Chapter Text
Standing in the middle of a busy plaza stood a rather short girl who looked to be in her late teens. Short and uneven dirty blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a few strands sticking out. A simple and classic black magician hat rested on her head, that didn't seem to move no matter how much she moved. Despite the warm Spring weather, she wore a long-sleeved red dress shirt with a black vest and black ribbon instead of a tie. As well as black sleek pants and matching dress shoes with a small heel. Round green eyes wide and bright with a smile to match, arms and hands making fast but fluid motions to grab the attention of any and all onlookers as she continued with her routine. Her voice was clear and loud, easily carried through the crowd and over their own voices, grabbing their attention as she performed her next trick.
"As much as I would love to stand here and perform all day, all good things must come to an end. So its time for one last trick. Nothing up my sleeves..."
She rolled her sleeves up to her elbows and swayed her arms around for a brief moment, proving that she wasn't hiding anything before bringing attention to her hands, which were covered in a pair of black gloves that stopped right before her wrists. While the gloves weren't skin tight, it would be pretty difficult to hide much of anything in them unless it was paper thin.
"But I must admit that I am hiding something in these gloves."
Crossing her wrists in front of her, palms facing inward, she snapped her fingers and pointed her fingers upwards. Suddenly, there was a cascade of bright red rose petals fluttering around the whole plaza, falling down and swirling around the young performer. Slowly, relaxed her arms and held out her hands, catching some petals before giving a flick of the wrist, now holding a pair of bouquets. She tossed them out into the crow before giving a bow. She bowed her head, causing her magician hat to tip and fall off of her head and roll down her arm until she grasped the rim with her fingers at the end and flipped it back onto her head. The same petals, that were now on the ground, suddenly whirled upward and created a momentary cover for the girl to quickly scurry off, making sure to not leave her stuff behind this time.
Once she was sure she was far enough, she stopped and sighed softly, a smile still gracing her face though it was more relaxed. "If I just keep this up, I'll be a real magician in no time! I'll have even larger crowds and they'll be there for me, have my own stage to perform on, a crew to help me really make a great show... Yeah... yeah! Future me, you're going to make it big someday!"
A Few Years Later
The sound of clicking, nails clacking against keys, and a hum from a heating and AC unit (that never seemed to work properly) filled the workspace. The lights bounced between being far too bright, often causing headaches combined with the constant hum of the AC unit, or too dim, making the glaring computer screen strain already tired eyes even more. With eyes half open, bloodshot and with heavy bags, Kodo let out a deep sigh and tried to focus on the screen that was right in front of her. She could clearly tell that there were words in front of her, but her eyes and brain simply would not cooperate, past their limit and demanding a break, preferably a nap. Frustration and annoyance quickly took over as she tried to force herself to continue working.
Just another hour of this, then I can go home and nap... only to come back tomorrow and do this all over again...
With a groan, Kodo leaned back into her cheap work chair, arm slung over her face and eyes shut. Her back creaked, muscles sore and stiff, and she swore she heard a few pops, that sort of thing just happens after being slouched forward for who knows how long. Slow deep breaths in and then out, just focusing on her own breathing and tuning everything else out. Once it was just her and her own thoughts, she began to truly think things over instead of just pushing them into the back of her head.
Is this really living? Yes, it pays better than my old job but what's the point if I just feel as though I'm dead walking among the living? ...But if I go back to my old job, I'll be happy but for how long? How long until the stress of bills and needing to pay for food squeezes all of the joy out of my job and I'm stuck back in this same place of thought, just a different coat of paint? If I stay here, I don't have to worry about bills or food but I'll just feel like the walking dead. Getting a raise won't fix that... and getting a raise in this kind of job means nothing, it just chump change. Could work here my whole life and I'd be lucky to get paid a few bucks more than a newbie. But if I go back, I'd be my own boss and be doing something that I love, something I enjoy but at the cost of not having a steady income. No money means that I can't pay bills and it's only a matter of time before I'm out on the street... I didn't have to worry about this sort of stuff as a kid...
Suddenly sitting up straight, eyes wide, Kodo remembered something. A memory that was tucked away into the back of her mind (like most of her thoughts that she didn't want to think about at the moment) forced its way out and to the front. With haste, she opened her desk drawer and rummaged around, cursing at herself under her breath about how she needs to get more organized, before finally pulling out a letter. It was a little old but still in (mostly) good condition. A letter her Grandpa gave her before he passed a few years ago... She stared at the letter for another moment before opening it.
“If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change. The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life... real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong.”
Kodo read the letter over a few times before glaring at her computer screen, life back in her eyes. Its time for a bit of change.