Aki Maiko

"*Aoi, did you buy those groceries I ask you to? What do you mean not yet? it's been like three days, what've you been doing? What do you mean chores? It can't take you three days to do three people's worth of laundry. Fine fine, whatever. but no more desert for you until it get's done. And I'm telling Hazel that too. So don't try bribing her into making cakes for you again!*"

— A typical interaction between Aki and her sister.

**Aki Maiko** is a Human living in New World, currently taking up residence with her twin sister Aoi Maiko and their ward Hazel in the city of Hashigin. Of the two Maiko twins, Aki is easily the more responsible. Of the three residence of the Maiko eatery, she is typically viewed as the eldest, and often the one making the major decisions. It was her idea to open up their business, utilizing the cooking skills to sustain all three of them in the trading hub that is their home. She thinks logically and is very business focused, all to ensure they remain fed and comfortable. Her sometimes harsh attitude and bullheadedness conceal the fact that she truly cares for Aoi and Hazel, and would do whatever it takes to keep them safe.

## Appearance

Aki stands a average five-foot ten-inches tall with a slim yet athletic build. Just like her sister, she has bright blue eyes and silky straight, dark blue hair. To help people tell the two apart, Aki cuts her hair shorter than Aoi, and styles it the same way into a pair of bangs that frame her face and reach her shoulders, and a low ponytail that hangs done between her shoulder blades.

Spending a lot of time around open flames and hot utensils, Aki dresses to better handle the heat. A mix of both hand-me-downs, home made garments, and whatever else she is able to afford. She dons a pair of dark grey trousers with the legs rolled up to her knees, and a pair of dark leather ankle shoes. She wears an red, open tunic with black linings and pocket folds, but white puffs at he waist and bicep length sleeve. She usually leaves it opened at the front, revealing a white tube-top woven around her chest. She, like her sister, usually wears a white headscarf to hold her hear out of her eyes, and accessorizes with a dark sash around her waste woven beneath a yellow cord where he toolbar hangs from the flat of her back. Lastly, she keeps a small hand fan handy at all times. A gift from Aoi on one of their birthdays. It is a dull yellow color, adorned with a trio of black circles each containing a white diamond shape within.

## Personality

Unlike Aoi, Aki is serious and responsible. Sha often takes the role of an elder sister, despite the two being twins, and cares for Hazel like a mother. It often falls to her to ensure the mundane tasks get done around the household, or at least delegate them to the others. Likewise, she also takes it upon herself to deal with any rowdy customers. While nowhere near a trained fighter, she knows how to sound commanding enough to deal with anyone looking to cause trouble. She does this not to be combative, but more because she want's to keep her family out of harm's way. Aoi, Hazel, and even some of the city's other residence, have learned to fear her fiery temper, but Aki doesn't care. So long as Aoi and Hazel are happy and healthy, that's all that matters to her.

Likewise, she is also more cautious than Aoi. She pays special attention to rumors that come through Hashigin, and tries to steer Aoi away from any danger when she goes on an outing outside the city. This has caused more than a few fights between the two, with Aoi insisting that Aki is jut being paranoid, while Aki insists Aoi is far too carefree for her own good. These disagreements can sometimes get pretty nasty, and sometimes have caused the pair to avoid one another for the better part of a day. Often times the two reconvene and make up, but Aki is less often the one to approach Aoi about it. Unless she says something particularly mean, Aki plays it of as her just doing what she needs do to to keep her family safe. Inversely, she almost never has to argue with Hazel. Aki appreciates her helpful attitude, and enjoys having someone else to talk to if she and Aoi start to butt heads.

## Background

Aki and her sister where born in the City of Hashigin. Their father was a wondering mercenary, and their mother an apothecary. The two met after their father came back from a quest injured, and the two where married within the year. Aoi and Aki where born not long after, and their small family settled down in Hashigin. With their mother running a small clinic, their father decided to retire from adventuring to help take care of their two new daughters. However, over the next five years, raids from the northern Norn tribes against the city where becoming more and more frequent, and eventually the city leadership decided to throw a band together to strike back. Aoi's father was called out of retirement, and her mother's indispensable skills at healing where a necessity. bitterly, their parents set out, promising to be home soon.

Unfortunately however, days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. There was no official announcement made, but after a while people began to accept that any who had gone would not be returning. Being only five years old, neither Aoi nor Aki really understood what that meant. They had some idea, sure. People told them that their parents wouldn't be coming back. Aki took it better than her sister, having realised it was up to her to take care of her and Aoi now. Allowing her sister time to greave, Aki began acting as the head of the household. Ensuring they had food on the table and clean clothes every week. Mind, the newly orphaned girls weren't thrown out on the street. Their parents, knowing there was a very real chance that they might not come back, had paid off their home and set up a little nest egg for their girls to live off of until they came of age.

Growing into their early teens, as Aoi began doing odd jobs around town to help bring in some money, Aki had a few friend over, and one of them mentioned that people would come from all over to try her food. This gave her an idea, something to keep Aoi from running herself ragged. The two would open up a restaurant together. Though Aoi was skeptical, Aki insisted they try it out, and opened up a few days a week to let other people try her food. Happily, the business was an instant success. Hashigin was a trading hub, and as such saw a lot of people coming and going throughout the day. By the time the two girls turned 19, they'd become a staple of the city. It was also around this time that Aerifin Thyocrie began frequenting their business. Being an elf, and part of the not-so-reputable town guard, Aeirfin wasn't treated that well by just about anyone in the city. His money was as good as anyone else, and he and Aoi regularly hit it off, so she didn't care what people thought about him. She even became friends with him as well, in the few moments they had free time together.

Around the time they turned 21, something else occurred that would chance the sister's lives forever. One night while cleaning up, the sisters heard a rummaging coming from the back of their restaurant. Expecting either a thief or some sort of animal, the two readied themselves for a confrontation. What they found however, was not at all what they where expecting. A young girl, barely ten years old, scrounging through their stock for something to eat. Quickly deciding she was no threat, Aki left to make her something to eat, while Aoi stayed with her. After a bit of talking they learned her name was Hazel, and that she came from one of the ships that frequently made their way through Hashigin. Having no idea where she'd come from, the twins decided to take her in. Once she was well enough, Aki began teaching her how to cook, the idea being that giving her some sort of skill would help her later in life. the girl took to it quickly, and became an integral part of their little business in just a few short months. Aki appreciated having a helper in the kitchen, and Aoi adored what she now saw as a younger sister.

Things would continue on as normal, until one day a strange cathedral would appear downriver of the city. Aki was instantly weary of it, warning her sister stay away during her frequent ventures out of town.