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Suzako Kururugi - character profile
Nov. 9th, 2008 08:21 pmSuzako Kururugi
Japanese / Honorary Britannian
Daughter of Genbu Kururugi, late Prime Minister of Japan
Personal maid to Luluko vi Britannia
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geass_alterna tag
The only daughter of the last prime minister of Japan, Suzako grew up in her family's shrine. She barely remembers her mother, but all the same feels close to her because of the stories Tōdō would tell. A member of the Sumeragi family, Suzako's mother had married into the Kururugi's to help strengthen the ties between the two families. Well liked for her kind personality, Suzako's mother had been very much admired for her beauty and talent. A practitioner of aikido, she was almost as proficient as Tōdō. Unfortunately, she was killed during an earthquake when Suzako was four.
For the most part Suzako was raised by the maids and the priestesses of the Kururugi shrine. She never had a good relationship with her father, Genbu, as she always felt like he didn't really want to spend time with her. And so she was more than happy to stay out of his way, perfectly content to train with Tōdō in his dojo and have adventures in the woods around the shrine. For a while she even began to train as a priestess, but quickly came to the conclusion it would be much too boring.
The summer she turned ten brought a number of difficult changes to Suzako's life. War with Britannia broke out, slowly tearing her country to shreds. She was forced to say good-bye to Tōdō as he went to lead the Japanese troops. It soon became apparent that Japan was doing very badly, but Genbu still decided to adopt a do-or-die resistance. Frightened, Suzako argued with her father. During the argument it came out that Suzako was not actually Genbu's daughter, but Tōdō's. Things came to a head and Suzako ended up stabbing Genbu and killing him.
The incident was quickly hushed and the story spread that Genbu hoped his death would stop the hardline faction. Within a month, Japan soon defeated; Britannias Knightmare Frames proving too much for the Japanese to handle. Having lost contact with Tōdō, and not wanting to burden her mother's family with sheltering her, Suzako was forced to turn herself in at the Britannian headquarters. They gave her two options, confinement until she was sixteen, or become a maid and serve Britannia. Suzako took the second option.
She thought they'd just make her work at their headquarters, or perhaps fob her off on some loyal high ranking Britannian family. She didn't expect them to ship her to the mainland, let alone to the capital city of Pendragon. Maybe she was that big a threat that they needed her as far away as possible or in a place where Britannia could keep as close a watch as possible. Or maybe they were just lazy and wanted someone else to deal with her. Either way, less than a week after Japan's defeat, Suzako was in the heart of Britannia.
Dumped off on the head housekeeper of Aeris Palace, Suzaku was put to work in the kitchens polishing silver. The housekeeper took pity on Suzako though, and made an agreement with the girl that as long as she finished all of her tasks, she could go play if no one caught her. If she was caught playing, she'd have to take punishment. Suzako readily agreed and quickly became quite skilled at polishing silver. Afterwards, she'd run out to the gardens and stables to play.
It was on one such occasion about a month after Suzako arrived at the Aeris Palace that she made a special acquaintance. A girl about her age with pretty long black hair was in the gardens hiding. The initial encounter was a little heated, as the girl thought Suzako had been sent to fetch her. Suzako took the other girl for a servant's child and quickly teased the other girl, Luluko, into playing with her. By the end of the afternoon the two girls were fast friends.
Things were not so good when a footman found them curled up together asleep in the grass shortly before dinner. Suzako was shocked to find out she'd been playing with the oldest daughter of the house, 17th Princess Luluko vi Britannia. Both girls were severely scolded (as Luluko had thrown a tantrum earlier and run off in her underdress) and Suzako was sent to bed without supper and required to polish twice as much silver as usual for a month, effectively keeping her busy for the whole day and away from the princess.
But a seed of curiosity had been planted, and Suzako wanted to see the pretty princess again. When the doubled chores were relented Suzako began searching for ways to see Luluko, even from a distance. But she soon discovered that a kitchen maid couldn't get very far in the palace. And so she resolved to become more important so she could be more than just a kitchen maid. Getting a 'better position' was about all the other kitchen maids talked about anyway, when they weren't gossiping about each other or the rest of the household.
So Suzako began actively looking for other chores to do, other tasks to add to those she was already able to do. The head housekeeper did not miss Suzako's ambition and helped the other girl learn new skills. Gradually, Suzako rose in the ranks, as she actually worked on increasing her skills instead of just talking about it, and a reference from the head housekeeper was about as good as gold within the various areas of the Palace.
By the time Suzako was twelve, she'd been placed as the internal messager runner for the Palace. This was when Suzako finally saw the princess again. It was her first run to an actual family member of the household instead of just a staff member and the proper protocol had been drilled into Suzako's head over and over. She was sent to deliver a message to the Empress and Luluko was there with her mother. While the Empress penned a response, Suzako peeked at the princess, to find the princess was peeking at her in return.
With the Empress in the room, they couldn't chance speaking to each other, and so Suzako left without being able to ask Luluko the question that'd been itching her for the past three years. Why had Luluko played with her when it was obvious she was not only a servant but not Britannian? She'd been wearing the uniform all servants wore, albeit a smaller version. But the princess had still played with her. Why?
Another six months passed before Suzako was summoned by Luluko herself to 'deliver' a message. Finally alone with the princess, Suzako blurted out her question before protocol could remind her she wasn't supposed to ask such impudent questions of a member of the Imperial family. Luluko was quiet for a moment, then quietly admitted she'd wanted to know what it was like to have a friend her age. Shocked, Suzako impulsively said she'd be Luluko's friend. Luluko gave a laugh and said they wouldn't be allowed. Suzako just grinned and said that was half the fun of being friends. Smiling, Luluko agreed.
Suzako's steady rise from kitchen maid to messager wasn't well received by some though. To many, Suzako was still just a Number, worse than a second class citizen of the Empire. From day one she'd had to suffer insults and pranks, but each improved position was just oil on the fire. Suzako put up with the torment, knowing that if she didn't do her best to excel, she would never see Japan again.
It was lucky that Suzako made the acquaintance of Sayoko, the nanny of Princess Nunnally. It was a comfort to Suzako and Sayoko both to have someone from home there. Sayoko took Suzako under her wing, teaching her how royals were served, but also teaching her other things, like how to conceal weapons on herself and how to use said weapons. In a way, it was an extension of Suzako's martial arts training with Tōdō, and she soon became very skilled.
And then came Luluko's fourteenth birthday. For some, fourteen wasn't that auspicious of an age, but for a Britannian princess it was when she could begin employing her own personal maid. Not that Suzako would have cared, except Luluko had been confiding in her about how nervous she was about the decision. Suzako did her best to suggest some of the nicer maids she'd worked with, even if deep down she wanted Luluko to choose her. But there was no way Luluko would be allowed to pick a Number.
The head housekeeper, however, had different ideas, and quietly submitted Suzako's name to Luluko for consideration. This pleased Luluko greatly, as she'd wanted to pick Suzako but had been nervous to when the other girl hadn't said anything about wanting to be her maid. That, and Luluko secretly delighted at the thought of how people would react if she picked a Number for her personal maid.
It was Suzako herself that affected the final decision. Only a few days before Luluko's birthday, an assassin managed to breach the Aeris Palace. If Suzako hadn't arrived to deliver a message, perhaps he would have succeeded. Noticing someone she didn't recognize in the gardens, she followed him discretely. When the man attempted to grab Princess Nunnally, Suzako jumped him and incapacitated him with ruthless efficiency.
To say that Suzako was surprised when Luluko picked her to be her maid a few days later would be an understatement. But it didn't compare to her surprise when she heard the Empress herself had approved of Luluko's selection. The Empress had been present in the garden that day and had witnessed Suzako's rescue of the youngest princess. The girl's skills were quite apparent to the woman who had once been a Knight of Rounds. For the moment, she simply watched Suzako, waiting to see just how deeply the girl's talent and determination ran.
And so Suzako became Luluko's near constant companion. She was the first Luluko saw in the morning and the last to see her before she fell asleep at night. As the months passed, the friendship between the two girls only deepened. Suzako was quite fond of Luluko's razor with, when it was directed at other people. And Luluko rather liked Suzako's blunt straight-forward manner. She knew she could get an honest answer from her maid, when the other servants would avoid giving an answer or just defer to her. Suzako would readily state her opinion when asked, and sometimes when not.
It wasn't long before Suzako's latest advancement brought trouble to her. A Number as a Britannian princess' lady's maid! It was downright shameful. Suzako did her best to keep Luluko from hearing what others were saying, but the gossip was flying on all levels, servant, noble, an royal. Luluko was quite furious and considered asking her mother to dismiss the troublesome servants, but Suzako begged her not to; it would only worsen the situation.
The straw that broke the proverbial camel's back happened a few weeks before Suzako's 16th birthday. Suzako was cutting through the gardens with some late night snacks for her mistress when a group of servants jumped her. If they'd learned anything from their previous attempts to harass Suzako, it was that they needed larger numbers.
This time they were able to gain the upper hand on the girl. Luckily, someone else was in the gardens and overheard the commotion and at the sight of Luluko's half-brother, Euphemios, they scattered and left Suzako laying stunned on the ground. Recognizing the unconscious girl as his half-sister's maid, Euphemios carried Suzako to Luluko's quarters.
Luluko was beyond livid, but managed to hold back her anger in front of Euphemios to focus on caring for her maid. Summoning her own physician, Luluko stubbornly made sure Suzako received the care she needed, going as far to keep Suzako in her own bed.
Waking with Luluko's arms around her was a shocking moment for Suzako, as was the realization that something about it felt right. She tried to insist she be taken to her room but Luluko refused, not about to allow for another attack. Ordering her maid to remain in her quarters for the rest of the night, Luluko tucked Suzako in, curling protectively around the other girl as they slept.
The following morning, Luluko metted out her punishment for the way her maid had been treated. Correctly identifying all of the servants that had taken part, even the ones Suzako hadn't been able to grudgingly name. All were dismissed with a black mark on their service record, a sign of extreme displeasure of an employer and a crippling blow to future employment when giving by an Imperial princess.
On Suzako's 16th birthday, Luluko presented her with a certificate declaring her an Honorary Britannian. Under the princess's hand, the paperwork Suzako had been attempting to have put through for over a year was processed almost overnight. While it still meant Suzako was a 2nd class citizen, it did offer her a few more legal rights.
The Empress had a surprise for Suzako as well. Summoning the girl, Marianne offered her a rare opportunity, to learn to pilot her Ganymede Knightmare Frame. Suzako was more than shocked but happily accepted. Marianne the Flash wanted to teach her. Suzako pinched herself hard as she return to Luluko's quarters to be sure she hadn't imagined it. Luluko's happiness over her acceptance of the Empress's offer solidified her surety she'd made the right decision.
Luluko had one more surprise for Suzako: new, more secure quarters, which were also connected to her quarters by a secret passage. With their quarters now linked, the girls often slipped off to visit each other, growing closer than ever. Many a night one or the other would have to scurry quickly back to her own room before someone realized the princess was missing or her maid was in the wrong room.
Another pair were growing closer as well, Suzako and Euphemios (affectionately called Femio by his siblings). After the attack before her birthday, Euphemios began seeking Suzako out whenever he visited Luluko and Nunnally, which was often. Suzako was very grateful for the help Euphemios had given her and his informal approach was rather endearing. When she wasn't tending to Luluko, Suzako would often be found conversing with the Prince.
This caused no small degree of distress for Luluko, who began to fear that Euphemios planned to take Suzako away from her. It certainly made rumors fly that the Eleven [insert insulting word here] was trying to seduce the Prince. Euphemios never denied he was interested in taking Suzako as his lover, as he was quickly falling in love with her. But Suzako never noticed his feelings for her, as she'd realized something on her birthday.
She was in love with Princess Luluko.
Japanese / Honorary Britannian
Daughter of Genbu Kururugi, late Prime Minister of Japan
Personal maid to Luluko vi Britannia
geass_alterna tagThe only daughter of the last prime minister of Japan, Suzako grew up in her family's shrine. She barely remembers her mother, but all the same feels close to her because of the stories Tōdō would tell. A member of the Sumeragi family, Suzako's mother had married into the Kururugi's to help strengthen the ties between the two families. Well liked for her kind personality, Suzako's mother had been very much admired for her beauty and talent. A practitioner of aikido, she was almost as proficient as Tōdō. Unfortunately, she was killed during an earthquake when Suzako was four.
For the most part Suzako was raised by the maids and the priestesses of the Kururugi shrine. She never had a good relationship with her father, Genbu, as she always felt like he didn't really want to spend time with her. And so she was more than happy to stay out of his way, perfectly content to train with Tōdō in his dojo and have adventures in the woods around the shrine. For a while she even began to train as a priestess, but quickly came to the conclusion it would be much too boring.
The summer she turned ten brought a number of difficult changes to Suzako's life. War with Britannia broke out, slowly tearing her country to shreds. She was forced to say good-bye to Tōdō as he went to lead the Japanese troops. It soon became apparent that Japan was doing very badly, but Genbu still decided to adopt a do-or-die resistance. Frightened, Suzako argued with her father. During the argument it came out that Suzako was not actually Genbu's daughter, but Tōdō's. Things came to a head and Suzako ended up stabbing Genbu and killing him.
The incident was quickly hushed and the story spread that Genbu hoped his death would stop the hardline faction. Within a month, Japan soon defeated; Britannias Knightmare Frames proving too much for the Japanese to handle. Having lost contact with Tōdō, and not wanting to burden her mother's family with sheltering her, Suzako was forced to turn herself in at the Britannian headquarters. They gave her two options, confinement until she was sixteen, or become a maid and serve Britannia. Suzako took the second option.
She thought they'd just make her work at their headquarters, or perhaps fob her off on some loyal high ranking Britannian family. She didn't expect them to ship her to the mainland, let alone to the capital city of Pendragon. Maybe she was that big a threat that they needed her as far away as possible or in a place where Britannia could keep as close a watch as possible. Or maybe they were just lazy and wanted someone else to deal with her. Either way, less than a week after Japan's defeat, Suzako was in the heart of Britannia.
Dumped off on the head housekeeper of Aeris Palace, Suzaku was put to work in the kitchens polishing silver. The housekeeper took pity on Suzako though, and made an agreement with the girl that as long as she finished all of her tasks, she could go play if no one caught her. If she was caught playing, she'd have to take punishment. Suzako readily agreed and quickly became quite skilled at polishing silver. Afterwards, she'd run out to the gardens and stables to play.
It was on one such occasion about a month after Suzako arrived at the Aeris Palace that she made a special acquaintance. A girl about her age with pretty long black hair was in the gardens hiding. The initial encounter was a little heated, as the girl thought Suzako had been sent to fetch her. Suzako took the other girl for a servant's child and quickly teased the other girl, Luluko, into playing with her. By the end of the afternoon the two girls were fast friends.
Things were not so good when a footman found them curled up together asleep in the grass shortly before dinner. Suzako was shocked to find out she'd been playing with the oldest daughter of the house, 17th Princess Luluko vi Britannia. Both girls were severely scolded (as Luluko had thrown a tantrum earlier and run off in her underdress) and Suzako was sent to bed without supper and required to polish twice as much silver as usual for a month, effectively keeping her busy for the whole day and away from the princess.
But a seed of curiosity had been planted, and Suzako wanted to see the pretty princess again. When the doubled chores were relented Suzako began searching for ways to see Luluko, even from a distance. But she soon discovered that a kitchen maid couldn't get very far in the palace. And so she resolved to become more important so she could be more than just a kitchen maid. Getting a 'better position' was about all the other kitchen maids talked about anyway, when they weren't gossiping about each other or the rest of the household.
So Suzako began actively looking for other chores to do, other tasks to add to those she was already able to do. The head housekeeper did not miss Suzako's ambition and helped the other girl learn new skills. Gradually, Suzako rose in the ranks, as she actually worked on increasing her skills instead of just talking about it, and a reference from the head housekeeper was about as good as gold within the various areas of the Palace.
By the time Suzako was twelve, she'd been placed as the internal messager runner for the Palace. This was when Suzako finally saw the princess again. It was her first run to an actual family member of the household instead of just a staff member and the proper protocol had been drilled into Suzako's head over and over. She was sent to deliver a message to the Empress and Luluko was there with her mother. While the Empress penned a response, Suzako peeked at the princess, to find the princess was peeking at her in return.
With the Empress in the room, they couldn't chance speaking to each other, and so Suzako left without being able to ask Luluko the question that'd been itching her for the past three years. Why had Luluko played with her when it was obvious she was not only a servant but not Britannian? She'd been wearing the uniform all servants wore, albeit a smaller version. But the princess had still played with her. Why?
Another six months passed before Suzako was summoned by Luluko herself to 'deliver' a message. Finally alone with the princess, Suzako blurted out her question before protocol could remind her she wasn't supposed to ask such impudent questions of a member of the Imperial family. Luluko was quiet for a moment, then quietly admitted she'd wanted to know what it was like to have a friend her age. Shocked, Suzako impulsively said she'd be Luluko's friend. Luluko gave a laugh and said they wouldn't be allowed. Suzako just grinned and said that was half the fun of being friends. Smiling, Luluko agreed.
Suzako's steady rise from kitchen maid to messager wasn't well received by some though. To many, Suzako was still just a Number, worse than a second class citizen of the Empire. From day one she'd had to suffer insults and pranks, but each improved position was just oil on the fire. Suzako put up with the torment, knowing that if she didn't do her best to excel, she would never see Japan again.
It was lucky that Suzako made the acquaintance of Sayoko, the nanny of Princess Nunnally. It was a comfort to Suzako and Sayoko both to have someone from home there. Sayoko took Suzako under her wing, teaching her how royals were served, but also teaching her other things, like how to conceal weapons on herself and how to use said weapons. In a way, it was an extension of Suzako's martial arts training with Tōdō, and she soon became very skilled.
And then came Luluko's fourteenth birthday. For some, fourteen wasn't that auspicious of an age, but for a Britannian princess it was when she could begin employing her own personal maid. Not that Suzako would have cared, except Luluko had been confiding in her about how nervous she was about the decision. Suzako did her best to suggest some of the nicer maids she'd worked with, even if deep down she wanted Luluko to choose her. But there was no way Luluko would be allowed to pick a Number.
The head housekeeper, however, had different ideas, and quietly submitted Suzako's name to Luluko for consideration. This pleased Luluko greatly, as she'd wanted to pick Suzako but had been nervous to when the other girl hadn't said anything about wanting to be her maid. That, and Luluko secretly delighted at the thought of how people would react if she picked a Number for her personal maid.
It was Suzako herself that affected the final decision. Only a few days before Luluko's birthday, an assassin managed to breach the Aeris Palace. If Suzako hadn't arrived to deliver a message, perhaps he would have succeeded. Noticing someone she didn't recognize in the gardens, she followed him discretely. When the man attempted to grab Princess Nunnally, Suzako jumped him and incapacitated him with ruthless efficiency.
To say that Suzako was surprised when Luluko picked her to be her maid a few days later would be an understatement. But it didn't compare to her surprise when she heard the Empress herself had approved of Luluko's selection. The Empress had been present in the garden that day and had witnessed Suzako's rescue of the youngest princess. The girl's skills were quite apparent to the woman who had once been a Knight of Rounds. For the moment, she simply watched Suzako, waiting to see just how deeply the girl's talent and determination ran.
And so Suzako became Luluko's near constant companion. She was the first Luluko saw in the morning and the last to see her before she fell asleep at night. As the months passed, the friendship between the two girls only deepened. Suzako was quite fond of Luluko's razor with, when it was directed at other people. And Luluko rather liked Suzako's blunt straight-forward manner. She knew she could get an honest answer from her maid, when the other servants would avoid giving an answer or just defer to her. Suzako would readily state her opinion when asked, and sometimes when not.
It wasn't long before Suzako's latest advancement brought trouble to her. A Number as a Britannian princess' lady's maid! It was downright shameful. Suzako did her best to keep Luluko from hearing what others were saying, but the gossip was flying on all levels, servant, noble, an royal. Luluko was quite furious and considered asking her mother to dismiss the troublesome servants, but Suzako begged her not to; it would only worsen the situation.
The straw that broke the proverbial camel's back happened a few weeks before Suzako's 16th birthday. Suzako was cutting through the gardens with some late night snacks for her mistress when a group of servants jumped her. If they'd learned anything from their previous attempts to harass Suzako, it was that they needed larger numbers.
This time they were able to gain the upper hand on the girl. Luckily, someone else was in the gardens and overheard the commotion and at the sight of Luluko's half-brother, Euphemios, they scattered and left Suzako laying stunned on the ground. Recognizing the unconscious girl as his half-sister's maid, Euphemios carried Suzako to Luluko's quarters.
Luluko was beyond livid, but managed to hold back her anger in front of Euphemios to focus on caring for her maid. Summoning her own physician, Luluko stubbornly made sure Suzako received the care she needed, going as far to keep Suzako in her own bed.
Waking with Luluko's arms around her was a shocking moment for Suzako, as was the realization that something about it felt right. She tried to insist she be taken to her room but Luluko refused, not about to allow for another attack. Ordering her maid to remain in her quarters for the rest of the night, Luluko tucked Suzako in, curling protectively around the other girl as they slept.
The following morning, Luluko metted out her punishment for the way her maid had been treated. Correctly identifying all of the servants that had taken part, even the ones Suzako hadn't been able to grudgingly name. All were dismissed with a black mark on their service record, a sign of extreme displeasure of an employer and a crippling blow to future employment when giving by an Imperial princess.
On Suzako's 16th birthday, Luluko presented her with a certificate declaring her an Honorary Britannian. Under the princess's hand, the paperwork Suzako had been attempting to have put through for over a year was processed almost overnight. While it still meant Suzako was a 2nd class citizen, it did offer her a few more legal rights.
The Empress had a surprise for Suzako as well. Summoning the girl, Marianne offered her a rare opportunity, to learn to pilot her Ganymede Knightmare Frame. Suzako was more than shocked but happily accepted. Marianne the Flash wanted to teach her. Suzako pinched herself hard as she return to Luluko's quarters to be sure she hadn't imagined it. Luluko's happiness over her acceptance of the Empress's offer solidified her surety she'd made the right decision.
Luluko had one more surprise for Suzako: new, more secure quarters, which were also connected to her quarters by a secret passage. With their quarters now linked, the girls often slipped off to visit each other, growing closer than ever. Many a night one or the other would have to scurry quickly back to her own room before someone realized the princess was missing or her maid was in the wrong room.
Another pair were growing closer as well, Suzako and Euphemios (affectionately called Femio by his siblings). After the attack before her birthday, Euphemios began seeking Suzako out whenever he visited Luluko and Nunnally, which was often. Suzako was very grateful for the help Euphemios had given her and his informal approach was rather endearing. When she wasn't tending to Luluko, Suzako would often be found conversing with the Prince.
This caused no small degree of distress for Luluko, who began to fear that Euphemios planned to take Suzako away from her. It certainly made rumors fly that the Eleven [insert insulting word here] was trying to seduce the Prince. Euphemios never denied he was interested in taking Suzako as his lover, as he was quickly falling in love with her. But Suzako never noticed his feelings for her, as she'd realized something on her birthday.
She was in love with Princess Luluko.
