Jennifer Rose is skipping down the sidewalk, art supplies in hand. It's not a particularly lovely day as such things go, but she likes how skipping makes her skirts poof.
She slows down when she sees Jack, mostly so she doesn't run into him. "Good morning! You look a little lost. Did you need help finding something?"
Jack sizes her up quickly and thoroughly, automatically turning on his most charming smile to cover it up. He doesn't see any recognition, so he opts for the safe route.
"Good morning, lovely. I'm more than a little lost, I think; could you just tell me where I am?"
She smiles back cheerfully. If she had caught the considering, which she didn't, she wouldn't be bothered by it. People always look at her strangely. And he called her lovely, so she likes him.
"Of course. You're right at the edge of Grant Park. The lake is back that way, most of the colleges are up that way, and the Conrad Hotel is just down the street. Chicago is really pretty this time of year, don't you think?" He could be normal-lost, but Jennifer Rose has an odd streak of luck when it comes to finding wanderers. She's gotten in the habit of always working the fact that they are in Chicago to her location answers.
Absolutely none of that sounds the least bit familiar. He mentally maps out the area, for once grateful that he'd been required to study the local geography, and -- yep, no Chicago, no Grant Park, no Conrad Hotel. It might be a tactical error, but she seems harmless and he needs to know, so he asks, smiling wider to cover his confusion, "And where, exactly, is Chicago?"
And Jennifer Rose's smile falters for a split second because she knows what that question probably means. Wanderers tend to be upset when they find out what happened, and she hates upsetting people. "Chicago is on the Western bank of Lake Michigan. It's the largest city in the state of Illinois in the United States of America."
"...and if you didn't know that, you're probably a LOT more lost than you realize." She is not making a sad face! She's still smiling. Okay, maybe her eyes are a little sad. But only a little.
Jack's smile freezes, and then drops entirely. Because... "Well, then I guess I'm screwed, because I don't have the least fucking clue what you're talking about." He never was a star student, but if not a single one of those places sounds familiar...yeah, something is really wrong.
"You're just screwing with me, aren't you?" he asks, suddenly hopeful.
Yeah... Toto really isn't in Kansas any more if he doesn't know about the US of A.
"No, I'm afraid not. April Fool's Day is tomorrow, and I've never been a fan of it anyway." She glances around, but no one seems to be particularly interested in them. Of course, they'd probably have to be staring for her to think they were interested. Jennifer Rose is not very good at sneaky. "Have you ever heard of alternate realities?"
Jack has also never heard of April Fool's Day, but this doesn't seem like the moment to bring that up.
"Alternate realities? Like...science-fiction." Michelle went through a phase where she went through bad sci-fi books like candy. He read a few of them. Not his thing. But he remembers alternate realities coming up.
"I'm not sure if it's science or magic, to be honest. I'm not a student of either." Which should be obvious from art box and sketch book she's carrying. "There are Rifts, which are kind of like...portals or holes in reality. They can start anywhere, but they seem to always end here. And so far they seem to be one way only."
"So I'm in an alternate reality because I...stumbled through a hole in reality? And I can't get back."
He almost laughs, because this is all so absurd. He takes a moment to imagine the press reaction back home, when they realize he's missing. Then the actual meaning of it really hits him.
"There's a bench right over there." Because being near a park is convenient. She'll pull him over if he looks too shocked to walk properly, but otherwise she's fond of personal bubbles.
"You can't get back yet. There are people who are looking for ways for wanderers to return home." Not that she really knows who or how, but Jennifer Rose believes in giving people hope.
Jack has very little concept of personal space, but he's been trained thoroughly that princes don't show weakness, so he gets himself over to the bench and sits down. He takes a few breaths, tries to sort out his thoughts, but can't get away from the image of his mother.
"And these people think they'll be able to find a way back?"
"People who've wandered in from other worlds. I think Rifters has also been used, but most people seem to say wanderers. It's really not a good idea to advertize that you are one though. There are some... people who have developed a rather mistaken idea about what wanderers are." If Jennifer Rose was anyone else, she would have used a much ruder term to describe the CLF.
"From what I hear, yes. I'm not a wanderer myself, so I don't know a lot. Most of the wanderers I've met are new."
"Huh." This is all useful information, and Jack is processing it as fast as he can. On the one hand it's not going to be easy to pretend to be local, given that he knows nothing about this place and his own frame of reference is clearly completely different.
On the other hand, Jack's been pretending to be someone else for so long that lying is practically second nature.
"I'm thinking I should probably meet some of these other...wanderers."
"Okay. I know the Conrad offers free living spaces to all wanderers, so how about I show you where that is. Oh, and I'm Jennifer Rose. It's nice to meet you."
It takes him a moment to decide how to introduce himself. He's fairly sure that throwing his various titles around won't be much use, so... "I'm Jack." He shakes her hand. "Jack Benjamin. And it is my honor to meet you, Jennifer Rose."
She slows down when she sees Jack, mostly so she doesn't run into him. "Good morning! You look a little lost. Did you need help finding something?"
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"Good morning, lovely. I'm more than a little lost, I think; could you just tell me where I am?"
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"Of course. You're right at the edge of Grant Park. The lake is back that way, most of the colleges are up that way, and the Conrad Hotel is just down the street. Chicago is really pretty this time of year, don't you think?" He could be normal-lost, but Jennifer Rose has an odd streak of luck when it comes to finding wanderers. She's gotten in the habit of always working the fact that they are in Chicago to her location answers.
She likes his smile. He'd be fun to draw.
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Absolutely none of that sounds the least bit familiar. He mentally maps out the area, for once grateful that he'd been required to study the local geography, and -- yep, no Chicago, no Grant Park, no Conrad Hotel. It might be a tactical error, but she seems harmless and he needs to know, so he asks, smiling wider to cover his confusion, "And where, exactly, is Chicago?"
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"...and if you didn't know that, you're probably a LOT more lost than you realize." She is not making a sad face! She's still smiling. Okay, maybe her eyes are a little sad. But only a little.
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"You're just screwing with me, aren't you?" he asks, suddenly hopeful.
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"No, I'm afraid not. April Fool's Day is tomorrow, and I've never been a fan of it anyway." She glances around, but no one seems to be particularly interested in them. Of course, they'd probably have to be staring for her to think they were interested. Jennifer Rose is not very good at sneaky. "Have you ever heard of alternate realities?"
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"Alternate realities? Like...science-fiction." Michelle went through a phase where she went through bad sci-fi books like candy. He read a few of them. Not his thing. But he remembers alternate realities coming up.
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He almost laughs, because this is all so absurd. He takes a moment to imagine the press reaction back home, when they realize he's missing. Then the actual meaning of it really hits him.
He can't go back.
His mother is going to be heartbroken.
"I think I need to sit down."
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"You can't get back yet. There are people who are looking for ways for wanderers to return home." Not that she really knows who or how, but Jennifer Rose believes in giving people hope.
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Jack has very little concept of personal space, but he's been trained thoroughly that princes don't show weakness, so he gets himself over to the bench and sits down. He takes a few breaths, tries to sort out his thoughts, but can't get away from the image of his mother.
"And these people think they'll be able to find a way back?"
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"From what I hear, yes. I'm not a wanderer myself, so I don't know a lot. Most of the wanderers I've met are new."
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On the other hand, Jack's been pretending to be someone else for so long that lying is practically second nature.
"I'm thinking I should probably meet some of these other...wanderers."
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She smiles and offers to shake hands.
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It takes him a moment to decide how to introduce himself. He's fairly sure that throwing his various titles around won't be much use, so... "I'm Jack." He shakes her hand. "Jack Benjamin. And it is my honor to meet you, Jennifer Rose."
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