discovering some potential (Kanagawa Nozomi)

[Azai Momotaro]

Well another day and another list of errands completed, the boy was now free to do whatever the hell he wants, as long as he listened to his mother and wore some nice looking robes and a white bandanna he often wears for good luck. And what he wants right now is to go to the school and practice his accuracy with kunai and shuriken, since Momotaro figured that the Raikage must be great at that so he out to try to catch up with him. But once he got there he found something unexpected, he found a large kid that is quite bigger than him bullying a smaller kid around, not liking what he saw the boy sprinted in to help stop this mess.

“hey hey there stop that, what is going on here ?”

Momotaro asked, the tall bully, the tips of his lips curled up to form a gentle smile. The boy truly wanted to solve the whole thing with just words but sadly that will prove to be quite impossible considering the personality of the bully.

“we were teaching this kid a lesson on why if you are weak you should know your place, our next lesson is on why you should never play hero, want to be our example kid ?”

the tall brown haired bully said as he tried to intimidate Momo, he even looked around towards the two friends he had with him, almost instinctively looking for approval for his comment which the two who followed him blindly gave it to him. But this will only make the pretty black haired boy chuckle a little bit.

“listen guys this is totally unnecessary and let us just be good friends ok ? No need to fight for petty reasons like a silly display of strength.” Momotaro said and he accidentally triggered the bully and accelerated the whole situation into a fight. But luckily for him the boy managed to dodge the wild punch the bully was aiming to hit him with. And after doing so Momotaro realized the only way to beat someone who was not only larger than him but also probably stronger than him is to use the thing he has against the bully which is his speed.

And so the boy then bombarded the bully with his speed, changing sides rather quickly going from his front to his side to his behind back to in front of him, and in a couple of seconds Momotaro managed to hit the other boy a large number of times to to the point of knocking the wind out of the bully, his performance was so great even Momo did not believe he could have pulled that off, still shocked at how great his performance was under pressure Momo watched as the bully and the other two kids beg for mercy and run away, soon the one who was bullied left as he bowed to Momotaro in order to thank him. Meanwhile the black haired boy just looked at his hands quite impressed with himself as he wandered around aimlessly.

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

Re: discovering some potential (Kanagaw Nozomi)

"You're pretty quick," Nozomi said as she finally walked up to the scene, having seen it all from a distance. The black haired woman casually walked up with a giant spear, wrapped in bandages, strapped to her back and a black eye-patch bearing the emblem of the sun upon it. She wore her, now usual, dark and light pink top with a green skirt reaching all the way down to her ankles. She cleared her throat, looking to the child that was bullied and smiled at him. "You'll learn how to defend yourself one day. I can teach you if you'd like," she said before turning her eyes towards the heroic one and reached out to ruffle his hair. "You did well and showed great bravery, what's your name?" she asked, actually curious about who this child was.

[Topic Entered -- Sorry for the short post, but joining topics is always a bit awkward for me]

 

[Azai Momotaro]

Re: discovering some potential (Kanagaw Nozomi)

Momotaro’s eyes widened as he heard a voice praise him for his feat of speed he just displayed, looking for the source of that voice he noticed it belonged to a woman. Caught off guard by her, the boy could not help but stare, something about her captivated him. She was pretty, yes but it was not just that she also looked like she had some run with danger before, perhaps due to her eye patch that made her look like a beautiful rose with sharp thorns. The other boy who was the victim nodded at her kind words and offer but sadly he could not take it now, so he bowed to her and said.

“thank you for your generous offer, and perhaps one day I could learn, but now I have to go and hurry back home and take care of my younger sister. Thank you both” and with that the boy made his exit and jogged into the distance trying to pace himself but also wanting to reach his home quickly.

Back to Momotaro who still could not help but stare, up until the kind woman approached him and ruffled his hair, this made the boy snap back to reality. His cheeks began to glow red blushing at her words, even though the blue eyed boy truly did not do what he did just to earn praise but it still felt good to be acknowledged. Despite the girl act making him also feel like a little boy.

“I-I am Azai Momotaro, nice to meet you. Thank you I only did the right thing, any aspiring shinobi knows that serving the people is what we should do.” The boy boldly stated his belief, because in his mind anyone with the strength to help should have helped had they been in his shoes.

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

Re: discovering some potential (Kanagaw Nozomi)

Nozomi just casually watched the other boy take off like a bolt of lightning. She gave a gentle wave in his wake, watching him disappear into a moat of dust. Turning her head back towards the one that she praised, he introduced himself as Momotaro Azai. A strong name for a child and one that would fit very well into the annals of history. A strong name that could inspire many in the future; at least that's what she believed. Upon hearing the introduction, she gave the boy a friendly smile and introduced herself in kind. "Nice to meet you, Momotaro-kun. I am Kanagawa Nozomi," she said as she began to glow. No, this wasn't for dramatic effect, this was more of a side-effect from how she received the Spear of Destiny, which was strapped to her back. Given the power of divine punishment also gave her body and eyes their own light -- as if she was the avatar of the sun.

What the boy had to say, about doing goodness for goodness sake, was idealistic in a time where people like her kill complete strangers just because she was told to do so. No history of the target, no learning about their hopes and dreams, no wishing for a brighter future for them. She was simply pointed towards a certain person and she just killed them in as quiet or gruesomely loud as possible; all depending on the client's wishes. Hopefully, this child maintains his ideals and stays strong in his convictions. That is what a true hero is made out of. The polar opposite of what Nozomi was; a tool for the higher-ups. "Stay strong in your convictions, Momo-kun," she said, abbreviating the child's name for the sake of ease. "Who knows," she said as she turned her back towards the child, feeling the cool wind blow across her face, whipping her hair up a bit. She turned her head back to look towards the boy, looking at him with her good eye. "Maybe one day, you'll be the hero that Kumogakure needs. Maybe even the Raikage," she mentioned.

 

[Azai Momotaro]

Kanagawa Nozomi, a name Momotaro will probably keep in mind for while. Because as the older girl introduced herself she began to glow, Momotaro’s blue eyes began to widen as he was confused. The boy did not know whether she was just that pretty that his mind imagined a glow around her or if she actually glowed. But it did not matter right now, as he bowed gently in front of the older girl as a show of respect.

“Nice to meet you Kanagawa-san.” the boy said as he stood up straight up again, looking around the boy noticed the girl holding an interesting looking spear in her back, and while the adventurous and curious side of the boy really wanted to hold the spear and maybe inspect it further he knew that it will be impolite to even ask for it. So he will just live with the curiosity for now on, but what the girl said next came as a shocker to the boy.

While the words of positive reinforcement Kanagawa said seemed simple enough, it actually made the boy smile and feel bubbly inside. While both of his parents often give him all of the push he need to achieve that crazy impossible dream he is chasing. But to have some one else, a complete stranger also believe in him felt amazing. His cheeks glowing rosy red the boy nodded firmly.

“I will keep at it, I will never lose sight of my conviction and make sure to grow stronger with each step I will take. I know that it might sound crazy but I do want to be the Raikage one day and to reach that I know that peak I know I will be climbing a harsh mountain. But I have been training daily to try get stronger, I am just happy that today I seem to have made some progress.” the boy said with a smile on his face.

Momotaro then thought of something, it may sound crazy or too much considering he just met the girl but it was worth asking. “Actually I came here to learn how to control lightning, I discovered my affinity to that element a few days ago and I want to hone it so that I can use it to protect others. And you look like you are a strong shinobi since you offered to teach that boy how to protect himself can you please help me.” the boy then immediately bowed down and closed his eyes, as if he was anticipating a rejection.

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

Re: discovering some potential (Kanagaw Nozomi)

It was refreshing to see a child hold true to his convictions and to show strength. But it was all talk. She was actually curious to hear from the boy that he had been training daily. A part of her wanted to test out his strength to see how far along he was right now and to see the fruits of his training. The curiosity nagged at her for a bit, causing her to run her fingers through her long black hair. She raised the brow of her remaining 'good eye' as she eyeballed the child. "Training every day you say? Care to test out how good your training has been?" she asked, reaching for the monster-eyed blade that rested upon her hip. She remembered that she didn't have her six-shooter any more and that the Starbringer Sword replaced it.

She withdrew the blade from the sheathe and held it out, pointing towards the child. It was then that he explained that he came here in order to hone his skills with lightning jutsu. She sheathed her blade and let out a big grin. She formed together a string of handseals before holding onto her left wrist. The sound of crackling and the high-key pitch of a thousand birds could be heard sparking from her left hand. A bright white light, sparking from her palm, swirling around it like pure energy formed around her hand, like a glove of pure plasma and light. She maintained the ball of lightning in her hands for a brief moment longer before dropping the maintain on the jutsu.

"Lightning Ninjutsu. You can say it's wild and hard to control, but it is one of the most deadly elements you can master. So it's a wise choice to select lightning as your element of choice. Besides, it's symbolic to our nation, after all," she said as she completely extinguished the Lightning Chakra that gathered around her. "The jutsu I just demonstrated was called Chidori. To be more precise, the version I used was called the 'Lightning Blade'. An assassination technique that is charged up and unleashed in an extremely quick manner. Fast, precise, and devastating are three words you can use to describe lightning jutsu. I can teach you, if you'd like?" she asked.

"Before I do though, I need to know how well you can manipulate chakra," she said, unsheathing the Starbringer Sword once more and pointed the weapon out towards the child. She wouldn't use her spear. No, that weapon is strictly used for actual combat. A spar isn't the time or place to use a weapon like that, especially against a child. "Unless you don't actually believe in your convictions?"

 

[Azai Momotaro]

The boy was quite shocked to hear the proposal Kanagawa presented, a chance to test his training. The boy looked nervous as his eyes stared at the blade the girl pointed at him, the sword looked fearsome and the boy was understandably shocked. But for some odd reason another feeling overpowered his sense of fear and that was genuine excitement, he was no idiot he knew that in an all out fight he probably does not hold a candle to Nozomi, but seeing how strong he is was interesting to him.

“Oh um……you betcha I want to test my strength, I have been dying to test myself, I wanted to do that for a while now before heading out for missions, but I could not find someone to spar with.”

The boy said as he took out a fancy looking scroll from his robes, it was where he kept his mother- no his ancestral blade in. But before he could summon it from the scroll, Nozomi sheathed her blade and let out a big grin. Befuddled by this, the boy watched as she preformed a string of hand signs that looked kinda familiar. The boy will only realize what Jutsu she was going for after she finished it, it was the much impressive lightning blade technique. Seeing the older girl be proficient with lightning came as a shock to the young boy, as she not only managed to preform a move with ease, she also had a brief explanation ready for the boy.

“woah that does look quite impressive, I did not know you knew lightning style as well. And tell me about it, first time I tried to use it I emitted so much electrical energy I ended up losing control for a moment. But I guess it has a major downside for us Shinobi, it can often make a lot of noise, but a smart Shinobi can probably use that to his advantage. And you would teach me ? That is mighty generous of you.”

The boy’s eyes glow with a spark of joy and excitement, but of course such an offer came with a prerequisite, and a challenging one at that. But of course the boy did not want to have it easy, so when the girl questioned where he was true to his convictions, the boy could not help but smirk as he unfurled the scroll he had with him and placed his palm on it, infusing it with Chakra and from that scroll a cloud smoke covered the boy. And after that cloud dispersed, the boy stood there holding a beautiful y made sword that bore a unique design, and the Kanji for the five elements on it, the hilt was silver and gold, it was something a genin should probably not own.

“I am ready when you are, I do have to say though. I am not sure I can beat you, heck I probably can’t even be considered a good warm up at this point, but I plan on giving this my all and show you the strength of my resolve. I will show you why me and Hachiman are a powerful duo.” The boy said with a smile on his face.

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

Re: discovering some potential (Kanagaw Nozomi)

Nozomi smirked at the boy's reaction and took a step forward and lowered her blade. "Remember, this is only to see how well you can fight. I'm going to hold back, but you," she said before running a hand through her raven black hair. "If you hold back, I will be very disappointed. You wouldn't want that, now do you?" she said before holding the blade back in a readied-stance. She can't go all out, which is why she's using the Starbringer Sword instead of the Spear of Destiny. That weapon is only meant for serious fights and against people that are worthy of it being used. This child was untested so she will most likely not use it on someone so young.

"If you do well, I'll treat you to a meal," she said before shouting out to him. "Now en-garde!"

[Calling B-Mod]

 

[Tsukasa Mikasa]

Good morning/afternoon/evening towards you all! I'll be your participating battle moderator for this session. Any inquiries you may have throughout this process can be directed towards me and I'll do my absolute best to address them. Feel free to ask any inquires through personal messages on Ninpocho's system or you can contact me through discord (@Kazabot); whichever you prefer! With that being said let me give you a simple . . .

Disclaimer:<i></i> Please do understand in the usage of genjutsu/stealth usage/etc that there are scenario's in which I am unable to disclose direct information.

With that being addressed, I'll require the following from each of you:

• Statistics
• Custom Class
• Bloodline/Core Ability/Kinjutsu/Curse Seals
• Abilities
• Equipment
• Weapons with augments listed
• Jutsu
• Actions & Conditionals

Furthermore, any links that you provide will greatly increase the rate in which the mods are able to posted for your convenience, but do not feel this is necessary.

Feel free to place your first round actions within your initial sending of the above, or you may send them separately; either way is fine.

Please be clear on your actions and conditionals, even when stating what you're maintaining. This way I don't have to do any guesswork and you don't get upset if an item is modded the way you didn't wish. With that in mind, I am human and the possibilities for mistakes do arise; feel free to point these out!

 

[Tsukasa Mikasa]

Momotaro<i></i>
Hit Points: 585 - 150 = 435
Chakra Points: 975 - 120 = 855
Action Points: 1 - 1 = 0
Action Points Next Round: 1
Status: New Kid on the Block!


Nozomi<i></i>
Hit Points: 36,000
Chakra Points: 33,000
Action Points: 10 - 1.25 = 8.75
Action Points Next Round: 11
Status: Starbringer Sword

---

R O U N D - O N E

0.50 Seconds:
Nozomi equips her Starbringer Sword!

4.50 Seconds:
Nozomi waits patiently!

5.75 Seconds:
Nozomi proceeds to Basic Strike Momotaro!
(29 + 1 = 30 vs 3 + 10 = 13) ( Hit! )
- 150 Damage

10.00 Seconds:
Momotaro forms a bolt of lightning and attempts to smite down Nozomi with Storm Bolt!
(2 + 8 = 10 vs 23 + 17 = 40) ( Miss! )
- 120 CP

---

M O D E R A T O R - N O T E S:

• Keeping the format simplistic for the sake of this being an introduction battle to the system!

 

[Azai Momotaro]

Well to say Momotaro suspected that Kanagawa will be leagues ahead of him, but he did not expect her to be that fast. Getting hit by her blade was certainly an eye opener, it hurt obviously but its no time to focus on that, he has his pride on the line now. Looking at his opponent the boy knew there was only one option and that is to drop his beloved sword and fight from a distance, with the jutsu he learned with Yuu’s help. The boy quickly dropped his sword and began to do the hand seals for his jutsu, extending his right hand the boy attempted to zap Kanagawa but to no avail as the older woman was just too fast for him to hit.

With no option other than pick his sword once more and get into a defensive stance and pray for an opening, the boy held his sword tightly and hoped that he will be able to perform some sort of counter attack with the help of Hachiman.

[Action sent]

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

Re: discovering some potential (Kanagaw Nozomi)

She took her time with her actions, not wanting to overwhelm the child. She had forgotten how long it normally took to perform handseals as a younger shinobi; clumsily fumbling through the handseals. She remembered when she had to go through all of this song-and-dance in order to perfect the art of handseal mastery. It was a pain growing up so she could sympathize with the child's plight. Without thinking, she went up to the boy and knocked him around with the flat of her blade before he released a storm-bolt. Cockiness got the best of her, causing her to quickly roll out of the way at the very last moment.

She turned her head to watch the storm bolt fly off before looking back at the boy with a big grin upon her face. "Storm Bolt, huh? Almost got me with that," she said before standing straight up with the blade down to her side. "Now come at me with everything you've got" she shouted out. This was fun, but she really shouldn't be toying around with the boy. Who knows, he might grow up to become an absolute monster.

[Actions sent]

 

[Tsukasa Mikasa]

Momotaro<i></i>
Hit Points: 435 - 150 = 285
Chakra Points: 855
Action Points: 1 - 0.5 = 0.5
Action Points Next Round: 1.5
Status: Hachiman | New Kid on the Block!


Nozomi<i></i>
Hit Points: 36,000 + 1,800 (Already at max) = 36,000
Chakra Points: 33,000 + 660 (Already at max) = 33,000
Action Points: 11 - 0.75 = 10.25
Action Points Next Round: 11
Status: Starbringer Sword

---

R O U N D - T W O

4.68 Seconds:
Nozomi proceeds to Basic Strike Momotaro!
(29 + 6 = 35 vs 3 + 4 = 7) ( Hit! )
- 150 Damage

5.00 Second:
Momotaro equips Hachiman!

---

M O D E R A T O R - N O T E S:

• Keeping the format simplistic for the sake of this being an introduction battle to the system!

 

[Azai Momotaro]

Momotaro found himself once again at the mercy of Kanagawa's fury of strike, but after taking a moment to breath deeply and listening to the older woman's invitation to go all out, the boy felt a surge of energy rush through his veins. The young Momo then held his sword tightly but his stance is lower and ready to strike with a swift blow, trying to be in tune with his blade the young boy quickly switched his grab of the sword to be on its blunt side and swiftly strike Kanagawa.

[Actions Sent]

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

Re: discovering some potential (Kanagaw Nozomi)

"Good! Just what I wanted to see! Come at me with all you got!" she said as she struck a dynamic pose, now seeing that the child had brandished a weapon of his own. The sword looked simple enough, but even a kitchen-knife could be deadly in a battle so it wasn't something she would take lightly. He is showing his strength of mind and strength of character, which was exactly what she wanted to see from him. He didn't give up even if he could easily be killed by Nozomi's blade. Not that she was aiming to kill the child but accidents DO happen. What was important was that she saw his strength and deemed him worthy of praise and potentially as a student.

She nodded her head and took up a defensive posture, waiting for the onslaught from Momo to come. "Make this one count!"

[Actions sent]

 

[Tsukasa Mikasa]

Momotaro<i></i>
Hit Points: 285 + 1,185 = 585 (Max) - 150 = 415
Chakra Points: 855 - 75 = 780
Action Points: 1.5 - 0.75 = .75
Action Points Next Round: 1.75
Status: Hachiman | New Kid on the Block!


Nozomi<i></i>
Hit Points: 36,000 + 1,800 (Already at max) = 36,000 - 230 = 35,770
Chakra Points: 33,000 + 660 (Already at max) = 33,000 - 819
Action Points: 11
Action Points Next Round: 11
Status: Starbringer Sword

---

R O U N D - T H R E E

0.45 Seconds:
Nozomi sheathes her Starbringer Sword!

2.73 Seconds:
Nozomi uses Mystical Force on Momotaro! (Success!)
+ 1,185 HP

3.18 Seconds:
Nozomi re-equips Starbringer Sword!

5.00 Seconds:
Momotaro attempts an Arcing Slash against Nozomi! (A miraculous hit!)
- 230 Damage HP
Bleeding Roll: 96 (Rank of bleeding not raised!)


5.86 Seconds:
Nozomi attempts a basic strike against Momotaro! (Hit!)
- 150 HP

---

M O D E R A T O R - N O T E S:

• Keeping the format simplistic for the sake of this being an introduction battle to the system!

 

[Azai Momotaro]

Momotaro at the moment maintained his breath, slow and steady focusing on his target Nozomi. Soon the world around him began to fade, he felt as if he can see clearly and as if the world around him was slowing down. He was not sure what this feeling was, and how he managed to achieve that level of battle awareness. But he wont waste time thinking of that now, he lunged forward body closer to the ground. His arm in a ready position to swing his sword as fast as he can in arcing motion, and in a intense moment he launched his attack.

What was shocking to the boy was what had happened, he managed to land a hit against the older woman. But quickly before the boy could even begin to understand what happened let alone bask in his achievement, Nozomi managed to land one more hit on him. Sending him backwards quite a bit, dragging his feet in order to stop himself, the boy groaned in pain but quickly assumed a high stance with his sword, and was ready to continue the spar… if the trainer deemed it was fitting for the battle to continue.

[fight over]

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

Re: discovering some potential (Kanagaw Nozomi)

Nozomi nodded and held a hand up to signal the end of the battle. This should signal to the boy to halt his advances before resheathing her weapon, walking over to him and placed a palm upon his shoulder. Her body's glow intensified slightly before her hand started to take on the appearance of a blue-ish flame. The boy was healed from his injuries before moving the palm over to her own body to heal off the little injuries she obtained from being hit by the child. "You have shown your strength and I can see that you have a lot of fire in your eyes," she said as the glowing from the medical jutsu started to slowly fade, leaving her with her usual glow. "You did well and I hope you learned something in this fight," she commented. The boy had the heart but he didn't have the necessary training.

"It's been decided. I'm taking you under my wing. And I owe you some food. Go home, clean up, and I'll meet you back here in about an hour?" she asked. She, too, had to clean up. She wasn't going to go to a restaurant with motes of dirt hovering around her. It was bad enough she would ruin any mood lighting the restaurant would have had due to her own personal glow.

[Fight over -- Thanks for the mod, Mikasa]

 

[Azai Momotaro]

When the boy saw Kanagawa’s hand signal that indicated that the fight was over, he stop and stood up straight and took out his scroll to unsummon his blade. He then looked up at the girl as she walked up to him, for a moment he was very confused not knowing what she wanted to do. Only to then realize that she intended on healing him, feeling her gentle touch slowly rejuvenate him the boy felt at ease. His eyes will then light up as Nozomi praised him, he was very excited to hear that he did good. “Thank you Nozomi-san, I think I did, at least when it comes to my sword play. And well I now know that I am ok at using Ninjutsu, so I am happy that me practicing it did not go to waste. But you were simply too fast, to be perfectly honest with you, I am not completely aware how I even managed to hit you.” He said as he looked down at his hand, it was a mystery to him.

However he instantly looked up and stared at Nozomi’s directly in the eyes when she declared that she will be his mentor, the boy’s eyes sparkled with happiness and excitement. He admired Nozomi’s strength so the idea of being under her wing, was great to him. “You will ? thank You Nozomi-sensei I look forward to your guidance.” The boy quickly bowed down towards the older woman as a show of respect. He then stood up and nodded. “Alright I will go clean up and be back here within an hour.” The boy said as he turned away and darted towards his home.

Jogging excitedly the boy wanted to tell his parents the good news, so he could not wait to reach his home. But when he finally reached there the boy was disappointed, neither his parents where home at the moment. Looking around his own home he found a note that let him know why they are not present. The boy shrugged it off as he can still tell them tomorrow or whenever when they get back, now he has to clean up and change to meet with Nozomi again. Cleaning himself up and changing to a more traditional and more presentable blue and white Kimono, with a wave pattern on it, that is not designed for combat, the boy got ready to go back to Nozomi. Heading back to the place where the two separated, the boy looked around and began to slap his cheeks and took a deep breath. “hey calm down Momo.” The boy said to himself out loud, he was obviously very excited at how his day turned out to be.

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

Re: discovering some potential (Kanagaw Nozomi)

Telling him that she let him hit her might shatter his spirit and any emotional high he might be feeling right now, so she bit her tongue about revealing that bit of information. Strikes as slow as his were easy to counter and parry, but it wasn't his skill that she was measuring in that bout; it was his heart and desire to get stronger. The strength of the swings and his determination for that short period, even when things looked like it would fall out of his favor was what she valued more than anything else. Letting him hit her was just icing and the cake and his 'reward' for putting forth the effort and determination during the fight. What matters now is that her taking a little bit of damage would be enough to light a fire under his ass to give him something to strive for. While she could teach someone behind a desk how to do the basics of being a shinobi, she felt that this lesson was probably the best one she could teach.

The boy left with a cheery disposition, which caused a smile to tug at her lips. She nodded her head and kicked her feet causally across the ground. She began to whistle and turned to make her way back towards her own apartment. She had to take a shower, wash her hair, and get a fresh set of clothes on. Of course, due to her 'curse' she had to lug around that awfully large spear with her. It does, after all, house her soul so she is bound to the damn thing. Thankfully, she had a standing-up shower so she didn't need to bother bringing it in with her. Thankfully the spear didn't have eyes. She started to whistle a tune, one that was rather poppy; a song by the idol TK.

[Topic Left]
[I'll make a new topic for the food eating -- Gonna retcon my character a bit to match my current appearance -- just play it off as if she looked like that the entire time lol.
Feel free to invite others to join if you'd like]