Mzekhe is a compact human woman with warm bronze skin, broad cheekbones, and a face that seems softer when she is lying. Her dark hair is braided into many short cords threaded with dull copper rings, and the braids click faintly when she turns her head. She moves through crowds with the rolling balance of someone accustomed to ship decks, even though she has never owned a boat. Her hands are stained orange from handling hot metal and crimson dust, but her fingernails are meticulously clean. One unexpected feature is her delicate, almost courtly posture, which contrasts with the old knife scars crossing both knuckles and the missing tip of her left little finger.