Two Sides To Go for Short Affair 6/8

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Prompts: sense,copper
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"Boy you aint' got a lickasense, now git outta here and don't come back!"

The youngster ran away from the old woman, his sense of well being thoroughly disrupted by the reprimand from his granny.  Illya Kuryakin watched in a type of confused reverence at what he had heard.

"So, does that make you yearn for some good old fashioned discipline?"  Napoleon was amused at his Russian partner, the seeming lack of understanding.

''You must admit that the scene paints a rather stern picture of the woman's parenting style.  I suppose the boy needs it though, he looked perfectly terrified of her."

"Perhaps for good reason?"

"Perhaps.  At any rate it has nothing to do with why we are here, does does it."  The last was spoken as a statement of fact, for in truth the two agents from the U.N.C.L.E. were not after schoolboys or ferocious grannies.  Their object of interest was a much less interesting study, in fact it was housed in the local courthouse.

"The copper icon is on display as a part of a local archeological dig that has produced some interesting artifacts; mostly from the old ruins of native people here in the area.  The  one we are after doesn't belong within the collection, it is… " A pause gave Napoleon the opportunity to pick up the dialog.

"Modern is the word I believe you are looking for."  The blond raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't searching, the word was very conveniently located…"

"On the tip of your tongue, no doubt."

That brought a smile to Napoleon's face while Illya glared at his partner, strictly for affect.

"In any case…' an obligatory pause gave the Russian time to refocus.

"The copper medallion is an icon of sorts, although not from any indigenous people here in this region.  THRUSH captured it from a band of gypsies in Romania, transported it here to their satrapy in Atlanta, and then presented it as a trophy of this so-called Dig."  Napoleon took up the narrative, neither of them averse to rehearsing the story that had prompted their appearance  in the little southern town.

"And of course it is only of value to the warped minds of THRUSH who believe it to have some supernatural power."

"Because of the gypsies."

"Because of the gypsies."

Both men looked past the little house that had been the scene of the earlier verbal skirmish; the courthouse was an old brick building that housed all of the civic activities, judicial included, of this county.  The Dig was located outside of town on a piece of land now cordoned off and protected by armed guards.  Illya and Napoleon had taken note of that and wondered why, exactly, armed men were necessary.  Then again they were dealing with THRUSH, and whether or not the dig was authentic, people would do well to stay away from it.

A small hotel was situated across from the courthouse, so the agents headed towards it with plans to rent a room and then sneak onto the dig site during the night.  The copper medallion was neither valuable nor powerful, of that there was no doubt.  Of greater interest to UNCLE was the site itself.  If THRUSH were involved then there had to be an ulterior motive to all of this.

Standing at the desk of the  dowdy little hotel, neither man was aware of a set of eyes paying particular attention to them from behind the key box.

"There's two pretty ones out there now, Irma.  I do hope Edwin gives them our special rooms…"  Giggling and naughty thoughts entertained the two ladies whose hotel this was.  They had spent years spying on their more attractive guests, none of them ever the wiser for the intrusion.  The two old spinsters had years of memories, and perhaps this night would provide again.

Illya took the keys and left Napoleon to ask a few questions of the accommodating clerk.  Edwin, a youngish, bookish looking fellow, had apt answers and directions around the town for dining and shopping.  Napoleon figured it was the standard tour guide information but he filed it as possibly useful information before heading to the room.

A single room with two double beds made for reasonable accommodations; better in fact than they often had while on the road.  Illya had claimed the one nearest the window, possibly in anticipation of spying on the evening activities.  Somehow Napoleon didn't figure this town had anything going on after dark.  Still, the dig site was THRUSH, and that might mean the minions appeared with nightfall.  He hadn't seen any familiar faces yet, something that he hoped meant his and Illya's were also not recognized by anyone.

The two decided to venture out and partake of the local dining experience.  Only one in that category, the local restaurant was next door to the hotel.  Illya wondered how any of this had survived the onset of the decade; the highway bypassed it now with the newer interstate, and he could not see any industry to support a local economy.  What were the odds that the entire town was a THRUSH enclave?

"Napoleon, aside from the fact that the food is actually quite good, is there anything remarkable about this town that might suggest any work or businesses to keep it going?"  Napoleon was enjoying a specialty of the house called Chicken Fried Steak that was flanked by a large mound of mashed potatoes on one side and something the waitress called fried okra on the other.  He was dubious about the okra, but upon inspection decided it wasn't awful.  Still, he doubted he would ever eat it again.

Illya had opted for the fried catfish, complete with something called hushpuppies that he was supposed to dip into a dish full of green tomato ketsup. Also on his plate was a heaping portion of coleslaw and some fried potatoes that tasted slightly of bacon.

In the center of the table was a large bowl filled with freshly baked biscuits, something that begged to be slathered in some of the butter that was just soft enough to spoon onto the hot bread.  Along with the butter and biscuits was a bowl of fried apples swimming in a butter and brown sugar bath that was seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg.  Illya found it hard to concentrate on the conversation as he lit into the sumptuous meal.

Napoleon was considering his partner's question in between bites of the biscuits and steak.    He sipped from the glass of the sweet tea that was continually being refilled.  He couldn't get enough of it and the question of THRUSH being in charge of this town seemed ludicrous to him as he filled his mouth once more with the bounty on his plate.

Watching from a private table at the rear of the restaurant, Irma and Leticia Mortimer eyed the young men hungrily, their reedy voices trilling with delight as they anticipated their evening entertainment.

More to come...

You can click on the various food items for the recipe.

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Comments

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I'll take the catfish and hushpuppies :) Gee, I forgot about dessert.