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!

Comments

[wray]

[ the answer given to him isn't any more reassuring than the first one. he was already paranoid before, but now he's even more so given that neither of them had moved from where they are, so they aren't responsible for why the pumpkins appear to be moving.

is it really possible that the pumpkins are doing it on their own—? ridiculous.

... only it's not ridiculous enough to stop him from reaching for where he keeps claws hidden. ]

If it isn't either of us, then how are they moving closer? [ ... ] Forget it.

[ maybe if he attempts to go somewhere else, they won't follow. he'll do just that. ]

[foxchi]

( hm. seeing six reach for what looks like a weapon of some sort (unless he's going for something else but honestly kogi doesn't expect anything but a weapon at this point) has him shift his stance. a little more weight on his back foot, giving some balance and something to push off of if he needs to. )

Spirits. ( and then kogi looks up toward the sky, then back to the ground. ) That's probably the reason. Though, it doesn't seem like they're particularly aggressive...

( but he does get a sense that they are malevolent in nature. spirits know spirits. the pumpkin he had given a tap with his toe is openly confused. how does kogi know? are they similar? is kogi just a pumpkin in sword form? so many questions. )

[wray]

[ six doesn't consider himself a superstitious individual, but he understands how spirits work. if he stayed in the ruins of karm, he probably would have met his end at the hands of those he'd laid to rest there— so when kogi gives him that as answer, he appears to (almost) accept it.

he's only taken a few steps forward but it looks as though there are more pumpkins than when he first noticed them. ]

They could get annoying, if they continue to multiply like this.

[ that said... ]

Have you any experience dealing with spirits?

[foxchi]

More or less.

( but those spirits all carried familiar weapons, from short nimble daggers to large heavy swords that were more like clubs. these are small orange fruits! what could they do to them anyway? )

I'm intimately familiar. ( a smile, as the swordsman shrugs. ) These, however, are a little different.

( and then kogi takes a few steps toward six. he's only able to go so far until a few pumpkins make it harder for him to progress. )

... ah, they're becoming quite cumbersome...

[wray]

[ it's true. the longer they stay in this area, the more they become surrounded by the orange pumpkins. it reminds six so much of the ridiculous tricks people play on each other during a particular spooky holiday...

perhaps this is related to it, but something seems much more sinister about these ones. ]

Then we should leave them be. Perhaps they'll grow bored of us soon enough.

[ here's attempt #2 at leaving. he isn't headed towards any particular direction but the plan is to go far, far, far away from this particular patch. ]

[foxchi]

( with a nod, the sword finally reaches six. he's careful to not touch another pumpkin until he gets to the smaller man and as they meet physically, kogi bows to six with the respect that he deserves. it's one fluid motion, which lets his hair-ears flop forward then fall back as he stands back up straight. )

That might be a good idea. ( the fox snickers, tapping his chin in thought. Who knows what will happen if we overstay our welcome? Some spirits are territorial, taking offense at any who may linger for too long. Others aren't as much. ) Still, to see so many...

( and then he turns to look behind them and he gasps, short and choked. )

... may be an issue.

( they're all facing the two of them, wearing wicked and sharp toothy grins. )

[wray]

[ the bow is unexpected, but if it bothered six, he doesn't say anything. he remains silent as the other keeps talking about the pumpkins, taking note of just how many there are even though they've started to leave the area. ]

Are you afraid of these?

[ there's no judgmental tone; he genuinely just wants to know. ]

[foxchi]

No, of course not. ( he gaze hardens, but goes back to being somewhat amused about the situation when he fixes his eyes back on six. ) I am capable of defending myself, as well as others. It's what I do best.

( against other spirits. not necessarily against pumpkins. )

So if they're dangerous, they should be... mmm. You know.

( the intent is clear, isn't it? without being so obvious, because if the fruits have ears, that would be a problem. )

[wray]

[ six tilts his head to the side for a split-second, if only because no one can see how he raises an eyebrow behind the mask. the implication is as clear as the skies right now but he won't be the first one to act on it. ]

Do you not think they would retaliate in some way? It might not be the best idea.

[ then again... ]

However, we could try to move them elsewhere. Somewhere out of the way, perhaps.

[foxchi]

( a hum, this one low and thoughtful and drawn out, as he stares at the stack of angy pumpkins. it's almost like they're trying to intimidate the two of them and not attack--- not just yet. )

We can move them, then. Alternatively, we move farther away from them until they no longer give chase.

( will they roll after them... how spooky. )

I don't think they'll be intimidated by either of our weapons.

( though he hasn't gotten a good look at six's... )

[wray]

[ if the pumpkins truly are trying to intimidate them, then it's hardly working. the most six thinks of them is that they are a nuisance that must be disposed of, but he also finds that to not be worth the trouble. ]

There's only one way to find out, isn't there?

[ he's eager to get away from here anyway, even though it doesn't look like the pumpkin numbers are decreasing. if anything, they appear to be... multiplying? the further along they go?

the erune is ignoring it for now though. ]

[foxchi]

( there's a growing weight on his shoulders, increasing with every added pumpkin in the area. it's not quite oppressive but it's very much on his mind right now. not friendly like when at the citadel; instead something very... uncertain. )

Yes. There is.

( and it's not through violence. it's by seeing if two furries can escape many fruits. )

Are you a fast runner?

[wray]

[ two furries better be capable of escaping sinister fruits or else they're never going to make it out alive of this place. ]

Can you keep up?

[ after waiting for another split-second, he's off— breaks right into a fast sprint that should take him far, far away from the pumpkins. he'll look behind him if the other man is following him later.

he wants to put a huge distance in between himself and the pumpkins right now. byebye. ]