#kosi's power is the ability to manipulate thread

[onceuponanaromantic]

Kosi of Night

(Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial​‘s prompt: FFF61: Wild and Free. Set in the small offshoot of superheroverse. Enjoy!)

The threads in Kosi’s loom snapped to a halt. Kosi did not look up, but the embroidery across her shoulders started to shift, moving lower and thickening, going from delicate flowers to unbreakable coverage over her ribs.

 When Kosi finally speaks, she still doesn’t look Siren in the eye. “I trust you have figured out who Nekoma Kohari is.”

Siren shrugs and sits down. “It wasn’t that hard to guess.”

           “Reso says I can come home?” Kosi’s voice is tinged with sadness and her fingers twitch once.

           “He says you can go back to where you once lived, yes.” Siren says, leaning back to watch the shifting threads across Kosi’s back. They note the goosebumps fluttering along Kosi’s neck where her hair doesn’t cover. “He said specifically that he came because he didn’t really believe you died in the fire.”

           “They wouldn’t have found a body, that’s true.” Kosi whispers. They sit in silence for a while and when Kosi next moves, the loom starts moving again, it’s rhythmic thuds more subdued than usual.

           “You know, once I would have given anything to be able to go back there.” Kosi says, not looking up from her loom. The pattern forming across the loom has changed, colours darkening. Siren doesn’t look at Kosi’s face.

           “You don’t have to. You realise. You can stay and Aniko and Nocte can provide whatever other aid that Reso is seeking.” Siren keeps their voice soft and gentle. “As far as anyone is concerned, Nekoma Kohari died in that fire. None of us know a Nekoma Kohari. We can help Reso and then send him on his merry way.”

           “Is it weird that I want to take you up on that?” Kosi looks up and her eyes are wet with tears. “I just- I want to be free. I want to leave Nekoma Kohari dead. Like-“

           Kosi puts the loom down gently, then throws her hands across her eyes. “As Kosi- as Kosi, I can do more. I can weave things that have meaning and that make a difference and protect people. I can make things pretty and I can- I don’t know it’s like the entire House of Night right, like I can make beautiful things because they’re beautiful? Because I want to experiment with thread and I know that what I’m doing helps other people? And all in a way that I never could, not as Nekoma. Because I believe in what the House tries to fight for and I like to see how everything I make makes a difference. And it means more, and Nekoma. Past Nekoma would hate that I’m leaving Reso behind. That I’m leaving the rest of my family behind because hey, we all got hurt and scared and just. I don’t know.”

           Siren looks at Kosi with the grace of someone who has also had to grow up too fast.

             “It’s the difference between surviving and living, huh?” Siren says when Kosi finally stops and just throws her hands up.

             “Yeah.” Kosi says after a long pause.

             “I’ll tell Reso that we wish him luck in finding Nekoma then.” Siren stands up. Kosi turns to stare at them.

           “But I’m right here.”

           Siren quirks an eyebrow. “I only see Kosi.”

             They tuck their staff back into their coat with one smooth motion and leap off the railing to land below the balcony on their own balcony.

             Kosi sits there for a while before she shakes her head and starts laughing.

             Where dead people live, indeed.

cool lines from the original idea:

“Freedom is more than the ability to choose your prison.”

‘Why do you do this if you’re a doctor?’ ‘I do this because I’m a doctor.”

Reso exhales slightly and removes his ear from the door only to hear, “In this house, if we want to hear something, we ask the people speaking and sit comfortably to listen if we’re invited.”

#flash fiction friday #fff61: wild and free #fff61 #kosi i love u #also initial idea was to write from nocte talking to white violin but like. kosi i love u so much #she's been through so much and she's healing and learning who she is #siren #kosi's power is the ability to manipulate thread