Jenny Everywhere: Pit Stop, part 4
Nov. 6th, 2021 05:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scott_sanfordWasn’t this a story about Jenny Everywhere once?
by Scott Sanford
part 4
They went into the building to get tools and supplies.
This only took a few minutes. When they returned Jenny and Genevieve were still deeply immersed in conversation with each other; it wasn’t clear they’d even noticed the excursion.
Professor Awesome laid out his tools and parts and went to work.
Both raccoons just about messed themselves when Professor Awesome started up his cordless Dremel, running to hide behind Genevieve’s voluminous skirts, but she and Jenny were able to calm them enough to watch the operations from a safe distance.
Soon he had carved up several pieces of scrap and produced what looked like very professional parts and not very much like walnuts.
As he worked, Professor Awesome commented, “So...do you know if Wu speaks English?”
“He seems to understand it, although maybe only when Jenny speaks. Why?”
“Makes sense. Somebody put the de Sitter compensator underneath the operator’s seat. At least I think that’s what it’s supposed to be, half of it is woven out of straw. I don’t know if it’s just coincidence or if one of the raccoons has a sense of humor.”
“I… don’t know.”
He shrugged, not looking up.
As she watched Professor Awesome work, Kim remarked, “You don’t seem very surprised about all this. Another Jenny appearing out of thin air, I mean.”
“I’m not,” he said lightly. “Jenny said she exists in all universes and can shift between them. The possibility of something like this was self-evident. Though now that you mention it… what do you really know about this ‘Princess Genevieve’ person?”
“We never met her before today, she just showed up out of nowhere with some raccoons and a time machine. She’s got some drama going on with her boyfriend, who’s some kind of Prince Charming knight type and also a magical talking pig. And she said she’s traveling in search of a wizard called Mordorak of the Nine Noses.”
He paused and looked up at Kim. “All that?”
She nodded.
“Okay...” he granted thoughtfully, then nodded. “Sounds like a Jenny Everywhere story to me.”
“Jenny does bring a special flavor to life, doesn’t she?”
“This guy she’s looking for, does he really have...” He gestured at his face.
“I didn’t ask,” Kim said, shaking her head. “It sounded like the start of a bottomless pit of nonsense, and if it matters it will come up on its own.”
“Fair enough...”
When he had the parts made Professor Awesome discovered that, naturally, the raccoons had not used anything compatible with the wood screws in his tool box. More fussing about with tools followed.
Once he saw what the human was doing, Wu pitched in and they quickly stripped out the old parts. Installing the replacements was no more eventful.
Soon Professor Awesome was slowly turning the large vertical wheel and watching the movements of the components linked to it. He nodded to himself.
“Jenny?”, he called. “I’ve got the mechanical problems fixed.”
“That’s wonderful!,” she answered. She and Princess Genevieve hurried over to the dream spinner.
The princess called Willow to examine the repairs.
Willow pulled a tiny notebook out of her vest and began tracing mystic inscriptions while her brother chittered at her in Raccoon.
Jenny handed her a ballpoint; Willow nibbled on it briefly and then used for its more conventional purpose, ticking off items on a checklist in her notebook.
“I can’t tell you anything about the magical parts of it, though,” Eric cautioned them. “To be sure you should probably get Mister Lucas out here and have him look at it.”
“Oh, you hadn’t heard?”, Kim asked. “Steven went to Florida. He’s on vacation, or what passes for it. He says he needs to ‘commune with the spheres,’ which means going to the Space Coast and astrally projecting into a satellite. Or something.”
“He can’t do that from here?”, Professor Awesome asked. “And how does he get back? Does he just turn off the spell?”
“As far as I know, yes.” she shrugged. “But he was flying into Orlando, so it might just be an excuse to visit Disney World.”
“I never invent anything that gets me a trip to Florida.”
Kim patted him on the shoulder. “It’s called a car and you can just buy one.”
“Sure, once I’m allowed to drive...”
“If we really need a wizard, we can find one.” Jenny checked her watch. “In a few hours I’ll be able to get Glamdalf the Fabulous on the phone. He’ll come over but he’d get glitter all over everything.”
Kim observed, “I’m not sure Glamdalf is technically a magician. Entertaining, yes, but maybe not the wizard we need.”
“The guy in the pink robes?”, Eric asked. “If he’s not a wizard, what is he?”
“Oh, don’t get me started.” Kim rolled her eyes, trying to hide a smile and failing.
“He’s got a big staff,” Jenny pointed out.
“Yes, with a knob on the end, I’ve heard the song. But have you ever seen him cast a spell?”
“You know, I don’t remember,” Jenny admitted thoughtfully.
Willow chittered at the princess and put away her notebook, also pocketing Jenny’s ballpoint.
“Willow says the runes are correct,” Genevieve translated. “And since Wu already approved of the repairs, we should be ready to go!”
Kim said, “Well done, Professor Awesome.”
Jenny looked at her watch again, as if she hadn’t just done that, and remarked, “Hey, great. I thought that would take longer. I’ve got hours before I have to go hear the Anorak Boys.”
“Are they any good?”, Eric asked.
“Meh,” Jenny prevaricated. “They’re not bad at the music and I’ll say so in about four hundred words later. But they’re not going to review themselves… mostly because they would if we let them, and you know my whole defending-the-universe thing? If nobody covers them they’d be putting out their own press coverage and none of my worlds needs to have another pretentious mumblecore band hyping themselves.”
“No threat too small,” Kim quipped, stifling a laugh.
<- Back to part 3 or forward to part 5 ->
The character of Jenny Everywhere is available for use by anyone, with only one condition. This paragraph must be included in any publication involving Jenny Everywhere, in order that others may use this property as they wish. All rights reversed.
by Scott Sanford
part 4
They went into the building to get tools and supplies.
This only took a few minutes. When they returned Jenny and Genevieve were still deeply immersed in conversation with each other; it wasn’t clear they’d even noticed the excursion.
Professor Awesome laid out his tools and parts and went to work.
Both raccoons just about messed themselves when Professor Awesome started up his cordless Dremel, running to hide behind Genevieve’s voluminous skirts, but she and Jenny were able to calm them enough to watch the operations from a safe distance.
Soon he had carved up several pieces of scrap and produced what looked like very professional parts and not very much like walnuts.
As he worked, Professor Awesome commented, “So...do you know if Wu speaks English?”
“He seems to understand it, although maybe only when Jenny speaks. Why?”
“Makes sense. Somebody put the de Sitter compensator underneath the operator’s seat. At least I think that’s what it’s supposed to be, half of it is woven out of straw. I don’t know if it’s just coincidence or if one of the raccoons has a sense of humor.”
“I… don’t know.”
He shrugged, not looking up.
As she watched Professor Awesome work, Kim remarked, “You don’t seem very surprised about all this. Another Jenny appearing out of thin air, I mean.”
“I’m not,” he said lightly. “Jenny said she exists in all universes and can shift between them. The possibility of something like this was self-evident. Though now that you mention it… what do you really know about this ‘Princess Genevieve’ person?”
“We never met her before today, she just showed up out of nowhere with some raccoons and a time machine. She’s got some drama going on with her boyfriend, who’s some kind of Prince Charming knight type and also a magical talking pig. And she said she’s traveling in search of a wizard called Mordorak of the Nine Noses.”
He paused and looked up at Kim. “All that?”
She nodded.
“Okay...” he granted thoughtfully, then nodded. “Sounds like a Jenny Everywhere story to me.”
“Jenny does bring a special flavor to life, doesn’t she?”
“This guy she’s looking for, does he really have...” He gestured at his face.
“I didn’t ask,” Kim said, shaking her head. “It sounded like the start of a bottomless pit of nonsense, and if it matters it will come up on its own.”
“Fair enough...”
When he had the parts made Professor Awesome discovered that, naturally, the raccoons had not used anything compatible with the wood screws in his tool box. More fussing about with tools followed.
Once he saw what the human was doing, Wu pitched in and they quickly stripped out the old parts. Installing the replacements was no more eventful.
Soon Professor Awesome was slowly turning the large vertical wheel and watching the movements of the components linked to it. He nodded to himself.
“Jenny?”, he called. “I’ve got the mechanical problems fixed.”
“That’s wonderful!,” she answered. She and Princess Genevieve hurried over to the dream spinner.
The princess called Willow to examine the repairs.
Willow pulled a tiny notebook out of her vest and began tracing mystic inscriptions while her brother chittered at her in Raccoon.
Jenny handed her a ballpoint; Willow nibbled on it briefly and then used for its more conventional purpose, ticking off items on a checklist in her notebook.
“I can’t tell you anything about the magical parts of it, though,” Eric cautioned them. “To be sure you should probably get Mister Lucas out here and have him look at it.”
“Oh, you hadn’t heard?”, Kim asked. “Steven went to Florida. He’s on vacation, or what passes for it. He says he needs to ‘commune with the spheres,’ which means going to the Space Coast and astrally projecting into a satellite. Or something.”
“He can’t do that from here?”, Professor Awesome asked. “And how does he get back? Does he just turn off the spell?”
“As far as I know, yes.” she shrugged. “But he was flying into Orlando, so it might just be an excuse to visit Disney World.”
“I never invent anything that gets me a trip to Florida.”
Kim patted him on the shoulder. “It’s called a car and you can just buy one.”
“Sure, once I’m allowed to drive...”
“If we really need a wizard, we can find one.” Jenny checked her watch. “In a few hours I’ll be able to get Glamdalf the Fabulous on the phone. He’ll come over but he’d get glitter all over everything.”
Kim observed, “I’m not sure Glamdalf is technically a magician. Entertaining, yes, but maybe not the wizard we need.”
“The guy in the pink robes?”, Eric asked. “If he’s not a wizard, what is he?”
“Oh, don’t get me started.” Kim rolled her eyes, trying to hide a smile and failing.
“He’s got a big staff,” Jenny pointed out.
“Yes, with a knob on the end, I’ve heard the song. But have you ever seen him cast a spell?”
“You know, I don’t remember,” Jenny admitted thoughtfully.
Willow chittered at the princess and put away her notebook, also pocketing Jenny’s ballpoint.
“Willow says the runes are correct,” Genevieve translated. “And since Wu already approved of the repairs, we should be ready to go!”
Kim said, “Well done, Professor Awesome.”
Jenny looked at her watch again, as if she hadn’t just done that, and remarked, “Hey, great. I thought that would take longer. I’ve got hours before I have to go hear the Anorak Boys.”
“Are they any good?”, Eric asked.
“Meh,” Jenny prevaricated. “They’re not bad at the music and I’ll say so in about four hundred words later. But they’re not going to review themselves… mostly because they would if we let them, and you know my whole defending-the-universe thing? If nobody covers them they’d be putting out their own press coverage and none of my worlds needs to have another pretentious mumblecore band hyping themselves.”
“No threat too small,” Kim quipped, stifling a laugh.
The character of Jenny Everywhere is available for use by anyone, with only one condition. This paragraph must be included in any publication involving Jenny Everywhere, in order that others may use this property as they wish. All rights reversed.
