cian_oneill (cian_oneill) wrote in birthrightrpg, @ 2020-07-20 19:01:00 |
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Entry tags: | ~abby marks, ~cian o'neill |
Cian Returns to the Cove
Who: Cian O’Neill, Abby Marks
What: When Abby met Cian
When: Some weeks earlier
Where: Cottonwood Cove
It had been a long last leg of the return, but Cian was keen to reach Cottonwood Cove that day. He’d sent word to Sean and Gloria that he was coming back, the couple as usual telling him he was welcome, and his old trailer was waiting for him. Gloria had made sure Sean had told him that there were fresh sheets on his bed, and some basics in the refrigerator, so not to worry if he arrived late at night. Cian had smiled at that, wondering if Sylvia was still working at the resort kitchen.
As he started down the stretch of highway from Henderson to Searchlight he felt the sensation that trickled down his spine and was surprised at first. He hadn’t been back to the area for just over three years now, and while he had known there was something about the ground that lay between the bright lights of Las Vegas, the cool waters of the Colorado, and the southern stretches south of Searchlight, it surprised him just how strongly he could feel that energy now, his shoulders rolling slightly as he flexed and stretched lightly beneath the black leather of his jacket.
The purr of the motor kept the bike moving as his eyes scanned around the terrain, in some people’s eyes the stark barren hills representing a wasteland, in others a place of extreme harshness, but a great deal of beauty regardless. Cian knew it was something beyond that, and his return now confirmed it, even if he hadn’t even been looking for that confirmation.
He’d come to the area some four years earlier, unable to return to his homeland, roaming the country he’d chosen as his new location and being drawn to an area that was as opposite to the place where his heart, and family lay, and his closest friends still lived as any could be. Instead of the lush rolling green hills of County Tyrone he sought out the harsh, dry lands that surrounded the small town of Searchlight. Something had drawn him there and he knew nothing of what, or why. His ‘aunt’, Annie, had told him, “laddie, y’ got to trust in y’self, and go where y’ feel tis right f’ y’ t’ go. And the reasons will eventually reveal themselves, whether y’ ready, or want them to, or not.”
And when he rolled into Cottonwood Cove that first time he thought he’d found the reason why he’d been drawn to the place, the Markes family. Having been turned were on the anniversary of his family’s death, it had taken him a long time to come to terms with how his life had changed, and if it hadn’t been for Annie, and then Oonagh and Shane helping him learn and come to terms with it, he doubted he’d even be alive right now. But live he had, and come to the USA he had, seeking knowledge about his type and how to control it. But when he’d met the Markes’ patriach, Charlie, he had for the first time in longer than he could remember, felt as if he was ‘home’. The Elder had accepted him in, tested him, talked to him, and eventually accepted him, offering him a place he could call home that he hadn’t had in more years than he cared remember - since he’d left the shores of his homeland.
It was the one element he knew was going to be hard to accept, that the man who’d accepted him was now gone. Sean had called him with the news when Charlie had passed, and Cian had found it hard to breath for a short while, memories of his own family’s deaths welling up from deep down inside, where they’d been buried, threatening to choke him. Charlie had been the first one who was not just Were, but of the same line, cougar, and he had shared a great deal with Cian, helping him learn much more about his own Were. Once he’d been accepted by the patricah he’d been introduced to the rest of the pride who were there, Sean and Gloria. He’d been told of their grandchildren, ‘the twins’ as they were fondly referred to, who were off learning the ways of the world in the cities. He eventually admitted to Charlie that his own siblings were in fact twins, which again oddly contributed to his feeling closer to the group. He’d never had the opportunity to meet either of the younger members, the few times they’d returned briefly to the Cove being times Cian was away with customers, skippering vessels on ‘wet’ hires.
He rolled quietly through Searchlight, the darkness unable to hide the changes that had taken place during his absence. But he wasn’t interested in investigating that right now, he just wanted to get to the Cove, see Sean and Gloria, and get settled into his trailer again. It really did feel like he was ‘coming home’ as he quickly covered that last stretch of road to his final destination. He hadn’t been able to give Gloria a time he’d be back, his flight into Las Vegas had been on time, but his retrieval of his bike and gear from where he’d put them in storage had been another story. So as he rolled into the darkened streets of the Cove he headed toward the house where the family lived, looking to see if the lights were on.
And they were. Cian pulled the bike into the driveway, killing the headlight and motor and kicking the stand down to let the bike rest. He pulled his gloves off, undid his helmet and slid it from his head, running his fingers through his hair to both wrangle it into some form of presentability, and give his scalp a light scratch. He swung his leg behind, stepping off the bike, the metal already starting to ping and contract. Shoving the gloves inside his helmet he unzipped his leather jacket, revealing the t-shirt below, and started toward the steps that led up to the front door of the Markes family home.
Calling it a family home was a bit of a stretch, but the large houseboat was their weekend getaway from April to November and had its own dock on the edge of the marina. The family had lived in southwest Nevada since before the war and Sean’s father Charlie had been the one to spot the potential of a marina and resort along Lake Mohave when the government first started work on the dam and beat the competition to get the concession. Decades of hard work had transformed the area from desert highland into one of the hidden gems in the region, and the family had reaped the benefits. They weren’t fabulously wealthy by any means, but they were comfortable enough that baring economic collapse they didn’t have to worry as long as they stayed focused.
As Cian started down the, the door opened and Sean Marks stepped out onto the back deck. A tall man who still kept himself fit and trim in his mid sixties, his hair transitioning from its original blonde to silver. ‘Thought that was you coming down the road.” He offered the younger Were a hand in welcome. Sensitive ears had picked up the rumble sooner than a human’s would and had him out of his chair to investigate before Cian had turned into the driveway. “How was the drive?”
Cian smiled as he took the older were’s proffered hand and shook it warmly. “It was good once I collected the bike,” he replied, nodding. “A few changes up in town,” he added, jerking his head lightly in the general direction of Searchlight, “and I guess there’s a few around here too.” He was inferring the change to the hierarchy of the pride, the passing of Charlie meaning Sean was now the Alpha of the pride. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get back f’ the funeral,” he continued, “I would’ve liked to be here, t’ pay m’ respects.”
“A few.” Sean agreed, his smile dimming slightly as he finished shaking Cian’s hand and let go. He and his father had been close so the pasing, while not unexpected, had been a heavy blow Sean was still recovering from. Not everyone in the region had liked his dad, he’d been a hard man and done hard things in his early years to get the resort off the ground and keep his family fed, but Sean hoped he could live up to the example Charlie had set. No one could deny he’d been a tireless worker and visionary for the region, and had taken care of his people through the ups and downs over the years, and a loving family man.
The apology was dismissed with a headshake and wave of the hand. “We knew you would have been here if you could get away.” The younger Irish were had all but been adopted into the pride by Charlie after getting to know him and judging his character, and after getting to know Cian himself Sean couldn’t disagree with his former Alpha’s decision. “He’s got a nice marker in the cemetery up in Searchlight, and we scattered his ashes up on the ridge like he wanted.”
“But where are my manners, making you stand out on the dock? Come on in. Gloria will be glad to see you. You'll get a chance to meet Abby, too: she’s stopping in soon after finishing a shift at the motel, one of the managers had to call in sick and she volunteered to help out.”
Cian nodded and after putting his helmet and jacket down outside the door he followed the older were into the large vessel, quickly running his fingers through his hair again to make sure he was presentable. As he stepped inside his smile broadened, the sight of Sean’s wife bringing a warm sense of ‘home’ to him when he saw Gloria. Making sure to secure the screen behind him he closed the distance between them, giving the older woman a warm hug. “So good to see you,” he told her, releasing her and taking a step back to openly run his eyes over her face. “‘Nd y’ don’ look a day older ‘n when I last saw y’,” he added with an admiring shake of his head.
“Flatterer.” Gloria laughed, having returned the hug. He was about her Jessica’s age, and seeing him after so long away made her wonder how her wayward cub was faring. The pain of her daughter abandoning the family would never completely go away, but Jessie was a grown woman free to make her own choices. Maybe one day she’d change her mind and come home.
Cian being a were like themselves, and the same species, had helped forge a closeness that couldn’t quite be equaled by their ‘civilian’ employees even if the longer serving ones were like family.
“You look tanned and rested, the Caribbean agreed with you! Sit down.” She fussed, motioning toward the ‘dining room’ table. The houseboat’s main cabin was all one room, spacious enough for entertaining a small number of guests but not as large as their home in Searchlight. “Have you had something to eat? I have leftovers in the fridge, we made extra in case you or Abby wanted dinner.”
“You haven’t been here five minutes and she’s already acting like you’re a wet behind the ears cub.” Sean accused, the fondness evident in his voice and expression. “You’ve been missed.”
Sean’s smile widened as he looked from one to the other. Even though he’d only been with them for almost 12 months some three years ago, he had been made to feel a part of the pride, and that made this feel even more like ‘coming home’ than he’d thought possible. “I’ve missed being here,” he returned. “But the Caribbean did have its attractions,” he added, patting his hip pocket where his wallet was tucked away. “Learnt a lot, earnt even more, and managed to make some good contacts. Charlie was right, of course, it was worth the time in more ways than one,” he added, finishing softly, the respect for the former Alpha clear in his voice.
“And I’ve been looking forward t’ some of y’ home cooking!” he grinned, lightly jerking his head toward where he knew the bathroom was located in the familiar vessel. “I’ll just wash some of the road dirt off,” he added.
He made quick work of tidying himself up, and returned to the main cabin, crossing to the table and taking a seat. Already the aromas of the food were assailing his senses and his mouth watered a little. He hadn’t eaten since he’d boarded the last flight, more interested in retrieving his bags from the carousel, and then his bike from storage. It had kicked over fairly easily once he’d put fuel in it, but it would definitely need a new battery for the electric start to use, and he wanted to get an oil change done as soon as possible. But all those things were soon pushed aside as he listened to the description of the ‘leftovers’ Gloria was quickly preparing.
It was just a matter of taking a plate out of the oven and pulling off the cover that had kept it from drying out. “Roast chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, and broccoli” Gloria placed it in front of him and removed the cover. She started back into the kitchen area to get him something to drink as well. “Strawberry pie for dessert if you'll still have room. And if you want seconds we can microwave them."
Just then the sound of someone in sneakers walking down the dock reached their ears and it wasn’t a minute later a striking college aged blonde stepped through the door, still wearing her work uniform of golf shirt and slacks. “Something smells good.” Abby commented, giving her grandfather a quick hug before starting toward her grandmother, stopping short at the sight of the stranger sitting at her grandparents’ table.
“Abby this is Cian, the Irishman your great grandfather took under his wing and who worked here for a time.” Sean told her as she shot him a questioning look. “Remember we mentioned he’d be coming back?”
Cian had stood as the young woman stepped into the cabin, brushing his hands against the seat of his pants out of habit. When his eyes met hers he felt something strange, other than the usual familiar sensation of meeting another were. Without even thinking the old Irish Gaelic greeting slipped out. “Dia dhuit,” [God to you]. He realised what he’d done as the old greeting reached his ears and he quickly added “Pleasure t’ finally meet y’.”
Abby didn’t know exactly what it meant but she had a general idea, and responded with “Namaste.” [the divine in me bows to the divine in you] as if she were greeting a fellow Yogi, bringing her palms together over her heart. “So you’re Cian! I’ve heard a lot about you lately since they said you were coming back. Welcome back to the Cove.”
“You just sit down and eat, sweetie.” Gloria told her granddaughter, already putting the warm plate down on the opposite end of the table from Cian.
Cian smiled as he returned to his seat, eyes still following her as she moved. It was a feeling he hadn’t had before, but his sense were telling him something, not odd, but in fact familiar. He put it down to her grandfather, his genes must be strong in her was all he could decide.
“All good I hope,” he replied with a soft chuckle.
“Nope!” She popped the ‘p’ and grinned at him before starting to dig into her grandmother’s cooking. “All bad I’m afraid, not a good word to be said. Kidding. These two say you’re practically adopted, and the staff who remember you seem to like you mostly.” There were always one or two people who couldn’t seem to get along with others, and she suspected that was the case for the few who had neutral or negative things to say about the other were.
He was cute, too. For a geezer. Kind of what she thought Mikey would look like when he was old.
“So what made you give up the Caribbean for here?” She loved the desert, but she was born and raised here and there were times when even she hated it. If her family wasn’t here, and the lakes, she wasn’t sure she’d love it enough to stay. Most of the kids she’d grown up with (not that there were many) had mostly left for Vegas or Laughlin if they stayed in the region at all.
Cian managed to down a mouthful of the food as Abby talked, his head slightly angled to the side as he listened. “Y’ could say m’ job was blown out of the water,” he chuckled. “After the hurricane season last year, especially the damage by Dorian and then Lorenzo, the insurance companies are hurting, and there are a lot of people down there without homes, and basic utilities, so luxury yachts were low on the priority list of payouts. I stayed down there a while, one of the owners had some property in St Kitts, so I stayed there, working with the volunteers of a local charity doing rebuilding of the local school and some homes while he’s been doing battle with the insurance companies. I finished all the reporting, and met all the lawyers, gave all m’ evidence, and the kids were back in school, so with another hurricane season approaching I decided I needed to get back up here, where the winds are calmer and the air a little drier.”
He looked at Sean and then Gloria and added ,”plus I was missing some good home cooked food!”
“Gran’s a great cook. Taught me everything I know.” Abby nodded enthusiastically at the last, after having listened to why he left the Caribbean. She still had trouble imagining what it must be like, all that water everywhere and only islands for land. Kind of the opposite of the situation here, even California really.
“Thanks sweetie. You’ve been a good student.” Gloria squeezed her granddaughter’s shoulder in passing as she moved to head over to the kitchen area. She paused, looking between the two weres. “You can tell the genes come from the same place with you two.” A shake of the head before she moved on the rest of the way. “But then half of Ireland is descended from Niall or so the story goes, you might have an ancestor or two in common.”
Cian chuckled, remembering something Charlie had said to him a few times, something he’d never taken much notice of back then, just putting it down to the same thing as what Gloria mentioned. “Charlie told me th’ same,” he nodded, loading his fork with another mouthful of the delicious food. “Said something about Michael and me comin’ from the same bloodlines.” He paused, looking at Abby for a moment then continuing. “I wasn’t sure which part of our bloodlines he was referring to sometimes.”
He and Charlie had spent many evenings traversing the terrain around the Cove, including a number of visits up to Sloan Canyon. It was one of those evenings the two were had switched, sitting atop a rocky outcrop above a small clearing in the rocks, a single large boulder sitting in the middle with a cleft down the middle as if it had been struck a single powerful blow. The old Alpha had told Cian of the things he’d witnessed in his time, the strange goings on around the territory they roamed. “It’s not as often as the turn of the moon, but there’s something about these here plains that is worth learnin’,” he’d told him, indicating the split boulder. “N that’s one of ‘em,” he’d added. Cian had made a few trips back to the location, investigating the area, but never able to identify any specific source for the gentle buzz that seemed to exist there.
“Could’ve just been m’ colours he was thinking about when he said it,” he added before taking the mouthful of food off his fork.
Abby raised an eyebrow as she ate, distinctly unimpressed with that logic. “Maybe.” She managed after swallowing a mouthful of food. In her opinion her great grandfather hadn’t been the type to make comments like that without there being something to them. He did look a lot like an older version of her twin. Maybe they were cousins of some sort, that could be nice. If he turned out to be as nice as everyone said he did.
Cian chuckled at the clearly unimpressed look on Abby’s face, amused at the familiarity of the expression. “Well, we all come from somewhere,” he contributed, “and there aren’t that many somewheres back down the line, so there’s a good chance there’s lineage there somewhere!” he added as he refilled his fork. “Whether it’s our were lineage, or the blood of our fathers,” he finished, the fork full of food disappearing into his mouth.
It took a moment to translate his words from ‘Old Irish Guy’ talk to something that made more sense in her head, but once she’d unpacked it Abby nodded along. “Well whatever the connection, welcome back!”