Delivery: Spicy Sage Curry [Mission]

[Okada Kaji]

Delivery, Katsura Apartments
Group Modded Mission
Moderator: Okada Kaji
Participant(s):
- Inuzuka Akira - Student
- Tatsuo Ranna - Student

It was a brisk winter afternoon slipping towards evening, rather rainy and subpar. Daylight savings was stripping the sun away rather early, with help from the rainy overcast. A complex manager was idling outside of the Katsura Apartment complex with her umbrella. It was a quiet little niche of Konoha here, where elderly shinobi often came to live in the later days of their lives. There were two, two-storey wings to the complex, and it had a U shape, that joined the wings in the center. This afternoon, this weathered and stressed looking complex manager was burning a cigarette, and withstanding the light downpour as she did each day. She swept long brunette hair out of her face. Her eyes were baggy and marked with heavy black liner, and her pupils were black dots. She had a busty figure beneath a very worn blue suit jacket and skirt, and impatiently tapping black pumps that made a rhythm on the pavement. The colorful ascot around her neck insisted that she liked to have fun, but you knew she didn't really like fun at all. You'd think she was somewhere between thirty-five and forty-four if you guess her age. Director Masami was the name on her tag. Miss Masami seemed restless, standing there. And, it was because a couple of students from the nearby academy were coming today.

Any minute now, Masami was expecting two students from the shinobi academy to bring ten meals in stacked kits to her complex. It was part of a meal delivery program started by the shinobi corps to provide warm meals to the village's most honored veterans while encouraging the students to give back to their community. While the mission of the meal delivery was a fine idea to Director Masami, this wasn't the first time she had students delivering meals to her tenants. A previous incident at Katsura Apartments caused a temporary shutdown of the Delivery Program and almost got the program disbanded. Masami took a look at her watch and saw that it was roughly a quarter till four in the afternoon. For many of her tenants, it was already past dinner time, and they would become cranky soon.

---

WC: 389

[OOC: Hey guys. Each player character joins the mission having already received their kit of five meals from the academy before going home for the day. This evening, you have been selected by the shinobi academy to deliver meals as an extra-curricular duty. You know that your contact at Katsura Apartments is Director Masami, and that she is going to instruct you once you have arrived at the complex.

- edit: fixed alignment.]​

 

[Tatsuo]

Tatsuo sprinted down the rainy alley way as he made his way over to Director Masami. In his hand was a brown paper bag containing the meals for the veterans in the complex. Behind the large paper bag she would notice Tatsuo's cheerful grin, quite the contrast from the dark and gloomy street. Despite his clothes being soaked, he was bent over protecting the top of the bag from any rain spoiling their meals, it was obvious he was going to take this seriously. As he made it to the patio area where she was standing he placed the bag down on a ledge, making sure it wouldn't fall before shaking some of the rain out of his hair. He looked back to her, his same cheerful grin. "So which oldfolks am I delivering to today? You know both of my parents fought in the war against the samurai, so like, if my parents were older I could be delivering to them, but that wouldn't make much sense since they live at home and why would I deliver them food if they live at home? Why don't these people live at home don't they have kids who will take care of them? Maybe there kids live here too? This isn't enough food to feed a family, just one person! Should I go get more?" Tatsuo frowned looking to the bag, he felt hurt that he wouldn't be able to feed, what he now thought would be families instead of lone ninja. He then looked back to Masami. "I'm sorry if I didn't bring enough, this was all they gave me. I can stop by my house and grab some more food, I think my mom made dumplings today, do you think the families would like dumplings? I like dumplings. I like rice more though, maybe I should get them rice as well?"

 

[Inuzuka Akira]

Well this seemed easy enough; he just had to lug this food down to the apartment complex and go from there. Through the wind and rain, Akira headed down the street, his arms full of several meal kits, the boy's loyal ninken padding along beside him carefully. This woman that they'd be meeting... He really hoped she was easy-going; he got nervous when people got uptight with him.

"Hey!" He said, stepping onto the patio of the apartment complex and setting the food down with a stretch of his arms. Shiromaru started wagging his tail excitedly as he noticed Tatsuo, charging over to him and jumping up at him excitedly with an excitable bark.

"There you are, Tats," he said jovially before noticing their contact for the complex... She looked rather intimidating... wonderful.

"Ehh, please tell me I didn't bring the wrong stuff..."

 

[Okada Kaji]

Director Masami didn't have to wait much longer. She spotted the first student coming down the block; the symbol of youth, uncommon in the courtyard of Katsura's complex. Tatsuo arrived first, carrying the dinners he was sent with. The aroma of spicy sage curry was venting out from the kit supplied by the academy. The dinner was a classic local recipe. The red curry was the bomb. The curry had a variety of locally grown herbs and peppers were just enough heat to warm the belly. Five bento boxes were in each of their bags, all destined for different residents.

Masami snuffed out her cigarette and lost the butt when Tatsuo entered her personal space. The scent of the tobacco was still rancid. She put up an attempt at a smile but felt a brief coughing fit take her over. The end result left her feeling winded, and she was half as attentive as she should have been as Tatsuo began a tangent of inquiries. "Hold still" she answered, mid-cough. Once she was settled, the haggard complex manager untied the top of Tatsuo's bag and examined one of five bento boxes. She didn't need to open a dish in order to know if it was spicy sage, but the temptation was irresistible. Director Masami's nostrils flared as she inhaled the intense aroma. "Oh, between you and your classmate, there should be plenty enough ta' go around for the tenants on the program." She delicately put the first bento back into Tatsuo's bag and tied it back the way she found it.

Then the sound of the second student passed around Masami's backside, and Akira appeared as well. "Ah, and there you are" she added with an increased confidence in her tone. "Ok, great kids. That'll make ten lunches for ten doors... We have a lotta' tenants in the complex, but most of 'em do pretty well for themselves. The ones on the meal program do it just ta' have someone stop by sometimes, I think. But it's hard ta' tell because they can be so ornery."

The Director took a few steps around the courtyard then, and waved with her fingers, signaling the boys to follow her. They took the pathway until they reached the first row of apartments on the wing. There was a hooked white card hanging from the door, which marked the apartment for a delivery. "The white cards will tell you who to feed" she confirmed. "One of you can start on this floor, and the other can head upstairs, and you boys work your way across and meet me in the lobby when you're finished." Masami then started her exit but paused as something else came to mind. "Also, these meals are strictly for tenants on the program... some of these old shinobi like to think they still have the skill, and might try to run you for your meals. And another thing—we do not tolerate any kind of strange or unscrupulous behavior here at Katsura. If any of the tenants try anything fresh or inappropriate with you, we have a protocol. Shout stranger danger!" She began waving her hands in a simulation. "Shout stranger danger, and get out if you're inside a tenant's apartment. Ok?" Masami then turned away from her little helpers and deserted them in the concrete jungle the of Katsura Apartments Complex.

---

WC: 561

[OOC: Hey dudes, for the next round, please designate which of you will take upstairs/downstairs in your posts. Also, for this mission, all activities will be RP based, no modded combat scenarios. However, I will be implementing chance rolls for various actions and opportunities during the mission. During your next posts, please make a 1d100 roll once you approach your first doors. DM me on Discord if you have any questions about making rolls, and you can tag me if you roll them on discord.]​

 

[Tatsuo]

Tatsuo scrunched his nose at the smell of tobacco, he honestly hated the smell but he wasn't going to say anything, for once. However his worried demeanor shifted immediately after nearly being knocked down by Shiro and the director's reassurance that there would be enough food for everyone. After being explained the whole scenario and the boring what to do if you get in trouble, which Tatsuo was used to for every thing he did because of his mother, he was finally able to begin the mission. "I call upstairs!" he would shout to Akira before taking off with his bag in a hurried sprint. As he ran up the stairs he took note of the room he was supposed to deliver to. It should be right to the left of him as he came up the stairs, and sure enough it was. As Tatsuo came up to the door, he raised his hand and began to knock. Despite this being such a carefree mission, he was still on his toes. He wasn't scared, or at least if he was, he wouldn't let anyone know, but he was worried. The director was right, there were a bunch of old retired ninja and the food sure did smell good. After he finished knocking, he took a step back. He then patiently waited for the senior citizen to open the door. While waiting he retrieved the curry from his bag alongside the plastic silverware in which it was packed with.

 

[Inuzuka Akira]

Akira and Shiro were both practically gagging on the pungent smell of cigarettes; their sensitive noses made things much worse as they tried to focus on the task at hand. The Inuzuka couldn't help but smirk as Shiro pounced on Tatsuo, seeing how excited he was to see him. They had work to do though, and the sooner they completed their first mission, the sooner Akira's mother would get off his back about being more active and getting out more.

"We'll take downstairs then," he piped up after Tatsuo rushed off to the upper floor of the complex. He felt pretty confident about doing a good job here, but Miss Masami's words put him on edge slightly and made him a little hesitant.... 'Did they often try things?' He asked himself, not entirely sure what she meant by that. He was snapped out of his day dream after a bark and a disgruntled nudge on his leg from Shiro.

"Alright, I'm going, I'm going!" He said to his ninken as they grabbed the kits and headed off to the first floor, knocking on one of the doors and waiting to see who answered. He got the meal kit ready with the plastic cutlery it came with... What if this guy was some lonely old grandpa? Geez....He'd be standing here listening to the guy for hours...

 

[Okada Kaji]

Tatsuo rolled: 81
Akira rolled: 56

And so, the two students set off to begin making deliveries. Tatsuo eagerly chose the upper floor and Akira was left on the path of least of resistance down below. The walk to their first apartments weren't long ones, and their trips across the complex yielded similar results on the first and second floors. The entire complex consisted of units facing outward, with very few enclosures beside the units themselves. Many of the tenants had decor outside of their homes, which added a sense of individuality and comfort on the premises. Hanging wind chimes created a soft ringing and the flow of rain water created a ruckus in the gutters overhead. Everything seemed normal here, for the most part, however, there was something out of place, something difficult to recognize.
----------

On the second floor, Tatsuo found the first destination in his path soon after bending the corner. The home came second in the row, and there was a plain white door with a six small window panes in the center. There was a curtain of multi-colored beads to shroud the interior, which was pushed to the side so a pair of eyes could look outside. Tatsuo was encouraged to give a hearty knock, and then the resident revealed herself. The sound of what seemed like one-hundred locks clicked behind the door, and the old eye continued to spy on Tatsuo as she lowered her security. The creaking sound of aged steel popped loudly as the elderly tenant opened her door, and revealed herself to the delivery boy. The figure at the door was a pint-sized elderly woman who was using steps in order to access her front window. She couldn't have been over five feet tall and was wrinkled like a dried prune. Her hair was up in a white bun, and she grasped her glasses with a shaky hand each time she tried to take a good long look at something. Several breeds of cats poured out from the place when her door opened, and she was distracted by them all, demanding that they "get back here." However, when most of the cats made their escape, she still held one at chest level, and didn't seem disturbed that her flock fled the roost. "Aye, something's got the kitties going crazy today!" The old lady seemed mystified by the occasion but didn't show concern for the well-being of her horde. Apparently, they could fend for themselves. "Thank you for the meal, my boy," she said with an appreciative tone. The elderly tenant turned, heaved the remaining feline into her home, and graciously accepted a bento box from Tatsuo. The scent of pet dander came strongly from within. The old lady took a look over her shoulder, and then back to Tatsuo. "Normally I'd invite you in to spend some time with me, and my kitties, " she told him, "but this meal sure smells delicious, and I don't want to hold you up from finishing your other deliveries... byeee." And with a smiling visage, the elderly lady slammed her door in Tatsuo's face. One down.

There were too many cats to count when they fled from the lady's home. Many of them disappeared from sight, yet a few were continuing to linger further down the hall. There was something afoot in the complex; a strange scent was mixed into the air, one abnormal to a simple neighborhood setting.
----------

Down on the first floor, Akira would have a much less eventful first and second stop, which was a good thing, all things considered. A knock on his first target's doorsteps revealed a disinterested old man with a scowling visage, a bald crown, and a heavy Leaf turtleneck to keep him warm. A chill came from within his home as he grabbed the top bento box out from Akira's bag, and retreated behind the closed door like a miser. He had nothing to say and wanted nothing more than his meal. The visit to the second apartment in Akira's way revealed another estranged tenant.

However, this tenant was unlike the typical fare at Katsura. A young man opened the door, quickly revealing himself with an arm in a sling, and bandages over his forehead, covering one eye. He accepted a bento of curry from Akira and was genuinely grateful for it. Apparently, some of the tenants here were also disabled shinobi who had to rely upon the shinobi corps for sustainment after being injured on duty. This tenant couldn't have been over twenty but was humble in this position and mature. "Thank you, my friend," he said warmly to young Akira. The wounded veteran leaned against his doorway and stood there with the curry in hand until another stray cat came walking up to his doorway. He shooed it away. "Thanks, again" he insisted. "You don't know what it means to have such kindness showed to us around here, kid. Thank you." He then went inside, and left Akira to continue his walk.

---

Tatsuo: 1/5
Akira: 2/5

[You both sense something out of place in the complex, and there are housecats popping up everywhere. They are searching for something. Continue your deliveries.]

WC: 838

 

[Tatsuo]

Tatsuo never was a huge fan of cats, but he smiled nonetheless. He was happy to be helping the elderly, as in his mind very few things were more important then his duty to help those in the village. As he the lady closed the door, he checked back on his card looking for his next destination, which should be to his right. He said going down the hall, now carrying the bag lower so he didn't block his vision. He was trying to keep his wits about him, the directors words stuck with him and he didn't want to get caught off guard. He doubted anyone would actually hurt him or anything like that, but Tatsuo was a prideful kid, he wouldn't liked to be humiliated by some aged shinobi trying to relive his glory days. As he made his way to the next door, he gave another knock followed by a short chime of "Food's here!" Tatsuo still took a step back, ensuring that if the door was trapped he wouldn't be caught in anything.

Tatsuo rolls for Perception 1d20: 20

 

[Inuzuka Akira]

"Well that was awkward..."

The young Inuzuka stared up at the door as he had it slammed in his face, the old geezer on the other side clear not wanting any kind of social interaction. He couldn't exactly complain; like this, he was going to get his job done a hell of a lot quickly, but he couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed at the temper some of these old-timers took. Shiromaru looked up to his master and gave a quiet bark.

"Huh?"

Another few barks from the ninken and Akira felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, "Sheesh, you said it. Something feels... wrong about this place... We gotta finish this mission though, buddy. If you feel something happen though, we'll get outta here fast, okay?" Akira felt like he had to say something to put the little Shiba's mind at ease otherwise things were going to get a lot harder.

The second delivery was a lot more pleasant, a rather beaten-up looking man, a shinobi no doubt. But it was that grateful, cheery attitude that made Akira feel a lot better - if this guy could be so optimistic the way he was, he figured the other old timers here could probably learn a thing or two.

"You're welcome, sir!" Akira chimed, Shiro giving a happy bark as if to say the same thing to the man before the two had to move on. The student checked his list and head to the next door, ready to make the third delivery.

 

[Okada Kaji]

As the students continued their deliveries, the faint sound of a gathering of people came from the second floor. The second apartment on the list for the second floor was throwing a little get together this evening. The door was open when Tatsuo approached the entrance. An authentic tag was on the front door, permitting this tenant for a meal. The people within the apartment were expecting the boy and were looking at him from their seats, huddled around a sports broadcast. It was the ultimate shinobi league; a new competitive fighting sport, growing in popularity as of late. "Aayyeee" the small group celebrated the sight of Tatsuo and invited him to enter if he wished. "Thanks for coming through, young flame. We're all tenants here, on the list. We all stay on this floor, but we like to have dinner nights when the game is on." The three old shinobi seemed like a regular trio or used to operate as a team, considering the natural chemistry in the room. Two of the seated tenants held their meal voucher in hand, and the shinobi who greeted Tatsuo pointed to the front door.
The friendliest of the three tenants stood before Tatsuo, waiting to receive three bento boxes.

A glance down the row would reveal a chance for some consistency to the trio's claim, as there was only one more door with a tag left on the floor. But this search attempt would also reveal one of the elderly spinster's cats, making a bold leap off the balcony rails. The cat landed on a long branch of a tree standing tall and wide in the courtyard, and slowly scurried down it to ground level. Whatever was driving the cats crazy, was coming from the first floor.

"So, I heard this curry is the bomb," a tenant said, calling attention back to the meal to be. They were looking to Tatsuo with hungry and hopeful eyes, ready for him to pass out those bento boxes.

---------------------

And things were going about the same speed down on the first floor with Akira, though his experience would take a sharp turn first, this evening. His first and second deliveries went swimmingly, and now a third would go just fine, as well. Once Akira finished handing his bento to the recuperating tenant, he bumped into another tenant who was passing by him from behind. He shoulder would bump lightly into the boy, and she instantly said: "Oh, excuse me." The passer-by was another tenant; a very lively and mature kunoichi, who had a suave aura about her. Her hair resembled bond streaks of silver, and her eyes were intense and deep green. She raised her nose somewhat dismissively when the scent of the fiery curry hit her delicate senses. She looked and dressed finely for a tenant at Katsura, but happened to be the next person with a tag on their door. She unlocked her apartment and let herself in as Akira would have arrived behind her. "Why young man... very good of you. Good boy." She entered the student's sphere of person space with unusual grace and pinched his cheek before he realized she was upon him. "Thank you for bringing me my daily slice of the welfare life." She then snatched a bento box out of the student's bag.

The damned cats were everywhere, though. What was with the cats?

There were strange sounds coming from further down the row in the complex, loud crashes muffled by layers of the wall. The elderly tenant quickly lost interest in young Akira, and made a disapproving sigh as she watched the neighbor's cats concentrate outside of an apartment at the end of the building. "This happens all the time... You are really saving lives here, kid. The old bitty upstairs—around the complex we call her Nana Samejima. Rumor has it, she keeps all those cats as her food supply." The gossiping tenant then retreated into her abode and returned a moment later with a folding chair, and a pair of chopsticks to eat her meal with. It seemed as though she was expecting to see some entertainment right from the comfort of her doorstep. "Be careful around those cats, I'm pretty sure they are feral. Me-ouch"

Even if the intrigue didn't peak his interest, Akira would have to pass the estranged apartment where the cats were gathering. If he dared to brave the walk, several cats were settled on the walkway, pacing, and rubbing against the screen door of the apartment. Even at the first glance in passing, it was easy to notice that the door behind the screen door of the apartment was opened slightly, revealing warm light from within. As Akira drew closer, a fishy odor would finally overpower the scent of his curry in he and his canine's sensitive noses. The scent of the sea would suddenly become prominent to them; not fresh but putrid. The source of the crashing and highly active sounds were coming from within. But it seemed as though luck would prevail for Akira, as this door did not have a tag prompting a delivery. He could turn a blind eye to the strange scene, but would he?

Tatsuo: 1/5
Akira: 3/5

WC: 869

 

[Tatsuo]

Tatsuo knew that they might be trying to trick him, but honestly at that moment he didn't care. He saw three men down on their luck, wanting to enjoy a game and some food. He would hope that when he was older he wouldn't have to worry about meals and could just enjoy. Tatsuo happily handed out the Bento boxes to the men without second thought. He glanced out the door, noticing the cat he didn't really care if the man really deserved the meal or not, there was a grocery store near by he could purchase a meal with his allowance if it was the wrong person. He didn't have it in him to say no. He removed the last bento box from the bag looking to the man and asking if he could throw the bag away in his trash can, which was met with a happy nod and a smile. Tatsuo would then watch the game for a moment, not really understanding the rules. His mom had always said it was a dumb waste of time but it looked pretty fun, he'd have to watch it another time but for now he had another box to deliver. As he exited the room he'd notice the cat jumping from the balcony. He furrowed his brow wondering why there were so many cats, he had seen a ton on his way here and it wasn't heading in the direction of the last cat lady. Tatsuo decided he'd check it out after he'd hand out his last box. When he walked past the door the man pointed to, he'd knock on it making sure he didn't miss that one.

 

[Inuzuka Akira]

Akira stood where he was for the moment to let the woman walk by on the narrow walkway; he could sense her coming a mile off from the smell of her overpowering perfume. He paused for another moment, trying to grasp why this kunoichi would need this food delivered to her... He was supposed to be delivering to people who had trouble getting the food for themselves, right? However, just as he was about to write her off and continue with his deliveries, she said something which sparked his interest.

"Nana Samejima? Is she the owner of all these cats?" He asked the woman, trying to make an effort to sound as polite as he could while watching her set up her chair on the doorstep for a grand view of the building across the street. Shiromaru froze, a look of both concern and anxiety on his face, slowly turning to look up at his master. He let out small barks and whimpers as the two began to walk past the unusual apartment. As if the cats hadn't already put the little Shiba off, he practically recoiled as he stood outside the door and it didn't take Akira much longer to have the same reaction.

"Whoa, what died in there?"

However, as Akira tried to look through the screen door, he felt like his question had probably answered itself - the sounds of banging and crash came from within. Shiro was cowering behind his master's leg, wanting nothing to do with the apartment. It didn't seem to have a tag... But he couldn't just ignore this, what if someone was getting hurt in there? He had to do something.

"Shiro, we gotta look inside... What if one of the elderly residents has hurt themselves," he said, pushing on the slightly ajar door, Shiro reluctantly following him inside to investigate. The smell, the cats, all the rumours... What was going on in this place?

 

[Okada Kaji]

The trio of shinobi seemed relieved when Tatsuo gave them the meals. Each of them tore off the lids and unwrapping packs of plastic utensils with haste as if the delivery was overdue. They tore into the curry and seemed quite satisfied with the taste as each tenant was gorging on their meal. The one who took the bento boxes from Tatsuo remained standing and was eating from a counter outside of the small kitchen, opposite the entrance of the room. He took the bag from the delivery boy, crumpled it up, and tossed it underhanded to a waste bin in the corner. The group of satisfied shinobi focused on their game now, and Tatsuo faded into the backs of their minds once the Konoha Blaze scored a double ring out against the Oto Sonics. There were still more cheers to be heard as young Tatsuo continued on his delivery route.

As he noticed before, there were a few doors without tags on the second floor, Tatsuo would have to walk further down, to where he'd discover the final apartment meant for his final bento. He could knock on the door with all his might, but no one was going to answer. This old residence seemed a bit dingier than the others, and the door was dented, with chipped paint. If anyone even lived there, they must not have had much interest in upkeep or were in need of some assistance. Closer inspection would reveal a mail slot on the door, however, it happened to be large enough for the bento box to fit if Tatsuo dared to slide the meal through.

--------------------

The intrigued elderly woman seated in the folding chair shooed away a bothersome feline who arrived at her feet. It did not seem like she would again, but she chose to humor the delivery boy as he was peering through the crack in the door, a few apartments down. "Those are definitely Samejima's cats," she said confidently.

The boy and his dog were more than enough to intimidate the hoard of cats settled in from of the pungent apartment, and the whole pack of them dispersed like the spores of a dandelion in a blown breath. If the scent of the perfume was overpowering, the interior of the mystery apartment would have made the boy nauseous. It was sickening. But then, a most compelling sound demanded Akira from within. It was the unmistakable sound of human suffering. Someone male with an aged voice was struggling and miserable behind that door. As Akira obeyed his better instincts and passed by the apartment, he avoided seeing the peril within it face to face; however, he would not avoid it entirely. First came the sound of crashing, and heavy hitting against that door. A boom, and then another deep boom. Then the door was torn off it's hinges by the force of an object comparable to a battering ram.

The door flew outward about five feet and came to a splashing stop in the wet grass. The sound of hissing came from within, alerting the delivery boy to several inhuman creatures around the corner, within that apartment. Then the monster appeared: a mammoth crab began a sideways walk out of the apartment but was so large that it was caught in the doorframe, which instantly began to come apart from the force. Even with only half the beast in view, it was clear that this titan crab was much larger than anything he'd seen before. In fact, it was also fair to believe that Akira might never see another sight quite like it. The crab was as tall as the door frame, about eight feet. It's appearance resembled its scientific cousin: the Metacarcinus magister, better known as the Dungeness Crab. The creature was clad in a dense exoskeleton, which was mostly purple with white algae growth covering its shell. The appendages of the crab were all wide-spread, orange and red, with spiky protrusions capable of punishing anyone foolish enough to quarrel with it. It's revealed claw was large enough to grab a human by the waist and surely strong enough to lift one overhead or rip one in half.

It was a god among crab-kind and certainly seemed out of place at Katsura Apartments. Large black eyes were glaring at Akira from afar, eyeing him as it continued trying to force itself through the doorway, which would soon give way completely. Each time the crab rammed itself into the doorway, it got a little further through it. Do you think crabs like curry?

WC: 762​

 

[Tatsuo]

Tatsuo took his last bento box and lodged it in the mail slot, hopefully secure enough that it wouldn't fall over. Whenever the person arrived to get their food, it'd be there waiting for them. Tatsuo was more interested in headed home after this point, the whole idea of a retirement home for shinobi was sad to him. He didn't think any ninja really deserved to live such a life after giving their all for their village. He was being idealistic and deep inside him he knew that, but he just wished everything would just work out, for everyone. After that, he decieded to go catch up with the director and Akira. The moment he made his way to the first floor he noticed the stench. Tatsuo's sense of smell wasn't as good as Akira's so it didn't seem to bother him as much so he continued to follow the stench until he was standing right behind Akira in awe of the now stuck crab. Confused he furrowed his brow and shouted "A giant lobster! I mean crab!"

 

[Inuzuka Akira]

As Akira focused on trying to get the door open, he didn't see what was about to happen but Shiro clearly did; the little dog began barking like crazy before ramming himself into his master's leg to knock him over seconds before the door practically exploded off its hinges. A gigantic crab was scurrying through the apartment, trying to get out through the door desperately.

"Oh... my... dog," the boy said in awe as he stared at the gigantic crab. What would it do after it finally got through that doorway? Should he fight it or....

"Shhhh!!!!" He made a shooshing gesture with his finger as Tatsuo ran up the stairs and began shouting; he didn't want to piss this thing off anymore than it already was. The Inuzuka was starting to get a little dizzy, not able to focus anymore as he felt like his lunch was gonna end up on the floor from the putrid smell. He unboxed the last curry, figuring he could use it to distract the crab while he ran inside the apartment to get help for whomever had been screaming. He threw the opened bento box over the top of the crab's head back into the corner of the kitchen, hoping he would follow it so he and Tatsuo could investigate.

 

[Okada Kaji]

So, the results are in, and the answer is no, crabs do not like curry. In the face of a tremendous monster, Akira was thinking quickly and attempted to lure the beast away by tossing his remaining bento box into the apartment. He flung it with a strong over-handed toss, only for the defensive-natured crab to beat the box down with a hammering claw. The mammoth crustacean was quicker than expected, and it's formidable swatting erupted the bento. Spicy Sage Curry splashed everywhere in the doorway, covering the crab in a spicy hot mess. The creature let out a loud squeal, comparable to when the air is let out from a balloon, and it backed away from the door cautiously. However, before Akira ever had the chance to enter the space, the crab shook in a wild rage and rushed into the doorway once more.

However, this time the doorframe was ripped out from the wall and fell to pieces. The nosey neighbor let out a scream and quickly disappeared into her home. The titanic crab marched out of the apartment, and raced towards Akira with its claws pinching the air! Each pinching motion resembled the ends of a vice clamping together at high speed.

Once the crab was free from the musty apartment confinement, a victim was visible within the wreckage left behind. Within the home, there was a devastating scene where an old man was lying on the floor, pinned beneath a fallen shelf which was bashed to ill-repair by the torturous crab. It was unclear if the victim was still breathing, but he did not appear conscious from outside. There was a shattered aquarium to the back of the common area, and water covered the carpeted floor. The other small aquarium creatures were all either crushed on the floor with exposed entrails or flopping wildly in their final moments. The furniture and decor were all smashed to bits.

Once Tatsuo arrived by his friend's side, he was right on time to join Akira as the crab's favored enemies. The mammoth creature was charging them, enraged with blind fury. If the crab had its way, he'd eat both of the boys and their little dog too.

WC: 362​

 

[Inuzuka Akira]

Well that was pointless...

He figured he should've been a little less hasty there but he panicked and did whatever he could think of. The crab being coated in boiling hot curry didn't seem to please it either; he seemed pretty well-pissed off now from all that. One more hit and he smashed through the door way, leaving holes in the wall beside the doorway where it had broken out. Akira and Shiro had to think quickly now if they were going to get out of this alive. Shiro seemed to have beat his master to it though; he was barking orders at his master who quickly moved into motion.

"Tatsuo! Get inside that apartment now! Somebody's injured in there!" The Inuzuka called to his friend, making several hand signs and then balling his hand into a fist which became lightly electrified. Shiro launched himself at the crab long enough to distract it while Akira followed up with an electrical punch to the side of the head, hoping to daze it so he could get away.

 

[Tatsuo]

After hearing Akira's shout he went to jump over the killer crab. As he entered the room even the smell was too strong for his lesser sense. Immediately he gagged and fell to his knees placing a hand over his mouth. His eyes began to water but that couldn''t stop him now he had to help the injured person. Through watery eyes he scanned the room looking for the injured body and more imoprtantly any other crabs. He glanced back to see how Akira was doing to ensure he wasn't in any trouble, if he wasn't he would continue his search of the injured one.

rolled 7/20

 

[Okada Kaji]

As the giant crab closed in on its target, Akira revealed his courage and strung together a set of well-practiced hand seals. He charged towards the monstrous creature with a bright, crackling fist and delivered a direct blow against the crab's carapace. His single strike managed to fracture the monster's armor, creating a smoldering surface with a crack resembling a spider's web. The crab unleashed a guttural screeching sound, most likely in pain from the wound. During his strike, Akira would get his first view of a large, red rubber band on one of the crab's hind-legs. The emblem of the Leaf was stretched and warped on the band. But Akira's view of the band was brief, as the crab quickly slammed its claw downward, aiming to smash Akira with a vertical cleave. The other monstrous claw opened wide, and the crab attempted to grave the attacking student by his waste.

The sound of Akira's skirmishing and his call for aid summoned Tatsuo from the second floor. And Tatsuo was quick to take action; he sped down to the ground floor and appeared in the sunken doorway, which was on the verge of collapsing by the time he ventured inside of the apartment. While the smell was disgusting, his pumping adrenaline would be enough of a boost for Tatsuo to persevere. It was time to become a hero, or he'd realize once he'd notice an elderly man trapped beneath a fallen bookcase. The sound of the student stepping over the shattered glass covering the floor brought the victim back to consciousness, and with a groggy voice he called out to Tatsuo. "Help Mamoru-chaaan" the man begged. He seemed dazed and confused; and with one free arm, he was reaching towards the entrance. "Mamoru-chan needs... his medication. Help him pleaaase."

A look around would reveal a broken aquarium, most likely Mamoru-chan's former home. Among the mess strewn across the floor, Tatsuo would find a bottle of anti-growth supplements, undoubtedly meant for the enlarged crab. All the meanwhile, the elderly man repeated his forlorn call to the crab. But then a loud creaking sound crossed along the ceiling of the apartment, and the structural damage caused by the crab before it's escape manifested into an oncoming ceiling collapse!

"My word!" Back outside, the sound of the common had carried along the complex, and Miss Masami was running across the courtyard in a panic. "It's his pet! The *huff* crab is his pet!" She was calling to Akira and fearing for the boy's life as she made her approach. But then one of her heels sank deep into the soft, wet ground, and caused the director to trip and fall in the grass. "Noooooooo" she screamed.​

5/5 Tatsuo
4/5 Akira

WC: 453

 

[Inuzuka Akira]

Akira gave a quick nod to Tatsuo before he ran into the apartment, hoping he'd be able to help the injured resident inside; Akira could both literally, and metaphorically smell trouble. Shiromaru kept himself back a little bit; the crab was big enough to snap him up in of those gigantic pincers so he didn't think he would be able to get too involved in this fight. Even the student seemed rather startled as he'd managed to put a nasty dent in the side of the crab's carapace, leaving a huge crack in it while the insidiously large creature screamed in pain. As he fought, he heard an old man screaming inside the apartment about someone needing their medication, but the last thing he would've thought that was, was the crab. There was a screechy call in the distance that Shiromaru was picking up on; he could hear Miss Masami calling and shouting from her distance away. A couple barks to alert his master and Akira nodded.

"I don't care what Miss Masami says; if we don't do anything, this thing is gonna turn us into doggy soup!"