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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Luckily for him, she's held concerts in the past in Japan. A memorable time, and one she looks back on fondly.]

Kate Denson. [She ducks her head slightly, trying to be respectful.] Would you rather I call you Natori-san? [She offers, as politely as possible. It sounds... very American, but better than most, thanks to her history and also spending a decent amount of time with Yui.

... She hopes that the others found a way out too.]

Oh. Thank you. [That's a surprise-- he nods a moment after her. Maybe she's a tourist who got pulled in alongside all of this?] Natori is fine, but I appreciate it. Have you been in Kumamoto long? I'm sure this isn't how you expected to spend your holiday.

[A holiday-- that causes another laugh to bubble forth, and she's unable to help herself. Well, if it's a holiday, she'll take it all the same.]

Well, darlin, I don't think we're in Kumamoto. Or if we are, someone I know is going to be very disappointed I'm here and not her.

[Actually...]

I don't suppose you've heard of the Sakura Seven, have you?

[His eyes widen in surprise, and it's not because she laughed. So she wasn't in Kumamoto before... this is impacting people from an area larger than the city? Likely much further than that, based on her reaction. This is bad. He doesn't know of anything that's that powerful, to have such a large range.

This entire situation suddenly feels a lot more dangerous. He takes a sharp look to either side of him, then adjusts his glasses on his nose.] Well, isn't that inconvenient.

[This is going to be harder than he thought. It's with only half his attention that he replies] Mm, I don't recognize it. Girl group? [...well, it sounds like it could be.

The gecko picks this moment to crawl from under the cuff of his jacket and across the back of his hand. For once, it could come in useful. If she's spiritually sensitive, able to see ghosts or supernatural occurrences, she can see the shadow of a small black lizard scurry around his thumb until it lies unmoving in the center of his palm; if not, she'll only see his empty hand, all five fingers spread out, when he asks] Humor me for a second? How many fingers?

All girl street racing gang. A friend of mine ran- Runs it.

[Yui would kick her ass if she insinuated that she no longer ran it because she was currently indisposed.

When he offers his hand, her eyes widen momentarily at the shape, of the movement of the- thing on his hand. It's enough to be startling, for her heartbeat to jackhammer in her ears because it's not- can't be normal, can it? And then it just stops, middle of his palm, like nothing's wrong, like it was always meant to be there.

Her eyes narrow soon after as she scrutinizes it, and she looks to his face, watching it closely before she manages to stuff down her reaction.

...It was fairly obvious, but maybe she can downplay it all the same.]

Five. All fingers accounted for, unless you've got a sixth I just can't see.

[He's watching her, too, and sure enough, it looks like he's guessed right on this one. He keeps his face schooled, polite, like he's just waiting for an answer on an unimportant question. He's a professional, especially at pretending he doesn't see anything crawling around on his body. Twenty years of experience with that particular lie.

Still, he doesn't call her on her reaction, not when she's pulled it back; he turns his palm back towards himself and wiggles his five fingers, as if testing that they're all there. The lizard isn't bothered by all the movement. It sits there as still and flat as a tattoo as he smiles down at it.] Well, that's a relief. At least we're not seeing things on top of everything else.

[...no, that's probably too mean. It's self-directed sarcasm, but that doesn't mean she'll know that, and they've got enough problems already. He drops his hand, surveys around them once more, and asks]

Has this happened to you before? Finding yourself in strange places.

[He doesn't know much about youkai outside of Japan, but surely they're out there, just as surely as there are other people who can see them, who are accidentally drawn into strange circumstances whether they want to or not. He looks back at her with a smile, and-- look, he's famous for his smile, it's as understanding as he can make it, but that's not necessarily helped by his admittedly foreboding behavior leading up to it.]

Besides the places you'd end up with an all-girl street racing gang.

[That's the last thing she needs, to be seeing something on top of everything else.

But then again, she's always felt things no one else could. Her first run in with the Entity... The subsequent meetings until it'd finally caught her and dragged her into it's realm.

That dark and foreboding melody...]

Just the leader of it. I'm sure her group misses her terribly. As for if something like this has happened before... Well, can't say it hasn't.

[He nods like it's just what he'd expected her to say, then sighs. If she's one of those, there's not much point in putting it off...]

I'm sorry. I should've been upfront, Miss Denson. [he's trying.] I investigate this sort of thing for a living. [He pauses briefly, before amending it to] Well, as my true profession, anyway. Curses, traps... I'm going to try my best to dispel it as quickly as possible, but if it's powerful enough to pull us both in from totally different places... If you could tell me what you know so far, I'd appreciate it.

Edited (curse you html) 2020-09-19 17:57 (UTC)

[She listens, and she's silent. It's not that she doesn't believe in the supernatural, she'd be a fool not to, with what she's seen, dealt with, and occasionally died to. It's more that... It's hard. To explain what it is, what's happened, and where she came from. That there are others, potentially just as trapped as her. Still trapped, needing to be rescued.

Those tossed into the void, drained to their last by the Entity, who have given up entirely.]

Hun, it's not that I don't believe you, but I quite frankly wouldn't even begin to know how to explain what I've been through and where I came from.

Haha, that's fair. I can't say I shouldn't have expected that. [he says easily, and the truth is he really isn't bothered even if she didn't believe him. He's secure enough now in what he sees and what he does, knows enough people who perceive the same world he does, that it doesn't bother him anymore. But even putting that aside, it doesn't surprise him to hear that sort of response; he knows what he saw growing up, and he knows just the tip of the iceberg of what Natsume went through, and what it adds up to is that if she can see the lizard on his skin, she's got some sort of story to add to that.] Maybe what I should say instead is: did you see anything when you arrived here that might be useful for getting out?

Came through a door, unfortunately, that's all I can really say to that. Ain't got nothing else of value to help. Everything before then was... normal. For some measure of "Normal", anyhow.

[Who doesn't love being chased by a killer clown who wants your fingers?

Those are her guitar playing fingers, dammit.]

[He truly, truly has no idea what her scale of 'normal' is; here he is, smiling sympathetically and nodding along, and assuming that she's referring to something like seeing a ghost on the way home from work.]

Well, at least the doors are something to start with. Something in common. [The lizard makes a slithering sound when it moves, apparently; something so quiet that it could almost disappear into the noise of the scenery around them if it wasn't paired with the eyecatching motion of the black shape scurrying back up his sleeve and poking out a few seconds later above his collar.] Don't worry. We'll find a way out of this.

[Well, being chased by a murderous spirit of a murdered Japanese teen is also on her resume. And a murderous 8 foot tall samurai.

Her definition of "Normal" is "Murdered, probably".]

Honestly, not to sound too fatalistic about where I was, but this is at least four steps up from where I was. Finding a way out isn't exactly a top priority, darlin'. Not unless I can save the others I know who might still be trapped where I was.

[Hey, there's a start!]

Ah. That bad, huh? [Not that there's anything too horrible going on here-- sure, it's unsettling if you're not used to this sort of thing, but so far nothing has shown up to try to eat them and the air hasn't started disappearing, so it's not the worst strange realm or trap they could've stumbled into. Still, to prefer staying over leaving means there's not a lot of good going on back there. He could see himself making the same assertion, at one point in his life, so.] How about this, then? If I find anything that might help you or your friends where you were, I'll pass it along. Figuring out how to open a way back doesn't have to be a one-way door.

I'd appreciate it. [And she means it, when she thinks about the people still trapped, and those that were tossed into the void after they became useless to the Entity.]

I suppose after that, I'd just have to worry about whether or not that two way door can be closed proper.

Haha, the 'closing' part is the easier one, in my experience. If it comes to that, I'll leave behind what you need to shut it once you're done. If you're able to see this-- [and he taps his finger twice on the gecko, still hanging out on his collar bone] you should be able to do it on your own.

[It sounds so easy when he says that, but she knows better. Knows the ever hungry claws of the Entity that pierce flesh and soul alike, and knows that it can cross worlds and times. Maybe this is another of it's realms and she just hasn't realized it yet.

What a joke that'd be, wouldn't it?]

Not sure what me seeing your little friend has to do with that, but I'll take your word for it.

Haha, well. [little friend. It inches up a little on his neck, almost as if it was rubbing it in.] Normal people can't see this, so... The sort of spells I do can't always be activated by just anybody. In general, though, if you can see it, you probably have enough spiritual power to set one off properly. Honestly, my guess is that's why you ended up here as well.

[Enough spiritual power... She doubts it, somehow. If she did, surely she would have found a way out sooner, been able to do more. As it stands, what she sees is likely some sort of meddling from the Entity.

After all, she can't assume the Entity would get a good meal out of her being killed by an angry spirit she couldn't see and had no way of knowing was there.]

Well, then you have more of a lead than I do.

[She doesn't think the Entity would give up anyone willingly.]

I am the professional, between the two of us. It would just be embarrassing for me if you showed me up anyway.

[He smiles, and this time it's a 100% certified movie star grin; the sort of thing that would come alongside a swell of emotional music and probably a warm filter. A flash of this moment would appear at the climax of the trailer. This just happens sometimes, sorry for everything Kate.]

That said, if you wanted to take a look around with me, I have been looking for an apprentice.

[It's adorable. Somehow, it reminds her of David and the shit eating grins he'd make as he'd loudly proclaim himself to be the best.

She misses him, and everyone else, even though it's- it can't have been that long, since she disappeared. She hopes they're all alright.]

Well, I don't know about no "apprentice" business, but I've got all the time in the world to take a look around and figure out what I've gotten myself into now.

Haha, that's fine. It's worth asking, anyway. [But really, only because he knows it wouldn't work out. No one else needs to get drawn into his line of work.] Now. I came in through an old cottage, but I doubt there's anything there worth going back for. [He points back the way he came.] That's all I've seen so far; any direction feeling particularly lucky to you?

All directions are lucky to me. [You just can't beat literally walking out of a trial with all your internal organs and external extremities intact.]

But why don't we follow the direction the wind is blowin'?

Haha, how poetic of you. [Organs and extremities: poetry in motion. But that's fine; with a small (normal, this time) smile he starts heading in that direction. As they walk, he's pretty clearly scanning everything around them, looking for anything that pings him as off, or seems to have a stronger energy than the rest of their surroundings, even if it makes him look like a bobblehead in slow motion. He pays particular attention to roots of trees, gaps between branches, small collections of stones.] I'm sorry if this is a rude question, but you're American? [it's smalltalk, not anything important, he just doesn't want to go and assume.]

Thanks, I try. [Poetry and lyrics, they go hand in hand. You can have one without the other, sure, but together they can make a song flow and give it a meaning deeper, in the right hands.]

An' thats right. Was born in Pennsylvania, but my family had a ranch over in Texas, went there every summer.

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html gets us all in the end

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