Needle and Thread

Falcon

[Fandom+ (1)]

It turned out, a lot had happened while Lyra had been out. Not only had the attacks happened, but her friends had rediscovered the TARDIS garden and its portals. Unfortunately, there weren't any ripe TARDISes yet, but the garden was still a good place to meet up.

The attacks had clearly taken a toll on Lyra's friends. Winter moved his upper body as little as possible and winced as he walked through his portal and into the garden. Benny seemed listless and tired, and his eyes seemed to be like fractured versions of themselves. Lyra knew she and Roxy didn't look much better.

Andesine and Ananda came as well, and both looked equally exhausted. Ananda's hands were wrapped up in so many bandages that Lyra didn't know how she could hold her sickle.

They collapsed into a group hug briefly, before pulling away.

"You guys ready to end this?" Lyra asked.

"Do you really need to ask permission?" Andesine snapped. "Let's go already, I'm tired as schist."

Lyra summoned John, and he used his mysterious glowy powers (it took three tries for Lyra to summon a John who could control them) to send them up to the gates of the golden city.

They were greeted with an eerie sight. Instead of the fortress Lyra had imagined, the six friends found a city that looked as though it had been sacked. The gates must have once separated the denizens of the otherspace from the multiverse that ringed them were smashed.

"Did a meteor come through here or something?" Winter asked.

Benny didn't recognize the query as a joke. "No. It was something much more dangerous than that."

"Sounds fun," Lyra said. She stepped over the wreckage.

Everyone got through fine-- except Andesine and Ananda, who gasped and stepped back. Like with the golden warriors, the city burned them.

"Schist," Andesine said, as the Players turned to look at him and Ananda. "Uhm. Anybody good for a piggyback ride?" When nobody volunteered, his smile faded. "Yeah. All right, it's fine. You guys'll need gate guards anyways."

Lyra walked over to Andesine. "Shit, man."

"Yeah."

"I know you really wanted to do this," Lyra said.

"You'll do a good enough job for me," Andesine mumbled.

"Well, it'd be nice to have something for good luck, anyways," Lyra said.

Confusion flickered across Andesine's countenance, and he looked up only for Lyra to kiss him full on the mouth.

After she pulled away, breathless, he laughed and pulled her back into a kiss. "See you around," he said.

"Yeah," Lyra laughed. She felt lightheaded. "I'll kick ass for you, 'kay?"

[$^$]

Winter grinned, and went over to hug Ananda. "I'll see you soon," he said. She nodded.

"I should hope so."

Then, the four were off. The golden city loomed around them, full of dark windows and empty houses. They explored a few, but each search bore the same fruit: a few rooms devoid of personality, and empty, unslept-in beds.

There was food, too, which they ate without a second though: mostly fruits and nuts, and one precious chocolate bar that they all split.

"Lyra, are you... crying?" Winter asked. "Seriously? Over chocolate?"