Katsu (Katsu (Ab-Orbis))

-Name: Katsu

- Number: 77

- Rank: 1

- Type: Water

 Age: 17

- Gender: Male

- Height: 6’2’’ (With horns)

- Root: Albino Bat, Chital/Spotted Deer, Blue Glaucus

- House: Valerian

- Background:

Located in between the uncharted land of the ruins, rested a secluded village hidden from the eyes of Yun.  Katsu grew up inside of the Arcane clan, the son to the Clan leader, and the middle child of three. Growing up, he always looked forward to his older brother, tasked with the daily patrols - and unbeknownst to him - in charge of protecting their village’s solitude from the outside world.  The youngest of the family, and his little sister, Kasumi, looked up to him in turn, knowing even less of the world than Katsu did.

As the son of the Clan Leader, Katsu was given a rich education: taught not only the ways of their clan, but languages gleaned from the texts of the outside world, the world’s history, and anything that didn’t betray the state of the world outside the borders.  He learned of literature, how to play the harp, and anything that would be expected of someone who might take up the position of Clan Leader in his brother’s absence.

Except, of course, for the day he woke up to a world of flames.

Everything was far too confusing. Where was Kasumi?  His parents didn’t know, but even he could tell in their grim eyes that there was something they hadn’t told him.  Almost as if they had prepared for it, they gave him a pack filled with everything he could need - one to him, and one to his brother.  Without even as much as a goodbye, his brother pulled him by the arm and through what would become the remnants of a once bright village.  The men in maroon coats were pulling away at people. He didn’t know why, and barely had the time to think about it -- wondering why they didn’t look like the others, how they had no wings and no tail.  He heard screaming just before he was pulled out and away from the world he used to know. The fire was everywhere -- along with the smoke -- it was too heavy to breathe through. Even the further they got from the village, the smoke covered everything.  When his energy was all but burned, he coughed, collapsed to the floor, and remembered no more.

When he woke up, he was being treated to by another one of these odd strangers - this one with features like a cat -- and his older brother was nowhere to be seen.  She was a hybrid, soon he’d learn, just like she was. But he was rarer, she would say. And in this world, he had to watch his back. But none of the words would register in Katsu’s mind.  He was the clan leader’s son. And his brother, and Kasumi -- he had to find them, no matter what. So as soon as he was healthy enough to leave, he left with a thank you and wandered off to find them.

He didn’t know how long had passed.  A few weeks, maybe, before rumours became abundant and the same strange men in maroon coats came to find him, saying they had to come with him.

He wanted his brother, he said.  He wanted his sister, Kasumi.

They said little on the subject.  They said he was property of the Government, words which made him try to stand up and tower over the strangers in rage.   That’s when they started to give him what he wanted. “Maybe,” they said. Just maybe, he’d find his family there. And maybe still, it was just a lie, but well, it was all he had to go off on, anyway.

So when Katsu was carted off to the strange world of the Academy, his goal was clear.  Find his family, at all costs.

- Personality:
+ honourable
+ soft
+ reserved
+ rational/philosophical
- somewhat bratty
- stubborn
- cryptic
- moody

- Likes/Dislikes:

Likes:
Cherry Blossoms + similar pretty things.  They remind Katsu of his favourite parts of home, alongside just being his general aesthetic.
Noble Stories.  He adores stories of honour - fictional or real - because they remind him of the stories his older brother used to tell.
Travelling. The moment Katsu left his village, he’s entered what almost seems to be an alien world to him - and he wants to make the most of it he can.  Learning about this strange new world he’s never known about gives him pleasure.
Poetry. Katsu loves to write poetry in his freetime.  It’s mostly freestyle, though he’d like to try doing some slam poetry.
Fashion-related hobbies. He enjoys talking about fashion in general, but this extends to costume making, drawing, and photoshoot pieces.  He’s a huge purveyor of the arts, and if anything, entering the Academy has just given him more artists to learn about and work with.
Philosophy.  He’s quite well-read and likes losing himself deep in thought on the different theories and concepts of various scholars.

Dislikes:
Fire. The clan.  The burning. Safe to say, fire invokes… unpleasant memories.
Cowardice.  There’s a thin line between standing up for your values and standing up for nothing, or so Katsu thinks.  Only cowards brought the fate that befell his family, and he’s prone not to think of such individuals lightly.
Green Tea. Katsu has an odd love-hate relationship with green tea.  He drinks it and claims that he likes it, but in reality he hates the taste.  He only drinks it because his brother used to, and it reminds him of home.
Humans. So far, those strange wingless creatures haven’t exactly been good to him, so it’s reasonable to expect he’ll have a natural distrust.  It’ll definitely take some warming up before he gets used to one of them. Anyway, how can they live without soaring to the skies at least once?
Failure.He is the son of the clan leader.  Failure is not an option.

- Abilities:
Echolocation - Katsu can use echolocation to see the space around him when in dark spaces or otherwise blinded. (Albino Bat)
Speed Burst - When in a tight pinch, Katsu can temporarily double his speed to either engage or evade an enemy. (Chital)
Deadly Sting - When threatened, Katsu can release a poison from his tissues to sting his enemies. (Blue Glaucus)

- Trivia:

Fun Fact #1: Unusually good at photoshoots, despite rarely having done them before.

Fun Fact #2: He managed to bring with him a single pack of items from home. Besides some rations, they included a teacup set, a fan, a notebook complete with a quill (presumably from some hybrid, judging by the size), a spare set of clothes, and a book detailing the history of his clan.  Interestingly, however, the book seems to be written in a language that is not Mandarin or English.

Fun Fact #3: His older brother disappeared, even from government eyes, and was never heard of again.  Kasumi, however, is confirmed as alive, with sightings of a similar hybrid reported within the region of Yun.  The government agents, in the meanwhile, haven’t seem to have found her yet.

Fun Fact #4: In an academic setting, would probably be the double-major tryhard in Art & Philosophy.