Kurusu

Every morning, Kurusu paints the lines of war across their face, hands trembling just slightly. And every morning, Tamayuki waits, pretending to inspect their gear while watching the reflection in a polished gem. They found Kurusu dangling from a vine over a thousand-foot drop in The Fluorescent Isles, paralyzed by fear after a treasure hunt went wrong. Tamayuki’s rescue was swift, but Kurusu’s confidence was shattered. The war paint began the next day, a desperate attempt to look like the fighter they no longer felt they were. Tamayuki never mentioned the fear they saw. Instead, they offered a partnership. Kurusu's sharp eyes for hidden riches, Tamayuki's steady nerve for the dangers between the isles. “You missed a spot,” Tamayuki says, taking the pigment to draw the final, straight line beneath Kurusu’s eye.