Hotsue

The fishers down where the city meets the river will tell you Hotsue is a disgraced warrior, that the Meow Cap is a mark of some forgotten shame. They point to the well-worn katana and the distant look in their eyes as proof of a violent past. But the truth is simpler. Every market day, Hotsue sits by the great fish statue in the plaza, not to brood, but to work. With that same blade, they carve tiny, perfect wooden frogs and fish from driftwood. They never sell them; they just give them away to any child who asks. The gleam in their eyes isn't from battle memories, but from the laughter that follows. Some scars don't come from swords, and some blades are best used for making someone smile.