A few days had passed since Klaus had received the best-smelling meal in his life. What he had seen afterwards, right before leaving, had left him weak from the knees, luckily not for too long. Seeing Geertje's anklet -- now pretty much symbolic for him -- worn by another server wasn't a reason to abandon that pub without knowing the whole story. After all, it was one of his favourite places to pass time.
With a small amount of qualm, Klaus made his way to the bar. At least so far nothing felt odd. The bartender was busy with previous customers and their seemingly challenging order, therefore acknowledged him with only a brief nod. A runner, hands full, hurried past.
The chance to place the order didn't seem too far anymore when a gorgeous figure with a familiar friendly smile appeared from the kitchen.
Emilia was always happy when Klaus came for a visit. At first he had been just like any other customer, but suddenly had earned her trust and their brief interactions were a bit more than mere small talk. Like Geertje, Emilia was possibly in her early twenties. Old enough to serve alcohol, yet young enough to be a bit innocent, at the same time full of joy and awe in this wide world. Blonde hair -- not platinum blonde, though -- reaching to the small of her back when set in ponytail, lean build and large eyes. Unearthly large eyes, as if she had materialised out of a Japanese cartoon. And yes, there was always a fair amount of skin shown between her trousers and footwear.
While she made her way towards him, Klaus threw a glance downwards as usual and couldn't figure out if he should be thrilled or wary. Now it was Emilia who's ankle was in pearls' embrace. There had to be something going on and whatever it was, he might have had a chance to find out right away at the spot. For a start he chose to make only a casual notice.
'Nice pearls!'
'You like them?' Her tone didn't actually give much away.
Since when do you wear it?
Where did you get it?
Is it comfortable?
All of these would be equally fine questions to poke further. He had just opened his mouth, really not knowing what would come out of it, but Emilia was faster.
'Hungry? Something to eat?'
She knew that Klaus always came for a beer or two. Considering that along with Geertje's anklet, it couldn't be a coincidence. A hesitant nod was his reply.
He was seated at the same table where he had enjoyed Geertje's special offer not long ago. On the way across the floor he had lost a fair share of uneasiness and was even a bit excited to hear a clarifying question following his order: 'With a sock at the side or without?'
Klaus might have contemplated his answer a bit too long as Emilia had time to add: 'At no extra cost.'
'Your own?' Whatever was going on, it seemed to be the safest reply.
'Mine. Gertie is not working today.'
So, this part was clear, she knew about what had happened here before. Was it worth to take a chance with the opportunity? Klaus surely wished to. Besides, there was time to look around and observe the behaviour of the rest of staff. Should anything be out of place, he could easily pocket the shameful item and have a completely ordinary meal. Did anyone else know about it, that could be sorted out sometimes later.
While waiting he didn't catch a single gaze. His meal arrived, along with it a sock moved from fist to fist and again there was a seemingly very thoughtful lad at a relatively secluded table with his head resting on his hands. Nobody else than his blonde server happened to accidentally stop in the range of sight.
This time the speciality, while still nice and warm, smelled a bit underprepared. The aroma was fainter, maybe because the source of ingredients was different, maybe because the venue was less busy giving Emilia a chance not to walk around as much, maybe because of some other reason. In spite of being less piquant, it was definitely worth it. What was a bit disappointing, was that unlike Geertje, Emilia needed hers to be returned later. On the other hand, utensils are only for use on the spot, a beer mug doesn't normally leave with a customer, why should a server-maid's sock be any different... Emilia had already provided him a wonderful experience and even more, she made a proposal for Klaus to meet her after work.
* * *
Luckily there wasn't too much time to kill, only a few hours. For a good cause it was more than bearable. Long before the agreed time Klaus was at the arranged spot. It was late already and the park bench was rather secluded. Weird that it came to his mind as he had only agreed to show up and any street or corner would be as good.
The closer to the meetup, the slower the minutes seemed to pass. Fortunately, not too much of restlessness crept inside him, it wasn't a romantic date after all. Yet, more than once he was hesitant if he had understood the time and place correctly.
