Inako

Hopping to it

Character recipe provided by Bentomaru

(a.k.a. 稲子)

Summary

Grasshoppers don't often live to a hundred years old. In fact, it's practically unheard of. This makes Inako something of an anomaly. The only grasshopper yōkai she had ever encountered, she struggled to find a place for herself in the world. Wandering the provinces of the Date Clan, she was turned away or even hunted by the humans due to her frightening appearance. Grasshoppers are harmless herbivores, she'd try to explain, but that only seemed to make them even more wary of her. Inako had almost resigned herself to an eternity of solitude, when she met Date Masamune.
The boisterous young Daimyō was on a hunting expedition with his girlfriend when he came across Inako lurking in the forest. Rather than run, or attack, as most humans had before, he struck up a conversation with her. This was unheard of, and she didn't know how to react at first, but Masamune was charming and easy to talk to; he quickly put her at her ease. Eventually, while his other companion did all of the actual hunting, they got around to the subject of her appearance. Actions always speak louder than words, Masamune cautioned her. If she wanted to find a place for herself, she'd just have to do it. He told her not to hesitate, not to let her doubts about her appearance get in the way. If she truly wanted to work with humans, she should just go for it, and her intentions would make themselves clear in a way her words never could.
Inako bid the strange, yet charming young man farewell, and thought about what he had to say. She still had her doubts, of course, but she hadn't actually tried what he suggested, so perhaps it was worth a shot. Making her way to the nearest human town, she resolved to just do it. If Masamune was right, her nature would show through and she would, for once, finally connect with someone. If not, all she would lose is a few nights sleep as she fled from yet another angry mob.
The first settlement she came across was not in fact a town, but a quarry. An organization known as the Black Rock Group had set up here and were in the process of excavating minerals for sale to the Date Clan. Of course, they didn't exactly welcome Inako with open arms, so rather than trying to convince them, she simply got to work. For ten days she hauled rocks and ore to and from the camp, copying what she had seen other miners do. The humans seemed to understand her intentions, but they still did not approach her, and it was ten days of silence. On the eleventh day, she encountered another worker in a strange situation.
Matsumoto Michiharu, they called him, a surveyor known about camp as a really unlucky bastard. If there was a cave-in, it was probably Michiharu's fault. If someone knocked over the camp's dinner, they knew who to blame. Michiharu had two left feet and a pair of mittens for hands and, if that weren't enough, there were rumors that he was haunted by a Binbōgami as well. When Inako found him, he was tied up in a bramble bush, somehow brought prone and helpless by the whims of a mere plant.
This, she knew, was a chance to just do it, and she wasted no time. Inako's ancestors were sometimes called locusts, and they earned their reputation for a reason. With ravenous speed, she set upon the bramble bush, gnawing and chewing until the plant was nothing more than a bunch of stubs upon the ground. Michiharu was free, and in awe of this strange bug-person that had saved him from an incredibly embarrassing end.
After some amount of bowing and apologies and thanks, he offered to take her back to the camp and introduce her properly. Of course, all of the miners there knew about her. The whole Black Rock Group was in an uproar about the strange humanoid insect that had decided to become a miner herself. For the first time, a tiny spark of hope stirred in Inako's heart. Her better judgment urged her to refuse, but that yearning for companionship that had lurked in her ever since she had gained sapience said otherwise. She agreed, and Michiharu brought her back to camp.
When he told his tale, the bawdy, bearded men who made up most of the camp greeted her not with fear, but praise. As much of an unlucky bastard as Michiharu was, he was well loved by his companions, and their gratefulness for his rescue overpowered any lingering doubts they might have had about Inako's intentions. That night, she spent time around a campfire, drinking the broth they gave her and exchanging stories about her past. Humans were certainly strange; they seemed to think along completely different lines than she was used to. Even so, it was the most fun she could ever remember having.
The next day, however, a pall fell upon the Black Rock Group's camp. Apparently, the Date Clan had put in an impossible order. Whether it was just Date Masamune's characteristic negligence, or something more sinister wasn't clear, but there was no way the small camp could make what was requested. A temple to Omoikane, upon a heavily forested hill, and built up from scratch stone by stone. One month was simply not enough time for such a job. Apparently the clan had refused to negotiate, and there were those in the camp who suspected the Date simply wanted an excuse to cancel their contracts.
Michiharu took Inako aside and explained their plight. There might yet be hope, he said, a clan far southwest of their camp who were known for doing the impossible. Some distant family connection linked Michiharu to them, so they might be willing to lend their aid. If Inako could get there within the month and ask for their help, while Michiharu and his friends did what they could to prepare, they might still have a chance. Despite the unlucky bastard's comment that he had no right to ask this of her, Inako did not hesitate. This was yet another opportunity to do it, to show her intentions through actions rather than words. If she somehow succeeded, surely these men would be her friends forever.
Bidding the Black Rock Group farewell, she set out without delay. Inako wasn't even sure if it was possible to hop practically from one side of the country to the other in a month, but she was certainly going to try. Nagging doubts clouded her mind. What if she didn't make it? What about the return trip? Could these "Hashinara" really build a temple that quickly? Regardless, it didn't matter. Matsumoto Michiharu, her first ever friend, had asked her to do this. She would die of hopping exhaustion before she let him down.

General Rank
B
General Type
Scout

Species

Mushi-yōkai

Ethnicity

Japanese

Year of Birth

1372 187 Years old

Birthplace

Mutsu Province

Current Residence

Wakigami Castle

Gender

Female

Eyes

Multifaceted

Hair

More carapace

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Brown-green carapace

Height

7'

Weight

270 lbs

Aligned Organization

Hashinara Clan

Other Affiliations

• Black Rock Group