One Geek to Rule Them All

The Prancing Pony

"So what now? How does something like this even happen?" Kitty asked. The whole concept of them being somehow magically transported into a random fictional universe was really confusing but also kind of amazing.

"I don't know. My head hurts," said Devin while she kneaded her forehead with her fingers and plopped down onto a chair.

"Yes, thinking will do that," Kitty said with a sage nod of her head.

"Oh, shut up. It's just stress," retorted Devin a little tartly. "Anyway, if we're going to assume this is all real, then the rest of it must be real too. Maybe Gandalf or Elrond will be able to figure out how to send us  back. They're old, wise, and magical. They're bound to know something that can help us."

"Does this mean we're going to Rivendell?" asked Kitty, breaking out a wide grin. Devin sighed while she considered their options. She couldn't think of anything better, and she was quietly thrilled at the idea of being able to finally see the real thing despite the situation.

"Yeah, we're going to Rivendell," Devin answered with a wry smile. "But don't get too excited. We have no practical knowledge of how this world works aside from what we can remember from the books, our wilderness survival skills are pretty limited, and our money's no good here. We'll have to see if we can convince Aragorn to let us tag along with him and the hobbits, but if they're real, then so is the danger they're in..." She stopped when she saw the extra wide Cheshire cat grin on her friend's face. "And that part about 'danger' just made you want to do it even more, didn't it?" she asked, face-palming.

"Oh, yeah. We're goin' on an adventure!" Kitty cheered and pumped her fist in the air. "Whoo! Come on, Devin. You're a cheerleader. Where's your pep?"

"Yeah, okay. I guess it is pretty awesome," Devin agreed and allowed her lips to form a smile. There was no point worrying about it now, not when they were already in the thick of it. They might as well enjoy the ride. Besides, how often had she pretended to be on this kind of epic quest as a child? This was a chance to live the dream. However, there was still a giant elephant in the room. "But, Kitty... how much medicine do you have with you?" she asked carefully. Kitty stopped jumping around and blinked.

"I dunno, lots?" she said with a shrug. "I put the whole bottle in the backpack before we left, so... about a month's worth, I guess." Kitty didn't trust the hotel staff. One of them might try to take her happy pills and become a drug dealer. What? It could happen.

"Alright, good. That'll get us to Rivendell," said Devin, feeling reassured. And then her stomach growled very loudly, reminding both girls that neither of them had eaten in hours. Kitty laughed while her friend blushed. Devin didn't think it was that funny. Okay, maybe it was.

"Haha, alright, alright. Let's go get something to eat and help Strider A.K.A. Aragorn stalk the hobbits. It'll be like dinner and a show," Kitty suggested with an impish grin.

After they set the contents of their bag out to dry, the girls went downstairs to join the ranger. The main common room seemed to them even more bustling and busy than before. Kitty and Devin received more than a few strange stares from some of the other patrons, probably because of their modern clothing, but thankfully no one tried to start anything with them. There were lots of Bree-hobbits huddled together, talking cheerfully amongst themselves, while the Men and Dwarves they passed all seemed to be talking of distant events that hinted at the trouble the two girls already knew was stirring in the South. Many of them seemed to be part of a recent influx of refugees. It was a good thing Aragorn had gone down ahead of them, or they would have had a hard time finding a decent place to sit. They found him sitting in a dark corner near the fireplace, helped themselves to a couple of chairs, and ordered some food and drinks. Devin traded her earrings to pay for it.