Makoto Larai

**Makoto Larai** was a male Nidae citizen of the Crash Coast settlement on the planet Cephor III. Once part of a pirate gang, Larai was granted a new chance at life by the people of Crash Coast. He was the boyfriend of Loren Khirzo.

## Biography

### Early Life

#### Musician on the Streets

Makoto Larai was born on the planet Cephor III, a boreal world situated at the inner northeastern edge of the Outer Expanse. Growing up with no real family of his own, Makoto made a living singing songs and strumming along on a stringed instrument, playing to whoever would listen on the streets of a Southeast Duchy city. This method of income managed to keep Makoto alive for much of his childhood and well into his adolescence.
His livelihood was put to an end when his instrument was stolen in his sleep. Makoto cursed himself for his carelessness and cursed the person who stole his only way to make money, though he was never able to uncover the thief.

#### From Smithing to Stealing

One of the quickest alternatives he turned to was working as an assistant at a local smithy. The pay was on par to what he made as busker, only more restrictive in nature. Makoto disliked his boss, and the feeling was very much mutual. While Makoto managed to pick up some skills in crafting and smithing, he was eventually pushed to the mental limit given his poor working conditions. In the middle of the night, Makoto snuck out with some of the smithy's funds and ran away, taking to the road in hopes of finding another way of living.

As he traveled alone and hungry, Makoto frequently resorted to scavenging abandoned outposts and foraging whatever he could find. When down on his luck, he forced himself to steal food and other necessities from settlements along his path. Thievery soon became commonplace for him, although he only made a habit of stealing from those he thought wouldn't mind a few missing foodstuffs and supplies. As bathing and showering were infrequent opportunities for him, Makoto took great solace in the rain.

### A New Path: Joining Crash Coast

When Makoto was 18 years old, he arrived at the southwestern coast of Cephor III's supercontinent. He discovered the small settlement of Crash Coast and planned to sneak away with some of town's food. While he managed to evade the town's defenses, he was caught red-handed by the townsfolk. For the first time in his life, Makoto couldn't manage to fight or run away and was kept imprisoned by the people of the town.

Despite being their prisoner, Makoto was treated with relative kindness. Often times, several different townsfolk would stop by his cell with basic amenities like food, water, changes of clothes, and so forth. With each visit, they would talk with Makoto and slowly break his resistance and hostility. One day, two young men around his age—Loren Khirzo and Fabio Pineda—stopped by his cell and managed to convince him that Crash Coast was a better place to live than simply surviving in the wilderness and stealing from others. Moved by the town's collective kindness, Makoto agreed to the offer to live in Crash Coast as a citizen.

From the day he was freed from his small yet forgiving prison, Makoto had a roof over his head and was able to eat at least one full meal a day, which was something he found himself needing to adjust to. Within the first few weeks of staying at Crash Coast, Makoto fell in love with Loren and asked him out, complimenting his skills as a fighter and asking if he could give him pointers. The two young men entered a romantic relationship with one another and remained a happy couple for as long as anyone could remember.

## Personality and Traits

Makoto Larai was a young Nidae man with narrow brown eyes, medium-toned skin, and black hair. As a Nidae, he had slightly larger ears than most humans and was somewhat hairier. He kept his hair slicked back with the sides of his head shaved down.

Because of his troubled upbringing, Makoto developed a deeply moralistic view of the world. Even though he spent some several years of his life stealing to keep himself alive, he made it a point to only steal from those who lived in excess. Makoto's life experiences made him an extremely empathetic person who was easily able to put himself in others' shoes. At the same time, his experiences also made him rather insecure—a flaw he would continuously work on during his time living in Crash Coast. He held onto his memories dearly and was notably friendly to those who were able to gain his trust. He was a very romantic and compassionate person, almost always quick to lend a helping hand to his friends and neighbors.

## Skills and Abilities

Makoto's time on the road made him an expert at stealth, scavenging, and slight of hand. He was capable of defending himself to a basic degree, better equipped with a long-ranged weapon than with his fists. On the creative side, many recognized Makoto for his musical prowess as both a singer and instrumentalist. He sang in baritone. His time working at a smithy gave him some familiarity with crafting and smithing.

## Trivia

* Makoto is based off of a randomly generated colonist character from the sandbox video game *RimWorld*.