[center][color=42B9A8][h3]Hamasaki Elisa[/h3][/color]
[sub](Note: I used the Japanese format for names.)[/sub]
[img]http://i60.tinypic.com/2dh5gsx.png[/img]
[i]"I regret the things I haven't done more than most things I did wrong."[/i]

Elisa is of Japanese-French blood. Inheriting most of her mother’s traits, she looks more European than Asian. With a height of 5’ 3” (1.60m) she is of average height considering her nationality. She is slightly less slim than most girls as she enjoys cooking, but she doesn't deviate an extraordinary amount. (Let’s just say she has a bit more curves than most Japanese girls – some of which in the right places...)
Her smooth brown hair is cut in a short fashion. The color of her irises are a mishmash of blue, green and grey, of which the ratio of colors seems to alter a bit each day; they can most simply be described as being sea-green. In general her voice is warm and chiming, although there seems to be a certain sadness in her tone at times.

Her most prominent character trait would have to be her dreaminess, always wandering off in her imaginative mind. Elisa is quiet, but stiff rather than shy. Those who get to know her for longer however will very likely discover her warm side who easily cares for people and likes helping them. She can also be quite playful, especially having pleasure in teasing her sister Rina.
She is curious and studious, and although she gets desperate at times, she does not give up easily.

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[color=42B9A8][b]Codename:[/b][/color] Altair

[color=42B9A8][b]House:[/b][/color] The Whales

[color=42B9A8][b]Grade:[/b][/color] 12th

[color=42B9A8][b]Age:[/b][/color] 17

[color=42B9A8][b]Gender:[/b][/color] Female

[color=42B9A8][b]Sexuality:[/b][/color] Heterosexual

[color=42B9A8][b]Birthday:[/b][/color] May 6

[color=42B9A8][b]Blood Type:[/b][/color] O+

[color=42B9A8][b]Nationality:[/b][/color] Japanese, with roots in Europe, hence the European first name.

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[color=42B9A8][b]Hobbies:[/b][/color]
[list]
[*] Drawing
[*] Listening to music
[*] Going outdoors, mostly by cycling
[*] Experimenting (this includes drawing styles, music genres, cooking, tea flavors, computers...)
[/list]

[color=42B9A8][b]Personality:[/b][/color]
Elisa is quiet and dreamy, her head always full with thoughts, conversations, pictures and music. She is a warmhearted and playful person who loves to help people. Although she has great patience for helping and teaching others, she is very impatient at teaching herself new things. Being used to everything going right at the first try, she tends to rage quit when this is not the case. She does not give up easily however, believing that a little persistence goes a long way. Curious at heart and creative, she loves studying and experimenting with lots of things: trying out drawing styles, listening to different music genres, and sometimes practicing her cooking skills.

Not many people get to know her this well though as her social skills are rather weak. At first approach she may come off as cold and distant, and most people that don’t get to experience her for a longer period find her awkward to talk to. While she has been able to shake off most of the shyness she experienced during her childhood, part of her still doesn't dare to speak up. In group situations she will keep quiet unless directly addressed. She is also terrible at getting a conversation going.

This lack of social handiness has given her a low self-image over time and has often been the cause of periods of breakdown, leaving her quite depressed at times. She doesn't like to show this side, rather bottling it up. She doesn’t want to burden others with her problems. She also blames herself for a lot of things, even the smallest. This does not mean however that she will let herself get blamed or scorned when it is unjustified; she will always stand up for her rights.

Quite obviously she is not someone who loves to go out and party: too much people she doesn’t know or barely knows. Instead, she can mostly be found in her room studying, or passing her time drawing or browsing the web. Other than in her room she can also be found outside, relaxing and enjoying the scene, feeding her dreamy side and curious mind by watching birds and other wild life.

Those who see through her thick shell and stick with her over time will find a true friend in her: someone who is open and kind, and always willing to listen or give you a hand. Elisa often compares herself to a shy animal, who first needs to grow accustomed to those around her in order to show her true self.

[color=42B9A8][b]History:[/b][/color]
Elisa grew up in a loving family, consisting of mother, father, and a one-year younger sister Rina.
Her mother was of French origin, who once agreed to go on a family trip to Japan. Here she met Elisa’s father who worked at a local restaurant. The two got along very well and the two developed romantic feelings towards each other. When it was time for Elisa’s mother to go back home, she promised Elisa’s father she would return as soon as she had completed her nurse training. During her absence, the two kept in touch through phone calls and letters. This way they got to know each other better and grew closer, although there was such a large distance in between. After a few years, the two rejoined and slowly started building up their life together. Elisa was their first child, after which soon followed her sister Rina. With the addition to the family, their father decided to quit his job to care for the children, while their mother continued to work as a nurse.

Already at a young age it became evident Elisa had a calm and quiet nature, preferring to spend her time either alone or with her sister. The two of them could often be found playing outside, letting their creative minds on the loose.
Elisa did well in school, but the teachers always worried a bit about her since she seemed to seclude herself from the other kids. It made them wonder whether she was being bullied but such was not the case; she simply preferred her peace and on top of that was very shy.

Her excellent academic skills allowed Elisa to go to one of Japan’s best high schools. Here she still remained at the top of the class. Although she received C’s in geography and history, she excelled in both the natural sciences and languages. This was partially due to some ‘giftedness’, as she likes to refer to it, but also because the subjects interested her greatly, investing quite some time in them.
It was also here that her shyness slowly started to wear off, but due to the lack of social experience, she acted and still acts stiff. This lead to awkward situations on several occasions. It drove Elisa into despair, thinking she would never be able to change for the better. It made her wish she had been born as something else. The wind perhaps, so she could move across the land noticed yet unseen, or as a bird so she could simply fly away.

One day when these thoughts crossed her mind, a weird shiver went down her entire body, making her sick to the stomach. She shut her eyes, clenching her fists as her head went dizzy. This was not so strange as her body had just altered dramatically. When she came to, her beak dropped open when she saw her reflection in the mirror: not that of a fifteen year old schoolgirl, but that of a silver seagull.
Elisa immediately realized this was out of the ordinary and after overthinking what had happened, she carefully confronted her parents with it. They were not quite as shocked as the girl had expected them to be. They explained there were more teenagers just like her who suddenly discovered their hidden potential.

Because Elisa had such a wide interest and because of the new found ability, Elisa’s parents deemed it a good idea to send her to Ocean Star Academy on the age of sixteen. This way Elisa would be able to focus fine-tuning her ability and give her some time to think about her future plans.
Having spent one year training, Elisa has now gained a little more control over her power and does no longer experience any discomfort when she changes form. She still hopes to overcome her social awkwardness and throw off her shell to show her true bubbly self at first encounter.
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[color=42B9A8][b]Current Classification:[/b][/color]
Pre-star

[color=42B9A8][b]Special Ability:[/b][/color]
Shapeshifting. When fully mastered one can become anything they want, at any time they want: a creature (bear, dragon, amoeba, plant), a person (imitating someone, including their power, however not to the level of said person), an object (a sword, a chair to blend into a room, a body of water). Elisa is only a beginner though, and can only turn into a small selection of animals, and can imitate her sister since the two look and sound quite alike.

[color=42B9A8][b]Limitation:[/b][/color]
The time one can stay transformed into something is limited and depends on how much the form looks like their original human form. The less it looks like them, the less time they can spend as it. A master at shapeshifting who would transform into something that is very similar to them, say, another human, would be able to remain in this form for a maximum of 24 hours. (Elisa is currently able to maintain her form for a maximum of 2 hours.)

Furthermore, the ability requires a cooling down time. One cannot first transform into a bird, and then the second after that transform into a tree. The cooling down time between consecutive forms is always the same and equal to 3 seconds at master level. (Elisa’s current cooling down time between forms is 60 seconds.) The cooling down time per form depends on two things: it again depends on how much the form looks like the caster’s original human form. The less it looks like them, the more cooling down time it requires. It also depends on how much time one has spent in that form the last time. (For example, if the master mentioned before would actually remain into the form of another human for 24 hours, you don’t expect them to be able to transform back into it within 1 minute even though the forms are alike.)

[color=42B9A8][b]Imperfection:[/b][/color]
As described before, Elisa can't become anything she wants to yet. A prerequisite seems to be that she has to have actually observed the subject in real life, rather than seeing it on a picture or reading about it. If she tries to shift into a dragon for example, which she has only seen in fantasy books, she will just shift into a [i]picture[/i] of a dragon, rather than the real deal.

How well she manages to shift into something depends on how well she knows the subject or how many times she has observed it. For example, she is perfectly fine at shifting into small birds and rodents, okay at shifting into a bear or deer, but sucks at shifting into rare animals such as a crane or wolf. When she tries to shift into something she has observed only once or twice it will be a very imperfect copy of the animal, having traits of other animals, some parts being too large or too small, or some parts still remaining human.

Moreover, Elisa’s power is often influenced when she's emotional. If she is feeling confident or happy she will perform better. If she experiences negative feelings she will not always be able to transform at will or only partially. Additionally, her power sometimes become activated under such emotions, for example turning into a bird when feeling down, or gaining the claws of a bear when furious.

The only form over which she has full control is that of an [url=http://i59.tinypic.com/2i03ntu.png]imaginary animal[/url] (or misfit, however you want to view it), which looks mostly like an overgrown hamster, though it also shows some similarities with a bear and makes guinea pig noises. Basically it's a useless form, but Elisa tends to (mis)use it when she doesn't want to talk to people or when she wants get out of certain situations. She also sometimes (mis)uses her ability to get pampered and pet.
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[color=42B9A8][b]School Clubs:[/b][/color]
[list]
[*] Arts club
[/list]
Elisa sometimes joins in on the music clubs to listen, but never participates since she can’t play an instrument. (Or at least not well enough to play along.)

[color=42B9A8][b]Character Relations:[/b][/color]
[list]
[*] Ailís: 
[*] Cheng: 
[*] Daniel: 
[*] Edmund: 
[*] Hanare: 
[*] Jin: 
[*] Kassandra: 
[*] Mizuki: 
[*] Sebastian: 
[*] Soo-Jin: 
[/list]

[color=42B9A8][b]Other:[/b][/color]
Elisa wears a pendant which represents both a snowflake and a flower. She bought it mostly for the simple reason that she found it pretty, but also partially because she feels it represents her well: the snowflake impersonating the first impression most people get of her, while the flower expresses the side of her that people will know her for when they get to know her better.

Theme Song: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndtQ6ReXO-s]Imagine Dragons - Shots[/url]

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[center][img]http://i58.tinypic.com/2e4kfaa.jpg[/img]
[h3][color=42B9A8]Hamasaki Elisa[/color][/h3][/center]
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As the day was dawning in full glory, sunrays warmed up the buildings and parks on the campus, beams of light seeping through the windows of the different Houses. A delicious smell filled the Whale House, which originated from the shared kitchen. Elisa stood at the stove, chopsticks in one hand, whilst holding a frying pan in the other. She was preparing her first meal of the day: an omelet filled with rice and vegetables. She felt that a good start of the school year should be accompanied with a proper meal.

Although she had returned here at Hoshinoumi Academy almost a week ago to make some preparations, it was still weird to realize that classes were starting again after the long summer break. She had gotten a lot less done during her time off than she had wanted to, spending most of her days lazing in the garden back home. She had intended to make lots of trips through the area surrounding her hometown, read up on the books that had caught her interest throughout the previous semesters, work on her drawing skills, and maybe practice a bit at the end of the holiday in anticipation of the new year. Now at the end of her lazy days, Elisa had made a few small trips, read only one book, and had practiced two, maybe three times.

At least she had had a great time with her family though, who she had not visited even once since she enrolled. She had especially been thrilled to see her sister Rina back, having missed her presence at the academy. Secretly she had hoped her younger sibling would have developed some kind of power during her absence so she could join her, but sadly this was not the case. Elisa had proposed her sister could enter as a Maeby, but Rina seemed to not like the idea too much; it was not like she didn't want to spend more time with Elisa, but she deemed it a waist of her time when it wasn’t even sure whether she had potential.

Elisa awoke from her train of thoughts when she noticed a dark flash in the corner of her eye. She turned her head to figure out what was going on only to find an empty hallway. Very quickly things became clear though as one of her housemates slipped out of his room. Famous for trying to pick up girls, Elisa figured that was exactly what he was set out to do, especially after catching some words of his murmuring. She could not help but shake her head, chuckling inwardly at the boy who sounded just like a romantic hero from a dating sim game.

The girl then returned her attention to her dish, flipping the omelet once more and pressing down on it for a bit with the chopsticks. She skillfully scooped it out of the frying pan, placing it onto the plate next to her. After cleaning up the cooking utensils, she took her breakfast along with a cup of tea to the large table in the center of the room. 

It was quiet in the House and hopefully things remained like this for a little longer; Elisa wanted to avoid having eyes gaze on her and having to endure awkward silences. Sitting down on a chair which was placed opposite one of the windows, she took a sip of her drink; green tea with a hint of citrus fruits, one of her favorite tea flavors, which she thought contrasted well with the saltiness of the eggs. Tearing off a piece with the sticks, she took a bite. [color=42B9A8]"Well done, Elisa, well done..."[/color] she nodded, approving of the soft and fluffy texture.

A warm, late-summer breeze gently swayed the light curtains and brought along the salty sea smell which was so familiar to the Academy. Elisa smiled as she inhaled deeply, taking in the scent; it was one of the small things that made her glad to be back. She was definitely looking forward to her classes as well though, retaking some basic classes in order to really master them, but also a bunch of new ones as she was advancing quickly. If only making contact would be as easy... She sighed slightly at the thought, but not wanting to get herself in a sulky mood she quickly shrugged off the comment and gobbled up the rest of the omelet. With a few gulps she downed her drink, finishing up her breakfast in the blink of an eye. [color=42B9A8]"Alright, time to get going,"[/color] she decided, standing up resolutely.

After she had deposited of her dirty dishes, Elisa entered her room only to grab her bag which she had packed the evening before and flung it across her shoulder. She then scurried down the stairs and left the building. When she glimpsed down on her Queue Device she slowed down her tracks however, as she still had little less than half an hour to go. She figured she might as well take a small detour then, taking the route which led through one of the island's gardens, rather than the main road which was most likely overflowing with students by now.
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[center][img]http://i58.tinypic.com/2e4kfaa.jpg[/img]
[h3][color=42B9A8]Hamasaki Elisa[/color][/h3][/center]
[hr]
The leaves rustled above Elisa’s head as she strolled along the gravel paths of the park. Slowly the large, glass construction in which she was to be expected came into view. In the distance she could hear the buzzing of the numerous students, the noise intensifying as she drew nearer to the main road which lead towards the entrance of the school. She could see many faces, some of which she seemed to remember vaguely from last year; it was hard to tell though from this distance. Turning her attention to the track underneath her, she softly started to hum [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkYfB1C0Zgc]a song[/url]. Although she was not a particularly good singer it was something which she enjoyed doing when there were no people nearby. 

Her little tune got interrupted however by the earsplitting sound of the bell, her heart jolting as it appeared to echo off all buildings. With her heart still pounding in her chest, she carefully listened to the announcement.

Her curiosity had been piqued: Elisa had heard the words ‘World Journey’ mentioned before, but only by the senior students in a gossip kind of context. She thought it was kind of odd to announce it only now though, if it really was such a big thing. They could have at least told the students before the summer break so they could have anticipated on it a little bit, or send a letter for that matter. Although she was excited, part of Elisa wished there were still a few weeks in between the message and the actual expedition, such that she could prepare herself. Restlessly she looked around, searching for any House Elves or fellow housemates to lead her the way so she could hopefully find out about all the details. Spotting one of the pointy-ears, she made a small sprint in his direction.
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[h3][color=42B9A8]Hamasaki Elisa[/color][/h3][/center]
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With her melodious voice, Lady Morgana managed to capture everyone’s attention in the auditorium, even those sitting in the most distant corners of the hall. Elisa payed close attention to the woman’s words as she unraveled what this World Journey was all about.
She knew there would be a catch to this; they wouldn’t let them commence on a nice adventure just like that. First things first, Elisa slipped the pen underneath her bra, hoping that no one would try to search for it there. After this she hid the notebook away in her bag, and slid the bracelet around her wrist. She briefly stroked the sleek device, the little geek in her getting a little excited.

Although the girl was thrilled at first, things soon took a turn for the eerier when the auditorium grew dim. Behind her, she heard a door opening up. Quickly she looked around only to find lanky humanoids peering at her through the entrance. For a moment she stood frozen as students around her jumped backwards in the direction of the railing, having nowhere to go. She got snapped back to reality however when others started to fight back, unleashing their powers on the I-men. Almost instinctively she leaped backwards and jumped on the railing, hunching down on it, as she changed form; a tiny sparrow was now looking out over the struggling crowd.

Elisa’s eyes widened as she saw something fall out of the sky: her pen. With a nose dive she let herself drop from the balcony, diving after the object. She did not manage to catch the thing in mid-air however, as it bounced on the ground, somewhere in between the mass of fighting students. Manoeuvring past a group of I-men the bird landed right next to the pen. She skipped the option of picking it up with her beak as she figured it was way too big and slippery to hold it tightly in there, but maybe keeping it in the grasp of her claws would only just work out. She struggled to get hold of the relatively large object with her tiny feet, but after a few tries she managed. As fast as she could Elisa flew up, feeling the gushes of air around her as the creatures tried to reach for her, aiming to swat her out of the sky like she was a fly. [color=42B9A8]“I should have thought this out better! It was bound to go wrong with objects that have not have experienced my power before!"[/color] she cursed at herself inwardly as she flapped as if possessed, desperately trying to get away from the I-men.

At the highest point in the room Elisa let her eyes dart over the area, searching for a way out. She then noticed someone she recognized, a student who was in the same year as her, blasting his way through the obstacles. She grabbed her chance and soared after him, having no trouble following him; even in the huge crowd Sebastian could easily be distinguished by the columns of smoke he left behind. Mostly thanks to him and with a bit of her own agility, Elisa succeeded in escaping. Although it was not his original intention, she'd be sure to thank him for it later; mentally at least, actually saying the words was another thing.

Just before the time she could spend in this form had run out, she landed on the rooftop, letting go of the pen as she did so. Luckily, there were no I-men here to snatch it away from her. Back in her human shape, Elisa stretched her feet that had grown tense from holding onto the object so tightly. She let out a sigh of relief as she felt her muscles loosen up. Picking up the pen she decided to just keep it in her hand for now.
Standing at the edge, the girl looked out over the plaza. She saw clusters of I-men, both near and in the distance, roaming the island. She watched as gradually more and more students exited the building, some in style, others just barely. Although it had not been mentioned as a prerequisite for boarding one of the vessels, Elisa set herself the goal to try and help out some fellow students as well. But now that she was out of the hectic situation, it was time to come up with a plan.
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[center][img]http://i58.tinypic.com/2e4kfaa.jpg[/img]
[h3][color=42B9A8]Hamasaki Elisa[/color][/h3][/center]
[hr]
Elisa activated her new queue device, taking note of how much time she had left. With what she figured was the hardest part -- leaving the auditorium -- over, she argued reaching the docks within the remaining time would be a piece of cake. In which case, maybe she could stop by her room to fetch some things that would come in handy: food, water, a spare set of clothing... She didn't know for how long they would be away after all and what kind of facilities would be there -- wherever 'there' was. But first there was a tiny problem that needed to be dealt with: how to get off this rooftop...

There was no need for her to answer the question herself, for it already got replied to. While Elisa had been contemplating over what to do next, one of the I-man had locked its eye on her, or her pen rather. The beast was now scampering in her direction, extending its arms towards her. The girl only noticed its presence when she felt something slip around her ankle, a short shriek escaping her lips as it tugged her downwards. With her other, still free foot she crushed the arm, to no avail however, as another arm winded itself around her waist like a boa constrictor. It tilted her up in the air, before dragging her in, the arm rapidly shrinking in length. In mid-air, as the limbs had almost regained their original size, Elisa focused on her feet and swung them together to direct towards the I-man, crashing into its face before it could respond.

As the monster smashed into the ground, Elisa let out a loud yelp as she went flying out of his grasp and rolled over the ground. When she opened up her eyes she saw that as by a miracle she was still holding on to the pen. Afraid for another take over, she tried to recollect herself as quickly as possible. As soon as she had dragged herself on her feet again, she grabbed her bag which had flung off in the fall and dashed off towards a tree to take shelter behind, not spending a single second dusting herself off or adjusting her clothes; there was no time for that now.

The girl crouched down behind a large bark, panting although it had only been a small sprint; her stamina was pretty terrible... Cautiously she looked around the trunk to see if there were any I-men closing in. Oddly enough there was no sight of them in the near distance. Instead, the only creature Elisa saw was what she assumed to be a fellow student, a young-looking girl with short, blonde hair. Taking a better look, she noticed the girl's weary expression, sweat staining her forehead. The poor thing looked desperate for help. It was then that she remembered the goal that she had set herself. [color=42B9A8]"Hmm... She looks like she could need a ride..."[/color] Elisa mused, slightly smiling at the thought.

The leaves rustled for a moment when from out of the bushes a brown horse stepped forward, a white patch on its nose. Gently it approached the blonde-haired girl and bowed before her invitingly.
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[center][img]http://i58.tinypic.com/2e4kfaa.jpg[/img]
[h3][color=42B9A8]Hamasaki Elisa[/color][/h3][/center]
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A strange feeling overwhelmed Elisa. Although she had transformed many times before, she had never really realized that her whole body had morphed. Now, as she felt the warmth of the girl on top of her radiating across her back, she became truly aware of it. With newfound energy, she dashed forward, the sound of her hooves clopping on the grass underneath her. The remaining road towards the docks was fairly peaceful, with most of the I-men already cleared out off the way, their bodies scattered throughout the forest. Soon, plains stretched out before the two, and the antique vessels came into view.

When they arrived, the girl slipped off Elisa’s back. [color=7ea7d8]“You are a life saver! I am entirely indebted to you!”[/color] she said thankfully, shortly after which she left off, boarding the ship she was assigned to. Seeing the smile on the girl’s face warmed Elisa’s heart. Returning to her original appearance, she looked on her queue device. [color=42B9A8]“Only 4 minutes left…”[/color] she mumbled slightly disappointed. There was no way she could still retrieve the items from her dorm now. However, considering the feeling she was left with, it had definitely been worth it.

She got the pen out from between her teeth, holding it up in front of the Whales' house elf, who didn't seem too impressed. After noting down her time, she entered the big ship. It already was littered with students, as Elisa had been one of the last to get on board. She could notice there was a significant number of people missing though, she assumed a small number of which would still arrive within the last few minutes, but of which the largest part had not passed the test of getting through the I-men.

As she found herself a spot, she noticed the girl who she had helped was not on the same ship as her. Reflecting on what had happened, she wondered whether the girl had recognized Elisa as a fellow student, since she had talked to her. Maybe she had seen the pen? It didn't matter too much anyway; Elisa was just happy to have reached her goals. Helping people was so much easier when she could hide behind another face...
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