take me back to eden | niragi x oc

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The next few days pass uneventfully. Hiyori is still trying to figure out their way around the Beach. Currently lost, they wander along down seemingly endless, identical halls. They're sure they got turned around somewhere, the most that they're positive of is that they're at least on the ground floor - probably? Worrying teeth over their bottom lip, they keep walking to turn a corner, almost running directly into a pair of someones.

Hiyori stumbles a step back. "Oh, sorry."

"No harm done," the woman says, smiling. Hiyori almost flushes under her gaze. She's beautiful, tall and slim with a warm aura. Sudden realisation flits to her face as she looks at them. "Oh hey, you're new, aren't you? We saw you get dragged in the other day. Those militants guys sure are jerks, right?"

"Heh, yep. That was me." Hiyori casts a hand over the back of their head, still a little sore from where they'd caught the butt of a gun against their skull.

"Well, I'm Kuina - and this is Chishiya," she says, motioning to the shorter man beside her. He's blonde with dark observing eyes, and he pulls a hand from the pocket of his jacket to wave lazily at her. They smile slightly in reply.

What good is sticking to themself at a place like this? They can play nice, be plain and unassuming, it's an act like any other.

"I'm Hiyori."

Kuina is nice. Her friendliness overwhelms the slight air of unease that Chishiya gives off. Hiyori doesn't know what to make of the guy. He doesn't talk much and his dark eyes flick around constantly, always carefully watching everything that's happening around them. It's as if he's eager to make sure he doesn't miss anything, not even the smallest minute detail. Kuina, meanwhile, talks.

She loops her arm with Hiyori's, guiding her along. The three eventually make it outside and Hiyori sighs at the orange warmth of afternoon sunlight, tilting their face back into it.

"Not so bad when you forget the whole death game aspect, right?" Kuina says, amusement lilting their tone as she walks them past the pool to a row of umbrella-shaded seats. Hiyori smirks.

"Almost like being on holiday," they reply as they sit, looking around, "Though I never could've afforded a place like this back in reality."

Chishiya doesn't sit to join the two, just strolls off. Hiyori watches him for a moment, then their attention is drawn back as Kuina laughs.

"You got a shitty job too?" She asks.

"I work at a cafe in Shibuya." They almost miss it, even the rush hour. "I was there actually, when this whole thing happened. One minute I'm cleaning up a mess someone kid left behind, the next, everyone's disappeared."

Their mind strains, trying to piece out those few moments in between. It had happened as quick as a blink. One moment, they'd been by the cafe's front window, wiping up a spill on a table top, then they'd turned for ... something? Why had they turned around?

They shake their head, forcing a slight smile as they displace the incomplete memories.

"Don't remember anything either?" Kuina asks.

"Just ... sunlight, through the cafe window," they answer unseriously, fiddling with a silver ring on their finger.

Kuina smiles easily, then gets distracted as another girl walks over to talk to her, sitting down at her side.

Hiyori doesn't listen in, turning to glance around the pool area of the hotel. It's a bit of a mess everywhere, empty cans and glass bottles lying around, likely leftover from the previous night's party. There's people lounging around and it feels almost surreal. It really does feel like a holiday, as if in just a few hours they weren't going to playing with their lives in some horrid game. They lean their chin onto their hand, brushing off the uneasy feeling. It'd do them no good being tense and worried all the time.