Kashito

The Trainee with the veteran’s eyes took a slow breath, the arrow’s fletching brushing against their cheek. Beside them, their partner Shinrokurou offered a cheerful tip about windage, advice Kashito had mastered years ago. They nodded anyway. Here in The Great Panda City, appearances mattered. Before this grey bandana, they wore the deep crimson of a prodigy. But one arrogant, misplaced shot during a Panda Council demonstration—a shot meant to show off—had cost them everything. They weren't just demoted; they were ordered to unlearn their own instincts. The playful humor they used to deflect Shinrokurou’s earnest coaching was a thin shield against the memory of that failure. It was easier than admitting the unease was a constant companion, a ghost of the archer they used to be.