#a-mao

Name: A-Mao

Age: 794

Height: 143 cm

Birthday: 7 Tivere 1228 (Teayim)

Orientation: Non-binary Aromantic Asexual

Pronouns: It/Its

Species: Kishuko

Country of Birth: Koho'e

Archive Deployment Branch: Ixsa'a

Likes: Seafood (especially eel), tea eggs, alcohol, money, jingle bells

Dislikes: Swimming, spicy food, fishbones not removed from meals

Hobbies: Napping, gambling, fishing

Personality: Cheeky, extroverted and whimsical, it allows beings to bypass the archive's red tape by telling it a good story... however what defines as a 'good story' to it changes every time. It has admitted that it's much easier to either bribe it or to just go through the red tape, which makes some wonder why does it even suggest the story option to begin with if not for its own amusement

Style: Wears a blue modified hoodie with the sleeves sewn in a way that resembles cat paws at the end and the hood has cat-shaped ears sewn on it. The sleeves also have talismans attached to it, though no one but it knows how they're attached without falling off. Underneath the hoodie is a simple short-sleeved t-shirt and shorts accompanied by a collar that has a jingle bell tied to it

Abilities: Able to influence the fortunes of anyone within a 300 metre radius, including itself. Also able to 'unseal' the tattoo-like markings at its wrists to reveal a large jingle bell weighing 888 kilograms each attached securely to ribbons that are of unknown length

Background: The beloved pet cat of a bookworm judge, it usually accompanied its owner to Ixsa'a Archive. In Durna 1226, it was announced that the archive will close down by the end of the year due to a lack of donations funding the service. Not wanting the archive to close down, A-Mao's owner decided to engage in corrupt practices by accepting bribes in order to raise sufficient funds by the end of 1226

While the judge was able to raise enough to support the archive's operations for another two months, she realised that it wasn't enough as the Kohoan government refused to fund them. As such, she continued to accept bribes from those who could pay. This resulted in pent-up resentment amongst the citizens as it became increasingly obvious that those who should've been convicted as guilty walked away scot-free. A-Mao, who didn't understand that what the judge did was wrong nor knew that she understood its implications, believed that bribery was acceptable as long as it helped someone. Which was why it was shocked when the citizens burnt down its owner's house with them in it

After what it thought was its death, A-Mao woke up in the same form as its owner except it had large bells hanging from ribbons that extended from its wrists as well as its previous cat-like features. Using the bells' weight, it tried to destroy any burning wreckage that fell on it as it searched for its owner. However, A-Mao was too late and she had died from smoke inhalation. With nothing else left to do, it could only bring the body out for burial as a sign of respect

While burying its owner, A-Mao encountered a strange individual with stark white hair and orange eyes. The individual then told it that it had the power to change fortunes, leaving it with a reminder to "keep the bells back in the wrists". Initially not understanding what the individual meant, it quickly forgot the conversation and did its best to become a judge in order to support the archive. However, as the archive was linked to corruption, there were calls for it to be demolished instead. As A-Mao wanted to save the archive at all cost, it decided to apply for the archivist position which was left unfilled given that all of the employees had left

It then tried to raise funds by asking the citizens to donate, but was instead met with threats to burn the soon-to-be demolished archive down. A-Mao then appealed to the government, but was informed that there weren't any plans to reverse the decision. Recalling the strange individual's words, A-Mao then wished for the government's popularity to plummet. Much to its surprise, the government's popularity indeed went down and its own popularity went up. A-Mao then used its newfound popularity to convince the citizens to reverse the decision and to donate to the archive, this time with great success