Arashi Tsurugi

**Arashi Tsurugi** is the youngest member of the Etheridge Collective at six years old. In spite of her youth, she's shown to be highly proficient in the use of bows and arrows and prefers archery over melee, magic, or other forms of ranged combat, although she sees combat as a fun game to be played and as a way to bond with her family, unbeknownst of the real dangers of the world; her innocence is highly treasured and protected by the group.

## Biography

Arashi was born in winter of 2020 in the Multiverse Bridge, a digital world that bridges Synaptum, Earth, and other neural-based worlds together in one place. Arashi was born there rather than in her home world due to the circumstances of her birth - her Badge, the core that supports life for all vehicles that originate from Synaptum, had been formed in a decrepit state, making it the magical equivalent of a miscarriage. Her Badge had been carried by her father for three years before one of the denizens of the Multiverse Bridge, Amay-Lia, sparked Arashi's life.

In winter of 2020, Arashi's Badge glowed for the first time. In a mystical display, her Lotus Elise form made its first revs.

## Personality

Being the youngest of the group, she possesses a high degree of innocence and naivete, seeing friends even in strangers and even in those who look down on her, much like her aunt Kodachi, only the latter can be an adult when the situation calls for it. Arashi takes after her father's and aunts' altruism and selflessness, so much so that she loves to help others in their time of need.

Raised by a father who wishes to do better than most, Chokuto's almost always hands-off, but remains an important and stable figure in Arashi's life as emotional support and being a shoulder to cry on when she needs it, otherwise letting her explore her world under careful supervision from afar, swooping in to dispatch any danger that might come across her way. As a result of his parenting style, Arashi prefers to be independent most of the time, but does seek out the comfort of her family time to time.

## Relationships

### Chokuto Tsurugi

*"My daddy is the best!"*

Arashi looks up to her father and enjoys spending time with him, whether they're training in combat together or cooking a meal together. At first, Chokuto didn't want his daughter to have anything to do with combat, but upon seeing that she finds archery to be a fun pasttime outside of having a need to defend herself, he not only relented, but took an active role in her training. He's there to give her a guiding hand in most every day situations, and tries his best to explain the more complicated aspects of life in an easier way for her age. He's also her main protector, and would lay down his life to accomplish that.

Chokuto deliberately avoids punitive measures if she misbehaves or makes a mistake, as his parenting style is gentle and centers around everything involving mistakes (no matter how little or serious) or episode of impulsivity having a teachable moment of some degree. Chokuto is also patient - more patient than most parents, not that he needed to exercise too much of it. While Arashi is independent most of the time, she loves that she can come back to her father and have him be there for her when she needs it.

### Wren Rose

*"He's silly, and has a lot of learning to do, but he's okay."*

At first, Arashi was very distrusting of Wren when he first came to the world, as the first thing he did when he found her was hurt her. This led him to be punished severely by all members of the group at the time, as he was seen as a foreign enemy that may or may not have had any degree of sentience (otherwise, an NPC). As Wren spent time with the Etheridge Collective, Arashi has begun to warm up to him recently, and has even joined him on many ventures. She remains wary of him and believes her adult role models had "lost their minds" when they started trusting him.

Part of her reason for starting to trust him is that Skye of all people had started to adore him, and even that had been taken as a sign to be wary of him. She stays with Myne, Tuuli, and Kyosuke, along with the other kids in the group - they too are perplexed by Wren's magnetic tendencies, but are collectively relieved that it's not any form of mind control or manipulation on his part, since they haven't fallen for him like a few others have. Another reason that she has begun to trust him is he's protective of her, and he has declared that he'd die for her before he could do anything to hurt her.

### Skye Rose

*"She's so serious all the time."*

Arashi sees Skye as an overly serious adult in her life, if not the only one. Skye doesn't take part in most of the banter, but for what she lacks in boundless humor, she makes up for in having a cool, level head that can make decisions when she needs to. Skye has a streak of keeping the collective responsible when it comes to money, dietary habits, and even combat techniques, which makes her come off as a micromanager at times. Thanks to her age, however, Arashi has been able to receive some leeway when it comes to the things that she does and wants. Arashi adores Skye, and sees her as a big sister figure, and part of her motivation for training is to make her proud.

### Axol Lotl

*"I remember seeing him about to be hurt, and I saved him."*

Arashi was and still is one of Arashi's biggest fans, to the point where she saved him when he was planning on sacrificing himself for his old universe. In saving him, Axol crossed over to Synaptum rather than facing the unknown after his death. Her saving him came as a shock to what was once a small collective without anyone who was sourced at the time, making him the first sourced member. She looked up to him as a father figure when she was younger, and always spent time with him. Axol became a host to protect her and ensure her safety, something that waned as she grew up since she made other friends in protectors more capable than himself, or so he thought. While he came back to his duties to protect Wren, he did it to look out for Arashi as well since at the age of six, her ability to interact with the alternate world will only become more pronounced.

## Interests and Disinterests

### **Likes**

* Reading
* Engaging in combat for the fun of it
* Gaming
* Helping her family and friends
* Making friends
* Art (drawing, painting)
* Spending time with her family and friends

### Dislikes

* Her family being hurt
* Not being able to understand most of the banter
* Being alone for too long

## Abilities and Weaponry

* **Enhanced Archery -** Arashi has a knack for archery and was first interested in it after not being appealed by Zeph's close combat skills or her family's ranged magic skills. Her proficiency in archery grants her advanced hand eye coordination for her age.
	+ **Arrow Proficiency -** Despite her young age, Arashi's aim is impeccable, and can even hit targets as far as forty feet in distance. She's not yet able to hit small and moving targets, however.
	+ **Enhanced Proprioception -** Arashi can tell where her body is positioned at all times, and this keeps her from falling off of her perch when she's nocking an arrow.
	+ **Enhanced Vision -** Arashi can see at a far distance, which lets her see small details and adversaries that most others wouldn't detect. While this doesn't save her from sneak attacks, this does let her get an idea of the battlefield before making herself known.

* **Hibiscus Bow -** A bow made from the sturdiest lumber to accommodate for those who are just starting archery or have a weak grasp, thus being clumsy. It's so study that it can serve as a shield in a pinch from sharp swords, but the string on the bow, while strong enough to turn tree branches into a zipline in a pinch, is all but highly vulnerable to sharp objects such as swords, rocks, splintered wood, and the sharp teeth of many rodents. The hibiscus flowers in its design allow for easy camouflage in underbrush and many flowering trees.
	+ **Sakura Bow -** She also owns a Sakura version of the same bow.

* **Hibiscus arrows -** Arrows made from lumber so sturdy that they can penetrate trees, weaker shields, and do minor damage in enemies - enough to stall or annoy them until help arrives. They're mostly training arrows to prevent the user from accidentally hurting themselves. On the end of each arrow is a hibiscus flower meant for camouflaging evidence of combat from enemies.
	+ **Sakura arrows -** She also owns a Sakura version of the same set of arrows.