Team Snow, Assemble! (IO)

It hadn’t been too long ago that a messenger bird found the Uzumaki enjoying a sunny day on the patio of a local restaurant. She sipped on her tea that she personally spiked with a little hot sake, enjoying the calm before the storm that never failed to appear. The bird latched itself onto her shoulder as if right on cue. She hadn’t even gotten the opportunity to take a sip. The Jonin reached with her opposite hand and grabbed the attached message latched to one of the bird’s little feet.

She unraveled the scroll with one hand, using the other to take a sip of her still hot tea. Reading it’s contents, it appeared she was assigned a team. I guess it wasn’t a surprise that she become a sensei now after being promoted. Truthfully she almost expected it. Thought having a group of twerps wasn’t exactly something she looked forward to. Her pregnancy however had caused her to develop somewhat of a motherly instinct. She’d try to lean on that in order to whip her students into shape.

She read the names off the list:
Ikagai
Shinja
Solaire
Volt

None that she personally recognized, then again these days she mainly kept to herself so that wasn’t much of a surprise. She recalled that kid that she met at the pub right before Kutari took over; she kinda half hoped that he would have appeared on her list. Oh well. She finished off her tea and made her way to the messenger tower, sending off a messenger pidgeon to each one of her students. It read the following:

Meet me at the Training Grounds at 1700 sharp. Tardiness will not be accepted and can be punishable by DEATH! Just kidding, but I will tie you up and leave you so don’t be late! Chao!
Your Sensei

The Uzumaki sent out the message and continued on with her day, proceeding to arrive to the training grounds a half an hour before her students were supposed to. She placed herself on a nearby bench, taking sips of the cinnamon infused whiskey within her flask. She was attempting to get somewhat of a buzz before the first Genin arrived.

The cool mountain air wafted into the open window of her house, causing a deep chill to enter her bones as she read the letter. Surely, she thought, there must have been a mistake. Solaire Amherst was not a shinobi by any stretch of the imagination. She eyed the puppet blueprints that lay haphazardly on her desk, having been worked on the previous night up until the young morning hours. Light blue hair fell to her eyes, and she found herself pushing it back behind her ear. She didn't particularly have anything to do today... And she didn't particularly like the idea of being hogtied for a simple misunderstanding. She put on a simple blue dress, a pair of boots, as well as tied up her hair before proceeding to remove herself from her home environment. A few well placed words would be enough to correct this, she hoped. Her hands were crossed in front of her politely, and each step was as graceful as the last. She may not have been a trained killer, but she was the head of one of the most powerful merchant clans in Lightning Country- a position that one did not earn by being idle. As long as she kept her wits about her, she figured this scenario would turn out fine.

She arrived at the training ground about five minutes early, expression carefully impassive as she purveyed the environment. Two people caught her eye, and she found herself making her way over and bowing her head politely. "I'm afraid there might have been a misunderstanding," she began, carefully not laying blame on either the woman before her nor the Raikage. "I was invited to train here, but the matter of fact is that I am a civilian, not a shinobi such as yourselves. If my presence is necessary, I suppose I could stay here a few more hours, but I doubt I'd be of much use in a training scenario." she laid the candor on as thickly as possible. Dishonesty at such a time was illogical.

Solaire let her violet-brown eyes make contact with both of the people before her- she didn't quite know who had sent the original letter, after all, and it wouldn't be in her best interests to make assumptions so soon. "May I ask for your names, if you don't mind? I go by Solaire amongst friends and family." she carefully left her clan name out. It wasn't like the 'secret', if it could be called that, was impossible to figure out- a bit of digging could easily find out where she lived and worked should push come to shove. Fortunately, her younger brother and first cousin were holding down the shop today, and they'd be likely to answer most questions as long as they weren't too intrusive.

[WC: 469]
[Total WC: 469]

Volt was characteristically early, although he didn’t dare show up too early lest he end up having to have an awkward one on one conversation with his new sensei. He didn’t want to be so early that it was annoying either. Then again, there was always the chance that the sensei was going to be late, so what did it matter? He wasn’t exactly in the right spot in any case. He had taken a seat in a building opposite of where he was meant to be and had decided to eat a meal in the meantime. He decided to look up to see if anyone interesting was in the opposing restaurant but he really couldn’t make out anyone he was confident enough to approach. He wouldn’t until he saw a group form. He’d let others make that awkward mistake of figuring out which of these people was the sensei…

There were a few clouds in the sky lazily floating past. One looked like a stalk of broccoli. Volt didn’t like broccoli. Broccoli was the anti-party and celebration food. He liked broccoli even less than being here. Volt quickly turned her attention away from the evil cloud just as he regained his train of thought. Apparently the distraction brought about by the broccoli cloud caused the previous train to crash in a spectacular fireball and slaughter all of the negative thoughts he was having.

It was then that Volt had remembered that being in a team was supposed to be a good thing. It meant that he was finally ready to go on some better missions and learn teamwork for what that was worth. Volt’s ambitions were sky high, although none of them were political. He thought those who sought to be a kage were too cliché. He would be happy enough just being strong enough to know a kage couldn’t screw with him if things came down to it. Strength ruled in this land of Kumogakure, so that’s what he went after.

Not too long passed before a couple of girls met up with a woman who had been there for a while. Volt took this to mean that this was the group that was supposed to be forming. He didn’t want to be the last one there so he hopped up, paid for his meal, and walked on over. He gave a lopsided smile at the group of women and wondered if he was the only dude on this team. He hoped not, since it probably meant he would be the punchline in an endless variety of jokes.

“Hey, I’m Volt,” he said with a hint of exasperation, “you are my new teammates and sensei, I take it. Pleasure.”

He didn’t have much else to say. There were so many ways things could go wrong if he had the wrong attitude at the start and until he got to know his sensei more, he had no way of knowing where the line was. So far, all he could assume was that she didn’t like people who came in late.

WC: 511

(OOC: sorry peeps! You can skip until the Asterisks though, you probably wouldn't see the rest IC.)

He found himself outside the charity center he used to work at. The only reason he had taken a salary was so he didn't join the unfortunate refugees and other displaced people dwelling within. Otherwise, he wasn't really into keeping money, and tended to give a bit too much of it away. He needed some missions in hand or he would be looking at revising a destitute retirement plan.

As a regular civilian, not a worker, he wasn't allowed inside without due cause. It was easy for time to pass by as he watched others do good in his stead. Thoughts idly drifted towards the newcomers living in the building, wondering where they came from, why they were there, and what it would take to get all these people on their feet again. Economic reintegration was a challenge if people didn't trust you, or you needed marketable skills. Especially when it was a significant proportion of the population.

He sighed, his eyes drifting from his second home to a... clock.

F***.

He had forgotten there was a meeting to attend. Entirely. And there was no homework for a ninken to eat - that had actually happened a few years ago.

Training grounds. In ten minutes.

And he was on the other side of town.

Curses filled his head, though this was hardly an uncommon occurrence. He knew where the training grounds were, even if he hadn't been there in a very long time. He took one last glance back at the homeless shelter as he began running in the opposite direction. Loud shouting erupted in front of him and he instinctively dived to the side, a cart rumbling past his nose as he faced forward once more. That wouldn't do. He couldn't help anyone if he was a pancake on the road.

His legs propelled him at an entirely normal civilian speed through the streets. This was his top gear for now. More carts, scrambling people, a few stampeding summons... all were but a blur as he dodged things in aggressive fashion like... a ninja. Good reaction training, if nothing else. And a little unsafe. An arm was nearly crushed in the chaos.

Five minutes... probably.

The street ended in a T-intersection. Without missing a beat, he hopped over some boxes, bounced off an awning, and hurtled over a wall, finding himself in a square. The training grounds were in the distance, he just needed to thread his way through a festival.

Ordinarily, he would have stopped to volunteer. It would have been a good way to experience some multiculturalism - the fastest way for new migrants to enter the mainstream Kumogakure society was with food. And they were generous to those kind enough to help. Ok, maybe not all his good deeds were purely altruistic. The eastern barbeque for instance.... He salivated at the thought.

With one minute to go, he found himself on the other side of the festival. With only a few hundred meters to go, he dropped into a dead sprint. An elderly man was crossing the street ahead, holding some shopping. Perhaps he was blind, but there were oncoming carts, and Shinja wasn't sure if they could slow in time.

"Sorry sir!"

He didn't have time to waste. That old guy wasn't going anywhere fast enough to dodge things. With far too much practice at this particular endeavor, Shinja grabbed the shopping under one arm, the old man under the other, and hauled butt across the lane. He barely slowed down on the other side, gently depositing the old man and handing him his shopping before scampering towards the training grounds.

That classic excuse of being late by helping someone cross the road? It could be real this time. His legs pedaled, almost looking like the cartoon leg-wheels, as a plume of dust scattered in his wake. A distant clock began chiming as he stumbled to a stop just inside the training grounds.

*********************************************************************************

Out of breath, and the meeting just begun. Fantastic start. Shinja jogged over to the group, eyeing each of them in turn.

There was only one group of people at the training grounds at dinner time. Three short women (a slight oddity in this age perhaps) and a dude about his size. One was a redhead on a bench. She looked relaxed. She had some kind of drink, but he had no idea what. One of the other women was squatting, talking to the one on the bench.

The third had her hair tied back, rather than actual short hair. Her dress seemed a bit odd - perhaps she was someone visiting with one of the other trainees. That, or she was actually in charge, and didn't feel the need for more combative clothing. Not that you couldn't fight in a dress, it just seemed inconvenient - not that he had ever worn one.

The dude looked to be some sort of Uchiha fanboy. Or he was an Uchiha who felt like screaming his identity to the heavens, with the Uchiha logo prominent on his back. He was similarly dressed to Shinja, otherwise.

Shinja rolled to a stop. All that impromptu exercise had tuckered him out. He leaned forward, hands resting on his knees, gasping for breath. His short sleeved black t-shirt was worn, as per tradition, and it was soaked through with a large ring of sweat. His eyes stung, and he blinked rapidly several times before standing up. Palm prints of sweat left on his pants. Someone was doing the laundry tomorrow. His hair flopped a bit in the wind, moved by excess water on his pate. Hopefully, entering the training grounds on time counted, since he definitely met the group late.

"Oh boy. Not a good start. I'm beat already."


He belatedly realized he had incomplete information.

"Shinja. Sorry, who am I reporting to?"

The Uzumaki continued to sip on her drink, enjoying the next 30 minutes that she’d have to herself before the rascals came to ruin her day. She dreaded the thought of having 3 students following her around like little ducklings. After losing her own children, last she wanted was someone else’s being on her watch. It drained the soul out of her and she hadn’t even started her duties yet. On the other hand, maybe it would be a fun experience. She could mess with their little heads, send them on wild goose hunts for the sake of ‘training’. Ok Kira, you little prankster you, the mischievous thoughts began.

The Uzumaki’s thought process was suddenly interrupted by a short haired brunette girl. Kira’s heterochromatic eyes fell onto the innocent looking child who was all of 6 minutes early, which meant she was cutting way into Kira’s drinking time. She slowly opened her flask all the way keeping eye contact with the Genin. She took a quiet sip that turned into a longer sip that turned into her drinking half the damn thing, all the while remaining eye contact. Her lips would release the flask, a quick answer leaving them alongside the cinnamon breath that coated her mouth. “Yes, that is I.” She responded, leaning back into the bench as she spotted another making her way towards their direction.

A look of bewilderment fell upon the Jonin as the next one to join their little ensemble was not even a ninja. She wondered who messed up in administration to let this even slip. If Kutari caught word of such an error, though small, it’d prob be off with someone’s head. “Well, you’re here now, might as well make the most of it no?” She recommended to the lilac eyed girl. “Any thoughts of ever becoming a ninja?” She inquired. If the girl had ambitions of maybe on day joining their ranks, then being on the team may potentially suit her, even though they’d have to get her properly certified through the academy. If not, the Uzumaki would maybe look into getting the girl taken off as it would only put not only her, but the whole team in danger in the long run.

Depending on how long the girl took to answer, another would join the little fiesta that was taking place around the bench. The new addition gave her a sigh of relief as it was the first male of the team. Finally a little testosterone to balance out the estrogen. Not only that but so far, her students looked like they were at least of adult age which meant she didn’t outright look like a pedophile gather a bunch of children to lead to her basement in the promise of puppies and candy. She was too cute to be a pedophile anyways. She was def a pervert, but not a pedophile.

The Uzumaki’s lips were getting ready to speak before another came trailing into the inner circle, already out of breath from just waking up no doubt. Another male, making her team an equal balance of two and two. She eyed him for a little bit before taking another sip of her flask. “Well looks like you all made it in time so unfortunately for me, I don’t get to tie anyone up.” She said, a slight frown creeping on her face. She remained laid back on the bench, her free arm stretched out on the back of the seat with her other keeping the flask close to her lips.

“We’ve started introductions but now that the whole squad is here, we’ll restart so everyone can hear. From here on out, whether you like it or not, we are a team. We will go through ups and downs together, death together, and maybe even see the day you come to surpass little ol’ moi.” She begun, a smirk on her face as her voice danced through the words that left her mouth. “With that said, we need to form a bond and chemistry that allows us to play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses and build a foundation that cannot be broken. My name is Kira Akudachi, I will be your sensei from here on out until death do us part. My strengths lie in Fuuinjutsu and medical arts for mid to close range combat. I aspire to make great fighters out of all of you, and hopefully a hell of a drinking partner.” She said, taking another sip of her drink before passing her flask to the first girl to arrive. She’d motion for her to take a sip. “Each of you now introduce yourself, and take a sip from my dearest possession. State your name, specialties, and an aspiration you hope to achieve while on this team. Consider this our first bonding moment."

With her elbows returning to rest squarely over the journal / her knees again, having put the scroll back in her pocket, her eyes would dull from their eager brightness- an analytical glaze overcoming them as she watched the woman in front of her. Their eyes locked as the less than enthusiastic Sensei knocked back half of the flask she has unscrewed. Releasing the flask with an almost inaudible smack she would one line her - the scent of cinnamon wafting with her words. Sitting back on her heels until she fell to the ground into a sitting position she would set her journal down on the ground next to her, mind racing - but it had a new thing to focus on, one that seemed very out of place for the given situation…

Raising her eyebrow as the distraction approached- a girl with sky blue hair and a soft somber expression, wearing a simple blue dress and practical enough boots - formal and a bit timid in her mannerisms yet overall you got a sense of intelligence gleaning from her eyes. Not being able to help herself she would let out a small laugh - not malicious but one with surprise and honest shock - “Ikigai… you do seem a bit out of your comfort zone but… I think she is right in wondering about your interest, you might find you are better suited for it than you thought.”, tapping her book knowingly with her forefinger, “Not all brawn in the shinobi world.”

Before the new girl named Solaire was able to respond, another person was approaching, black clad with a dark blue undertone, his black hair aiding in the passive and somewhat exasperated expression he wore. Volt. Peculiar name but not unfounded, giving him a small wave she would repeat her name, the shock of Solaire still echoing in her tone, “Ikigai, pleasure for now.”, adding in the last bit as a joke she would wink playfully.

The sensei still sitting on the bench, having been watching and reacting in her own way was interrupted as she had attempted to speak after the arrival of Volt, another had burst into the small circle of people surrounding the bench. Another guy, tall-ish and fit-ish, were the best descriptors; bent at the knee he was catching his breath as she eyed the sweat ring soaking a good amount of his shirt. Tilting her head a bit in confusion as she took him in, straightening a bit to compose herself he introduced himself as Shinja. Glancing back at her newly appointed sensei to gauge her reaction, only to notice her sipping her flask again, gearing herself for a speech. Having stated her name finally, Kira Akudachi, and explaining her expertise she would pass the flask to her, their first task already underway. Bonding.

Weighing the flask in her hand she would stare down at it, a sip out of this was a spiritual forging to the people around her, glancing quickly at the people around her, taking them in one by one before lifting the flask to her lips-  the cinnamon fire hitting the back of her tongue making her eyes water slightly- after a healthy drink she would pop the flask off her lips and lick them, clearing her throat as the burn subsided. “Ikigai Horaana. Medical is my specialty for mid to close range,”, glancing quickly at Kira before continuing, “I aspire to be one of the most influential and detrimental medics in combat. So I hope to gain insight and ideas in this team to help put Kumo.. and all of you on the map.” Direct as always to an uncomfortable level she would pass the flask to the blue haired girl.

[618]
[TWC 1067]

Hrm.

Turned out the seated one was the boss. Kira Akudachi. Sealing and medical. So it was possible to go without any direct combat oriented knowledge. She was certainly a lot farther up the food chain. Maybe in a different life, he could have learned some of those arts directly.

The short haired girl - Ikigai - spoke up and drank. Shinja didn't think he had heard of the Horaana as a clan, but he didn't pay too much attention to the ninja clans at this point. She sipped the flask.

Shinja was still gasping for breath and slowly recovered his stamina, but the other two - Uchiha fanboy and dress-girl, didn't move for a bit. The latter didn't take the flask when offered, so after an awkward pause, Shinja walked over. His face flashed a grimace - he had a stitch somewhere from sprinting so much. Man, he was not in shape for this career at all.

He would take the flask in his left hand, and examine the top carefully. No, he wasn't afraid of cooties - that would imply he had a future. Rather, he had worked with a lot of people from... all walks of life. Sometimes people had stuff you didn't know about. The alcohol was probably okay-ish, even for a non-drinker. But people could get sick (or at least super grossed out like him) by possibly sharing germs with direct contact. So he found a clean part of his shirt and wiped off the flask.

"Shinja. I nominally will be studying shadow techniques, I have plans for a variety of ranges for my ninjutsu. If I show up to practice them. I am easily distractable as you can see." As he scrubbed, he spoke, waving in the direction he came.

"I have my reasons, for a lot of things, but I don't like talking about them. I tend to run straight into trouble while trying to do the right thing. Hopefully I can aid you with some relatively rounded skills in offense and trapping."

Unless the Uchiha Fanboy (Volt) or Long-Dress Girl (Solaire) wanted the flask, he would give it right back to Kira.