BLUFF [AIB]

Stage One: IX

[Started: 12/27/2022]
[Ended: 12/27/2022]
[Song: The Run (Urban Legends) by Michael Abels.]

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Alice In Borderlands
BLUFF
STAGE ONE: Rubatosis
"The unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat."

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Chapter Nine
"Go Fish."
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     Y/n stood in front of a lit-up building. It was a pale white color with a wave painted on the side. She walked in the smell of chlorine hit her. She quickly took a phone before standing off to the side. Some of the people in the group knew each other. There was a couple, twins, and a two friends. Six others including herself were alone.
    Looking around she spotted Chishiya. He gave her a small nod of acknowledgment that she ignored. Out of the other six, the most capable looking was a tall man no older than herself. He had short dark shaggy hair and a lean build. He looked around like a naive child. Yet he still seems more likely to win than the others.
     "Registration closed."
    "Game. Relay."
    "Difficulty. 6 of clubs."
    "Split into teams of three and proceed to the pools."
    Y/n immediately approached the tall man. "Excuse me. Would you be on my team?"
    He turned to her with a charming smile. "Yeah. I'm Seda." He introduced stretching out his hand.
    "Y/n." She said shaking his hand.
    After their introduction, Y/n looked around for another team member. Most of them had already paired up.
    "Looks like your stuck with me. Sorry, Y/n." Chishiya said walking over to them.
    Seda looked between them. "You two know each other?"
    "Not well. We met last game."
    "Actually the game before that." He corrected her.
    "Whatever. Let's just get this done." Y/n said walking ahead of them.
Seda looked at Chishiya awkwardly. "She's intense."
The blond just boredly stared back at the man.
"Cool." Seda followed after Y/n.
The group went into the main part of the building containing four 12 feet deep pools. On one of the walls were two stations. Each had what looked like a board game on it.
"Two teams will play against each other. The teams that win the games will walk free."
"Players must move their pieces into the safe zone. The number of spaces a player can move will be determined by numbers the player pull from the pools."
"Numbers/moves may be saved or split."
"There are no rules prohibiting what pool you must use."
"Game starts in three minutes."
Y/n began to undress already expecting to be the one in the water.
Seda stood there awkwardly. He looked at Chishiya to see if he should turn away but the blond just watched with an air of confidence.
"Only one person needs to play the game. I'm assuming your good in the water?" Y/n asked directing her attention to Seda.
"Yeah, sorta." He shrugged.
She looked to Chishiya. "You can manage the game right?"
He nodded.
"Try not to screw it up." She told him not having a lot of faith in the blond.
"Does he usually screw shit up?" Seda questioned.
Y/n shrugged and moved to the edge of the pool. "He's just never been a very big help before."
Their team was up against the couple and a random guy. The two men were prepared to get in the water leaving the woman to face off with Chishiya.
"Game starts in 3, 2, 1, go."
Y/n and Seda dove into the water. Underwater Y/n opened her eyes as her hand touched the bottom of the pool. On the ground, we're random balls with numbers on them. She grabbed at random ones, getting at least three in her hands before getting back to the surface. She paddled over to the edge placing them on the cement.
"Chishiya!" She called.
When she saw him coming over she dove back into the water. This continued repeatedly. Y/n had a better feel underwater than Seda but he managed to get a few high numbers up as well.
The team they were up against was becoming anxious. Every time Y/n came to the surface she could hear arguing. It was becoming heated very fast.
"Y/n." Chishiya came to the edge. "I need 7 more to win."
She nodded. "I got it."
Diving back into the water she searched around for a three and a four, or a seven. Eventually, she found a seven and came back up for air. When she did someone jumped in next to her and it wasn't Seda. It was the man that was with the woman on the other team.
He grabbed her shoulder and decked her. Her head fell under water tainting it with blood but she could make out the panic in Seda's voice when he saw what happened. Having still held onto the seven Y/n popped back up and threw the ball at him.
"Give it to Chishiya!" She yelled.
"No!" The man launched at Seda.
Y/n grabbed the back of his shirt pulling him underwater. He thrashed about punching her in the stomach. She struggled to keep her head above water as the man pulled her down. Taking a deep breath she went under again and kicked him off before wrapping her legs around his neck. She crossed her ankles and pressed her thighs together. Air bubbles left the man as she held him in place. Soon he stopped moving altogether.
She let go of him and broke through the surface gasping as she did. Pushing her hair back her eyes met Chishiya and Seda. The tall boy was leaning over the pool in concern while Chishiya stood there nonchalantly.
"Did we win?"
Lasers going off gave her the answer.
"Are you okay?" Seda asked offering her a hand out of the pool.
Y/n wiped her nose and got out herself. "I'm fine." She glanced at her pinky which was missing a nail.
'I'm used to it.'
"Here." Seda moved to the lifeguard tower taking the first aid kit. He handed some gauze to her before putting it on the ground. "That hit looked pretty hard. You took it well though."
"What are you a boxer or something?" She asked sarcastically while trying to keep the blood from running down her lips and chin.
Seda chuckled. "Yeah actually, or I was before all of this."
Chishiya looked over the pool carefully watching the two out of the corner of his eye.
"What did you do?" Seda asked.
"She was a hairdresser." The blond answered for her.
She looked at him incredibly confused. "How did you know that?"
He looked at her as if he were remembering something. "Lucky guess."
She was absolutely baffled and perplexed that he could guess that about her. "You have amazing luck then."
"I hope I see you again Y/n," Seda said to her.
"Yes, I hope you live as well." She didn't really care though.
"See you around." He waved goodbye leaving her with Chishiya.
Y/n turned to the blond looking down at his wrist. "What's the beach?"
"The group I'm a part of. The one I gave you an offer to join." He answered plainly. "If you want to know anything else you'll have to go there yourself."
"Your infuriating." Though she wasn't expressing it she was annoyed by him. She wished he would just give her the answers.
"Goodbye, Chishiya."

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