I think I'm going to have to be leaving Martin soon. He won't notice I'm gone of course, he'll just think that he's started sleeping a little bit better than he's been the last few nights.
That's fair, I think. I don't like taking rest away from people. Especially those whose only respite is the sweet oblivion beyond the wall of sleep. I put it that way, because I've been noticing that Martin has been growing more restless. He didn't shave today, and that's completely unlike him. He shaves everyday.
While watching this particular change in his demeanor, I felt a suspicion grow in the back of my mind, and slowly move forward. I hadn't seen him around, but I strongly suspected the Officiant was here somewhere. That is just sort of the effect he has on people, and Martin doesn't deserve his... attention.
So I spent most of this evening keeping watch. quietly, in an out of the way corner, and when Martin came home from work, I kept an eye out. Not on him. Watching the Officiant's target never does any good. You have to be sneaky.
I watched any reflective surface that Martin seemed to be facing, and sure enough, I caught a quick glimpse of the Officiant in the window of the microwave. Martin turned to see, but of course, there was nothing there. They almost never see him in front of them. Always in reflection, or out of the corner of their eye.
I mentioned it once to one of the Teliki, but they told me that there was nothing they could do. The Laws that I live under, and the Laws that he lives under are two different sets. I can do things he can't, and he can do things I can't, and the Teliki can do things neither of us can do.
So I made the decision to come out of hiding, and once again confronted him.
"You really should be nicer to him," I said. "He's not a bad guy."
The Officiant, as he always does on these occasions, spoke without speaking. It was almost like he could alter reality so that the words he wanted to say had been said, even though he had never really said them.
Nor am I, my little friend.
"Well, yeah, you kind of are. Besides, he's outside of your jurisdiction. You can't do anything to him."
No one is outside of my jurisdiction."True," I said, "but you have Laws you have to follow just as I do."
Without moving, the Officiant suddenly came forward, and was standing inches away from me. One second there, the next dreadfully and terribly here. A tendril of black energy emerged from his body, and lashed out at me, wrapping itself around me, holding me in place and he dragged me forward and upward to look him dead on.
Try. To. Stop. Me.
The tendril of energy was joined by a second. If not for your interference, I would have had the fortune teller, a third tendril, If not for you, I would have accomplished my purpose. But you interfere. Every time. More tendrils, all surrounding me. Then he hurled me away, sending me sprawling. Don't interfere again. I can and will destroy you.
When I got up, and looked around, he was gone.
I turned and looked at Martin, who was nonchalantly sitting at the table, reading a book and waiting for his microwave meal to cool.
So, like I said, I think I'm going to have to leave Martin, and find someplace else. But not yet. I've got some time. And he's not entirely right. He talks big, but he can't destroy me, any more than I could destroy him. We can, in his words, interfere with each other, but not destroy.
And before you ask, no, I don't know what his purpose is. Everything I've seen him do seems to be random. If he's building toward something, I have absolutely no idea what it is, or how to stop it, or even what I did to apparently stop it before.
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