Reading with Rasta: Pixies in the Mist

Pixies in the Mist by yours truly, Rasta Musick. Welcome to the Reading with Rasta segment where I read, this time, my own book: Pixies in the Mist. Chapter 1.

Jake stood up and walked into his shower room to get ready for a night of dancing. It was only recently that the separation of his toilet and shower didn’t make him uncomfortable. To someone else, it might have been strange that he felt pride from having gotten used to such a minor aspect of his life in Japan, but it was part of his life that he had to deal with daily. Every small comfort mattered when adjusting to a new country, as Jake had quickly found out. Things were different than visiting on vacation. It had already been a few months since he had moved to Japan on a student visa. The five-day-a-week Japanese course he was taking filled up his mornings and some of his afternoons. Jake once again wondered why he had signed up for morning classes when he hated waking up early. Thankfully, he had studied Japanese before coming. He couldn’t imagine being as lost as some of the people he met during class. The thought made him shudder as he started the water.
Running a hand through the brown curls of his hair to slick it back, Jake began cleaning his body. Living in Japan had started off fun, and he had just built a rhythm for himself. The rhythm wasn’t exactly what he had imagined when he first decided to try it out. The Japanese course was more time-consuming than he expected,
even knowing a lot of the material. The first flare of excitement had gradually worn off over the admittedly brief time he had been in the country. He liked to imagine that it meant he had grown used to living in Japan, but he had a feeling it was actually the opposite. Life was meant to be exciting. Novelty wasn’t the only source of that.
Jake felt like his life still had as little direction and purpose as it had when he chose to leave home in the United States. His instincts had said Japan was the right place to be. When he followed his gut, things tended to work out for him. Thankfully, his parents were supportive of his choices as well. But things weren’t going how he had hoped. Japanese class was a grind that left him unsatisfied. When was he going to figure out what his future was meant to be? Where was he supposed to go? He felt lost and alone. Shaking his head, he tried to turn his mind to happier thoughts. Focusing on his dancing plans for the evening, Jake wondered if he should write a story about his experiences dancing Salsa in Japan for his blog. It wasn’t what his audience, almost nonexistent as it was, would expect, but that abnormality might be the key point of interest. It broke away from the normal, tourist-destination oriented approach he had been taking. He wasn’t sure if blogging was the path for him, but it wasn’t going to go anywhere if he didn’t find a way to build his audience faster. He needed to start making a name for himself somehow. To that end, he would have
to pay special attention to his experience that night. Remembering details was key for good writing, after all. As his mind turned toward dancing, Jake felt a tingle of excitement. His salsa plans were one of the brighter points of his week. They felt right. Once he was finished bathing, he dried himself off, stood in front of his sink, and looked into the mirror. He stared at the reflection of his brown eyes as he started to run his fingers through his hair to style it. Every time he did this, he was reminded of home.

His mother hadn’t washed his hair for a long time, but she had taught him everything he knew about taking care of it. A smile lit up his face as he remembered the feeling of her hands when she showed him how he could move his fingers to adjust the weight of his hair or change the shape. While he reminisced, his hands automatically started to follow the same motions of his mother’s fingers in his memory. The process soothed him and reminded him of what his mother had told him before he left. Jake could feel the tension in his body go away as he continued in his bathing routine. “You’re a citizen of the world. Home is anywhere you can feel happy, comfortable, and be yourself.”
He hadn’t understood her at the time, but in moments like these, he felt like he got it. At that moment, he was home. Jake once again resolved to do his best to make Japan his home. He knew he had to change things up somehow. Going through the motions was fine when he had first arrived, but it was about time for him
to find a lifestyle that truly fit him. One that felt right. He needed real connections. His life so far was full of superficial friendships based around the activities he chose to do. Still, forging a proper home for himself in Japan was a concern for another time. For now, he had a party to go to. Grabbing his bag, he locked the door behind him as he walked to the subway. Another Wednesday night. Another night of dance.

He wondered what moves the teacher would go over this week, and he couldn’t help but dance a few steps from last week’s lesson while he walked. He imagined the regulars and other people who only came in once in a while, and the anticipation brought extra spring to his step as he made his way down the street.
Jake walked through the wicket, pulling out his wallet, taking out his commuter card, and swiping it over the machine in one smooth motion as the train he was supposed to catch slowed to a stop at the platform. Perfectly timed. He appreciated how lucky he was to be in a less popular part of town as he once again had no problems finding a seat on the train. He hummed to himself. Life was working out nicely for him. He saw no reason for tonight to be any different.
Kenneth smoothed out the short, red spikes of his hair with one hand as he stood in front of the train’s mirror. He could feel the glances of the other passengers, though he pretended not to notice. He finally had a night to himself. While it had only been
three months, it felt like a century had passed. He would know, having lived long enough. The constant grind of finding magical humans, or marks, and handling them rarely left him with any opportunities to enjoy himself. He tried to loosen the stiffness in his shoulders as he thought back over his responsibilities. Over the next few days, he would have to work to increase trust with two marks. And he would need to squeeze in time to reach out to his connections to several others that he had already gotten processed. The life of a pixie was never dull.
For the evening, he had the opportunity to put those concerns to the side. He resisted the urge to smile as he thought about it. A night of dancing was exactly what he needed to feel relaxed and settled. Despite the years of experience, adopting different personas to deal with people still took its toll. A single night of free expression was the perfect fix. It also allowed him to meet people in a community that was mostly consistent. There was very little chance of him meeting someone that could be magical. He thought back to remember the names of the people he had met, trying to make sure he would recognize anybody new. Instinctively, he did a quick scan of the people sitting around him, using the mirror to do it without being obvious. They all appeared to be harmless and human. Though that didn’t guarantee
they were. He kept a careful eye out for anybody that seemed out of place or too interested in him. While he was on the way to somewhere he could relax, he wasn’t there yet. Kenneth turned away from the mirror and leaned back against the wall. While he kept a watchful eye out, his focus moved to the future.
It would be nice to cut loose and have fun. Last time he went salsa dancing, some year or two ago, he had stayed out until morning without any problems. He hoped there weren’t many new people. The less he had to be worried about coming across a mark or a magical threat, the better. Still, he wouldn’t know until he went. The only thing that he knew for certain was that he was going to dance. He was going to dance, and he was going to milk it for all it was worth.
Jake strode into the salsa club, waving at some of the other regulars as he passed them by. He had arrived with only a few minutes to spare before the lesson started. The teacher beckoned for everyone to move onto the dance floor and make space behind him as he started everyone off with stretches. The place was small
enough that even the dozen people who attended the lessons took up most of the space. Jake groaned softly as he felt his body pop as he stretched. Despite coming every week, his body reminded him of the fact he never stretched on other days.
After they finished warming up, the instructor paired people off for the next part of the lesson. Each pair watched as the teacher and his assistant showed them the steps they would be learning and practicing for the day. Jake watched intently. Every step and hand motion the teacher made, he attempted to imitate when it
was his turn to try the pattern. He felt bad for his partners since many of them struggled to learn these new routines, but it only took a couple of tries for him to start picking things up. When he had first started dancing in Japan, the number of older people had surprised him, as well as the fact that nobody seemed to be below 35 years of age. He didn’t mind the extra attention his youth got him, though. It felt nice to have people be excited to see him. The lesson continued, and Jake started to get the hang of the steps. As the time approached the start of the after-lesson party, more people began to filter into the dance club. Most of them were other regulars, all Japanese people. He waved and smiled at the people he recognized. As Jake scanned the people trickling in, a foreigner with bright red hair stood out from the crowd. Jake didn’t recognize the guy, so he turned back to focus on the lesson. Once the lesson ended and the party started, Jake thanked his practice partner and glanced to see what the other man was doing. The redhead was in the middle of approaching a woman, a regular named Aiko, and inviting her to dance.

Kenneth arrived as the lessons were approaching their ending. He was surprised to see a new foreigner. It was rare to see, since the place wasn’t as popular as some of the other salsa clubs. Still, one new face wasn’t the end of the world. The Scotsman glanced around and recognized everyone else. He smiled. It turned out not much had changed. Just as he had hoped. Knowing everyone already meant he could relax. After he found an opportunity to check the new guy.

“Oh, Kenneth. Long time no see.” One of the more seasoned dancers walked up to him. She had danced several songs with
Kenneth the last time he was around. His smile widened. It was always nice to be remembered. Out of the corner of his eye, he kept track of the curly-haired man.
“Long time no see, Aiko. How you been?”

“I’ve been fine. Where have you been, though? I haven’t seen you since last year.”
“Work’s just been busy. Finally got some time to myself.”
Kenneth noticed the other foreigner staring at him and instinctively felt defensive. His shoulders stiffened for a moment before he forcibly loosened them again. He stood out; he knew this. If he stayed calm and wary, he would find an opportunity to introduce himself later.
Aiko smiled. “Well, since you’re here… let’s dance.”
Kenneth nodded, taking her hand and walking onto the dance floor where other people had already started dancing. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the other guy grabbing a partner as well. Kenneth turned most of his focus back to his partner, but he kept alert.

As the redhead started dancing with his partner, Jake remembered himself. He went to his favorite dancing partner and started dancing with her. While they danced, Jake tried the new pattern he had just learned. The dance floor was packed with people, and Jake ended up jostling against the redhead from earlier as he moved to avoid crashing into somebody else. He turned to nod his head in apology before focusing his attention on his dancing. Jake paid special
attention to the other dancers around him, which led him to notice how the new guy moved. The redhead stepped confidently, and his moves were different from what Jake had learned. For a moment, Jake wondered where the man had learned to dance.

Swinging through the dance with Aiko, Kenneth felt rejuvenated despite his heightened awareness. His spirits lifted, and the weight of his work felt lessened. That peaceful bliss was interrupted as Kenneth felt the foreigner bump into him mid-dance. While a bit of jostling wasn’t unusual, the wave of energy that came pouring
from the other man definitely was. Kenneth already knew who it was, but he turned to look to pretend he didn’t. Of course there was someone magical on his one night off—the only new person out of the whole group. Kenneth nodded in response to the other man’s apology before turning back to his partner. Despite himself, Kenneth wanted it not to be true. He cursed his luck as he recognized his duty to double-check. His one sanctuary from work. The place he went to leave work behind. And work had found him. Still, he didn’t have an opportunity to do anything until the song ended. Kenneth shook off the tension of the moment and threw himself into the dance, savoring what was left of the moment. All too soon, the song was over. After thanking Aiko for the dance, Kenneth made his way toward the potential mark and
extended his hand. “Hey, nice dancing. Name’s Kenneth.”
“Thanks, I’m Jake.” Jake shook his hand, faking a smile. He hoped Kenneth wasn’t looking for a foreigner to help show him around Japan.

When their skin touched, Kenneth felt his body tense involuntarily, and he quickly withdrew his hand. The reaction made Jake pause, but he quickly shrugged it off. “I haven’t seen you before. Is this your first time here?”
In that moment of contact, an intense throb of power had surged from Jake. Kenneth reoriented himself. Whoever this Jake person was, he was either a threat Kenneth couldn’t safely deal with or a potential ally worth investing time into. He couldn’t tell which without further investigation. As Jake continued the conversation as if nothing happened, Kenneth wondered for a moment if the human was truly unaware. Had it been unintentional? Or was this an elaborate ploy? He had to tread carefully. “No, but I’m usually so busy I don’t get the chance to come. It’s probably been a year or two since last time.”
Jake blinked in surprise, and Kenneth felt a moment of anxiety at the human’s surprise. “A year or two? How long have you been in Japan?”
Kenneth had been prepared for something more intrusive. Did the human not know anything? He let a tendril of his own power leak out and brush against his conversation partner’s mind. There was no reaction. There were no natural defenses, either. He was dealing with someone that wasn’t part of his world, even if the
man had the potential for it. It was time to put on the appropriate mask. Kenneth shrugged, adopting a casual tone. “Not that long. I came from Scotland around… three years ago. How about you? You seem comfortable here. Do you come often?”
“I moved to Japan from the States a bit ago. Trying to strike out on my own.” Jake took a sip from his drink and gestured with his other hand. “I’ve been coming every week for the past couple of months. Salsa’s my favorite hobby, so this place is great.”
“Cool stuff.” Kenneth smiled. This one seemed like it’d be an easy mark. They shared a hobby, so it wouldn’t be hard to forge a friendship. Simply inviting him to dance would make him easy to befriend. “Hey, you seem like a nice guy. I know some other great salsa clubs. If you’re down for some exploration sometime, want me to introduce you to them?”
Jake took a moment to consider the offer. He wondered why Kenneth was inviting him out when they had just started talking,
but he quickly chalked it up to a difference in culture. The Scottish were friendly, right? It wouldn’t hurt to have other salsa clubs to visit sometimes. A tingling sensation ran up his spine as he smiled and nodded. This was the right choice. “Yeah, sure. Let me know the date and time, and I’ll see if I can make it.”
With that, Jake called out to one of the other regulars, Mayu, and invited her to dance. He wasn’t going to stand around talking all night.
Jake had not been as eager as he had expected, but Kenneth knew better than to rush things. Kenneth decided to follow Jake’s example and invite a partner, but the mood had changed. In his mind, the wheels were turning on a plan to secure Jake’s trust and perform his duties. The joy of the dance was a sidenote at best.
The night kept on as Jake continued dancing and having a good time. As the night started to run late, Kenneth struck up a conversation with Aiko. “So, Aiko. I noticed the new guy. How long has he been coming here?”
Aiko smiled, casting her eyes to glance at the topic of conversation. “Jake? Oh, maybe a month or two. Why? Has he caught your eye?”

“Well, he can dance, and he seems nice enough. Do you know much about him?”
“He doesn’t talk much, but I heard he’s writing a blog.”
A blog. Kenneth immediately recognized the opportunity to get to know Jake in more detail, turning to notice that Jake and Mayu had just finished dancing. He gestured toward the pair. “That sounds interesting. How about we join those two and talk about it?”
Kenneth smiled internally as he managed to arrange for him to talk with Jake, Aiko, and Mayu. Eventually, the party started to wind down. Jake, Kenneth,
Aiko, and Mayu ended up talking with each other. “Hey Jake, Aiko said you are writing a blog. I’m a bit of a writer, myself. What’s it about?”
Jake shyly scratched the back of his neck as he answered Kenneth’s question. “Oh, you know. It’s just about things I’ve done or seen in Japan. Kind of a travel blog. Hoping it gets popular, but we’ll see how that goes.”
“That’s so cool. I wish I could travel around and blog about it.” Mayu smiled. “You still haven’t shared the link with us because it’s in English. Maybe you can share it with Kenneth and see what he thinks?”
“I guess.” Jake hesitated. He didn’t really feel comfortable sharing his blog with someone he had just met, especially when he
hadn’t been getting much of a viewership. Still, an extra reader was an extra reader. Besides, what was the worst that could happen? “Sure, if Kenneth’s interested, I’ll send him the link later.”
Kenneth glanced at his watch. He didn’t expect they would stand around much longer, given the time, but he needed to extend the conversation for at least a little while longer. “Speaking of late, it’s practically morning already. I don’t know about you three, but I could use some food. Anyone up for early breakfast?”
Jake usually went home after the party ended, but a sick feeling started in his stomach as he contemplated making an excuse and leaving. He quickly changed his mind and agreed to go with them. The tingling in his back returned.

Kenneth had noticed Jake’s indecision and was surprised by how quickly it vanished. Had Jake been faking the internal struggle? The thought gave Kenneth pause as he followed Aiko and Mayu out of the club.

It was Jake’s first time going out to eat with anybody from the salsa community. It wasn’t something he would like to do regularly, but it made for a nice change of pace. Toward the end, Jake and Kenneth exchanged contact information, and everyone said their
goodbyes. Jake knew from the way his body had reacted to his choices earlier that Kenneth was somehow involved with his future. He did not understand how or why, but he felt better that night than he had in a while. He trusted it. The future looked like it held the promise of more fun to come.

The conversation at the restaurant was mostly small talk that didn’t give Kenneth any more information about Jake. He had hoped to get the website where Jake was blogging as well, but Jake had changed the topic. It didn’t matter. Kenneth felt confident he could find it with a bit of searching. He was not entirely certain
that Jake knew nothing of magic, but he was certain that Jake was a magical human of significant power. Any such mark would be
of great value to his people. There was only one way to find out. And so the path was set.