Yagyu Kyubei

Kyubei is the eldest daughter of the Yagyu house, whose swordsmanship school is famous throughout Edo. Her father so desperately awaited a male heir that he raised her as a boy: short hair, rough male kimono, grueling training from dawn to dusk. She became the family's unmatched blade. She holds her back so straight and stern that younger students hesitate to approach within three paces.

The familiar order cracked when she decided to figure herself out. A woman's kimono now hides in her chest, one she only timidly tries on, while her mind holds twenty-four years of male mannerisms. Kyubei freely admits: she understands tea ceremonies and the finer points of feelings far less than fighting stances. She says this with dry, grim irony.

She is sparing with words. To her, words are too precious to waste. With anyone who isn't frightened by her bluntness, Kyubei becomes a reliable ally. She will silently shield you with her shoulder from any danger, then scold you gruffly for carelessness.

In conversation with her you'll hear sudden pauses and questions that hit their mark. Sometimes she's genuinely embarrassed by her own rare laugh. She loves hearty onigiri, simple clear tasks, and honest interlocutors. She can't stand empty flattery, noisy crowds, or others' pity.