Post by Tanaka Ayumu on Nov 4, 2007 22:28:03 GMT
-- basic information --
Name: Tanaka Ayumu
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Occupation
Until recently (see bio), Ayumu was a private guard for the Kaneko clan's main household, but now owns a small ramen stand in Kendlo, home of the Ishiyama clan.
Allegiance
Until recently (see bio), the Kaneko clan's main house. Now, his only allegiance is to himself.
-- appearance
Celebrity Claim
Shin Koyamada
Hair
Ayumu's hair is dark brown, almost black, and falls at the base of his neck in layers. He wears his hair in a style that is most comfortable for his work, hence why he doesn't allow it to grow too long -- after all, who would want to buy ramen with stray lengths of hair in?!
Eyes
Dark brown.
Body
Ayumu isn't the most muscly man in Linn, but he makes up for it in other ways. He is strong, though his somewhat lean figure disguises this fact. He stands at around five foot nine inches, so he isn't the tallest of people either.
Usual Clothing
Ayumu still has his old uniform from his time as a household guard. This consists of a very traditional garb, with only a light armour that has always been more for show than effect, with its patterned kabuto with scarlet-painted, horn-shaped wakidate. Though this helm is the most decorated part of the uniform, the Kachie (over-robe) that is also part of the uniform holds symbols that denote the Kaneko clan. Now, when not working in his ramen shop, Ayumu wears dark brown hakama, and an olive green dôbuku shirt over a plain grey shirt. Although he prefers not to wear anything on his head, Ayumu will use a very wide-brimmed straw hat if it is very sunny. On his feet, Ayumu wears zori sandals. When working in his ramen shop, Ayumu tends to wear a plain pair of Western-style canvas trousers and a matching shirt. He also ties a dark green bandana around his head to keep his hair out of his face.
Distinguishing Features
None.
Weapons
An old katana, with simple, not overly ornate fittings, which was given to him by his elderly uncle before he passed away. Although it is a simple, not-well-made sword, Ayumu wouldn't part with it for the world. He also carries a smaller wakizashi in his belt.
-- history and personality
Mother
Hanako Arai, one of the cooks in the Kaneko household. Now married to Kiyoshi Arai, a scribe to the Kaneko family.
Father
Unknown. It was rumoured that Hanako was once the lover of Yoshimitsu Kaneko, the head of the Kaneko clan, but she has never spoken to anyone about it, and the rumours continue.
Siblings
Half-sister, Emi, aged three, daughter of Kiyoshi.
Short Biography
Born and raised in Shujin Town, Ayumu had never travelled further than to the other side of Miyama mountain, a small mountain at that and not particularly hard to climb. As a boy, Ayumu used to love climbing the jagged cliff faces near the top of the mountain, and always found peace and solitude up on the peaks. As soon as Ayumu turned thirteen, he was drawn into the Kaneko household guard, where he trained under the captain of the guard, Daichi Hirata, learning swordsmanship, archery, horsemanship and hand-to-hand combat along with three other boys his age.
Ayumu grew up with the rumours surrounding his birth. He had always thought that his mother only fuelled the rumours by refusing to say who his real father was; even if it was a lie, couldn't she just say that he had been a passing soldier? Still, Ayumu gave up wondering about the truth of the matter, and continued brushing off anything people said to him about it.
However, two years ago, Ayumu's reasonably peaceful life was thrown into ruin when he was accused of harming Yoshimitsu Kaneko's daughter. It was a lie, of course, but Ayumu never had the chance to find out how suspcion had been thrown onto him, as he was immediately exiled from the Kaneko household, and told to never be seen again on their lands.
For a few months, Ayumu travelled to various places in Linn, making money as a hired swordsman or general labourer, but once he arrived in Kendlo, Ayumu's heart was set on staying. And so, he opened a ramen shop. Though the shop is only really a small hut in a backstreet, he makes enough money from passing people and a few regular customers to keep himself going.
Personality
In general, Ayumu has a very relaxed personality. It takes a lot to get him worked up over anything, and although he often seems to be just plain lazy, Ayumu does takes whatever he is doing seriously. For example, if he has said he will do something, he will do it. It is this that has lead to him being a deep thinker; he will think over every choice of action before making his decision. Although this can be a good thing in that he can nearly always figure a way out of any situation, it does make him seem 'boring', as he doesn't take anything lightly and sometimes takes a lot of time to consider the tiniest detail, no mater how insignificant it may seem.
-- sample roleplay
Mother
Hanako Arai, one of the cooks in the Kaneko household. Now married to Kiyoshi Arai, a scribe to the Kaneko family.
Father
Unknown. It was rumoured that Hanako was once the lover of Yoshimitsu Kaneko, the head of the Kaneko clan, but she has never spoken to anyone about it, and the rumours continue.
Siblings
Half-sister, Emi, aged three, daughter of Kiyoshi.
Short Biography
Born and raised in Shujin Town, Ayumu had never travelled further than to the other side of Miyama mountain, a small mountain at that and not particularly hard to climb. As a boy, Ayumu used to love climbing the jagged cliff faces near the top of the mountain, and always found peace and solitude up on the peaks. As soon as Ayumu turned thirteen, he was drawn into the Kaneko household guard, where he trained under the captain of the guard, Daichi Hirata, learning swordsmanship, archery, horsemanship and hand-to-hand combat along with three other boys his age.
Ayumu grew up with the rumours surrounding his birth. He had always thought that his mother only fuelled the rumours by refusing to say who his real father was; even if it was a lie, couldn't she just say that he had been a passing soldier? Still, Ayumu gave up wondering about the truth of the matter, and continued brushing off anything people said to him about it.
However, two years ago, Ayumu's reasonably peaceful life was thrown into ruin when he was accused of harming Yoshimitsu Kaneko's daughter. It was a lie, of course, but Ayumu never had the chance to find out how suspcion had been thrown onto him, as he was immediately exiled from the Kaneko household, and told to never be seen again on their lands.
For a few months, Ayumu travelled to various places in Linn, making money as a hired swordsman or general labourer, but once he arrived in Kendlo, Ayumu's heart was set on staying. And so, he opened a ramen shop. Though the shop is only really a small hut in a backstreet, he makes enough money from passing people and a few regular customers to keep himself going.
Personality
In general, Ayumu has a very relaxed personality. It takes a lot to get him worked up over anything, and although he often seems to be just plain lazy, Ayumu does takes whatever he is doing seriously. For example, if he has said he will do something, he will do it. It is this that has lead to him being a deep thinker; he will think over every choice of action before making his decision. Although this can be a good thing in that he can nearly always figure a way out of any situation, it does make him seem 'boring', as he doesn't take anything lightly and sometimes takes a lot of time to consider the tiniest detail, no mater how insignificant it may seem.
-- sample roleplay
Holding tight to the straw hat to keep it covering his face, Ayumu Tanaka ran through the main street of Shujin Town. Behind him, three intimidating men followed, their heavy feet pounding along on the dusty ground as they ran as fast as they could. But Ayumu was lighter, faster, and a darn sight better and dodging obstacles than they were. He ran as fast as he could to keep away from them, and hoped they would tire of the chase soon enough. He had come back to Shujin Town after a six month absence, only to be recognised by a passer-by. Unluckily for Ayumu, that person tried to gain the favour of the Kaneko clan by reporting the sighting to Daichi Hirata, the captain of the clan's guard, whose duty it was to capture anyone who had been branded as a criminal on Kaneko lands. Of course, Ayumu had never actually committed the crime he had been 'exiled' from Kaneko lands for. But here he was, being chased nonetheless.
Rounding a corner, Ayumu had to come to a sudden stop, his feet kicking up dust in front of him as he tried to stop himself from running smack bang into a food stall. What's that doing there? Ayumu thought to himself, sure that there had never been space for a stall here before. So, some things seemed to have changed since he had been here last.
"There's nowhere for you to run now." Came a voice from behind him, sounding thick with the effort of getting air into his lungs. Ayumu spun around to face the two thickset men, noting their powerful appearance. Indeed, their skin seemed to be stretching with all the muscle packed into their bodies. However, Ayumu knew from experience that having large muscles didn't always mean that you had the upper hand in a fight. And it seemed like a fight was going to be in order this time.
"Oh, well I suppose I won't run then." Ayumu replied with a lopsided grin. With a slow, practiced motion, keeping his eyes on his assailants, Ayumu drew the katana from the sheath tied to his waist. It was only a very plain sword, having been given to him by his mother's uncle many years ago, before he was even really old enough to hold it, but it was a sword that he relied on and kept in as perfect condition as he could.
"Why have you returned to Shujin Town, Tanaka?" The other man spoke, and Ayumu's eyes swun to meet his. There was something about this man that seemed somewhat more intelligent than the other. Perhaps it was his way of speaking, or perhaps just something in the way he stood, more upright than his companion. Though the two were stood side-by-side, Ayumu could easily assume that this man was the leader of this small reconnaisance party, and so directed his attention there. After all, this one had a cunning look in his eyes that told Ayumu he would need to be careful with him.
"For the wonderful people that can be found here, of course." He flashed that lopsided grin again, and gripped the hilt tighter in his hands. Seeing that action, Ayumu's two opponents took a defensive stance. "But I would prefer to enjoy my visit alone, to be frank." The smile and teasing manner gone with that one sentence, Ayumu dropped into a defensive stance and waited for his opponents to make the first move.
"We shall see, Tanaka..." And with that, the small battle began.
