(no subject)

[tibetanmethod]

Summertime, and the living is easy. It's not bad, certainly. Cooper is commuting down the road from Twin Peaks to Colville a few days a week to assist in an ongoing drug operation -- a gift from Gordon Cole's interim replacement; apparently Gordon was able to leave a few notes in files and a few bugs in people's ears before going on administrative leave. It's enough to let Cooper stay in Twin Peaks; it's enough to keep Cooper happy.

He's started doing the daily donut runs for the sheriff's station as well, before heading south. He does them even on the mornings his presence isn't requested -- it's nice to have structure, and it's good to keep a finger on the pulse of the town.

That's in the mornings, though. Evenings are meditation, reading, research. He could use a hobby or two; in a few months, he tells himself. Tonight he's in the Bookhouse, sitting at the round table, with two things in front of him. One thing is a shoebox. It's filled with microcassettes; he's sorting them.

The other thing is a mostly untouched longneck, beaded with condensation; it's a poor pale ale that never did anybody any harm, and soon it's not going to be any good any more. Somewhere deep and unconscious Cooper figures it'll just prove his point that beer isn't any good anyway. He also figures that a beer seems required, considering recent events. It's like a wake. Sometimes mindfulness, loving kindness, detachment -- sometimes they come a little hard.

Comments

[middle-name-s.livejournal.com]

"Well, you know we can always use you," he says cautiously. "Especially now."

"Or if you want to learn to play the guitar, I've got a spare."

Harry shares the narration's opinion that Cooper could use a hobby.

[tibetanmethod]

"I prefer to leave the music to those who have a talent for it. That's not one of mine."

Cooper glances up. "I can be in tomorrow at five."

[middle-name-s.livejournal.com]

Harry nods. "If you want to ride along to Deer Meadow, I can spare Hawk to go help Andy out at the old sawmill. I'd rather he wasn't poking around in those ruins on his own."

[tibetanmethod]

"I'm in, Harry."

And now he has an excuse not to finish the beer -- he's got to be up early. "Should I prepare for anything out of the ordinary?"

[middle-name-s.livejournal.com]

He shakes his head. "One of us gets to supervise the re-inventory of the stockroom, and compare that against the register. They're completely out of .22 shells, I know that, and that's not what's written down."

"The other gets to ride-along. No offense meant, but the good people of Deer Meadow are already getting to know and... know me, anyway, so I thought you might want to stay at the station. You'll be with dispatch, too, so you'll get to call some shots. And you'll get to meet Chadwick."

[tibetanmethod]

Cooper raises a forestalling hand. "You're the senior lawman here, Harry -- no offense taken." And it suits Cooper down to the ground, anyhow. The better to observe and see how the land lies. That's what he tells himself, anyhow.

[middle-name-s.livejournal.com]

"I'd like to hear your take on him, anyway." And: Cooper is thorough, and has an eye for odd little clues that a plodder like Chadwick (or, let's face it, Harry S. Truman) is likely to miss.

If there's anything going on in the Station beyond some shells going home in somebody's pocket, Cooper's a good bet to sniff it out.

[tibetanmethod]

"The ride home." Cooper nods. "We'll see. And then we'll talk." He goes back to working off the last bits of the label.