February Faces

"You're telling me this isn't the least favorite part of the job?" To anyone else, the rumble would've been misconstrued as annoyance or anger. The words that left the werewolf were out of curiosity as he placed his hands into his jacket pockets.

The woman next to him shrugged, pulling her own coat tighter around her and crossed her arms to trap her cold hands between her biceps and ribs. "I don't like talking to people...I don't like customer facing."

Raising a dark eyebrow, Erick sucked in a breath. "Yet...you're the one who organizes this shit."

"I get paid a pretty penny for it." She flashed him a disarming smile and he rolled his eyes at her answer.

Before he could answer, the wind shifted in the large park and he could smell the arrival of a familiar collector. He was grateful the man arrived early, it calmed down the human next to him considerably. The inner beast simmered just under his skin, ready to protect the girl if things turned sideways.

In the last two months that they'd been working together, he never needed to force a shift but he could never be too careful. His golden eyes snapped as she whirled around with a call of her name from the other trader. "Ms. Callahan, my dear!" Arnold greeted and Erick watched as the girl genuinely smiled and waved.

"Oh goodness, we could've met you somewhere warmer, Arnold." She crossed the threshold of the gazebo and they met in the middle with a firm handshake, putting the briefcase he carried onto the wooden slats.

"No no, these old bones have some fight left in them!" He smiled and leaned back onto his cane. "Tradition dictates neutral ground for trades, this was the only one open."

Her face fell slightly and she pursed her lips. "You're right, Arnold." She dug into her pocket, revealing a small box sealed with their bosses crest. "Here, this is for Anette and..." She reached into her other pocket, pulling out a satchel filled with herbs. The wind shifted enough that Erick could smell the Apple Mint and it nearly made him sneeze. "You mentioned you liked woolly tea."

"You remembered that?" Arnold sounded surprised as they traded hands, Viola bending to grab the briefcase. "Kerrigan made the right choice hiring you, my dear."

She blushed at the praise and Erick let a small upturn at the corner of his mouth belay his feelings. "We've got one more appointment, Ms. Callahan."

"Let me know how it is. We'll be in contact soon, Arnold. Please drive safely!" She waved goodbye as they both turned, and walked down the steps to the path that would lead to the parking lot.

Just out of ear shot and line of sight, her shoulders sagged and mouth went back into a firm line. "Alright, lets get going."

The wolf didn't think he'd get used to how quickly she'd shift gears emotionally, but it was fascinating to watch. The human beside him could go from genuinely interested in everything another Trader had to say, remembering little details and the moment she was alone, turn stone faced and annoyed. "What did Kerrigan want anyway?"

"Dunno, a book or something. Above my pay grade." The auburn haired girl shrugged, hand clasped tightly around the briefcase. That was something he noticed instantly about the guarded human, she didn't ask a lot of questions and she only cared about the paycheck.

Which wasn't exactly wrong, he knew. He let the topic drop and unlocked his truck doors, not wanting to make further conversation with her. As she climbed in, she maneuvered to place the briefcase behind her seat, an extra blanket pulled over just in case. "...Sorry for being kinda rude." She mumbled sheepishly after a beat of silence.

Turning the engine, it sputtered to life and the heat kicked on. Cocking an eyebrow he glanced over, before placing a hand on her seat and looking through the window to reverse. "Nah, it's not really our place to ask." He moved back toward the front, seeing that she had fished her phone out of her pocket and held it in her lap. "Anything you wanna talk about?"

"Oh! Uh, no...no. I think I'm just tired." A blatant lie if he had ever heard one, but the wolf hummed in agreement. They had been pretty busy in the last two weeks alone and she had looked worn. Not that he'd ever say that to her, or anyone but graciously he let it drop and turned the knob for the volume to fill the silence.

The beast under his skin was not happy with her answer. He was hired to protect the trader, if something was wrong he needed to know. Especially if it interfered with their work. Erick didn't consider her apart of his pack, not like Kerrigan or the other workers in the manor. Yet, she was still his responsibility.

"Meredith texted." She huffed and if she wasn't annoyed before, she sure was now. "She's changing location to Ezra's Emporium...again."

Well it wasn't the worst and he tilted his head. "His place is a Trading Post and he doesn't deal with bullshit." He pointed out. "It's your call, but I don't see why not."

"It's the principle of it." Ms. Callahan mumbled. "If you're going to Location A, don't change it to location B with no warning." He heard the angry tapping against the screen. "Of course I'm gonna do it, but it's not professional."

He smirked at her, keeping his eyes focused on the road as they made their way to the new destination. "She's a good witch, she's just ditzy. You can't blame her for that."

"Well no..." She sighed and dropped her phone back into her lap, glaring at the small device as if it personally offended her. "But maybe stick to the plan and stop changing locations."

"Twice." Erick corrected, not unkindly. "She's changed twice in the four trades we've had with her. Each time is at Ezra's.

Her lip curled in annoyance and she nodded in agreement. "I know...it just makes me feel more anxious and scrambled than I already am." Erick knew there had to be something more than just that, but he let the radio play over his thoughts on it.

As they drove into downtown, she fiddled more with her phone, switching between that and playing with a strand of hair that escaped her ponytail. His wolf wanted to scream at her to relax, to calm down, there was no danger and he forced himself to ignore her ticks.

Parking on the busy street, she reached under her seat for a sleek rectangular box, sealed with Kerrigan's signature crest and tied together with a silver bow. He waited for a car to pass safely before turning off the engine and hopping out of the truck, the girl following quickly.

He watched from the corner of his eye as she stared almost longingly at their usual coffee shop. "Do you want a coffee after?"

"Oh!" She sounded surprised and shook her head. "No...no. Uhm, Lazlo has been...experimenting with lattes at the manor... I just miss...good coffee. Please don't tell him I said that." She rushed the last part, pink dusting her cheeks at her admittance.

Erick was offered to live at the manor, as were all of Kerrigan's employees but he chose to keep his studio apartment. He wanted to keep his personal and work life as separate as possible, finding that his home provided a great break between both. Especially with the the tiny bundle of anxiety that was glued to his side most days.

She hesitated as the turned down the alleyway where the warlock's shop sat, nestled away from most of the foot traffic. Squaring her shoulders, she plastered on her 'work' smile and wiggled her nose. "Okay, I'm good. We're good."

"You sure?" Erick asked as he opened the heavy wooden door. She didn't get a chance to answer as the witch squealed from behind the counter close to the front door.

"Viola!" Meredith loudly closed the heavy tome she was reading with a snap. The wolf flinched as the girl nearly jumped out of her skin, jaw clenching near audibly.

Instantly, the human matched her energy. "Hey, Meredith!" Not overtly loud but just as happy. "How are you?"

Meredith groaned, rolling her eyes and tilting her head back, purple hair shaking itself out of it's messy bun. "Ezra is being a bore and wont entertain me. But you're here now!"

"I'm sure Mr. Felstar is busy with the upcoming Harvest Festival." She deflected easily and Erick peered down at her. The words were clipped, but it seemed like the witch ignored it. "We can make the trade and let you get back to work."

Undeterred the witch stood and cocked her hip against the front counter. "You could stay for some tea with us! We're not super busy, as you can see."

"I'll have to check the schedule again." Erick quirked an eyebrow, Viola knew the schedule like the back of her hand.

"Oh come on," She urged, no longer looking at the human, her bright eyes turned to the werewolf instead. A sudden rage rolled off the human that even the wolf inside winced at. "It'll be like an hour, tops! I'm sure you two could use the break, anyway."

Before Erick could take pity on the girl and intervene, a door across the shop opened. "I take it Meredith changed locations without warning again." His sharp voice cut through the witch's begging and Viola flinched.

"I thought we could all hang out." She pouted, tapping her manicured hands on the dark countertop. "...if they didn't have any other trades after this."

"Mr. Hawke...Ms. Callahan, I do apologize." A lean man with white hair and pale skin rounded the shelf and his crimson eyes trained their glare onto his employee. "This is a business first and Post second, witch. There will be no tea, no hanging out, no more slacking off."

Viola swallowed and blushed as if she was the one who was being scolded. "Of course, Mr. Felstar, sorry for interrupting."

His gaze didn't soften as it moved from the witch to the human and Erick straightened. Sure, he was taller and bigger than the warlock, but he didn't have means to fight the magi in his own shop. "You are without blame, Ms. Callahan. Witch, trade quickly, we are on Kerrigan's time."

Her pout turned into a scowl and she grumbled. "We could still get drinks or something, right Viola?"

"I'll check when my next free day is." An empty promise and it sounded loud through the room as Viola said the words. She handed over the jewelry box in good faith first, something Erick would've advised against. He and the warlock watched the trade as Meredith kneeled behind the counter to grab a small bag.

"Do give me more time when you want to use my Post, Ms. Callahan." Ezra's monotone voice sounded like a threat, but Erick knew better. It was as close to a genuine apology as they'd ever get.

Taking her hand away from the counter once the small bag was in her grasp, she handed it over to the werewolf and nodded in confirmation. The trade was complete and they were free to go about their day. "I appreciate it." She said more toward the warlock than Meredith, forcing the smile back on her face.

"Your boss should let you have a day off." Meredith mumbled and gave a pointed look to her own.

The smile didn't slip, the saccharine words pouring out. "Like I said, I'll check my work and personal schedule and get back to you. Thank you, we'll let you get back to work!"

"Okay, okay. I'll let you get back to work." Meredith relented finally, annoyed but backing off. "See you soon, Vee!"

Erick led the way and the girl followed hot on his heels as they left. Anger was boiling and he bit back the urge to ask her what happened. The wolf beneath sighed in relief, not wanting to fight two magic users and protect the trader. They were silent until they approached the truck. "...The days yours after we get back to the house."

He knew, he had looked at the schedule this morning. She visibly relaxed as she hopped into the truck, buckling in and grabbing the bag from him as he settled into the driver's seat. Turning the engine over, he let the music fill the cab and she huddled over her phone, ticking off tasks and checking times for other appointments.

It took them twenty tense minutes to get from the Post back to the manor. Kerrigan had bought the property twenty years ago, letting it nearly rot for most of that time until recently. Three years ago the elder vampire had popped back into existence after rumors surfaced of his demise. Suddenly, the manor was being restored, some extra land being bought and parking lot being put in.

The large mansion sat on top of a hill, overlooking Bright Meadow, a suburban gated neighborhood that housed magical beings and humans alike, as long as they could afford it and the HOA fees. His own blood curled at the cost of the cheapest house he found on the market, not even trusting himself to see what the manor's price tag was.

Using the employee parking near the back of the mansion after swiping his gate key, they slowed to a stop in his usual spot. Viola hesitated for a moment, chewing on her lip and wiggling her nose. “Thank you for driving, Erick.”

“You don’t have to thank me every time, girl.” Erick gave her a small smile. He couldn’t understand how this little human could be packed full of anxiety and timidness, but still stand against warlocks, witches, familiars and an elder vampire of all things.

“Eh,” She shrugged, “It’s the midwesterner in me.” He quirked an eyebrow at her but she thanked him again, opening the door and waving as she carefully closed it.

The werewolf let the engine idle for a moment longer, debating on following her in and getting a free meal from Lazlo or heading back to his little apartment. Golden eyes watched the girl tug her coat closer as she walked through the side doors and decided with a grunt to turn off the engine.