Aru Ito (LeBlanc)
They/she/he (fluid)
Aru was born and raised in Houston, T-Territory in the 2180s. Their father was one of the Supremes of Houston, which meant he had extreme political power by being a religious figure. In private, Aru's father was physically abusive to Aru and their mother. When Aru and their best friend, Dix, received the invitation to join Renovatio—an engineering organization—they transferred to the Dallas Renovatio to avoid encountering Aru's father again.
In their teenage years, Aru trained to specialize in physics, sleep studies, and electrical engineering. They also got a license to practice offering therapy sessions to other engineers. After protesting against the Dallas Renovatio, they transferred back to Houston to help Corelai gain political power against their father. During this time, Aru, Corelai, and Dix were among those who joined the Antistasi, an organization that pushed for political reform across the country. There, Aru met their half-sister, Tera.
Due to Aru's father being taken out of his position, Aru was appointed as a new Supreme in Houston. Dix goes with and marries Aru. The two worked from within the government to enforce reform. Tera lived with them for a while to get her bearings. Later, Aru and Dix decided to adopt a child—Alexis. When Alexis fell in love with the humlux Kiran, Aru and Dix agreed to help fund a lab-created child for the two—Cai.
In "When Truth Cowers," Aru and Dix lived out their early retirement in Houston. They loved spontaneously videochatting and calling their family. They also would tap into security cameras with Dix to check in on their family.
Appearance
Aru was born a human. Growing up, they were a fairly tall white person with pale skin who was assigned male at birth. Their recent lineage was primarily French. Their eyes were light blue. By the time of "When Truth Cowers," they were in their sixties. Although most assumed their longish hair was white due to age, they had white hair for their whole life due to their albinism.
Since their signature public color scheme as an engineer in Houston revolved around browns and reds, they mostly stuck with that wardrobe. They wore small earrings and often applied subtle makeup.
Personality, Behavior, Et Cetera
Aru came across as a playful intellectual who could see past other people's walls.
Their pronouns and genders changed sometimes by the day or the hour, so they preferred that people referred to them with they/them pronouns unless otherwise specified in the moment. They were genderfluid and gay.
Their eyesight was always a bit limited, so they kept the text on their screens large so they could read better. They were especially sensitive to daylight, which didn't help get them away from playing video games all day.
After all the adventures they had been through, they were plenty happy to stay in one place in "When Truth Cowers." Although they said they were retired, they still offered therapy sessions to select clients.
Relationships
Aru adored Dix despite how annoying he attempted to be. The two had been best friends since childhood. It took them being roommates for a few years before admitting that they had romantic feelings for each other. Playing video games, watching movies, and spying on family members lightened their spirits.
Aru didn't know that they had a sibling until the Mainframe events. When the Antistasi found Tera, she knew that she was Aru's half-sibling on their father's side. Their father had sold Tera and her mother into a human trafficking ring because he didn't want the public to know that he had cheated on his wife. Aru and Dix took Tera in. Aru and Tera rejected their father's surname (LeBlanc) and chose Dix's surname (Ito).
When Aru and Dix adopted, they decided they wanted to adopt a child who looked more like Dix than Aru (as a way of further distancing themselves from the LeBlanc family). They adopted a child who was happy for a new name—Alexis. They gave her every opportunity they could, and they loved how independent she grew up to be. They did worry a little though that she wouldn't keep up with modern technology due to how much she rejected it for nature.
As of the beginning of "When Truth Cowers," they would do anything for Cai, their granddaughter. They also love how sweet Analisa—Cai's girlfriend—is.
Trivia
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I wrote a trilogy with Aru as a more prominent character in their teenage years before writing "When Truth Cowers"
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Aru's personality was inspired by four people
