This was surely a tough situation for Genshi Hamazura. Well, that could be said the same for everyone else involved in this cruel master plan. Yet he knew well there was no use in fretting over his misfortune. All he could do as always was follow along the path that had been ingrained in his soul. "We can't lose control over our minds just yet, friends. If everyone else will be doing what they can to solve this mystery, I will too," Genshi stated with vigor in his voice. He wasn't an attorney or detective by any means. In fact, his area of expertise laid in the more physical area. Though perhaps something could be gained from it. "We just need to shift our perspectives. Like the multiple paths of a river, I'm sure we'll find our destination somewhere. For example, the removal of that lock in the door. I haven't seen it myself, but how exactly did it happen?"
Ginshi shifted his attention over to a certain someone. That someone, being Aurel. A smile spread across the martial artist's face, it wasn't one filled with malice, but rather with it's usual confidence."Aurel, what do you think? I'm sure as The Super Highschool-Level Thief, you'd have a good idea as to how someone could sneak into a room. I'd like to hear your opinion on that."
That was the sort of state that the once living Naomi, was now in. That was the horrifying sight the Ginshi saw when he entered into the cabin room. Her throat had been slit open. It was an unpleasant view but out of respect for his own teachings and Naomi herself, the martial artist did not look away. "It wasn't enough...my determination to steer us all away from this outcome wasn't enough....I'm sorry Naomi,"
For a very brief moment, a flicker of the image of his brother's corpse came into his mind. Yet, it was dispatched immediately. It was as his master instilled into him.
To go with the flow but to not be overwhelmed by emotions.
So he was not a mess of tears, but nor was he as cold as stone. Instead, a grim expression forged by resolve was shown.
Following along with the others, Ginshi checked his E-Pad. There displayed a short summary of the crime. "They put so much into this Killing Game. Just what kind of opponent are we dealing with?"
He made that comment as he swiped his finger along the screen. From the looks of it, this seemed to accurately describe the scene before them.
Noticing how active most others were in investigating, Ginshi himself spoke out, "If the rest of you are going to investigate, then I'll play my part as well. I don't know much about investigating but I will make sure to watch for any tampering of Naomi"s body. It may not be the passive approach that I prefer, but if anyone does act suspicious in that manner, then I'll have to forcibly restrain them,"
Joey couldn't believe the words entering his ears. He gave off the expression of someone finding a rotten sandwich in their refrigerator. It was repulsive! This was not the type of behavior he wanted to see out of his friend. Nevertheless, it was starring right in front of him. Exposed and naked, like the scar Romani provided for all to bare witness. The more he spoke, the more his words pummeled him relentlessly. The cracks began to spill like water out of dam. His fist clenching and his jaw tightening. Until his raging spirit burst forth, "EVIL!!"
He bellowed his declaration, as if to condemn Romani for all eternity, or at least for the rest of this ride. All of the answers given were not to his satisfaction, to say the least. For one thing, he didn't even provide a direct answer on the first question. Did he somehow overestimate Joey's intelligence? The very thought of that, causes his anger to stir further. Yet even so, the main core of this corruption and the source of Joey's exaggerated fury; was his response to that third question. The deciding factor to all of this.
"The correct answer, was that of course I would marry Serena someday! It's obvious if you think about it a bit. We're two peas in a pod!" Joey spoke proudly and loud enough as if to fight back the very hands of logic itself. He paused to let the words resonate with everyone, but he might as well have been talking to a wall. To label someone evil based on a trivial topic like that was ludicrous. Still, Joey felt a deep-seated instinct to defend this fantasy. "Sorry Romani but I think everyone else would agre-"
"Actually...he seems like a normal guy.." Samantha shattered Joey's forthcoming thoughts with ease. They were sudden and abrupt, thus they staggered his reaction. The stagnated nervousness now whittling away, Shane couldn't help but let his similar thoughts be heard as well, "Yeah,..he's kinda weird but he's not like a gangster or anything. The answers he gave didn't seem all that out of place.". Like street lights being switched on one after the other, their relief illuminating sequentially. Even Claire, with her usual sour self, loosened up to the somewhat rigid youth, "Anyone that doesn't agree with Joey's nonsense has to be somewhat of a normal person." The tides had been turned and the only thing left for Joey was the tear at the corner of his eye. This act of betrayal had left him plagued with despair! "You guy's can't be serious! There's no doubt that I certainly have a chanc-"
"Alright we made it! And with time to spare too!" Shane announced, his excitement blossoming another wave of relief within the now parking van. As the vehicle became empty with each of his comrades leaving, the life in his eyes grew dim. They each headed their own ways with parting goodbyes until they see each other again in the next few hours. All that remained, were Romani and Joey now standing in the parking lot. "Romani..." Joey whimpered out as his body swayed around to face his fellow student. "I'll see you in P.E!" a promise of revenge lashes out from his lips. Like a curse left in the air, he turns away in huff.
Like a hurricane, he rummages off in an exaggerated fit.......Then, his speed slows down, muscles relaxing with steps becoming as light asa leaf. That hurricane settles down into a breeze. There, Joey turns his head to the side to flash Romani a grin of sparkles. Like a child after playtime, he giggles happily. "See, I told them you weren't a bad guy after all!"
Of course all that from earlier was simply fun and games. Ever the playful sort he is, this was the nature that gave him so much favor with others. The joking and teasing was always apart of their fun, never an ill willed insult around. Only the delightful pleasures one could get with those they considered allies.
That merriment allowed the golden chance for the others to warm up to Romani. Even if it were only a little bit. Joey could atleast hope that warmth would reach Romani, who always seemed so solemn. Who always seemed to have some stubborn designation of strength within him. He wanted to believe that.
He runs a hand through his braided ponytail.
With a parting devilish wink at the other boy, Joey strolled off leisurely as if he were riding with the gentle wind.
Now there was Romani, who sat to Joey's left side, while the boy himself scooched over in the middle. The position was one he couldn't help but take delight in. Sitting between Claire and Romani, his joy welled and erupted like a volcano. He brought his arms around both their shoulders, as if to bring them along his merry wave of companionship. "Sitting here with my friends, now this is the life," Joey spoke in a tone similar to an oldman cherishing the last years of his life, despite his far too youthful demeanor.
Joey was a being of gratitude. Despite how that may sound, he was not a devout servant of god. Still, he did go to church whenever he could. No, his gratitude rested upon something more grounded. For all the love that he had been nurtured with, it was only natural that affection would eventually overflow and spill out to those around him. Though to put it simply, having taken notice of his fortune in one circumstance, this trickled into him being aware of the other blessings around him.
And if there was one thing his folks at the Retirement Community taught him; it was to keep his friends close to heart. Therefor, for Joey Grayson, this van was akin to a ship-, or rather, a chariot, filled with treasure. So in his rambunctious mind, what else could he do besides play with and admire them?
However, the others were not so starry eyed. In contrast to the radiating sunshine that came from Joey's face, everyone else was all too silent. It was a silence with an underlying air of nervousness. The youth had pondered for a moment but soon realized what was the source of this unease. Right, from what he recalls barely 5 minutes ago, the other three weren't too fond of Romani on account of the rumors that had infested the campus.
"Ah, my memory isn't as good as it used to be," he commented to himself, regretting his thoughtlessness. Though only for a fraction of a second. He was actually just too strung up by his surging emotions. Shane looks like he wants to say something about Joey's previous remark, but the nervousness holds back his tongue. 'This isn't good. I need to get the atmosphere back on track. So I just need to show them that Romani isn't a bad guy!' His plan formulating, Joey's face shifted into an all too obvious and almost comically devious sneer.
"Romani, lets play a game while we wait to get there!" Joey boldly declared, energetic as he rested his chin on his palm. His eyes latched onto Romani with a gaze of fondness. In truth, he didn't know much about the boy besides some talk about movies and sports here and there. Therefor this would be the perfect moment to solidify their hazy connection. "It's a game to decide whether someone is good or evil! I'll ask three questions, and depending in your answers, I'll decide whether you're good or evil. I just made it up."
Joey was about as subtle as a megaphone, but nevertheless he was positive this would assure Romani's credibility. He would tear through this air of nervousness was threatened to chokeout his friendship! Regardless of the daggers of annoyance that his other companions eyed him with, Joey commenced.
"Question number 1; What are cuter, babies or old people?
Question number 2; How many Christmas gifts did you give out last year?
And Question 3!.....D-...D- Do you think I have a chance at marrying Serena Williams someday?.."
The hustle and bustle of London traffic should be no surprise to anyone, especially on a weekday morning. There's everyone from the young and old trying to get to their daily destinations. So of course there would be a bit of annoyance pilling up right? Well what if you add in the fact that the sun was unleashing hell on earth with the amount of heat pouring down and that you were in a car with three other people? Something like that would surely start making you frustrated!
"Ah! This is a pain in the ass! At this rate we're going to be late!"
A rough voice echoed throughout the silver van and even a bit onto the outside streets because of the open windows that tried to help ease the molting heat surrounding them. The voice came from Shane, a blond-haired young man that always wore sunglasses, even indoors. Though it certainly isn't out of place in their current situation.
"It's totally Joey's fault,"
A red-headed girl with too much make-up spoke from the passenger seat. Her name was Samantha, and at this rate, her sweat would start smearing away at her make-up.
"Yeah Joey, why the heck were you late at coming to your pick-up spot?"
This time the voice came from the backseat. It belonged to a short girl with also short brown hair. Her name was Claire and like the rest, she wasn't too happy about their current situation. So her eyes darted at the target of their aggression, sitting in the back seat next to her. That unfortunate target being the pony-tail-having boy with a sly grin on his face. This was the perpetrator named Joey Grayson. He held up his hands and spoke in a way to calm them down,
"Cut me some slack here. I just so happened to see something amazing while I was on the way and happened to get side-tracked!"
He made his declaration in an attempt to defend himself against barrage of mean glares that surrounded him on all sides. "What was so 'amazing'?" asked Samantha with doubt in her voice. In response, a genuine smile spread across Joey's lips as he looked ahead at nothing in particular. "You wouldn't believe it if I just tell you but, it was something so beautiful! I was waiting at our usual meet up spot, until I saw this small elderly man surrounded in a crowd of people and he couldn't get out!"
"Let me guess, you helped him out?" Claire interrupted,
"No, that's just the thing! I was on my way to help him until this white-haired girl with a skateboard comes over and gives him a hand instead! I was so touched I had to take dozens of pictures on my phone camera while I was following them. Ah, maybe there's hope for this generation after all,.."
He wiped the corner of his eyes as he reminisced into the past momentarily. He didn't know who that girl was but he was proud of her kindness to help the elderly. That was a topic Joey took to heart and got emotional about. Sadly however, to the other people in the van with him, this was just another day with him. So they only expressions they could give were ones of disgust. "Would you stop talking like that? You're a teenager!" Shane commented as he drove. Claire also had something to say that caught her attention.
"Also, you were taking a bunch of pics of a chick while she didn't know? Wow, what a perv!"
"H-How dare you! I'll have you know I was taking the pictures because of the old man!"
"I think that's worse..." From the looks of it. They were starting to make some headway along the traffic. It was thanks to this that the hostility started to die down a bit. "Don't you take long getting ready in the morning anyways?" Samantha said while resting her elbow on the door. Joey nodded in approval and followed up, "You got it. Besides breakfast and cleaning myself up, I exercise, make sure I got my tennis ball and most importantly....," before finishing, the boy lightly runs his hand along his long ponytail and gracefully flicks it to the side. "I got to take care of this luscious hair of mine of course. That's right, Rapunzel ain't got nothin' on me, baby," he flaunts his hair, which he obviously takes pride in. You don't have hair like that by just being nonchalant about it. He was lucky to be born with such hair, but perhaps even luckier that he knew people that taught him how to take care of it.
It was actually rare that Joey showed signs of arrogance on his behalf, but the others couldn't miss that chance to take a shot at it. "You know, with how many old people you hang around. I wouldn't be surprised if it's an omen of all your hair falling out someday when you get old," Claire made that ridiculous remark with a devious grin but despite its outlandishness, a chill crawled up Joey's spine as he bounced and almost hit his head on the roof. "Don't be ridiculous! Something like that would never happen in a million years! Don't even put that kind of energy into the universe!" despite his proclamations, Joey held his ponytail close to his chest as if to protect it from the threats of the outside world. Unlike most, he was someone that was accepting of all the wonders and woes of old age,...except for when it came to his hair. Even the folks at the village community tease him about it at times.
While he was tucking himself away into a ball, something caught his eye outside the open car window. Rather it was someone. A young man with slicked-back hair and most noticeably a scar on the center of his forehead. Joey knew this person that was walking on the sidewalk, it was someone that he shared PE with. His name was... "Hey Romani, over here! Want a ride? There's room for one more!" he called out while sticking out of the window and waving his arm out to catch the lad's attention. The sudden outburst caught the other three in the van by surprise, and in a hushed yet alarmed tone, began rambling one after the other,
"Joey! Are you crazy!? That's Romani Bogart! I've heard he's bad news!"
"I heard a rumor that he's a mobster, and the scar was apart of the initiation process,"
"No way, I heard he took a bullet to the head, survived and then killed the guy that shot him,"
"Haha, what are you guys' talking about? Romani is nothing like that. Well I don't know alot about him, but I think he's swell. Hey come on, don't be shy! They're nice people!" he urged the other boy to come, all with a welcoming grin on his face that highlighted the single fang on the left side of his teeth.
Nationality Born in London, with his mother being American
Appearance As expected of an athlete, Joey has well built muscular features. With a height of 5'9, he isn't exactly the tallest of his peers but they know better than to underestimate him. The most prominent thing about him would be his braided pony tail that reaches down to his rear. Another most obvious trait is the canine-like fang on the right side of his teeth. He usually exudes a confident yet relaxed demeanor. With his expression typically showing a brash smile or daring smirk.
When it comes to clothing, he would prefer a more old style of fashion. However, after some time after Evergreen, his female peers threw out his, what they call "oldman clothes", and gave him a makeover. Forcing him to fill his closet with trendy fashion that was more suited to a 'badboy' type.
Yellow Visor
Outfit
Height 5'9
Personality Joey is someone that aims to see the brighter things around him with a positive, yet easy-going attitude. He finds entertainment in talking with others and learning more about them. As such, he's a very good at conversations along with being playful and seemingly wild at times. All this seems to strengthen his popularity, which he doesn't allow to get to his head, as he's someone that greatly appreciates his bonds with others. This leads to his great appreciation for life in general and believes that everyone has something they should be grateful for.
It's through this being his reason is why when Joey sets his mind to something, he gives it his all so he won't have any regrets. This can sometimes lead him to get ahead of himself and be too reckless in pushing himself. Not to mention he does have a tendency to lose his cool when under pressure. These things happen more often then he'd like to admit. A way he tries overcomes that is with the Tennis ball he always has on his person. Just by feeling it and remembering where he came from is able to allow him to calm down.
This brings us of course to his love for Tennis. Surprisingly, he's rather quiet when he's actually playing, no matter how intense it gets. This is the level of deep focus he has during the game. He takes excitement out of the physical exhaustion and soreness it brings. Along with the comforting numbness he has mentally when keeping his thoughts on the ball. It's a sort of high for him.
In the end, several of his traits can extend from his conversations and time spent at the Senior Community he very often visits. When it comes to them, he always has some story to tell. His love and fondness for them has garnered him immense respect for the elderly. In fact he oddly thinks old people are cuter than babies. That tends to be a deal breaker. Still, he has a tendency to complain about how badly the elderly are treated in general.
Though he has learned a great of many traits from the old people he hangs around, he also learned some weird things as well, like knowing how to knit clothes from the old ladies and becoming a bit of a pervert from the old men. He's also grown an immunity to awful smells somehow.
Education BTEC Physical Education A-Level History A-Level Biology
Biography As a child, Joey was extremely hyperactive. The young scout could be seen flying towards the road one minute and climbing a tree the next. It was no wonder that his parents would grow incredibly frustrated with him and get sever headaches. It wasn't that he was a bad child or anything of the sort, rather that his mind and body would always be racing to something different to satisfy his bubbling energy. So his parents came up with a solution, having him spend time with his grandparents, or more specifically, at a retirement community.
His grandparents resided within a retirement community where they could most part take care of themselves. As you may expect, just because this environment was more slow-paced doesn't mean it was easy to tame this wild dog. Yet, there was something that caught his attention. A ball. A tennis ball, that is. You see, Joey's grandparents and quite a number of the citizens within the community were Tennis players back in their younger years. It was through this that a connection was formed.
The more they showed the world of Tennis to him, the more he was fascinated. The more he was fascinated, the more he could actually slow down and focus. This brought upon his great appreciation for Tennis. Of course, there was no way they could play with him at their age. So he would be taken to public Tennis courts where he could play with other children his age.
While a part of the fun were the games themselves, the other part of it was getting to see the elderly folks enjoy themselves as they watched him. This was the sort of warm life Joey had as he not only learned of Tennis but also the many life lessons that his senior friends had to offer. It wasn't just his grandparents, everyone in that community was family to him. It wasn't just them helping him either, the boy would always find ways to help them out as much as possible. Whether it was grocery shopping for them, reminding them of things or cooking for them.
Yet he never felt satisfied in trying to properly pay them back. He had figured that a way to honor them was to bring back a grand-prize championship trophy for their sake. However, no matter how good he was, Joey had never been able to win the big one. Disgruntled, he continued on thus path until it was time to choose what school he'd be attending. Surely he'd go to a school that was renowned for winning championships?
Though, he didn't. Instead, he chose Evergreen Grammer School. Not because of what they had to offer but it was simply because it was the school closest to the Senior Community he so often visited. With that, Joey was now on their Tennis Team and it didn't take long for him to become one of their star players. That, along with his personality, quickly allowed him to become one of the more popular students in the school.
The only problem was.... Joey still couldn't manage to get past his current limit and obtain a trophy. This only continued to irritate him. You see, it wasn't that Joey was simply impatient and wanted to win. Rather, he was worried and growing desperate. As he was still young, the boy had all the time in the world to make his dreams come true, but that couldn't be said about his elderly friends.
He hated to think about it, but there was a thought in the back of Joey's head that wondered if one day, one of them may pass away. The more time that passed, the looming thought of death grew and so did his desperation. Unsure of what he should do, Joey marches on...
Affiliations RoseCrest Senior Village(Family) Alex Grayson (Father) Sarah Grayson (Mother) Bill Grayson (Grandfather) Mary Grayson (Grandmother)
Nationality Born in London, with his mother being American
Appearance As expected of an athlete, Joey has well built muscular features. With a height of 5'9, he isn't exactly the tallest of his peers but they know better than to underestimate him. The most prominent thing about him would be his braided pony tail that reaches down to his rear. Another most obvious trait is the canine-like fang on the right side of his teeth. He usually exudes a confident yet relaxed demeanor. With his expression typically showing a brash smile or daring smirk.
When it comes to clothing, he would prefer a more old style of fashion. However, after some time after Evergreen, his female peers threw out his, what they call "oldman clothes", and gave him a makeover. Forcing him to fill his closet with trendy fashion that was more suited to a 'badboy' type.
Yellow Visor
Outfit
Height 5'9
Personality Joey is someone that aims to see the brighter things around him with a positive, yet easy-going attitude. He finds entertainment in talking with others and learning more about them. As such, he's a very good at conversations along with being playful and seemingly wild at times. All this seems to strengthen his popularity, which he doesn't allow to get to his head, as he's someone that greatly appreciates his bonds with others. This leads to his great appreciation for life in general and believes that everyone has something they should be grateful for.
It's through this being his reason is why when Joey sets his mind to something, he gives it his all so he won't have any regrets. This can sometimes lead him to get ahead of himself and be too reckless in pushing himself. Not to mention he does have a tendency to lose his cool when under pressure. These things happen more often then he'd like to admit. A way he tries overcomes that is with the Tennis ball he always has on his person. Just by feeling it and remembering where he came from is able to allow him to calm down.
This brings us of course to his love for Tennis. Surprisingly, he's rather quiet when he's actually playing, no matter how intense it gets. This is the level of deep focus he has during the game. He takes excitement out of the physical exhaustion and soreness it brings. Along with the comforting numbness he has mentally when keeping his thoughts on the ball. It's a sort of high for him.
In the end, several of his traits can extend from his conversations and time spent at the Senior Community he very often visits. When it comes to them, he always has some story to tell. His love and fondness for them has garnered him immense respect for the elderly. In fact he oddly thinks old people are cuter than babies. That tends to be a deal breaker. Still, he has a tendency to complain about how badly the elderly are treated in general.
Though he has learned a great of many traits from the old people he hangs around, he also learned some weird things as well, like knowing how to knit clothes from the old ladies and becoming a bit of a pervert from the old men. He's also grown an immunity to awful smells somehow.
Education BTEC Physical Education A-Level History A-Level Biology
Biography As a child, Joey was extremely hyperactive. The young scout could be seen flying towards the road one minute and climbing a tree the next. It was no wonder that his parents would grow incredibly frustrated with him and get sever headaches. It wasn't that he was a bad child or anything of the sort, rather that his mind and body would always be racing to something different to satisfy his bubbling energy. So his parents came up with a solution, having him spend time with his grandparents, or more specifically, at a retirement community.
His grandparents resided within a retirement community where they could most part take care of themselves. As you may expect, just because this environment was more slow-paced doesn't mean it was easy to tame this wild dog. Yet, there was something that caught his attention. A ball. A tennis ball, that is. You see, Joey's grandparents and quite a number of the citizens within the community were Tennis players back in their younger years. It was through this that a connection was formed.
The more they showed the world of Tennis to him, the more he was fascinated. The more he was fascinated, the more he could actually slow down and focus. This brought upon his great appreciation for Tennis. Of course, there was no way they could play with him at their age. So he would be taken to public Tennis courts where he could play with other children his age.
While a part of the fun were the games themselves, the other part of it was getting to see the elderly folks enjoy themselves as they watched him. This was the sort of warm life Joey had as he not only learned of Tennis but also the many life lessons that his senior friends had to offer. It wasn't just his grandparents, everyone in that community was family to him. It wasn't just them helping him either, the boy would always find ways to help them out as much as possible. Whether it was grocery shopping for them, reminding them of things or cooking for them.
Yet he never felt satisfied in trying to properly pay them back. He had figured that a way to honor them was to bring back a grand-prize championship trophy for their sake. However, no matter how good he was, Joey had never been able to win the big one. Disgruntled, he continued on thus path until it was time to choose what school he'd be attending. Surely he'd go to a school that was renowned for winning championships?
Though, he didn't. Instead, he chose Evergreen Grammer School. Not because of what they had to offer but it was simply because it was the school closest to the Senior Community he so often visited. With that, Joey was now on their Tennis Team and it didn't take long for him to become one of their star players. That, along with his personality, quickly allowed him to become one of the more popular students in the school.
The only problem was.... Joey still couldn't manage to get past his current limit and obtain a trophy. This only continued to irritate him. You see, it wasn't that Joey was simply impatient and wanted to win. Rather, he was worried and growing desperate. As he was still young, the boy had all the time in the world to make his dreams come true, but that couldn't be said about his elderly friends.
He hated to think about it, but there was a thought in the back of Joey's head that wondered if one day, one of them may pass away. The more time that passed, the looming thought of death grew and so did his desperation. Unsure of what he should do, Joey marches on...
Affiliations RoseCrest Senior Village(Family) Alex Grayson (Father) Sarah Grayson (Mother) Bill Grayson (Grandfather) Mary Grayson (Grandmother)