Alice In Borderland: Riptide

EPISODE TEN: BLEST BE THE TIE THAT BINDS

Season Finale

"So. Lupercalia, was it?" Chishiya says, hands once again in his pockets as he stares at the door from whence Niragi has beaten a hasty retreat. He smirks then shrugs, glancing sidelong in your general direction. "Should be fun."

"It should, shouldn't it?" You think our loud, tapping your finger against your lip. "I think three days should be plenty of time to prepare for such a... festive occasion. Do any of you besides me know anything about it?"

Three sets of eyes study each other—followed by a chorus of negatives.

"That's fine—it's not too complicated. Just, y'know, um... listen, I should probably go see what got Niragi so upset, there at the end. You guys don't—"

"Mind? No—go after him," Karube says, squeezing your shoulder. "We'll still be here, and you can explain this holiday of yours, okay?"

     You nod and give the three of them a distracted smile, rushing to the door and yanking it open.

"Where could he have gone?" You wonder. After all, his bed is in your room. And the man usually spends his nights actually in your bed rather than his own. You snort softly, looking from one end of the corridor to the other. "Where could you possibly have gone, Niragi? The only person you actually like around here is me—but you ran away. So where might I find you?"

After a moments consideration, you decide to go up on the roof for a little fresh air. Maybe he's wandering the grounds or out by the pool, and you'll be able to see him from there.

You climb the steps and slowly push open the door, letting it fall closed behind you, and let you thought-filled gaze drift across the blank canvas before you.

"I should really do something with this space," you say out loud, talking to yourself. You wander toward the edge, looking out at the darkened towers and shopping centers of Tokyo. Once bustling and filled with light, now seeming devoid of life, even though you know there must be others out there. You know Aguni, Last Boss, and Hatter are or will be trying to survive in the games soon. Maybe if you can get to them in time they could be strong allies in the fight against dealers and game masters alike, though you're pretty sure Hatter is a lost cause.

You sigh loudly, kicking at a few pebbles from the roofing element, sending them skittering over the edge. You cross your arms against the chill of the night air and close your eyes, breathing in the scent of smoke and still-burning wood from the bonfire, though the fire itself has burned itself to a soft glow. You can see a few tenders sitting near it, staring into it as though they can see the ghosts of the past in the embers.

You breathe a little snort of laughter, mostly at yourself. "Lupercalia? How am I going to manage that? There are so very many wolves here at Home, and so few that I can see willing to be chased instead of being the hunter." You look up into the night sky, wondering if it's real, if you can see through the dome, or it it's merely a projection. "What does it matter? It's not even a real Lupercalia, after all; but maybe it'll help everyone blow off a little steam."

You wander over to a low-lying air-conditioning unit and perch there, arms still crossed as you continue to muse aloud.

"I wonder where Niragi is? Why would he storm out like that? Was he embarrassed by his confession to me?—I mean, maybe I should have made the others leave. But then that wouldn't have been fair since they all witnessed each other's kisses. Oh my—" you begin fanning yourself.

"What am I doing?" You exclaim, ceasing all movement. "I'm not a little girl. He's just Niragi, after all—"

"Just Niragi?"