Test Drive Post!

[sunshinemods]

Sunshineverse

Okay everyone, it's time to test some people out! The rules of the game are simple. You have a character you would like to try out as a native to the setting of this game. You want to see if this is the right setting to play said character in, right? Well, then all you have to do is drop them into this post as a top level comment with this as the header: Character name | Series (OC's just put Original here) | Planned Village Affiliation Then you comment around and play with everyone else! If you need some ideas on how to get started, you can drop your character in during the middle of a mission, have them at an eatery around their village, or maybe even just doing weapons practice. It's up to you how you want to set out, so feel free to put your characters in this version of the Naruto universe however it most seems appropriate. Just be sure to say where you put them somewhere in your post though, otherwise two people might not even be threading in the same country. One last thing! Remember that your character was born in this universe, so whatever else you decide, your character is a world native, even if they might be a tourist in the village you decided to test them out on. And that's it. Just be good to each other and have fun! Threads you do here can count toward future activity checks, so long as the person you're threading with gets in too. These threads can also be used for samples on your application. Locations General Info Characters World ♦ Main Community ♦ Message Community ♦ OOC Community ♦ Premise ♦ Rules ♦ F.A.Q. ♦ Character History FAQ ♦ Taken ♦ Applications ♦ Nationality Guide ♦ Country Navigation ♦ Sunshine Timeline ♦ Backstory List ♦ Maps

Comments

Hoshigaki Kisame | Naruto | Let's go with still loyal to Kiri. For now

[noboatbigenough]

On paper it was a simple diplomatic mission. There were documents to be delivered and looked over, then signed and sealed, and sent back to Kirigakure. Really, the important details had been poured over, argued over, and refined to the point that this was more like a courier mission.

Not the kind of mission a Kiri jounin would be sent on, much less one of the Seven Swordsmen. Not that Kisame was dressed as anything other than the standard jounin at the moment, and Samehada, with great protest from the blade, was waiting for him back in Kiri. He had a scroll to summon it to him, in case of very dire need, but it was a point of pride in his skills, and one too many kids eying him like they expected him to drop dead, that Kisame wouldn't be summoning Samehada any time soon. He wore an oodachi on his back instead for this mission, nameless to outsiders, but just as deadly as one of the feared seven blades in his hands.

He might even get to use it, because on paper, this was a simple mission, but Kiri thrived on lies, and as much as Kisame wished otherwise, he was still neck deep in them. Kisame was to observe--not quite spying, not out loud--and report back anything "interesting," while walking around the place as an average foreign jounin bored from a too-easy mission. He suspected he was also a test of the local shinobi's alertness and readiness, but that part hadn't been put into so many words.

On paper here, he was Hoshigaki Kajiki, average jounin of a fading clan, distant relative to the great and terrible Monster of Kirigakure, and Kisame wondered how many would actually fall for that. He would hope no one he'd actually met (fought) would mistake him for anyone else, and he wasn't going to stoop to more than clothing changes for this mission.

Well, this would either go very badly or it would go exceedingly well, and if Kisame got a fight, he didn't think he'd care which. He held back his grin to something a little more respectable and took strides further into the village. "Interesting," was it? What would he find to report back on here?

So excited you have no idea.

[abileunaspada]

No.

She was under a civilian guise (which was a little hard when you were half blinded but it wasn't a big deal), but it didn't stop Adela from stopping in her tracks and staring at the strange man down the street. She was on this mission solo, under cover for a brief while to gain some intel in the surrounding villages, but this... This wasn't something she was prepared for. That was a Kirigakure ninja, and if he was alone in Fire Country it was likely that he was at least Chuunin rank, if not greater.

The lingering fear that he was possibly sent to come after her specifically made the girl sick to her stomach, and she stumbled where she stood. Adela was barely still standing, feeling queasy at the moment. True, under her clothes and in a small pouch on her waist she was still armed, but she felt too damn naked dressed as a civilian without her sword. And if this guy really was here for her...

No. She was thinking too much into it. Trying to fend off her sudden dizziness, she assured the shop keep she was talking to that she was just a little tired and tried to head back to her inn, hoping beyond hope that she hadn't been noticed.

It would help if she hadn't walked right past him to get there, but then again it'd just be more suspicious if she ran, but maybe she should have run -- what if he already knew? No, that was stupid, no one could know on sight, she could pass for an Uzumaki, right? Right. That was only if they thought she was a ninja too, she was supposed to be a civilian... Gods what was that name again? She had to remember fast, but getting back to the room to just rest would probably be good.

Who's arm did she just bump into? She didn't care, getting out of there was more important.

poor girl. she's only making things worse for herself

[noboatbigenough]

It looked like he didn't need to wait long before things got interesting. The freeze, and then the stumble caught his attention like a bird of prey zeroing in on the heartbeat of a mouse. Kisame slowed without faltering a beat to focus more on her. She was throwing off fear like it was a careless daimyo's wealth.

This would be too easy, and he was curious. Had this kid had bad experiences with Kiri before? Probable, but Kisame would need to research. He put on one of his less... intimidating smiles and grabbed her arm when she all but barreled into him. So scared she didn't even realize how close she'd gotten probably.

The motion was to steady, but the grip just a shade tighter than most helpful grips should be. "Take it easy there, kid. What if you'd startled me, eh?"

He didn't even pretend not to be a little dangerous; even civilians knew shinobi could have a hair-trigger when surprised.

Sob she totally is.

[abileunaspada]

The grip almost had her reaching for a weapon that wasn't there, and she had to take a breath and mask the movement as covering her mouth -- and, in all fairness, she really felt like she wanted to puke. It took her a moment before shaking her head, clearly nervous as she glanced up to meet his eye.

"Sorry. Should've been more careful. Need to rest, getting sick," The words were hurried, almost murmured amongst the town bustle. The tug was timid, weak as she tried to free her arm - starting something in the middle of town was bad, and if she wanted to pull of the civilian guise -- actually being sick like this, this paralyzing fear, the small shred of logic in her mind that her panicking might have been a blessing in disguise.

But, unfortunately, the paranoia in her was still too much for her to ignore, and she tried as much as she could to just stay calm. True, he was a ninja, that just confirmed her suspicious, but at the same time... No, there was no guarantee that she was in trouble. She'd just wait for him to let go, so that she could go, and hopefully he'd leave her alone...

[noboatbigenough]

Who did she think she was fooling? Kisame wasn't quite sure what that movement had been before it became covering her mouth, but this girl was terrified, not sick.

"If you're sick, kid, it's from fear. What makes you so afraid of me, eh?" He didn't let go, because why waste the energy on a chase when she ran, but he loosened his grip a little.

"I'm not here as an enemy, but here you are, acting like I'm the Demon himself." He was quite curious now, and would pursue it until she cracked, or put up too much of a scene. He wasn't even giving out any killing intent, and here she was quivering like a little leaf. There was something, actually, tugging at him. A memory, perhaps.

[silverterror]

The last thing he'd expected to see when he stopped for a meal on his way back home was Kisame.

Kisame dressed down in Kiri uniform instead of in his typical attire. And missing his blade. He had no idea how the man could stand to be out and about without his blade. He definitely couldn't fathom the idea of being without Masamune, that's for certain. Though to be fair there was no distance too far for him to draw that sword through the earth if he felt the need so that was far and gone beside the point.

Blinking, he took the last bite of his lunch and got to his feet to approach, head tilted in bewilderment why the man would even be here. "Hoshigaki?"

[noboatbigenough]

Kisame recognized that blade, and the silver hair of the man that wielded it. To say he was surprised to see a fellow from Kiri here would be exaggerating, but he spared a moment to wonder just what mission had brought the other man so far. In Kiri the only way not to drown in all the lies and deception was to keep fingers in every pot, as it were, and Kisame didn't clearly remember another mission besides his current one that would have brought someone here.

On the other hand, he was only one shinobi, and it was impossible to know everything, so Kisame internally shrugged and stepped forward to meet the other man on his path of approach. He gave a nod in return, the ever present and slightly murderous smile he'd become known for firmly in place.

"Sephiroth-san, what a surprise. Did you annoy Mizukage-sama too?"

It was an easy enough misdirection, but it left a bitter taste in his mouth as always. Would he never be free of the lies? Probably not, at this point. Maybe he should have gone on his first instinct and went for murdering the Mizukage all those years ago. He wouldn't have survived, but it would have been honest.

[silverterror]

He gave him a small frown and let out a scoff. He could share his business without sharing his business, it didn't bother him. It's not as though he was worried that someone would act against him. And Hoshigaki had always been one of the more tolerable people in Kiri after Nightroad had defected. "No. I'm just headed back toward home the long way. I have some stops I want to make before I have to go back to Kiri."

Though, given how often he'd been taking missions away lately, the other man probably didn't realize it was by request.

OH MY GOD ITS BEEN AGES HELLOOOOO

[heavenly_earth]

He had the look of a savage, Neji decided with a frown. But that was on par with the general impression of Kirigakure. Nothing outwardly suspicious otherwise, if the blue skin and inhuman facial features could be ignored. The shinobi at the village gate had ensured the man's papers were in order and normally, he might have left it at that. But he was ANBU now, and he knew better than to ignore intuition by now.

And a quick once-over through the Byakugan revealed a startling amount of chakra- on par with perhaps even Kushina. Internal warning bells prompted him to take an unseen trip back to headquarters and as he changed into his normal attire, deliberated the merits of bringing up his concerns. But they couldn't afford to get edgy over every foreign visitor, and he was a relatively new recruit. No, there was a good way to handle this.

Neji left headquarters and effortlessly found the man again through his sheer volume of concentrated chakra, watched him from afar for a few more moments to remind himself to be careful. He had a decent in at least, having worked as Temari's escort for months now, and Kajiki appeared very interested in his surroundings- looking like it may be his first visit within the walls. Deactivating the Byakugan, Neji dropped to the ground to approach him from a far more casual angle.

Lifting his hand in a mild wave, Neji walked up to him with a smile.

"Hoshigaki-san, welcome to Konoha. I'm Hyuuga Neji, and I've been assigned as your escort for the duration of your visit. Please inform me if there's anything you need while you're here."

[noboatbigenough]

Kisame was sure that the moment he was through the gates he was being watched. They'd be fools if they didn't keep a close eye on a foreign jounin--oh, but if they knew--within their walls, but he had to admit the watchers were pretty good.

That is until the kid dropped to the ground not quite far enough away and walked up smiling. Kisame would bet it was as fake as his own smile in return. Hello there, little watcher. To be so bold was a sign of either arrogance, or concern. He idly went through ways he could shake the kid off, but decided against it. He wasn't here to cause a scene, but to observe. And those eyes. If the blank eyes hadn't been obvious enough, they came with a name he recognized. He hadn't gone against any Hyuuga personally, but the reputation had carried far. Ao, ornery as he was, had proven useful enough on missions forced together, and his stolen eye apparently saw chakra. As the information gathered had proven useful, Kisame was inclined to believe it wasn't exaggeration, and suddenly he had a good idea why he suddenly had a close up escort from so worthy a family.

His chakra outclassed even some of the JInchuuriki, and while Hoshigaki tended to have impressive chakra, Kisame had made a name for himself with his, ridiculously large even for the clan as it was. Now, was it mere caution, or did this kid suspect Kisame was more than he appeared? This was certainly interesting!

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Neji-kun. First, I have to deliver some documents, and then I must wait while the documents are checked over and signed by all the appropriate parties. So the quicker I find--"

Kisame made a show out of digging into his pouch for the mission scroll. He'd memorized it on sight, but he was curious to see if the kid would call him on his apparent carelessness. He just handed the scroll over, almost biting his tongue to keep from laughing, or spitting invectives for not immediately denouncing the lie, to continue the careless act. The scroll itself held only what had already been given to Konoha, and nothing outwardly amiss except perhaps that the mission was a little highly ranked for what it was.

[heavenly_earth]

Neji was used to the attention on his eyes from foreign shinobi, but Kajiki took on a different, subtly unnerving kind of interest. The kind more interested in the mechanics behind the eyes rather than the abilities themselves. Next to a man of this size and chakra density, he was putting himself in a dangerous position. But it was a close one, and that's where his specialties lay. If this Kajiki tried anything, he'd be able to react swiftly and precisely.

His smile tugged into a frown as the visitor rifled through his belongings, and kept a careful watch on his hands. From looking at his entry papers earlier himself, he knew this man was a Jounin- though far from 'average' with a chakra pool that size. He was a seasoned one, if Neji was any good with ages and general impressions. But he said nothing against him, because he was playing escort himself and it was his 'job' to remain professional and courteous. So he smiled again with a nod and accepted the scroll as though nothing was amiss, then subtly fed a tiny bit of chakra into the binding to assure it was nothing dangerous.

"Thank you, Hoshigaki-san." Deeming the documents safe, he tucked the scroll within one of his sleeves. "In that case, we'll submit this to the administrative building and with any amount of fortune, the documents will be processed for you to return fairly quickly."

[problemdaimyo]

Whatever he found would probably be...not very interesting, actually. The Land of Noodles was a prosperous nation, and for years there have been rumors of a developing shinobi village hidden somewhere on the island...but in practice it's nothing but a quiet civilian nation abnormally focused on the creation of noodle-related items.

But it's polite not to say 'abnormally so' while within the borders.

The message was most likely some sort of amendment to the current trade agreement between the Land of Noodles and Kiri, because there's very little else that could be an important document sent to the daimyo of such a small nation as the Land of Noodles.

If he was expecting to be able to wander freely until being ushered in to meet with the daimyo, however, he...would have been disappointed. The daimyo himself tended to frequently wander the capitol whenever he could escape the grip of his counselors, and that was what he was in the process of currently. Wandering and socializing with villagers, that was, not escaping. He'd already managed that.

The sight of an unfamiliar jounin (his uniform indicated...Kirigakure?) pulled the daimyo up short, however, and he turned his attention and his path toward the towering man (he was even slightly taller than Hotohori himself: quite impressive) instead of the tea shop he'd been considering a moment before.

"A visitor to the Land of Noodles...?"

[noboatbigenough]

Ah, but interesting was a relative term. Kisame was very interested. He'd read the various intelligence reports on Noodles and its recent history. He wasn't sure if he should believe the rumors of home grown shinobi here or not, but he was prepared for everything, and one piece of intelligence was now proven very true. So the daimyo did mingle among his people. He liked this one better than his own daimyo already--of course he'd threatened to pull out that one's lying tongue and feed it right back on more than one occasion, so it wasn't that much of a feat.

Kisame bowed politely, and made sure his speech and tone showed the appropriate deference. This one, at least, looked like he actually deserved it. "On official business. I have documents to deliver that I'm sure you'll want to look at. Of course, I wouldn't want to interrupt you if official business isn't on your agenda right now, and I don't mind looking around and sampling the sights and other things."

[problemdaimyo]

Ah, the Kiri message. Had it been today it was meant to arrive? What a shame to happen, one one of the few fair weather days of the season. He'd be necessarily shut up in the palace all day listening to the counselors debate about what to demand and what to give in response to the trade amendments.

"Ah...to pretend neither of us have seen each other and continue on our ways until others come to collect me for business?" Under normal circumstances he'd insist on less formal behavior from a shinobi, but while addressing such official business it would be an insult to Kiri to do so. Still, he gave a soft sigh of disappointment. At a time he'd managed to escape so easily...he would almost suspect his counselors expected him to encounter this shinobi and be dragged back immediately. But that was unlikely.

He offered the shinobi a small, but pleasantly professional, smile. "Never fear. I would never do such a thing to an envoy of Water. However, it would be inappropriate to accept such documents here where I am unprepared to handle them. If you'll accompany me to the palace the Land of Noodles will happily receive the documents. If you wish, you are still welcome to stay and experience what sights and attractions there are to be found here afterward, as well."

I'm some kind of terrible.

[vagabondvessel]

...No.

There did not exist a world in which Utakata the rogue jinchuuriki of the mist would willingly approach the Monster of the Mist. Obviously someone up top had gotten impatient to send that thing in his direction. Or the swordsman had nothing to do with his presence (Utakata rarely believed that).

Either way, he was uninterested in that particular battle. As soon as he spotted the gigantic shark, he smoothly turned away from the path he had been talking, and turned down a smaller road winding...who knew where in the city.

He wasn't a fool. As soon as he would have vanished from the monster's sight (were he ever in it) he broke into a dead run. Which was a very apt description of himself if he managed not to slither away from that one safely.

also beautiful. This will probably end horribly ;D

[noboatbigenough]

Kisame was observing, and of course a man suddenly doing an about turn as soon as reaching the edges of his vision would attract attention. That counted as interesting, eh?

Perhaps if his mission hadn't been to look into things he might not have cared to follow, but this was information gathering, and he had to at least investigate. So casually as ever he could, Kisame changed direction to follow, keeping a respectable tailing distance.

...and didn't see hide nor hair of the man who'd caught his attention. Well now! That could only mean one thing. Only someone with a good reason would dare run from a shinobi. Didn't this man know it was a sure fire way to attract attention?

Kisame took to the roof at full speed and searching for his new target. The thrill of a chase had him grinning and loosening his sword for an easy draw as he ran.

It tends to, for Utakata

[vagabondvessel]

Ah...damn. He did have the hope that simply vanishing from the beast's field of vision quickly enough would prevent it from locking its attention onto him. Ordinarily, he'd have found a subtler exit...but getting closer to Kisame of the Mist would only make escape that much worse should he be identified.

His sensory abilities were limited without the use of bubbles, but he could still tell that a source like the Monster of the Mist's chakra was closing distance between them, not increasing it.

He didn't really believe that he would outrun the great shark so easily, once the man started to pursue him, but any confrontation between them (before he escaped, because he had no intention of having a fight to the death with someone like him) would be...messy. Having it inside the village would put him at a disadvantage, and make it more difficult to vanish when the time came. And if the time came that he had to use that...it would be better not to do it around others. There would only be more people following him then.

He ducked into an alley to get his bearings without stopping in the middle of the street, and brought his blower to his lips, sending out a small flock of bubbles into the surrounding area to alert him of when the shark got into range. He would have liked to make them explosive, but with so many people around, most would only explode where they would do no damage to his pursuit.

...Now. If he understood his position correctly...he would have to start running east if he wanted to get out of the village and into the surrounding forest as quickly as possible. Or, if he was lucky (he never was), Kisame was still far enough behind him that he could activate his stealth jutsu and slip away without some other distraction in place first.

[thelittleprincess]

One such 'interesing' might be a little girl—she was, in fact, thirteen but appeared much younger than the average Leaf gen in these days—set up just inside an open training ground and carefully maintaining a staggering array of daggers, ranging from the size of a pinky to the size of a forearm, and all of them forged from the same dark metal. If he was familiar at all with the work of Kiri's Milani clan, he might recognize it.

If he was familiar with Sephiroth's work, he would definitely recognize it.

Either way, a genin in frills and bows was a jarring juxtaposition to the small, lethal collection. Her hands were quick and steady, however, going through the maintenance for each weapon with near machine-like efficiency. There were two more blades on her person but they were older, obviously originally meant for somebody much larger, and sheathed. She had taken care of those first.

[noboatbigenough]

To Kisame, the young age didn't even make him blink. Perhaps, if he had known Konoha better, it might have stood out, but he was more than used to the very young decked out and training. And well used to deceiving appearances--the Mizukage wasn't nearly as young as he looked, after all.

What was interesting, was the blades. He recognized Milani work very well--his own substitute was one of theirs, because Kisame wouldn't handle anything less than excellent if he couldn't have his own Samehada--and the sight was enough to drag him closer.

"Nice collection, kid. You take care of them very well." Kisame's respect of blades came through more than enough in his voice and expression. He itched to touch, but knew better than to encroach on another ninja's arsenal.

Insert fangirling, then lots of poking and prodding

[ninjaindianajones]

It was a blessed day off and Mika had decided to grab some kitchen supplies and cat food. She should have gone straight back home after but she lingered on the streets. Maybe it was the cute little cat toys she'd seen earlier at the craft shop, it was just past this road--

Her wandering mind picked up on something odd, eyes glanced to the left and a very tall blue figure grabbed her attention. Where had she seen someone like that before? Taking off after the man, she racked her brain for details. Mika remembered a clan noted for their oddly fish like appearance. Kiri nin...

Hashigapi? Hoshizaki? Kappi..something?

It wouldn't do for her to not recall something this important! Mika prided herself on researching clan mutations, alongside her other anthropological projects. [Though frankly she knew little for any given clan considering how well guarded such information was.] This had to be corrected, swiftly.

Despite the invisible bubble that seemed to exist around the man Mika walked right up to him, easily keeping pace. "Excuse me, you're from Kirigakure? Are you by chance from the um, Hoshi...gako clan?" It really was on the tip of her tongue yet it didn't sound right to her. She hoped he wouldn't be offended by such forgetfulness!

[noboatbigenough]

Kisame was more amused than surprised at the kunoichi coming up to him so closely, and even excited. This one didn't have nearly enough self-preservation, but she'd lived this long, so maybe she had skills that compensated.

He laughed, and subtly lengthened his strides a little, not quite hurrying, but enough to make shorter people have to scramble to keep up. Would she make the effort was the question.

"One, you shouldn't ask obvious questions, eh?" He tapped his hitai-ate in demonstration, very obviously wearing Kiri's sign. "And two, I'll give you a hint. Most of the old clans in Kirigakure have names relating to fruit."

Sure he could have simply corrected her, but where was the fun in that?

[ninjaindianajones]

She'd hope that he didn't try something in the middle of the street! Mika's curiosity would likely end up getting her killed, she already had a smattering of scars from past recklessness. She's like a cockroach, surprisingly hardy and too stubborn to die.

There wasn't an issue with matching his pace. Mika was ridiculously tall for a woman and had long legs. Standing at 181 cm, she was on the short end in the family. He'd have to do more than walk briskly to shake her off.

"Mm, you're right! You definitely are from Kiri..." Silly questions are a specialty of hers. "Oh, fruit.." The only thing close to what she was thinking was--

"Hoshigaki then?" How could she forget?! "Sorry, ne, sometimes I get names mixed up. I'll remember that Hoshigaki-san.~"

Unnamed village hidden in suspicious brats

[not_thedragon]

It was perhaps unfair for Sasuke to wonder exactly why Kiri-nin were suddenly crawling all over the place, but given Adela's cousin this past summer and the missing- and hunter-nin they'd run into just last month, he wasn't past chalking this up to conspiracy. He'd split from his teammate for this mission just a few hours ago, both of them canvassing two different towns for a likely spot to gather information, but he was beginning to wish he had backup.

Not that there was any formal call for aggression between a Kiri-nin and Konoha-nin whose paths just happened to cross in an out-of-the-way town. Outside of the borders of both their villages and countries, this was probably neutral ground on technicality.

Still, Sasuke kept his chakra suppressed as he trailed the tall (and blue, which was apparently not weird in these parts) man's steps, keeping to crowded areas in order to have the excuse of souvenir-shopping if he was spotted.

[noboatbigenough]

Kisame was very used to tails, being that there was usually at least one ANBU dogging his steps in Kirigakure proper, and it didn't take him long to notice the same ... hair in all the places he was wandering around seemingly aimlessly in.

He let the tail follow him a little longer without giving sign of being aware, because he wasn't doing anything but checking out shops and the other amenities the town offered. He was technically supposed to move on quickly, and probably shouldn't have chosen to travel on foot, but that was excusable enough--wouldn't want to get soft!--and there wasn't a time limit on the documents themselves. But the tail was sticking with him, and it was getting tedious.

He'd just have to lose the tail, or force a confrontation. The first was more subtle, but the last was more fun. He'd have to consider how to do it carefully though, so to give himself time to think, Kisame ducked into a promising looking cafe. He went right to one of the tables near the back wall, so that he could watch all the exits with his back fairly protected, like many shinobi would do, and ordered a cup of tea while he considered the small menu.

While perusing, he kept an eye on the window, wondering how his tail would deal with this development. The servers all seemed nervous, but that would probably mean faster service so Kisame carefully ignored their frightened glances and whispering.

Mm, they were offering what could be a tasty fish dish, but this far from the ocean... Kisame decided on simple soba instead, and order made, sat back, for all appearances with eyes closed, to wait.

Now what, little shadow-san?

[not_thedragon]

Well, that was as good as a sign that Sasuke needed to come clean or come up with a damn good lie. He'd gotten good marks in subterfuge most in the 'sneaks and hides' department, not so much the 'telling convincing lies' department, but every shinobi needed to practice the skill at some point.

Then again, neutral territory with another shinobi from a village at peace with Konoha (however tenuously) was probably as good a place as any to simply admit to trailing the stranger. That, and if this Kiri-nin were anything like the ones he'd run into so far, he'd be wasting his time being anything other than direct, anyway. Sasuke stepped into the shop with the thought and nodded briefly at the front of house, heading directly for the man's table.

He pulled out the chair across from the man, with enough scraping of chair-legs to wake any ninja from a slumber, and sat. Arms loosely folded, he waited to see what response the change in tactic was likely to provoke.