Kalas

The Haunting of Crestwood Hollow - A Supernatural Thriller

A R C H I E B L A C K : S l i c k M o v e s , S k a t e r b o y

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^{Tuesday, August 21st, 2018 - 07:47 AM | Mather Memorial High School}

"Hey, thanks for the ride man!" Archie yelled as he disembarked from the van he'd been skitching on for the past 10 minutes and directed himself towards the curb, effortlessly performing a kickflip as he neared it to land on the sidewalk before applying pressure with his front foot to execute a nose pickup. As his momentum stopped almost instantly, his board flicked up behind him allowing him to grab it by the tail and coolly walked onto the school premises. The driver reciprocated his farewell with a quick beep of his horn, continuing on down the road with the rest of the morning traffic. He'd gotten lucky really, as he was definitely running late from sleeping through his alarm. Not that that was entirely his fault. Archie had struggled to sleep last night, just like every other night in recent memory. Though this time the reason had also included his first day of a new semester at an entirely new school. It was a reason that perplexed him, honestly. Archie wasn't really the type to get nervous about anything but for some unknown reason, this felt different. He'd not long stowed the board inside his bag when the familiar buzz of his cell phone caught his attention. He rolled his eyes, already knowing who it'd be.

"Slick moves, skaterboy." Came Cara's voice as he answered the call, her flirtatious tone still very present as it always was.

"Hey, Cara." Archie greeted her. "What's up?"

"Oh, you know me, just admiring you from afar." She giggled. Archie was sure he could hear her close by.

"Oh really?" He laughed too, though it felt slightly awkward. "You sound close." He started looking around for her.

"Well I am behind you." Archie spun around, expecting to be smothered by Cara's usual embrace that she'd often greeted him with over the few months they'd spent as friends. She didn't, however. "Sike!" She cried, bursting into another fit of giggling. "I'm waiting by the front steps, now hurry your butt over here!"

He felt a little stupid after being punked like that but it did seem to make him smile which, in turn, settled him somewhat. Archie locked off the call and pocketed his phone before continuing to make his way to the entrance. Cara had offered to be his chaperone for the day, although he wasn't sure what was worse: Being shown around as the 'new kid' or having Cara beside him all day, sending out daggers to any girl who might so happen to glance upon him. Not that he didn't enjoy her company. She was a nice enough girl, if a little full-on, but Archie was always ever put off by her fangirling over him. Which, despite them being friends for at least a few months now, she still did. A lot. And around anyone who would listen. Even those who didn't seem that interested, she would gush about him to. Sometimes this brought him unwanted attention, which was the last thing he wanted given his very public family situation. He wasn't sure whether anyone had actually heard about it in this city, however, and if they did no one actually thought to bring it up.

Archie eventually reached the front steps of his new high school. He took one look at the aging building, noticing several cracks in the architecture, before letting out a sigh. Bringing his gaze down, he was met by Cara who actually did embrace him this time, catching him off guard. "Hey, you." She said, releasing him.

"Hey, yourself." He replied, causing her to smile. It was the kind of smile that lit up her entire face. Which itself was pleasant to look at regardless. To say Cara was pretty would be a vast understatement. She was beautiful. From her rose-filled cheeks, her soft, pink lips, a cute button nose and deep, brown eyes to her long, brunette locks - hastily brushed so that they fell graciously down to her lower-back - her thin, yet supple, figure and a dress sense that just seemed to command your attention. Cara was a girl who was destined to stand out. Several of the guys down at the Hollows had berated him many times for not 'hitting that.' But the truth remained, it simply didn't feel right for him. Whilst he probably should make a move like they said, Archie couldn't bring himself to do it. After everything that had happened back in New York, having a girlfriend didn't seem like the best idea right now. He needed to sort through a few things first.

"Well, c'mon then!" Cara said, grabbing his hand and pulling him along behind her. "We're gonna be late!"

---

^{Tuesday, August 21st, 2018 - 14:30 PM | Main Building}

"Shit!"

Archie exclaimed, quite loudly in fact. His voice echoed down the seemingly abandoned corridor, no doubt being heard by the occupants of one of the nearby classrooms as a wave of snickering laughter began to flourish from inside. It was swiftly extinguished, however, with the loud thud of what Archie could only guess was a book being slammed down upon a table, which was then followed by a stern, "Silence!"

Opting not to stick around, he dashed back out to the stairwell so as not the feel the wrath of an angry teacher on his first day. Well, not that one at least. He was late to his final class, Social Conscience. Some special study group comprised of several kids from different grades of which he was one of the lucky few to be selected - or at least that's what Cara had informed him of earlier - led by the new professor they'd just hired, Mr. Lehrer. A man who'd already begun to make a name for himself around the school by launching an eraser at some random girl in his Physics class who 'like totally' didn't deserve it, apparently. Cara had struggled not to laugh whilst retelling him the story. Archie figured the true story had actually been heavily exaggerated as it passed between each person's lips until they were left with a severely bastardized version that painted the new hire as a crazed lunatic who despised all women.

Or at least, he hoped it was all just exaggerated. The last thing he wanted happening was to walk in late to this man's class and be high-fived in the face with a wooden board eraser. The image flashed in his mind until he remembered Cara mentioning something about a room at the top of the main building. Looking up to the top of the spiralling staircase, Archie couldn't help but shrug. 'Won't hurt to look.' He thought.

Finally reaching the door to what he assumed was The Loft, Archie had the feeling that the room hadn't been used in a long while. He wondered what it might ever have been used for, it seemed nicely squirreled away. A weird place for a Social class. Gripping the handle of the door, he grimaced, attempting to steele the nerves that had chosen to flare up all of a sudden. He ridiculed himself mentally, 'Get a hold of yourself, man!' Which seemed to work a little as he relaxed his expression and opened the door, interrupting whatever discussion had been going on previously and garnering the attention of the room.

"Sorry I'm late, teach." He began, cautiously entering the room fully prepared to dodge any projectiles that may have been thrown his way.

"I got lost downstairs somewhere, first day and all that." Before Mr. Lehrer could respond, Archie closed the door behind him and located an empty desk towards the back. Relinquishing his bag from his back, Archie quickly sat down in his chair. Not as bad as he thought it'd be.

The Haunting of Crestwood Hollow - A Supernatural Thriller

A P O L L O

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^{A R C H I M E D E S 'A R C H I E' B L A C K ◼ F E B R U A R Y 1 8, 2002 ( 16 ) ◼ M A L E ◼ H E T E R O S E X U A L}

^{"Ain't nobody like me, 'cept me."}

▼ A P P E A R A N C E:

---

^{"Don't touch my hair..."}

//STATS:

◼ HEIGHT | 5'-11"
◼ WEIGHT | 151 lbs
◼ BUILD | Slim
◼ HAIR COLOR | Dirty Blonde
◼ EYE COLOR | Blue-Green
◼ ETHNICITY | Caucasian
◼ SEXUALITY | Hetero

//DESCRIPTION:

Lean, windswept and brooding are probably the three best words to describe Archie. His hair is almost always a mess. Rarely brushed but always seems to stay in the same position: hastily and repeatedly combed to one side and held together by various knots of matted strands caused either by excess rain or sweat. Despite this, Archie prides himself on his wayward mane. Vehemently refusing to let anyone touch it unless by his barber. And only then he merely gets his split-ends removed and a slight trim every 7 weeks or so. Sometimes he opts to wear hats that go with his chosen attire for that day but more-so because his hair is more out of control than usual.

Speaking of clothing, his style is very much that of a skater dude. Usually loose-fitting tees with slim-fit chinos and a pair of Vans. His colour palette doesn't often stray very far from blacks, greys and other darker shades. Though he may also throw in the odd white or an obnoxious neon colour to really accentuate certain looks that he tends to go for. Since moving to Crestwood Hollow, Archie has begun experimenting with various Techwear pieces to add to his existing style, mostly the baggy pants that taper in towards the ankle, often adorned with several loose-hanging straps, chains and littered with unnecessary zippers or pockets.

His figure is very typical of someone who skates. As previously mentioned, Archie is quite lean. He has an impressively low body-fat percentage but also lacks any serious muscle. Despite this, Archie is very defined with what he does have. Skating most days a week has granted him that much.

▼ B I O G R A P H Y:

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^{"My life is dope and I do dope things."}

Born and raised in Jericho, New York by both parents, Thaddeus and Melisandre, alongside his sister two years his junior named Celestia. Thaddeus worked as a high-profile lawyer who made a name for himself during the 90's through several successful prosecution cases against those deemed to be Hyperhuman in professional sports leagues throughout the state. His mother was able to live semi-retired due his father's salary but invested a lot of time into a non-profit organisation for impoverished kids living within the state of New York.

An avid skateboarder from a very young age, Archie soon discovered his talent for the sport at the local skate park. It wasn't long before he was dominating the local competitions. Due to his father's status and considerable influence at the time, Archie was able to end up skating in the right circles that allowed him to secure a sponsorship deal with a relatively new skateboarding brand 'Alltimers' in 2015. He thrived under them, quickly increasing his skill and even gaining a minor following via the many videos posted on his Instagram. He began travelling to other states in order to enter competitions to increase his renown and prove to his brand that he was worth sponsoring as a fully-professional skateboarder.

Two days after his 16th birthday, however, his quaint family life was rocked by the revelation that his mother's charity for the poverty-stricken children of New York was actually an organisation to assist young teens who had been prejudiced against for their possession of the Hype-Gene. This eventually resulted in the positive identification of his mother as a Hyperhuman, leading to a massive PR nightmare for his father and Archie being inevitably dropped from his sponsorship, due to him being suspected as a Hyperhuman.

Once the figurative dust had settled, Archie's father filed for a divorce, which his mother granted without any resistance. It was only when he filed for custody of both children, did she fight back, leading to a brief, publicized legal battle between them. The outcome of which resulted in Archie choosing to live with his father, whilst Celestia chose their mother. Shortly afterwards, his parents agreed to sell the family home in a 50-50 split, where his father, Thaddeus, then decided they would move north to New Hampshire and the quaint coastal city of Crestwood Hollow.

Since moving into his new home, Archie has mostly tried keeping to himself. He doesn't skate half as much as he used to, except as a way of traversing around the city and the odd session at the skatepark. With the manifestation of his Hype-Gene, Archie has become more reclusive than usual and less receptive to others, though mostly towards his father, who he is terrified of finding out. His sister, Celestia, has attempted to make contact in recent months but he has declined every time so far.

▼ A B I L I T I E S / S K I L L S:

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^{"The brightest light usually casts the darkest shadow."}

//ABILITIES:

◼ REDACTED |

//SKILLS:

◼ ATHLETIC | Spending most of his life at a skate park has proven both beneficial and detrimental for Archie in terms of his health. Oftentimes he'll embark on all-day skate sessions that test his strength, stamina and durability. And whilst he has built up the cardio, flexibility and dexterity to perform feats and tricks most others can't, Archie has also suffered more than his fair share of broken bones and torn ligaments, which can be seen as a good thing in that he has also built-up somewhat of a resistance towards pain.

◼ QUICK-WITTED | Archie has always come across as charismatic, though his wicked-fast wit definitely shines through the most at times. Despite his looks, he is vastly more intelligent than he may initially seem, thanks to his father's private tuition growing up. As such, he uses his smarts to perform well in social situations as well as curricular ones. Although, with the recent trouble surrounding his family situation, Archie's normally bright spark seems to have dimmed a little as a result.

◼ RESOLUTE | Once Archie has made up his mind, he almost always sees something through to the end. Cultivated from his years of failure at learning how to become a professional skateboarder, Archie has developed a do-or-die attitude towards most things. This has allowed him to differentiate between right and wrong, he never seems to falter when faced with a tough decision, he merely reaffirms his beliefs on the subject and proceeds to follow them through.

//LIMITATIONS:

◼ REDACTED |

//WEAKNESSES:

◼ REDACTED |

▼ N O T E S:

---

//SUPPORTING CAST:

▼ ALLIES

Hider

◼ TBA |

▼ FAMILY

Hider

◼ THADDEUS 'TEDDY' BLACK | Archie's father and currently employed as a legal consultant for several New York-based sports franchises with regards to Hyperhuman tests and regulations. He works mostly from home, although he frequently travels to New York several times a month for meetings and such. Ever since his divorce, Thaddeus has closed himself off from his son emotionally, despite Archie choosing to live with him over his mother. Their relationship is starting to grow tenuous.

◼ MELISANDRE REYNOLDS | Growing up, Archie and his mother were naturally very close. She was always extremely supportive of him and his passion for skateboarding, even if she did worry for his well-being on more than a few occasions. With her recently being exposed as a Hyperhuman to the rest of the world, alongside her charity being a complete lie, Archie feels betrayed by his mother. Especially considering her actions were directly responsible for the loss of his sponsorship and the crushing of his dream. They haven't spoken since his father filed for a divorce.

◼ CELESTIA BLACK | Archie loves his younger sister dearly and would always do anything to protect her. Like most other siblings, they'd have their arguments but Archie was always the one to apologise first and attempt to cheer her up. As they both grew older she would make sure to attend every one of his competitions, despite not being into skateboarding much herself. Archie was devastated with Celestia's choice during their parent's custody battle. Celestia has tried to reach out since on numerous occasions since then but Archie can't quite bring himself to face her just yet.

▼ FRIENDS

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◼ CARA MEADOWS | A bright, young girl who just so happens to have a passion for skateboarding like Archie. She also follows him on Instagram and was an avid fan of his from before his sponsorship deal. Cara is practically head-over-heels for Archie, a fact that she made known when he first moved to Crestwood and showed up at the local Skate Park. Despite making her feelings known, Archie turned her down seeing as he'd just barely moved into the area. That hasn't dampened her efforts, however, as she often invites him to go skating after obtaining his number through sheer persistence. Although he is slightly freaked out by her fangirling, Archie appreciates her good heart and considers her his only friend in this new city.

▼ ENEMIES

Hider

◼ TBA |

//STOMPING GROUNDS

◼ THE HOLLOWS | The Crestwood Hollow Skate Park as it is officially known. Although the majority of those who skate there simply call it 'The Hollows.' Situated in the North-East side of the city, the Hollows acts as the central hub for Crestwood's skater scene, including the BMX scene as well. Despite being in what's considered a rougher part of town, the Hollows doesn't normally see much trouble, especially since the kids who hang around there simply either skate or BMX and are generally not interested in the delinquency that occurs in the other northern boroughs. The park itself is actually fairly large with several elements to skate on including: Two Bowls, a Half-Pipe, a stair set, rails and funboxes. With the scene being populated by skaters from both sides of town, the park itself stays generally well maintained, thanks to the donations of some of the wealthier parents whose kids choose to skate there.

Even though Archie hasn't thought about skating much since his parent's divorce, he still ventures down to the park to skate from time to time, at least once a week. Most of the time, he skates alone with his headphones in so as not to be disturbed. This doesn't stop those who recognize him from attempting to catch his attention or record a video of him for Instagram. Sometimes he won't even bother to skate, opting to watch others as he mulls over his family's situation.

//PARAPHERNALIA

◼ SKATEBOARD | A 100% maple, classic Zoo York Midnight deck, with 8.25" trucks and 54mm black Zoo York wheels. Well worn from years of use, Archie switched back to this board after he snapped his Alltimers board due to being dropped from the brand. Where he goes, so does the board. Oftentimes with him riding it to wherever he is going. When he's not riding it, Archie keeps it stowed poking out of the top of his rucksack.

◼ 2x RECHARGEABLE LED FLASHLIGHT | REDACTED

◼ CIGARETTES | With all that's happened in his family life recently, Archie's previously minor smoking habit has evolved into a full-time thing. As such, he carries a pack on him wherever he goes. Despite being under the legal age to purchase tobacco, Archie quickly managed to find a source for his growing addiction at the Hollows - some random kid a few years older than himself. Seeing that he's only recently begun smoking seriously, Archie doesn't have a preferred brand and will often buy whatever is on offer at the time.

◼ PLASMA LIGHTER | A present from Cara, though he's pretty sure she stole it from her step-dad. He keeps it on him at all times, right next to his pack of smokes. Sometimes he can be seen fiddling with it, clicking it on and off repeatedly which often runs the battery down pretty quick.

Naruto: The New World [High-Casual]

^{Empire of Stone | Jonin | Squad Three}

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^{TIME: Present Day - Late Morning | LOCATION: The New Continent - Unknown | INTERACTION: @GlitchyBugger@Kheliop@Ganryu}

Jinzo coughed a few times to clear his lungs as the dust settled around both him and Boshu. The fall hadn't been a massive one, but he was definitely caught unawares by it. Not to mention the fact that he'd landed awkwardly on his left hip, making any immediate movement somewhat painful as his body's nervous system protested against Jinzo's apparent lack of care for its well being. There would almost certainly be a bruise but he could tell that would be the worst of it. 'Nothing to really complain about then.' He thought to himself, wincing slightly as he pushed himself to his feet. Once he'd finally regained his composure, Jinzo looked around for his team mate who had actually already recovered and was checking out their new surroundings, which included shouting up at the hole they'd made in the ceiling. Miyu and Kinzo were still in the tunnel it seemed. He was still regaining his bearings when Boshu mentioned something about their target. That was when he finally decided to take out his own PDA for the first time. He was met with the disappointing sight of several cracks spiderwebbed across the glass screen. "Well, shit." He said aloud.

"Everyone, when you're ready follow me. I'm going to take a look up there, where our mark seems to be, be wary of any signs of movement." Whilst Jinzo was lamenting the damage to his newly issued PDA, Boshu appeared to have found their target located in what seemed like a large control room overlooking the entire space they were now in. Looking around, he could see various platforms and strange, locomotive machines, similar to the trains they had back home but noticeably different in design. Piecing together all of the bits of information in his mind, Jinzo quickly deduced that this was some kind of terminal; a singular meeting point for several trains to congregate to allow for easier travel to other places that were unreachable on one set of tracks. He'd seen one before on a mission in the capital city of Sunagakure. Satisfied with the room, Jinzo followed behind Boshu silently, making his way up the metallic steps just as she had, his right hand laid cautiously on one of his many kunai he kept hidden on his person. Stepping in the room behind his comrade, Jinzo was met with a bright, flashing light and a some sort of systems control panel. He recalled the broken screen of his PDA, technology wasn't really his forte apparently.

"My PDA is out of commission it would seem." He stated, somewhat annoyed. "You can thank the fall for that. A such, I don't think I should be the one to touch the computer." Besides, now that they'd located the tracking bug, Jinzo's attention was drawn towards the sufficiently large hole in one of the doors through which one of the many rows of tracks ran. He regarded it through the tinted-glass window of the control room. It had definitely been forced open from the inside, though he was unable to see any clear signs of an explosion. Whatever had created the hole had to have been quite monstrous to be able to cause that much damage to a metallic structure of that size, not to mention the thickness. Peering around the vast terminal, he could see all the other doors remained closed and relatively untouched. Whatever had broken through was definitely being kept in here, or so he deduced.

Another tremor kicked his reflexes into overdrive. Jinzo crouched slightly, reducing his center of gravity and bracing himself for whatever came next. He noticed Boshu preparing herself for a fight too. Her readiness matching his own made him feel more at ease with their current situation. The earlier throbbing pain in his hip had died down to a faint burning sensation, his body already starting to produce adrenaline. "If we can, I want to trap anything that comes for us. How quickly do you think your mirror will fully deploy, based on your test earlier?" It would seem that she was on the same wavelength as he. It felt like something was approaching, something big.

"Not quick enough, if I'm correct in imagining the size of this thing." He responded at first, then continued, "I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the lack of natural energy in this place, but my jutsu definitely seems to hindered by something. If we're going for containing, however, I might have something better in mind than my mirror but I'll need time in order to cast the jutsu."

Crestwood Hollow - A Superhuman RP

Would it be possible for us to see a sample character sheet with some of the sections like Skills or Abilities filled out? Just to get a more concrete distinction. Also, I would imagine that the Allies/Enemies/Stomping Grounds section would remain unfilled until later in the RP?

@Dead Cruiser

You should maybe check this RP for a rough idea.

Crestwood Hollow - A Superhuman RP

@Lord Wraith Essentially, yes. Which means I'd have to give him a power that could be used in both a constructive/destructive manner.

Crestwood Hollow - A Superhuman RP

@Lord Wraith

In that case, it'll be an entirely new one then.

And I probably should have read the FAQ beforehand. However, with development in mind, I think a slow descent into villainy could be fun to play out. Maybe mirrored by the evolution of his abilities over time?

Crestwood Hollow - A Superhuman RP

Y'know, I was just re-reading VIGILANCE the other day _{^{(hence the recent profile stalking)}} and I'd wondered when I might see another of your RP's.
Not sure if I want to re-roll my old sheet or make a new one, but either way thanks for the invite.

Just out of curiosity, what sort of alignment are characters expected to be for this? _{^{(As with before, I'm partial to playing a villainous role)}}

Naruto: The New World [High-Casual]

^{Empire of Stone | Jonin | Squad Three}

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^{TIME: Present Day - Late Morning | LOCATION: The New Continent - Unknown | INTERACTION: @GlitchyBugger@Kheliop@Ganryu}

"Homuru up front with me in case we need to block the entrance and get out of here sharpish. Tachibana, Uragiri, keep an eye on the entrance as we head in."

Jinzo acknowledged Boshu's order without a word, moving forward cautiously whilst peering into the seemingly endless abyss that was the large, metallic tunnel. He was happy that Boshu had decided to take charge. If it were any of the others, he might not have been able to concentrate fully on the mission, or so he'd thought. The recent earthquake had been somewhat of a wake-up call for him, tearing Jinzo from his thoughts of group cohesion and the earlier exchanges forcing him to focus on the now. This was happening, regardless of first impressions.

As Miyu agreed to watch the rear, Jinzo pushed further forward. So far the mission seemed rather straightforward; follow the signal, which led them deeper into the tunnel. And so deeper he would go, without fear of course. His measured footsteps echoed down the tunnel, making stealth an unlikely option but he tried to remain as silent as he could with each step. Something was bothering him, however. Whilst he hadn't entirely been listening when Miyu had mentioned the lack of Natural Energy, it was something that stuck in his mind now.

"Something seems off." He whispered, opting not to explain further, before carefully moving towards the edge of the tunnel.

Where the metallic floor eventually began to curve upwards to form the wall, Jinzo stopped to place his left palm against it. He closed his eyes for a moment, attempting to knead his chakra into the tunnel itself, before gently speaking. "Onyx Crystal Mirror."

After a moment, the dull grey of the tunnel began to turn to a shimmering black, as a section of the metal around his hand transformed into crystal. The process seemed to take longer than usual but besides that, nothing else was inherently noticeable. Satisfied with his test, Jinzo dispelled the Jutsu, causing the crystallized area to slowly revert back to it's original state.

He then returned back to the front of the group alongside Boshu, giving her a sidewards glance. "I just wanted to check."

Naruto: The New World [High-Casual]

^{Empire of Stone | Jonin | Squad Three}

---

^{TIME: Present Day - 9:17AM | LOCATION: Amegakure - VTOL | INTERACTION: @GlitchyBugger@Kheliop@Ganryu}

"But for us to work well as a unit, it may be advantageous for all of us to know what the others can do."

Kinzo had said these words to him before the briefing had begun. Both he and Miyu didn't seem to respond well at all towards Jinzo's decision to keep his abilities a secret. He allowed his mind to dwell on them further now that the briefing was over and they had made their way to the VTOLs that would be used to fly them to the New Continent. As far as briefings went, this one was surprisingly short and to the point. Especially given the gargantuan coordination effort from all five nations. Jinzo was mildly impressed at how smoothly things had gone, though he didn't allow it to give him a false sense of security for the coming mission. Squad Three seemed to be allocated the task of tracking down this Nori Kinsei alongside two other squads. Jinzo allowed himself a wry smile to form beneath his mask. Despite not being much of a competitive spirit, he couldn't help but feel confident that they'd be the ones to track him down. After all, his squad had not one, but two of the Empire's Tiger Agents assigned to it. If anyone was going to find this man, Jinzo was sure Squad Three could pull it off. But he needed to rectify the earlier situation first.

"My apologies, Miss Tachibana." He spoke finally, raising his voice in order to be heard above the whine of the aircraft. "I sensed your earlier disappointment towards my uncooperativeness. I never meant to offend you. It was merely force of habit, given my usual line of work for the Empire." Jinzo regarded the girl as she seemed intent on checking through the supplies they'd been allocated for the expedition. The walk from the Great Hall had been awkwardly silent, at least on his part. "If it would please you, however, I would be happy to display my abilities to you once we reach our destination." Bowing his head as a show of respect, Jinzo chose a seat facing toward the back of the craft and began to strap himself in and prepare for takeoff.

Naruto: The New World [High-Casual]

^{Empire of Stone | Jonin | Squad Three}

---

^{TIME: Present Day - 8:55AM | LOCATION: Amegakure - The Great Hall | INTERACTION: @GlitchyBugger@Kheliop@Ganryu}

"Punctual like always, eh Homuru? I'm glad to have a familiar face in the squad."

The question roused Jinzo from his own thoughts, noticing by the tone of familiarity that it belonged to none other than Boshu; his fellow Tiger agent and squad-mate. Her arrival before the others eased him further. Had it been one of the two remaining members of his squad, he likely wouldn't have said much beyond greeting them before staying silent until Boshu arrived. It's not that he was shy, even despite the mask, Jinzo simply didn't feel entirely comfortable meeting people from different countries, especially when he wasn't being sent to kill them. He was always weary that someone would recognize his mask and act emotionally. Being a shinobi didn't give Jinzo much time for emotions, as such he had a hard time expressing them as well as being on the receiving end.

"Well the early bird does catch the worm." He replied, tilting his head towards her as she sat down. "And is that a joke at my expense? You haven't changed much." He smiled. Whether she was referring to his mask or not, it didn't matter, he found it amusing all the same. It had been a long while since the two of them last saw each other, despite the fact that they were in the same Division. Jinzo had been away on several missions outside of the Empire, still mopping up remnants of the war. As for Boshu, he hadn't heard much at all. The brass were never very forthcoming when it came to the movements of the other agents.

"Know anything about the other two on our squad?" He was about to respond to her question when another voice chimed in soon afterwards, which made him turn his head to look.

”I am Kinzo, it would appear that we will be working together for the foreseeable future.” The voice belonged to an exceptionally well-groomed young man, who possessed a pair of deep, black eyes. Without a doubt, he was a member of the Uragiri Clan. Jinzo didn't envy this man's genetic trait like most others did. If anything it was a hindrance, as it instantly provided him with the information that Kinzo was the Kumo-nin of their squad. Information like that, as a shinobi, shouldn't be given away so freely. He was readying his new response when he was interrupted once again. This time by an exceedingly young-looking girl, whose hair was tied back into a pony-tail which only proceeded to aid in her efforts to like a child, intentional or not.

"What are you all good at? I'm a bit proud of my tools. Got a present for every occasion. What's your expertise?"

Jinzo was taken aback slightly just by the sheer amount of talking she could do to complete strangers. So much so that he struggled to formulate an adequate response right away. If not for the mask that kept his expression well hidden, the Kiri-nin would no-doubt have seen the pained look that now plagued his face. "Welcome Kinzo, Miyu. It's a pleasure to meet you." He began after regaining his composure, nodding towards them both separately. "I am Homuru. And I am grateful that you would share so much with us after barely introducing yourself, however, I am not quite at liberty to discuss with you my own expertise in return." Joint effort or not, Jinzo refused to give himself away so easily. Every fiber in his being told him not to, reinforced by years of training and discipline. As a fellow shinobi, he thought they too would understand the importance of retaining information. Evidently things were quite different outside of the Empire.