falling slowly [team]

[rabble']

Ever since Kyo stepped down from his duties as Amekage, he had been taking it easy. Sure he hadn't even filled the position for very long, but the job paired with the loss of his lover had simply been too much for him. Ever since then he started relying far too much on alcohol to just stop feeling for a while, pushing off actually dealing with Alex being gone. Finally he cleaned up his act a little though, so here he was waiting for his newly requested team.

Sure the dark haired artist had been a mess, but he cleaned himself up good. Clean shaven and in designer and somewhat tight yet stretchy clothes that wouldn't get in the way. The top was a dark blue while the pants were a very dark grey- nearly black. His shoes were a bit of a lighter grey, of the athletic variety as well. Yet even though he could take care of those things easily, he hadn’t been able to hide the bags beneath his dark blue eyes from his lack of sleep. He hadn’t brought a lot of his usual gear either, just a black Double Extra Large Clay Pouch with sixty-five slots worth of Sankuchi flavored clay on his right thigh and then forty more slots worth in a Large Clay Pouch on his left thigh.

He had sent word to his team a couple days ago, telling them to meet him in the very tea shop he had indicated. Kyo was about an hour early as well, having shuffled his way over since he hadn’t really been able to sleep anyway. Snacking on a platter he had ordered, he sipped on his tea every once in a while as well while he glanced over towards the entrance every once in a while.

[Strom]

More orders. He had read the paper and memorized it instantly, yet her read it one more time when he arrived at the location. This was definitely the place. He tucked the paper into the back pocket of his jeans, feeling the rough edges of the top as he did so. Somehow the feeling of distressed denim beneath his callused palms was comforting. His brown hair was swept upwards in his usual style. His silver chain was half hidden beneath a solid black vest covered some of his chest and very little else.

He ran a hand through his hair and pushed open the door. Orders were expected but a tea shop? What sort of nonsense was this? He wasn't one to question though. Slaves didn't question orders. He stood inside the door and looked around. The note did not indicate who he was supposed to be meeting, only the place and the time. He was early, but in his experience being late got you in trouble. He shifted the trident in his grip and leaned against it, as if that somehow would keep him steady in this unstable situation.

[Mikado]

000 ---

It had been exactly one week since Mikado received his orders from the village. Finally, he would meet his teammates and the team leader; and from the research he had done on the leader, Kyo Maeda, he seemed to be an experienced shinobi who previously served as the Amekage. This seemed like great news as it was a probable source of knowledge for Mikado. Digging through his drawers at home Mikado was desperate to find the slip of paper detailing the meet-up location. If one had to describe Mikado's perpetual state, they would definitely say 'unorganized', but after 30 minutes of desperate rummaging he finally found it. The meet-up place was one that was similar to Mikado, and he knew how to get there quick. An eager tea enthusiast, Mikado often visited the tea shop to get his daily fix. Before leaving, Mikado grabbed what little equipment he had; the butt bag was already packed with his kunai, shuriken and makibishi.  Clipping it on, Mikado exited his house and quickly made his way to the tea shop. Upon arrival Mikado noted that the shop was empty apart from two individuals that were already there, although he knew what face to look for as his research on Kyo turned up a picture or two of the Chuunin. Mikado knew to look for an individual with black hair, which might seem like a pretty common trait but since the shop was nearly empty it was easy to pinpoint him. Not sure whether an experienced ninja like Kyo would have already noticed his presence, Mikado approached. "Hello, I'm Mikado Yoshida. Are you Kyo Maeda?" The question was but a formality, as Mikado was pretty confident he found the right person.

TEMPLATE BY MIKADO

[Hon]

//Enter

Twas barely a few days gone by since Kochou returned from his last mission - it was official he had his 8th 'C' rank mission under his belt as just a simple Genin. His twin sister was out on her own missions whilst the two younger siblings were within the academy, his younger sister in her final year and his younger brother in his first. On this morning a note was found by his door, apparently the Kage had assigned him a team with three people he admittedly had never met. One name he did recognize as a former amekage so now Kochou had to lift his game..

Leaving his house, Kochou would put on his head band lifting up the red windblown spikes of his hair and covering part of the strap belonging to the eye patch over his right eye. Beneath this eye was the Urthsrome ritual - having lost his eye when he escaped the bonds of slavery this young masamune was granted a trial ritual which gave him new power and at times restored his vision. Upon the nape of his neck sat the black seals of the curse mark, the shackle which would haunt him for the rest of his life... one of two insecurities he possessed. On his back sat a modified keg (large) designed by his family to hold the iron sand it's contents were 40 gallons of iron sand. To a normal person this would be excruciatingly heavy but thanks to his control over the sand there was barely any weight felt by the masamune.

Kochou was wearing his typical black outfit of v neck top, jacket, black trousers and boots with a small splash of colour in the scarf, all worn beneath the cloak type 4 which contained 40 slots of 'C' rank large marbles.

The tea shop he had been requested to meet at was unfamiliar with Kochou - he was not an avid tea drinker as it was.. especially compared to his sister. Due to not knowing the exact location Kochou set off a little early and with about 5 minutes to spare Kochou would arrive at the tea parlour. Walking into the tea shop he would look around until he spotted the person he would recognize as Kyo Maeda - former Amekage. Slowly he would approach and give a polite nod in Kyo's direction - My name is Kochou Aburame, I believe I am a member of your team. Looking atthe two others who had arrived before him Kochou blushed slightly, was he late or were they just even earlier than him.... Umm...sorry if I'm late.. I don't know many tea parlours and have never attended this one myself, may I take a seat? 

Providing his request for seating was allowed Kochou would remove the keg of iron sand and place it on the ground gently allowing his chakra to stop lowering the weight of the sand. Doing so allowed Kochou to fully regain his concentration and giving proper attention to the group.

[rabble']

While the first to show may not have known what Kyo looked like, that didn’t entirely flow both ways since he had glanced at all of his new students’ files before this. So when one of the familiar faces appeared, he waved the slightly younger man over. “Kyo Maeda, I’m your team leader,” he introduced himself as he simply nodded towards the seat next to him in the four person table, resisting the temptation to let his eyes roam over the other’s body. The Chuunin certainly was no saint, but he hadn’t really looked at anyone in that way since his lover went missing. Even though he knew the three he would be leading to be quite attractive from the pictures he had seen, he wasn’t too worried about distractions- especially since the other two were a bit too young for his tastes regardless.

Silence was brief before another team member showed, and he nodded to the inquiry of his identity as he gestured towards another open seat. “Yeah, have a seat. Only one left,” he mused aloud during that last part, yawning soon after as he placed a hand in front of his lips. Sure he was in better condition than he had been recently, but still he was a bit of a mess. Soon enough the remaining Genin arrived, his dark blue orbs seeming dull as he glanced over the redhead. “Go ahead and sit. You’re not late and you are indeed supposed to be on this team,” he confirmed before taking another sip of his tea, trying to fight off his drowsiness.

“Alright, now that we’re all here we should start off with introductions or some bullshit like that… I’m Kyo Maeda, renowned artist and mediocre Chuunin of our fine village,” the oldest one more or less muttered quite lamely, a hint of sarcasm near the end there as well. “Oh, and let me know what skills you have and what you’d like to improve upon. Honestly I already know what you can do already, but it would be nice to know the strengths and weaknesses of your new teammates. I, for example, specialize in medium to long ranged combat and mass destruction and I’ll likely focus on being able to target specific individuals so I don’t end up blowing you all up,” he added on as an afterthought, completely serious in his final comment on not accidentally killing his team. And with that, he gestured towards Strom to go next and after that would point towards each member in chronological order of arrival until the three were done.

[Strom]

Sky: Whirling Technique
Rank: "E"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: The user learns how to spin their polearm rapidly which is the basis for Sora Ryuu (Sky Method) techniques.
Special: ---
Drawback: Rather useless if performed slowly which tends to happen with heavy polearms.
Description: After using one of the Sora Ryuu (Sky Method) stances the user will learn how to whirl their polearm in a 4 basic 2 handed whirling technique, which is diagonal up/down left, diagonal up/down right. The user will also learn the advanced 1 handed whirling techniques, which diagonal up/down left, diagonal up/down right, over the wrist/neck/leg/arm spins, transfers, and finger spins.
Limit: Must learn from a Master of Tensora (天空 Heavenly Sky), Must know Sky: Ready Stance.

[/i]

He snapped out of his memory as soon as people started talking to him. His mask took over. A relaxed smile settled onto his face as he slid into the chair, one arm slung lazily over the back of the chair, his trident leaning against his powerful thigh. "Arata Strom." He said, giving his last name first in the traditional sense, even though his leader had not done that. How could he not resent this man? Yet another driver of slaves. Still, slaves that acted out would be punished, best to just leave his mask on. That was all he knew how to do after all.

"I'm a master of physical arts." His eyes glanced downwards looking at his own bare, muscled chest. "Clearly." He added with a lopsided smile. "A little bit of water. Knot tying, sailing." He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "I prefer to use this over anything." His eyes drifted towards the spikes of hid trident. While he had his strength and brawn he had a sinking suspicion that everyone here was much, much stronger than him. That was a bad feeling, he'd have to do something about that. A lazy smile crossed his features once more as he glanced over to the leader. His smile was cocky but inside he was trying to get a measure of this stranger.[/ul][/font]

[Hon]

After sitting down and meeting his new team mates Kochou would listen as their new leader spoke.

“Oh, and let me know what skills you have and what you’d like to improve upon. Honestly I already know what you can do already, but it would be nice to know the strengths and weaknesses of your new teammates. I, for example, specialize in medium to long ranged combat and mass destruction and I’ll likely focus on being able to target specific individuals so I don’t end up blowing you all up,”

WIth a gesture towards the gentleman who introduced himself as Strom Kochou would stay silent, continuing to listen. Apparently the man was good at taijutsu and his favoured weapon was a trident... fair enough and a complete opposite to Kochou. Apparently during the time those two spoke Mikado had passed out as a gentle snoring could be heard... I guess I'm next then.... Clearing his throat a little Kochou would prepare to talk just as his noticed a waitress tripping... With barely a bat of an eyelid his iron sand would float up to catch the lady as she fell meeting her with enough force to cushion her but not enough to hurt her. As the lady was caught some of his iron sand would also catch the tray and secure everything on it. Turning his head so his good eye could see her better the mark on the back of Kochou's neck became just visible enough to be seen by the others.

Slowly Kochou let his sand take her back up right and drop the tray gently in her hands before completely retreating back into his container letting her get on her way once more. Once the waitress thanked him and got back to work Kochou turned to the others once more hiding his marked neck. Anyway, as i was saying. I'm Kochou Aburame - I am a wielder of the iron sand.... as you just saw. I am proficient with ninjutsu above all else and have access to Earth and Lightning based jutsu at the moment but I don't have much training in them.

Taking a second to breathe Kochou would lift up his eye patch revealing the mechanical eye socket within. Having lost an eye when I was younger the village offered me this... the Ursthrome Ritual. It replaced my eye socket and has given me a chance to either summon a temporary eye or I can take the eye of a corpse and reveal the moments of it's death and save three of their memories. I am then capable of projecting it upon a surface though no sound comes of it. Having explained about his eye Kochou would put the eyepatch back down and look down at his tea. The ritual...it was better than having nothing but still he wasn't comfortable with it. With a gentle sigh Kochou lifted up his cup and took a few sips before returning his gaze to the others.

[rabble']

While Strom may have been trying to send Kyo a message, it completely went over the superficial man’s head. His dark blue eyes got caught on the larger man’s muscles and that cocky little smile, the mixture damn near sending a shiver down his spine. Back before Alex, he sought out guys like that far too many times, yet now he didn’t quite feel the urge as strongly as he used to. The artist wasn’t as carefree as he once was, far more closed off than he was in his playboy days.

“Right, taijutsu,” he muttered quietly as he shook his head, snapping himself out of it. With a roll of the eyes he passed over the now slumbering blonde, shrugging and gesturing towards the redhead instead. Honestly a large portion of him wanted to join in and take a nap, but he knew that he had some work to do. Instead his attention turned to the remaining team member, one of his brows raising when the dark sand suddenly slithered out to catch a waitress and her tray.

“And then ninjutsu with a creepy eye,” Kyo muttered again, rubbing the side of his neck and nearly shuddering as he thought the now covered mechanical eye. Before continuing, the laid back chuunin took another sip of his tea and then sighed as he set it down. “Alright… Not gonna lie, you guys are my first official team. And instead of just trying to guess what you want from me, I wanted to meet up here first before anything else. Of course I would take you guys on smaller missions to begin with until I get a good feeling for your capabilities, but I wouldn’t be against some more interesting ones later on. Hell, I did a B and A rank mission before I even became a chuunin,” he rambled on, damn near shuddering as he thought of the hordes of undead he had fought.

“So, any specific goals I should know about? I can help you guys with training, or whatever else you feel like you need help with,” he offered with a shrug, wanting to have an idea of what these guys wanted instead of trying to be a mind reader.

[Strom]

[/i] I can manage that one on my own." That lazy smile crossed his face once more as the joke passed his lips. His tone was one of seriousness though the smile revealed that it was intended as a joke. Hopefully his team wasn't stupid enough to not pick up on it, though they were clearly stupid enough to believe they weren't slaves.
[/ul][/font]

[Hon]

“Alright… Not gonna lie, you guys are my first official team. And instead of just trying to guess what you want from me, I wanted to meet up here first before anything else. Of course I would take you guys on smaller missions to begin with until I get a good feeling for your capabilities, but I wouldn’t be against some more interesting ones later on. Hell, I did a B and A rank mission before I even became a chuunin,”

Right now I have 8 C rank missions under my belt but I feel like I need more experience, if you are willing to take us on more higher ranked missions I would be happy to do so. Kochou couldn't do much but look towards Strom... there was something about him, it was familiar yet he had never met the guy before...

“So, any specific goals I should know about? I can help you guys with training, or whatever else you feel like you need help with,”

As Kyo spoke Kochou would turn his head back once more towards their leader to show his attentiveness though something was bugging him. Why couldn't he pin point the familiarity of Strom.... When it was his turn to speak Kochou quickly snapped back into the conversation. Personally I would like to work my way up to chuunin and maybe Jounin or AnBu Bear so help on my defensive techniques could be useful as well. Infact I also need to visit the shop too, I need to grab an item or two just to be safe...

[rabble']

God damn it- Kyo couldn’t bring himself to look away from the brunette and his smile, the guy testing his self-restraint at the moment. Lust was something he tried to avoid like the plague, which wasn’t really an option here since he’d be stuck with Strom on the team. He wasn’t about to try replacing the guy either, not wanting to think he was that weak.

“Right… So before anything else, how about we head over to a training ground so I can get a good handle of your current capabilities. You both can stop at a shop along the way if you want, too. Let’s say… Training ground twenty-six in half an hour, sound good?” Kyo asked before eating the last couple things off his plate and downing the rest of his tea as well before he moved to stand up, still not really seeming to care about the slumbering blonde. And if they hadn’t any objections, he would simply leave the tea house without another word.

[probably exiting]

[Strom]

[Hon]

Looking at the sleeping comrade with a shrug Kochou would follow en suite when his team would leave the tea palour.. there was nothing more for him to say...


/exit