Dinner with Sensei

Kameko was waiting at a table inside of a middling quality barbecue restaurant. The genin had sent a letter to Masuyo requesting for her to meet Kameko there so the two of them could talk. She had been out of action for some time, stricken by a sudden illness that forced her inactivity. Only the last few days had she been up and moving around, though only small amounts. Today was the first time she had stepped outside the temporary district her clan had been allowed to setup within the village, and that was because she was absolutely starving. Hardly any food had passed her lips for weeks, and this combined with her illness really showed on her body. Ribs were visible, her womanly features had shrank noticeably (all of them, sadly), bags sat heavy under her eyes, her skin was pale, and she in general looked absolutely exhausted. But her eyes gleamed with new life, happy she hadn't followed her father to the grave so quickly.

Already she had ordered a platter of beef ribs and half a pork loin with various vegetables, condiments, and sauces to go with them. If Masuyo got here soon, she'd be in time to indulge in the meal with Kameko. And hurry she should, because if she didn't then Kameko would likely devour everything set in front of her with absolutely no shame.

The one bright side to her having been sick is she got to study up on a lot of things while in bed. She had learned quite a lot utilizing Konohagakure's library, including a bit about the political climate. Ever since becoming clan head in title rather than in essence, she had dedicated herself to learning more about the world. It was an absolute necessity, but she had made room for other things as well. She felt confident in her ability as a poison maker and as an enchanter now, thinking it likely that she would be able to do some high end stuff now rather than the little bits of dabbling she had been doing before. After a few minutes, the food began to arrive with no sight of Masuyo. Kameko rubbed her hands together, ready to dig in...

Masuyo received a notice from Kameko some time in advance about meeting at an establishment. Of course since Masuyo had been in Konoha she immediately became adept with the various eateries within. It did not take much thought to understand she was being invited to lunch, something she graciously accepted. Having the day marked on her calendar she mentally prepared herself for the luncheon. It had been quite some time since she had last seen Kameko. She ended up adopting a couple new Konoha Genin, which surprisingly seemed to mesh well with Taichi.

Today was like any other day, despite the fact she had the day requested off for this particular occasion. Her dress stayed the same for various reasons. Her footwear consisted of standard black sandals fitted for comfort and security. With the toes and heel left exposed they provided additional balance, while the rest of the foot up to the ankle was protected by the thick nylon material of the sandal. The soles of the sandals are reinforced with hardened material to resist heavy impacts and weathering. She wore a pair of loose fitting black pants with the bottoms near her ankles taped securely in white bandage wrap. This provided balance and reinforcement to her ankles while closing off the ends of her pants. In addition, more bandage wrap was wrapped around her right thigh which allowed a navy blue holster to be strapped over comfortably. Around her waist she wears the basic utility belt which carries two green holsters on her right side along with a tool pouch around her back side and a canteen to the far left.

A black mesh shirt is worn under a common long sleeve black top having a red seal of fire placed on the outsides of each sleeve towards the upper arm. Over that was a fitted green flak jacket provided by Konoha's armory. The jacket was zipped up and secure firmly on her body. Worn on both arms were a pair of custom crafted arm guards gifted to Masuyo. The banded steel design covered the backs of her hands to her elbows leaving a soft spot of leather to allow wrist movement. Around her neck Masuyo wears her forehead protector as a collar. The black cloth is tied in a knot around the back side of her neck with the steel plate facing the front for identification. The steel plate has Konoha's emblem engraved on the front. Masuyo has straight black hair which extends down to her mid back. Two strands of hair drop down touching her chest which leads into her bangs, those being cut shorter and swept to the side. She stands at 5'9 weighing approximately 145 lbs. Her fair skin is complimented with her voluptuous form which is completed with a pair of hazel eyes

She arrived at the eatery just five minutes before she was told to arrive, punctual as always. Entering the establishment she did a quick glance around the room picking up the blonde with the familiar face. She approached the table where she was seated, inviting herself into one of the available seats, if not the only available seat. "Boy, you don't look so go. Something wrong?" She said out of sheer curiosity. She had not kept tabs on Kameko since their arrival. As far as she knew there was a lot of work to be done with settling her clan down, so she left her to handle that as she settled in herself. The girl was noticeably ailing since she last seen her. Less body fat and features of stressed. She looked horrible. Consider Masuyo was older she appeared in much better shape than Kameko. But to her assumption this emancipation would pass given time.

A familiar voice caught Kameko's ear as the food began to arrive. The Amandi clan head glanced over to the entrance to see Masuyo in a rather casual getup than what she was used to seeing her sensei in. And of course, the first thing Masuyo said to her was 'hello'. Er, wait, no, that's wrong. It was a comment on how bad she looked, drawing a look of irritation from the genin. "Hello to you too, Masuyo sensei. I'm glad to see you, too," Kameko said with more than a tinge of sarcasm in her voice in response to her sensei's greeting. The food arrived as Masuyo sat down, the delicious platters of meat and all the fixings still steaming.

Kameko immediately took a knife from the table and began piling a bit of everything onto a plate. Soup, noodles, and rice were brought out soon after with Kameko gleefully adding more to her plate. "Dig in!" She expected her sensei to do so, as her love of food was obvious from the few times they had interacted with each other.

After a few bites, Kameko would finally answer her sensei's initial question. "Yeah, I got really sick right after my dad died," she began, briefly pausing as her thoughts turned towards her father. "And I had to run the clan too, almost put myself on my deathbed honestly. But I'm over the bad parts now, just gotta recover my strength and I should be okay. Had a lot of time to read though, so that's a plus." The genin stopped and gorged herself on a bit more food, primarily pork loin and fried rice, before continuing the conversation.

"How about you, Masuyo sensei? Has Konoha been treating you well since we arrived here?" Kameko picked up the jug of sake sitting on the table and offered some to Masuyo with a gesture while simultaneously shoving another bite of pork loin into her avaricious maw. Whether Masuyo accepted or not, Kameko would fill her cup before setting the jug down and taking a good drink from the porcelain container. She wasn't really one to drink, but the last few weeks had given her more than a good enough cause to do so. The thought of finding a drug less harmful and addicting than opium crossed her mind, but it wasn't like there was some plant you could grow that made you happy and hungry and less stressed. And even if there WAS, the village would probably ban it to protect the kids from it. Maybe she'd just have to make something like that, she was sure it'd be a huge hit.

Masuyo was a bit surprised to see Kameko in her state, her reaction letting her know she was well aware of her situation regarding her appearance. She did not let it bother her much. Kameko suffered more than a lack of care in her hygiene. To have lost as much body fat and look like a fifty year old woman indicated she suffered from severe stress, something Masuyo was oddly free from despite her high rank in the military branch. She was certainly no strategist and had no administrative duties like she did in Iwagakure. Nonetheless she was able to manage her stress relatively easy, something her students have no grasped yet.

Before the conversation could move forward a large quantity of food made its way to their table. Jackpot! She squealed to herself as her fists clenched and arms bracing themselves against her bosom like an excited school girl. That was a steady balance of cooked vegetables, carbs, and protein. The meal was suitable for her tastes. "And I thought you lived off candy." She said jokingly. Taking a seat she filled her portions faster and greater than Kameko's-- one would mistake Masuyo for being the starved shut-in. The two would silence each other temporarily with food, them understanding the importance of chowing down over chit-chat. Masuyo would broadly grab a heap of noodles from her plate that was dedicated for chow mein as she shoveled them in her mouth, the Jounin consuming enough to keep her briefly satisfied.

This allowed her to tune into Kameko, the Jounin looked up at the blonde as she worked on chewing her food and not dropping noodles everywhere. Masuyo witnessed the unfortunate news, something she wanted to ask to repeat as she may have mistaken what she said over her munching. But she let what she heard stand, the death of her father being a burdensome event. Kameko was not much younger than Masuyo. The Jounin had both of them, and loved them greatly. She could not imagine losing them, especially if she were Kameko's age. Masuyo formalized herself understanding the weight of the situation, the Jounin straightening her back and wiping her mouth with the napkin next to her. "I see..." She said, not being able to muster much else.

As it seemed, Kameko was now the present leader of her clan. Despite thing she stated she had quite a bit of free time. It was something admired by Masuyo. The Jounin grinned at her student. "You know, it takes a lot of strength to cope with bad times. But it takes even a stronger woman to move on and lead a happy, healthy life. I can't say anything more but that I'm proud of you." Raising a spare rib to her mouth she inserted the bone in her mouth to her fingertips, the woman pulling it out clean appreciating the doneness of the cooked meat. "Konoha has been fine. The atmosphere seems more pleasant than Iwagakure. Not that I minded Nee-san, but he was rather...introverted. The folks here are very responsive and welcoming." She said reclining back in her chair with her cheeks tinting a light pink.

"Though, talking about politics, it appears there has been rumor of me being demoted from Jounin to Chuunin. It appears the Administration doesn't want too many foreigners occupying their advanced ranks until we are considered 'well integrated.' They seem more in favor of an Akeno over me...oh well!" She said shrugging off the news. In all honesty she was not personally insulted or bothered by a demotion. A demotion was simply less salary pay to her. She already stored quite a bit of revenue and finances were the least of her concerns. Giving Kameko a chance to respond she returned to her spread. She would down her bowl of soup in a single go, setting the emptied bowl on the table before focusing on the entrees.

Kameko smiled at Masuyo's statement of being proud of her for the shit she's had to endure the last few weeks. She said nothing in reply to it, instead stuffing more pork loin and rice into her mouth. This was a fairly good tasting meal, with the char and seasoning of the meat being absolutely delicious. It was close to perfect and worth every ryo. The sake wasn't bad, too. There really wasn't anything to be proud of in Kameko's eyes looking back at her brief tenure. Her father had been assassinated, the clan didn't know who did it, and her first act as clan head had been to abandon the village they had sworn to join under her grandfather's leadership. She had uprooted everything they had to move to a land none of them had ever been to. Whether she had good reason to or not was an entirely different matter from whether she was proud to have done so, but she didn't regret her choices. Masuyo's next statement contained much of the reason why; Nee-San.

"Nee-San was a scumbag. He tried to impose a tax on all Amandi goods and demanded a sample of our bloodline from my father after lying to him on every subject he had gone to discuss. I'm glad I'll never have to see that man's face again," she replied with noticeable spite in her voice. Masuyo moved on, informing Kameko that her sensei had been demoted to Chuunin from her previous rank. That didn't surprise the genin much, it was very likely that Konohagakure's leadership didn't exactly trust her and weren't willing to give her the responsibilities of a jonin within the village yet. Her sensei dropped the name of the other candidate- one Akeno- before moving on from the subject without displaying any outward signs of caring. Knowing Masuyo, she was probably thinking of it in terms of raw cash output to determine what she could spend on food that month and how many missions she had to do to supplement it.

The young Amandi clan head said nothing in reply at first, mimicking her sensei in enjoying the meal placed before them. The waiter began to walk their way to which Kameko put up two fingers. This was a prearranged sign to go ahead and order the second round of food she had requested. Soon, another platter of well cooked meat and fixin's would be making its way towards their table. Kameko worked on helping Masuyo devour what was left of the loin and the ribs, leaving a stack of ribs on a plate in the middle of the table and a bit off to the side where both women could reach it.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to work your way back up to jonin in no time. All you've gotta do is show them what you're made of and I'm positive they'll realize their folly," Kameko said between bites. She inhaled a bit more food and washed it down with the sake, now beginning to feel the warmth of the alcohol spreading throughout her body. It was a good feeling, and with the food she was consuming her body was reacting in a positive manner already. She was already a little stronger than she had been when she sat down, her body desperate for the calories it had been deprived of. "The good news for me is that I can't really be demoted any further than the rank I have now. The other good news is I've managed to find a blacksmith willing to let me use his forge as his 'apprentice', so if you need anything don't be afraid to find me. That is, once you've gotten a bit of money. I'm sure everybody from Iwagakure is broke right now."

Masuyo was half-surprised to hear Kameko's strong dislike towards the former Tsuchikage. She was already aware of some sort of tension. Neesan had her blacklisted and instructed her to "pose" as her sensei to keep a close eye on her. A heavy tax and a blood sample was what set her off. Masuyo had nothing special about her blood, but could understand how that would be grossly offensive. To top it off, a tax would kill a lot of revenue that could be generated. The money would of course go into the pockets of the Tsuchikage and the village, for whatever personal needs. A smirk would make its way across the Chuunin's face. "Well, it's certainly good to know he died on his bed. I never really liked him myself. Don't recall being paid salary the last two months...guess the greedy bald bastard got what was coming." Masuyo certainly was appreciative of Konoha. The village ran like a well-greased gear, and her work and efforts were compensated.

"I'm not terribly worried of working my way back up to Jounin. I do my job well no matter what title I hold." She added, resuming her chow. Rank and what others thought about her matters very little. She did her job great, was paid for it, and enjoyed a leisurely lifestyle. She was content, and it gave her plenty of time to enjoy hobbies and work towards her personal goals. Of course Masuyo's ears would perk up at the mention of the young candy girl's achievements of finding a forge. She had almost forgotten over the course of a few weeks upon arrival that she was working to promote her crafting skill. That was the last "task" Masuyo had given her. "I assume your crafting has improved drastically since our last meeting. I do actually have quite a large order, that is, if you think you can handle it." She followed what she said with a dram of beer washing down her food with a refreshing lager.

"Let me write it down for you. I need: a quarterstaff fitted with iron shods on both ends, a full-sized Yari, a Mankiri roughly thirty feet in length with one pound iron weights, some better fingerless leather gloves with small plates on the back, steel plate inserts for my flak jacket, and a Jade Chokuto. Everything should be steel unless stated otherwise. How much would all of those cost?"

Kameko was glad that Masuyo shared her sentiments on their former kage. She must have been hesitant to share her true views with the genin until Kameko had expressed her great disdain for the old man. The conversation proceeded as normal with the two speaking and responding to each other between bites and drinks. Kameko's cheeks had gotten a very slight flush to them by the time she finished her second glass of sake, having drained the first before her sensei had arrived, and she was definitely in a better mood than she had been. The food was helping, and it was likely her little buzz would wear off quickly once her body started digesting what she was stuffing down her throat.

Masuyo informed her that her sensei had a large order to be filled, having apparently waited for her to get better over ordering from someone else. Kameko was a little touched at the sentiment, though she managed to hide this by tearing off the last little bits of meat from a rib as Masuyo began to write it down for her while also reading the order off. The genin listened to what she ordered, keeping a mental note of everything she ordered. Keeping a running list of what a person wanted wasn't exactly difficult for her to do ever since she had started to devote herself to mental growth. The pink haired jon-er, chuunin, then asked how much it would be for everything she had listed.

Kameko thought it over with her last bite of loin, chewing it slowly as she crunched the numbers in her head. She swallowed and then let out a long "hmm" as she thought it over some more. "Well, I'm gonna be as straight as I can be with you. For Iwagakure kin, I charge 2,000 ryo per day rather than 3,000 for my highest quality work with lesser quality stuff being negotiable. On the yari, I'm going to assume it's just a straight yari with an eighteen inch blade on it. Everything else seems simple enough, except for that manriki," Kameko finally divulged. "With one that long, you're gonna need some thicker chain. One foot of the chain I'll have to make weighs about a pound and a quarter, so you're looking at a forty pound length of chain with the weights on both ends." Kameko filled her cup again as she spoke and paused here to take a sip before continuing. "That manriki alone is gonna be almost 34,000 ryo with the length you want. All the items as you described them including material cost and labor... 116,000 ryo should probably do it."

The genin fully expected Masuyo to balk at the cost of the manriki and shorten it up a bit since that was most definitely one expensive weapon. Kameko wondered how much she would charge for it if she ever reached the same level as the master smiths of old, chuckling silently to herself at the fortune to be had from a weapon like that at such a high grade of quality. Such a level of skill was her goal, and she would take any orders that she could to attain that goal. Near death or not, she was an Amandi and the Amandi did one thing well; make money.

Masuyo listened to what Kameko had to say, more importantly the cost of what it would take to make such an order. Two-thousand ryo a day was certainly manageable, considering Kameko had to keep up with her other Genin duties as well as act as her clan's head. There had to be some form of incentive to work and put bread on the table. She would listen to some certain specifics about the items she requested, such as certain dimensions of the Yari and mankiri. Masuyo was far from a craftsman, but her years of extensive knowledge and use of weaponry allowed her to talk on equal terms with a relatively skilled craftsman such as Kameko. She nodded hearing out the need to make a bulkier chain. She carried a mankiri of the same dimensions currently, so the weight of it was no problem. She figured having superior quality equipment would serve her better.

"One-hundred and sixteen thousand? I can do that." She said briefly, inhaling another serving on chow mein. It was certainly a worthy investment for high quality gear. Certainly by this point Kameko was at least exceptional in crafting for as much investment she put into her skill. Masuyo recalled months ago being presented with crude copper weapons, and just several weeks ago being presented with a unique pair of arm guards. She trusted the Amandi stayed consistent with her crafts and she was looking forward to the new gear.

Masuyo would wipe her mouth with a napkin, setting it on the table next to her plate. In a blind rage of consumption she easily cleared four full plates of food, the woman satisfied with her ordeal. A closed fist was placed over her mouth as she belched. "I'll transfer the money today, most likely. I'm in no rush, so you can rest up as much as you need and recover before you start working." She said curling up one side of her lips. She was considerate, and felt Kameko deserved a break of sorts. Masuyo was certainly tired after her meal which put her in a generally good mood. Taking a deep dram of her water cup she finished it off as she reclined in her chair.

Kameko nodded after Masuyo confirmed that she was fine with the manriki costing so much as well as being fine with the total of everything in general. Both of the women fell quiet afterwards, each scarfing down the last remnants of the meal that was in front of them. Masuyo ate multiple plates in a short fashion, much more than the two Kameko could manage to put away in the same amount of time. Once everything was gone, Kameko would lean back in her seat and sigh in contentment. "Damn that was a good meal. Good sake, too," she commented as she reached for her cup. Getting a little buzz sounded like a fine plan to her for now. "I'll probably start drawing up some blueprints tomorrow for everything before I buy any materials. I have a lot of what I need already, it's mostly just steel for that long chain that I need the most of."

The genin raised her hand to call a waiter over to the table. When he came, she would lift the mostly empty jug of sake that was on the table to him to indicate she wanted more. "Oh, and bring out the stuffed chicken breasts once they're done. Gonna need more food, I think," she requested. The man bowed and took the jug from her before retreating to the kitchen to place her order and get things rolling. Kameko sighed and turned her attention back towards her sensei. "Have you ever thought about dying your hair pink, Masuyo-sensei? I think it'd look really good on you," she commented somewhat non-nonchalantly. "Pink suits you, don't you think?"

Masuyo had her fair share of the meal, the Kunoichi's bottomless stomach having some limitations after all, though less when on somebody else's bill. Kameko promised to begin working on the blueprints before starting her work. Masuyo nodded, understanding the need to plan these kind of things out. It was easy to imagine the weapons she just stated, but to actually make them from scratch required more than a rough image. Details, as well as effectiveness and structural integrity were all to consider. To her own surprise Kameko ordered more food. Considering how frail the girl was she probably needed it. Of course, following her statement, she offered her a random suggestion. One that caused the Chuunin to raise an eyebrow. "My hair pink? Can't say I gave it much thought. Seems like too much work. I'd rather stay natural. You don't like my black hair?" Masuyo said, stroking a strand from her own head. She was not entirely into cosmetics. Especially the amount of maintenance required. It would nearly impossible to keep such standards as an active Shinobi.

Masuyo bathed herself at least once a day, and shaved almost as frequent to keep her body hairless. Her hair was conditioned and brush, teeth white and shiny. She stuck to her essentials and kept it at that. Masuyo associated pink with femininity, something she enjoyed, though dying her hair brought it to the extremes. Her hands were almost rough, fingers calloused from nicking them multiple times a day digging in her tool pouch and playing with the razor sharp tools in her daily work, as well as extensive Taijutsu practice. She was a cross between a gorgeous woman with the hands and will of a plowman. "Anyways, I thank you for the meal. I need to organize and prepare for this mission I was assigned. If that is all you need of me, I'll be off. Hopefully I will get to see you soon." If Kameko had nothing to add Masuyo would rise from her chair and head out the door.

[Exit]

"Your black hair is beautiful, I just... You seem like a pink kinda lady," Kameko said in response to Masuyo's question. Kameko wished she had darker hair, she didn't think the blonde color she had suited her all that well. Her family told her differently, commenting that she was one of the fairer Amandi clan women. Masuyo then thanked her for the meal, stating she had to go prepare for a mission she had been assigned. Kameko smiled at that. "A mission hm? Well don't have too much fun. I'll see you when you get back, Masuyo sensei," she replied. Afterwards Masuyo would leave and Kameko would wait for the remainder of the food. Once it arrived, she would dive right into it before paying and taking off for her clan district, still a bit shaky on her legs.



[exit]