Matsuko "Ink" Kemp

Matsuko is the illegitimate child of a higher up boss in the yakuza and cousin to Hanzo Shotozumi. Her mother is a troll (she gets her last name from her mother's side since she cannot take her father's) who grew up poor and SINless in Puyallup. Of course it would bring shame to the Shotozumi clan if one were to have a connection let alone a child with a metahuman, especially a troll. The Shotozumi uphold the old way after all and can still be quite anti-metahuman. For bodyguards grunts as bulletfodder, sure, but as leaders and pulling strings in the yakuza? Forget it. Whether he had a soft spot for her mother or was sending hush money as a coward, he made sure they lived comfortably and paid for Matsuko’s mentors in various traditional arts while she grew up (she hated flower arranging because of her allergies but loved kendo and music). Because of this more sheltered upbringing, she tends to be more graceful than other trolls.

All the money and special mentors in the world could not cover one thing for her – she was an accident, a mistake, and had to be kept in the shadows. She has lived her whole life in the cracks between two completely different cultures where no one wants her. Though Matsuko has accepted she’ll always be in the shadows, she rebels against her fate somewhat and presents herself in a flashy, yakuza-wannabe fashion while clinging to the impossible wish of one day being accepted into the Shotozumi clan. Perhaps shadowrunning will provide the funds and show of skill and cunning she needs to convince them that they were wrong to deny her.

Her nickname "Ink" comes from her body neck down being completely covered in traditional Japanese tattoos (including her robotic arms) and usually having black ink smudged here and there on her from calligraphy. You always know when she’s been practicing, as she walks around with a black smudge of ink on her nose without noticing all day.

Ink (from here on) is a quite tall, muscular troll with Japanese skin tone and facial features. She’s dyed her long hair a brilliant teal and buzzed one side for a side shave haircut to show off her horns with pride. Multiple piercings in the ears and a bridge piercing. Tattoos from the neck down to her ankles in traditional Japanese style: snarling, twisting dragons around lotus and cherry blossoms, a large blue oni mask (before the Awakening, oni were mythological ogres with fangs and horns and have been a common yakuza tattoo, so she thought it’d be ironic), koi fish, skulls, all weaved into an intricate design.

She has 2 cyberware arms. The left is obvious, a metallic arm laser-etched to continue the sprawling tattoos. The arm also features clasps to hook on armor plating that mimics old samurai armor all in chrome. The right is synthetic and seamlessly blends in with her skin, meaning of course it’s also heavily tattooed to the wrist. The main tattoo on this arm is of a nine-tailed fox with fiery orbs encircling it. Ink loves everything to be flashy, including her wardrobe of bright colors mixed with bits of kimono (begrudgingly, she can wear something drab and dull for stealthier missions, but her philosophy is why not be the shiny distraction?)

Contacts:

Ferdie Kemp(fencer): Her uncle (on her mother’s side) who lives and works in the Ork Underground. His beer belly and jovial laugh hide the grisly arguments he’s gotten into over black market goods. Though it was before his time, he harbors a mistrust of humans after living in the culture of the Ork Underground for so long.

Ryuunosuke Sunakozawa (yakuza contact): This man has been the only direct contact to her father. He would show up like a shadow to provide money, maybe a letter once in a while, or information about a mentorship her father had set up for her. A face like a smiling mask, he’d make polite conversation, hardly anything more, and make sure everything was fine.

Lydia Gozen (mentor and armorer): Lydia is a stubborn, gruff old lady, who has mastered the art of sword making and fighting. She’s also quite good at making armor, though her specialty still lies in the blade. It was her willfulness that convinced her father to teach her the art, but it’s also turned her into a cranky hermit in her old age, cutting her off from most of the world.