#WHO ELSE NOTICED NIKO FINALLY ACCEPTED THE BALL WASN'T BROKEN AND TOOK THE HINT AND TOLD NO ONE AND IT'S THE MOST TRAGIC THING EVER

[terresdebrume]

Outlook no so good, says the magic eight ball again. Niko has excellent reading comprehension skills and with life, as with literature, denial only gets you so far. Niko breathes. She doesn't cry. It's a surprise. She thinks most people would.

"Aaaaw," says Litty in a mocking tone, "you don't like what the ball has to tell you?"

"Awe you gonna cwy?" Kingham adds, pretending to wipe his eyes.

Niko looks at them. She doesn't think they ever seemed so small before. She thinks she feels sad for them.

"I don't think I'm going to do that," Niko tells them.

She puts them under the sweater. Walks to her closet. Outlook not so good. Well. The message was clear, and Niko has excellent reading comprehension skills.

She didn't bring any full kimono, when she came here, but she has a silvery ensemble that will do the job nicely. She changes into the pants first. Then the top, left panel over right. She puts on the belt that looks like an obi.

She thinks: at least my hair is ready. She goes through her jewelry box like it's something sacred, and pulls on all her white rings and her white pearls. She finds the white nail polish she wore for her father's funeral, and brought to America because she felt bad about throwing the mostly full bottle away.

She paints her nails with more care than she's needed in years. She breathes. She prepares. She does not cry. The bright pink glitter on her eyes fails to make her smile. When she lifts the sweater from the jar again, Litty and Kingham stare at her, open mouthed.

"What the fuck?" Says Kingham first.

"Is that supposed to be a sexy snowman cosplay?" Says Litty. "You gonna go out there and seduce the bigfoot?"

Niko crouches to put her eyes level with them. She does not shiver. She does not cry. When she speaks, there is no tremor in her voice.

"You know, if you had been nicer to me, I'd let you out now."

"What?"

"What?"

She goes to the roof. When Edwin joins her, he says:

"Niko. You do not want to catch your death."

"I won't," Niko says.

After all, Niko has excellent reading comprehension skills.

She knows who'll catch up first.

(Reblogs make the world go round! Consider reblogging this if you enjoyed the snippet^^)