Yoko Kagami Isshimura

Yoko Isshimura was a player character for The Last Will campaign. She subsequently returned in Haytham's Investigations. She was a world famous movie star before quitting the acting scene to embody her role as an Isshimura; a Shavhani bounty hunter/private investigator.
Yoko is the daughter of famous author Quixang Quichi and the granddaughter of Kagami Nakamura.
==Physical Description==
Whilst prone to extravagant style in her younger years, Yoko now wears more practical, yet refined clothing, befitting of her circumstances. Her go to apparel is an expensive dark green cardigan over a beige pencil dress. The attention paid to her appearance extends to her makeup, jewellery and expertly rolled and pinned hair.
==Personality==
Yoko is prone to being cynical and self destructive and has insecurities regarding her self worth. She has grown to be more level headed and deductive, but this is not to say she is cold. She is in fact feisty and prone to sometimes act on impulse. Refusing to back down when a lot is on the line, even if she'll fool herself into thinking she won''t follow through. As much as she can be impulsive, she is indecisive; often plagued with self doubt.
When she was younger she grew to loathe her own fame, but as she's aged she has come to miss that time. She will often seek out opportunities to relive that lifestyle and enjoys being recognised in the street, although it occurs less and less these days. She regrets the decisions of her younger self, believing she was bratty and entitled and could not truly appreciate what she had.
Yoko is unwittingly co-dependant on Mia, having grown up with her constantly influencing her mind. Several key elements of Yoko's personality come from Mia and this added to her feelings of doubt and confusion in Mia's absence. These factors have contributed to Yoko developing unhealthy feelings for her.
==Background==
=== Early Life===
Born into relative prosperity, Yoko was the daughter of a successful adventure-thriller novelist and her publisher. From a young age, her mother was very harsh on the accomplishments of Yoko and her three siblings, fostering a hostile attitude between them as they competed to be successful. The house was also often hectic, with regular visits from family, most notable of which was her Grandmother, Kagami.
Yoko grew quite close with her grandmother and she would often sneak into her study and play with Kagami's collection of paraphernalia from her travels.
Kagami had long since been bonded with the soul of Mia Keng, and as she aged, despite having come to respect each other, the ancient Xongol warlord did not plan on dying with her host. Kagami was no fool either and was well aware of Mia's intentions, so began a game of chess between the two as they each plotted to outmanoeuvre each other from the same body.
Kagami employed the aid of her archivist son Ventura, and together they discovered a ritual to finally remove Mia's soul from Kagami. However, Mia Keng had succeeded in controlling Kagami's body long enough to send a letter without her knowledge. She knew she could exploit, the now eleven year old, Yoko's love for her grandmother, and having been convinced by the letter that she was in danger, Yoko had come to Kagami's aid right at the height of the ritual. With Mia untethered from Kagami's body, but not yet cast out, she bonded to Yoko in a bolt of lightning, leaving a dragon shaped electrical burn on her shoulder blade.
Kagami was wracked with guilt over the mistake and vowed to do everything she could to help Yoko. However, she would not have much time to do so, as three months later she passed away in her sleep. Kagami had opted to keep Yoko's circumstances between herself, Yoko and Ventura until more could be determined. After Kagami passed Ventura grew apart from his siblings and Yoko no longer saw Ventura regularly. She was young and scared and continued to keep Mia a secret.
Yoko didn't pay Mia much mind through her teen years. She read Kagami's book on Mia Keng cover to cover, but any presence of her in Yoko's mind seemed minute if not untraceable. The reality of the matter may be more unclear as Yoko's mind was still developing at this time and Mia's hold may well have been more insidious. Yoko took an interest in entertainment, particularly acting; a choice which lay in vast contrast to her siblings' more martial and academic pursuits. She took the honour name of Zilong (Entertainer) and began formal training in theatre. This was until she reached the age of sixteen and her mother presented her with an opportunity.
===Acting Career===
In 20.72, with her books widely popular across Coryphiel, Yoko's mother was contacted by the Fontaine Troupe to adapt them into film. Quixang jumped at the opportunity and insisted Yoko play the lead part of Shao-Mei.
The pair of them moved to Thassalus to work on the project and Yoko had to adapt quickly to the new medium. The film being predominantly an action-thriller, she had to train physically for the role, learning complex stunt work and fight choreography. On the set she met Howard, her co-star, about which many a rumour would be created by the press.
After a year and a half working on the film "Deceit in Deep Water" was released to great success, netting a sequel and launching Yoko into the spotlight overnight. She became a sensation, both in Tyrrus and back home in Shavhan. Her family had never been poor by any account, but through her new found personal wealth she lived a lavish lifestyle, of designer fashion and luxury hotels.
However, fame, though exciting at first, soon grew tiresome. Filming of the second movie was beginning and what time wasn't spent on set was spent on the press circuit, or at exclusive functions, where her mother would use her as an accessory to elevate her own status. This malcontent was only exacerbated by the tugging of Mia Keng in the back of her mind. Though still only a subtle feeling, her presence had been slowly growing and this drove a paranoia in Yoko that one day someone would discover her secret.
In the fall of 20.75 "Veils of Vanh-Gu-Shei", the second film in the Shao-Mei chronicles was released. It was well recieved and has since been generally considered the high point of the series. Shortly after the release filming began for "Blood on Khallidah's Blades".
Mia Keng's abilities had thus far seemingly not manifested in Yoko, but around this time she began to experience random electro-magnetic outbursts. It appeared, the haphazard way in which Mia Keng had transferred to her had affected her abilities as well, making them chaotic and uncontrollable.
Feeling trapped by her career, pressured by her family, scared about Mia and a nagging sensation she was wasting her life, Yoko began acting irrationally. On the outside, her actions appeared like the eccentricities of a rich and famous actress, but inside, she was breaking down. Some days she would be absent from the set entirely and her actions, alongside the Izirian weather, were leading to major delays in filming. This culminated in her having a panic attack in a film store room. The accompanying electro-magnetic pulse incinerated several scenes worth of film and was witnessed by her mother, who like everyone else, had been unaware of Yoko's guest.
Yoko fled and abruptly dropped out of the movie, forcing the directors to rework footage, repositioning Howard as the new lead. The film baffled fans and was a critical disappointment, putting an end to the franchise.
===The Changing of Her Name===
After her breakdown Yoko vowed to never return to acting, ghosted her family and returned to Shavhan. She knew doing so would incur further hardship as it is a major disgrace to change your honour name, but she put together an appeal and succeeded. She changed her name to Isshimura, or bounty hunter. It had been the profession of the fictional Shao-Mei she had played and she believed she would achieve more by attempting to do it for real, than just acting it out for entertainment. With the formalities completed she trekked to the Isshimura monastery and enrolled herself in training.
===The Last Will===
The Last Will was the first session in which Yoko appeared. It was set in 20.78 and saw her attend her uncle Osran Zaunus' funeral in Varawyn; her first appearance in public since her breakdown.
After travelling across the seas to Erredan, Yoko boarded a train to Varawyn on which she fell into the company of Lestrade and Lunella Gallows, along with her cousin, Kestrel Zaunus. On arriving, Yoko observed the funeral attempting, and failing, to avoid her mother and siblings. Whilst looking for some air after the awkward encounter, Yoko encountered Kestrel, alongside her brother, Osmund Zaunus, who had just succeeded in crash landing his new "jumping car" in the back garden.
Several speeches were made by friends and family, after which a recorded message left by Osran revealed his fortune would go to whoever could win in an elaborate treasure hunt. Lestrade formed a team with Yoko and Kestral and together they headed out to accomplish the task at hand. Yoko utilised the metallurgy granted by Mia Keng, alongside her skills of acting and deduction to help the team in locating the various keys which had been scattered across the city.
Along the way she competed against her siblings and aided in freeing Lester Valentine from a Rochester plot to cheat their way to the fortune. Eventually the team discovered the underground river where the fortune was held and it was revealed it was in fact a boat called "The Fortune" which had sentimental value to Osran's family.
By the end, Yoko worked up the courage to try and reconnect with her mother, and "the last will" earned the dubious honour of being her first case as an Isshimura.
===The Interim===
In the subsequent ten years, Yoko reconnected with her mother, and despite vowing to never act again, together they attempted a fourth Shao-Mei film. Yoko considers "A Deadly Sting" some of her best work, but audiences were no longer interested and any further films were canned. Yoko returned to Vanh-Gu-Shei, continued her Isshimura training and established herself as a private investigator. In the meantime her mother found herself in financial hardship, struggling to maintain her expensive lifestyle. Yoko wasn't in a respected profession like her siblings, and couldn't aid the families financial woes, once again she drifted away.
Mia Keng's influence on Yoko was abstract, a mixture of stray thoughts, gut instinct and intrusive emotions, but in this time Yoko felt the two had grown closer. She would often treat Mia's presence in the back of her mind like an investigating partner, bouncing theories off her and asking for her judgement on cases.
===Haytham's Investigations===
In the year of 20.88 Mia Keng seemed to fall silent. Yoko felt her metallurgic powers diminish. Despite, in the past, believing Mia leaving would be a blessing, Yoko found she deeply missed her in her absence and began looking for answers. Shortly afterward, a case took Yoko to Erradan and after barely being there a day she was mugged and left penniless in Erdania's capital; the book gifted to her by Kagami irretrievably lost.
After the incident, Yoko found herself living out of a hostel. A has-been actress, attempting to drum up cases to pay for a trip home. She began investigating the deaths of three school children which had been reported in The Gallows Gazette and it was here she came across Dylan Haytham and Archer Windrose, who were also investigating the case. Working together they ascertained the cause of the deaths and several others were down to a serial killer mixing poison into certain batches of painkillers. Yoko agreed to work with them going forward and Archer offered her a place on his sofa.
Working as part of Haytham's Investigations, Yoko helped solve a number of cases over the ensuing months. Including a series of clockwork related murders, a major scandal involving unethical experimentation by The Steiner Institute, the dangerous use of a misplaced Tower artefact at an asylum, the kidnapping of Sylvia Starlight and a plot to mind control the police comissioner and replace the high magistrate with a clockwork golem.
In it's diminished state, Yoko's magic was mostly only of use for utility purposes. Yoko often ended up wounded by gunfire having previously been able to instinctively deflect projectiles. However her inquisitive mind and keen acting talents were of great use to the firm.
During the course of these cases, the team discovered the mysterious threat of Fenebrys. Many citizens were experiencing unusual dreams of green mist and a series of black boxes appeared throughout the city, taking people to the spirit realm before their time. Yoko discovered that Mia's disappearance was due to her deliberately getting herself locked in one of these boxes in an attempt to become independent from Yoko. The team were eventually helped by a collection of interested parties, to traverse into the spirit realm and put an end to Fenebrys' plans, which were disrupting travel to the hall of judgement. Together they succeeded in convincing Fenebrys' agents to let the captured souls free.
Before leaving the spirit realm, Yoko met Mia face-to-face. Yoko had built up, through her life, an idealised image of what Mia was like and this was shattered when Mia revealed she despised Yoko and felt she had been wasting their lives. It was this that had driven her to flee and seek other options. Yoko pledged to do better and in a heartfelt plea convinced Mia to come back to her.
===The Erdannian Anthology===
The Erdannian Anthology was a session which wrapped up a number of Erredan based characters storylines after the death of King Cyrus II. Yoko featured alongside the cast of Haytham's Investigations.
With Warminister Cerce rising to power, the members of the newly minted Haytham and Windrose Investigations were finding themselves low on work, and sceptical of the changes happening in Erredan. Dylan discovered that there were a number of sketchy details surrounding The Legion Corporation, who were responsible for the new clockwork constabulary. Meanwhile, Archer was hired by Elizabeth Draycaster to stand for a number of citizens who she believed to be wrongly imprisoned by Cerce's administration. In the midst of this, Yoko's family had come to Erradan to see the Xana'Gu emperor visit the king's funeral.
They invited her to lunch, where Quixang revealed to Yoko that a film was being made of Emilio and Kagami's adventures and they were looking to cast Yoko as the female lead. At the same time Yoko's brother, Ryu, offered her passage back to Shavhan. Since being reunited, Mia had been far more vocal in Yoko's head, to the point that, when contemplating her options in the bathroom, Mia appeared to her in the mirror. Mia was adamant that they remain in Erradan and fight Cerce's oppressive regime.
The choice left Yoko conflicted, but despite it being the hardest choice, she felt she needed to stay and follow through on her vow to be an Isshimura. Her mother didn't understand, but allowed her to stay and she bid her family farewell as they went their separate ways.
===The Present===
Yoko returned to Haytham and Windrose and began helping them investigate Circe and the Legion Corporation. However, this would be short lived. Hired by her cousin, Kestral Zaunus, Yoko took Dylan and Archer to investigate a newly acquired Legion factory. They were found out and Yoko got seperated from the others and arrested. She was charged for corporate espionage, Illegal Immigration and a previously dropped case of assaulting a police officer and fleeing custody. She is currently serving time in Bleakstone Prison.
==Skills & Abilities==
Yoko is an accomplished actress and often uses this skill to embody false identities to aid in her investigative work. She also trained in martial arts and investigative techniques at the Isshimura monastery.
Being bonded with the soul of Mia Keng she also possesses her metallurgical abilities, however due to the haphazard way in which they were bonded these abilities present differently in Yoko. Her magic allows her to manipulate electro-magnetic fields, pushing and pulling objects, whilst also generating electrical charges. She notably can draw in metal objects to orbit her protectively, deflecting shrapnel and projectiles. These abilities are far less precise than her predecessor, often blasting out in waves around her.
Whilst Mia Keng was locked away in the spirit realm, Yoko's magic was diminished to only the simplest of metallurgy,
== Filmography ==
20.73 - Deceit In Deep Water: When a Zi'Dao dissapears in Erredan, Shao-Mei Isshimura is hired to investigate and discovers a plot as tangled as the cities web of canals.
20.75 - Veils of Vanh-Gu-Shei: After an assassination attempt against the Xana'Gu emperor fails, Shao-Mei is tasked with bringing the culprit to justice. This takes her deep into the cities criminal underworld, where noone is who they claim to be.
20.77 - Blood on Kallidah's Blades: Shot in action and left for dead in the Izirian desert, Shao-Mei drops off the grid. Six months later she's found amongst the mercenaries of Kallidah's Blades, but she can't run from her past forever.
20.81 - A Deadly Sting: Shao-Mei Isshimura is sent to Maracaygo to investigate a series of assassinations which could bring an end to the regions tentative peace.