Gotta Catch The Pretty Ones

© 2011-2014 by Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Penny’s sister Candy greeted the two of them as though they were long lost children, dragging Sara inside her home before she could more than smile at her greeting while Penny followed behind, laughter in her voice.

“So you’re the one who stole my favorite sisters heart” Candy accused as she pressed Sara into a parlor room chair. “Then dragged her away from the love of her life, books. You simply must tell me how you managed that.”

“The same way you grabbed John” Penny laughed from behind the two. “She just reached in and stole my heart when I wasn’t looking. Where is that handsome lunk anyway, isn’t this his day off or something?”

“Tomorrow” Candy corrected. “His shift is over at six so on a calm day after paperwork he will be home around seven-thirty. You two will stay for supper right?”

“Only if we can help” Sara agreed. “Though I’m still getting used to missing a hand there are a few things your sister still lets me do around the kitchen. Just nothing that involves sharp objects, I think she is afraid that I will cut off the other hand.”

“All right then, well looking at my hundred day clock I guess we better get started. So what have you two been up to all day that made you so late getting here?” Candy started for the kitchen with Penny behind her, Sara struggling to rise from the too soft chair so that she could follow.

Candy’s kitchen was twice the size of the one at Penny and Sara’s home, then Candy’s entire house was three times the size of theirs. Since both homes had basements, adding that square footage simply made the comparison that much worse. Whatever the two did with their money, if they wanted to start a family then they would have to have more room themselves, at least as much as this place.

Helping with dinner Sara discovered, was being relegated to setting the table. This was a task that she could manage one handed though she much missed helping her wife in the kitchen when she had time. Candy though kept her busy fielding questions about herself, her family, work and interests. When it came to the subject of Pokemon and Penny Sara only laughed. “She will never be a great Pokemon hunter Candy, but I love her anyway.” It was hard not to tell the woman that her sister was a near professional human hunter though, or that Penny had her own Pokeball that she would occasionally dwell within. Especially when the storms were at their worst.

This bantering went on until Candy’s husband John arrived home. It had apparently been a rather hard day, as he arrived exhausted and very late, the children were already in bed asleep. Without much comment other than he must be exhausted Candy helped her husband get rid of the items he carried every day, gave him a hug then left him to his own clean-up while the three women quickly sat out the food that had been kept warm. It was at the dinner table that they learned how bad his day had been.

“Group of Pokemon hunters decided that the best way to advance was to beat up ah bunch of younger Pokemon hunters and steal their b.. um, animals. He blushed at what he had been about to say, even more so when Penny leaned forward.

“You mean they were stealing and playing with some one else’s balls?” his sister-in-law asked in an innocent manner.

It seemed to be what the older police officer needed. He snerked, he giggled then he broke out laughing for several minutes. “Penny” he finally gasped through slowing laughter. “You may not babysit our kids ever again.”

“Oh... okay” Penny accepted. “But I like kids, I plan to have several of my own when Sara lets me.” She glanced at a blushing Sara and laughed. “Actually we have already talked it over John, as soon as her prostatic hand is attached and she’s comfortable with it I’m going to start swelling. Yes I am.”

“And who” her sister Candy asked with a leer, “Is going to be the unlucky father.”

“Not John” Sara answered before Penny could open her mouth. “We have three carefully chosen candidates, all it will take is approaching them and getting one to say yes. But that’s still a year away. John, to change the subject again, tell me about these Pokemon Hunters. My shop is considered very remote, I don’t even get the banned list but once a year so they may try to restock from me. I’d like to know who not to trust.”

“Three boys, ages seventeen to nineteen” the officer answered between bites. “Karl Johansson, Albert Williams and William Westland.” He ate a bit more, “Would it help if I just sent you a copy of my report?”

“Yes it would, but just the important things. I don’t need their Imperial Resource numbers, families or such. Just their Pokecard numbers, names and a good description. A photograph would help too. You see the Banned list arrived last month so I can’t expect a new one until next year. If its something major we get a flash update, but even the local Pokehall is almost forgotten. If the two of us didn’t keep making noise I swear that we would never get reports at all.

“It’s the same way with the Library” Penny added. “When I first arrived the budget had dropped to almost nothing, I had to make a special trip to Vermilion City to petition for funds. It was amazing, they had honestly thought that the library had been closed so they were only budgeting funds for mothballing the building.”

“Then why live in Stonehome” Candy asked. “I knew it was small because you told me years ago, if its that small move here. I’m certain that there are positions for you both.”

Penny looked at Sara, then down at her food. “I like the quiet” she admitted. “Its safer, raising a family there and I have friends. Sure sis, I would never have met Sara if I hadn’t been there, but more importantly I know everyone. I know who I can trust, who I shouldn’t, it was only one family and they moved away. Its quiet, and I’ll take over the library again in five years. Well, four and a half, I really have found that I miss the work. I’ll be the only Librarian Poketech around.”

“And you Sara” John asked wile serving himself more food. “Why did you choose Stonehome?”

Sara swallowed, sipped some of the excellent tea then answered truthfully. “Completely selfish reasons John. I have a theory, I felt that a remote Poketech position would allow me more time to work on it. Until my injury that proved true, now I’m training Penny as well as my own work but once my hand is ready that will change. An advantage of being the only Poketech within eighty miles is that I see things I might not see in a lifetime if I served in a city. Of course it also means that if I am injured I’m on my own.” She touched her wounded arm, not being so crass as to wave her stump around at the dinner table. “Its... Its nice in Stonehome. What with the settlement now we can afford to buy our own home, do things we have been talking about and honestly I like helping people. I guess you could say that it is the dream life realized.”

“Speaking of that” John started when his wife interrupted him.

“They can’t talk about it, legalese John” she warned. “But they gave me a cheque for a thousand P to help out and mentioned that it wasn’t going to hurt them.”

“We can tell you that we are not rich” Sara explained. “We could live ten or fifteen years on the money, then have nothing. Instead we have invested most of the money and will be buying the tower next to our guild own home.” She looked directly into Penny’s eyes as she spoke her next words. “There will be modifications, expansion then children from both of us.” Penny’s eyes glistened in the artificial light though she managed to keep the tears down.

Looking back at John Sara gave him a friendly smile. “We were hoping that you might give us some security ideas, your aware of Waterdown. I am afraid that he almost killed Penny and myself, we were just very lucky that night, he did kill another Pokehunter, a beautiful young girl he was fixated on. Will you help us plan for such an event in the future? Or at least point us towards a reputable architect? The tower we are going to buy is a mirror image of the one we live in and I bought a set of plans for it from the Poketech Guild this afternoon. It is a very ancient design not used anymore and though we do have an excellent carpenter family in Stonehome, the Martine’s, they work best with good plans in their hands.”

“Regis and Peters is a good firm, and Peters is a personal friend” John answered. “I can take you over there tomorrow.”

“But its your day off” Penny reminded her brother-in-law. “You need to spend time with your family.”

John looked at Candy and gave her a strange grin. “Seems we have a cheque to deposit” he reminded Penny, “And R&P is only two blocks from our bank. While you two are talking to them Candy and I will deal with paying a few bills then join you for lunch. Deal?”

“Deal” all three woman answered nearly at the same moment.

Thus it was that with the firm of Regis and Peters opened the next morning a small mob was waiting to enter.