“We are now arriving in Hokkaido, Japan. Please prepare for landing.”
The words sent a rush of relief over Astra. She closed her book and adjusted her seat. She could not wait to get off. The whining children and stench of sweat from the humans around her had made the entire trip unbearable. Part of her almost felt bad for disliking humans as much as she did, since they were the creation of her superiors, after all, but her sympathy never lasted long.
She pushed herself past the people, cat carrier in her grasp. The animal inside was meowing with a ferocity that she had never heard before. The cat probably wanted to get out of the carrier as soon as possible. She understood the cat’s impatience in a way that reflected her own. Getting off the plane was an absolute blessing. As she stepped out of the door and into the empty hallway, she finally felt as if she could breathe. Moving down the hallway, her eyes wandered to what was waiting for her at the end. A mural adorned with cherry blossoms, fans, and a painting of women in kimonos greeted her, with a banner across the top that said “Welcome to Japan!” in English. Below, the same phrase in Japanese. She read both fluently. Her quick reading on the plane had given her a basic understanding of the language, aside from a few odd phrases or specific cultural things. Astra reached into her pocket to check her phone.
To: Sexy Senior
2:23am
I’ve already arrived at the hotel. I’m sending you the address now. A limousine is waiting for you at the airport, so look for a chauffeur holding a sign that says ‘Leila’. He’ll bring you here, and when you arrive, tell the front desk attendee that you’re here with ‘Annakin’. She’ll give you the room card and tell you which room to head to.
The message had been sent nearly four hours ago. By the time she got to him, he would probably be passed out asleep. And who was Leila? Why that name? Astra grimaced at the message, her brow furrowing in confusion and distaste. She put her phone away and set out further, grabbing her bag from the retrieval area, and watching carefully for a sign adorning the name Leila. A man stood surrounded by a group of other chauffeurs, wearing a black cap and suit. The name was neatly drawn in English letters on the board he held. Astra walked confidently up to him. She stood taller than him by a few inches. She expected an odd look from him, maybe one of surprise, but she did not receive one. Rather, he looked at her eyes, smiled politely, and bowed.
“You are Miss Leila? I have your vehicle waiting, if you would follow me.” He spoke, his English nearly perfect and only with a slight accent. Astra nodded her head in agreement, slinging her bag over her shoulder. He shook his head with a sheepish smile, and reached an arm out towards her. Astra was left in confusion for a few moments before realizing that he was offering to take her bag. She offered it to him, preferring to keep her cat carrier with herself, and set off with the man through the airport. A small smile spread along her lips. Was everyone this cordial here? She had gotten a sense of it through her readings, but never expected it to actually be this prevalent in the culture. She had neglected to research this place very thoroughly upon her first placement on Earth. Everywhere around her, men offered to carry bags, people bowed to one another, children waited patiently alongside their parents…Maybe she would like it here.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Astra wished the limousine driver farewell, stepping out and gazing at the hotel in front of her. In an odd way, it reminded her of the town she usually resided in. The area was shrouded with trees, the hotel standing peacefully amongst the nature surrounding it. A quiet bubbling of a stream could be heard nearby. The sun had just begun to rise in the distance, drawing her attention to the mountains in the distance shrouded in fog. The road behind her was relatively untouched, the limo she was in having been one of the only cars on the road. The air was still. It was just so quiet .
Adjusting her duffle bag, she made her way inside, stepping up to the welcome desk. This would be a good time to practice her Japanese.
“Good morning. I have someone named ‘Annakin’ waiting for me.” Her accent was not perfect, her words were tainted with her slight English phrasing, but the sentence obviously made enough sense to the woman at the front desk. She curtly nodded her head and turned her attention to her computer screen, typing a few things on the keyboard before picking a room key out of the drawer, and setting it gently on the counter in front of Astra.
“You will be in room number eight. Please enjoy your stay, and feel free to use our complimentary hot springs.” With that, the woman folded her hands together and gave a small, cordial bow before returning to her work. Astra turned with the key card in hand, about to make her way down the hall before a man stopped her.
“Would you like help with your bags, Miss?” He offered. The man’s eyes wandered down to the cat carrier in her hand. For a moment, he seemed a bit nervous. The man was younger than the other staff of the hotel, and seemed a bit less experienced.
“Ah, I am not sure if animals are allowed in the rooms—“ He stopped, interrupted by a gentle hand on his shoulder. Astra let her fingers rest on him, staring deeply into his eyes.
“I am so sorry, I had no idea. I really need to keep her with me though, it is very important to me, and I’m sure you can just make one exception?” Her amber eyes danced with fresh tears, emotion sweeping out of her like a wave. You could see the man’s expression change from a stern gaze to a soft look of sympathy. She could feel, in return, his emotions shifting into what she wanted them to be. He bowed his head in apology, allowing her to proceed onward.
Astra lifted her hand from him, continuing on her way. Down the hall, she spotted the number eight on the door, and entered with her card. She barely looked at the room before noticing the familiar body on the bed. A glance at the clock told her that it was around 7 AM. She set her carrier down on the floor, opening the door. The white cat nearly leaped out, wandering back towards the partially opened screen to the garden. Astra bent down to unzip her tall black boots, placing them neatly by the door when she had finished. She unclasped her cloak, revealing her high-necked white blouse underneath, and set the outerwear on a hook by the door. Sweeping her forest-green hair behind her ears, she stepped around the room looking for the other bed. There was a large bathroom, and a garden, but she couldn’t find another bedroom.
While before, she had been careful to be quiet as to not disturb him, she suddenly lost all care.
“Did you only get one bed!??!” She cried loudly in an attempt to wake him up. She was tired, and a bit cranky because of it, and wanted nothing more than to sleep for a few hours, but not next to him .