Somehow, Mr. Copper managed to get to her front door. He found the strength to bring up his hand and knocked twice, then three times, then three times more. The secret knock only those of the community knew.

He tried not to think too much as he waited for Hornroot to answer the door. The last few times he had been so lost in thought he had nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized the door had been opened and two bright yellow eyes were glaring down at him. Even after visiting the Lady's new home several times, he was still used to the creaks and groans of the ancient, dark house she used to call home.

Mr. Copper unconsciously straightened as the front door opened moments later. The first thing he saw was her familiar's eyes. A frighteningly bright yellow that only seemed right on a face as untamed as Hornroot's.

The second generation all had that look about them. Something in-between man and beast.

Terrifying, that was Mr. Copper's first impression when his brother first showed him their files. Their human bodies were all of older men, somewhere in their late forties or early fifties, though Lachlan explained that they could still fight like trained warriors a third of their age.

"Of course, they're scariest in their true forms. When they are animals..." 

Lachlan would always have a certain look in his eyes whenever he talked about the familiars. A little twinkle that his little brother would come to learn gave away his fear, and the excitement that came along with it.

"We're still trying to figure it all out, but the majority of us agree that they get stronger the longer they live. They can do things now that we're sure they weren't able to at the beginning. They take hits better, they dish em out harder. But, Giles, that isn't even the craziest part..."

Giles knew Lachlan had been pausing for dramatic effect, that he was enjoying himself in his attempts to scare his little brother. But Giles himself was a wide-eyed teenager who ate up everything his cooler older brother said. If his big brother was going out of his way to try and get him scared, then Giles would be more than happy to play along.

That was why, despite his eagerness, he asked his brother with a trembling voice, "W-What is the craziest part?"

His brother grinned and pointed to his head. "They're communicating with other animals."

"Good afternoon, Stalwart."

Mr. Copper was pulled from his memories by a cold, firm voice.

Even when he was prepared for the eyes, he still got pulled down memory lane. Mr. Copper attempted to hide his embarrassment behind a curt nod. "Afternoon, Hornroot. Is your Lady ready for me?"

Still with most of his body inside the house, the Lady's familiar paused for a moment before answering. "She's a bit under the weather. Could I ask the Stalwart to return in another day or two?"

Mr. Copper stiffened at that. This was the first time he had been refused at the door. Normally, it was the routine response "Yes, of course" and then a short walk to her study.

He hadn't made a contingency for this. He couldn't be sure if Mouse was already in the house now, implementing their plan. And he couldn't just leave her to fend for herself.

"Actually, I'm afraid my familiar and I will be very busy after today, and for quite some time thereafter. If there's any way at all your Lady could see me now, I would very much appreciate it...as would the community."

Mr. Copper somehow managed to say all this, with confidence, even while suffering the burning gaze of Hornroot's yellow eyes. The familiar said nothing for a few moments, to the point where Mr. Copper was almost sure he would be refused again, before Hornroot muttered a quick "One moment," and closed the door.

Mr. Copper let out a much needed sigh almost at the same instant. Even after nearly five years of being in Hornroot's presence, it had not gotten easier. It was always the same, overbearing, pressure of knowing that one wrong move would spell the near instant end of your life.

The Stalwart didn't have much more time to recover before the door was opened again. He steeled himself for another episode of glaring yellow eyes and was surprised – shocked, really, when the door swung wide and revealed a tall, thin, and pale woman adorned in a dark gray blanket wrapped around her body and a pair of black fuzzy slippers on her feet.

Mr. Copper's first uncensored thought was that this woman was about to die. Right then and there on her doorstep. Her dark, sunken eyes and white, almost see-through skin screamed the word "skull" in his head for an instant. Even when she smiled, she looked incredibly miserable.

"Giles, it's been awhile."

Before Mr. Copper could speak, he was wrapped in a hug, his face momentarily buried against her chest. A familiar exchange, though he noticed her grip on him was much weaker than the fierce hugs he had grown used to.

He only had just enough time to place his hands against her back before she pulled away.

"Well, it's been a week, but I meant it's been awhile since we've had the chance to talk."

She kept her hands on his shoulders. The hands themselves were hidden behind a pair of wool gloves, the arms secured in long sleeves.

Mr. Copper took this all in before looking straight into Lady Louise's eyes and said: "Loretta, what happened to you?"

Lady Louise's smile faded as she let her arms fall back to her sides. The blanket consumed and obscured all detail.

"Why don't you come inside?" she said, motioning for the open door. "I'll have Hornroot put on some fresh tea for us."

Mr. Copper bit back his desire to repeat the question and gave the Lady a tight nod instead before following her into her home. There weren't many windows that let in natural light, and Lady Louise kept the lights in her home dim, so Mr. Copper was unable to see much. They walked into a short hallway from the front door. There was an open doorway to his immediate right and left, but he could see little besides a large wooden table and chairs in the former and an empty bed in the latter.

Just inside the hallway, the towering figure, Hornroot, stood in wait of the Lady and Mr. Copper.

"Shall I take your coat, Stalwart?" he asked of Mr. Copper, offering an arm.

"I'm fine, thanks."

It was back to their routine. Her familiar would ask for his coat, and Mr. Copper would refuse. Then Lady Louise would say: "Hornroot, would you be so kind as to prepare some tea for our guest?"

And her familiar would say: "As you wish, my Lady," before bowing and taking his leave to the nearby kitchen.

After months of unpredictable danger, Mr. Copper normally took some solace in the usual dance played out whenever he visited the Lady's home. But he found that today's exchange hardly had any affect on him at all. As Lady Louise led him down the hall, past the stairs, and to the sitting room he would normally be asking her about how she'd been, how her daughter had been. Just catching up.

But today he was silent, his attention focused on the arm the Lady kept hidden in her blanket.

As if feeling his stare, Lady Louise had tensed up as they reached the sitting room. Her back straight and shoulders stiff. She brought a pale hand to the doorknob, paused, then said, "Am I to understand that your familiar will not be joining us this afternoon?"

Mr. Copper mentally slapped himself. "I'm having Mouse guard the perimeter of your home, in case someone tries to take advantage of the Lady and Stalwart being together under one roof."

That should have been something he brought up himself, way back at the front door. Could he tell her that it was her injury that made him forget? That, at least, was the truth.

Before he had the chance, Lady Louise turned her head and gave him a tired smile. "A wise decision," she said.

Mr. Copper didn't know what to take from her expression, but chose to leave the matter alone as he followed the Lady into her sitting room. 

It was no bigger than a standard bedroom. Hardly room at all for the two, leather-bound, chairs, a table, and a modest book shelf. Every time Mr. Copper visited this room he couldn't help but reflect on how much it paled in comparison to the grand study Lady Louise once had. None of its antique furniture, beautiful paintings, or rows of priceless books had survived. Where Lady Louise had scavenged the furniture not provided by Wildwood, Mr. Copper thought too rude to ask.

But those usual thoughts dispersed as soon as Lady Louise and Mr. Copper sat in their chairs, facing one another. Mr. Copper's unbroken glare continued while the Lady almost seemed to shrink in her wrappings.

"Loretta..."

He let the rest of what he wanted to say hang in the air. He knew he didn't have to repeat himself. Lady Louise heaved a silent sigh, her eyes focused on a dark corner of the small room.

"It happened the night we received our familiars," she spoke, her voice slow and deliberate. "After Alex...After my daughter's familiar changed, I knew Madame Terrebonne would use it as an excuse to attack me on neutral grounds, claiming I had made the first move with my daughter's actions."

It was true. When questioned, that was exactly what Madame said to him and the Overseer. It was difficult enough to act against a free witch with as much influence as Terrebonne commanded. A little more than a believable excuse could tie the hands of the entire community. But Mr. Copper perked up at Lady Louise's words, in both concern and hope.

"Did one of her dogs...?"

He again left the rest of his words unsaid. He was unable to say out-loud what had been done to his friend, but he hoped she would finish for him. Provide him with the first, hard evidence of Madame Terrebonne's violence.

But, sadly, Lady Louise merely shook her head.

"I do not think I would be here, talking to you, if it had been one of her...monsters," she said, not bothering to hide the bitterness in her words.

Mr. Copper knew it was true, and immediately felt a pang of guilt at how he had hoped it had been one of those fiendish things who had attacked the Lady.

"It was Alex," she continued. Spotting Mr. Copper's reaction, she pressed on before he could speak. "His transformation was as much a surprise to him as it was to all of us, Giles. So, think back to your own shock then multiply it by several hundred times. That might help you better understand why the boy did what he did to me."

Mr. Copper sat back in his chair, his lips sealed tight. He remembered. One moment, there was a young boy. The next, there was a bright red fox.

It had been his first time seeing the transformation in person, and it scared him just as much as seeing his own Knowledge for the first time, if not more so. He nodded once for Lady Louise to continue.

"He was scared and confused," she went on, her voice stronger. "More so than I can ever imagine. In his panic, he bit me. Just one, quick, bite, but it was enough to break the skin."

Enough to break the skin. Those words reverberated in Mr. Copper's skull until he was standing up from his chair, his words tumbling from his mouth, "Loretta, I'm so sorry, I didn't—"

A knock on the door interrupted him. Mr. Copper was frozen in place as Hornroot's voice came from the other side of the door. "My Lady, I have the tea, if you and the Stalwart are still accepting."

Lady Louise waved for Mr. Copper to take his seat. He hesitated, but slowly sank back into the cold chair.

"Yes, Hornroot, dear, you may enter."

"Pardon the intrusion," Hornroot said as he entered, a large tray with a plain white teapot and two tea cups balancing precariously on one hand.

The room fell into a sort of silence as the Lady's familiar set about preparing the tea on the small table that sat between them. Mr. Copper watched Lady Louise while Lady Louise kept her attention on her familiar's hands as they set about arranging the china and pouring the tea.

When their tea cups were full, Hornroot handed his lady hers. She pulled her hands from the blanket, one pale and one partially bandaged, and cupped the tea in both hands. She blew at the steam rising from the liquid before taking a careful sip.

"Would the Stalwart like his tea handed to him as well?" her familiar asked, snapping Mr. Copper from his momentary trance.

He locked gazes with the familiar's bright yellow eyes for a nanosecond before reaching out for his cup. "No, thank you. I'm fine."

He took his sip a little too quickly but hid the embarrassing desire to yelp at the scalding heat behind a cough.

"Is the tea to my Lady and the Stalwart's satisfaction?"

Lady Louise shared a look with Mr. Copper, the latter nodding with a few quick tilts of his head. The Lady smirked before turning back to her familiar.  "Yes, it's wonderful, Hornroot, thank you. I will call you if we need anything else."

            "I shall take my leave then," he said with a bow, before turning and leaving the room.

            "Your awkwardness is starting to grow on him," Lady Louise said suddenly, as soon as her familiar had closed the door.

            Mr. Copper wrestled with his desire to deny her claim of him being 'awkward' and his other desire to continue with their earlier topic. Neither won out.

            "You must see something in him that I don't," Mr. Copper said instead, taking another, slower, sip of the tea. "His attitude towards me hasn't changed, as far as I can tell."

            "You just have to know where to look," Lady Louise insisted. "Whenever you have your cute, awkward, moments I can see him visibly relax. The wrinkles in his face become a little less pronounced."

            "I'm sure that's just because he see's me as less of a threat," Mr. Copper relented, now nursing his tea as his desire to change topics increased.

            "That may be part of the reason. But I know he feels better knowing you're here, watching over us."

            Mr. Copper stiffened, suddenly realizing where this discussion was heading.

            "I will do whatever I can to protect you and your daughter, Loretta," he said, meeting the Lady's eyes. "But I will do the same for every other witch in this community, even Madame Terrebonne. I can't afford to play favorites."

            "I know," she said, another half-smile on her lips. "But with everything that's going on, can you blame me for trying?"

            And just like that, they were back to the earlier topic. Mr. Copper placed his half empty cup of tea back on the table.

"No, I do not blame you," he said, he took a breath, steeled himself. "In fact, I must apologize. The community of Wildwood has not lived up to your expectations; your daughter's familiar has not lived up to expectations. We were rushed, under pressure from multiple sides, but that does not excuse what we have done and the risk it put you and Rosetta in. If you would allow me, I will contact the Overseer and take Alex off of your hands. If you would allow me..."

            Mr. Copper's words caught in his throat. He tried to cough, to clear it, but his eyes watered instead.

            Not good, he thought as he wiped an arm over his eyes, not good at all. A familiar bit the Lady. A familiar created by the community he protected almost killed Loretta.

            "It's not easy separating personal feelings from the job..."

            Mr. Copper felt a pressure on his knee. He removed his arm and saw the Lady's bandaged hand. He looked up and saw her glassy eyes.

"...is it, Mr. Copper?"

...

*Author's Note*

Ooooh, seems like your playing a dangerous game, Mr. Copper. Getting all friendly with a dangerous witch might not be the best of ideas...

But what do you guys think? Does this 'relationship' the Lady and the Stalwart seem to share seem okay? Safe? Surely it will not lead to pain, regret, and suffering. That would just be silly.