Aria Vantana was an exceptionally strange fox. They barely seemed to notice that Senu was a jackal. Dressed in simple but colorful clothing, they used an exotic perfume that was so overpowering it made his eyes water.

"If you want a job, you got it. I pay two gold a day, or four if you work nights. If you do well, you might get a bonus here and there. I take it Terrance told you about the risks?" Aria said with almost no pause Their ears kept flicking around like they were on high alert.

"Yeah. What's the warehouse for?" Senu lowered his voice. "You're not some kind of smuggler, are you?"

Aria's smile was wide. "A smuggler? Me? How novel. No, no. I'm a collector. People bring me things. Then I find buyers for them and then I get a commission."

"Illegal things?"

"Never. Well, mostly. Occasionally." There was a short pause. "It's not illegal to have things, you know. The league only cares if you buy and sell them. They don't like the competition. So, do you want the job?"

He knew this was the best opportunity he was likely to get, so he didn't hesitate. "I do. When can I start?"

"Immediately." They glanced at his attire, eyes drifting up as if only now noticing they barely came up to his navel. "Right now, if you can."

"Oh," he thought for a moment. He hadn't brought anything precious with him save for the lyre - the durable case it had come in was now almost always slung around his shoulder. Like Terrance had recommended he also had his sword and armor. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Wonderful! Just let me find the paperwork, and you can get started."

"Paperwork?"

"Oh yes. It's a formality. Tax forms. Liability waivers. The league insists you see. Don't worry, we can fudge a bit to keep the tax bear off your back."

"Uh... okay."

Senu signed the forms, and then Aria led him into the warehouse.

The building itself was nothing special. It was made of stone, but that was the only interesting thing about it. The other workers were... well, it was clear that Aria favored larger beasts. Each of the other workers was at least six feet tall, and most of them had thickly muscled arms, chests, and backs. Senu had to admit he enjoyed the display of athleticism. Still, the workers didn't seem interested in socializing, and after the jackal started moving some of the boxes as he was directed, he understood why. They were much larger than the kinds of wooden crates he was used to seeing around the docks. They were also heavy. Senu was strong compared to most beasts, but he found he was among the physically weakest of the workers.

About four hours into the shift, he was using a lever and rope to lift a box when he felt something inside shift with violent force. A moment later, one side of the crate burst open and an explosion of shimmering gold scales poured out onto the warehouse floor. For a brief moment, he thought it was a pile of gold coins. But then he noticed the absurdly long fangs and flicking red tongues.

He had several long heartbeats to process what he was looking at before Aria's irritated voice shouted from across the warehouse. "Mother's tits, not again!"

They and a few workers rushed to draw daggers or pick up anything else they could use as weapons. Aria paused only long enough to grab a broom from a rack. "Capture them before they get out into the streets. Careful, they're poisonous. Watch for the fangs!"

Senu leaped back onto one of the crates just as one of the creatures finished uncoiling itself, its milky eyes focusing directly on him. He'd drawn his sword but Aria was on it before he could strike. The fox leveled a precise blow to the creature's head, but the snake seemed unphased as it tried to coil itself around their arm. Aria managed to fend it off but it seemed like a near thing.

Meanwhile, several of the other warehouse workers were quickly organizing into groups and preparing to attack. It became clear this wasn't the first experience for most of them, as they seemed almost calm about the whole situation.

He was so busy taking this in, that he almost missed it when one of the snakes tried to snap at him, despite his elevated position. By pure instinct, he managed to deflect the Snake's attack with a burst of prismatic energy. Even still, the thing came within a few finger lengths of striking him. "Gods, they're fast!" he shouted.

"I know, right?" Aria said, sounding positively thrilled.

Hoping for a more defensive position, Senu climbed from the box onto a nearby shelf, then took careful aim at the serpent that still seemed set on attacking him. The beam of iridescent force slammed hard into the serpent's open mouth shattering a fang and causing it to hiss out in pain.

Below, a group of workers had methodically approached the last of the snakes. One struck hard at it with the makeshift cudgel, but the animal slithered around the weapon with the grace of a cat and quickly began to wrap itself around the equine. Within seconds, the worker was wrapped in thick, muscled coils that were trying to crush him.

"Shit," Senu muttered, trying to call forth more magic.

"Hold on," Aria shouted as they noticed what was happening. They abandoned their own fight to strike at the serpent with several hard strikes. As it stopped moving, the battered and bruised worker pulled himself free. But with Aria's back turned, the second creature snapped at Aria's ankle and sunk its fangs deeply into the ankle of the fox's colorful boots. He tried to lash out with his magic to deflect the blow as he had earlier, but the snake was undeterred.

Aria cried out in surprise and pain as sharp fangs pierced their brightly colored boots, even as the jackal used the last of his inherent magic to deflect it as he had the other. "Ah, hell," they said, in a tone that seemed more appropriate for someone who'd just spilled their morning tea.

"I got you, Captain," one of the workers—a big Alarian feline—called out as she bashed the snake hard. It let go of Aria and seemed to twitch into a vague coil where it ceased moving. The last of the snakes, the one still chasing Senu, practically threw itself at him to get onto the shelf and strike at him. Somehow, it managed to fling far enough to land most of its front half just a few feet away from him, but its bottom half dangled precariously, and it was struggling to avoid falling.

Without hesitation, Senu drew his sword and sliced through the snake's shimmering, golden body in one smooth motion. He hadn't wanted to kill it, but as the back half fell to the ground and he kicked the front half aside with a boot, he'd known it had been the safest bet.

With the three snakes dispatched, Senu quickly climbed down to check on the injured. The horse was in bad shape. Using his lyre as a focus, he recalled the healing techniques he'd learned at the grand bethel. Most of the worker's injuries faded away after just a few bars of music, but a wave of exhaustion forced him to stop playing.  

Meanwhile, Aria was cussing up a storm while poking at the serpents with their stick. "Gods damn them. I told them no more live animals!"

"Are you okay?" he gestured towards their leg.

Aria laughed and stretched the joint. "My last boyfriend had sharper teeth than that. I'll be fine."

Senu tilted his head. "Didn't you say they were poisonous?"

"True. But I'm tough." They lowered their voice. "Plus I keep a little vial of antivenom on me at all times."

"Really?"

"Sure. Why wouldn't I?"

"Because... most people don't think they're going to get bitten by snakes while they're at work."

They grinned. "That's why I make all the coin."

Later, after Aria had finished dealing with the situation and had paid Senu a considerable amount of gold for his help in the crisis and for staying late, they walked him outside.

"Listen," they said. "You're welcome here whenever you can take a shift. But you're pretty good with that sword of yours. If you want other work—better-paying work—I can make that happen."

Senu hesitated. "Nothing illegal?"

They smirked. "What do you think I am?"

He blushed. "I don't know."

"Well, I'm not a criminal. Usually. Too much trouble to bribe the guards. But this is risky. Dangerous stuff. You in?"

Senu exhaled deeply. "Can I think about it?"

There was no pause. "Sure. No rush. There's always work here in the meantime."

"Thanks."

"Hey, thank you. I never thought I'd get to boss a jackal around."

He laughed. "Well, we're a rare breed."

"That you are. Take care, and don't be a stranger."