Tokishu

Every morning before sparring at The Dojo, Tokishu runs a thumb over the chipped lacquer of their Kitsune mask. It was not always a tool of war. It was once part of a festival costume, a gift from a fellow sailor on a voyage they thought would never end. That was before the storm, before the betrayal that sent their ship and crew to the depths. They were the only survivor, clinging to the splintered wood that they later carved into this smiling, mocking face. They heard the legend of Kaito choosing the sea, but Tokishu was spat back out. The fury in their eyes is all that remains of their old life, and the mask is the promise they made to the ocean: they will find who was responsible. The painted smile never changes, even when they weep behind it.