joegoda | BagsNPockets - The heart is just a clock

The little door opened up into a expanse of dark wood, flickering oil lamps, and the smell of roasted meat. On the more human side came the sound of laughter, good natured argument, intermingled with subtle and non-subtle flirtation between those folk ordering drinks and food and those folk serving drinks and food.

The pub had a few tables, some sat high, and along the walls there were booths sat as well, lower to the ground. Pockets saw an open booth near the door and slid into it. Bags and Grizelda slid into the other side, so that Pockets could stretch out across the seat.

The trestle between the seats was wide and accommodating, and sitting on it was a set of salt and pepper shakers, a menu and a listing of the specials of the day. Pockets was looking all round, commenting on the people and the decor of the place. Bags and Grizelda were reading the menus, deciding on what to order.

"Pockets. They've got roast beef with drip gravy. How does that sound?" asked Bags.

"Do they have potatoes?"

"They have potatoes, mashed and chipped"

"Do they have green peas?"

"It says they have green peas, when they are in season" Grizelda chimed in.

"Do they have dark beer?"

"It says they have a variety of ales, wines, brews, whatever that is, and beers."

"Do they have lagers?"

"They have lagers" Bags and Grizelda threw out together.

"Pockets, are you ever going to learn to read?" asked Grizelda. Bags just rolled his eyes. He knew how this was going to end up.

"Read? What for? If I need something, I just ask for it. If I don't see something, I just ask for it. Reading is a specialized talent that would remove me from being able to devote that part of my brain to something more interesting."

"Like what?" asked Grizelda.

"Like her." replied Pockets, who was pointing at the approaching waitress.

The waitress approaching was cute, in a pixie sort of way, short cropped blondish hair with reddish streaks in it, sparkling cat-shaped eyes. She was slight of build, not much of breast, but long of leg with a lithe slenderness that would make a lizard jealous. Her smile as she approached was a dazzling spray of light, each perfect tooth shining between full lips, arched in a perfect lover's bow.

Grizelda elbowed Bags, who oofed an ouch, and rubbed the ribs that got bruised. Grizelda nodded at Pockets, who was, quite obviously, enraptured with the approaching vision.

Bags had one comment. "huh" he said, quietly, and went back to the menu.

"What can I get you folks? Do you need a bit more time with the menu?" Her voice was light and well spoken, showing no accent.

Pockets said "I'll have your roast beef and drip gravy, with mashed potatoes and green peas if it's available. Oh, and a dark beer and your name."

"I'm sorry. My name is Chibi, and I'll be serving you tonight." She winked at Pockets, who visibly wriggled with pleasure. "How bout the rest of you folk?"

Bags said "I'd like a steak, medium rare, with mashed potatoes, and a lager... Griz?" Bags had learned from long experience to let Grizelda order for herself.

"I'd like a salad, please. House dressing is fine. Lager is fine for me too, and if there's room after the salad, I'd like to try your roast beef too. But do check with me first."

Bags had known what she would order, and he knew she would order the roast beef, but if he were to order it for her, he would have to endure a night full of sullen grumbles and stares followed by a quiet night sleeping by himself. Experience is, after all, the best teacher.

"Absolutely!" said Chibi. She reached down and touched on slender hand to the top of Pockets own hand and said directly to him, "I'll have your beer out first thing, hon."

Pockets was speechless, entranced by the sight of the waitress walking away, and that point was made evident by Grizelda elbowing Bags again and said "Did you ever see such a thing?"

"Once." replied Bags. "Pockets woke me up once and drug me out of the wagon to see what he called 'the most incredible thing'. When I got to where he wanted me to be, it was just the sunrise. Granted, it was a darn pretty sunrise, and there were odd greenish colors in it, but to me, it was just the start of another day. To Pockets though, you'd have thought one of the Gods or Goddesses had reached down and given him a puppy. He stood there for hours, I think, just watching it. Me, I went back to bed." He looked over at his companion. "Yep. He had the same sort of look in his eyes then, too. It's ok... he'll get over it. Something shiny will come along and catch his attention."

"Oh! Shiny!" Pockets reached into his jacket and brought out the prize he had won from the claw machine. He wound it up and watched the gears turn and listened to the bright ticking sound it made.

"See?" said Bags, vindicated.

"Here you go, sweetie. One dark beer, and two lagers." Chibi placed them down in their proper places. "I'll have your dinners brought out as soon as they're done." She noticed the ticking gewgaw the Pockets was holding. "What's that you have there, dear?"

"Not quite sure, ma'am." Pockets mumbled. Grizelda was smiling very large at this, enjoying the obvious embarrassed discomfort that Pockets was experiencing.

"Can I see it?" Chibi asked, holding out her hand, waiting.

"Sure, but be careful. Some of the gears can bite. I know." He held up a thumb that had a nick out of it.

"Awww, you poor dear. Does it hurt?" Chibi asked.

"Nope. I can take a lot of pain. It happens when you work with enough metal stuff, you expect to get bit every so often." Pockets placed the ticking mechanism in Chibi's open hand.

Chibi held it up to her eyes, and turned the thing this way and that. "Hmmm." she said, "looks like some sort of clocking or timing mechanism. Be interesting what it goes to. Where did you find it?"

Pockets looked at her hands to avoid the gaze from the twin green tinted lasers. "Out in the midway... in a game."

"A game? That's quite a prize you got there, honey. Here, hold onto it." She gave it back, letting her fingers linger just a bit before withdrawing. "I'm sure someone as bright as you will figure out what to do with it." She straightened her apron, and said "I'll be right back with your dinners."

"I have to say, I've never met anyone like her." said Grizelda, to which Bags replied, "Yeah. I'm not sure if I trust her. She latched onto Pockets way to quick."

"Bags, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous. Try to be a little happy for Pockets. It's not often he meets someone that can talk his language... or at least close to it."

Pockets piped in, having regained his composure, "Yeah, Bags. Sheesh. I mean, she's got great cranial development, excellent teeth, which show both good breeding and high intelligence. It's not like she's going to sweep me off my feet or anything. She is, after all, just a woman. No offense, Griz. You know you're in a class all your own."

"None taken, Pockets." said a smiling Grizelda.

"Okay, okay. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. You just be careful, okay, chum?" Bags' long faces showed serious concern, to which Pockets replied with a broad goofy smile and a raspberry.

"Pshaw. Nothin' to worry bout. I've been taking care of myself since I was born, practically. Take more than a cute, intelligent, sexy little sprite like that to put me off my feed."

"If you say so." Bags played with the grain of the table, obviously not happy. "And I still say just be careful, ok?"

Pockets sprayed another raspberry. Bags reached a cross the table and slapped Pockets arm open handed and then pointed at him. "I mean it."

"Okay, okay, okay. Sheesh." Pockets shrunk back into his side of the booth and seemed to focus on his ticking toy, all the while sneaking peeks over the top of it at the wandering Chibi as she flitted from table to table, who also sneaked her own peeks back at him, favoring him with a wide smile whenever she would catch him. "I'll be careful, Bags. I promise." he said.