Pamela D. Lloyd (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pameladlloyd) wrote2008-07-30 11:25 pm
pameladlloyd) wrote2008-07-30 11:25 pm
Entry tags:
[Locked - Friends Only] Today's Journey
OMG. Someone, presumably one of my analogues, has posted a book review. I was reading that book, too, before all this started, but I never got a chance to finish it. Should I be glad that in some dimension, somewhere, someone got to finish it?
*sigh*
Well, I logged on to let you know what happened today, so that's what I'm going to do. It's not like there's anything I can do about random mes using my journal, right now.
Around noon I had the camping gear in the car and I was just about to slide into the driver's seat when a voice behind me made me jump.
"Ah, what fools these mortals be. I can't believe what an ass you're being."
Even as I spun around, I brought my hands to my face. Sure enough, I felt a long, fur-covered muzzle. It had been over thirty-five years since I'd heard that voice, but I recognized it instantly. The really strange part was knowing that for that entire time period, I'd had no memory of P*** at all, yet his presence felt perfectly normal and right.
"P***, how could you? I don't have time for this kind of foolishness."
The black dog sitting in front of me (now that I'd turned), cocked its head and said, "You call this foolish? What about what you were about to do?"
"What are you talking about? I was just going to . . . . Oh, no. You're not going to get it out of me that easily."
He barked and lolled his tongue, clearly amused. "No need to hide from me. You were planning on getting into that metal contraption and driving off down the freeway to E* P***, where you plan to meet WR."
"Yes, but, how--. Oh, never mind. When did anyone ever manage to keep something hidden from you?" I tried to sound exasperated, but my affection for the hobgoblin was far too apparent, even when I was wearing an ass's head. "Oh! I've got to get inside. If one of the neighbors sees me like this, there's no telling what will happen."
"You contacted the I** and actually went into their lair of your own free will, and you're worried about what the neighbors will think?"
"It does sound kind of silly, when you put it that way," I said uncertainly. "But, I haven't seen anyone in this dimension with a head that doesn't match its body. And, with the I**'s attention, I don't need it to look as if I've been, uhm, engaging in prohibited practices."
"Performing magic, you mean." Puck never minced words. In fact, anytime it sounded as if he was beating around the bush, you'd better hope a tree wasn't about to land on you, in one of his practical jokes.
"Really, P***. If someone sees me like this, my ass is toast. Uhm, so to speak." I really, really, didn't like the image I'd just come up with. Me and my big mouth.
"Turn around."
"Huh?"
"Turn around."
I did.
"You see that car? The one with the guy in it?"
"Damn. You mean someone's already seen me?"
"No. I mean that guy's been watching the house, waiting for you to come out. But, he doesn't see you. Or, me."
I turned back to P***. "Oh. Tha--"
"Stop. Not another word. You're being an ass, again. You know you're never supposed to thank me."
"Alright, alright. I get it already." I wonder why it is that the only way P*** and I can express how much we love each other is to argue. "Okay, you know where I'm going and you've put a glamour over me so my, my enemies," boy did it hurt to say that, "can't see me. So, why are you keeping me from getting on my way?"
P*** growled and I backed up a step, bumping into the car door. "At this rate, you're going to be an ass forever. What part of 'martial law' don't you understand?"
"Uhm . . . Oh." I hung my donkey head in shame. "I guess you're trying to tell me that travel is restricted."
"Bingo. Give the lady a pot of gold." For a moment, a round black kettle with a very annoyed looking leprachan was visible by my feet. The leprachan gave P*** the finger, then he and the pot disappeared. I reached up and felt my face, but I still had the head of an ass.
I looked at P***, trying to look appealing and helpless. Of course, not only was I hampered by my new face, but that trick had never worked with P***, even when I was a little kid.
"For that, you get an extra week with the head."
"Oh, come on, P***. I can't go around like this."
"You don't have a choice. Now, move out of my way and let me get into that damned contraption."
Confused, I stepped out of his way. P***, still in dog form, jumped into the car and, then with no visible transition there was a dark-haired man, beefy in a muscular sort of way and sporting a five-o'clock shadow, sitting in the driver's seat. I hadn't see this aspect of P*** before, but I could still tell it was him. Somehow, I always can, even when I haven't seen the transition.
"P***?"
He looked at me.
"Do you have a driver's licence?" I swear, the growl he gave me sounded just as nasty coming from a man, as it did coming from a dog.
"Get in the car."
I hurried around to the passenger side and got in. P*** may be a trickster, but he has his limits.
He drove down the street, passing right past the man watching my house. The guy never stirred. I figure with the glamour P*** had on him, he wouldn't have noticed a parade marching down the street.
P*** took a far more round-about way out of town than I would have, finally getting back on I-10 somewhere east of Benson. At first, I wondered why he didn't just get on I-10 at the nearest freeway entrance and drive right through the check-point, but then I realized he was probably hoarding his strength for when it was really needed. And truly, it only added an extra four hours to the drive, which put us in E* P*** around ten p.m., even with driving around the check-points on the way in. I'd given myself far more leeway than I really needed.
The library was closed, of course, but when I explained I wanted to try to find a way to log on for a bit, P*** drove us to a Starbucks. While I was ordering a chai latte for myself and then spending several minutes convincing the poor confused college kid behind the counter that it really was possible to add two extra shots of espresso to their Iced Venti Doubleshot so P*** could have his four shot redeye over ice, P*** sat down at a table with a tall, thin woman who had been sitting alone hunched over her laptop. When I came over and handed P*** his coffee, she smiled vaguely and waved her hand at the laptop, apparently gesturing that I could use it. Nervously, I sat down and pulled the laptop over in front of me, but she just sat there, staring into the air a bit over P***'s left shoulder, smiling blissfully. I hoped that whatever memories we left her with would be as happy as that smile.
Anyway, it's time I finished this, because we've got to get going, if I'm going to meet WR. Wish me luck.
*sigh*
Well, I logged on to let you know what happened today, so that's what I'm going to do. It's not like there's anything I can do about random mes using my journal, right now.
Around noon I had the camping gear in the car and I was just about to slide into the driver's seat when a voice behind me made me jump.
"Ah, what fools these mortals be. I can't believe what an ass you're being."
Even as I spun around, I brought my hands to my face. Sure enough, I felt a long, fur-covered muzzle. It had been over thirty-five years since I'd heard that voice, but I recognized it instantly. The really strange part was knowing that for that entire time period, I'd had no memory of P*** at all, yet his presence felt perfectly normal and right.
"P***, how could you? I don't have time for this kind of foolishness."
The black dog sitting in front of me (now that I'd turned), cocked its head and said, "You call this foolish? What about what you were about to do?"
"What are you talking about? I was just going to . . . . Oh, no. You're not going to get it out of me that easily."
He barked and lolled his tongue, clearly amused. "No need to hide from me. You were planning on getting into that metal contraption and driving off down the freeway to E* P***, where you plan to meet WR."
"Yes, but, how--. Oh, never mind. When did anyone ever manage to keep something hidden from you?" I tried to sound exasperated, but my affection for the hobgoblin was far too apparent, even when I was wearing an ass's head. "Oh! I've got to get inside. If one of the neighbors sees me like this, there's no telling what will happen."
"You contacted the I** and actually went into their lair of your own free will, and you're worried about what the neighbors will think?"
"It does sound kind of silly, when you put it that way," I said uncertainly. "But, I haven't seen anyone in this dimension with a head that doesn't match its body. And, with the I**'s attention, I don't need it to look as if I've been, uhm, engaging in prohibited practices."
"Performing magic, you mean." Puck never minced words. In fact, anytime it sounded as if he was beating around the bush, you'd better hope a tree wasn't about to land on you, in one of his practical jokes.
"Really, P***. If someone sees me like this, my ass is toast. Uhm, so to speak." I really, really, didn't like the image I'd just come up with. Me and my big mouth.
"Turn around."
"Huh?"
"Turn around."
I did.
"You see that car? The one with the guy in it?"
"Damn. You mean someone's already seen me?"
"No. I mean that guy's been watching the house, waiting for you to come out. But, he doesn't see you. Or, me."
I turned back to P***. "Oh. Tha--"
"Stop. Not another word. You're being an ass, again. You know you're never supposed to thank me."
"Alright, alright. I get it already." I wonder why it is that the only way P*** and I can express how much we love each other is to argue. "Okay, you know where I'm going and you've put a glamour over me so my, my enemies," boy did it hurt to say that, "can't see me. So, why are you keeping me from getting on my way?"
P*** growled and I backed up a step, bumping into the car door. "At this rate, you're going to be an ass forever. What part of 'martial law' don't you understand?"
"Uhm . . . Oh." I hung my donkey head in shame. "I guess you're trying to tell me that travel is restricted."
"Bingo. Give the lady a pot of gold." For a moment, a round black kettle with a very annoyed looking leprachan was visible by my feet. The leprachan gave P*** the finger, then he and the pot disappeared. I reached up and felt my face, but I still had the head of an ass.
I looked at P***, trying to look appealing and helpless. Of course, not only was I hampered by my new face, but that trick had never worked with P***, even when I was a little kid.
"For that, you get an extra week with the head."
"Oh, come on, P***. I can't go around like this."
"You don't have a choice. Now, move out of my way and let me get into that damned contraption."
Confused, I stepped out of his way. P***, still in dog form, jumped into the car and, then with no visible transition there was a dark-haired man, beefy in a muscular sort of way and sporting a five-o'clock shadow, sitting in the driver's seat. I hadn't see this aspect of P*** before, but I could still tell it was him. Somehow, I always can, even when I haven't seen the transition.
"P***?"
He looked at me.
"Do you have a driver's licence?" I swear, the growl he gave me sounded just as nasty coming from a man, as it did coming from a dog.
"Get in the car."
I hurried around to the passenger side and got in. P*** may be a trickster, but he has his limits.
He drove down the street, passing right past the man watching my house. The guy never stirred. I figure with the glamour P*** had on him, he wouldn't have noticed a parade marching down the street.
P*** took a far more round-about way out of town than I would have, finally getting back on I-10 somewhere east of Benson. At first, I wondered why he didn't just get on I-10 at the nearest freeway entrance and drive right through the check-point, but then I realized he was probably hoarding his strength for when it was really needed. And truly, it only added an extra four hours to the drive, which put us in E* P*** around ten p.m., even with driving around the check-points on the way in. I'd given myself far more leeway than I really needed.
The library was closed, of course, but when I explained I wanted to try to find a way to log on for a bit, P*** drove us to a Starbucks. While I was ordering a chai latte for myself and then spending several minutes convincing the poor confused college kid behind the counter that it really was possible to add two extra shots of espresso to their Iced Venti Doubleshot so P*** could have his four shot redeye over ice, P*** sat down at a table with a tall, thin woman who had been sitting alone hunched over her laptop. When I came over and handed P*** his coffee, she smiled vaguely and waved her hand at the laptop, apparently gesturing that I could use it. Nervously, I sat down and pulled the laptop over in front of me, but she just sat there, staring into the air a bit over P***'s left shoulder, smiling blissfully. I hoped that whatever memories we left her with would be as happy as that smile.
Anyway, it's time I finished this, because we've got to get going, if I'm going to meet WR. Wish me luck.
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Good luck. Definitely good luck.
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