Dog Grooming, and New Friends Coming [Job]

’I can work more jobs! I can make up the income for you to stay here with us more mom…’

Her own pleas echoed in her head much like her ones she made to her father the day he died. Maybe if she had tried harder she could have helped her father back then. Maybe if she had fought harder a while ago her mother would have stuck around longer… or she should have built up the guts to stay so she could say goodbye and not run away to the forest to cry like a little kid. She was a ninja, but once again just let her emotions get the better of her.

It felt like it had cost her the world. She knew her mother was still alive but. She still felt like she lost her a little that day. She had to try harder. Not to force things more, but to find better ways to do things… She hated to admit it but she didn’t have much to lose, and if her actions made her lose anything else it would be something deeply close to her. Her attention was pulled down to talking from below her position on the roof. Her aunt and uncle seemed to be talking to each other while Oliver, her cousin, was making his way to the academy.

“I don’t know what it means… but he said the pay was going to be late. I trust him but we owe our bills soon and the information is a bit concerning.” Her aunt said simply.

“Damn… did you try to write him back?” Her uncle asked, concerned.

“No. Bleeding fangs are bad for speech… but worse for defense.” Her aunt said a bit quieter, making her uncle tense up even more.

Dahlia’s brows frowned a bit. She had never been told what that meant but she could remember whenever it was said there was bad news lingering around… She wanted to shout and demand answers but… She needed to find a better way. She closed her eyes with a slow exhale before opening them back up, grabbing her ryo pouch and leapt off the ledge to land beside them. She stood up looking at them with mildly annoyed eyes, but to her surprise she didn’t shout. Instead she held out the pouch.

“Use this for the immediate bills. I’ll pick up more jobs to pay the rest.” She said simply as the three looked to each other in a long drawn out silence before Dahlia grumbled. “Look. I don’t know what they do for a living. I don’t know fully what's going on either, but I was still old enough to remember we had codes for emergencies and that one is a big one… We can’t rely on them to pay our bills right now, right?”

She stated simply with frowned brows and serious eyes. The two after a moment though gave a regretful nod.

“Then it’s time I step up to keep us afloat. I’m a ninja. As well as a member of this family. It's my duty to help, and it's long overdue that I start actually doing so. Besides… It’s not like I need it for supplies anyway.” She passed the pouch to her aunt, turning to leave. “Tengoku and mom would sooner grow wings on pigs to make them fly than see me leave the village so I won’t be seeing any combat any time soon.”

With that she set off for the office to get a mission after she made her way up to the roofs once more. She managed to keep her cool long enough to make it into the building. Though the moment she got side eyed by the other passing Genin she could feel her blood start to boil just as much as she could hear their snickering.

"It is sometimes our everyday tasks that can be considered training.”

Tengoku’s words rang in her ears from the day they walked together. He had been able to ignore so much from others and walk on. He could have easily silenced them all and proven himself more than worthy of their respect… but he hadn’t. Not because he lacked the ability to. But because he had nothing to prove… And neither did she. She relaxed her muscles walking right past the snickering genin much to their surprise.

She knew what she could do. Tengoku knew what she could do, and her family… well just like these genin they too would learn one day what she could do. She didn’t have to prove anything to them because like Tengoku those who needed to see her strength would see it when the time came. For now she needed to take on a mission. Yes it would be mundane, but it would help keep her family afloat which made it thus far the most important mission she had ever taken on.

She took the scroll detailing her mission and read it on the way with a bit of a twitching brow. Of course it had to be something like this. She slowed to a stop, dropping from the rooftop of the shop to peek her head inside where a large crowd of dogs were running a muck before she could really ask about the dogs. The groomer looked over to spot her headband on her leg. Figuring she was the help she had requested for she motioned to the dogs.

"Their leashes are one the counter, and plastic baggies  beside them. Split them up between you and your teammates if you have to but I need them back in an hour or less." She said as she trimmed the dog's hair.

"I came alone." Dahlia half muttered out as she braced herself to enter the store.

"Pffft good luck then kid." The groomer practically mocked; which promptly triggered an annoyed eyebrow twitch from Dahlia.

She let out a little growl getting a weirded out look from the groomer, but chose to not press further as she made her way towards the leashes. She grabbed them and looked at the excited dogs with a half groan already knowing how this was going to go. She slowly got each leash onto each dog before looping a spare on between all of the handles using the spare leashes handle as a hole for a slip knot.

After she then clipped the hook lower down on the leashes to make another makeshift handle for herself that she then proceeded to slip her hand though as she grabbed the dog bags. She pre-lossed several bags for quick grabbing then slid her hand into one before taking a deep breath placing her hand on the lock to the gate containing the excited dogs. It was time to give the populace another reason to hate her.

“Go, go, go!” She shouted riling them up more just before she opened the gate, sending them all flying.

She was janked quickly onto the ground where she tumbled behind them all. She quickly tried to get up to her feet only sliding behind them on her heels. As she skid she spotted a handless trash can lid which she was quick to grab as they entered the market area. She just barely in time made a jump to slip it under her feet that she quickly spread to press against the lips of the trash can. She yelped as she spun on the lid in the process while the dogs knocked over people making a large number of the people part into a path for them. So many eyes were set on her now as they spotted the child riding behind them all.

So many scowls. Glares. Shaking of heads… so much negative input of how she chose to go about her chosen tasks she did. It was so crowded and loud with all the barking and the now ever growing shouting at her. The funniest part was, even if they knew she was doing this to get money for her family all she’d get was a lecture about how she could have done better. Been less ‘her’ about it. About how it was no doubt her outsider life on the road that led her to be how she was today. It didn’t matter to them because to them. She was just some bratty kid.

“Just think about who you want to be… and be them if somethings tough… right mom?” She whispered  as tears rolled down her face.

She understood why her mother found an easier escape in being with other people. Being you was just… too much to ask sometimes. She wished she could be her made up identity of Yasu. Someone who was still working at being able to be whoever anyone wanted her to be at any time to get what she wanted. She wished she could be Dahlia, the one she believed her family and Tengoku wanted her to be. The good little girl who'd become a great ninja and save everyone she could and always get back up to her feet to fight on.

Not the Dahlia she was. The broken shield who didn’t know what to be anymore, nor the bratty child everyone believed she could only be, who failed at everything. Right now she just wished she could just stop caring. Be someone with no one to care for, no one to impress, a no one that no one expected anything from and never cared if they saw them poorly. Who could get away with what she wanted and do what she wanted. She could be punished and she'd never care. Someone who could just have fun no matter where she was.

She closed her eyes thinking of who’d that person be. Her long flowing hair that likely had never been cut in years. Her tired eyes from constant late nights of goofing off. Dressed oddly from makeshifting all her clothes that seemed to show that she only cared about what she thought looked cool, not what was normal to be seen in the village…  Someone that could always feel free, always felt at peace with who she was, always had hope in her future because you only have up to go when you're at the bottom, and always purely herself no matter what.

“Dove…” She opened her eyes to look towards the sky drowning out the loudness around her. “To live free and die young. Who cares if my story will ever be sung. My fight has only just begun.”

She looked forward to seeing the dogs knock down a wooden board making a ramp that they ran right around but set Dahlia flying into the air. She flailed in the air with wide eyes that slowly calmed as the crowd quieted in shock at the airborne child. Peace… Silence… She could easily imagine the outfit overlaid over her own now.

As she looked down she could almost envision the girl who smiled just as brightly as her father did on his deathbed right before the fire struck him. Her hair as blue as the sky that Dahlia flew through in what felt almost like slow motion. As Dahlia came down she swung her legs to land right in the position of the imaginary version of Dove in front of the pack of dogs. Dahlia’s legs felt strained from the landing but kept page with the happy dogs.

She then let out an excited scream that only excited the dogs further as they ran through the market. Dahlia noticed the dogs now following her so she led them in a large circle around the market until they slowed to a stop, scattering as much as they could on their leashes for potty breaks. Dahlia picked up after them using the bags pitching them in a nearby trash can before she looked back to the dogs panting and looking ready to race again. Alongside them was the imaginary Dove who smiled playfully at her.

Dahlia slowly smiled back at her as she saw now an imaginary Yasu sitting on one of the larger dogs. She just gave a shrug with her shoulders and brows with an eye roll. She looked back to Dove and as she imagined her looking right back into her eyes she saw the icey blue eyes daring her to be wild before she heard her voice in her head as she and the imaginary girl spoke at the same time.

“Let’s rock.” With the imaginary figments gone she darted forward with the dogs excitedly chasing after her.

She led the way straight to the groomer. The lady dodged just barely out of the way as she and the dogs barreled through the door and towards their gated area. She slowed to a stop before the dogs all skid and knocke ditno ther making her fall into a large dog opile with the happily panting dogs. A few licked her cheeks making her laugh with a bright smile despite the loudness and enclosed space.

She panted slowly getting up as the groomer came in with a scowl. One that sadly brought Dahlia right back down to the ground level again and out of her blissful state. She wasn’t Dove. She had a family depending on her. She had to not get punished in order to ensure she could make money for her family… And most importantly… she was a brat child you hoped you never came by because it would never be a good time…

‘Get up, bow, report back and get the ryo. There’s nothing more you can do here. You’re a brat wild child so own it.’ She heard Yasu's voice in her head.

She was right… She got up despite the increasing feeling of suffocation coming upon her and begrudgingly bowed before making her way out. She stood though the lecture back at the mission giver who had already heard the complaints from the marketplace. Then took the ryo telling him she'd be back tomorrow in a mutter before leaving. Though as she excited she saw the two imaginary girls waiting on her.

Yasu gave her a nod of approval with crossed arms. And Dove cheered for her accomplishment, and how much fun they had had minutes prior. Dahlia’s head while lowered as she was shrunk into herself slowly rose a bit as her face softened, growing a small smile. These girls were more than identities… They were her friends… besides Tengoku… they were her only friends. And she theirs… just a set of misfit kids with nowhere else to go but forward with each other to show the world it couldn’t beat them down.

With them… she’d never be alone again. She’d never have to face anything alone again. And she’d be able to do things she never could do as herself… even if they were all only about 14 or so.

‘Let’s show the world how wild we can really be, yah?!’ Dove said in her head as her imaginary self moved her mouth.

‘And that were not just some idiot kids.’ Yasu said in the same manner as they all started to walk together.

‘Let’s take the world by storm.’ Dahlia thought back to them as she slowly stood up right with more confidence.



OOC: Job Details [Link To Job]

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