Courier run

[cian_oneill]

Odd jobs was definitely a part of Cian's work description, but he didn't mind this sort of thing so much. It gave him a chance to get on his bike and ride, even if it was just up to Searchlight.

He pulled up outside the library, opened the pannier on the side of his bike and pulled out the bundle of books that had to be returned. Some family had forgotten the concept of borrowing from the library meant actually returning them at some point, and had just left them in the room at the resort when they had checked out.

He took off his helmet and leather jacket, leaving them on the seat of the bike, and tucked the bundle under his arm. The heel of his boot crunched on the gritty pavement outside the library, and the rush of cool air that hit him as he walked inside was welcome. There was no-one at the counter when he walked in so he stood and waited, making the most of the air conditioning, before heading back outside on his next errand.

Comments

[wolfs_daughter]

Searchlight's library wasn't as well-stocked as the one in Seattle had been, but they had a fair amount of books about mythology and some about famous artists, so Echo didn't mind spending time there. It was quiet and cool inside, she could read undisturbed, and since she still didn't have a television she could also people watch for entertainment.

The door swung closed in her wake, and there was a quiet thump as she dropped one of her books onto the non-skid mat just inside. The hybrid made a quiet sound of annoyance, picked up the book, which had opened when she dropped it. That was all she needed, to be fined for damaging library property.

There was a tall man in riding leathers ahead of her at the counter, and Echo studied his broad back thoughtfully. She'd sketched some people since she'd been in town, usually random sightings of the locals, and she hadn't seen this one before. In a town as small as Searchlight, faces became familiar in a hurry.

The librarian came back and collected the books the man had brought in, then said, "Thank you for bringing these in, sir. We can't afford to lose many books here, so it's nice to have someone volunteer to bring them in."

[wolfs_daughter]

His accent made her imagine rolling green hills and bagpipes. Or were bagpipes from Scotland? Maybe she should look that up in a book.

"I actually do have transportation of my own, but the town is small enough that I can walk it in a day," Echo told Cian. "It's nice weather for a motorcycle ride, though. I don't know if it cools off much when the fall comes, but maybe it won't be in the nineties every day."

The librarian had left her station at the desk again, probably to shelve more books, and the hybrid peered past the man to make sure she was out of earshot. "How long have you been...well, you know. Could we talk outside?"

[wolfs_daughter]

"We're not dangerous."

Echo said it with a slightly stubborn tone, her chin tilting upwards. "Papa's lived for a really long time, and he's learned to control the change for the most part. The moon still gets to him, but he deals with it. He's only an animal sometimes."

Scrape. Her shoe caught on a piece of gravel, dragged it across the concrete. She kicked at it, sent it skittering into the parking lot. "They helped me get a handle on it after we left the commune. My change was unpredictable because of being from mixed blood, so they taught me meditation techniques and some other stuff to help me focus on my human side. I'm usually pretty in control of it."

[wolfs_daughter]

"I live in the trailer park," Echo answered, pointing in that general direction. "The last lot there, at the end of the gravel road. I'm the one with the new lawn chairs set out in the yard."

It was getting later in the day, and that meant she needed to get the books she wanted so she could let Cian get back to wherever he'd come from. She felt sure he hadn't meant to spend so long jawing with her. She slapped her pockets, came up with a piece of scrap paper and a stub of a pencil

"I just got a phone, so you can get in touch with me at this number," she said, scribbling the digits down before offering the slip of paper to him. I'm between jobs, so I'm usually home."