Skills to Pay the Bills [NSFW, 18+]

Mission Name: Restock the Market
Mission Type: Crafting
Mission Rank: C
Mission Goal: Craft replacement 20 Caltrops (Engineering), Kunai/Shuriken (Weapons), and/or Forearm/Shin Guards.
Description: Ninja have bought a lot of weapons and the Market is low on stock and needs to replenish their stores. Iron Material is provided. This can be crafted multiple times in the same mission. (up to 5 times, but normal crafting times apply)
Payment: 15,000
Requirements: C-Rank Crafting in respective branch

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Using Unique Ability to reduce crafting time to 3 posts/1 day per C-Rank item:
Rush Order: Sometimes, mass production can trump quality when it’s time to pay the bills. Niko may decrease the time required to craft an item by one rank, however, as a result, reduce their Coordination by one tier limiting what they can craft by one rank.

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Niko was hard at work, wearing an outfit that showed off just how resilient her skin was to the heat and sparks of the forge. She wore it because it had the best range of motion, allowed her to vent the most heat from working, and because it was just plain comfortable. She had an order from the Market she needed to fill, and they had provided the material, she just needed to provide the time and energy in actually forging all the shin and elbow guards they were asking about. She had all the right molds for what she was going to do, including a special one she had spent many hours the night prior designing to perfection. It wasn’t going to be the final product, but it certainly would be a lot better than anything else she had made, not because of the quality but because of what they could do.

She smiled at the thought of presenting them when the time was right… but work before play...ful work. She grabbed a few of the steel ingots sitting beside her and dropped them into the melting pot, waiting for them to turn from solid to liquid so she could get them into the molds for the shin guards and she was going to make. While waiting for that, she prepared everything else; moving things around so she could assemble the items in assembly-line fashion, from pouring the mold, to hammering, to dunking into the ice water, to the drying station, from right to left. Once she was satisfied, and with there still being a short minute before the metal was ready to be poured, she closed her eyes, reaching out with her senses. Almost like clockwork, she could tell Oriana was up and about. She had come a long way in the past couple of years while staying with her, and it was not a stretch to say that she was an amazing apprentice.

She certainly helped make the monotony of orders like this a lot more interesting and enjoyable. She wondered if the pleasure of working with someone instead of constantly working alone was the reason that Kagroth, her uncle and the Legendary blacksmith, had spent so much time teaching her his craft. Regardless, she wasn’t going to summon her just yet, knowing that she should take a moment to get some breakfast that was already prepared at the table, something that Niko tended to do ahead of time when she knew she was going to be working. She would, naturally, come to join her when she was done eating, because if she didn’t, Niko would stop working to make sure she ate, and that would slow down everything.

She did look forward to the young woman joining her though and prepared the first cast.

[1/3 for C-Rank Shin Guard]

[1]

Oriana was an early riser, but Niko still managed to wake before her more often than not. The redheaded blacksmith tended to rise with the sun, the sky barely beginning to light up when she got up. By the time the pink-haired young woman typically began to stir, the sun cast the sky in shades of red and orange. She twitched a bit as her eyes flickered open to see her room. Niko had insisted on giving Oriana her own room due to her near-constant presence at the house.

Moving in was a big step for Oriana and had been a difficult decision despite her attachment to the taller woman. Eventually, she had caved and moved in, telling herself that it was so she could help Niko in the forge and contribute to bills. Occasional missions didn’t yield much pay, but combining their incomes made things a little less tight financially. Despite living here for about two years, the room remained relatively plain with few personal effects.

Oriana typically forwent buying anything unnecessary so that as much of her income as possible would be available to go towards bills. She didn’t skimp on training gear, ninja tools, or her uniform, but that was more due to Niko’s influence than her own preferences. That and the young woman understood having appropriate tools and looking well-kempt would aid in missions. Undercutting her ability to bring home Ryo was the opposite of her goal, so Oriana begrudgingly accepted Niko’s help in expanding her wardrobe and providing her tools.

The short, thin ninja rolled out of bed and stretched her arms above her head. Oriana leaned from side to side, feeling a slight pull along the side of her body and hips. She transitioned from this into more light stretches until her body began to warm up and feel more limber. Next followed a few exercises to get her heart rate up and work towards the number of push-ups, sit-ups, and squats she did daily. By the time she finished, Oriana had worked up a light sweat. She showered briefly in lukewarm water before getting dressed for the day. She wrapped her chest tightly with bandages before slipping a sports bra over top. Over that, Oriana donned a pair of loose shorts that reached her knees and a loose, dark gray hooded sweatshirt.

The young woman made sure to eat a bit before sliding on her sandals and heading into the forge. The heat was already considerable, causing her skin to flush. Oriana pushed up her sleeves and found her work apron, sliding it over her head and tying it off behind herself.

“Good morning, Niko-sama,” the cat-like ninja greeted the redhead as she pulled on a pair of work gloves.

[1]

Niko heard the young woman and tracked her through the house with her Sensory, nodding to herself as she made sure the pink-haired woman ate before she came inside to the forge. Listening to her morning routine that she did every morning made her smile because, in the beginning, she probably wouldn’t have been strong enough to do that many push-ups and such because of how thin and malnourished she had been. It had taken some time, but she had filled out nicely the past couple of years and was a strong and capable young woman now.

Grabbing the pot of molten metal she carefully poured the liquid iron into the mold that was before her as Oriana bid her a morning greeting. “Good morning, Oriana-chan. How did you sleep?” she asked, just mildly curious and making a bit of morning conversation as the pair worked. At this point, she didn’t have to tell Oriana how to help, she had been doing it so long with her, she knew for a fact that the young woman would automatically assist in any way she could find and it was comforting to have the company.

Once the molten metal was poured, she tossed in another ingot to get melted down and put it back on the heat, and then pressed the lid on the mold and squished it down, pressing most of her body weight onto it. She wanted to work on that press idea she had to do this part for her a lot easier and with greater strength, but this would work fine for the moment. She wasn’t working on any significant masterpiece; this was for the market, and it would already be on the same grade if not better than what they sold there.

[2/3 Crafting Shin Guard]

[2]

Oriana wondered whether she should have opted for an outfit that covered less like Niko did when in the forge. It was hot and she was already beginning to sweat. She would need to learn to use her chakra to regulate her body temperature in order to match Niko's tolerance for the forge's unforgiving heat. Ignoring her discomfort, for the time being, she elected to answer the blacksmith's question.

"I slept well."

The pink-haired ninja glanced around the workroom to figure out where she could be most useful. Noting that Niko was already pressing a weapon into a mold, Oriana decided to get a bucket of cold water ready. They would need it to cool the metal rapidly once it was removed from the press. The feline ninja left the forge briefly to retrieve some ice from their freezer. She returned with a bucket half-filled with ice and set it down with a loud thunk. The forge was hot enough to melt the ice sufficiently by the time Niko would need it. Bringing in the ice too early would result in water that was too warm.

"Did you sleep enough?" Oriana inquired.

In her opinion, Niko was the human equivalent of a workhorse. She got up early and worked until she was almost too weak to drag herself to bed. The redhead would pass out in the forge from overexertion and dehydration more often if not for Oriana insisting she take rests and kicking her out at the end of the day.

[2]

Niko gave the young woman a smile and a nod, indicating that she had indeed slept enough. Luckily, Oriana hadn’t asked the number of hours, because ‘enough’ was a bit of a loose definition that allowed it to be skewed to fit each individual person, and since it was a matter of perspective, the red-head hadn’t lied in the slightest. She wasn’t going to dig too much either, less she ruin the surprise she had in store for the pink-haired woman.

As predicted, Oriana set herself to work, taking care of little things here and there that would need to be done and normally would slow down the process of her work because she would have to pause to take care of it, but since Oriana was around, things just happened to work out just right most of the time. It was something that she was ashamed to say she had come to rely on almost completely, and it sometimes made her a little sloppy whenever the pink-haired teen wasn’t around. Niko, ever with the high standards, simply didn’t like it and had been practicing without her help from time to time to ensure that her skills remained sharp, but having the help was not something she would ever complain about.

Releasing the mold and prying it apart with nothing but her own strength, she grabbed a pair of tongs from the workbench and ripped the still-hot metal shin-guard out of the mold completely, setting the mold aside, and grabbing the hammer. Sparks danced across her bare skin without even a flinch as she smashed and molded the metal into shape. A few minutes later with the rhythmic hammering, and she dunked it in the now ready ice water and pulled it free, smiling. It wasn’t a work of art, but it was certainly good enough for the markets, if not a hair better. Setting it aside, she then checked on the pot of melting metal. Still a minute or two before that would be ready, and she busied herself by preparing the mold yet again.

“So, what’s on your agenda today?” she asked, unsure if the smaller woman had any plans.

[3/3 - Crafted 1 C-Rank Shin Guard (armor)]

[3]

Oriana watched Niko force the metal into shape with pure strength alone, the glowing metal bending to her will. The water still had large chunks of ice in it when the redhead dunked the shin guard in, but the hot metal managed to reduce those to smaller pieces that wouldn’t last to see the next item. The water would probably cool one more piece properly if Niko worked quickly, but it would be too warm after that. The heat of the forge meant that the temperature of the water in the bucket would rise as time passed even without the hot metal being plunged in. Thus, it would need refreshing more often than if Niko had been working outdoors where the heat could diffuse into the surrounding atmosphere.

The pink haired ninja looked up after finishing her calculation of when to fetch more ice, making a mental note to run to the market and buy more later that day.

“I’ll work in the forge today. I might train.” Oriana gave a noncommittal shrug. “Working here is challenging enough.”

It was a true statement. The young woman had begun to ponder possible techniques she could develop to allow her to withstand the hot and fiery conditions of the forge. The genin had been inspired to think of ways to manipulate her chakra to facilitate that adaptation. It would have two main benefits: increasing her productivity in the forge and improving her chakra control.

“I am practicing chakra control,” she added, noting that her previous statement was vague and wouldn’t be detailed enough to explain what she had thought of. The addition was still succinct, leaving much up to Niko’s observation skills to piece together what Oriana was really up to. If the lack of detail bothered the redhead any, she would ask clarifying questions.

[3]

Niko picked up the pot again and began to pour it into the mold, getting the next one ready, ensuring that she distributed the metal evenly through the mold so that the next part would be simple. At this point though, she was beginning to go on auto-pilot, pouring and shaping and molding with such proficiency that it was no longer requiring conscious thought and focus as she proceeded with everything in a fluid, effortless motion.

She smiled as Oriana stated that she thought working in the Forge was hard work, nodding. It wasn’t easy, that much was for sure. Niko, having learned of Oriana’s quirks and hints, knew when there was information waiting to be presented and the cues that the pink-haired Genin left for her to pick up on. She just didn’t like blabbing much, so if Niko wanted to have a conversation, she could ask about those things and get information, but if she needed to focus, she could easily and just let the silence reign. Now was a conversation time.

“Training and Chakra Control. Anything in particular you are working on or just refining the basics?” The open ended question would tell the smaller girl that she wanted details, and she would know too that it was also an offer for Niko to take some time and help train her as well. If she was struggling in any way, Niko loved to find ways to be able to help and was pretty good at catering it in such a way that it was easy to learn and retain.

The metal was poured, and Niko quickly set the pot back down and tossed another iron ingot into it to begin melting, grabbing the other half of the mold and moving it into place with precision, and then crushing it downwards. After a moment of doing it that way, she performed a quick hop, using her body weight as she sat on top of the mold and waited, giving Oriana a small smile at her playful behavior while forging.

[1/3 Crafting Shin Guard]

[4]

Oriana raised an eyebrow at Niko’s antics, but wasn’t quite able to keep a straight face. A soft snort of amusement escaped her lips. A year ago, the pink haired genin would have been more confused than anything. Over time, she had begun to understand the blacksmith’s sense of humor and begin to develop one of her own.

The questions weren’t unexpected. Oriana knew she was a person of few words and, with Niko’s help, had begun to address the issue somewhat. However, talking wasn’t one of her strong points and giving more than the bare details about anything took considerable effort. She was starting to learn that it was worth the extra effort to speak more occasionally to reduce the amount of questions and frustrations it produced in the other person. With Niko, however, she was able to speak without tiring as quickly and give less detail while still being understood. The red haired blacksmith didn’t take offense to Oriana being less than verbose.

“Chakra exercises to make forge work easier,” the pink haired genin replied after a few moments of consideration. “Working on manipulating chakra from other elements.”

Niko would know that Oriana seemed to have the least trouble with channeling lightning chakra, though she could use other types with some effort.

With a bit of concentration, she was able to use her chakra to form a thin layer of water on one arm. The water was sparse, much like sweat, and evaporated quickly in the forge’s heat, cooling her at a faster rate than sweating naturally would. It was something that would take a few more attempts to be able to do for most of her body, but it would help Oriana reduce the number of breaks she took while working with Niko and improve her chakra control at the same time.

[4]

The snort of amusement brought a fake pout to Niko’s lips before smiling widely as a joke came to mind. “Well, gotta put this useless big butt of mine to work somehow!” she exclaimed, followed by a light-hearted laugh and wiggled her butt back and forth a little to press down more on the top of the mold. Once she thought it was good enough, she jumped back up and checked visually, not willing to compromise quality just for a little fun, squeezing it together where it needed to be and then ripping it apart and grabbing her tongs, pulling the glowing hot shin-guard free and moving it to the bench where she began hammering.

While she was doing so, her arms going on autopilot guided by her Sensory and the knowledge she gained by just having hammered a shin-guard a moment ago, she diverted her emerald eyes to Oriana to watch what she was doing for a moment, and eyebrow raising as the mention of manipulating an element using her chakra. Elemental jutsu was something that Niko simply didn’t have the time for, so she never really invested much in the way of time to it. She knew about the Lightning affinity that Oriana possessed, but nothing of anything else that really caught the cat-like girl’s interest.

She nodded, her expression showing that she was impressed as she manipulated water in an interesting way as a means of trying to keep her cool. “You know, even that technique would probably be easier if you weren’t wearing such heavy clothing. I know you prefer that type, but it’s mighty warm in here.” Niko herself didn’t count, considering she was raised in the forge, and as such, had a natural resilience for the heat, although she hated the cold with a passion.

[2/3 Crafting Shin Guard]

[5]

The flush on Oriana’s face deepened a shade at Niko wiggling around on the press, though she was already quite red from the heat of the forge and the layers of clothing she insisted on wearing at all times. For the forge, she typically stuck to a single layer, but kept her skin covered which made the heat hellish. Even this stuffy outfit was a compromise, born of passing out from the heat and being overdressed from trying to wear even more clothing in the forge. Niko had made it clear that she would not be allowed to help in the forge while bundled up in multiple layers, so Oriana had caved.

“It is hot,” the genin agreed, tugging at her clothing to get some air between the fabric and her skin.

“Perhaps I should focus on wind manipulation instead,” she mused, pondering how much control it would require to get wind to ruffle under her clothes and cool her off by drying any sweat and moisture that accumulated.

It was more work than removing a layer, but wouldn’t be too hard to manage within the confines of her rather roomy sweatshirt. This was definitely the stubborn option, but Niko had long since learned that it was easiest to let Oriana figure things out for herself that she couldn’t just butt through everything with sheer grit.

Experimentally, the genin began to channel wind nature chakra beneath her sweatshirt, only for it to spiral out of control and shred the garment, leaving her with the scraps hanging off her torso, held in place by her work apron and being damp and sticky. The sudden lack of clothing revealed that Oriana was much sweatier than her lack of visible discomfort had ever let on. The redness of her skin expanded across most of the area that the fabric had previously covered.

The genin looked down and made an expression that resembled a pout before peeling off the ruined sweatshirt.

“I liked that one.”

[5]

Niko continued to hammer the steel in a normal rhythm while she watched the pink haired girl try something completely new. The fact that she could freely manipulate the elements as easily as she did indicated that she might be something of an elemental prodigy of some sort, but without knowing her family lineage it was impossible to tell. And then the poor girl literally shredded her shirt just as Niko pushed the shin guard into the cold water, and she dropped the tongs and was instantly close to the young girl, concern plain as day on her face.

She placed a single hand on the young woman’s belly, checking, and upon seeing her flesh was unharmed, took a step back and breathed a sigh of relief. “Better the sweatshirt than your skin… keep the fabric. I can probably turn it into a tank-top or something, since you don’t seem to own any of those.” She ruffled the woman’s pink hair playfully and then moved back and pulled the shin-guard out of the water and inspected it. Good enough for Market wares, for sure. Setting it with the other one to dry, she paused for a moment, looking at Oriana for a second.

“And it’s just us in here. If you just wanna stay in your wraps, that’s fine. Probably easier to vent heat for you.” Niko, who had been doing most of the work in the sweltering heat, was just beginning to sweat now, glistening off her skin as she moved back to where she was working now that she knew Oriana hadn’t been hurt.

[3/3 - Crafted 2 C-Rank Shin Guards (armor)]

[6]

Oriana stiffened at the sudden contact, but allowed Niko to check her over nevertheless. Being touched without warning was still startling for the pink haired genin, but it was tolerable when Niko did it. Had anyone else done something like that, even out of concern, they would have found themselves dealing with a log from a swift Replacement Technique. She relaxed quickly, even smiling for a few seconds when the redhead ruffled her hair.

“Thanks.”

The genin gathered up the fabric that used to be her sweatshirt and deposited on a workbench out of the way. She would wash it later so Niko would have clean fabric to work with when repurposing the shredded hoodie. Though the idea of wearing something sleeveless didn’t appeal to her in the slightest, Oriana would probably wear it at least once or twice if Niko put in the effort to make her something, though its use would likely be restricted to the forge or as a base layer under other clothing.

The offer to stay in just her wraps was tempting given the heat, but Oriana wasn’t completely convinced.

“I know.”

With that, she left the forge to get more ice. She returned a short while later hauling another bucket of ice, dumping some into the water bucket, cool water splashing her legs and apron. The moisture quickly evaporated, leaving Oriana a bit cooler. The genin secured the apron around herself more tightly to make sure it hid as much of her skin as possible.

[6]

Niko noticed the flinch, but this was something that the pair had come to an agreement with; when it came to Oriana’s health and wellbeing, Niko was the only person allowed to make physical contact. How many times had she been met with a log, bitten and scratched before they had gotten to that point, she couldn’t even count. Now though, aside the initial flinch, she dealt with it, and unless she was just faking it and her acting skills had gotten way better, she even enjoyed it a little bit when it was affectionate.

Niko moved back to the pot, looking at the molten iron and nodding, noting that it was ready. Grabbing the bottom part of the mold, she moved it back into place and put the lid to the side, and then grabbed her tongs and grabbed the pot. Pouring it carefully into the mold, being careful of the distribution, and then set it back down, tossing another Iron Ingot into it while she worked. She then grabbed the lid and pressed it down firmly, squeezing it together evenly and pressing it onto the mold. While holding it, she looked up at Oriana.

“You can’t tell me that doesn’t breathe better. I know you get hot with all that heavy clothing. Looks cute on you too.” It was an idle comment, not one with any intent of moving further, just stated as simple fact. Niko had never really discovered anything regarding relationships and the like. Something she just never had time for, and Oriana knew it, so there was no chance for her to think that Niko was hitting on her.

Probably.

[1/3 for C-Rank Shin Guard]

[7]

Oriana had gone back to manipulating water nature chakra on her skin to try and beat the heat of the forge while Niko prepared the next item on the docket. The pink haired genin gave her master a pointed look at the insistence that her current state was more comfortable. Even if it was true, admitting that would only strip away her justification for staying covered up. Oriana was a stubborn person and would look for any alternative to avoid something she didn’t want to deal with. Being touched and exposing her skin in front of others were on that short list of things she preferred to avoid at all costs.

The comment about being cute resulted in a wet splat as the water she had gotten under her control fell to the ground. Despite herself, the girl blushed fiercely, though it was a bit hard to distinguish from her general redness. Unsure of what to say to that, Oriana sent Niko a plaintive look, almost pouting.

The blacksmith seemed to not understand the weakness her apprentice had for her. Niko letting on that she enjoyed something would convince Oriana faster than any appeal to common sense or her own comfort. Even her typical stubbornness and knowing Niko would prefer she be comfortable had less effect on her resolute determination than this one off-handed comment. It simply wasn’t fair.

It was bad enough Niko wore next to nothing in the forge, something that Oriana was more or less used to now, but to this day generated confusing feelings. Now she, too, was wearing something much skimpier than her usual attire and Niko said she liked it.

“We need more ice.”

Before Niko could reply, and hopefully before she could catch on to the genin’s odd reaction, Oriana replaced herself with a kitchen chair. Perhaps a trip to the market would cool her off. Perhaps the excessive heat was getting to her more than she realized. Oriana wiped at her sweaty forehead and tried to ignore her heart hammering in her chest as she made her way to change into something more comfortable before leaving for the market.

[7]

Niko was, most of the time, extremely observant. It was the tool that assisted her the most in learning how to handle Oriana, was her extreme patience and knowing what each of her reactions meant for the most part. In other ways, Niko could be extremely dense at times, missing obvious cues when her own doubts made them ‘impossible’. But when she dropped the water onto the ground, that was a small flag in her mind, made her think about the fact that Niko had just given her a compliment. She had seen dozens of people try to give her compliments, and that was met with nothing more than a cold shoulder. Was it because Niko had given her a compliment? Maybe it was just people who she actually cared about, so maybe Shunko would have the same result.

But then her using Replacement on the chair made Niko’s eyes roll and a silent chuckle pass her lips. She did that when something made her confused, uncomfortable or squirmy… as well as the lame excuse. They had plenty of ice, but perhaps it had been metaphorical. She probably just needed to stretch her legs and get out of the heat for a bit. She wouldn’t be long, Niko was sure. She never was when she was in there working. For the moment though, Niko took a moment to put the chair back into the kitchen, check on her with sensory long enough to tell she was putting on more clothes for her walk, and walk back into the Forge, and rip the mold apart and pull the super-hot metal free and begin hammering away.

Niko knew it wouldn’t be long before Oriana returned.

[2/3 Crafting Shin Guard]

[8]

Restocking their ice supply took enough time for Oriana to calm down and sort her thoughts. She must have been dehydrated and overheating. Using water techniques lowered the amount of water in the user’s body and could have interesting effects. Being too hot on top of using water style chakra control exercises was likely to blame for her strange reaction. Simple heat and dehydration induced delirium. Easy enough to explain away if Niko had questions.

After cramming as much ice as possible into the freezer, Oriana delivered the rest of it to the forge to use for refreshing the water bucket. She left again to change clothes. The decision of what to wear was more difficult than it had been this morning or when she put on more clothes to go to the market. Niko had liked when Oriana didn’t have much on under the apron. By contrast, Oriana felt more secure when bundled up in layers of fabric. The extra layers were impractical in the forge, which had started her on the path to finding ways to get around that with chakra rather than simply taking off a layer.

Oriana started by changing into a fresh pair of shorts, not unlike the ones she’d worn in the forge earlier. The ones from this morning were already sweaty and the pink haired genin was far too fastidious a creature to put them back on. Once dirty clothing came off, that was it. A quick inspection of her closet revealed that Oriana owned no tank tops and her few short sleeved shirts were in need of wash.

The genin returned to the forge with the apron and the shorts as her uniform, bright red despite having just stepped inside. Any appreciative comments would be met with an unintelligible grumble before Oriana moved around the forge to check to see what needed done.

[8]

Niko was hammering away when Oriana brought in a fresh batch of ice, almost like clockwork, and then vanished again, likely to get changed. By the time the smaller girl had returned, she was finished hammering the shin-guard into shape and had just turned, bending over to dunk the shin-guard into the ice water, letting the hiss go for some time before pulling it free, and then finally standing upright, inspecting the piece. This one too looked good enough, for now… but she was starting to mark where it could be better, and how it could be better. Maybe she would experiment when she was done with this order.

Setting it down, she finally took a good look at Oriana and a series of things went through her mind. First, she was being impossibly cute, acting all shy and such, but the realization of why she was acting shy was what truly caused her to pause from working for a moment, which is something that almost never happened. She had actually listened to Niko. But how many times did she make that suggestion before only for it to be ignored? The only difference this time was the fact that it had been forced by her shredding her clothing, and then the compliment. It clicked in her mind suddenly; she could give the girl a compliment when it was warranted, and she would do whatever it was that caused that compliment again.

Suddenly she remembered the various training exercises they had conducted the past year, thinking about the times where she would compliment the girl’s quick reflexes, only to catch her training those same reflexes even harder the next day. It made sense. But thinking back, she didn’t take those same compliments from Shunko during those training exercises and have the same reaction. Was it something with Niko specifically? If so, it had to be some sort of sense of obligation… surely. Niko had, after all, been the one who had saved her, so perhaps she just sought approval from Niko for that reason. Probably ‘paying her back’ like she liked to say from time to time.

The three second pause was finished with a smile towards her, noticing that she was blushing, and she moved to check to see if the next Iron Ingot was ready. No need to make her any more squirmy and cute, yet.

[3/3 - Crafted 3 C-Rank Shin Guards (armor)]

[9]

Oriana relaxed a bit when Niko simply smiled and returned to her work. The fact that she had finally taken the blacksmith’s advice was left unmentioned and the pink haired genin could pretend that nothing was out of the ordinary. She quickly busied herself with puttering around the forge, making sure that more iron ingots were in reach, refreshing the bucket of cold water with ice to cool it off and raise the water level. Over time, the heat of the forge simply evaporated the water, making it both hot and sticky. A gentle breeze might have helped with that, but Oriana had little intention of trying wind manipulation again. The risk of shredding her apron, or worse, her bra was something that Oriana had no intention of facing.

It was less stifling and miserable without the added layers of clothing, loathe as she was to part with her precious layers. Briefly, the young woman considered genjutsu. Perhaps the genin could create illusory clothes when conditions made it impractical to wear what she liked. Would such an effort work on someone like Niko? Probably not. The jounin had excellent sensory skills and perception, which made hiding anything from her difficult.

Rather than think too hard on it, Oriana decided to take inventory of Niko’s crafting materials instead. She counted out each type of ingot, memorizing the figures as she went, before mentally calculating how much it would cost to replenish the stock once the mission was complete. Next, the genin moved on to inspecting the quality of the molds, which were scorched but still usable for the time being. Replacing those was out of her expertise. Niko would likely create better ones by the time these were no longer useful.

Oriana had little skill at crafting, but she knew enough about the process to make herself useful by handling simple steps or maintenance of the forge. Freeing up Niko to do the actual skilled labor made more sense than attempting to join in on producing weapons or armor. It required less training and meant that the amount of clean-up wouldn’t be doubled. Increasing Niko’s “free time” to work on crafting produced more efficient results than teaching Oriana the craft.

[9]

Niko moved almost on autopilot now, beginning the next shin-guard.

“So… I’ve been doin’ some thinking… scary I know. Once I finish this order, and while the forge is all heated up, I want to get you a set of weapons proper. Maybe some armor too… you’ve been working really hard, and I can upgrade their quality later, but if you look behind you, there are some scrolls with schematics I made with a few different ideas. Take a look.” With that said, she moved on with her smithing, letting her take her time and peruse what was available.

There were five scrolls with small tags that had Oriana’s name on them on the shelf. One had a beautiful set of claw-type weapons. Another, a fancy bow. Another was a pair of short swords that could connect together. Another was a staff that could separate into a pair of short-staffs. The last was a long spear. As she was looking through them, Niko continued to talk a little bit.

“And these are just some ideas. We also can make you more traditional Ninja weapons if you want. I’m working on prototype armor too, but that’s gonna take a little while.” Continuing her work, her jade eyes were keeping an eye on the woman, trying to guess which, if any, she liked more than the others. What Oriana didn’t know was the quality of the materials she had in store for the weapon or weapons that she came up with.

[1/3 for C-Rank Shin Guard]

[10]

Oriana finished mentally tabulating Niko’s crafting materials before acknowledging the blacksmith’s words. She wiped her forehead with a cloth she kept tucked into the pocket of her work apron, clearing away some sweat. The apprentice then looked to her master with interest at the news of the jounin’s intent to craft her custom weapons. It was tempting to insist that standard weaponry would be fine, but the pink haired genin knew that Niko would insist. There were several reasons that rejecting the offer outright wouldn’t be a good idea, things that she might not have considered a year or two ago.

As an official member of Niko’s clan, she was part of the Kanuchi clan’s image. Sporting weapons armor that showed off the redhead’s crafting skills benefited Niko’s image and the family image as well. Beyond that, accepting the offer meant that Niko could craft prototypes and observe their effectiveness. The information gained from this sort of “experimentation” could yield valuable knowledge and supplement the jounin’s growth as a blacksmith. That she would benefit from this seemed somewhat incidental. Oriana also noted that having better tools would help her on missions. Better mission performance also benefited the Kanuchi clan as a whole.

Then, she needed to consider the Kanuchi clan’s values. The success of each individual member was important and considered good for the clan as a whole. Rejecting something that would benefit her could detract from the clan as a whole in that sense.

Oriana wandered over to the scrolls and unfurled them on a workbench so she could examine them side by side. She traced some of the designs with a finger and hummed thoughtfully.

“Recommendations?” the pink haired genin asked after a moment, requesting more information about the pros and cons of each item.

[10]

Niko was pouring and squeezing the mold now, still just going through the motions while paying attention to their conversation. Upon hearing her ask for recommendations, the red-head’s gaze lingered on Oriana while she concentrated in thought. “Well, I know you like to keep your distance with most people, so perhaps the bow? It’s the only weapon that, you really train yourself, can hit people who don’t even know they are in range yet. I can’t even do that with my throwing spears.” It was true too; the Bow had the best range out of anything in the ninja Arsenal.

“If not that one, then perhaps spear and shield? You can throw them and keep people at a distance, and that’s the one I specialize in. The other one I liked was the claws, but you’d have to get up close and personal for those.” Now that she had given her ideas, in order of precedence, the rhythmic sound of the hammer presided yet again as Niko began to hammer the metal into shape. Oriana would know that wouldn’t inhibit Niko from being able to listen or talk, but couldn’t slow down just yet. She needed to finish this order so she could hurry up and reveal the true surprise behind the weapon idea.

She did manage to take a moment though and wipe some sweat from her brow, realizing she needed to cool down. Leaving the hammer and molten metal for a couple of seconds wouldn’t hurt it, so she set it down and moved to the ice bucket, grabbing a few handfuls of the cool water and splashing her face, chest and neck to try to bring her core temperature down. Because of the warmth of her skin, this had an interesting steam-like effect on the woman while making her skin glisten more as she went back to work hammering the metal.

[2/3 Crafting Shin Guard]

[11]

Oriana didn’t respond to Niko’s description of the various benefits of each weapon choice, but the blacksmith would know that her apprentice wasn’t being rude. She was contemplating Niko’s words carefully before saying anything else. It was true that the pink haired ninja liked to keep her distance in social situations but getting up close and personal for the purpose of dishing out violence wasn’t entirely out of the question either. In the few spars she participated in with other genin, there was a certain sense of satisfaction when landing a good hit. Especially nose hits. The crunch of someone else’s nose caving in was a sound that made the pink-haired woman smile right up until Niko scolded her for being too rough with her peers.

A bow and arrow would take more patience to get good at, but allow her to emphasize stealth over strength. It was also a skill she could practice without roping someone else into it. The idea of being able to train alone was pleasing. Skill with more direct weapons like swords, knives, and claws could only be honed to its true potential by working with others. Archery on the other hand could come a long way as long as she had the patience to set up targets.

Granted, if Niko insisted she go out and practice working with other genin again, Oriana could always try shooting them with her bow. Watching them run and hop to get out of the way would be fun. The mental image of some poor genin yelping as they tried to avoid her arrows brought a brief smile to the pink haired genin’s face.

Her thoughts were briefly interrupted by Niko’s steaming body. Oriana blinked rapidly before looking away and pretending to study each weapon design with more scrutiny. Why she felt a bit embarrassed for looking was a bit of a mystery. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen before.

Finally, the genin looked up and said, “I think the bow would be best.”

[11]

Niko was busy hammering away at the shin-guard, and knowing that it was about to get very loud, she waited to respond just yet. Dunking the shin guard into the water and waiting for the hissing to stop, she pulled it free and began to wipe down the cooled metal and walked over to Oriana, her body mostly done steaming as she looked over the bow for a moment and nodded. “That would be pretty easy. We’ll use the Ebony I have stashed away for it; won’t be any good if you break the thing, and that way you can technically use it as a melee weapon or for blocking if you need to. I’ll also be able to upgrade it when I get my Crucible.”

Finishing up the wiping of the shin guard, she moved over and placed it in the pile. One more to go. The ingot was just about ready.

Niko decided this would be a good moment to go ahead and do some stretching, starting with a forward fold. The smith had always been pretty limber, mostly because she wanted to be agile and didn’t like muscle cramps when she was working, but it was always good practice to keep loose, especially when she was likely going to be working in the forge for a bit longer before finishing up for the day. Her cheeks were pressing against her shins, and between her legs that were perfectly straight, she winked at Oriana and stuck her tongue out playfully, not even thinking about the fact that her rump was elevated in the air. After a few more seconds, she rolled her upper body back up, standing up and then turned around on her heel and began to pace around the forge, stretching her arms over her head and across, grabbing it with her other arm to stretch out her shoulders.

[3/3 - Crafted 4 C-Rank Shin Guards (armor)]

[12]

The pink haired genin nodded at Niko’s reply, glad to have chosen a weapon that wouldn’t be too inconvenient to craft. She was a bit surprised to find out that her master had already gathered the materials to make her a high quality bow. Though, Oriana mused, she shouldn’t be caught off guard by something like this. The blacksmith liked to prepare for things ahead of time. Even things that seemed spontaneous had likely been on the redhead’s mind for days if not weeks.

When Niko bent over, Oriana was glad for the uncomfortable heat of the forge. Her face reddened, but she was able to shake her head at the silly expression on the redhead’s face and walk to the ice bucket to splash her face with water without it seeming out of the ordinary. Unlike Niko, Oriana didn’t steam when coming into contact with cold water. She just got a bit shiny from the light reflecting off the moisture on her skin. If anything, the genin looked very sweaty.

She turned around, thinking she’d avoided embarrassing herself only to see Niko doing more stretches. This time, instead of showing off her butt, the blacksmith’s actions made her chest very prominent. Despite the cold water on her face and dripping down her neck, Oriana felt hot and her throat tightened all of a sudden. The genin pulled out her cloth and wiped at her face and neck vigorously to distract herself. It was indistinguishable from her usual fastidious habits. Niko knew how much Oriana disliked being dirty in any way.

Oriana wondered what was wrong with her. She was loath to tell Niko because it was embarrassing for reasons she couldn’t quite explain, but there was no one else to ask --asking Shunko about it would only be more uncomfortable.

Fidgeting uncomfortably, Oriana glanced around the forge, looking everywhere except at Niko.

“Distracting,” she grumbled, folding her rag for wiping sweat into an unnecessarily neat square before tucking it away.

[12]

Niko moved to the tall shelf where she kept most of her really good stuff hidden behind a pile of scrap; most people who walked into the forge would never know what was up there because it looked like a junk shelf, something that normally would be common around the forge. Now, however, it almost seemed silly because Oriana kept the place so clean and clutter free that it actually looked rather out of place. She would have to see about finding a new way to keep her stuff hidden, but pulling three black ingots, the Ebony material, and setting it next to the pot of molten iron. Such an inferior material, to be sure, but she wasn’t about to waste good Ebony on anything but either a custom order for a customer, or someone she really cared about.

“Nothing but the best for my girl. You deserve it.” It was a true statement, but teasingly, Niko had used a tone that she had heard in the market when a guy was proposing to his girlfriend with some stupid ring. She was glad that wasn’t how it worked with her religion… no need for jewelry or fancy weddings… very simple and efficient. If she had any thought that Oriana or Shunko would even be close to having a relationship like that, she would probably explain it all out, but for now, until they showed an interest like that, she wouldn’t bother. No need to stir that pot considering all three of them were riddled with hormones and crap, only to make it worse with the topic.

It didn’t mean, in the slightest, that she didn’t think Oriana deserved such a weapon. Pouring the metal into the mold and pressing the lid on top of it, she looked to the pink haired Genin for a moment. “Press this please?” she asked quickly, knowing full well Oriana had the strength and knowledge to do well. Once the Genin was in position and taking care of it, Niko would move to the scrap bucket and scrape the bits of Iron out of it, not wanting any of the inferior material to mix with the Ebony. Once done, she put it back on the heat and placed the Ebony ingots into the pot, and then moved back to where Oriana was pressing the mold and got into position and applied pressure as well, which would allow the smaller woman to let go if she wanted to. It was good that the Genin wasn’t so skittish anymore, or the fact that their faces were so close together might have caused her to flinch; she could smell the Shampoo Oriana had used. A pleasant fragrance. “So, what was so distracting?” she asked, her eyes looking up to Oriana’s while they held the mold.

[1/3 for C-Rank Shin Guard]

[13]