God to a non-believer (Nova)

Mission specs:

A small chuckle escaped Ichigo's mouth as he heard Nova's question. "The only place you'll find me brooding is the bar. And perhaps my office". The Drunk had to admit, lately he spent more time in the hospital than anywhere else. It wouldn't exactly be the example to set, spending all his days drinking when being tasked with reforming the medical system. With those new-found responsibilities the man had made the decision to change his lifestyle, what didn't mean he would start saying no to a bottle of liquor. However, balance between business and pleasure was something to keep in mind. "Perhaps once this is over we can go for a drink, my treat". Although the kunoichi never told him whether or not she enjoyed alcohol once in a while Ichigo's invitation still stood.

When Nova seemed to be in agreement, no mysterious scroll to be found, the Drunk figured perhaps time for them to return had arrived. "Oh well, I've had worse first dates" Ichigo would joke, hoping the kunoichi didn't misinterpret his comment. "Let's head back. I'll lead the way unless you're comfortable going first?". Regardless of what she decided Ichigo started walking, hoping no unpleasant surprises such as bats would show up again. Assuming they got out of the winding cave systems without any trouble he'd stretch his muscles as soon as he could smell the fresh air again. "Ah, much better". To his surprise it was still light outside, spending all that time inside the cave made him lose track of how late it got but to his relief evening had yet to arrive.

Looking at the kunoichi Ichigo wondered how she'd spend the rest of her day. "Why don't I walk you home? But remember, don't ever say I'm not a gentleman". With a smile the Drunk started to lead the way once more. "Why don't we pass by the Training Grounds, have a look if everyone is keeping up with their training?". The decision would be up to Nova, for now Ichigo simply continued to walk into whatever direction they were going.

(WC: 348, TWC: 1995)

"Sure, but don't get any... Weird ideas." Nova warned the man with a slightly dangerous edge to her voice. She was no stranger to going out for a drink and she often drank others under the table, but when she went to bars with other people they tended to get the wrong idea. She hadn't gotten any of those vibes from Ichigo yet, however, so she was willing to give him a chance. He was proving to be pleasant company, something she'd had a vast lack of throughout her life, so she'd hate to see him end up becoming just another asshole.

It took Nova a second to realize that the Doctor had been joking about their escapade into Kumogakure's cave systems being a date, which just showed how clueless at talking to people she had become over the years. She felt a little embarrassed a first for making such a dumb misinterpretation before responding to his latter question but hid it well, which was useless considering how dark the caves were. "You lead, I can't see shit." She said, perhaps a tad over-aggressively to compensate for the embarrassment she felt. She followed the man through the caves and, despite the fact that she had barely been in there for long, Nova winced as the sunlight hit her eyes when she exited the cave. It felt nice to be breathing in fresh air rather than the damp, bat-shit-scented air that clogged the interior of the tunnels.

Nova's breath would catch in her throat when Ichigo mentioned the Training Grounds, and when it started up again her breaths would be noticeably heavier. It had been a few days since the incident at the Training Grounds and she still almost flew into an intense anger every time she was reminded of it. Truth be told, she was actually somewhat nervous about the upcoming fight with that... Murderous woman and she wasn't sure if she was ready for it. She'd been a kunoichi of Kumogakure for a while, but she hadn't actually been in that many fights with another ninja as strong as her. If nothing else, it would be a valuable learning experience. She angrily chewed her lip before realizing it had been an awkward couple of seconds since she'd said anything to Ichigo since he asked her a question.

"All right, the way route to my apartment goes past the training grounds any way so that works out nicely," Nova said with an attempt at a placating smile that came out more like a grimace. After the pair, presumably, began to walk towards the training grounds Nova once again managed to wipe the anger from her mind. "I hope you know that whenever we go to the bar I'll be drinking you under the table. 500 Ryo says you pass out before me." She said with a small smirk and a chuckle.

When they got close to the Training Grounds a panicked red-haired boy who was no older than 13 would come running up to them, his cheeks almost as red as his hair from the exertion of running. He placed his hands on his knees for a few seconds while he regained his breath before standing up straight and looking between both their faces. "Please, help! There's a bear in the training grounds! When I saw it he was just going through the trash but I'm scared it might have moved on to my friends! Help!" He panted in-between breaths, voice panicked.

WC: 584
TWC: 2592

On their way to the training grounds Nova mentioned them being close to their home, all the more reason the kunoichi agreed to follow that path after Ichigo suggested so. "Your apartment huh? How's that going for you, living alone?". The Drunk wouldn't assume she indeed lived by herself, but it was a rather cunning way to find out her living situation regardless. In case of his own, Ichigo realized he was busy commuting between the office and his home. Depending how busy it got in the hospital he'd be required to spend the night there while other times he was able to sleep at his own place.

Looking at both their living situations the Drunk came to the conclusion that his couldn't be compared to Nova's, even more so considering he had no way of knowing her circumstances. Not that he planned on inquiring any further, for now Ichigo simply settled for all the small talk. As they almost arrived at the training grounds a young red haired boy suddenly came running into their direction, his state of distress and panic easy to notice. Once he caught his breath the child would tell Nova and Ichigo a bear was spotted at the training grounds. For now the animal's interest was solely directed towards the trash but the young boy feared its attention would soon be diverted to his friends.

Activating both dojutsu Ichigo scanned the area, quickly spotting the bear and the people around. "Follow me", assuming Nova immediately followed him the Drunk would head towards the animal hoping its focus was still on the trash and not so much the children. "Ever fought a bear? If not, this might be your first time". The Doctor began to think about the best approach, perhaps one of them had to act as a diversion while the other got the kids to safety. What he did know for sure was the fact that they had to avoid angering the bear lest they wanted anyone to get hurt. 

(WC: 336, TWC: 2331)

Nova shrugged in response to the Doctor's question, "It's alright, I guess. Better than having to put up with other people's shit all the time for sure." Nova wasn't actually speaking from experience; she'd lived on her own since she was 12-years-old. She was just guessing based on her previous experiences with others, most people were a pain to deal with after only an hour or two. She imagined having to deal with other people on a daily basis and inwardly cringed, she very much enjoyed the sanctity that being alone provided her. She'd hate to lose that. For now, Nova found herself just enjoying exchanging small talk with Ichigo so that was what she did until they arrived at the training grounds.

Nova almost stepped back when Ichigo's eyes completely changed in appearance, having never seen anything like it before. Despite being put off by the man's now-alien gaze, she nodded silently when he prompted her to follow him. It seemed that the man's eyes gave him some sort of tracking ability, as he soon led the two to the bear without any further directions from the red-haired child. Nova looked behind her and saw that the boy had been trailing them, probably to make sure his friends were okay. Like mentioned earlier, Nova was terrible with kids so she just offered a small nod of encouragement before turning back to the bear ahead of them.

"I've never fought a bear before, but my armor should protect me from the worst of it." She took a moment to size it up, "I can probably deal with it, do you think you can get the kids out?"

Regardless of Ichigo's answer Nova, who'd been spoiling for a fight all day, rushed forward from their hiding spot straight towards the bear the moment she'd finished speaking. Her form was a blur as she collided with the bear in a class example of a rugby tackle. What followed was a short scuffle in which Nova had to use the sleeve of her armor multiple times to defend herself from the large jaws of the bear. With her arm locked in the vicious maw of the bear, Nova managed to use her considerable strength to flip the bear in a 180-degree arc over herself and onto the ground. Before it had a chance to recover, Nova hit it on the back of the neck which, miraculously, managed to knock it out. The bear's bite lost all its strength, and it slumped to the grown slowly, breathing slowly.

She pulled her arm free of the bear's limp jaws and made an attempt at wiping off the slobber with a grimace. Gross. She looked around for whatever for wherever Ichigo had gone during the short fight and, should she see him, say, "Know anyone who'd know what do to with this guy?" She gestured towards the unconscious bear.

After finding out what to do with the bear, Nova would stretch and yawn, "Well, I'm beat. Today was certainly... Interesting." She snorted, looking down at the bear. She'd never fought a bear before so it was a unique experience to be sure. If Icihigo still wanted to walk her the rest of the way back, Nova wouldn't decline the offer. When she finally got back to her apartment, she collapsed in the bed and had a nice sleep.

[Exit]

WC: 586
TWC: 3395

Claims:
1 D-Rank and 2 C-Rank missions completed
10300 Ryo
50 AP
1000 words to untrain 10 Strength
500 words to train 5 into Speed
500 words to train 5 into Vigor
Monstrous Strength Is no longer active because the requirements are no longer met, it will need to be trained over when skill slots are full.
1500 words for Fuijin Howling using max stat discount
1500 words for Chakra Infusion using max stat discount
350 words for D-Rank Taijutsu Amplifier using max stat discount

Approveddd.

@Ichigo Sato DM me with a link when you make claims.

The two of them came to an agreement, Nova would wrestle the bear while Ichigo took care of the children and bringing them to safety before any harm could come to them. "Don't worry kids, I'll get you out of here". Leading the way the Drunk made sure to get the younger generation of Kumogakure out of danger before turning back to check if the kunoichi needed any help dealing with the animal. As he arrived at the scene the doctor noticed the bear completely knocked out cold. "I guess it's a good thing I didn't get any funny ideas during our date" he would smile, referring to how easy Nova took care of the animal.

Standing next to the bear after coming a little bit closer Ichigo would reply to the kunoichi's question. "Don't worry, I know a guy. It didn't mean any harm, I'm sure it was just looking for food". Once the person he called for arrived and took the animal away the Drunk offered to take Nova home, always the gentleman. After the two of them arrived at the young lady's apartment Ichigo would say his goodbyes. "Thank you for keeping me company today. Don't forget you promised to buy me drinks next time we meet" the doctor smiled before leaving after making sure Nova got in safely.

On his way home the Drunk noticed night slowly began to fall. Not that it came as a surprise considering the amount of work they put in during the day. From helping out at the shrine to walking around the wind cave systems to finally end up at the Training Grounds where they encountered a bear. Quite an eventful day indeed. But now it was time to head home and focus on what's to come the next couple of weeks. Never a dull moment in the Land of Lightning after all, am I right?

(Exit)

(TWC: 2647)
Claims:
- 2000/2000 Raijin Drumming
- 500/500 Earth-Style Wall (C -> B)
- 52 AP from being max stat
- Mission rewards (10750 ryo, 50 AP)

@Ichigo Sato 

Approved.