Character: Maiko Suzumi
School: Miator
Age/Year: 15/4th Year

www.flickr.com/photos/95640787@N03/8977488202/

Maiko comes from a family which has sent its daughters to Miator for several generations; her grandmother was an Etoile and her mother was apparently involved with a classmate romantically. These were both discovered two years ago during Maiko's second year at Miator. She's come to wonder what it'd be like to experience both herself though she doubts it will come to be.

She has a reputation with classmates and juniors at Miator as something of a font of advice, wisdom and counsel despite only being 15. Lacking sisters of her own she sees the girls of Astraea Hill as surrogate siblings whom she can help out. Maiko is a good listener, though she prefers to offer her counsel in a private place so the other girl can speak freely without fear of eavesdropping. Though she's proud to be a Miator student and sees Spica as a rival during competitions Maiko is happy to cross school lines to help people and make friends. Beyond this big sister role she additionally has a reputation for a graceful, ladylike bearing and polite respect for her surroundings.

Inside she's reluctant to receive praise for fear that she'll be compared to the other Suzumi ladies who attended Miator. This means she's likely to try and keep conversations focused on others rather than speak much about herself. Though this is less likely around friends, Maiko still more commonly finds faults in herself than positive points. You can determine how close your relationship with her is by how she dresses. Strangers and some acquaintances will see her in more conservative outfits, with skirts prominent. Friends and closer acquaintances get to see her in jeans or trousers with more comfortable shirts. The closest friends are the ones who have seen her favorite t-shirt, bearing the name of a foreign athletic team she secretly follows.

~Friendship~
It's not hard to become friends with Maiko; she has forged friendships with a few girls who've come to her for advice in the past. This would be one way to initiate friendship with her. It's also entirely possible to encounter her outside of school and have her strike up a conversation. Sharing interests is a surefire way to get to know her - amongst Maiko's are music (she plays the trumpet), ballroom dancing (she can both lead and follow), foreign languages/cultures and secretly athletics.

~Enemies~
Maiko strives to act like a proper lady, polite to everyone no matter what they think of her. She hasn't really had the experience of disliking someone all that much to be honest. Someone who is pushy and unconcerned with other's feelings might upset her, however.

~Love~
Since coming to Miator, Maiko has blossomed from the shy, uncertain and secretive girl she arrived as. Part of this has been the realization that she is without question attracted to other girls. She even had a crush on an upperclassman before that girl was engaged; Maiko never told this girl how she felt. Since then she's been more determined to find someone special, who can appreciate her for her own quirks and not just due to the family name. By extension she also daydreams about pursuing the Etoile position with such a girl. Despite this Maiko doubts herself and could use someone to reassure her of her strong points.

Looking to get Maiko started in the RP and welcome any/all ideas on how to get involved. Looking forward to writing with you!

Hi, Maiko- Chan! I was thinking that maybe Maiko and Hotaru could meet up, see where it goes? Hotaruchan been pretty quiet and I really want we to get out more. She's relatively confident and I usually describe her as perfectly average, besides having a debilitating fear if mirrors. I think Mayberry would get along well.

Hi, Hotaru-chan! I think Hotaru and Maiko meeting up and going from there is a lovely idea. Maiko considers Spica friendly rivals but respects the independence their school instills in students and their athletic focus. She's not terribly gifted in normal sports herself, though, so she's happy to just watch. Also, I noticed that Maiko is a good foot taller than Hotaru! Not sure how important that is, but could be an interesting thing to play with.

Do you think they should meet up on campus or elsewhere? The latter would mean Maiko is less on guard about completely being a refined lady. She's easily approachable either way, so whatever works for you works for me!

Updating my plot thread for the winter season! With the Winter Ball just around the corner, Maiko is growing afraid of attending solo. Should this be the case she'd probably just end up offering to dance with anyone else without a friend or date accompanying them. However, if anyone's interested I'd love to have her find someone to go with!