Elijah had had a lot happen since that article come out. Some very bad, some very good. Either way, what had happened to him hadn't been fair. He'd given time to think on how to approach it, and whether he should try knowing it could get worse. It had when he'd gone to see the newspaper man that one time.

He had to stand up for himself, even if it crashed and burned. So here he was, in a part of town that usually only a constable went to if they were looking for trouble. He wasn't treated as badly as some would, as he never wanted to arrest anyone if they were here. Most were just looking for a good time, a distraction. He could relate.

So the man walked up to the Diamond Pony and spoke to the man out front, seeing if a certain redhead was inside. Perhaps fate was smiling upon him this one time, for she was.

He wasn't allowed inside, which was fair. A constable was bad for business. So he folded his arms and leaned against the wall as he waited. He made a point not to look at anyone as it would only make people nervous and he wasn't there to make others feel judged. Still, there was that prickling up his neck that others were looking at him. He frowned sharply as it resolved himself to confront her and not let any crocodile tears or anything else stop him.

It would not be through the front door that Crane caught his first glimpse of his target.

Instead, it was to the balcony that Lory took, a full floor above street level with thin, gauzy curtains billowing behind her. Her dress and glitzy jewelry shimmered in the evening light, sleeveless but not so immodest that anyone who knew not what they were looking for would not realize they were passing under a brothel.

Even more impressively: what she was carrying. She braced a harp taller than herself, steps careful but sure as she brought it out. Then, she went back and reappeared with a posh cushioned bench. Lory ran her fingers up the harp in the full range of its distinctive notes, then started to pluck out a meandering tune.

Elijah was surprised she'd learned to play the harp at the Pony, she definitely wouldn't have learned it at the Wards. He wanted to talk to her but she was getting attention and he'd been wanting to avoid a scene. He paced for a moment then called up.

"Lory. I need a word with you!" He said sharply, attention be damned. "Come down here to talk." Was she doing this to get attention for the Pony? Maybe, but he'd been patient trying to figure things out. How long was he going to have to wait to get at least this much settled??

Lory jumped like a startled cat, and the harp screeched a note. She glanced down, frowned, then sped up her playing – harder, louder, gaze forward and chin up.

He wasn’t a client!

God, let him not become a client.

Elijah frowned more. "Alright. I'm going in to talk to you!" He called out. He didn't know if it would be easier said than done but he hadn't caused them trouble the last time he was there. He usually tried to be easy on the place as long as their business didn't spill out into the streets, and then he didn't usually arrest anyone.

He felt confident if he was polite and told them he'd wait in the lobby for the to bring her down, it would be more likely to succeed. They certainly wouldn't want a uniformed constable standing around their place.

Was it a nice job? Yes. Was it a job worth all the times Crane had let his rowdy brother off the hook, and probably would still?

He had to think of his brother first, and hopefully both the madame and the owner were too preoccupied to notice any … disruptions.

“… I can’t let you in, or fetch our girls for you,” he said, loudly, then dropped his voice. “But if I heard something in the back …” he turned his side to Crane, “and you happened to sneak in, I was just doing my job investigating a possible break-in.”

The fellow walked away, leaving the constable unattended as he ‘checked’ the alley.

Crane nodded to the man with a grateful smile on his face. As he slipped by, he whispered, "Sorry I am such a conniving bastard. Slipping by while a hardworking man like yourself had to check out on a noise in the back. Any trouble is all my fault for sneaking in." He said softly and then hurried by.

He got a few glares, but those who had seen him before didn't seem to care too much. If he was there, it was a reason and had nothing to do with them. He walked up the stairs to where the room seemed to be and listened to the door before knocking. "Lory, open it. I want to talk. Don't you think you can be that kind to me?" He said. He didn't want to force his way in, but he deserved a chance to talk to her and he would do it through the door if he had to. Let everyone on that floor hear him talk to her for what she did to him.

The harp stopped.

Elijah frowned and knocked again. "Come on, Lory. This isn't fair at all. Why did you have to write that article. Do you have any idea what you've done?" He asked more frustrated.

Silence answered him.