C H I L D H O O D
Origins
■ Sachie Amano, daughter of a Doman dockworker, immigrates to Eorzea aboard the ship of a Limsa Lominsan trader by the name of Bayard Jameson. She takes up residence in his hometown - a small port town in La Noscea. After a few years, the two agree to marry and together have three daughters: Hiroko (the eldest), Meiko (three years later), and Naruko (four years later).
■ Most of the girls' younger years are spent solely in the company of their mother, as their father spends most of his time out at sea. As such, they grow exceedingly close to her. Sachie teaches them bits and pieces about Doman life and culture, and even teaches them to read and write fluently in her native tongue.
■ A particularly terrible storm sees to the sinking of Bayard's ship, losing not only the extensive goods it was holding but also costing him his livelihood. He and a few members of the crew only barely manage to escape with their lives, pulled from the sea by another ship making the same route. At the time, Hiroko is thirteen, Meiko is ten, and Naruko is six.
■ Bayard takes out loans from Limsa Lominsan lenders to cover the cost of lost cargo, but is unable to secure enough to purchase a new ship. As such, he attempts to turn to land trading instead, but is unable to find a sufficient market. His debt continues to climb while his family's income dwindles. He takes to the bottle, and becomes increasingly hostile and abusive towards his family.
■ Bayard and Sachie become estranged as the man's treatment of not only herself but their children grows worse. When she finally prepares to take their daughters and leave him, however, he strangles her and then frames it as a suicide. Hiroko is the one to find her hanging the next morning. Given the family's private nature, suicide is ruled the cause of death and there is no outside push for any further investigation into the matter. However, the children are certain that it was their father's doing, but are unable to leave or show proof. The rift between them grows even greater and turns to hatred. Hiroko is fifteen, Meiko is twelve, and Naruko is eight.
■ A year later, Bayard's lenders offer to relieve the man of his debt if Hiroko will agree to sign a contract to "work" for their boss. He is all too happy to offer his daughter up, and convinces her that if she does not agree, those men will come and take all three of them regardless. In order to protect her sisters from the alleged threat, she agrees and is taken to the city. The information that she decided to go willingly is not given to her sisters, as it happens too quickly to allow Hiroko time to speak with them. Hiroko is sixteen, Meiko is thirteen, and Naruko is nine.
■ Meiko, heartbroken and angry at the loss of now two maternal figures in her life, can only endure her father for so long. She quietly takes the anger and beatings to protect Naruko from the worst of it, while simultaneously working to save money - mostly from unsuspecting dockworkers and traders passing through their small port town. It is during this time that Meiko learns she has a true knack for sneaking about and cutting purse strings. Finally, after two years of quiet endurance and determined saving, she takes Naruko and makes for Limsa Lominsa proper. At the time, Meiko is fifteen and Naruko is eleven.
Surviving Limsa Lominsa
■ Life in Limsa Lominsa is decidedly harder than Meiko anticipated. She and Naruko live on the streets where ever they can find shelter for months. Meiko's pickpocketing and petty thievery helps to keep them fed, but only barely. She also comes to know the dangers of the city's darker sides, and takes it upon herself to steal a dagger for her and her younger sister's protection.
■ While trying to find coin one evening, Meiko attempts to make off with the coin of a distracted merchant in Hawker's Alley. While the man does not notice, another particularly vigilant young man nearby does. He follows her and confronts her, asking her to return the coin to someone that he claims isn't deserving of thievery - just an honest trader with a family of his own to feed.
■ Afraid this odd man will turn her into the Yellow Jackets and Naruko will be left to fend for herself, Meiko - backed into a corner and desperate - pulls her knife on him. However, he is unafraid and manages to disarm her quite easily. Meiko finally breaks down and begs him not to turn her in, that she was only trying to get food for herself and her sister. He takes pity on her and agrees not to turn her in. However, he does march her back to Hawker's Alley to the merchant she had stolen from, only to introduce her to the man - who had by then noticed his missing coin and had became quite frantic - as the one who caught the thief who had made away with his money. The merchant thanks her profusely and offers her coin as a reward. However, uncomfortable and guilt-stricken, she declines.
■ Impressed with both her aptitude for sneaking and with her apparently sense of guilt by refusing to take the coin, the young man makes Meiko another offer: First, a place to stay for both herself and her sister. Secondly, an introduction to the Rogue's Guild, which he is a part of, where he claims she will be able to put learn and put her skills to good use. She gratefully accepts.
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A D U L T H O O D
The Rogue's Guild
■ Around the age of sixteen, Meiko enlists with the guild and begins training. She works hard to learn all that she can, improving her abilities to go unnoticed, see without being seen, and hear without being heard. Likewise, she gradually becomes more skilled with knives and daggers - the guild's signature choice of weaponry.
■ After about three years of constant training, Meiko's skills had progressed far enough for her to begin to take on small investigation jobs for the guild. She shows skill in gathering information and spying, relaying her findings back on various individuals and situations back to her colleagues. However, one assignment has her trying to gather information on a businessman suspected to be kidnapping young women and forcing them into slavery to work at the brothels he owns. It is during this investigation that she manages to find Hiroko, working at one of these high-end brothels for this man.
■ Meiko's investigation into the situation continues, becoming almost an obsession. However, she is unable to find any direct evidence on the man to turn over to her superiors nor the Yellow Jackets. Without any substantial results or leads, she is told to leave the matter be for the time being, though she refuses. On her own time, she continues her investigation and questioning, turning to whatever avenue necessary to try and gather information on the mysterious man and his businesses. Yet, the search is still fruitless.
■ Frustrated and impatient, Meiko finally decides to sneak into one of the brothels directly to find damning evidence. However, when she sneaks into the office, all she can find are contracts that seem to show consensual employment - including her sister's. It is then that she is discovered by the businessman himself and confronted over her sneaking. She threatens to expose him - a bluff, given her lack of evidence, and one easily seen through and called by the man.
■ Noting her similarity in appearance to Hiroko, the man surmises the reason behind her vehemence. Instead of threatening harm on her or arrest for trespassing, he simply explains the contract that Hiroko signed: She agreed to work for him in order to pay off their family's debt. Once all had been paid, she would be free to leave, just as the other girls were. The man acts upon the uncertainty this gives her and offers her a deal: leave the Rogue's Guild and drop her investigation and work for him instead, to pay off Hiroko's contract faster. Still unsure, she asks to see Hiroko first, and he reluctantly agrees.
■ Meiko is overwhelmingly pleased to be reunited with her older sister, and is quick to explain the offer given to her. However, Hiroko is adamant about refusing, stating that both her own contract and the one that he would undoubtedly have her sign would be tantamount to legal slavery - that such a complicated piece of paper would see that they would both forever be under the man's employ, and so legally airtight that there would be no chance of arguing against it.
■ With this knowledge, Meiko returns to the man to decline her offer, claiming that she will come up with money her own way to pay off her sister's contract. He is displeased, but consents to the arrangement. She also demands the ability to visit her sister on occasion, and he consents only if she pays for her time like every other customer and only if she agrees to keep her nose out of their business. Figuring this would be the best deal she could strike, she agrees to the terms.
■ After a few weeks, Meiko makes the decision to leave the Rogue's Guild. Though she keeps the reasoning to herself, the money made from her work was simply not to her liking, and the different investigations and assignments provided too much distraction from her current priority. She figures there is more money to be made on the 'other side' of the underground, and decides to offer up her skills as a freelance thief, spy, and occasionally even offering up her daggers.
Recent Times
■ It does not take long for Meiko to realize that keeping solely to Limsa Lominsa is detrimental for her business, given suspicion over her past ties to the Rogue's Guild and the selfsame group's ever-watchful eye. Using an airship pass she gained in a trade for her services with one client, Meiko decides to turn to the other city-states to look for work as well.
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