the last thing tora had expected to find while rummaging through tess' closet was her costume, and yet, there it was in all of its blue, form-fitting glory. she had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn't dreaming, but it wasn't until she had slipped into it that she realized it was truly not a trick. how it had ended up there was less of a concern than why, but she was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. this week especially, she was feeling down, like she was losing herself. it was becoming more and more difficult to separate her feelings from those of the other woman in her head, and that horrified her. she had been told that merging with tess was a good thing, that not fighting it would make things easier, but tora was too stubborn to give in because it was simple.

she wanted to be an individual, to feel like more than a visitor or a parasite in someone else's body. it was why she fought tooth and nail to keep tess and jon apart. their relationship was a threat to her independence because it was at a point where tess' feelings were starting to feel like her own.

her costume made her feel more like herself than even her ice magic had. the combination of the two made her feel unstoppable – at least for a while. once she realized that she could not feasibly leave tess' apartment in this outfit, her mood changed significantly. this world was not the one she was used to. she could not openly use her powers for fear of being seen. she could not dress the way she wanted for fear of being noticed. she apparently didn't even have a choice in who she was attracted to. things were different, and even the positives, like ted's ressurection, could not change that.

and so, for a second day in a row, she hid. she stayed in, despite an obligation to go to work, and avoided the world. it was easier than confronting it head on, after all.