Love Nikki: Chapter One

~4~

   In the morning, we go downstairs for breakfast. A complimentary meal of stale muffins and bruised fruit awaits us. Despite being completely unsavoury, I devour my bacon and eggs. At least, that's what the hotel calls it. It's more like cardboard with a side of wet crumpled paper. Momo, although being a ravenous cat, refuses the cat food we pestered from the chef. Whatever. I'll carry it with me, and when he's hungry enough to get over his ego, he can have some.
   After Bobo is satisfied with the number of apples she's snuck into her backpack, we head out into town to shop for clothes. "Are you sure you won't get in trouble for doing that?" I eye her bulging bag.
   "They haven't caught me yet! Besides," she says, fishing one out to munch on as she speaks, "who else is gonna eat them? I mean, they look terrible!" She holds the lucky winner of her search up for me to see. At my feet, Momo makes a hacking sound. His face scrunches and his back arches. I realize I can actually relate to him for once. "It's all soft and nasty!"
   I wrinkle my nose. "It smells bad, too," I add. Momo hacks again, this time a hairball rolling out of his mouth. I pull out the plastic bags Bobo gave me earlier and collect it. "I can't imagine anyone even wanting to be around that thing."
   "Exactly." She takes a bite, cringing as it caves in at the slightest touch. "But a girl's gotta eat. Want one?"
   I squeeze my eyes shut as she shoves a squishy apple at me. I swear I hear the insides slosh. "I-I think I'm good." I peek at her collection. The purple sheen on one of them is enough to make me quickly avert my eyes. "They don't look safe to eat."
   Bobo shrugs. "Guess it's a good thing I have a strong stomach, then." She finishes the mess of a fruit, and tosses it into a garbage bin. The remaining flesh oozes on contact.
   I deposit my bag in the same bin. I find it rather difficult to avoid looking at the apple wreckage. Desperate to rid myself of the queasiness in my stomach, I grab her arm and point to the nearest store. "How's that one? It looks like it might have some nice clothes."
   She follows my gaze. The window has mannequins with cutesy clothing similar to Bobo's. Big frilly skirts and aprons decorate the interior, from what I can see, and bright colours compliment the fairytale aesthetic. "Lilith Life," she reads from the sign. "I shop here whenever I visit Wheat Field! Lilith is my favourite aesthetic, though I'm sure you already know that." Lilith aesthetic? Before I can ask for clarification, she bounces to the red door. Adding to my mental list of questions, I follow.
   Inside, we wander around to examine the clothes. I find a handful of nice items to purchase, but I notice Bobo only gets herself a pair of socks. One mimics the five of diamonds in a card game, and the other the eight of clubs. For myself, I've selected a red vest with a green gem and a white undershirt to match, along with a red frilly skirt. For a finishing touch, I've also got a white apron for my waist with cute green and purple shapes at the bottom. After paying for our items, we head out.
   "I was thinking we could have a picnic in the wheat fields and practice styling," Bobo chirped.
   "I think that sounds great, so long as our meal isn't week old apples."
   She considers this. "I don't really have anything else at the hotel. Maybe we can head to the grocer down the street and get some sandwiches, then we can head over."
   Momo follows us as we stroll down the street.  He looks at ease, his poncho hood having fallen off his head and onto his back. The small town feel of Wheat Field must be as relaxing to him as it is to me. The cobblestone paths and small family stores make it feel very homey.
   I hear heaving to my left. Turning to see what's making the noise, I gasp and poke Bobo. In front of a small bakery, a woman with misty purple hair is crumpled on the ground, shoulders shaking with her face in her hands. I start to go forward, but Bobo holds me back. "Wait. Let me try to ask her what's wrong." I watch her go over and crouch down next to the girl. That was odd. Why would she stop me? Before I have enough time to turn the question over in my head, Bobo is stalking back. "She won't say a thing," she huffs, folding her arms across her chest. "Why wouldn't she want help? If someone offered their help to me, I would accept it without hesitation." She fingers her light brown braids, head shaking. "I suppose there's nothing we can do."
   I hold her back as she tries to stride away. "Maybe..." I hesitate. This might be what Nanari meant. Fix one bad thing at a time, such as whatever might be bothering this woman. "Maybe I should talk to her."
   "Oh, please!" Bobo rolls her eyes. "She clearly doesn't want our help." I ignore her and walk over. She collapses on a bench and begins muttering to Momo, who doesn't seem to have a care in the world as he chases shadows on the ground.
   I settle down beside the girl. "Please leave me a-alone," she whispers.
   "I want to make you feel better. Can you tell me what's happened?" The woman raises her face. I'm taken aback by her immense beauty. She has a slender face with glinting purple eyes, and thin lips. Her face is contorted into an expression of misery.
   After taking me in, her downcast eyes turn away. "I'm afraid there's nothing you can do to help."
   I bite my lip. I'm not good at this. How can I comfort a stranger without invading her privacy? "Can you let me try? It can't do you any harm."
   "I'll only let you help if you can beat me at a styling contest." Her narrowed eyes turn back to me. "In Cloud clothing."
   I try to imagine what she means by cloud clothing. White and fluffy clothes? Though I'm not entirely sure what the theme is, I agree. "If I win, you let me and my friend help you."
   "And if you lose," she adds, "you give me enough coins for a train ticket."
   We shake hands. "Deal."
   "We start in ten minutes. Here." She stands, and whisks away. I watch her, a smile tugging on my mouth. I have a chance to do the things Nanari told me to do. I take a deep breath.  Don't think of it as saving Miraland. Think of it as doing one right thing.
   I stand and rush over to Bobo. "So she turned you away too, huh?" She is investigating her nails, eyes bored.
   "Nope." Her head snaps up in confusion. "We have a styling contest. If I win, she tells us what's wrong. If she wins, I pay for a train ticket. We start in ten minutes."
   "Well, what's the theme? We can't be wasting time to get what we need!" Her eyes are suddenly focused, mouth drawn tight in determination. "You have to win this battle. It could get your name out there, and be perfect learning for your styling career!"
   I think back to the puzzling theme the purple haired woman presented. "She said the theme was cloud. So big white clothes?"
   Bobo groans. "No, no, that will lose you the contest for sure!"
   "What will? The clothes?"
   "The theme!" She throws her arms apart, as if that will make me understand. I wait for an explanation. She sighs, hands on her hips. "That girl is obviously from the Cloud Empire. There is no way you could possibly win such a theme against an expert!"
   So Cloud Empire must be one of the nations that Nanari told me about. I remember Bobo's earlier remark about Lilith aesthetic. Lilith is a place, and so is Cloud. So each nation must have it's own distinct style, making for a variety of fashion sense across Miraland. "So, what exactly is the style of the Cloud Empire?"
   She's silent for a moment, just watching me. I shift uncomfortably. It's as if she's waiting for me to tell her I'm joking. Finally, she caves in. "Cloud's style is an eastern look. Some would say it's a Chinese style. Some would say that's a rude description. The point is, you probably need to go shopping."
   I pause. Chinese. The word rings a bell. "Is there a China nation?" I ask. She squints at me until I decide there isn't. "Let's just go find some clothes." As we search for stores, questions run through my head. Somehow, I made the connection between Chinese and China. This must mean there was a China where I used to live. But then how would Bobo know the word? Everytime someone answers one of my questions, five more take its place.
   "Here! It's the best store in Wheat Field for Cloud looks," she says excitedly.
   Feathery Dream. "Let's have a look. You can help me pick out the best clothes." She nods excitedly, and we head in.
   There are so many beautiful clothes in here. The kimonos catch my eye, but Bobo insists the elegant robes would do better. Momo follows us, watching the clothes around him in awe. There's something about these clothes that are dreamy and captivating, and I find myself staring in awe with him.
   "What about this?" I ask. Bobo comes over to have a look. It's a long, high waisted yellow skirt with a yellow floral pattern. For the waist comes a green ribbon, and there is a red robe to go over the white undershirt.
   I watch her expectantly, hoping for a reaction. "It's simple and pure," she notes to herself. "I think it may work better in a different colour. Like this one." She shows me an outfit on the next hook over. It is the same as the dress I have, but the skirt is a light green without a floral pattern, and the ribbon is red. The robe is a darker green than the skirt.
   I open my mouth to agree, but Momo plods over to the one I was admiring and pawed at it. He turned his large amber eyes to gaze at me. I watch as he continues to paw at the red and yellow dress, meowing quietly. "I..." For some reason, something inside me tells me Momo is giving me a sign. It's like he understands what's happening, and wants me to pick my dress. "I think I want this one."
   I pull the outfit off the rack as Bobo watches me with shock. "Are you sure? That one has a cute style, and that Cloud girl has more of a mature look."
   "This is the one." I march to the accessories with the outfit in hand. She hesitates, then comes rushing after me. After going through the accessories, I select a white face veil with a red trim. Bobo gets me a wig that's so dark brown, it's almost black. It's styled in a braid that goes over my shoulder. I take it hesitantly. "How will this help me?"
   Bobo gives me a hard stare. "Your hair is not a cloud style. This wig is."
   I give her a puzzled look. "Why can't we just put my hair up?" I sigh after she gives me another long, hard stare. "Let's just pay and head back. Our ten minutes are almost up." We go to the front counter, and I pull out coins to pay for my haul.

   I step into a changing station. This station has the same sign as the other one. I make a mental note to ask Bobo about this apparel group. "Remember, even the minute details count. Not a strand out of place!" she says, nodding at my wig.
   "I'll watch the hair," I reply. "You just worry about Momo. If he gets hungry, give him some of that cat food."
   She nods, and I close the door. As I get into my outfit, I realize I didn't pick out any shoes. I judge the shoes that I have and decide I'll be okay without any. I pull on the wig and, following Bobo's orders, carefully arrange the loose strands in an appealing way. I take one final look in the mirror. I look like a different person. The Cloud attire is so unlike anything I've ever worn before, and the hair really helps pull the final outfit together. It wouldn't look as flattering with my pink hair. After I've decided everything is as good as it'll get, I call out my Giftys. "Hey, little guys. We've got a contest." They hop out of the suitcase one by one. I smile at them, growing fond of their pattering feet and cute chirps. We exit the booth.
   I look around, and see the purple haired woman. Bobo is with her. "Bobo..." I mutter under my breath. I don't want her to scare the Cloud girl off with snarky remarks, so I quickly scurry over to join them. The girl sees me, her eyes still with a sad expression.
   She pats her hip once, and her Giftys hop to attention. "I hope you are ready for our contest," she murmurs.
   I examine her outfit. Different shades of blue make an elegant and flowing robe,and she wears slippers on her feet to match the rest of her outfit. She has a blue feather in her hair. "Ready as I'll ever be," I say.
   She smiles kindly. "Everyone has room to grow. One day, you'll be more talented at the Cloud style." Her calm voice makes me relax a little. "Shall we begin, then?" I nod. Bobo shoots me a quick thumbs up, then settles on a bench to watch.
   Our first Giftys step forward. My Gifty squints at me. I've realized it's something all my Giftys do, and I wonder if they might need glasses. The Cloud girl's Gifty considers my opponents outfit. Then, they raise their signs. The next Giftys step forward. Suddenly, the Cloud girl does a curious thing. She reaches into her pocket and throws some flowers into the air. Her first Gifty quickly makes a note of that, as our third Giftys step up to judge. I shoot Bobo a questioning glance. She shrugs. The Cloud Girl does the same thing one more time nearer to the end.
   After consulting with each other, our Giftys surge up to us and reveal our scores. The Cloud girl gets a 23670, with a little blue C. I get a 23100, with a little red F. I sigh. Perhaps I was wrong to think Momo was sending me a sign. After all, he is just a cat. What would he know about styling? I realize this is rather hypocritical of me. What do I know about styling? I should have trusted Bobo's judgement. "You are a skilled stylist," I say when we face each other. "How much is a train ticket?" I can almost hear Bobo deflate on the bench, and I see her slump in the corner of my eye.
   The Cloud girl doesn't answer right away. She watches me with thoughtful eyes. Thinking. "I don't want the coins."
   "What?" I can't stop it from escaping my lips. We agreed on a price, and because I lost, I have to cover the cost of a train ticket. "Wasn't that the deal?"
   "I don't want the money, because I want your help."
   "But..." I scrunch up my face in confusion. "I lost."
   "That's very noble of you. But the only reason you lost is because you haven't yet acquired the skill Smile." She pauses, then looks back at me. "I need your help to catch a thief."