled around like a ball, being most of it's shape. On top of the ball was what seemed to be a head, or designed to be one for this little droid, which was magnetically attached to the ball so the bot could move freely. Of course, these 'heads' didn't look like heads, but rather another dome with a camera for an eye and a small little antenna jutting out of it. Under the camera was a little speaker allowing the KB-4 to speak to any of its patients.

This KB-4 unit seemed to roll from side to side, almost as if it were deliberating to listen to him, before rolling up to Akio and letting out a noise as if it were distressed. This made Akio laugh, almost feeling bad for having programed out the voicebox. Still, though, the voice these things were programmed to have annoyed him beyond belief. "Sorry, fella. Your voice is annoying." He said to the thing, as it approached, "Now, spin around, there's something I wanna check out." The small bot did what it was told and spun, showing it's back panel that Akio had opened up earlier. Once again, he connected a small wire that pulled out from the inner mechanics and plugged the KB-4 unit into his watch.

A small screen popped up, projected from a small bit on the front of his watch, line after line of code scrolling up like it was the credits to the end of a movie. Of course, Akio had to go over it multiple times, scrolling up and down to put together the definitives, if statements, and other programming junk that he was hardwired to know. Akio let out a short hum as he read, eyes flicking back and forth, going over everything before changing anything. He wanted the bot to follow him back, perhaps even be his personal bot. This didn't take too much change, only replacing a few lines to match what he had changed previously. While he sat there with the bot fixing him up, he had grown a little attached to the dumb little thing, deciding that he may in fact keep it. And, barely thinking about it, he had given the bot a nickname. "Well, Kiki... Looks like I have a new friend, whether I like it or not."

Somehow, the small bot actually looked happy. A light on its face lit up as Akio disconnected it, allowing the small ball to spin rapidly like a top, expressing its large amount of excitement. Again, Akio let out a small laugh, finally standing and giving a big stretch, reaching his hands up to the sky and going on the balls of his feet as he did so. It felt good, but the pain that was still there jabbed him as he moved, causing him to reflexively wince and double over slightly, which caused another good set of pounding in his head. It was then that he also realized that he was rather dizzy, probably some side effects of the migraine or the medication. "Ah, looks like I have to remain at rest for a while before I can do much...." Akio spoke idly to Kiki, his new friend. At the very least, the migraine medication made most of the pain go away, though there was still this dull pain throbbing at his right temple, where the scars on his face were.

Even though he was still wobbly, and moving hurt, Akio began to move. His first destination going to his small apartment at the headquarters to grab another shirt, having left his in the arena where he had fought Faelan. All the way there, his little friend Kiki followed him rather happily, letting out pleased beeping noises when others passed, giving the small KB-4 bot odd looks. When they got back to his apartment, Akio unlocked the door and opened it to find that all his stuff had been transferred from Sapporo, filling out the small space with boxes and boxes of things that filled his room back home. He smiled, no doubt the work of his mother and Granny. This theory only proven when he found a small note on top of one of the boxes, the envelope a dull shade of lavender, his name printed in rather impressive characters, no doubt written by his grandmother. For now, though, he'd leave the note to read later, walking to the luggage he had brought with him and pulled out a black v-neck shirt with half-sleeves, same as the shirt he had previously discarded. For a man who was rich as he, Akio didn't have a wide range of clothing.

Akio pulled the shirt over his head slowly, trying hard not to wobble too much as he did so. This prove rather difficult, so once he had his arms back to his side, he sat on his bed, resting his elbow on his knee and his head in his hand, forefinger on one temple, thumb on the other. Akio closed his eyes and simply sat for a while, waiting for the dizziness to subside, at least enough to get to start his plan for the rest of the night. He wanted to add a new style to the holo-trainers that were provided, using what he knew of his style to make a better one. One that he could use and get others familiar with, hopefully making everyone else better. But, with the damned headache that plagued his brain, there wasn't much he could do but rest. Kiki rolled around the room, beeping his concerns at Akio, who simply waved at the droid. "Just give me a moment, I already took medication. I just need to wait it out." Again, Kiki let out a low pitched whistle, angry that Akio wouldn't lay down like he should, and instead finally stood. "No, I have something I want to do." He told the droid, which spun the ball again, slightly frustrated with the man, but followed out the door anyway. While Akio was sturdier this time, he still every so often placed his hand against the wall for stability. The KB-4 unit was rather obviously mad at Akio for participating in unhealthy habits, but couldn't do much about it, so casually let out snide beeps at Akio as they meandered down the hall back to the training room.

Once in, Akio would head straight to work, nodding casually to his grandmother, then to Acel who seemed to be in the middle of training, then sat by a secluded holo-trainer, opening the machinery up and looking at the code and mechanics of the thing. It was rather idle work, which was good for him, but Kiki seemed to want to help, so he let him, the bot rolling around Akio eager for instruction.

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B.A.I.T.R Standing: 94
Health: 660/660
Control Limit: 752

Skill: 74 [---]
Strength: 50 [51]
Defence: 60 [63]



Quote:
Tactical Advantages


Power House - Level 4 - Every time you deal damage to a foe, they lose 8 Defense for the duration of the fight.

Acel had watched the fights carefully, seeing how the people that may one day become his lifelines on the battlefield fought. They were all strong--these people--but it was not something that was easy to judge in such a world. The people who were strong, after all, were leagues ahead of normal human beings. Even the regular baiters--the weakest of them all--were many times stronger than the average human being. He was witnessing battles of titans, and they were not even well developed baiters. These people were little more than fledglings. His throat grew dry as he stood there, wondering just what this meant for them. How could they get stronger than this? Would they become as monstrously strong as that old man? He wondered, though he also feared it. He bit his lip as he thought about these things--but he couldn't help himself. Even as scared of the power as he was, he needed it, and he knew he needed it. He wanted to see the world--to explore it and to help those who needed that help. He wanted to push back the enemies of humanity and he wanted to create vibrant civilizations in the wake of the destruction that had been wrought on their Earth. He smiled to himself as he thought of it, and then he snapped back to attention as Aki's voice pierced through to him. She was responding to his request, and he stood at attention--rigid though relaxed as she spoke, taking in every word. She was speaking about the swords, being rather curt about it, just stating that they were indeed different, though generally similar. As she circled around him, looking at his body he got the same feeling that he had when Rivana had done so at Alloy Armaments. He wondered if it was some sort of technique that some people were capable of that he didn't know about. Suddenly, however, there was a pressure on his back as she poked him with something, and his body jumped with the surprise ever so slightly, though it immediately settled back into a regular feeling and he relaxed, letting the feeling of the sheath against his back remain. His body still ached something fierce, though he knew his muscles were slowly working themselves out, and he was glad that he was taking a little extra time to sit down before he ran back out there. He wanted to get back on the horse and move into the outside world once again, but this time he wanted to go with someone else. He wanted to take a team with him, and he wanted to make sure that he came back through the front door instead of some creepy test tube...and honestly, he just wanted to avoid meeting that woman in the rebirthing center again. Why had she had such a problem with him? What did he do to her that had caused her to hate him so much?

It was then that Aki spoke again, removing the sheath from his back and telling him that she could train him. Acel's eyes immediately brightened up as he stood from his seat and he turned to face her, bowing his head in respect to the woman. "I am not here to enjoy my time. I am here to get stronger. I am here to learn how to effectively utilize my body in combat. Besides, I have always gained satisfaction from a hard day's labour. So, don't go easy on me." Acel said, grinning at the woman. He may not look like he was a hard working man to the average person, but the callouses that covered his palms, and the musculature that coated his body spoke differently. People like Aki, however, could easily spot these things. He followed her up to the training room, getting into the elevator with the woman and riding up silently as they ascended to the training room above. The woman looked slight, though Acel was sure she was strong--she emanated it from her person like a never ending warm breeze. Acel was nothing but the blade of grass before her--blowing from side to side within the waves of power that poured off of her. He could not see the tone to her body, but he found it hard to believe that she would be anything but fit beneath the robes that she wore. When they arrived in the room, he nodded to her, understanding what she was asking from him. "I will." He stated, knowing that there was nothing more than that that needed to be said. It was then that she gave him his first piece of training, though he did not quite comprehend exactly what she was trying to say. 'A river must never become stagnant'. It seemed like some sort of silly riddle to him at first, but he nodded to her none-the-less, reflecting on it. It was then that she told him to train using the holo-trainer so that she could gauge where he stood as a combatant and he nodded. He had hoped not to need to use these holo-trainers, and that she would be able to do more for him, but he realized that she did need to go through the basics and see just what he was capable of. He took a deep breath and he went to the center of the floor before he closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. "Holo-trainer, activate. Dual sword style." Suddenly a trainer appeared in the center of the room beside him, and Acel prepared himself as he looked over to Aki once more.

He drew his swords as observed the trainer in front of him. His lifeless eyes followed the trainer's movements, and they seemed to dart across the man's body, following his movements. He held his swords in the similar style that Acel had already adopted, crouched ever so slightly, one foot back behind the other, the defensive blade angled slightly across his body and high so that he could defend body and head if needed, while the offensive blade was held forward and pointed slightly toward the enemy. "Would you like to have some enemies to fight, sir, to practice for these five minutes?" "Wait, you can do that?" "Yes, sir. We can." "Then, absolutely, yes." And suddenly there were three figures, all holding swords, and of varying sizes. One was a shorter man, holding two daggers, while another was a large man carrying a wide sword that seemed too large for anyone to properly wield. The last was a man with two swords just like Acel's. They all came in quickly, and the first thing that Acel noticed was that his body was still very tight. The small one darted forward, going low for Acel's thigh with his dagger, but Acel spun toward him and swung the defensive blade in a downward slash. Even though the enemy was a hologram, the room was programmed in a way that gravity would increase for a split second in the exact location of the enemy in a way that would result in contact between human and hologram feeling solid. The opponent with the large blade was coming at him next, his sword already being swung from a distance. Acel immediately brought his second sword up against the larger blade, but it was then that the third attacker came in with two swords, swinging one down diagonally at Acel's midsection. Acel grunted as he thrust the swords outward as hard as he could to push off of the two attacks he had already held at bay, and when he launched his foot backwards to kick the third attacker away, the sword the man used came down just as fast. If it were a real blade, Acel would have managed to kick him, but the man would have also sliced a chunk out of Acel's side. He felt the impact of the sword, and though it didn't cut him, the gravity field still made it feel like he had been hit relatively hard by the sword. He rolled forward and when he sprung to his feet, the three enemies were already attacking. The large sword came down at his feet, and Acel jumped into the air, letting the large blade sweep beneath him--something about that blade made him uneasy, though. As he was in the air, the smaller man tackled forward, diving through the air and slashing with the daggers at Acel's back. The third with the same twin swords as Acel merely hopped forward and brought both blades down in a strike to cleave through Acel while he was vulnerable in the air. Acel immediately regretted going into the air. His defensive sword flashed up toward the twin swords and his offensive sword flashed back towards the incoming daggers. He was able to deflect the smaller weapons, but when the two swords hit his single one, he was easily pushed back and he was launched toward the floor.

He felt his arm shaking slightly from the hit and he was pushed back once again. He stood to his feet, and his arm was aching. He had barely been doing this for a single minute, but his body was screaming at him--he certainly hadn't fully recovered. 'A river must never become stagnant'. A stagnant river was one that did not move. It had to continue to flow in order to remain fresh, if this was Aki's lesson, then she wanted him to move like water--to flow through his combat. He needed to learn to better control his body, though, before he could master such a thing. It was a simple request--and yet an almost impossibly hard one. They were coming back at him and his body tensed as he anticipated their attacks--something that he didn't know how to stop, but he also didn't realize was one of the main problems in being fluid--he was tense. This time, he knew he needed to go on the offensive, and as the enemy rushed in toward him, the first strike came in the form of the twin swordsman slashing down at him, aiming for his neck, and Acel ducked low, paying attention to the speedy dagger wielding man as well. The man was swinging his dagger in an upward strike, aiming to stab Acel in the gut, but it was now going for his face as he had ducked low, and he brought his sword hilt up into the man's elbow to knock the attack off course and roll forward between the two. The man with the large blade--the one that was bothering the hell out of him was there waiting for him at the end of the roll, however, and the sword was coming down already in a massive overhead strike. Acel had little time to think. He lay down flat as the sword came toward him and he rolled to he side allowing it to slam into the ground right beside him before he got to his feet and he again dashed forward to position himself slightly behind the larger man. He swung the offensive blade down, keeping the other sword in the defensive position at almost all times. The blade came down hard and hit into the large man's side as he was still recovering from the haymaker type attack. The man dropped to one knee, and as Acel was about to stab a sword down to finish him a dagger came hurling through the air. His eyes widened as he caught he glint of it coming over the kneeling man and the defensive blade instinctively shot up to deflect it, though the twin swordsman had already made his way to his side and was swinging again. Acel's movements were jerky and singular--something, again, that he was doing incorrectly. He did not flow from one movement to the other--his river was stagnant. "Did you not listen to the old lady? She was giving you advice. You have to move swiftly and fluidly. You have to relax your body. You are capable of it. I have seen it, when your mind goes blank and your revert to pure instinct. But you have to learn how to tap into that while you're still conscious. You have every ability to do that and much much more considering how you're--" Once more the code core silenced itself, the words becoming like static within Acel's mind. How were the higher ups controlling his A.I. Core like this? How could they make sure that he didn't hear what the damn thing wanted to tell him!? It was infuriating! He sighed as he was getting frustrated, and he took a deep breath as he finished defending against the attacks and he hopped back once again. The large man was injured and would be slower--he was the primary target. Then the others would have to come after that. He stood rigid once again, though only because he was static. He was waiting for them. The small man came first and in the center of the group. The twin swordsman came from the side, looping around, and the large man came from behind the small one with the daggers. He was in the safest part of the formation. Acel's mind seemed to begin to buzz as he tuned himself into the room. Midas was right. He needed to relax...let instinct take over. Aki had given him the key words he needed to follow, but he needed to learn how to keep a conscious mind while he was doing it. When he had fallen into instinct before and become incredibly proficient for that period of time--he had not remembered what he had done--he could not remember those moments or movements, and that made them almost completely useless to him.

He felt the clarity wash over him like the tide and he could almost taste it in the air as he let the breath go. The dagger was coming in a slash toward his chest as the man was trying to dash past him on the side that the twin swordsman was not taking, and the twin swordsman was slashing at him with only the offensives sword, slashing at the back of his leg. The larger man was slightly behind these two attacks, but he pulled back and thrust the sword directly toward Acel's chest and Acel's throat went instantly dry when he saw the man making that particular movement. The same type of sword--the greatsword--the same attack that took his life in Bergerac. A thrust through the chest that completely destroyed his heart. He remembered that moment and it froze him solid for half a second--and then everything was gone. His jerky movements ceased and it was as though he became another person entirely. His mind was blank and he had slid into the territory of instinct once more, drawing off of the information surging through his body. His defensive blade flashed forward, though not to block the dagger, it instead came down into the man's forearm and took the end of his arm from him in a vicious slash that was so deep it hit bone--effectively ending the hand's ability to hold the blade. As the slash came toward the back of his legs from the twin swordsman, Acel used the momentum of the first slash to actually follow through, planting his hand on the ground, open palmed with the sword hilt below it to enter a hand-stand. The swords slashed nothing but air. From the handstand, without movement ever stopping he rolled forward into a cartwheel that brought him back to his feet, though off to the side and he was holding both his swords tightly as he shifted his body, flowing to the side in a blur as he seemed to float to the large man's side, though he was moving like a burst dam, slamming into the side of the large man and driving the long sword up into the man's ribs. His mind was alight with thought, and he felt as though he were going to go mad. He twisted the blade inside the mans' ribs and he let out an actual growl as he ripped it from the man'd body. "Acel! Come back!" The sound ripped through his mind and snapped Acel back from the state he had inhabited for a short few moments. Then he blinked as the man with the large sword fell to the ground. Acel still felt the memories of the A.I. Core murdering him and his family, but he was back in control, and the fluid river that he had been for those moments was gone. There were two enemies left, and he poised himself defensively once more. Though he felt as though he were sloppy and not handling himself correctly--he was fighting three opponents, and it was something that would be difficult for most beginners to even try to do, but he was holding his own. His side hurt from where the enemy had hit him before, but it had been the only injury sustained as of yet. the two enemies rushed in once more, the dagger man ran directly at him, but as he was getting close, and Acel had prepared to defend he vaulted into the air. When he jumped, the twin swordsman shifted into the front line from the side, and he swung horizontally, bringing the swords with his shift in momentum to cut across Acel's torso. Acel immediately brought the defensive sword forward to meet the horizontal attack. Already positioned across his body he just pushed it forward to send the attack off course as he twisted his body and simultaneously turned to face the man with the daggers. It had already felt like much longer, but Acel's five minutes were coming to a close. In the smooth motion, he brought the offensive sword crashing down into the crook of the man's neck, just as he landed on his feet, and as the time stopped, Acel felt pain shoot through his kidney as the twin swordsman got the better of him from behind, slamming the blade into his side and driving it upwards.

As the hologram enemies disappeared, Acel was breathing heavily. He turned to Aki and he shuffled closer to her, sheathing the two swords. He was back to normal, but she surely would have noticed the massive change he had undergone for that brief moment in his fight. "Okay...so...how did I do?" He asked, wondering what she would say to him about it. It was then that he noticed that Akio had entered the room, and he looked over to the man, nodding to him with a nervous smile, hoping that he wouldn't mind that he had taken such a position with Aki. The man seemed to be busying himself with the mechanics of the holo-trainer, and Acel was immediately impressed. Was he one of the people who made all of this work!? That was incredible! It would have been such a difficult! Akio must be some kind of genius! He would have to talk to him about that. But for now, his eyes had already trained themselves back to Aki, and he awaited her response, standing at attention and with respect.


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OOC: I am sorry for the novel of a post. O__O

Acel's breathing was slowing as he stood there, his heart beating without such a heavy rhythm as he watched for Aki's reaction to his training. He wanted her to be positive about it, and he didn't know why. He felt the need to impress this woman...no, that was the wrong word. It wasn't that he wanted to impress her, he supposed, but it was more that he wanted to make her proud. This thought confused him to some degree, because he couldn't understand what it was that made him feel that way. He didn't know her at all, he had only heard the woman speak a few times, and yet he was working his a** off because he wanted to make the woman acknowledge him. He knew that he was viewing her as a teacher: after all, he had asked her to instruct him so that he could improve. So, it was natural to want to impress your instructor, was it not? He had never had a real teacher before. His parents had brought him books home from Paris, or from the ruins of the outside world--heck, there were even a few that he had found himself in the wrecks of houses and buildings in Bergerac. He had studied them and he had devoured them on his own, peeling through the books like nothing. However, he had never had anyone to instruct him in anything--other than his father, who taught him how to farm. He had learned well from his father, as Cecil's father was also a farmer--the one responsible for the greenhouse project that had failed outside of Paris. They had created a massive greenhouse attached to the Paris walls, but before they had made it a part of the shield that covered Paris, it was raided and Cecil's mother and father were killed. But, even as a young man, Cecil had learned a lot about farming and cultivating crops. This knowledge was passed onto Acel. He sighed as he looked at her, his stomach in knots over the anticipation to hear what she would say--and though hope filled his eyes, he tried to keep his expression as neutral as he could. Acel caught the way that Aki glanced over at her grandson and checked in on what he was doing. She was an observant woman, and she seemed to catch everything that happened around her--the mark of a proficient warrior as well. Acel wondered what kind of horrors she had seen--and how many of them she had overcome. He wondered what kind of cores were under her control--what kind of weaponry she used. He could only imagine that it was a sword--as it seemed to be the family trait. When she began to speak, he paid very close attention to the woman, and every word that came out of her mouth.

When she had told him that he was doing well toward the end, his chest swelled with pride, though he would not allow it to go to his head. This was not some sort of kindergarten subject. It was the art of battle--and it was something that could very well be the difference between people's lives and their deaths. Acel didn't know it yet--but this was a burden that he was not ready to bear. He had already watched those closest to him die, and he could not bear to see it again--death due to his own incompetence. He would die a thousand deaths before he watched that happen again. She continued to explain that he was stiff while he moved for the first little while, and that he had managed to rectify that toward the end. He bit his lip, knowing that only bits and pieces remained of the moments that he had managed to let go of his mind and slip into instinct after he had seen the man with the greatsword aiming to stab his chest. He was sure that was the time she was talking about--it seemed to be the only time he was every truly competent with his weapons. But, he had, at the very least, noticed a glaring flaw in himself. He needed to work on that very hard. There was no way he could keep up with these people if he didn't. He had to relax his body and become like water. An ever-flowing water that would strike the bastards in his way down. He wondered if he and Dal'Mori would ever fight like they had, again. Acel smirked to himself as he thought about it and he realized that he wanted to beat that man into the ground. More than anything, he wanted to smash Dal'Mori's ideals to pieces. He wanted him to maintain his search for the destruction of their enemies, but he also wanted for him to live his life--enjoy it and live for the sake of living and not only for destruction. Acel wanted to bring Dal'Mori to his knees and walk beside him into a new era. An era of peace. Dal'Mori didn't belong in such an era--not as the man he now was. He only belonged in war and hatred and self-sacrifice. He would die without having lived only for the sake of the people that died before him. He couldn't imagine what Dal had gone through--watching everything he ever loved or cared for taken away from him. He shook the thoughts from his mind--he had to focus. She asked him if he had ever used a sword before and he shook his head. "I had never fought another person in my life before I went through the H.A.L.F process. So, if my movements seem lacking, that would likely be the culprit." He responded with a curt nod. She went on to tell him that his left hand was weaker--which she was absolutely right. His right hand had always been his dominant one--and even now, he found that his defensive movements were shaky due to the fact that his left hand was not as strong as his right. When she told him he was to fight an opponent with only his left hand his eyes widened. It made sense as she spoke about the need for balance, and he smiled slightly as he thought once more of the concept of yin and yang. The balance of all things. Perhaps he had been guided to this woman. The black cross and the white cross hung from their respective ears and their respective swords, and Acel believed he had been guided by the angels that watched over him. "Thank you..Jasmine..Lidia." He thought to himself as he nodded to Aki once more. "Thank you for all of your help, Aki...you have no idea how much I appreciate all of this. I know that I am not exactly familiar with you...but I hope that...well...I hope that this won't be the last time I receive your instruction. I believe I could gain much from you." He stated with bow this time, and then as he turned to Akio he nodded to him as well. "Kawaguchi. It's nice to see you. I missed the end of your fight, you'll have to forgive me. You'll have to tell me about it sometime!" Acel stated as he took a deep breath. This was going to be hard.

He started the holograms once again, and he took a deep breath as he pulled the sword out of the sheath with his left hand. He stood, holding the sword out in front of his body as he had before, slightly high and diagonally across his torso. The man who was spawned before him was of similar stature, and held a single katana as well, though the blade was pointed to the ground, held loosely and slightly away from the man's own body. Acel regarded him with curiosity--wondering what he was doing holding his sword like that. He seemed so lax that it was hard to believe that he was able to do much of anything from that kind of stance. But, this time, Acel wasn't going to stand around waiting for this guy to move first. No. He was taking this fight to him, and doing it as fast and as effectively as he could while using his off hand and only a single sword. Damnit...this was going to be ridiculously hard. He knew nothing about the single sword style of swordsmanship, though he knew the regular 'swing it at the guy you want to kill' style of combat. As he dashed forward he paid far more attention to the weight in his left hand than he had previously done. The way that his muscles and tendons reacted to the amount of weight in the hand. The way that the length of the blade pulled on his forearms and biceps when he moved. He would need to master all of these things, but it was something that, for some reason, he had overlooked until right in this moment. He swung the sword--usually his defensive weapon in a sloppy horizontal sweep towards the man's chest, but suddenly he lurched into motion and his sword flashed upward and met against Acel's, and with a flick of the enemy's wrist, the sword was diverted elsewhere. With a quick step forward and another flick of his wrist the sword was swung downward and cutting directly across Acel's chest, though it would feel, instead, as if he had been hit with a block of wood. Or gravity punched in the chest by a gorilla. He winced as he took the blow and he stumbled backwards, feeling the pain radiate through his chest. He took a step backwards and then he took a deep breath as he held the blade tightly once again, eyeing the man up. The distance between them was short, and Acel couldn't afford to size his opponent up endlessly--he only had five minutes. He took a quick step forward and he pulled the sword down so that the tip was facing behind him and toward the ground and then he pulled it up, ripping it upwards in an attempt to diagonally slash the man, but he placed both hands on his hilt and swung it down to meet Acel's slash and the force that the man was able to muster with the single blade was incredible. Acel's entire arm shook with the hammering blow and his sword was blasted backwards by the force behind the defence. It was in this moment that the man took the exact same half-step forward and brought the sword down once again in a lightning chop to Acel's neck / shoulder. The muscles in his neck and shoulder screamed out in pain as the holo sword hit him with the gravitational force. He grunted as he stumbled back again. This time he took a deep breath and tried to focus once more on the weight of the blade. He was just whipping the thing about, trying to land a strike without really thinking about the specifics of force and how much it would take to move the blade with the underdeveloped muscles of his left hand. The angle of the blade also required mastery in his left hand's fingers to the same degree as his right--this was something he wouldn't be able to learn in a fight. It was impossible. But, he had already made the discovery--he believed--that Aki wanted him to make. This feeling...the hyper awareness of his own body--it was something he needed if he was going to go anywhere from here. If he was going to improve at all. He narrowed his eyes and he blasted forward toward the man once more, bringing his sword up as if he were going to slash, but instead waiting for his enemy to move. He stopped the slash half-way, and when the man began to bring his sword up to block the attack, Acel pivoted on his hind foot and he spun, bringing the blade into a sudden horizontal slash, using the momentum of his spin to bolster his weaker limb. The enemy almost seemed to laugh silently, his body and shoulders slightly shaking as Acel's blade was stopped by the enemies. The man held his sword there, pushing back against Acel's attack for a moment before he lashed out, kicking Acel in the back of the leg and sending the man to the ground before he brought the sword following through and landing a blow on Acel's chest. He coughed from the wind being taken from him and the opponent seemed to step back and wait. Watching him with cold calculation. The hologram that he fought was almost shapeless. A silhouette more than anything--a black mass of shadow that fought like a man. But Acel was interested by how the enemy was remaining in a defensive stance and not attacking at all. Why? Then Acel realized...he had already attacked the man multiple times, and he had easily turned aside Acel's weaker attacks by waiting and countering the movements. Perhaps this was the trick.

He stood back once more and he took a deep breath to prepare himself. He let the sword hang down to his side, aimed slightly away from his body and he looked at his shadowy enemy, holding his vision on where the man's eyes would be if he were not just some shadowy mass. Then it happened. As Acel was looking at the man, the mutual understanding that Acel understood what he needed to do was met, and then the man jumped into action. He launched forward with reckless abandon and swung his sword up towards Acel, the speed and strength of it easily as powerful as a two handed strike, even though the man was holding it only in his left. Acel brought the sword down in an over head swing to block it and turn it aside, but as the blades met, the enemy's was too strong and it ripped his sword from his hand and sent it spiralling into the air. With a spin, the enemy turned and sent another slash directly into Acel's unprotected side and he dropped to one knee, gasping for breath before the man launched a knee up into Acel's head, sending the farmer back onto his a**. Acel groaned as he lay there and then, as he stood up, he found his sword laying not far away and the enemy patiently waited for him to pick it up and resume his stance. This had gone on almost the full limit, now, but he was not done yet, damnit. Not yet. Then, as the enemy rushed in toward him, Acel narrowed his eyes and he prepared for it, and as the enemy got closer and began to set up his attack, Acel realized something--the shadow was of him. He was fighting himself this entire time. The hologram that was in front of him didn't have a similar stature at all--it was an EXACT stature. It was a perfect replica. He smirked, and then as the hologram got close to him, it burst into color, and Acel saw a bloody version of himself, red eyed and snarling, a set of fangs growing from his mouth, and a gaping hole in his chest. Nobody else would see this, and his heart jumped out of his chest as he waited for the slash to come, side-stepping it with as much finesse as he could muster before following through with a lunge that placed his sword directly through the back of the enemy. But, even as his sword pierced through the back of the enemy, the five minutes was not up, and the nightmare was not over. Acel ripped the blade out of the enemy, and the nightmarish version of himself responded by turning around, the bleeding hole in his chest gushing even more, and this time, the enemy with the demonic visage was crying. Acel realized this was the 'him' from right before he died. The wound, the bloodshot eyes that made them look demonic and red, it all matched perfectly. He took a step back and the shadow launched at him, swinging the sword he held with both hands down toward Acel's neck once more--a strike to decapitate him. Acel brought up his sword with everything he could muster. The bones in his hand ached from the sheer force he was trying to put into using his off hand, and when the blade collided, he actually knocked away the enemy's attack perfectly, sending the sword off to the side. The enemy recovered and twisted on their back leg, shooting a brutal kick into Acel's chest and sending the man rocketing backwards. The enemy version of himself was right behind Acel as he landed, bringing the sword down again, this time striking again across the man's neck and a strike after that left another painful bruise across his chest. But Acel kicked up and slammed his heel into the shin of the enemy, causing them to lurch backwards and he got to his feet, charging instantly and pulling the sword back thrusting it with all of his might and aiming it for the enemy's chest. The blade blasted through the hole in the demon Acel's chest instantly and then he slammed his own knee forward into the shadow's gut, putting it to the ground as the time ended. Acel hadn't even noticed the blood running down his nose until then, from the knee that had caught him earlier in the duel. He groaned as he held his shoulder and even his side was hurting. These holo enemies were not to be trifled with--even if they didn't do any fatal damage, they could still hurt like a b***h.

After the time had ended, Acel was panting. He stood in front of Aki, sheathing his second sword and waiting for her. She didn't go into the specifics right away on what he had done, or how he had done, or if he was god awful, which he knew he was. But instead she stated that she wanted him to go on a mission. Apparently the kind of mission didn't matter, as long as he got some practice in using his left hand. She wanted him to use the left hand in a REAL fight? Well, she did say that she wanted him to use it as much as possible...perhaps he would change his dominant hand into his defensive sword for a while, and try using his left hand for offence. That would give him some practice, surely. As she told him to take Akio with him, his eyes widened. Obviously Akio was comfortable with his own grandmother, and that was okay for her to address him by his name. But the idea of going on a mission with the man, after the rough introduction and not having much time to really get anywhere else with the man was worrisome. But, he had seen him fight, and he knew that they could likely learn to become better fighters together. He nodded to Aki and turned and nodded then to Akio as he asked a simple question. 'Now?'

Acel breathed deep once again as he let the idea settle. He had gone out there once already, and had been itching to do it again...why not. He just needed to go get a mission from the main offices, and then they could go. If Akio was intent on joining, as well, then they were pretty much ready any time. "Alright, Aki...I don't mind going out with Kawaguchi for a mission. But, when I return...do you think I could bother you for more instruction? I'd like to see just how much you can teach me...and I have a feeling that you're capable of dishing out just as much as you can teach...and I kind of want to see that, too, if you would ever permit me." He said with a kind smile as he turned back to Akio. "If you're willing to join me, I would be honored to have you out there with me." He said with a nod, wondering if the man would agree to come along.


Line Count: 698

OOC: Okay so we have to go to the main offices, and it is upstairs way up above the portal room, there are pictures. And we will speak to a higher-up in the organization. A leader who gives out tasks and they will be sent to Chicago--a city who managed to put together a make-shift A.I. shield to check on how it is doing. Reports of workers being hurt in the area are too large in number, and people are getting spooked. Hence baiter patrol happens. =]

Sarah Hartwell

Dal was either in a bad mood or in a good one. She wasn't sure as she bit her lip when he began to throw bits of the ice cream at the doctor after sticking his tongue out at him like some little child, trying to keep from laughing. It was rude, she knew it, and based on the doctors face, he wasn't too happy about Dal's actions either. The doctor began to hurry his process of making Sarah's ports proper again. She never would have imagined in a hundred years that Dal would have this side to him. From what she saw in the battle field between the two of them, she never pictured him sticking his tongue out at someone who didn't agree with his habits. Maybe a few crude words, but no a childish action, one that she had done with her best friend Jennifer on a few occasions.

Dal seemed like someone who had fought for years and years, becoming hard inside and outside. But There he was, flinging ice cream, trying to get a rise out of the doctor, who seemed to have the world of patience. She wondered how often this happened to the doctor. She doubted ever, but she was sure he dealt with probably worse things than this. She waved good-bye at the doctor.

She glanced at Dal when he snorted, raising an eyebrow in question to him. Obviously he didn't like the doctor. She could only guess it was because he said something to Dal that he didn't like. She wondered what that could have been. She wondered if it was about the ice cream mess and that was why Dal started throwing the ice cream at him. That made the most sense to her. She was deaf when the doctor spoke to Dal so she wasn't sure and couldn't be sure unless she asked.

She didn't know what to say as Dal spoke to her, telling her he was just trying to bring back her knives, which she figured when he was holding them out to her during the ice cream incident. What really made her speechless was that he was offering his assistance to her during missions. She wasn't sure how she should take that. She did appreciate the offer, glad to hear that someone wanted to help her. But she wasn't sure if it was because he just wanted to or if he felt that he needed to help her. Did he think she couldn't do it on her own? That wouldn't be surprising if it was true. She didn't hold up well against Dal at all. He had her done in almost the first five minutes of actual fighting. Maybe that was why he was offering help.

She smiled though, a shaky one, and nodded at him. “Thank you, I hope..... I hope I can.... be of h-h-help for y..... you as well.” She hoped she could return the favor to him in the future, maybe when she was stronger. She couldn't help but smile when his stomach growled loudly and nodded as he left, giving him a wave.

Once Dal was gone, she sat on her bed a little longer, looking down at her hands. Her mind began to wonder, in her own little world where she always went by herself. She wondered if she could become stronger. She didn't hold up well against Dal at first, maybe because she had been afraid of him and she was running from him the whole time. She couldn't say though, not quite understanding battle well enough. Right now though, she felt she was useless next to Dal. It was probably the same story with everyone that was here with her, all the newest people that had just been in the tournament with her.

Sarah sighed heavily before standing again, looking around the room. She spotted some clothes, completely different than what she was wearing before. Probably because it was so bloody they just gave her some clean clothes instead. She pulled up the clothes, seeing that they were her own clothes. They must have went to her room and gathered them. She hoped it was a female that went, feeling really uneasy if it had been a male that went through her things. Dear God he would have seen her lacy underwear. She felt her face go warm from her blushing just thinking about it. It was hard to ignore something like that. The only male that ever saw her underwear had been her ex-fiance, her brothers and father never saw them. Dear Lord, she began to worry about what the male nurse or doctor that gathered her clothes had thought of her things. What if she started getting roses from the guy? She couldn't take on the pressure of dating, she barely survived her fiance in the beginning, how could she survive a complete stranger from a strange city that she never really knew. Dear Lord, she would be killed in a week if that happened.

Princess, I'm sorry, but your mind goes to really strange places. Seriously, just get dressed and get out, I'm getting tired of hearing your thoughts going to places it shouldn't because they won't happen. The Guard said, sounding annoyed as usual. Sarah could only glare, looking up at her forehead, or well in the direction of her forehead, she couldn't actually see it. That would be weird.

Taking a deep breath, she looked at the clothes again, frowning a bit when she saw that whoever got her clothes brought a skirt instead of pants. Though, she wasn't going to not be grateful for the thought. She pulled on the loose red tank top over her light blue bra, white lace trim going around the edges all of the pads. There was three little black bows, one sitting on each end of the straps above the pads and one sat in the middle of them. She pulled the black leggings that came with them, covering her matching panties, though it had more of the white lace trimming, folding over and covering most of the blue. They only had one black bow that rested in the middle perfectly, with white straps that would hook to long stockings if she had any on her. Black socks came soon after before she pulled on the black skirt. Sarah was quick to pull on her boots soon after, then her black jacket. Giving herself a quick look in the body length mirror that sat on the door to the room, she decided she was ready and headed out, pulling her hood up to cover her headphones once again.

She left the infirmary, stepping into the sitting area. She glanced at the monitors, seeing that only one fight was still going on. It looked like Corrinne. She wished the woman luck since she didn't know who the male was. She stepped out, glancing around for anyone she knew. Of course she didn't see anyone. She stood there, a little awkward. What could she do?

Missions, she could go on a mission. She remembered Dal talking about them. Though Dal would be busy with the tournament, she could go on a small one on her own, surely she could do just a small one. She headed out of the sitting area, looking around for a map to show her where one of the offices were. She found one, seeing that they were just above the portal room. Feeling a little bit of confidence swell up inside her, she made her way toward them. It didn't take long thankfully. Just a quick elevator ride up. Though once Sarah got there, she was lost. She glanced around the room, seeing a lot of people, but wasn't sure who to speak to. Maybe this was a bad idea.

Acel knew that Aki had been analysing him as he fought, and he knew she was circling around the room, walking around him and checking his movements as he performed them, but he had managed to tune it out almost completely. As he had fought he had managed to almost completely ignore her presence and focus on nothing but his body and the way that it was reacting to his sad attempt at fighting with a single sword in the wrong hand. This was going to be a hard learning curve to be sure. He had been lucky in his fights so far--well, other than losing both of them and full-on dying in one of them. But hey, what could you do, right? He was learning, and at the very least he was picking it up quickly enough to support himself in the combats that he had experienced. Most people who had never fought before were outright destroyed, but he had, at the very least, put up a decent fight during his battles. Acel was unaware how much Aki had caught while she watched him--and he would not say anything about the horrifying visage of himself, or the brief moments he would lose his memory completely, or at least have it become something like the television static of old. He stood in front of her as she was ready to speak with him about how he had done once again, and he was ready to be torn to pieces. When she spoke, however, he couldn't believe he was actually getting praise from the woman. He swallowed hard, and tried to hide the grin that was fighting to escape, but he nodded to her. "I know that I am nothing compared to many swordsmen out there. I am a fledgling in a world of people who have mastered their trades, or at least taken many more steps toward such mastery than I have. I really hope that I can learn more, though, and gain a knack for these weapons of mine in due time, under your wing." He stated, bowing low to the woman in respect as she asked him if he had an issue with Akio. She had quickly moved on from the question, and mentioned that she would continue mentoring him and he almost shouted with glee. This was what he came to the headquarters in the first place to do. He wanted to find someone who could mould him into a true fighter. Orion had originally given him the offer to take him and turn him into a true warrior, but Acel was not ready to go back to speak with the man. To be honest, he had been intimidated by him--the way that he looked at Acel was akin to the way someone might look at a weapon or some kind of tool. He didn't want to get involved with someone who was going to use him, and he couldn't imagine yet why the man would even want to. "Thank you very much, Aki. I can't tell you just how much that means to me. I promise, I won't disappoint. As per Akio, I have no issues. I am...well...to be honest...intimidated by the man, slightly, and we had a bit of an awkward encounter when I first met him. Something I don't hold against him, but I am a little embarrassed about. I hadn't quite gotten over my loss yet...and the wounds were fresh and somethign that should not have hurt me made me rather angry." He said with a bright smile, though his tone had come down to a whisper when he spoke of Akio and their situation before he had left Aki with another bow and smile.

When he approached Akio, the man was busy with some sort of technological work. Acel was fascinated by it, seeing the man proficiently work on such intensely complex mechanisms. Acel had learned of the technology of the world, and he had a decent understanding of things that existed, but the inner workings could have been dwarves spinning magic cotton yarn from their asses for all he knew. He watched him working, plugging the holotrainer into his watch and downloading the code. When he finally spoke to Acel, he nodded to him, understanding the warning that he was receiving. He scratched his bare chin and quirked a brow as he looked at Akio. He wondered what might happen if the holotrainer was used. It was at this point that the small little robot rolled back into the training room with tools for Akio to use. Acel blinked at the thing, getting a strange vibe from it. Even though they were commonplace in this world, he had yet to see robotic individuals that had any sort of personality. And then, to further his amazement, the thing began to issue periodic beeps and noises and Akio responded with full speech. Akio and this thing couple properly communicate...but how? Akio could speak machine? Acel's dumbfounded expression would likely cause Akio to know what he was thinking and what he was shocked about without him actually saying anything, and Acel immediately flushed, feeling embarrassed. People from more populated areas probably learned how to talk to machines early in life to live in such a technologically advanced society. He felt like such a foot all of a sudden. He was a country bumpkin after all...he couldn't really be blamed for where he was raised. Nobody brought him the proper learning materials to decypher the speech of robots. Though, he would make a note to pick Akio's brain about it at a later date. He wanted to gain this ability...perhaps he could tell his lights to turn off and things like that...how convenient life could be. He watched as the two of them continued to speak, and when Akio instructed the robot to stay with Aki, the thing seemed absolutely ecstatic about it. It hopped off the ground and then darted over to rest beside her and Acel almost burst out laughing. It was such a quirky little machine. Then, Akio said something in his native tongue--Japanese he had gathered by now, and gave Aki a little wink. They boarded an elevator together and Acel took a deep breath as it began to ascend. He and Akio stood, leaned against the wall of the metal transportation device and he was about to ask him a million questions when he realized that he needed to hold them back. How did you learn how to create and edit and work on technology the way you do? How the hell can you speak to robots? What were you saying to Aki just now? Can you teach me your language, it sounds freaking amazing the way it rolls off of your tongue. Make me handsome! He realized that he was actually excited to be with this man, all of a sudden, and he couldn't figure out what it was that was doing it. He hadn't made a new friend in so long that he barely remembered what it was like to be around new people like this. He was beginning a life of adventure with people who he had every opportunity to become life-long friends with, and he knew that this was something Jasmine would have wanted for him--she would have wanted him to find happiness in the life that he had left. His parents were the only ones who were left from his life before--they were sad reminders of Bergerac, but he had a new life, now, and he wasn't going to let it go to waste. His mind was racing a mile a minute, and he took a deep breath as the elevator doors opened and he and Akio walked out. He liked how different it felt to be around the man now than how it had been when he had first seen him again in the arena seating area.

When they got off of the elevator, Acel watched as Akio walked out, heading toward a woman who seemed like she was slightly out of place. He knew she was the woman from the screen--the one who had been fighting against Kadiante. Sarah Hartwell. She was a very capable woman, to be sure, and he wondered what kind of mission they might be sending her on. She had fought against Dal'Mori, and from what he had gathered, before he had left the arena, she had managed to land a hit on the man--something Acel had not been able to do. He would, however, be sure to rectify this at some point. Dal'Mori was someone that Acel desperately wanted to give friendship to--but he was also a rival to Acel. Acel might have been a farmer, but as soon as he solidified his resolved to become a warrior, Dal'Mori became his testing ground. He would not be happy with his progress until he managed to beat Dal in combat. He would challenge him as many times as it took throughout their lives as Baiters, and he would, one day, put that man on his a**. And that would be the day that Acel Belgarde got s**t-faced for the first time of his life. He hadn't been a huge drinker at any point, and he had been buzzed before, but that would be an occasion to celebrate in earnest. When Akio spoke to the woman, he inquired about the mission she was planning on doing, and then, after asking Acel if he minded if she tagged along, Acel bit his lip for a moment, scrunching his face in thought and then he shrugged his shoulders. "I've seen her fight, and I know she's capable enough. I know that we haven't really had too much time to get to know each other, Sarah, but it would be lovely to have you along with us." Damnit. There goes my chance to ask him about his robotic gifts. Soon...soon. But...what if the man is an A.I. in disguise!? Perhaps that's the secret to his ungodly powers! No. Acel. Shut your stupid brain up. And stop thinking to yourself. You're being weird. He cleared his throat and nodded to her, trying not to look like an idiot. "You do realize that I am eternally trapped inside of your mind, listening to the s**t you're thinking right?" Acel's face flushed, though he said nothing, and he only hoped that Sarah didn't take it the wrong way. He scratched his head nervously and immediately made a dash with Akio to the receptionist's desk and listened to the woman brief them on their mission.

Alright...it seemed easy enough. They needed to go to Chicago and inspect a faulty shied generator. It had not been a sanctioned piece of equipment, apparently, but the citizens of the city, before it was lost, had managed to rig it up with an ex-baiter's help. They ad been using it to keep the A.I. cores out of the city for generations now, and though there were no particular signs of damage, there were workers who had heard strange cries from the lower mechanical levels of the city, and they feared that the mechanical levels might have a breach. This was their job. They were to inspect the shield generator and do a patrol of the lower levels to ensure that no A.I. cores had slipped through their defenses. Now it was just about getting to Chicago...wherever the hell that was. "Alright, so...umm...does anyone here know how the hell to get to Chicago?" He asked with a quirked brow. "Perhaps you could ask a television set or a tablet or whatever, and they could spit that information out for you, Kawaguchi. Eh?" Acel said, nudging the man to show that he did indeed understand that Akio could converse with everything mechanical, and he was okay with it...more than okay. He had to learn this skill.


Line Count: 805

OOC:

xxxxx◈Location: Arena ◈Company: Corrinne ◈Mood: Calm, Enthusiastic, Motivated





{OOC: Correct me on her eye color if I'm wrong.}

Ah! Akio had figured out why the elevator ride was strange, but oddly not uncomfortable. It seemed that the other man had wanted to ask him at least a thousand questions, all of which he decided not to ask aloud while they had the time. So, when the elevator finally dinged, Akio let the man suffer, momentarily, and walked up to Sarah to spook her. And just as expected, the woman reacted wonderfully, letting out a startled squeak as she turned around to see who it was that had pushed in the back of her knee. Akio let out an amused chuckle before shoving his hands in his pockets and asking both Acel and Sarah if they were alright going on the mission together. Sarah was so nervous that she seemed to stutter, unsure of her words as she spoke. Then again… She did seem to have a way of speaking that suggested that she wasn’t good at it in the first place. But, when she first spoke with them, she seemed to move her hands about, as if that was her preferred way of communicating. Deaf? Perhaps, but that wasn’t any of his business. If she were a more important person to him, he might have placed in an amount of effort to learn sign language.

Well, that’s what a nice Akio would have done. This particular Akio, though, simply shrugged it off and continued about his business, asking the receptionist for a mission. When he relayed their job to the other two, Acel spoke his mind about the not knowing how to get to Chicago either, though he did go into something strange at the very end. “Nani?” Akio asked, a rather amused fashion. Speak to a television? How in the world would he be able to do that? But then, he realized something… Before when he was talking to Kiki, the robot spoke to him in Binary, which not everyone knew, much less a farmer. Akio let out a silent laugh, holding as much of it in as he could. “Talk to a television? Are you referring to when I was talking to the KB-4 unit?” He asked Acel, but before he was able to continue further, Sarah spoke up, letting them know that she knew how to get to Chicago. A train ride away from Toronto! That was a rather convenient way of getting there. “Aahh.. Sō’ ka. So, we could beam down to Toronto, then nab a train from there.” It was almost as if he were talking to himself, but he was glad at least one of them knew, he having never been there.

And so the girl was from Chicago, then. He wondered where Acel was from, all three obviously all coming from very different countries. It was prominent in the way they all spoke and acted that they were very different in their upbringing, culture, and language. This, Akio decided, was going to be a rather interesting mission. Perhaps this was where they would all learn a great deal about each other, if not through speaking to each other, then simply by their actions.

With a smile, Akio began their journey to the portal room, which was just a short elevator ride down. However, this time, Akio didn’t let the ride remain silent. “So, tell me, since there wasn’t a chance before. What exactly do you mean by ‘ask a television set’ or whatever it was you said. I can’t actually talk to electronics.” Akio smirked at the man, teasing him ever so slightly. He didn’t think the man stupid for thinking he could, if that was his thought process, but he did find it rather amusing. And if Acel was speaking of when he was speaking with the KB-4 unit, he would explain. The series of beeping noises were in binary, a language carried by all machines in one way or another. Some could speak to others that way, though most were programed with voice boxes to speak normally. KB-4 units did technically have voice boxes programmed into them to speak to humans, but Kiki was a special unit which Akio had, well, modified into not speaking. He did hate their voices, after all.

This time, hopefully, the man would ask questions. Akio wasn’t much fond of silent train rides, even if he were by himself, and it seemed as if Sarah might have been too nervous to say too much. But they traveled down the elevator, and he waited for the slew of questions he simply knew were coming his way the moment Acel got the chance. Sarah, however, was an interesting one. A nervous young woman, stuttering over her words like she were practically forcing out every word she could muster. She was so uptight, and high strung that he could have sworn she was high bred. If the way she held herself spoke anything about how she was raised, and her clothing were any kind of notifier, she had money. Quite a bit of it, Akio assumed. It was almost as easy to see as Acel being poor.

When the elevator dinged, Akio had no issue leading the way to their portals, knowing which ones would lead where, and which ones would do what they needed to. Also, as it so happened to be, which ones were operated by the more attractive people there. With a quick wink, Akio asked for Toronto for the three of them, and they were off. It is rather difficult to describe the sensation of being broken down molecule by molecule, but here’s an attempt. Akio felt as if he were placed in one of those carnival rides which spins so fast you stick to the wall of the ride, no matter which way the ride was then facing. The only difference being that it felt that way with every single cell in his body. A very strange feeling, one that took ages to get used to, but after having felt it numerous times in his lifetime, it was a feeling he was used to. So, when they arrived in Toronto, Akio stepped out of the teleporter feeling fine as ever.

From there, it was easy to get out of the building to where they needed to go, but instead, Akio smirked and turned to Sarah. “Lead the way, Princess.”


Lines: 61
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Quote:

B.A.I.T.R Standing: 94
Health: 660/660
Control Limit: 752

Skill: 74 [---]
Strength: 50 [51]
Defence: 60 [63]



Quote:
Tactical Advantages

Power House - Level 4 - Every time you deal damage to a foe, they lose 8 Defense for the duration of the fight.



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Raven62


Zenko Kaze

Again, she couldn’t quite tell if he was mimicking her or if they were so evenly matched that it appeared that way. If the first, it was a brilliant form of attack. If the second, she was pleased to know that there was someone so like-minded that she could potentially team up with in future battles. He watched her carefully circle him; she took note of his constant eye contact with her, never letting her out of his sight. A smile crept over her lips, there would be no loser in this fight, and it tickled her to know this. She wouldn’t let him in on her thoughts, he might think it silly but for the moment, she was enjoying herself.

After her attack, he quickly caught her in the process, as if guessing her movements before she made them. He blocked the first attack and caught her staff under his boot for the second. Wrenching the staff from her hand, it was enough of a distraction to catch her off guard. Her breathing caught in her chest as she watched him maneuver his weight underneath her. Corrinne’s hand felt empty without her weapon but she knew what she needed to do: she would have to balance the scales. As Satoru thrust his elbow into Corrinne’s torso, she caught his arm with her hands and joined the ride, pushing herself backward. Being a lightweight compared to him, she knew her only chance was to bend with him or use his weight against him. Though this fight would be more challenging without her weapon, she took the opportunity to learn more about her hand-to-hand combat skills.

They were so close now; she could feel his force and weight on top of her. His soft features countered the fierceness of his expression; she couldn’t help admiring his attractive build and physiognomy. For a moment, their positioning almost felt sensual if it wasn’t for the impending threat of being pummeled by this attractive man. Once he finished his push forward, she remained near to him in order to continue the attack. Realizing that she had taken the blunt of his attack, she worried that that would cause her some strain later on. But for the moment, her adrenaline pulsed and she was ready to continue the battle. Forcing a strong punch to the right side of his face while pulling his other arm in to try and jab her knee into his stomach. She didn’t want to cause any damage to his handsome face but at the moment she was so consumed with protecting herself that she had completely forgotten what she was thinking just a couple seconds before.

Hundreds of things raced in her mind; she had left herself completely open for further attack, would she be able to counter it in time like the last time? She didn’t know, her body was responding on instinct and she knew that would be to her disadvantage, especially to an opponent that was so evenly matched with her. Her mind reeled at the possibility of pain.




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OOC: Sounds about right to me =)
Just as a heads up; it looks as though you skipped a turn -