Needle and Thread

Amethyst

[<3 <> <3< c3<]

Roxy woke up feeling gross. She'd been facedown in a pillow wet with her tears and snot. On her lap sat a towel spotted with blood. 

"Eugh," she said. "Glad I installed that bathroom..." She tossed the pillow and the towel into a tube labeled TO BE DISINFECTED and walked over to the bathroom, smoothing out her wrinkled clothes.

She took her scarf off, turned on the faucet, and stuck her head in the sink. The cold water helped rinse away some of the mess, but didn't do much other than clear her head a little. Roxy withdrew her head and turned the faucet off in favor of the shower. She quickly stripped and sat down in the little stall and let the warm rain falling from the showerhead roll down her arms and legs. Roxy sighed in relief and in a quavering voice, began to sing.

"We all have got a role to play.

The lioness, she stalks her prey.

He's bleeding in the tall grass, unaware his thrashing makes him easier to follow.

And when she gets him in her claws

she'll invite him in because

her cave is not a home, without him, it's just a hole that is lonely and hollow... "**

Roxy trailed off, unable to finish the song. "Dang. I can't remember the next lines. How's that for irony, huh?"

**song is Furever by PhemieC. I didn't make this song up. You can also find it up top :)

[$^$]

Winter sat in front of a paused game, looking at the bank-vault door. After a couple minutes passed, he tried to return to his game but always ended up staring at the door once more.Finally, it creaked and opened to let Ananda bound into the room.

"Is she okay?" Winter asked, standing up.

"She is... no. I don't think she is okay," Ananda replied. "I don't think she will ever be okay, but she is decidedly less okay than usual right now."

"Crap," Winter said. "It's my fault. Last night, I brought up Orly..."

Ananda shrugged. "There is nothing we can do now. She is showering. Perhaps when she next comes to see us, she will be better. And we will know what not to bring up." Ananda walked over to Winter and hugged him. "It is hard for you to see her like this, and that is good. You still have your humanity. Perhaps you can help her, just by being there, and being her friend."

[AXL-50%=0]

It didn't take Andesine long to find East. As soon as Andesine teleported to the forest's edge, he appeared."Don't go near her, man," he said. "She's really angry--"

"She's been angry before," Andesine replied. "And I'm pretty sure she's angrier at you than at me." He looked East up and down. Never had he ever seen an air elemental look so disheveled.

"You must've done something really stupid."

"All I did was try to kiss her!"

"Like I said, really stupid. Where is she?"

"I don't know," East said. "I just wandered... but I think she's that way?" He pointed to Andesine's left. "She's insane!" He blurted out, just as Andesine turned to leave.

Andesine turned around with a gleam in his eye that made East uncomfortable. But all he said was, "I know."

[Fandom+ (1)]

When Lyra woke up, someone was leaning over her and smiling with five rows of sharklike teeth and eyes that looked like a fly's.

"Agh!" Lyra pushed the person off of her and grabbed her sword, which had been lhying on the ground, and her glasses. She jammed them on her nose.

"wh47? d0n'7 y4 r3m3m83r m3?"

Lyra relaxed. "Oh. You. That weird person from last night."

"y34h, m3." They laughed, shaking a mane of golden hair. Sparks danced along their skin.

Lyra stood up, taking them in. Even though they reminded her distinctly of a pirhanna, they were about the size of a kindergartener and wearing clothes to match: some overalls, and underneath a shirt striped in all the colors of the rainbow. They floated about three feet off the ground, legs crossed."You're a starlight elemental," she realized.

"c0uldn'74 pu7 17 83773r my53lf," the other said. "1'm 5un."

"Sun? Which sun?"

"7h47 0n3," Sun said, pointing directly up. "up 480v3. 73chn1c4lly 5p34k1ng, 7h47 15 m3. '5 why y0u c4n'7 533 m3 47 n1gh7. 'C05 73chn1c4lly, 1'm n07 3v3n h3r3!"

"Oh," Lyra said. "So, can I trust you?"

"dud3, 1f 1 w45n'7 7ru57w0r7hy 4F 7h3r3 w0uldn'7 b3 4ny l1f3 on 7h15 h3r3 r0ck."

"Good point," Lyra said.

"Lyra? You talking to someone possibly untrustworthy again?"

"Andesine?!" Lyra asked exitedly, but caught herself. "It's none of your business!"

"Yeah, it is," Andesine said, as he stepped into the clearing. "Firstly, because you need to live long enough to save this miserable rock and everyone on it, and secondly because I did not die just to have you waste everything and talk to some unknown Starlight elemental."

"0h, h1m," Sun said. "l00k5 l1k3 7h3 fun tr41n h45 c0m3 t0 4 full 570p."

"Dude, it's the sun," Lyra said. "They're totally trustworthy."

"The sun?" Andesine looked at Sun pensively. "Aren't you a little small?"

"1 D1DN'7 C0M3 H3R3 70 G37 73453D 480U7 MY H31GH7!"

"I'm sure he didn't mean it," Lyra said. "He's just a troublemaker. Ever since I met him, that's all I get. Haha."

"1 7h1nk h3 m1gh7 h4v3 4 5u8c0nc10u5 d347h w15h," Sun replied. "1f 4ny0n3 n33d5 pr073c71ng, 17'5 h1m."

"That's sweet of you," Andesine said sarcastically. "Anyways, I just wanted to give Lyra this and I'll be on my merry way. You can't perform the Universe Spell or whatever they call it without it." He took out the Death Temple key.

"What's that?" Lyra asked.

"There's a... what number are we on? Seventh? Yeah, there's a seventh element, the Death element. I met a Death elemental, died temporarily, got flirted at by a spirit, and grabbed this from the Death Temple."

"You died temporarily?""Yeah," Andesine said. "I mean, it only works on rock elementals, but my aunt can cook up temporary death."

"Neato," Lyra said. "Maybe I should keep you around."

"h3 l1v3d w17h 4un713 0p4l? W0w, g00d 8y3 fun 7r41n, h3ll0 7r4g1c 7r41n," Sun said.

"I don't want your pity," Andesine snapped.

"Andesine, can you not fight with people for once?" Lyra asked. "Thanks. Here, I'll take the key--"She reached for the silvery key, but her hand passed right through it.

"17'5 l0ck3d 0n h1m," Sun said. "y0u c4n'7 u53 17."

"Dang!" Lyra barked. "I can't open the Universe Gate and save everybody without it?"

"Not without dying," Andesine replied. "Crap. I didn't know this would happen."

"w3lp, l00k5 l1k3 y0u'r3 57uck 70g37h3r," Sun said. "7h1s'll 83 h1l4r10u5. l37'5 g0! 70 7h3 574rl1gh7 73empl3!"