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Picking Up Supplies

Backing his ancient Chevy into the loading dock of Sam's Feed & Tack, Claymore Highfield squinted at the rearview mirror. "I think I'd better get my eyes checked next time I'm at the vet's office," he muttered to himself, shutting off the engine and pulling the parking brake lever. He swung out of the cab and checked his list, wondering what the store would be out of this week. There was an ample pile of 100 pound sacks of coal, he noted; big shock, here in the middle of coal country. Grit for the chickens, sack of sweet feed, some Timothy hay, Sam had the usual supplies in stock. Welding rod and hot-rolled mild steel were probably going to be the usual headache, however, since manufacturing had largely shifted to secessionist Western States of America; no wholesaler liked paying the high tariffs to obtain these 'imported' products, which reduced their profits and made supply spotty at best. With a resigned sigh, Crawford Corners' resident Clydesdale blacksmith climbed up the loading dock steps and walked into the store. Almost immediately he snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. He knew he'd seen another equine in his mirror, and that was him right there at the counter! Sam caught Claymore's eye, waving as he laughed and motioned him over. "Clay! Look at this, another relative of yours dropped into town!" Starting to explain -- again -- that he was not related to every equine anthro on the planet, Clay shook his head good-naturedly and ambled over to the counter. "Yeah, probably on my Mother's side, Sam, I got a big ol' family tree you know." He turned to the bay stallion in front of the register, smiling and holding out his hoof. "Claymore Highfield," he smiled, nodding in a friendly manner. "Better yet, just call me Clay. It's nice to meet you." The stallion grinned, looking at Clay's hoof before taking it, perhaps a little gently, and squeezing it. "Kimimaro," he said, not quite looking back up. "But I usually go by Kimi, at least to my friends." Clay noticed Kimi's ears drooping to the sides of his head and found the younger stallion's apparent shyness immediately endearing. "Well, it's good to meet you, Kimi, always nice to run into another member of the herd! I'm guessing you're a college horse?" The young stallion looked mildly surprised but nodded, starting to respond "Yes, but how did you ...?" "Gotta watch out for Claymore, young man!" Sam interrupted. "He's known as the 'Smithin' Magician' around town, and he'll read your mind. You just make sure to hang on to your wallet -- he's got very talented hooves!" The portly feed store owner had stopped writing the sales slip, waving his pencil for emphasis as he teased. "Well, I certainly like that better than some of the other names I've heard people were calling me," Clay snorted with a laugh. He smacked his hoof lightly at the bag of feed Kimi was purchasing, "But really, mind reading had nothing to do with it. I saw the 'AnthroChow,' you're about the right age, Crawford's Corners is an easy commute to the State College. It was just an educated guess." The bag of AnthroChow on the counter was a sort of low-grade granola marketed to anthros that had become widely popularly among humans, especially students. Far less sweet than typical granola, it could actually be served either sweet or savoury. It was nearly as cheap as the ramen soup that formed much of the average college diet, higher in protein, and like ramen it was versatile and easy to prepare. While it had been derisively known as "College Kibble" when he was in school, Clay usually had a sack of it in his own pantry. "It was a good guess! My family was hoping I'd stay in Massachusetts, but I really needed a change of scenery. And so far, I'm liking Pennsylvania; little nervous about starting the new semester, still getting to know my way around, you know!" Clay nodded, smiling as he spoke. "Few of us use the old name for the state anymore, Kimi. But I'm sure you'll do just fine. Economy's not quite what it should be yet, but you'll find the town is a pretty pleasant place to live, I think." Sam slid the finished sales slip across the counter at Kimi, "That's eleven-seventy, young man. And maybe you want to let Clay take a look at your note before I post it on the bulletin board!" "Note?" Clay snorted, his ears instantly perking forward. Though horses are naturally inquisitive, Claymore had made curiosity into an art form over the years. He was suddenly interested in the file card on the counter near Kimi's right hoof. "No, it's nothing, really. Just came in to get my feed is all, and I saw the bulletin board. I really should get going." Kimi seemed a bit flustered as he snatched at the file card, tucking it into his shirt pocket. "Well, it's nothin' to me then. Sam, I'll go ahead and load what I need in my truck. I hope you got that half-inch bar stock I asked about!" Clay nodded at the new horse, giving a slight wave as he turned away, "Good to meet you, Kimi. Hope to see ya around town!" "I'd like that, and hope so too!" Kimi smiled, hoping his cheeks weren't quite as red as they felt. When the Clydesdale was out of earshot, Kimi pulled out his wallet to pay for his feed. As he did so, he couldn't help asking a question. "Sir, why did you think Clay would have been interested in my note on your bulletin board?" Sam took the twenty Kimi offered, casually responding as he made change. "He's a got a large house not far out of town, and I know he's taken in roommates previously. There was a horse passing through town last year, car collector or somethin', I know he was rooming with Clay for a while. Although," Sam placed some coins and several bills in Kimi's hoof, "I hear it did not end well." Kimi took the change, a puzzled expression coming over his muzzle. "What do you mean? Was there violence involved?" "No, no, nothing at all." Sam tore a carbon copy off the receipt pad, handing it to Kimi. "Clay's pretty even-tempered, in fact. It's just that I heard he'd gotten pretty attached to this horse -- not sure all the details there, none of my business anyway -- but the guy just up and left one day. Friend of mine over at the diner said Clay seemed pretty mopey for a long while after Brad moved on. I imagine it gets lonely out there in that farmhouse of his, and if you're one of, um, you know, an anthro? Not so many of you guys around, you know. Here in Crawford Corners, at least." Kimi nodded, taking the receipt and stuffing it in his pocket. He thought about pulling the notecard out and posting it on the feedstore bulletin board, but changed his mind. He was paid up at the hotel through the next week anyway, and that was ample time to find out whether that Clydesdale was interested in a new roommate. "So, does Clay still visit the diner here in town?"

Breakfast At The Crow's Nest

Pushing the glass door open, Claymore was surprised to find the diner packed so late on a Thursday morning. Until he remembered what day it was. "Pheasant season, what a gigantic pain in the ass," he grumbled silently. What actually bothered him, of course, was that few of the hunters streaming into the area had need of his services; the seasonal population uptick mean virtually no extra income for his shop. "Clay-MORE! Over here, honey!" Shirley Merck's shrill voice, as usual, carried above the din and assaulted his ears. He winced slightly, but forced a smile as he turned to the diner's proprietor and head waitress. "Hay there darlin', how are ya today?" he neighed, waving as she approached. Whatever his opinion of Shirley, there was simply no denying she was one of the friendliest humans he knew. He gave her a light peck on the cheek as she took him by the arm. "Got somebody over here wants to meet you, Clay! Come on and say hi, he's been waitin' for you since seven this mornin'!" Shirley had that too-eager grin on her face that could only mean she was up to something. Claymore sighed, giving Shirley 'the look.' She was a very friendly divorcee, and when she wasn't hooking up herself, she was hooking others up. Or trying to, anyway. "You know, if Brad's back in town, I'm just not... ." Shirley cut him off in mid sentence. "Oh, now shush! Nobody said nothin' about old Brad, I said somebody! Come on over here and be friendly!" Shirley was pulling him by the arm, through the crowd to a table in the back corner. There, grinning as sheepishly as he had two days ago at the feed store, sat the young bay stallion. "Hi again, Clay! I hope you don't mind, I thought it would be nice to... ." Kimi's words trailed off as he slowly began stirring his coffee. "I thought, maybe it be nice," he stammered slightly, clearly not having much of a plan beyond running into Clay at the diner. "You thought it would be nice to stalk me?" Clay laughed, swinging into the booth on the seat opposite Kimi. "The usual for me, please, Shirley. I said I hoped to see you again, and I meant it. Now, you ordered yet, Kimi?" "No, but, just a, I don't know, a cinnamon roll, ma'am?" Kimi asked. "You got it hon! Now don't let this old horse snap at you, he's pretty friendly once you get to know him. Aren't you, stud muffin?" Shirley playfully smacked a menu on Clay's shoulder, causing him to snort in a mock threat. She merely smacked him again, laughing as she walked away from the table. "Kimi, it was nice chatting with you briefly the other day, and I hope I didn't seem stand-offish at the feed store. " Clay smiled warmly at the younger stallion, dropping some sweetener into the massive mug of coffee a busboy had brought to him. "You know, after I left Sam's place, I thought maybe I should have asked you out for a bite or something, just didn't occur to me." The thought actually had occurred to Claymore, but he'd quickly put it out of his mind; he certainly didn't believe a college-age stallion would have any interest in a friend of his age. A casual observer could easily have seen that Clay was clearly smitten with shy young horse, but he would have blustered and denied such a thing. Long a favourite subject among town gossips, who assumed that because he was a stallion he was easy and promiscuous, Clay was actually celibate. He had been since Cheryl had left him many years before, in fact, a relationship with a human female that left lasting marks. "It did occur to me, Clay," Kimi grinned, "in fact, I asked the feed store guy the best time to catch you here. Oh my god!" He laughed, quickly covering his muzzle. "I AM stalking you, aren't I?" There was a bright reddish hue to Kimi's cheeks. "I know how to treat stalkers, bud. With duct tape and a shovel!" Clay winked at stallion, whose eyes had suddenly widened. "Joking! Just kidding! Relax, buddy, I was just yanking your chain!" he teased. Shirley had walked up, and he whistled as she sat a massive platter down in front of Kimi. "Oooh, now look at that-THAT'S a cinnamon roll!" The steaming hot pastry was so huge it spilled over the edges of the plate, dripping with melted butter and sugar creme frosting. Clay caught a whiff of the raisins and cinnamon, and nickered, "Let me know if you need help with that!" "Claymore! Mind your manners, horse!" Shirley barked, setting an equally large platter in front of him. "You've got plenty to eat on your own plate!" Indeed he did, as there was ample food even for a Clydesdale's appetite; four massive biscuits smothered in milk gravy, surrounded by home fries hot off the grill and cheesy scrambled eggs, all topped with a pile of sliced jalapeno peppers. It was more than he usually finished at once, and usually made lunch as well as breakfast. "Besides, if your hooves ever need somethin' to grab at, you know where to find me!" She lingered just a little longer than she needed to, her name tag perched just inches from Clay's muzzle. Clay laughed good naturedly, and while he thought about saying, "Yeah, I know where the line forms, Shirley," he refrained and merely nodded. "I do, Shirley, and you're a fine lookin' lady. But c'mon, a stallion's gotta eat, too!" "She seems nice," Kimi said, picking up his fork and starting on his roll. "Really seems to like you, too, Clay. She was seriously coming on to you!" Kimi laughed a little self-consciously, then added, "Oh my god, that is so not my business!" Clay waved his hoof a little before picking up his coffee bucket. "Hay, don't worry about it, I'm uh, pretty much an open book around my friends." The smile he gave Kimi was friendly enough, though had someone else asked the question he would have frowned instead of shrugging it off. Taking a drink of coffee, his tone became just slightly serious. "She's got a bit of a reputation. Not really my type. How's the roll?" Nodding his approval, Kimi grinned and cut off another bite of the pastry. "Oh, it's great! I'm not sure I'll be able to finish the whole thing. Reminds me of my Mom's cooking, actually." "Yeah, they do it up right here at the diner, mostly homemade. Shirley is very talented in the kitchen.