NIKI
It's the exact sort of assistance Niki can appreciate, let alone the fact that he sorely needs it at present as well. Grasping Flora's hand with fingers that are still cold, it's with a soft and bitten back grunt of pain that he gets himself upright, his free hand bracing against the wall where he'd normally be able to lean on his cane. "Usually I am able to put myself back to bed when I sleepwalk," he says, "so this is not as common as you might think."
He doesn't expect her to step back or start undressing, the boy blinking in obvious surprise before he realises what Flora is doing. It isn't the first time he's seeing a glimpse of the silver on her skin - she's not nearly as conservative as he is for long sleeves and high collars, after all - but it is the first time seeing them all bared, in context, with no bravado to hide behind. "That is terrible. I hope you never have to go through anything like that again," he says softly of the story behind them, his fingers clutching around the blanket before he finally loosens his grip.
"I... I am not ready to tell anyone all that happened to me," Niki continues, his voice heavy with apology, his eyes dropping to the ground. But he does reach up to tug down the loose neck of his shirt so that Flora can see; the jagged diagonal scar from shoulder to sternum, and its twin on the opposite side, forming a deep V carved into his skin. "The man I was apprenticed to would use me to practice," he says, voice almost a whisper, and his fingers drop to trace a line down his middle over the fabric, as if to follow the pathway of the scars beneath his shirt.
Silently, he links his arm with Flora's, and though the going is much slower without his brace or his crutch, he does manage to limp his way down the corridor with her. "Truly, I do not know, though it would not surprise me," he says. "I only ever see the results of my wandering. If only I could persuade myself to write notes and explain my reasoning."
He doesn't expect her to step back or start undressing, the boy blinking in obvious surprise before he realises what Flora is doing. It isn't the first time he's seeing a glimpse of the silver on her skin - she's not nearly as conservative as he is for long sleeves and high collars, after all - but it is the first time seeing them all bared, in context, with no bravado to hide behind. "That is terrible. I hope you never have to go through anything like that again," he says softly of the story behind them, his fingers clutching around the blanket before he finally loosens his grip.
"I... I am not ready to tell anyone all that happened to me," Niki continues, his voice heavy with apology, his eyes dropping to the ground. But he does reach up to tug down the loose neck of his shirt so that Flora can see; the jagged diagonal scar from shoulder to sternum, and its twin on the opposite side, forming a deep V carved into his skin. "The man I was apprenticed to would use me to practice," he says, voice almost a whisper, and his fingers drop to trace a line down his middle over the fabric, as if to follow the pathway of the scars beneath his shirt.
Silently, he links his arm with Flora's, and though the going is much slower without his brace or his crutch, he does manage to limp his way down the corridor with her. "Truly, I do not know, though it would not surprise me," he says. "I only ever see the results of my wandering. If only I could persuade myself to write notes and explain my reasoning."
stay your pretty eyes on course
i guess i never really faced my fears before
i guess i never really faced my fears before
