Feeding The Children [Mission]

[Nickito]

SPOILER: Click to show

CATER FOR THE MASSES
RANK: D
DESCRIPTION: The shinobi academy not only gives the children of Kusagakure a fantastic start to their shinobi lives, they also sell pretty nice school dinner for a cheap price for the kids who don’t bring their own food to school. However, as the village is slowly getting more and more populated, the academy has requested that the village send in more people to help them cook and serve food in the academy to the kids and the teachers. They serve en masse meaning that they make the same type of food for everyone, so just follow the directions of the head cook and you’ll be fine!
OBJECTIVE: Serve a shift of canteen work. Help cook food, then serve it!
PAY: 500 Ryo and 100 EXP.

The young kunoichi arrived at Kusa's Ninja Academy just in time to begin her mission. Her current assignment was to help with serving dinner to the young shinobi students that didn't bring their own food to the school for whatever reason, whether it was money issues or the way their home life had developed. Her job at that moment was to find the kitchen and begin doing whatever they asked of her. Likely cooking and then serving food to the students.

She recognized some of the instructors as she had had them only a short time ago, but some of them were new. 'Probably a new batch of Chunin. I'll get there someday,' she thought to herself, a small grimace forcing its way to her face. Though she hated to admit it, and likely never would out loud, she was resentful about having been kept from enrolling in the Academy and earning her headband for so long. She knew full well that her parents had had good reason, but she also knew in her own way that they had never considered what it had been like for her. To summarize it in a brief and overly dramatic fashion, it had been torture.

What got her over those feelings was knowing that she had finally begun her journey on the path of the shinobi. Doing missions like the one she was doing currently -- although mere volunteer work at the root of it all -- only served to bolster a good mood and a positive outlook for the future. All but the most precocious and naturally talented had small beginnings that consisted of D Ranked missions, and as she made her way into the kitchen and was assigned the station of preparing drinks -- the only variety in the menu -- she couldn't help but feel thrilled by the idea.

Throughout her thought process that was just shy of qualifying as a day dream, Kasumi had been instructed that all of the food that was to be served was the same, save for the beverages. There was a choice between several different types of tea, hot or cold, as well as milk and water. Kasumi's task was to prepare the drinks to later be served, and make sure that they remained hot or cold, depending on what they were meant to be.

Milk was served in a white cup, water in a clear cup with ice. Jasmine tea was served in a purple mug, green tea was served in a green mug and chamomile tea was served in a brown mug. Each type of tea was separated into hot and cold by red and blue cardboard rings respectively that went around the mugs and through the circular handles. Kasumi slowly and carefully went about pouring the correct teas into the correct mugs, and being careful not to pour water into white cups or milk into clear ones. She didn't want to mess up someone's meal because she was in a rush or because she wasn't paying attention. She knew those types of situations didn't go over well. On top of that, she was literally on a mission to serve the customers the meal that they wanted.

[Nickito]

When the clock began to chime, the rest of the volunteers seemed to shift gears. They all stopped preparing food and took whatever they could carry out of the kitchen and up to the front where it would be put on display and served. The kunoichi followed their example and lifted one of several trays of the beverages that she had prepared. Taking advantage of her shinobi heritage and extensive training, she adroitly maneuvered through several other volunteers and placed her tray of assorted drinks behind a panel of glass. After it was secured, she moved back behind the scenes to retrieve another tray.

She did this for what seemed like a lifetime, the monotonous action of moving back and forth between the kitchen and the dining hall draining her both mentally and physically. Seeing as she had helped to prepare so many drink and to shuttle the fulls and empty trays to and fro, she decided it would be a nice change of pace to start serving some of those who had chosen to eat their dinners at the Academy that night. Her first customer just so happened to be a familiar face.

"Well if it isn't Kasumi Sansei," the voice came from behind a much larger Chunin, but she recognized the soft and subtle soprano of her Academy sensei, Hanako. Her light pink hair and ruby eyes were a shocking surprise to Kasumi. As far as the Genin knew, Hanako was married with children. Why should would choose to eat at the Academy's Dining Hall was beyond her. "Hanako-sensei, what are you doing here?" she asked. "Well my husband took the boys to eat with his family tonight, and between you and I, I'm not big fans. They look down on the idea of a woman being a shinobi," she explained, placing her serving tray up to be served. While Kasumi placed a mug of jasmine tea on it and smiled in understanding, another man slopped various food items onto it.

"So you're here doing a mission, I assume? All the new Genin start off with the D Ranks because it's really all they're comfortable with. Even students as skilled as you," the woman said, winking at the red haired kunoichi. "You could easily be doing C Ranks, Kasumi. I'd browse through them next time you're at the Atrium. While I'm glad that you're humble enough to give back through D Ranked assignments, and happy to see you again, you could be doing much more. Take it from a woman who never really got around to being the shinobi she wanted to be." Before Kasumi could even respond to her words, the line began to push and her former teacher waved a goodbye, disappearing into the crowd of hungry villagers.

For the next hour or so, Kasumi continued to serve food and drink to the hungry, paying villagers of Kusagakure. The things that Hanako had said to her stuck to the surface of her mind, sinking in but fighting to the top all at the same time. 'Maybe she's right. Maybe I should put myself out there and really show what I'm worth as a shinobi,' she thought. 'I'll never get anywhere if I don't try, no matter what my parents think or worry about. I need to live my life how I want to. If it involves some risk, so be it... Maybe that's just what I need.'

As the serving finally began to wind down and the final patrons began to leave their trays for cleaning and exit the Academy, Kasumi wrapped up her hair net, gloves and apron in a ball and tossed them into the receptacle designated for them. Luckily, the cleaning was left to a different crew, so she was free to go and turn in her mission slips and receive credit for her work. As she made the short walk from the Academy to the Atrium, she continued to think on Hanako's words, determined to pick up a C Ranked mission for the following day.

EXIT~

[Yahiko]

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