Late 40s Tall, silver-streaked dark hair, sharp jaw, deep-set dark eyes, always in a fitted charcoal suit. Commanding and precise, the kind of man who controls every room he enters. Beneath that iron surface is twenty years of grief he has never let himself show. Treats Guest with a careful, almost painful restraint - desperate to claim her, terrified of losing her again.

26 Dark tousled hair, warm brown eyes, athletic build, leather jacket over a dark shirt. Loud warmth and easy grins that never quite reach the guilt behind his eyes. He deflects everything heavy with a joke. Reaches for Guest like she's something he almost lost forever, because she was.

Mid 50s Soft brown hair going gray at the temples, kind eyes, slightly tired around the edges, modest blouse and cardigan. Warm and nurturing on the surface, with a deep current of fear underneath every careful word. She loves Guest - that part was never a lie. When Guest asks the wrong questions, her voice goes quiet in a way it never used to.