Give a Dog a Bone

Jiro chewed on a toothpick absently as he wandered down the market street toward the butcher shop. He had gotten notice that they needed a delivery made, and he figured he could use the extra cash. Besides, if he never took on any requests, some people might wonder what he was doing as a genin. He needed to put in the mundane work sometimes, even if it was a pain.

Walking into the butcher's shop, he stood in the doorway for a minute while he watched the owner, a portly man with a bald patch on the crown of his head, busily making notes on a clipboard. He waited a minute for the man to acknowledge him, but when he made no move to look up, Jiro sighed and walked closer, finally getting the owner's attention. "Oh!" the man exclaimed, quickly tucking his pencil behind his ear. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Are you here to pick up an order, or...?" Jiro looked at the man with a flat expression, before sighing and clearing his throat. "Uh... no, I'm the genin you asked to help with a delivery..."

"Oh, right, right! Sorry about that, it's been super hectic today... I've got ten orders backed up, and meant to be picked up today! But the Inuzuka order, that's the largest... I'll be happy to have your help with it. Follow me just back here." Coming out from behind the counter, the owner led Jiro into the back room, where packaged meats were stacked in coolers. "This is the order," he says, handing Jiro a sheet of paper. "I need you to find all of the things listed there and start boxing it up. Once everything is accounted for, I need you to take the wagon and deliver it to Mimi on the Inuzuka compound. Easy enough? Let me know when you're ready to head out, I'll get the wagon out front for you."

Jiro watches as the owner ambles back over to the counter, then takes a look at the sheet. It was a big order.. he'd just take it one line at a time. First, two racks of beef ribs... Looking around, he finds the giant slabs and places them at the bottom of the first box. He kept at it, ticking off each item on the list wth a pencil as he found it and packed it. It took three full boxes in the end, but finally, he was able to tick off the last item. Returning to the butcher, he wiped a bit of sweat from the back of his neck. "Hey old man, it's all packed up. You got the wagon?"

Jumping slightly, the owner looked up and smiled. "Excellent! Yeah, the wagon is just out front for you. Go ahead and load up the boxes, then head out." Nodding, Jiro returns to the store room and crouches down, grunting as he lifts with his knees and carries each heavy load out the front door and loads it onto the wagon. When it was all securely in place, Jiro looked at the wagon with determination, cracking his neck and placing his shoulder against it, driving forward with a heavy grunt and pushing it down the busy road toward the Inuzuka compound.

The journey felt a lot longer than it was. By the time he rolled the cart through the gates, his body was sore and tired, and sweat was dripping down his face and soaking into his shirt. A young woman came running down when she saw him, laughing a bit at his state. "Hard work, huh? Thanks all the same, we were gettin' hungry around here! Here - your delivery fee." She smiled as she handed Jiro a wad of cash, which he took and pocketed with a weary nod. "Thanks... enjoy then, I guess."

Taking his leave of the compound, Jiro sighed and started the walk back home. It felt like a good time for a bath.
WC: 661
Mission Claims: 1,000 Ryo, 5 AP
WC Claims: +5 Speed; 200 WC toward Rope Escape (500/500), 450 WC toward Body Flicker (450/500)

Remaining 11 WC discarded.

Approved