"I'm sorry!" Her head fell forward in a cascade of impenetrable brown as she bowed low. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going and-"

"Hey," all the world's warmth touched her shaking shoulder and it froze, prickling like an impending burn, "It's fine."

And then it was gone and the clank of bulky boots echoed in her ears. She sank to her knees, holding her shoulder. It felt icy after having been on fire only moments before.

Who…who was that? The thick mousse of hair splattered across her face as she turned to face a ladder of shiny black. She looked up and saw the sun.

"You alright?" She blinked, mouth slightly parted and breathing in the brightness. "Need a hand?" Her eyes were burning but she couldn't stop staring.

"T-thank you," she extended her hand knowing full well that it would catch on fire the instant it touched the offered palm,

"It's no biggie," Her candlestick fingers fit perfectly into his candelabra gloved hand. She felt her fingertips ignite.

"T-thank you," When she stood the ground disappeared,

"Is that all you can say besides 'I'm'-"

"I'm sorry,"

"Yeah, besides that," the brightness was filling her throat," What about 'hi', can you say that?"

"H-hi," her breathy, obedient response was whisked away into the vacuum of empty space surrounding them,

"Good! Now what about 'long time no see'?"

"We-we've met before?"

"You're kidding me, right?"

"I-I can't tell in this light," He looked up confusedly to the bright ceiling lamps and in that instant she could see again, "L-lavi?" The light fell back upon her and filled her eyes.

"M-miranda," her feathery tone was replicated flawlessly. He looked down at their hands. "Heh! Sorry! I didn't mean to try and hold your hand or-"

"Hey," she let her wax-coated hand fall back to her side, "It's fine." He put his hands behind his head in a familiar gesture,

"Well, I'm off…Can't keep the old panda waiting,"

"No…"

"Later!" the boots rang again as the hall caught their clangs and threw them back at her. The rest of the world returned. It was darker than she remembered.

She had found another nighttime.

Lavi was the sun and she was just one of a million tiny stars in the dark that he would never see because his light would always outshine hers. But she was content to be nothing.

Miranda had found the sun. And it had set her heart on fire.