Welcome to Azukki

Moving Day

Dear Mom,

Just boarded the train. There aren't that many people, it's a little eerie. However, watching all the trees fly by reminds me of why I chose to leave. I miss you! This will be my first night living on my own and I already have no idea what I'm going to do without you. It's okay, though. I think this will be good for both of us. I'm not sure how long this ride will be, but my excitement is starting to kick in. Tell dad I say hi.

Write soon,

Poki

~~~~~

June 7th

11:00 pm

Poki stared out at the night sky, watching the endless array of trees zoom by. She closed her eyes, hoping to get some rest after a late night with her family, but the irritating bumps of the train and the flutter of butterflies in her stomach kept her wide awake. Despite trying multiple positions and even using her backpack as a pillow, Poki realized that she wasn't going to get any shut-eye until she found herself in a bed. Putting all pride aside, she sprawled across the entire seat in a somewhat comfortable fetal position, allowing herself to slowly drift off into a light slumber...

"Hard, isn't it?"

Poki jolted awake with a yelp and scanned for whoever just spoke way too loudly for 11 pm. She looked up and saw a smiley blue cat staring down at her. Beat red, she quickly shuffled back up to a sitting position and combed her fingers through her hair, attempting to ease the bedhead.

"Oh sorry to have scared ya there!" The cat laughed with a smile. "I saw you struggling to fall asleep. It sure is hard. I've been traveling forever and I only just perfected the art of sleeping on a train."

Poki forced a smile and politely laughed, hoping that the cat would kindly let her get back to sleep.

"Lying down in the seats is honestly the best way to go. It's the only way I can fall asleep" the cat shrugged and laughed. "Mind if I sit here?" He asked, gesturing to the seat across Poki.

Poki, already uncomfortable with the fact that this cat was watching her sleep, was very close to telling this idiot to leave her alone. Who disturbs someone from sleeping, to do nothing other than comment on them sleeping? Despite her deep frustration, she did not have the energy to start any conflict. She puts on a smile and tosses her arm gesturing for him to sit.

"Hey, thanks! Traveling can get quite lonely, can't it? But part of the fun is making friends along the way! You travel much?"

Poki, determined to get this cat to leave immediately, simply shook her head and muttered a sharp "no."

"Ah, that's a shame. It really is fun! I'm sure settling down somewhere is fun too of course." The cat glanced at his watch, "ah dang, this thing's gotten all outta whack again. Mind telling me the time?"

"11:11 pm"

"Haha! Lucky number!" Rover giggled cheerfully before relaxing back in his seat, "Sure Is late, huh."

"Yep," Poki responded bitterly.

"Well, thanks for letting me chat with you! It's been fun. You're a pretty cool cat." The cat laughed once more.

Poki smiled and nodded, unsure of what was fun about their brief conversation. She began to get re-situated in her sleeping position so she could maybe get a little rest before arriving at her new home.

"So what's your name?"

Poki looked back up to see the cat staring intently. Despite their previous statement, which sounded like a farewell, the cat apparently had no intention of moving, "oh! Um..." Poki quickly evaluated whether it was worth giving a real name, "Poki." She blurted, unable to think of an alias in time.

"Took you a minute there huh? Hahaha, cat got your tongue? Ahaha!" The cat roared, finding his overdone joke much funnier than he should've. "My name's Rover. Good to meet ya Poki!"

Realizing that the chances of this cat leaving and having a restful train ride were waning fast, Poki decided to give the cat a chance and humor him until she reached her stop.

"Poki! I love that name! It's fantastically cute!" The cat continued.

"Sure is!" Poki stated with a forced laugh. When you get past his ridiculous social unawareness and overexcitement, he was actually kind of sweet. 

"So, tell me Poki, where you headed?"

"Oh, it's a small town called Azukki. I had never heard of it which is why I wanted to go"

"Ah! A woman of adventure! I like that! You know, I know almost every town on this train line, and I haven't heard of it either. Do ya mind pointing it out?" Rover passed over the map with haste, which was covered in handwritten town names, chaotic circles, and uneven checkmarks.

Poki scanned the map, looking for a place that resembles the layout she saw online. "I think it's this one", she hesitantly pointed at a small, fairly barren area.

"Oh, so you're not sure?" The cat laughed. "You really are adventurous! That place doesn't look like it has much going on. That doesn't bother you does it?"

"Oh no, I'm looking for somewhere a little quieter. This will only be temporary."

"Oh! Alright then. I'm assuming you've never been there since you just told me you've never heard of it and you could barely place it on the map. Either that or you are just awful at geography"

Poki chuckled, "well I'm definitely not the best at geography, but you're right I've never been."

"You said something about this being temporary. Why exactly are you going there?"

"I'm moving."

"Ah! Wanted to shake things up? You look awfully young, first time by yourself?"

"Yes, I've decided to get a new place away from my parents. I love them, but my old town was just too packed and not very scenic. There were people but no community."

"Ah, I see. Well, I hope you get to visit your parents every now and then."

Poki nodded. She felt bad leaving her mother behind, she knew that her mom wanted to leave just as much as Poki herself, "hopefully they can visit me too."

"Hmm, that'd be nice." Rover sighed and stared out the window. His energy was almost the opposite of what it was when he first met her. Either he was entranced by the trees or lost in his mind, Poki couldn't say. The train bounced back and forth, yet everything felt still.

The comfortable silence was soon interrupted, "So you've never been there right? Did you house hunt online?" Rover exclaimed as he snapped out of his trance.

Poki jolted up, grabbing her skirt, "oh! I tried, but they said I needed to arrive before purchasing a plot of land. It was a little confusing but I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Hah. That's the spirit." The cat leaned back in his seat and glanced at his watch. "I'm sorry for keeping you up this late. It's been a while since I've traveled this much, I used to ride trains all the time back in '02, only recently started up again. Meeting friendly faces makes it a lot easier. I haven't really had this much fun on a train ride in a while."

A calming jingle rang throughout the train car, "Now arriving at Azukki Station!"

"Oh! Guess it's your stop! Hey, I really hope you enjoy your life in Azukki. I'm sure it'll be everything you hoped. Maybe I'll see you on another train when you go on your next adventure! Good luck, Poki! Bye-bye!" Rover smiled gently, his overzealous excitement that he introduced himself with had faded, leaving a warm kitten with a kind heart.

Poki smiled, "Bye Rover. It was really nice talking to you".

Poki grabbed her bags and fixed her hair, glancing back at Rover, who gave a polite wave. Maybe he isn't so bad after all.