- Mission Details:
Mission Name: Learning the Biwa
Quantity: Not Repeatable
Type: Solo
Mission Rank: C-Rank
Mission Reward: 400 Ryo
Mission Description: Simple mission, but a local lounge has been looking for more live performers. The only instrument they have to lend to you is the Biwa, the instrument of poetry, story telling, education, the list goes on. Learn to play it and put on a decent show.
It had been a long journey truly, but alas Ondori had arrived in Kirigakure the ninja hub of the Land of Water. As he walked on the grandiose bridge that lead to the gates of the village, he paused about 10m away from where the guards stood and he removed his hood. It was true many others had their hoods drawn other their head, it seemed to be a thing in Kirigakure where the mist seemed to swallow ones entire being for as long as they stayed in the village. But regardless the Chunin didn't want the guards to have any reason to feel suspicious about him. He did nothing further to lighten his appearance, no fake smile or anything else that was false and not genuine. Digging in his cloak as he approached, he kept his demeanor casual as he walked to the guards and removed a bill of travel from the Raikage, stating his travel was approved by his head and that he and his village would be accountable for his actions as a visitor in their village. With a stamp his documents were approved and he was granted access to his first foreign shinobi village.
Wow, the atmosphere is so much different than Kumogakures. Everything seems so muffled and private . . . Ondori was even aware of the sound of his own footsteps, normally in Kumogakure it was just noise, but here it was different, he couldn't put a finger on it, but it just was. Guess I'll find an inn, then meet up with my contacts for my mission tomorrow. The Nara looked up to the fizzy looking sun up above that barely caused any discomfort to the eyes due to the extensiveness of the mist.
After a few minutes of walking, he had finally found an inn. It seemed to be quite luxurious or at least heavy on commodities, but it didn't bother Ondori, he was given a gracious travel fund and he wasn't one to not take advantage of blessings he was given. Upon entering he found that the life of the village apparently resided within buildings for the sheer energy the place had was overwhelmingly electric. Neon cool colored lights were beaming not he stage where a single performer entertained some guest, to the side customers were seated and conversing at a bar and to the other side was the reception counter to purchase a room for stay. Ondori was eager to explore a bit, but first he'd get settled in to the establishment, so he went to stand in line, but it wasn't long before he was approached. "Hey kid, that Biwa on your back . . . you know how to play it?" Ondori was swift to roll his shoulder to shrug the hand off and turn halfway to face the stranger with the goblin of a voice. Shamelessly eyeing the man up and down with only his pupils, still not fully turned to him, Ondori figured the guy and his looming company were harmless enough and were asking innocent questions. "If I do, how does it benefit either of us . . preferably both?" The Chunin stepped forward in line as it continued, then turned to face the man with his whole frame. The man looked like a con artist in Ondori's eyes and his two shark looking companions off his shoulders behind him didn't help his cause much, but the Chunin was still listening. "You see that stage there . . . we need another performer to stall until our headliner gets here. They're running a bit late and you look like you can bring a different hmm, flavor to the room." Ondori looked beyond the man and his goons onto the stage where a woman was singing to a almost full crowd. "How bout it?" "How much does it pay?" Ondori's head snapped back to the man who's brows raised. "How does 200 Ry-" Ondori turned around before the man had finished. "Not interested."
200 Ryo to him before was quite the sum, but now the Chunin had tasted money and 200 Ryo just didn't hold the same weight it used to. "High end lil bugger huh? How bout 400 Ryo then?" Ondori turned half his body to the man and made a thoughtful expression, before turning to face him fully again. "Deal, but I want 200 of it up front now." The goons stepped forward and Ondori's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't afraid of a brawl, but he didn't know if he'd be able to win and he would also be at a disadvantage when it came to the law enforcement given that he was a foreigner. Nonetheless, one of his hands slid behind his back swiftly and unclipped his utility pouch, but a yielding hand from the boss man stopped the whole situation from escalating. "Easy fellas easy . . . the kid has a business oriented mind. You could learn something from him." Ondori could feel the gaze of the male staring into his soul from behind his eye glasses. He spoke words of peace and compliments, but he could sense aggravation.
The hand that commanded the dogs to yield then opened and like magic a pouch of ryo fell into his hand. The pouch was then handed to Ondori who felt the items in the bag through the cloth and nodded in agreement to a performance. "Good, you can enter backstage through that door and you'll be briefed on show order and all that other production stuff back there." Ondori nodded and exited the line to the door he was directed to and entered the chaos of backstage show business. Sad that he doesn't even know if I know how to play this thing or not. It was true the Chunin hadn't even answered the first question he was asked and he had snaked his way into 400 Ryo and he was more than likely going to bomb on stage, oh well however, the boy was about experiences.
Half dressed women with messily painted faces, rambunctious hair styles, clothes, fancy accents, and deafening vocal practice, it was a whole new world. Ondori felt out of place and lacking in aesthetics, not that he wanted to change his clothes and hair and things, but all visuals the other performers were creating with sheer candid presence, made Ondori feel a bit minor, but he didn't care. "You must be our staller for the day. Come on right this way, we'll get you ready to go on stage. These clothes especially need to go." The woman tugged at his cloak in disgust as she drug him along to a booth near another woman getting "beautified" for the stage. His cloak off, the Chunin was left in his fishnet shirt and shinobi leggings, his sandals also being taken. "Oh these are perfect for you. Very ominous and looming, gives a ghastly feeling, should match the Biwa perfectly." The woman then tossed various garments at Ondori and gave him a screen to change behind. A large overlong predominantly black cloak that was tattered at the edges. Along the sleeve were a few dark red rings, before at the cuffs or end of the sleeves the garment went white. This pattern existed at the bottom of the clothing as well. White tattered bottom, then one solid burgundy band above it. On his shoulders was some of this burgundy as well, but it hung by a separate piece of cloth, that only reached down about four inches from his neck where a damaged yellow piece of cloth hung like a tie. Coming from behind the screen, he felt ridiculous, but he hadn't even the time for that. Pushed back into his seat he was slapped in the face multiple times with ivory powder giving his face a pale complexion, then his hair was pulled down on all sides, even in his face. Of course the fronts were still cut, so it looked like he had unkempt bangs, but still. "We'll call you Shige, now your up in . . . eight seconds!!! Go, go, go, go!!!" Being pushed onto the stage, he didn't even have his Biwa, but carelessly it was tossed to him as he began to eye the stage manager. Catching it, he eyed the audience, he was nervous, but he was more uncomfortable, that in mind, he took it upon himself to take a seat. Crossed legs and Biwa held ready to play, he took his eyes off the crowd and down onto his instrument and played.
What he played was a song of about loving oneself. It was rare these days, for one to love themselves or admit it, many were so caught up in chasing love with others, they forgot they could find love within themselves. As a few chords were plucked out, he took an erie breath and the crowd seemed to breath in anticipation and fear with him. "Love . . ." He let his words resonate through the room, before he noticed there was no other noise, all eyes and attention was devoted to him. "Love is . . . love is not only between man and woman . . . or man and man and woman and woman . . ." He had nothing rehearsed and was just speaking off the mind. "Love is between you . . . Love is between you and your passions." He plucked out a few more chords and took in a heavy breath. "Your passions, may it be cooking, living, greed, they are yours . . . they are yours and should only be judged by you and the Highest." He looked out into the crowd or at least tried, but the lights beaming at him kept him blinded. "You, you should be one of your passions. Do not be so blinded on the trail to love, may it be with another or something non tangible, that you forget love can be found with only one variable. . . . You are that variable, so before you love another, look inside and out yourself . . . and truthfully say." A few more rapidly plucked messy chords to build suspense to the ending to his poetry and cringed a bit as he did. "Look inside and outside yourself and say. Say I Love My Self!" With that, he looked up and held his pick high as he sleeve fell back to signify that was the end. At first the crowd was quiet, but soon enough they were all clapping and they seemed to really enjoy his act. Standing and bowing, Ondori actually enjoyed being on stage and having a persona to act under, he felt a new breath of life circulate through his lungs. Walking off stage, the stage director walked by him smiling and gave him a thumbs up, while his client was waiting for him int he wings. "We hope you enjoyed that soul stirring poetry from Shige uh . . . Shige Miyamoto and hope you enjoy our biggest and final performance of the night by Lady Kana." "Great job kid, you earned this Ryo and you might have a future in this stuff. You ever want to perform again you come back here and let me know ok. That can be your name outside as a headliner one day kid, keep it up." Ondori nodded with a winded smile on his sweaty face, before he went back to the dressing room and returned into his own clothes and went to return his stage clothes. "Oh there you are. Great job out there kid and don't worry about those, the director says you can keep them as a bonus for a job well done. He really hopes to see you again and I'm sure those people out there do too." The Chunin was genuinely surprised he received such positive reception, especially on something unrehearsed and during his first performance, but he was glad. To celebrate he retired to his rented room and slept.
2012/700 Mission complete