The Digital World

Setting the phone on the stand near Monty, he lingered a moment more but the small dragon didn’t seem to be too concerned. His cartoons were on, a plate of crackers nearby, and a soft pillow was serving as his bed while he watched. Von also could feel Kaiser was excited to see him in the den they made together years ago, when life was much simpler than it was now. There was no reason for him to worry what would happen out here with Monty being a very capable dragon, and that was something he told himself again and again until he too accepted it. Pressing the button, he faded from the world of real existence, his body feeling a bit odd as he entered into the digital world inside the phone.

Landing in, he stood still as he looked out to the vast and empty world, knowing it would take a moment for everything to load in since he had been out of it for so long. They had found and added in so many new items, new familiars and pets, new furniture, and new decorations. Vonius was aware of everything, but hadn’t seen how they were arranged and set up. Slowly, the walls started to pixelate in, followed by furniture, den items, door ways, and whatever wall decorations Kaiser had placed up. It was interesting to watch in a way, making notes on if he was going to change the arrangements and decorations later. There was the option when he was just on his phone normally, but he often left it to the whims of Kaiser who was in here most of the time.

“Welcome back, Vonius.” Kaiser greeted, wrapped around a table in the middle of the room. The cake stood beautifully on it, untouched and looking as it did when it went in. “I’m glad you’ve finally returned to the den, I hope it is to your liking.”

“You’ve kept it very well decorated, I hope more so you enjoy it as you are here the most.” Opening his arms, he did hug the dragon, getting a soft and happy murr noise as Kaiser wrapped his mostly transparent arms around him as well. He had missed his rider, and had been out even less with Curt paying visits at random.

Looking around, it appeared they were in the dining room with the adjacent rooms being the living room and kitchen. The living room was in a way separated, but for the most part was an open floor plan area for the larger dragon to easily slither in and out as he wanted. Door ways did have doors there but were slid away, company not often coming in and as such there was little reason to close off rooms.

“I’ll go get a knife and utensils, I’m not sure how long I’ll be free today.” It was a weekend, but he could be called upon at any moment. It was a shame, knowing Kaiser would have enjoyed spending the rest of the day with him, but he didn’t know how to clear his schedule to make such happen. Even when he did, something always came up to call him from the quality time or resting time he very much needed.

“I understand, they should be in their old spots.” Not one to use the kitchen, Kaiser had no use for cooking as he could eat everything as it came in.

Petting the dragon as he went to the kitchen, it was quite nice and large to accommodate Kaiser if he did want to use the area. Opening an upper cabinet, there were porcelain plates stacked neatly as he expected. There were a few different sizes, ranging from small saucers to large serving platters fit for a centerpiece. Von took what was a medium sized dish, not expecting himself to have a large slice. Draws under the counter had one type of utensil between them, lined up neatly and were a beautiful shimmering silver color. It was easy to just go down the line, grabbing a fork, a cutting knife, and then return to the table where Kaiser was waiting patiently. It was amazing in a way how well organized Kaiser kept things, but as he never slept he supposed it could have been from boredness.

Vonius paused to look out the open window, watching familiars play out in the open grassy yard, pixelated birds and scenery looked to be almost real until they moved in a mechanical way. The world wasn’t a perfect one, it went through many updates and rebuilding processes throughout the years, but if he wasn’t so worried about what would happen with his unwatched phone this would be a lovely place to rest in. It was his den, made with love and reason by his dragon and himself, but became a place for his dragons over the years.

The process of serving the cake went as expected, Vonius deciding to sit on the floor with Kaiser as his support instead of on the couch that was in a perfect spot for television watching. The cake was sweet and strongly flavored, something Von wasn’t fond of, but that meant there was just more for Kaiser who was filled with the emotion of happiness and bliss. Oh how he missed the calmer days, the days him and the rider would nap together and just be close. They were still on wonderful terms, but it was lonely staying in the phone even if he never mentioned it.

“Von!” Monty called, the mouse’s face popping onto the tv as Vonius sat up a little, rousing Kaiser who had settled in for a peaceful lay.

“Yes, Monty?”

“Curt called and said he wanted to come over, so I said yes. He’ll be here in a bit.”

“Alright, thank you, I’ll be out in a moment.” As the screen returned to what they were watching, Vonius could now feel sadness radiating from his stone faced dragon. He felt bad, he wanted his dragon to be as loved as he did love him, but they both knew that wasn’t a possibility all the time.

“I understand, you should leave to prepare for Curt’s arrival.”

“We’re probably going out, so I’ll get you a lovely gift or find something to make one for you, is that acceptable?” Thinking it over, Kaiser rubbed his face against the gentle rider.

“The best gift you can give me is your time, so worry not about material things. Maybe if there is time left in the day you can return to watch a movie?”

“I can possibly do that, yeah.” Vonius felt guilt wash over him, but Kaiser assured him through their bond that it was fine. At the very least, Von gave Kaiser's face a gentle kiss before he got up, knowing the dragon was fond of his affection even if vocally he never said so.

“Stay safe, Kaiser. Once the house is fully set up you can come out more.” Waving, the rider pixelated as he vanished. The strange sensation was now replaced with one of sorrow, Von wishing he could have made Kaiser’s day more special... but landing back in the real world, he had no time to linger as he started getting ready for the blond’s arrival.