Hitosumi

Hitosumi was a survivor long before they were a food lover. First, there was only the road, where a meal was whatever one could find and shelter was a luxury. Their face hardened into a mask of stoic watchfulness, unamused by a world that offered little to smile about. Then, there was The Heart of the Forest. Stumbling into a clearing, expecting an ambush, they instead found a feast. An elder, without a word, pushed a bowl of steaming ramen into their hands. The uncomplicated warmth of the broth thawed something deep inside them. They stayed for a season, trading stories for recipes. The ramen hat began as a joke, but it became a philosophy. These days, they wander again, but differently. The unamused expression is a map of where they have been; the jam on their cheek is a sign of where they are now.