Pictor Ignotus

Chapter Four—Just Stay Here

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Fiona McKinnon—Sorry for making you feel guilty about the PAMS thing. Thanks for explaining it. I'll start using it from now on, and we can pass around the new and fun acronym.

Crecy- Yes, it should be funny indeed. Although, don't assume too early that he won't like Atlanta. You never know. I might throw all of you people off. Oo

The Lady Romance- You don't like bacon?! -is affronted- I'm glad you liked the chapter, and don't feel dumb for thinking Iorwen was an elvish name, cause, seriously, when I first saw it on babynames..com (Yes, I find my character names from sites where mothers go to find their child's name! Don't make fun of me!!) I kind of blinked for a second and was all, like, "I didn't know that Tolkien's languages are now considered legitimate tongue." Sad, really.

Rythmic Blot- I might take you up on the offer for help, my friend. And, who knows, maybe you will get to do something detrimental to Legolas' health. –scoff-

Manwathiel- Awesomeness. I'm glad you like the story. It's nice to have a new person on board. ; )

Chicky Poo- Sweet! Another new person! An, yeah, they DID just get to her grandparents, but, seriously, how realistic is it to think that she could have stayed there with her grandparents around her constantly. She can't just keep him locked inside the bunkhouse. And besides, Atlanta is where some interesting things will start to happen.

-snigger-

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Iorwen POV

After breakfast, I looked up at the clock and realized that in about ten minutes grandma would be probably head down to the bunkhouse to check on me as she usually did. Scrambling up, I grabbed all of the stuff on the table and hastily dumped it in the sink. Seizing Legolas by the arm, I dragged him out of the bunkhouse and headed towards the car. It was chilly outside and I tried to ignore the cold in my thin pajamas as I ushered the elf into the backseat of my pathfinder. There really wasn't anywhere to hide him in the bunkhouse except for the cramped bathroom. And, sadly, grandma tended to go to the restroom a little more often than was normal, and I didn't feel like risking my grandmother's health by allowing her to walk in on a blonde stranger in my bathroom. Just the thought made me cringe. It also kind of made me want to laugh, but I resisted the urge.

Legolas got into the car without question, though I could easily see the apprehensiveness in his face as I ordered him to stay. "I'll come back, I promise. But there are a good few reasons why my grandmother can't see you, and she's going to come back here in about—" I looked at my watch, "five minutes. Now, just stay here and DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING."

Giving me a slow nod, Mr. Eros (as I'd mentally taken to calling him) only watched as I shut the door on him. However, as soon as I did, he looked enormously disturbed, enough so that I opened the door again out of concern. "You okay?"

"Nay! How does one get free of this prison once within?"

I shook my head, "It's not a prison--it's just a car. I'll explain later, just sit there and if you need to get out just pull on this," I grabbed the door handle, "and push out. Oh, and stay out of sight! Just lay down or something, okay?"

As I was rushing back to the bunkhouse in my slippers, I realized something. I was treating him like I would a child. Like it or not, I was starting to grow a bit fond of this unknown elf that had so raucously interrupted my, over all, pretty peaceful life. Ignoring my second mind for what I realized had to be about the twentieth time since I'd met Legolas, I opened the bunkhouse door and began packing up my stuff, all the while, thinking of an excuse for my early departure.

--Marian had called…somethin'--somethin'--somethin'…

--The office wanted me back to work this Monday, even though we were off, because…

--Um, Marian—no, my landlord had detected termites in my house, and she wanted me back since…

Stuffing my shampoo and conditioner into the outside mesh pocket of my duffel bag, I turned to the kitchen and began to try and clean up some of the dishes in the sink. The door suddenly swung open, smacking the wall unceremoniously, making me jump, as in walked grandma.

"Morning, sweetheart. I'm quite surprised you're up this early. I s'pose you've finally beaten that awful habit of sleeping till noon."

I smiled in what I hoped was an inconspicuous way, "You can't really do that often in the real world."

"Quite right," she nodded her head in agreement while looking around the room. She spotted my bag. "Dear, you know I've got a closet over there that you can put all of your clothes in while you're here. After all—"

"No, grandma. Actually, I'm leaving. Y'see, Marian called early this morning 'cause she's having problems with Ben again and she wants to come over to my apartment to stay. She's in all upset, and she really wants to talk to me in person."

Grandma raised her eyebrows. "Marian's livin' with that boyfriend o' her's? I just don't understand what's gone an happened to marrying people before you live with 'em… Oh well, if you really have to get back to Atlanta then you must. But you do know that you're gonna have to visit again after this little ordeal?"

Relieved at her convinced answer, I nodded my head. "'Course."

Grandma sighed and looked at the dishes. "Now, you go on and get out of here. Just leave those to me."

Smiling gratefully, I thanked her, promised another visit, and told her to give grandpa my thanks and love. She nodded through it all and helped me get my stuff out to the car...or tried to, at least.

"I'll get that, grandma," I nearly screeched when she started for my car, "I'll be fine. Go on." I threw the bags into the very back and got into the driver's seat, hoping Legolas would know to stay down. He did, thankfully.

"Now, I'm certainly sorry to see you off so soon, as will Clarence. Just be careful on your drive back and watch out for any stupid, dirty men. You're too pretty to be drivin' round by yourself."

Ahhh, grandma's unselfish compliments…one could never get enough of them. "Goodbye, grandma. Keep grandpa in line while I'm gone." Putting the key in the ignition, I heard the engine turn over and put it into drive before pulling out onto the road. Well, that had gone far easier than expected…

I glanced into the back seat where a very anxious-looking Mr. Eros was sitting upright, his lips tight and eyes wider than teacups. If this guy really was a joke, he needed to take up a career in acting, because he pulled off the look on unease very well.

"You all right?" I asked, hating the tinge of pity I felt towards the highly pathetic look on his face. "Don't be scared, really. This isn't dangerous at all. This thing we're in is just a car, like I said. It's mans' modern way of getting around. It's pretty difficult to explain. Just be satisfied in the knowledge that you're not in harm's way and it's not going to put you in harm's way."

Eros said nothing, only scrambled up into the seat next to me. It was then that I remembered he didn't have any normal clothes and he was still in night attire.

Not to mention, I'd completely forgotten about that small wound of his. "How's your head?"

He glanced at me strangely for a moment before answering by pulling off the gauze I'd placed on the injury earlier.

Looking back and forth between the road and him, it was a second before I realized that the rather large cut from the night before was already close to healing. The skin was already closed up with a thin, very smooth scab over it as though someone had smoothed away the rip in his skin and it had by now gone through the stitching process. It wasn't even bruised. It took me a moment before another thought hit me.

This was only more proof of his claim…

Okay, just calm down, Iorwen. Perhaps he's just really, really, really healthy…

I thought about asking him just that but was afraid to, knowing what the answer would be already. "We need to get you some real clothes." I said, getting my mind of the irritatingly rational answers that were pervading my mind. "You also need another name."

Mr. Eros shifted in his seat like an anxious child, his obvious discomfort with the car was making me nervous and I told him as much. "Forgive me," he said, sounding, indeed, quite sorry, "I do not mean to cause you unease. It is only that…I am not familiar with anything I have seen yet. You can not realize how very foreign this all is…"

"Well, right now you're just gonna have to trust me about all of these new things. Anyway, on with the name thing… How do you like Matthew? or perhaps…Wesley…or Cameron…or," I was racking my brain trying to remember all the boy names I liked, "Dale? Benjamin? Chris? Jesús?"

Legolas furrowed his eyebrows. "I like that one, I think."

"Jesús?! I was just kidding about that one, you know."

Legolas shook his head, "Nay. The name prior to that."

"Chris?"

"Aye. It is simple. I like it."

I shrugged. "Sure. Fine."

He tried to relax in his seat. His eyes were still traveling everywhere, absorbing everything so completely that I was sure he would remember it all in the years to come.

"I do not have any other clothes." He said suddenly, turning to me and knocking me out of my own quiet reverie.

Rubbing my thumbs along the steering wheel, I answered him patiently. "I know. That's why we're gonna get you some at the next place that comes around."

What was the next place around anyway?

I vaguely remembered a mall somewhere back towards Lufkin, but that required turning around and heading back through Etoile. Maybe if I took to the route along 290 and grabbed that back road my grandpa showed me that went—

My musings were cut unduly short when the sound of static mixed with crappy pop music hit me full force. It changed swiftly to another station, then another, and another—

"I like it, I love it, I want some more of it. I've tried so hard, I can't rise above—"

Click.

"—ananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S—"

Click.

"Look to the sky in the mornin'. The shadow is coming. The sh—"

Click.

"What are you doing?!"

Mr. Eros it seemed was just having himself a grand ole' time punching all the radio station buttons. One song would come on and he'd punch the next button almost instantly. My God, I thought in amusement, He's as bad as my friend, Marian.

"What is this device?" he asked curiously, eyes shining with a very new and juvenile light that made me snort in amusement.

"It's called a radio and it transmits sound waves into music and songs. People can have them in their cars, homes, or even take them with them portably." I thought about ipods, "I guess there's more than one type of radio actually. You really don't need to worry about it though."

"That is music?" He looked genuinely confused as the song Thriller came on. Legolas looked slightly disturbed. Needless to say, the look on his face was quite comical, and I didn't bother holding in the laugh that was tingling in my mouth. "Yes, it's music. You shouldn't look so surprised. Time has a way of changing everything, including music styles. And anyway, most all the songs you've heard so far suck anyway…except for Thriller." I chuckled.

His eyebrow had lifted high at my last sentence. "Sucks? I do not understand…"

"It means that something is really bad—no good—worthless—stupid—crappy—"

"Crappy?"

"Yes, bad. Now, shut up."

Mr. Eros glanced out the window and then back to me. "You have used many words since my arrival that I can not even begin to understand…"

"They're just slang, more than likely. That is, made-up words that mean something else and usually in a more crude manner. The American vernacular. You'll get used to it. Humans have a lot of phrases and sayings that we've gathered over the ages. You won't understand those, so when you're lost to the meaning, just ask me. Oh, and don't ask in the presence of anybody else. It's considered pretty odd to not know what they mean."

He just nodded. I flipped the stations around and found next to nothing to listen to. Getting mad, I grabbed one of my big CD albums from the backseat (or, rather, I made Legolas grab it) and began to flip through. Pulling out my burned copy of Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla", I shoved it into the player and I spent the next twenty five minutes educating Legolas on classic rock as we drove to the next town.

Right before we reached the exit that led off to town, my phone rang.

Legolas started glancing around frantically, his eyes unnaturally wide like those of a deer in headlights. He looked to me and I calmed him down absentmindedly with bored hand gestures while burrowing into my purse for my phone. Upon finding it, I flipped it open and greeted my caller. It was Marian.

"Hey, you. How go things in Etoile?"

I sighed. "I'm not in Etoile, actually. I'm coming back, there have been some complications."

"What?!" She sounded a little unnaturally surprised and my eyebrows rose to new heights, "I mean—like what?"

Dammit. I needed an excuse to give to Marian, too.

"Uh…well," I flipped through available excuses, "Judy—you know, my landlord—she called to tell me that I have termites and they're gonna take care of it, but I need to get my living room cleared before the exterminators get there."

"Oh, well, you know, Iorwen, I can do that for you; no big deal. After all, you need to get back to your family. I mean, you haven't even seen your sis—"

"You know very well why I can't see my family, Marian." I barked defensively.

"Yeah, I know that. Calm down. I was just sayin'—"

"Look, I'm pulling into Starbucks right now. I'll talk to you later." Lie.

I flipped the phone shut and ignored Legolas' look. I couldn't really see his face, but I knew that at that moment he had to be peering at me with that puzzled expression yet again. I knew he'd be wondering either about the phone or my fluctuating temper.

His question about the phone came up soon enough, just like I'd known it would, and I-- being who I am--explained it all quite patiently to him.

"I never thought that man would be able to advance so much. It is remarkable to see the differences between the mortals of this world and those of my own."

It was so weird to hear him call my own race "mortals." It sounded so demeaning somehow, like as though we were something wretched and cursed, and the elves…were simply better, blessed.

Covering my irritation, I replied, "Well, it certainly didn't happen overnight. And you'll begin to see that not only have we advanced technologically, but also our knowledge and power continues to grow with every year." I didn't realize it at that moment, but I'd suddenly become very defensive of my race, and I was scrambling to make them sound better to this elvish prince.

Legolas nodded without answering and continued to stare out the window. He was so fascinated by everything about him. Every once and a while, I'd see him sort of stroking the plastic of the car handle as though it was a pet, or he'd be watching the passing power lines very closely, his eyes trained on the them intently like as though they'd escape if he looked away. He also got excited when a random house or business would pass by. Evidently even our architecture was extraordinary to him. Well, at least I'll never have to entertain him on this trip.

I noticed one of his perfectly pointed ears again, so leaf-shaped and pale. It jutted out further than most ears would. It looked far too real to have been made or formed with some type of gelatin. And you couldn't manipulate any human ear into that shape either. I know. I'd tried more than once to do it after I read the LotR books. My common sense was screaming at me to stop, to think about what it was I was considering possible. But that was just it--I had thought about it, and despite all of my qualms, his answer was seeming…well, quite feasible actually.

You're an idiot, Iorwen.

"Iorwen," Legolas spoke my name suddenly, and I realized with a small bit of satisfaction that it was the first time he'd actually said it. "I believe we are nearing a town. Am I correct?"

Wow. I'd barely even been watching the road. How could I have missed the town sign and the increasing traffic?

I nodded and began scanning each side of the road for a gas station. I was still in pajamas if you'll remember, and needed a bathroom to go and change in first. Rushing out my grandparents' house so quickly hadn't been my greatest idea.

I spotted an old Shamrock with an outside bathroom right next to the parking lot of Target. Thank God.

I parked the SUV halfway between the station and Target and got out of the car quickly. Pulling the keys from the ignition, I dropped them in my leather bag and shut the door. I opened the door to the backseat and grabbed my duffel bag. "I won't be long," I said, seeing Legolas' concerned face, "Just stay here. You can play with the radio and the window buttons all you like, okay. Just stay put." He nodded.

Noting that two of the windows were already open for ventilation, I went to the gas station, changed into blue jeans, a tank top, and my converse. Still armed with the duffle bag and purse, I headed to Target and bought the cheapest clothes I could get. I didn't have enough money to go blow eighty-something on this Joe Nobody. They were nice clothes though: some faded jeans (I guessed to the best of my ability on all of his sizes), two plain black T-shirts, some socks and cheap tennis shoes (the guy was still barefoot), and a bag of boxers, because God knew I certainly didn't have any for him.

While standing in line, I quietly wondered what I would do once I got back home. I could hardly make up my mind on whether or not I believed this guy yet or not, and eventually I was going to have to help him back to wherever he came from. How was I going to help him, if I couldn't even convince myself he wasn't out of his mind?

Becoming increasingly depressed and irritated with my situation, I grabbed a Hershey's bar from the rack beside me and grabbed another coke that was in a nearby fridge. Once I'd checked out, I grabbed my three bags and headed back to the car. I had some trouble finding the car, since I've always had a horrible sense of direction. I almost always forget where I park. I could practically get lost in my own one-bedroom apartment. Finally though, I found the pathfinder. Sighing in relief, I headed for the car and quickly threw my bags into the backseat. Walking around the vehicle to get into the driver's side, I opened the door and stared blankly at the empty seat next to it.

Legolas was gone…

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A/N: Well, I'm finally finished. I'm already started on chapter five so you people shouldn't have to wait too long. I'm sorry it took so long. I was sick for a while; I also have two projects I'm working on, and a butt load of exams to worry about. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll be sure to get the next one out sooner.