Right Back After This

Episode 5

There's an eruption of protests at that announcement that make it hard to think. Riz's understanding lags; it clicks into place when Kiel drops his arm and steps away.

"We're going to fucking lose," Kiel mutters under his breath.

"If you're so good," Riz argues, the tension in his body winding up with nowhere to go, "then you can carry me, can't you?"

Kiel stares at him for long enough that Paloma's voice comes back and he doesn't have to answer. "Remember," she says, and everyone immediately quiets down like well-behaved children. "...remember what's on the line. The winners receive an all-expenses-paid vacation to Ascove Island, on Gahren Six."

All-expenses-paid makes it sound like they have to pay for anything, ever. Like this is a holiday and not content.

Riz's astrography knowledge is limited to locating Mekha- locating Earth- and even that is diffcult. How is anyone ever meant to grasp where in the galaxy different worlds are, when it's a whole other universe depending on the planet you're standing on, and travel between them isn't linear anyway? Still, he vaguely remembers the name Gahren. The pause where the others are whispering amongst themselves is just so that they can show pictures of Gahren Six, paint it like a dream. Is every building shining gold, or is this that one place he's heard of where the plants can sing to you? Is it pretending to be an untouched, picturesque paradise of animals that don't know to be afraid of humans, or is it endless theme parks pretending not to be filled with overworked, lonely people? Is it always sunset, or does the night last forever, almost always under beautiful stars- marred only by the distant scar of a wormhole?

Riz is not going- or at least, he won't win. It's clearly being set up for Wrenley and Jace, and forcing Riz to work with his sworn enemy is just a fun side-effect.

Amello catches his eye, and Riz thinks he mouths sorry, although it's hard to tell. Riz has always said he can't stand Kiel. If you say something enough, you start to believe it, and Riz has no reason to disbelieve it, yet. Amello certainly has no reason to disbelieve it.

"If, by some miracle, we win..." Kiel whispers, and it's a threatening whisper that none around them will hear- although both mics will be able to boost it, caption it for behind-the-scenes. "...you're not coming with me."

"What gives you the right to say that?" Riz scowls, although there's this whiny tone he hedges any anger with, like a petulant child. It makes him more of an underdog. He wonders what kind of person is rooting for Kiel, when he says shit like that. Someone must be, or they wouldn't encourage this.

"Whatever." Kiel crosses his arms. "It won't matter. We're going to lose and I'm not going to forget that you've taken this from me."

He's still watching out of the corner of his eye, though. The cameras won't notice that- it's the only way he can suggest that he doesn't hate Riz as much as he says.

Riz is aware of the ghosts he's seeing. There's a light in the crack of a door he can't open, and he thinks he observes a slight shift, shadows moving in the other room. But maybe he just wants to pretend that there's someone there, because he wants to believe that he's not alone.

"I'll show you," Riz mutters, before the lights suddenly go out. It's midday, which means Bryten eclipses both suns, darker than midnight.

The doors into the garden swing open at the exact same time, something Riz only knows because of the colder air that creeps up from that direction. It's almost pitch-black, the only light to illuminate the area coming from the halo around Bryten, as seen through the thick greenhouse roof. Riz ducks to the ground instinctively, goes to hide.