Tolka

**Profile**

Tolka is an avid bird-watcher who happens to be a member of the Sensha-do club as well. She's currently a first-year student.

**Appearance**

Tolka is a short, petite girl with slightly tanned skin, acquired from years of outdoor fieldwork. Her silver-coloured hair would normally have allowed her to blend in with the crowd but not on Shamrock though, where the majority of the student population are some form of a redhead and Tolka stands out like a pheasant among peacocks. She ties her long hair into a ponytail, which is useful for getting it out of her face, allowing her to use her binoculars much more easily, but she retains a random lock of hair that sticks out of her crown for some reason.

During the rare times she is seen attending classes, she often wears her distinct and eye-catching camouflage jacket on top of the school dress, along with her backpack and boots, a bit of a departure from the typical school bag and loafers.  When the test she needs to take is finished or when she passes her long-overdue assignment, Tolka will climb out the window and make a run for it, returning to the forest to get back to her hobby, her backpack holding her trusty field guide and snacks.

For extracurricular activities, however, Tolka's wearing of the  Sensha-do uniform earned her the scrutiny of the team's commander herself, who makes sure that neither the green blazer nor the combat boots of the team were replaced by Tolka's own unique apparel. She was able to get away with one thing though and that is adding to the standard green hackle with a feather of the Northern Lapwing, the Irish national bird.

**Personality**

At first, Tolka might seem cold and stand-offish, staring at someone with enough scrutiny to melt them to their knees. In fact, she merely lacks the social skills to initiate conversations and it was only through the 'gut feeling' of Avoca had Tolka gained what she may consider friends.

Although her illustrations of the birds she'd seen attracts many onlookers, Tolka gets tongue tied when asked to explain her exquisite drawings. Those close to her know not to ask too much about them too much or they would risk making the poor girl uncomfortable.

Tolka also found an acquaintance in Laune, a fellow country girl, although the girl's inanity sometimes makes interactions awkward and embarrassing.

When outside of the public eye, Tolka could be described as lazy and laid back. This is more evident than ever in the  cluttered and dusty silver-haired girl's apartment, which had been left uncleaned due to how little time she spends in there anyway.

**Background**

Growing up in Hokkaido, Tolka had had a long fascination with birds and, with her father, she would go every weekend to the nearby Kushiro National Park, where the rare red-crowned crane can be found, and the father and daughter pair would spend the whole day watching and waiting for birds to appear.

Much later in her life, when the question of which high school she would attend in the future came up, it would seem that Tolka would be sent to the prefecture's Canadian themed school,  Maple High. But when she heard great tales about a school down south filled to the brim with avian fauna, she made it her life's dream to be accepted as a student to *Shamrock School for Girls*.

When her hard work paid off, Tolka immediately went on to do her hobby, scouring the Irish-themed school for its birds and soon forgot about her academics. She would have failed in her first semester had she not met Avoca, who was kind enough to help her catch up. And so, Tolka continues, observing birds of great variety from afar, using her eye for detail to capture the exact colour of its feathers and the shape of its beak, pouring them all into her journals, giving birth to her own colourful and comprehensive guide to birds onboard the Unicorn.

Tolka wants nothing more than to build an observation tower for herself but for that she needs funding and to gain funding, she has to create a club and to create a club, she has to recruit members and to recruit members, she has to talk to people; a dealbreaker. To make up for her lack of elevation, Tolka often climbs certain trees allowing her to peer through the foliage and being able to spot more birds.

So when she heard that the Sensha-do team had an observation tower, Tolka quickly signed up and since the team lacked enough tanks for every member to crew, shifts had to be imposed, allowing her to quietly slip into the tower and continue doing what she loved.

**Trivia**

* Tolka's real name is Tsuru Suzume.
* Her birthday is on 19th March, which is the same day as the Crossbarry Ambush, which was one of the largest engagements of the Irish War of Independence.
* Her favourite tank is the Antonov A-40.
* She is 150cm (4ft 11in) tall.
* The camouflage on her jacket is based on a real-life modern Irish camouflage scheme known as *paddyflage*.

**Appearances**

**Spoilers**

**Tolka gallery**