Single Thread || CA Closed
@interiusincendium
Stealth was more than just her job. It was her life.
Konoe Kikyo, prodigy ninja. The one who failed in all aspects of life other than her work. The one who decided that she’d make the best of what she had, and make her work absolutely everything. The one who had become too reclusive, too ugly, too focused, too separate from the reality of life to even realize that she was tearing herself down, one brick at a time.
She walked down the streets of Hive City, searching for a target. Not finding the need to talk to anyone, she was out of disguise -- returning to this place was jarring and she just wasn’t in the mood to fish around her store of (stolen) clothing to find a suitable outfit. So, there she was, in full kimono garb, minus daggers, considering her weapons had been conveniently taken away from her by the strange forces running this town.
Ah, there was someone. Konoe’s violet eyes trained on a target who was susceptible. Small girl, light build, someone she could brush up against without too much notice. The ninja slowed her breathing and changed her walking pattern. She wouldn’t need a knife for this. Her hands would be enough.
With expert precision, she moved her lithe body through the crowd, sliding between groups of people to make her way towards the target she’d marked. She was close now, she could hear the girl breathing with her trained ear. In, out, in, out. Konoe matched her breathing to her target’s, matched the rhythm of her paces. She’d be unseen, a shadow, everything she needed to be to solidify herself as an existence.
Without this, Konoe Kikyo was worth nothing, after all.
Slim fingers reached out. This was the final stage. Dexterously slipping into the right spot -- they slid into one of the girl’s pockets, not moving the cloth even a slight. She’d never notice. There it was -- wallet, keys, communication device....the wallet was all that mattered, of course. Just a little more. Konoe closed her eyes.
What a failure she was. This was the last bit she needed to solidify that fact. Lowering herself to this level -- she really was worth nothing as a human being.
And in that moment of self-reflection, someone bumped into her, shifting her off balance and sending her tumbling forward, her hand still in the girl’s pocket. Oh, no. Stumbling uneasily, Konoe managed to wring her hand free of the confine with wallet in hand, but not without sacrificing the last of her balance, falling to the ground in a heap -- right in front of her target, stolen wallet clutched between her fingers.
.....What a joke. If she had to die, now would be the time.
