Cissy is one of the characters in Senta and the Steel Dragon.  She is easily the most important non-human character.  Her part in the original story arc of Senta and the Steel Dragon was relatively small.  She appeared in book 3 and then her story culminated in book 5.  When I went back and added what became books 0, 2, and 4, her story became much bigger and I think richer.

Here Cissy runs into Saba Colbshallow while both are shopping at the pfennig store.

The bell above the door clanged once again, this time as a lizardman entered. It was carrying a large hatbox tied with a red silk bow. There were quite a few variations from individual to individual among the reptilians. This aborigine had a face of deep forest green that continued down and was punctuated with darker strips just below the shoulder. Saba immediately recognized by the shorter stature, just under six feet, and the lighter belly coloring, a pale green, that this was a female. Only a few seconds later he recognized who the lizardman was.

“Hello Cissy.”

“Hello Sada,” she replied.

“What do you need, lizzie?” asked Delks in a rather snotty tone.

“Dillingdow’s,”

“Huh?”

“She wants Billingbow’s,” translated Saba. “A six pack?”

Cissy nodded.

Delks raised an eyebrow, and then walked to the back of the store once again, returning with yet another wooden carrier containing six bottles of the popular soda water.

“I didn’t know you lot drank this,” he said. “That will be three marks.”

“That should be one mark thirty two P,” said Saba.

“I can charge whatever I want.”

Cissy set three one mark notes on the counter and picked up the six-pack in her clawed fist. She headed back out the front door, pausing just long enough on her way out to hiss “Asshole.”

“If you’re going to start skinning the natives,” said Saba to the proprietor. “You might not want to start with the governor’s own lizzie.”

Walking outside, Saba found Cissy tilting one of the bottles into her long, many-toothed mouth.

“I like to let mine cool down in the ice box.”

“I know. I see you drink. Cold drink not good to lizzies. I get thirsty. I like Dillingdow’s.”

“Did you pick that up for Mrs. Dechantagne?” he asked, indicating the hatbox.

“No. This is Cissy’s hat. You like to see it?”

He nodded. She carefully untied the red silk ribbon and opened the box, withdrawing a broad-brimmed lady’s hat, made of plaid material, decorated with artificial blue and pink roses and a large green feather. Carefully balancing it on her head, Cissy tied it below her chin with a thick strand of blue lace.

“It looks very nice on you,” said Saba.

“I wear it to shrine, like all the fine ladies.”

“You go to shrine regularly?”

“Yes. I Zaeri now. You Kafirite?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Kafira die for hoonan souls. I think not for lizzie souls.”

Saba nodded thoughtfully, and then turned to set his two six-packs into the passenger seat of the steam carriage. He didn’t know much about the lizzie religion, or if there was one now that he thought about it. It was not surprising that Mother Linton was not interested in converting the locals to Kafira, but it seemed like someone would want to. He wanted to ask Cissy who had told her about the Zaeri faith, but when he turned back around, she was already gone.

Ivo and Femke Kane are two characters in Senta and the Steel Dragon.  They first appear in book 3: The Drache Girl.  They are a husband and wife pair of engineers that come to Birmisia to work for the coal company.  Although there are hints in book 3, we don’t really learn all that much about them until The Two Dragons, in which we learn they have an unusual relationship.

Senta, who had taken a bath upon her return from the great plaza earlier in the day, took another. The rectangular tub was just over seven feet long and five feet wide, which by human standards made it quite spacious. Its depth however was what made it remarkable. Though she was an even six feet tall, Senta could not touch the bottom even on her tip-toes, without dunking her head. Four square stone spouts provided a continuous flow of water into the tub, which spilled over the top and ran down to a drain cut with four long grooves from a one foot square piece of stone.

After the bath, Senta returned to her room dressed in her large fluffy housecoat. She sat down on her sleeping mat and thought about opening Matter and the Elements once more, but just couldn’t face it. Instead she reached into her bag and pulled out a well-worn copy of Intruder by Anarosa Freedman. It was a relatively easy matter to find the racy parts, as the corners of the pages had become dog-eared with rereading.

“Well, what are we priming ourselves up for?” asked Mrs. Kane, when she entered a few minutes later.

“Just reading a bit.”

“So I see. You’ve had an exciting day.” Mrs. Kane sat down cross-legged next to Senta. “You know I’ve always thought that you were a remarkable young woman,” she said, placing her hand on Senta’s shoulder.

“Thanks…”

“I’ve thought that you might be someone I would like to get to know better.”

“Okay…”

“My husband and I have an agreement. He’s free to pursue other women, as am I.”

“As you are what?”

“Free to pursue other women.”

Senta stared uncomprehending for a moment. Then recognition kicked her in the side of the head just above the ear.

“Eww!”

“Now don’t be that way,” said Mrs. Kane. “The love between two women can be a beautiful thing.”

“I’ve got all the loving women that I need,” said Senta. “What’s more, I have a loving man.”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, dear. You don’t really need one of those.”

“There we must agree to disagree.” Senta lifted the woman’s hand from her shoulder and set it aside.

“Pity,” said Mrs. Kane, moving to her own sleeping mat. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

“Yes, I’m sure I could navigate thirty-three inches if needed.”

Senta put away her lamp, though it had not yet grown dark enough in the room to need it, and her book, and curled up under her blanket. It had been an eventful day and despite feeling vaguely more nervous about Mrs. Kane’s proximity than she had before, she was soon asleep.