Luba was the elderly fortune teller of Latomi village, and the only person in the community who showed kindness to the young Ivy after she was revealed to be a starless tamer. Holding a one-star divination skill, Luba used her ability to predict practical matters such as the harvest time of local crops. Upon learning that the villagers intended to harm Ivy because of her perceived curse of being starless, Luba took the girl under her care in secret. She taught Ivy essential survival skills, provided her with food and supplies, and left her a bag and a book that later proved crucial for Ivy’s escape and journey. Luba’s motivations were rooted in compassion and pity; she recognized the injustice of Ivy’s treatment and sought to give her a chance to live. Her personality is depicted as kind, perceptive, and quietly defiant of the village’s prejudice. She acted as a grandmotherly mentor figure to Ivy, and her teachings formed the foundation of Ivy’s ability to survive on her own. Luba’s death from a worsening cold was exploited by the local church, which claimed it was a curse caused by associating with a starless person, thereby inciting the villagers to hunt Ivy and forcing her to flee. Although Luba dies early in the story, her role is pivotal: she serves as the catalyst for Ivy’s journey and her influence persists through Ivy’s memories and the survival knowledge she imparted. Luba’s notable ability was her divination, but more significantly, she possessed the moral clarity and courage to defy her community’s bigotry. She does not undergo character development because her arc ends with her death, but her legacy is central to Ivy’s growth and the unfolding of the narrative.