[ Oh, that grates. There's nothing worse than having someone read your strategy right out of the gate, and Claude shows his annoyance in the way his expression turns pure neutral for a blink-and-miss it second.

Without Iona to lower his walls, he's still very much unapproachable. The difference between Claude of the past and Claude of now is that he takes a mental millisecond to remember how Iona would react if she saw him being abrasive in her cafe: this is her home, and he doesn't want to track mud all over it with his attitude. He respects her enough to know better.

His shoulders lower, tension releasing in increments. ]

I'm aware. Believe me when I say I've tried.

[ Oren never breaks pokerface, not really— Gus is the one that's been more successful in that department, strangely. ]

You've piqued my curiosity, however. What's given a man like you such a poor reputation?