Photo OP Protege

Spoiler:

It was about five minutes to one o'clock in the afternoon, and down the street there was a commotion throught the crowd of people walking that was punctuated by fast, high-pitched apologies. Adults and seniors either gasped in shock or cried out in anger at the youth who was trying his best to get through quickly without bumping into anyone, an effort that was moderately successful at best. 

You have got to be kidding me, Kira thought to himself. His sister Nabiki had kept telling him that he should leave a bit early in case anything happened, and he'd kept telling her that it would be no problem leaving fifteen minutes before he had to be there. And he would have, if it wasn't for an old man who was in pain and having a hard time carrying his bag of groceries half a block away from his home. Kira was sure that once he took the bag off him that it would be fine, but even with the reduced weight he was still just as slow. I really need to work on sorting out my priorities, he silently scolded himself.

His mission to help a photographer with a shoot was not far away, at a small studio apartment just at the end of the street. He could see the four-story apartment at the middle of the three way, and he just needed to put on a little bit more speed to get there without being late. However, there was a huge crowd of people walking perpindicular so he wasn't going to be able to weave through the same way. Focusing chakra to his feet, he jumped five meters in the air while still bolting.

He soared over everyone, but he had seriously miscalculated his momentum and was going to go right through the sliding door. He outstretched his hands and legs, as though he could somehow push against the air to try and slow himself going forward while crying out in shock and terror. Just his luck though, the door opened and it seemed his screaming had alerted whoever was just about to walk out to sidestep and he barreled into the hallway, hitting the ground in a roll and landing on the base of the staircase up with his legs sticking up and resting on his head and shoulders.

His head was spinning, but as his vision focused he could see a woman of dark complexion with ponytailed black hair, red lipstick, purple eyeliner, and a pale lavender suit with a white buttoned shirt underneath. Kira recognized this was the client he was working for and gave a little upside-down salute. "Kira Ishikawa, here to help" he said with a trace of the dizziness still in his voice.

She looked annoyed at first but then looked down at the shiny watch on her wrist and broke out in a slight smile. "It looks like you made it just on time" she said with an amused tone. "My name is Tsubaki Himura, and you're my extra set of hands for the afternoon. We have three hours to get my studio space ready for the shoot, and then an hour for the shoot itself. Come with me, and mind that you're more careful than when you first came in the door." Kira nodded his head and got himself back onto his feet as he followed her up the stairs.

Her apartment was at the left end of the hall in unit 210. Kira had been wondering why she would need his help when he didn't have any experience with photography, but it became apparent when she opened the door. The studio space was completely open, with only one door to the bathroom, and it was a disaster: everything from clothes, leftover food containers, papers, and equipment all strewn across the floor. The kitchen was a disaster with dishes piled up in the sink and flies buzzing around while the bed was a mess with the blanket crumpled on top and the pillow on the flor right beside it.
He tried to restrain himself but Kira couldn't help but turn and give her a bit of an incredulous look. She picked up the queue but gave no direct response. "I will take care of organizing the documents and putting things away in specific places. You, on the other hand...." She didn't finished but pointed at the sink which was a clear indication that he was going to be doing the dishes and scrubbing. "And then the bathroom afterwards."

He scrubbed away in silence, but couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. He knew this was a paid mission and he liked helping out people, but he always liked doing it for those who were more helpless. With Tsubaki though, it seemed more like she was just lazy and disorganized which just wasn't the same. As he toiled away though, he couldn't help but look along the walls to see some of her framed pictures - it seemed she did family photos as there were lots of group shots with parents and their children, as well as some with just couples. They had different background colors but all of them were of superb quality.

It took about two hours for Kira to finish cleaning and for Tsubaki to finish putting everything away. When they were done, Tsubaki checked her watch again and gave a silent nod to herself. "Alright then," she said. "Now we're going to get everything set up." First they got navy blue sheets pinned up for the backdrop, then they brought out light fixtures that were set up at different angles facing the backdrop. Finally, Tsubaki brought out her camera on a tripod and told Kira to stand in the center. He stood there quietly as she adjusted the light fixtures' angles and brightness until she finally was satisfied.

They were finished with about ten minutes to four o'clock. "The majority of your work is done now," she informed Kira. "You will be just off to the side in case I or the client need anything else." She then gave a genuine warm smile. "Take your time to watch and enjoy the process, though." Kira nodded a little dopish, not sure how he was going to do that.

Four o'clock came and there was a knock at the door. Tsubaki went and opened the door, and an elderly woman with gray bunned hair, a fair complexion, and a slim red dress on a body not so slim came inside with a black purse hanging from her elbow and a white Persian cat in her arms who did not seem that pleased to be there. Kira wasn't surprised either, as she spoke very high pitched and was overboard on her schmooziness to her animal. Her name was Kaoru and she called her cat Kon.

While he grabbed a few things when asked, he for the most just stood to the side like she said he would. While she may have been disorganized with her living habits, she was clear and precise when it came to her craft and giving directions to Miss Kaoru. Tsubaki was pleasant and kind, helping her client feel more relaxed while still giving instructions for different poses and angles. The real difficulty was Kon, who kept trying to squirm and get away from his owner's arms the whole time.

After minutes that seemed to drag into hours, they were done and Tsubaki sent the lady and cat on their way. She then turned and smiled at Kira after they left. "Thank you for all your help" she said with a small bow. "My father was admitted to the hospital last night and I didn't get home until after midnight. If not for your help, I never would have been ready for this assignment today."

Kira couldn't help but look down at his feet. He felt guilty now for how he had judged her at the start, making an assumption when he hadn't known the whole story. He picked himself up though and gave her a big toothy grin. "You're absolutely welcome" he said enthusiastically. "It was fun getting to see you work and I'd be glad to come back and help again if I'm available."

She nodded back in response. "I'll try to request you again if possible, Kira. You were an excellent helper today and I would be happy to have you come work for me again. I promise that I will put in a good word for you when I respond back to your office."

Kira gave another big grin and have a deep respectful bow. "Thank you Miss Himura!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm before he left the apartment and went on his way.

Spoiler:

Approved