Yoko Yamada

Although she never met her, Yoko's mother was a powerful agent of high status within the Fatui. When she became pregnant she chose to retire, the thought of being a mother chnaging her priorities and disrupting her moral compass. However, not long after giving birth she fell ill, leaving her daughter in Arlecchino's care. Yoko spent the first 8 years of her life in a private section of the House of the Hearth before she was officially induced as an orphan and introduced to the other harbingers. Until that point, Arlecchino had often neglected her, seeing her as more of a burden than her child. When she began her training at 8 she found comfort in knowing that Arlecchino took interest in her and her skills. Though, that comfort quickly turned into blind obedience as Arlecchino pushed her to her limits again and again.

When Yoko was 10 she bagan Ballet lessons with Zanni, as well as other specialized training sessions with the other harbingers. Her skills were exceptional for her age, just like her mother's had been. Her dance lessons with Zanni quickly shifted from serious training, to a more comfortable environment where the two could enjoy themselves. They developed a very close relationship, Yoko seeing him more as parent or mentor than the heartless monster she had been told he was. Her relationship with him continued to grow and blossom the older she got, their relatonship now more of a twisted version of father and daughter.

Yoko's first time feeling Love was when she was 13. She had been instructed to observe Lyney and Lynette while they were out on business, shadowing them for the day. It was her first time being out on the streets of Fontaine without Arlecchino, and she felt herself getting distracted by anything and everything. It was hard to focus on Lyney and Lynette's boring talks with Fontaine's citizens when there was so much to look at. Her eyes darted around the streets as they walked, unable to stay in one place too long. Until a certain boy caught her eye.

She couldnt tear her eyes away from him, and she felt an unusual feeling forming in her stomach. She felt ill. She quickly got Lyney's attention, pulling him away from his conversation with the merchant he was talking to. She pulled him aside to describe her symptoms to him, thinking she must have been sick. However, he quickly realized what had happened, a knowing smirk forming on his face. Within a split second it seemed like he was dragging Yoko over to the boy. The rest of that day felt like a blur, a mixture of strange feelings stirring inside her. They collectively chose not to tell Arlecchino about the detour, deciding that it could wait until Yoko came to terms with it herself.

She of course told Zanni during their next lesson. She hadnt meant to, it just happened. She always told him everything out of habit, even things she wished she could have hid for longer. "I fell in love last weekened." It just slipped out, as if it were the most casual thing in the world. She then got a very long lecture from him and they talked about it for hours, completely forgetting about their dance practice.

Yoko spent weeks, months, even years, doing practice missions. Deliveries, pick-ups, little things. Usually Freminet would go with her too. But her first real mission was all she could think about. She was excited about it, but the nature of her task was...frightening...

She had been assigned to bring in a new child to the House of the Hearth. An orphan boy living on the docks of the harbor. The whole boat ride there her stomach was in knots. Her wing was shaking, its mechanical counterpart powered off to avoid a fuse bursting. Once they arrived, she was given permission to change out of her uniform, putting on a simple dress fit for a typical Fontainian girl. She felt herself shaking the entire time she spoke to him. She felt awful tricking him in that way, manipulating him to come with her. She felt sick...

The ride back was more than a litte awkward. She was nervous. Guilty even. And she knew he could tell. Even the driver could feel her nerves. Once they arrived at "home", she instinctively went to Lyney and Lynette's room, not saying a word as she crawled into bed with them for comfort. She felt better upon feeling their warmth. Though, that feeling didnt last long. She got called to Arlecchino's office. She made herself look presentable, a composed expression plastered on her face. Her stomach sank when she noticed Arlecchino's gaze linger on her wing...

She shakily adjusted to the pain of losing another wing as she walked to her room, blood trickeling down her back and soaking through her uniform. All she wanted was a cool shower and her bed. However, upon entering her dorm, she was not so pleasantly surprised to see that she had aquired a new roommate. His eyes flickered to her wing-less back, a suspicious and questioning gaze forming on his face. She simply sat on her bed across from him, accepting that this was going to be one hell of a week. . .