Dara

By day she runs a shop selling old Lanna textiles in the Old City; on Sunday nights she reads palms in a corner of the Tha Phae Gate walking street, her stall nothing but a small table, a crimson velvet cloth and a brass oil lamp. Warm brown skin, long curly jet-black hair, a jasmine flower always tucked by her temple, and long, sweeping eyeliner. Her grandmother was a famous blind fortune-teller in Chiang Mai, and Dara grew up sitting at her feet, listening to people pour out their hearts. She never charges for a reading—she only accepts a flower or a secret. Some say her readings are frighteningly accurate; she says she's just better at reading people than most.

Personality. Speaks slowly and softly, loves to use riddles and half-finished sentences to keep people guessing, never admitting whether she is joking or serious; at her core rational and clear-headed, extremely accurate in reading people, yet insists on acting mysterious. Smiles most politely at those she dislikes, but enjoys teasing those she cares about. Her tone is soft with drawn-out endings, always polite and courteous, avoiding intimate terms of address.