Gone Fishin' [Mission]

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

Was she excited or what ! Kirima was standing on the dock, looking ...well .. like a clueless tourist if you wanted to put it that way. All that was needed really was a big camera and a hat painted in the colors of a flag. She was wearing fisherman boots, too big fiery red woolen sweater, and over that a bright orange rain gear. People who saw her either broke into a laughing fit, or simply backed off slowly while staring at that wonder which had been posed there. But the most shocked person of all, would probably be poor Fumou, who was standing gaping and staring at the ninja he had hired to help him. "I uhh.. are you Hanzoku Kirima?" The energetic girl almost jumped while answering, her teeth shining white in a face splitting grin. "Yessir! Are we ready to set sail? Get fishing? Boy this is the first time I've gone sailing, and I think it will be so much fun. I was warned to keep a level head, but I mean we are just going to fish right? Is that even so difficult?" The snickering competition of Fumou was having the laughter of their lives, and the man simply stood there and every now and then his eyebrow twitched. "Right. Let's get into the boat shall we. Watch your step young miss." Dear Lord what have I gotten myself into. In an almost cosmetic way, his face scrunched up as he pictured the prize of the day which seemed to be so far away at that moment. Had Kumogakure really sent him the village idiot? But not all hope was dead yet. Perhaps this girl had hidden potentials. ...Hidden deep deep deeeeep down.

The boat Fumou owned was a small one, he had inherited from his father, that would be able to hold at max 3 people; but with Kirima on-board it already felt overly crowded. She was literally -everywhere-, pointing and looking and asking. But how could he really be angry when he saw such childish joy? So with practiced patience, he told her to loosen the knots holding the boat and then explained in a few words how to make the right knots and the best ways to untie them. With starry eyes, the young teen had listened and nodded. Even her grandfather wouldn't have recognized her at that moment, being so completely still while listening to someone tell her what to do. And always a big smile stretching across her lips. She had been let in on the details on this mission, and also been strictly told to not use any Jutsu. That shouldn't be so difficult right? And now, just as she was done loosening the last knot, the gun was shot for the competition to start. Even if everybody seemed eager and excited, then there was also clear friendship and joy that seemed to be the main emotions. Almost all of these fishermen had been friends since they were kids, and their parents had also been friends before that. So this 'event' wasn't so much as only competition for money, but also friends showing each other what they were made of. Rivals, yes fishermen can be rivals just like ninjas, having fun while trying to beat each other in what they were born to do and loved to do.

The weather was really great, only a few clouds on the sky and the sea breeze fell gentle and salty against Kirima's skin while she sat upon the steering house of the boat. They weren't going to go very far, but there was a spot ol' Fumou really preferred and it had many times gotten him the first prize. It was a tradition to not only use nets but also fishing poles, even if the fishing was slower that way. It was actually not tradition for everybody, but some families had their own set of different rules. But basically anything was allowed, anything but the usage of the ninja arts. (And of course it wouldn't be allowed to cheat, as in start fishing the day before and use that amount of fish to enter in the competition). This event was filled with unwritten rules, which everybody were perfectly happy with. The ocean's blueness seemed to stretch out endlessly, matching perfectly with the sky at the horizon. And Kirima's eyes, which were so alike with the blue colors of the sky and sea, were opened wide with excitement.

"Alright, we are here." Fumou stopped the boat, the soothing engine being cut off, before he stepped towards Kirima was standing and handed her a fishing pole with a smile on his face. Eager as always, she took it and made an attempt for her first throw. Which didn't end better but with her almost taking an eye out. "Say, I can assume you haven't gone before to fish?" Scratching her head with an awkward smile, she shook her head. "Nooope, is it that obvious?" Fumou rubbed the back of his head where a bump was rapidly forming from after the girl's second throw. "Well... you could put it that way. Here let me help you." Under his guidance it didn't take Kirima long to get the hand of it, and she was starting to throw like .. an almost experienced fisher after a few minutes. Thank goodness she's a fast learner. He shook his head a bit with a chuckle before starting to prepare the nets. While letting the boat drift a bit with the stream of the ocean, the nets were laid and the waiting begun. He also got himself a fishing rod and started throwing, after putting the bait on, before sitting back in a chair and picking out his favorite pipe from his shirt pocket and lighting it. "So how long does it usually take for a fish to bite? Should we try a different spot now? How was the weather forecast for today again?" For a few minutes the questions rained down, before the last cloud of smoke was blown out and Fumou got up. "The first rule about fishing is silence. Fish get spooked by sounds. So sssshh." He held a finger to his lips while beckoning for Kirima to get a little closer. "We are going to be here at this spot for 6 hours, so you might as well get comfortable little missy."

A frowning expression met his eyes, as both Kirima disliked greatly being called that and she also didn't really like the idea of waiting.. for 6 hours. She was already starting to lose her mind after 20 minutes, even if this was all a bit fun and new and exciting! Sitting down with a huff, she started swinging her legs a bit and then looked at Fumou. "Shouldn't I also have bait or?" Inwardly groaning and wishing he was still in his bed, the man rubbed his forehead before getting up. "Yes... lets get you some bait also."

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

While Fumou had been fixing up bait for Kirima's fishing pole, she had been put on the net duties. And so she learned quickly how it worked out and was within minutes having a blast with pushing the nets out, then dragging the ones in that had been waiting a bit longer. This was definitely more of a hard work than with the fishing pole, and a sheen of sweat appeared on her brow as she dragged in the full net. There were of course a few times where the Genin almost tumbled over when the net was very heavy, but at the last minute (when her face was maybe an inch from the ocean's surface) Fumou would appear and first drag her in before helping her out with the net. It was fun, and they were starting to get along a lot better. After she stopped talking so much. Wasn't easy at first, but then she got used to it. And managed to enjoy herself with the hard-work while listening to the greedy seagulls who were looming above the boat, waiting to get a treat or two for themselves. Then they switched again, and she went on fishing pole duty. Of course she had expected to have to wait, sit and wait in silence, so a sigh emitted from the girl. But that wasn't about to happen, since as soon as she was even close to the fishing rod then it started to bend downwards while a fish was fighting on the other end. Kirima let out a small 'whoop', then looked around to see if Fumou would be scowling at the sound, before she was fishing to her heart's content. It is after all, quite amazing and fun how much you can fish with a single fishing pole.

They both now fished in silence for a few minutes, and to Fumou's surprise it seemed that this sparky kid had some real good touch when it came to the fishing. While she was mainly on guard for the fishing poles, he had started focusing a bit on the nets. Letting her get a little 'responsibility'. And it had been a few minutes since he last checked on how things were going on her end, so the net was let back into the ocean and he peeked. And gaped. How had she? When had she? "Kirima, did you use any jutsu?" While she was struggling to get yet another fish into the boat, her face lined with concentration and excitement, the redhead shook her head. "Nope. Not allowed in this mission. I thought you knew that?" Well yeah he did, but... how the heck had she managed to fish in this much! He even noticed now that there were a few other people staring from distance, a few fishermen he knew who had earlier that day stared and laughed at the silly looking girl. But now they were probably wishing they had bothered to get help like he had done. "Well then." Chuckling, Fumou sat down and watched the girl as she was peering down into the ocean while she waited for another fish to catch the bait. He was pretty sure they were winners already, since the boat was starting to lay rather low in the ocean from the weight of the catch. But there was still an hour left, and it seemed like that girl was having too much fun for him to spoil it. "So how does it feel to come on out here and be able to spend a few hours without having to think about using those jutsu of yours?"

Glancing back at him, Kirima seemed to be pondering a little bit upon the question before answering in a very honest way. "Well it feels rather good. I can be just myself, and no one can really have any more expectations from me than just from the next average person. And no one here knows that much about the whole ninja world, so people aren't judging me for my background nor by rumors." That answer kinda surprised Fumou, and he rose up and heaved in the nets while thinking about what she had said. Was she a some sort of a bad person at the village? He couldn't exactly envision that, not even by the life of him. But if that was how it was, then she was still a good nature person here today with him, and that was what was important. Fumou was a man that was 'down to earth' so to speak, and he had never really understood the need for that whole ninja business. And he was also a man that did not participate in rumors nor listen to them. "It looks like we are going fast onto the winning lane." He dumped the catch from the net on the deck of the boat, and felt for a moment like he was about to be drowned out in fish. Already the cargo holder was filled, and now the deck was getting swarmed by the catches.

"You could always come for a visit you know, spend a day fishing." This wasn't something he was used to do, but he liked that sparky girl. She was pretty easy to get along with once you got past the talking phase. And it seemed she was also quite surprised at his words, before a smile lit up her face while she nodded. "That'd be nice." They both worked on the nets for the last half an hour, dragging in fish until the boat seemed to be threatening to topple over and both of their faces were red and sweaty. And then, at last, the bell rung in the distance. "Well, that's our cue." Fumou started up the boat, and towards the dock they sailed. A few other fishermen waved and greeted them, Kirima returning the waving before checking out how much the others had of fish. Some had impressive piles while it seemed that others could have gone to a better place. But from what Fumou told her, then each family seemed to have their own spot. And it didn't matter if the fishing was bad from time to time, it was just sort of traditional for each one to use the spot, or spots, that their father or grandfathers had gone to before them.

The weighing of the catches took some time, but everybody had food and drinks and laughter together. The families were gathered on the dock and the chatting of people completely drowned out the complaining of the seagulls as they hadn't gotten so much as a bite that day. "Ladies and gentlemen!" Kirima scrambled up from her seat as the head judge talked into the speaker. "After a lot of weighing, we have come to the conclusion that the winner is boat number 7! Fumou and Hanzoku Kirima, if you would please step up here! They had the impressive weight of -" While he sprouted out the numbers, Kirima and Fumou were both grinning and making their way up to the stage. There the redheaded girl of course couldn't help but jump in the air with a fist pump, before respectfully shaking hands with the judges. "Well I know who will be helping me in the contest next year." The man chuckled while looking at the overjoyed girl. "Oh I am totally getting a boat of my own and beating you next year!" And it so happened that as she yelled that out, the microphone had been shoved towards her face. And everybody started laughing heartily as Kirima's face turned the same color as her hair.

"Next year then, next year."

Mission Ended/Accomplished]