Our story thus far:
Zophiel has sent Jennifer (and Julian) back in time to the village of
Arcadia, to a time before the foundations of The Goth House as we know it
have even been laid. She is to find the Tribal Elder of Arcadia and wing it
from there.
*****************
>It was early morning, the sun was just about to peek over the hills
as she surveyed the somewhat familiar collection of thatched huts
clustered around the well she had just rinsed her mouth from.
The structures were foreign to her, but the grouping was...
"This is Arcadia." Jennifer said. Julian the Toucan was perched on
her shoulder. He blinked. "Arcadia?" he blinked again, "You're
putting me on."
"No, aye, she's right, bird. This be Arcadia. I'm Duncan Blacksmith,
I o'ersee the stables. Ooh might you be?" <
******************
He was a big man, as one would expect a blacksmith to be, with a full beard
that hung down over his leather apron. His shirtsleeves were rolled up to
expose powerful forearms. The sight of him put Jennifer in mind of Bluto
from the old Popeye cartoons.
"My name is Jennifer and I come from...(oh, thanks Zophiel, how do I explain
this?) "
"We come from the East," Julian interjected.
The blacksmith's left eyebrow raises considerably."The East?" He turnes
around and surveys the small dock in the shallow bay, "And did you swim here
all the way from the East? I be seein' no vessel of any sort, but then, I be
seein' you're also dry as one of Sam Baker's biscuits..."
"I'm sorry, you're right, we are not from the East. I don't know where we
came from or how we got here..."
"You just fell from the sky," the blacksmith said skeptically, "and landed
here."
"Well, yes." Came the sheepish reply.
The big man thought for moment, sizing the woman and her talking bird up.
"That hasn't happened for a while, but 'tis not unheard of 'round here. We
best be getting you inside with a warm fire and sump'tin in yer belly and ye
can explain to me why that strange bird talks as well as I do."
"I'd be happy to tell you, if you'll just give me a bowl of your finest
rum..."
"JULIAN!"
"What?"
"Shut up!"

Jennifer
Exercise Futile Absurdity