Mao (Shadow Hearts)

"What are you gawking at? What's so unusual about a talking cat these days, anyway?!"

- Mao

Mao is a character in the game Shadow Hearts: From the New World. Mao is a man-sized, bipedal, talking cat of significant insight and wisdom. She helped the party ninja, Frank Goldfinger, complete his Shinobe training years prior and currently is working as a Lieutenant for Al Capone as manager of his casino, Four & Deuces. When stumped on how to pursue their enemy Frank refers to his great and wise Master Mao who currently works in Chicago and that she would be able to point the party in the right direction, thus does the party seek Mao out. Upon meeting the party and hearing their plight Mao agrees to help if they help her boss Al Capone, after the caper Mao stay with the party once she is no longer needed to oversee Capone's daily affairs and uses her new spare time to see the party's interesting quest through and even more importantly to her keeping her bumbling pupil Frank out of trouble.

Chicago
In his dealings with the sinister Professor Gilbert, Johnny Garland would find he had supernatural power, powers Gilbert seemed familiar with. Gilbert was also familiar with the history of the woman called "Lady", who Shania and Natan from the Native American tribe of Gavoy wished to get revenge on for the slaughter of their people. Gilbert's twisted research had also earned the attention the ninja, Frank Goldfinger. But in their pursuits of him soon all for lost track of the Professor who after leaving the four to be killed by monsters in his lab seemed to disappear without a trace. Stumped on where to go Frank soon realized he knew someone who could help, his old teacher Mao, who he met in Brazil but was currently living in Chicago.

Arriving in Chicago Frank brought his companions to a casino called Four & Deuces said to be a former front-company for the infamous mobster Al Capone. Once inside the team asked to see Mao. Mao assumed it was rival mobsters or trouble makers of some kind if they knew to ask for her and had the Capone henchmen greet the waiting guests with their guns. After defeating the guards the team made their way into Mao's office to find a giant talking cat sitting on an easy chair looking quite bored. Frank greeted the cat as his master, Johnny Garland was surprised by the sight but Shania and Natan's tribe considered cats intelligent already and so they seemed less than surprise and so Johnny found himself the only one shocked by the giant talking cat. Mao soon confirmed he had heard of Gilbert but did not know exactly where he was. Mao however had the resources to find him but first wanted to know why the group was looking for him, at which point Johnny displayed his ability to project Malice as energy from his knife. Mao's boredom quickly diminished at the interesting new sight. Mao said she would help the crew out if they did something for her first. Mao explained she as a lieutenant assigned to watch over the Four & Deuces for Capone since he had been recently arrested after a heist, Mao's request was that Frank and his friends break her employer out of jail, then she would put the time into finding Gilbert for them. With no place else to turn Shania agreed and said they would undertake the break-out.

Before leaving Chicago Mao heard her lounge singer Edna Capone, Al Capone's sister, had disappeared. Mao suspected the McManus crime Family had something to do with Edna's disappearance and told her people to make finding her...or her remains top priority while she was gone and if she was in trouble to kill anyone giving it to her. Mao's suspicions were right for Edna had been killed by Roy McManus for turning down his affections. Though Mao might have attended to the matter herself otherwise she heard rumor of an assassination planed by the McManuses for Al and so getting to Alcatraz prison on time was higher priority for her personal attention.

Alcatraz Prison
When they arrived in Alcatraz Mao lead the charge against the guards fighting and knocking them out. After getting hold of the keys the party made their way to Al Capone's cell where a crooked guard was about to execute Capone and make it look like self-defense. Mao quickly burst in through the door and used her skills to kill the assassin. Capone greeted and thanked Mao for her new crew for saving his life and arranging the break-out. Soon after though the alarm went off but Johnny and the others would soon find it was not for them and the prison was suddenly overrun with monsters. Shania and Natan recognized the type of creatures as being the work of Lady and the team prepared themselves for the savage creature. In the prison-yard the team found an apparently alive Edna Capone causing the monsters' appearances. Edna was looking for her brother but aside from no having demonic powers seemed to be not quite herself. When Capone saw his sister though and called out to her it seemed to pacify her, however it had not pacify the monsters she had made and the reunion was cut short while Mao and the others protected Capone and themselves from the creature. Once defeated the monsters had left but Edna was gone as well. Shania said Edna had been infected with Malice and turned into something inhuman by Lady.

Once Al Capone was free he returned to Chicago to manage Four & Deuces himself as well as his smuggling and was continuing the search to find out what had happened to his sister. Mao made good on her pact with some information on strange activities likely connected to Gilbert and his research. Since Capone was back running things Mao saw her services as less vital and decided o leave to help her interesting new friends and what adventures they were getting themselves into, however she was also certain her pupil Frank would get himself into some new trouble and once again need her to get him out.