Twin Flames [Private]

The fiery redhead skuffed up and feeling the wrong kind of naked without all of her weaponry or ryo. Was utterly livid. She had managed to get aboard a ship to smuggle her from the Otogakure to the Land of Lighting. Her latest tip on finding her long lost, and most definitely alive sister, was in the direction of Kumo.

But rather unsurprisingly she had attracted attention from unsavory characters, and even a few warning bodies weren’t enough to fully dissuade the truly persistent and stronger of them once they caught up to her. She’d been foolish, she could admit that too herself. After 8 years after running away from those who trained her since birth, to find the sister they claimed was long dead by their hands.

But she knew she was alive. She could feel it in her gut, and finally getting so close. She decided to rest for once in her life. And that’s when they came and robbed her blind. The only things they didn’t manage to steal where what little clothes she wore. But even those were in a rough shape. But her friends? The traveling companions who had seen her through thick and thin over all these years? Who where the only source of company she had to talk to over these many long years? Stolen.

And having saved her life as many times as they had. To her they were family. And she had to get them back, and if she couldn’t today, she remembered their faces, and would make sure that their end was brutal.

She could see knew she was going in the right direct due to the position of the rising sun, but she didn’t want her reunion to be with her sister seeing her inches away from where homicide wasn’t just an option. It was the option.

Unfortunately her blind rage blinded her enough to her travels that before she knew it she was at the gate. ”Fuckin’-shit-stained-limp-cock-noodles-on-a-hobo’s-ass! I wanted to calm down before I got to this place! Now I gotta find a place ta calm my nerves before I go see if Kanuchi’s really here or if I was sent on a ‘nother goose chase … and all my shit got jacked, the chum suckin’ dildos so now I got no way ta get more information on where ta find where she might be, or get off this rock to find her. GAH!!!” The redheads’s wrathful stream of obsenities terminated with a yell of raw rage.

”Yo! Guard peeps, my shit was stolen comin’ here. Y’all got a place I can chill before I go lookin’ ta see if my long lost sister’s here? Kinda don’t want her seein’ me in a blood pissin’ rage over my other family gettin’ stolen … and before ya start! My weapons saved my life enough years ta be considered family. Don’t matter none that they can’t talk back or aren’t people. There’s still family.”

[1]

One of the two guards, a Chuunin who was stationed on Gate Guard, was the first to spot the woman approaching.  At first, he thought it was a child-hood classmate, Niko, but considering that his unusually sharp ears heard a string of curses that would have made most people blanch, he quickly dismissed it.  It was eery how similar they were though, right down to that vibrant red hair… but his ears picked up the bit of conversation that was being said.  There was no mistaking it, she had said ‘Kanuchi’.  That was Niko’s maiden name… her family name.  It was a known fact that she was an orphan, but she was also one of the nicest people in existence.  If this person was looking for her, it could mean a whole lot of things… but considering the appearance,to include a very… well, unique physique, it was not out of the ballpark in any way to say they might be related somehow.

“Go get Niko Kanuchi.  Jounin.  Her house is in the Market area,” he said quietly to the other person on gate guard with him, who vanished nearly instantly.  Standing, he put his hands up as she approached asking for a place to settle down, to which he gave an uncertain smile.  “No worries, there’s a spot behind the shack here where no one will bother you, so long as you aren’t screaming at the top of your lungs,” ‘and where I can keep an eye on you…’  Once she was behind the building, he followed up with his instructions.  “My partner is finding Niko Kanuchi right now, and will bring her here to get you.  Just sit tight.  You got about five minutes.”

===

Niko was in a maroon turtleneck without any sleeves, her brown leather skirt serving it’s function while still letting most of her long legs to breath.  Walking around the house barefoot, she was doing some light cleaning and dusting, trying to make sure that nothing got too far ahead of her.  It was in the midst of this that she heard an anxious knock on her door, and she could tell through the barrier that the person was out of breath; this was something urgent.  In one swift motion she was at the front door, already slipping on her shoes as she opened it.

“What’s wrong?” she asked quickly, recognizing the Chuunin that was at the door as one of the ones scheduled for Gate Guard today, before he even got a chance to respond, she was getting out the door and locking it behind her, quickly spinning and making her way towards the gate at a brisk walk.  First, the guy needed to catch his breath in order to be able to talk properly, but second, she needed to know what she was walking into before she walked into it.  The man explained about a woman with similar physical description to her asking about her family name.  It could be a trick, a lost niece or something, who knew.  Niko herself knew very little about her family because they were, to her knowledge, all dead.

Aside that grim topic, this person seemed to be worrying Tetsuga, and was covered in bumps and bruises like she had been in a tussle, not to mention the odd choice in clothing combination.  Once she got the full load of information, she gave him a quick nod of thanks and leap towards the gate quickly, her Sensory active and on high alert.  This could be a trap, or a trick… both usually went hand in hand.  Approaching the booth, she noticed a small wisp of red hair behind the wooden structure and moved around the corner, eyeing the woman sitting there.  “Hey there… heard you were asking about me?”  As an intentional show of non-hostility, she sat down on her haunches, resting perfectly balanced on the balls of her feet.  Most people would see this as an opening; if she wanted to attack, now was the time.  Meanwhile there was one interesting thing of note; a pair of steel senbon stuck in her hair, easily mistaken for decoration.

Those fools who made that assumption couldn’t be more wrong.  Giving the young woman a warm smile, she waited patiently for her reply, her emerald green eyes locked onto her own brown iris.  The missing eye was noted but without looking directly at it; thanks to Sensory, she was able to take the young girl in without ever breaking eye contact.

[1][/b]
[/b]

When the guard at the gate told her about a bench behind the shack, she turned her head towards the left focusing her right eye at him. Hoping that even in the grip of rage he wouldn’t see her glare as a threat. She had no wish to be ending up in jail again over a misunderstanding, she’d gotten into enough of those to last a lifetime.

As her eye focused on him she gave a curt nod, ”Thank ya kindly, five minutes should be just enough time to go from blind rage to a smolderin’ anger till I can deal with those thievin’, gang of anal-greased cum goblins who stole my family from me. Those weapons are irreplaceable onna sentimental level, as I’m sure ya can understand.”

She’d stomp over to the bench and try to get her breathing under control as she fiddled with her eyepatch. A part of her was annoyed at being half blind, but in times like these it gave her a nice way to keep her hands busy while she focused her anger to a fine point and tried to get her breathing under control.

It was just as her anger slowly started to get back down when she was given a surprise she could never see coming, a red head taller than she was looked at her warm green eyes and said that she’d been asking about her. I mean the resemblance was uncanny, all the sudden the anger and rage was replaced with another emotion and one she hadn’t experienced in years.

She felt her eye water as she shifted her head slightly to focus on her. She felt her hand undo what most would consider a red sash slowly, wrapping around it a few times to ensure it had a tight grip, she’d hold it in a death grip as she’d show it to her, the end of the fabric hanging out was a gold embroidered name “Kanuchi”, with the blanket itself made of a deep burgundy, cloth of excellent craftsmanship. Having survived years of noticeably harsh conditions and still being just as good as when it was first made.

”Did’ja parents get murdered durin’ the war by the Don’yokuna Clan, who kidnapped me and told me all y’all were dead? About 15 years back? Does any o’ that ring a bell with ya?” To anyone watching, if her pale face wasn’t a dead give away, the pure desperate hope and earnestness in her voice would tell anyone that she was both shocked, and desperately hopeful.

And why shouldn’t she be. If she was right. If she finally found her. Then she’d finally prove that her sister was alive, and she wasn’t just chasing a dream.

[2]

Niko watched the woman extremely carefully, pouring all of her senses into being alert, all the while presenting a relaxed, calm presentation; you didn’t become a Jounin by not being careful, and baiting someone into acting if they were there to do you harm was a sure-fire way to find out their motives very quickly. But as the woman’s eye watered, she noticed the tell-tale signs of someone getting way too emotional for it to be fake, and Niko allowed herself to relax just a bit. She moved to undo the red sash at her waist, and Niko allowed her gaze to move to the object for a moment as she unwrapped it and presented the cloth.

Then her eyes went wide for a moment as the realization dawned on her.

Niko knew next to nothing about her family before her Uncle; she knew her family had perished, and as her Uncle didn’t like diving into the subject, that was about all there was to say about it. Don’yokuna Clan. Not a name she recognized. The timeline however, and the rest of the story, was far too strong of evidence to dismiss it; she was hesitant to simply believe all of this right away and without any sort of explanation, but the truth was she wanted to. She could feel it tugging in her heart, like something deep wanted to just throw her arms around the young woman in front of her and hold her tight, all in.

But her mind knew better, and allowed her to remain focused and careful.

“Perhaps.” She reached out though, not making a motion to take the blanket, but to run a single hand on the lettering. The woman’s appearance. The cloth, a prized possession. Too many things would make her not want to take a chance to see where this led, so she slowly stood back onto her feet and nodded, leaning backwards to address the gate guards. “I’m bringing her inside. I’ll take responsibility for her for now.” It was clear from her tone she would broker no argument. She was a Jounin after all, trusted with even the deepest secrets of the Kumogakure and given lives directly to tutor and mentor.

She offered a hand to get the woman to her feet, and once done, she made a gesture for her to follow and began to walk into the village. Once they were underway, she would start with the questions, because there was many, and she didn’t want to be within earshot of the guards… the one in particular had very good hearing, so she waited until they were well and away before speaking again. “So… they took you 15 years ago. How old are you now? Did they give you a name?” A couple of questions that, while simple, they were also extremely important.

[2]

When Kanuchi’s hand went towards the blanket, the redhead felt her hands tighten in death grip, and the other twitching ready to fight to protect it. But Kanuchi simply traced a hand over the lettering, causing the redhead to relax slightly, but the answer wasn’t a clear yes, or no like she’d been hoping. It was a “perhaps”, a “maybe.” But that was more than she had in all of her life to this point.

As she was brought in, she could feel wetness fall down her face and asked the older woman, [color=crimson]”Why are my eyes leakin’? This should be a great day … if I finally succeeded in so long.”ust as she wanted to know why her body was being weird, Kanuchi had ones as well. And the redhead was quick to answer, [color=crimson]”I’m 15, and they were idiots who don’t know about the soul of the things they craft. Thinkin’ weapons, and armor they so covet are just soulless thangs. Not’a one’o them has the mind of a Weapons Master, seein’ the quirks, the ’personality’, the little spiritual nuances ya pick up when ya truly set forth ta master the blade and oneself. The little thangs that let’cha feel ‘it’. Even if they don’t have conventional souls, and can’t talk, they .. have the personalities and idiosyncrasies that make them, them. Ya know?

“So of course they didn’t give me a name. In their eyes, a weapon don’t need a name. It just needed to be forged to kill one’s enemies. Not’a one’o them ever took time to really connect to try’n become one with the thangs they made. Or really connect with all the forgin’ secrets they stole … although sorry I wasn’t powerful enough ta get our folk’s secrets. But I was just 8 when I escaped.”

The redhead hoped that was enough, but was a little worried that Kanuchi might not get it, so she decided to add, ”Listen, if ya have a favorite weapon, a companion ya trust and works well for ya. Or even just a random weapon ya got lyin’ around, I can try and guide ya through the beginnin’ steps of what I’m talkin’ ‘bout … but it’s hard ta describe how Gear has a Heart, if a person don’t really care about connectin’ with their special partner.”

[3]

Niko smiled gently as they walked in response to the woman complaining about her eye leaking.. “Likely a physical response to your heightened emotional state. After all, you probably didn’t dare to hope of being right, did you?” She had heard of many child soldier projects where they took away the rights of a person individually to try to make them into a hyper efficient weapon, but in almost all those cases, the slaves that were recovered didn’t have access to the emotional spectrum. While she was certain that the woman’s own was damaged, and there was definitely some instability, she knew too that the fact that they were intact put her head and shoulders higher than others on the way to recovery.

Niko listened to the woman talk about herself. 15… that timeline matched up with the story. Her insistent that weapons and armor had personalities of their own was both mismatched and spot on for the blacksmith. As someone who poured her heart and soul into her craft, she understood where she was coming from, although the shorter woman seemed to be on the ‘use’ side of the spectrum rather than the ‘make’. On the other hand, she understood this as nothing more than a means of trying to reach out, to make contact with anyone or anything to help that craving for social interaction she had been denied. “I am familiar with what you mean; when I make a blade, especially one that takes a long time, usually they start growing on me and take on a life of their own in a way. I appreciate the offer for the lesson though, perhaps another time.” They had more pressing concerns at the moment.

The fact that she didn’t have a name whatsoever was just plain sad. The fact that they were stealing forging secrets was something that made her eyes grow cold as she focused on the path ahead of them. She had escaped at eight years old meant that she had survived the past seven years completely on her own, which was a miracle in and of itself. They finally made it to Niko’s house, where the name ‘Kanuchi’ was stenciled in a Steel Plaque on the right side of the wooden door. A single layer, but relatively large home, it was a pretty modest place for a Jounin, but Niko didn’t care about the home itself so much as what was in it. Connected to the backside of the house was her forge, and then connected to that, her shop. Because they were attached, she was allowed to use the Forge itself for her crafting, but she owed a substantial amount of money, so getting access to the shop was not an option at the moment, and one couldn’t see either of the attached buildings at the moment.

“Please wait here a moment.” With that, she would enter the home, deep in thought. So many things were running through her mind, but there was a single item she needed to retrieve to make things as crystal clear as possible; she had to show irrefutable proof after all. Just spouting off something to someone who had been through so much was like spitting in the wind; wasn’t a great idea, and didn’t amount to much. But physical proof, that you could touch and feel? That was how you got to someone who had been through trauma. That, and Niko was rapidly running through a list of possible names in her mind.

Emerging with one hand behind her back, she left the door open and then brought a very familiar looking red cloth that she had been keeping in excellent condition since before she
could remember. Presenting it so that she could take it if she wanted to, Niko gave a small smile to her, holding back her own welling emotions that she had been holding in since seeing the blanket around her waist.

“Welcome home, Shunko Kanuchi.”

[3]

The redhead nodded at the comment of her leaking eyes being a reaction to her heightened emotions, made sense, she gave a pained grunt and replied in her pained voice, ”Yeah, this … this still don’t feel real ya’know? An’ addin’ on ta that. My other family, the weapons that’d been the only one’s ta never clash with me, an’ kept me safe all these years were just stolen. Not long after I got ta the Land’o Lightnin’. It’s how I got all these scuffs an’ shit on me.”

“An’ dealin’ with thangs is always easier if yer pissed. But, a mix of lotsa grief at the loss o’ the only ones to keep me company, an’ that I could trust ‘n love for years. An’ finally bein’ … hopefully close ta findin’ my sister I’ve been searchin’ for, for so long. Yeah. I ain’t got no nothin’ resemblin’ emotional control right now … sorry ‘bout that.”

“But even if ya ain’t my sister. Ya … ya think ya can help me find my other family? The twins, Yuri, an’ Borro. They … I need’ta save’em like they’ve saved me. Can’t disrespect ‘em by doin’ differently ya’ know? I ...” And with recounting the loss would weep all the harder till she could regain her composure to finish answering her questions.

At the compliment and her saying she knew what she was talking about was something that raised her spirits a little bit, but saying she’d like the lessons later. It was more than she hoped for. Most people she met, didn’t care to understand how she connected with the Gear. To them it was simply a ‘thing’, but Niko was one of the very few who actually had interest in seeing the world through her eyes. Even if they probably wouldn’t see it the same way. At the very least it might help her have someone help her word it in a way that non-Weapon Masters could get.

As they walked upon the house, the woman asked her to stay for a moment. And she did, her emotions still more than a little raw, but had calmed down a little. But when she returned holding the same blanket as she did, and said welcome home followed by a name. The recently named Shunko fell to her knees in shock her tears coming full force.

The weight she’d been carrying for all her life, the thread of fear that she was wrong and her sister wasn’t alive, the pain on being a thing rather than a person. It was like a good chunk of that was lifted, and her emotions came pouring out, ”A name, I have a name that my sister gave me … I FINALLY FOUND YOU! I-I … BIG SIS!”

And with that would be openly bawling on the streets. And like most cases with Shunko, she wore her heart on the outside, letting everyone know her emotions freely and without restraint. Such was also the case here. Her tears, and her features showed both the pain of her loss, as well as mixed with closure and immense happiness at finding her older sister.

[4]

Niko could feel the tears welling in her eyes at the emotional display that was proceeding before her, and moved before she realized she was doing so, scooping the small woman on the ground in one fell swoop. She had her Sensory active though, as she knew there was a small chance that she could react violently to the touch, but the odds were relatively low. Even instinctive reactions like that were usually pushed to the side in the wake of an overwhelmingly strong emotion, and as that intense feeling was definitely present, it brought down the possible threat level to tolerable levels.

Once she had her up in her arms, she brought the woman inside, shutting the door with her foot and moving to the large wooden table that was flanked by several chairs, giving the small woman a gentle squeeze of a hug before setting her down quietly and stepping towards the large kitchen. Her home was pretty modest, all things considered, and everything was obviously function before form, not much in the way of decoration or pleasantries. There was a few notable spots; a door that led to the hall towards the living quarters, the large kitchen, the large window off to the side of the house that had a bench built into it for lazing around in the sun, and a single, large wooden door that was definitely different than the rest that led to the forge. Everything was clean and tidy, obviously well maintained.

Once Shunko calmed down a little bit, giving her some time to herself and a moment to breathe on her own and process what she was going through. The sounds of cooking could be heard and an extremely good smell soon followed and Niko did one of the things she did best to brighten the spirits of anyone she was taking care of; cooking up a meal. Considering that she was looking a little thin, even with her ridiculous curves seeming like they were deflated; a week or so of good meals in this house and she would be right as rain.

She came back with a pair of platters; one of them had a large bowl of rice covered in broccoli and a dark brown sauce, the other with chicken that was wrapped in bacon. As a Kanuchi, chances were that she had an appetite on her like she herself did, and considering all the mouths she fed, food never went to waste around this house. Settling into the chair at the head of the table, she finally spoke back up. “We will get your weapons back… I understand they are important to you, but we will not be running headfirst into enemy territory until you are properly trained. I don’t know what they taught you, but I can guarantee they can’t hold a candle to a proper Kumogakure Ninja. And I won’t risk losing my little sister for anything, so you are going to have to trust me on this… alright?” Her voice was calm, reassured, and at some point while she was cooking she had rubbed her eyes to clear them of the moisture.

[4]

Shunko felt a stab of fear at being grabbed, but the warmth and sense of emotions she had no names for, having never had a chance to know them filled her being. And she felt her arms instinctively reached up and held her big sister in a crushing attempt at a hug, mixed with death grip of a scared child clinging to comfort.

She was barely aware of anything thing till she was placed down on a chair at a long table, the gentle squeeze giving her that unknown emotion filling her. As she walked away Shunko did what she normally did when filled with emotions and needed to clear her head, she trained … sure a kitchen knife was not as strong as one meant for combat, but it was in the same spirit. That and as a largely self taught, weapon master-in-training she trained herself to treat everything she touched as a weapon.

She would stand a few feet away from the table and would go through forms using the recoil of her strikes to add force to her return strokes or when drawing her arm close for another stab. Every motion, and attack using it's force and recoil to ease into the next one. Flowing fluidly as she tried pushing herself to strike harder and faster.

The tears slowly calmed, and her loss channeled through the strikes helped her fight her pain. She felt the precision, the care, the calm strength of the knife. It’s weight and heft light but well balanced, it’s sharpness undeniable, and how quickly it responded to her movements helped calm her further. Whoever made this knife was a skilled craftsman and she would bet money, was not only precise, but put care and effort into their creations. Normally, she and calm weapons didn’t get along well, they never heated up with her, and it felt wrong wielding them, but this was oddly not the case here. Rather it was as if the blade was understanding of her, and didn’t try overpowering her fire, but supported and guided it. Almost like a family member was standing beside her reassuring her as she threw herself into her training.

But before she knew it, the smell of food hit her and drew her out of it. Looking at her sister, she’d blush, ”Uh ... I feel abit rude, but I’ve been callin’ ya Kanuchi thinkin’ that was your name … but uh? What’s your name? But sorry ta keep ya waitin’, I feel a bit better now that I’ve been able ta clear my head. An’ thank ya kindly for the food Big Sis. It looks delicious!”

And with that she’d sit down, and eagerly await to her the name of her sister. As someone who’d never had a name till today. She saw names as very important, and not knowing a name, or using it. Was the height of rudeness, even if she did end up calling her Big Sis, she wasn’t about to offend her by flat out refusing to learn her name

[5]

The woman wrapping her arms around her neck was another good sign; it didn’t matter if she understood it or not, but the fact that she would accept an embrace and was willing to reciprocate made her heart swell with hope and happiness. Even Oriana hadn’t gotten that far yet, the skittish woman barely allowing Niko to choke down the food that Niko gave her, and still requiring a good meter of distance from anyone else unless they are fighting.

Niko was hyper aware of everything going on around her most of the time, but in this scenario, even more so, always having her head tilted ever so slightly so that with her Sensory, even though her eyes were focused on making the food, she could see the woman performing some kind of training to help her calm herself. The fact that she was able to do it with a kitchen knife was interesting; perhaps while she had the ability to craft most anything and make it the best possible, Shunko was able to use most anything as a weapon. Something that could be explored later.

The taller redhead set the food down and blinked, realizing that she had managed to come up with a name for the younger sister before even properly introducing herself. “Wow, with everything going on it must have slipped my mind…” she started, pausing to chuckle and smile. “I am Niko Kanuchi, Jounin Ninja of the Kumogakure and Master Craftsman of the Hellforge. Niko is fine though.” That being said, she put a plate in front of the woman and gestured for her to try to food.

“I liked your Kata earlier. Impressive you can do that with something like a Kitchen Knife; most people require a tool they are familiar with. You seem to be adept at anything you can find and use… but that leads me to wonder, what is your preferred weapon? If you had to choose just one thing right now, what would it be?” Taking one of the silver Senbon out of her hair, she set it down on the table for her to inspect. She was asking of course because she intended to make the weapon for her if it was small and something she could use her remaining steel for. But she only really had enough for none-thrown weapons at the moment, so she hoped it would be something small like that… unless she used her Ebony and just had her buy some more for her when the opportunity arose.

That would work.

Once Shunko had dug into the food a bit she too would grab some; she wasn’t overly hungry, but a snack never hurt. She would use the time to broach another subject too. “You know, with your skill set, if tempered correctly, you could make a decent Ninja. It isn’t a bad way to make a living, and you might even get to work with me directly.” It was an option, but she wasn’t going to sugarcoat it either. “Probably harder and more dangerous than what they were using you for before, but that’s only if you don’t train properly or bite off more than you can chew.” She was saying these things in a relaxed tone, but the truth was that she was absolutely furious, even if you would never be able to tell behind her perfect poker face. She would be finding out more about this organization that took her, and she would be crushing them herself.

[5]

"Nice ta finally meet'cha Niko!" Shunko crowed at the praise, puffing herself up, and looking every bit pleased with herself. "Thank ya for the compliment, and yep. Everythin' I touch is a weapon, even such improvisational weapons like rolled up magazines or newspapers, wooden spatulas, fish, other food produce … if I can pick it up or wear it. It's a weapon.”

"As for right off the toppa my head? A blade that heats up alongside me. I don't do well with calm, emotionally cool, or defensive feelin' blades. Not my style. Why I love Hessei and Issei so much. Heated up right along with me, and we're as eager as a fight as I was.

"But a … if I don't have any passionate, or aggressive blades that love a good fight. Then maybe a Kunai or a Bow? A senbon would be nice. Kunai and Senbon are too much like stray cats ta really consider family. But I did have 42 holsters and each were packed with Senbon, Shuriken, and Kunai. I need ta restart buildin' my rep as a livin' armory. Don't feel safe unless I gotta 'nough weapons to cripple, main, or assassinate anythin' at any range."

She made sure her back was to a wall, and she could see both main entrances into the room before getting started.

She stabbed the knife with surgical precision into the bacon wrapped chicken in one hand, her other guarding her plate she was leaning over with a fork held like it was a flick of the wrist away from stabbing some one.

Her head turned towards her environment, and scanning the room with a threatening glare at nothing in particular, only flickering to joy when she was talking to Niko. Her entire body screaming in body language,

Between chewing out Savage chunks of chicken around her blade, would smirk, "That'd be nice. But I wouldn't worry about danger, since I was walkin' only jobs I ever did was theivin', fightin', or killin'. If ninja trainin' is anythin' like that, you ain't gotta worry about no thang.”

"... Although … uh! As ya can expect from a runaway that was trained ta do nothin' except steal and kill, and needin' ta lay low. Only was able to get criminal work. Sucked, but ya gotta do what'cha gotta do to survive. Course that means Imma really need help in being a normal member 'o society, rather than somethin' ta be used ta do their dirty laundry. Can ya help with that?"

By now she'd have finished eating several chicken, would move to the bowl, pouring herself a mountain. While listening to Niko.

[6]