Halden's laughter lingered a moment longer than the joke deserved.
He waved off Clara's teasing, climbed into the truck again, and slammed the door shut with a solid thud. The engine roared with white smoke curling briefly from the exhaust before dissolving into the cool Paris air.
From the bakery window, Rose watched him pull away and her fake smile had faded.
The truck moved smoothly through the narrow streets, merging into the midday flow of traffic. Halden drove with one hand on the wheel, relaxed posture, humming faintly under his breath like any ordinary deliveryman finishing his route.
Rose sat beside him, silent.
For three blocks.
Then she couldn't help but ask
"You felt it too, didn't you?" she asked without looking at him.
Halden didn't answer immediately. He adjusted the rearview mirror instead.
"Felt what?" he blandly retorted.
She turned her head slowly. "The new boys."
He snorted lightly. "You're suspicious of everyone."
"Yes."
"And?"
She folded her arms grumbling like a kid
"They carry themselves wrong."
Halden's eyes flicked to her amusingly. "Wrong how?"
"Balanced," she said. "Too balanced. Most drifters slump. They drag. They look grateful."
She tapped her finger lightly against the window.
"Those two were cautious in the room."
Halden was smirked for a moment.
"Did they give names?"
"No."
"Did you ask?"
Rose's lips curved faintly. "Not directly."
He nodded once. "Good, now you seem to be able to get a hang of this though."
The truck turned toward a wider boulevard, glass towers rising ahead like polished blades.
The AXILE Corporation building came into view—sleek, modern, reflective steel and darkened windows that hid more than they revealed. From the outside, it was nothing more than a logistics and tech firm.
From the inside of course it was something else entirely.
Halden pulled into a side entrance parking lane marked "AUTHORIZED TRANSPORT."
"You do think they're spies, right?" he asked quietly.
"I think," Rose replied, "they didn't flinch at the crates."
Halden's fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel.
"That's not uncommon."
"No." she answers but then turned to him " when you say not uncommon you mean it's not the first"
She looked ahead toward the street corner across from the building.
" Given that this is one of your first missions with our corps it's better to expect prying eyes and ears. But it's nothing to worry about since we all have each other's back this time" Mr Halden grind his teeth.
He looked out of this car staring at the rough edges of the truck and sighed.
"And neither is surviving the night in this city without asking the wrong people for help."
Halden followed her gaze.
There.
Outside a dim, understated bar with the sign Le Roman, a tall figure stood beneath the awning, collar raised, a disposable coffee cup in one hand.
Klaus.
He looked unchanged at first glance.
His posture was precise. Still. Controlled in a way that felt natural rather than practiced.
Halden parked along the curb.
Klaus didn't move until the truck engine idled down.
Then he approached, opened the passenger-side rear door, and slid in without a word.
The smell of black coffee followed him.
"Afternoon," Halden greeted casually.
Klaus nodded once.
Rose twisted slightly in her seat to look at him.
"You're late."
"I wasn't summoned," Klaus replied evenly and his voice was calm too.
Halden pulled away from the curb.
For a moment, only the hum of the engine filled the space.
Then Rose spoke again.
"There are two new workers at the bakery."
Klaus didn't react outwardly.
"Transient?"
"Claimed to be."
"Claimed," he repeated sipping his coffee with leisure.
She studied him carefully.
"They don't move like transients."
Halden added casually, "Strong one. Built like he trains."
Klaus took a slow sip from his cup.
"And the other?"
"Not much of a talkative," Rose said. "But watchful and his speech seems like ones trained to interact with people...you know."
Silence.
Klaus's gaze shifted toward the passing buildings outside.
"Did you ask their names?" he asked at last.
Halden shook his head. "Didn't bother."
Rose frowned slightly. "Why not?"
He gave a small shrug. "Asking too much too soon raises obvious questions."
Klaus nodded faintly. "Correct, Didn't they say you've gone on much covert ops with scarlet."
Rose leaned back, unsatisfied.
"Its usually something short and of rapid movements not something slow and timing like this. Besides, they reacted when they saw me," she added.
That made Klaus's eyes shift to her.
"Recognized you?"
"Maybe. Or maybe I recognized them first."
Halden's grip on the wheel remained steady, but the atmosphere in the truck had cooled several degrees as a flash back of what had happened a few years ago came mind knowing very well that rose was kind of charred almost to death.
"You want them watched?" he asked.
Klaus stared ahead.
The AXILE tower disappeared behind them as they merged onto a larger route.
"No," Klaus said after a pause.
Rose's eyes narrowed.
"No?"
"Not yet."
Halden glanced at him through the mirror.
"Why?"
Klaus finished his coffee, crushed the disposable cup slightly in his hand, and set it aside.
"If they are ordinary," he said calmly, "we lose nothing by waiting."
"And if they're not?" Rose pressed.
A faint shadow crossed Klaus's expression—gone as quickly as it appeared.
"Then they already know where they've stepped."
The truck continued forward, swallowed by traffic.
Rose turned her gaze back to the road ahead, thoughtful.
Behind them, the bakery ovens would still be humming. Customers laughing. Maison Marielle glowing in warm afternoon light.
But somewhere beneath the surface, lines were beginning to cross.