Shokujiki Kyoko

Good in the kitchen and great with helping others, Kyoko is one of the warmest people you'll ever meet. At twenty one years of age, Kyoko has spent much of her life in a small Heruban settlement in eastern Aperion.

History
Kyoko was born to Sokujiki Hiroto and Emiko, two Heruban natives who were making the treacherous crossing into Aperion in the middle of the night. Aboard their transport, Kyoko's mother went into labor, and Kyoko was born only seconds after they crossed into Aperion, making their daughter a full-blooded Aperonian citizen.

She grew up in Haven (Called Heiban by travelers who misunderstood the intent of the name), a small town near the Barrier Range comprised of Heruban immigrants and Aperonian travelers. Her mother worked in a restaurant, where Kyoko spent much of her time learning how to cook, and her father ran a martial arts school that mostly gave children and adolescents in the neighborhood something to do to keep them out of their parents' hair.

Kyoko's younger brother, Kouji, was born when she was eight years old. Only three tars afterward, tragedy struck. Heiban was attacked by a fleet of Souxian raiders, likely on the prowl for any valuables the town's residents had smuggled over the border. Hiroto and Eiko were killed in the scuffle, and much of the town was destroyed. Kyoko and Kouji survived by hiding in a safe room their parents had built into the basement of their house. Many in Heiban were not so fortunate.

Kyoko became less of an older sister and more of a mother to her little brother, who now, at 15, can't remember much of his parents or the raid beyond hazy inclinations. She got a job at the restaurant where her mother worked and did her best to raise herself and her brother.

There's something, though, that she feels is missing in her life. Her brother has withdrawn over the past few years, and she feels like she's living most days without a purpose. She's toyed with the idea of leaving town with Kouji, but she has no idea where to go. It's probably a bad idea, anyway.

Personality
Kyoko is naturally kind and nurturing. She loves cooking and experiments with recipes often. She adheres to the personal philosophy that there are few things that can't be made better with good food. She experiments with recipes often and has developed a knack for knowing what spices and what ingredients will produce the best dish, though she hasn't quite figured out most desserts. Pies, in particular, elude her. She's picked up a few of the flashier tricks from hibachi chefs and isn't afraid to use them to impress customers.

What defines Kyoko the most is her eidetic memory. Kyoko has remembered almost everything that has ever happened to her in exact detail. It's how she remembers her mother's cooking lessons and her father's martial arts. She doesn't mind having a photographic memory for the most part, but she's developed a bit of a hang up over the memories of her parents. She treats it, whether consciously or not, as a sort of penance. Her brother barely recalls them, so she takes it upon herself to teach him what they were like.

Hiroto, in particular, was a practitioner of a special school of martial arts that has belonged to the Sokujiki family for generations. Kyoko watched him enough times (and had even started to learn from him) when he was alive that she now spends hours replaying her memories of his form and his instructions, practicing and teaching herself through recollection alone.

Kyoko has fallen into a malaise lately. She feels that her life has lost it's momentum. As one of the only non-heterosexual people in a town that largely frowns on any atypical behavior, Kyoko's had a rough love life that hasn't done much to help her feelings of listlessness. She'd probably enjoy an adventure, but she'd rather play things safe, both for her sake and Kouji's.