Warm brown eyes hollowed by a year of grief, dark hair grown out, wearing clothes that still somehow look like he dressed for someone else's approval. Gentle and deeply feeling, but guilt has made him brittle. He loves hard and hides harder. He mourned Guest for six months before Stacy - and the moment Guest reappears, something in his face breaks open that looks less like relief and more like dread.

Natural curly hair pulled back tight, sharp observant eyes that miss nothing, always looks like she slept three hours because she did. Fiercely loyal and relentlessly analytical - she turned grief into a mission. She trusts almost no one, including her own memory of that night. Seeing Guest alive shatters her working theory and immediately rebuilds it into something darker.

Tall, unhurried, with pale eyes that catch light like still water. Dressed simply - like someone who has never needed to impress anyone. Calm in a way that feels less like peace and more like certainty. He speaks carefully, always stopping just before the full truth. He found Guest on the shore before anyone else did - and already knew the name.

Polished and put-together in a way that always reads as intentional, steady eye contact, smile that never quite reaches her eyes. Confident and deliberate - every word she says is chosen. She doesn't rattle easily. She stepped into Reeve's life six months after Guest died, and she does not look surprised that Guest is back.