Luci opens her eyes and does not move. The crystal clear waters of the Fountain are cool and enveloping, and she hangs there suspended as if in space. It feels good to not breath, to not claw at life, but to surrender, to pretend that this moment is all that there is.
Luci swims to the edge of the fountain and pushes herself up onto the white marble rim, stretching out on it and observing her reflecting. She runs her hand lazily across the surface, and the swirling psychedelic light of her body bounces off the ripples. She stares at herself, and she thinks of home, and she begins to cry.
She thinks of the blood in the streets, and a red tear drop falls into the fountain.
She thinks of the sunsets she will never see again, and an orange tear drop falls into the fountain.
She thinks of the laughs she will never hear again, and a yellow tear drop falls into the fountain.
She thinks of the forests she will never walk again, and a green tear drop falls into the fountain.
She thinks of the oceans she will never swim again, and a blue tear drop falls into the fountain.
She thinks of the lovers she will never love again, and a violet tear drop falls into the fountain.
And she thinks of everything that was lost, and she does not lose hope, and a gold tear drop falls into the fountain.
Luci watches as her tears coalesce, swirling around each other very quickly, and a shining prismatic bubble rises from the fountain to hover in the air in front of her, a spraycan floating inside it. She watches the bubble revolve for a moment before reaching out a finger and popping it, catching the spraycan with her other hand as it falls. She shakes it, hearing the metal ball bearing clang in the bottom, and hurriedly gets to her feet. She stands on the rim of the fountain and looks down again at her reflection. She feels exposed. She holds up an arm and sprays her wrist with the can, a rainbow mist emerging and starting to creep it's way up to her shoulder.
Luci paints herself a a thin hoodie and spaghetti-strap t-shirt. She paints herself a comfortable pair of jeans, rips already apparent in the knees and the edges already frayed. She paints herself a pair of worn sneakers. She paints herself a backpack. She paints herself a set of pens, each with a glowing tip. She paints herself a roll of blank stickers. And then she hops down off the fountain, and paints herself a sparkling gold bike.
It takes her some time; the beach cruiser has a tricky body, and Luci has trouble with the angles. She thinks a lot about the handlebars, going through a few designs before settling on a high pair with large mirrors and a bell. The hardest part is the wheels; straightening the thousand glittering strands that would become the spokes is maddening. Finally she paints a playing card to flick against the back wheel, and she stands up, satisfied.
Luci straddles the bike and looks out at the vast white emptiness around her. She sees the gates off in the distance, and the odd random traveler on their way through the Nexus. It is time to find a home.
***
Luci leans forward on the bike, the back tire rising off the ground. She pushes down on the pedal once, and the back tire screams in acceleration. The playing card clacks wildly. She grins and pushes the pedal again, and lets the bike fall. The back tire hits the ground, fishtails for a moment, and then catches. She feels a lurch as she rockets forward at eighty miles per hour. She chimes her bell.
Luci arrives first at the entrance to the Ashen Steps, her playing card clacking against the back wheel of her bicycle. The black smoking is cloying, and the glowing red gate reminds her of blood, and the red tear she shed. She rides on.
She arrives next at the entrance to the Tangled Green. The leafy vines remind her of her favorite forests, and the green tear she shed. It is beautiful, but it is not her new home. She rides on.
She arrives next at the entrance to Camelot. It reminds her of the houses where she used to meet her loved ones, and of the violet tear she shed for them. Perhaps this would be her new home. She rides on.
She arrives next at the entrance to the Vasty Deeps. The palm trees remind her of tropical beaches, and of the blue tear she shed. Still, this is not her home. She rides on.
Luci approaches the Pale Moors and rides on; she does not like the dark.
Luci approaches the Frozen Fields and rides on; she does not like the cold.
Luci's bike screeches to a halt in front of the gate to Coruscant. She eyes the storm-troopers, who do not move. They do not have to speak; their uniforms say it all. She thinks that this world, more so even than the Ashen Steps, would never be her home.
Luci turns her bike around, intending to ride off to Camelot. She looks behind her, and the storm-troopers stare back. She thinks of all she has lost, and she does not lose hope, and she rides headlong into Coruscant.
Luci swims to the edge of the fountain and pushes herself up onto the white marble rim, stretching out on it and observing her reflecting. She runs her hand lazily across the surface, and the swirling psychedelic light of her body bounces off the ripples. She stares at herself, and she thinks of home, and she begins to cry.
She thinks of the blood in the streets, and a red tear drop falls into the fountain.
She thinks of the sunsets she will never see again, and an orange tear drop falls into the fountain.
She thinks of the laughs she will never hear again, and a yellow tear drop falls into the fountain.
She thinks of the forests she will never walk again, and a green tear drop falls into the fountain.
She thinks of the oceans she will never swim again, and a blue tear drop falls into the fountain.
She thinks of the lovers she will never love again, and a violet tear drop falls into the fountain.
And she thinks of everything that was lost, and she does not lose hope, and a gold tear drop falls into the fountain.
Luci watches as her tears coalesce, swirling around each other very quickly, and a shining prismatic bubble rises from the fountain to hover in the air in front of her, a spraycan floating inside it. She watches the bubble revolve for a moment before reaching out a finger and popping it, catching the spraycan with her other hand as it falls. She shakes it, hearing the metal ball bearing clang in the bottom, and hurriedly gets to her feet. She stands on the rim of the fountain and looks down again at her reflection. She feels exposed. She holds up an arm and sprays her wrist with the can, a rainbow mist emerging and starting to creep it's way up to her shoulder.
Luci paints herself a a thin hoodie and spaghetti-strap t-shirt. She paints herself a comfortable pair of jeans, rips already apparent in the knees and the edges already frayed. She paints herself a pair of worn sneakers. She paints herself a backpack. She paints herself a set of pens, each with a glowing tip. She paints herself a roll of blank stickers. And then she hops down off the fountain, and paints herself a sparkling gold bike.
It takes her some time; the beach cruiser has a tricky body, and Luci has trouble with the angles. She thinks a lot about the handlebars, going through a few designs before settling on a high pair with large mirrors and a bell. The hardest part is the wheels; straightening the thousand glittering strands that would become the spokes is maddening. Finally she paints a playing card to flick against the back wheel, and she stands up, satisfied.
Luci straddles the bike and looks out at the vast white emptiness around her. She sees the gates off in the distance, and the odd random traveler on their way through the Nexus. It is time to find a home.
***
Luci leans forward on the bike, the back tire rising off the ground. She pushes down on the pedal once, and the back tire screams in acceleration. The playing card clacks wildly. She grins and pushes the pedal again, and lets the bike fall. The back tire hits the ground, fishtails for a moment, and then catches. She feels a lurch as she rockets forward at eighty miles per hour. She chimes her bell.
Luci arrives first at the entrance to the Ashen Steps, her playing card clacking against the back wheel of her bicycle. The black smoking is cloying, and the glowing red gate reminds her of blood, and the red tear she shed. She rides on.
She arrives next at the entrance to the Tangled Green. The leafy vines remind her of her favorite forests, and the green tear she shed. It is beautiful, but it is not her new home. She rides on.
She arrives next at the entrance to Camelot. It reminds her of the houses where she used to meet her loved ones, and of the violet tear she shed for them. Perhaps this would be her new home. She rides on.
She arrives next at the entrance to the Vasty Deeps. The palm trees remind her of tropical beaches, and of the blue tear she shed. Still, this is not her home. She rides on.
Luci approaches the Pale Moors and rides on; she does not like the dark.
Luci approaches the Frozen Fields and rides on; she does not like the cold.
Luci's bike screeches to a halt in front of the gate to Coruscant. She eyes the storm-troopers, who do not move. They do not have to speak; their uniforms say it all. She thinks that this world, more so even than the Ashen Steps, would never be her home.
Luci turns her bike around, intending to ride off to Camelot. She looks behind her, and the storm-troopers stare back. She thinks of all she has lost, and she does not lose hope, and she rides headlong into Coruscant.
![[Image: V4Dvvfy.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/V4Dvvfy.gif)