Give the Guy a Break [Mission | Artura]

Mission:

The mist laid heavy over the village on this morning, the sun hardly able to shine through. Dirt softly crunched under Kazumi's foot with each step she took. She had managed to snatch a mission with a little more of a payout than what she normally could take, with the drawback of there being less room for error. It was a little harder to mess up picking trash off the shoreline than it was determining and keeping track of who all went in and out of the village. Though, perhaps it was that reason that she wouldn't be doing it all alone. She had been informed that she'd be carrying out this job for the day with someone else.

She had been told only their name, Artura Nyx. Not a person she was familiar with in any sense of the word, but nonetheless, she was glad to not be left to herself guarding the gate. Having someone there to catch you in the midst of a mistake and vice versa was never a bad idea. The gate she arrived at was a simple checkpoint situated in a valley between two mountains. As she approached, she could spot an older male, sporting a flak jacket with the Kirigakure insignia stitched into the back of its collar. He glanced back towards her, almost immediately letting out a sigh out of what seemed to be a relief. His turned head gave her a better look at his features, the most notable thing being the dark circles under his eyes, most likely due to sleepless nights having to work the gate so much.

He took a step towards the girl, chewing on what looked like a pen between his teeth. "You're my relief, right?" he asked, trying to hide his hopeful attitude behind a down-to-business persona. Kazumi would nod in response. The Chuunin let out another sigh, throwing his head back, muttering a thanks to whatever god was looking out for him. He looked back to the genin, giving her a slightly confused look, however. He raised a hand out of the pocket of his jacket, pointing towards her and then shifting his finger just to the side of her as he spoke. "Wasn't there supposed to be two of you?"

Artura had admittedly been somewhat caught up in her studies with her medical mentor, Seto, so much so that she had forgotten all about the fact she had been assigned to assist another Genin with guarding the village gates. Looking at a nearby clock, Artura suddenly came to the realization and rushed herself to get dressed into her uniform and leave the Doctor's Office with hardly a word toward her mentor who seemed to hardly even respond to the girl leaving, only nodding his head at her as she left the room.

The young Genin would rush herself through the streets in an uncharacteristically hurried manner, making her arrival at the gate what was likely a few minutes behind schedule and coming upon the other Genin along with the Chuunin who they were to be relieving for the night. Clearing her throat, Artura would approach the two and give them a professional smile as she bowed her head in apology before then speaking toward them:

"I apologize for that, I am afraid that I had been caught up by assisting my sensei with his research..." She would say with a small sigh, her smile fading briefly before it returned to her lips. "Though I doubt that hardly matters, seeing as you are now free to go." She would say toward the Chuunin and wait for him to either continue to stay and speak with the two or leave, in the latter case she would turn her attention onto the other Genin present.

"Kazumi-san, correct?" Artura would say toward the other Genin, giving a slight tilt of her head as she spoke. "I suppose that we have a long night ahead of us -- I hope that it is not too much of an inconvenience for your taste." She would add, slowly turning herself so that her back was to the Wall and she was facing the expansive area beyond it. "Though, I am sure we could pass the time in one way or another." She added with a small shrug, fiddling with one of the medals on her uniform as she waited for Kazumi to speak before going on to suggest activities they could pass the time with or starting another conversation.

[371 WC]
[20 EXP]

Yet another wave of relief came over the chuunin as Artura began to approach both him and Kazumi. Finally, he'd be able to an actual meal and some decent sleep. He gave a smile, though would give a few instructions before leaving the two girls to their job. "Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna fuckin' eat tonight. But, only big thing we got comin' today is a caravan, they should have their papers. All individuals that wanna come and go are 'sposed to have a handwritten pass, otherwise, don't lettem come in or leave."

That's what he'd leave the two genin with before taking his own, leaving the two girls to their work. As Artura addressed her by name, Kazumi would turn towards her, nodding in response to confirm her name. "Madam Artura?" she'd ask in response. Whether or not she'd get her own confirmation, she'd listen to the blonde nonetheless. She'd shake her head in response to her tastes being brought up. She didn't mind missions that boiled down to standing around for long periods of time and just waiting to see if something happened that required her to lift a finger. But, that didn't make it any less boring for her.

"I usually have trouble finding ways to make the time pass by myself," The Yuki girl admitted, taking up position beside Artura, her back to the wall as well. "It should be easier with the two of us though. What kind of things do you like to do in your free time?"

The day went by as scheduled, the two genin desperately making conversation to pass the long day. Kazumi, try as she might stick to the books, couldn’t bear to bring herself to turn away people who she felt wouldn’t bring harm into the village, correct paperwork or not. She tried to play it off so as to not draw Artura’s attention, whether she actually knew or not, the Yuki was unaware. By the time the cart came, the two took their time inspecting the carriage as well as the caravan owner’s papers. Artura had a more professional eye, whereas Kazumi tried to appear as professional as she could. Everything looked fine in her eyes, but she wouldn’t know exactly what she was looking for in the first place, besides the obvious hidden persons, weapons, or contraband.

The two waved the cart through and continued their day as normal, going back to making more desperate small talk until the night fell, a chuunin different from the one they had met to relieve during the afternoon waving towards them.

“Yo,” he said, lowering his hands and tucking them into the front pockets of his flak jacket. “You can go now, I got it from here.” he’d assure them. Kazumi turned her attention off of him and towards Artura, giving the blonde and small nod before speaking in her plain, flat tone.

“It was nice meeting, and I look forward to seeing you again, Madam Artura.”. With that, the two girls would go their separate ways into the village, Artura having taken the burden of reporting back to the Mizukage’s complex in order to report their shift by the gates.

[Exit]