No place like the mind ((Open))

It was moments like these that would call in to question at just how grand designs and systems of great meticulous structures worked? How one piece in a grand scheme had it's role to play, regardless of its size. Subjectively, many give most of the credit to large pieces, like the grand pillars of a great temple. Holding such weight without collapsing on itself was indeed an important task. But, what about the piece that started it all? That small intangible thing that, yes indeed grow, but yet remained away from view until the design was erected out of the mold. An idea, the one thought that decided to bring everything together in a specific order. A lengthy tedious subject to dwell on, but yet grabs the attention even after the discussion. Questions, that was all he had.

Behind the a steel frame counter that stood in front of many shelved weapons and armors, the wooden swing door on the left side, stood an average looking man. Nothing notably about him at all; a person who could easily get lost within a large crowd. His hair and eyes were black, his complexion described as olive tan. His whole attire was black as well, save for his blue leather jacket he kept on; due to the powerful AC unit at work. He indeed was a shinobi, but didn't like the attention the headband brought, so he kept the metal piece inside his coat pocket. His looks even matched the average sized office he at first glance resided in, nothing to grab the attention of a visitor. The door was roughly ten feet away, an average sized brown mat was placed between the two.

It wasn't to late in the afternoon; his shift was almost over; subjectively. The young intuitive shinobi still had a three more hours on the clock. His job however wasn't necessarily a career, nor was it busy. It was more so a mission within a village, to fill in for the regular quarter master, who was while out on leave with reasons unknown. The traffic was next to none, only a few individuals came by today to pick up orders that placed a few days ago. His job titles included fulfilling orders made up of various tools and equipment and have them ready. Only two went out so far, the rest were still on standby. Could anyone blame Jessie for day dreaming about small cogs within a much bigger machine? Possibly, but normally this was his natural habit. always contemplating about the way things were, how they worked, who started it all, and who would stand to benefit from it. So, for now, all he did was continue to carry on about himself with his thoughts, waiting for the day to be over. He causally remains seated behind the desk, leaning against his arm which was propped upwards on top of the counter. His black beady eyes like a hawk almost, started towards the door as if he was anticipating it to open at any moment.

((wc:508))

His meeting with the Hogokage complete, Masashi left to go about his business. He wasn’t in any particular hurry, he had nowhere else to be, other than getting himself back into form. Two years of inaction certainly took its toll on the young Uzumaki Royal physically and mentally. It was going to take time to get himself back on track. His first stop afterwards is to visit the armoury, as most of his actual gear was in serious disrepair, and it would be smarter to simply purchase new equipment. It’s not like he didn’t have the money, his family had significant wealth, and it was a small thing to use some to get the tools he needed. Easiest place to go would be the armoury as it had the largest supply of standard weapons and armour, and he was not looking for anything fancy that would require a trip to a smaller more specialised shop. He didn’t have an order ready, but that wasn’t really important, as he could simply go in and order from the counter, provided what he needed was in stock.

It wasn’t a long walk from the Unseen University to the City square so Masashi’s trip in between was brief. Some of the village’s citizen’s recognized him as he passed, was bound to happen being part of the nobility after all, as much as he didn’t make a big deal of it. His mother on the other hand, was always one to let people know who she was. It seemed to be a common trait among the Akari side of his family. An aspect he didn’t share with them, but found it endearing. He would need to see them more often. The thoughts moving through his head as he arrives at the entrance of the Armoury and opens the door.

He noticed the cooler air right away, which made sense as Hoshi was always on the warmer side. The cold didn’t bother him, especially while wearing the leather duster he so preferred. There was no one inside other than the man behind the counter, someone Masashi didn’t recognize. He was average, no features really sticking out apart from his black eyes, the same colour as his hair. The man was slightly shorter than Masashi, from what he could see. Similar build as well. The Uzumaki Chuunin would nod at the man and walk over to the counter. “Afternoon.” He would say to the shinobi on the other side of the counter. “I don’t have an order, but I need to acquire some replacement gear. My current gear is in a serious state of disrepair.”

WC: 438

Soma Shin Misaki worked all day yesterday and wanted to take a break today. All he had to do today was go and see the quartermaster about his headband. He had ripped it to where it was basically unwearable. “Hello grandpa, can I get a new plate for a headband please?” And his grandfather replies “of course they are in that drawer over there!” This experience ruined all the showmanship and pageantry of getting it the first time. Finding out it was all just in a drawer in the living area. However it made sense to Soma Shin after thinking about it. He was sure that the shinobi in the family went through a few headbands and they were not able to just make these on demand. But he needed to get a new headband and the quartermaster was his best idea on getting a new one. He wanted to go shopping today so he should probably buy some stuff for future missions since he was off today. He heard something about teams being posted soon so he should go check that out too. So with a plan he grabs his family's unique plate and heads towards the where the quartermaster would be.

He walks into the area to see a Chunin there. He had heard of him because he was a royal. But he waited in line behind this shinobi with a plate just in his hand and politely asked “Excuse me sir, do you mind telling me if I can get this put on a new headband here? My original got basically destroyed on a mission. My name is Soma Shin Misaki by the way.” He bows respectfully and says politely after he finishes talking to the other shinobi behind the counter. He waits in line behind him not really knowing what to say then after what is a notable and awkward pause he continues “how are you doing today?” He is trying to make conversation but it is sort of awkward. He seems to mostly be trying to fill the silence and awkwardness. He just stands there and waits for a response or something to help end his social awkwardness. This is quite nerve racking for Soma Shin. He is not used to talking to strangers let alone a nobleman. He is not sure how to act around them; he comes from a notable family but not a noble one. Should he bow more? Is it ok just to talk to him? Soma shin ran through a ton of questions in his mind but decided it was done so he just waited for a response from him.


WC 440

Kahoru woke up, as it was the morning. Who would’ve guessed, that someone would wake up in the morning? Such a strange concept, especially for a shinobi. Unless you were an insomniac because then you never perform the action of waking up because you didn’t perform the action of going to sleep. Anyway, Kahoru was getting off track. She had things to do today, and she didn’t want to lose valuable time. The Black Dragoness went downstairs, still in her pajamas, which was a rare sight to see in the Pendragon Compound, and walked towards the breakfast area. She picked up a standard plate of eggs and bacon, with toasted white bread with butter. Kahoru couldn’t have asked for anything more. Well, except for blueberries, but it was a little early in the year for those.

After hastily finishing her breakfast, wearing her pajamas, which consisted of maroon pants and a white t-shirt, once again, hastily, made her way upstairs. She had very valuable work to do today. The Pendragon sat down at her desk, looking at the plans laid out in front of her. It was a bunch of rough drafts for her crossbow. The largest sheet was about 3 feet and 4 inches long by 1 foot and 4 inches wide. It was a general sketch of the crossbow, with the limbs unfolded and uncocked, making the crossbow 3 feet long and 1 foot wide. Kahoru didn’t know if this was big for her, but she needed to build it in preparation for the upcoming Chunnin Exams. However, she knew no smithing places in town that had the proper tools for smithing a crossbow. The plans she had ranged in size, with the smallest showing the trigger mechanism which was a mere 10 inch by 10 inch diagram that was a blown-up form. So, Kahoru came to the realization that, yes, she needed to find someone to tell her where a blacksmith that she could work with might be. The Black Dragoness figured her best bet would be going to the quartermaster, and asking him. Kahoru got dressed, simply wearing her casual outfit. It consisted of a white, button-down t-shirt with long sleeves, that were held in place at their ends with small cufflinks decorated with the head of a black dragon on a sapphire blue background. Her shirt was tucked into a navy blue skirt that went slightly below her knees, and combined with her black stockings that went above her knees, didn’t show any of her legs, which her parents had always considered rude and impolite. She wore a pair of brown leather boots, rising a few inches above her ankles. Her long, blond hair was kept in a bun with the rest braided, spiraling outwards from the bun, with a small, decorative blue ribbon.

Kahoru walked out the doors of the Pendragon compound, with her plans slung over her shoulder in a tube, that was about a foot and a half long. She walked over to the quartermaster, looking at all the sites. As she arrived, she opened the door, to see something she rarely saw in the quartermaster’s, other people. One was a chunnin who seemed to tower over Kahoru by 8 inches, while the other was a recent Genin, who as 4 inches shorter than her. Misaki gathered that he was relatively new, due to the fact that he asked for a headband. She bowed her head to the Chunnin, with a simple, “Hello sir.” While nodding and smiling, and simply put her hand up to the genin. She didn’t put her hand up in a rude way, simply a wave with no movement, one that was respectful. She made her way to the quartermaster’s desk, saying, “Hello sir. I’ve got plans to build a weapon, and do you happen to know of any good smithing places in Hoshigakure? Thank you.” Kahoru stepped to the side, that way, in case someone else came in, she wouldn’t be interrupting them.

WC: 666

The humming of the air conditioner was all that accompanied his questions for the time being, until the door ahead of him swung open. He knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. Last minute orders was nothing new to anyone working here; he assumed such even though this was his first time working here. Nevertheless, he was quite familiar with the regulatory procedures that tending to such with lack of interest wouldn't cause any problems, for him. He'd only had done this a few times, but manged to sum up all of the standard operating procedures in two words: tedious bullshit.

Jessie fixed his head upwards, as well rising up from his chair to greet the needy fellow villager with a warm welcome. His hands were placed on top of each other, palm over palm. His this arms laid against the front of his body with a humble stature. "Good afternoon, I'm Jessie Matalo. Welcome to the Hoshi state run armory", he says, with a monotone yet non hostile tone of voice. He leans forward just a tad bit upon listening further to the guest's request after taking a quick look at the gear worn by the guest. Recollecting in tandem with listening to the guest on his past thoughts about the nonsensical procedures on how things were done around here, he... went to work. "Very well, I'll need your full name, shinobi ID number, along with your current rank. Individuals of student ranks are no longer authorized to obtained headbands for the sake of studying", Jessie then retracts back and leans over slightly to his right to a stack of shelves underneath the counter, pulling out a stack of white forms about an inch and a half in high. The stack of forms he then placed on the counter were for details about the shinobi in question as well as items in interest. "I'll also need you to fill out this paperwork in quadruples, and in legible hand writing. If you have your shinobi card with you it can make this process go much faster..., but you'll still need to fill out the paperwork Mr...", the door, it swings open yet again distracting the clerk. "One moment please", focusing his attention on the new person.

'Another one? what time is it?'    

The younger looking individual made his way towards, Jessie first. After listening to, Soma Shin Misaki, now noticing the piece of flat curved like metal in his hand, he once again reaches towards his right and removes an even bigger stack of forms, three inches in height. He fixes his posture once more with the stack of papers in hand and greets along with giving his name to him with the same politeness as he did with the other individual after the bow of respect. he wasn't used to that. Others bowing before him. He started to wondered if he was from this village? Jessie certainly wasn't, his accent was a dead give away; origins that suggested more south east. Perhaps this was the standard custom in the shinobi circle? Jessie still had a a lot to learn about this land. Nevertheless, immersion was nothing new to him, he, along with his family were nomads.

"For headband repairs and replacements, you'll need to fill out these forms. All of it. Also, I'll need your shinobi ID and rank too when you finish all of the paperwork. If you two need pens, please let me know." After finishing, he places the even taller stack of papers on the counter, out of the way of the other stack. Even Jessie couldn't believe all of these unnecessary forms the shinobi had to fill out, It was as if everyone in the administration building needed their own personal copy. But, with the time he spent pondering about the wonders of the system they lived in, perhaps it was for the best. It wouldn't be safe to hand out high grade weapons to non shinobi personal with the simple reasons pertaining to having something "ideal for home defense"

A familiar sound is made, much similar from before. The door swung open to reveal yet another one to add to the rush. This may be the last time Jessie takes on a job like this ever again. His shift was nearly up, and with an empty stomach, he had to go. Lucky for him... and judging by the stacks of forms laid out, the newcomer too, the guest just needed some information regarding the forge. He of course politely greets her, giving out his own name too. After the social greeting was done, he...went to work. "Forgive me, I'm still not quite familiar with the blacksmiths here. I could, however send out your request and set up a meeting with the many smiths available within the village for tomorrow. But, you'll need to fill out some paperwork..."
   
((wc:811))

The man behind the desk looked him over, stood up, placed his hands in front of him, and then greeted him. It was some generic greeting which was likely repeated to everyone that enters the armoury. The name was familiar though. Jessie Matalo. One of the names that the Hogokage mentioned. He was one of the Genin that was to be on his newly formed squad. How coincidental, he would run into him here, of all places. The thought was interrupted though by Jessie grabbing some forms and explaining their necessity for his request. Masashi would chuckle at the comment regarding legible writing. “I can’t make promises, I am a doctor after all, and we have notoriously bad writing.” Masashi was kidding of course. His writing was pristine, since he needed to ensure his research notes were legible. In regard to the rest of the information required, the information was standard for such requests, so he was happy to oblige. “Uzumaki-Akari. Masashi Uzumaki-Akari. Son of Countess Himari Akari.” He says as he presents Jessie with his Identification, which identifies him as a Chuunin of the village as well, as if the vest wasn’t a giveaway. He took the paperwork and used his own pen to fill out the paperwork on an open space of countertop that was slightly off to one side so that he would not interfere with any others that would enter after him.

It turned out that was a smart idea, as not long after he started, someone else entered the armoury; a young boy with Green hair, green eyes, and wore a fair amount of green clothing. One would surmise that green was his favourite colour. That didn’t bother Masashi though. What did bother him was that the boy looked incredibly familiar to Masashi and he knew why. His name was Soma Shin Misaki, and he was another member of his new team. ‘What an odd coincidence indeed…’ He thought to himself as he watched the boy walk over to the counter and request a replacement headband for his hitai-ate. After a moment, the boy would turn to him and ask him how he was doing. Masashi would stop the paperwork briefly, turn to him and say “I’m doing well Soma, thank you for asking. How are are you today?” While he waited for the boy to respond he would go back to finishing the paperwork. It was insane how much paperwork actually was needed for some simple replacement equipment, but that was how it goes sometimes. Masashi was used to filling out forms from when he was working in the hospital.

The door opened a 3^rd time, and someone else entered the armoury. This time it was a young girl that entered, slightly taller than Soma, but very similar build physically. She had blond hair and blue eyes and pale skin. She was wearing a long-sleeve white button-down shirt that was tucked into a knee-length blue skirt. Leather boots and stockings completed the look. ‘And there it is…’ He thought to himself as he realised he was looking at the fourth and final member of his team, Kahoru Pendragon. Masashi couldn’t help but chuckle at the chances that he would end up running into all three of his new Genin at the exact same time. She walked in and greeted him briefly before asking Jessie about blacksmiths. “Hello, Kahoru.” He would say back to her. Once he’d finished his paperwork, which wasn’t long after Kahoru entered, he would hand the paperwork back over to Jessie, then turn to the three of them.

“Well, since you’re all here, may as well update you.” He would smirk before continuing. “As you know, I am Masashi Uzumaki-Akari. Chuunin of Hoshigakure. What you don’t know, is that I have been assigned your new squad leader.” He let that sink in for a moment before moving on. “I just found out this morning and had planned on sending messages to you all, but since you are all here now, that doesn’t seem to be necessary. To give you a little background information on myself, I am a skilled doctor, medical ninjutsu user, and I am versed in fuinjutsu. I can use three different elements; Earth and Lightning release, as well as our unique Explosion release. If you have any questions for me you are welcome to ask, either now, or later. For now, I have no expectations of you, though I do wish to have some training with all of you individually as well as a squad, so that we can work together as a single unit. I also get the feeling it will benefit you all immensely, what with the upcoming Chuunin exams here.”

WC: 785
TWC: 1223

Soma Shin looks at the shinobi who asked him how he was doing and replies “I am pretty good today. Just trying to get some chores and errands done today. Might do some training I do not know or really have a plan for the rest of the day after my errands are done.” He did not really want to answer but he knew it was rude not to. Everyone who grew up in this village knew this shinobi was the son of nobility. He was already a socially awkward person but talking to a noble was completely new to him. His clan was not a very influential one and never really had dealings with nobility. They might have met one or two if they wanted a crystal art piece or something of Soma Shin’s grandfather but that is about it. Soma Shin was not really sure how to act. He overheard the shinobi say he was a doctor and specialized in medical ninjutsu and says “I was thinking about studying the medical arts too. I am waiting for my grandfather to have time to teach me the clan’s jutsu but I also want to help others and become a medical ninja. Could you help me in the future learn more about it?”

He makes it up to the counter and is told by this young shinobi that he needs to fill out all of these papers. He was confused he did not need a whole new headband just a piece of the cloth would do. He knew how to attach it but he guessed that this would be a common occurrence. He knew that the leaders and government loved their red tape and paperwork. He looks at the paper it reads. He writes Soma Shin Misaki and his shinobi number and under request he writes “needs a new cloth for a headband and have someone attach my family’s crystal plate to it.” He could not believe how many questions and requests were made on such a small piece of paper. How did it happen?Is it just repairable? And so on and so on. Soma Shin could not believe it why all this information was needed for a piece of cloth. It was while he and this other shinobi were filling out paperwork when a young girl with a long blue skirt and white shirt on came walking into this small building. She goes up to the counter and asks for some info or something. Soma Shin was doing his best to mind his own business. Soma Shin finishes his paperwork first and goes up to turn it.

While he is up at the front desk the older shinobi says that he is going to be our team leader. He says we all are going to be a team all the Genin in here. What a coincidence if Soma Shin did not know better he would say fate or destiny lead all of us in here. Soma Shin was not sure what to think. He was very happy he got assigned to a team because it meant that he was going to be taken seriously as a shinobi being a part of a team. The team leader says he would like to train which Soma Shin was always down for. It seemed like there was an uncomfortably long silence and Soma Shin stood up and said to the other Genin “I am Soma Shin Misaki it is a pleasure to make all of your acquaintances. I cannot wait to work and train with you all.” This was a very hard and uncomfortable thing for him to do. But he then quickly sat down and waited for responses.

WC 618
TWC 1058

Mid post claim
+ 10 stats
Pureblood 1000+1000/2000

Approved

Shuffling through the paperwork, his mind was in third gear. Everything before him, was it always like this? The late rush before close, four people with last minute rush orders, and Jesse was the guy on duty. As much as he complains, he rarely shows it. he just continuously questions his problems until they end up either an after thought, or simply switches to another subject in question. He wasn't the explosive type, at least to his own knowledge. whether he knew it or not, the next piece of knowledge he was about to hear was something he would have never guessed.

Jessie suddenly stops what he was doing upon hearing Masashi Uzumaki inform the gathering that they were all apparently a part of a single unit. Where did this come from? Was this all set up? Jessie had an extremely hard time believing any of this; the chances of everyone here just happened to belong on the same team? Then again, everyone here did require repair or replacement equipment, perhaps for a mission? Keeping his face the same, giving off the usual deadpan expression, he quickly glances over at the other two individuals who were a part of all this. Surprisingly, Jessie didn't have any question for Masashi. Even though the chunin exams were new to him, he knew he had to takes things one thing at a time. If it was true that all of them were on a team, the best thing for Jessie was to get to know the other first. he sighs as he is now about to break his habit, he clears his hands and corrects his form once more.

His gaze drew towards the others as a whole, "I'm Jessie Matalo, i'm not from this village. I moved here recently with my parents to make a new life here. I really don't talk that much unless i have to..."he recovers from the brief pause with a slightly faster pace in speech. "but don't take that as a sign that i'm annoyed, I just like to keep to myself", He slouches slightly after his ice breaker. It was all they were gonna get. Unless there was a technique to hear the thoughts of another, a simple nod will do.

((wc:376))