Creativity Starts with Motivation

After the last mission Dracoso completed, something a bit lighter in mood was in order. He had spent his time guarding individuals and delivering news to many of the citizens of the city. He knew that he would need to return to handling bandits and emergencies in time. For now, he picked up a mission sheet which outlined the need for assistance at the local Painter Guild. The details were relatively simple: come by and help clean the tools and freshen them up a bit. The request had sat at the mission desk for some time, from what the assistant told him. Most people figured they could just get a handyman or a cleaner to stop by and handle the job. Yet every so often, someone stopped by to ask if anyone had taken the mission.

Dracoso was curious, as using water and soap was a very simple task. Maybe there was another catch here that people weren't aware of. He began to imagine thoughts of odd and bizarre tools which many had no idea how to clean. He imagined some amazing treasure which people were missing out on once they completed the mission. Different ideas floated through his mind that either became more fantasy or plainer as he went. He sighed with a shrug as he approached the building. A large sign on the front read Privacy is Mandatory with several small signs nearby demanding respect for the work of painters. They seemed like a very secretive group to have such a gate set up, but a mission was a mission.

Dracoso knocked on the front gate and waited. Several noises floated over the wall. From the sounds of saws and hammers to chisels and groaning wood. He felt like he was listening to something akin to angry music as the noises mixed. A loud metal squealing noise accompanied the gate slowly swinging open enough for a man to lean out. "Yes?" was all he asked. Dracoso looked to him and took out the mission paper before stating, "I came here for the mission. To help clean the tools." The man took the paper and read it over, then squinted at Dracoso for a minute. He gave a scowl and stated, "You're late." He then slammed the gate shut.

Dracoso looked around confused. He walked back up and knocked on the door. The man peered over the top of the gate and said, "You are late, so no mission for you!" Dracoso scratched the top of his head as he looked at the man and asked, "how am I late? I just picked up the mission less than a half an hour ago!" The man crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he turned his head away, speaking from the side of his mouth, "we put in that mission months ago. Therefore, you are several months late!" Dracoso pressed his hand to his forehead and gave out a slow sigh before saying, "People don't take missions immediately. I just got that mission today. There is no time limit on the paper and-" The man cut him off saying, "I don't care what your excuses are! You are late and so you cannot-" A hand reached up and grabbed the man, pulling him down with a sudden yell.

Dracoso could hear arguing behind the gate and caught snippets of what sounded like a man and woman yelling. Man: "We do not need someone touching our tools and causing mayhem for-" Woman: "Not again! You have scared off the last five people who came to help and you will not let them help us-" Man: We do not need help! We can handle this on our own-!" Woman: "You do not even clean your own underwear, let alone your tools, without someone telling you-!"

This went on for a good five minutes before Dracoso barely heard a loud growl and shuffling of feet. The door opened as a middle-aged woman stepped out fully to meet Dracoso. "Hi there. Sorry about my... colleague. He is very touchy when it comes to people entering our 'domain' as he refers to it. My name is Atiro. You are here to help us with our tools, right?" She offered a hand to which Dracoso took and shook before responding, "Yes, my name is Dracoso. I took up the job to help with cleaning and 'freshening' up your tools. A few more details on the second part might help but-" A loud click sounded from the gate.

Atiro turned slowly towards the gate, anger growing across her face. "You... did not... just lock... that gate on me" she said, her fists clenched as she stared at the door. A male voice rose over the wall, "I will not let riff raff into our domain!" The woman slammed a fist against the wall firmly while shouting, "You had better open that door right now or I swear I will have you thrown over this wall the moment I get in there!" She banged on the door for a few more minutes until she semed to run out of steam. She shook her head as Dracoso walked over to stand beside her. "So, are you the one who put in the request?" he asked. She nodded and said, "that man is Sturko. He is the most senior painter here, so he holds seniority. It is the only reason we allow him to put up these signs and have the front-most position in the guild building."

Dracoso nodded as he looked back to the gate and asked, "so if he is in charge, but you put in the request, that makes you my client, correct?" The woman looked at him curiously and nodded. Dracoso looked back to her and said, "Then as long as you tell me something is part of the request, I can help you with it." He waved a hand at the gate before giving a small smile. The woman chuckled and nodded, "well, we do need to unlock this gate before I can have you work on the tools. Anything you can do about that?" Dracoso nodded and walked over, placing one foot on the gate and began to walk right up the surface of it. 

As he cleared the top of it, he looked out into a large yard in front of a two-story stone building. Several individuals were working with different materials, from clay and metal to marble and stone. Dracoso walked back down the other side of the gate and pulled the lock back out and pushed the gate open. Atira smiled and walked in with him just as Sturko came running back up, "No no no! We do not need your help and we will not accept it!" Atira glanced to Dracoso, then back at the man and said, "did the mission allow for you to deal with obstacles that may hinder your ability to handle the mission?" The man's eyes went wide as he looked from Atira to Dracoso. Dracoso responded, "Well, a basic requirement for shinobi is to make sure you can complete your mission. It does not need to be in the mission description to have obstacles which you may need to deal with during the mission." He gave Sturko a firm look, and the man seemed to deflate.

"Fine! Do what you want! If he breaks anything, it is on your head!" The man said as he turned and shuffled back towards the building. Atira chuckled again once he was out of earshot and looked to Dracoso, "well, all fun aside. The tools I need you to clean are a bit all over the place. Several are still in the shed, but many are in constant use. You got here right around lunch time, so I will see about us taking a break so you can do some sprucing up. Worry about what is in use but isn't a part of the art right now." Dracoso was confused by what she meant with tools being a part of the art, but he realized quickly what she meant.

He had simply assumed there were other forms of artists here, working with the different materials they had. It turns out that they used any and all materials they could get to make their paint. Several painters had taken to grinding down metals and stone to make paint of very specific colors. Brass and bronze stood out very clearly as they shined in the light. Several bricks seemed sliced in half, as if they had been cut by a blade. Upon closer inspection, they had been ground down with sandpaper to make a very strong red color. It reminded him of some of the notes he had taken on the red pigment from cinnabar. Judging on how haphazard many of these painters were, he thought against suggesting it as a possible material for them. Both for their safety, and possibly those living nearby.

Hammers and spanners seemed to be stuck into pieces of artwork as makeshift methods to create gaps in the materials. He grabbed up what was lying around at different workstations and carried them to the shed Atira had mentioned. As he spread out all that he could find to clean, it felt like laying out a rainbow of disorganization. There were wrenches and brushes, ladders and needles. All kinds of tools and items that someone might try to randomly apply in the creation of 'home remedies.' Dracoso just shook his head softly and wondered what it took to be a painter, then decided against it. Maybe he could just paint scenery if he ever got bored. 

Dracoso started by summoning up his clones and then pulling out his water sealing scroll. He dragged a bucket over and one of the large sponges. He tossed the sponge to one clone and released the water into the bucket. Most of the tools were light and could be held easily, so he and one clone began to scrub down the tools in the water and applied soap from nearby to work out some of the tough marks and stains. Some tools which had gone a bit longer without care, he called out his water cutting sword and peeled off what he could. The second clone went about scrubbing down the larger tools. From the ladders and stepping stools to the large canvas stands. 

On occasion, they would lay out the tools in the sun cast the syrup capturing field over it, letting the sticky material sink into the tools for a few minutes before letting it wash out, carrying away layers each time. It took them roughly an hour to clean it out, by which time most of the painters had returned and were watching his work. Sturko came back over, yelling at Dracoso to not waste their time, only to suddenly go stiff and fall over. A subtle shift in the grass and a wave of satisfaction flowing over him made him realize the Sutsui had gotten tired of the man and dealt with it. He was glad her paralysis skill did not affect anyone else nearby.

Once everything was dried in the sun, Dracoso had his clones each take up a brush and they began to apply layers of paint and polish to wood and metal respectively. They applied lacquer to some of the wood tools that needed strength and primer to the laders and stepping stools. Once they were complete, they took a step back and observed their work. What was an array of colored mishaps, was now an organized display of craftsmanship. The clones deformed back into water as he waved his hand towards the tools with a small bow. The painters clapped softly and each took up their tools with a renewed vigor. Atira patted him on the back and said, "well, it wasn't a quick job, but you did well. You even gave us a bit of piece of mind from Sturko. What exactly did you do to him?" As she looked at him curiously, he smiled, "Let's just say a little friend of mine wanted to enjoy the music of the painters, uninterrupted." 

Atira nodded and patted his back before saying "well thanks to you, we are all set for the season. We might want you to come back again soon, though. We do have a bit more to handle." Dracoso nodded and replied, "after all the fun I had this time, I wouldn't mind a bit more of it in the future." They turned to see Sturko stirring from the grass as he glared at the two of them. He stood up, turned on his heel, and strode off towards the building. The two shared a chuckle as she escorted him back to the gate where he headed back towards the mission center. The day was still young. Maybe another job was in store.

{Exit}
Mission: Painter Guild's Plus One
Reward: 1000 Ryo + 5 AP
Event Reward: 5 Tickets
Total WC: 2153 (rounded to 2150)
Max Stats: Converting to AP - +42 AP

Skill Purchased:
Clan Pureblood - 2000 WC - +25 Vigor - Slotless
Learning Element: Wind - 3250 (150 added to the 3100 from True Responsibility Weighs on the Soul)

Approved