Shingetsu Mamoru | TSUYOKUNI

Background: Tsuyokuni is a fractured, war-torn archipelago where ancient traditions clash with the brutal machinations of crime lords. Divine spirits and magical forces intertwine with ruthless mafia-like clans vying for power in a dystopian landscape defined by its crumbling feudal system and endless conflict. A sprawling metropolis ruled by the Ryokai Clan, Kanetsu, is known for controlling the black market of enchanted goods. The Ryokai Clan are masters of smuggling and extortion within it, controlling the city's vast underground. Their leaders wield spirit-bound tattoos of power, or irezumi, that grant them powers like enhanced strength, stealth, or elemental magic.

It was a lazy afternoon for Shingetsu Mamoru, the illusive Ryokai Clan's top-notch smuggler. He practically lived in the channel's waters connecting to Kanetsu's underground, using his powers from his irezumi to camouflage himself as an iridescent serpent to swim around liesurely until nightfall. Today, however, there weren't any goods that needed his expertise, as the inventory he smuggled in late last night was already in the hands of the inventory specialist underground, Yakitori Shiori. So, with nothing better to do today, he lazily rested on his back in the water, this time letting his serpent form rest.

The pink blooms of the lotus sprinkled across the surface of the turquoise water, matching the pink in Mamoru's eyes. The water lapped at his cocoa-colored skin, adorned with bright turquoise tattoos that seemed to match the water around him. "Ah, yeah..." Mamoru stretched smugly in the water, placing his hands behind his head in total relaxation. "Now this is the life."

Peeking open one eye out of a curious sense he was being watched, he tilted his head up and back to glance at someone standing on the edge of the channel on the wall above. Mamoru's lips curled up into an amused smile as he twisted his body to sit up in the water. Most people didn't venture too close to the channel with the Ryokai running around. Messing with them would be way too much fun. "Enjoying the show? You're not allowed to fish here if that's what you're aiming for. Ryokai rules. I don't make 'em, just enforce 'em." He slinked closer to the edge of the wall, grabbing a large lilypad and running his fingertips over it slowly. "You looking for a swim? I'll allow it, just this once, as long as you swim with me like a good flower. Come on, the water's great!"