Sumire Kurogane

Sumire Kurogane · Sun Nov 02, 2014 3:04 am

Name: Sumire Kurogane

Gender: Female

Age: 20

Place of Birth: Kamura Village, Gifu Prefecture, Japan

Nationality: Japanese

Hair Color: Black (cut short about jaw length though pictures from before Shokushu show a ponytail that went below her waist)

Eye Color: Gray

Ethnicity: Japanese

Skin Tone: Lightly tanned

Pubic Hair: Shaved

Distinguishing Features: Little expression, speaks formally (avoids contractions to help fight off an accent she’s ashamed of)

Height: 5'7"

Weight: 134lbs

Bust: 34 C

Waist: 32

Hips: 36

Background: There's exceedingly little data available regarding Sumire's early life. Born in an isolated mountain village which has shunned the convenience of modern society for generations, there is no record of Sumire's birth, nor the birth of her parents. Like her peers, she was educated by the village elders as her family tended to their meager lands, with the understanding that one day the village would be entrusted to her generation and the cycle would perpetuate. Perhaps she could have remained in that village for all her days, as many had before her, but Sumire possessed a greater curiosity than the Elders' sagely wisdom could fulfill. One day, she gathered up her belongings and the essentials for survival into a large pack, and under cover of night she left her village without permission, descending the mountain and journeying to the city lights that called to her when she climbed to the heights of the trees.

As the sun rose, Sumire entered the admissions office of the first highschool she could find, clad in loose, simple clothing with woven sandals and tabi. The middle-aged man behind the desk had looked at her in askance, but when she asked earnestly to attend, dropping to her knees and pressing her forehead to the carpet as if it were the greatest favor a person could bestow upon her, he couldn't quite bring himself to turn her away lightly. It was difficult, of course, not being a legally recognized person with a home address or the permission of her parents were all hurdles that needed to be crossed. Still, Sumire persevered, finding a dormitory that was willing to put her up in exchange for help keeping the old building maintained and eagerly jumping through the hoops necessary for her to fulfill the school's requirements, including a barrage of aptitude tests.

If only integration with the student body had gone as smoothly. In the beginning, Sumire had been excited to meet new people, and there was a bit of an initial buzz regarding the suddenly appearing transfer student. However, generations of isolation from mainstream society had resulted in some drift in Sumire's dialect. She had trouble with slang, and while she was well versed in subjects like history and traditional culture, modern subjects like television, music, and politics were well over her head. Discovering that there were religions other than the Shinto she'd been raised with had been a bit of a shock. Once her fellow students initial curiosity was sated, Sumire found herself drifting to the periphery of the social scene, labeled one of the "weird kids" without even the camaraderie of being weird in the same way as someone else.

It was fortunate, then, that her class representative was the sort to take her duties seriously then. Seeing Sumire struggling to fit in and losing confidence that she'd made the right choice in coming down from the mountains, Nanami Amano reached out a hand in friendship to the wayward girl. She was the one to suggest that Sumire join one of the school's clubs, to help her establish some common ground with the rest of the students, though she was as surprised as anyone else when Sumire joined the gymnastics club and passed the initiation with grace and ease. She also helped Sumire correct her speech, drilling her on vocabulary during homeroom, and once she was reasonably confident Sumire joined the Culture Club in the off season.

During her second year, Sumire realized that her feelings for Nanami went beyond simple friendship. having received such care during her time of need, she supposed it was natural for her to feel that way. Uncertain how Nanami would feel about it, she kept her feelings to herself at first, but even though they were no longer in the same class she became rather protective of her friend, sticking to her shadow between classes. When Nanami first considered running for student council, Sumire had encouraged her, confident that with someone as concerned for their fellow student as her as President, the Council could only flourish. During the race, Sumire was one of Nanami's most prolific boosters, an admiring voice putting up posters and shouting slogans, and also an example of the kind of representative she would be.

It worked, Nanami became the President of the Student Council, and though Sumire wasn't a member she continued to work earnestly to see her plans carried out. Maybe she couldn't have the woman's love, but, her gratitude and appreciation would be enough. At least, so she thought. That was also the year, you see, that Nanami found her own love, a young man named Takashi Date. It wasn't rational, she knew it wasn't rational, but there was a pain in her heart as though she'd been rejected. She withdrew a bit, to try and put some distance between herself and the target of her affection, but Nanami was so absorbed in her budding romance she simply assumed her friend was giving her some space and privacy to be with her beau.

Her senior year, Sumire felt more alone than she had since she'd first come to the school. She still had the gymnastics club and the culture club, and with admissions tests on the horizon it wasn't as though her studies didn't keep her busy. There was just an ache in her heart where her friend had been ... she tried fruitlessly to fill it with more conventional relationships. No matter how handsome, or how kind however, she simply couldn't seem to open her heart up to men. Approaching other women though, she didn't even know how to broach the subject. Abruptly, however, Nanami appeared in the doorway of the dorm Sumire had been staying in alone one night. Apparently, she and Takashi had split up, and she badly needed a friend.

Sumire hadn't meant to let it slip. Hadn't meant to say anything of the sort, she'd just been trying to comfort her beautiful friend through a trying period, arms around her as the tears flowed onto her shirt. She'd been touched that Nanami had sought her out, thinking that maybe all the time she'd spent at her side hadn't been for nothing. She just wanted her to know that she wasn't alone ... but the rough push and the questioning look in her friend's teary eyes told her she'd said the wrong thing. It wasn't quite as dramatic as Nanami running out of her house into the night, but she was suddenly distinctly aware that they were alone in Sumire's home together, and she scooted to the other end of the couch, away from that soft embrace. She said it was okay, that she wasn't offended but ... it was apparent that she was guarding herself around Sumire now. They talked less and less, finding excuses to avoid each other, until by the time exams had begun they were practically strangers again.

Sumire passed her exams with high marks, and an incredible opportunity came her way as a result. A chance to attend the internationally recognized Shokushu Academy, which paid host to a wide array of uniquely talented and affluent young girls who might help shape the very course of human history. Of course, the fact that she had no family to miss her once she was gone certainly played its part, but as she accepted their invitation Sumire had no way to know that.

Psychological Profile: Sumire is a woman who puts up a brittle shell of indifference between herself and other people. Having difficulty separating what makes her special from what makes here merely different, she tries to hide herself away behind a bland exterior in an ill-conceived attempt to fit in with her contemporaries. Under that passive illusion, however, beats the heart of a person who longs to be relied upon, to be useful for others, and cherished. This is the reason she's studying to become a medical practitioner, expanding on the pharmacological background she'd learned from her elders to help preserve lives and promote good health. Rather than be a general practitioner working out of a large, prestigious hospital, she'd prefer to be a family doctor, learning her patients and building a rapport with them. Of course, she knows she'll have to be very good before someone will trust their children to her care, so she devotes herself to her studies.

There is, however, one aspect of modern living that Sumire still has not really adjusted to, and that's the prevalence of machinery. Though she's light enough of step to stalk and catch a rabbit with her bare hands in the woods, computers, cars, and most electronics are beyond her for any use beyond the most rudimentary. She's trying to overcome this weakness, but the fact is that she'd never even seen these things until she was fifteen, and it hasn't been easy coming. As such, her notes are all hand-copied and she tends to use traditional correspondence (with impeccable handwriting) rather than e-mails and the like.

Personality: Sumire isn't the kind of girl who leaves a very strong impression on most people. When she came down from the mountains, she found associating with her classmates in the city embarrassingly awkward, her strong dialect forcing her to repeat herself or enunciate complex words clearly to be understood. Though she's smoothed out her "rustic charms" over the course of those three years, she still fears that she sounds like a bumpkin and prefers not to speak when she can avoid it, using gestures or body language for simple concepts. Of course, the easiest way to avoid speaking is simply to avoid drawing attention, and so she's learned to keep a fairly passive expression, only tiny cues betraying her emotions, allowing people to be drawn to the more expressive people around her.

That said, Sumire isn't shy, simply awkward. She genuinely enjoys the company of others, but outside of group assignments or her clubs she usually contents herself with being a hanger-on to larger gatherings and immersing herself in other people's lives. Of course, since she doesn't draw attention to herself few people pay her much mind, which in turn reinforces the image in her mind that she isn't worth paying attention to.

Sumire isn't really comfortable with her sexuality. Oh, she's confident enough in her body, and nudity doesn't particularly bother her. There aren't many secrets in small, closely knit communities such as the one she grew up in, after all. It's more that her homosexuality makes her feel like some kind of deviant, an "other", which interferes with her desire to fit in. She tried dating boys in highschool, but it never got far, and she ended up being labeled a bit of a flirt and a cocktease. When she finally did work up the nerve to confront the object of her affections, she was roughly rejected, and while the friendship didn't end immediately the two girls did drift apart over the course of the following months. Of course, she blamed herself. She's done her level best to ignore the topic ever since, but she's a young girl with needs like any other, and all this repression isn't healthy for her at all.

Virgin: Yes

Piercings or Tattoos: Pierced ears, though she tends to only wear earrings rarely.

Language: Japanese, English

Likes: High places, the sight of the moon on a clear night, hawks, seafood, wilderness, and raising animals.

Dislikes: American cuisine, anime, dense traffic, cigarettes, monkeys, and videogames

Special Skills: Sumire doesn’t practice any kind of magic, however the traditions of the village she grew up in have passed a few skills down to her that could hardly be considered conventional. She started learning many of these skills before she was eight years old and doesn’t regard them as particularly noteworthy; in point of fact she’s often surprised that there are people who don’t know them.

Acrobatics: Growing up, Sumire’s elders always put a great deal of stress on knowing how to move one’s body. Sumire’s sense of balance is excellent, and her fit body can propel her through all manner of complicated tumbles, swings, and high jumps. Furthermore, her fundamental training emphasized the importance of flexibility, putting her through some torturous exercises to ensure that to this day she’s surprisingly limber and capable of holding all manner of awkward positions. Of course, those who’ve been in gymnastics have many of the same skills, Sumire simply learned to apply them to the real world before she ever saw a mat or pommel horse.

Survival Skills: Living far from conveniences such as roads, it was important for Sumire to learn how to navigate and survive in the wilderness if she should ever be separated from the rest of her group. She can recognize plants that are safe to eat, discern magnetic north, find drinkable water, build a fire, even hunt and craft primitive tools starting with nothing at all. She also knows how to move silently and blend in with her environment; her quiet footsteps have led to her startling more than a few of her classmates in the past with her arrival.

Breathing Exercises: Originally taught as a form of spiritual purification and communing with local spirits, these exercises were not without practical applications as well. Sumire is capable of holding her breath for prolonged periods of time, and can enter a trance-like state where her breathing and metabolism slow to almost nothing, though this meditation is inferior to proper sleep in terms of restfulness.

Herbalism and Medicine: Even in her village, this was a field with which Sumire displayed true talent. Sumire is capable of safely collecting natural herbs and roots with medicinal or poisonous properties, and can create poultices, salves, and pills that can create a broad variety of effects. Of course, these drugs are all created based on an understanding of the human body, and are absolutely useless against the kinds of creatures that populate the shadows of the island, but she frequently experiments looking to improve her skills and create new compounds.

Sumire Kurogane

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