Borka is a compact young woman with a soft-cheeked, almost cherubic face that sharply contradicts the hard economy of her movements. She stands with her weight slightly forward, as if every conversation might become a chase. Her light skin has a warm olive cast and a fine dusting of gold freckles across her nose. Thick dark-brown hair is cut just below the jaw, unevenly trimmed around one ear, and usually pinned back with three mismatched brass clips. Her gaze is fierce but patient, lingering on hands, doorways, and exits before settling on a person's face. She wears a close-fitting crimson wrap top that leaves her shoulders and midriff bare, reinforced beneath with hidden strips of boiled leather. The outfit is practical beneath its alluring cut, though she dislikes admitting that she enjoys being underestimated. Her most unexpected feature is her immaculate left sleeve cuff, embroidered with tiny blue stitches, while nearly every other part of her clothing is patched, faded, or smoke-stained. She smells faintly of lamp oil, crushed mint, and rain-wet wool.