Days gone by...

Alongside her mother Iona, Yuri grew up in a small village on the fringes of the Golmore jungle. She was an only child, but she did have Lukka, her mother's best friend, who took care of her like family and frequently kept her company. Happy days went by as Yuri only knew the forest and her mother's and Lukka's care.However, the village unexpectedly caught fire one hot summer night. A number of people managed to flee before it spread, but Iona was crushed by the rapidly collapsing house foundation while attempting to save her daughter from a dark fate. Despite Yuri's best efforts, the weight of the burning house proved to be too much for her to bear.Lukka braved the flames to save them, hastily pulling Yuri out of the burning wreckage. Only able to save Yuri, she promised Iona she would raise her, before the flames engulfed their once peaceful home..Many Viera of her tribe were captured or slain, and they would later discover that their village was the ill-fated victim of an attack by the Garleans attempting trying to break through the dense jungle.••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••Yuri was not physically hurt in the fire, but her mental state began to deteriorate. After seeing her mother's death in front of her, she became withdrawn and stopped talking, eating, and moving about without help. Haunted by memories of her joyful childhood with her mother, she withdrew from the world. Yuri swore she could still hear the whispers of her mother carried by the wind, often lost in a memory far off somewhere.In their efforts to rebuild the village, few people made an effort to assist Yuri; instead, they advised Lukka that it might be best to leave the girl alone in the deep jungle.Lukka knew it would be difficult to repair the hurt that had settled inside of the young Viera, but Yuri was the last bit of light she had in her life.Tearfully taking Yuri from the only home they ever knew, the two fled the jungle in the middle of the night to the port town of Kugane. Lukka would accept exile if it mean saving her beloved ward.

"You can't heal in the place you were hurt."The two of them settled in Kugane shortly after, trying to make sense of this new world where they were all but outsiders.In the aftermath, the once-vibrant Yuri retreated into a cocoon of silence, her usually expressive eyes clouded with a haunting sadness.Lukka took on odd jobs to support them, and began to fill their home with music and art to gently coax Yuri back into the embrace of laughter and joy. Slowly but surely, the sound of Yuri's laughter returned, like a delicate melody breaking through the silence that had enveloped them.
Yuri slowly started to walk and talk again, showing interest in magic.Taking this opportunity, Lukka found someone to teach her, a teacher named Naoko who excelled in magic, an Arcanist from the guild in Limsa Lominsa.This teacher taught Yuri slowly about aether, summoning and all manner of arcanum. Yuri was cold to open up at first, but the first time she saw Carbuncle summoned to her teacher's side, something changed.
Lukka remembers the chilly night Yuri's eyes lit up seeing the Carbuncle in front of her the first time... the way her eyes began to sparkle with a brilliant light. It was the first time she had smiled in three years.Yuri continued with her studies into her teen years, slowly regaining back her passion and love for life.When she had learned all she could from her teacher, she was urged to head to Limsa Lominsa, to fully become an arcanist. Though Lukka had a hard time letting her go, she urged her to go and do her best.For the first time she had traveled by herself, and though it took many many many days of getting lost, she finally made it to Eorzea.

Current Time...

Yuri currently resides in Limsa Lominsa and works as a head researcher for the revival of the summoning arts. She works closely under Thubyrgeim and treasures her as a friend and peer.Constantly fearing that she will run out of money, she takes on odd jobs here and there-- a model for the Weaver's guild, a caretaker in the greamloam growery, or even a receptionist for a clinic...But none of them bring her as much joy as her dance troupe, formed by her love for dance and song; The Dancing Petals.In the morning she works for the arcanist guild, but by night she dances at bars, clubs and venues with her dance troupe! Her name while performing is "Lily" to protect herself from admirers who would find her by her real name.When she's not surrounded by giant piles of books and research papers, she's spinning and dancing upon a stage, or decorating canvases (and important paperwork) with drawings of her beloved Carbuncles, people she's seen or other manner of colorful doodles.Her academic achievements recently drew the notice of the Scholasticate, and she traveled to Ishgard to attend after receiving a recommendation. Combined with their teachings of magic, she hopes to expand her learning to teach those in the arcanist guild at home in Limsa.As a result, she frequently travels between city states, her hands always busy with a range of responsibilities.

Current Time...

Age: 28 (In appearance)
Height: 5'6
Race: Viera (Rava)
Sexuality: Pansexual
Body Type: Slender but Curvy (Busty/Big Hips)
Nameday: 28th Sun of the 6th Astral Moon
Likes: Food, fruit, singing, dancing, flowers, bright colors, children, art, carbuncles, cooking and teaching others.
Dislikes: Exercise, fighting, ugly creatures, spicy food, the brass blades, aggressive masculinity, strong smells, cruelty to living creatures.
Current occupation: Researcher of ancient allagan summoners and egi. Dancer and Performer (Part-time)Equal parts elegant and playful!Eternally optimistic despite hardships thrown her way, Yuri is ever smiling and naïve to the world. Believing in the good of people even when they look down on her, she is skilled in magic and constantly works to improve herself.She can be particularly huffy at times, pouting with her cheeks puffed out when things don’t go as planned. One of her bad habits is to pull at your cheeks if she finds something you did upsetting.She sticks up for her friends, but can sometimes stick her nose in situations that will get her in trouble, despite her best efforts to help. She can definitely be seen as a brat, but wants to be told when she's being difficult, so she can grow.Unfortunately, she has PTSD from the loss of her mother, and cannot deal with talks of death or loss because of it. She will go silent, withdrawing into herself.Yuri has an almost childlike way of speaking due to her losing parts of her childhood to trauma.Many of her memories of her mother are blocked off, a coping mechanism created to protect her. Her greatest fear is being unable to protect others and losing them because of her own weakness.Yuri hates to be seen as a child (although she can act like one) because despite her antics and optimistic nature, she is actually a celebrated researcher in the guild. (It just doesn’t make enough gil you know!)