Name: Charlotte Family Name: Cardoso Age: 21 Role/Position: Trader and merchant Affiliation: The Eyes Race: Human

Background: Twenty-two years ago, unknown ships appeared on the horizon, foreigners from a very distant land. It was the first time that Aishiji and The Kingdom of Tortugal were making contact, and they happened to drop anchor at the Sanko port city of Haganehama. Leading this foreign expedition was a noblewoman named Silvia Cardoso. The expedition members and local officials began studying each other's language, and, once that barrier was overcome, the foreign officials clearly stated their intentions: they wished to set up a trading post in Aishiji. The benefits of such a relationship were clear, and Sanko's government became very invested in convincing the Tortuguese delegation to do so in this state and not anywhere else. Many parties and festivities were prepared in order to make a good impression on their potentially lucrative guests. The food, drinks, and partying helped Lord Aki and the foreign noblewoman Silvia become closer to one another. The Lord's officials knew that their master's skills with handling women would prove helpful in this negotiation, but they underestimated how quick and effective Aki could be. Halfway through negotiations, Silvia became pregnant with Lord Aki's child, a factor that directly influenced the outcome of that discussion. In the end, the Tortuguese expedition made the decision to set up their trading post right where they were, within Sanko's capital. Charlotte was the child born from that scandalous but highly lucrative affair. Silvia remained in Sanko to give birth and has remained since. Mother and daughter run a large tradehouse together near the harbor, although Charlotte does most of the work herself these days. Despite being the child of a Lord with a noblewoman, Charlotte is a commoner. Aki's wife was still alive at the time, and Silvia was married to a man who had remained in Tortugal. In short, Charlotte is a bastard from both her mother's and father's sides. She uses her mother's family name, but it's entirely meaningless because Silvia was stripped of all her titles for refusing to return home. Her mother remains a noble in name only, without any official station. Charlotte was raised by a Tortuguese mother while living in Aishiji, and she's very much a product of both cultures. She can fluently speak both languages and understands the cultural differences and tensions like few others. As a tradeswoman, she is very successful and prosperous. Charlotte has come to learn that she is not the only bastard daughter of the late Lord Aki. She has become close friends with Itsuki, a ninja who was also sired by her father with a woman that wasn't his wife. Of her father's legitimate daughters, Charlotte is well acquainted with Yasuko but has never met Nobuko, the girl who is now the ruler of the country. Charlotte is also secretly an informant for The Eyes, Sanko's espionage organization. Itsuki is their leader, and Charlotte reports directly to her half-sister about any unusual or suspect activity she witnesses. Tortuguese merchants usually don't cooperate with The Eyes, but Charlotte's unique circumstances make her loyal to this land.

Relationship with Itsuki: Although Itsuki lives a life far from being ordinary, she often visits Charlotte during her free time. They get along well with each other and view one another as siblings, not just as people who happen to be related. Charlotte views her cooperation as an informant as a way to help her half-sister and look out for her community.

Relationship with Yasuko: Her half-sister is a frequent visitor of Charlotte's tradehouse and the two get along well. Yasuko is usually interested in foreign military literature, understandably because her sister is a tactician and advisor to Nobuko. Yasuko also asks Charlotte to procure things when she needs discretion and privacy.

Relationship with Saki: A noblewoman from Sanko's lower nobility that visits Charlotte's tradehouse every so often. She was one of Lord Aki's concubines who got dismissed after his recent death. Saki was, at one point, supposed to become Aki's second wife, but she was never able to produce children despite years living in the castle. She has since joined the Black Hoods cult and, when she comes by, only ever wants to buy and sell kemonomimis. Saki goes through her playthings almost like she changes outfits, buying new stock that catches her fancy and selling the ones she got tired of.

Relationship with Silvia: Charlotte's mother had a life of privileges and power, and she gave all of that away just so Charlotte could be born and live with dignity. It would have been infinitely more convenient for Silvia to abort her pregnancy or to send her daughter away and pretend she never existed, but she didn't. The girl is deeply grateful and devoted to her mother as a result. It's difficult for Charlotte to imagine that the domestic, settled-down woman that runs the tradehouse with her was once a diplomat, negotiator, and fleet commander. Silvia will often pester Charlotte about the fact that she is of marriageable age and wants to pick out a husband for her daughter.

Personality: Lively, bright, cheerful, and friendly. Charlotte is a happy young woman living every day of her life at the fullest. Although she is aware of her origins, Charlotte views her current life as a blessing. Things could have been much worse for a girl born from such inconvenient timing and circumstances. Charlotte views herself as being Tortuguese, not Aishijian. However, her home is right here in Sanko, not some far-off kingdom she's never seen. Living so close to a busy port has made Charlotte into a cosmopolitan girl, welcoming of new people and opportunities. Kemonomimis do not exist in Tortugal, but the people from that country always practiced slavery. Like most Tortuguese people living in this city, Charlotte finds it silly how the citizens of Sanko refuse to call kemonomimis slaves. 'The people here really love their cutesy euphemisms for referring to the stinky animal folk. They buy and sell them like property and keep them chained or in cages and still want to call them servants.' Charlotte's tradehouse deals with merchandise that flows through the harbor and market, and that naturally includes kemonomimis, whom Charlotte tactfully refers to as 'livestock,' for the sake of local sensitivities. When the Emerald Fleet captures foreign vessels, any non-humans caught onboard usually end up in places like Charlotte's tradehouse. Although Silvia pesters Charlotte about picking a husband for her, Charlotte herself isn't particularly keen on the idea.

Appearance: Flowing blonde hair, slightly wavy in a way that is quite distinct from Aishijian-blooded women, usually worn with a one-side-up ponytail. Light blue eyes, sharp with long lashes. Charlotte is of average height for a Tortuguese blooded woman, which means she's tall compared to the local women. She has medium-sized breasts and fair, white skin. Her face and some hidden parts of her body are dotted with freckles, a feature that Charlotte has never seen on an Aishijian woman. Despite being half-blooded, it's clear that her mother's genetic traits won over her father's.

Outfit: Despite being somewhat wealthy, Charlotte wears simple short kimonos, leaving much of her legs exposed, favoring neutral colors like gray. Her body and face are more than enough for this girl to stand out.

Speech: Living at the harbor all her life meant that, despite her mother's best efforts, Charlotte ended up picking up some of the foul language used by sailors. She's normally polite but can spout really crass language when upset. When referring to kemonomimis, Charlotte uses "it" instead of "him" or "her", "its" instead of "his" or "hers", since they are merchandise.