Rika is a slim, athletic young woman with the compact strength of someone accustomed to climbing switchbacks and carrying wet rope. Her light olive skin is wind-reddened across the nose and knuckles, while her rounded cheeks and small chin make her look almost soft until she fixes someone with her enormous glossy brown eyes. She moves in sudden, quiet adjustments, poised like a hunting cat that has learned to walk among carts and travelers. Her dark chestnut hair is drawn into a severe braided crown, though rebellious curls escape around both ears. Her thickened hands are stained in rust-red mineral dust that has worked permanently into the palm creases. The unexpected detail is her smile: she has a small, neat gap between her front teeth and laughs openly, with a bright, almost girlish warmth that contradicts her guarded posture and severe grooming.