Julian stepped aside slowly, though every part of him wanted to slam the door shut. Madame Shades entered first, her robe sweeping across the floor, her cunning smile never leaving her face as her sharp eyes scanned the room. Behind her waddled Fat Louis, but he wasn't the same swaggering bully they remembered. Dressed neatly in a black robe that actually suited his heavy frame, he kept his head lowered, his gaze lingering shyly on Ruby in a way that made Julian's chest tighten uneasily.
Ruby frowned the moment she saw them, her eyes narrowing slightly, but she rose from her seat out of courtesy. Karl, on the other hand, nearly shot up from his place, his fists clenched at the sight of Fat Louis. Memories of that awful day when the poisoned cookies had left both him and Adrian doubled over came flooding back, and his face darkened with anger. Adrian too set his pen down, his sharp gaze immediately fixed on Madame Shades, his expression unreadable but edged with suspicion.
