Appearance: Mai appears to be tall, taller than she actually is. With her slim, but athletic build and longlimbs an illusion of her stature is created. However, she is by no means short. Standing on average height the perceived height versus actual height is negligible.
Seemingly graceful and stern in appearance Mai deceives many with her looks and resting expression. There is nothing ladylike and gentle about this soul reaper, however and she will be eager to inform any of such as well.
Personality: Loud personalities have a lot to hide, they say. Whether they try to compensate for something they lack, or are hiding away behind a façade, it applies both true to Mai. While her appearance attracts all sorts of pretty words, her personality is far from catching such praise. The reasons for that mostly in the unfiltered way she behaves and speaks.
Yet, despite her wild manners Mai is surprisingly patient and passive when it comes to it. For all the jokes and threats she makes she takes comfort in standing at the lines and observing from the background. It is what makes her so well-suited for the third division, as sharp mind to collect information is always needed for a branch focussed on intelligence. Despite her jolly and irate attitude when in social company Mai takes her job and position with an unexpected zeal and seriousness. Making the two faces she wears privately and professionally standing in stark contrast to each other.
Despite the differences within her attitude and behaviour on and off duty Mai is consistent. She is and always will be a passive stream throughout her life and that of others, unwilling to engage and bind herself to a stage. For, if there is one thing the female hates more than anything, it is to lose independence and objectivity.
Biography: Mai woke up in Soul Society somewhere in the relatively peaceful twelfth district at the east side of Rukongai. There she found a careless existence within a big quilted family patched up from all sorts of strange souls that had found themselves alone. However as none were related and mostly stuck to each other for the sake of company there was an emptiness despite the many members of the Himura clan.
The Himura clan is a family of ‘borrowed’ time, the motto aptly sounding: ‘to borrow’. Meant as a temporary haven for lost souls to find their place within Rukongai and the Soul Society in its whole, the heads of the branch do very little to supervise the members unless they hurt the name. In much the same sense Mai was inducted into the family, the freedom allowing her personality to grow as it is today.
Friends came easy to the female. With her fearlessness for the crowd and quick wit she was a popular face in the neighbourhood despite her wild manners. There was no responsibility and no worry for Mai to carry and as such there was only room to play. It was also through these careless days that she found out early about her talents to become a soul reaper.
However, her careless days ended soon as the Himura clan showed its face. Watching how one of her ‘brothers’ had to leave the clan for his temporary stay had ended and the debt he supposedly had accumulated for his stay branded a fear within Mai, for she knew soon it would be her. The Himura was, despite offering a place and ‘family’ also ruthless businessmen, taking advantage of the lonely and ignorant. Deciding right there and then to cut herself away from the house she then threw herself into the Academy, claiming that a career as a soul reaper would do the image of Himura good and repay her debt to the family. It was an opportunity they took and granted.
And so Mai trained and became a soul reaper. Average at best, but determined. Her decision was made on a whim, and within her division she feels that she ended up much too similarly to the heads of Himura. However, she stays as Mai knows at this point no other way than this to be her fate.
Skills: Kido - [Bakudo, Kekkai and Fu] While trained in all types of kido Mai has in particular focussed herself on binding spells, seals and barriers, in which she thus naturally excels at due to practice. While considered capable, she has yet to attain a level where she can perform kido without an incantation.
Hoho - With her sword demanding her to be fast and flagrant Mai has poured a considerable amount of time and attention into studying the flash step, in particular the shunpo.
Zanjutsu - The most considerable of her skills next to the flash step. As a soul reaper (and in particular as a seated officer) she takes pride in her sword and tries to spent an equal amount of time training her sword as to studying hoho.
Hakuda - Trained, but by no means fine tuned. Mai will know how to hold herself in a hand combat, but only with thanks to her speed and in combination with hoho.
Zanpakuto: Sealed ‘Kaze no Yume’ looks like any regular katana. With a red hilt weaved into a diamond pattern it could be easily mistaken for a weapon wielded by a student fresh out of the academy, without any personalisation whatsoever to be found. However, the careful looker will see the tattoo on her back inscripted on the hilt. What was first, the inscription or her tattoo is a question she doesn’t answer but with a smile.
Mai has been unable to discern much of a personality from her zanpakuto. Other than utter vanity the spirit of her sword has outright refused to show itself in any other way than by letting itself be heard with mocking giggles. While the soul reaper has gone many lengths to get close to the spirit, such as tattooing herself, the sword has as of yet refused to show anything else but vanity, pride and giggles.
Shikai release: ‘Swing, Kaze no Yume’ - Scimitar - swirls appear on the blade as it becomes thinner and lighter to wield. Curving in, the tip dips down to the inside, creating a sword that isn’t meant to stab with, but to slash and cut. The scimitar is an ideal sword to slash at enemies while on the move, such as on horseback. It is also popular for sword dances, its light wield making it ideal for fast acrobatic dances unlike the slow and decorative dances with longswords.
The special ability of ‘Kaze no Yume’ finds itself in both origins of horseback fighting and dancing. As a sword meant to be constantly on the move at high speed the sword demands such an exhausting fighting style as well. To enhance that ability it will seemingly duplicate itself, looking as if there are multiple swords at play, or that it is the wind cutting the enemy. It is all an illusion, however. A play of the blade and it is what classifies ‘Kaze no Yume’ as an illusion type sword.
Other: Tattoo - Upon realising the form of her zanpakuto Mai has inscribed the same symbol of her sword on her shoulder blade. The story behind that is sentimental, which she doesn’t share with anyone, but did mark the start of her career. The symbol she wrote on her back is believed to be the old inscription of the character (kanji) ‘Heaven’, but none are quite sure.
Comments