Cara

[WIP i'll make it pretty eventually]

Former chemical engineering researcher at the Federal Research and Advancement Institute, Cara was fired and a warrant was issued for her arrest after a "demonstration" she made to bring attention to a loophole in the safety guidelines for the labs that could allow inexperienced (or malicious) individuals access to hugely dangerous combinations of substances. (the demonstration was exploding a lab while technically following all of the safety guidelines) (millions in property damage, 0 injuries). She had been trying to bring attention to the guidelines for months prior, but had gotten nowhere, and was driven to more extreme measures. She didn't really think it through, though, so now the safety procedures are unchanged and she's also a wanted criminal.

She met Scraps when she was hiding out in what she thought was an abandonded junk hangar that turned out to be where Scraps was in the process of building the airship Saucy Jocelyn. The two didn't start off on the best of terms, because Cara pointed a gun at Scraps when he stumbled across her, and she also called his passion project ugly garbage. Scraps had a grudging sense of respect for her, though, because he was forced out of the captains' academy as a result of a similar safety oversight as what Cara was trying to bring attention to with her stunt. So he agreed to let her stick around as long as she stayed hidden and didn't get him arrested, and over time the two became friends. When the Saucy Jocelyn was finally finished and operational Scraps agreed to let Cara "stow away" in exchange for her services with ship upkeep and with chemistry-related work. She has a small lab that she continues her research in, and occasionally lends Maisie a hand in the sick bay if needed. She just has to hide in a cupboard every so often whenever government personnel are on board.

Cara is bright and mischievous, and can be bit inconsiderate at times. Despite her investment in lab safety procedures at a high level, Cara's entire interest in chemistry has always been fueled by a fascination with fire and explosions, and it shows. She has a tendency for recklessness in individual situations, especially when it comes to her driving and when she's working with fire.