24. {moment of truth}

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─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

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─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

everyone in the dojo was doing their own warmups. gioia had been chatting to miguel about herself while kresse told war stories to other students.

"are you sure there's nothing else i can do to help?" miguel asked.

gioia shook her head, "you have already helped me pack my suitcase, that's more that enough."

"yeah, i'm just going to miss you." miguel shrugged as he stretched.

"it is only two weeks, miggy." gioia reminded him, "and my psychotherapist said it would be good for me to get the fresh air."

gioia was going to stay at her aunt's house, in the countryside, for nine days. dr fisher thought it would benefit her mental health to get away from los angeles for a while.

"she's right." miguel nodded, "promise me, when you come back you won't be a farmer."

gioia laughed loudly, "that's never going to happen. trust me, i'll be the exact same person when i get back."

"good."

"they were outgunned, we were outmanned." kresse's voice got louder, ending their conversation, "i tell you, rwanda was no joke."

"don't you mean somalia?" miguel corrected him.

aisha and hawk shared a look as kresse slowly turned to face miguel.

"mogadishu is in somalia, rwanda's a whole different country." the teen boy continued.

"of course, somalia." kresse chuckled, "i've spent so much time in the sandbox, it all kind of bleeds together, you know?"

"yeah right." miguel whispered to gioia once kresse had turned his backs to them again.

"listen up!" johnny entered the main room, "i see we've got some new recruits. everybody, fall in."

the students, new and old, followed the sensei's instructions and got into the expected rows.

"in neat rows and lines. sushi, upfront." johnny ordered.

"yes, sensei." she nodded before she moved past a few people to stand beside him and kreese.

"time to see what you're made of." johnny mumbled as he walked around the students, "straighten up, ginger twins."

johnny set his eyes on an older looking man who had a blue bandana tied around his head, "sorry, parents can't stay for class." johnny told him, "it's an insurance thing."

"i'm not a dad. i... i am here to kick some ass, sir!" the man yelled. gioia had recognised him as raymond, the man that worked at the local hardware store.

"do i know you from somewhere?" johnny quizzed.

"oh, yeah, they, uh... i sold you the mirror." raymond admitted, "we kind of bonded, talked about rock bands."

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