Kagayaki

Personality
As an inventor, Kagayaki has a tendency to talk over people’s heads in a rather condescending manner. As a neutral amoral, Kagayaki has no concern for right and wrong, as evidenced by his willingness to sell his inventions and technological advice to anyone who offers him good compensations and/or ‘interest’ him in some capacity. He believes good and evil are too often greyed to ever really be considered black and white. Kagayaki has a tendency to make snarky comments and enjoys returning snarky comments to anyone who disagrees with any of his policies or tendencies. Kagayaki has no qualms about killing people, as he poisoned his own father who deserted him long before birth. Even then, Kagayaki has reportedly expressed that he would have little if any trouble killing someone he did not know, though in most cases he finds killing to be pointless.

Kagayaki only tends to see a lot of enjoyment in advanced technology, though only if it is truly revolutionary. Many young, aspiring inventors have tried to gleam praise and advice from him, though Kagayaki gives harsh criticism far more frequently than praise. In addition, Kagayaki is very rarely grateful for anyone or anything more than someone else or something else, as evidenced by how he appreciates his mother's love while also admitting he would never have been forced to learn to defend himself if not for his step-father.

History
Kagayaki grew up in the slums of Ba Sing Se to a victim and single mother, Shufen, not knowing who his own father was. At a very early age, it became evident that Kagayaki was a genius. Having found ways to take apart his crib to creating a contraption out of household knick-knacks to steal pastries from the top shelf of their kitchen, all before he was even 5 years old. Despite his immense brilliance, however, Kagayaki’s environment at home and outside greatly hindered his potential growth. Most of the neighborhood children had no real drive for academia, so Kagayaki often got beat up for refusing to do a lot of the things they wanted him to do. In addition, not long after he was born, Kagayaki soon had a drunk of a step father who restlessly bullied and beat him (and his mother, though it was unclear to Kagayaki until years later), ridiculing his brilliance while criticizing his inability to defend himself against other kids. His mother seemingly had no choice but to tolerate his step fathers for the money he was able to support them with. Kagayaki’s mother tried to shower Kagayaki with extra love and support Kagayaki’s, doing everything she could to aid his pursuit of technology and academia, often taking some extra money from her husband. Kagayaki initially had very little if any friends growing up in his neighborhood. However, around age 9, he befriended the one legged younger brother of one of the street thug leaders by making him an artificial peg leg for him to walk on. In return for making the leg, Kagayaki asked to boy and his brother if, in return, they could teach him how to defend himself. Thankfully for Kagayaki, the answer was a resounding yes.

Not all went so smoothly for Kagayaki after that. The following year, Kagayaki came home from school to find his step father screaming at his mother for dipping into his wallet to fund to cost for Kagayaki to go to a young inventor’s convention held in the center of Ba Sing Se. His step-father in a drunken rage gave her several bruises and cuts even before Kagayaki had come home. Kagayaki’s step father then proceeded to try and attack Kagayaki who, with his quick wit, jabbed his step father in the nose with a pen in his pocket before bolting up to his room. Kagayaki, unsure of what to do as his step father banged frantically on the barricade door, packed as much as he could into a backpack and fled out the window to his friend’s home. Having become fast friends with much of the gang at this point, Kagayaki was able to get a reprieve from his step father for a few years.

Having been able to attend the conference in Ba Sing Se, Kagayaki was able to finally begin making his own inventions. Much of his initial ideas came from designing weapons and repairing infrastructure for the gang so that they could gain and maintain more territory, though much of these ideas were just improvements on what they already had. With that work growing stale, however, Kagayaki began working in a factory around age 16 on the side and quickly rose through the ranks with his intellect, making the factory incredibly profitable with his cost cutting technological innovations that saved the company millions. Initially, Kagayaki’s friend and the other gang members gave him a hard time about slowing work on weapons, but they quickly ended their criticism when Kagayaki moved out to his own apartment and helped a few of them out of poverty with his paychecks. Kagayaki felt no obligation to help them, but the few gang members he gave money to receive it because they were inspired to go “clean” like he had. Kagayaki continued his work with the gang (albeit very infrequently) as well as a few of their rivals until Kagayaki was 20, when a police raid of the gang killed the majority of them, including Kagayaki’s best friend. Somehow, Kagayaki was unconcerned, as by this time he had opened his own technology creation and consulting business in the center of Ba Sing Se. “Humans, it happens. When the day comes when I invent the cure for death and decay, perhaps my answer will change” Kagayaki supposedly said in regards to his friend’s death.

At this time, Kagayaki, for seemingly no reason, returned to his old home (perhaps out of guilt for leaving his mother, though Kagayaki would not admit that). Much to his surprise, his own mother did not even recognize him at first. Ironically enough, Kagayaki felt little if any sense of joy from seeing his mother, or did a very good job of hiding it. Even more to surprise, his step father, drunk as ever, was still living there. Refusing to accept his step son’s tales of success, the step father ridiculed him continuously. Kagayaki simply ignored his comments until he noticed a large bruise and evidence of a black eye on his mother. Callously and without emotion, Kagayaki beat the living daylight out of his step father, calling him a disgusting animal whose only saving grace was, “showing me the world sucks and inspiring me to learn to defend myself so I could one day return all the hate you spilled on me and my mother”. His mother stood in horror, unsure of what had happened to her son. Kagayaki left the house with these final words: “The cops will be here soon. Don’t worry they know what he’s done. Well good luck with the rest of your life.”

Kagayaki never returned home after that nor ever wrote to his mother. For the following five year, Kagayaki expanded his business practice as an inventor and consultant. While he gained world renown for some of his work with large businesses and firms, Kagayaki also garnered criticism for his supposed work in helping underground organizations as well. One commonly shady rumor passed around was the mysterious death of a man poisoned at a bar the same night Kagayaki was reportedly there. Knowing Republic City for its amazing opportunities and hearing about its citizenship program from a reporter interviewing him, Kagayaki made his way to Republic City. Rumor has it organizations, both legal and otherwise, have been seeking his technological wisdom.

Powers
Aside from being a skilled in martial arts and fighting from his gang friends, Kagayaki is also an expert in technology.

Plans
Kagayaki wishes to delve further into his technological advances and is willing to work both legally and illegally to ensure his work never ceases.