BLUFF [AIB]

Stage Two: VI

[Started: 1/12/2023]
[Ended: 1/12/2023]
[Song: Why I Love You by JAY-Z, Kanye West, Mr Hudson and Arena by Draft Punk.]

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Alice In Borderlands
BLUFF
STAGE TWO: Opia
"The ambiguous intensity of looking. someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously. invasive and vulnerable."

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Chapter Six
"Gotcha."
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Y/n stood in the grass looking out to the harbor. Her heart ached but not as much as it did when she lost Old Man. A few tears escaped her eyes and she let them fall.
"Kyuma...Tatta, thank you for this second chance. I won't waste it and i will never forget you." She took a deep breath as her shoulders shook. "From this day on, for the first time in my life, I am going to live for me. I will fight and I am going to keep my promise to Old Man."

Up on the hill Kuina and Arisu watched Y/n's back. "What happened in there?" Kuina asked.
Arisu smiled sadly. "Y/n and I made a friend. But I think she was closer to him that I was."
Suddenly Y/n turned around swiftly making her way up the hill to everyone else. She looked around. "Where's Chishiya?"
Kuina gulped before pointing to the Jack of hearts blimp.
"Son of a bitch." Y/n cursed. "You guys mind if I take the car?"
Usagi blink. "Go for it."
"Are you okay?" Arisu ask genuinely worried she had gone mad.
Her lips formed a downward smile. "I'm actually a lot better now. Stay alive while I'm gone?"
Kuina nodded. "Bring yourself back safe okay?"
"I won't be dying anytime soon, I promise."

It was a day that always stuck in the back of  Chishiya's mind. The day he met Y/n, the day she still didn't remember. But that wasn't how he knew her. To other people he might've seemed like a stalker but he was merely observant. And when you see someone everyday it's hard not to notice them.
     It was a place called Todo's. A nice little restaurant in shibuya district. Chishiya often went there but so did a lot of other people. There was an old couple that often ate there and a man who was dating one of the waitresses that came in a lot. But there was also Y/n. Every Friday evening she'd come in and pick up an order. She never sat down to eat and her conversations with the staff were always brief.
     Back before he formally met her she was just another one of the many faces he observed. It was only after he conversed with her that he realized what she was. She was a question mark of a person that wore a steal mask that society had made for her. Since that day he had wanted to see just what was underneath it. As he got glimpses of the beneath it completely captivated him.

     But to Y/n he was nothing. While she was observant she also pushed away everyone. She blocked them out. Her eyes began causing the same effect of noises canceling headphones. The people she passed everyday were faceless blurs. Only when she directly interacted with someone did their face become visible. But as soon as they left they would return to being faceless.
     since coming to borderland everyone has had a face. Sonder realization turned the blurry faces into people and she let them into her life. She started to grow and change. And though Chishiya had never described anything as "beautiful", he thought that her acceptance was beautiful.
     He had never had a good example for it. But the anxiety and caring he felt for Y/n was beginning to seem suspicious to him. The incredibly overwhelming feeling could only be love. He didn't like it one bit but he was stuck with it.
    That's why he walked away. He walked all the way to the Jack of hearts game. In truth he didn't want to know if Y/n was alive or dead. He just didn't want her to be dead.

     With a metal collar on his neck he stood in the guard room of a prison waiting for the game to start. Standing near him was a boy in overalls nervously shifting. Across from them a man in a blue button down shirt appeared. Chishiya recognized the man as Banda a murder that had been on the news.
     Coming up behind Banda was a mystery person in a blood red hoodie. The dark of the hallway and their hood kept their identity unknown. The two seemed to be having a quiet conversation.

     "Difficulty, Jack of hearts."
     "Game, prison cell."
     "Rules, guess the suit that appears on the back of your collar. However, you cannot see your own suit. The time limit per round is one hour. Five minutes before the time is up enter one of the prison cells and guess what your own suit is. If you do not guess your correct suit it will be game over for you. When the time runs out your collar will explode and you will die. In addition your suit will change every round."

     The boy next to Chishiya spoke up. "Then we just need to have someone tell us what it it right?" He looked to the blond with a smile. "That should be easy."
     "I wouldn't be so sure." He replied. "They haven't told us how to clear the game."

     "Prison cell is a test of how much you can trust others. In addition the Jack of hearts has secretly joined the game as one of the participants. The game will be cleared when the Jack of hearts is killed. Prohibited activities include using reflections to see your own suit, you also may not use violence or weapons to kill others. This game has no time limit, there is plenty of food, and your visa days will not expire while playing. The game will start now."

     Chishiya nodded. "There it is. Until the Jack of hearts fails to answer correctly this game will not be cleared."
     It was quiet for a minute. Slowly people started to talk to each other. Groups and partnerships began to form. One girl in particular formed a large group and began walking around to ask if others would join.
    Banda left down the stairs he came up in leaving the person in red behind. Soon the girl came up to the stranger seeing them alone.
     "Hey would you like to join us?" She asked sweetly.
     The stranger shook their head.
     "Awe bummer." The girl just continued on to others in the vicinity.

     The overalls boy, who's name was, Ippel approached Chishiya. "Hey let's tell each other our suits."
    Chishiya didn't look at him and just kept observing the group. "If you want to survive you have to be observant. Besides, I could be the Jack of hearts myself."
    The boy looked at Chishiya feeling indifferent about his words.
    "Look at them, splitting into groups, sizing each other up." He pointed to a couple standing by the wall. "See those two?"

     The boy looked over at them.
    "Do you know what they were doing before the game began?" Chishiya asked. "Let's just say he's got her under his thumb and won't let her get involved with other participants. In this game if you have someone to stick by you'll win."
Through the bars in the floor the two could see down to the other floor. Their attention went there at Banda was stopped by a man with horrible bangs.
"It looks like you still don't have a partner." He said. "Tell me my suit and I'll tell you yours."
Banda looked carefully at him. "That's a pretty athorative way of speaking."
Then the odd girl came over to Ippel and Chishiya. Her band of followers following close behind. "Say, would you two like to join our group."
"Sure." Chishiya nodded answering for himself and Ippel.

Soon the group began to tell each other their suits. Chishiya kept watching Banda and his new companion on the lower floor. Soon the stranger in the blood red hoodie approached them.
"You were wrong when you said I didn't have a partner." Banda said to the other man.
"The more the merrier." The stranger took of their hood revealing a wide condescending smile.
When Chishiya saw the face of the stranger his body tensed with shock. "Y/n....."

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