Saphene is tall and narrow-shouldered, with the elegant proportions of an eladrin who has spent more time climbing observatory stairs than attending court. Her skin has the matte texture of pale olive bark after rain, and tiny flecks of silver appear beneath it whenever she is excited. Her hair is dark brown at the roots and fades into a smoky blue-gray at the ends, worn in dozens of thin, carefully separated braids that click softly against one another like beads. She moves with unnerving economy, never turning her head when her eyes can move instead. In any room, her attention goes first to ceilings, windows, cracks, and empty patches of air. The unexpected contradiction is that she dresses like a severe astronomer but smells faintly of crushed mint, damp soil, and warm bread.