Festival of Sound: The Quinn Games

Missions:

Quinn stared outward towards the ongoing festival that sprung up after a week or two of preparation. There was much to celebrate with the village's founding happening so recently. Many were celebrating the ongoing festivities already as the Forgemaster witnessed a plethora of kids flocking from booth to booth to see what was available to consume or enjoy. Smiling was a common thing Quinn did when kids were involved, though they had no interest in their own, they did enjoy the tykes and their shenanigans when it came down to it. Always lively and full of energy, it was an easy thing to get into the middle of a group and inspire the children and then there would be oo's and aw's to stir into their imaginative brains from what a shinobi could do. With that in mind, there was a task that had been sent out to the village, participate! Many booths were accessible to people of all walks of life, though it was through some subtle channels that the shinobi were informed, to help sell the stalls in their capacity. There were 4 in particular that had games available to participate in that had Quinn's interest.

First up to bat was a ball toss game. Following a group of kids, Quinn inspected the bottles of glass that were stacked up with the attendant handing out rubber balls for participants to use. "Walk right up! Try your arm at knocking over some bottles! Knock 2 stacks and get a ticket! All ages welcome to try!" was called out by the man accepting people's contributions to participate in the game. Once the man received his tokens, the attendant would give the participant 5 balls to attempt to knock down 2 of 4, 3 bottle stands. Quinn watching the kids make various degrees of success knew that it was up to Quinn to showcase the needed skills for said encounter. Passing along the token to play, Quinn got the attention of a few of the kids, "Watch. Learn. And... Throw!"

As Quinn declared the launching word, a strong and solid pitch was given against one of the stands of bottles. The Forgemaster aware of their own strength held back from unleashing their full might and swing into the pitch. The bottle stands being only a couple of meters away meant that all the power Quinn could muster was significantly more than was necessary. With that in mind, however, Quinn did give it an extra spin causing the launched rubber ball to go horizontally into another stack of bottles knocking the second set over with a single throw. Bewildered the man at the stall blinked rapidly before inspecting the bottles as a loud clattering brought multiple people's attention over to the attraction. "Need a second throw?" Quinn asked as the attendant who had the rest of the rubber balls stood there confounded. She was about to give another ball to Quinn before the man called out. "What an unprecedented display of strength! It must be a miracle of the Academy for one such as you to be able to accomplish such a task!" As many more patrons to the stand came forth, he gave Quinn a thumbs up and handed them a ticket. "Enjoy the rest of the festival! Try out my brother's stand perhaps!"

With one ticket obtained, there were three more to go. A couple of kids from the previous stall began to follow Quinn as they walked around the festival grounds. Bringing attention to themselves was an easy task to accomplish for the blacksmith. It was almost as if they had a beloved presence about them but it was not out of love or positive interest that people kept their eye on the Forgemaster, but rather due to their eccentric ways of approach. Considering the remaining options that Quinn had already mentally selected to participate in, the 2nd stall came into view before a full idea and concept of what to do was established. The children around Quinn started pointing and hollering as Quinn submitted to the children's demands. A large sign labeled, 'Whack-a-Mole!' stood in front of the Forgemaster who gave a wide grin at the attendant as the game was a simple one for them.

Handing over another token, the game with its mechanical prowess came to life as a second aid began to help get the moles into place for Quinn's run at the game. "A simple game indeed! Hit as many as you can within 60 seconds! Hit 15 or more and you're set with a ticket!" Said the first of the duo handing Quinn a mallet to work with. Giving the entourage a solid thumbs up as the challenge was issued and the kids were ready. A whistle was blown and the game began! Quick and swift was Quinn in their strikes hitting each one as they popped up. It was not long before the sound and rhythm that Quinn picked up drew in another crowd of individuals. Swift and true, the Forgemaster was used to precise strikes on hot iron, and as such this style of game was a whack, whack, whack away from completion. The second attendant eventually gave up as they pushed the mechanisms of the machinery to their limit, stopping at around the 45-second mark with a strike count of 60.

Celebration filled the air as more kids came by and began to cheer on the mysterious red-haired blacksmith who rose to the challenges of the festival. Claiming their second ticket of the evening, Quinn slowly told stories to the children that were following them of how they learned from the village's Shinobi Academy, and that they may one day be able to do what they saw in the future. Advertising was in Quinn's nature and as much as they wished they could sell their own business, tonight's affairs was about the village and the community at large. Selfishness be damned, the village came first upon this night. Supporting the future behind themselves, Quinn's troupe doubled in size as they approached the third game that they aimed to defeat. Normally it was a simple feat of strength, but it was said to showcase and show off a little of what shinobi arts could be used.

The striking force of Quinn would easily destroy parts of the game that was presented before them. Considering their options on this one, Quinn figured the best method would likely involve using a technique or two to their advantage. With what they presently were aware of though, the Forgemaster cursed mentally at the simple lack of some abilities they could aim to have. Grabbing the mallet, they did what they could and channeled some earth chakra into the tool given to them to use for the task of ringing the bell atop a roughly 3-meter tall makeshift board. "Easy. Simple. Tricky though." They gave a light tap with the mallet making the ringer rise only halfway up the pole it was attached to, to reach the bell on top. The children started to snicker before Quinn hushed them and did their second attempt with a tad more force as rocks began to form on the mallet. Although Quinn was aware this was not the real way to go about it, but they considered it close enough as the bell rang and knocked off its hook. Giving a light shrug, not as big as a crowd came for the bell rang a few times already that evening.

The children gave excitement as the attendant at the bell gave a ticket to the Forgemaster as their troupe took their turn at the stand. Many of the kids had issues even getting it halfway up with one kid getting really close to ringing the bell. Quinn waited and watched as they all took turns trying again and again to replicate what Quinn demonstrated. It may not have been the right method but it was one that they could definitely strive towards. Giving tips and tricks to the kids eventually found more and more success. At the rate Quinn was going they felt they ought to try to teach at the academy. Maybe they discovered a hidden talent for it, at minimum their age was more accurate of someone of that position for sure. Once all the kids had their turns and chances the attendant gave Quinn a shrug and they returned one back. After bearing witness to the might and power of Quinn Foster, all the kids figured it was a cakewalk to make the bell ring. Though it did take some time for it to be put back on its perch.

From the High Striker game, there was one to be the best than the rest, the Log Rolling game. It was always a fun game to participate in due to the circumstances surrounding falling into a body of water. Many kids would get help onto the log only to fall off almost immediately. Quinn, fully aware that most who succeed had some shinobi training, there were those who were able to keep afloat longer than a few seconds from natural balance and instinct. Realizing once more that the request was to showcase their talents across all facets, Quinn heaved a heavy sigh as their approach to this was going to need more of their utilization of Tree Climbing/Surface Walking all in one swift motion. As their turn approached, a lot of the children following Quinn murmured to themselves that the shorter the person the easier of a time they had. Quinn being a bit on the taller side, knew well what they were saying without realizing as their own center of gravity was not as close to the log, and from there their overall mass would span farther from it too.

Getting set up, Quinn started to channel chakra into their feet against the log and felt a good solid stick. Once release Quinn stood still on the log, using their chakra to the best of their ability to remain afloat. The Forgemaster's balance however had quite a bit to work around as they slowly began to turn towards the surface of the water. Quick to act, however, they began a teetering contest on which side was more likely to flop into the water, their front or their back. With the kids pointing and gawking at the affair, Quinn felt the pressure as this was the final ticket and they did not want to drench themselves this early into the evening. Relying on their quick speed along with some help from their chakra, Quinn was able to last and make it to the end of the challenge without too much of an issue. It reminded the Forgemaster that they needed to maintain their training with their chakra for the sake of keeping up with the future. Many had strengths that Quinn could already see that could help bring fine shinobi into the fold of the world, it was up to them to pursue it.

Claiming the final ticket, Quinn felt the accomplishment of the night present and with the company they spent it with, made them happy. It would have been nice to consider going with someone and having fun with another but Quinn being ever present but never there remained true beyond their family. A lull of melancholy washed over the aged blacksmith as the kids ran around and congratulated them. Giving them all a strong thumbs up and a pat on the back for their time, Quinn sent them off to find their parents. Helping each one reunite, Quinn thanked them for their time together. Dropping off the last one they chimed at them, "Thank you Ms. Foster!" where the Forgemaster simply replied, "Call me Quinn." before departing, looking to lay claim to the prize for getting through the challenges sent forth. Another night of the festival awaited.

Quinn made their way to the front of the festival grounds looking around briefly as they looked for the ticket stand to exchange their prizes. Many present and available rewards ranged from stuffed bears to paddles with rubber balls attached by string but that was for the children. Maneuvering further away from the main grounds, another ticket stand was set up and established with a few other individuals gathered around it murmuring about the selection available. The stand itself did not come equipped to distribute all the items that were available, as they would need to be picked up at a later date once inventory was accounted for and sorted through the requests. Quinn being practical knew exactly what they were going to request as the options were simple. Some gawked at the book filled with a plethora of techniques and understandings of their implications, others at the scroll that held the secrets of a practitioner before them. The more practical of the shinobi that stood at the stand had a selection in mind between the last two items.

Approaching the stand themselves, Quinn waited patiently in line before marking their name down to receive a pair of Ronin Robes once supplies and deliveries would be able to be made. Handing over the hard-won currency from tonight's affair, Quinn lingered a bit to see where people gravitated toward the armor or the weapon that were options. In Quinn's mind, it felt likely that it would be themselves and their business that would have to make some of the gear being provided but they shook their head and laughed to themselves. It was likely but Quinn was aware they did not sign up for supplying the more practical equipment that would be offered out tonight. With that, the Forgemaster left the festival.

TWC: 2,301

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approved