The Veil Between

Chapter Eight | A Journey To A Hidden Land

Chapter Eight | A Journey To A Hidden Land

The week passed by uneventfully at most, and a lot slower than anyone would have guessed, though that was most likely because everyone was excited to visit an entirely new world unlike any they had ever seen before.

Jason had taken most of the week off, on Vano's orders.

The EMT had put him on bed rest, and Jason wasn't about to argue, since he wanted to be rested up enough to be reading to get up and go when Tobias came to get them, as traveling with him to a new world was something he definitely did not want to miss.

He had been sleeping at Vano's, just so the other could help him out while he was recovering. They were meeting Tobias at Anna's bar at noon, so Jason got up and got dressed in his uniform, which Vano had cleaned, much to Jason's gratitude. Once he was ready, he stretched out, wincing and sighing softly. He could walk, but was still quite sore, though he decided it was something he could push through for the day.

Once they had gathered their things, they headed to Anna's to meet up with her, and await the magician's arrival.

Tobias had woken up from a bit of a restless sleep, his chest bubbling with nerves about returning home and having his father be displeased with him and what he had been doing since leaving home. Would he be angry that Tobias had made friends with such mortals, despite Tobias trusting their character and deciding to assist them? Most likely.

He got dressed and stood in front of the large vanity mirror, brushing his hair and tying it back so it remained out of his face, keeping every single hair in place with magic so he would not get frustrated by it. Then, he headed downstairs, to make some tea and find Edward to inquire if the spirit was ready to go. Though, when he entered the kitchen, he found the ghost waiting eagerly for him, and his question was answered.

"Good morning!" Edward chirped, floating over to him to land his hands on Tobias' shoulders and swirl around him happily. "How did you sleep? Good, I hope! So, when shall we be leaving? I am alive with jitters and I am not sure if they are from excitement or nervousness for the coming adventures today!"

"I will be having my tea first, then, if you are all ready, we shall head off," Tobias smiled sweetly, finding the other's giddiness to be quite endearing. He waved his hand, the kettle filling with water and floating to the burner, which lit up.

"Of course I'm ready, it's not like I need to pack or anything," Edward wrapped around Tobias' arm and clung to him like a needy child, probably not even aware of his own actions, or the fact that he was being quite touchy. "What would I even bring? A ghost suitcase full of clothing that I cannot even change into?"

Tobias smiled a little bit in lieu of laughing at Edward's joke, rubbing his eyes to try and wipe the sleep away, though he found quickly that it did not work. The ghost noticed this and looked at him for a long moment, almost a bit worriedly.

"You don't look like you slept very well, is everything alright? What is wrong?"

"Nothing is necessarily wrong..." Tobias gave him a gentle sigh as he prepared his tea. "I am just a bit nervous about returning home, especially with so many guests. I know my mother will be delighted to have company, I already told her and she said it would be fine, but I still feel like my father will be quite upset with me."

"Oh, let the spoilsport be miserable if he wants to be, but you shouldn't let it ruin your happiness," Edward shrugged and floated backwards, giving Tobias some space. "You were looking forward to this visit. Don't let him change that."

"He's not usually like this, that's the thing," Tobias sighed heavily and sat at the table, sipping his tea once he cooled it down. "He only started to act strange a little over a year ago now... he was often fine and happy during the day but in the evenings and night he got more irritable. Sometimes it seemed like he was afraid to sleep and it made him angry. Then he's just... quiet in the morning, like he's confused. I thought at first it might have been a magical illness, but I found nothing like that in my books."