India - Wellness Check

Ryan Yamada approaches the front desk and gives the clerk a warm smile, after her look of worry at the uniform "Hi there. I'm wondering if I could get in touch with one of your patrons. She's not in trouble." He chuckles as the clerk exhales "India Tor?" The clerk nods and then dials Miss Tor's room.
Ryan Yamada is holding a take out coffee but not drinking from it.

India Tor sighs softly and taps her fingers on the desk. Blank slate. Figgers. When the phone rings, she looks at it with raised brows. She isn't expecting any packages today. Picking it up the clerk tells her that she has a visitor. Although her face has a frown of suspicion on it, she says. "Send them up." if i was ... well it couldn't be HIM.

Ryan Yamada nods after the clerk tells him the room number "Thank you." He glances briefly at the elevator and then takes the stairs, running up them without even being winded by it as running is his passion.
Ryan Yamada arrives at room 302, clears his throat and then knocks softly.

India Tor hangs up the phone and approaches the small stretch of corridor where the only door is. She hears the throat clearing and the knock. Cursing the lack of a peep hole, she goes to the door and touches it lightly. "Who is it?" she asks in her dusky voice.

Ryan Yamada can't help but smile a bit "Uh Officer Ryan Yamada."

India Tor 's eyebrows raise a bit more, but she opens the door for him, stepping back to allow him entrance. "Hello officer." she says with a slight smile. "It's good to see you again. Please. Come in." her mind racing what his could be about. Her nightmare? Worst fear? She hopes not, but ....

Ryan Yamada looks apologetic and holds out the takeout coffee "I hope I'm not intruding Miss...Ms...Tor." He looks unsure of the right title but then goes on "And I'm not sure if you drink coffee...." he digs in his pockets and pulls out two creamers and a pile of sugar packets "Or what you might take in it..."

India Tor looks t him, still wondering what's up. But she smiles ... the professionalism never left her and shes glad of it now ... and reaches for the coffee. "Thanks! I hadn't ordered any for myself this morning." she moves to the desk with the creamers and sugars and sets the coffee down, adding both creamers and abut half the sugars to it. As she does, she decides to cut to the chase .. sort of. "Is something wrong?" There. She asked, taking the cup and turning to face him.

Ryan Yamada holds up a hand, used to this reaction now "No nothings wrong." He gestures at the uniform "I know I alarm people just by looking at them. Occupational hazard, sorry. When we met the other night you said you'd been here for 7 months and were having trouble leaving your room. This is probably none of my business so feel free to throw me out, but if you need help with anything, I know lots of good people here who can be there for you."

India Tor blinks and blows on the coffee to cool it before covering with a sip. "No ... it wasn't that." he assures him. "I was used to cops..." she shakes her head and shrugs. A small part of her DOES want to throw him out, but she ALSO knows that, if she is ever truly going to heal, she has to talk to SOMEONE. "I imagine you don't get a lot of recluses here." she sighs. "It's not .... trouble ... it's ... " she thinks of why she has been in her room for all this time and drinks a bit more of the coffee. "Keeping trouble away from me." she finishes, thinking she didn't make so much sense.

Ryan Yamada stays a respectful distance back, in an obvious show of not wanting to make India feel threatened in any way. He nods, cluing in a little but not knowing the details "Fair enough. We can help with that too...if you need it. I don't want to take up too much of your time." He glances at her tech "You look like you're trying to work. I watched some of your songs on YouTube. They're fantastic so I'd hate to stand in the way of more." He takes a card from his top pocket "But if you do need anything.....this has my extension." He steps forward just slightly and leaves the card on the tall wardrobe.

India Tor glances back at her tablet. "I think my working days might REALLY be over." she sighs and moves forward, placing her coffee on top of the wardrobe and taking his card. "Thanks for the compliment, but ... that voice isn't my voice anymore. y own damn fault, too." she tells the card and then looks at the officer. "If you really want to know...." she sighs deeply. "Cause I'm no Adele or Whitney Houston or anyone, so the news would never have hit Canada, I'm sure." she pauses and hesitates. Does she want him to know? He could keep an eye on things. After all, he is a cop.

Ryan Yamada looks truly sympathetic "I'm sorry, I didn't. I'll confess I'd never heard your music until after Saturday." He looks like he's about to say something more and then doesn't, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

India Tor laughs softly. "Don't feel bad. I'm more along the lines of Musiq or Monifa. But I am glad to know you liked my music." she pauses and sighs. "The short version of my story is named Dion White." she tells him. "He used to be one of the models in my videos ... and then more .. and then my manager." she licks her lips and continues. "Now he's in Folsum Prison ..." she tightens her jaw, but lets it trail off there. There is more .. a lot more ... but she stops for now.

Ryan Yamada looks concerned and takes it all in, repeating the name to commit it to memory "Dion White? He's IN prison and you're having trouble leaving this room...." Ryan looks her in the eyes earnestly.

India Tor sighs and takes the coffee, drinking deeply of it again. "Dion won't be in prison forever, Officer." she tells him. "And before and during the trial, he kept promising me that he'd take a lot more than just my hearing when he gets out." she sighs again and runs the business card up and down he coffee cup. "I left and came here the day his trial ended. Jul first. I went to the airport and picked a flight at random. When I landed in Vancouver, I get in a cab and told the driver to take me to the safest, most peaceful place he could think of on a tank of gas." she motioned around the room. "And here I am." she shrugs and laughs a little at herself. "I've been really irrational, I know. I've read it is like that sometimes with victims of domestic violence. One woman left town and relocated when her abuser DIED." she blows out another breath. "Crazy, I know."

Ryan Yamada's whole demeanor, facial expression and body posture softens "Not crazy at all." He shakes his head "Crazy is what he did, and threatened. This is a pretty safe town for the most part."

India Tor chuckles. "Safe and peaceful." she turns and looks out the window. "I've wanted to leave but never felt safe enough. Then I realized I was going to go crazy. So I left the room. Next the building." she moves the curtain aside. "I miss running." she says so softly it may be missed.

Ryan Yamada looks around "You can't live like this. I don't want to push you but there's a whole world out there...here." He smiles a bit "I run every day. Got the perfect circuit if you ever want to get back out there sometime. It'll help with the anxiety too."

India Tor sighs and follows his eyes, trying to see it from his perspective." she drains the coffee in the cup, then turns, returns to the desk, throws the cup into it and sets his card on the surface of the desk. "I think I could run with you." she says to the wall, and then turns around. "You're probably right, Officer."

Ryan Yamada smiles "I'm patient. Whenever you're ready, not before. This is big stuff you're carrying. You don't have to do it alone though."

India Tor moves towards him again. "Give me till .... Thursday. Yea ..... Thursday. I'll even meet you in the lobby, okay?" she offers.

Ryan Yamada thinks about it and then nods "Thursday. I go at 6....are you up for that?"

India Tor nods. "I get up at 5, so I will be ready, sure." she smiles ... genuinely ... "I used to run in High School. Until my father decided singing was the way to go for me." she sighs a bit and looks at him. "Thanks, Officer."

Ryan Yamada laughs "I learned to run from my sister." he's about to say something else when his radio beeps. He holds up a finger and clicks it "Calling all units we have code R on the North side of the Cannery." Ryan winces "Shit...spring....I gotta go..." He clicks the radio.

India Tor nods as he announces he has to go. "Yea. I know that noise." she tells him. It's part of the mystery. Maybe she will tell them on one of there runs. "Thanks for stopping by." she moves past him, opening the door for him."

Ryan Yamada walks out "Take care India." he says less formally.

India Tor watches him head out. "Be safe." she tells him

India - Socializing

India Tor always took the stairs in the hotel.  It was the kind of exercise she couldn’t really get in her hotel room.  And considering her quick walk out of the lobby pub, she was not about to linger and wait on an elevator.  She jogged up the stairs and all but ran into her room, barely avoiding slamming the door behind her.  Leaning against it, she realized her heart was hammering.

Eien had been wonderful.  Another ‘brutha’ she could learn to kick back with and enjoy.  Their budding friendship had filled her with happiness.  Plus he was a fan of hers, and she suspected he simply could not imagine pushing anything with her.  And she was not in a place where she wanted to be pushed.

But tonight … going down to the pub with other people ... usually the pub was all but deserted during the week … had been an adventure she wasn’t sure she could deal with.  But Eien was there, so she knew she would be safe.  Even if Eien didn’t know she needed to feel safe.

And into the pub had come .. a cop.  Ryan Yamada.  He was off duty obviously, And he was nice.  Handsome too, but it was not until she caught herself in a flirtatious comment that she realized that.  It was that, she realized, leaning against her closed door, that made her suddenly bolt for her safe little room.

Lifting her hand to her mouth, she stifled a small giggle.  “Well, don’t YOU think you somebody, India Tor?  He’s probably just some nice guy, who happens to be a cop doing his civic duty in conversation.  You trippin, girl.”

At last she moves from the door and into the room, sitting at the desk by the window and booting up her tablet.  Maybe she could write some song … or music … or something.  She’d gotten out of her room and met with other people.

It was a start.

India - Emerging from Solitude

Sighing deeply, India stood and moved to the window.  The smile on her face felt almost natural.  Good things had happened since she decided to leave her room after almost eight months seclusion.

Leaving the actual building was something she was not ready for, but the Mariner's Inn had a bar or pub in its lobby, so she decided to check it out.  As it was the middle of the week, she had not expected there to be many people there, and she was right.  One man at a table reading and no one else as far as customers.  There were two employees, a woman and a man.  India walked in and around the bar to a table that was effectively in a corner by the window.  She could see the police station across the street.  Her good ear was facing the bar and the hearing in it was excellent.

“There.  Your first customer.”  the womans voice spoke.  “Ready?”

India was surprised at the Japanese accent that came from the man of such obvious African descent.   The wrap on his head, she guessed, was hiding his locs. “Hai.  I am ready.” and, out of the corner of her eyes, she watched him come to her table.  “Good evening.”  he handed her the small menu.  “May I get you anything while you wait?”  his accent was thick, but his English was very good.  Slow.  He wasn't rushing his speech.

“Some iced tea, please.”  her voice sounded calm, but she was nervous.  She covered it well, as always.

He bowed slightly.  “Right away.”  and he was gone.  Looking out of the window as she waited, she was almost startled by his return.  “Youra iced tea.”  he set it down and pauses a moment.  “Please forgive me, but are you India Tor?” he sounded very polite and a wee bit nervous, but India had already figured out that this was is first day on the job.

It almost stunned her that she was recognized.  Even in the States, few knew her on sight, and she was not so famous that she could not walk the streets unmolested.  Even though her heart stopped, she put a smile on her face.  “Yes.  I am.”  she confirmed to him.

The dark man bowed almost double.  “I am a very large admirer of your music, Tor-sama.  An honor to meet you in person.”  he straightened and continued as if he had not just bowed.  Back to business.  “Have you decided on your order, Tor-sama?”

She couldn't stop the slight smile.  It was always nice to meet a fan.  Even now.  She ordered a light dinner and ate it, feeling lighter of heart than she had in some time.  Afterward, she lingered, ordering a hot coffee, and watched this fan of hers.  The only other customer left and one person came in, had a drink, then left again. A very light night.  Perfect to train 'the new guy'.

India guessed his name was Eien by the conversation she overheard between he and the woman training him.  She heard her explain with amusement that tips were more than welcome and him explaining he knew that, and would get used to it.  Apparently it was different in Japan, where he was from.

To help him, India left him a large tip and left and a nod to them both.

And the next night she was back.  Eien served her again, and they engaged in small talk when she got brave enough to sit at a relatively isolated corner of the bar.   When she mentioned that she could use some humor, he took a napkin and wrote down a web address and suggested an anime he found funny and touching.  Bu there was no flirting, for which she was grateful.  He was her waiter, or her bartender, or whatever it was he would be called.  And he was a fan of her music.  Nothing more.

But tonight was Friday night, an she didn't know if she could face the Friday night crowd in the pub.  Instead, she ordered Clam Miso Soup and a Salmon Tempura Roll from the local sushi shop.  As usual, the delivery guy knocked, called out a delivery for India Tor and left the food on the floor right out front.  She always paid and tipped using her credit card, so she did not have to open the door for anyone.  Getting her meal, she had eaten it while watching more episodes of the anime Eien had suggested to her.  She was surprised to find that she really liked it.

Picking up the bedside phone just before the pub closed, she dialed down to it and asked to speak to Eien.  She told him how much she enjoyed the anime and that she was sorry she hadn't made it down.

“You were missed, Tor-sama.”  he told her, his rich resonant voice comforting to her good ear.  “It would please me if you came again. Your voice is pleasing, even when you are not singing.”

India was smiling as she thanked him and hung up, promising that she would do her best to visit the pub on Saturday night.  More, she was surprised to find she was looking forward to it.

Maybe it was time she came out of her shell.

Eien - 3 part time jobs and other things.

In the frame, he sits back.  “Hey friends.  It is Eien and this is  Gaijin. Gaman shiro.  Coming o you from the Lavender Dreams in Cedar Point.”  he places a hand on his head where his notorious locs are hidden under a gray cloth.  “I finally got some cloth to wrap my locs for work.  And working I AM.  As of today, I have three part time jobs ... so I am working about sixty hours a week.  Not what I am used to, but I guess its more than they do here in Canada.”

“But I have a few minutes, so I am going to update you on the time since I last spoke with you.  I made a Japanese friend.  So a shout-out to Jun.”  he bows in his comfortable arm chair.  “I also got myself a scooter.  Vancouver is only an hour or so from here.  Next I will get my drivers license moved over.  But at least I can get around better.”

“The next thing on my agenda is an apartment!  They take very good care of their rooms at the Lavender Dreams, but …. I don't know how to explain it.  I need a place to call home.  When I was in Vancouver, I even found a chest of drawers I can use as a getabako.  So at least I am starting at the front door of my new place, right?”  he laughs lightly.

“People here are very nice, but … there was a child in the sushi restaurant who was talking about the .. most inappropriate things!  I don't know. I don't have any kids, so maybe I am just being baka.  But the woman with her was Japanese and she paid almost double her bill.  I know if we had been in Japan she would have been apologizing with her yen.”  he scoffs and shakes his head.

“Well, I can't talk to you all day.  I got another job to go to.  Sayonara!”  and he leans forward to stop recording.

India

India A Tor
Age 37
Height 5'9”

On July 1, 2015, a woman checked into Room 302 of the Mariners Inn, Cedar Point Canada.  She carried a single large hiker's backpack, and that was it.  Her ID and credit cards identified her as India Tor, a resident of San Diego, California USA.  She took her keys to the room and entered it ….

And hasn't really been out of the room since.  There is a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the doorknob.  All meals are sent to her room and left on a tray on the floor outside it.  Later in the day the tray is found outside, the meals consumed (usually).  There are some rumors that she left and came back, but as she is so rarely seen, no one really knows if it was her, or someone else.  But her room is paid for, and she is not a problem, so the hotel has no problems with their guest.

Lately packages have been arriving, delivered to the door and left for the recipient.  They soon vanish, but still, no one emerges from Room 302.

Maybe someday …..

Eien - The Black Hole

He walks back to the Lavender Dreams B&B feeling good.  With a polite bow and good night to the desk clerk, he climbs the stairs to his room and slips out of his shoes just inside the door.  But before he takes off his sweater, he gets his laptop and publishes the video he'd made before he left and begins another recording.

“Konbanwa!  It is Eien and this is  Gaijin. Gaman shiro.”  he begins as he always does, although the alcohol in his system and his exhaustion make his English a bit worse than usual.  His Japanese accent is almost heavy.  "Back from my trip to the Black Hole on Cedar Point Island in Canada."  he is 'home' and it is the place he cal allow his 'private face' to show.  Pinching the bridge of his nose, he smiles.  "A very nice place.  The beer was not the best, but it was not the very worse, either.  Maybe next time I will ask for something even better.  The bartender, Megan-san, was very helpful to me.  She was very nice and pretty as well.  Not at all a scary clown."

Eien pauses and considers his words.  "They do things very different here in Canada.  Maybe it is all of the West, I don't know.  But it was god to meet someone to speak to.  Of course, she is the bartender, so it is in her interest to be nice to everyone.  I know this from my work as sushi chef.  But she gave me a card so I could get a latte at the Dandelion Cafe.  I will go there tomorrow and I will tell you all about it.  I only had one beer, but I am still very tired from my flight and need to go to sleep as soon as I upload this video.  So, oyasumi nasai my viewers.  Until next time this has been Eien and this is  Gaijin. Gaman shiro."

He stops the recording and quickly edits it, then uploads it, remembering his first outing in the West.

Eien Fumetsu arrives at The Black Hole and enters. He checks his coat in with the pretty girl and pockets the stub. Then he walks in, looking around at all of the people. He is still feeling a bit jet lagged, but he didn't want to stay in his room at the inn and do nothing all night .. it was bad enough he'd slept a solid fourteen hours. He moves to the end of the bar and nods to a young woan with light chocolate skin drinking from a brown bottle. He sits on one of the stools and looks around, curiously. It's a bar ... a club .. they had them in Osaka. No big deal...

Megan Douglas looks sideways at the newcomer as he approaches, her eyes following him until he's seated before her. She steps forward one half step and leans lightly on the bar with a little smile "What'll it be then?"

Eien Fumetsu watches the woman approaching him and considers her question. "A good beer?" he asks, his accent shining through. Good English but obviously with a Japanese accent he can't get rid of. "I .. do not know what would be a good one. Can you help me?"

Megan Douglas giggles "Well they do call me a bartender. Rocket Fuel is the local microbrew. It's a lager if you like that sort of thing." She waits for his response but looks like a few questions are running through her brain.

Eien Fumetsu replies with a "Sou desu ka." when she tells him of one of the brews. "Rocketa Fuel?" he intones. "It sounds .. " he pauses, going through the possible words in his head and not rushing himself. "Very big .. strong?" he wonders. "I do not want to get drunk quickly." he tells her. He doesn't want to get drunk at all .. not jet lagged and only having explored a little bit of the island.

Megan Douglas grabs a bottle from under the counter and uses the bottom of her tank top as a tool to help her unscrew the cap. Cheekily she says "So drink slow. Where are you from anyway?" she sets the beer down in front of him.

Eien Fumetsu watches her use her shirt to uncap the bottle with slightly raised brows, hiding his ... shock? "Doumo arigatu gozaimasu." he thanks her and answers her question with. "Osaka." he doesn't want to assume she doesn't know i is in Japan. He sips and nods. To him its not the best .. but it isn't the worst either. "Ah is good." he says, not complimenting .. not insulting. Polite. Neutral.

Megan Douglas tilts her head thinking for a moment and then bends down and grabs herself a beer too, unscrewing the cap the same way again and then tossing the cap in a bin behind her and taking a long swig. After swallowing she asks bluntly "Osaka, Japan? Were you BORN there?"

Eien Fumetsu nods. "Hai .. Osaka, Japan." he watches her drink, which doesn't happen where he is from. "I was born in San Fernando, Trinidad. My parents moved to Osaka when I was seven years old." he shrugs. "So that is why my accent is more Japanese than my parents." he nods to her a bit.

Megan Douglas's expression shows it's making much more sense now "Cool. I could have learned Japanese in school here. There's lots of Japanese people here but I decided to flunk French instead. So are you just here on a trip then?" She knocks back another huge sip like it's a glass of plain water and then puts her beer down on the bar in front of her.

Eien Fumetsu smiles. "Ah so desu ka. Anata wa nihongo wo hanashimasu ka?" he had not expected to find anyone except for his employers speaking Japanese. But he is in Rome, so he will speak as the Romans do. "I never learned French. Only enough to take orders from customers in the sushi bar I worked in in Osaka." he admits. As my parents spoke English, I .. always knew it? But I lost my Trinidad accent in school. They sent me to a Japanese speaking school." he blows out a breath and takes another sip of the beer. "That is how I learned it. English."

Megan Douglas makes a face "Yeah it's our other "official language". I mean it's great if you want to work for the government I guess but if I had to sit behind a desk all day I'd fuckin die. I mean really "Press one for bullshit in English, press deux pour merdre de vache en Francais.....you know or something like that right?"

Eien Fumetsu has seen plenty of women drink as heavy as this woman did, although the Japanese women tended to not ... flaunt it. Not in public. Not 'ladies' ... but 'ladies' weren't always a lot of fun. He sips again and sets the bottle down, his hand lingering as she speaks. Her swearing definitely gets his attention. "So desu ka. I know enough to ask them what they would like. The menu items, of course, are already in Japanese." he pauses and looks not quite at her. "Namae wa nandesu ka?" he asks, in Japanese, wondering if she forgot hat she'd learned in school or if she still occasionally uses her Japanese.

Megan Douglas frowns "Are you offering me sushi? Here's how much Japanese I know....Negi toro maki.....futomaki......tekka...sake.......Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto." She smirks and then poises about to sip, waiting for a reaction.

Eien Fumetsu laughs at her reply. "I asked what is your name." he tells her and chuckles, remembering the old old song about Mr Roboto. It is better for me to speak English here. My French is too bad."

Megan Douglas nods "Most people in BC don't speak French well at all. Gotta go East for that. My name is Megan. What's yours?"

Eien Fumetsu continues his smile .. a nice one. "I am Eien Fumetsu." he takes out his card out of purely ingrained habit and offers it to her. "It is good to know you, Megan-san." he bows slightly on the stool.

Megan Douglas takes the card "Dude, you're hard core eh?" She bows back just a smidge to be polite and then pretends to pad her pockets "I don't have cards...oh wait....." She pulls out a coffee stamp card for the Dandelion cafe "Here, 2 stamps to a free latte!" She slides it across the bar.

Eien Fumetsu laughs a little again. "My father told me always to act like Japanese business man even though I am a sushi chef." he looks at the card and takes it. "Doumo ariigatou, Megan-san." he picks it up and nods. "I have seen this place. I will have a latte there tomorrow." he promises.

Megan Douglas glances down at his card again "I love sushi. Have you been to Sakuras? It's our local place. Run by the Yamada family."

Eien Fumetsu is taking another drink as she speaks to him. "I have been hired as a part-time sushi chef at Sakura. Yamada-san and I have spoken many times over the phone for interviews." he means the wife, not the husband, but doesn't mention this, knowing MR Yamada has been ill and Eien doesn't want to shame him intentionally.

Megan Douglas nods with a curious expression "Oh I didn't know they were hiring....Funny Garrett and Ryan didn't say anything. Course last time I saw them they were kinda shitfaced. Occupational hazard really."

Eien Fumetsu shrugs slightly. "It is possible it is because I am Gaijin .. or because my employer in Osaka knew I was looking to move from Japan. Or they were trying to save my face." he places the reasons on his own status as a gaijin. "You would see many people drunk here, I imagine."

Megan Douglas finishes her beer and then gestures at his bottle "Yeah. another?" She puts her empty in a box with others "Last weekend was the big V. We had a lot of depressed people in here drinking their heartbreaks away. Awesome for sales and fucking horrible to work at the same time."

Eien Fumetsu thinks a moment and shakes his head. "I'm only half done with this one." he declines the second beer, bu drinks a bit. "The big V?" he mururs and then the light dawns. "Ahhhh Valentine's Day. Why would they be depressed?" he wonders, realizing how little he knows about Western ways when he thought he had known it all.

Megan Douglas shrugs "People get all hung up on that crap. I could care less, happier when I'm single anyway. I shouldn't be such a bitch about it though. Whatever floats your boat right?"

Eien Fumetsu considers and thinks it may be deeper. "In Japan, women give men chocolate or a small gift .. friends, co-workers, someone they like or owe. You do not have to be in a relationship to get a choco." he cants his head slightly, the beer relaxing him. "It is different here. I will send some marshmallows or white choco in March for what I got on ... V-day." he uses her term for the holiday.

Megan Douglas raises a brow and grins "It's always the polite ones. How many women back home do you owe treats to then Eien?" She asks teasingly "Or men...no assumptions."

Eien Fumetsu shrugs. "My regular customers at the sushi bar and friends. I ..." he pauses, blushing although she may not see it between the dark bar and his skin tone. "Hot man ... on White Day the gift would be worth two or three times what I received." he cans his had. I did get some from men ..." he seems to ponder that a moment or two. Did it mean something or was he just some mens favorite sushi chef?

Megan Douglas laughs "Hot man on white day? Go Japan! I'm just teasing. Sometimes "gifts" from customers can be kinda fucked up. What's the strangest tip you've ever gotten?"

Eien Fumetsu chuckles. "Maybe I will break tradition and give you, the first woman I met in Canada, some white choco for White Day, even though you gave me nothing." he teases in his turn and drinks a bit more as he considers his V-Day gifts. "Two years ago, someone came into the sushi bar and gave me a small box on V-day. I was busy so I did not open it, but inside of it was choco, a ten thousand yen note and a key." he winces slightly. "But I did not know who gave it to me."

Megan Douglas laughs "Dude I gave you an almost full coffee card! That's like creepy spy shit...like they were paying you off for some mission! That's epic. The funniest I got was this weird little old man gave me a clown doll. "I saw this and I thought of you." he said. It honestly looked kind of psycho horror movie. Mys sister and I used it to prank each other until the head fell off."

Eien Fumetsu laughs. "Very true! Maybe I will give you something for White Day regardless." he smiles and chuckles. "Well, maybe it was a beautiful person and the key was to their home. But I never knew who the giver was, so maybe that is the best. I never worked in a host club or anything like that. Some men would take money but .. I don't know for myself." he arches both brows. "That is very weird." he shudders a bit. "Like Japanese horror movie stuff." he shakes his head, thinking about it.

Megan Douglas laughs breathily and then makes her fingers crawl across the bar at him "Make balloon animals with me in the woods my pretty....."

Eien Fumetsu snorts, but doesnt move his hand. "Maybe for ten thousand yen at noon." he replies with a chuckle.

Megan Douglas pulls her hand back, running it through her hair casually "And the key...that's the interesting part in your story. Damn we're getting close to last call here. It's been fun talking to you Eien. I hope you like the town and stick around."

Eien Fumetsu smiles and finished his beer. "How much is it?" he wonders. "And a pleasure to meet you, Megan-san."

Megan Douglas smiles " Four bucks even please."

Eien Fumetsu stands and reaches into his jeans for his wallet, pulling out Canadian money, whih he exchanged before leaving Japan. He pays and leaves a fifty percent tip. "Arigatou gozaimashita, Megan-san and oyasumi nasai. Good night." he bows relatively deeply to her and heads for the door, if she doesn't stop him.

Megan Douglas looks down at the cash "Thanks you too....watch out for headless clowns!" she calls after.

Eien - Gaijin Gaman shiro in Canada 0001

Eien Fumetsu walks back into Room 1 in the Lavender Inn from the washroom, after having checked to make sure the corridor was clear of any guests.  Inside, he changes clothes and sits on his bed.  Pulling his laptop close to him, he boots it up and pulls up his video program.  Prepared on the inside, he begins;

“Konbanwa!  It is Eien and this is  Gaijin. Gaman shiro.”  he sighs deeply and looks around.  “I am in Canada now, everyone.  Thank you for all of the emails wishing me a safe trip.  Arigatou!  As you can see, I am in a very nice and clean room on the island of Cedar Point.  I arrived last night and was checked in by a very nice woman named Bronwyn.”

He pauses and chuckles.  “Yes, she did a double take when I spoke.  Doesn't everyone?  And I spoke to her in English, like I always do for you.”  he shrugs.  “But it may have been my business card or my manner that she found weird.  I did not ask her.”

Taking his laptop off of his lap, he turns it three hundred and sixty degrees.  “This is the room that I am renting for myself until I can find a more permanent residence.  It is a very nice room.  Very pretty.”  he places the laptop back on his lap and can be seen again facing the camera.  “I slept for about fourteen hours, the woke, dressed and took a walk around Cedar Point.  There are cars here, but I do not know why.  It is a very small island, similar to Nishiki Market in Kyoto, except I saw many bicycles. I could walk around with ease.  There are any places here, including a market called Chen's Market.  I did not go in, but will soon to see if they have Asian ingredients for my cooking.  Surely the sushi restaurant has them, but for my personal meals, of course, I would buy from there, if possible.”  he pauses a moment to collect his thoughts.  “There is a Chinese restaurant around the corner from the sushi restaurant I wil work at, and clothing store, book store and a bank.  This place is not called bank .. it is called Credit nion, but they seem to be very similar, although I did not open an account yet.  I nowknow where the police station is and the City Hall.  There is a pizza restaurant as well, near a place called The Black Hole.  I think it is a club.”  he grins a bit and places his hand on his blue sweater.  “I will find out … I will go and see tonight and meet some people I hope.  Then more sleep and I will probably either make a new J-vlog or make my adventures there a new one.  So now I will say Oyasumi nasai and Sayonara for now.  This has been Eien and this is  Gaijin. Gaman shiro.”  he reaches forward to turn off the recording and then sighs.  He moves to get his shoes from just inside of his room door and slips into them, tying them securely.  Then he places his tatemae in place and leaves his room to walk to the Black Hole.

Eien - From one island to another

To Eien Fumetsu, the flight felt as if it had taken a week, although it was only half a day or so … and more than half a planet. But then he had moved from the plane to a boat. Excitement kept him awake, although he expected that, once he found a bed, he would fall into it and sleep like he had never slept before.

Cedars Point was very small, but that is one of the things Eien most liked about it. It was like home. So small was the island, he was able to take his two bags and walk from the dock to the Lavender Dreams Bed and Breakfast, where he had reserved a room for himself until he could get settled in someplace.

Walking in the door, he turned to see a woman he expected was called Bronwyn. He hoped that his reservations were in order. He set his bags down and faced her, taking out his business card and handing it to her with “Konbanw. My name is Eien Fumetsu. I have a reservation.” in his usual unhurried English. People usually expected a large and dreadlocked man of African descent to speak in almost anything BUT the Japanese accent he himself spoke with.

Once the moment of shock and confusion left the scene, Eien was shown to his room. As he moved to the bathroom to draw and take his bath, he reminded himself that, in the morning, he must apologize profusely for being to terse with Bronwyn, although to her, it may not have seemed as if he were. And once in bed, he lay back his head and closed his eyes. Tomorrow he could enjoy his new home and begin his new life.