Midori

Perfect Crime .Inc

How is everyone?

The Oddball Apartments

Kei was starting to get frustrated at the number of people who decided to disturb the scene at that very moment. She supposed it couldn't be helped since it was an apartment complex but this was her first bit of inspiration since she'd been here and it was slipping away just as quickly as it came. She had almost finished the basic outlines when she took another peek to refresh her memory. Unfortunately, Jin was nowhere to be found. Her muse had fluttered off like a butterfly in the wind. Maybe he was embarrassed because I was staring at him? she thought. Looking down at what she had managed to do before he disappeared, she had actually managed to jot down enough that she could finish the rest on her own.

Satisfied with the result after all she turned to go back inside but just then heard Jin call her from very close by. "Miss Aramaki?" Her surprise was audible as she let out a small gasp. Jin just looked at her with a slight smile. "I'd like a copy of that painting when you're finished if you don't mind." All she could do was nod her head as he then went about his business. Did she imagine it or did he just teleport across the courtyard? Regardless, she may as well give him a copy once she's finished.

Perfect Crime .Inc

"Kei-Chan," the Mexican spoke friendly and with a smile, "It's been a while, how have you been? Still taking those pictures? I unfortunately lost all my pictures earlier today." pointing a the small pile of broken phone near the wall. He and the burglar had worked together previously and were still on somewhat friendly terms.

@stickman

Nora didn't flinch once, even as the pissed off hispanic chucked his phone against the wall like a ten year old throwing a tantrum. No, the only reaction to that was a light smirk before her lips returned to her cynical glower. If he would have just asked kindly, Nora maybe wouldn't mind debugging his corrupted hard-drive....maybe. And even if she did, that information he held on the little HTC was hers now. Not even a reaction to the man discovering her identity through her little trick, though a bit of gratitude for him acknowledging her celebrity status. "I'm actually a little ashamed. Figured I would at least be in the top twenty." Still not everyday some skinny high-school dropout from the Bronx makes a syndicated list of so called cyberterrorists, ranked up there with Anonymous, a few North Korean kids who cracked Sony, and anyone else who thought they were God behind their processors and plexiglass screens. As for the crack about the bug, "Have you ever tried to step on a mantis before, Corporal? A mantis is swift. Before your foot hits the ground, they are already crawling up your leg. They are hunters, murderers of the insect world. They won't stop at nothing until their prey is devoured.....and their hunger....it's insatiable."

"Besides....it was this little bug that single-handedly destroyed the Prime Minister of Denmark and his cabinet after exposing their human trafficking scandal, and sent the whole country in an uproar. And last I recall...this bug...also gave you the information on those four Marines that went missing in Kuwait after a supposed "mishap" at an oil refinery south of the Persian Gulf. And you still wanted to serve this country...."

@Rusalka

Just as Kei was about to ask the Corporal not to address her so casually the girl on her phone spoke up and the conversation suddenly became a bit tense. It was obvious that the hacker girl had not made a good impression with the 'Corporal'. Kei felt a bit like a third wheel being dragged through a muddy road so she chimed in. "All of us are here for same reason. Better to be friends, you think?" She wasn't quite sure what the hacker girl had done to Corporal's phone but she was clearly flaunting her skills. At least she sounded like she was good at what she does. The girl seemed less like a Mantis and more like a Peacock at this point but Kei hardly knew her so it wasn't fair to judge her so readily. Kei quietly reached in her pocket and discreetly shut off her phone just to be safe.

The Oddball Apartments

The day had gone by slowly. Kei hadn't done much of anything that morning but sit in her office and look for interesting places on the net. She was trying to find some inspiration for her portfolio. She would need a lot of really good works for her portfolio if she was going to make it as an artist but she simply hadn't felt that inspired today. She decided to give up for now and get some food instead.

Stretching as she got up, Kei drowsily made her way to the kitchen and opening the refrigerator only to reveal her severe lack of anything ready to eat. All she had were ingredients, which meant she had to cook. She currently lacked the motivation to cook and so in turn no longer had the desire to eat right at this minute. She started to walk back to her office when she noticed something outside. By the pond there was a lone man feeding the fish. It was none other than the mysterious landlord Jin. Kei took a step onto the balcony to get a better look. At that moment Jin almost reminded her of a Buddhist monk, he had a certain zen-like quality to him that appealed to her.

Quietly as not to disturb the atmosphere, she dipped into her office, retrieved her tablet, and hurried back to her balcony. She deicded on watercolors and got to work. Everything else was only a distraction as she focused intently on the scene. She wanted to capture every feature, every ray of light, and turn it into something beautiful.

The Oddball Apartments

I did my relationship chart, although considering Kei doesn't really know anyone besides Jin there wasn't much to do really.

The Oddball Apartments

@LetterA I was just wondering. Can you still be weeb if you are Japanese? Also, what country are we in? I don't think you actually said in the OP.

Perfect Crime .Inc

Arriving at the JFK International Airport

First steps back on American soil

After a long flight from the UK to the USA Kei was ready to get to whatever it was she was supposed to be doing at this mysterious Perfect Crime Inc. It wasn't the first time someone had hired her to steal something but the invitation made it sound like she was going to be employed for a while. The invitation itself was rather mysterious, a man in black handed her an envelope then disappeared. The whole thing made her feel like some kind of secret agent. She couldn't resist the offer if she tried. Any number of possibilities awaited her and the suspense was starting to make her anxious. She didn't let it show as she made her way through security though.

She looked like any other tourist travelling to New York to see the sights. Kei even made a point to wear an 'I ♥ NY' hoodie to look the part. Airport security let her through without a hitch and soon she found a taxi that would take her to the Ramada Inn to drop off her things. As if straight from a movie the taxi driver was middle eastern, barely spoke english (which was particularly frustrating as her own english was plagued by her thick japanese accent), and blared his ethnic music for the entire ride. Upon arrival the Ramada Inn she dropped her bags on the hotel room bed, changed quickly into some plain clothes that didn't scream 'I'm a tourist, please mug me', and left the 'Do not disturb' sign on the door to keep housekeeping from being nosy. There wasn't much in her bags outside of clothes and a laptop since most of her other gear wouldn't make it through customs. She made a mental note to call up the 'Colonel', an info broker she had worked with before, and ask him to find some one who could provide some new gear before she left.

Kei took another taxi to a location a block away from the meeting place and walked until she was met with a rather rundown looking warehouse. It was just the kind of place a secret agent would have hidden their spy base in, she thought as she approached the door. Upon entering she was met by the same man who had given her the invitation. She greeted him as best she could, "Good meeting again!" The man seemed unimpressed by her and led her through a series of ridiculously overcompensating security systems before she arrived at a room with a handful of other people already there waiting. None of them seemed particularly spy-like but then again, aren't spies supposed to not look like spies? Either way she introduced herself to the group. "Hello! I am Kusanagi Kei. Pleased to meet you."

The Oddball Apartments

@Midori Is Aramaki Kei a Japanese name? If so, what is the given name, Aramaki, or Kei?

@gogojakeo

Aramaki is her surname and Kei is her given name. Sorry if that was confusing at all. I keep forgetting to put the comma there so Americans can tell which is which.

The Oddball Apartments

@LetterA I had actually intended for Kei to be a newbie in the first place so I'll go ahead and change it.

The Oddball Apartments

Name: Aramaki Kei
Age: 16 (going on 17)
Gender: Female
Height; Weight: 152cm; 49.5kg

Years in Blackwing: Two weeks
Apartment Number: 1B
Room Description: Her bedroom (the larger one) consists of a bookshelf filled with manga of all different types, two closets full of clothes, and the futon that came with the apartment. The smaller bedroom was converted into her 'office' with her computer desk, custom built PC, 60cm LCD display monitor, a large graphics tablet, with various sketches and printouts pinned to the wall on a cork board. On the opposite side of her computer desk are three shelves adorned with dolls, plushies, and figurines from various anime and video game franchises (most notably the 'Metal Gear' series which takes up a third of one shelf). The rest of the apartment is rather mundane, the living area has an entertainment center with an LCD flatscreen TV, DVD/Blu-Ray player, and surround sound system. One couch situated facing the TV and a kotatsu near the balcony with four cushions (in case she has guests over).

Odd Trait: Diagnosed with Narcolepsy at age 9.

Physical Descriptions: Kei is petite with subtle curves that hint at her developing body. She is notably pale due to staying indoors most often then not. She isn't particularly fit nor is she overweight, average would probably be the best description of her physique.

Background Info: Kei is an orphan, or so she believes. She was adopted and raised in Nagoya, Japan by a foster family who later moved to the US in order to accommodate her foster father's work. Having spent her entire life with people watching over her she finally decided she wanted independence from her family. Many heated conversations later and Kei was allowed to live on her own at the only apartment complex that would allow a 16 year old to rent their own room. Although Kei has no income her mother secretly paid for the first three months to give Kei an opportunity to find her own way.

Other: Kei is something of an otaku but mostly keeps that to herself. Her english ability is fair although her accent is still very apparent.

[KEI] Relationship Chart
♥ = romance|| ♦ = friends || ♠ = enemies || ○ = neutral

♦Jin:
"I don't know much about him but he's letting me stay here and he's nice to me."

○Lilly Vereen:
"I know she lives upstairs but that's about it."

○Daniel Wordsworth:
"He lives down the hall from me. I think he has a twin sister who comes to visit sometimes."

○Tanner Sykes:
"She's really pretty. I wonder if she's a model?"

○Huo Vesta:
"I'm not really sure what to think about her."

○Francis Thornton:
"He's super tall! He must be from a family of giants."

○William Thornton:
"I guess they're brothers. He's really tall too."

○Elaine Pender:
"I think her accent is French. I haven't really talked to her."

○Amanda Källström:
"I heard from Jin that she's a singer but that's really all I know about her."

♥|♠Aramaki Kei:
"I love making art! I just wish I didn't fall asleep at my computer so much. One of these days I'm going to delete something really important."

○Anthony Ward:
"I've only seen him once so I don't really know what to say."

○Vale H. Exen:
"I don't think we've met."

○Yoska Petulengro:
"He has a lot of cute pets."