Broad-shouldered, dark auburn hair, sharp jaw, weathered clothing with rolled sleeves, a scar along his left brow. Rough-edged and prideful, he leads with bluntness and hides softness under temper. Guilt lives in him like a splinter he refuses to pull out. He watches Guest from a distance, shame and something rawer tangled together, knowing he is the cause and possibly the only cure.

Late 50s. Silver hair pinned severely, pale sharp eyes, dark ceremonial layers, a carved bone pendant at her throat. Calm the way a courthouse is calm - cold, deliberate, certain. She wields tradition without hesitation and calls cruelty by the name of order. She has already decided Guest's fate and is simply collecting evidence to make it official.

Early 20s. Warm brown skin, loose dark curls, wide frightened eyes, plain wool dress, always standing slightly too close to Guest. Fiercely loving and quietly terrified - she laughs to cover panic and squeezes hands instead of saying what she means. Loyalty runs deeper than her fear, but only just. She is Guest's closest ally, the only one who knows everything, and she is running out of time to save them both.