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Today was a day for enjoyment. With all of her work finished, and the shop well stocked, Rosalie had taken the day off. For once, the tremors weren't bothering her, as the cold weather had already set in. The opportunity was taken to read her most recent purchases, one of which was a book about the myths of the area, ones her father had told her as a child....

Aelius had taken it upon himself to settle down in her lap whilst his guardian read aloud to him, careful not to let his antlers get in the way. The two were swaddled in a blanket on the upper floor of the workshop-home combination, supported by pillows as they sat. He felt familiar with a few of the stories, especially those of wolves....Wolves. Now why did that--..

The door burst open, and while Aelius could have hit the ceiling in shock, Rosalie stayed put, unshaped. This tended to happen, and she wasn't exactly closed, she supposed. The frantic calling of the female who was seeking her services said enough, and she came to her feet, shooing her guardian off of her lap for the moment. "Just a second, I'll be right down, miss." She called back, grabbing her apron and gloves.

She descended down the stairs, putting them on out of habit. It was obvious that she wasn't planning on working this very day, but the redhead seemed unshaped by the sudden customer in her shop. Aelius followed close behind, glancing at the guest to their home for a moment, before catching up with his chosen. The two women met eyes for a second, before Rosalie gave a deep sigh, loosening up.

"Sorry about that...How may I serve you?"

Rosalie raised an eyebrow as the woman before her turned a rather lovely shade of red and began to frazzle a bit more than earlier. It wasn't like she'd turn the business down, after all, and the day off was more of her not expecting anyone too terribly important to come in and demand her attentions. As the potential customer made the rather striking observation of Aelius, she smiled just the tiniest bit.

"Yes, it is indeed a deer. In a metalworks that isn't exactly closed at the moment. Please, take a seat. It might be easier to recollect yourself that way." The shopkeep pulled over a chair for Annelie to sit, gesturing to it as she stepped away. Aelius, however, had other ideas. He took great glee in stepping over to Rosalie's side and just gave an expression, as well a buck could, of pure pride. This was his chosen and yes he was in a metalworks! He was the best guardian ever. Though, Rosalie had yet to make him some fantastic sort of armor. He might need that...

As she sat down, Rosalie went to fetch the kettle again. "You care for a cup of tea? It'll warm you up in this cold, if the forge hasn't already. Also good for calming nerves. I was just about to have one, actually." Aelius snorted at her, catching her in a lie, only to be told to hush. "Did you grow up around here? I'm sure you've heard the tales of the Wolves..."

Aelius settled down near her, and decided to be rather daring as he set his head on the woman's lap, looking up at her curiously with bright eyes. She wouldn't harm him....Would she? He was just trying to make a new friend after all!

Rosalie hummed as she put the full kettle on the fire, adding a few more logs to feed it, before turning back to her guest. "Ah, I'm sorry, he can be rather....rude. But Aelius means well, I assure you. He'll let you be if you ask." She murmured, moving to sit on the edge of the forge, safely of course. She gauged her reaction to the story of wolves, sighing for a moment before continuing.

"Yeah. Wolves. The ones that used to slaughter and cause quite the disturbance in Sunderland. Hundreds of years ago, of course...They remained until..." She glanced towards Aelius, obviously thinking for the words, "Until the choosings began." Rosalie paced over, picking up two delicate teacups before continuing. "And then the wolves were driven from the hills, that's the tale we were told...Not that many chose to believe it, but with the most recent news, I'm more inclined to think it happened."

Aelius didn't seem to mind, sitting very quietly as he was petted. Had he been a creature more inclined to purr, he might have, but instead closed his eyes, almost smiling a little to himself. Ah yes, this was a friend. He liked this friend. He worried that she was a little spooked by him, but he was enjoying the pets~...

"Considering many are dead, and the evidence leads to such, I'd say I have to." Rosalie replied. "Some have said they're as big as horses. Probably a little bigger than your new best friend." The woman gave a sigh, noticing Aelius was being very content and happy with the current situation. "I'm sure there's more I haven't heard yet, but that's the word on the street." The redhead blinked at being asked where she got him, and laughed a little.

"Well....I guess I got called to the Wardwood. There's this beautiful tree that just has the most fantastical patterns in its bark...Gigantic." She looked up to the ceiling, whimsical for the moment. "It glows, and seems like it can go on to the top of the world....And on its branches, are small little totems. Just about wee big." She sized it with her hands, trying to get the idea past her. "And...One just was destined to be mine. And from it, came Aelius." She leaned back on the wall, grinning. "He didn't start out that big. Just about at big as a fawn would be. And he grew up, you know. Might even get bigger." She stopped for a moment, thinking in the silence. The water had begun to bubble, not yet to a full boil. "I wonder if the guardians of old came about the same way."

Rosalie finally took the kettle off the flame just as it reached a full boil, making preparations to serve her a cup of tea. The usual brewing patterns she used appeared again, tea in a strainer, pour in the water, cover with a bowl. Making a note of how long it would take, she sat down again, watching Annelie's expression closely.

She could see the doubt. Rosalie was good at seeing it. Though she wasn't going to dare call her out on it. This woman perhaps didn't understand at the moment, but that knowledge would be soon to come, she was sure. The town was full of gossip, and with people going missing, and blood in the snow...Rosalie could trust that she'd understand eventually.

Aelius looked up at her with puppy eyes. He was a good guardian, wasn't he? He did come from a totem! Rosalie could show her! He projected the image of the object to his chosen, and she got right up to fetch it. Rosalie held the small object out to Annelie to look at. Indeed, it was a spitting image of Aelius.

"He came from this....I am saying he's a guardian. Much like those included in the Wardens...Though the Wardens are long gone...The guardians are returning. I've met a few others personally." She answered, keeping her voice hushed.

Soon enough though, the time had passed and the tea would be brewed. Taking the object back from Annelie's scrutiny, she instead handed her a cup of tea, freshly brewed. "Do you take cream or sugar?" She asked, carefully setting the totem back down on a bookshelf. Rosalie added one spoonful of sugar to her own cup, and sipped lightly.

Aelius relaxed far more now that Annelie was beginning to understand, letting her drink her tea in peace, though he continued to rest his head on her leg. He knew the importance of tea, especially for his mistress. He inhaled a little, trying to smell which type it was this time, and let it out with a quiet snort, though it wasn't meant to come out that way. Whoops.

"I suspect it is." The woman replied, taking another sip. "With what's been going on to the north of Palisade, that is. I don't think we're in any danger yet...." She did, however, realize that the talk of the wolves might be making her uncomfortable, and she was running a business here... "Now, I'm terribly sorry, but what can I do for you?"

Rosalie sat back down, letting Annelie adjust herself as she pulled out the necklace and sipped at her tea. Aelius himself didn't seem to mind, even if she had spilled the tea the worst he would have done was whimper. And perhaps bolt outside to rub his face in the snow. That would have been it, really.

Rosalie looked over the necklace, noticing how delicate it was.....Well....It wouldn't be too terribly hard...Just a little bit of delicate work. Her pride and joy. "I shouldn't have much problem with this. Just need to get my glasses and then I can make a new link, since it looks like one broke off....The hard part will be matching the metal." She murmured, grabbing her glasses as she looked it over more closely. "Yes, not too hard. I should have it done within an hour."

And so Rosalie got to work, going through her stock of metals, the necklace in hand. Without too much trouble, she grabbed an ingot and put it in to melt into a mold. "She's got an event tonight of all nights? I'll make sure it looks absolutely fabulous!"