“Hey erin, you wanna catch up at lunch tomorrow? Its been forever girl. XD”

Erin’s heart dropped out of her chest as she put her phone down and went to go check on the lasagna. It couldn’t have cooled down this quick; Erin knew this. She just didn’t want to stare at her phone. She felt betrayed by her handheld device, as illogical as that was.

Erin had never actually much liked phones. In her heart of hearts, she had never separated them from being harbingers of bad news. When her father died, she learned about it over the phone. When her college sweetheart had abandoned the city - and Erin - for a rural farming life, she’d told Erin the news over the phone. Phones carried bad news.

Erin couldn’t help but feel she brought this upon herself. She shouldn’t have babbled to Tyson.

 Damn the Plot, not herself. She didn’t control Janette’s mind

“Sure, Janette, I could do that. How was the fam?”

“Oh good! Mom and dad say hi, of course and worried about you. ^_^”

Erin had met Janette’s family once a few years ago. They were very good at the placidly good natured hosts, but clearly didn’t have any idea how to talk to the spinster programmer that their daughter had brought to the family holiday party, but wasn’t dating. Erin and old Janette had laughed fondly at the pleasant awkwardness, but it felt dull now knowing their Janette was dead now. Erin doubted they brought Erin up at all.

“Glad they were good. You doing okay?”

“Doing great! How are you? I am prepping for a date with Tyson tonite. ”
“He’s a terrible liar and I can tell he’s got special something planned. XP”

“Ha, well, I hope it goes well! Don’t let me distract ya from the routine.” 

“<3 talk to ya later Erin!”

Erin had considered saying no to Janette, who was no Protagonist, just a Pawn. But if Erin was being made a brainless servant of the Plot, she didn’t want it to come after avoiding old friends, so the Plot could explain her heel-face turn into villainy. Anecdotal evidence - mostly just second hand accounts on the forums she lived and breathed - implied she would have a better chance of not becoming a criminal or villain if she played along. ‘Erazor’ was a terrible villain name. 

Erin didn’t sleep well.

Monday’s weather was nice, and the office was slow to start for most people, so she could expect relatively little hassle from coworkers.Monday was quiet. There were always the morning platitudes, asking how people’s weekend was and family and whatever. Erin managed along the same way as everyone, saying hello and asking the questions as necessary.Sure, Erin disliked the start of the week like any other person, but, privately,her least favorite day was Tuesday. Just the sense that she had already started the work week once and yet the majority of the week was still ahead of her was the worst. 

Erin mused on digging through a few flow diagrams on her desk, trying to find the one that was being used for this week’s build, but instead decided to check on Greg instead. Hopefully he was doing better after the weekend.

He wasn’t at his desk, and his desk was undisturbed from when she’d last seen it Friday. She hoped he was doing alright, and resigned herself to checking flow diagrams, and almost lost track of time until she got a text that Janette would meet her at Erin’s elevator

She went to meet Janette at the stairs. Janette was up one floor, but they were going to take the elevator down the next twenty stories.

Aside from the bracelet that jangled on her wrist. Copper and topaz.

Janette’s bright smile caused Erin’s heart to jump at the sight of a long lost friend, before she caught herself. This wasn’t Janette. This was the Pawn in Janette’s body.

All the same, she felt herself smile back, an echo of the affection once held for her friend. Erin hated herself for it, but she couldn’t help it either.

“Erin! It's so good to see you again! How are you doing, darling?” Too bright, too excited. Janette used to be more the "cool, relaxed and sarcastic” type. And ‘darling’ wasn’t in her vocabulary last time she and Erin had been friends.

Erin swallowed and went stiff as stone when Janette’s arms wrapped her in a quick hug. “I am doing pretty well, Janette. Just got our monthly status report in to Goldsmith. How are you doing? Was your trip good? Your parents?” She didn’t acknowledge the hug, and Janette seemed to not notice the dissonant reaction. 

“Good, good. My family is doing well! Mom’s been making pastries, I’ll have to bring you some of my extras, and God knows I don’t need them all. Come on, let’s get food.”

Erin agreed and mulled upon whether it was safer to comment than to leave the obvious unsaid. Erin had resolved that the less Tyson talked about Erin, the safer. “That’s a beautiful bracelet.”

Janette blush was hard to see on her dark skin but obvious enough. Erin almost rolled her eyes. She gushed, “I know, it's too much, right? Tyson got it for me. Who knows how expensive it is. I shouldn’t have worn it to work, but I couldn’t help myself, just for one day.”

Erin nodded, idly, as they walked towards the elevators. “Well, he has good taste.” 

Janette giggled and swatted Erin’s arm playfully, and Erin struggled not to recoil. “I should thank you, Erin, for giving him the idea. He told me he had to come to you in order to get ideas.”

Erin laughed once in self-recriminating irony. “I didn’t pick out the bracelet. I just told him what you liked. I am glad he did well though. It is beautiful,” she said without looking at it again. As they approached the elevator banks, Erin could see that there were a couple people waiting already.

“Well, you know me best. I am glad he thought to ask you. I wanted you to meet him too, outside of the quarterly review meeting.” At the sound of Janette’s voice, the people waiting at the elevator tensed up. They recognized the sound of the office Pawn.

One of them, a man holding a duffel bag, glanced at the elevator. The second person, an old man with a tie and suit who Erin didn’t recognize, pulled out a phone and pretended to answer it, as he walked away to escape their presence.

Erin saw that the duffel bag guy, one of the service and support team members she didn’t know by name, stare after the older man forlornly, as if he wished he’d thought of something to escape so easily.

“Tyson seems nice. He-” she gritted her teeth, “seems good for you.” Lying was safer. According to internet lore and common knowledge - her acting didn’t need to be perfect - most permanent Pawns couldn’t discern acting from actual emotion.

Janette said, almost like she couldn’t contain it, “Oh he is, he really is. He’s smart, funny, and really kind. And he’s so fit, you should see him in the gym.”

Erin nodded distractedly, still hoping to change the topic. “Weren’t you working out too? How many marathons are you running a day now?”

Janette rolled her eyes in good humor as she replied, “Oh please. I haven’t become one of those people yet. I have been doing really well though. I thought it would be harder, but I think I have gotten into a groove, finally. You won’t abandon me even if I do become a nasty runner?”

Erin laughed, though it wasn’t a pleasant sound, as the elevator door opened. “No, I won’t abandon you for running.”

The women turned and waited for the nervous man with the duffle bag to step in first. Erin felt nothing but sympathy for him. He turned towards them, motioning nervously for the women to enter, as he muttered, “Speaking of running. I’m, ah- taking the stairs.” he motioned with the duffle bag, “Good exercise. Going to the gym.”

For a moment, his eyes met Erin’s understanding gaze, and then shot away, as if she were threatening him.

He shuffled off, quickly, to the stairwell the two of them had met up at. Erin didn’t comment on his attitude as she stepped into the elevator, and neither did Janette, who acted as if nothing had happened, as if the guy were never there.

“Thanks for coming out to lunch with me today. I am paying, by the way. I owe you for helping Tyson with the gift, and… I have a favor to ask.”

They got into the elevator, but Erin hesitated before pressing the button. “A favor?”