Sid looked down at his skeletal hand. Thick and viscous water slowly dripped from it. The water was shockingly clear, and besides without the refraction and distortion it caused on his hand, it would have been hard to actually see.

He raised his eyes, and the woman was standing a few feet from him.

"It has been a while."

The woman's voice was soothing. It exuded calm and hinted a sense of absolute authority.

Sid raised an eyebrow. "Have we met before?"

She smiled at him, and Sid took a step back. Looking at her smiling face was almost like looking directly into the sun.

"Ah, I can see why that could be confusing." She covered her mouth and let out a small giggle. "Come, have a seat and I'll try to explain things."

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"But there are no..." Sid stopped as he suddenly saw a pair of armchairs next to a small table.

They were not there a moment ago, but they were definitely there now.

"Curious." Sid murmured as he looked down at the chairs cautiously.

The woman gracefully moved over to the chair and sat down. She patted the empty chair.

In a moment, Sid had walked over and sat down. "Curious," Sid murmured as he looked around at the chair he was now occupying.

"You are right," she said, "We have never met before. I meant that it had been a while since I received any visitors. Not just you specifically."

Sid looked down at his hand. It was still wet. His eyes avoided looking at her as her soothing voice surrounded him.

He looked around, and there was nothing else here. It was just vaguely bright. With nothing but their chairs, the table, and the massive archway.

He focused on the archway and the other side was still clearly the room he had been in a moment before. Just as if looking through a thick and wavy pane of glass.

"Are you comfortable?"

Sid turned back to her, almost surprised. "The temperature is satisfactory."

She smiled again.

Then, Sid's eyes grew wide as he seemed to realize something. "What is this place?"

"Oh my, now that is quite the question." She put her hand against her chest and let out a small giggle.

"It seems pertinent." Sid added.

After a moment of silence, she finally answered in her soothing voice.

"I'm sorry. That's a bit of a big question. I don't know if I can give you any sort of satisfying answer."

"Whatever the answer, that will be satisfactory."

She looked at him with sympathy. "This place is simply here. It is where we currently reside."

Sid looked at her, and his eyes squinted from the brightness. "You were correct, That is an unsatisfying answer."