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This forest, Karin decided, was rather on the creepy side. It was as if someone had distilled the essence of an old growth forest, then used it as fertilizer on this monstrous patch of woodland. Giant trees, massive snags, overgrowth everywehre. The ruins at her back only served to increase this feeling.

She had long ago given up on the hows and whys as well as the wheres of her current predicament to focus on the immediate problem: she was lost. The firefighter had taken outdoor hazard courses before, she knew the procedure. Of the four basic necessities, warmth, water, food and shelter, she was lacking two. Not boding well at all. Staying put also featured in there, but her lack of food and water was a more pressing problem.

With a sigh, the woman stood, making sure she had all of her gear together. Axe in hand, she circled around the ruins to where she though she'd spied a path earlier. It was better than wasting away, she thought grimly. At least she could mark her trail easily with the aid of the axe and find her way back if all else failed.

As she set off, another stray though occurred to her. She hoped it wasn't hunting season here. Even though she was garbed in bright yellow, there were always those over eager and fired at anything that moved. If she were shot, that would mean people were nearby. Lost in a forest, or go home maimed. "What a cheerful idea," Karin muttered wryly. "Truly, I'm looking for that silver lining."

Karin spun, caught completely off guard. It took her a moment to notice the figure some distance away from her. A figure who was... standing next to a mule drawn cart. Wait, what? She squinted, but the image before her remained the same.

This had the set up of an incredibly bad reality TV show. Snatched away from a potentially dangerous fire, abandoned in some Godforsaken forest, then accosted by a cart-riding hick. Reality TV? More like Surreality TV. Regardless of hidden camera crews or not, this fellow looked like he might be the only ticket out of this forest. The creepiness was definitely starting to get to her.

Moving slowly and keeping her axe in a non-threatening position, Karin approached the man. "Y'know, I'm not really sure. I think I'm lost." She cast another glance at the mule. A friggin' mule. How very colonial. At least she had a weapon, should he turn out to be some sort of inbred crazy hermit. "Very lost," she added, thinking the forest had finally gotten to her. Dramatizing things was not her usual style.

"I.. thanks. I appreciate it. Greatly." It was heartfelt reply, if a bit generic. It also gave her time to think as she walked over to the cart. Who hadn't seen a firefighter's uniform before? She wasn't sure how to answer and mulled over her response as she did as her rescuer bid and hopped on the cart.

Sticking with the honest approach, would be best she decided. "This?" she asked, removing her helmet. "This is part of my uniform. It's supposed to be bright and easy to see." She paused. "You've really never seen anything like this," she asked, thumbing her jacket in puzzlement. "I just... I must really be far from home." Karin shook her head in amazement. If this was a hoax, it was a great one. The guy honestly looked baffled by her uniform.

Still, she kept her axe close at hand. Never hurt to be cautious in an unknown situation.

Ha. Funny to see how somethings never changed, no matter where you were. Although, if here rescuer really hadn't seen clothes like hers before, then his hesitation and disbelief might stem from that, rather than from the fact that she was a woman doing a traditionally male job. If they didn't have firefighters, then what did they do in the event of a fire? A forest like this during a dry season would go up like so much kindling.

This was all too much for her to think about. Small talk was the next obvious course. Mindless and generally safe.

"Well, Jonas, I'm Karin Makarios and I'm certainly glad to meet you," she told him, paying no mind to the glances he kept casting her way. She was used to being stared at. "I don't know how long I'd've wandered out here. Wherever here is, anyways. Maybe you could tell me about this area? Might help me get my bearings and figure out how I can get back home."

Ironwood? Loghedge? Karin's expression turned bleak. "Sadly, I think that last option is the case." She massaged her forehead with a free hand. "I'm afraid to admit, I've never heard of either of those places. I'm also willing to bet that you've never heard of Holly Springs, have you?"

A kind of numb feeling had settle over her and her mind kept going back to one easy thought: this was all too weird. The colors and shapes, a mule drawn cart, and the utter lack of a fire ravaged landscape.

"Maybe someone at this 'Loghedge' can help me out," Karin muttered. And maybe there'd be a camera crew and a giant banner reading "YOU GOT SERVED" or some such when she got there. Reality TV, it was the only concept her mind could grasp at this point.

"Ah, well. Maybe that's the case." It would be nice if there was a map or an atlas or something at this town to give her an idea of where exactly she was.

As they approached, Karin took a closer look at this "loghedge." Not that she could see much, but there didn't appear to be anything resembling a telephone line or a telephone pole. That did not bode well.

She looked at her unexpected savior, trying to judge if there was a hidden meaning behind that question. If this was a set up for some candid camera thing, then Jonas was an excellent actor, because Karin couldn't detect a note of insincerity in his voice. "Oh, well, I'm a firefighter." She made a vague gesture to her uniform and gear, raising her ax as well. "All tools of the trade," she said with a wry smile.

Oh, great. More names that meant absolutely nothing to her. At least they had the basic concept of fire fighters here. Whoever they might be and wherever here was.

This was just so messed up.

At least she had a conversation to distract her from such morose and ultimately futile lines of thought. "Well, that's basically what I do. It's not just me working at it." She paused, sparing a thought for the rest of her ladder. Were they okay? Were they in on this? "There's specialized equipment for actually putting the fire out. But yeah, water on the fire, for the most part, is the job. I was on the job,actually, evacuating and checking on the firebreaks when..."

Another pause. What had happened? That whole bit with the shapes and the colors. It was all just another piece of this whole surreal puzzle. "... I blacked out I guess. I woke up back there, then came across you." Karin blinked, a sudden disconcerning thought occuring to her. "I really hope I'm not dead," she mumbled, an ill look crossing her face as she stared at the looming walls that were an example of Ye Olden Tymes (tm).

As her savior spoke, Karin let out a laugh, well and truly amused by Jonas' observation. For all the absolute oddity of this situation, she liked the man. He had been kind, and to her, that spoke volumes. A smile still played across her lips as she spoke. "It's always good to hear that. It's amazing what predicaments I can think myself into when my imagination runs wild." The firefighter shook her head at her own folly.

She did her best to look innocent, or at the least, less conspicious as they passed by the guards. A rather hard task, given what she was currently wearing. And then the duo were at Jonas' shop.

"A fine town it is," Karin commented, feeling obligated to say something of the sort. And it wasn't a bad town, or so it seemed... It was just not what she was used to. "If my thoughts don't betray me, I think you said you run a pawnshop? Maybe we can do business later, if I can't find my way home." A thought which seemed likely, though she was still holding out a faint hope that this was all some sort of elaborate Reality TV thing. Faint hope aside, Karin was a practical woman, and she was currently in an unknown location with nothing more than the clothes on her back.