Ms. Devaless raised her eyebrows for a second as she entered the room, mildly surprised.

“I must admit, you were not what I was expecting.”

The figure across the table shrugged, as if having heard this response before. His hands remained bolted to the arms of the chair he was sitting in.

“I don’t need sympathy, necessarily,” he said. His dark hair hung just above his eye line, giving him a sad, shadowed look.

“I’m not here to give it, necessarily,” Ms. Devaless replied. “I just want to know if you’re worth defending. I don’t normally deal in criminal law.”

“So why me?”

“Your background convinced me that you were a good person…as far as could be, before…”

“I killed a woman, Ms. Devaless.”

She nodded, lipstick smearing slightly as she bit her lip.

“But will you take my case?” he continued.

“I…I think so. It’s not like you’re Jack the Ripper or anything.”

He gave a little smile. Nostalgic, almost.