Many Meetings Who: Cian and Finn When: Present Where: General Store, Searchlight What: Meetings and Knowing Folks Rating/Warning:
Finn Bellweather was his usual high-energy self in the General Store - running about as he restocked the shelves and took turns manning the cash register. It was an easy job with his experience at a Circle-K in Las Vegas for three years. Besides this place was wonderful with it’s selection and the attached laundromat.
He was stacking the instant noodle cups on the shelves as he heard the bell over the front door. “Hello! Welcome!” Finn called out.
Cian’s looked toward where the voice had come from and replied. “Hello, thanks.” He was pretty much a regular shopper there, his eating habits including some home cooking and some meals at the diner, Lucky’s or up in Vegas, but he tried to get his regular needs from the local store. He collected a few things and put them in his basket, then noticed an empty space where the deodorant he preferred was usually kept. His ears picked up the hum of the ‘new’ guy (he’d only been in town six months, so that was still ‘new’ guy territory according to the ‘locals’) and stuck his head around the end of the shelving.
“Excuse me,” he asked the sprightly young shop assistant, “sorry to bother, but any chance you got some of that deodorant out back? Native?” he asked. With his sense of smell even the no-scent products were sometimes pretty overpowering to him.
Finn went about, finishing up the small section of convenience food and hurrying around the aisles as he kept an eye on the security mirrors. He was sure he remembered Cian by his voice. The pixie was still learning his way around the small town. His greenhouse was pretty much done except for the needed winterizing.
“Yes,” he replied as he stopped not too far from Cian. “Mmm, I can check. ‘Native’.” Finn repeated the brand to himself and soon disappeared into the store room. There were always new shipments of products. He was sure he had told his boss about the deodorant last week.
It wasn’t long until Finn returned with a box of the deodorant with the packing tape cleanly cut and cardboard flaps open. “We just got in this box yesterday.” He spoke as stepped over to the other man.
“Great, thanks for that,” Cian responded, taking two of the tubes and dropping them in his basket. He looked back at the assistant as he added, “you’re fairly new in town, aren’t you?”. Cian had only been back at the marina about six months, but he recalled someone saying in conversation there was a ‘newbie’ at the general store. In such a tiny town it wasn’t long before everyone knew everyone and most of their business, but Cian hadn’t met this new arrival. “I don’t think we’ve met, I’m Cian, work at the marina down at the Cove.”
“You’re welcome!” Finn grinned and went ahead - putting the other tubes of deodorant on the empty shelf in line with the price tag. “Well, yeah. I’ve been here six months. I used to live in the City.” He wasn’t sure if he had seen the other man. There were so many people going in and out. Even if this wasn’t a convenient store, out of towners did come here for a couple of things. “Hi. I’m Finn. Ooh, cool! I’ve been down there a few times at the end of the summer.”
Cian smiled and nodded. A few locals kept boats down at the marina during summer and would spend almost every weekend down there. Those up in Vegas would usually put their boats back into storage once the weather became cooler. He spent many days covering the miles on the one road between the Cove and Searchlight, trailering the leisurecraft up to the storage facility at this time of year.
And there were also plenty of locals who came down and either hired some of the marina's boats, either runabouts or house, or both, to host parties down in one of the many bays along the Colorado.
"It's pretty popular with the locals, especially around late summer," he conceded, "when the tourist trade starts to ease up."
Finn liked to swim in clear water and anything that wasn’t a swimming pool if he got the chance. The water felt so good. There were plants under the water and it seemed so peaceful there.
“I bet it is. Too bad there aren’t a few more residents to keep business up. It’s a pretty place. Thank you for keeping it up!”
Cian huffed a laugh at the enthusiastic young man. "The tourists keep is busy enough," he replied, "day trippers from Vegas looking for a cruise. Keeps the houseboats circulating." He couldn't imagine anything that would cause a population explosion in Searchlight. Even after all these years people still didn't build houses, the few hundred that lived in the tiny town choosing trailers, giving the entire dusty little crossroads a sense of impermanence he'd personally always found a little unsettling. He was glad he was classified as staff and able to live down at the Cove in one of the very few actual residential buildings allowed in the national park. It had been built by one of the supervisors of the Hoover Dam back before the park was declared, and then used when the resort motel was being built.
"D'you get down there often?"
“I can see that. City people are so noisy, busy! Mmm, I hope they treat you okay.” Finn nodded. He knew how those people could be. And he hoped Searchlight stayed small or he’d have to find a smaller and greener place for his health. A frown tugged at his lips, but he shook it away. The pixie fidgeted with some of the other items on the shelf - lining them up out of habit.
“No, no I don’t. I’ve been busy fixing up my home and the greenhouse that needs insulating.”
"The Marks?" Cian said, referring to the family who had owned the rights to the location, and built the marina and resort for the last 3 generations. "They're good people, treat me like one of the family," he replied with a smile. He knew this was probably due to them all being were, and in particular cougars, but he didn't know how much the younger guy knew. Cian's heightened senses could smell there was something a little different about him but wasn't too sure what other than something about his scent did remind him of home.
“Oh. I may have seen them. I see a lot of people.” Finn smiled. It was true and the pixie’s attention span could be spotty. “But I do like it here in Searchlight. Quieter, cleaner.” He wrinkled his nose a little and wondered. “It’s good to have people that are like family.”
“It is. Whereabouts are you from?” Cian asked, his curiosity piqued by the scent.
“Uhm,” Finn spoke as he looked over towards the cash register real quick before looking back over at Cian. “I grew up in Colorado, near Denver.”
Cian nodded, noticing the distracted looks around the store. “Long way from home,” he offered, figuring he’d best let Finn get back to what he was doing.
“Yeah. But I’ve had help there and in Las Vegas,” Finn smiled. “It’s good to have family and friends.” He often had to multi-task and also his attention wandered.
“Yeah, well thanks for getting the deodorant for me,” Cian said, letting the young man get back to work. “Might see you around.”
“You’re welcome. Yeah, always! I’m almost always here or bouncing between places in town.” Finn grinned and took the empty box with him as he let Cian to shopping.