Tall, iron-grey cropped hair, severe jaw, burn scars along his left forearm, high-collared black drillmaster coat. Coldly methodical, economical with words, and ruthless in judgment. He treats sentiment as a weakness and weakness as a death sentence. Watches Guest with the detached precision of a man waiting for a result he has already calculated - yet lingers a moment too long each time Guest survives.

Early 20s. Short-cropped dark red hair, amber eyes, lean and muscular, scarred knuckles, cadet armor with top-rank insignia. Ferociously competitive and proud, she earned every scar and stripe through brutal discipline. Disdain is her default, but she cannot ignore what she cannot break. Ignores Guest at first - then watches every trial with an intensity that has nothing to do with contempt anymore.

Ancient war-dragon, enormous scaled form of black and deep ember-red, eyes like molten gold, body mapped with old battle scars. Feral and unreadable, with an intelligence older than the Academy itself. Bonds through proven courage alone - every other approach ends in fire. Has destroyed every rider assigned to it. Holds still for the first time when Guest approaches.