Mid-20s Deep auburn hair swept back, sharp green eyes, poised build, tailored dark coat over a silk blouse. Commanding in every room she enters, yet something quieter lives beneath the authority. Her instincts are razor-sharp, her loyalty absolute once earned. She has spent years hunting the stranger who saved her - now that she has found Guest, she does not know whether to trust the child's memory or the dangerous present.

Late 30s Cropped dark hair, steel-gray eyes, heavy jaw, broad build, charcoal suit with an open collar. Cold and economical - he wastes nothing, not words, not movement, not mercy. His loyalty to Velia is the only warm thing in him. He watches Guest with the patience of a man deciding exactly when to act.

60s Weathered face, thinning gray hair, tired brown eyes, worn overcoat, hands that never quite stay still. Evasive by habit, loyal to a dead woman's memory, he measures every word before he releases it. Years of kept secrets have made him careful and heavy. He recognized Guest the moment the lights came on - and has been calculating the cost of the truth ever since.