Now that she was going to help the Cosmic, Ireree recomposed her demeanor and prepared herself for the undertaking. Of course, her outburst had obviously startled them.

Ireree hasn’t spoken for a while. Did I upset her? Did I make her mad? What’s she going to do? Could I still get away? As the nerve-wracking silence drew out Oto’s thoughts piled up and grew more desperate.

Ireree interrupted these thoughts when her form began to diminish. To alleviate the Cosmic’s nervousness, she intended to assume her avatar form and invite them into her rest stage. From Oto’s perspective, it was like watching a balloon deflate. Then a circular structure appeared within her and grew out as she shrank and vanished into it.

“Please come in.”

Oto was still scared of her, but felt a welcoming presence from the softer voice speaking to them. On thought, they were rushed to the edge of the ring, which was made-up of intertwining stone doorways, windowsills and columns forming a crumbling walkway that encircling an open space at the center.

Beyond the outer frame, was a a crystalline dais illuminated by an inner glow with shades of blue, green and violet. A glass table and chair stood at the center of the floor beside the smaller Ireree.

“Have a seat.”

Oto accepted Ireree’s invitation and floated toward the table. Having a physical location seemed to make it easier to control their movements, since their motions were smoother and steadier. The chair pulled away from the table as they approached and pulled back to the table once they sat down.

“Is this more comfortable?”

“Yes, thank you. What is this place.”

“I suppose it could be called ‘my workspace’ since I usually to do my fabricating and designing here. It’s also a nice place for entertaining guests.”

As they talked, Oto took in the majesty of the structure and they couldn’t argue with her statement. The outer walls were crumbling, but the elegance of the archways and columns stood strong against the decay. Some rafters stretched upward to create a dome frame outlining the celestial bodies overhead. It all glowed with the radiance of a mythological astrology aesthetic.

“Would you like some refreshments?”

A pitcher manifested on the table and began to pour water into a cup.

“Thank you.”