Strange Forest Walks [Mission for Sol/Momo]

[Kaen]

The day was especially beautiful today, songbirds serenading the patrons of the Ancient Forest. If your ears were the keenest of the ninja you might even hear the snuffling foraging sounds of a wild boar or the scampering hares searching for their next meal. The mahogany-brown like trees filled the horizon, their trunks towering over the guests of the forest like massive skyscrapers. The most astute and sharp-sensed shinobi can plainly see the bountiful boons of this lush, verdant landscape. Today was a good day for a hunt, a hunt for all sorts of various delectables.

An elderly couple, probably between the ages of 50 and 60, waiting at the edge of the forest at the agreed upon meeting spot. "He's almost late, we should send for a replacement!" The apparently older and more bitter of the two spouted off, clearly impatient as they waited for their genin helper. The gentle man placed a firm hand on his wife's shoulder. "Now now dear, nothing good comes without patience. Let us wait a while longer before we so give up so easily. The boy will come, and you will have your day, I promise you." A reassuring, calm voice would soothe the cranky old lady for the time being. You see today was a special day. Once every so often the old gentleman would treat his wife to a lovely day out in the forest, often with a ninja type to assist and guard them against the mysteries of the Ancient Forest. Today was no different, and so they would wait.


[OOC - D Rank mission started!]

 

[Azai Momotaro]

Momotaro accepted a certain mission today, heck accepted is a strong word. For some reason the Jounin that was there was determined that Momo was the best man for this job. While initially it was exciting for him soon that excitement disappeared as he realized what that mission was. A simple walk through the forest, the boy felt like he was not taken seriously in the village, he was young yes but he also worked harder than most people his age, he deserved to be taken seriously.

Buy it was not today, so the boy decided to stay vigilant and work hard till he becomes a pillar for the village, dreaming of a day when his action will hold more weight. So the boy wore his Kimono and armor combination, equipped his arm guard and took his new Katana and placed it on his hip. Looking back at his empty house, the boy wondered when his parents will return home. But he could not waste any more time and closed his home and headed to the location of the mission, running as fast as he can.

And once he reached the location, he looked around trying to find the clients. Moments after looking around aimlessly the boy managed to spot the old couple, letting a sigh of relief as the boy worried that they may have got tired of waiting and wandering on their own, luckily that was not the case. So the boy walked towards them and once he was in front of them the boy immediately bowed down.

“you guys must be the clients, allow me to introduce myself. Azai Momotaro at your service!” the boy said excitedly, still bowing down in order to show respect to the older couple.

 

[Kaen]

Suddenly a small statured individual appeared before the old couple, head down in reverence. "You guys must be the clients, allow me to introduce myself. Azai Momotaro at your service!” The couple would simultaneously look towards Momotaro whos head was still facing downward. "Eeh hee hee hee, no need for such theatrics, we're just glad you showed up. We've had to go on our own a few times so we appreciate your presence." The old man would smile softly as he spoke before turning towards his wife. "See, I told you there was nothing to worry about." The older lady's face scrunched up as a typical feisty elderly lady would, she had much fire left in her from her early ninja days. But that flame was only smoldering embers now, a lifetime away from its former glory. "Very well, you win this time..." A coy smile spread across her face, to much relief.

The old man would turn back towards Momotaro and extend his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Momotaro. You may call me Atsuji." If the boy took his hand he would give it a soft shake and then gesture towards his wife. "And this sprightly young thing is my wife, Fuyumi. We're glad you can accompany us today. I'm sure they told you what the goal for today was? It's nothing fancy like an escort for a caravan or spying for intel, but everyone has to start somewhere right? Hee hee hee." Atsuji laughed again. Fuyumi would interject, interrupting the conversation. "Stop being so nice to the young boy, he's getting paid either way." The old man would place his hands over his wife's and speak to her calmly. "Be that as it may, he's still here to protect us. You never know what kinds of dangers are lurking out there, isn't that right my boy?" With another boastful laugh he would place his hand on Momotaro's shoulder. "Let us be off then!"

And so the group departed and headed down a trail leading into the forest. For now, they would enjoy a lovely stroll as they headed towards a preferred searching area. But they would have their baskets out just in case they spotted something. Atsuji would glance towards Momotaro and speak once more. "Be a good lad and keep your eyes pilled for enokitake mushrooms, our eyes aren't what they used to be. If you spot any grab'em up as quick as you can and put them in this basket." The old man would reach inside a small knapsack and pull forth a mesh bag and handed it to Momotaro. Perhaps he was not expecting to be hunting for things just as this couple was, but missions are often full of twists and surprises. And so they would go on for a way, it would be some time before they reached the final destination.


In the distance...

Those two will do nicely, don't you think? The hooded figure would turn his head and grumble inaudibly under his breath, but something was being said. "The boy? He's only just that, he will pose no issues for us, master... The dark individual would fade into the darkness as he continued to trail Atsuji and Fuyumi.


[OOC - Sorry it took forever for a reply, it was not intentional. Also this other guy, just pretend he isn't there yet.]

 

[Azai Momotaro]

The young man raised his head when he heard the voice of the old man, telling him that there is no need for theatrics. Getting a proper look on the old man, he seemed nice and kind, while his wife seemed a bit judgmental, but the boy knows better than to judge any person based on looks alone. “yeah sorry I was late, I lost track of time equipping myself. I am kind of nuts about weapons, they fascinate me, I get lost staring at them wonder how they are made what kind of metals they use to create them and the such.” He said as he rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish smile was painted on his lips.

He then watched as the older woman seemed to have loosened a bit, probably something the two were discussing before he appeared. So he just let it go, no point of interfering in people business especially if it does not sound like something bad happened. “Nice to me you Atsuji-san, Fuyumi-san. And not a problem at all, I am honored to be of service to you and I will give this task a hundred and ten percent.” The boy listened to the wife’s compelling argument, he was not a hero to be praised, he was just doing a job to get money, he chuckled at that comment. “you are right Fuyumi-san I honestly feel bad for taking money for this, I would have done it for free but I need the money to start funding myself, I want to learn about weapons and such, but regardless I will protect you from anything that should ever try to harm you two, that’s a promise.” He said as he slammed his fist on his heart firmly, giving the two a look of determination, last time he was in this forest he was a weak boy, too naïve to understand how scary the world can be, but now, now he is grown.

The group then departed and headed towards leading into the forest, this was supposed to be a lovely stroll but for Momo this was triggering some insane flashback making the boy look different than usual. He looked tense, his eyes explored the whole surroundings two, three no five times over, his hands were clenched, ready to jump at a moment’s notice. He was not paying full attention to the couple and instead was focusing on other stuff, breathing steadily, staying sharp remembering the training and most important thing remember to fulfil his duty. “oh!”

The voice of the old man brought Momo back to reality, the boy shifted from the look of tension that was on his face, to slow shy smile, it was not as genuine as when he first met the two, but the boy can just up and tell the old man that he is feeling tense. When he thought about it, maybe this was why he accepted the mission, not for the money but to overcome his fear of the forest. But this was not the proper time to think about that kind of stuff, he needed to help the couple collect enokitake mushroom. “oh right, roger sir! I will collect as many as I can find.” The boy said as he took the bag and began to collect as many as he can find, while in the process the boy thought about the words of hyakkimaru and the nature of his quest of strengths, he was warned but the boy was determined to make that journey. But in the meanwhile he has been collecting up to thirty pieces of mushroom, as his conscious mind was focusing on internal conflicts his body almost acted on its own, thus making the process accidentally faster.

(OOC : its okay dude don't mention it)

 

[Kaen]

As the group continued onward and deeper into the Ancient Forest, the greenery around them became slowly thicker and more prominent. As one could expect, the further they strayed from civilization, the less evident their human footprint, so to speak. Momotaro, albeit tense and nervous about something, was doing a grand job helping these two elderly with the collection of their treats. Atsuji would raise his hand slowly as they approached a checkpoint of sorts. Whether it was intentional or purely coincidental, a large tree trunk was on its side with a single side slightly worn out. It almost appeared to be a bench of sorts and was often used as such, predominantly by these two, Atsuji and Fuyumi. "Why don't we rest a while, these old bones aren't what they used to be." Atsuji would assist his wife onto the bench before turning back to Momotaro. "Son, do you see that trail over there?" The old man would gesture to a beaten trail barely visible. Clearly not used often. "If you follow it a ways, not too far really, you should come to a waterfall. Do be a good lad and fetch us some water, yeah?" The old man would hand Momotaro a large, but empty water container. A quest within a quest, was Momo up to the task?

Of course he was! The trail itself was relatively unused, but Momotaro would be able to navigate it without much difficulty. After what seemed like at least 5-10 minutes of walking through the thick, overgrown forest trail, Momotaro would hear the loud rushing sound of cascading water. As he crested the final turn of this rickety trail a large plume of mist could be seen being shot up into the air. The culprit, a very large waterfall. Conveniently enough, the trail appeared to continue onward, but would cut behind a carved out section of the cliff side, just behind the waterfall. If one were to venture this way, they would find themselves behind a veil of water with a rock wall on the other side. A unique looking tunnel to be sure. But just as soon as the young Cloud nin would attempt to get closer to fill the container for the elderly couple, a voice would sound out. "By the royal decree of King Kairuu, humans are forbidden to drink from the royal spring." While he might not have seen it at first glance, or perhaps Momotaro would be looking for something of a slightly larger stature, he would not see anything until he looked down. The voice in question belonged to a interesting little amphibian.



[OOC - Mission Word Count: 919/3,000]