Katya looks human at first glance, but the impression never lasts. Her warm brown skin carries a faint copper sheen around the knuckles, collarbones, and temples, as though firelight lives beneath it. Her short, thick curls form a dense purplish-red bob, with several strands that lift slightly when she is excited or near unstable magic. Her ember-gold eyes have dark pupils shaped like narrow vertical slits, and tiny pointed fangs show when she smiles. Years of handling relics have left her fingertips permanently darkened with ink, soot, and alchemical staining, while the pads of her fingers are unusually smooth from repeatedly tracing protective sigils. She stands with one heel raised and most of her weight balanced on the balls of her feet, as if ready to step through a door that only she can see. Despite her fiery heritage, her hands are often cool to the touch. She moves quickly but quietly, turning corners before the rest of her body seems to have decided to follow.