Kabuki.EXE

Name: Kabuki

Gender: Female

Element: Fire

Subtype: Wind

Appearance: Kabuki is a tall, female navi with a height of just over 6'2". Her flesh is not exactly "skin," but it has the same texture, with a brown, tan color. The major difference is that several of the "lines" of her skin are run through with black serrations, almost like carvings in wood, just slightly too thin to run one's pinky through. The insides glow based on her mood; as she becomes more passionate, they light up a vibrant red color. At the same time, her skin will become paler, resembling the white make-up mask of an actor. Her eyes are somewhat deep-set, fully pink and therefore a little eerie, but almond-shaped and expressive, allowing them to still seem pretty despite their oddness. The serrations that light around her face make it appear that she has red make-up on once they come on. Ear-guards are actually fixated to her head, containing her navi emblem, a red-and-white kabuki mask. Her hair is very long, black, and very straight, falling evenly over each shoulder. It too changes color when she's passionate, going from black to a vibrant red color and suddenly bristling, as if swept by wind. It resembles a kabuki actor's wig, at that point. She has outstanding womanly features, with breasts over-sized even for her height and a long, soft abdomen leading into curvaceous hips.

Her typical attire is very elaborate and eye-catching, consisting first of a long coat, patterned black and white in a pattern like closed, sharpened teeth, running vertically up the length of the front, from the bottom of her tunic to the broad shoulders atop. A gold cord around her waist wraps at her abdomen and holds her navi symbol as well. Gloves and boots with black-and-gold metal over cloth, patterned with matching black and white, cover her hands and feet. A light, salmon pink robe covers her body beneath the upper garments. The robe separates enough at the bottom to allow her to move her legs very freely, often revealing that she wears no leggings except for her socks and the thin, armor-plate boots. The robe is also somewhat low cut, which reveals that her breasts seemingly are unrestricted, besides the tunic and under-robe.

Like her operator, Yoshitsune, she stands very straight ordinarily but is capable of being extremely energetic, flexible, and mobile when she is feeling passionate. She loves posing and does it a lot. Her facial expression is serene, elegant, and the picture of an ideal wife's when she is inactive, but as soon as she gets the vaguest hint of excitement, she has a tendency to make exaggerated expressions that pervade her manners, poses, and even speech. She is capable of some truly bizarre expressions that have few uses. Her tongue is unusually long, but few have any reason to know that piece of trivia.

Personality: Kabuki has the fascinating ability to go from peaceful and unassuming to wild and crazy at a moment's notice, usually indicated by her hair and skin markings and perhaps trained by her life in theater. She enjoys putting people in awe and leaving them speechless, so she is not shy about hopping from one personality to the other. The red face-paint of a kabuki actor represents passion and heroism; she strives to uphold these same qualities in her daily life and loves being perceived as a hero, acting for the benefit of others and then soaking up the admiration she deserves for such acts. The world doesn't understand kabuki theater these days, but luckily, she is equally entertained by confusing others with Kabuki stylings. She's got a sisterly streak as well; she likes to care for others and see them succeed as much as she likes achieving her own glory. She especially cares for Yoshitsune, who she sees as a little brother... that said, she has a bit of a thing for younger men and often finds herself thinking improper thoughts about him, much like he does of her.

Kabuki doesn't flaunt her sexuality or intend to use it in most cases; she appears amazingly unaware or uncaring that her robe regularly exposes her considerable cleavage. Ever the romantic, she thinks she'll end up in a love-at-first-sight situation eventually, then things will flow as they will. She's thus never been involved in a romantic relationship, despite a craving for the lifestyle. While she acts the part of a crazy hero, she is unfortunately drawn to the exact same type of man, so they probably wouldn't be the ideal couple.

She admires the new, the bold, the wacky, and so forth. She sometimes appears to lack common sense, perhaps because she strives to be unpredictable in all that she does. She likes to exclaim things and make fancy poses whenever the opportunity presents itself (even sometimes when it really hasn't). She is more sensitive than her bold acting would suggest, but tries to keep on a good game face all the time regardless of circumstance. She would rather blame herself than blame others. Kabuki sometimes speaks too freely or easily about death and suicide, perhaps because of her history with the Blood-Red Hanamichi.

Background: Kabuki has worked in the Blood-Red Hanamichi for years, moving from odd job to odd job during their struggling times before settling into a non-essential mascot role. She became one of the few friends that Yoshitsune could rely on and thus became his sole confidant when it came time for him to leave home and begin his search for his own identity. She has relished the excitement and the sense of purpose, but less so the need for calculations, behind-the-scenes work, and arrangement that is necessary to make sure that Yoshitsune doesn't starve on the streets. His search for himself, whether she realizes it or not, has become something of an adventure for herself as well, as she has very little experience dealing with anything but theater operation.

While not a combat expert, Kabuki is skilled in many of the arts of her theater. "Chunori" allows her to easily maneuver around by using invisible wires attached to her clothing (or even her body), creating the impression that she can really fly. She can summon flames with her fan as well as wind currents. She's still learning new kabuki tricks for battle as she goes.

Custom Weapon: Kabuki's unfolds a red, hand-sized fan and waves it through the air, releasing a ball of fire from its paper surface. The fire trails upon the fan for a moment longer, before she closes it.

Sig Attacks (260/260):

(80)
Name: Mie!
Effect: 80 strengthen, 2 TCD
Description: A bold pose that signifies a call to action, both warning enemies of an attack and firing up herself and allies alike. One leg is extended forward, stomping powerfully to the ground, before rotating the head stiffly, locking eyes with an opponent, and bending both elbows to 90 degree angles, pointing one palm at the enemy and the other towards the heavens (the net sky?). A flash of red light bursts from the serrations in Kabuki's skin, providing a brief boost of strength.

(80)
Name: Seri Elevator
Effect: Burrow then Split: (Movement/Feint) then Split: (Movement/Feint), 2 TCD
Description: Replaces the floor beneath Kabuki with one of her familiar seri contraptions, a small panel capable of descending an actor beneath the stage. Once beneath the floor, she has a small range of movement before the elevator panel re-emerges above the net floor. Unfortunately, some kinds of floors make it impossible to install an elevator, presumably those created by web designers who hate art. Sometimes, the elevator hitches while moving beneath the floor, making the motion more erratic and difficult to predict, but ultimately less effective at moving Kabuki around. Another actress might look into getting that fixed, but Kabuki is working on a budget.

(80)
Name: Hayagawari Change
Effect: 80 HP Planar Casing, 2 TCD
Description: Uses hayagawari technique, allowing unseen forces to spin thread into a new outfit, non form-fitting and loose, but awfully resplendent. The new costume is fitted over the old one and defends its recipient from incoming attacks, but its properties depend on the stage upon which its wearer acts. The taking on of a new costume represents adopting a new character, and thus, the re-introduction of the wearer should be appropriately dramatic. Kabuki will be disappointed if it isn't!

(20)
Name: Hiki Dogu: Hellscape
Effect: Create Medium-Area Coal Terrain, 1 TCD
Description: A portion of the floor slides away and is instantly replaced by a new landscape, which slides in behind it; the stage is covered in hot, ashy coal and flickering embers like scattered petals flicker across its surface. This can be used to burn enemies or just as often to provide Kabuki with some noteworthy scenery before she starts another shouting match. Only fire navis should act upon this stage.

GMOs

Kuchisake-onna (Gifted)

This costume is designed primarily with a traditional kimono, in deep red material, with a white trim and flowing silver needlework decorating it in curling patterns. There's nothing actually under this kimono, but that shouldn't really be an issue, right? The hair style is unmodified, and will be whatever Kabuki keeps it as, although the outfit comes with a cloth face mask that ties at the side and covers the entire lower half of her face and neck. Underneath the mask, Kabuki's normally exaggerated grin is embellished even further, by way of a wicked, unhealed gash on either side that looks quite grotesque. When activated, the costume also comes with a pair of large, sharp medical scissors.