Characters / Hiro Lacuna

"Why can't we ever do anything normally?!"

Gender:

Hermaphrodite (They/Them)

Species:

Prusathian

Age:

Young Adult

Origin:

Cacophyr

Abilities:

High stamina, flexible neck, enhanced hearing

Status:

Alive

Affiliation:

The Scrap Scavengers

Hiro is a clever, though high-strung scavenger who spends their days gathering scrap with Avio and Medusoid. As of right now, they're currently living in Madouk's secret bunker on Ataraxia.

They overthink almost all the time, and it’s something they picked up from years of constant need for quick thinking under pressure. It's hardwired into their brain, for sure... and it tends to be exhausting, mostly to them, and sometimes to their friends as well - but it’s also what’s kept them alive for basically their whole life.

There's a bit of a cold comfort in freaking out about everything, at least to Hiro.

Personality

Hiro is the kind of sophont who keeps an emergency plan for their emergency plan. They do best with ideas in mind for what to do and say for just about any situation, though they are able to improvise when things go off the rails (and they often have to, whether they like it or not); but expect a full rant on how whatever mess they're in could’ve been avoided in the first place.

They’re often judgy and tend to question their friends' ideas more than they'd like to admit. It's not something they do to be mean - they just have their worries that something could go wrong, and they let those worries get the best of them far too easily. It can easily make them come off like they don't trust their friends, or even that they think they're stupid or incompetent.. but that's really not what they want to convey. They have good intentions, they swear!

Underneath all their gripes, they're far more empathetic than they let on. It's very comforting for them to tell stories, and hear them from friends - They also do feel genuine enjoyment when doing things for those they care about, even if they are complaining or poking fun while doing it... That's just how they are. Even worry-worms can be cheeky at times!

Appearance

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Hiro looks like your average Prusathian - not especially tall or skinny, just average. That said, an average Prusathian build is still pretty unique; lanky and avian-like, with a long, flexible neck that can twist a full 360°, and thin but muscular legs built for speed and agility. Their beak is long, with hardened keratin only at the tip, and their ears stick out the top of their head like split petals.

On their head and body, Hiro has long strands of soft fur that fade from yellow into green. Everywhere else, though, is covered with a shorter, denser coat of fur. They do their best to keep their fur tidy, but it’s tough when they're constantly scavenging, squeezing into tight spaces, or running for their life.

Their default expression is always a little frantic, and they also tend to look a bit wall-eyed when they're idle, Usually, that's because they’re either zoning out or eavesdropping - trying to catch snippets of conversation without making it obvious. Did I mention they're also a bit nosy? I mean, just LOOK at that nose! tee hee hee

By default, Hiro wears a traditional Prusathian coat, one they ended up (surprisingly) finding in a secondhand market years back. Underneath it, they'll typically wear a breathable jumpsuit of some sort - mainly just because they like the look and practicality (for one who only has two limbs). They also always wear a rather large backpack when going on missions, as they're the type to have almost anything you'd need for any situation in their bag... though sometimes they do forget to pack something, typically the one thing the group actually ends up needing.

Backstory

As the last of their kind - and one forgotten by their own family, at a young age, on some overcrowded tourist-trap planet - Hiro’s life hasn’t exactly been easy. Things were already rough beforehand, having come from a big clutch with lots of siblings. Hiro's parents barely had the time or care to notice them, so Hiro was often left out, and even more often, outright forgotten. Instead of doing something to be noticed, they simply just gave up and defeatedly slipped into the role of caretaker; first worrying for their siblings, then worrying for just about everything that could be worried about.

Then came a family vacation. Another trip meant more of being ignored, no difference there... except this time, they ended up being left behind completely by their family, as they all seemingly left in a rush. Hiro was stranded on a planet they didn’t know, surrounded by crowds, noise, and a billion aliens who seemingly couldn’t care less. They tried to get help, find some authorities, anyone who might take them in... But nobody here had time for a lost Prusathian kit. By the end of the night, they'd curled up in an alleyway, hoping it was all just a bad dream... But sadly, it wasn’t, and the next morning, hunger became their biggest problem.

They tried stealing food, but the vendors had seen a thousand thieves before, and so they spotted Hiro instantly. Then they tried selling their own stuff to buy food, but in a sea of flashing ads and neon tents, nobody noticed them. It felt hopeless, like death was certain to be soon...

Until they found a shiny rock.

It wasn’t actually anything special, but it caught the light just right. Hiro brought it out of their alleyway, made up a story about the rock being magical, something that could save you from fate itself, and shockingly, someone bought it - literally.

From then on, Hiro survived by selling trinkets. Junk, really, but dazzled up with stories to bring in customers. Over time, they got better at it and learned how to spot real value in the trash left outside the city. They learned how to read people well, and how to outsmart them even better.

Nowadays, Hiro feels rather guilty of their early years, though it's a guilt they tend to shove into the back of their head. They never wanted to be a dishonest person, but it just felt like the only option at the time. Selling fake trinkets, making up stories, tricking strangers… it got them through, but it just never sat right. Especially now, working for Madouk, surrounded by real tech and actual value, they sometimes wonder if they ever truly earned their place, and how many people they may have hurt.

What makes it worse for them is now, as an adult, they think about how they probably could’ve found another way to survive... Something honest. Something better. But the rush of turning trash into treasure was strangely addictive for them. In a way, it was a comfort zone. A regrettable impulsivity they'd rather hide from everyone.

Trivia