Needle and Thread

And Pearl

[@2D3D4D]

Benny collapsed to the ground, curled up in a ball. Nereida looked at him quizzically, just as an enormous snake with a falcon's head wriggled into view. Its mouth was open, obviously singing, but she heard nothing.

She got up and stood in front of Benny protectively, readying the various weapons she carried at all times.The falcon came closer and closer. Nereida was about to leap at it when a familiar feeling overtook her.

She raised her hands and for one second, saw a sword of pure diamond. As if hypnotized, she said in a voice much more powerful than her own, "Leave, servant. This one does not die yet."The monster looked at her, and at her sword, and gave a piercing cry before turning around and leaving at twice the speed at which it came.

Benny stirred. "Nereida?"

"Weird monster thing," Nereida said. "I fought it off. Ran away to lick its wounds. Anyways--"

"You fought it off?" Benny asked. He took a quick glance around the clearing. "There's no sign of a struggle."

"It was a bloody coward!" Nereida replied cheerfully. "I didn't really even scratch it."Benny looked at her suspiciously, but shrugged.

"Okay," he said. "I'm not going to question you, but you can expect the full Spanish Inquisition later."

"What's Spainish?" Nereida asked.

"A country where they used to ask a lot of nosy questions," Benny replied tiredly. "Man, I can't believe we got knocked off course by that asteroid. We could be in the garden with Rox and Winter right now."

"Aw, but then we wouldn't get all this lovely bonding time! And I wouldn't have gotten the idea to cut my hair short," Nereida replied, touching her long hair. "I'm cutting it tonight. That way, it doesn't get stuck on branches or monsters anymore and we can relax a bit more."Benny relaxed, letting Nereida fill in the conversation on her own and concentrating on his throbbing head.

That evening, he helped Nereida cut her hair as short as they dared, scattering the spare hair around the forest. Benny thought he saw a winged person pick up some of the hair, but it flew off before he could be sure.

That night, after she thought Benny had gone to sleep, Nereida go up and walked a little away from the campfire, cursing softly. He opened his eyes just a fraction, only to see that Nereida's hair had already grown back. She was cutting it off again, wincing as her blade tugged her pink hair nearly out of her skull before severing it. Benny watched wordlessly as she dug a hole and buried her extra hair.

Then she returned to the campsite, forcing Benny to close his eyes and fake sleep.

[<3 <> <3< c3<]

After another day of making rooms in the TARDIS (namely, the best library and gym Ever Created), Roxy stared out at the setting sun as it disappeared behind the garden wall. She liked watching it slip away, as the forest began to wake up-- or at least, the noisy parts. Most of the sounds common to the Faunii night would have made anyone crawl away and hide, but Roxy liked them. They reminded her that she hadn't messed up everything, that there were still people out there, living, dying, and hunting.

Winter came out. He didn't mind the noises, either, though that was from practice. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah," she replied. "Just.. wondering when Lyra and Benny are getting here. You know? I've known them for so long... it's weird, to not see their faces."

"I know," Winter said. After a couple minutes, he began again: "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine," Roxy said. "Don't worry about me, I can handle anything."

"That's what I said, when my mother died," Winter replied. Before Roxy could say anything, he kept talking. It all spilled out of him. "She died of cancer. And my dad... well, not to be cliche, but he doesn't know anything. He raised me to know that as long as I fit in, I would do fine. But I never fit in, and he wasn't exactly a person I could talk to...Anyways, I kept telling him I was fine, but I wasn't. I really wasn't. And you know what, I think it's like that with you too. You did something terrible on that planet, but you learned from it. At first. You learned that mistakes are permitted, but you also couldn't bear the thought of making another one. I was the same, I thought I was being punished with my mom's death for something I did, so I listened to my father. But Roxy, it's not your fault those people died. You weren't in control of that. The Glitch was, and Ravenium was, but not Roxy Michaels."

Roxy pulled her scarf over her face. Her shoulders shook. "How can you say that?" She asked. "How can you say it's not my fault? I killed them! I killed the SIU, and Orly, and a million, no, a billion other people. All of their lives, all the potential of all the amazing things they could have done, the children they could have created, I have destroyed. An infinity of happiness and love and anger, I have destroyed. I am nothing. I am less than nothing! My dreams are right, and you're wrong..." Ananda had come out now, and was there to catch Roxy when she tried to get away.

"Roxy," Ananda said, sitting down next to her. "You called their lives an infinity of happiness and anger, yes? That is very poetic."

"Get off me," Roxy hissed, and tried to get away, but Ananda just hugged her tighter with arms made strong from fighting.

"Do you know who else this infinity applies to?" Ananda asked.

"No!"

"Come, you must be smarter than that," Ananda said. "Now. Let's go to your room, and I'll tell you the answer."Ananda guided Roxy indoors. Winter trailed behind them to Roxy's room, where Roxy was made to sit down on the bed.

"Now," Ananda said. "Do you know the answer?"

"Yes," Roxy growled.

"And?"

"Me. But you're wrong."

Ananda nodded, ignoring the second part. "You are also the limitless potential, to create and to destroy. And do you know what else?"

"What?"

"What do you suppose that the good citizens of Android would have done, if they survived?"

"They'd go after the Players," Roxy replied sullenly.

"Exactly. You saved lives."

"I probably could have found another way," Roxy said. "I should've been cleverer. Or smarter. Or--"

"Show me the scars," Ananda interrupted sharply.

"What?" Roxy looked up.

"Show me, or I will find them," Ananda threatened.

"Scars?" Winter asked. "Wait. Roxy, you haven't been..."

"No," Roxy said, but her voice sounded very small.

"Not the arms," Ananda said. "Too likely we'd find out. Too close to the wrists. So then..." She grabbed Roxy's skirt. "Look away, Winter."Roxy did nothing but watch as Ananda flipped up her skirt and tugged down the tights that covered her legs.

Ananda let the skirt fall down and tapped Winter on the shoulder. He turned around to see a mess of scars covering Roxy's legs. Scabs marked the more recent cuts. She sat there, not saying anything.

"Why?" Winter asked.

"I just... I'd wiped out my planet," Roxy said, her lips trembling. "I started scratching my legs... and it was so nice to see the blood, when it came. And then I got here and there was a razor in my room, all ready. I mean, it doesn't last that long because the Immorta scabs it over right away, and I wanted to tell you, but I was so scared..."

"Roxy..." Winter sat down next to her and hugged her. He began to cry. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."