All packed up and Movin' on

[Emilia]

Jimmy Ray hadn't
spent too much time outta his room since he'd gotten t' the Inn. He was
a bit shy and there were lotsa people around the Inn. It kinda made him
a bit uncomfortable. But he needed somethin' t' eat and those men who'd
been bringin' him his meals had left. It had been so nice o' Miss
Emilia t' have him put on their rounds for meals, but now it was time
t' venture out and rustle up some grub. He headed outta his room an
down t' the bar t' see iffin anyone was there.

Emilia
was in the bar, she was sitting on a stool eating some chicken soup.
She was thinking. Her mother had left with Manny to go to a new Inn.
She was trying to figure out if she was going to leave here and go or
just spend time at both places. She also had Iluvenis to think of. She
heard someone come in and turned to see Jimmy Ray.

"Well hello there sexy."

Jimmy Ray chuckled. "Well, hello there yerself pertty lady. I musta thunked ya int' existance t'day." He walked over and gestured t' a chair askin' if it was available.

She nodded at him and smiled.

"Sure, you can sit down. Where you thinking about little old me?"

Here it was again her flirting. She did like to flirt and Jimmy Ray was a very good looking man.

He blushed as he took a seat next t' her. "Yeah,
I was, 'cause I was rememberin' how you had asked those men to bring me
my meals when they took grub t' the others. I thought it was kinda nice
o' you. But now I guess I gotta leave my room t' eat." He looked around t' see iffin it was that crazy lady who was servin up the grub t'day. Then he looked back t' miss Emilia. "You sure do look perty t'day. I'm glad yer here fer company." He blushed again.

Emilia smiled at him and nodded.

"I knew you were not very comfortable coming out and decided to ask nicely if they would bring you food."

He smiled as he nodded. "Yes ma'am, thank ya kindly. I'm not sure why I'm so uncomfortable 'round here." He was used to bein' in Inn's and stayin' around folks, but somethin' here was just off to him somehow.

She looked at him.

"I am sorry that they all left, the lady that employs them decided to move on to another Inn. "

The crazy woman as he referred to, Maddie was not there serving people. It was very late.

"If you are hungry I can get you a bowl of soup."

He looked at her as she spoke. "They all just up an left?" He found that t' be rather interestin'. "Soup sounds good. Why'd they leave?" He wondered iffin it was 'cause she was as uncomfortable as him.

She was getting up to get him a bowl of soup and some bread.

"Venis wanted to be closer to the Keep."

She was soon back and placing a bowl in front of him.

He
remembered miss Venis, she was that tall red-head miss Emilia took him
t' see, when he'd sold his gold fer coin. She was with another
red-head, miss Tasha he believed. When she came back with his soup he
smiled. "Thank ya 'gain miss Emilia. What's a keep an why would she wanna be closer t' one" He waited fer her t' sit back down b'fore he started eatin'.

She sat back down on the stool next to him and smiled.

"It is like a city behind a wall, only there is a castle there too. All her employees that are not with her live there."

He scratched his head an it reminded him t' take his hat off. So he sat it on the stool on the other side of him upside down. "A city, b'hind a wall? Sounds kinda funny t' me. Maybe someday I can see this walled up city." He was kinda curious. He took a sip o' his soup an smiled. "Mmm, tasty"

She smiled.

"Sure I can take you there sometime, I know Venis wouldn't mind."

He smiled an nodded again. "Well, that'd be right neighborly o' ya." He took another bite o' his soup, it was good.

She smiled as she took another bite of her soup dipping her bread into it before taking a bite of it.

"Do you plan on staying long Jimmy Ray?"

He twisted his mouth when he heard her question. "Well, I don't really got any other place t' go. Kinda stuck here I guess. But with you 'round, it ain't so bad I s'pose." He figured that long as he could run int' her, he'd be alright.

She smiled as she looked at him.

"Thats
is sweet Jimmy Ray, but I have been debating if I am going to stay here
or go to the other Inn. My mother went with Venis because of her
boyfriend."

"Oh."
His voice musta sounded a bit sad t' her, cause it sounded kinda sad t'
him. He took another bite o' his soup and a bite o' the bread she'd
givin' him with it. He thought that iffin she was gunna stay, it might
make his stay bearable. But iffin she was gunna leave ...

She smiled.

"Jimmy Ray, the Inn there is much bigger than this one, there would be more than enough room for you."

She was not going to tell him just how big the place was. He would probably get lost in it.

He sat up from his soup an looked at her. "Big 'nuff I wouldn't feel so crowded?" The though was an int'restin' one t' say the least.

She smiled and nodded.

"Yes you would not feel crowded."

He chuckled. "Not that this place is small er nuthin, but fer some reason, I just can't get comfy here." He had no idea why that was 'xactly.

She smiled.

"Then
this is not meant to be your home. If you can't get comfortable here
than you may need to move on. If not to the Inn Venis went to than to
someplace else."

He thought 'bout that fer a moment. "Ya
know, yer right. I should go. Maybe I could try this other Inn first.
If not there, then maybe the city behind the wall, maybe they got
someplace there. There's gotta be somewhere I can get comfy in this
crazy world." It was settled right then an there, he was gunna leave.

She looked at him and nodded. She was sure this was the right thing for him to do. If you are not happy it is time to move on.

"Do you want me to show you the other Inn?"

A smile graced his lips. "Sure, that would be nice." He thought about it fer a second. "I should get checked out an stuff first though." He would take care of that as soon as he could.

She smiled as she finished eating her soup.

"I will still be around when you are ready, I am sure of that."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"It will all work out. Wherever you go, I am sure you will find some place to be happy."

He nodded an then gave it some thought as he ate some more o' his soup. "Do you think you could help me check outta this place so I can just pack up t'night an we can head out in the mornin'?" He wasn't sure iffin she was allowed or iffin she knew how t', but it was worth askin'.

She smiled.

"I can do that. Lets go to the desk so I can look at the book."

She stood from her barstool and headed to the front desk.

He got up an grabbed up his hat. He followed her t' the desk, hat in hand. He was glad she'd be able t' help him. "Maybe I should leave 'em a note or somethin' sayin' thanks fer the hospitality?" He would write somethin' down fer them at the desk iffin she liked the idea.

She smiled.

"Sure, that would be a good idea."

She found his name in the book.

"With food, the room, and stable fees for the horse, it looks like you owe ten gold pieces."

He
dug down in the front pocket o' his jeans and pulled out a handful o'
gold pieces. He counted out ten and put 'em on the desk. "They got a pen and paper back there fer a note?" He felt kinda bad about just leavin', so he wanted t' say somethin'.

She
looked and found the paper and pen and passed it over to him as she put
the ten gold pieces into the lock box. She didn't have a key to it or
anything so she just made it disappear from the counter and reappear
into the box.

He missed that lil bit of magic she pulled as he was startin' his note. It read. 'I
jus' wanted t' thank y'all kindly fer yer hospitality. Imma glad y'all
were here fer me t' have a place t' stay, but it's time fer me t' move
on. Thanks again. -Jimmy Ray' And he handed the note t' miss Emilia. "How's that?" He'd never writen a note like that b'fore, so he figured he'd ask.

She took the note from him and read it. She placed it on top of the book.

"Looks good to me."

She looked at him and then placed the book and the letter back under the desk.

"Why don't you go get packed?"

He smiled an nodded at her. "Shouldn't we clear our supper dishes?" He wanted t' make sure that he didn't leave a mess b'hind.

She smiled.

"I'll take care of that."

She
headed back to the bar and began to pick up the bowls and spoons. She
took them to the kitchen where she rinsed them off and left them in the
sink.

He
smiled at her as she headed over t' clean up. He headed up t' his room
t' pack. He thought maybe she'd meet him up there when she was done
with the clean up.

And she did. She followed behind him about ten minutes later.

He
was in his room puttin' his clothes in his saddle bags. He had left the
door cracked fer her. She woulda gotten there about the time he was
packin' away his drawers.

She knocked on the door before she came into the room. She closed the door behind her.

"I hope that you will be more happy at the new Inn. I'll take you there as soon as it is light."

He
looked up at her as she was commin' through the door. He quickly
stuffed his drawers in his bag, lookin' down t' see a leg of 'em still
hangin' out. He quickly stuffed that in too. "I
hope so too. I just feel so lost 'round here. Not just the Inn, the
whole dang planet it seems. I sure do wish I could get home. But if
I'da never come here, I'da never met my new friend." He meant her o'course.

She smiled.

[Emilia]

"Love,
I could take you back to Earth, but you are from a different time then
they are currently in. I think you would be worse off back there then
you are here. I can't travel back in time."

She smiled at him.

"I am glad you consider me a friend."

He nodded as he put his bag in the chair. "I
do, an thanks fer the offer t' take me back, but yer right, I'd be
worse off. At least here, there's some places where I ain't outta
place, saw a saloon one night. It was a sea o' cowboy hats. Been back a
couple a times. Maybe I could take ya sometime." He
thought that kinda sounded like a date, and he wasn't tryin' t' be
courtin' her er nothin', but he wanted to thank her fer her hospitality
too.

She smiled.

"That sounds like fun."

She
hoped he wasn't trying to court her. If he was she would have to have a
talk with him, she was not the type that dated. Not like that, she had
flings not relationships.

"I'll be back to get you in the morning, I hope that you sleep well."

He cleared his throat b'fore he spoke again. "You uh, you can, that is iffin you don't got nothin' t' do. You could uh, spend the night." He figured she's say she had t' get back t' her daughter or somethin' but he still thought he' ask.

She smiled at him.

"My daughter is with Lady Casandra at Claremount for the weekend with her children, I can stay if you you want me to."

He blushed an lowered his head for a second before lookin' back at her. "Just,
ya know, fer stuff. 'Cause I's just kinda been lonely. I ain't tryin'
t' court ya er nothin' like that. I just thougt ya might wanna ... You
know. 'Cause I know that 'round here, not all the girls wanna suitor,
some just wanna spend some time with a guy." He hoped he wasn't insultin' her or nothin'.

Em looked at him and smiled.

"I
know exactly what you mean. I am not the type that has suiters. I am
the type that just likes the company every once in a while."

She moved closer to him.

He
blushed some more and kinda looked down. He was glad she wasn't upset
with him or insulted by what he'd said. The girls back home woulda hit
him or they woulda worked at a brothel.

She was not going to hit him and she definitely did not work at a brothel. She had a few skills though.

"Relax Jimmy Ray, I'm not going to bite you, unless that is what you like."

His eyes got 'bout as big 'round as the bottom of a sarsaparilla bottle. "Oh no! I don't go in fer all that there freaky stuff. I's a gentleman." He was down right shocked by what she'd said.

She laughed.

"I'm sorry Jimmy Ray, I was trying to help you relax, it was meant as a joke."

She moved even closer to him and looked up at him. There was now only a couple inches separating them.

Now he was blushin' so much that e'en his ears was turnin' red. "S'ok. I was just kinda shocked is all. You know miss Emilia, you sure are perty." He leaned his head down and placed his lips on hers e'er so gently.

She smiled up at him as she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

"And you are very sexy."

His hands came 'round her an pulled her closer. "I'm glad yer stayin' the night." Then
he moved one o' his hands from 'round her and put it behind her knees.
Then he swept her up in his arms an carried her of t' the bed.

The next morning after they woke up he left his key at the desk and then went to the stables. Emilia climbed up into the saddle behind him and they rode off.