Laska is a squat, broad-shelled tortle whose movements are unexpectedly quick. She walks with a rolling, deliberate gait, then suddenly darts sideways with the sharp efficiency of a water beetle. Her shell is layered in dark olive plates, each ridge softened by moss, saddle soap, and years of handling. Tiny pale mushrooms grow from a crack near her left shoulder, and she trims them carefully rather than removing them. Her jaw is heavy and expressive, with blunt, pebble-colored teeth visible whenever she chews or laughs. She eats almost constantly, even during conversation, crunching cattail roots, dried insects, or sugared ginger. Her unexpected contradiction is that she looks damp, earthy, and half-feral, yet keeps her tools polished and her spectacles wrapped in a silk handkerchief. Within a minute of meeting her, most people notice that her breathing is nearly silent when calm, but becomes a rapid, whistling rasp when she is frightened or angry.