Sweet Treat Meat

Fuse was frustrated with how the morning had gone so far. Her mother had woken her up early to go out and get the meat shipment delivered so the family pets would be fed. More and more, her family wanted her to take on the responsibilities of the clan and handle the animals, even though they could not find a single one that fit her. She wondered if she just was not an animal person. The only answer to that was remembering the animals who had attempted to bond with her. Dogs were light on their feet, but none could really keep up with the intensity of movement she pushed herself to. Lizards could go pretty much anywhere but had no real personality aside from being sneaky. A bird seemed like a good choice at first, until she realized how little impact they could cause unless they were larger than a bread box. Each try just led to her family wishing her well on the next pet.

Her cousins already had companions and familiars since they were ten and seemed so much better off. Fuse could do plenty with her own hands and feet. "Companions can fill in for areas that you lack or in ways that improve your own ability further," her mother had once said. "You need to see your own weaknesses and limits before you can find purpose in a companion." Fuse clicked her tongue at the thought. She had tried to find her own weaknesses, but it seemed like every weakness was just something that someone else complained about. She enjoyed the freedom of the world around her, why latch herself down to one destiny? Her family was already so numerous, and she wanted to feel like she was moving forward with every step she took. Whether that was into danger or reward. 

She had grabbed a piece of jam toast on her way out the front door and took off before her mother could yell after her. She loved the feeling of the wind as it ran over her hair and skin. The faster she ran, the closer she felt to her freedom. She could just lose herself in this feeling and launch herself onto the rooftops in one simple maneuver. The world around her felt like a stage to dance across and the sun shone down around her to help her find where she would go. She knew many other people around her had their roles and their place, and she was not going to be the star all the time, but she enjoyed when she could toss herself into the show.

She stuttered to a halt on a rooftop just as the butcher came into sight. Fushon grumbled softly as she knew that she could not get out of her duty without losing more of her freedom down the road. With a small kick at a nearby shingle, Fushon hopped down off the rooftop and made her way to the butcher's door. The smell of meat immediately hit her, to which she took a deep breath and stepped inside. The butcher looked up as the bell rang softly and smiled at her. "Fuse! Good to see you girl! Here for the shipment?" He asked. Old Niru was always friendly with her and seemed to know what she was hungry for whenever she came in. He always had a big smile on his face and leaned over the counter. "Well yeah, I just wish my family would stop pestering me about how hard it is to find me a companion. I know I need to be more open, but none of the animals seem to fit my style," she grumbled.

Niru chuckled as he was cutting up a chunk of meat in front of him, "Hah! Little lady, you seem to have plenty of animal in you already. Maybe you are the one built out to be a companion. Just find yourself a nice human to bond with. I bet you know plenty of boys who would take you up on that offer," he said suggestively. Fuse blushed and began flailing her arms at him while she dipped her head down, "shut up! I have no idea what you are talking about! I am talking about animals and companions. Don't bring up all that weird adult stuff!" The butcher stopped what he was doing to wipe away the tears from how hard he was chuckling. He shook his head and looked back at the girl, "when it comes to animals, I do not know anyone more like an animal than young boys. Especially when it comes to young girls." He emphasized the last few words by pointing at Fuse. She crossed her arms and looked away as she pouted. Niru simply shrugged as he smiled and continued cutting. 

"So... that order for my family. Is it set to go?" She asked curiously, leaning forward and back on the balls of her feet. Her eyes wandered over the counter to try to see where the crate might be. Niru simply shook his head and said, "lots of orders have been coming in lately, so I did not have time to put it all together. The number of animals at your home has gone up recently, so I needed to get a bigger crate for your order. Most of the food is already in smaller packages, I just need you to organize it into the larger crate and find a way to get it back to your home." She nodded along with his words. "Sounds pretty easy. So just how much is there to pack?" Niru gestured her towards the back and headed through a door on his side of the counter. She followed suit and walked beside him as they came around the corner to a large stack of wax paper-wrapped meats. Beside it was a crate that was easily the same size as Fushon.

"I need to carry...this?" she asked incredulously as she pointed at the crate. "Mhm," was all Niru said as he slipped on a new pair of gloves and picked up a piece of meat off the top of the pile. "You need to carefully place each piece of meat, and each can of supplies into this crate. Your family has over two dozen animals at your home right now which need food for the next two weeks. You probably met several of them, so you can imagine just how much variety there is in this package. Start with the larger cuts and the bone in meat at the bottom and put the smaller cuts towards the top. One corner needs to be specific set for the canned foods so that the meat is not resting on top of a hard surface and gets tenderized any further." He finished his explanation and glanced at her. "Got all that?"

Fuse let out a long, frustrated sigh and nodded her head. This was going to take a while. At least the pile of meats was separated by type of meat. She slipped on a pair of gloves and dug her hands into the pile of meat. The sensation of cold, squishy material against her fingers made her shudder as she slowly separated each piece of meat by size. She would start with what she thought was the largest piece, only to find a larger one, and had to reorganize them again. Half a dozen kinds of meat needed to be organized separately and it slowly wore at her patience. Several times, she stepped out of the store just to get some sunlight and feel fresh air before diving back into her work.

As she finished organizing the last stack of meat, she leaned against the crate, already tired of the work she was doing. Why can't we just order smaller crates each week? This just feels like a waste of time she thought to herself. As if to answer her, Niru poked his head around the corner and asked, "so how is it going? Looks like you are pretty far along." She chuckled sarcastically and said, "yeah, far along towards what though is the question. Why do we get such a big crate each week?" Niru gave her a searching look before saying, "I said it before. With just how many animals are at your house right now, more supplies were needed. Your family always does a two-week order to make sure I have time to get every kind in within that timeframe. I can't always get every kind of meat in a week and so having the extra time guarantees a delivery," he explained. "Your mother probably taught you this but getting prime cuts of meat is far more difficult than normal cuts. Especially in the quantities that your family needs them. It takes a lot of planning to get a system like this in order for your family, you know."

Fushon sat against the box as she thought through his words. He figured it was tough to get all this meat, but that was his job to get it, right? She did not really know how the agreement worked, other than the butcher supplied their family with the food supplies they needed. She had always assumed they could order whatever they needed and she just came by to pick it up when it was ready. "I didn't know it required so much preparation. It always seemed like I could just come by and it would be ready," she said softly. Niru scratched the top of his head and looked away, "yes, but that would usually be after I spent an hour or so organizing it into the box you took home. I get sent the meats from several different merchants and put them together for your family to use. Your family has given me a lot of business in the past, so I never minded doing a bit more work to see them happy." 

Thoughts on her own sense of freedom from earlier and her desire to get out and go explore the world floated by. She closed her eyes as she leaned her head back. "So, what made you want to become a butcher then? What kind of freedom do you get from it?" she asked him. Niru looked back at her curiously. His eyes were searching her expression as he replied, "well, when it comes to freedom, I get to decide my own work schedule. I choose who I serve and what kinds of meats I get to interact with, but I don't think that is what you are asking." He moved some of the supplies off a chair nearby and took a seat. "I do this job because my father did it. He did it after his father before him. When I was about your age, I did not want anything to do with this place other than to get a sandwich now and then." He chuckled as he thought back on his memories. "Eventually, though, I came back. I realized that there are plenty of choices we can make in this world for where we want to go or where we want to be. I wanted to be here because of all the wonderful memories I had with my family. I had learned so much here and even met my wife while I was working here. Whether you are exploring the world or standing in one place, you can still only have one perspective of the world. It comes down to those around you to give you more." 

Fushon let the idea roll around in her mind as she listened. Maybe she did need more perspective. Or a sandwich. She was already feeling a bit hungry. A smile grew on her lips as she sat back up and looked to Niru, "I could use a bit more exploring myself, along with a sandwich." Niru chuckled in response and nodded, saying to her, "it will be ready as soon as you finish packing up the crate." Fushon got to her feet, patting herself off, and began to move the canned supplies into the crate. Half an hour later, the cans, meat, and dividers were all in place. She tossed the lid on top and nailed it down with the hammer and nails left nearby. Niru had a meat and vegetable sandwich waiting for her as she strutted out, feeling accomplished from her struggles. The sandwich was delicious with each bite as Niru asked, "so, how are you going to move it?"

Fushon stopped mid-bite. The box was a big as her and she probably weighed half as much as it. She put her sandwich down and went into the back to figure out a method. She tried to lift the box, only to confirm that she was not a strong person. She shoved the box from behind, only for it to stutter a few inches before settling. She tried to pull and push it, only to have it overpower her and leave her sitting on her butt. She was still sitting in front of the box, staring at it gloomily over her crossed arms, when Niru dragged a dolly around the corner. She gave him a cold stare and he just smiled back. "Never hurts to ask for help," he said knowingly as he headed back behind the counter. She set the dolly down and struggled to lift it up. She was able to tilt it up slowly and slide the dolly under it before wedging it slowly further and further until the crate was resting on top.

The weight was still immense, but she was able to slowly roll it out the door, nodding a goodbye to Niru. The trip back took her an hour in all, including several rest stops and water breaks. By the time she got home, she felt like she was done with the day, forever. She laid out in the grass near her front door and let the shade cool her down. It felt like her whole body was acting for rest and demanding that she just take a nap. She could feel the tiredness overtaking her just as the front door of her house opened. "There's the delivery," she heard her mother saying. Her mother shouted back into the house and the sound of shuffling came as some of her family members and their companions came to help move the crate inside.

Once things were silent again, soft footsteps walked up to Fushon and a second shadow fell over her. She opened her eyes to see her mother looking at her curiously. "I take it the trip back was a tough one?" she asked. Fushon sighed and closed her eyes again, "the thing weighed a ton. I am exhausted." Her mother chuckled and nodded, "I remember my first delivery. Of course, this one is quite a bit larger, so I know it got out more energy than my first trip. Of course, you have more energy than anyone else in the household, so this might be for the best." Fuse gritted her teeth, keeping her thoughts to herself. Her mother stood silent for a minute before speaking up, "thank you honey. I know this is not the most exciting thing to do, but it does help us. The animals especially." 

Fushon opened one eye and saw her mother looking at her proudly. Fushon looked away, feeling a blush rising. "Yeah, well. No one else could do it at the time and I didn't have anything better to do, I guess." Her mother simply nodded and turned back to the house while waving a hand. "I will let you know if we need any more help. For now, have fun taking the dolly back." Fuse groaned and rolled over in the grass, not wanting to get up. She would take it back when she was good and ready. She preferred to do things that let her test her speed and her agility. Tasks like this one were necessary, she just wished she had someone else to handle the heavy lifting. Maybe she could get a bear for a companion. That way, it could just carry it over its head and push through the crowds to get home. Something like that would be pretty useful. 

Fushon yawned as she started to nod off. Thoughts of companions and piles of meat met her in her dreams. A random dream of a bear chasing young boys away also showed up randomly, but it was gone as soon as it came. She would awaken an hour later to her mother's dog licking at her face and tiredly wheeled the dolly back to the butcher. She received the rest of her sandwich as an additional reward and a thank you from Niru. Next time, she wanted to get a mission where meat was the last thing on her mind.

{Exit}
Mission:
E-Rank - Give a Dog a Bone
Rewards: 1000 Ryo + 5 AP
Event Reward: 5 Beachside Tickets

WC = 2822 (rounded to 2800)
Stats = +28 speed

Specialty Learned: Ninjutsu - 2000

Jutsu learned:
D rank - Speed:Crane - 750
D rank - Tsuri-goshi - 50/500