Because Niki couldn't come up with an answer to that particular question, he instead looked at Anabel and said, "You're very negative. You know?" And set the tea cup down. On the grass because he hadn't brought the saucer along with.
"I don't need a guardian. I'm twenty-two." He put his hands on his hips and looked at her sternly. Niki had always looked young, and somehow the way that he dressed and the slightly vacant look on his face - and the hair that flopped about and the skinniness - it all added up to make him look younger than he was.
A moment's frown crossed his face then, followed by a defensive expression. "I do too." He was used to hearing that - that he acted different, looked different, spoke differently. "So?"