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▓█▬♦ H A I R ♦▬
As is to be expected of many people in her country, Chiyoko's hair is rather dark, although her hair's color represents more a moonlit-like quality, with dark, glossy undertones that easily shine at night. Undone, her hair is medium length, falling just past her shoulder blades in a messy, curving bundle. She has long, haphazard bangs that cover the tops of her eyes and frame the rest of her face.

▬♦ E Y E S ♦▬
In many cultures, the eyes are a window to one's soul. Chiyoko's eyes are an unnatural bright blue, like the pure waters in the seaside. They are not the hardened eyes of a cold killer, the veteran warrior or commander. They are the eyes of the faithful scorned, of trust misplaced and broken. They are the eyes of the sinner, filled with caustic regret. They are the eyes of a woman torn between her own sins, searching for a lesser of two evils. Like many of her peers, her eyes are slanted, curving downwards towards the ends. Unlike many of her peers, she has rather wide, open eyes that carefully scan, examine, and judge.

▬♦ F L A W S ♦▬
A small mole rests under her left eye, whether or not that is a flaw depends on one's perspective. Her body has a myriad of scars of varying intensity, from nearly healed, almost invisible scars upon her forearms and biceps, to a long, poorly-healed scar that runs from navel to spine on her left side. Her hands are rather calloused, as are her feet, as is to be expected from someone in her line of work.

▬♦ S T A T U R E ♦▬ 5'7 || 140


▬♦ P H Y S I Q U E ♦▬
Chiyoko might be short and slight compared to westerners, but she's easily a head taller than many women in her country. She has a fit, defined form with little fat built from her constant trials and opposition, easily much stronger, faster (and heavier, because don't forget, muscle is much heavier than fat!) than one would expect, especially if all they see is the heavy cloth and armor she covers herself with. Though even with the constant exertion, she's still built like a rail, lacking feminine curves that many of her peers possess. Of course, she's just a human being. She has no superhuman strength, agility, or endurance. She is about as strong as you could reasonably expect from someone her size and fitness.

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█▓▬♦ A M O R O U SxV I E W ♦▬
In Chiyoko's mind, nothing comes before your lover, as nothing would come before your chosen kin. For her, love is possession. Owning the one she loves, and letting the one she loves own her in equal measure. Her ideal of love is aggressive, passionate, never-ending, where both parties overlook the other's flaws, yet seek to change their own. She does not look kindly upon the practices of polygamy or those who casually move from partner to partner, and she condemns those who betray their love's trust.

▬♦ D I S P O S I T I O N ♦▬
For Chiyoko, family, friends, and those around you are of utmost importance. She believes in unwavering loyalty before all else, and view betrayal as the blackest sin. For those close to her, she will do anything, no question asked, no hesitation. She is aggressively protective of those she values, and incredibly stubborn when it comes to her views. She places the needs of others above her own, but only because she wouldn't imagine life without them.

Chiyoko is the kind of person to get easily attached very quickly. She has a desire, a need to belong and be accepted. She is not one content in the road of the lone samurai. The longer it lasts, the stronger this attraction can grow, to the point where Chiyoko would easily commit vile misdeeds or otherwise act in a way she would never, all in fear of losing what she has built so far. She is not a cruel, or unkind person. She's a desperate, rash person who can often find her fears or worries guiding her actions, plaguing her with guilt and doubt afterwords.

Trust is among her most prized possessions. She's rare to assign it, but when she does, she trusts completely. In addition, she views the trust of another as a sacred thing, to be guarded and upheld beyond all else. She will do all she can to uphold it and does not often break her own word. She does not view, nor want to view herself as a traitor, even to the smallest amount of trust. She views mercenaries and other such professions as dishonorable, as there is not a lot of loyalty attached to such jobs, with money dictating which way the sword is pointed, yet even she acknowledges that there's less deception as both employer and mercenary are quite clear what motivates them. Chiyoko views actual 'traitors' in a darker light. Even if they are underlings or relatives to the worst personification of hell itself, she will feel downright disgusted towards turncoats or double agents.

Yet, even her own unwavering loyalty is not dedicated entirely to one person or another. Anyone or anything that does good upon her or has helped her in some way, she feels deserves her loyalty. She herself is loyal to the old Yakuza for her childhood, but she's loyal to the neighboring citizens in Edo for the exact same reason. While she might have moved on with the Yakuza rather than stay with her uncle, she did not entirely forget old friends, and generally treated them favorably, even if they were later at odds with the Yakuza.

In addition, she's uncharacteristically honorable. In most situations, she'd refuse to harm children, the elderly, injured or ill, and while she did not give yen out to every beggar she passes, she remains of a charitable disposition. If she sees someone in need of help or assistance, she'll usually provide it if she can, although she wouldn't refuse compensation or payment if offered. She doesn't make idle promises, and carries out her vows. In addition, she holds a respect towards others who act or are considered to act honorably, such as official samurai, nobility, etc.

Issues arise when these two huge values - of honor and loyalty - collide. At what point does she turn on everything she loves, everyone she knows, and the environment she is familiar with, just to say she's had enough? She would not willingly harm an innocent, but if her life or the lives of those she cared for were in danger or at jeopardy, she'd do it. She would never willingly betray or harm her 'family', but if it requires her to do heinous or act against others she cares for, she's torn. She's constantly trading her sins for her debts. Owing many debts, then sacrificing the well being of others in order to pay for it. Having to be forgiven for her sins, but in doing so, she's gained new debts.

Sometimes Chiyoko can acknowledge how harmful her own attractions can be, yet her worst fear is not death. She fears being left alone. She has to have something, someone to fight for, or else she can't fight.

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▬♦ Q U I R K S ♦▬
Superstitious ● If there's a superstition you can name, Chiyoko probably believes it. Any yokai you can imagine, she will likely have some ritual or talisman to defend against. She steps with her right foot forward - never her left - unless it's the second day of the month, and never looks into a reflective surface with negative thoughts, for fear of one demon or another.

Loyal ● Loyal almost to a fault, Chiyoko is quick to attach to others, and slow to let go. She harbors heavy grudges, especially against those she has deemed to betray her trust or another's, and doesn't easily forgive such sins. She is rather suggestive to orders or requests from friends, family, or superiors, even if the deed asked is questionable. If someone close asks a favor of her, she'd do it without question, just as she hopes they would do in return.

▬♦ C A P A B I L I T Y ♦▬
Brawler ● Chiyoko is no samurai, nor is she nobility. As such, she's not experienced with many weapons, nor is she even allowed to own them. However, she does own two small variants of the Katana known as Wakizashi, the Japanese equivalent of the short sword. While relatively low-skilled, her confident, aggressive approach often overwhelms weaker or cowardly opponents. In fact, anything can and likely has been used as a weapon in her hands. A broom, a nearby sickle. She's not highly skilled or properly trained, but she's adaptable to the situation at hand.

Hunting ● Chiyoko was often tasked with finding someone or another. She became highly skilled at urban tracking, asking the right questions of the right people, reading expressions, and generally just having a good intuition on where someone would go, or be. She can also track through the wilderness, but she was never one for the outdoors, both preferring and excelling in an urban environment. Not many can hide or evade her notice.

▬♦ N A T U R A LxA P T I T U D E ♦▬
Gambler ● Years spent in a secret gambling den made Chiyoko no stranger to games of chance. And she's damn good at them. If she were a bad gambler, this would likely be a negative quirk, but she loves taking chances, risks, and going all in, because she typically knows she'll emerge victorious.

Strong Spirit ● Maybe it's her superstitious precautions. Maybe because of a blessing placed on her at birth. Whatever the reason, Chiyoko is not as affected by curses, magical abilities or creatures. She's not impervious by any means, merely resistant. A strike from a demon that would cripple a normal man might merely injure her, for example.

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█▓▬♦ R E M I N I S C E N C E ♦▬

Chiyoko was orphaned as a young girl, as many often are. In Japan, there is no shortage of quarrel or conflict among the Daimyos, and many children are left without parents in their wake. Her father was a samurai to a local lord, dying in a pointless, foreign war. He left her little, but taught her much before he passed. He taught Chiyoko the importance of purity, honor, and loyalty. That duty came before all, and their duty was to the people, and to their daimyo.

From the age of seven, she lived with an ailing uncle who owned a sake den in Edo, which, after hours, was a gambling hall ran by the Yakuza. Many would assume a young girl unfit for such an environment, but both her uncle and his guards treated her well. She was often used as a lookout, for gambling was illegal, and she could quickly and sneakily alert the others if the militia happened to come by. She even helped collect gambling debts from time to time, asking around and snooping for the poor quarry before relaying his location to a bigger, burlier guard who would swiftly collect any debt owed. It was actually quite easy, many did not suspect a young girl to have ill intentions, and she didn't. She felt as though these little missions were often justified, as many of their targets were cheaters, liars, or dishonorable thieves who spent their family's income on games of chance.

It was idyllic, almost. Everything she did was nearly illegal as a child, yet she had a home. A loving home. She had a family, with dozens of brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles. Father figures and mother figures. Her family spread from the centre of the den to as far as the Yakuza could reach. This family sheltered her, taught her how to live and survive. It taught her that family is who you make it, and the importance of protecting them. A stark contrast to everything the samurai stood for, the Yakuza nonetheless did a better job of caring for the common people than the samurai ever did. They harshly punished thieves, murderers, protected those within their borders from rival, harsher gangs. They even did strangely domestic tasks, like repairing old or destroyed houses and establishments.

Chiyoko was grateful for that life. She knows that without the Yakuza, she wouldn't be where she was today. And so, when she grew big enough to hold a sword, she gladly took up many of these tasks. She owed a debt - her entire childhood, her very life - to the Yakuza. Many were violent, many were unpleasant, but they served to help better the lives of those around her. That was the entire point. The weak banding together to protect one another from the strong and powerful.

After a time, the oyabun perished. Chiyoko had never personally met the man, but she still grieved for his loss. She would grieve for him even more after his successor was appointed. Many suspect that this is the turning point - the moment where the Yakuza changed it's aims. Chiyoko definitely thinks so. Over time, the Yakuza felt more aggressive. Participated less with their communities, protected less. She heard whispers of Yakuza members themselves taking advantage of those in their territory, but she didn't believe it to be true. Even after she was given unsavory tasks, she carried them out. She was even assigned to hunt down defectors from time to time, a task she took a surprising amount of pleasure in. She hated them for leaving, for what she felt was a betrayal.

Her loyalty was not without doubts. She had never dealt with this sort of situation before - one loyalty against another. The Yakuza, and the non-affiliated community that had helped raise her. She did not enjoy collecting money, in making threats to many people she often had tea with. But she was loyal. She owed a debt, and it had to be done. It would all turn out well in the end.

However, even blind faith can be broken. Chiyoko's uncle had refused to pay protection fees for the last few months, as she was told. Many knew of her unwavering loyalty. They felt that with her connection to the man, she might be the one to collect. She was sent with one other, a mousy man with an easily triggered temper. This was the first time she'd seen her uncle in nearly a year, and it was the last time. She had thought he would be able to pay, or that she could help him do so in some way. When he outright refused from contempt, she was at a loss. The thug, now angered, began to beat her uncle.

At first, she did nothing. She couldn't truly process, the man who had raised her fighting against the family that had protected both of them. Everything struck her as wrong. Alien. Unfair. This was not what she knew as a child. This family that had protected her for so long was harming one of the very people it was created to protect. Yet, her uncle taught her that you stick with family, if they're right, if they're wrong. It does not matter, loyalty must not waver. Of course, the man she was with was not family. None of the men and women she worked next to were there as she grew up. The guards and agents who had all seen her grow had since fled. Some met an end by her blade, all because they recognized what she refused to see.

The Yakuza had changed. Like a repaired house with every original splinter of wood replaced. You could call it the same house, and it could function the same, but none of the original foundation remained. Nothing that might have made the original owners call it home.

Chiyoko acted, but did so too late. She found herself over the corpses of both the Yakuza she had accompanied, and her poor uncle, for once, feeling alone. An empty, horrible, gut-wrenching feeling that put fear in her mind. She had betrayed the Yakuza, killing their agent. She had betrayed many who live in Edo by extorting and abusing under the Yakuza name, and she had allowed the death of the one man, the one soul who would have forgiven her for any betrayal in the world.

She burned the sake den, putting all her previous ties to flame. She had turned against the Yakuza, but they had betrayed her and all those in Edo. Her uncle was dead as a result of their hand, as were many others. Maybe in punishing their betrayal, she may be atoned for her own. Maybe she would be forgiven. Accepted again.

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