"How often do I have to tell you to stop coming around?" Claire's irritated voice rings out as Alois and Detective Darrow make their way toward the entrance.

"Enough to bring me back." A woman replies, tone thick with a smarmy smile.

O— kay. Energy is already great. The detective pauses and gestures towards a different exit, but Alois shakes his head. He has no doubts that Claire can handle herself, but there's nothing wrong with cleaning up on the way out. 

They continue walking, getting a better vantage point of the scene as they approach. Claire is blocking the entrance doorway, her back facing the men with her hands on her hips. Going by the tone of her voice and her raised shoulders, she's not having it today. A tall black-haired woman dressed in a powder blue suit and a gray wool coat towers over her with a smirk. She's holding the door open and is leaning forward, looking like she's about to run in at any moment.

"You will be notified when the time is right, Ms. Chinen. Until then, I don't want to see your face."

Chinen. Chinen… Chinen? Something in Alois' gut responds to the name; he feels as though he should know who this is.

"Two dead in an abandoned street, people are bound to be afraid." Ms. Chinen tilts her head, looking to be enjoying the attention. 

"And investigations are already happening." Claire takes a single step forward, tone warm. Wait. That. That sounded flirtatious. She scoffs…. flirtatiously, "I think you've overstayed your welcome."

Scratch that. Claire is having it.

It seems that Alois has miscalculated here. He pauses mid-step, and Detective Darrow stops with him.

"Citizen Mirror is only after the truth, detective." Ms. Chinen plays along, although the double meaning is now not lost on Alois.

Wait… Citizen Mirror?

The name clicks something into place for Alois; he remembers now. Ms. Chinen must be Jun Chinen from the publication Citizen Mirror. Sometimes insightful, sometimes bizarre, but always provocative. After the debacle that followed the successful escape of crucial Scarlet Spades members, Citizen Mirror, namely Jun Chinen, became a thorn in his side. Constantly publishing articles after articles, not just on current events but giving fuel to all sorts of conspiracy theories. She was also kind enough to display a blurry photo of his constipated face, taken from an unflattering angle. Granted, it might be the case that it was the only photo they had of him– That doesn't mean she had to keep using it. Every. Single. Time. He debated contacting them to switch it out, but his pride won over, and he just left it as it was. He doesn't personally know Jun Chinen… But perhaps because he kept seeing her name pasted below that blasted photo, he's come to think of her as, nicely put, an asshole.

An asshole who, as part of the press, is asking about the very thing they're investigating. Damn, speak of the devil, and they shall arrive…

… In the form of a woman eyeing his best friend like a piece of meat.

"Let's take another exit," Alois tells the detective. He attempts to keep his volume low, but it's enough for Jun Chinen's bedeviled ears to pick it up. Like a predator just heard movement in the bushes, her eyes snap towards him. Hastily he turns around, but he does catch that she has lost a fraction of her smirk. 

"Did you ever think that you bothering us keeps us from doing our job? Then when are you going to get your scoop?" Claire continues to role play on the clock. 

"Follow me. "Detective Darrow replies and starts walking; Alois trails along.

Tsk. That's what he gets for trying to be a knight in shining armor. 

"Well?" Claire prompts the speechless reporter.

Alois quickens his pace. He's not willing to look back, but he has a feeling Jun's resolute gaze is still trained on the back of his head.

"Detective Valencourt…" Jun's voice trails off, tone not as heated as before.

So he unknowingly cockblocked her. He's not mad about that.

Against his will, his mind fills with theories and speculations- but mostly questions. Seriously Claire? Jun? He trusts her to be professional enough not to leak evidence- that much isn't an issue. It's the choice.

But on the other hand… Claire can keep her distracted. Jun won't be the only reporter in the city, but she's terrifyingly tenacious. Having her off this case is the equivalent of getting a minimum of five men off of his back.

Claire made this bed… She'll sleep on it- with it.

Probably, quite literally– perhaps already done it. Alois scrunches his face. Whatever. He doesn't want to think about that.

What's definite is that Alois will harass her about this later.

He's still lost in thought by the time they reach the car. It's not until he seats himself inside that he realizes that the detective opened the door for him.

Detective Darrow enters from the other side. "Do you know her?"

"Only by name. She knows me." Did Alois say thank you? Eh. Too late.  

"Ah. That explains things… Speak of the devil, huh." The detective reaches over to turn on the heater.

Alois sighs and puts on his seatbelt. "That's what I told myself."

  They drive out. Alois catches sight of Jun with Claire absent; she seems to be looking around. God, he's hoping it's not for him. Fortunately, their eyes don't meet. As they pass, Detective Darrow flashes a peace sign her way that she totally overlooks. It pulls a chuckle out of Alois.

The photo that's been haunting Alois: