Tsuiko

Tsuiko slid another bowl of steaming noodles across the counter, their azure visor catching the blinding reflection from the palace’s golden spires. Customers huddled close, their chatter a bubble of warmth against the grand, cold marble of the city square in The Teikodian Empire. No one knew the face behind the kitsune mask, and no one asked. They came for the broth that tasted of a kinder world and for the stories Tsuiko told with wide gestures and delighted gasps that needed no face to be understood. Some whispered they were an exiled noble, others a retired warrior. Tsuiko just listened, patiently taking orders. They had wandered through every realm, but this small corner, full of hungry citizens and their daily victories, was the first place that felt like a destination.