Haruki Aoyuki

Haruki Aoyuki
Gender	Male
Race	Miqo'te
Clan	Seeker of The Sun
Citizenship	Limsa Lominsa
Birth Date	1st day of the 1st astral moon
Guardian	Halone, the Fury
Orientation	Males
Screenshot Gallery	Photobucket
OOC Twitch	Eriyalle on Twitch

 

Introduction to Ao

… … … [silence] ~Ao

A Meeting

The morning sun brazenly streams through the narrow, high window behind me. Dust motes dance in the focused rays of light – rainbow prisms, refracted. I blink a few times, wondering at Althyk’s speed, my eyes gritty and dry from a night spent hunched over the tallow candle on my desk in study and writing that feels like minutes where hours passed. I don’t need to look around to feel he’s there – awake, alert, still – the weight of his presence is palpable to me now, after these many years together. A peaceful moment passes as I hear the ocean waves beat against the nearby harbor, a stray ray of sunlight tracing itself across my cheek to warm my skin. I rise, stretching, and move to open the window; rainbow-glittering motes transforming back into dust.

He crouches by the doorway on the balls of his feet, his arms loose in front of him and his tail curled behind, somehow fading into the shadows despite his solid, muscular height and the weighty two-handed axe strapped casually to his back. His orange eyes gleam darkly, closer to red in the shadows.

A cool ocean breeze explores the room from the now-open window as I return to my research notes. Out of the corner of my eye, I see it caress his hair and he blinks his eyes once, slowly, the lion-tufted tip of his tail lashing in a small, swift motion up and down once in happiness. I suppress a giggle, remembering...

My first impression of him? Blue. Blue and fierce, towering above me at what must be four times my height and ten to fifteen years my senior with a rough axe strapped to his lithe, muscular frame. A tight hempen top covered his chest but left his shoulders, back and abdomen naked to the bitter air of Coerthas. A fleeting thought, ‘who would walk around with skin bare in this cold?’ interrupted my appraisal of him as I peeked out timidly from behind my father. Not naturally shy, I found the combined effect of his features intimidating: kukuru butter brown skin, short cerulean-blue hair touched with the color of seafoam, black-tipped ears, facial features subdued under a mask of pale blue from forehead to chin, eyes rimmed by tattoos evoking ice shards, a long scar cutting across his right eye from his forehead to his cheekbone, his posture still and alert. My father introduced us, seeming pleased at my temerity as I had recently been caught sneaking out of the house to go about my research.

‘Zara this is S’hinja Tia. He’s the one I told you about, the one I hired to protect you. Please don’t wander from our estates without him.’

I nodded, frozen by anxiety under the Miqo’te Seeker’s gaze. A falling snowflake landed on my nose and I blinked, looking up at a sky suddenly filled with white. The wind picked up, howling and my father turned beckoning the Miqo’te and I to move from the doorstep into the warm rooms of our manor. My feet, however, refused to budge. My mouth dropped open slightly in surprise. The snow hitting my new guardian was… steaming. In the heavy snowfall the effect was unmistakable. He stood motionless, watching me with his blazing orange eyes as the snow steamed, dancing around him. The sun broke through the clouds, a stray ray illuminating his hair, the steam refracting the light into a myriad of frolicking rainbows. It was remarkable. A laugh began deep in my throat, threatening to burst from my lips. I suppressed it with some trouble, smiling up at him.

‘Haruki Aoyuki.’

He considered me, expressionless. His tail lashed once, slightly, the movement nearly imperceptible.

‘Haruki Aoyuki!’

I clapped with delight, more confident in my decision.

‘Sunshine and life, and blue in the snow.’

His expression flickered with what might be a grimace before returning to its stony impenetrability, his ears twitching once, nearly imperceptible. My anxiety forgotten in my curiosity, I approached him with a radiant smile.

‘May I call you Haruki Aoyuki?’

I peered at his face closely, my own neck craned backward painfully at this new angle. One of his eyebrows arched slightly as he turned his head to break our gaze. His tail lashed once, slightly, as he remained silent.

‘Ao it is, then!’

I watched as a faint blush tinged his cheeks, his gaze remaining averted. Gruff and low, so quiet I almost missed hearing it through the wind’s cries, the words ‘Ochi Mochi’ rumbled across my ears. The short phrase sounded like sulking. The laughter I could no longer suppress burst forth, ringing out across the entryway.

I felt my hair tousled gently by a hand as large as my head, rough with weathered callouses. Blinking in surprise, I reached up and wrapped his hand in my much smaller ones with a joyful grin. My father beckoned to us again from further inside the estate, annoyed at the wind and snow entering through the still open door. A strong arm scooped me up, pressing me against a broad chest that radiated palpable waves of heat, slightly damp from melting snow, and carried me inside.

~from the writings of Zarara Zara

Appearance

Body:

Placeholder text is boring but I wanted to post without more delays, apologies!

Face:

Placeholder text is boring but I wanted to post without more delays, apologies!

Hair and Tail:

Placeholder text is boring but I wanted to post without more delays, apologies!

Clothing and Accessories:

Placeholder text is boring but I wanted to post without more delays, apologies!

Resume

Skills:

Placeholder text is boring but I wanted to post without more delays, apologies!

Hobbies/Talents:

• Placeholder text is boring but I wanted to post without more delays, apologies!

Relationships

The S Tribe:

Ao’s tribe, and particularly those raising him, were strict and closed to behaviors, speech and beliefs that differed from their own. Spending much of his childhood enduring ongoing punishment and daily censure for displays of individuality, Ao eventually stopped speaking and adopted subtler forms of non-verbal expression. Serious and deeply passionate by nature, he communicates through actions rather than words. With a warmer than average body temperature, loathing heat, Ao could not fathom pledging himself to Azeyma, the deity he sees as an embodiment of everything he dislikes most in the world. When he deemed his skill with the axe was sufficient for him to survive alone, he left his tribe in search of cooler climes. Without regret, he has not encountered the S-tribe since.

Player Characters:

• Arky Mosuke – He met Arky on a rainy day in Gridania. After several more chance encounters, Ao is growing fond of Arky’s company. Viewing him in a similar light to how he views Zara, Ao is becoming increasingly protective of Arky.
• Dianthus Itsaul – Placeholder text is boring but I wanted to post without more delays, apologies!
• Keroa Mosuke – Arky’s sometime companion, Ao finds something of a kindred spirit in Keroa’s silence. He is intrigued by her relationship with Arky and respects the deep fire he sees burning behind her eyes.
• Kerr V’yen – Ao met Kerr outside a Limsa Lominsan alley. The noise of a street fight drew Ao’s attention as he escorted his young charge through the city. Within the alley’s shadows, Ao caught a glimpse of the combatants and his own expression.. flickered. Seeing Ao’s expression waver, Zara waited for the fight to end, watching curiously until Kerr came out of the alley victorious, albeit slightly bruised. As Kerr looked at them in surprise and turned on heel to distance himself quickly, Zara stubbornly pursued him to tend his minor wounds with Ao alert and vigilant at her side. If Zara had to guess the meaning of Ao’s expression, she’d say it was love at first sight…
• M’dhori Rhea – Over the course of an intensive and grueling training exercise, Ao and Mi found themselves repeatedly bound by Fate. Their opposing personalities aside, Ao has grown fond of Mi through countless shared battles and adventures, leading him to tolerate – and sometimes delight in - her eccentric behavior.
• U’tano Kazhe (alt) – Placeholder text is boring but I wanted to post without more delays, apologies!
• Zarara Zara – Placeholder text is boring but I wanted to post without more delays, apologies!

Notable Minions, Mounts and other Critters

• Eye – An ahriman Ao encountered, gravely wounded, in the mountains above Dzemael Darkhold. With Zara’s assistance, Ao nursed the Ahriman back to health. It now skulks ever near Ao’s side, heeding his call.
• Kiiroi – A chocobo presented to Ao by the Maelstrom in recognition for his services.

Tendencies

Notable Habits:

• All of his expressions are subtle, easily missed if one is not paying attention.
• He does not like to speak, so he rarely says more than a word or two. Furthermore, direct personal questions will often be deflected, avoided or met with silence.
• When he does speak, he frequently drops vowels.
• Fond of Lalafell, he will lick them in greeting.
• He pats others on the head frequently.

Likes:

• Lalafell
• Stargazing
• Snow
• Watching over others

Dislikes:

• Anything remotely hot: the desert, sunshine, fire, spicy food…
• Talking
• Personal Questions
• Crowds

Quotable Quotes:

• “T’anks”
• “pol’gies”
• “Hot”
• "'ccom'd'ting"

Rumors

In his line of work, Ao's sense are always on high alert. As such, he'd note any rumors floating around about him.

Looking Through a Glass Darkly: Player-Based Rumors

"I have to be more alert to detect his presence. I have not met anyone else who can sneak up on you completely undetected or unheard." - Altima Zeroblade

• Format Placeholder