(no subject)
History:
Larxene was born into a privileged life. The elder of two daughters to a wealthy Spanish investor, Larxene’s family packed their bags and moved to Tokyo when she was barely four. Shortly after this relocation, Larxene’s mother had her third and final daughter. Larxene’s father’s business prospered with almost uncanny success; her family lived in luxury in Ginza, frequently vacationing at the Hama Detached Palace Garden and a second summer home in Spain. Her education, the traditional computer based learning, was supplemented by a series of private tutors and there was very little, if anything, that Larxene could have wanted that would not have been given to her.
However, not all was perfect in the shining castle her father had built. Larxene’s father, while a shrewd business man, was an unpleasant fellow with a violent temper and a penchant for beating his wife and servants. In fact, there were rumors amongst the housekeepers that Larxene’s mother became barren because of these frequent altercations. Larxene and her sisters were frequently witnesses to intensely violent, sometimes bloody, fights. Larxene’s mother was a weak if not distant figure in her life, a woman too cowed by her husband to stand up for herself or protect her daughters. She was not a terribly affectionate mother, either-certainly not cruel or mean, but distant and perhaps “cold.” Consequently, all of her children got knocked around growing up, and if there was any comfort to be had for the children, it was not found in either of their parents but rather in the hired help. Rumors concerning her family and her father’s activities did not stop there-men who were rumored to be Yakuza and drug dealers and all manner of unsavory characters came in and out of their household on a daily basis, business partners and the like. Whatever rumors went around about their family, though, they stayed within the household-anyone caught spreading slander that could possibly taint the Rayo family’s pristine image was dealt with permanently.
As a child Larxene learned very quickly that there were two kinds of people in the world: those who did the hurting and those who were hurt. Her younger sisters and mother all seemed to become cowering, sniveling victims, and while victimized herself on a number of occasions, after about the age of five Larxene learned not to cry. In fact, she began to watch her father’s behavior-and that of his bullying, swaggering, cruel guests-in order to better emulate them. Deciding that she would not simply be another “victim,” Larxene did her best to place herself in a position of relative power, becoming a tormenter to her younger siblings, servants, and any other person who had the misfortune to somehow be considered “beneath” her.
Larxene’s father was at least not of the archaic mindset that it was necessary to have a male heir, and as his eldest daughter, he took her education the most seriously. It was fortunate that Larxene was an intelligent child, or she might not have survived her childhood. He expected nothing less than perfection from all his children, especially Larxene; although he was not around much he kept a watchful eye on her progress in school and would not fail to beat his daughter if he found her lacking. Because of a maturity forced onto her so early, her strenuous education, a childhood not allowed to be spent playing with children her age, Larxene’s “childhood” was not much to speak of, and by the age of twelve she spoke and acted like a woman considerably older than her physical age.
Resolving not to be beaten anymore, Larxene took it upon herself to toughen up and learn to use whatever skills she might have to her advantage. Around February, shortly after her twelfth birthday and while her father was away on an extended business trip, Larxene arranged for a series of men to be brought in to train her in self defense, to shoot a gun, how to use a variety of weapons (although in the end she only kept on training with kunai as her weapon of choice). It became evident that when Larxene’s father was away, the next in the pecking order was Larxene. For nearly two years, Larxene was successful in keeping her extra lessons a secret from her father by bullying, tormenting, and occasionally torturing the household. In fact, with the additional physical training, despite her size Larxene became a force to beware of: her own violent temper, apathy, and viciousness made her quite formidable.
Of course, no secret can stay hidden forever; eventually her father did find out around July the year she turned fourteen. When he demanded an explanation for what he called “gross misconduct” in his absence (after all, an abuser can only stay in power so long as they are the ones that have the power) Larxene, who’d begun to hang out with a tougher crowd (one not too unlike her father’s), received a fairly sound beating resulting in a minor concussion and a broken arm. Larxene carefully bided her time afterward, saving up the “allowance” given to her (her “allowance” was more than some men made at their salaried work in a month). As soon as she was properly healed up, Larxene took her money-as well as a sizable amount of money stashed away in her mother’s coffer-and found herself a merchant selling illegal chips and had her first enhancement surgery done. When she returned home, Larxene soundly thrashed her father and left home. It seemed for a while that her father might try to have her killed for her insolence, but either she had indeed frightened him like some of the servants whispered or it was more important to preserve the family’s appearance; in either case they chose to report that Larxene had died in an accident, faked a funeral overseas in Spain, and let it be at that.
With very little money to her name, no family to speak of (she was, after all, a dead person now), and the clothes on her back, Larxene found herself on the streets of Tokyo. No doubt her father thought she would be as good as dead; after all, she had very little real-world experience and had previously had everything taken care of her and she is an unpleasant person at best. However, her father had underestimated Larxene’s capable nature, and she was able to search out the same sort of men that had frequently made their presence known at their home. Although not “ambitious” per se, Larxene proved herself to have a natural talent, but she chose to stay in the line of “grunt work” because, frankly, Larxene enjoys it more.
Larxene eventually rose some in the ranks anyway (a combination of talent and a true desire to not have her actions dictated by those she considered incompetent); by the time she was eighteen she was a second level kyoudai. It was at this time that she was introduced to a certain shatei by the name of Axel. Although not initially too impressed by the new recruit (anymore so than the rest of the greenhorns) it became apparent that he had talent and, if not ambition, then at least connections and a certain charisma that helped him to shoot up quickly through the ranks. Perhaps if she had taken her job with much seriousness Larxene would have felt threatened, even competitive concerning his progress, but as it happened Larxene ended up striking a rather strange relationship with him. Or at least, strange for her-Axel was Larxene’s first real “friend.”
Although not interested in rising much herself, Larxene watched Axel ascend the ladder to lieutenant over the following three years, working closely with him in his gang. Although he seemed to disapprove of some of her methods and personality traits as too cruel and unsavory (for her part, Larxene thought he should stop being a bleeding heart) they got along extraordinarily well, sharing a similar humor, especially in regard to people and their usefulness (that is, the degree to which they entertained one). For a very short time, even, the two attempted dating but in the end important differences in personality (a certain latent decentness in Axel and an uncompromising ruthlessness in Larxene) prevented the relationship from ever becoming anything serious, and in fact put some strain on the relationship before other events created additional complications.
Through her connection with Axel, Larxene met Vetinari, and although the two were certainly not friends, Larxene was willing to put her stock in with someone that her buddy Axel had. So when Vetinari was announced the next oyabun and it appeared there might be a serious split in the ranks and a possible uprising, Larxene took it upon herself to put down the sources of the trouble in such a way as to make them an example for any other trouble makers. Although the first victim or two were unpleasant enough that it was possible other sources were responsible and there was never enough proof to undeniably nail Larxene (she’s surprisingly good at hiding her trail) by the fourth target’s destruction it became disturbingly apparent that someone was purposefully weeding through the ranks of the less loyal, and the only source that seemed equally smart and bloodthirsty for it was the Yakuza’s “savage nymph.”
In truth, these actions were less for Vetinari himself (although she did at least approve of the man’s shrewdness and temperament) and more as a gesture of twisted support for Axel, who was the new saiko komon whose position (and more importantly, life) could possibly be threatened by upstarts.
Perhaps because of these acts of misconduct (despite supporting his regime and being beyond proof) Larxene suddenly found herself removed, booted outside of the jurisdiction of Tokyo to work out in Hokkaido. Although it was never said if this was precisely the reasoning, or if it was in fact Vetinari’s attempt to get someone more capable out into the area (a promotion instead of a punishment) or if it had in fact nothing to do with those incidents, Larxene took the relocation personally. Perhaps other people might take the occasion as a moment of chastisement and a chance to reflect on their actions, but Larxene silently bore a very real grudge against Vetinari for the possibly imagined slight. She sees it as poorly repaid kindness, a master throwing the dog outside of the house for catching, killing, and then proudly presenting a rat.
This grudge drove Larxene into very carefully investigation of ways by which she might repay Vetinari’s “kindness.” In the end, she decided she’d need some hefty upgrades if she was going to try to teach Vetinari a lesson-especially if there was the possibility she might have to go up against her own friend, who was still loyal to their oyabun. It is and was her every intention to try to get him to change sides, of course, but a rather solitary life had led Larxene to viewing situations with startling dispassion and distrust.
The name that came up most prominently in her search was one “Kurotsuchi Mayuri,” the fabled mad scientist leading the 12th Precinct’s technology division. Deciding that she’d have nothing less than the best, Larxene realized that she’d need money. Having decided this, she made a trip back into Ginza to visit her dear old dad. After threatening him with bodily harm and injury (not to mention mutilating his secretary in an effort to get the point across) Larxene left with a sizable amount of cash wired into a bank account.
Not three weeks later Larxene returned to Tokyo to discuss with Mayuri what it would take to get him to remove the chips in her head in favor of something much more powerful. Although initially disinterested-as it turned out, he was not interested in the money, although neither was it due to her Yakuza affiliation, but simply because of the almost boring nature of the experiment. However, when Larxene admitted in a rather heated exchange that she was willing to go much further than simple chip enhancements, Mayuri agreed to do the surgery provided that he be given free reign to experiment on the rest of her body as he liked. Although most people probably would have decided their soul-or at least their life-was worth more than some petty amount of revenge, Larxene happily made the deal-whatever the risk, the benefit to herself would be worth it. No pain, no gain, correct?
Larxene underwent the surgery and essentially disappeared and was not heard from for several months. There were a number of people who thought she had died or gone under cover or been eaten by a grue. However, the premature celebrations were cut short in Hokkaido when Larxene resurfaced in early April and came back stronger and more brutal than ever before. Recent reports of aggressive, unexplained phenomena resembling Tokyo’s grue occurring in Hokkaido have Larxene reporting back to Headquarters. The grue-crazy in her possession for transportation/observation is not of the usual sort-thus, the need for someone higher in the ranks to ensure that that the cargo arrives in tact. Her mission also includes the return of some chips she is certain are of Mayuri’s design that managed to get into the hands of some of the shatei under her order.
Larxene was born into a privileged life. The elder of two daughters to a wealthy Spanish investor, Larxene’s family packed their bags and moved to Tokyo when she was barely four. Shortly after this relocation, Larxene’s mother had her third and final daughter. Larxene’s father’s business prospered with almost uncanny success; her family lived in luxury in Ginza, frequently vacationing at the Hama Detached Palace Garden and a second summer home in Spain. Her education, the traditional computer based learning, was supplemented by a series of private tutors and there was very little, if anything, that Larxene could have wanted that would not have been given to her.
However, not all was perfect in the shining castle her father had built. Larxene’s father, while a shrewd business man, was an unpleasant fellow with a violent temper and a penchant for beating his wife and servants. In fact, there were rumors amongst the housekeepers that Larxene’s mother became barren because of these frequent altercations. Larxene and her sisters were frequently witnesses to intensely violent, sometimes bloody, fights. Larxene’s mother was a weak if not distant figure in her life, a woman too cowed by her husband to stand up for herself or protect her daughters. She was not a terribly affectionate mother, either-certainly not cruel or mean, but distant and perhaps “cold.” Consequently, all of her children got knocked around growing up, and if there was any comfort to be had for the children, it was not found in either of their parents but rather in the hired help. Rumors concerning her family and her father’s activities did not stop there-men who were rumored to be Yakuza and drug dealers and all manner of unsavory characters came in and out of their household on a daily basis, business partners and the like. Whatever rumors went around about their family, though, they stayed within the household-anyone caught spreading slander that could possibly taint the Rayo family’s pristine image was dealt with permanently.
As a child Larxene learned very quickly that there were two kinds of people in the world: those who did the hurting and those who were hurt. Her younger sisters and mother all seemed to become cowering, sniveling victims, and while victimized herself on a number of occasions, after about the age of five Larxene learned not to cry. In fact, she began to watch her father’s behavior-and that of his bullying, swaggering, cruel guests-in order to better emulate them. Deciding that she would not simply be another “victim,” Larxene did her best to place herself in a position of relative power, becoming a tormenter to her younger siblings, servants, and any other person who had the misfortune to somehow be considered “beneath” her.
Larxene’s father was at least not of the archaic mindset that it was necessary to have a male heir, and as his eldest daughter, he took her education the most seriously. It was fortunate that Larxene was an intelligent child, or she might not have survived her childhood. He expected nothing less than perfection from all his children, especially Larxene; although he was not around much he kept a watchful eye on her progress in school and would not fail to beat his daughter if he found her lacking. Because of a maturity forced onto her so early, her strenuous education, a childhood not allowed to be spent playing with children her age, Larxene’s “childhood” was not much to speak of, and by the age of twelve she spoke and acted like a woman considerably older than her physical age.
Resolving not to be beaten anymore, Larxene took it upon herself to toughen up and learn to use whatever skills she might have to her advantage. Around February, shortly after her twelfth birthday and while her father was away on an extended business trip, Larxene arranged for a series of men to be brought in to train her in self defense, to shoot a gun, how to use a variety of weapons (although in the end she only kept on training with kunai as her weapon of choice). It became evident that when Larxene’s father was away, the next in the pecking order was Larxene. For nearly two years, Larxene was successful in keeping her extra lessons a secret from her father by bullying, tormenting, and occasionally torturing the household. In fact, with the additional physical training, despite her size Larxene became a force to beware of: her own violent temper, apathy, and viciousness made her quite formidable.
Of course, no secret can stay hidden forever; eventually her father did find out around July the year she turned fourteen. When he demanded an explanation for what he called “gross misconduct” in his absence (after all, an abuser can only stay in power so long as they are the ones that have the power) Larxene, who’d begun to hang out with a tougher crowd (one not too unlike her father’s), received a fairly sound beating resulting in a minor concussion and a broken arm. Larxene carefully bided her time afterward, saving up the “allowance” given to her (her “allowance” was more than some men made at their salaried work in a month). As soon as she was properly healed up, Larxene took her money-as well as a sizable amount of money stashed away in her mother’s coffer-and found herself a merchant selling illegal chips and had her first enhancement surgery done. When she returned home, Larxene soundly thrashed her father and left home. It seemed for a while that her father might try to have her killed for her insolence, but either she had indeed frightened him like some of the servants whispered or it was more important to preserve the family’s appearance; in either case they chose to report that Larxene had died in an accident, faked a funeral overseas in Spain, and let it be at that.
With very little money to her name, no family to speak of (she was, after all, a dead person now), and the clothes on her back, Larxene found herself on the streets of Tokyo. No doubt her father thought she would be as good as dead; after all, she had very little real-world experience and had previously had everything taken care of her and she is an unpleasant person at best. However, her father had underestimated Larxene’s capable nature, and she was able to search out the same sort of men that had frequently made their presence known at their home. Although not “ambitious” per se, Larxene proved herself to have a natural talent, but she chose to stay in the line of “grunt work” because, frankly, Larxene enjoys it more.
Larxene eventually rose some in the ranks anyway (a combination of talent and a true desire to not have her actions dictated by those she considered incompetent); by the time she was eighteen she was a second level kyoudai. It was at this time that she was introduced to a certain shatei by the name of Axel. Although not initially too impressed by the new recruit (anymore so than the rest of the greenhorns) it became apparent that he had talent and, if not ambition, then at least connections and a certain charisma that helped him to shoot up quickly through the ranks. Perhaps if she had taken her job with much seriousness Larxene would have felt threatened, even competitive concerning his progress, but as it happened Larxene ended up striking a rather strange relationship with him. Or at least, strange for her-Axel was Larxene’s first real “friend.”
Although not interested in rising much herself, Larxene watched Axel ascend the ladder to lieutenant over the following three years, working closely with him in his gang. Although he seemed to disapprove of some of her methods and personality traits as too cruel and unsavory (for her part, Larxene thought he should stop being a bleeding heart) they got along extraordinarily well, sharing a similar humor, especially in regard to people and their usefulness (that is, the degree to which they entertained one). For a very short time, even, the two attempted dating but in the end important differences in personality (a certain latent decentness in Axel and an uncompromising ruthlessness in Larxene) prevented the relationship from ever becoming anything serious, and in fact put some strain on the relationship before other events created additional complications.
Through her connection with Axel, Larxene met Vetinari, and although the two were certainly not friends, Larxene was willing to put her stock in with someone that her buddy Axel had. So when Vetinari was announced the next oyabun and it appeared there might be a serious split in the ranks and a possible uprising, Larxene took it upon herself to put down the sources of the trouble in such a way as to make them an example for any other trouble makers. Although the first victim or two were unpleasant enough that it was possible other sources were responsible and there was never enough proof to undeniably nail Larxene (she’s surprisingly good at hiding her trail) by the fourth target’s destruction it became disturbingly apparent that someone was purposefully weeding through the ranks of the less loyal, and the only source that seemed equally smart and bloodthirsty for it was the Yakuza’s “savage nymph.”
In truth, these actions were less for Vetinari himself (although she did at least approve of the man’s shrewdness and temperament) and more as a gesture of twisted support for Axel, who was the new saiko komon whose position (and more importantly, life) could possibly be threatened by upstarts.
Perhaps because of these acts of misconduct (despite supporting his regime and being beyond proof) Larxene suddenly found herself removed, booted outside of the jurisdiction of Tokyo to work out in Hokkaido. Although it was never said if this was precisely the reasoning, or if it was in fact Vetinari’s attempt to get someone more capable out into the area (a promotion instead of a punishment) or if it had in fact nothing to do with those incidents, Larxene took the relocation personally. Perhaps other people might take the occasion as a moment of chastisement and a chance to reflect on their actions, but Larxene silently bore a very real grudge against Vetinari for the possibly imagined slight. She sees it as poorly repaid kindness, a master throwing the dog outside of the house for catching, killing, and then proudly presenting a rat.
This grudge drove Larxene into very carefully investigation of ways by which she might repay Vetinari’s “kindness.” In the end, she decided she’d need some hefty upgrades if she was going to try to teach Vetinari a lesson-especially if there was the possibility she might have to go up against her own friend, who was still loyal to their oyabun. It is and was her every intention to try to get him to change sides, of course, but a rather solitary life had led Larxene to viewing situations with startling dispassion and distrust.
The name that came up most prominently in her search was one “Kurotsuchi Mayuri,” the fabled mad scientist leading the 12th Precinct’s technology division. Deciding that she’d have nothing less than the best, Larxene realized that she’d need money. Having decided this, she made a trip back into Ginza to visit her dear old dad. After threatening him with bodily harm and injury (not to mention mutilating his secretary in an effort to get the point across) Larxene left with a sizable amount of cash wired into a bank account.
Not three weeks later Larxene returned to Tokyo to discuss with Mayuri what it would take to get him to remove the chips in her head in favor of something much more powerful. Although initially disinterested-as it turned out, he was not interested in the money, although neither was it due to her Yakuza affiliation, but simply because of the almost boring nature of the experiment. However, when Larxene admitted in a rather heated exchange that she was willing to go much further than simple chip enhancements, Mayuri agreed to do the surgery provided that he be given free reign to experiment on the rest of her body as he liked. Although most people probably would have decided their soul-or at least their life-was worth more than some petty amount of revenge, Larxene happily made the deal-whatever the risk, the benefit to herself would be worth it. No pain, no gain, correct?
Larxene underwent the surgery and essentially disappeared and was not heard from for several months. There were a number of people who thought she had died or gone under cover or been eaten by a grue. However, the premature celebrations were cut short in Hokkaido when Larxene resurfaced in early April and came back stronger and more brutal than ever before. Recent reports of aggressive, unexplained phenomena resembling Tokyo’s grue occurring in Hokkaido have Larxene reporting back to Headquarters. The grue-crazy in her possession for transportation/observation is not of the usual sort-thus, the need for someone higher in the ranks to ensure that that the cargo arrives in tact. Her mission also includes the return of some chips she is certain are of Mayuri’s design that managed to get into the hands of some of the shatei under her order.