[solo] Where everybody knows your name

Clean up that damn sand

Mission Details:

Ms Mimori sighed as she scrubbed the tea stains off the tables. Another long morning rush had left her even more bedraggled than usual, and she wondered if she could close the shop for lunch and run home for a quick shower. It would certainly help if customers could just be more careful when drinking in her tea shop, but she couldn’t complain. She needed all the paying customers she could get, since business was becoming slow lately. The sand blowing in from the beach didn’t help, covering the stoop of the shop and getting inside through the windows. Perhaps the idea of a beachfront tea shop, as idyllic as it sounded at first, was a mistake.
Just as she was about to close up, the bell over the door sang a few soft notes, announcing a new customer.
“Sorry, I’m - Oh, it’s you!” She said, noticing Yosei Hisori, a local Genin. He was an odd kid who came to her shop now and then. He always asked her to bring other people’s finished tea cups over when they were done so he could read the tea leaves. She didn’t believe in superstition, but it was nice to hear what he came up with anyway.
“Good morning Mimori,” He said in his usual formal tone. “How are your kids?”
“They’re at the beach with their father. I was actually going to try and close the shop to take a quick break.”
“Please do, I can watch the store. I’m here to clean up the sand anyway.”
Mimori did a double take. “Really?”
“Of course! I was assigned it as a mission and decided to stop by my favourite tea shop first.”
Mimori ran over and gave him a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek, then shoved a sweeping brush into his arms.
“Thank you! I won’t be gone long. Less than an hour, definitely. Maybe two. Bye!”
She ran out as fast as she could, speeding off towards her cottage.
Yosei thought.
Yosei left the sign switched to “Open”, and began sweeping all the sand out of the shop. A handful of customers came and he didn’t have any trouble making them their tea, though he might not have done as good a job as the shop’s usual owner.

Mr Tendo struggled against the cart as he tried to push it uphill. It kept getting caught and sliding down again, and he wasn’t as strong as he had been in his youth. If only someone could clear all the damn sand off this path.
“Need a hand again, old man?”
Tendo turned to see a familiar sight, that strange young effeminate ninja boy who had helped him carry some scrap up to the junk dealer’s a few weeks ago.
“Oh just trying to bring some of the urchins and mussels I collected from the beach home. The wheels on my cart keep getting stuck on this doggone sand!”
“You really should always ask me for help before doing things like this,” Yosei smiled, taking his fans from his belt and opening them.
“What can I say, you inspired me last time. I can’t let a youngster who wears eyeliner show me up at physical labour!”
Yosei quickly formed some handsigns and used a wind release jutsu to send the great breakthrough of wind soaring up perfectly along the direction of the path, blasting all the sand off of it in one fell swoop. Mr Tendo applauded and grabbed the cart again, pushing. It got a few feet before it started to roll downhill again. Yosei quickly grabbed the handle and stopped it.
“Ahh, maybe it wasn’t just the sand that was stopping me.” Mr Tendo said sadly.
“That’s okay,” Yosei replied kindly. “We can push it together. With our strengths combined, we almost add up to the average person’s upper body strength.”
Tendo snorted, and they got to work.

WC: 683
[Exit.]

[CLAIMS:
500 ryo x 2 = 1000 Ryo
683 words x 2 = 1366
Spending 1366 words towards Suffocation by Water Technique 1866/3900
1 AP x 2 = 2 AP]

Approved