Tora (Fukutsu no Seishin)

"Bloody claws lead to a clearer mind... and money."
== Background ==
Tora rarely talks about his life before he joined the clan, claws and teeth covered in blood and desperate for either shelter or a quick death.  Despite his alarming appearance, the clan welcomed him with open arms after he passed through the barrier with ease.  He gained more than he’d expected, planning to heal and then move on, when the clan destroyed his pursuer with no questions asked.  He hadn’t been aware that he’d entered the lair of warriors; from their peaceful nature he had mistaken them for a quiet group of mages.  Certainly, the extensive magical wards implied that they feared invasion.  It turned out that the wards were for the exact purpose he had unwittingly used them for: providing shelter to those in need, and keeping out those that would cause harm to those unable to defend themselves.
Tora had never liked being weak, and the display of strength he had witnessed led to him begging for training.  He had been cocky, thinking that he could take down anything in his path in his quest for money, but with that illusion slashed to pieces he was forced to face reality.  He was weak, and this clan could help him.
They had agreed surprisingly quickly; he had been prepared to offer them what measly money he had from his questionable career choice but his attempts to pay had been waved away as he was promised that they would train him as soon as he was healed.  It was as if they didn’t care that they were teaching a dragon with questionable morals to kill more efficiency.
It turned out that they didn’t care.  The lairkeeper, apparently a shy introverted dragon, spent hours talking with him while she made her candles or neatened up the cave he was resting in.  She told him that the clan were fine with having a mercenary in their midst; if he had meant harm to them he would have not been able to enter their wards.  Money had to come from somewhere, and if mercenary work was his calling, then that was that.
He was approached by the treasurers some weeks after he had arrived, once he was well into his promised training.  When the skydancer and pearlcatcher weren’t bickering with each other, he gleaned that the lairkeeper had been right in saying that the clan didn’t care, but the treasurers expected him to bring back a cut of his earnings.  The matriarch herself descended on the conversation to add in that his clan and their allies were, of course, unacceptable targets, and he agreed immediately, realising that at some point he’d gone from a guest to part of the clan without ever realising it.
He had no problem with that.
== Personality ==
Tora’s bloodlust is well contained most of the time.  He never kills near the clan, and if he feels it beginning to bubble up he will hunt down work immediately.  Part of this is out of respect for the clan that saved him when he needed it, but another reason can be found in the pearlcatcher that kept him company while he was healing.
He is incredibly protective of those close to him.  While the degree of closeness in the clan varies from dragon to dragon, it does not mean he will not protect any of them if the need arises.  He struggles with the hatchlings when they come along, finding their innocence difficult to deal with, and prefers to stay away from them.  While he loves his job, it is not one he wants to influence the next generations into following.
== Role Within The Clan ==
Tora does no work within the clan.  When he is within the wards he will be found handing his earnings to the treasury and then flopping down in his cave with his mate, watching her work patiently.
Outside of the clan, however, he is one of their main sources of income.  Strife is everywhere in the world, and there is always someone who wants someone else dead, and Tora is happy to oblige, for a fee.  He is good at what he does, and has to date never lost a target since joining Fukutsu no Seishin.  This makes him expensive to hire, but there are always dragons, and occasionally beastclans, willing to pay.
== Appearance ==
Tora hides his scars from his past mistakes under layers of armour and silks.  While many clients like scars, as it shows their mercenary is no stranger to combat, he finds that the right smirk, showing the perfect amount of teeth, more than makes up for his apparent lack of scars.  The ones he has are too obviously that of a lost fight, and that’s not an image he likes to portray.
When out on the job, his claws and muzzle are usually coated in a layer or several of blood, ranging from days’ old to fresh, but he always makes sure to clean up before he returns to the lair and his mate.
== Abilities ==
=== Mélée ===
Tora is fast and energetic, which often allows him to get the first drop on any opponent.  His preferred weapons of choice are his claws and teeth, although his tail can make a painful whip when required.  While he is not as big or strong as some other dragons, notably Guardians and Imperials, he makes up for it with his manoeuvrability and speed.  Since training with the clan, he has never received a scar.
=== Magic ===
Magic is not Tora’s forte.  He has his own reserve, of course, and in a pinch can blind or distract his opponent, but it tires him to do so, leaving it very much a last resort before he beats a temporary retreat to recuperate.
== Relationships ==
=== Miko ===
The apparently introverted dragon who spend so much time talking to him he became convinced whoever it was that told him she was introverted was messing with him caught his attention early on.  Her dexterity and organisation impressed him, and he was inexplicably agitated when he discovered the reason she rarely interacted with other dragons.  Miko is always his first priority whenever he’s home, and he makes sure to never leave her longer than a week.
=== Bara ===
The clan’s hunter is the only dragon Tora fully trusts when it comes to Miko.  While the mirror was his mate’s former partner, when he discovered that they had split on amicable terms and that Bara was still Miko’s best friend he had no qualms in leaving her in the mirror’s hands while he went off on his jobs.  The two are united in their love for Miko, and truthfully there is no other dragon Tora would rather have his back.
== Trivia ==
* Tora (虎) is Japanese for tiger
Category:Light Dragon
Category:Male
Category:Spiral
Category:Warrior
Category:Assassin
Category:Mercenary