The elemental sat atop the mortal’s workbench, watching in awe the carvings and trinkets xe made. From small statues of stone and wood to toys for, as the mortal explained, xir siblings’ children. The elemental barely understood most of what the mortal spoke, but ze would not have changed it. The mortal gave zem a comfortable place to rest, bundled in blankets before the burning hearth. Even though ze was no larger than a house cat, the mortal cared for zem all the same as though ze was a being of xir size..

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The clash raged across the countryside, staining the sky black and carving fissures and scars into the earth beneath their feet as they howled and screamed, hurling eldritch power at one another like it was nothing, caring not for the mortals below. The twin creatures from beyond the heavens scored deep wounds and yet did not stop.

One of the unlucky folk below could have sworn xe heard one of them howl, “It was my turn with the TV!”

The siren’s eyes were black and glassy. Very little light reflected off them- more like empty pits than pools of glass.

“Hello,” says the hero chosen by no one “I’m here to help.”

“You’ll drown trying,” warns the siren “but follow me, unwanted one.”

“Heck,” says the fae-born “You were lying to me?”

“Not on purpose,” ze says “I didn’t know the truth, then. Now that I do, I’m telling you.”

“Oh,” the fae-born relaxes “Oh, good. If you were lying to me deliberately we’d be fucked because I’d have to kill you.”

“What’s wrong?”

“What isn’t?” xe frowns “We’re all going to die.”

“We’re not,” ze rolls zir eyes “Don’t be so fatalistic. So the world outside is full of zombies trying to eat us alive. None of us have been bitten yet.”

“About that,” xe says.

“You’re moonsick,” says the witch, rolling xir eyes “It happens when the full moon comes on your menses. Symptoms include eating rude people because you’re hangry.”

The werewolf frowns “Well, make it go away.”

“Sorry! You’ll have to wait out the moon. Eat some ice cream so you’re less hungry next time you get catcalled.”

“I think,” says the zombie “That when I go somewhere instead of saying ‘hi’ people should say ‘press F to pay respects’ and then they flip me off.”

“It’s going to be okay, child,” hums the strange witch “No harm will befall you when you walk next to me.”

“Who are you? Why are you helping me?”

The witch smiles, pain creasing the edges of xir eyes and says “An old friend.”

“Shit,” xe yawns “Ugh, I’m such a zombie in the morning.”

“Dude!”

“Oh,” xe looks guiltily at the zombie “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything rude by it.”

“We good,” says the zombie “You got any grapes? I’m trying to feed my pigeon more fruits.”

“You’re going to be okay,” says the immortal to xir dying lover “It’s going to be okay. You’ll be fine. I know little of the world of the dead. But I know it is kind.”

“To be without you is a grave cruelty indeed,” smiles xir lover weakly “I’ll come back for you. In another lifetime.”

“In my only lifetime,” xe agrees “I’ll see you again.”