Ami had perhaps felt his gaze upon her before she acknowledged where and from whom it was. She had signaled to a passing waiter for a glass of soda, something of a strawberry flavor. Although she was a fan of drinking, she was also aware of the circumstances of why she was here in the first place. Confident as she was of her alcohol tolerance, Ami wasn't about to let anything be the cause of failure should failure come. She bowed a little to the waiter as he withdrew from where she was, the metal tray carrying an array of beverages being whisked off to another set of awkwardly standing guests. The girl's head turned in the direction of the gaze, as her lips touched the brim of her glass. And it was at that moment that her heart skipped beat, a very unnatural reaction nonetheless. Her hand had froze, forgetting that she was about to take a sip of her drink as she set the glass down on the table absent-mindedly.[break][break]
The dark skin and silver-white hair were first to meet her eyes, coupled with the height and build of the man that was making his way slowly towards her made him very hard to ignore. It would seem that most of the others at the party, especially the young women, would have thought, stopping mid-conversation or mid-drink to stare. The man was smooth, to say the least, engaging in off-handed conversations here and there even as he moved. The girl looked at him somewhat quizzically from the distance, the engagement between him and the others present seemed so...interesting. She could tell that the man never quite stopped long to have a full on conversation, but rather passing comments. A natural social butterfly, perhaps? Her golden brown hues studied the man as he walked, the form and poise radiated confidence but not in a cocky way. How had she never seen him before? But then again, she was hardly a social butterfly herself. [break][break]
As he approached, Ami would unconsciously stand up from her seated position. Her eyes never leaving him, their gaze met. Though brief, they had held each other's gaze, and for that split second, it seemed like the outside world didn't matter. She felt herself lost in his eyes, captivated by them. The floor had grown quiet as the music shifted and spotlights replaced the original chandelier lighting in the room. A string of soft classical music filled the air, a definite sign that ballroom dancing was on the menu. And soon enough, couples began to fill the empty dance floor, trying to show off their dance skills. The man stopped just in front of her, bowing and extending a hand. There was no conversation between the two, but anyone could tell that he was asking her for a dance. The girl raised her left hand to place into his right, silently returning an affirmative answer. Ami wasn't at all sure what was happening. It was as though she had forgotten momentarily why she had come. Other men in the room proceeded to ask for dances from the women, though it was more than apparent that some of them had had their eye on the white-haired man before her. And yet, among all the flattering and beautiful women in the room he had chosen to dance with her...[break][break]
He took her hand and whisked her onto the dance floor, his momentum fluid and graceful. Maybe he was used to these kinds of events, or maybe he was just a good ballroom dancer. But whatever it was, Ami would allow him to take the lead, her vacant hand hesitated for a moment before she placed it on his shoulder. The soft music continued to play, the spotlight shining on their faces as they danced. At such a close distance, she could see his features more closely. He was more handsome at close quarters than from afar, she noted to herself, her cheeks blushing slightly at the thought. There was still no words exchanged, and yet, there would be no need for words. How odd...Ami mused, as she continued to glide along the dance floor, following his lead. And all this time, she had forgotten that she was supposed to meet her mission partner, becoming too carried away by this whirlwind that came in the form of a silver-haired man.[break][break]
The figure of a pink haired girl with golden-brown eyes stepped into the ballroom, her usual simple attire replaced by a skin-tight dark blue dress, her ears and neck adorning diamond jewelry. In her hand was an equally shiny small purse. She was wearing pin heels, the same colour as her dress. She was here on a mission, although nothing about her attire gave away that she was a shinobi. Her hair was intricately styled and on the surface, she could pass off as any of the others who were present. Ami was assigned a protection mission, one of the wealthy families of Amegakure was holding a banquet party, inviting diplomats and important people from both villages. In hindsight she could have just worn her regular shinobi attire and protected her client that way, but she wanted to catch any suspicious people off guard, disguising herself and doing a good job at that in the process. [break][break]
She was admittedly a little afraid, if not uncomfortable at the situation she found herself in. She wasn't at all unnerved by the banquet itself, but rather that she had been assigned to something beyond that of her usual scope. Ami was used to going on missions involving wild animals or bandits, but this was undercover. Well, if nothing happened it would be just a night of dress-up and dancing, but if it did, she was unsure if she had what it took to do the job right. But she had accepted the mission, had known all about the possible dangers and had made the conscious choice of taking it on despite what it could entail. At least she would be working with someone else, even though she was not at all one to tag team. [break][break]
The girl was waiting for her partner, a Jounin. She was getting somewhat annoyed with her village as they now simply flat-out refused to tell her the people she was working with. Although the idea of working with new people wasn't something that bothered her too much, she at least wanted to know on missions like these so she could prepare. Ami would take a glass of champagne from one of the silver platters a waiter was carrying for the guests and take an absent-minded sip, her eyes scanning the room and the many guests gathered. The room itself was a large wooden floored space for guests to enjoy dancing after dinner. There were three doors, the entrance where she had come in from, a back entrance or exit that was on the other end of her line of sight and a side door that led to the dinner hall. There were over fifty guests, each and every one of them flaunting their riches like peacocks trying to show off their feathers with their accessories and luxury branded dresses and suits. This was a bigger event than she had imagined, setting her cup down on a table and sinking into a chair off to the side. [break][break]
Their mission was simple, protect the guests while they enjoyed their night and take the host, by the name of Arakawa Yuuto, and his family back home safely afterwards. Since they were at a banquet hall close to the village, she figured that the escort back home wasn't a concern. The dinner and dancing would be a three hour event, possibly longer depending on the guests themselves. Ami was sure that if any thieves or bandits got wind that there were so many wealthy people gathered in one location, it would almost be stupid not to try a hand at their riches. In her purse she had her weapon pouch, having left her parasol with her wakizashi behind. She prayed nothing would happen tonight, her eyes picking up the lighthearted conversations and soft laughter that was slowly filling the room. Ami was not one to socialize at formal events, keeping to herself most of the time to avoid conflicts. She only hoped her partner would arrive soon. [break][break]
The pink-haired girl stifled a yawn as she made her way out of her home and onto the main streets of the village, her eyes alert at all the activity. The streets were bustling with vendors and restaurants. She was going on a mission today, partnered with someone else from Ame. This was her first ever mission and although excited also a little nervous. She had been a Genin for quite awhile now, but never once had she done a mission, and the prospect of working with another person seemed quite daunting. The girl walked to the business district side of the village, looking around. She hoped that it would be at least a peaceful day, going over all the possible situations that could possibly go wrong in her head. Ami had chosen to wear a black silk kimono, a red silk sash replaced the normal obi tied around her waist. In her hand, she carried her parasol, and to an outsider, she would look nothing like a shinobi except for the headband that was strapped on her forehead. [break][break]
She smiled at the restaurant owners, which mostly consisted of many small businesses like coffee shops and ramen shops since there were a lot of offices in the district. The small business owners were always happy when they saw shinobi patrolling the streets, trying to keep them safe and free from crime. But unfortunately crime always found its way in the area, including things like thieves to arson. The girl was happy to have something to do at least since she was starting to get very bored just training all day. The girl would stop by a vendor that sold some delicious looking egg sandwiches. Since it was still early for her to meet the other person for the mission, she decided to get some breakfast. Ami was a big fan of simple foods, a firm believer that if a restaurant or a vendor couldn't get even the simple foods right, their other more intricate dishes would be lackluster too. While she ate her sandwich, the girl would walk up to one particular ramen shop, where the owner was setting up to start his day. She had forgotten how early most shop owners had to actually prepare in the morning before they opened up for business. The elder man in his white uniform would stop what he was doing and greet her warmly.[break][break]
“So it’s you here helping us today? Never seen you here before.” Ami explained that she was here to do some patrolling, but was a bit too early. Just like the man had observed, he rarely came to these parts. This was one of the reasons why she chose this mission, doing a little bit of exploring unknown places while being on the lookout for troublemakers. Killing two birds with one stone, some would say. She beamed at the old man. It was always nice to feel welcome. “Yes, I’m Ami Mizuno.” She said simply. The kunoichi would move on, going from restaurant to restaurant, greeting the owners and staff. She wanted to make a good impression as impressions were very important for shinobi. The morning was a little cloudy, the perfect weather for her since she was not a big fan of the sun. There was also a light breeze which helped cool down the area from the unforgiving summer heat. Ami would wait for her partner by the gates of the village, at the usual meeting spot for most shinobi who were partnering up on missions but didn't know who they were working with. [break][break]
[attr="class","boxo-notes"]Sorry it's not that greatest starter!
Born in Iwagakure no Sato, Ami was born to two iryo-nin, the middle of three siblings. Both her parents being iryo-nin meant that she was somewhat expected to follow in their footsteps. And she would aspire to do so from a young age, thinking that they did almost god-like work. She wanted to save people, to help those injured and in need. She would continue to feel this way until she entered the academy. As a young child, she watched her parents, read through many books on different poisons and herbs, to get some knowledge that she knew she wouldn’t be able to get from school.
She had entered the academy at the age of thirteen, along with her peers. Through the years of study, she learned the basics of Taijutsu and general Ninjutsu. Ami developed an interest in sparring and using jutsu to gain an upper hand. No, she didn’t pick fights, but she decided that she wanted to go a different route from her parents. Instead of staying behind the scenes and being sidelined, the girl wanted to be in the front lines protecting her village and its people if need be. She aspired to be an ANBU or a hunter-nin, defying the wishes of her parents. They had her little sister to carry on their aspirations for being an iryo-nin. For Ami, being a shinobi was much more than just being a healer.
She is a confident and courageous woman, well-rounded in her skills. Slightly more hot-headed than what meets the eye, Ami is always eager to meet a challenge head on, lacking the ability to think before acting. Although she is this way, she also refuses to put those she cares about in danger, often putting herself in danger instead. Extremely loyal to her village, she would do anything to protect. On a personal level, Ami is quite the listener, empathetic and compassionate. Because of this, most of her friends choose to confide in her their deepest and darkest secrets.
Proficiencies
Taijutsu [Rookie] A woman who enjoys close combat, she had learned the wonders of taijutsu while still an academy student. Increasing her stamina through daily runs and workouts, she has developed muscle in her legs and arms, making her punches and kicks more powerful than what her form indicates, often catching her opponents off-guard. She is especially good at using her legs, even though there is still much more skill in the actual art of taijutsu she has to learn.
Kenjutsu [Rookie] Her preferred weapon is a sword, which she hides in the handle of her parasol, she learned how to wield a sword from her teacher. On most occasions, she requires the use of both hands to deliver the strongest slashes with her katana but recently she has begun to train her skills so that she can use only her dominant hand to deliver the same power in her slashes and cuts. The next stage she wishes to achieve is to be able to use her parasol in combination with her sword to defend herself while attacking her targets at the same time.
Parasol: The parasol is only a shell that is used to hold her katana. The umbrella is made of strong paper with twenty-four metal ridges that hold it together. The handle is slightly longer than regular parasols to match the length of her katana and is made of bamboo. It is magenta in color and has a cherry blossom pattern.
Wakizashi Although she prefers wielding katanas, her primary weapon is a wakizashi, the blade a few inches longer than katanas. She prefers to thinness of the blade, allowing her to make soft yet lethal cuts. The sheathe of her wakizashi is replaced by being housed in the handle of her umbrella. When her umbrella is not needed, she carries the sword in its dark oak wood sheathe, with cherry blossoms printed in gold and pink. The handle is wrapped in a dark purple silk and has been modified to be shorter than most to match the size her hand.
Stealth [Rookie] She often walks quietly, even on a regular basis. She loves sneaking behind people or scaring her friends. It started as an unconscious thing that quickly became a habit. She also enjoys sitting on tree branches or hiding in the shadows, even though she isn’t always aware that she was trying to be stealthy. Ami often wears a kimono and carries her parasol to throw people off, since not many would associate her to be a shinobi in such clothing. Her hair color changes between blonde and pink as a means of camouflage too.
Raiton [Rookie] Contrary to popular belief, her primary chakra nature is raiton. Because of her lack of training in the element, she can only shock people, meaning that she still has a lot to learn in order to use the element in combat.
Ranton [Dormant] Unknown to her, she was born with ranton chakra.
