Team Maaya: Above the Heart [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

The Unborne

2012-01-17, 09:21 PM

One is as
in Autumn
on the trees
the leaves

Giuseppe Ungaretti's "Soldati"

A New Day

Graduation day—one of the few days known by all as the right of passage for students in the academy—has passed by ages ago, leaving behind the first batch of Riverborn and merc-descended genin in its wake. Though graduated and bearing the forehead protectors of Soragakure (nothing special, just the outline of an arrow pointing upwards, appropriately), the new wave of sky-nin wait patiently in the seats, which they have claimed as their own years ago via etched out initials or clan symbols.

Not everyone in the classroom is a regular who have made their mark inside the four-tiered lecture hall. Example: for the Ozawa Hideki's present, this is their first time ever within the academy's walls. No amount of teachings from Ozawa Rin would have prepared the home-schooled students for the lack of order in this institution of higher learning.

Enter the Brows

Technically people imagine newer schools to be clean and tidy, but this isn't so for Sora's most recent addition to the towering city. Posted all across the walls and blackboard are color-coded post-its reaching high up towards the ceiling of the vertically tall classroom. The average student knows these served as the only reminders for their scatter-brained teacher. In fact, the astute learner would have recognized the yellows representing the dates and times for this class's homework and tests; the reds were simply tangents the lecturer planned well in advanced just in case the moment called for an interjection of random facts; and finally the blues detailing the most vital information pertaining to each class.

Too bad the blue post-its were mysteriously absent from today's class preventing the teacher, Haiburau-sensei, from remembering quite exactly why all the students were present and who these new faces were. Little did he know that today was one of the most important days of these youths' careers as ninja: the day they are assigned to teams.

Honestly, it isn't Haiburau's fault that he couldn't remember even the simplest of things without writing them down beforehand; it was nature's fault for granting the sensei's eyebrows with more evolutionary potential than his brain. In fact, his eyebrows were so unruly and uncontainable within any shape that most people simply forgot about all other distinguishing aspects of the man's character. No one cared for the pockmarks all across his face nor his hawk-like nose. No, people could only be fascinated by those eyebrows that seemed to reach high above his own head.

One of these same eyebrows was now jotting upwards trying to pierce the heavens (of course such a feat wouldn't be that hard given how high everyone already was in Soragakure): "Who are you?"

Osawa Hideki

What was up with these formalities? Why couldn't they attach a sign or something to the Osawa residence asking for Hideki's presence at the first team meeting? What was the point of placing all these students—who outside of class would surely try to get in fights with one another—in the same room? What's up with the guy with crazy eyebrows pointing you out and asking for your name?

Sengo Iyasumaru

Sitting next to Hideki, Iyasumaru could easily help out Haiburau-sensei's confusion with a simple raise of his hand or waiting for Hideki to answer for himself. He could do all of this, but that wouldn't stop the balls of paper being thrown at the crown of his head from someone higher up in the classroom. Distracting as hell, opening up any of these papery ammunitions would reveal crudely drawn tweezers taming a forest of eyebrow hair.

Kids these days now made up their own rude comments towards the hard-workers of the class by describing them not as teacher's pets but as utensils used to groom and manage the only recognizable feature of their bird-brained sensei.

Spot check if you want find the paper-pelting perpetrator.

Kuroda Takuya

Atusuhi: "Check it out, Tweezer's getting bushwhacked."
Yuno: "Bushwhacked?"
Atusuhi: "Yeah, when you get whacked on the head with paper."
Yuno: "Um, try again."

Regardless of being stuck to the side of the linguistic bickering couple, Takuya would have still fallen back into his hyperconscious mind if it weren't for Atushi jabbing at his gut.

"Hey, wouldn't it be awesome if you and me and Yuno, were on the same team?"

"Who?"

Kita Eisen

"I hope I'm on Eisen's team. Can you imagine? It'd be my chance to finally get close to him!"
"Back off. If anyone's getting close to him it'll be me."

School can be hard if you're the locus of everyone's envy (Iyasumaru), the homeschooler (Hideki), or the one guy who doesn't like physical contact but all the girls still want to date because of his sharp sense of fashion: dress shirt, tie, and blazer. Unfortunately the rather loud voices behind Eisen are not the only hints towards the future plans of all the kunoici; worst of all was Mindi-chan scooting up from the left like some predatory animal. Her hand slithers across the table with a note held securely under it. The ritual is obvious: the young kunoichi is trying to pass Eisen a note, but her hand is crowding up most of the open spaces from which to take it.

"Hey," she whispers as if it wasn't alright to speak out loud like everyone else, "take it." Her hand is still crowding the note. Her grin is devilish.

Konpaku Yousuke

What a waste of time today is. Seriously, the teacher can't get class started. No one has been assigned to any teams. How does Soragakure expect its new wave of genin to be worth anything if the time they could spend training was instead spent on talking, passing notes, throwing paper balls, and being crushed on by the girls. Luckily for Yousuke (and unlike Eisen), the Konpaku sword-user knew when and where to glare at people to insure they stayed the heck away—especially during training hours.

Listen check please.

Takeada Houshi

What glares accomplished for Yousuke, sheer genetics did for Houshi. The gigantic genin garnered much attention the first few days of classes when everyone couldn't comprehend exactly how someone their age could be six foot-something; however, that attention only lasted for so long as his presence stayed a novelty to the foolish youth. Most of the females in the class avoided Houshi like the plague out of cruelness towards difference, while the guys avoided him due to how impotent they felt after seeing him brand his fullblade in the practice area.

Today is different, though. New kids meant the same old questions.

"Aren't you a little old to be here?" a kid asks trying to mock what he believes to be an middle-aged man hanging around twelve year old kids.

Bad Situation

2012-01-17, 09:54 PM

Yousuke stifled another sigh as he noticed Eisen receiving the attention of yet another girl. Or perhaps it was the plural form? A quick turn of the head provided an affirmative. Bothersome. It was just his luck, that the boyish ninja happened to be sitting directly across from him.

It wasn't as if he hated Eisen. The boy simply attracted more attention from the opposite gender than Yousuke believed was warranted. Harpies, every last one of them. Just waiting for the right moment to swoop. Either they were not fit to be ninja, or they were being as cunningly deceptive as was expected of them. Neither of those options were particularly pleasant.

His muscles and fingers instinctively twitched and flexed at the thought, bring a slight jolt of pain around his fingers. Training had gone on late that night and this morning his callouses decided to be especially annoying to bandage. The other students in the class never came into class with training inflicted wounds. Hopefully his teammates would be as serious with their ninja careers as he was with his own. Unlikely, given the state of the class but one had to remain optimistic. Pausing for a second, he glared at the girls swarming the little boy to his left.

Yousuke tested the weight of his new blade. His grandfather had ordered it custom made in celebration of his exemplary scores. It had a nice edge to it but it still didn't feel right in his grip. There was only one such sword for Yousuke, and despite his entrance into the shinobi ranks, he still did not feel as if that weapon truly belonged to him.

As he fiddled with the freshly crafted weapon, something caught his attention.

[roll0] - Listen Check

GodslayersINC

2012-01-17, 10:01 PM

Eisen saw Mindi-chan coming from a mile away. Inwardly he sighed, this was almost becoming routine. Gingerly making sure as to not touch Mindi's out stretched hand, Eisen took the note with his thumb and fore finger. He gave her a brief smile before saying " Thank you" and hoping (But seriously doubting) that this would be the end of this mornings exploits. He wasn't here for batting eyelashes after all. Eisen made it common practice to be aware of all things going on around him and to quickly make mental notes, storing away anything worthwhile. When the absent minded profession stumbled into the class he looked more out of place than the students he thought. I hope I don't get stuck with anyone like that he thought. Haiburau-sama was just so.... Sloppy.

Absentmindedly he had unfolded the letter he had be handed by Mindi-chan and he glanced down to see what the message had been...

KeithIsTheMan

2012-01-17, 11:10 PM

...One of these same eyebrows was now jotting upwards trying to pierce the heavens (of course such a feat wouldn't be that hard given how high everyone already was in Soragakure): "Who are you?"

Hideki had been reluctant to even go near the Academy before, but actually going inside was practically like walking through the gates of Hell. He'd hoped that if he just kept his head down that he might be able to get through the day without any of the older kids antagonizing him, or even noticing that he was here. Instead, the absent-minded teacher had already made the presence of an outsider painfully obvious by forgetting his name. The instructor might as well have slapped a "Kick Me!" sign on his back. The young Genin did his best to keep his disappointment out of his expression.

"Ozawa Hideki, sir. I'm technically not enrolled as a student, but I meet all the requirements for graduation. This is where we report for unit assignment, isn't it?"

Overlord Rion

2012-01-17, 11:25 PM

Atsuhi had always been remarkably good at keeping Takuya from sinking into his thoughts. However, on some days, it was just plain annoying. "First off, being bushwhacked is a lot like being ambushed and usually takes place in thick foresty places. Secondly, you'd better hope so. You two would be completely lost without me. Especially you, Atsuhi." Takuya sighed and leaned forward on the desk.

From the amount of people in the class and what he had observed of them, his own calculations said there was no way he would be paired up with his friends. Even more unfortunately, the teacher had lost his ever so important post-its. Today was going to be a ludicrously long day. And they had to deal with one of those home-schooled kids. What was so much better about being taught by a mentor when the school was just as...

He stopped that thought the moment he realized how stupid it was starting to sound. "Say, Atsuhi, what's your plan when we end up on different teams anyway? We're probably going to be split up on three different teams." While waiting for an answer, he tried looking around for the source of the paper balls just to pass the time.

I suppose a Spot check is in order

[roll0]

Sir Shadow

2012-01-18, 12:12 AM

Fold. Heat. Fold. Heat. Fold. Heat. Fold. Heat. Cool. Polish. Is the Shihozume method superior to the--

While the class around him might be devolving into its usual utter chaos, Iyasumaru found himself leaning forward over his desk deep within his own world. He cut a foreboding figure as his eyes glared over the tips of his interlocked knuckles, thumbs twitching slightly against his dry lips as ever fiber of his being seemed focused on this one particular thought.

Most days spent in these halls 'academia' were devoted to the method of swordcrafting he was working to master, even if it was only in mental practices within his head. After so many long hours of sweating besides the fires of the forge, he was able to consider most variables or imperfections within his calculations, and by the time he found the tamahagane in his hands, he already knew the plethora of possible outcomes.

Shingane, Tamahagane, fold, shape, bend--

Of course, such mental exorcises were detrimental to his grades here in the academy. He had slipped several times, which were inexcusable in the eyes of both himself and his clan. A lesser ninja might think that falling short in one area of study when excelling in so many at once might be understandable, but Iyasumaru was not the type to back down from a challenge of character and determination.

So he had succeeded in time, and now he sat here in this familiar place with a forehead protector firmly attached to his head. Odd tufts of hair stuck out as his bangs fought with the silken material for space, though most of his unruly locks were tied back into a low pony-tail. As opposed to his usual formal attire, Iyasumaru was dressed in navy shorts with a white tank-top and mesh undershirt. His long blade lay in its leather scabbard against the ground, with the loose leather strap hanging to the edge of his chair's back.

Fold. Heat. Fo--

Not for the first time, Iyasumaru found his thoughts interrupted. A veritable pile of crumpled paper balls lays around him, though his thoughts were so transfixed to his own concerns that it went completely unnoticed. The corner of his eye twitches as he sweeps the room, his concentrated glare breaking for only half a second before returning to their former vigil.

Spot [roll0]

zeone3000

2012-01-18, 12:39 AM

Houshi look down at the new kid, shaking his head, "Nope." It was stated plainly, matter of factly and came out like any other kid his age. He excepted more questions to come. Still, he was always hopeful that they would lose interest and he could just become another face in the crowd. He inwardly laughed at himself, Oh, that'll be the day pig flies. He continued to stare at the kid, waiting for the next question that he was sure was coming.

While his eyes were on the kid, his mind switched gears to the big day. Who would the giant be paired with and will they be able to work together. They didn't have to like him, just get along and get the missions done. On a bigger note, who would their Jounin-sensei be? Do they know about his condition?

The Unborne

2012-01-19, 12:50 AM

Houshi

Where Houshi expected another onslaught of questions, he received only a blank stare and silence. So tiny this mentored genin looked compared to gargantuan height of Houshi, that the youthful sky-nin had crane his head all the way back to look the other in the eye.

The child taps his fingers against wooden desk that formed a semi-ellipsis around the lecture hall. His eyes return back to the giant sitting next to him and size the large genin up and down while wondering if he could ever hope to grow to that sort of stature.

"So," he hesitates, not sure if the childish voice he heard before was a sign of an equal age and maturity or just a trick from an well-aged genin, "are there any kids I should know about? Like, which ones I'd want as team members?"

Takuya

"Really? Well, I guess that explains the bush part." Yuno rolls her eyes and leans across Atushi's body to answer Takuya's questions. "I don't know about that, Takuya-san," she says, "I'm not sure I'd want to be partnered with someone who'd get distracted by some thought in the middle of a mission" She punctuates her sentence with a smile.

"What're you guys talkin' about? Of course we're goin—"

As Atushi's voice trails off into some romantic dream of the three of them continuing their careers as shinobi together, Takuya's perceptive eye scans the room and spots a rather round individual trying to duck under the long desk of the tiered lecture hall but failing due to his girth and tight space between bench and desk.

Almost like a sixth sense, this newly-minted genin's eyes casually meet Takuya's. The kid almost jumps out from his skin but instead shudders enough to kick the desk in front of him causing a loud bang, which catches the attention of

Iyasumaru.

Misha. Of course it was Misha the Rat. Probably one of the few true bullies of the classroom; complete with his own posse of goons to back him up whenever he picks on someone tougher than himself. This well-rounded cliche must have been spooked by Takuya's inquiring eyes, which caused him to make a ruckus loud enough for Iyasumaru to pinpoint his exact coordination.

The mouse-like genin almost topples over his chair once his attention returns to the smith-nin below him and notices his compromised position. Instead of continuing his childish fright of being found, he throws another paper ball at Iyasumaru, which if opened reveals a crudely drawn caricature of Misha's own self with whiskers and the text: "What are you going to do about it, Tweezers?"

A look back reveals the genin lowering his eyelid with one finger and sticking out his tongue mockingly at the Sengo.

Eisen

Speaking of notes, Mindi's letter is no less frustrating given its recipient:

Hey you,

Drop the tough guy act.

Meet me tonight at the new water fountain.

I think 9 sounds good.

I'll be waiting.

Mindi

Twelve year-olds certainly have a way with words; however, the obnoxious voices that were surrounding Eisen are now deathly silent. Making moves on the Kita Eisen are strictly prohibited due to the multitude of friendships hovering around extinction given the right sort of spark of antagonism to set it all off. Mindi may have hit the Franz Ferdinand of actions within the academy by handing that note over to Eisen.

Eisen can feel the atmosphere grow thick.

Hideki

But nothing is as thick as the eyebrows of Haiburau-sensei; in fact, with the teacher squinting at this genin and the words he was sprouting off, not even the sensei's eyes could penetrate that forest of hair.

"Unit...Assignment?" A large sweat bead rolls down Haiburau's forehead. "Oh! Silly me! Totally slipped my mind! Thank you, er, Hibiki-san." The scatter-brained teacher opens up a shelf and pulls out a pencil and a blue post-it. After scribbling some text on it and ritualistically positioning it on the wall where he could easily look at, he finally begins the occasion.

"Alright class, settle down, settle down," he says. Haiburau turns around towards the blackboard and removes a couple post-its with what seems to be simple lists on them. "Good, good, good. Um, so...right. Teams!" The teacher flips through the post-its trying to find the right place to start. "Ah!" he pulls one out from the bunch and reads aloud: "Team...5. Jounin Cybele; genin: Takeada Houshi, Kita Eisen, and Konpaku Yousuke." Sensei looks back and forth sideways expecting something or someone but finds nothing after a few moments. "Uh...hold on for one moment."

Haiburau leaves the room.

Yousuke

Almost too many whispers erupt from around Yousuke with a mixture of emotions and sentiments concerning the first selection. Most of them concern his Jounin:

"Hear that? Cybele." "Cybele? Isn't she supposed to be working with the ANBU?" "Ridiculous, ANBU doesn't work with child-killers." "You guys still believe that crap? She's a damn jounin going to teach kids. You think they'd let such monsters look over us?"

Some are so quiet and mentioned under breaths that they came across Yousuke as more of mental thoughts than whispers:

"Kuso, why did they give Eisen to an all-guy team. Unfair!" "Oh man, I want someone like Houshi-san on my team." "Thank god I'm not with angry-eyes here."

The lattermost came from one of Yousuke's neighbors, who have probably suffered from one too many glares from the Konpaku practitioner.

GodslayersINC

2012-01-19, 09:31 AM

Hmmm looking down at the letter Eisen quickly understood the dilemma that Mindi had put him in.... The room filled with what only could be described as Pissed Mist, Kinda like the stuff from a scarey movie. It covered everything, but it was only a matter of time before there was blood. The girls only knew that Mindi-chan had given him a note, not what it said... He then pulls out a new piece of paper while studying Mindi's handwriting and begins to write a note replicating her hand writing.

I heard today is Eisen-chun's birthday. Lets throw him a surprise party.

Keep it hush-hush and talk to no one about it, We don't want him finding out do we?

Everyone meet by the new fountain at 9 tonight.

Mandi

That should save him for the time being, and at the very least he would at least know where they all were to avoid them. If Mandi had any common sense she wasn't going to say what was really in the letter surrounded with by the rest of the girls in the class. He began discreetly counting the glares taking note of how many letters he would need to make.

"Team...5. Jounin Cybele; genin: Takeada Houshi, Kita Eisen, and Konpaku Yousuke."

Cybele. It was odd enough for an ANBU to be a teacher for Genin, but the fact that she was given as HIS teacher struck him as more than Coincidence. This would certainly make thing interesting and might even be beneficial but would be a balancing act to say the least..

Bad Situation

2012-01-19, 10:23 AM

Yousuke clicked his tongue at the whispered insult but remained silent. They could gripe all they wanted, so long as they weren't on his team Yousuke could care less. His team assignment...was adequate. Although he didn't particularly care for the attention that Eisen would bring to the team, the larged bodied Houshi would likely be enough to ward off most annoyances.

When the class began to clear out, Yousuke stood up abruptly from his seat and moved toward Houshi. Standing at 158cm, Yousuke was certainly not short for his age, but standing before the giant he suddenly felt very small. "If I am to understand, we are now teammates," he says in a neutral tone, "I am pleased to make your acquaintance.

I forgot to do this before, but here's a description of Yousuke:
He stands at 158cm, tall for his age and with limbs to match. His hair is a silvery white and is slightly parted down his face. His unique coloration accentuates his ghostly pale skin and long angular features. He wears two front braids framing his face. High cheekbones and cold grey eyes provide an air of austerity. He has a face that would be quite popular with the boys and girls of the class if he had the personality to match it.

His wardrobe is made up of mostly drab colors. He prefers light and airy clothing as opposed to the long and flowing robes his grandfather has taken to wearing.

Sir Shadow

2012-01-19, 04:01 PM

Fold. Heat. Fold. Heat. Fo--

Ptat! As another paper projectile interrupts his thoughts, Iyasumaru catches it before it can hit the ground with frightening speed. He unfolds the crumpled sheet very slowly with a certain delicate and deliberate flair. He carefully writes something beneath the scrawled words Misha had put on the sheet.

Ranged Attack: (1d20+6)[21] (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12560242&postcount=2)
When Haiburau-sensei leaves the classroom, Iyasumaru takes his opportunity. He turns, attempting to strike his aggressor on the forehead with a precise flick of the re-crumpled piece of paper. With some amusement, he watches Misha reopen it to find written beneath his own taunt: 'Hit you with something sharper than a piece of paper.'

As the thought hits Misha, the young student find the long blade of a katana passing between his arms his arms and through the seat of his chair, mere centimeters from his groin. Iyasumaru casually comments, leaning beside Misha to ensure he heard, "Huh? Looks like I missed." With a shrug, Iyasumaru nonchalantly retrieves his katana from its impromptu sheath, hops over the desk onto the lower level, and takes his place back at his seat just as Haiburau reappears to place the rest of the genin in their groups.

Iyasumaru glances at the other two members of his team as their names are read off. Normally, he probably wouldn't notice, but his thoughts have been officially disrupted thanks to the mousy genin who would hopefully not be bothering him further today. As the rest of the class stands to leave and convene with their instructors, Iyasumaru stands coolly beside the door, waiting for the rest of his team to gather with him.

Using Shundou to appear behind Misha.
Hide: (1d20+13)[18] (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12560530&postcount=3)
Hopefully I get a circumstance bonus to hide for him being distracted or he gets a penalty due to the note.
Move Silently: (1d20+10)[24] (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12560544&postcount=5)

zeone3000

2012-01-19, 05:35 PM

Houshi shrugs at the follow question, seriously taken off guard by a legitimate and relevant question not about him. He actually feels bad he can't answer it, responding in kind, "Sorry." He really didn't pay much attention to his peers hoping they would do the same as per the golden rule. He could always hope even if it didn't work.

Now, when he is approached by Yousuke. Houshi finds he doesn't have to tilt his head down nearly as much. He nods to him, bowing slightly, "Likewise."

Bad Situation

2012-01-21, 04:47 PM

Yousuke craned his neck to examine Houshi's fullblade in greater detail. He knew from class that Houshi was something of a swordsman, but until today he had never witnessed the blade up close. The weapon was an immense slab of metal, and larger than the entire length of Yousuke's arms. The massive blade completed the image, if nothing else. He doubted that he would be able to effectively put to use whatever style the titanic genin applied to his weapon, but it intrigued him nonetheless. Regardless of his own inadequacies, the techniques he would potentially be able to glean from Houshi excited him.

"If I may ask, where did you learn how to wield such a blade?" Yousuke hefted his own weapon for display, "As you can see I am also a swordsman."

zeone3000

2012-01-21, 07:00 PM

Yousuke can see it is extremely well taken care of, gleaming in the light while rest to Houshi's side on the wall. The grip is a black lacquered oak, wrapped in red. The guard being a quillon and silver. No ones ever asked me about something I cared about..., Houshi rubs the back of his neck, blushing slightly. "Kurodo Kentaro, my sensei. Uhm..." The words escape the big guy for a moment and his feet suddenly become very interesting, "What about you?"

Bad Situation

2012-01-21, 09:18 PM

Yousuke flashed one of his rare smiles; he could appreciate somebody who took good care of their weaponry. It was clear that Houshi's teacher knew what he was doing. For the first time since Haiburau-sensei assigned the teams, Yousuke felt good about his team placement. Yousuke allowed himself this brief smile before returning to the comfortable staidness he was familiar with. "My grandfather has trained me since I could hold a sword."

Feeling it would be impolite to ask about the sword instructor, Yousuke held back from any further questioning. "Kurodo Kentaro...I will have to ask grandfather when I get back..."

The Unborne

2012-01-21, 09:55 PM

Iyasumaru

As steel splinters wood, the smith-nin's message quickly embeds itself into the mind of Misha; it's effectiveness becomes apparent.

"Wha-what the hell?!" Misha shouts, garnering everyone's attention. He tries to scurry away from Iyasumaru as he comments about the placement of his katana. No luck, his inner thigh is trapped by the sword's blade inhibiting his movement away. As the smith-nin hops down to his row, Misha looks down at his seat where the katana cleanly penetrated; he begins to hyperventilate realizing how close he could have lost his legacy. Everyone else in the room shifts uncomfortably away from Iyasumaru—even those from the farthest edges of the lecture hall.

Brows Redux^2

Haiburau-sensei returns from the room and wipes his forehead with a handkerchief. "My apologies, class. It seems the jounin leader of Team 5 is not here right now, so how about we continue onward, alright?" The teacher fumbles a bit for the rest of the post-its, but remembers something. "Oh, Houshi-san, Eisen-san, and Yousuke-san, I'll need you to stay in the classroom for a while longer until, uh, word comes in about your assignment." He finally continues to assign the new genin; however, his brows knit tightly together as some of the teams he calls out hardly respond to what should be clap-worthy praise.

"Uh, is there a problem?" he asks noticing the frightful expressions on most of them. Even Misha is breathing heavily and sweating profusely. "Misha-kun? What's wrong?" The child responds with a slow shaking of his head. Haiburau counter-responds with a raised eyebrow. Everyone else in the room merely looks downwards as if afraid to look eye-to-eye with their sensei.

However, one hand slow raises to which Haiburau nods. "Sensei, uhm..." he looks nervously over to Iyasumaru's position, "That-Sengo-kid-attacked-Misha-kun-with-his-katana!" The new sky-nin sits back down abruptly, and someone else from another side of the room stands up to speak out. "Look, he even pierced through the seat!" Many voices murmur in accordance.

Haiburau sighs a small white cloud of breath.

"Iyasumaru-kun, do you know why we allow students to bring their weapons into the classroom? It's because we treat you as adults here at the academy. We know full well that you all will be important citizens and weapons for our nation, so we trust you to act appropriately. Attacking with weapons against your own future comrade-in-arms—is this the sort of behavior we should all expect from you in the battlefield?

"You're lucky you're not my student now. I would have held you back for such a slight as unsheathing your blade against someone of your own village. As fate would have it, I am not in charge of you. That responsibility goes to Maaya-chan, someone not even a decade your senior. I hope you'll learn to restrain yourself as an adult under her tutelage as she has done many years ago. Go. Report to her at Skypoint with your fellow teammates: Ozawa Hideki and Kuroda Takuya."

No one can utter a sound as they are mesmerized by how much and what sort of information Haiburau said without relying on his post-its. Even Misha's breath has slowed down with his mouth widely agape.

"Don't think you'r off the hook either, Misha-kun. You think I don't see you tossing sheets of paper at your classmates? You're to blame as well. I don't want to see any ill-will between any of you—"

The Interruption

"Eyebrow-sensei!"

The shout breaks the silence left behind Haiburau's monologue, a young girl looking only slightly older than the genin in the room bursts through the door. Her deep purple hair, freely flowing all the day down to her waist, bounces and sways as she skids from a dead run into a dead stop just in front of Haiburau. She bounces a few times, obviously entirely too excited for her own good, and unknowingly gives the genin a slight show of her slightly older curves. The girl's face is thin as she lacks the baby cheeks common to girls her age. Her jaw is soft, but more defined than a girl her age should be. From the students' vantage points, they can't see her eyes as she focuses exclusively on their teacher's large eyebrows, and completely ignores his face in the process. She's rather cute, in a slightly mature kind of way. Her lithe form belies her ninja training, and she wears a very tight uniform--almost as if whoever had picked out her clothes didn't quite know her size.

Her red-and-white vest seems vaguely reminiscent of a famous ninja clan, but seems just a little too different to identify off-hand. The vest covers budding evidence of her gender and youth, and the pockets across it leave something to the imagination. Her shorts are equally evocative, possessing a red/white pattern mixing with the right amount of tightness to seemingly purposely draw attention to her body. She bounces for a little while longer, trying to get the teacher's attention. All the while twin bells dangling from her hips ring out a serenade trying to draw attention to her rear.

"Eyebrow-sensei. Cybele-sama-sent-me-on-a-mission-before-she-left-but-I-forgot-what it-was-and-went-back-to-sleep-and-then-I-didn't-get-here-in-time-and-now-her-team-is-gone-and-I-didn't-know-what-to-do-and-Momo-san-said-to-find-you-but-you-weren't-at-your-office-and-and-and...!"

The young girl finally runs out of breath as she tries to explain everything that happened that morning in one deluge of information. She takes one deep breath, then starts over.

"Cybele-sama had a mission with the anne-boo," She stumbles over the word, but some strange inner pride prevents her from recognizing the mistake, "so she couldn't make it. But she gave me this note..."

The girl wiggles around, moving and shaking a bit too much as she digs around in her vest pockets. Finally, she produces a note and thrusts it toward Haiburau with all the force and speed of a jungle-cat going for the kill.

"So I had to find her team and take them to that place, but the jounin were so mean to me and kept-teasing-me-because-I-can't-pass-and--" She takes a deep breath to stop herself from going off on another tirade. "What I mean is... can you help me? I need to find Cybele-sama's team!"

Haiburau-sensei raises one eyebrow again and points over towards the class trying to make her aware of the multitude of genin now ogling her bouncy nature. "Houshi, Yousuke, and Eizen? Can you help this lass with whatever she needs?"

The energetic kunoichi turns around surprised at the audience she wasn't aware of before. Her normal cuteness is jarringly offset by the appearance of her eyes. Her bright orbs are a deep purple and almost crystalline in appearance. Instead of round pupils, she has rectangular pupils that dominate the majority of her eye. Her gaze clutches at your heart and excites your blood, but out of fear and danger rather than more primal emotions. Even as she smiles, waves, bounces and overall acts as cute as she possibly could be...Those eyes are the eyes of a predator. An instinctual desire to fight or flee rises up the longer you stare at those eyes, but she always looks away before it comes to that.

"Hi-ya!"

Bad Situation

2012-01-21, 10:47 PM

Yousuke's eyes narrowed at the sight of the bubbly girl. His hand instinctively flashed to his blade, but Haiburau-sensei's words deterred him from his planned course of action. A swordsman of the Konpaku line remained resilient in both body and mind, like two pieces to a whole. Like it or not, the girl was (apparently) a ninja of Soragakure, and as comrades he would do her no harm.

She was cute, he would give her that. But her looks belied a much more deceptive edge. He especially didn't like the way she would constantly break off eye contact, as if there was something in particular to hide. Everything about her told him 'DANGER' and he knew not to question his instincts. Yousuke unconsciously licked his lips, kept his hand on the hilt of his blade and evened out his breath.

He nodded once and rose from his seat to very slowly and met her eyes, making sure to keep his gaze locked on the girl. If there was anything to find, he would encounter it unflinchingly.

"Konpaku Yousuke."

Sir Shadow

2012-01-21, 11:22 PM

Fold. Heat. Fold. Huh?

Iyasumaru's eyebrows are knit, deep in concentrated thought despite Haiburau's uncharacteristically focused reprimand. "Oh, yes, Haiburau-sensei, it won't happen again. I just got a little carried away with this sword I just finished and this one move I have been thinking about. Misha-kun was kind enough to present an opportunity, and he couldn't have know it was coming, or else, well, it wouldn't be nearly as effective. And I do think I pulled it off perfectly..." He shoulders the strap of his blade as he moves towards the door to meet his teammates.

"Thanks, Misha-kun. Let's spar sometime; it should be educational." Iyasumaru calls over his shoulder as he walks down the tiered seating area before moving past Haiburau's desk. "Sorry about the desk-- He shrugs --"Just a little carried away..." He places a couple ryo notes on the desk, just about enough to cover the cost of a new chair. "Just a little..." He looks over at the clearly unsettled Misha before shrugging again and moving out the door, presumably toward Skypoint.

"Fold. Heat. Fold."

zeone3000

2012-01-22, 12:16 AM

Houshi nods to the teacher, "Hai." He wasn't one to make direct eye contact with his classmates, let alone strangers, unless he was directly spoken to that is. His eyes were everywhere except on the new girl's eyes and her giggly bits.

He grabs his blade, slipping on his back as he descends the stairs about four or five at a time. Following after Yousuke, he mirros his actions excepting for the glaring of course.

"Takeada Houshi."

Overlord Rion

2012-01-22, 12:31 AM

At the statement of his other teammates, Takuya looked over at his friends. "See, told ya. Now you guys are going to have to learn how to live without me for a while. I expect the both of you to become strong. He gave them a deathly serious look. "I need the both of you to become strong enough to overcome my strategies. Got it? Good. Now, it's time for me to report, later guys." Almost cheerfully, Takuya stood and quickly headed down to the front of the class. He'd wave, a final farewell before what he considered Chapter 2 of his life, and head out the door.

The Unborne

2012-01-22, 01:21 AM

The Girl...

...spins on her heel and focuses her predatory eyes on the first boy bold enough to speak. She glares for just a second, and those eyes seem to vibrate. The oppressive nature of her gaze comes crashing down like a hammer to the knees. Then it disappears as she half-closes them and gives a wide almost lecherous smile. Her bells jingle as she bounces over to the boy, and she sticks out a hand to shake; her left one oddly.

"Good morning! I'm Iteyau Sune."

She looks up at the very large genin moving over to the pair, smiles widely and introduces herself while sticking out her hand; her right one. Her smile recedes into a thin grin, but all the while her eyes remain high-lidded and provoke no base reaction due to eye contact.

"So! That means just one more, ne? I wonder if the last one is as tough as you two boys~!" Her voice lilts at the end as she raises a hand up and waves it around. "Eizen-chan~! Where are you~?"

Takuya

"Wait! What? Oh come on! You can't just break up the dream team like that, Takuya!" Atsuhi says as Takuya walks away after his cool man speech.

"Calm down, Atsuhi, it's not like it's the end of the world. There'll be plenty of missions where we may be matched up...We'll just need to train hard to be as good as Takuya-san so we can get grouped together." Yuno's voice almost trails off at the thought of trying to work hard with her boyfriend. She couldn't see how in the world Atsuhi would improve.

"Yeah. I guess you're right. It won't be that hard to get better than that little squirt," he stops to give a thumbs up to Takuya with a sinister grin. "Yeah. Watch your back, man. We'll be catching up sooner or later!" Atsuhi is quick to turn around, so his best friend wouldn't see the waterfall of tears leaking from underneath his eyes. Breaking up is hard business.

Bad Situation

2012-01-22, 03:37 AM

Warily, Yousuke stretched his own left hand toward the bouncy girl. Was she ambidextrous, or left-handed like himself? It would pay to catalogue these tidbits of information if this girl was as close to his sensei as she made herself out to be. He kept his gaze locked on her, trained especially on her eyes no matter how uncomfortable they made him feel.

Feeling satisfied for the moment, Yousuke grips the girl's palm firmly and gives two deceptively subtle pumps of the arm. He didn't like her but refusing a handshake was simply rude. He could wash the hand when he returned home.

"He's the small one over there," gesturing toward Eisen's seat.

zeone3000

2012-01-22, 11:24 AM

Houshi gingerly offer his right hand, which easily twice the size of any of his peers. Luckily, due to his training, he's far better at controling his strength. Otherwise, well let's just say the first one would have been his last one if it wasn't for his training.

He wraps it around her hand and part of arm, giving it one firm shake before retracting it back.

KeithIsTheMan

2012-01-22, 05:02 PM

With everyone distracted by Iteyau Sune's entrance, Hideki quietly slips out of the classroom. He knew where he needed to go, and the teacher seemed likely to simply forget that he was in the room if he waited to be dismissed... although he seemed to get pretty intense when it came to Iyasumaru's behavior. Maybe Haiburau was less scatterbrained than he let on. Maybe Iyasumaru was more of a loose cannon than Hideki had initially thought. Either way, watching Misha get his comeuppance had been satisfying.

Takuya, on the other hand, remained a bigger mystery. He'd spent the entire time talking quietly with the two students sitting next to him.

Trailing slightly behind his two new teammates, he contemplated which Rules would apply to this situation...

Sir Shadow

2012-01-22, 10:26 PM

"Fold. Heat. Fold. Heat..." As Iyasumaru walks ahead of his two teammates, he steps in time to his strange mantra, seemingly unaware of their presence. He walks with an easy, practiced gait which halts abruptly once they leave the Academy proper. He spins on the ball of his foot and turns to his teammates. For a few seconds, he is silently as he watches the other teams getting on their way before fixing the two with an oddly focused gaze.

"Tamahagane... So. I guess we're a team." It's clear that he's stating the obvious, but it sounds more like an affirmation or question. Iyasumaru hmm lightly to himself. He had never really spoken to Takuya, since the young ninja had always had his own little group of friends and Hideki was a black horse, suddenly springing from his mother's sole guidance to a full genin. He was young. Maybe too young. And small.

He shifts his head and gives Hideki a look, "I'm Sengo Iyasumaru." Again he states what should seem fairly obvious, in a monotone no less. "I just thought we should be properly introduced."

GodslayersINC

2012-01-23, 12:21 PM

Eisen watches absently as he finishes up his 8th note. That should cover it he thinks as he folds the last letter up neatly. He had been purposely ignoring the situation happening around him, trying to gather his thoughts. This could go very poorly in numerous way.

Eisen stood, although he wasn't THAT much smaller than the majority of the boys in the class, he was however teamed up with the two largest students in the class room it seemed. No worries. He picked up the small stack of letters he had written, and gently tucked them into one of the inside pockets of his over coat. Eisen gave two quick yet firm tugs to the bottom of his lapel before buttoning his jacket and proceeding over to his team and the frazzled girl.

"Kita Eisen, It is a pleasure to meet you Sune-san" He says with slight bow and a smile. " Sorry for the slight delay I was in the process of averting a possible disaster. So am i to understand our team lead is effectively MIA?"

Although he seemed relaxed, pronounced, debonair; under that professional calm Eisen watched everything. There were way to many variable in play at the moment for his comfort. It was nearly unheard of for ANBU to teach Genin. The thought of this girl being a proxy or even in fact being Cybele had already crossed his mind, how many actually knew what the woman under the mask looked liked? Added up with his history, Minidi's antics, and the general uneasiness in the air; Eisen was not prepared to take anything at face value for the time being.

Overlord Rion

2012-01-23, 04:53 PM

Well then, it appears I get stuck in a team with all guys. And here I was hoping for something pretty to look at. Once his other teammates arrived, Takuya made a point to shake each one of their hands. If he was going to be working with these guys, he had to make sure to get something resembling a working relationship going."The name is Kuroda Takuya. I would prefer to be called Kuroda."

KeithIsTheMan

2012-01-24, 01:40 AM

Hideki regards his two new teammates warily. "Ozawa Hideki."

Lacing his fingers together, he put both hands behind his head, obviously trying to look cool and failing miserably.

"So... either of you guys know anything about our new cli-... I mean mentor?"

Sir Shadow

2012-01-24, 09:08 AM

Iyasumaru nods and turns to continue walking toward Skypoint. "Can't say I do. She's supposed to be some kind of genius and master of throw weaponry. He shrugs, obviously not concerned who or what their commander is. "To be honest, I don't think I'll be able to understand someone who throws their weapons away."

Overlord Rion

2012-01-25, 12:05 AM

"That depends on whether or not the weapon comes back to you. I could see such a weapon being using to confuse and disorient an opponent easily." Takuya shoved his fingers in his pockets as he started to walk quickly to where he needed to go.

KeithIsTheMan

2012-01-25, 11:26 AM

Hideki simply shrugged. "It depends on your fighting style. The ability to engage your target at a distance larger than arm's reach is the primary benefit to throwing weapons." The genin almost sounded like he was quoting a textbook. "It's more than just a clever way of disarming yourself."

Sir Shadow

2012-01-25, 02:14 PM

Iyasumaru shrugs, "Eh, I suppose. I can see a small tactical advantage in using throw weapons to corral your opponent into a position you desire, but if I were forced to engage an enemy at range, I'd prefer to use a bow or ninjutsu." The young genin walks with an easy pace; his stride is confident and purposeful, yet restrained. To the keen observer, it would seem as though he were tugging at the reigns--like he wanted to go faster was determined to keep himself in check.

The Unborne

2012-01-25, 08:45 PM

Skypoint

As the trio of genin make their way to the higher altitudes of Soragakure, readings from their younger years of the academy begin to reverberate in their minds concerning the significance of their destination.

The cultures of various peoples indigenous to the Land of Rivers were already in place as the workers of Katabami Kinzan arrived in what is now the district of Soragakure. Clans such as the Hopetta, Sengo, and others developed and perfected their own kinjutsu in relative isolation as the Great Nations experienced their De-clanization, or the reformatting into nations. As the Great Nations experienced enormous cultural, economic, and technological changes, some of them began to look beyond their borders to satisfy their growing ambitions. Before any foreign land could occupy the Land of Rivers devoid of its own political entities, Katabami Kinzan and the Village of Artisans began to bring together the territories of the former clans in what is now referred to as Modernization.

Surrounding the group as they climb the labyrinthian stairs of the focal skyscraper of Sora, a dizzying array of clan symbols are etched out and chiseled along the walls in fear of being forgotten by the ever progressing nature of the newest hidden village. One could easily make the argument that these artistic renderings of the past clans mirror the very carvings on the desks of the academy made by similar feelings of love for one's origins.

Skypoint itself becomes a metaphor for this amalgamation of the progressivity and nostalgia with the memory of what exactly the place is.

Thanks to the legendary generosity of Kabun Arashi, the miners and constructionists of Katabami Kinzan and the Village of Artisans were able to construct the boundaries of their mega construction site around the previous foundations of Kabun Arashi's ancestral home. In an act that has been remembered as a legend, the architect of Soragakure's first skyscrapers, Sengo Ichigo, promised to keep the memory of the Kabun clan alive by constructing a way to keep the wooden flooring of the house on the highest floor of the highest building of Soragakure. This ever climbing floor was named Skypoint.

With its wood somehow preserved through arcane processes, Skypoint in its simplicity is only a large platform perfectly squared with its sides always facing the cardinal directions and supported by four balloon-like apparatuses on its corners that mix chakra and gasses lighter than the normal mixture of air. Unlike most of the spaces in Soragakure, which typically are located inside, Skypoint's wall-less design helps inspire a sense of grandness to whomever looks out towards the heavens and cloudy world below.

As the newly assigned genin make their way up the final steps onto the platform that is Skypoint they can see breaking up the usual scenery that the place creates in its overlooking of the entire world a sandaled foot with toe nails painted burnt maroon. Covering what would be this figure's knees is a large jacket that could have served as a traditional kimono in another setting with its flame-like embroidery swirling into a wave pattern up the back. Its color and suggestive motion reflects a sunrise—the dark reds of the sun breaking the horizon of the world. Slowly giving way to the brightness of day, the reds become orange and finally a yellow. This last combination of yellow and orange constitutes the main fabric of the coat worn by a woman no older than eight years the senior of the oldest of the trio.

Though her body is turned towards the extremity of the open sky, this sunrise personified has her head and attention focused on her visitors. The smirk on her lips registers in the genins' minds as either one of a child playing with a new toy or of a cat toying with its mouse. Her blue eyes are framed by brown-almost-black hair reminding all that even the bluest skies give way to the darkest nights.

Sir Shadow

2012-01-26, 10:08 AM

As the group climbs the skyscraper, Iyasumaru runs his hand along the smooth wood of the structure. When he passes the Sengo clan's insignia permanently engraved in the wood, he gives a slight bow of his head in reverence to his forebears and the sacrifices that were made to create this place.

He is unusually focused. Perhaps it was the excitement earlier or the gravity of this situation, but Iyasumaru was completely in the moment. As he ascended, he wondered what type of woman this Maaya was. Sure, he had heard rumors and accounts of her skill, yet he had never actually encountered her.

His thoughts are brought to an abrupt halt as he steps onto the floating platform of skypoint and is met with the view of the rising sun and this strange woman standing silhouetted against it. Without hesitating, he walks forward til he is about two yards away from her and bows respectfully, "Maaya-sensei?"

Valgunn

2012-01-26, 09:10 PM

Turning around on the balls of her feet - her left tracing a perfect semi-circle as she moved, her cloak billowing as the chill air catches it - Maaya, the self-styled master of aerial combat, widened her smile. Soon this same ever widening smile, gleaming white canines locked together in terrible perfection, would become a focus of dread. As her lips parted to show off her pearly whites no dread found its way into their hearts, but they would learn. Bringing her cloak back under control Maaya planted her hands firmly on her hips, parting the cloak and providing a view of her simple, standard issue deep blue trousers and shirt. "And that would make you three my kids." The sharp soprano voice cuts through the cold, windy air with comfortable ease. A deep sigh escapes her mouth. "Well, come on then. You all know me, so how about your introductions?" She leans herself forward, taking a casual step forward as she did, as her voice playfully lilts along the breadth of her calm tone.

Sir Shadow

2012-01-27, 12:01 PM

The young genin gives her a look of curiosity she seemed more than a little strange, but who was he to talk? "I am Sengo Iyasumaru." He crosses his arms and stands awaiting the rest of his teammates.

Overlord Rion

2012-01-28, 01:35 AM

Sigh. I could have sworn the teams were supposed to be a completely different setup than this. I guess I'm going to have to make do. I DID hope for something nice to look at. Too bad it's the teacher. Maybe Atsuhi rubbed off on me too much. All this went through his mind in a split second before he politely bowed. "Kuroda Takuya, at your disposal."

KeithIsTheMan

2012-01-28, 01:49 AM

Although his wanderings had let him become quite familiar with most of the village, Skypoint was a place that remained entirely new to Hideki. Despite its central location, its height had always made it seem removed from the rest of the world. Removed enough that a young shinobi with a grueling training regimen couldn't really spare the time to visit it on a whim.

As the three made the precipitous ascent to Soragakure's pinnacle, Hideki took in the scenery with his habitual (and perhaps paradoxical) mixture of barely-contained curiosity and an analytical eye. The numerous clan symbols carved into the structure were the one thing that left him mystified. At best, their presence seemed like a childish desire to announce one's presence to the world. At worst, it could be taken as a sign of an unhealthy obsession with asserting status and dominance. Maybe it would make more sense if his family--or his ego--were larger.

At last, the new team reached the top. That first moment after stepping outside, letting the chill winds whip through his hair and threaten to tear his jumpsuit to shreds, was admittedly one of Hideki's favorite sensations. By extension, it also made the breezy top of the skyscraper his new favorite place in the village. The view of the village wasn't the only interesting sight though; his new teacher seemed... hrm. Not for the first time, Hideki found himself searching for a word adequate to his needs. He could tell that the Jounin was looking at him with the same gaze that he was using, carefully dissecting him in her mind, sorting everything she found categorically and filing it away for later reference.

Of course, he must have presented quite a sight. Not too many kids ran around in what could seem like a miniature version of a Jounin's uniform. Especially not kids that looked smaller, younger, and a whole lot more skeptical than their two teammates. Hideki let the wind ruffle his chestnut hair for a few moments, thoughtfully constructing his response to his new mentor's question. Speaking before he thought was an unfortunate habit of his--one that he tried now to keep in check as he recalled his mother's words stressing the importance of first impressions.

"Ozawa Hideki," he replied at length. Bowing respectfully, Hideki nonetheless kept his gaze locked on the person before him.

Rule #9: Assume nothing.

Rule #3: Everyone is both a potential ally and a potential enemy, either by choice or by circumstance. Plan accordingly.

Rule #1: Knowledge is a shinobi's greatest asset. Ignorance is a shinobi's greatest enemy. Caution begets knowledge. Complacency begets ignorance. Ignorance is deadly.

Valgunn

2012-01-28, 07:35 PM

"What a boring bunch of kids." Maaya's smile and arms drop in unison as the three politely introduce themselves. While one hand scratches a spot just off from the top of her head another slips into her coat and pulls out a scroll. "Well, as I'm sure nobody has told you, you aren't actually ninja yet." With a casual deftness she opens the scroll one-handed, her other hand stops scratching and slides down her coat into one of its two big outer pockets. "Well, you are and you aren't. Whether your life as you thought it would be continues or end is up to me; you exist in limbo, with one foot in heaven and one foot in hell." Slowly she paces to the extreme edge of Skypoint, nothing but air between her and a terminal drop. "Which is all quite dramatic but doesn't really make things clear for you three, so let me say this simply: from now until you leave my care is your ultimate pass or fail exam."

"And this, this scroll right here," she flips the scroll around to show the other side, "is the first part of that exam. It's unique in the village, but not for any really special reason. This is the scroll I'm meant to fill out to certify that you guys are now a three-man squad with one jounin teacher attached. They only issue these once, so if I lose it, you're screwed." And then the smile (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZTlogeJNq4) returned, "but then, it's not expected that ninja of my ability would lose it, so it's not really thought of as an issue." The smile grew like some sort of wild thing on her face that wanted to eat them. "I suppose though if I did lose it or it was somehow destroyed I'd have to fail you all to save face." What came next probably shouldn't have been a surprise, but it probably was at the same time: she threw the scroll over the side. "If none of you want to jump after it, say so now so I can get back to my real work."

KeithIsTheMan

2012-01-28, 08:49 PM

With an exasperated sigh, Hideki hurled himself off of the edge (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ4esdtAtSs) of the platform. This was going to be a long day.

Sir Shadow

2012-01-29, 10:45 AM

Iyasumaru listens with some interest to Maaya's little talk. At least at first, soon enough he realizes this is just another wind-bag of a teacher and his mind wanders back to various methods of katana construction. It around the time he is considering the proper curve of a blade that he realizes Maaya just threw something off the roof and Hideki threw himself after it.

"Tamahagane..." Iyasumaru curses lightly as a soft burst of wind ruffles his hair as he activates his ranks and performs ki nobori. His figure blurs as he sprints to the edge and skillfully flips himself to the underside of the platform and begins running down the side of Skypoint!

Activating Speed Rank II and Ki Nobiri. Current move speed is 40 feet. Run speed is 120 feet.

Overlord Rion

2012-01-30, 09:32 PM

Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Takuya looked over the edge at his comrades, especially the ones who had jumped without thinking. A moment and a few calculations later, Takuya turned around towards his teacher. "You know, they don't actually need me to catch that thing. But in this case, I'll make an exception and join in." With that, Takuya fell back and off the building.

This ranks as number two among the stupidest things I've done.

Valgunn

2012-01-30, 09:34 PM

"A good idea." Maaya called to him as he tilted backward and fell off Skypoint. "Because I would have thrown you off if you hadn't."

The Unborne

2012-02-05, 11:52 AM

Freefall

Peering over the edge of Skypoint reveals a rather surreal scene as three bodies plunge themselves over the threshold between the stability of the platform and the unguided freedom of the sky. Not even a couple seconds after the three students went over the edge did most of them seem to vanish in the imposing perspective created by such unimaginable heights. For whomever stands atop of the pinnacle of modern construction, the close and tangible genin of a few moments before are now mere dots, unable to grasp and unable to pinpoint within the grandness of unaltered space. Only one of the three students remained close by unwilling to fully let go of Sora's central building and focused completely on the ever-descending papery target.

Standing underneath the edge offers a slightly better view of the action down below: placed obstructively in the way is a swing stage inhabited by two lowly window washers, who are both cowering away from the sides of their own platform. Though far below the young viewer, he can still see how they are focused solely on the two bodies that were soaring downwards. Their entire monotonous existence being disturbed by what seems to be an attempted suicide in progress. Other cleaners also look on in horror and only manage to word three words in the total unexpectedness of the situation.

No one outside of the team could understand the reasoning behind this spectacle, nor could they ever fathom the unbelievable feeling of being free from grounded reality. For the two who had jumped off, they now experience the the incredible force of the updrafts trying push them upwards yet once again, but it is their previous choices that keep them hurling downwards. Nothing can stop the inevitable consequences of all of their actions. Of course nothing exists without obstacles and for these two genin, the network of rails and other platforms were steadily getting larger in their views as the two of them start to pick up speed.

Unbothered by all, the scroll continues its path towards the earth below.

OOC:

Map:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a147/SacredStorm/SkyscraperGrid.jpg
Dots represent how far towards the view every object is. Each dot represents 10 feet. Example: Hideki is 10 feet away from the building while Takuya is merely soaring inches away from it.
Orange=Iyasumaru
Blue on top=Maaya
Light Blue=Hideki
Purple=Takuya
Pink=NPC's
Brown=Misc materials/Cleaning Platforms (cleaning platforms are 10 feet thick, so they touch the building and stick out ten feet away.
Black=Entrances into the building
Dark Gray=Railings (the rails are only 5 thick, so a character can run underneath/fall underneath them)
White=Scroll

No Initiative, so have at it.

Skydiving Rules (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12619099&postcount=143)

Overlord Rion

2012-02-05, 07:17 PM

You know, this is actually kind of awesome. Atsuhi is never going to believe I had to jump off a building today. He quickly took in his surroundings. He figured it might be a good idea to test his teammates. It would be easy to catch it himself, but he had a better idea.

Remember how you mentioned Pressure Cannon? Say hello!

So if I'm doing this right, I'm going to need a Concentration check ( [roll0] ) in order to perform my Pressure Cannon, leaving me with 16/20 Chakra.

He'd aim for the bottom of the building and get the scroll before it hit the ground on the chance his comrades didn't get it in time. Performing the requisite signs, Takuya flung his hands out towards the air and let loose a torrent of water, speeding himself towards a meeting with the ground.

Sir Shadow

2012-02-07, 12:47 AM

Iyasumaru takes off light a bolt down the sheer surface of the building. Using chakra to regulate the pounding of his feet while keeping him safely attached to the side of Skypoint was no easy task, but definitely one he had perfected early in his ninja career.

"Fold... heat... fooo--" As he approaches two men on their scaffolding, he veers to right, narrowly avoiding contact with the platform and its two alarmed passengers. With a renewed burst of speed, he approaches the railing before going into a slide, and passing between the bars. Once clear of the obstacle, he regains his chakra-enhanced footing and continues racing the falling scroll to the ground.

Running to G26.

KeithIsTheMan

2012-02-07, 09:06 PM

Hideki blinked in disbelief as his new teammates joined him in freefall. Evidently they didn't trust him to do something as suicidally insane as hurling himself off the edge of a skyscraper without at least having a decent plan first. Granted, the amount of time it took for Hideki to formulate a method to deal with this unexpected turn of events was so brief that it might have seemed like he didn't think about it at all.

He had to admit some surprise at seeing Takuya perform the same technique that he himself had planned on using. Falling is the easy part though. Let's see if he had the foresight to come up with a way of stopping.

Mimicking Takuya's maneuver, Hideki allowed the blast of water to help him close the distance to the scroll, angling himself slightly to eliminate the horizontal distance.

Moving to K-18, and gaining 10 feet horizontally away from the building.

The Unborne

2012-02-11, 09:16 PM

Free Falling

Falling is indeed the easy part; even more so when a torrent of hydro power accelerates the two genin faster downwards. A sub-zero wall of wind welcomes the sky-nin as soar through the atmosphere, through the web-like complex of monorails, and past speechless window-washers. The latter-most are only speechless up until they are hit by ice-like water pouring from up above them. Who knows how long it would take them before they could warm themselves up?

The enormous gust of wind is so intense that the mere ability of keeping one's eyes open becomes near impossible; nevertheless, both Takuya and Hideki manage to see out the slits of their eyelids. What they see confuses the both of them as the scroll they had jumped off the tallest building of Soragakure seemingly vanished from in front of them.

Iyasumaru, however, with his cautious tactic of running alongside the building watched the entire ordeal. More like plastic than parchment the scroll hit the edge of one rail and bounced up and back, allowing enough time for the two other members of Team Two to pass it. The scroll was now closer to the building and falling just as fast as it was before albeit a little behind given its momentary stop.

OOC:

Map:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a147/SacredStorm/SkyscraperGrid2-1.jpg
Note: If a square is broken up into two colors. The one above shows that it is above with the bottom being just as tautological.
The effects of Pressure Canon only last one round, so Hideki and Takuya are back to falling down at a rate of 90 feet/round. (Good thing too.)
Grabbing the scroll takes a successful touch attack.

KeithIsTheMan

2012-02-11, 11:56 PM

Hideki frowned as he sped past the scroll. The longer this ordeal went on, the higher the likelihood that someone--either one of the Genin or an innocent bystander--would get hurt.

Aw man... I'd really wanted to avoid using this now, but there's not really much choice. Going on like this is just too risky. No sooner than he had completed the thought did Hideki vanish... only to reappear next to the plummeting scroll, which lay easily within reach.

Moving to P-34 at 20 feet from the wall. Details sent via PM.

Sir Shadow

2012-02-16, 10:30 PM

Iyasumaru raises an eyebrow as his teammates seems to disappear only to reappear right next to the scroll. Not letting this slow him down, he kicks off from the building and changes his direction, circling around a nearby pair of window washers and then charging directly down the side of the building. If either Takyua or Hideki needed any assistance halting their deadly plummet towards the ground, he'd be there to assist them.

Using a move to reach L32 and a second to move and a second move to get to L40

Overlord Rion

2012-02-21, 01:51 AM

Takuya was past the scroll now , it was time to slow himself down and maneuver under the scroll. After all, he really would enjoy not being a little splatter on the ground.

Activating Tree Climbing Technique in an attempt to slow myself down, leaving me with 15/20 Chakra left over.

The Unborne

2012-02-21, 10:56 PM

Skypoint

Maaya easily hears the presence of someone else as they creak their way across Skypoint's wooden floor. A disheveled youth (probably not that much older than her own genin) creeps right behind the jounin and bends his torso around enough to enter Maaya's peripheral vision. "Maaya-senpai?" he asks only out of formality. Who wouldn't recognize Soragakure's first truly designed, native jounin? "Maaya-senpai, Sonia-sama, sent me to give you this." The nameless chuunin hands over a scroll tightly bound by a red ribbon. The sky-nin stands motionless but attentive, watching the self-styled aerial expert with hungry eyes. Hungry for what would be anyone's guess.

"So," he begins not knowing his duties were already done with, "I heard today you met with your team. Have any exciting 'trials' for 'em? I remember having to fight for lunch with Miku-sensei." He smiles innocently.

Free Falling

Adrenaline seems to come and go in waves. For example: Iyasumaru may have felt a sudden surge of energy criss-crossing his way through the labyrinth of railings and platforms, but now all of his mental energies focused on attention—especially attention paid on his sky-diving comrades.

Similar to the smith-nin, Takuya also feels his sense of urgency die down as he skids to a slower descent across the building's facade. It would probably take a couple more seconds to completely halt, but the whole thrill of being in an uncontrolled fall left the moment his feet touched steel.

For Hideki, however, his heart only pounds harder against his inner cavities as he reappears just inches away from the scroll. With wind erupting from below causing his hair to lash about chaotically, the free falling sky-nin can only think of two things: the scroll and the encroaching rails. Again, seconds seem to matter for Hideki as everything begins to crescendo into one kairotic event where even the lines between success and failure seem to blur.

OOC:
Map
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a147/SacredStorm/SkyscraperGrid3.jpg
Takuya will stop within 45 feet. Two rounds falling takes two rounds stopping for sake of ease.

Valgunn

2012-02-21, 10:57 PM

Maaya

"Sheesh, I never catch a break. First I get assigned to a team of kids barely out of the cradle, and now that grade-A weirdo is sending me what I can only assume is more orders." Giving physical form to her exasperation she gives the ground a hard kick, and that shook the platform in a way not at all pleasant. "And all right after I get back from a break too! What happened to easing people back into work after a break? This is too much, too much. At this rate I'll never finish it!" Contemplating the terrible state of affairs her life was in (not only was she expected to finish her own missions but she had to accompany those three on all of theirs) she suddenly realized that what's-his-face had asked after those three particular dead weights. "The team?" Mayaa said, repeating words he had just said in the form of a question while she dutifully ignored his looks. With a sharp smile her eyes drifted down to the still vanishing specks dropping like stones. "They made a leap of faith." Her eyes shifted back to the scroll in her hand. "And by that I, of course, mean I got them to jump over the side." Not seeing the subject requiring any further explanation she untied the ribbon and opened up the scroll for her perusal.

The Unborne

2012-02-21, 10:58 PM

Skypoint

No-name simply burrows his brows and gives a meek smile not understanding Maaya's words. The corners of his confused smile slowly drop as the realization begins to kick in. His mouth slowly opens in a downward motion mirroring his transition from smile to a contortion of sheer horror. His eyes also seem to enlarge at the sudden knowledge, while his pupils shrink as if afraid to truly see the reality of the situation.

"What?"

Valgunn

2012-02-21, 10:59 PM

Maaya

Another kick lands on the floor and gives the platform another unpleasant shake as Maaya finishes reading the scroll. "Stupid hair." She mouths momentarily before registering the shock of what's-his-face's face. "I got them all to jump off the side. If you look you can just about still see them, but pretty soon they'll be less than specks, so all you'll catch is the tail-end of this show." Rolling the scroll back up she tucks it into one of her coats many inside pockets. "Don't worry so much. Either the village gets a new coat of paint, or I gain a new degree of respect for the new generation of children."

KeithIsTheMan

2012-02-22, 12:16 AM

The sound of the wind whistling past was drowned out by the deafening rhythm of Hideki's heart as he evaluated his new position. The scroll was easily within arm's reach, but the distance to the Rail below was rapidly shrinking. I've probably only got enough time for one shot at this. Things get a lot more complicated if the scroll just bounces off... or if I take a Rail to the face. Here goes!

Doing his best to account for the scroll's tumbling motion, Hideki's hand shot out, making a desperate grab for it.

MOVE ACTION: Exploit Weakness? (DC 15)
[roll0]
ATTACK ACTION: Touch attack at -4 penalty
[roll1]
NOTE: +3 to attack roll result if Exploit Weakness is allowed/successful.

The Unborne

2012-02-23, 01:53 PM

Hideki

Even with the torrential surge of wind resistance aiming to break the genin's arm if he so much extends it from his body, Hideki manages to keep his arm from breaking off as he stretches it towards the falling scroll. With his hair fixed skyward due to the air's lift on it, he can see clearly as his fingers inch ever so closely to the wrapped parchment. The sky-nin feels the fine-lined and well-textured surface of the scroll with his mere fingertips; however, for every millimeter he pushes towards the object, it rolls just that much away. A final extension afterwards releases the scroll from this game of cat and mouse. With the mouse firmly within the cat's maw.

Success, the scroll is firmly within Hideki's possession, but in a fate decides to be cruel as the railing far below smashes into the poor ninja. Maybe thinking and observation distracts people from what truly lies ahead, but even such a philosophical question proves to be fruitless when F = ma. When F represents the mortal force by which a child subjects himself to by jumping off a building, the a simply devolves into being the differences between how fast and young life simply vanishes. The m remains total and unchanged in all situations, but this doesn't stop it from being contained. Even the simple situation of a body hitting an immovable/indestructible object has some loss. For Hideki, after his body snaps in twine, his body resembles more a water balloon breaking on impact.

Bodies, after all, are 60-69.999% liquid, 20-29.999% gas, and 9.999% solid. The rest is x.