Gathering Herbs

Gathering Herbs Mission:

Kiyomi waited outside of the local herb shop for her partner on this mission. According to what she was told the owners of the shop had a pretty bad fall and had to close the shop for a week to recover. This also caused them to not be able to pick the herbs the store needed and so they reached out to the village for help. It was a simple task one that could easily be done alone but more could be done with two people. Kiyomi would have rather her sister had worked with her but she didn't mind whoever would show up. It wouldn't be too much and she could gather a few flowers and herbs herself for her own use, so this would double as a win for the strawberry haired kunoichi. Inside the shop was quiet but her orders were to enter and grab a basket and book of herbs from inside.

Yoru looked at the slip of paper in his hand. He was set to re-do a mission he had done in the previous month, only this time it seemed he wouldn't be doing it alone. That surprised him a bit. He had been preparing so far to be working alone ahead of the Chunin Exams to scrape together cash. It seemed the Mizukage's office had finally decided to give him a break. Yoru headed out to the herb store in question, humming a little tune as he did so. It was a fine day to go hiking through the hills surrounding the village. Finally, he had someone to talk to and pass the time with instead of going through the motions in stoic silence.

Upon coming around the corner, Yoru would find a young woman, a beautiful one to boot, collecting an herb basket from the store in question. He had no doubt that this was indeed to be his partner. He smiled as he approached, "Good morning, I believe you and I are mission partners. My name is Yoru Slim. Who are you, young Chrysantheum?" He asked, stretching his hand out to shake and properly introduce himself to the allied shinobi. He'd pick up a basket too, slinging it over his shoulder. "I've done this mission before, I know a good spot to pick herbs. Careful though, if you see any mushrooms don't risk touching them. Trust me." He said, looking to his partner as he walked up besides her. He tried not to seem to weird, truly he did. It was his first time working with another Genin. He wanted to make a positive first impression!

Kiyomi didn't have to wait long before she spotted a red haired individual pop up into the store. A smile spread across her face as she assumed that this would be her partner and she assumed right as he introduced himself and stated his business. Kiyomi took note of the shock of red hair and for a second wondered if the man was perhaps of Uzumaki descent. The thought of course vanished quickly as she remember he did not hold the last name of Uzumaki. " Hello, my name is Kiyomi Uzumaki. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope we can finish this task quickly then if you are guiding me. " She took his hand and shook it when he offered it to her. Her delicate hand almost enveloped by his. Kiyomi would follow his lead when and if he did take it, her small stature next to his made it seem like he was older but she did not know. " I think I should be fine. I have quite the knowledge on our local and some foreign flora. " This was in fact true, as her mother was the one to teach her about them as a part of Kiyomi's introduction into being a medical ninja.

Yoru wasn't all that surprised when the girl introduced herself as an Uzumak, the red hair was a dead giveaway. A small, wry smile appeared on his face. He looked her over with a new gleam to his eye, "Ahh, so you are an Uzumaki, yes? What twist of fate this must be then, for so am I." He said, seeing more of the traditional clan aesthetics in her appearance now that he was up close. She was indeed more on the shorter side, but that was to be expected. What was she, like 16 years old probably? "I don't remember seeing the likes of you, though. Perchance we are cousins to some degree." He said, rubbing his chin and contemplating the idea over. He fled the clan compound when it was still insular and inwards focused to join the circus so his memories for faces and people he'd met in his youth were hazy. Maybe he knew her in his past, and maybe he didn't! "Well, nothing to it at the present, isn't it young Chrysantheum?" He asked, standing aside so she could lead them both to the spot that she had on her mind to gather herbs. "It's rare to meet a member of the clan who takes such an interest in the natural world instead of stuffy old seals. Are you a chemist or aspiring medical ninja by chance?" He asked, intrigued by his newfound partner as he walked along. He strolled about with a fairly lax look on his face, his eyes more looking half-closed than half-open, a glaze over look to them. "I take it you'll be entering in the Chunin Exams?" He asked as they walked.

[wrapping this up with solo posts since Kiyomi's player is dropping out of the mission]

Yoru smiled at Kiyomi, though the sound of a nearby bell chiming brought him out of his stupor. He looked up at the public clock on the nearby tower. Hmm, it was well into the day, they'd need to get on their way if they wanted to go out and gather herbs before nightfall. "Tell you what. Let's split up. I'll head to my usual spot and you head to yours. If we're lucky we'll get a good haul before nightfall comes around. I'll meet you back here tonight." He said, deciding to take command of their newfound situation. He bid Kiyomi farewell, turning to the main road and launching into a traditional shinobi sprint. He wanted to move fast, it would tarnish his reputation for future D-Rank missions if he failed to complete them in a timely manner! He had to be a master of minutiae! Finally, after an hour at most of running, Yoru would come to the countryside field that he'd gathered at the last time he'd taken this mission. "Ahhhh, well now, isn't that a sight?" He'd ask himself, surveying the field ahead of him, taking the whole scene in. These quiet moments like these were the ones he savored most. They made him feel alone, and yet somehow strangely connected to the land in a way.

Yoru walked around the field, a wrapping of cloth hooked over one shoulder before hooping down at his hip, creating a makeshift pouch for him to easily store herbs instead of lugging that big ol' basket around everywhere with him. It was pretty monotonous work. Time seemed to fly by as he went through the flowing coastal fields. It was draining too- he had to keep a vigilant eye out to tell which herbs were actually good and which ones were poisonous. He and Kiyomi had been assigned to get only medical ones, the kind that could be used for a fair amount of chemical remedies. Most of that was lost on Yoru at the time, though. Instead, his mind wandered far from that grassy field, thinking and reflecting on the recent days that he'd had in the lead up to the exams. His encounter with Chigetsu was by far the most memorable one, a sweet flower and one whom he was certainly sympathetic to. Beyond her though, well, he hadn't really talked to many others. His head had been left low to keep an eye on his work, particularly in regards to creating a number of high quality puppets that could help him in the upcoming exams. Shrine Maiden and Okumade were both strong creations, but at the end of the day, they were only 2- and if they were both temporarily destroyed then he'd be up a creek without a paddle for sure. It was a weakness he was aware of, and in a way, was actively working to mend. The more missions he took, the more puppets and upgrades he could pay for: his power was congruent to his level of wealth!

Time would pass, and before he knew it, Yoru had collected a large amount of herbs that were now pulling at his shoulder a fair bit. The red-head sighed, counting the herbs he had in his collection before nodding in approval. That would certainly cover him for the mission's requirements, he hoped that Kiyomi had been able to get a good haul whilst foraging around her personal grazing spot. For his part, Yoru would walk back to where he placed his basket, pouring all the herbs into it before picking it up and starting to walk back into town. He'd hum a slight song, watching the sky begin to dim and turn into a myriad of orange and purple colors. He had to admit, the sunset in Kiri was something else. The scene reminded him a tad of the night he'd fled the Uzumaki compound to join the circus, full of pink and orange and red in the sky. He smiled a tad at that as he crossed the threshold and re-entered the village, gradually making his way to the market. Once there, Yoru would go to the Chemist's shop and delivery his share of the medical herbs for the day. He noticed another basket already there, no doubt Kiyomi had already come and delivered her portion too. After the Chemist tallied the herbs, Yoru would give a small nod and leave the shop, heading home while the city started shutting down for the night. It was late, and after a long day of harvesting, Yoru was ready for some sleep!

+80 EXP [2 full mission posts + 3 solo mission posts + mission payout]
+10k Ryo