Regarding Jenny.......

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 13130

Scott groans and stirs on the coach that he's been placed on. What a strange dream! He needed to read a different author, if that was the dreams he'd get! Maybe Harry Turtledove......

He smiles, and opens his eyes, and sees Jenny Elf standing by him with a glass of water in her hands. She looks concerned. Sammy cat is laying on his stomach, also looking at Scott. Whether he is concerned, or just finds Scott a comfortable place to rest, remains to be seen.

"It wasn't a dream, was it?" Scott asked quietly.

Jenny just smiles sadly, and shakes her head no. Scott reaches for the glass, and drinks.deeply. The scars that Scott has on his hands (and other places), combined with the fading of any ailments he had, tells him he just drank was Healing Elixir!

"Thanks." Scott tells Jenny.

He looks at Sammy, who just stares back at Scott.

"Sammy, go find somewhere else to rest, please." Scott requests.

Sammy, being Sammy, jumps off and using Scott's face as a springboard, lands in a nearby chair.

"Sammy!" Jenny scolds the cat. "Don't do that to the Mundane!"

Scott shakes his head, and rises, unharmed.

"Don't worry, Jenny. He's just being a normal cat." Scott, wiping cat hair off himself.

Jenny tosses Sammy a last admonishing look, and turns back to Scott.

"So, Scott." Jenny begins. "You're feeling better, I hope."

"Uhhh, sure." Scott replies. "Never felt better, really. As well as to be expected, given the situation!"

Both stand akwardly in silence for a few seconds, then Jenny clears her throat.

"You were out for a few hours there, Scott." Jenny tells him. "During that time, more than twenty Humfreys and various wives of his. You should have seen the flap that caused. Had a few Humfreys rub each other the other the wrong way, but our Humfrey played peacemaker. They're all working right now, trying to stop the choas. This would be funny, if it was a play or something!"

A thought occures to Scott.

"What about all the royalty, did they get all together at Castle Roogna or someplace? Scott wonders aloud.

"Yeah, actually they did." Jenny said with a small smile. "A lot of came in during the tail end of the marriage.....the marriage between Jeremy and the future version of myself."

Scott whistled silently at the image he got at what kind of choas that should have generated.

"That must have been something!" Scott laughed ruefully. "I take it you.....your future analog got married, by that 'cat with canary feathers in mouth' look!"

"Oh yeah!" Jenny affirmed. "I think I can see why she married him! I even went out and contacted the......what would you call it?........the one that comes from my 'storyline! He was....different but very....I don't know....He was nice! He even can Send while in wolf form!"

Scott smiles at Jenny, happy for her.

"We've set up a date for Wednesday." Jenny continued. "His culture is definitely more open......than Xanthian human society, to say the least."

"True, nearly caused Breanna to throw a hissy fit." Scott said, remembering. "Justin Tree's insight really helped there."

Jenny's smile faltered: "Scott, about Mun.....Earth. You're from there, right?"

"I'm from AN Earth, Jenny." Scott answered. "I don't think I'm from the one suffering from rifts in reality, though."

Jenny plows forward: "Yes, yes, but that's not what I'm after, here. You have lived, at least, in a world like the one that just....ripped itself apart. With those terrible bombs. Why were they ever made, by the High Ones?! And while we're at it, why did you yell at Chex when you met us"

Scott nods, with a small grimace. He should have seen this coming! Jenny Elf was as likely of candidate to ask something like that as any Xanthian character.

"Well, it's like this, Jenny." Scott begins. "First, with Chex.....I admit I did.....overreact some, but not really. I've always read Xanth.....history....and kept coming across how Xanthians sometimes said things that I objected to. They seemed like......they were patronizing to Mundanes. Oh, it wasn't on purpose, but it waa still oh so annoying!! Being treated as someone not so bright.....needing help in all things! When Chex called me a mere Mundane.....on such an obvious situation! It isn't like us dumb Mundanes never thought about the dangers of time travels.....past and future meeting! Heck, we've been thinking about it longer than you Xanthian characters, it's a recuring theme in lots of stuff! I'd told her I'd been reincarnated. Should have clued her off that MAYBE I had some more experience than the average guy, Xanthian or otherwise. Yet, off the bat, their and MY thought and experience.....discounted without a thought."

"Hmmm." Jenny says thoughtfully.

"Sorry, always a pet peeve with the Xanthian series." Scott continued. "As for why the nuclear devices, that's a story an a half."

Scott goes into a short history of the developement of the atom bomb, the people involved, and the initail target (the Germans). Scott goes into how, fearing heavy losses in the taking the Japanese islands, dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasoki. He goes into the buildup between America and Russia. Then Scott has to go back and do alot of background information on what he's just said. Finally, Jenny seems to understand.....the basics at least.

"So, a bomb developement program was started by the US out of fear that Nazi Germany would eventually come up with it first, and defeat them." Jenny going over the high points. "Bombs were dropped on Japanese because, arguably, losses would have been unexpectedly high for Allied forces otherwise. Russia, out of fear of the US, developes it own atomic bombs, and an 'arms race' developes, along with a Cold War--a bunch of standoffs and little wars that didn't involve nuclear arms."

Jenny sits down, and looks up at Scott, a little dazed: "Scott, you humans are CRAZY! And....I'm living among you......and arguably as crazy as you because I understand why your kind did what you did!"

Scott agrees, humanity can seem crazy, even when it's seems necessary for survival!

Scott turns and sees Sammy is.....looking dazed also. Now Scott blinks, remembering that animals here were smarter than if they were in Mundania.

"Great, now not only have I blown a Wolfrider's mind.....I've blown the mind of the cat as well!" Scott mutters. Scott almost feels like he's destroying Jenny's innocense, expect: (1) she is really a grownup, and therefore hardly an innocent; (2) she was aware already of the monsterous events in Mundania.....the loss of life.....the war......the weapons; (3) finally, she was very familiar with the failings of humans from the World of Two Moons......to find these failings in other humans (Xanth seeming the exception for a lot) was no surprise!

They sit in silence, then.....

"Jenny, I know you're a vegetarian." Scott asked. "Wasn't that a touch difficult, in a huntering/gatherering oriented society? Did that fact raise any eyebrows amongst the meat eating Wolfriders?"

(Author's Note: Jenny Elf, like her mundane counterpart, Jenny Gilwarg, are vegetarians in "Letters to Jenny.")

"Not as much as you think, on both counts. I believe you know why." Jenny answers, stroking Sammy. "Elves in general are a lot more flexible on accepting other's beliefs. The fact that smaller bodies need less food doesn't hurt me.....as far as my diet goes.....is the other reason."

Scott nods to himself. Seems about what he thought......

Scott rises, and being polite, offers Jenny his hand to help her up.

"Shall we go see what the situation is?" Scott asks Jenny. "I'd love to see what everyone is doing about some disasters I've read about! Makes me nervous, just thinking about it!"

  1. Meanwhile, back in the Library.

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9/16/2000 3:01:22 AM

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