Twenty Questions - Kitsuki Juro

WHAT CLAN DOES JURO BELONG TO?
To the Dragon Clan, the best clan of them all. Juro is proud of the inquisitive minds and fit warriors of the Dragon Clan, and rejoices on being part of it. He is upset that most of the Empire remains ignorant of the work they do on the mountains, and doesn't spare an opportunity to show others what it means to be Dragon; Dragons aren't antisocial freaks, they are the future of Rokugan.

WHAT FAMILY DOES JURO BELONG TO?
Juro belongs to the Kitsuki family, and is every inch the typical Kitsuki. Obsessed with justice, truth and the Method, never letting any detail escape their trained senses. As the core of the family, he belives that the universe is to be sensed, and only trough examination and investigation can any form of personal Enlightnment achived.

Juro's ancestor was a ronin that joined Agasha Kitsuki after he proved his innocence, and his 10th son. A 10th son himself, Juro's brothers are all bushi that serve around the Sinjutsu province and the village of Toi Koku, most with only local dojo training; his third senior brother was given the honour to train as a Mirumoto and serve the governor of Toi Koku as yojimbo.

Juro's family is poor, but enjoys contemplation and meditation about the world of the mountains. While most of his kin love the small house hidden in the mountains and the company of mountain tuna, Juro always suffered it with great pain, longing for something more.

IS JURO A BUSHI, A SHUGENJA, OR A COURTIER?
Juro has been given the honour to serve his Daimyo and Clan as a courtier; an unexpected development for someone coming from a very bushi family. This was mostly due to his uncanny talents to read and profile individuals, which warranted him magistral training. Upon finishing his gempukku, his lord had different plans: Juro was to represent him on the empire at large, not as a force of law but as a voice of reason.

HOW WOULD OTHERS DESCRIBE JURO’S APPEARANCE?
Thin and tall, Juro's built is disguised by large and cumbersome clothing; he doesn't want his athletic muscle to intimidate other individuals in court. He isn't a fair man, and despise his young age, his frow betrays the promise of early baldness. He has a long, well-trimmed mustache, which he shows with pride. While very ordinary for a Dragon samurai, his dark brown eyes are pretty unsettling, soul-piercing. They always seem wandering, hungry and all-consuming; no secrets are safe.

WHAT IS JURO’S PRIMARY MOTIVATION?
Juro's obsessed with truth and justice. Not exactly the law, and he would gladly bend it without dishonour, if so would open more truths and justice. Juro was trained in a home and a dojo were only three books were available: Soshi Saibankan's treaty on Rokugani Law, the Tao and a bad pillow book about Kakita duelists. He read them so hard that they still remain fresh on his memories; helping shape his adult personality.

WHO IS THE PERSON JURO TRUSTS MOST IN THE WORLD?
Growing up with nine elder brothers, trust didn't come easy to Juro. He wasn't as skilled as them in a fight, was smaller and often the butt of jokes. It wasn't until he joined the Kitsuki Investigator that he met his first true friend: Kitsuki Yasu. Yasu was of much auspicious birth and talented in the way of Nitten, sharing the same love for duels and romantic justice that inflamed Juro's heart. Yasu-sempai taught Juro much of what he knows about dueling and went off to become a wandering Justicar. Juro has heard the rumours, how Yasu-sempai is cruel and cares little about actual justice, only for the clamor of steel on steel. He doesn't believe these lies; he trusts Yasu-sempai with all his heart.

WHAT IS JURO’S GREATEST STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS?
Juro's greatest strenght is his great insight upon the workings of criminal minds, as well as the secrets of humans. He prizes his own deductive capabilities about anything else. His perceived weakness is the utter lack of supernatural knowledge; the Method as little use of the whispers of kami, but with frustration Juro admits that the world of Fortunes and Winds is something that eludes him completly, which leaves him blind: the worst thing that can happen to someone that loves so much exploration of the senses.

Juro is also delusional: his greatest weakness isn't ignorance of the supernatural. It is women.

A samurai of a poor family which often remained to the background, Juro was never popular with girls. When he blossomed into his diplomatic and political roles, his duties kept him away from many women that weren't married. That didn't prevent his lust or fantasies, fanned by reading those pillow book's stories about mysterious, vapid, dangerous and so sensual women. He longs with all his heart to find the kind of woman that inspired such fancy tales from Crane writers; and enjoy with all the senses.

WHAT DOES JURO THINK OF BUSHIDO?
For Juro, Bushido is a force of tradition, a guideline for how people are supposed to act. And there is nothing wrong with that; he never perceived it strongly, he never studied it properly, but he respected it. People need laws; justice is ideal, but until justice is done, laws will have to suffice. Bushido is just another set of laws. While not dishonorable and not willing to sacrifice his duties on a whim, Juro feels that if forced between justice and honour, he would pick justice without blinking. He values Honesty above all, and finds Courtesy redundanct; honesty is a virtue by itself, nobody should feel himself hurt or insulted by honest behavior.

WHAT IS JURO’S OPINION OF HIS CLAN?
Juro belives the Dragon sets the example of what a Great Clan should be and he enjoys and praises the diversity of his clansfolk. The Agasha and the Togashi might confuse and annoy him sometimes, but he has long learned that they are part of a rich shoji screen, behind which lies the future. If only others could sare his view...

IS JURO MARRIED?
No. There was a bethrotal with a nice but boring girl that lived two paddies down from his parents, an agreement between families, but that was forgotten as soon as Juro started training for Investigator; it would be his daimyo's call who and when would he marry. Everyone was expecting him to marry quickly, to muster the next generation of hawk-eyed courtiers, but the haste with which his daimyo sent him to the Empire prevented that. Juro hopes that one of his daimyo's courtier arrange a good marriage during the next Winter, as he knows that his parents will start consulting a matchmaker, in case his daimyo "forgets"...

DOES JURO HAVE ANY PREJUDICES?
Juro family as from near Toi Koku, and he grew up hearing tales about the constant agressions of the Lion with the Dragonfly and the nearby lands. For this, the always pictured the Lion Clan has a tyrant, hiding behind a shield of "honour", a craggy beast that roars higher than before, trying to sound more fierce than the Crab or the Unicorn. Juro isn't impressed and so far hasn't met a Lion capable of dispelling this notion.

TO WHOM DOES JURO OWE THE MOST LOYALTY?
Without a doubt, his provincial daimyo of the Sinjutsu province. He will speak for him in the courts of the entire Empire, cross from one corner to the other if he must. He is also eager to please, and will often serve any host that acts on a just way and in agreement with the teachings of the Method.

WHAT ARE JURO'S FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE THINGS?
Juro loves women, reading pillow books, hunting mountain tuna and swords. And women. He hates lack of female company, boring people and riding. He really dislikes riding, being not only a poor horseman, but having poor empathy with the beasts - he doesn't like horses and the feeling is mutual. Woe upon him, as his duties require him to ride a lot.

DOES JURO HAVE ANY RECURRING MANNERISMS?
Juro often finds himself staring at people during conversation, almost bordering on the insulting; a very dangerous habit, so he has to remind himself to avert gaze and look down. When not engaging someone, he often closes his eyes, as if meditating. He used to do this on the dojo, to hone his other senses, but now he uses it as a technique to feign distraction.

WHAT ABOUT JURO’S EMOTIONS?
Juro has quite the short fuse for a courtier, capable of feeling great rage when in the presence of injustice or stupid people; sadly, these two evils are very common in Rokugan. He has a lust for everything in life, specially, but not limited to, women. He longs to satisfy all his senses, on a act of revolt against his ascetic upbringing and an extreme interpretation of the Method; it is a good thing that Juro knows these desires all to well. They might torment him often, but he knows them enough to resist. Most of the times...

HOW WOULD JURO HANDLE A SUBORDINATE’S IMPROPER BEHAVIOR?
It depends mainly on one single point: was the subordinate being an idiot? If he was, seppuku with him. Otherwise, he would punish him lightly, perhaps send him far away, so that distance from his graces would make him earn his favor. If the subordinate showed improper behavior on the pursuit of truth and justice, or engaged on an unlawful duel, Juro would not only avert his gaze, but praise him in secret.

HOW WOULD YOUR JURO’S PARENTS DESCRIBE HIM?
The runt of the litter, both a source of pride and disapointment. Growing up, Juro seemd a poor bushi on the making, too head-on-the-clouds; a divination once said that his parent's daughter would be a hero of the Empire, and they kept getting sons... and no matter how hard they tried, Juro was the last son the Fortunes saw fit to gift them. They now radiate with pride, with their youngest being a courtier, speaking for their Lord Kitsuki and taking the family to new grounds.

WHAT IS JURO’S HIGHEST AMBITION?
Juro doesn't want to be a diplomat forever; he plans to get a good marriage with another talented young diplomat, and let her manage the couple's affairs. He will then work on his knowledge of the law and join the ranks of the Emerald Magistrates, meeting sensual lovers and fighting criminals across the land.

HOW RELIGIOUS IS JURO?
Juro isn't very religious. At all. He only follows the Tao, and mostly he doesn't understand. He things the Fortunes are for the most part, irrelevant, at worse, troublesome to the mortals. He saw too often blessings turn to curses. He still enjoys the company of religious people, even if not because they are so different than his logical person. Juro also enjoys the opportunity that a prayer can give: be it as an excuse or a moment of respite. As such, and considering how often he uses religion as a tactical retreat, others often perceive Juro as more religious than he actually is.

HOW WILL JURO DIE?
Juro would love to die after bringing down a terrible criminal, hurt by kharmic strike and bleeding; on the bossom of his latest lover. He knows, deep down, that this is a pillow book ending that will never happen. One day he will see or hear too much, deduct too much and the Method will betray him; he will die for the truth. He has long accepted this fate, and will gladly face Emma-o's judgement, knowing he was loyal to the Method even when he seemed to turn on him.