Beginners Luck

It was a chilly September in the year 1971 and two women were entering the village of Hookworth on the outskirts of London. They were not local and were there on ‘business’. They were on the lookout for a place called the ‘Flannigan Arms’.

The oldest female seemed a little annoyed and grumbled to the younger girl. “Trust half the reapers to skive off and leave you alone, Abigail” the female sighed, feeling bad for the girl. The teen looked at the brunette, “it’s alright Titania I’m just glad you can supervise me while I get the job done. I would have had no idea how to get here, never mind dealing with the duty at hand” Abigail smiled, seeming both nervous and eager.

Both women find the Flannigan Arms after a few minutes of walking. Just as well they were not in a large town or city.

“It looks like a pub,” Titania noticed. Abigail suddenly realises an issue. “We might get ID’d, I am a teen…well was,” she said as Titania seemed confident, she assured Abigail that she is always prepared for problems like that. Titania had been on the ‘job’ for years.

“you might not have learnt to warp or teleport yet so if all else fails I will transport us to safety. Also, we have ID badges, but I think they may unnerve humans. So it is best not to use them unless it’s necessary. I also have a fake ‘human’ ID. And the heads did make you one too if the worst comes to the worst. We can’t be too careful in this day and age. You will find what you need in your recruitment folder,” Titania looked at Abigail, who seemed happy that Titania was looking out for her. The experienced woman continued to talk Abigail through her assignment.

“We should enter the pub and play it cool as we’ve just stopped for a coffee. I’ll order for us while you deal with your ‘client’. I’ll step in if needs be,’’ Titania suggested and Abigail smiled in agreement. Both the ladies felt peckish so Titania’s suggestion was approved by the younger girl. The older woman grinned, “it’s no use working on an empty stomach. We can order starters, do what ‘needs to be done’ then we should get the main meal. I’ll happily pay, you have enough to deal with” Titania said, Abigail was shocked by the older female’s kindness. “Are you sure Titania?” She asked in disbelief, Titania thought nothing of it, “it’s no problem. I’m happy to assist you with your first time. I was lucky that two colleagues instantly helped me when I first started. I’m merely paying it forward. I’ve been dealing with client’s for years now and I’m happy to answer any questions you may have” she said to the recruit.

Abigail smiled as the two women started to discuss the mission at hand.

They arrived at the door of the Flannigan Arms. They noticed the front of the pub was clear, and there was no doorman. To be fair it was barely noon and several patrons looked over at the girls, all with mixed responses. Some of them were surprised as to how well they were dressed and wondered what they were doing in a ‘dive like this’.

It seemed the pub was just starting, as there was not much decoration and not many tables and chairs. There were a few patrons, mostly male, who said a friendly hello to the two women. And there seemed to be a few who didn’t seem too keen that they were in the pub, for some reason.

Titania knew she had unintentionally made a few enemies over the years because of her ‘job’, so she was used to the odd glare. Abigail however, was not and she was nervous as Titania noticed.

The proficient woman was used to seeing nervous fresh-faced new colleagues, but Abigail seemed to have had a lot on her mind.

Titania smiled and found them both a seat and looked at a menu handed to them by a man in his early thirties, who seemed to be glaring at the girls. Titania noticed this but tried to pay no attention. Some ‘random’ wasn’t their concern right now. Abigail looked at the notes in her folder and sighed. “Someone in this pub is going to die,” she said knowing what had to be done. “It is my understanding, yes,” Titania said as they saw the guy in his thirties mutter to a server, and the waiter went over asking for their order. He seemed like a polite young man although he did briefly stare a little. The two women had unusual colour eyes, porcelain skin and we’re dressed in smart casual. So their features and attire was something the waiter had never seen before. 

So this did not come as a shock to them to have humans react that way to them. 

Titania smiled as she ordered a cup of tea, and began to ask about the scones listed on their menu, which appeared to have crayon marks on them. He was more than happy to explain to them their deals and options. He mentioned the scones were decent, but not many people were buying them. Titania admired his sincerity but decided to order them to at least try them.

He smiled and left to alert the kitchen staff. Another male was overseeing the staff. 

He looked like the other guy in his 30s but he looked about 25 at most. He had a young girl next to him who was no older than three. He goes over to the man in his 30s, they both had messy brown hair although the older males were messier and partially receding. They both had brown eyes but the younger one had a little green in his. The younger one was slimmer too and he had what looked like an important badge on his blazer. The younger man held the little girl close, looking concerned

“Bob, I caught Louise using her crayons on the menus again,” the younger male said. Titania noticed the menu she had in her hands had evidence of the toddlers ‘handiwork’.

Bob shrugged looking at the younger man, “well she wanted to say hello to her ‘uncle Wupert’,” Bob replied.

Rupert rolled his eyes “More like you want free pints, I’m not daft brother,” Rupert smirked a little and puts Louise down. 

“Hey at least she’s brightening up those dull menus,” Bob scoffed. Rupert rolled his eyes, “I would be happy to spend time with my little niece, but I’m busy managing this pub. There’s been a lot of fights recently and I don’t think it’s the right place for her. I’m happy to go to the park with her when I’m not working,” Rupert smiled. Bob tutted, “only because dad let you have the pub when he retired” he scoffed, Rupert has used to his brothers rude and jealous behaviour, “well you were too busy partying while I worked hard for this place” Rupert sighed, Bob smirked, “well you bs keep your wits about you, this place has been getting a bad reputation recently. So you best sort it out before this place goes bankrupt. Our parents will lose out on their pension,”

Rupert sighed “I’m hoping this is because I’ve only just started. I’m a little worried about the future of the family pub.

While the men were debating family matters, Louise had escaped again, toddling around the pub. She went over to Titania and Abigail’s table, noticing the marked menu. Louise Flannigan looked at the women “my dwawing pwease,” she said with a bit of a lisp. Titania smiles “hello there young lady, is this your masterpiece? I could always get another menu,” she smiled, handing the menu in her hands to Louise. “Thank yoo” she smiled, deciding to sit with the two women and continue drawing on the already marked menu. The trainee server handed over the orders placed by the females. Titania tried the scone, it wasn’t bad, but it seemed rather dry. 

She alerted the server while Abigail was enjoying her cup of tea. “I’ve noticed that the scones are dry, plus there aren’t many options on fillers for them. Have the chefs considered adding cheese on the top? And there could be more options on condiments,” she said honestly, but kindly. The guy smiled, “thank you for your feedback, we will consider it” he said, still a bit unnerved by the silvery yellow eyes that both the females had. 

“It is no problem, I have been baking for years so if anyone needs any advice feel free to ask,” she smiled. The waiter had never had that response from a customer before. Although he had only been on the job for two weeks. Titania looked at Louise, then the server. “Oh and order whatever this little wants, I’ll cover it,” she smiled. The waiter nodded, “of course, but you don’t need to pay for her. She’s related to the pub owner so it’s free for her. I’ll also discount your orders as a thank you for your kindness,” he smiled.

Louise showed Titania her ‘artwork’ while the waiter reported back to Rupert. 

Rupert noticed Louise was sitting next to the two unfamiliar women. Bob didn’t seem too happy about Louise being near the girls.

Rupert walked over to their table, hoping the new customers were not put off by the outgoing toddler.

“I see my niece Louise has made herself comfortable,” he smirked “I was supposed to be managing my pub, but she wants to explore a lot,” he smiled awkwardly. The girls smiled back, “she’s very cute” Titania said, Rupert chuckled, he was relieved that the young girl hadn’t upset his two new clients. Both Titania and Abigail seem to love children, but they had previous tragic instances, as they had both suffered infant losses within their families. One of the main reasons why they would be so warm towards young kids. Rupert was used to playing referee with Louise, as many pub-goers were not as friendly as the two girls. He had to explain so many times that Louise was his niece, and he would end up watching her as her father seemed ‘preoccupied elsewhere’.

Rupert was supposed to be managing the pub, not babysitting. But he couldn’t leave his niece alone