Refuge

[Minibit]

Vii hopped impatiently from foot to foot as she pressed her slim finger on the buzzer to her new residence. She'd been awaiting this day for months.

Upon joining the Exodus to earth - which was a mass of chaos and confusion despite authority's best efforts to keep everyone calm and organized - , Vii had joined masses of other citizens in group housing, hastily set up by Earth's government. She slept on a hammock with holes in the middle and disturbing fraying around where the rope was joined. It was boisterous and there was a perpetual air of nervous apprehension through the babble and shouting and crying and snoring, but Vii, being on her own and not particularly interested in listening to negativity for hours on end, was too busy investigating the new everything; especially the food. Maybe it was just this country that she'd been sent to, but they cooked things in a very complicated way there; when she asked what was in one dish that was served in a bowl but too thick and chunky to be soup, the girl with the spoon rattled off about ten different things and then said she couldn't remember the rest. Vii wasn't used to having more than two or three ingredients in her food, and she found the exponentially increased options incredibly exciting.

Of course eventually the housing had been improved, and the Host program was set up. Oh man, the host program was exciting. Vii had been one of the first to sign up; it was hard to sit still through the interview and screening process; they asked a lot of questions she didn't understand, but she guessed she'd done a good enough job answering because a few months later she was having coffee with her new host; coffee was interesting, but she had a bad headache afterward. Maybe she'd try tea next time. There were a lot of different teas on that menu; for herbs and water it seemed to be a complex delicacy.

Glancing about, Vii swung her bag back and forth in her free hand. It contained what possessions she'd managed to carry through the portal, plus some basic things the group housing had provided her with. She was rather proud of herself for mastering the basics of social behaviour, and the use of the hygienic items she'd been gifted as well. She usually got distracted too quickly to be a very fast learner.

Directing her gaze down at herself, Vii hoped that she looked okay. Her host had met her before, but it was more like a directed interview than a visit; they really didn't know each other that well. Her clear, dragonfly-like wings were hidden under a long coat that was just sitting over her shoulders; it was too hot to wear it properly. Of course, it didn't really have to be a long coat. Being 4'3", probably any human-sized coat would have gone down the appropriate distance. Her thick, wiry red hair was cut short, and stuck straight up from her head, it's bright colour in contrast to her pale cheeks. Her ears were long, and pointed backward from her face, her eyes were dark, and restless, but she felt pretty comfortable in a pair of cotton yoga pants and a tee shirt with a wide, scooped collar. It had pictures of brown and orange leaves and butterflies coming down the side. She liked it a lot.

 

[Artemis]

Even after the news became normal, Dani was nervous. When they first appeared, thousands of doomsday groups cried foul in the streets while the governments of the world readied for war. Creatures - magic - had appeared, and nobody knew what to make of it. Nobody knew what to do. Luckily, the off worlders weren't hostile. The world watched as they begged for shelter, for their world was dying. Months later, the host program was created. Dani was involved in it.

The interview process was staggering. Days passed by as Dani went through background checks, species checks, and finally the aptitude check. The aptitude check was the hardest. She had to submit to a polygraph as questions concerning violence, racism, and other such topics were drilled one after the other. On the day that it was all done, she went straight to the bars. After what had felt like an interview for the FBI or something, she deserved the drink.

As a host, she took one of the off worlders into her home. She was to teach culture, etiquette, and whatever else that would acclimate the new citizens to their world. It was an exciting opportunity. Being 24 years young, Dani studied biology and currently worked at a lab under the purview of the government. Her life was all about memorizing and keeping away from the abstract. She was confident that she had a lot to offer these supernatural creatures. The Host facility that so too otherwise she wouldn't have been given the offer. Just a week ago, she had met her hostee, an actual real fairy! Or so she thought. There wasn't too much time to get to know each other. It was business, for Dani was mandated to go through a list of questions and send it back to her supervisor. From first contact, she noticed how Vii sampled the coffee and was bit adverse. What could she substitute for the woman? Dani had to think about it.

Sitting in her kitchen, she twiddled her thumbs. She'd be lying if Dani said she was nervous. Even though her 5'5" stature towered over the fairy, she was nervous on how she'd have to modify her life to accommodate Vii's. With her brown hair tied back into a loose ponytail, she wore a orange shirt with tan capris. She thought it was casual. Hopefully it came off as casual. Her days at work was filled with dress shirts, dress pants, and whatever other fancy stuff was needed to keep her reputation amongst the other scientists. Pushing her glasses up, her blue eyes moved towards her door as she heard it buzz.

Standing up, she moved to the door. The beautiful California heat whisked past her as she felt a breeze as her apartment opened up to the ocean. Looking down, she smiled as she motioned to the interior of her home. "Vii! Come in!" she said. "Make yourself at home. I'll show you to your room for the duration of your stay. Long trip? Hungry?"

​

 

[Minibit]

Vii looked up, and, upon the invitation, instinctively fluttered her wings; it was not so high she couldn't fly there, especially with the breeze for lift. The weight of the coat over her back, however, restricted the movement, and she somewhat reluctantly headed up the stairs, instead.

Her and the few other Fey who had made it through were not the only ones being asked to obscure their nonhuman features. Elves were encouraged to wear hats, Shifter mages to dye their hair or wear gloves; it wasn't to hide who they were, they had been assured, just to make their transition easier; people on Earth were unsettled by things that were unknown or new, so it was probably better to "Ease our civilizations into each other's unknowns" as slowly as possible. Vii wasn't sure how much of that she believed, but she didn't want to break any rules. Still, it was warm, and there was a wonderful wind blowing; she wished she could take the damn coat off. Maybe it was fine if she was in private, like at night or something. She'd have to ask.

"Good morning!" she greeted as she stepped into the doorway, gazing about at the new place, beaming with pride at remembering the appropriate phrase. "Can I take my coat off inside?"

 

[Artemis]

Dani saw the joy in the fairy's eyes. Walking up the steps, they were in the living/kitchen area. Dani looked back as she blinked. "Of course you can take off your coat," she said. Suddenly, she remembered why the fairy asked. Dani grimaced. "That's right, you're not suppose to show your non-human traits in public. Hopefully that'll change soon. Here, feel free to be yourself. Within reason of course! Hopefully no fire spells or anything?"

Gesturing towards the doors, Dani began to walk to the door on the farthest left. Realistically, Dani wasn't suppose to be able to afford such primer accommodations right off the bat. However, the doctor had become quite renown after her discovery concerning a parasite that could be introduced into the body to help fight off pathogens that were commonly labeled as viral cells. One thing led to the next, and Dani found herself earning quite the paycheck. Acting as a host for the program also helped. The UN gave her a stipend, which helped bolster her available funds. With the addition of the fairy, she had to redo her work schedule, which folks understood. She'd still be able to make the classes, do her job, and relax.

Opening the door, she gestured to the room that was generous in size and had a window facing the ocean. "This is your room. Feel free to decorate it as you will. Hopefully, it'll feel like home in no time." Allowing Vii the time to explore her room, she stepped out. "I'll be at the kitchen table. It sucks, but we've got to go through some stuff. Policy, et cetera. Anyway, get settled in. We're in no rush!"

Making her way back into the kitchen, Dani took a seat as she had a folder containing schedules, rules, policies, and everything else the UN thought prudent for the host to share with their off worlder. Waiting patiently, Dani poured herself a glass of water from the jug and glasses resting in the middle. She poured one for Vii as well. So far, everything was going pretty smoothly. Dani hoped it'd continue that way.​

 

[Minibit]

Vii followed her into the apartment, shedding her coat and gazing around as Dani directed her to her room. It was unfurnished, except for a small human bed and a closet in the wall; there were some hangers already in there, Vii looked at them for a second before a thought hit her and she jumped in place a little bit, scrambling to get her bag off her shoulder and open; it took her two minutes to hang all her clothes up. They looked nice; she liked this way of storing them, you could see what they looked like while you were wearing them; much nicer than the chest of clothes she was used to. The idea of decorating it was exciting; maybe she could get some flowers in here. she didn't know what kind of flowers grew on Earth; she hoped they had Apoms.

Poking her head out the door, she saw Dani waiting patiently at the table, and hurried over as quickly as caution allowed. she didn't want to break the floor or anything.

"Are there more questions?" she asked, peering at the papers organized on the table. "I answered a lot of questions already" she added, sounding simultaneously tired from the work and pleased with herself for having accomplished it.