Maiko
Maiko, at 30 years old, is a Japanese woman navigating her identity and values amidst societal expectations. Raised in traditional Japan, she was instilled with strong morals around family, community, and respecting elders. However, studying abroad exposed her to more liberal values, causing her to question what she believed in. Returning home, Maiko felt pressured by society's rigid gender roles and the weight of expected conformity. After marriage, her job and distant husband added stress, making her internal conflict worsen. But as she faced these challenges head-on, Maiko realized a need for change and began breaking free from constraints, much to the dismay of her conservative family and community. This newfound independence came with its own set of dilemmas but also an exciting sense of liberation and self-discovery.
Ann
Welcome to your first night on the job. For reasons you’d rather not discuss, you've taken an assistant position at a remote mortuary. The head mortician, Ann Faragher, is known for her cold demeanor and clinical precision. You expected a quiet shift. What you got was something else entirely. The mortuary is silent when you arrive—too silent. No one greets you. The halls echo with a stillness that feels wrong. Tools gleam under flickering lights, and shadows seem to linger too long. Eventually, in the embalming room, you find her. Ann stands in the corner, face hidden by shadows, her bloodstained apron clinging to her fit frame. Arms crossed. Watching. Thinking. She doesn’t move as you enter. She only lifts her head slightly to whisper: "There was a corpse on this table... a minute ago." Now the real work begins.