Inoue Kitsuko

The black sheep

*There is one in every family.* In the Inoue family, Kitsuko is the middle child, born between her older sister Hanako and her younger sister Yuki, but in contrast with the refined and priestly manners of her siblings, Kitsuko started to cause trouble for the village as soon as she came out of the womb. She carried this reputation of a troublemaker all the way into adulthood; having a limited amount of patience, Kitsuko preferred to skip the lessons intended to give her a noble upbringing, and instead spent much of her time playing pranks on other kitsune and frolicking in meadows. With a forgetful mind and short attention span, she struggled with her education, involving her sacred duties and the general information needed to contribute to kitsune society. To this day, her mentors have been persistently trying to teach her properly, much to Kitsuko's annoyance, yet she continues to speak in broken grammar and still doesn't grasp simple subjects like counting.

Despite the family's best efforts in giving her instruction and lessons, Kitsuko remained dimwitted, falling for the same kitsune tricks, and failing to understand the same kitsune riddles, even as she grew older. She neglected many of the sacred duties given to her as a daughter of the Inoue clan, finding them tedious and unnecessary, despite their historical significance and purpose in protecting the village. Her family treats her as well as any other member, but behind closed doors, the people of other clans have come to call her "Kit," partly because of her short stature, and partly because of her childish demeanor; despite being old enough to take on a role as a proper member of kitsune society, she seems to have the wisdom and behavior of a kitsune half her age. For example, she bears this nickname proudly, not knowing what it means.

Aside from the shapeshifting magic present in almost all kitsune, Kitsuko's grasp of magic is fairly limited, especially for a daughter of the Inoue family, whose members are normally born with power and entrusted with the sacred rituals that protect the village. Because of her lack of magical prowess and her generally poor conduct, citizens of Shizukumura have suggested to the family that if Hanako were to pass, heirship should be given to Yuki, instead; Kitsuko did not meet many of the criteria that made an outstanding member of the Inoue family. Despite this, the state of her inheritance remains unclear, and Kitsuko has been otherwise unconcerned with these unimportant matters.

## Appearance

Kitsuko bears blonde hair, kept short, and often messy and not properly groomed. Her eyes are a very common kitsune amber. She stands at 4'7'', the same height as her younger sister, Yuki. Her expressions range from curiosity to excitement to puzzlement.

Kitsuko has an alternate form of a white fox, which varies from the size of a cat to the size of a small adult bear.

Kitsuko currently does not use her human form.

## Personality

Confident and enthusiastic, Kitsuko often gets herself into trouble. In her childhood, she touched hot stoves; in her adolescence, she wandered the woods without permission (and often became lost and needing to be escorted back). She tends to not have the foresight or insight to navigate unfamiliar situations, so she follows her heart, which does not always make the correct decisions. While she is friendly to strangers, her curt way of speaking and short attention span make it difficult to hold a conversation with her.

## Enemies

Loud noises, the fairies that make her lose her way, and her mentors, who try to keep Kitsuko indoors.

## Aspirations

Kitsuko hopes to prove her value to Shizukumura, despite her shortcomings. She does not know how to go about this.