Dot wasn't inclined to stop him, since she was equally curious herself. As he drew something out of his pocket and slipped it into the clock, however, it would have been difficult to say if she was more curious about how the clock worked or about what he'd tucked into the compartment. She'd always been interested in people, which was why she was so good at what she did, and this was something of a unique opportunity. Even if she didn't know this fellow and might never talk to him again, she didn't want to pass up the opportunity to glean something so personal about him. She popped up slightly on her toes to see what he had in his hands, but wasn't able to get a very clear look before he'd put it into the clock. It was a piece of paper, that much she could tell, with clean-cut edges. Perhaps he had some sort of question written on it that he wanted the clock to answer, but why would he have just had that lying around in his pocket? She would have noticed if he'd scribbled something down, or used a spell to write something on it. Hm — puzzling.

The clock's response and his reaction to it were even more puzzling. A piece of paper, never, but he didn't look disappointed by it. He was smiling. She considered. "Was that the answer you were expecting?"

---