Tiger Hunting [Private]

Mission Name: Catch That Tiger
Mission Type: Retrieval
Mission Rank: D
Mission Goal: Catch the Tiger
Description: A Genin named Toshiro has been trying to tame a six-month-old tiger cub to turn them into their ninja partner. However, the tiger got loose and is roaming around Kumogakure, quickly find the tiger before something goes wrong. The tiger answers to Kokoro.
Payment: 10,000 Ryo
Requirements: Genin+

It was only a few days after Mako and a group of Genin with a teacher had gone to rescue the young woman, Oriana, apparently was her name or something like that. She had been watching him, and he’d noticed. It wasn’t really that big a deal for him, he didn’t care as long as she tried nothing, but in the back of his mind he constantly watched for threats. It was beginning to become a bit of an issue.

Today was a day he had intended to begin working on some of the basic missions around the village. He needed to earn some money, and it would help him build a mental map of the village as well. He’d spent most of his time inside during his studies, and considering his age due to his circumstances that hadn’t helped anything either.

But, when he took a step out onto the street and felt eyes on him once more, he released a slow sigh. The young man’s near porcelain skin stretched in a very slight frown as his thin lips turned to a pout of annoyance. His gaze slowly trailing toward the source of the sensation as light grey eyes found the young woman’s own. She was mid-movement, likely trying to place herself out of his vision.

Slowly, Mako began to move toward her with firm, unconcerned steps. This was getting ridiculous. If she was going to be following him anyway, she may as well help.

Being returned to Kumo was a step up from being stuck in a brothel, though it put Oriana back where she was before: poor as possible for a ninja. She'd secured clean clothes and several baths, however, so she was satisfied with that at least. The pink haired teen felt aimless. Her lack of skills due to the interruption in training meant she would need to train, but doing that alone wouldn't get her far.

Thus, Oriana tracked down the one person she tolerated--Mako. Finding him in crowds had been easy enough, he wasn't hiding from her perse. Still, she hesitated to approach. Within a few days, the female genin had found his residence.

Finally working up the motivation to speak to another person (and be out in public again), she'd gone towards his house. Before long, he appeared and Oriana's gaze locked on him from her position on a nearby rooftop. He noticed her and began to approach. Despite wanting to speak with him, she felt tension in her stomach and an urge to flee. Tensing, she watched Mako approach.

He was frustrated, that much was clear. Probably from her stalking. The months of capture had taught Oriana how to read people's bodies and predict how they might act or speak. She was especially sensitive to negative moods.

Once he was within earshot, her eyes narrowed. Would he tell her to leave?

"Got time to train?" she asked the boy, body already shifting into a defensive position. It wasn't personal, she still anticipated unwanted contact whenever anyone got within a meter of her.

[1]

Mako examined the woman as he approached, and as she tensed from him approaching he halted within a distance both of them would be comfortable with, just about two meters separating them. His arms remaining clasped behind his back as cool eyes examined her quietly. When she finally spoke and asked if he had time to train, it fell into place for him.

So she was after a partner for progressing her skillset, but due to her clear lack of social skills and problems mentally, she was seeking him out. The woman had seemed to get a bit attached to him after he’d smacked her upside the skull for slowing down their progress.

“I don’t mind training with you,” he responded with simply, before a slim brow arched. “However, today I’m doing a mission first. It shouldn’t matter. It will be good on-field training as well. There’s a list of them I want to get done around the village itself to gather funds for proper equipment before venturing outside the gates,” with this explanation he motioned once with his chin downward.

A silent request for her to fall forward so they could speak on even terms if she was interested. If not he’d just leave. It was no issue to him.

He stayed far enough away for her to make a break for it if necessary and kept his hands behind his back. The latter made her a bit nervous, but his obvious attempts not to unsettle her were appreciated. Oriana relaxed a fraction and hopped down from the rooftop.

"I can help with the missions."

She came closer, but stayed maybe half or a third of a meter away. The proximity made her feel twitchy, but Oriana knew she needed to put on an effort if she wanted Mako to continue to cooperate with her. A few deep breaths helped ease some of the tension in her shoulders, but she kept her distance nonetheless. Her expression calmed some, looking only mildly wary than outright scrutinous.

Progress. She had done the hardest part, now all the pink-haired ninja had to do was avoid messing it up, especially since Mako was the most likely person to tolerate her abysmal social skills.

[2]

“Then let’s go,” he responded with simply as she agreed. Pivoting on a heel as he began to walk down the street, reaching into the pocket of his pants to pull out a small scroll. Casually offering it to her he maintained the distance she had set, his movements toward her slow to ensure she didn’t panic.

He thought little of it. It would be a pain if she suddenly had a panic attack in the middle of the street or started to hiss and bite again.

Once opened the scroll would list that a six-month-old tiger had escaped its owner and it needed to be brought back in. It had been trained to respond by name, and wasn’t too dangerous unless threatened.

“Stealth, tracking and observation skill training. Possibly low combat training but as long as we have a level head it shouldn’t be very difficult,” he explained idly while his gaze remained facing forward as they walked.

Oriana quickened her steps briefly to get close enough to take the scroll and maintained that distance behind Mako as she read. Moving through the village would be highly uncomfortable, but the logical part of her mind admitted that being fearful of everyone around her for the rest of her days would be miserable and only serve to hold her back. On the bright side, their target was an animal.

"Okay," she responded, mostly to acknowledge that she'd been listening. "Here." The female ninja offered the scroll for Mako to take back. She currently lacked anywhere to store it except her pockets, which weren't secured.

Oriana would have to buy tools once she made some cash and worked up the courage to go to the Market. For now, she would use her wits and her body.

[3]

Mako nodded once when she clarified she had heard, reaching back and accepting the offered scroll wordlessly before his gaze flicked toward her briefly to examine her. No weaponry of note that he could see, and she didn’t seem like a Taijutsu specialist. His gaze shifted back toward the pathway.

“Once we claim our starting salary for this month and finish these few missions, I’ll take you to the market,” he stated bluntly. He needed to buy equipment as well, and frankly, few people wanted to work with him. Finding him too blunt, rude, and a bit ‘unstable’ as they had put it just because he preferred the most effective methods of combat.

If this Oriana was going to be tagging along he may as well make use of the rare opportunity of a potential ally that he could use. He had little aside Yuuta, and the boy was always busy with other things generally now. She wasn’t exactly a meat shield, but the second set of eyes was always a welcome thing.

Oriana thought to protest, but held her tongue. Going with some form of backup would be less stressful, although not by much. She made a noise of assent, but didn't bother with words. Though being told what she would be doing chafed a bit, there was no real reason to reject the command other than for the sake of being contrary.

She turned her head to examine their surroundings when she caught a flicker of movement out the corner of her eye. Oriana paused and turned to see what it was moments before shouting ensued.

A shopkeeper chased a familiar looking tiger cub away from his stand with a broom.

"Target found," the pink haired ninja announced.

She approached and crouched before calling the tiger cub and stretching out a hand for it to sniff.

"Kokoro, come here!"

[4]

Mako’s gaze flicked to the side as she commented on the target having been located, spinning and without missing a beat moving toward the exit of the area while Kokoro was closed in on by Oriana. There were three primary exits in the area, he could only cover one but it was the most obvious choice, the largest exit with the most room for it to try and evade.

The other two would be easier to give chase into. Allies and small streets like they had been walking down not moments ago. But it all depended entirely on how the tiger reaction; the creature in question initially fell back from the woman as she approached and pulled back its lips to reveal long, not quite mature fangs with a low hiss.

However, as the name was stated, its ears perked briefly. But it’s body language only calmed slightly, examining the woman for several moments before it rumbled and spun. Dashing off toward, initially, the main exit. As soon as it spotted Mako however it ducked under a stand (much to the owners ire) to scamper toward the alley exit instead.

Mako quickly launched up, using the wall-walking technique to latch onto the wall of a building and dashing up the building to examine their surroundings carefully. He needed to get a layout of the area while she gave chase. If he could corner it, things would be much easier.

A soft huff of frustration left her nose when the tiger bolted. She glanced over at Mako just as he took to the rooftops. She gave chase, running as fast as she could. It had gone into a narrow alley and could be cornered if Mako could track it from the rooftops.

Leaving behind the crowded main street in favor of the alley let Oriana focus more on the mission objective and less on the people around her. Fewer people wandered these narrow streets and most were quick to get out of Kokoro's path.

Her feet struck the packed soil with loud thuds only interrupted by patches of mud or puddles, which made her slide a bit, but did not deter the pink-haired ninja. She would chase the tiger until it had nowhere left to turn and hope Mako would be able to help calm it.

Finally, they came to a dead end. Oriana skidded to a stop and Kokoro jumped on top of a trash bin before attempting to jump on top of a low wall to climb to the rooftops and escape. Perfect.

"Kokoro!" she called after the creature to distract it more than to get it to obey.

The tiger slipped and fell, landing on its paws before turning and attempting to barrel past Oriana. The female genin made sure to stay in front of Kokoro, hindering his escape.

[5]

Mako dashed along the rooftop as quickly as he was able, following the sounds of Ori more than he was the tigers silent pads. As he tracked the noises quickly across the roof he waited until he saw the dead end forming from above. As he passed by one roof he spotted a chimney cap that was hanging loosely from the top, grasping it along with the long metal wire that it came with as he passed it.

Skidding to a halt quickly at the roof as the tiger leap upward to grasp on a low wall, it slipped as the woman called out its name to distract it. The tiger fumbled, falling and trying to jump forward to barrel past Ori, but the cat was still young. It didn’t have the confidence, nor the weight to do it properly. Still, Ori wasn’t a large woman. She couldn’t keep it at bay for long.

Luckily, she didn’t have too. Mako dropped like a shadow to land with a thud on the creatures back as it yowled in confusion and pain as the metal chimney topped was suddenly shoved over its head like an oversized dog cone. The wire wrapped around its front paws as it swiped at the cone, and Mako, while Mako’s weight kept it (mostly) pinned to the ground.

Mako held the cord tightly as the big cat snarled and rolled in desperate escape attempts, to no avail. Until finally, it gave up with a large huff, clearly agitated as its tail snapped wildly back and forth behind it. But the cat knew it was caught. Watching them from under the cone with wary eyes as Mako relaxed, but only slightly.

Grunting, he slowly straightened and looked toward Ori, nodding once. “Thank you. That made it much easier,” he stated simply. They had a new problem now: getting it to it’s owner.

Oriana nodded and brushed herself off, trying not to think about how dirty her pants had gotten. Her sweatshirt had mostly survived the mission unscathed, but her pants had damp spots and mud stains from running through the alley and nearly being knocked over onto the dirty ground. There were a few minor tears as well, drawing a slight frown from the teen. She tried to shrug it off. The genin had more clothing in her apartment, but it still nagged at her a little.

The mission was more important than her outfit anyhow. The rose-haired ninja might even be able to afford a quick trip to the onsen once they were paid.

Oriana crouched peered down at the creature in an attempt to catch it's eye. It hissed, but Oriana simple stared it down until the creature went still, intimidated by her icy gaze. Then, she stood and looked to Mako.

"That won't last long. Let's carry it back."

[6]

Technique:

Mako nodded once in return. When she grabbed it and forced it to stare into her eyes, Mako noticed the shift and arched a brow. Paralysis. So she had knowledge of a handful of techniques at least. That was good. He wasn’t certain how much she could remember from her time in the Academy after all. He noted the damage to her clothing; her baseline abilities were still fairly low. Or perhaps her judgment if she’d done so much damage to her clothing.

Or perhaps it wasn’t high-grade material. Introducing her to Niko may be a decent enough idea so that she could get some good clothing. It’s where a good chunk of his money went so that she could provide them proper items and weaponry. Making a mental note of such he nodded at her statement, reaching down and grunting as he hauled the massive cat up onto his shoulder.

Overgrown housecat weight at least sixty pounds. He sucked his teeth in annoyance, but Ori had already done the running half. It was only fair he did the carrying now, much to his own ire. Perhaps he should have done the running after all.

“Let’s go,” he stated simply as he moved forward with the large cat atop his shoulders.

Oriana watched Mako pick up the paralyzed cat quietly for a few moments before realizing she was standing closer to the boy than was comfortable. She stiffened a bit and let him take a few steps before following. Oriana considered offering help lugging the creature, but Mako hadn't asked and she was already feeling a bit tired. Her stamina had suffered quite a bit in captivity.

Oriana began to relax as they made their way to find Kokoro's owner. She made sure to be aware of people in the crowd as they returned to the main road. Most people gave them a decent berth, recognizing the tiger slung across Mako's shoulders.

A few minutes into their walk, Oriana felt a hunger pang. She flexed her abdominals to try and push the sensation away before her stomach could growl. The pink-haired teen had a bit of food in her home, but had grown used to eating little. Her own body had forgotten to remind her to eat at regular intervals. Thus, she ate minimally because it was cheaper.

Oriana reached into her pocket and found a box of half eaten picky she'd found on the ground the day before. The sweet, chocolate covered biscuit-sticks were a bit stale, but to the rose-haired ninja they were a delicacy. Crunching quietly, she was distracted enough by taking the edge off her hunger to relax a little. Though her posture was still hunched and she looked ready to turn tail or assume fetal position at the drop of a hat, it was less so than before.

[7]

Mako’s gaze trailed to the side toward Ori as she hunched over a bit. He recognized the signs well enough, he’d been through them much of his life after all. Life in a slum was never an enjoyable existence. Hunger became such a constant that you didn’t even notice it after a time as your subconscious desperately tried to shield your mind from your bodily needs.

“We can get food afterward, as thanks,” Mako stated simply to her as they walked. Eyes facing forward as they moved, his hands resting around the beast as it began to slowly stir. Luckily they were closing in on the specified home. As they approached it, Mako stepped from the door as he held the tiger and glanced to Ori.

“Knock please?” he inquired simply, though his words were polite his tone was blunt and bland as ever. Clearly asking since his own hands were taken up by a slowly re-mobilizing sixty pound tiger in his arms.

The mention of food drew her attention quickly. "Sounds good." She shoved the last of the pocky into her mouth and crumpled the box in her hand before shoving it back into her pocket. She used her sleeve to wipe her mouth.

"Thanks." It was delayed, however Oriana recalled it was customary to give thanks after offers. Her social skills were rusty, not non-existent.

After that, she was content to follow Mako in silence until they reached their destination.

The female genin stepped forward and knocked on the door sharply.

A boy no older than fifteen answered the door.

Oriana stepped back to ensure her personal space. "Toshiro-san?"

"That's me," he said before noticing Mako. "Oh! You brought Koko back. Thanks, you can bring her inside." Toshiro moved aside to let the other two genin in.

"You first. She's waking up." Oriana moved aside to let Mako go ahead of her.

[8]

Mako nodded once as the thanks were offered. Remaining silent until they arrived at the building and Toshiro exited, giving Oriana room to step back in time. The boys thanks earned him a single nod, before stepping in at Ori’s encouragement. Leading the way inside he quickly set the small tiger down on the ground before unbinding it and removing the headpiece.

“Was that really necessary? I doubt he’d hurt anyone,” Toshiro stated with a frown.

“I don’t do unnecessary things. I was not going to risk injury to civilians, myself or my partner,” Mako replied without hesitation. “Small tiger or not, it is still entirely capable of ripping out our throats. Isn’t that why you’re training it?” The words caused Toshiro to frown, but he didn’t comment further as Mako gathered up the bindings. The tiger slowly rising before hissing at Mako, and backpedaling into Toshiro.

The reunion calmed the beast quickly as it spun on him only to be pet, and slowly relaxed. Large head bumping into the offered palm as Toshiro smiled and straightened.

“Thank you both. I’ll let the administration know the mission was completed, what names should I give them?” The boy inquired simply.

Oriana followed Mako into the building and took stock of the positions of any windows and stood so her back wasn't facing the door. She stood up a little straighter once the tiger ran back to its owner, glad to see the pesky beast go. Her posture straightened a fraction more when Mako stated that he would not allow the tiger to harm her. It was what many considered basic decency, but Oriana had learned not to assume people would treat her with any level of care the hard way.

She acknowledged Toshiro's thanks with a brief dip of her head.

When he asked their names, the female genin spoke first. "Oriana." The teen offered no surname because she didn't have one.

The sooner they wrapped things up here, the sooner they could leave. The sooner they finished with missions for the day, the sooner they could eat. The prospect of food reminded Oriana that she was hungry. She hunched a little more, focusing on ignoring the sensation out of existence.

[9]

Mako glanced briefly at the woman as she offered her name first. Silently shifting his gaze back over toward Toshiro he replied in kind. “Mako,” he stated simply, causing the young man to nod once in acknowledgment with a chuckle.

“Thank you both then, Oriana, Mako,” he nodded to each in turn, and Mako took the silent social cue to leave. Turning on his heel and moving toward the doorway exit as his gaze flicked back toward Oriana. She didn’t seem like the type to be picky as far as taste and texture, so that left another option instead.

“Allergies?” He questioned simply.

The pink-haired teen followed Mako out, happy to leave Toshiro's home.

Then, Mako's question distracted her from her preoccupation with maintaining a comfortable distance from other people in the vicinity.

"I don't think so." Her brow furrowed. She couldn't recall having allergic reactions to food before. If she had any food allergies, they were unknown even to her.

"You?" Oriana decided it was probably pertinent to know if there was anything Mako could not eat.

[10]

Mako nodded once as she clarified that she had none that she knew of, essentially. Glancing forward as he led the way toward a local ramen place, he blinked and glanced back at her as she inquired if he did. An attempt to poison him?

… No, he was overthinking things. Bemused at himself, realizing she was just returning the favor socially, he just hadn’t expected such out of her, he contemplated a moment.

“No. I can eat anything,” he responded with simply while his hands interlaced behind his back once more. He hadn’t had a choice in the matter growing up, really. If he even got food it was a miracle. Only when Yuuta and Niko had forced him to sit down and eat had he ever realized how hungry he actually was. Or when Zabel had ensured he had four square meals a day during his recovery period.

As they neared the ramen store, he ducked under the stands curtain and fell into a seat as the older woman behind the counter glanced at him, then toward Oriana.

“The usual, kid?” She asked bluntly, causing Mako to nod once. “Whatever she wants as well. Nothing over one thousand Ryo, nothing under two hundred and fifty ryo for her,” he stated this bluntly, making it clear he wasn’t going to buy her an entire menu. But considering one large bowl of loaded ramen was generally about two-hundred ryo, it was clear he fully intended to ensure she ate a proper meal as thanks.

Oriana blinked at Mako's expression in response to her query. She hesitated, had she been to presumptuous? He answered her question and resumed his previous posture. The female genin maintained a slightly lengthened follow distance in case she had annoyed the man somehow.

She joined Mako in the ramen stand and took a seat next to him. The smell of the food was enough to distract her from their proximity a bit. Oriana listened while Mako explained what he wanted and told her what she could order.

Her eyes widened from their usual narrowed position as she read the menu.

"Can I have a large shrimp bowl with naruto please?" She looked up at woman, still a bit wide eyed at the prospect of a hot meal.

"That's only two hundred twenty ryo."

"Add an egg? Two eggs."

[11]

Mako glanced over at Oriana as she ordered, and initially lacked the amount of food required. He wanted to make sure she got the amount she’d need, and the added two eggs was enough to push her above the limit just a bit.

Satisfied that she had her meal, Mako himself was given a large bowl of Hakata ramen topped with pork cutlets and three eggs. Clearly he had a surprisingly large appetite for his demeanor as his thin fingers scooped up the chopsticks. Skipping the step of praying, though he did murmur a simple thanks to the old woman as he scooped the noodles into his mouth.

He could make more nutritious food than this, and Niko could make better tasting food, but he didn’t want to bring Oriana there just yet. A bit more team building would be necessary before that.

Once food was placed in front of Oriana, the pink haired girl thanked the woman and Mako before digging in. Most of her attention seemed centered on keeping a continuous stream of noodles and broth entering her mouth. As soon as one bite was gone another was being pushed past her lips. She was scrawny, clearly underfed, and it was a surprising she managed to pace herself at all. Beyond the occasional glance to check her surroundings or ensure no one would try to take her food, Oriana was content to focus on eating and ignore everything else around her.

Moments like this were important when you weren't used to knowing when your next meal would come. Taking in as much nutrition and as many calories as possible meant feeling stronger in the interim between one meal and the next. She had learned not to eat too quickly because it risked throwing up and wasting food. Rather, the pink-haired genin ate steadily with singular attention until all that was left was a little broth, which she drank. Licking her lips to get the last bits of flavor, she let out a soft sigh of contentment.

Oriana picked up a napkin and wiped her face and hands thoroughly. Once she fastidiously made sure she was clean, the pink-haired teen turned to Mako.

[12]

Mako ate at a steady but moderate pace, finishing a bit after her as he set the chopsticks across the bowl and glanced over when she focused on him. A single nod of his head was the only response he gave her, their deal settled as he slowly hauled himself up and placed the ryo down on the counter for the meal. Straightening as he contemplated their next goal quietly before glancing at her.

“Ready for the next one?” he inquired simply with a thinly arched brow. There were more that he’d been looking at, he may as well work with her to get as many done as possible for efficiency. Besides, judging by her clothing and hunger, it was clear she’d need some savings if she was going to maintain any degree of proper health.