Rimako

Rimako cast their line, the silken thread catching the purple light of the high-altitude sky. The bait landed softly in the river that wound between bamboo-lined streets, sending cherry blossom petals scattering. A young Panda Council trainee, passing by, noted the expensive gems winking on Rimako’s coat. “A gift,” Rimako said with a practiced, disarming smile. The trainee then pointed to the jagged scar that cut across Rimako’s eye. The smile tightened. “A lesson,” they replied, voice suddenly quiet. They offered a simple story about a fishing hook gone awry, a tale polished smooth by retelling. The trainee bought it. But Rimako still felt the phantom sting—not of a hook, but of the heat from a Teikodian forge and a promise they broke to get away.