pedalbike | 2nd Event: Choices We Make

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2nd Event: Choices We Make

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Arrival

Not all characters (known as Wickie, singular or Wickies, plural) arrive at the same time, surprisingly enough! That’s life for you. Some Wickies find their way to the island at a pivotal (or very mundane) point in their life, or even after or during their death.

Wickies who were standing or walking often find themselves entering the town South Sister, located on Lighthouse Isle, through an open doorway. Those that were laying down, or sleeping, tend to be found lying prone in beds, bathtubs, showers, couches, and similar places within the cottages on Cottage Row. There’s no rhyme or reason to it all! To Wickies familiar with the era, they will realize that everything looks as if it’s come from the ‘90s.

The house which a Wickie finds themselves within could already be occupied. This includes walking into a fellow Wicke, waking up in the same location, or accidentally scaring a room full of people with their sudden appearance.

Oops.

C-C-Changes

Thankfully the fog has gone down to what it was before, a slow creeping crawl over the ground. And too, the monsters of before are gone, leaving the town much like it was before. Well...close to what it was before.

For now the season's have changed, from a lingering summer to a cooler fall.

There’s new foods to try, even if some things like lattes cause people to slip into warm boots and tie up their hair, and soups make people curl up under blankets on the couch. And it also means decorations of all sorts, made of the leaves from the forest, orange, yellow and red things and...we can not forget...

Pumpkin overflow

Pumpkins! They're everywhere. Wickies will find pumpkins infused into all sorts of things, like coffee, ice cream, even spaghetti options! It's wild.

There’s also many jack o'lanterns. They have been placed everywhere in town, outside homes, and even small ones have been made into table decorations. The Jack o lanterns have very cheerful faces, and seem to watch Wickies every single move.

That is, until a Wickie bashes or otherwise abuses a pumpkin. That's when it changes- there seem to be more of them. Their expressions change to that of anger, sadness and disgust. None of them attack- yet. But their faces become more and more horrifying, as they follow the Wickie more and more- outside of the bathroom perhaps, or found on top of them as the Wickie wakes up in the middle of the night.

It shouldn't matter right? They're only pumpkins.

What a ride

Funny enough, with the pumpkin invasion, there also comes a dull colored horse wandering about the island. Its head is drooped, and it looks depressed and lonely. The horse is tame on approach and will accept pats and treats, even from those who are obviously not human.

But it also wants something, for all that it seems to be begging for attention. It wants someone to ride them, seems to even be begging for it with its big eyes. The horse will help Wickies to figure out how to mount; it will even stand beside the Town Center benches, rocks, or even go down in order to make it possible for the Wickie to get onto the horse’s back.

That’s when it changes. The Wickie is immediately wrapped in chains from their barrel to the Wickie’s waist. The horse turns a coal black and the Wickie’s clothing changes into that of a soldier's uniform, with a hand either holding a whip modeled after a human spine, or a jack o'lantern.

The Wickie cannot get off the horse on their own, no matter how much they struggle. As the horse moves throughout the town, they will go anywhere from a walk to a full canter, seemingly impervious to any magic or physical attacks. The same cannot be said for their unfortunate rider.

If the rider is hit, or simply in pain, the Wickie will feel an impulse that grows and grows until they scream a name of someone in town, someone they know.

And the named will drop, paralyzed. Paralyzed wickie are likely to die within minutes, more so if they are too close to horse and rider. The horse will happily trample anyone on the ground to death.

Even without the impulse, should the Wickie rider use anyone’s name, that person will drop, paralyzed, and unable to breathe.

There is only one way to possibly save the rider: scatter golden objects in their path. The horse will shriek, and promptly buck the rider off, before running away. Just make sure to catch the rider, or at least cushion their fall: they have no way of saving themselves until they hit the ground.

Heart game: confession

Current residents of the island may remember this particular beeping alert, and how it doesn’t go away, no matter what they do! That is, unless they open up the Heart Game, and answer the question.

Welcome back everyone! It’s so good to see you again! Now let’s play that game, Confession! And the question isssssss…

How do you celebrate the changing seasons! Don't be shy!

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(Rika is a spoiler for Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, so if you're planning to watch the new anime blind then please beware! I don't want to spoil you fun.)

A ☆ Arrival - Higurashi Spoilers

[Waking up after her death is normal for Rika. She doesn't even remember being in any pain; Only a brief jolt of terror when she felt the rag on her mouth, which faded to dark unconsciousness.

What is unusual is waking up under a ceiling that she does not recognize. This is neither her childhood home nor the glorified shed she shares with Satoko. Rika rolls off the mattress, startled into a yell when she drops from a bed. It shakes her brain and wakes her up, that's for sure! And earns a low growl of annoyance, voice lowering to a tone unsuited for a child as she glances around the room.]

Hanyuu!

[Her hissing goes unanswered. Rika picks herself off the ground, annoyance slipping into confusion.]

B ☆ C-C-Changes

[That grouchy girl with a low voice from earlier? Who's that? Nope, this is a sweet pumpkin princess! See the way she's holding a pumpkin spice latte, living that classic Fall dream? Rika had to really struggle to get her ten year old hands on some coffee, but she wanted to at least try it. New experiences are hard to come by in Hinamizawa, after all!

But it just takes one sip for her eyes to go wide-- Her smile to twist-- and uuugh she has to swallow it. This syrupy gross sweetness! And after all of that, she still has to smile and pretend that she liked it.]

[She peers up at whoever is nearby,]

[Please tell her you got a normal coffee, and not this sugary crap.]

C ☆ Heart game: confession

[What's a smartphone? Rika is panicked by the combination of the phone's alert and her inability to type right away. After observing some responses, she puts the pieces together and manages a surprisingly competent reply. Well. She definitely overdoes the cutesy charm.]

I like to clean out the house!

Put all the summer clothes away~! Take all the autumn clothes out~!

Put all the summer dust outside~! Let all the autumn breeze inside~!

Then I check if I got any taller.

[ Keiichi isn't exactly the kind of person to drink coffee, anyway. He's opted for a cup of pumpkin tea, which is a little bit more up his alley... albeit not by very much. It's spiced within an inch of its life with nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, and a few other spices he probably can't place.

His nose wrinkles at the combination of bitter, sweet, and spicy flavors. On the plus side, he thinks he just found the next punishment if they decide to carry on with club activities here. ]

Huh? Well, this is supposed to be pumpkin spice tea, but... it tastes like a crime against nature instead.

[ As reluctant as he is to unleash such an unpleasant experience upon Rika, she doesn't seem to be very happy with what she got. So, he holds out the cup for her, taking care to leave enough of the protective paper sleeve uncovered for her tiny hands to grab onto. ]

If you really wanna try it, Rika-chan, I won't stop you... but don't say I didn't warn you.

I like new things. ☆ I'll be okay.

[She does not like new things and she will not be okay.

Rika offers up her own drink in exchange, not at all sorry to see it go. Maybe Keiichi will have a better appreciation for such a sweet drink. He does have an odd interest in the Angel Mort desserts, after all.

Accepting the tea, Rika is actually kind of excited. She knows that 'spice' doesn't mean 'spicy,' but she hopes it won't be as sweet. Taking one sip, her eyes widen with pleasant surprise. The spices overpower the sweet just enough. She can practically hear Hanyuu wailing and suffering, even worlds apart.]

It tastes like a spice party!

[ She... likes it? Huh. Well, in that case, he's glad they switched. Even if what she hands him in its place is utterly detestable, it's not like it can be any worse to him than what he just traded away. ]

Ah... I'm glad you like it. You can have the rest of it, then.

[ Keiichi takes a tentative sip of her drink, and... it's not terrible? Probably not something he'd drink for fun, really. Pumpkin isn't his favorite taste, even if he doesn't hate it with quite the same passion as Satoko.

It doesn't even taste like he'd expect coffee to taste, so it has that going for it.

A funny thought occurs to him. He remembers, either in 'his' world or one that he experienced before, Rika expressing unhappiness with the game that was being picked for a tournament the club was participating in at Mion's uncle's shop. And just like he did back then, he switched places with her. ]

Heh... you know, Rika-chan, this feels kinda familiar, doesn't it?

[ Poor Keiichi. He doesn't realize that she won't remember that. He was just so happy to run into her and the others that he didn't question anything. ]

Really? Thank you!

[She wasn't trading back even if he asked. Rika fully intended to keep the tea somehow. On second and third sip, she's enjoying it even more. It does make her long for Satoko and Hanyuu's company, though, even if they'd hate this drink.

Keiichi speaking up reminds Rika that she is not sure when and where he comes from. He's not from the world she just died in, that's for sure. Her death would cause her friends to grieve for the first two days and lose their minds afterwards. But he also doesn't know that Rika isn't tied down to one timeline... She has to navigate this carefully. Poking and prodding through conversation until she pins down his timeline, so she can then masquerade as his world's "Furude Rika."]

Mi~? What do you mean? I've never had an autumn with Keiichi before.

[ Ah, he was probably a bit too oblique in how he approached the topic. She's lived through dozens, maybe even hundreds of worlds, hasn't she? So, maybe she doesn't remember specific events from them as easily as he does. Though he's pretty sure that they definitely played at that tournament... in fact, he knows they did. He very clearly remembers winning the doll and entrusting it to Mion.

He takes another sip of the latte, finding that it kind of grows on him after a while... it's a lot stronger than he'd like, but it's not awful. Then again, he's always been a sucker for sugary things, but this one wasn't served to him by a cute waitress in a skimpy uniform, so that's an automatic deduction from its score.

Come to think of it, she has a point. He doesn't remember a single autumn in Hinamizawa with his precious friends. Something to look forward to, assuming they can all get back home. ]

That's true, isn't it? We never made it that far before.

[ He knows, Rika. ]

[Her mind reels. Thoughts and emotions spinning so fast and in such a dangerous direction that she has to consciously tug them under control. He's talking like Hanyuu. Like someone who knows about the timeloops... Like he did before, when he saved Rena. But he wouldn't know that they don't make it. That part is what she is guarding against.

Rika isn't sure how to ask. She wants to yell it and jog his memory, but she tempers herself. This place has been strange so far. She has to proceed with caution... Keiichi and her friends are under enough stress just being here. They don't need to know what they're going home to.]

Are you remembering things that did not happen, Keiichi? [Does he remember his other lives, she means. In her cryptic, Rika way.]

[ Ah, she's doing that thing where she speaks cryptically again. Instead of thinking that it might come as a surprise to her, he assumes that she just means to keep those extra memories of his as their little secret, just as they had before.

He smiles and reaches out a hand to gently pat the top of her head. It's not the condescending pat of someone trying to mollify a small child, either. ]

Well, yeah... but not really. Do you remember when we played in that prize tournament at Mion's uncle's shop?

[It's reassuring to get head pats from Keiichi. It grounds her, when she's otherwise very confused by the new information.

She does remember the prize tournament. It's where Mion rigged the group selection and Keiichi ultimately got a fancy doll as a surprise. He gave it to Rena, setting off a chain of events that ended in so much murder.

Of course she remembers.]

I do. We played very hard and showed everyone what the Games Club is about.

[ That much is true regardless of which world he's remembering, and he nods in agreement, gently removing his hand from her head so he can cradle the warm latte with both hands. ]

That's right. But when we first sat down for the tournament, you seemed really unhappy. I thought it was just because you didn't want to play the game you had for the first round, but that wasn't it. You knew what the outcome was going to be ahead of time.

[ His lips curl into a wide grin, proud of himself for having drawn a connection there. Too bad that she doesn't understand the reference. ]

So, we switched the games out, just like we switched drinks just now!

[Rika tenses, her fingers pressing into the tea cup's thin material. She knows about how that game turns out, sure. They play the same few games and have the same outcome. Over and over. Always the same.

They never switch games.

And even if they did... It couldn't be as simple as Keiichi picking up two games and putting them at different tables. That's crazy. Fate can't be that easy to change. If it was, then why is she always dying?!]

... [She doesn't know what to say. Her mind is reeling, thoughts spinning. Nothing about this makes sense... Nothing, except everything.]

It does not matter what games we play. [Her words are slow. She's trying to find the response 'Furude Rika' would give. Think, think.] If it is a member of the Games Club playing, they will win. Right?

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keichan - 2020-09-26 07:11 (UTC) - Expand

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miiraculous - 2020-09-27 01:52 (UTC) - Expand

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keichan - 2020-09-27 02:24 (UTC) - Expand

Hanyuu?

[ The change in behavior from the sweet, innocent girl that she knows so well doesn't go unnoticed. It's enough to overshadow the shock and immediate concerns that finding someone, much less Rika, in her bedroom brings about. Shion blinks slowly, trying to process the name as much as she is the shift in demeanor. It would be easy to chalk it up to an imaginary friend or a dream, but Shion knows better. The name was said with too much familiarity, too much certainty.

This isn't a child acting. This is a mask slipping off while no one's around.

Shion doesn't immediately push further, instead fixing Rika with an inquiring look and gently asking: ]

Are you okay?

[ That crash hadn't sounded too fun. ]

[At first, Rika's blood runs cold. That voice and demeanor... It's Shion. There's hardly any time for Rika to process how much is wrong with that. For one, there is no world in which Furude Rika would be in a bed with Shion. None. That's hard to explain to herself. And explaining 'Hanyuu' to Shion? That's going to be even harder.

No, best sweep Hanyuu under the rug. "This is what you get for wandering off as soon as we get here."]

Mii. My head hurts. [It feels bad to manipulate Shion's concern, but she needs to take the heat of Hanyuu somehow.

Rika rubs her head, where she'd hit the floor.]

I had a weird dream... Am I still dreaming?

[ A dream, hm...? That penetrating gaze remains fixed on Rika for a moment more as something creeps up her spine. There should be no reason to doubt her. She was, after all, a ten year old girl. A ten year old girl, but still the head of one of the three families. Why shouldn't there be more to her?

Warning bells go off in her head, and she chokes out that line of thought before it can go too far, and she mentally scolds herself for being paranoid.

She must have just been startled by the awakening. That's all. That'd make any person cranky, and there was nothing weird about dreaming about somebody who wasn't there. She does it all the time.

The moment passes, and she approaches to gingerly reach out to touch Rika's head, leaning forward as she tries to inspect the area. ]

Oh no! Did you hit your head? You don't feel dizzy, do you? You're not dreaming, but...

[ She hesitates, unsure of how to explain their situation. ]

[Shion is acting kind and familiar to her. She doesn't sense that this is an attempt to masquerade as Mion. That already tells Rika a lot about what kind of world they're in, even if it's unusual. Shion is not usually this open. Even when committing murder.

So she's not sure how to respond to the touch. It's a kind act, so Rika settles into an act of being comforted. Shion can overthink things and become paranoid. It may be safest to play the role of an ordinary, but responsible, child.]

Not dizzy... It did not leave a bump, did it? I do not want to be teased by Keiichi if it did.

[Keiichi would never tease her. But she's testing if Shion knows who he is.]

[ Shion shakes her head with a small laugh at the mention of Keiichi. He was insensitive enough that he probably would tease a lady about an unsightly bump! ]

Hmm... That's a good point. I didn't feel one, but sometimes they take a little while to form. Hmhmhm, what to do.....

[ She makes a point of crossing her arms and considering before holding up her index finger with a grin.

Still, Keiichi really is a convenient distraction. It's an interesting choice - hardly what her first concern would be in a strange situation like that - but one that she's grateful for. It gives her more time. ]

Oh, I know! If he gets jealous, we'll just have to give him one of his own~ ☆ Rena's pretty good at that.

[ Though granted, Rena is pretty good at giving anyone brave enough to make Rika or Satoko cry bumps. ]

HUUUUUAAAAA just when I didn't think you could get any cuter, Rika-chan, there you go and do it!! o(*>ω<*)o

[ Hook, line, and sinker. ]

Edited 2020-09-25 00:27 (UTC)

Cute and Clean both start with C! ☆

Does Rena do seasonal cleaning too? We should help each other out next time.

I do, I do! （=´∇｀=）
I wish I had them here actually! I'm definitely not prepared for the season! (❁°͈▵°͈)
You must be cold too, Rika-chan! (⊙△⊙✿)

[Ah, dressing for the cold. It's a luxury that she hasn't had in ages. The time Hanyuu can 'rewind' brings Rika to the start of summer now. She doesn't even get to enjoy the cool breeze of spring.]

Mii you're right. I am a little bit cold.

But I do not have my winter uniform here. What if we all catch colds?

Don't worry!! I'll give you big hugs until you warm up!! ₍՞◌′ᵕ‵ू◌₎♡

[ But on the real- ]

I'll look for something for us to wear! (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑
We definitely don't need to be getting sick! ლ(｡-﹏-｡ ლ)

If we all make a big hug, we can warm everyone up at once!

Do you think they have coats here? If we have coats and hugs, I think we can beat the winter. Don't you?

[Honestly, Miyamura hadn't expected a cute little girl to order a coffee, but it's strangely charming. Do kids even like coffee? Aren't they all about bubble tea nowadays?! He's definitely made a coffee cake that even his girlfriend's little brother happily devoured, but...

Still, he smiles down to Rika as she looks up at him. It must be too bitter, huh? At least she's being a good sport for trying it!]

Me? This one's cinnamon vanilla! Do you want to give it a try? [Grinning, he offers it out.] You know, if you ask nicely at the counter, they might put whipped cream on it for you.

[Cinnamon vanilla? That sounds even sweeter than what she has already. And putting whipped cream on her drink will only make it more sickening sweet. However, Rika is well aware that a normal little girl would like sweets and not prefer her coffee black. She doesn't want for anyone to treat her strangely.]

Mii. Do you like your drink? I do not wish to take it from you if it is a favorite.

It's pretty good, but I don't know if I'd call it a favorite just yet!

[Looking down, he swirls the drink in his cup before looking back up to Rika. It's a latte, so he's going to like it either way.]

I find myself drifting toward the same few drinks at home, but it's fun to try some of the seasonal specials every once in a while. This one is pretty sweet, so you might like it!

[Pumpkin spice isn't really a thing in Japan, so his mind went straight for normal pumpkins, which sounds kind of gross.... Vegetable lattes don't sound up his alley, but he'll gladly trade if it makes Rika happy, so he can't help smiling and offering the drink out.]

Here! It's worth a try, right?

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2nd Event: Choices We Make

Rika Furude | Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni

B

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arrival

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Heart game

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