Meet Mara Quill
Mara runs the dock because her father handed it down to her. The math was as simple as five daughters and no sons. Turns out Mara was the one built for the work, temperament and all. Some people are just the right person for a job.
On the water, she has the remarkable ability to remain calm. Nothing fazes her. She rolls her eyes at the terrors of the Fen, but when she tugs the end of her braid, the people of Sedgewick have come to recognize this as a sign of her nerves. Her regulars leave her be when they see her hand reaching for her strawberry-blonde hair.
I thought of a better story for the missing finger! It was the eel, not the trap that got her. A big, ugly creature that had no business fighting back that hard. Still, Mara won in the end. She gutted and ate the monstrosity that night, after removing the finger.
Most of her sisters married and left Sedgewick long ago. They don't write often. One stayed, though. She married locally and has appointed herself Mara's official matchmaker. Mara wants nothing to do with any of it.
Regulars know she often comments on whether a person is "worth their salt," as she puts it. Each of the locals knows where they stand in this estimation.
In her rare time away from the docks, she's out. Loud, and a little reckless. This is the time when you can hear her guffaw. She is normally too collected for that, but even she needs to blow off steam. Those nights, you can find her at the Salty Reed, carousing with friends.
This was her life. It wasn't thrilling, but she was comfortable. It is what it is. That's her life philosophy in a nutshell.
I want to know what you think her sister's matchmaking attempts look like. What kind of man does she keep dragging in front of Mara?
Currently in development. More soon!