A few more odd jobs [Missions/Solo]

Missions:

It was time for another mission!

He’d had a few days to internalize his most recent mission, and he’d found that he now finally possessed some sort of connection to the origami paper he carried with him at all times since he left Konoha. He couldn’t do anything specific with it yet, but he now had a sort of… Feeling that the potential to manipulate the paper was there. Ray was excited about finally unlocking something that had been such a big part of himself since he’d been born, his father would be proud of how far he had come.

The boy wiped away the burgeoning tears from his tanned cheeks and breathed out slowly. He had to affirm to himself yet again that leaving Konoha at the time he had, had been the right choice. If he’d stayed in Konoha he might have been forced to become one of their shinobi and to fight in some war somewhere, going against everything Ray stood for. If he had a say in the way the world worked, he’d outlaw war and deadly fighting. He didn’t have a say, though. He was just one lonely teenager with big dreams, and the ability to help in any little way he could.

He collected the various scattered origami papers on the floor around him into his messenger bag and got off the floor. He looked around the room he was staying in with a small measure of pride. It had started off as the dingiest cheapest room in the cheapest tavern he could find in Suna, but it had grown into something personal for the boy. Oh, don’t be mistaken, it was still a dingy little shithole. But it was somewhere he could proudly call home, at least until he left Suna.

Ray left the tavern, giving a nod to the owner from whom he’d earned respect for winning the Poker game the other night, and left to go do the mission for the day. Apparently, some old woman needed help with her groceries or something. Ray knew that other people would probably be ashamed to do such a menial task, but not him. One, he just generally liked helping people and got a huge amount of dopamine from it. Two, missions like this were relatively simple and gave him a good chance to earn a lot of money while he was doing them.

It didn’t take long to find the old woman who’d requested the help, so he walked up to her with his widest, most welcoming grin. “Hello, miss! It’s my understanding that you requested someone to come help you with your groceries?”

The woman’s cracked face split into a wide grin, “My, it’s been a while since I met such a polite young gentleman! You are correct. It shouldn’t take too long, dearie, just need to get my groceries for the week.”

“That’s quite alright, ma’am. Feel free to take as long as you need.” Ray said with the same charming smile on his face.

----

After several uneventful hours of helping out the old woman with her shopping, Ray was finally allowed to go do his own thing. He said goodbye to her easily and left to go do the next thing on the agenda for this day. Apparently, some famous photographer in the Sand Village required some help with lights, sets, and whatever else he discovered he was lacking the muscle for. Ray had never had any experience with photography, but he felt that maybe his expertise with art and design would translate to photography. Besides, it wasn’t like he was expected to actually take any photos, more just be an assistant for the day.

Ray walked through the Sand Village with a happy gait, most people paying the small boy no heed. It felt like he was being very productive today, and that was always the best feeling. Some days he barely left the tavern, preferring to just experiment with his paper manipulation abilities and stay inside. Days like today were where he really felt like he was getting closer to achieving what he wanted. More money meant more supplies, and more supplies meant less death.

It only took about half an hour to find his way to the photography studio and when he did he was taken aback by just how many people were there. Various young adults hurried past him carrying costumes, lights, backdrops, and many more as he walked through the front foyer to the reception desk. He watched in shock as a girl got yelled at by a very angry-looking man for dropping a few papers. Huh, it looked like this place meant serious business. Very quickly Ray began to feel a bit nervous about the coming mission.

“Are you the hired help we requested?” The man behind the reception desk asked Ray once he approached. The young Koutaishi stealthily gulped before putting on a brave, polite face.

“Yes I am, sir! Where do you need me?”

The receptionist, a little taken aback by the teenager's perky attitude, pointed to the door on his right, “Behind there is Taki, the owner of this establishment. He’s going to be giving you your tasks for today, and you will behave. The last thing any of us want is for the big man himself to be angry because some kid messed something up, clear?”

“Copy, sir,” Ray said hurriedly with a slightly shell-shocked expression on his face. He hated people being angry at him, why couldn’t he have picked an easier mission?

With a nervous step, Ray walked through the door the receptionist had pointed through. On the other side, it was like an entirely different world. People dressed in extravagant outfits roamed around the interior of the warehouse like they were royalty, camera sounds echoed around the area. On the far side was a large man who, were he anyone else, Ray would have described as poorly dressed. Somehow, the man had the gravitas to pull it off, however. Something about the man’s aura made it hard to think he was anything other than highly important.

Ray gulped once more and began his first step into the fashion and photography industry.

WC: 1023

Claims:
500 words to untrain 5 points from Strength, and another 500 to put those points into Vigor.
1000 words to learn C-Rank Paper Shuriken
2200 Ryo
10 AP

approved