Cederick was still standing there wondering if he shouldn’t just turn around and leave Ozzy to his absurd advancement and eventual demise, when he heard something from the far end of the path. Turning he saw Ozzy getting up from his recliner. Schooling his face he hoped Ozzy had been sleeping as it appeared and Greeted him enthusiastically. “Hey Ozzy!” He started and tried to hold back the wariness from his voice. He wasn’t exactly afraid of Ozzy right now, but suspected that wouldn’t be the case very soon. “I found Somebody for you to meet!”
Ozzy seemed confused for a moment before he asked “Are you ok? I thought I heard you shout or something”.
The comment clarified the look for Cederick who tried to save face as quickly as he could. “Oh! Sorry. I bonked into one of your trees when I walked in” he chuckled in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner as he made the excuse and half truth to cover it. He wanted to shake himself out of this train of thought, and course of action, but his nature to smooth over the conversation was too ingrained. He’d met far too many here who’d taken advantage at the slightest hint of fear or weakness. Again he felt a bit of anger at himself. He wasn’t afraid of Ozzy and he wasn’t weaker than him. It was just clear the guy had some tricks he was using. Which again fit in with everything Benjamin had said. It was best if Cederick pawned him off on Vonder and distanced himself as Benjamin had done. “Anyway! I found somebody who I think you’d love to meet and was willing to do the same.”
Ozzy looked embarrassed, and worried, for a second about the trees, but his face lit up when Cederick mentioned meeting someone. “Oh that’s great! And uh, sorry about the trees” He blurted out seemingly stumbling on what he wanted to say first.
Cederick was glad Ozzy was on the back foot now. He felt a mite bit bad throwing him off so much, but he would rather that than to be the one squirming himself. “It’s totally fine,” he offered “It didn’t actually hurt, but it was just unexpected”. He waved at the trees around him and continued “It seems you have a much better green thumb than I do.” He was annoyed at that, but he had others to trade fruit, other food, and other supplies with. “But, I better show you to the meeting spot, Vonder is setting things up already” Again a partial truth “Just follow me”. With that he jumped to their initial meeting spot once more.
It was a good five seconds before Ozzy showed up behind him. During which Cederick wondered if he’d made a mistake in how he’d played the interaction. After Ozzy did show up he nodded and jumped again. Ending up in a very similar location. A haven with 9 grassy squares where Ozzy more quickly appeared beside him. Though that was where the similarities ended. In this new haven there was a small table on the central square with three chairs sitting around it. On one of which sat a well dressed man petting a cat. “Ozzy, this is Vonder. Vonder, Ozzy.” He began though before he could continue Vonder interrupted.
“Welcome Ozzy, and welcome back Cederick, please sit” he invited them in his interesting accent while gesturing to the two unoccupied chairs.
“I’m sorry guys, but I’d forgotten a few things I was supposed to handle earlier” He interjected “I did get some of it wrapped up but It’s just really important that I handle this. If you’d excuse me please”. The pleading again angered him but he didn’t really know how else to get away.
It didn’t seem to phase Vonder though who cordially responded “Of course Cederick, I wouldn’t dream of holding you from your obligations. Ozzy and I will simply have a nice chat and we’ll talk some other time”
“Alright, um, thanks! BYE!” He said waving, and then jumped away. Hopefully for the last time to see either of them.
----------------------------------------
Ozzy stood stunned as he watched the interaction between the two. Something was definitely off here. For a moment he’d thought that Cederick had been saying ‘what the fuck’ because of Ozzy’s invasion of his home. Then he’d acted like it was all just because he bonked his head. He could tell it was acting, but it almost felt like the thing he was hiding was … fear or worry. Something along those lines at least. Then he’d suddenly whisked him off to see this Vonder guy. Which he’d wondered for a moment if it was some kind of trap before following.
When the unassuming gentlemen sitting in front of him stroking a cat was what he stepped into he was again frozen. Though this time it was in confusion. Of all the things he had thought could possibly greet him when he arrived, some random well dressed man sitting at a garden tea party stroking a cat was not one of them. Then came Cedericks poor excuse to leave which threw things off even further. If this was an ambush, or trap, wouldn't two be better than one? Could this really just be a normal human reaction? Over what appeared to be tea no less. He’d likely have continued to be confused and toss around ideas for the next few minutes if Vonder didn’t break his train of thought.
“Well I guess Cederick wasn’t in a chatty mood today.” The man, supposedly Vonder, joked. “I do hope that you’ve got more than just staring or leaving in the plans for the day”. He smiled before continuing. “The tea is quite nice, as are the sandwiches, and mister Sandford here,” he added while hefting the cat in his lap.
The posh attitude, pristine setting, and the odd accent all were so far outside of Ozzy’s expectation for what would be happening today that he still remained silent for a time. He did step forward eventually and sat at one of the chairs, adjusting it to be opposite from Vonder. He cleared his throat and explained “Yes, apologies, Cederick was interesting today and… it’s…” Then trailed off not sure what he could say to explain just how not with it he was right now.
“It is completely normal and fully expected for anyone just showing up in this place to be rather put out” He picked up the conversation smoothly before letting it touch the ground. “You should have seen Cederick the first time I met him”
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“Wait, um, where is this place” Ozzy butted in “Or what is it?” He corrected. Wondering why he hadn’t tried asking Cederick these questions, although even as he thought it he knew he’d been holding back with the boy, not wanting to overwhelm him. He was still a child after all.
“That is a great question. One which not a single person has answered well enough that I could believe them.” He answered matter of factly. “I would try to answer it myself but it would be mostly speculation” He clarified while taking a sip of tea.
“Ok” Ozzy said relaxing somewhat, “I wouldn’t mind you taking a stab at it anyway”. He hoped this conversation wasn’t going to be sidestep after non answer followed quickly with non sequiturs. While he waited for a response he grabbed a glass and poured some tea. They were not porcelain and had no paint on them but they were still very well made for wherever the hell this was.
“In that case I would probably describe this place as something between. Possibly after or before, depending on how you look at it.” He said while looking to the side, at the second sentence he tilted his head a bit side to side. He looked at Ozzy as if that was some kind of explanation, and Ozzy was about to write off any investment into this conversation when he continued. “To put it more succinctly I think we are nowhere. We’ve been ejected from wherever we previously resided and landed in the leftover bits between worlds”. Again Ozzy found the man looking to him for a response, but he didn’t really have one to give. Luckily Vonder stepped in once more. “It may not be a good answer, or the best answer, and likely not THE ANSWER. Which it’s why I gave the caveat, but I think it’s the best explanation I’ve heard from anyone here”.
Ozzy sat in silence sipping the tea and munching on a sandwich for a moment. The tea had a fruity flavor and something nagged at him saying that tea was only dried leaves, so this wasn’t tea. He rolled his eyes at himself as there were more pressing things to question. Though it was likely his mind's attempt to run from the possibilities that answer opened up. Mainly the ever increasing chances that he was dead. He still had a little hope that he’d fallen through the cracks into the actual back rooms of the universe instead. Though what was the difference really. If he had died to show up here, then what difference did it make? It didn’t really change the situation he found himself in. “That makes a certain amount of sense,” he admitted finally.
“Well an answer can only be as good as the question which preceded it” Vonder quipped. He had a habit of attempting to lower himself while raising up those around him in a way to put people at ease. Ozzy felt a little annoyed that it was working so well.
“So, is this your place?” Ozzy asked to keep the conversation going. While Vonder seemed great at making sure the conversation didn’t die, he also allowed it to get dangerously close from time to time. Likely to encourage others to talk. “It’s pretty nice,” he added as an afterthought.
“Oh no, This is Mr. Sandfords!” Vonder said while raising the cat once more. As if that made total sense. In what appeared to be another tick of his he continued after a moment. “The cat is something of a pet of mine, and I’ve taken to using his original home as a nice meeting spot.” That comment made Ozzy remember about connections to other havens and he ran a quick check on them. Finding only two, one he confirmed was the one he’d just stepped from and the other he made a mental note of. He almost reached out to it out of habit but barely held himself back. That’s when Vonder continued with a large smile on his face. “It’s always best to meet in a haven not your own, and of course I never go anywhere directly from my own haven.”
The addition made Ozzy realize something about Vonder that he hadn’t been paying attention to until now. The man wasn’t looking him directly in the eyes. He was looking at his face, and the top half of it, it was just about an inch above his eyes. Blinking slowly he allowed his new sight to settle in the place where all his new abilities had originated from. With this vantage point Vonder’s eyes were locked dead on. When he opened his eyes again they weren’t what he was looking with. For some reason he’d let himself be shocked enough to completely forget about his new capabilities and hadn’t examined the man. What he saw made him confused and at first slightly relaxed.
Vonder, like Cederick, had no domain. Not even a wisp of one past his skin. Unlike Cederick he didn’t have that same strange membrane skin combo that blocked his sight. He also didn’t have any vortex of energy surrounding him. Instead he could see straight through him. Well he could see through most of him. There wasn’t a domain inside the man either. Not a single bit of him seemed to give off a hint of any of the things that he’d come to associate with strength. What he could see was something completely new. In the man's forehead, in about the same location as Ozzy had felt pressure when he’d first tried to ‘open the curtains’ in his haven, there was something shining brightly like a star.
That little dot in his head somehow seemed to be easily larger and denser than all of the imp’s domains he’d seen so far combined. He instinctively tried to reach out and feel the strength of it directly but his domain couldn’t get any closer to the man. Which was when he realized his domain was pressed close to his body on the front. Around the man Ozzy’s domain was pushed back as if there was an exclusion zone. His domain wasn’t just pushed back to his skin. The sides were blown behind him like a cape. The pressure from that single point of strength in this man's head was brushing away all the strength he’d gathered so far as if it were nothing.
“You’ve asked so many good questions” Vonder’s words shocked Ozzy out of his examination. “And, now I have a question for you” He added with a serious tone that made Ozzy shrink back from him slowly. With a quick glance around he wondered if he should run now. Was this what made Benjamin reject him before meeting him? Was this what got Cederick so flustered today? Vonder tapped his own forehead causing Ozzy to flinch “How did you injure yourself so badly?”