[CHARACTER'S NAME:] Hanako Baro
[CREATOR:] Joseph Sutedja & Jessie Shelton
[STATUS:] Dead

[GENERAL APPEARANCE:]
When she was alive, Hanako had straight shoulder-length, dark red hair (think Kim Doonesbury with a different color scheme) and bright green eyes, and stood about five-foot-two.

Of course, now that she's dead, this has changed somewhat. She's generally invisible except only to certain people (i.e., spiritualists, priests, etc.), but those who _can_ see her would note that she looks a bit transparent, although depending on the amount of effort or emotion Hanako exerts, she may be able to increase her visibility temporarily. Oh, and besides that, there's always a rather pleasant smell of roses whenever she's around.

[GENERAL CLOTHING:]
Because she's a ghost, and has the ability to shift her own appearance, her clothing generally varies, depending on the occasion. She's been seen in everything from a Straussian jumpsuit to a formal kimono, although she is most likely to be seen in a sundress.

Hanako _always_ wears her engagement ring, which, when she was alive, was a perfectly ordinary and expensive symbol of love from her fiancé, and was a ruby set in a gold band. Now that she's dead, however, her ring changes color in a slow cycle from red to green to red, each change spaced about two days apart. The cycle seems to be linked to how easy she finds it to interact with the world of the living...

[POWERS/SKILLS:]
Hanako has the (rather pitiful) ability to move/throw objects, but it requires all of her concentration and energy, she can only carry/toss things that weigh less than twenty pounds (unless she's really upset), and she can't do it for very long.

She also creates a distinct scent of rose whenever she's around that she can't control, and she has the ability to possess people. And whenever she's in a room with plants, they tend to turn and face her direction, like the sun...

[ATTITUDE:]
Before her death, Hanako was one of the more popular crewmembers on the Kircheis -- outgoing and compassionate, and happiest around a large group of people. She liked being trusted with everyone's secrets, just so she could help them unravel the little tangles in their lives. She would, basically, have been the sort of person who'd throw a surprise party for someone if she thought s/he was depressed. No matter who you are, she takes a genuine _interest_.

Of course, now that she's dead and cut off from the people she loves, she's confused, and resentful, mostly directed towards the people who separated her from her loved ones. A person who thrived on social interaction now cut off from people, she'll probably latch onto the first sign of human contact like a lifeline...

Oh, yeah, and she also _loved_ plants. Her quarters were literally overflowing with them. (A day when she didn't carry a bouquet of flowers to one of her friends was unusual.) This love has carried over into her death, as well...

[REACTIONS TO:]

{A GREETING:} "Hi!" [double-take] "You can _see_ me?"

{A CHALLENGE:} "Oh, hi to you too." [double-take] "You can _see_ me?"

{AN ATTACK:} [passes right through her] (laughs bitterly if she's in the mood.)

{A PASS:} [looks at her engagement ring sadly]

[BACKGROUND:]
Hanako was the daughter of a Straussian diplomat, and when her father was stationed in the Empire, she met her True Love and fiancé. He happened to be an Imperial knight, which made life a little more interesting. Still, the pair managed to sort matters out to their satisfaction and the satisfaction of their families. As Hanako was an aspiring diplomat herself, and since the career required ship service as necessary background, she joined the crew of the Kircheis. Her life was going very well, with a happy love life and a promising career path, until the Kircheis suddenly broke apart (see Jerry's intro post).

Now she has found herself suddenly and unexpectedly dead, and she is having a hard time adjusting. She tries to cope with being a ghost and being shut off from all her loved ones -- especially her fiancé – and longs for any kind of human contact. Her unfinished business in the mortal plane revolves around two things: her fiance, and vengeance... But if her business ever becomes finished, she'll have to leave the people she loves forever...