Ayane Mikoto

''"We were drawn here for a reason, right? There's an otherworldly evil plaguing this world, and I just know I was chosen to stop it... I'm sure you guys are just as important, too." ''- Ayane, on the Awakened.

Ayane is a strange young woman who seems like a fish out of water in the City of the Lost, with a zest for life and a fearless nature. While she's not a native to the city, she took her sudden appearance there rather well and seems to have taken it as a sign that she was meant for greatness. She's sharp, but still naive and young in her views of life and no doubt bound to get herself into trouble.

She's convinced that she's some kind of chosen one, other 'Awakened' be damned.

She works as a waitress in a local tavern to pay the bills most of the time, disguising herself as a human with her foxy kitsune powers while using her skills of stealth and subterfuge (and magic) by night to...do hero stuff. She hasn't really figured it out yet, but she's definitely going to be some kind of Robin Hood type hero. And probably destined to be a nine tailed kitsune...some day. She's pretty sure.

That said, she's got an unhealthy love of gold and treasure and an incurable wanderlust which tends to be a source of trouble for her. Regardless, she knows that the fate of the Beyond rests on her shoulders and she intends to rid the world of whatever evils have corrupted it!

History
Ayane grew up in an isolated village of Kitsunes nestled away deep within the Seseragi Forest of Minkai. Their home had remained hidden away from the rest of the world for hundreds of years, their traditions based on the knowledge passed down from a legendary nine-tails who ascended a millennium ago according to their legends.

Ayane was born on the 1000th anniversary of the nine-tailed kitsune’s ascension, and from a young age demonstrated considerable magical talent. As a result, the elders of her village took it upon themselves to tutor her personally and train her both in the ways of magic and combat, believing her to be the reincarnation of the legendary nine-tails of yore and grooming her to be the next elder of their tribe. Her head filled with the idea of being the ‘chosen one’, Ayane decided that being the (supposed) reincarnation of such a legendary figure meant she had a great destiny awaiting her- she’d no doubt be an instrumental player in the fate of the world some day, and her time and talents would be wasted holing up in their tiny little village all her life.

On her 18th birthday, Ayane had enough of the peaceful life of their small village and set out to discover her destiny for herself. Of course, as she trekked into the forest, she found it far larger than she remembered, and the day seemed to stretch on far longer than seemed natural or right- she fell into a daze, and when she snapped back to reality, she found herself stepping out of an alleyway in a city she’d never seen before.

The vast stretches of uncharted territory beyond the city walls, the mysterious way she appeared there, and the bizarre darkness hanging over the city only reaffirmed her belief of her destiny. Obviously (in her mind), she had been transported to this world to save it from whatever evil plagued it! But…first she had to figure out what that evil actually was.

Using what little money she had and her race’s natural ability to shapeshift, she put together a heroic disguise as The Red Fox (which is to say, she makes herself look human and dresses up in a fun outfit), a noble thief who prowls the street at nights to fight crime, steal undeserved valuables from the corrupt nobles of the city, and investigate the evils that have taken hold in this world!

Well, she does the night prowls, but she’s still working out the other parts. In the meantime, and after discovering the fact that she actually needs money for the basic amenities needed to survive, she took up a job as a tavern wench at one of the local inns- it may not be a glamorous job, but it allows her to keep an ear out for any interesting information or calls to adventure that might be waiting for her. After all, there’s other adventurer types waking up in town too, from what she hears, and the Blind Beholder Inn attracts all sorts!

Appearance
In either form, she's an attractive maiden with a lithe and almost ethereal beauty, her physical charms are matched only by the elegance with which she moves. She's got a rather keen sense of style, and loves adorning her normal clothes with various accessories and trinkets when she can afford them. Her thieving outfit is svelte and stylish in it's own way, and is filled with internal pockets.

Of course, in her natural form she's covered head to toe with red and white fur, with ruby red eyes, fox ears, multiple fluffy tails, and a pointed muzzle. She is extremely fuzzy. Dangerously so, even.

Her human disguise is fair-skinned, with long red hair tied up in a ponytail. She generally wears a domino mask on her face and ties a fox-faced mask to her head to fit her 'Red Fox' persona.

Personality
Ayane is smart, clever, and naive- thoughts of glory and riches often occupy her thoughts when she's left to her own devices, and while she is a friendly and helpful sort her own lack of experience and youthful sense of invincibility can lead to unfortunate consequences for herself and those around her. She's also got a rather active sense of humor and enjoys messing with others- whether it's egging them on to do something stupid or setting them up to be the butt of a joke. She doesn't really mean anything harmful by it, but like many kitsunes she can occasionally take the tricks a bit too far.

That said, she's a charmer for sure and both a talented enchantress and an excellent conversationalist. If she wants something done, it can be very difficult to refuse her wiles...although certainly the victims of her pranksterish antics may disagree with that sentiment.