Oddly enough the television in agent's lounge at headquarters was on for once. It rarely was as most of the members of Section II were busy working on their respective assignments, completing paperwork and so forth.

The one man giving the black and white tv screen his undivided attention was a surprise as well; it Illya Kuryakin, who generally shunned such entertainment.

He did however, have a penchant for cartoons, and once the show was over, he turned off the set and and headed to the office he shared with his partner.

As the doors opened Napoleon greeted him, after glancing at his watch.

"You have uncanny timing, I swear."

"To what are you referring?"

"It's lunch time, twelve noon on the dot. Does your stomach have an alarm?"

"Do not be ridiculous," Illya winked. "You know I am hungry all the time."

Napoleon smiled as he shook his head. "Well I was just heading out to P.J. Clarke's to eat, care to join me?"

Illya reached into his pocket, checking for cash, but in truth he already knew he was a bit short as he'd been to Brentano's and bought several new books.

"Hmm, I am a bit short on funds today….I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."

Napoleon couldn't help but roll his eyes upon hearing that.

"Been watching Popeye again, tovarisch?"

"Well...Wimpy, I think the horn of plenty is finally empty for you. "

Illya looked dejected, though granted his partner had treated him to many's the meal, and conversely Kuryakin had loaned Napoleon money countless number of times to finance his dates with the ladies, perhaps today was not a good day.

"Perhaps a deal," Illya reached into his breast pocket and withdrew a neatly folded white handkerchief. "I will trade you this."

He folded back the corners to reveal a large pearl nestled within it.

"And where did you get that praytell?"

"I had oysters on the half shell a few weeks ago while on assignment and found it inside one of them." He lied of course.

"Really?" Napoleon held out his hand.

Illya dropped it into his partner's palm, and after close examination Solo looked up at him.

"So you want to trade this for lunch?"

"I thought I made that clear?"

"Okay, done," Napoleon smiled. "Lunch is on me."

He grabbed his suit jacket and slipped into it with a smile. Of course he knew the pearl was a fake, but he found Illya's ruse amusing, to say the least.

He wasn't born yesterday and knew Kuryakin had a penchant for cartoons, but he too had seen the episode of the Popeye where Wimpy palms off a fake pearl at Rough House's diner in order to get free hamburgers, thirty of them to be precise. As he recalled it was called 'Wimpy the Moocher.'

Napoleon felt a sudden pang of fear as the thought of Illya ordering that many burgers at P.J. Clarke's crossed his mind.