hApPy-h0t3l-mAn

    “See? That is how I do it. It makes the soil fertile,” Kosugi Anjou explains to his guest as he demonstrates his unique farming prowess. Prowess that has garnered some attention from surrounding villages. An ability to grow food from even the most desolate of land. Ability that some had described as supernatural, or a gift from the heavens. Though Anjou cared not for the curiosity sparked from his humble occupation. All that mattered was the nourishment it provided his family. However, his new guest insisted on seeing this ability for herself. And it seemed to Anjou the trick impressed her.    “My, my, Kosugi-san. It se

    Toby dropped his new roommate’s things onto the floor in front of him and slumped down into a booth. They were not heavy, as there were not many things to move, but he tossed them regardless. Their kitchen was typically pristine. Now it was covered in grocery bags, boxes, and things bought to make the new guy comfortable. Toby sneered as his old friend walked upon the linoleum.    “Why do we have to bring him in again? I hardly know this guy.”    Toby’s friend put away some things into cupboards, making his way through the mess. “I’m sorry to impose him upon you Toby, but you should get to know him.

            Snow crunched beneath Toby’s feet. He became mesmerized by the rhythm, and resisted the urge to shut out the world around him and just stare at the movement of his legs. A voice hummed in his left ear, though the words were overshadowed by the melody of ice. A hand roused him out of his stupor.            “Isn’t that right, Toby?”            “Oh, yeah, that’s right,” Toby replied still looking downwards.              “Toby…” the voice sighed. Snow melted as the voice’s owner blocked Toby’s distracted saunter with his body. “This trip is important, y

    Dust. Everything was dust. Nicholas Ayumu could not see a single thing. He was only partially convinced he still had a physical body separate from the millions of particulates that threatened to tear his eyeballs asunder. This dust; this heat. The world was closing in around him, burying him alive. Nicholas let out a cough only to invite more of the ground beneath him into his throat. He asked himself futile questions of where he was, only to remember he had no memory of the events that preceded his current, untimely burial. Wherever it was he found himself, it was his grave. This scalding earth -- this is where Nicholas would die.      

So long as the passion for exploration burns within, a traveler is never lost. Or, so states the mantra designed to offer a sense of security to elementals as they began to survey the multiverse. Although back when the mantra was used, one could always have returned home from an expedition. Not so when the voyage was out of survival rather than a casual sortie. Toby reflected on the traveler’s mantra as he eyed his new home. It offered little comfort as he slinked around gargantuan alien structures composed of – as far as he could tell – metal, glass, and lights. For three nights, the Earth elemental had done his best to l