Emoe

Years before the kitsune mask became a second skin, Emoe sold river pearls with Sharen from a small boat at the bottom of Waterfall City. They laughed often then, their faces open to the sun and spray. Then came the first threat from a trade rival, a whispered promise of ruin. Emoe bought the mask for a clandestine meeting, a temporary shield. But secrets, once kept, demand more secrets to protect them. The business grew, stall becoming a guild, guild an enterprise. These days, Emoe oversees it all from a high office where the roar of the falls is a distant hum. Sharen is still by their side, the only one who knows the smile is painted on and the eyes behind the mask are still pleading for the life they left by the water.