[ She has a hard time imagining transformations as being anything less than impressive; partial ones all the more so, though if she thinks on it too hard, she'll start seeing him with random tiger parts. Not even white tiger parts, since she doesn't make that immediate assumption. Imagine with her Atsushi wandering with golden tiger arms and stripes around his eyes, whiskers under his chin, curved ears jutting out of his white hair. Of course, then there's the tail, and probably too much soft, white fur at his throat; it's a discombobulated image that she dismisses out of hand in light of what else he says.
Chihiro comes to a stop, reaching out to Atsushi with a serious look on her face. Her problem here is she believes him. She absolutely believes him. And that's frightening, for those exact concerning reasons. ]
Thank you, Atsushi-san, but please promise me that you won't just get injured because you can live through it. It's... It's admirable, that you're willing to do that, but I'd prefer if you help others without getting hurt too in the process. Okay?
[ Not that she'd flinch away from the blood, and it's reassuring to hear he heals fairly fast, but in her mind that doesn't make being injured acceptable. Especially not here. ]
I don't want you hurt if there's another way.
[ She says (and thinks) the same at the sword spirits, at the adults in her life, and at the other kids in her life. As simple as an introduction and acknowledgement of their shared situation in Cerealia is, Chihiro has already slotted Atsushi in as someone to care enough about to not want see hurt. (It's an extremely tough vetting process.) ]
But you're a fighter, so I know that getting hurt is something that will happen. Even those of us who aren't fighters get hurt. Just... try, please. Even if that's selfish of me to ask.
[ Which it is. Demanding that a stranger promise not to get hurt if they can help it is very selfish indeed. Who can really promise something so large as that? Who would? ]
Try to protect people without it being at the expense of yourself.
[ It's not just him she's talking to, for all that he's the only one she's speaking to standing right there. ]
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Chihiro comes to a stop, reaching out to Atsushi with a serious look on her face. Her problem here is she believes him. She absolutely believes him. And that's frightening, for those exact concerning reasons. ]
Thank you, Atsushi-san, but please promise me that you won't just get injured because you can live through it. It's... It's admirable, that you're willing to do that, but I'd prefer if you help others without getting hurt too in the process. Okay?
[ Not that she'd flinch away from the blood, and it's reassuring to hear he heals fairly fast, but in her mind that doesn't make being injured acceptable. Especially not here. ]
I don't want you hurt if there's another way.
[ She says (and thinks) the same at the sword spirits, at the adults in her life, and at the other kids in her life. As simple as an introduction and acknowledgement of their shared situation in Cerealia is, Chihiro has already slotted Atsushi in as someone to care enough about to not want see hurt. (It's an extremely tough vetting process.) ]
But you're a fighter, so I know that getting hurt is something that will happen. Even those of us who aren't fighters get hurt. Just... try, please. Even if that's selfish of me to ask.
[ Which it is. Demanding that a stranger promise not to get hurt if they can help it is very selfish indeed. Who can really promise something so large as that? Who would? ]
Try to protect people without it being at the expense of yourself.
[ It's not just him she's talking to, for all that he's the only one she's speaking to standing right there. ]