Campus Grounds

Character Bio: Jin Ryu
Character Log: Jin Log
Clan: Ryu Clan

The Principles words hit the ears of every student. Some shrunk off into their own respective corners. Others spoke out in jest. This assembly was just padding it seemed. At least, that's what Majin thought. These young fools were tired and wanted to go about things on their own. They wanted to lick their wounds not listen to ol lions mane speak all day. "Mr. Baldy" As Majin Called it, yelled out to the principal. Ao Ryu was Majin's cousin, some people removed. But he knew his father well enough to speak his first name. The young Boy voice had an air of innocent to it.

"I needa' speak to you about my exam. I can do so privately or out here — whatever's necessary, mister. Also, look — If I jump up and stretch myself I look just as tall as you. See?"

Majin could not help but chuckle to himself. Just who did this kid think he was? What a weirdo... he muttered. That awkward response was followed by another. This voice struck him from the crowd of new students. This time, another Ryu. Jin to be specific. Unlike Ao, he was a first cousin. The boy's dark flesh was an obvious indicator. Majin knew this boy's father as well.

"Ayo! Principal! I want to train with someone who is semi grade two status or above. This will help further my goal while also giving me an edge on the upcoming curses. Ya dig?"


Ahhh those Ryu boys. Always moving too quickly. But never mindful enough to avoid tripping over vines and branches. Before the Principle gets a chance to respond to either of them, Majin steps forward, his tone strong yet condescending. His hands were fit snug in his pockets and his eyes were covered by solid black sunglasses. How nonchalant could he be? At a glance, there was a level of arrogance that emitted off him at any given moment. Especially whenever he opened his mouth. Many of his words were drawn out to accentuate the insulting nature of it. Despite his size, at around 6 feet tall, Majin did not have a lick of cursed energy. Anyone who could sense it could tell. Still...there was a smothering presence about him. As if u weren't exactly sure what he was thinking. Or why. He filled spaces with his words and stance alone.

"Heeey Heeeey. Whooooaaaaaa. Don't confuse the dusty ol principle with all these questions. He has a LOT to worry about Already. If you give him too much his CPU will overload."
Oh and Ao San. You being tall and lanky like that isn't a good thing. You look like some type of albino stick bug.
He takes center stage in front of the group of students. Some had already begun to walk away.

"Sigh....AND YOU clearly have a listening problem, Jin Chan. The old coot said training starts tomorrow. And I am going to oversee it. Got it? Maybe you need to loosen them locks huh?! AH HAHA!!"
Majin smirks at the young Dragon and points at him. "Take ya goofy-ass to get some rest. You'll have plenty of time to get molly-whopped tomorrow. And as for the rest of you...
Training tomorrow is O P T I O N A L. I'm not going to go searching for yall. We meet in the field at 9 AM. Eat your food sleep in or just don't show up. That's on you. Not me. I'm not ya mama. And I could give a damn if u get any stronger. You can all die for all I care."

Majin then turns to the Principle. A wide and toothy grin on his face. "Go on "Sir". I'll take over from here. That is what you tasked me with right?"

Majin steps forward and slips his arm around Ao's shoulder. The two, like many other students, began to walk in the opposite direction. Majin's free arm raises as if waving the principal off to his other duties. It was only when he was sure that the other staff could hear them does he lean in close to Ao to speak.
"Aooooo Saaaaan. Go on and tell Ya Big Cousin 'Ma-Jin- Saaaaa-Maaaaaa' What's the matter huh?"
From this close, Ao would notice that Majin reeked of a certain pungent burnt plant-like odor. It was somewhat sweet. But it hung heavily on his clothes. Sober doesn't quite capture the current behavior on display. Nor the smell. And why was he so overbearing? Was Majin nothing more than a condescending prick? At least one or two people undoubtedly thought so.

There was a thick and murky silence left behind after Tategami finished his small speech. For a moment the students faces all showed different tales. Some confused. Many others uninterested. This much he expected from the likes of children. These were fresh buds. Still long before bloom. The slightest change in the elements could prove fatal. Only two had any real cause to speak. Oh great...Both Of them Ryu...of course they are.
The Shiny Bald one asks about his exam.  It was true a number of students had been sent out on their own. And others, had been given faulty info on the level of their curse. These things happened. But it was unsure if the principle knew of the events or not. Tategami would not get a chance to hear what this boy had to say, let alone respond to him due to Majin's interruption. His smart assed tone did nothing but agitate the Giant of a man. A vein surfaces on his head at the mention of his overloaded "CPU". What the hell is a CPU? the old man questions to himself. Despite his arrogance, he was at least relieved to see the Ryu handle his own.
He verbally berates the children, his words would cut deep into anyone with a soft core.
And as for the rest of you...Training tomorrow is O P T I O N A L. I'm not going to go searching for yall. We meet in the field at 9 AM. Eat your food sleep in or just don't show up. That's on you. Not me. I'm not ya mama. And I could give a damn if u get any stronger. You can all die for all I care."
These were harsh words. But he made a strong point. Majin had full permission to handle the training of the students as he saw fit. None of the staff had the balls or the motivation to try and stop him or change him. Tategami's face shown that like a bonfire. It was for the best that way. It was no point getting angry or trying to fight him for that matter. The foolish brute was not to be trifled with. Majin turns and shoots Tategami an aggravating smile. As if taunting him.
"Go on "Sir". I'll take over from here. That is what you tasked me with right?"
He stares majin down as he 'escapes' with the young bald Ryu under his wing. Tategami scoffs to himself. What motivated Majin to do his job now all of a sudden? Why is everything that man does so suspicious. And so obnoxious. Are all Ryu this way? And the students...
How strange this years group is.
The elders thoughts came and went. As did the remainder of his time and his patience.
"You all heard the FOOL. The world of Jujutsu is not one to coddle. Dismissed."
The large lion of a man turns on a dime and marches off toward the Admin building. A number of well dressed staff behind him. His steps were heavy and loud against the tiled flooring below. There was much for the elders to discuss. Plenty of details to investigate. For the next several hours no one else would hear from Tategami. It was as though he had vanished into the Admin hall.

Behind him were the leading members of the security team. As well as the proctors from each exam group. Over the next several hours they would go over each and every detail starting with young Hajime Ryu's early morning investigating. The mention of Jaku and the created curse spirits. There was weeks of information and data to mull over. Eventually A unit of men would be sent to the warehouses and would investigate further. The area would be sealed off and civilians would be kept away. This mystery was connected to the team of prospective students sent off to the mountain. The red sky that flashed for only an instant and shook the whole of Japan. Something big was on the horizon. The details behind the false intel given to the team of  Iko Kamo, Jin Ryu and Nagi alongside that of team snake would not be the topic of conversation. Thus these mysteries remained unsolved. For all anyone knew, the principle himself had it out for the students. Or maybe some of the inner circle. Those details would likely surface later, If at all. For now the students were safe within these walls.
As safe as they could be in this shady world of jujutsu anyway. The rest of the night would go on undisturbed by any larger threats. Darkness befell the campus and behind it was a canvas of stars, somewhat undisturbed by the light pollution created by the rest of Tokyo.
The mountain air was cool and the sound of the night filled the ears with a distinct beauty that could only be seen as pleasant. These students had made it through the trail and were now sorcerers. But this...this was only the beginning.


 

Ao frowned at his half-estranged cousin's retort. As soon as the man entered his attention he decided he didn't like him. His eyes blurred past him and he wrote Ao off as the archetypal reckless sorcerer, bound to a flat and fruitless career. The undertones of his voice had a belittling, underestimating air to them, like those of a poor grizzled man steeped in all the cold and hardship of his environment and left wallowing in the paved shade of a storefront, his only pastime watching pedestrians pass and judging them. But unlike the image of this man conjured in Ao's mind, Majin walked with prowess steadying his shoulders, breathing heartiness and vitality into his broad frame. He was exalted in this world, and though his judgement was bleared Ao knew Majin had something that he himself lacked. His experience was far richer; his physical prowess was leagues ahead. And for these reasons he listened to the man closely, even closer than he had the principal. He held a budding half-respect for him, and he wanted to learn from and about him, but ultimately he wanted to prove his assessment wrong. 

"Nah, it's all because I have such a good vertical, Majin-san. I bet I could jump up on your shoulders if I wanted, even." The words rose from his mouth in a single, dragging breath. 

Ao fell into Majin's pace, though he pushed ahead a little out of excitement and haste. He hummed to himself, waiting for his cousin to speak. 

"Were you on a mission somewhere exotic, or ... moldy, Majin-san?" After he heard his question he continued almost immediately after, forgetting the scent. "Oh, yeah, the exam. The information on my team roster was all wrong. It said there were a couple other people in my squad but it turned out I was the only one, which was fine, 'cuz it gave me more freedom and space to fight, but it was just confusing. Also, the proctor's information was really sparse. The mission went pretty well, even though I didn't get to finish my fight, though. I don't want a refund or to criticize the school or anything. I just want you to tell me why that all happened."

As they walked his eyes traced the contours of the old wooden buildings. His ears tuned to the soft organic sound of the campus, and he felt sharply present as he passed through the air, like he was imprinting himself on the environment. There was none of the racy haze and bloodlust from before; now there was space to contemplate, even brood, an environment in which he could learn and train with the clearest possible mind. Watching the crest of the horizon from his peripheral vision, he saw the dredges of clouds as they idled across the mountain range and eclipsed his line of sight, washing his eyes anew.

His words were daunting even to those he hadn't even focused on. Okiku hadn't yet even budged from his seat, attached to the conversation sparking with the introduction of 'Majinkoji Ryu'—the presumed overseer of tomorrow's training. He thought of a strict, military-esque teacher but Majin seemed like the total opposite of that: uncaring and uncannily playful. Seeing how Majin acted brought an annoyed look to Okiku—stuck in seeing people at face value. "Some instructor this guy is—did he even show up to this event in his right mind?" Is this even the right guy? Did the principle make some mistake? "I'm gonna go check out the campus before this guy starts going haywire—see ya', gang." He motioned to Majin before leaving in the direction of the dorm rooms given to him.

He didn't pay that much attention to those that may have followed him—mostly because he didn't expect anyone to be. He moved throughout the campus, looking oddly confused. While he was given directions to the dorm, he couldn't seem to realize those to the ground's cafeteria. There was a scratch in his throat that could only be filled by a glass of apple juice that's just barely one day after it "goes bad".He was running thin on his luck as he was left wondering the campus for a number of uneeded minutes, too unbothered to ask a member of staff for directions but just caring enough to walk with some clear pep in his step.

Campus grounds ---------------->>>>>>>>>> Dormitories.

"Were you on a mission somewhere exotic, or ... moldy, Majin-san?"


"Moldy?!!?! I resent that ya little bald freak." Majin interjected, swiping his palm across the young sorcerer's bald cranium.

"Oh, yeah, the exam. The information on my team roster was all wrong. It said there were a couple other people in my squad but it turned out I was the only one, which was fine, 'cuz it gave me more freedom and space to fight, but it was just confusing. Also, the proctor's information was really sparse. The mission went pretty well, even though I didn't get to finish my fight, though. I don't want a refund or to criticize the school or anything. I just want you to tell me why that all happened."

For a moment Majin's eyes glossed over as if in a trance. His eyes focused forward. It was true..."Yeah...A lot of that has been happening lately. Before you all passed the only student was your cousin Hajin san. He's got a good poker face but I have a feeling he's a bit more injured than he's showing. Even after treatment. His hands slide back into his pockets. A sigh escapes his lips.
I'll be honest. I'm not exactly sure why this has been happening. Or who is making it happen for that matter? But from me to you. Don't think about it too hard for now. You passed and that's all that's important."

The two would make their way toward the entrance to the dormitories. As the nighttime sky hung overhead. Majin removed his sunglasses finally. There was no longer enough light to warrant them and if he continued to wear them any longer he would be nothing short of a weirdo.

"A word of advice Ao san. Keep your head up and keep most of the staff at an arm's length. It could very well be some of them who have it out for you. This world of sorcerers is never as black and white as it should be. I'm sure you remember how things are back at home. As close-knit as the Ryu are even we have our strife. Let me worry about that for now. You students will be under my eye for the time being. The staff won't be able to do much in the meantime. Remember, most of these people are the most hinged. And they wear their politics on their sleeves. Just..try not to die eh?"

He offers the boy a genuine smile. Then turns to face the stars above. "Go ahead and get a little rest. Clean yourself up. You smell like a sweatshop. I expect to see you for training tomorrow."

The campus air rushes past him, causing his long locs to sway with a sense of grace. It was cool against his flesh and brought him a sense of ease. Things were never easy. But at least life on Campus was still somewhat quiet. These new students were few and far between. Most non-vocal or even mentally present. But maybe this was for the better.
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Katsumi looked at the students gathering around the principal and decided to join them. That is until he suddenly heard a loud voice, scaring the shit outta him and making him jump, making him hit the back of his head with the wall he was resting up on. He looked around, rubbing the back of his head and saw it was Taiku. He chuckled seeing that at least she's her usual self and got up and patted her head as if he was her older brother, despite being the youngest in the family.

Despite being nearly completely covered in wounds and bandages, Katsumi acted as if he wasn't that hurt by it, despite being in a lot of pain. Katsumi smiled at Taiku, her being one of the only people from the family that he admires for her positive attitude, simplistic thinking and kind and friendly nature. Katsumi also admired her courage, determination and her strength, using it as inspiration to get stronger himself rather than choosing to let himself stay at the same level. Katsumi knows if it wasn't for Taiku's personality, Katsumi would've been a lot weaker than how he is right now.

Katsumi looked at the principal who was now leaving and how the other dude that looked interesting was leaving too. As he was leaving, Katsumi noticed something, that man had no cursed energy. He read about people having less cursed energy in return of having more strength or speed or losing the loss of limbs in return for ungodly amounts of cursed energy but he's only read about one person with no cursed energy in return for strength, speed and senses that rivaled jujutsu sorcerers with seemingly never ending pools of cursed energy, and this person was Majin Ryu, the man who was leaving with another student. Shit, I missed one of the only chances to talk to one of the strongest people here and learn more about this heavenly restriction thing. I gotta find out how to talk to him after I'm done with checking out this skull and paper. 

Katsumi probably wasn't gonna sleep tonight at all as he'd be researching what the paper and skull and what they both mean and if they had any relation to what happened today. Why was that corpse digging that up? What scared Kensaku so much? There's so many questions and no answers. It's all so ominous that it's even making me feel on edge. Katsumi looked back at Taiku and smiled again, this time, the smile being brighter and happier than before.

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