Celtic Coincidences
by Tal Greywolf

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   It was one of those evenings where staying at home seemed like a
silly thing to do.  After all, it was Mardi Gras weekend, when New
Orleans puts on it's party face.  Well, more of a party face than usual.
This city has been and always will be a party town, no matter what might
happen.  Hell, Judgement Day could roll on past and this city would keep
on partying.
   Diane had left yesterday for her parents home in Missouri.  She
never did like Mardi Gras, and privately I didn't blame her.  It used to
be a fun time for locals and residents, but ever since the late 70's,
Mardi Gras turned into a tourist attraction like all the rest.  The
population of the city tripled in size on Tuesday, with sanity and
common sense going out the window.
   Ever seen the COPS special they did in New Orleans?  That's it.
Barely control chaos on the verge of becoming a riot.  All it would take
would be one serious incident, and the whole thing would get shut down.
Permanently.
   But incidents like that hadn't happened, so the Quarter was already
preparing for five days of pure hedonistic insanity.  For residents like
myself, it was a time to either stay home inside or go out in measured
doses.
   But there wasn't much holding me at home with Diane gone.
Television sucked, which wasn't unusual.  And there wasn't much else
worth doing without Diane being around.  Guess I didn't know how much
I'd miss her after living with her the last few weeks.
   Checking the Lagniappe section of the paper, I saw that Danny Doyle
was playing with the Celtic Folk at O'Flaherty's tonight.  The latter
being the local house band of Danny O'Flaherty, owner of the pub.  And a
pub it was, looking more like it'd be at home in Dublin than just across
the street from Planet Hollywood (or Planet Horrorwood as the natives
called it.)  It was far enough from the sea of inhumanity along Bourbon
St. to really be safe, and given that most of the folks who would be
there would be locals, well, that's good enough for me to spend the
evening.
   I had a perverse desire to head there in something unusual.  If I
felt more comfortable, I'd likely go there as a centaur, but there
wouldn't be enough room in the place for me that way other than the
courtyard, and you wouldn't be able to hear the music well enough.
Besides, I might have raised eyebrows even during Mardi Gras with a form
that was just a little too noticeable.
   Instead, I decided on something simple.  A fox tail.  Diane had
modified a pair of pants for me to have a tail in, and tonight would be
a perfect night to wear them.  A decent looking outfit, and folks
wouldn't really pay attention to me at all.  And they'd just think the
tail was part of a costume.

   The crowds on the streets were bad enough, but not as bad as I
expected.  The weather was part of that reason, being cool and damp, the
winter having been very wet.  Still, I had to work around drunk
tourists, the usual collection of street corner saviors and panhandlers,
a couple of kids trying to scare up some money by tapdancing in the
street and the other assortments of locals.  Mule and horse drawn
carriages moved along Dauphine, the staccato sounds of hooves on asphalt
echoing off of the sides of buildings.  Already foghorns were sounding
along the river, which meant it'd be another foggy night soon.
   I worked my way down Dauphine until I got to Conti, then turned and
walked the short half-block to O'Flaherty's.  The music could be heard
as you turned the corner, an odd contrast to the brighter lights that
beckoned tourists towards Bourbon St.  No thank you, watching people
getting drunk and females baring their breasts for baubles that could be
bought for two bucks in the stores held no interest to me.  Instead I
ducked into the entrance and headed to the pub.
   O'Flaherty's was divided into three sections.  On the left was the
pub proper, complete with tables, chairs, quiet conversation and a spot
to throw a game of darts.  On the right was the performance room, open
only when musicians were in session.  There also was the courtyard, open
to the sky and a place for folks to gather as long as the weather was
good.
   The performance room was already packed for the first night's
session, so instead I picked up a drink in the pub and headed back out
to the courtyard.  There weren't as many folks outside as inside, likely
because of the weather, but the weather rarely bothered me any more.
   Tilting my head, I had to snicker.  The Lightning Bugs must be
around, as the voice of Alfred bantering with Danny could be heard even
out here.  His usual job was videotaping the local school board
meetings, but on nights like tonight he styled himself the black Van
Morrison.  Alfred actually had a fairly decent singing voice, which
blended in well with the rest of the musicians.
   She caught my eye quite by accident, sitting in a corner and nursing
a glass of Guiness.  Elves rarely came out into the Quarter, but on
nights like tonight they enjoyed partying along with everyone else.
Only she didn't look like one of the locals at all, with her dark-
colored dress, silver cloak and leather boots.  Her hands cradled her
drink like it was a link to her home, and her eyes clearly held a
swirling mix of fear, apprehension and worry about where she was.
   In short, she looked like a fish out of the water.
   With a deliberate slow step, I headed over to where she was sitting.
At first she didn't notice me, but then as I drew closer her eyes widen
with a bit of surprise.  Perhaps she was trying to stay hidden, perhaps
she was hoping no one noticed her at all.  Or maybe she saw something in
me.  Then again, it just could have been my tail, swishing about behind
me like some twitching broom.
   "Hi there," I said in a light voice.  "I hope you don't mind, but
frankly you look like you could use someone to talk to."
   Her eyes blinked at me, flashing silver and gold before fading back
to a light blue.  "Aye," she replied tentative, her voice tinking like
chimes.  "I could.  'Tis very... strange."
   I smiled gently.  "What, this place?  Or me?"
   That brought a slight smile to her face.  "Ye already are strange
enough, foxy."  She tilted her head at me, then giggled.  "But ye's not
what ye appear, is ye?"
   That brought a soft laugh from me.  "I'm never what I appear, other
than myself."  I gave her a wry wink, then settled down into the chair
across from her, thankful that they weren't solid backed.  "But you can
probably guess that already.  By the way, my name's Raynard."
   She smiled again at the name.  "Raynard the fox, nay?"
   "No relation."  I had to chuckle at that, Diane never lets me forget
that the first form I took was a fox.
   Her eyes danced with delight, and I could tell she was feeling more
comfortable.  "I'd be Gaelina," she replied, giving me the simplest of
her name.  I smiled and bowed over her hand, then raised my head up.
   "Then by the moon, the stars and the sky, I greet you warmly."
   You'd think her eyes couldn't widen any further, but they did from
my greeting.  "Ye know of our kind, then?" she asked in a hushed
whisper, and I nodded gently.
   "I do," I assured her.  "I take it you were looking for one of your
kind here?"
   "Aye," she said, her eyes dropping down to the table.  "I came from
Eire, to visit a cousin.  He told me of this place, that if I visited
that one would come to take me to him."  Her eyes lifted up again and
there were questions.  "Perhaps ye were meant to take me to him?"
   Her question made me think a bit.  Not that coincidence didn't play
a part of my life, goddess knows, but this one might be stretching
things a bit.  "Who is your cousin?"
   "He's called Finn in ye tongue," she said promptly.  "Michael Finn."
   That made me sit back in my chair.  "Mike.  It figures."  I knew
him, all right.  He was the 'lord' of the local elves in town, living up
on Robert E. Lee right across from City Park.  That particular
subdivision was very rich, very well guarded, and the streets were all
named after birds.  An elf would find it rather amusing to live there.
   He rarely shows up at events in town, the last time I recall
spotting him was at a Sarah McLachlan concert at the Sanger Theater.
But earlier in the week he had visited the shop, looking for me.  To
give me an invitation to a party he was having that weekend.  I couldn't
say yes or no if I could make it then, but...
   "Oh, I know him," I continued, giving her a gentle smile.  "Even
know where he lives.  Not many folks know about him at all, he tries to
keep a low profile all of the time.  Would you want your neighbors to
know you're an elf?"
   She giggled at the way I phrased it.  "Nay, I wouldn't."  Then her
whole attitude changed.  "Could you guide me to Michael?"
   I held off answering as I took a sip from my drink.  Given the hour,
I knew most of the buses wouldn't be running, and getting around on
Canal St. was impossible with the parade still on the streets.  And
trying to find a cab might be just as impossible, especially since they
could make more money on the tourists than on someone just trying to get
outside of the downtown area.
   Actually, there was another way, but I wasn't about to suggest that
one, not yet.  I'm not sure how our boys in blue would take to the sight
of a bareback rider on a horse tearing down Elysian Fields, and I wasn't
exactly keen on finding out.  The tail I could deal with easily enough.
   "Mmmm," I finally said, putting the glass down on the table.  "I
could, but when would you want to go?  It's getting kinda late, and
travelling around at this time of night isn't a good idea."
   She surprised me by giggling again.  "Oh, I'm not worried, I did
manage to get here on m'own.  I just need a guide, or someone to
follow."  She gave me a sly smile, one that caught me off guard.  "Ye's
not the only one who's not as they seem, foxy."
   I wasn't about to try and follow that one, not yet.  Instead, I
smiled and stood up, offering my hand to her.  "Well, if you wish to go
now, then we can be off for Michael's place."
   She took my hand and smiled gently.  "Aye, let's be off."

   We walked up Dauphine to Esplanade, and pause a moment.  Esplanade
ran mostly in the direction we needed to go, although there was no bus
service at all along it's route at this time of night.  Still, it was a
good road, with a neutral ground that was wide enough for joggers.
   I was about to make up my mind when I felt an odd ripple near me.
Being sensitive to magic, I turned around to face Gaelina and instead
was face to muzzle with a roan mare.  Her eyes danced with humor as she
stared at me, and I could tell she was quite amused at my reaction.
   "You didn't have to do that, you know," I said conversationally.
"We could have done this in other ways."
   She snorted gently and shook her mane, then pawed at the ground with
a forehoof.  I sighed and shook my head at her.
   "All right, I get the hint.  Do you want me to get up on your back
and ride, or..."
   Her nip on my arm was enough right there.  I jumped back, then had
to laugh at her.  "You really want to see, don't you?  All right, you're
as bad as Mike is."
   Her nicker was warm and full of humor, and I couldn't help myself.
Standing a short distance from her, I called on my own gift, and felt
myself shifting form, becoming a tall stallion, nearly as black as the
night itself.  It always took me a moment to adjust to the changes,
having to filter all of the new senses.
   Gaelina walked up to me, looking me over and tossing her head in
evident approval.  I nickered back at her, amused by her reaction as if
she was sizing me up for her own purposes.  Perhaps she was, but I
wasn't about to say anything.  Instead, I turned and started to trot
along Esplanade, heading towards City Park.

   One thing about being a horse, you certainly don't notice the
scenery when you're moving.  Another thing is that people get out of
your way very nicely when they see moving horseflesh bearing down on
them.  Because of both, the jaunt up Esplanade went by very quickly, a
lot faster than I would have thought.  Once we reached the edge of the
park, we headed in and picked up the pace, running through the trees and
across the open fields with ease.
   In fact it was turning into a game, with Gaelina occasionally
zipping out in front of me, then I'd strive to catch up and overtake
her.  The more I watched of her, the more fascinating and curious I
started to become.  An elf with the ability to shift forms wasn't
unheard of, but this was way too much of a coincidence.
   She was enticing, though.  Apparently she was thinking the same
things, as a lot of her behavior was casual touches to my flanks, or
teasing me with a look over her shoulder and a flick of her tail.  She
knew she was teasing me, yet she kept it up the entire time.
   When we reached the north end of City Park, I had to pause and look.
Spotting landmarks wasn't so easy when your eyes were on the sides of
your head, but finally I saw the place I wanted to go to after a few
minutes walk along Robert E. Lee.  A big house surrounded by bushes and
trees, a living wall to keep prying eyes out.  The driveway spilled out
onto the smaller street, and it was there that we trotted over to.
   Instead of shifting back, I pushed the doorbell with my nose and
stepped away.  A few moments later the door opened to reveal a copper-
haired lass, dressed in a shimmering dress that accented her colors.
She peered at us with a slightly puzzled expression, then let out a
gentle laugh.
   "Michael, there's someone here at the door for you," she called out,
stepping away to let a male in the doorway.  Michael I could recognize
from a distance, from the long raven hair to the sparkle in his amber
eyes.  Physically he was every inch the warrior, and Hollywood would die
for someone to look as fit as he was.
   Michael looked at us with a warm smile, unsurprised at the sight of
a pair of horses in his driveway and front yard.  Likely he's had worse.
"Hello there, Raynard!  I was hoping you'd make it to the party tonight.
I see you found a date, too."
   I shimmered and blurred, shifting back into my normal form.
"Michael, I'm just here as a guide.  This one belongs to you."
   Michael tossed his head back and laughed.  "Raynard, she's one of my
relatives but she doesn't belong to anyone.  At least, not yet.  'Lina,
dear, shift back to something more suitable for talking."
   Gaelina shimmered slowly and shifted, a part of my mind watching
closely as she did so.  She made it more of a sensual dance, which
tickled my curiosity even more.  Once she was back to normal, she smiled
and hugged Michael warmly.
   "Hello there!"  She was quite happy to see him, feeling more at home
now that she was around someone she knew.  "I said I'd be here, nay?"
   "So you did, my dear.  So you did."  Michael winked warmly at her,
then turned his attention back to me.  "So are you going to come in and
enjoy yourself or what?"
   The little bells in my head suddenly went off all at once.
"Gaelina, I'll join you in a moment, after I talk with Michael.  Ok?"
   She smiled and nodded, and followed the copper haired lass into the
house.  Michael watched them go, then turned to see me standing there
with my hands on my hips.
   "You set me up," I said in a stern tone.
   "I did no such thing," Michael replied, matching my gaze.  "You
could have backed out at any time and you know it."
   "Still, you set me up on this one.  Asking me what I was doing this
weekend, then making sure she'd go to O'Flaherty's."
   Michael chuckled.  "Well, O'Flaherty's is one of the favorite
watering holes for us," he said.  "It's a perfect place to meet and find
one another.  If you hadn't showed up, one of my people would have given
her a lift to here."
   I mulled it over in my head, and nodded.  Slowly, but I agreed with
Michael.  "Ok, so I could have said no.  But you know damn well I tend
to help folks out, especially someone as alien as an elf in the French
Quarter."
   "I know, Raynard.  That's why you're one of the few elf friends who
we can trust here."  Michael's voice held no apologies.  "Besides, I
wanted her to meet you as it was.  You've already found out she's a
shapeshifter like yourself.  Hers was a natural gift," he added, knowing
where I had gotten my ability from.  "Because of her abilities, she's
been a bit, shall we say, isolated from other elves."
   "Hrmmm."  I thought about that, and realized that she would likely
have been lonely for someone to talk to at the least.  One thing I've
learned is that while Diane is understanding, she doesn't always
understand how I feel from time to time.  It's rough being a
shapeshifter, that much I've learned over the last two months.
   "I don't ask for much from you, Raynard," Michael said with more
gentleness than I've ever heard.  "She really does need a friend who
understands what she's about.  And you've been wanting someone who you
can share with, Diane told me about it last week."
   I sighed.  "So you and Diane are conspiring behind my back again?"
   Michael laughed again.  "Believe it or not, she does care about you
my friend.  She cares about you a lot.  And she's willing to share if
that's what happens.  Gaelina needs a friend as well, and you need
someone to really challenge you the way you've wanted to be challenged."
   I held up a hand.  "All right, I get the hint.  Sheesh!"  Still, I
had to chuckle.  "Look, I can't promise anything with her or for you.
But..."  I paused and took a breath.  "But, I'll willingly be friends
with her, and we'll see what happens after that, ok?"
   Michael clapped my shoulder and grinned.  "That's all I'll hope
for," he said, and pulled me towards the door.  "Now, come on and enjoy
some good old elvish hospitality, hmmmm?"
   I grinned.  "Just so long as I don't get treated like furniture like
the last time."

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Celtic Coincidences
copyright 1997, 2015 by Tal Greywolf
all rights reserved