2019-09-07 - A Day In The (New Age?) Life

There isn't a shop in town that Clarissa hasn't been to and so it's probably not surprising when she steps in, all decked out in a fancy sundress that probably cost more than most of the cars in town, a thin sweater over it, and her large vintage Hermes bag hanging from the crook of her arm. She pushes her sunglasses up on her head as she enters, looking around to get the feel of the place, "Well," she comments mostly to herself, "At least it's not another bad pizza place."

Caoimhe is in comfortable clothes - slacks and a blouse, with a little scarf - not Hermes, vintage or otherwise - tied at her throat. "It is definitely not another pizza place," she says with some amusement and an Irish lilt to her voice. "Welcome to Crystal Clear. I'm Caoimhe," which she pronounces Keeva because of course she does, "and if you have any questions I'm happy to answer them. And if you'd like tea, I just brewed a fresh pot. Let it steep for a few minutes and then help yourself. And if you'd like a biscuit or two to go with it, they're in the tin next to the pot." She doesn't crowd, no. But she's pleasant enough, and welcoming on this particular day.

Did that lady just offer her carbs? That she could serve herself?! Clarissa doesn't grimace, but her tone indicates she wants to, "Tea sounds lovely. Is it caffeine free?" She sets about looking over the offerings on display. "I'm Clarissa Robbins," the way she says her name implies 'you may have heard of me,' which is pretty ridiculous since this is a small town and not New York. "Is it mostly tea you offer here? And is there an ingredient list for what's in this lotion?" She picks up a pretty pink bottle of such, "My skin is very sensitive, but I've been looking for something new."

Does Caoimhe notice the not-quite-grimace? The tone? If she does, she doesn't address it directly. "This chai blend is an herbal blend without caffeine. I have both sugar and stevia if you'd prefer artificial sweeteners," and here she doesn't grimace either but perhaps her tone matches Clarissa's. "A pleasure to meet you, and we're not a shop that sells food and drink. But I like to make my customers comfortable." It's the sort of place many would be comfortable, but someone like Clarissa may consider herself slumming it with the locals. Maybe. "The lotions each have an ingredient list next to them - they're made by hand, and if there are particular ingredients you don't care for or that irritate your skin, I can also make something custom for you. Perhaps in a signature scent you particularly enjoy." She moves over to the display of lotions, her hand skipping over things like patchouli and cinnamon, and offers a soft pink lotion for inspection. "This one is often best for sensitive skin. I use roses I grow myself, transplanted from Ireland for the scent - it's a little different from the standard hybrid tea rose you'll find most frequently in America."

Custom made items? That definitely gets Clarissa's interest and she sets down the bottle she had picked up in order to take the one Caoimhe offers, "I definitely enjoy things other people don't have," is her understatement of the week, giving a nod after taking a sniff, "I'll try this one out and if I like it we can definitely collaborate on something else. Did you just arrive here from Ireland?"

"A few years now," Caoimhe says, and her smile curves slightly as Clarissa states her interest and her intentions. "Though not in this town. I was married for a time and then wandered for a time after that, looking for a proper place to stop." It's a vague explanation proffered with a vague wave of the hand in turn. "Nothing felt quite like the right place until I came here. And there was this shop, and it seemed like the right place for my roses and me, and so I decided to put down roots. I took some time to visit family in Ireland before setting up shop, but I think I've been in town a month or two now." She tilts her head, considers Clarissa. "And what of you, Ms. Robbins? You didn't acquire that polish and fashion sense in Gray Harbor proper, did you?"

Clarissa gives Caoimhe a strange look when she says this place felt right. Like, this place? This town? She doesn't say that out loud, but it's pretty clear from her expression. Instead, she answers her question, "I'm from New York originally, Manhattan," she perks up a bit at the compliment of her fashion sense, tugging at the edge of her sweater proudly, "I'm making the best of small town life but. Well. There's not a lot to try to make anything of here. You'll probably do quite well. There's a large amount of people in this town that like homemade items. Not a lot with spare cash, though. You might want to think about half-priced Tuesdays."

Caoimhe chuckles, ignoring the strange look and returning it with a placid one of her own. Whatever her reasons for settling, she seems rather sure of them. "Half priced Tuesdays isn't the worst idea. I'm not in this business to make a billion dollars and be the next great entrepreneur," she admits. "I just like making what I make. And sometimes reading a tarot spread or two." She smiles now. "This is a long way from Manhattan. What brought you to Gray Harbor? And what keeps you here?" Judging from her married, then not history she knows something of reasons for arriving in a place being different from reasons for staying.

Clarissa purses her lips at the question before saying curtly, "My late-husband moved us here. I've never liked this town, but he did, so I guess I feel compelled to make it better for his sake. There was some kind of gas explosion in the historical district a bit ago and I'm chairing the committee to get it rebuilt. It'd be a mess if I just walked away. Maybe after that's done I'll go back home." She shrugs one shoulder and there's enough doubt in her voice at the end there to make it seem like that's an unlikely scenario, "I'll take this. Do you read tea leaves too?"

Caoimhe smiles then, shaking her head. "I do not," she says, taking the lotion and putting it in a charming little hand-made bag just the size for the lotion. It has flowers on the outside, embroidered in a spring-like pattern. "That is outside my general purview, and a habit I've not picked up. There's so much tea, after all, but tea is for drinking not for reading. That's why the Good Lord made books." She winks, ringing up Clarissa's purchase and handing it to her. "I'm sure we all appreciate your civic-mindedness. What kind of world would this be if everyone just walked away from messes we make for ourselves?" It's a pleasantly offered question but there's gentle admiration in her voice.

Clarissa nods like of course everyone appreciates her civic-mindedness! Or should. She hands over exact change plus tax and tucks the little bag away into her ridiculously huge purse. "We'd probably all be better off if we didn't make messes in the first place. I have to admit you've made me a bit curious about the tarot readings from someone that sounds like they're Catholic?" Could be because she said 'good lord' or she could mean it more literally since everyone knows all Irish people are religious right.

"It's complicated," Caoimhe says with a sudden grin. "Irish Catholic is an important way to get through life in a healthy manner, but there are plenty of good Catholics who know something about the old ways too. And know better than to step in fairy rings and who throw salt over our shoulders at the appropriate time as well." That grin fades to an easy smile as Clarissa tucks her purchase away in her huge purse. "Catholicism is for Sundays. Knowing the old ways gets you through the rest of the week."

Clarissa is standing at the counter with Caoimhe, clearly having just bought something. "Usually it's shopping that gets me through the rest of the week but, to each their own." She says with a small smile. "Are readings like a thing you're going to be offering along with the lotions and teas? Or is that just something you do for fun with the tourists that come through." Her smile gets a little wider. Like this place gets tourists!

Jingle jingle goes the little bell above the door. Assuming there is one. Ding dong, maybe? Whatever. In comes a harried looking Andy Géroux, wearing the kind of suit one gets if they head into JC Penney and decide to splurge, which is to say still pretty cheap, along with suspendies over a pale blue button up, his GHPD shield hanging from his pocket. He's got a little notebook out and is going over it, though he stops once inside and squints around the room. Eventually giving up he walks over to the counter, stopping when he sees the two women talking. He gives Clarissa an uncomfortable look, like, rich white lady who probably killed her husband? yeah, uncomfortable looks aplenty. Then to Caoimhe he says, "Someone directed me here for medicinal herbs?"

Caoimhe tosses her head back and laughs. "Well, your way of getting through the week supports my way of getting through the week, so I'll find no fault whatsoever with it. In all ways we find our own paths." She smiles warmly now. "I sometimes offer readings if I like the person. It's not something I make money off of, but rather a - we'll say a service to the people I like. Or a curiosity, when I'm new to meeting someone. Why? Are you curious?" And then the door is opening - there's no jingle but Caoimhe is not a brand new shopkeeper. Eyes go from the woman in front of her to the man at the counter, to the GHPD shield hanging from a pocket and back up to the man's face. "Mmm. Yes. What is the problem you're trying to alleviate? Or the herb you're looking for?" She tilts her head, looking the man up and down before adding firmly, "we don't sell anything illegal here, so if you're looking for that sort of thing you'll need to go elsewhere."

"Less curious and more bored. This town is--" Clarissa pauses when Andy comes in, glancing over at him and then pursing her lips into a thin line. She removes the sunglasses from her hair and folds them up with a couple of crisp movements, tucking them away inside of her bag as she steps away a bit from the new customer. "Sergeant." The greeting is curt.

Andy stares at Caoimhe. "Why would you assume I'm looking for something illegal?" He holds up his notebook. "I've got a list of stuff I'm looking for and I could only find some of it at the grocery store." He looks down at his list, reading off, "St Mary's thistle. Roseroot or Aaron's rod. Guarana. That's in energy drinks, right? Maybe I'll just get some Redbull. And..." He squints back at the paper, like he can't read his own writing. "Uh. Ashwa... ashwagandhi? No, gandha. God, Mom, your handwriting is a disaster. She wrote 'poison gooseberry' next to it, so maybe that's another name? Oh, and of course black tar heroin. Do you have any black tar heroin?" To Clarissa he gives a stiff nod. "Missus Robbins."

Caoimhe laughs. "I'm afraid we're fresh out of black tar heroin today, but we get shipments on Tuesdays so perhaps if you check back next week there will be some hidden between the willow bark and the lemongrass. You have no idea the kind of weird requests we get, Sergeant," she adds with a flick of a glance and a nod to Clarissa. "Ashwaganda aids digestion and metabolism. Guarana for energy. Are these things for you? Or for your mother? And do you know if she prefers them in pill form, in some kind of tea or tisane, or does she just need the raw herbs? Does she make her own?" So many questions, and there's a good chance the poor officer will have exactly zero idea of the answers. To Clarissa she adds, "if it's boredom you're looking to alleviate, I could probably find time for a reading, once the officer here is squared away."

Clarissa inspects her nails a moment before looking up to Caoimhe, "Sure. Though all of those things sound like they might take some time to find." She then glances over to Andy and asks, "How is your mother doing? If she's asking for things, that means she's still fighting, right? That must be a good sign."

"They are for my mother, yeah. I'd say tea. She takes enough pills as it is. She'd probably prefer raw herbs, but I don't think she has to energy to do much with them." Andy gives a shrug. To Clarissa he says, "She's doing better than expected. She may even end up coming home, since hospice care isn't usually for people who decide to stick around for months at a time." And then, just as an aside, he says, "Sergeant." He didn't go to sarge school to be called officer!

"My apologies Sergeant," Caoimhe murmurs to Andy, but her ears perk up at talk of hospice. "Energy and pain relief?" She considers, and then nods. "It won't take me long," she says. "Though I'd like to provide some options. Something a little more... personal," she decides on the word and then moves away, listening for Andy's answer even as she starts working. She moves the ladder now, pulling herb after herb from the variety of ingredients stored on her shelves, weighing and setting aside in quantities to be used to make tea. Then she goes through again, this time measuring by a glance or a pinch elsewhere, piling the next selection into a mortar. "Here's what she asked for," she says, as she loads a bag. "Though if you've time - or if you want to come back, I'd like to make her a tincture that could easily be added to tea. I think it will be a little more effective than just the raw herbs, and certainly less effort for her to make and take."

For just a brief moment, Clarissa actually seems to drop her cool rich lady persona and gives Andy a genuine smile, "That's great to hear. I hope she does come home and you have more time with her." Then Caoimhe is being way more helpful than nice words ever could and she adjusts the bag on her arm, "Do you think you'll be competition for the marijuana dispensaries in town? They seem...very popular."

"I might have her give you a call when she's up to it, then. She's been into-" Andy stops himself before he says something that may be a little disparaging of certain beliefs and finishes, "-alternative medicine all her life. My gran was a," a brief pause, like some words are just kind of hard to get out, "shaman," he might as well have said 7th level druid for his tone, "so it was sort of a household thing. I'm sure if she'd been able to come herself she would have chatted with you all day." He glances sidelong at Clarissa. "There are a lot of those, aren't there? You'd think people were just primed to get their hands on legal weed. In Portland there was a dispensary on every corner the day after they passed the law. I'm sure someone's figured out how to integrate legal cannabis with food trucks by now." He grimaces. "Man, I could go for some Nong's khao man gai now."

Caoimhe laughs. "I think we serve a different clientele," she says gently to Clarissa, and her expression warms toward the other woman as she sees that rich lady persona drop long enough to show genuine interest. "I doubt we're competing for the same things. People who want to find a dispensary have no interest in lotions and teas. Though I imagine if word gets out that I offer free biscuits, they'll line up -after- the dispensary." She chuckles. Then she pulls out a card from behind her counter and tucks it into the bag. "Have your mother call me," she suggests to Andy. "I'll help where I can, even if it's a temporary solution and not a permanent one. Even something that is mostly in her head can help her spirits, and some of these herbs have been in use for thousands of years quite successfully. I may sell the occasional crystal for the New Age crowd," she says wryly, "but the medicinal herbs are as old as time."

Clarissa looks a bit skeptical at all this herb and crystal talk, but she walked in here so some of it is kind of expected. Her lips twitch a bi when Andy talks about his shaman family, but she politely does not comment on that, "Whatever makes her feel most comfortable," she nods along, "And those biscuits might be a good incentive. Maybe put a sign in the window, that would definitely drive more people in."

Clarissa gets a bit of a look at her non-commenting about his family, but Andy goes ahead and takes the bag, then passes Caoimhe his Discover, the card that pays you back. "I would never question the wisdom of my mother or my Gran. Mostly because if she's still around in any form my Gran would probably show up and hit me with a spoon." He eyes the biscuits, then shrugs and takes one. Free stuff is free stuff. Not that he can't get some gratis snacks by flashing his badge around town. Perks of the job.

Cookies are cookies, even when they're called biscuits, and Caoimhe certainly doesn't seem to mind Andy snagging one. "Wise decision," she says to him. And then she chuckles. "I'm not really looking to drive a lot of business and maximize my revenue," she admits. "People who need to find me generally do, and those who don't generally stay away. My life's a little easier because of it, and I get to spend time doing things like reading tarot and mixing custom lotions and teas for people. And visiting with friendly folks from my new home town." As Andy takes a biscuit, Caoimhe leans down and takes a box from behind the counter. Opening it, she pulls out a beautiful hand-painted tarot deck. It shows its age, but it's still quite serviceable and cared-for. And so she carefully begins to shuffle, even as the three of them talk.

Clarissa gives the cookies one of those lingering looks that makes it clear she really wants one, but one doesn't fit into designer couture by eating anything other than miserable salads, so she refrains. "That seems to be a common refrain from business owners here that I find just baffling," she tells Caoimhe with a shake of her head, "I majored in finance at Princeton and the stress there was all about making a profit. I get that this area is a bit financially depressed, but if you're not turning a fair profit I don't see the point."

"Honestly, I'm always a little surprised when I meet people who came into Gray Harbor on purpose. I mean, I didn't hate this place growing up here, but I know that when I left I was part of the yearly 'get the fuck out of here' emigration that happens every spring." Andy munches his cookie, then gives a slight frown. "Of course, I'm back now. So I guess you can never really escape." To Clarissa he says, "So why didn't you move back to New York when ... uh ... you no longer had to be here?"

Caoimhe finishes shuffling. "We'll look for a simple, general reading today," she says to Clarissa. "Pick three cards." And as Clarissa picks, she lays them out face down. "I wouldn't say I came here on purpose," she says to Andy. "But I was wandering looking for a place to stop, and when I arrived here I knew it was the right place for me. Though when I say that," she says with a slight frown, "everyone seems to think I've lost my mind. I prefer to think of it as being charmingly Irish. We do things for complicated reasons, and it doesn't have to all make sense all at once, after all."

Clarissa points out the three cards she wants and then hesitates in her answer to Andy, "I did. Move back to New York, that is, after he passed. But it wasn't the same without him." She looks down at the counter briefly then over at the rest of the store, "So I came back here. This place was important to him so I thought if I helped make it better in some way I could move on. That's why I'm heading up the historical society. I'll help with the rebuilding and then...and then I'll move back east." She sounds a little more determined than she did when she told Caoimhe this earlier, but there's still that lingering doubt in her tone. Could she ever actually leave when she didn't before?

"I tell myself I'm only here until things are settled with mom. If she pulls through, then get her back in her home. If she doesn't, then I sell her home and the house on the res. Either way my personal narrative is 'get back to Portland and my life'. But I know the trajectory of these things. I should focus on becoming a captain in Gray Harbor rather than getting back to what I should probably stop thinking of as home." Andy doesn't sound particularly self-pitying, even if his words are tremendously fatalistic. To Clarissa he says, "I'll be going back east next year. Ten year reunion. Go Terriers."

Caoimhe pulls the cards, laying them out face down. "I prefer to give general meanings, and let the person take from this what they will. Think of a reading less as fortune telling, and more as guidance." She then turns them up, one at a time. "The Eight of Pentacles. Your past," she says to Clarissa. "Dedication, focus, drive. Discernment," she says with a flick of a glance to Clarissa's designer bag. "It can mean a lot of things - but it's clear you're a woman who is focused. Who knows her own mind. Maybe not always, but certainly in the recent past." Another card. "Your present. The Two of Cups. A representation of negotiation, trade. Perhaps it references how you've built your life. The work on your committee. It's important work, a good goal. A solid one," she says warmly. "Good for those around you too. Good karma you're building up there, trying to help others. Being civic-minded." The third card. "Justice." Now Caoimhe hums under her breath for a moment. "Your future. Clarity. Perhaps in your current work you will find the answers to why you are here. Perhaps you'll find purpose from it - you could. You will change people's lives with your work on this committee. And it can be for the better, or it could be for the worse. Be mindful in your choices, remembering that you are doing big things - even if they seem small compared to something in Manhattan." She gives Clarissa a smile, and then looks at Andy. "Your life is what - and where - you make of it," she states. "There's nothing wrong with planning to stick around regardless. Unless that's not really your path." She shrugs, and then her eyes unfocus for a moment and she stares off into the distance. It's a little eerie, truth be told. And then her gaze drifts to Andy. "There is danger here. A light in the darkness could save many, carrying them to safety like a gentle tide washing those lost to shore." And then she blinks, and refocuses. "But if you prefer Portland, there's nothing wrong with that city either."

Clarissa listens intently to Caoimhe, nodding along and seeming pleased since this all sounds pretty good, "It will be for the better," she says with certainty, "I'm very practical and meticulous." And maybe just a little full of herself. When Caoimhe gets all distant with her advice for Andy, she shifts uncomfortably, giving him a sidelong look then looking away quickly. "Portland Maine or Portland Oregon? Both of those are a little too remote for my tastes."

"I'm sorry?" Andy sounds downright scandalized. "Portland Oregon is one of the finest cities in these United States! We've got the Blazers, the Winterhawks whose logo could use some work, it's true, and then there's the Pickles and..." Andy frowns a little. Maybe sports teams isn't the right tactic when talking up Portland. "The most breweries in one city in the country. We pretty much invented food trucks. There's a volcano you can see from anywhere in the city. Our public transportation system includes buses, rail and gondolas for going down big hills." Gondolas! Don't get that in New York, miss fancy. He looks back to the cards, considering. "You got another reading in you?"

Caoimhe smiles at Clarissa. "It shows," she agrees. And then she looks at Andy and considers him. "I liked Portalnd, Oregon.. Though you'll understand if I don't think their beers have anything on those in the pubs of my homeland, I hope. A brief one then, since I don't want to keep you too long. If either of you want a longer one, you'll have to return another time for something a little quieter. But you're welcome. Both of you seem quite interesting, which is good because I have an allergy to boring people." She takes the cards, carefully shuffling them again and laying them out for Andy. "Pick three."

Even though her part of the conversation is mostly over, Clarissa lingers to see what the cards say about Andy, even while feigning an air of indifference, "Who wants to see a volcano from their backyard?" She asks, shaking her head. "That seems like a terrible thing waiting to happen." And then since it occurs to her that Caoimhe just did a nice thing with that reading she says, "Thank you. For the reading. It was interesting." She might not believe it, but she does like hearing nice things said about her.

"It's far enough that I think Portland is pretty safe." Of course tsunamis and global warming are issues. "But it makes for a dramatic backdrop. But I'm guessing you lived with a Central Park view and I grew up with a highway in my back yard, so we probably have differing ideas of what a nice view is." Andy gives Clarissa a prim sniff, then turns and selects his cards.

"Certainly not I," says Caoimhe as Clarissa mentions volcanoes. "And you're welcome. Deeper readings are more helpful. But sometimes the broad strokes provide enough direction." As Andy chooses his cards, she places them face down and then turns them over, her face darkening for a moment. "It is not often I see three Major Arcana in a three card reading," she warns. "Large changes are on the horizon for you, Sergeant." She sighs and points to the first. "Temperance. Moderation and balance. Slow-moving decisions. You've taken your time to get where you are, and you're not one who changes his mind easily. One who doesn't quite go with the flow - clinging to the past you are methodically making your choices about your future. Patience will bring you closure, and peace in time." The second card. "Death. It rarely references physical death," she is quick to say. "And remember this reading is about you, not your mother. But Death is an ending, a decision made. A major change in life that will bring you to your next phase. You resist change - you are slow to accept it, as so many are but take note: Death comes for us all, and change must happen. Only when you make a decision will you be able to move forward." And then she points to the last card. "The Tower. When that decision is made, it will shake your worldview to its very core. Everything you know will be irrevocably changed, and you will face constant challenges that will test you. Still, you're made of stern stuff. If you stick to those things that are important, you will find your foundations solid and a great many irrelevant things will be cleared away." She looks up and meets Andy's eyes, looking serious. "Yes, I would very much like to do a more thorough reading another time."

Clarissa frowns a bit when those cards come out. They seem very serious! She gives Andy a long look and then looks to Caoimhe, "...these are just for fun though, right?" She asks, "Random cards can't really tell someone's future. Though I did like mine."

Andy's eyes widen marginally when he sees those cards go down. It's likely he's just familiar enough with the tarot to know that there's way more boring cards than the ones that always get used whenever someone does a reading in a movie. The widening just goes on as Caoimhe explains his reading. "I think-" He stops suddenly and frowns, shaking his head. At Clarissa's words he gives a soft snort. "I grew up being told that my father was a bird. So I've believed weirder than that the future can be told by cards." He eyes the choices again, then gives Caoimhe a nod. "Thank you. That's ... well, it's interesting. Even if it isn't magic, or what have you, it's certainly something."

"The cards don't -decide- the future," Caoimhe is very careful to say to Clarissa. "As I said, I use them more as a guide. You have perhaps a little less obvious change in your future," she says to Clarissa then, "but that doesn't mean change won't happen. For the Sergeant here, well. Change is definitely coming. I imagine you'll start to see things happening before the month's out, with three of the Major Arcana showing up at once." There's a certain surety to her, as though she just somehow -knows-. "You're welcome. I hope this doesn't scare you off from returning. I've enjoyed the afternoon, getting to know both of you delightful people." A smile, and it seems like it's more than just the smile of proprietress to customer. "Besides," she adds with a wink at Clarissa, lightening the tone even as she carefully returns the cards to their box, "we'll have to collaborate on a unique lotion. And you should definitely have your mother give me a call."

That does brighten Clarissa right back up. Something made just for her! "I'll give the lotion a try tonight. This was fun. Interesting. Absolutely not what I expected when I first walked in here. Welcome to Gray Harbor, I'll be sure to send people your way." Andy gets another look, "Sergeant." That as curt as when she first greeted him the same way, then she turns to head out.

"I will definitely let her know," says Andy cheerfully. He thinks about it, then grabs another cookie for the road. "Thank you for your time!" And then he's headed out as well.