Name: Kazama Kosubaku
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Appearance: Kazama is around 5,9 feet tall. He has a cheery air around him and a face that old people would call "trustworthy". He tends to wear sports clothes for easiness of movement for his part-time jobs.
Personality: An energetic, cheery, and upbeat young man who is always on the look for his next adventure, not wanting to waste away his golden years as a highschooler in the "spring of his youth"... or so he wishes, if it weren't for the multiple part-time jobs and errands he has to manage to make ends meet, but never the one to let small things like that sour his mood, Kazama affronts life's with a smile on his face.
Yet, is it not the nature of man to want something better for his life? Even if he would never admit it, sometimes, as he gazes into the starry night, his heart craves a better future, one where he doesn't have to be the pillar of the house, one where he gets to enjoy time with his friends, one here where he gets to enjoy freedom... but every time that thought passes for his head, it's guiltily stomped, yet never extinguished.
Kazama doesn't really have any hobbies, as he's too busy otherwise, but on the little free time he has he likes to gather and collect tourist pamphlets, enjoying the sights and unique attractions each destination offers. If he doesn't immediately crash on his bed after eating dinner, he tends to get on the roof through a nearby tree and, while looking at the stars, imagine what he would do in each of those places.
Skills:
Worker's Physique: While not on the level of a dedicated gym-goer or athlete, Kazama's body has been conditioned by years of part-time jobs, some of them demanding hours of repetitive physical activity. This has led to the formation of muscles that, while not overly visible, still gives him more strength than an average high schooler.
Knowledge of tools: Kazama is acquainted with a rather large number of tools, from big shovels to delicate screwdrivers, he knows his way around them and can use them effectively in most situations
Street Smarts: While not the most academically gifted, Kazama's time on the streets while looking for his next job opportunity, and the fact that he was the one managing the finances of his house has led to him being rather savvy on more mundane, everyday matters. He likes to call it "wisdom one can only learn with experience"
Blue Collar Connections: A by-product of his time working various part-time jobs, Kazama has become sometimes of a regular in a number of places, ranging from construction sites to moving companies. His work ethic and can-do attitude have led the majority of those he worked with to cherish him, and, if asked, they would surely be able to aid in small things.
Equipment:
Shovel: An everyday shovel used for various construction works, it was Kazama's first thing at hand when he awakened his echo, and he just kept using it afterward.
Phone: An outdated phone, the only model he was able to buy with his pocket money.
Swiss Army Knife: A small multi-tool Kazama was able to buy after one whole year of saving. Even if the occasions he needed it were far in between, just bringing it with him makes him feel ready for any inconvenience.
Echo:
Name: Icarus, the Shackled Wings: An Echo born of Kazama's desire for a more free future that he feels is shackled by the errors of the past and the weight of the present.
Appearance: Imagine that his wings, instead of unfolded, are close to his body like a straitjacket and an anchor is tied to his left foot.
Abilities: As an echo related to the concept of Freedom, Icarus is geared for high-speed movement. He uses his speed for blitz tactics involving powerful slashes and kicks. As the element more in tune with the sky, Icarus can also utilize wind magic. His weak point is his lackluster (in comparison to other Echoes that is) physical defense.
If the situation were to call for it, Icarus can briefly spread his wings and carry up to one person in short bursts of flying. This tends to tax Kazama more heavily than any other action, as he doesn't see himself as capable of attaining the freedom associated with it.
Brief Backstory: Kazama Kosubaku's early life was one of joy and happiness. His father always regaled him with the most fun of tales, and his mother cooked the most delicious of meals every day, for a boy his age, it was everything one could ask for. But life tends to twist at the most inopportune of times, and sometimes, for the smallest of reasons.
It was one tiny mistake at his office job, but it was all that took for his father to lose his job. Maybe it was a way of coping, or maybe it was to escape from the shame, but little by little, the money they had saved was drunk away by a man who could not support his family. Regrettably yet to the surprise of no one, this led to his eventual death, one rainy evening, while walking back to his house from the bar, Kazama's father slipped on a puddle and hit his head on the pavement. Instant death, the medic had said to the grieving widow and the crying young man. The little money they had left was used for the funeral, and the stability of the Kosubaku home was left on the shoulders of a housewife not accustomed to working.
The stress of trying to insert herself into a highly competitive and ruthless work market a short time after her husband's death while at the same time taking care of her adolescent son was too much for her, and, after being diagnosed with clinical depression, was unable to leave the house, and even less of supporting the household. And so, at only 13 years of age, that responsibility fell into Kazama's shoulders. At first, it was hard, and he cried for many nights, but in such circumstances, one is driven to grow up quickly. Thanks to the support of the workers he had to spend so much time with, Kazama accomplished to see life with a new perspective, and his cheerful mood even infected his mother, who started to once again care for the house, little by little.
Now, at 17 years of age, Kazama's life can not be called an ideal one. Friendly and helpful enough to have a number of acquaintances that know him by name, the fact that he has to spend most of his time earning money doesn't let him develop even a single friendship he could call a true one... but hey, there's folk out there who have it worse than him, at least he has a mother who loves him and can eat every night...
But sometimes, he wonders what kind of life he could have had if things didn't go the way they went, if he had at least one parent that could take care of him, and not the other way around, and as he looks in the sky, he chastises himself for even daring to think like that.
