NameMarasaru Hisao, The Drunken Monkey
Mara is a Buddhist demon who personifies unwholesome impulses. Saru means monkey.Mah-ruh-sah-roo Hee-sowAge27
AppearanceFor a drunkard, Hisao isn't too bad to look at. He's certainly not
handsome, though he gets by on a certain boyish charm that has saved his neck on numerous occasions. Hisao is a few inches shorter than most men, with white hair, a dark grey eye, and a simple cloth eye-patch over where the other should be. Aside from his upturned nose and ears that have been described as 'Monkey-Like', he has fairly masculine features -- Tanned skin, a pointed jawline, a lean frame, and callused, tough hands.
Like most vagrant winos, Hisao carries the smell of sake with him wherever he goes, which is uncoincidentally paired with a hollowed gourd he keeps strapped to his side, a relaxed,fluid stance, and an empty coin-purse. He does little in the ways of masking his lifestyle, and rarely bathes anywhere but streams. He wears a simple brown yukata and black pants, although he foregoes undershirts, shoes, or belts any more complicated than the rope tied around his waist.
PersonalityOutwardly, Hisao is a jovial party animal, if something of a sly, cowardly braggart. He is quick to make friends, can easily smooth-talk his way into and out of situations depending on how much he's had to drink, and is good with jokes and reading people, generally being described more as "street-smart" than "book-smart". He isn't especially slow or quick to violence but will solve a problem with words or his fists depending on whether his opponent is more numerous, bigger, or stronger than him, and has very little problem with running away and living to fight (and drink) another day.
Aside from drinking, he enjoys climbing trees, which is made easier by his constant barefootedness and near-prehensile toes. This is one of his few skills, which was born from his love of plums and dislike of paying for them. This, in tandem with his round ears and foolhardiness has earned him the nickname "Drunken Monkey" in his hometown, which he usually takes as an insult.
In his most personal, private moments, Hisao is decidedly less jolly. While he enjoys his lifestyle, he is aware of his social standing as an addict and outcast, and is quite lonely. He blames himself for sabotaging the opportunities for sobriety he has been met with, and has a very low opinion of himself as a whole, believing (arguably rightfully so) that he is a treacherous, worthless drunk. This is reflected in his slovenly appearance, recklessness in regard to his personal safety, and his constant drinking.
HistoryHisao was born into the lowest of castes, the hamlet-dwelling handlers of the dead, Burakumin. The son of two slaughterhouse workers, Hisao had little in the ways of opportunities growing up. His teenage years mostly involved working as an underling for the local crime boss and later as a member of The White Obi Gang, spending his earnings on liquor and little else. This continued throughout most of his life until his mid-twenties, with Hisao having developed into an alcoholic too unreliable to employ for robberies and other nefarious schemes -- After a highway robbery was foiled by Hisao being disarmed by the gang's victim, who then used Hisao's sword to kill another member, Hisao was beaten within an inch of his life by his fellow White Obis and left for dead under a bridge.
After his expulsion from the gang, Hisao was taken in by a kindly monastery where he stayed for about six months following his brutalizing to heal, before ultimately going mad from the lack of drink and leaving in the night, stealing and later selling one of the temple's golden statues to fund his habit. Since then he has lived as a wanderer, living mostly off of panhandling and stealing when safe opportunities arise.
His most recent robbery unexpectedly ended in drunkenly tripping over a piece of slightly exposed stone on the road and knocking himself out, waking up in custody. As his victim was the son of the local daimyo, Hisao's future does not look like it will be any brighter than his past.
Strengths• Hisao is a skilled martial artist, particularly with the drunken fist style. As a result of having learned how to fight in his free-wheeling, constantly drunken youth, Hisao is a less effective fighter when he is sober, becoming increasingly more skilled as he drinks. When he is completely blind drunk, his skills border on superhuman -- he has been seen running up walls, fighting multiple armed men at once, and kicking dents into trees.
• Aside from drunken fist, Hisao frequently incorporates his walking stick into a style not unlike
drunken staff.
• Hisao, when sober, is a skilled negotiator, conversationalist, and is all-around fairly likable. During these short periods, though he will mostly be interested in getting more alcohol, he finds contracts for demon hunting and deals in inns much more easily than the other members of the group.
• Hisao can speak to monkeys
, for some reason.Weaknesses• Hisao being on a team doesn't mean he's on his team's side -- Hisao is on
Hisao's side. In a do-or-die situation, Hisao will ultimately put his life above the lives of others. Whether this holds true for our group will remain to be seen.
• Most obviously, Hisao is constantly drinking. Though he is perfectly functional when sober, he becomes more erratic and reckless when he is drunk. This can range from general clumsiness to blatant ignorance of the social norm, and both can be disastrous to the group at certain times.
• A downside of his upbringing, Hisao is completely illiterate. Though this can usually be ignored, situations occasionally arise where it is a problem.
Likes• Kindly old women
• Salted plums
• Dango
• Incense
Dislikes• Stairs
• Tea
• Getting wet
• Losing sleep
ThemeIron Rod 
Member
DELETED9742,
mickilennial,
Kuro,
Dark Cloud,
Mae
