Wolf & Shark Roofing Co. [Gonk]

Mission:

Murata whistles an unfamiliar tune as she works. Pry off a damaged tile, toss it in the pile, apply adhesive, stick a new one on. The trickiest part is to not fall off the sloped roof of the bridge. The old tile that they are replacing is old, loose, and slippery from last night's rainfall.

The pair have been at it for about two hours now, and it's still a long day ahead. This section of covered bridge spans the choppy grey waters between two of Kirigakure's ten islands, allowing pedestrian and commercial crossing between the two islands. As they work, people and animals move below them, the chatter of a new day gradually rising as the bridge becomes more crowded.

Seagulls cry in the distance, occasionally venturing close to Murata, curious or annoyed at this intrusion into their usual domain above the bridge. One flaps close to Murata with a loud squawk - prompting her to glance to Gonk with a smirk that says 'watch this' as she forms the Dog handseal.

In an instant a rush of white smoke floods where she had been sitting on the rooftop - fading quickly to reveal the shape of a sea eagle, Murata's transformation letting out a throaty screech as the seagull flies off in a noisy panic. She gives her newly-acquired body a little wiggle to get familiar - her plumage brown save for curious white barring on her right side, an obvious relic of her tattoos - and spreads her full three-meter wingspan with a cry, launching herself off of the bridge to do a few brief rounds and scare off the rest of the gulls.

Once she is satisfied they will not bother them for a while, Murata's avian form lands upon the bridge once more, smoke surrounding her as she releases the transformation - and subsequently stumbles, holding her arms out awkwardly to catch her balance as her talons turn back to feet on the loose tiles.  

"I need to practice holding my transformation for longer," she says, a little wistfully. "It would be much quicker to fly about everywhere..."

[348]
Transformation Technique [-5AP]

Murata peers down into the unfriendly waters, opaque and turbulent, hiding who knows what. Though she has held herself with confidence, she is quickly gripped with instinctual fear as she imagines dipping beneath the surface. Perhaps she should be more careful.

...that, or get more practice with such choppy waters! Her surface walking is relatively untested outside of calm surfaces. Would she be able to breathe under the waves, if she transformed into a creature of the sea? Flight came intuitively to her once she had gotten the physicality right, but the precise mechanisms of gas exchange seem quite a lot more complicated.

"I could work on the shape of a gannet," she says, continuing her work. "Have you ever seen one dive?"

It is a long day, but not an altogether unpleasant one. When the sun sets, they can both look proudly on their work and recognize that they have done an important part in keeping the people of the village warm and dry.

[165]
[TWC: 513]
[Exit]

Claiming (conditional on Gonk finishing up his half of the wordcount, of course):
3AP, 1,000 ryo (+100 ryo genin bonus)
5 stats (going into Chakra)
513 words into One-Handed Seals

Gonk watched Murata peer into the foamy grey sea and he wondered if he had scared her a bit with his example.
“I’m sure that's not it, Murata seems about as fearless as they get,” Gonk glanced up from his work when she asked him a question about gannet’s. 
“Those are a type of seabird right? Yeah I think I’ve seen them on some of the smaller islands. They tend to keep away from the main one. The noise probably scares them.” Gonk continued on with his work for the rest of the day, the two occasionally chatting about various things. By the time they reached the end of the bridge the sun was starting to set. They stood and gazed at the bridge, bathed in orange light. As the two hopped down and made their way through the bridge they had just fixed, Gonk started to appreciate how necessary the work he had been doing was. 
“You know,” Gonk said to Murata. “Hundreds of people walk under this bridge every day, and these bridges are what keep island country together. WIthout them, it would be near impossible to keep an island from creating its own country with its own rules.” The two dropped off their scrolls together then bid farewell as they parted ways. Walking through the streets alone, Gonk’s thoughts dwelled on the village. 
“The low ranked missions aren’t treated with enough respect,” Gonk realized. “It’s these small jobs that help keep the village functional but every shinobi, including myself, hates getting them because it doesn’t bring you glory or fame like higher ranked missions.” Gonk unlocked his door and started to cook his dinner. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast and he was starving. His earlier thoughts were momentarily put out of his mind as he ate, but returned before he fell into slumber.
[WC=306]
[TWC=681]
[Exit]
Claiming
6 stat points: 3 Vigor, 3 Strength
681 WC towards Water Dragon Bullet (681/2750)
1,000 Ryo + 100 ryo (Genin Bonus)

Both are Approved.