Chise Hatori

Chise Hatori (羽鳥チセ, Hatori Chise): is a Sleigh Beggy and one of the main protagonists of the series. She is the apprentice of Elias Ainsworth.

Appearance
Chise is a young, slender girl with short red hair and green eyes. Her clothes vary, but she is most often seen with a red sweater, skirt and green coat. She was gifted a necklace by Elias made from a cursed stone; whose hole was created naturally at the bottom of a river. By looking through the center, she can see the true form of Elias' acquaintances. Another permanent addition, also a gift from Elias, is a ring she wears on her right index finger that was made by Angelica Barley. The ring keeps her from absorbing too much magic. One of Chise's arms were later changed due to falling under the Dragon's Curse, her arm has been transformed into a more wood-like appearance, increasing in size from the elbow and forward, as it's covered in bandages and other restrictions.

Personality
Chise seems to be a typical teenage girl, though with a somewhat meek, subservient personality and issues with socialization, having had been considered an oddball by other children her age. She also tends to become attached to others quickly, particularly those who show her kindness. This exterior, however, belies a kind and courageous interior willing to go above and beyond in helping others, even at her own expense.

The story begins with Chise falling into severe depression and selling herself into slavery, not considering what may happen to her as a result and displaying no concern for her well-being. When bought by Elias, she seemed fine being viewed as his experiment because he took her in when no one else would. With time, however, it's apparent that she was worried that Elias would throw her aside.

From the beginning, she had little self-preservation and would place the well-being of others above her own health. She can be rash with magic, exhausting herself. Nevin mentions that by putting herself down, she degrades the worth of her actions and the people they affect. After speaking with Nevin, and Lindel, she seems to have taken the steps forward to open herself up.

Despite her lack of self-confidence, Chise is extremely dedicated to her role as an apprentice and her studies. She is very intelligent, though is rather naive - best evidenced by the fact that she is often tricked by fairies and similar creatures, who derive joy from her confusion.

She is afraid of thunder, perhaps because she had to suffer it alone.

History
There was a point in time when she was happy. Both her parents had the gift of sight. As a Sleigh Beggie, she attracted spirits both good and bad. Her father kept them away until he ran away with her brother. After, her mother became stressed with the amalgamations that constantly appeared. She tried to kill Chisé, but let go of her daughter's throat. Instead, her mother left her the only way she could and killed herself.

Chisé was then pased arround by her relatives as no one wanted to have her in their home. Eventually Chise fell into a deep depression even trying to kill herself by jumping of the top of the school building before the begining of the story. However, a man confronted her and convinced her to sell herself to someone who would care for her instead of killing herself. At the time she knew that she was a Sleigh Beggie, but not what that was, nor why someone would find value in her. The man taught her how to read and speak English. It is mentioned in an extra that they made her look dirty to earn sympathy. At the auction house, she was bought for five million pounds and began living with Elias Ainsworth.

Sleigh Beggy
Metaphorically, a Sleigh Beggy has a lot of blood, but a weak heart. They are able to gather and expend vast amounts of magic, so much so that their bodies wear away. They are known to have short lives and die in one of their long periods of rest.

Because of these traits, magicians are willing to pay a high price to have them as a tool of vast magic, to spend to the point of exhaustion for the rest of their short lives.

Magic
Magic is brought forth through the connection with the fae and one's own view of the world. Chise has been shown to be able to purify, fly, and create potions. As a Sleigh Beggie, Chise is favored by the fae, amounting to a large amount of magic potential, without the skills to control the massive pressure it has on her body.

Link To Mind and Memory
The unconscious mind is a passage. Chise is gifted in traveling into the minds of others. Without the intention to do so, she has peered into the memories of Ruth and the stagnation, as well as speak to Cartaphilus in a dream-like state.

Elias Ainsworth
Elias is Chise's magic teacher. He promises to find a way to extend her life, asking her to withhold from magic as much as possible so she does not weaken her body further. Early on, Elias mentions that he will make her his wife, the obviously taboo thereof only being made clear to him by others. Despite this, most of the fae believe her to be his wife.

Lindel
Linden is the elder that finishes Chise's first staff. While carving said staff, Linden tells her a bedtime story about the magi and Elias' past, something that Elias chose not to speak about.

Ruth
Chise's familiar, who considers her a sister. Chise looks like Ruth's old master, Isabelle. As familiar and master, they share the same lifespan. Ruth is able to experience the emotions, thoughts, and memories of Chisé and will often tell others what she is thinking when she refuses to.

Nevin
Chisé shares Nevin's last dream, a final flight before he returns to the earth. As promised, Chisé uses a branch of his tree to form her staff and by doing so, creates a link with him where they can meet between the world of the living and the dead.

Alice
After spending a shopping trip with her, the two became friends. They were both taken in as apprentices, and by happenstance, were both asked to bathe the first day they met their teachers. They are both aware of their complicated feelings for their masters.

Neighbors
Throughout the series Chise attracts various neighbors to her side which are then seen regularly around her when she is at home.

Trivia

 * Her name Chise used the kanji "Chi 智" which means wisdom and "Se 世" which means generations; the Tibetan origins of Se refers to gereations of trees. That makes her name mean, "decendant of the tree of knowledge".
 * Her surname Hatori (羽鳥) means "wing of a bird"