Chapter Two: Lodgings
Len blinked her heavy eyelids open and rubbed her forehead. "I had the wierdest dream, Mel. There was this guy who. ACK! You're not Mel!" She scrambled to her feet and began backing away.
"Okay, I'm not dreaming. I'm hallucinating! That's it! You're not real! Just a mirage! A figment of my imagination! You're probably a rock, or a tree, in reality, and people are probably thinking that I'm crazy, talking to inanimate objects." Her voice was becoming louder and more shrill. Legolas hastily clamped a hand over her mouth.
"I'm not sure where and when I am, but the rest of the elves have disappeared, and I do know this much from how you're reacting- if people find out that I'm an elf, all seven hells will break loose. Do you understand that?"
She nodded and gave a muffled "kay". He let go of her.
"So, back to what I was asking. Where am I?"
"You're in Rhode Island. one of the fifty states of the USA- the United States of America."
"Do you know any place where I can stay? An inn, perhaps?" She stared at him for a moment before breaking into helpless laughter.
"I can just imagine their faces when you walked in! But no, seriously, you wouldn't survive a minute there." Again, he shifted his weight uncomfortably.
"So then where can I go?"
"What would you do there anyway? Eventually you have to either find a permanent house or a way back to. Middle Earth, right?"
"Well, yes, but-"
"So then you can't stay at a hotel. Hotels, or, inns, as you call them, are only for, at the most, a week or so's lodging."
"Oh."
"So you need an apartment or something."
"An. apartment.?" he said uncertainly. "How do I get this. apartment?"
"An apartment is a small house in a big building. You get it with," she paused, finally realizing what that meant. "Money. And you have no American money." She sighed and sat down.
"You can't stay in some abandoned store or something- no food or running water."
"Have you any friends or family I could stay with temporarily?"
"HA! Can you imagine what they'd think if I called and said 'Hi mom, dad, I have a guy here who I just met, he's from another world and says he's an elf. He wants to stay with you for a while.' That would be the last straw before they packed me away to the looney bin!"
He gave a weak smile. "That certainly wouldn't help, would it?"
"Besides, even if I did somehow convince them, which is about a chance in a trillion, they'd blabber so fast you'd be off to the dissection lab like that!" She snapped her fingers to emphasize her point. Legolas shuddered. She nodded, understanding.
"Not a pretty prospect, huh? So you can't stay there." He sighed and sat down on the grass as well.
"Hold up! Kestrel, my roommate- we live together to save on housing bills, is out in LA for three months to stay with her mom- she has cancer- so I'm the only one in the house for about another 2 ½ months- that should be enough time to get back on your feet, right?" He nodded, finally seeing a possible answer. "Then it's settled." Len stood up and shook his hand, finishing the deal. "You'll stay at my place." She looked him up and down.
"But first we need to get you some new clothes."
Len blinked her heavy eyelids open and rubbed her forehead. "I had the wierdest dream, Mel. There was this guy who. ACK! You're not Mel!" She scrambled to her feet and began backing away.
"Okay, I'm not dreaming. I'm hallucinating! That's it! You're not real! Just a mirage! A figment of my imagination! You're probably a rock, or a tree, in reality, and people are probably thinking that I'm crazy, talking to inanimate objects." Her voice was becoming louder and more shrill. Legolas hastily clamped a hand over her mouth.
"I'm not sure where and when I am, but the rest of the elves have disappeared, and I do know this much from how you're reacting- if people find out that I'm an elf, all seven hells will break loose. Do you understand that?"
She nodded and gave a muffled "kay". He let go of her.
"So, back to what I was asking. Where am I?"
"You're in Rhode Island. one of the fifty states of the USA- the United States of America."
"Do you know any place where I can stay? An inn, perhaps?" She stared at him for a moment before breaking into helpless laughter.
"I can just imagine their faces when you walked in! But no, seriously, you wouldn't survive a minute there." Again, he shifted his weight uncomfortably.
"So then where can I go?"
"What would you do there anyway? Eventually you have to either find a permanent house or a way back to. Middle Earth, right?"
"Well, yes, but-"
"So then you can't stay at a hotel. Hotels, or, inns, as you call them, are only for, at the most, a week or so's lodging."
"Oh."
"So you need an apartment or something."
"An. apartment.?" he said uncertainly. "How do I get this. apartment?"
"An apartment is a small house in a big building. You get it with," she paused, finally realizing what that meant. "Money. And you have no American money." She sighed and sat down.
"You can't stay in some abandoned store or something- no food or running water."
"Have you any friends or family I could stay with temporarily?"
"HA! Can you imagine what they'd think if I called and said 'Hi mom, dad, I have a guy here who I just met, he's from another world and says he's an elf. He wants to stay with you for a while.' That would be the last straw before they packed me away to the looney bin!"
He gave a weak smile. "That certainly wouldn't help, would it?"
"Besides, even if I did somehow convince them, which is about a chance in a trillion, they'd blabber so fast you'd be off to the dissection lab like that!" She snapped her fingers to emphasize her point. Legolas shuddered. She nodded, understanding.
"Not a pretty prospect, huh? So you can't stay there." He sighed and sat down on the grass as well.
"Hold up! Kestrel, my roommate- we live together to save on housing bills, is out in LA for three months to stay with her mom- she has cancer- so I'm the only one in the house for about another 2 ½ months- that should be enough time to get back on your feet, right?" He nodded, finally seeing a possible answer. "Then it's settled." Len stood up and shook his hand, finishing the deal. "You'll stay at my place." She looked him up and down.
"But first we need to get you some new clothes."