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my way.
    "You want any help, missus? I'll work for magic," came a gentle, caressing voice. I looked down at the upturned and hopeful face of a young sprite, arms already outstretched to take my bags.
    "Sure, why not?" I passed them over, put a hand to the little fellow's head, and gave just a tiny down payment, feeling the magic flow through my fingertips to give a taster of what it wanted.
    The effect was instant. He grew about a foot and the smile got even wider.
    "Ooh, that's good stuff. Where to?"
    "Um, not sure exactly. I'll let you know when we get there. As long as we are done here?" I turned to the two men, who were frowning at the sprite.
    "We're done when we say we are. What, you think the freak is worth talking to but we aren't?"
    "Well, yeah. I think this sprite has treated me with kindness, is polite, and is trying to help me, and I don't think you two are worthy of cleaning its boots."
    "Should I help you?" asked the sprite, face angry—I knew it could rip them to bits in a flash. They look kind of cute, but they are all about manners, and woe-betide anyone that treats them with disrespect.
    "No, that's okay. But thanks. These gentlemen were just leaving, weren't you?"
    "No, we weren't," said one of them as he moved forward and went to grab my arm.
    I gave him an uppercut to the base of his nose and blood spurted across his buddy's face like a lesson in pain. The guy's nose was broken, splintered and irreparable, and as he put his hand to his face the other man lunged for me. I kicked his leg out from under him and sent him falling to the ground.
    He looked up at me with hate and humiliation, then panicked and checked to see who was watching. The sprite and I stared, faces impassive, and watched until they left without another word.
    Why is it that some people feel the need to make others feel small because they think they can? The Rift has done one great favor for humanity, it has shown us in our true light, and slowly but surely the bad apples are getting tossed. Maybe one day all that will remain will be kindness, but for now all we have is hope, and on days like this I have serious doubts about whether we deserve to be saved or if all we deserve is each other.
    The sprite picked up my bags again and we walked while I munched on dry cereal, ate a banana, and looked forward to a proper meal when I got home, wherever home was now.
    I made a call once my stomach gave me permission, then had a lovely conversation with the sprite while we wandered through the streets towards the destination I was given.
    I tried not to frown at the new choice of home when we finally made it, gave a generous jolt of magic to my new friend as he put down my shopping, and felt rather good about myself. The now five feet and growing young aide wandered off, whistling and with a spring in his step.
    Sometimes it's nice to feel useful.
    Now, about this house.

 
     
     
    Bit Religious
    "A church! You have got to be kidding me," I said as I stepped inside the admittedly impressive building.
    "What? It's nice, isn't it? All this head room," replied Mack, stretching out with his arms, arching his back and looming—he's really good at looming.
    Zeno was beside him, looking just as happy, spinning in a circle, face practically angelic. "It's amazing. It feels a little more like home. Why you humans live in such little boxes when you have large houses like this to live in, I'll never understand."
    I put the shopping down on a pew and said, "It's not a house, it's a church. You can't live in churches." I thought for a moment. "Well, people do, once they are deconsecrated or something, and I guess people renovate them, but this is different." I wasn't sure how, but it simply isn't the kind of thing you do, is it? I was a little muddled, unsure of the situation, and I hate feeling that way.
    Could we? Was it all right? I wouldn't want to step on anyone's toes, literally or divinely.
    My friends just stared at me, at a loss. They were merely