I finally got around to designing a companion character to go with Moriko, after a hell of a lot of delay and debating. I knew I wanted to make a kitsune character of some sort, though I flip-flopped on what gender, if they'd be related to Moriko's story at all, stuff like that. Eventually I settled on Haru's current design.
Haru is a loyal friend and servant of Moriko. His mission is to travel across Japan, visiting various towns, shrines, and other spirits, to collect news and carry messages. He'll deliver messages for other spirits on request, but his main task is collecting any major news from around the country, especially updates on other Shinto shrines and Kami. Every few months, he returns to Moriko's temple to keep her updated on the various going-ons in the country, since she has limited access to the country. His shapeshifting powers are much more limited than Moriko, but he's capable of disguising himself as a human Shinto priest to blend in with the common mortals, claiming that he's on a pilgrimage across the country as his cover story.
Of course, just because his task is a messenger, that doesn't mean he can't ever have any fun. Haru frequently uses his job as an excuse to visit places like bars, taverns, restaurants, hot springs, and even brothels in his travel. He claims they're good sources of news and gossip (Technically, he's pretty much right there) but it doesn't stop him from indulging while he was there. He actually doesn't enjoy big towns all that much, so he'll frequently visit those places to make his trip more pleasant. He prefers to stick to smaller towns, forests, and the countryside, similar to the territory Moriko controls.
