Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin, like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?
Magnus sighed loudly, swinging his feet over the edge of the underground cliff. Below him, the river's bubbling noise echoed off the stone walls. He loved the chaotic booming—he was used to hearing it, being the pyromaniac he was.
Glancing up, he could see a shaft of moonlight pierce down through the ravine far above. He had to admit, it was beautiful. Ever since entering Sunless City, Magnus had been amazed by the work of the buildings, stores, and scenery. Building wasn't his thing, but that didn't mean he couldn't apprieciate it. It was better than anything he could do.
Do you ever feel, already buried deep? Six feet under screams but no-one seems to hear a thing…
The rogue scowled as he remembered the scene from years ago. The image of Jesse crouched by the dying Ellegaard, her last words to him, her pitiful shallow breathing. How she had died, unsure if the world would be saved from the Wither Storm or not. Magnus could scream in fury at the loss.
He had felt absolutely worthless since then. The only thing he and Ellegaard had done before her death was argue. He hadn't even had a chance to say good-bye. He had only stood there, stunned and silent, as Ellegaard's last breath left her body. Magnus felt he had barely helped ever since then. It was Jesse and his friends who had defeated the Wither Storm once and for all. It was Gabriel and Soren who had rescued Ivor. As Magnus was concerned, he himself was worthless, and was the worst member of any team there could ever be.
Do you know that there's still a chance for you.
'Cause there's a spark in you.
"What kind of team member am I am if I can't protect my teammates?" Magnus growled to himself. He glanced around to make sure no-body was there, and lowered his head as a tear trickled down his cheek.
"Hi! Why you crying?"
Magnus immediately sat up and quickly wiped away the tear. He turned around to find himself face-to-face with the founder of Sunless City, Siri.
"Beautiful night, ain't it?" Siri chirped, sitting down beside Magnus. "And here I was thinking I'd sleep through it." She gave him her famous grin. "With the exception of monsters, the night is beautiful."
"I guess," Magnus grunted, not in the mood for conversation.
Siri chatted on. "I mean, day is great too, because I love the sun, but the moonlight is so glittery on water!" She trailed off as she noticed Magnus's red eyes, wet from crying. "Are you okay? Why were you crying?"
"I wasn't crying!" Magnus protested. "I was just hot."
Siri shot him a look. "On a cold night like this?" The squid girl shook her head. "Magnus, you're thinking about Ellegaard, right?"
Magnus flinched. "No," he lied. He didn't want to talk about Ellegard. It hurt too much to talk about his dead teammate and friend. Yet a part of him knew that Siri would understand. The squid girl might be energetic and risky, (like he used to be?) but she understood people very well.
He leaned back and squinted at the moonlight. It wasn't fair. How could one of your best friends die and the world would still go on?
Looking slightly uncertain, Siri shuffled closer to him. "I…I know I wasn't there, but I've heard of how amazing Ellegaard was. The smartest redstone engineer in Mincraftia, wow! Able to fix any mechanical problem in like, three seconds, and had an IQ of a million! I really looked up to her, you know."
Magnus stared at the ground. That was Ellegaard all right.
Siri continued. "And I heard about how good of friends you two used to be. You guys always had each other's back, and a creeper couldn't even get pass you!"
Yeah, up until our huge argument, Magnus thought bitterly. Tears came to his eyes again. Siri gazed at him sympathetically.
"I was so horrible to her," Magnus moaned. "Then I was so wrapped up in grief that I couldn't even help fight the Wither Storm. What kind of hero am I?"
You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine,
Just own the night, like the fourth day of July,
Siri rested one of her tentacles on his shoulder. "Think about it this way. You spent all those diamonds on her funeral, and visited her grave for like, three weeks straight. You cared so much. Gabriel and Soren think of you as a teammate. You're not worthless, and you never will be." She glanced at him, a soft smile on her face. "And I know Ellegaard's up there in the Aether, watching you. She would never want to see you so upset. You can't grieve forever, and Ellegaard wouldn't want you to."
Magnus shifted his gaze over to her. She had a point. Gabriel and Soren hadn't never stopped calling him a teammate. And he knew Ellegaard was in a better place. Still though, he didn't feel like he deserved any credit.
"I-I guess I just wanted to have told her I was sorry, Siri," Magnus murmured. Siri flicked his chin with her tentacle.
"Oh, she knows, Magnus. She knows."
'Cause baby you're a firework, come on show them what you're worth,
Make 'em go 'Oh, oh, oh,' as you shoot across the sky,
For the first time in what felt like forever, Magnus smiled. Siri smiled as well, turning to him. Moonlight shimmered in her beautiful blue gaze.
"I…Thank you so much, Siri. For everything. For…just being there."
"It's what I do best!"
Giggling, Siri wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. Magnus tensed, not sure if he liked it or not, but eventually relaxed.
For about another hour, the rogue and the squid girl sat leaning against each other, staring at the rushing river.
"Have I ever told you how much I like the sound of rivers?" Siri asked.
"No."
"Well, I do. I love the chaotic booming."
Magnus just smiled.
Baby you're a firework, come on let your colors burst,
Make 'em go 'Oh, oh, oh.' You're gonna leave them all in awe, awe, awe.