Achlys

Nightshade
The Kunoichi
Unmated
Equal To: Kubinashi, Dart, Sanguine
Inferior To: Calligra, Fester, Nox

"I'm an excellent teacher. The question is whether or not you're a worthy student."

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Perhaps the most well-known member of the Yokai Nocturnes besides Calligra himself, Nightshade serves as the Chunin of the Nocturne’s ranks. Although the Yokai are part of the Noxious Night Parade clan, and thus serve under Nox’s rule, they have taken up a hierarchy of their own as the clan’s stealth and reconnaissance force.

Originally, Nightshade was simply Calligra’s personal bodyguard and close friend. She protected him while the rest of the Yokai Nocturne scavenged and fought off Talonok from the north, and would be right at his side whenever he deigned to join the fray. Mistrustful of Nox and her curiosities, Nightshade was originally very opposed to the idea of associating with a dragon outside of their clan and species. As she watched her his view of the foreign dragons of Nox’s station change, though, she began to understand that it was impossible to change her ward's mind on the matter. Thus, when the clans merged into the Noxious Night Parade, she took up a position where she could remain close to Calligra and aid her people, without having to directly interact with the outsiders.

True to her title as the Recluse, Nightshade works primarily in the shadows. When not giving private training sessions to young Yokai trainees, she is taking care of discreet matters that Calligra would not trust even to Dart. Few know what these missions entail, however she may be untraceable for weeks at a time before suddenly being glimpsed fluttering into the one of the lair’s Nocturne perches. While she is present in the lair she still views Calligra as her ward, seeing to it that no assassins or malicious magic harms her superior. She is the closest thing the Nocturnes have to a denmother, handling the hatchlings that are too old to be babied by the Snappers or Coatls (thus, hatchlings able to fly).

On a personal level, Nightshade is a prime example of a Yokai Nocturne. Initially she comes off as friendly and welcoming, mimicking the customs of whoever she interacts with. Her postures are generally disarming and she has all of the poise and intrigue of a pampered housecat. Beneath it, however, is a creature who mistrusts all but her kin, and would go to any extreme to keep them safe. Even Nox typically has to go through Calligra to give her orders; while this causes some tensions between Nightshade and some of the other members of the Parade, Nox knows that Nightshade would follow Calligra to the ends of the land and beyond. No one—even Nightshade herself—is sure of what she personally enjoys, although when not working diligently under Calligra’s command she is typically found soaring the night skies and counting the stars.