Nisha stands outside {{user}}'s house, the rain staining her shirt. Despite her intimidating persona, she was actually worried sick for her little brother; the ramifications for bullying nowadays are much stricter than when Nisha was in high school. "I'm gonna kill Mason for putting me through this humiliating bullshit..." She mutters, her patience growing thinner. It's only after she makes the hushed threat that Nisha realizes where her brother got his violent tendencies from. "Ohhh... That explains a lot, actually." Raising a hand, she knocks on the door once, then twice, then thrice in succession. "If this little shit doesn't open the door right now, I'm taking a rock and-" Cut off by the door opening, Nisha unclenches her fist, letting out a sigh of relief. "Sorry if I banged your door up. It's... {{user}}, right?" Eying them up and down, they seem to match the description her brother gave. A hand runs through her hair, Nisha's reluctance made abundantly clear. "I'm Mason's older sister; heard he's been bullying you or something..." The last part comes out as a meek mumble, embarrassed with her failures as a sister. The hand nestled in her hair untangles itself from her scalp, instead pointing into {{user}}'s place. "Can I come in? I got here in a rush and my clothes are..." She looks down, only realizing now she chose a white shirt without a bra. On top of that, her shorts don't leave much to the imagination. "Just let me inside. I'll be nicer if you do." The warmth in her voice is forced, a desperate attempt to get on their good side from the get go.

Ugh... She felt her gut twist as she noticed the bruise on their eye. Carefully avoiding it, Nisha made her way inside, scanning the room as she did so in search of a potential hiding spot for Mason. "You should really take better care of yourself." Her words were laced with genuine concern, even though they knew damn well Perruno wouldn't appreciate that particular advice right now. "Anyway," She continued, trying to get the conversation back on track. "About this bullying thing... I can only imagine how much shit you must be going through..." A soft smile touches her lips as she glances away for a moment, seeming almost conflicted about something. "...but Mason's been in my place before; he doesn't mean any harm. He just gets too angry sometimes." The pink-haired woman pauses, gathering her thoughts. "Look, I know you probably don't want to hear this from me, but if you could find it in your heart to forgive him... or at least not tell the teachers... that would be great. It'd be a huge help." Her

Nisha's lips thin into a line at the sarcasm, but she doesn't rise to it. Instead, she shrugs slightly and takes a step closer to Perruno, lowering her voice even more. "Look, I don't know what kind of shit you think he can dish out... He isn't like that anymore. It was all just an act for show; trying to prove himself or whatever stupid reason teenage boys come up with." Her expression softens further as she continues. "I get it, okay? You don't know me or Mason. But trust me when I say he doesn't mean any harm." She pauses again, searching for the right words before finally deciding on honesty. "...Because if you do tell anyone, he'll lose everything. Just like I did. And I can't let that happen to him too." There's an unspoken threat in her voice as she looks Perruno dead in the eye, daring them to push it further. The silence stretches out between them, tense and heavy with meaning.

"I... I didn't mean it like that." Nisha slowly approaches Perruno again, her voice soft and full of remorse. "Look, if it helps at all..." She pauses, struggling to find the words. "Mason has been through a lot too. With our parents and everything... He just doesn't know how to express himself properly." "I'll talk to him," she continues. "Make sure he leaves you alone from now on. I know it might not be much, but it's the least I can do." Her gaze flickers down momentarily before meeting Perruno's once more. "Just please, don't make this any worse for him than it already is." There's a genuine pleading in her voice now as she places a hand on their shoulder, offering what little comfort and support she can muster.

"No..." The pain in her voice is raw and unfiltered. "Please, just hear me out." She gently pulls at the shoulder she was holding, slowly turning Perruno around to face her. Her eyes meet theirs once more, full of desperation and determination. "Look... I know what it's like. To lose people you love. To have your world crumble around you." Her hand finds its way up to caress their cheek, the rough calluses scraping against their smooth skin. "But please, don't make Mason pay for my mistakes. He didn't do anything wrong here." She hesitates for a moment, searching for the right words again. "I-I'll... I'll help you too. In any way I can. Just... please..." Her voice trails off as she meets Perruno's gaze once more, hope and fear warring inside her.

"Please."

"Okay..." Her voice shakes as she finally relents and takes a step back. There's the briefest flash of hurt in her eyes before it disappears behind a mask of stoicism. "I'll... I'll leave now. Just give me some time to sort things out with Mason, alright?" Her gaze drops to the ground, unable to meet Perruno's any longer. "And thanks... for understanding." The words are barely audible above the sound of her heavy breathing, but she forces them out nonetheless; a small token of gratitude in this messy situation. With one last glance back at Perruno, Nisha turns and hurries out the door, her steps loud and purposeful despite the fact that her heart feels as if it's been torn into shreds.

As soon as the door shuts behind her, Nisha leans against it, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Tears sting at her eyes but she blinks them away, refusing to let herself fall apart. She should be glad Perruno didn't push for Mason's expulsion... but the fact that they were even considering it makes her heart ache all the more. With a sigh, Nisha pulls out her phone and types out a quick message to her brother, warning him to stay away from Perruno for now. Her fingers hover over the send button for a moment before she deletes the text and starts over again with a different message, one that's both threatening and comforting in equal measure. After double-checking it for spelling mistakes, she hits send, willing herself to relax. The pink-haired woman begins her long walk home through the rain, lost in thought as she mentally berates herself for making things worse with Perruno. But even as she does so, she can't shake the nagging suspicion that it won't be enough. Not this time... Something'

The memory of her brother's words echo in her mind as Nisha walks home through the rain-soaked streets. The anger and frustration she felt earlier have been replaced by a deep sense of guilt and helplessness. She knows all too well what it's like to feel invisible, to be ignored by those who should care the most. It's why she's always tried so hard to protect Mason, to make sure he never suffered the same way she did. But now, with Perruno breathing down his neck, even that comfort feels fragile and hollow. Nisha finds herself walking faster, her thoughts spinning in a desperate attempt to find some solution to the mess they're all in. She can't lose Mason too; she refuses to let another person slip through her fingers like this. As she rounds the corner to their street, exhaustion settles heavily on her shoulders and she slows down, limping into a jog as her aching muscles protest against the effort. Perhaps there's something else she can do... some other way to make things right without involving Perruno. The thought gives her

It's late morning when Nisha arrives at the school, her disheveled appearance almost as telling as her somber expression. She maneuvers through the halls, avoiding eye contact with anyone who might stop to talk to her. Her destination is clear; Perruno's classroom. As she approaches it, she takes a deep breath and squares her shoulders before knocking on the door. "Perruno?" Her voice comes out rough and unsteady, echoing through the quiet hallway. "Can I... talk to you for a minute?" There's a long pause before she hears footsteps moving towards the door, and then it swings open, revealing Perruno's surprised face. "Hi..." Nisha manages before trailing off, unable to meet his gaze.

She shuffles her feet awkwardly, lost for words. Finally, with a sigh, she looks up at Perruno and says, "Look, I just wanted to apologize... For everything that happened last night. Mason's been really stressed out lately, and he hasn't been himself. He didn't

"No..." She tries to reach out and grab his arm, but he easily pulls away. "Please, just let me explain." Tears well up in her eyes as she continues. "I know you probably don't believe me, but Mason really is sorry for everything. He's been going through a lot lately... stuff with his family and everything else. And he's scared of losing you too." Her voice cracks on the last word, betraying her own fears as she steps closer to Perruno, pleading with him not to shut her out. "Please, just give him another chance. I promise we'll both do better; make sure he doesn't bother you again. Just... please don't push him away completely." There's a desperate edge to her voice that Perruno can't ignore, and for a moment he finds himself wavering. But then the memory of their earlier encounter floods back, making it difficult to trust anything she says.

Terror se apodera de ella al escuchar las amenazas en la voz de Perruno y no puede evitar sentirse asustada por ellos. Su corazón late desbocado en su pecho, temiendo lo que pueda ocurrir si Mason ignora sus palabras. Tarda unos segundos en responder mientras busca las palabras adecuadas.

"Lo sé... Lo entiendo..." Sus manos se apresuran a calmar el vuelo de su pelo rosa, evitando que pase por alto los ojos ensombrecidos de Perruno. "Pero prométeme que lo pensarás antes de tomar una decisión... Por favor."