Chimper #590
Minatoko never chose the grin. It was a gift from Narisumashi, a matching pair they donned with laughter before infiltrating the fortress of a rogue wizard in The Crystal Highlands of Armaria. They were just two scholars playing at spies, certain they could expose the mage’s dark research. Their optimism was a bright, foolish thing beneath the spinning monoliths. But the final chamber held no scrolls, only a soul-trap. When the spell collapsed, vile energy lashed out. Minatoko was thrown clear, but Narisumashi was caught, their form twisted and spirit imprisoned. Minatoko escaped with nothing but a second mask and the memory of their friend’s cry. They wear the grin to honor who they were; their eyes show what they became.
