The grasp of Devon’s hand was unexpected in itself, the muted crackle of whispered power scattering strongly enough across her fingers for Ash’s flesh to be tinged with goosebumps. The feel of his lips grazing her skin was heavily complex, pregnant with convoluted intimacy and full of an unspoken, undeciphered language. She found that she took unwarranted pleasure in its secrets, in the multitudinous facets that it harbored beneath its surface, accented by the stalwart gaze that connected with her own. All too quickly, the enchantment ended and he’d released her, the flicker of his tongue against his lips not gone unnoticed. Though, neither was the blanket trick he’d thrown onto the box, caught vividly in her periphery, but he was probably not apt to know that nothing could escape a wolf’s gaze when she was on high alert. Even the smallest machinations of magic were enough to raise a beast’s hackles. She was sure he didn’t mind her noticing, either way, considering that she felt as though she now held something immeasurably precious. Something that he gave entirely willingly on a chance encounter with what Eric would have called destiny. Connie would call it a trick.<br/><br/>Just like that, the enigma of a man was gone, butchering the hypnotic spell, signalled by the soft clang of the bell at his exit. Ash felt as though she was in the aftermath of losing herself in the hood of a cobra, furiously watching the sway of its body, ignoring the venom of its fangs. The true cacophony of the store crushed back against her in less than a breath later, rushing in to desperately be heard, the small crowd sated and brimming with their exuberant joy. It was a vivacious energy, but it almost seemed lacking in the mosaic eloquence moments before.<br/><br/>A familiar presence pulled her from her quiet thoughts and she turned to catch the unbearable expression that Lindsay’s face was contorting to create. She was an older woman with strawberry blonde hair; perfectly cut bangs fringing a heart shaped face at the front, the lengths pulled into an all-too-neat knot at the back. Stunning emerald eyes served to be wildly poignant, flushing with words before her mouth even opened. “Who was he? Did you know him? There’s something…<i>different</i>about him, isn’t there?” The questions were a baffling deluge, one that Ash wasn’t entirely unused to. Lindsay had an adopted wolf’s learned senses. Her father had married a Rochdale wolf when she was still just a girl, and then she’d grown up as feral as the rest of the cubs.<br/><br/>Lindsay’s mouth didn’t stop, dripping inquisitions and musings, including something about how she had gotten the oddest feeling when Devon had walked in the door. Each syllable was accented just faintly of an old, paling, southern accent. Ash’s attention was drawn to the clipboard cradled in her arms, which she carefully pulled from her grasp, the woman none-the-wiser in her verbal swarm. There was a large order form filled out on the front of it, scrawled in the careful writing of the woman who’d been holding it. It would rake in a sumptuous amount of money. Just like that, Ash’s mind had gone back to the business, parted for now from the rare spectacle that had just occurred. “Don’t worry about him, Linds. And don’t worry about this either. Just take care of the grad students. That one on the end has the coyest look in her eye,” she told her, chocolate eyes briskly absorbing the details of the form.<br/><br/>“Who?” Lindsay asked, attempting to peek cautiously over her shoulder, momentarily interrupted. Not that the subject wouldn’t come up at another time.<br/><br/>“If you tell Janis that I was flirting, I’ll cut your wine-during-work rations for a year,” she promised, hand already closing around the handle to the office in the back. Lindsay snorted in response. “Don’t test me!” Ash warned, shutting the door behind her. Not that she really feared Lindsay saying anything really. Much as curiosity was her middle name, she wasn’t a gossip herself. Just a listener.<br/><br/>It was entirely the norm for Ash to keep herself moving on her feet, maintaining her mind to be busy with a thriving business and her arms full with the heavy lifting and careful placing of her precious cargo. She had enough employees, and customers, that she could truly take most of her time just being the boss and fiddling with the administrative burdens. Taking care of patrons filled the quiet crags in between, treated as a fun break that she was more than willing to do. Today, unfortunately, was not that day. Only her short time with Devon, drawn to him by the crackling aura he’d carried, served as a quick respite. The enormous order, one that had been promised by a restaurant halfway across the city that had been hungry for their wine once some of their reserves lessened, took up a considerable amount of time. Finishing inventory, especially after the order, was next. Some bottles needed labelled. Some labels needed ordered. She considered throwing a labelling party for the former. People loved working for the promise of free wine. It was by the time that she was conversing via chat with a band called ‘The Push Pops’ that she’d realized how quickly time had passed. All weekend, they tried to bring in local flavor of music, and the drummer that had been set for the Sunday band had grown ill. The Pops were jonesing to fill the spot. Jasmine had popped into the back unannounced - as was a normal practice - and she slipped Ash a dark roast in a portly mug and touched her on the shoulder in a bid of goodnight. It was eight-thirty.<br/><br/>Sipping the roast, Ash waited for her printer to finish pumping out the small stack of flyers. The door opened and two of her employees - a young man working his way through college and a young woman saved up to go to college - came through, chatting away. They bid their goodbyes and she waved them off affectionately. When the aging machine was done, she carried the stack and the mug to the front, a contented sigh at the few stragglers of patrons that remained. They were closing up, exchanging cash and card to Lindsay for their bottles. They waved goodbye to the two women behind the counter and were gone. Lindsay started counting the drawer while her boss pinned a flyer for the weekend to the corkboard by the tables. It was a good night, money-wise, especially for a weekday and all of her employees slipped away into the night with a handful of tips. Lindsay as well, leaving Ash to close up, as she had intended to do.<br/><br/>The store was beautifully quiet, as was the night. People drifted about on the streets, meandering towards restaurants, towards the bars. None of them appeared to be an interesting wizard though.<br/><br/>Ash flashed her watch and shrugged, nipping her thumb nail in brief thought of his encounter, and what had become of his unknown quest. Concerned about stragglers, she locked the doors with a quick peek outside. When all seemed calm, she dragged a circular speaker from under the counter and placed it on the wood. Pulling out her phone, she set it next to it, letting the Bluetooth do its thing. A random playlist, nothing special, starting with an Imagine Dragons song. ‘Whatever It Takes’, she thought it was called, not that she was sure. It was something her brother would have listened to, with Jaime singing drunkenly along to it, filled with all the restless meaning and passion of youth. She swept the floors to it and only started grooving to wiping off the tables when Dead Posey’s ‘Don’t Stop the Devil’ belted out. It was then, after the first chorus, that a small tingle of lightning slithered up her spine.