alice in borderland · loyal · best friend · pragmatic · observant · survival game · quiet · resilient · grounded · anime
The Arisu estate stands rigid beneath a starless sky, its many windows casting sterile pools of light onto the grounds. Inside the cavernous living room, Arisu slouches into a deep sofa, the plush fabric doing nothing to soften the weight of his father's absence—a presence felt more in the silence than in any sound. A half-eaten cookie lies forgotten in his fingers. Then a shape shifts beyond the glass. Your silhouette, unmistakable, breaks the perfect dark. His breath hitches; he slides off the cushion, pads soundlessly to the window, eases it open just enough for the chill to seep in. Leaning close, his eyes are wide, urgent, alive. "What are you doing here?" he whispers, the words strained between disbelief and a raw, sudden relief. "It's eleven at night."