[center][hider=Koro Suichu] [img]https://i.imgur.com/eZKJh3T.jpg[/img] [h2][color=gray][b]Kuro Suichu[/b][/color][/h2] [SUB][U]ＲＡＣＥ[/U][/SUB] Au Ra [SUB][U]ＣＬＡＮ[/U][/SUB] Raen [SUB][U]ＢＩＲＴＨＰＬＡＣＥ[/U][/SUB] Shirogane, Doma [SUB][U]ＯＣＣＵＰＡＴＩＯＮ[/U][/SUB] Goldsmith [SUB][U]ＳＯＵＬ ＣＲＹＳＴＡＬ[/U][/SUB] Ninja [SUB][U]ＰＥＲＳＯＮＡＬＩＴＹ[/U][/SUB] It's easy to simply call Kuro the stereotypical Ninja and move on. She's quiet, makes little impact on the people she meets, and fades into the background more often than not. Most first encounters with her are brief, consisting of a simple introduction of herself, followed by a "Pleasure to meet you". But this is all a facade, in truth she is simply scared. She's afraid to lose the people she cares for like she did when fleeing Doma, so she intentionally tries to avoid getting too close to other people. Within that cold outer shell, she burns with the passion of every Ninja. It's difficult to break through the distance she puts up between herself and others, but given enough time and effort she can hold a conversation surprisingly well. Her hobbies include glassblowing and collecting pretty jewelry she finds when out in the world, as well as reading about the history of Eorzea. Her greatest dream is to liberate Doma from the hold of the Garlean Empire, and then continue the fight against Garlemald to one day tear down their empire and free the rest of the world from their tyranny. After that, she doesn't really know what to do with her life, nor will she even consider it until she has finished her self imposed mission. Her opinion of the Rogue's Guild in Limsa Lominsa is mixed, while she finds it intriguing that there is an equivalent to the Ninjas of Doma, she also finds their personalities to be brutish and believes their techniques unrefined when compared to Ninjutsu. [SUB][U]ＢＩＯＧＲＡＰＨＹ[/U][/SUB] [hider=Beginnings]To say Kuro was born under tragic circumstances would be an understatement of massive proportions. Her father, Nakahiro, had been conscripted into the Garlean Empire early on in the sacking of Doma, leaving her mother, Tane, without anyone to rely on while pregnant. Nakahiro begged her to flee Doma for Eorzea, unwilling to let their daughter grow up under this oppression and brutality, thus she boarded a ship to Eorzea with a dozen other refugees yet more alone than she had ever been. It was on a stormy night when Kuro was born, the boat rocked and shook as Tane screamed in pain, begging for her husband to no avail. Perhaps if they had a doctor her life could have been saved, but there was nothing that could be done. Where one life ended, a new one began. Nobody on the boat really wanted to take responsibility for the child, all of them unwilling to take on yet another burden when they had already lost everything. All except for one man, the last of his village of Ninjas after the slaughter perpetuated by the imperial spymaster, Gekkai. This old man had given up his name out of shame, yet he was too cowardly to take his own life and doom his village history to be lost to the annals of time. So everyone on the ship simply called him Sensei. It was Sensei who took on Koro, being the only one who simply had nothing to live for, nothing except this newborn girl. He was a good father, the only she had ever known. He kept her fed, clothed, happy, while not an ideal life, it was one that Kuro could be happy with at least. Yet his eyes always hid the shadow of sadness, never able to truly let go of what happened to his homeland so many years ago. He had settled them down in Ul'Dah like many refugees, he did his best to contribute to the small community in any way he could despite his advanced age. He taught the children, including Kuro, many things about their homeland that they had never seen. Kuro in particular latched onto these history lessons, drinking in the stories of Ganen and the Rijin clan. At the age of sixteen she began contributing in her own way, taking the role of heavy lifting like so many. For four years the world was good. But all good things must come to an end. [/hider] [hider=Shattering]She was resting in Ul'dah when it all happened. The monsters swarmed the streets, she did everything she could to hold back the tide despite her lack of training. She even slew one with the help of her bretheren. It wasn't enough, it could never be enough. In the end, all she could do was pray as she witnessed Bahamut emerge from Dalamud, sweeping away all life from Mor Dhona. Sensei died in the chaos, the old Ninja perishing at the hands of a voidsent. When all was said and done, after Dalamud had fallen and Bahamut was gone, Kuro knew what she had to do. She dug through her adoptive fathers belongings, unearthing a treasure trove of long lost ninjutsu teachings and traditional shinobi garb. The Garlean Empire could not be allowed to continue their expansion, not when this was the result. So she traveled the lands once more, this time searching for likeminded individuals who would be ready to take the fight to Garlemald, no longer content to fool herself into believing all was well. She trained day after day for years, her only true teacher being the words of Sensei in scrolls. She was a fast learner, but scrolls and drawings could only teach so much. At the age of twenty three she set out into the world, eager to prove herself in the fields of combat. She went from town to town, taking odd jobs hunting monsters and beating criminals to gain experience. She longed to throw herself at the gates of Castrum Meridianum, but common sense prevailed as she knew it would be her end. She could not fight the Garlean Empire alone. Thus we arrive at the current day, where Kuro seeks allies in her fight against Garlemald. [/hider] [SUB][U]ＯＴＨＥＲ[/U][/SUB] -Her favorite food is sushi rolls, being the only Doman cuisine she knows of. It helps her feel closer to home, even if she's thousands of yalms away and was never even born in Doma. -Her initial reason for learning Goldsmithing was simply to support her village, but she has found she enjoys the process of cutting gems much more than she ever thought she would. Perhaps if she dedicated her life to Goldsmithing instead of being a Ninja, she would be able to make high level accessories. But as things stand now, it's simply too much a timesink for her when she has yet to break Garlemald. -Please don't touch her horns without permission, lest you want to be stabbed in the middle of the night. [SUB][U]ＲＥＡＳＯＮ ＦＯＲ ＥＮＬＩＳＴＭＥＮＴ[/U][/SUB] [hider=Interview]She sat at the table with little fanfare, no noise made but the slight ruffling of her garments and a small scrape of the chair against the floor as she scooted in. She knew little of this 'Blessed Twelve', thus she had decided to do her own preliminary research on the Free Company to find out more about them. What she found from basic library work had intrigued her, but the past was the past. She needed information on how they were run now, which had lead her to the Adventurer's Guild their notice was posted in. A server came for her order soon enough, she wanted tea initially but quickly deflated after seeing the prices of anything halfway decent. [color=gray]"Just water will do for now thank you."[/color] With a simple nod of his head and a small frown the server was gone, leaving Kuro to observe the rest of the tavern with no interruptions. Well, aside from the fool the next table over who kept trying to start up a conversation with her. He would get the message soon enough as she blatantly ignored him. The Quicksand was a nice enough tavern, it was cooler in here then it was outside which already made it leagues better than most of Ul'Dah. It was also quieter than most taverns she had been too, which made sense considering it was hardly the crack of dawn. "Here's your water miss. Was there anything else you wanted to order or do you still need time?" The server was back, rather pointedly asking if she actually planned on getting anything or if she was just loitering to get out of the heat. It wasn't exactly what he said sure, but the question was there. [color=gray]"I'll have a sandwich. I don't really care what kind, whatever is cheapest."[/color] The response appeased him at least, writing down something in his notepad and moving to deliver her order. The monologue of the poor fool continued on, but a pointed cough from someone else seemed to silence him rather promptly. Kuro peered downward slightly, her gaze falling upon a Lalafell who was pulling up a seat across from her. Momodi Modi, the owner of the Quicksand and one of the leaders of the Adventurer's Guild. Kuro bowed her head in a show of respect, only to find herself rather confused when Momodi motioned for her to stop. [b]"Please dear, I'm not some figure of authority you need to respect. You're not even registered with the Adventurer's Guild yet, as far as I'm concerned you're just another customer."[/b] Kuro nodded slowly, still trying to process what exactly was going on here. [color=gray]"I see... Miss Modi-"[/color] [b]"Just call me Momodi dear, Miss makes me feel old."[/b] She interrupted with a mischievous smile. [color=gray]"Right. Momodi, why are you here. Talking to me that is."[/color] Kuro picked up her water and took a sip, nothing quite like the taste of chilled water to calm oneself down. Strange how cold water can taste different from room temperature. Momodi covered her mouth as she giggled, looking much like a child trying to play adult in the chair that was much too big for her. [b]"Call me childish, but I was simply curious why someone would get up so early to get some water and a sandwich. You certainly don't look hungover and you haven't been barhopping all night, I would know."[/b] Kuro acquiesced to this with little resistance, nodding as she turned over her words in her head. [color=gray]"I'm here about a Free Company. The Blessed Twelve specifically."[/color] A look of knowing crossed Momodi's face as Kuro said this, nodding to herself with a pleased yet wistful smile. [b]"Ah the Twelve. I could tell so many stories about them, we would be here for days. It's really a shame what happened to them, I heard they were one of the first Free Companys out when Dalamud began to fall. I presume you're here about their recruitment ad?"[/b] Kuro shook her hand in a so so motion, prompting a curious look from Momodi. [color=gray]"I wanted to know more about them now. What kind of people lead them, if the rumors about their money all coming from gambling is true, things like that."[/color] [b]"Ah, you want to know what you're signing up for. You're a smart girl, so many adventurers join famous Free Companies only thinking about prestige, so few ask about who's giving them orders. You're probably the only person I've met who's bothered to ask about them."[/b] She looked somewhat impressed, like her opinion of Kuro had been bumped up several notches. [b]"Well then Kuro, you'll get your stories. But in return, you have to listen real closely ok? No nodding off now, I don't get to talk to you youngsters half as much as I want."[/b] Kuro's eyes widened as she wondered just how this woman knew who she was, only to be met with a giggle and a teasing stare. [b]"You're not the only one who does their research dear, and you're a bit more popular among the refugees than you'd think. You do good work, you care for the people who need care."[/b] Kuro's eyes softened as Momodi smiled at her, a genuine smile this time, unlike the teasing smile she had worn this entire conversation. [color=gray]"I just do what has to be done. That's all."[/color][/hider][/hider][/center]