Returning Requests

After the first two times he visited, Dracoso was not sure what to expect. The first time he stopped by, he had been refused by a small man who yelled at him for being late only an hour after Dracoso had picked up the mission. He proceeded to learn that the Painter Guild was not just about painting, but enjoyed exploring all kinds of art. From sculptures to brick buildings and even explosive presentations. The second time he had visited, the front door to their private 'domain' had been barely on its hinges. The majority of the inhabitants had looked like they had just come back from war, and most were coated in multiple layers of materials. They had described it to him as a form of inspiration for their art as many got off the ground from what had looked like a final resting place. 

He shook his head as he walked down the street with the mission form in his hand. At least Atira seemed like a normal woman who knew how to handle the rest of the group. Of course, she was the one who suggested that hands-on style of inspiration he was just imagining, so maybe it depends on how far normal goes. Dracoso dropped the thought and focused on the mission at hand. He figured another visit back would do him some good. Each time he stopped by, he was able to apply his knowledge and ability to a task for creating, rather than removing or protecting. Many of the missions they received had them handling either some part of nature or some person or group of people. With the Painter Guild, they mainly just wanted to see what he could make.

A thought tickled the back of his mind as he came around the corner to the guild. The doors were still standing and there were not any stray lines of paint or random material slashed over the walls this time. As he made his way forward, that thought kept floating around his mind, trying to get his attention. He tried to focus on it, but he only seemed to recall pieces. He remembered having received a letter at the end of his last mission for the guild that had come from Atira. She had wanted something from him, but he could not exactly remember what it was again. He knocked on the door and shook his head, trying to remember what it was that his mind kept trying to recall. As the door opened and he saw Atila's face light up, it came flooding back to him.

"Dracoso!" She said as she gave him a bear hug and dragged him in through the door. He struggled for a minute as she had his arm locked down in hers, forcing him to follow her. "I knew you would decide to join us! It took you some time to come around, I imagine, but after that artwork of yours last time, I knew you had it in you! We can start you off with your own private space and have you start grinding down materials in no time! You will love it he-" Dracoso wrenched himself out of her grip and fell down on the ground behind her. She kept walking a few paces before realizing he had slipped free. She turned around and faced him with her hands on her hips. "Now, I know you are not the most confident person, and you seem pretty nervous, but we are all friends here. You can trust in me when I say that we have your best interests in mind," she said passionately. 

Silence stretched after she finished. Dracoso stood up and patted himself off before clearing his throat and saying, "I picked up another mission the guild had put up. I stopped by in the hopes to assist the guild with it." He pulled out the mission form and held it out towards her. She seemed to shrink slightly, and a sadness began to fill her eyes. "Just a mission? You did not come here to join up?" she asked, looking down. Dracoso rubbed the back of his neck and gave a nervous smile, "not quite. You all seem like a nice bunch, and I do appreciate all you have done, it is just the fact that I do not see myself as a painter for a career is all." He held out his hands as if indicating that was everything. Atira sighed and turned to march into the main building.

Dracoso gave a sigh of his own and noticed the painters nearby all glancing after Atira. He heard them mumbling about Atira being in a bad mood and possibly locking herself up in her room again. Some mentioned how people in the past who refused her either set her on a tirade or on a silent spree for days. A pit of anxiety formed in Dracoso's stomach as he hurried after her. People quickly pointed the direction to go as he said Atira's name. Up the stairs and down the hallway, Dracoso was just in time to catch the door as it was about to slam shut. Atira looked up at Dracoso, tears forming in her eyes as she looked at him with a pout. "You are wasting your talent as a ninja! You did not even give me a chance to show you why being a painter is so enjoyable!" She shouted as she tried to force the door closed on him. Dracoso held the door open with all his strength, pressing his back to the other side of the doorway.

"I know painting can be amazing and I loved doing the last job you gave," he said, struggling with each word as he held the door open. "I just know that I am far too active to stop and just paint. I want to be out there helping people!" Atira scoffed and shook her head as she pushed harder, "You can help people by inspiring them with your work! Being a ninja just means you plan to put more of the other villages' people in the ground!" She had gritted her teeth and was putting her back into the effort. Dracoso was starting to lose inches as the door slowly moved closed on top of him. "I want to still paint; I just cannot do it for a living! What would you say if someone tried to force you to stop being a painter and to have you become a ninja?!"

A small crowd had gathered at the staircase and were looking down the hallway at the scene. Dracoso had one foot up against the door now and was putting all his strength into not being crushed. Atira seemed to have plenty of strength to back up her will. It was no wonder that everyone at the guild respected her. "I would turn them down because being a ninja only gets you into trouble! All you do is go out and fix everyone else's problems!" Dracoso picked up quickly, "inspiring others is only good if they have a reason to be inspired! I was inspired by your group to do the painting from the last mission, and it gave me the ability to do that! I want to save lives and keep people out of the ground, not put them there!" Atira stopped where she was, holding the door from opening, but not pushing it towards Dracoso anymore.

"When I was painting at the school-" Dracoso said, catching his breath as he held the door, -"I let the inspiration flow from my experience as a ninja. Each element has its place, just as each ninja has its role. In order for people to be inspired, they need a reason to want it. If they do not want it, they never give it any mind. When someone is truly inspired, that is when all those around them become inspired too. Isn't that why you are the leader of the guild?" He felt the door begin to swing open and Atira took her hands off the door. He slipped and almost stumbled straight into the door but caught himself with the handle and swung onto one foot. He stood up and looked to Atira. She walked slowly into her room before taking a seat on the bed. Dracoso's breathing slowed and recovered as she gestured for him to come in before saying, "close the door." 

He glanced at the others on the stairs, to which they all scattered back down the steps, before he closed the door behind him. She nodded softly to herself and said, "I figured that was the case. It just seemed like you had walked enough paths of life that you might truly create something inspiring to others. Something that might teach others or show them that there is more to consider." Dracoso nodded as he crouched in front of her so that they were eye level. "I want to do that. Just, as a ninja, not a painter. You have plenty of talent here and I know you can keep creating wonderful things. I am happy to stop by from time to time to help build something new and hopefully give some more inspiration if I can." Atira nodded silently and held out a hand. Dracoso was confused for a moment before she said, "the mission form. We might as well get it started." He nodded and handed her the form.

She looked it over and nodded to herself before handing the paper back. "You will be working with Subei on this mission. A client put in a request a couple days ago to have us make a sculpture bearing his resemblance. The odd part about the request is that the client is very... specific with his details. His request is not to have it look exactly like him, but to have it look like him. He wants to look like he has been-" she held up her hands and made air quotes around the words, "-'transplanted into a different lifestyle'. Subei was nervous as he was not sure if the individual wanted to be seen from a painter's perspective, so we put up the mission request. I did not think you would be the exact person to take it, but honestly you might be a good fit for this." He raised an eyebrow as she continued, "As you are from a different walk of life from most of us here. From your desire to save lives as a ninja, rather than end them, I would say you are the person I would least describe as normal." He chuckled softly at that, to which it was Atira's turn to look confused. he just shook his head and realized how strange it was trying to apply the word normal to anyone.

He thanked her and told her that his second choice of career might just be painter, if he ever retired from being a ninja. She perked up at this thought and they chuckled together. They chatted for a bit before Dracoso headed back downstairs and got directions to find Subei. Dracoso found him out back working at a large piece of marble. The man was rather small, but quick with a chisel. As Dracoso approached Subei stopped, almost as if sensing him, and turned to regard him. "I take it you took up the mission?" he asked. Dracoso was a bit surprised and then looked closer and realized that he had been one of the people on the stairs. Dracoso shifted his jaw and nodded softly, dropping his surprise as he said, "and you took up post on the stairs a short while ago."

Subei tensed for a moment, before sighing and nodding. "I wanted to make a good impression, so I thought I might act like I knew more than I should. I don't get to meet a lot of people ever since I joined the guild, so I take what opportunities I can get. You know, so you might come back and visit." Dracoso smiled and said, "this is my third time visiting the guild haven't you seen me around?" The sculptor scratched his chin, rubbed a fine layer of dust into his skin. "I think I saw you once during our last inspiration exercise, but you were only around so long as to say hello before you were off. Not much of a visit for anyone besides Atira, I suppose." Dracoso gave a nod and realized that he had only stopped off long enough to get the confirmation and details on the mission the last time he was there.

With a shrug, he let Subei know that he would try to stop by a bit longer and say hi when the next mission came up. Subei agreed and seemed content. Subei finished the part of his work he was on and grabbed up his tools before heading over to a small building behind the main one. Dracoso followed him and watched as he sent out a messenger pigeon with a colored message attached to it. Subei turned back to Dracoso and said, "this way, we meet the client where we have the material waiting. It should get to him in a few minutes, and he should arrive within the hour. We just need to be at the location in the next 20 minutes." Dracoso listened and nodded along before asking, "how long of a walk is it?" Subei checked his watch and then said to Dracoso, "about 20 minutes." 

That pit of anxiety in Dracoso's stomach vibrated softly back into being as he convinced Subei that it would be good to leave and possibly get there ahead of schedule. Subei agreed and the two jogged off out of the guild, keeping a good pace as they went. They discussed how to tackle the 'unique' request made by the client. Having the statue look like him was something Subei could easily do. Having it appear as if he was in a different lifestyle was the tough part. Dracoso suggested possibly putting him in a different attire or positioning him crouching or ready to engage in something. Subei thought they sounded good but was not too sure if they would match the request. They agreed to talk with the client before beginning the work to make sure the client was happy with it.

They arrived in after 15 minutes of jogging and took a minute to catch their breath. Dracoso was a bit tired, but Subei was winded from the exercise. When he asked how Subei could be so out of shape with all their 'inspiration exercises', Subei explained that those exercises were more for their arms and minds than their legs. Most painters did not need inspiration for their legs, he explained. Dracoso was not sure how one part of the body could be inspired more or less than another and so he just nodded along. The square they were in had a large block of what appeared to be alabaster stone sitting in the center of it. It had to be at least 8 feet tall and four feet wide. It was only a bit bigger than the project he saw Subei had been working on back at the guild. Other than that, not many people seemed to be occupying the space and only a wooden box could be seen near the stone.

Subei had just gotten to his feet and was almost recovered when a well-dressed man with a goatee and a barrister wig walked out into the square. The man made a beeline for the two of them and stopped just short of running into them. "I see you have arrived. It is time for you to craft my masterpiece," he said in a nasally tone. Dracoso nodded and looked to Subei who gestured at him to begin. "Yes, we are set to begin. While Subei begins to work on your likeness, I did want to ask a few questions to make sure we display a lifestyle to your choosing." The man stuck his nose up and looked at Dracoso down it before waving a hand dismissively and said, "fine, fine. Ask your questions." Tempering his voice to keep the irritation out of it, Dracoso took out a small pad and a pencil and pretended to take notes as he asked his questions.

Q: "What job do you currently work in?"
A: "I am a political official who handles the office of financial affairs."

Dracoso did not even realize there was a position for such a thing.

Q: "How often do you leave the village?"
A: "Never. Except when I am visiting family."

Q: "Did you have any occupations or desires when you were young for any other career path?"
A: "No, I wanted to go into politics like my father. My only other desire was to own a bakery so I could get free sweets whenever I wanted."

Q: "How else might you describe how you would like this sculpture to appear?"
A: "Hmm... I suppose you could say I want it to be a 'freedom from fate'."

Dracoso groaned softly enough that the client could not hear and decided to ask one final question.

Q: "What is your favorite thing in the world?"
The man scoffed softly, A: "Justice, of course. Seeing that truth becomes reality, and that freedom is given to those who deserve it." 

He pretended to finish taking the last of his notes before thanking the man and slipping back over to Subei. He had just begun to work away at the top of the stone. The wooden box had been opened to reveal a step ladder and a few other implements for loosening the stone for easier and more careful removal of the material. Dracoso relayed what had been discussed, which earned him a confused look from Subei. "So, he wanted to be a political official who's favorite thing is doing what he does other than getting sweets. How does this help us?" Dracoso scratched his head as he thought through the answers. It sounded like the man was a bit of a shut-in who just found that he enjoyed what he could control. His lifestyle seemed like a comfortable one that had been built up around him to some degree. From there, he had lived his life and achieved the goal he had wanted and came to the Painter Guild to see what another lifestyle would look like on him.

"Freedom from fate..." Dracoso said softly to himself. Subei raised an eyebrow as Dracoso leaned in and whispered a few instructions to the scultpor. The man gave Dracoso a concerned look before nodded and saying, "I will take your lead on it." He began to work away at the block with Dracoso offering tools and occasionally applying a layer of the weak solvent to help him craft the resemblance. It took an hour, and the client kept a stern eye on the two as they worked. Once the face and chest were in place, Subei began to craft the appearance of clothing over the body and worked his way down. After several hours, the sun was beginning to set, and they had begun to paint it. The client seemed tired but was refusing to leave until the job was done. Small torchlights were set up to provide full visibility as shadows fell over the sculpture.

As the moon rose and the last of the sun's light faded, the two finally put down their brushes. The client saw that the work was complete and began to examine it. He walked around it slowly and nodded before holding a hand towards them and saying, "it has my likeness, and it is something I would never imagine wearing. Yet it has a sense of strength and freedom about it. What lifestyle exactly is this?" Dracoso stood up and stretched as he responded, "That of a village chieftain. A traveling village chieftain, to be more specific." The client gave Dracoso a confused look as he continued, "many chieftains settle into one place and end up becoming idle and trapped in their daily life. A traveling chieftain, similar to some of the more remote tribes I have read about, constantly move and can explore and join any part of the tribe in their responsibilities. It allows him the ability to still be in charge but decide where and how he wants to help."

The man nodded and gave a small smile as he said, "I can see that. He looks quite incredible, if I do say so myself." His smile fell into a grown as he said half to himself, "it may have looked better with wings... Either way, you both have done as I wished." He pulled out a small folded up piece of paper which he handed to Dracoso. "Take this back with you to the guild. My payment for the work will be sent in the morning." He glanced back at Dracoso and raised an eyebrow before saying, "just one thing. How did you understand what it was I was looking for?" Dracoso relaxed with a small smile, "well, you seem to enjoy being in control of your life. The only problem is, with so much being decided for you, you never really chose to be in control of being in control of your life. It was decided for you. I figured, seeing yourself in a role where you could decide how to be your role each day would give you a freedom to decide fate. Rather than being in one place, getting out to see how other people live within that control and then influencing how they are is another sort of freedom."

The client nodded and took a step towards the statue before pointing towards its hip, "and I take it this is another sort of a freedom?" Dracoso looked closer and saw what appeared to be a baked roll attached to the sculpture's hip. He looked to Subei who gave him a grin and a subtle thumbs up. "Well, tribes do cook on the go. Many might make baked goods to answer to their needs," he said with a shrug. The client gave a short chuckle and nodded. "Creative. Well, I do approve of this statue. Next time, I might ask for you to assist again. I did have a thought for a mural of myself under the sea..." Dracoso simply nodded and thanked the client for his kind words before excusing himself. Subei followed suit and they headed back towards the guild. Dracoso shook his head and said, "I can't imagine being under the sea, can you?" Subei shook his head as the laughed, with a touch of anxiety, at the thought of who might have to make that mural in the future.

Subei signed off on his mission form and said his goodbyes at the guild's gates before Dracoso made his way back to the mission center. He found a different face manning the mission desk as he handed in the form. The man looked up Dracoso and nodded before saying, "once the payment to the guild is made, your reward will be provided. Feel free to stop by tomorrow afternoon at the earliest for it." Dracoso nodded and headed back for home. The day had been a long and interesting one, but he had enjoyed trying to imagine the desires of the mind of another person. Perhaps it would provide him insight in the future on how to deal with enemies he would clash with. For now, his only thought was on getting some rest and completing his last mission before he began to look for sparring partners.

His mother welcomed him home with the 'children' in tow and his father shared a story on seeing the sculpture. His father had known of the official and seeing him dressed in traveling attire with a bun on his belt made him look a bit like a beggar. Dracoso asked his father to not tell others that as he did not want to upset the client. His father just shrugged and said that men like that would not care what you say, as long as they are in charge. Dracoso wasn't too sure, but figured that whatever damage was done, was done. They shared a peaceful dinner before Dracoso slipped back into bed and cuddled up in the warmth. Sutsui gently cradled his shoulders and slipped in close to him as they both fell asleep.

{Exit}
C-Rank Mission: Painter Guild's Plus One (Part.III)
Reward: 5000 Ryo + 25 AP
Event Reward: 15 Beachside Tickets

WC Total: 4100
Stats Maxed, AP Maxed - 25% Discount on learning
Jutsu Learned:
B Rank - Hidden Mist Technique - 1175/1175 (adding remaining 850 to the 275/1175 from Responsibility Breeds Activity)

Skill learning:
Talented: Medical Jutsu - 1000/3750 (originally 5000)

Justu Mastery:
D Rank - Basic Sealing Technique - Twice: handsealless - 750 (originally 1000)
C Rank - Suiton: Mizu Senbon - Twice: handsealless - 1500 (originally 2000)

Approved