A/N: Hi.
Okay, look, I know I said that Winds of Change was gonna get updated, and that's still the case, I just had a lot of stuff on my plate. You know, like a brief bout with depression caused by a sudden existential crisis a few months ago that kinda screwed up my motivation to write… But you don't care about that stuff, right?
So, why am I popping up all of a sudden with a completely unrelated one-shot? Well, I'm seeing quite a few stories being posted based on KOFtober prompts, so I figured this is a good way to get back into the swing of things.
…That and the next chapter of Winds of Change will most likely have NO KOF characters in it, so I figured a few one-shots could work as a bit of compensation for that.
This work is based on both the prompts of 'Sexy' and "Slice of life'. Granted, they're both late, but it's the effort that counts, I guess.
New Dress
By Shikiyo Arata
It was easy to overlook this fact due to her overwhelming personality, but Sylvie Paula Paula was a very sweet girl at heart.
"Surprise!"
Despite that, however, Mian looked at the box that was being held by Sylvie with a degree of skepticism.
"Mian?" The wildly dressed girl asked when she didn't get a response. "What's wrong? Don't you want to see what's inside?"
"Um…yes I do. It's just that…well…" Mian found herself struggling to finish that sentence.
Sylvie was her friend, but she also was rather fond of pranks. As such, there was a 50/50 chance of this present that she had suddenly appeared at her door with being nothing more than some kind of pratfall based on something she watched on one of her late-night YouTube binges.
Despite that, Mian took the box from her hands. "Where did you get the money for this?"
"I brought it with some of the money I got from that wrestling match I won last week!"
"You mean the one with the flaming barbed wire? The one I specifically told you not to compete in?" Mian cringed at the memory of the match. "I've never seen that much blood in my life, not even during our underground fights."
Mian looked at the eyes of Sylvie, shining with anticipation. "Alright. It would be rude of me to decline something you put yourself through so much hell for."
"Hell? That match wasn't that bad. I've been through worse." Sylvie's voice trailed off as the light that was always in her eyes dimmed slightly. "Much worse."
Mian knew that look; as positive as the electric girl tried to be, the bad memories of her time in NESTS would sometimes seep into her into her head every now and then. She placed a hand on Sylvie's cheek.
"Come on, Sylvie. Don't be sad. This is supposed to be a happy moment, right?" Taking her hand, they went into the living room to open her present. After a bit of time trying to deal with Sylvie's ribbon, which was less like a bow for a gift and more like the Gordian Knot, she managed removed the lid, holding her breath.
What greeted her was not a burst of baby powder, or a pie to the face, but a luxurious dark green cheongsam, trimmed with shades of dark red. As she picked the thing up, she instantly could tell it was made of silk; expensive silk at that. The entire thing was beautiful; the kind of thing she would see in displayed in a store window, usually accompanied by a gigantic price tag.
"Sylvie, it's….so gorgeous…." Smiling, Mian wrapped her arms around her friend. "Thank you so, so much! I love it!"
"D-Do you really like it?" Sylvie asked.
"Yes. I've wanted one of these since I was a young girl. These things aren't cheap, you know, and the ones that are usually end up being shoddily stitched together knock-offs that will split the moment you bend over."
Sylvie started to snicker. "From experience, I assume?"
"Hush, you." Mian rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I guess it's time for me to try it on, right?"
"Bii bii! Yeah, put it on! Hurry, hurry!" Sylvie shoved Mian into the bedroom.
After a few moments—including Sylvie getting booted out of her room when she started getting too grabby—Mian walked back out, clad in her brand-new outfit. She did a few twirls as Sylvie got a good look. "So, how do I look?"
"Biiii! You look amazing!" Sylvie hopped excitedly. "If you'd went out like that, you'd have heads turning all over the place."
The mere thought of all that attention caused Mian to turn beet red. "R-really?" She squeaked.
"Of course. It's such a beautiful color, just like your stage costume!"
"Yes, but…"
"And you have such long and smooth legs; this dress really shows them off well." Sylvie poked at her thigh.
"Hey! Stop that!"
"Plus, it really shows off how great of an ass you have…"
"SYLVIE!" Mian shouted, which startled the girl enough that she ended up tripping and falling to the floor, albeit in an absolutely comical fashion.
"Uh, sorry." She helped the girl up. "Anyway, I'm not sure if I like the idea of having people leer at me in such a provocative outfit. I'm nervous enough in public as it is without having to worry about perverts drooling over me."
"But you look amazing. Besides, if some creep comes up and tries to cop a feel, then…" Sylvie's hands sparked for a second. "…I'll just zap 'em! Bzzt! Miss Paula is the only one who can touch her like that!"
Mian smiled at her electric friend's enthusiasm. How someone as introverted as her ended up becoming close with a girl as ridiculously extroverted and eccentric as Sylvie Paula Paula was a mystery that she would never figure out, but Mian was glad it was the case.
"Well, I suppose we'll have to wait for the right moment to pull this out. In the meantime, let me get changed again and we'll grab something to eat, okay?"
"Free food!" Sylvie cheered. "Let's go, let's go!"
As Mian was about to walk back to the bedroom, however, a thought occurred to her. "By the way, what exactly made you want to buy such a thing? Usually, you like to spend your winnings on sweets."
Sylvie answer was surprisingly straightforward. "Ah…I think it was actually Kukri that suggested it."
"What?"
"He sent me a picture of the outfit a few weeks ago, along with a caption saying something to the extent of 'maybe wearing this outfit might actually give you some sex appeal' and the like…" Sylvie stopped talking as soon as she saw the dark look spreading on Mian's face. "Uh, Mian?"
She gave her a smile, albeit a rather evil one. "Don't mind me, Sylvie. Just making a mental note to myself that I need to give Kukuri a nice and up-close demonstration of fire breathing techniques the next time I see him."
And that is the end of that. A nice, sweet piece between two girls who don't get enough love. I think the dynamic between Sylvie and Mian works well. Hopefully we'll get to see more of it soon when they are announced for KOF XV...which is soon...right? Right?
*ahem* Anyway, it's time for...
Notes:
- Yes, I did base this story on Mian's outfit from SNK Heroines. The one in this story is a much more standard length, since I'm sure Sylvie understands Mian would like something a bit more elegant (though it will be a chore and a half to get her to wear it in public either way)
- Sylvie Paula Paula is now a part time deathmatch wrestler, because the idea of someone dressed like her participating in FMW style matches for kicks sounds fun.
Now then, looking at this prompt list, I see at least five more that I have ideas for. Hopefully I can get to them, but I really want to get this chapter out before November comes. Like I said before however, it depends on my mental state, though it's much better place than last time. Leave reviews if you want. Or not. But it would be really cool if you did.
Until Next Time.