2nd Event: Choices We Make

[upcyclingmod]

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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

wildcard

[muffled]

[ now that he had to figure out how to ensure the welfare of the child, the mandalorian came to know he had very little idea of how to do that. his hope, perhaps goal, was to find someone to do it for him. there was omera and her village at one time, but it became clear the child would not be safe without him. at least not for now.

he comes into fruit basket when he thinks all is quiet, a pod following him in lockstep. once he's further into the store at the baby aisle, he unlocks the pod and pulls the child out of its cradle. ]

Alright. [ he starts gruff, lowering himself down to get on one knee. the child looks up at him expectantly. ] We're going to find you a book today. You know how to read, right?

[ the child tilts its head, babbling a noise out incoherent. ]

Hm. Well, I can always read to you. [ this is the way, as it were. he tilts his head and sees a little section of the shelving that has books lined up at the bottom. perfect height for a child to pick up. ] Ok. Go find what you want.

[ and, after a moment, the child reluctantly turns around and starts to move toward the shelves. it has no idea what it is doing. ]

[beskarad]

[Framed in the doorway is a droid that should be all too familiar to the two of them. He'd decided to venture to this location in search of rations and supplies for any potential allies, but he has a secondary objective as well: locate the Mandalorian.

Grice had informed him that a Mandalorian had likewise been brought to this strange new place, but the droid couldn't be certain that it was the Mandalorian he knew. Not until now. The faint light from outside catches against the mudhorn signet on the hunter's shoulder pauldron. And at his feet...]

There you are.

[The child appears to be safe. Healthy. Content. But this mysterious island is no place for a child. With renewed purpose, IG-11 enters the store and starts to approach them.]

Resuming primary directive.

[To nurse and protect.]

[muffled]

[ the sudden sound of a voice gets the mandalorian jumped to his feet, pistol out, trained on the newcomer. for a moment, a long moment, he hesitates because he can't believe what he sees. ]

I.G.?

[ ...no. no, IG-11 was destroyed. this must be another unit of the same model. fear spikes in him. things can take a real bad turn real fast if he doesn't ascertain--

as he contemplates his next move, the child has taken notice of the droid. it makes a happy noise and immediately starts waddling as fast he can toward toward the familiar visage of a friend. the mandalorian panics, gun still up he calls to the child. ]

No, stop! He's not Eleven!

[beskarad]

No. The child is not mistaken. I am Eyegee-Eleven.

[Once the child is close enough to the droid, he'll lower himself down enough to gingerly lift the little green boy up in his spindly arms. He then sets his sights on the Mandalorian, whose voice print is a confirmed match with that from his memory banks.]

And you are the Mandalorian, Din Djarin. Are you not?

[muffled]

[ he keeps the gun up, hand tensing up when he hears his real name spoken aloud. no regular bounty droid would know that. the mandalorian - din - watches the child being lifted up, hears its accepting laugh, and then lowers the gun. ]

How?

[ he self-destructed. there's no coming back from that, right? ]

[beskarad]

I am not sure.

[With the child in his arms, he continues walking in the Mandalorian's direction and stops at about two meters away.]

My memory archive ends with my destruction. It would appear I have been reconstructed.

[muffled]

[ did the powers that be of this town put him back together then? putting back together the body, building a new one, is not that hard if you have the parts and know what to do. it's that this IG-11 has his memories restored. that shouldn't be.

he is silent, processing, his eyes drifting to the child behind his helmet. its joy turns to calm, unbothered being held, and the mandalorian then looks at the droid. ]

That's good.

[ (he's not crying you're crying.) ]

You just showed up?

[beskarad]

[Oh, Mandalorian. There is no need for tears. Or something to that effect. He read it on a bottle of shampoo in the refresher.]

Yes.

And the others?

[By which he means Magistrate Karga and Carasynthia Dune.]

[muffled]

Not here.

[ he hasn't exactly gone looking, but he has a feeling they would sooner find him than the other way around. they aren't exactly the most subtle people. ]

I've been here with the child for a few weeks now.

[beskarad]

I see.

[The Mandalorian's answer is... unexpected. He and the child watched as IG-11 was destroyed. And yet he was fully reconstructed in a matter of weeks?]

This island is most unusual.

[muffled]

[ understatement, but he's not about to correct. he can tell his emotions are acting up. the thought that someone who may know him showing up wasn't ever far from mind. he was never expecting it to be IG-11. what does that mean though? can even the dead be brought?

(the droid would say he was never "alive" but...) ]

We're on an island. Planet unknown. No starship, no way off world. Whoever brought us here wants us to stay. [ he turns his boday half-way back, looking deeper into the store. ] This store has enough supplies for everyone here, and replenishes when no one is looking. It isn't safe though. There are... monsters on this island.

[beskarad]

[This testimony aligns with what little information IG-11 has been able to gather. Hearing it from a familiar ally, though, gives the situation that much more urgency. Especially considering that their young charge is not as well-equipped to handle this abduction.

The last part stands out to the droid.]

Monsters? [He leers at the Mandalorian, his metallic countenance ever unreadable.] Elaborate.

[muffled]

One type came out of ashes. They were more jaw and teeth than person. Fast and vicious.

Another type came out of the walls. I shot and set them on fire, but it did virtually no damage to them.

[ he recites this all with an air of calm and matter-of-fact as to what he encountered and saw. IG-11, more so than organics, can perhaps pick up on the slight edge in some of the words. it gives away how unsettled he is. ]

I've kept the child safe, but this may only be the start of things.

[beskarad]

[For a long moment, the droid is silent, seemingly reflecting on what the Mandalorian has told him.]

Then perhaps I can assuage your fears.

[Don't bother trying to tell him you're not afraid. He's a nurse droid, remember? He's analyzed your voice.

He looks down at the Child in his arms, gently running a mechanical finger along the length of its pointy little ear.]

I will help protect this child. You no longer have to face this alone.

[muffled]

[ his teeth clench, frustrated: ] I can handle it.

[ droids are a blight on the galaxy. no matter what their function, he swore to never put any trust in them. memories of his childhood are proof of what they are capable of, the level of destruction they can cause.

why does this bounty droid, whom he shot in the back once, make him so conflicted? he thinks it must have something to do with when his helmet was removed. it isn't a good feeling, or memory. he looks to the child, who watches him as mysteriously as ever, then to IG-11. ]

You can watch the child. You've earned that much.

[beskarad]

[Oh, he knows you can handle it. It's the reason IG-11 was willing to default to his manufacturer's protocols and allow himself to be destroyed. No matter what happens, the Mandalorian can be trusted to protect this child.

IG-11 will have to ensure he is worthy of the Mandalorian's trust, in return. He tilts his head forward in what could almost be considered a nod.]

This is acceptable.

[muffled]

Right then.

[ they've come to terms then. not that he was worried past the moment he thought this IG unit was a true bounty droid. he's relieved, in fact. it would get extremely messy to have one of those around true to its programming.

though, speaking of- ]

You have your arsenal on you?

[ how many guns you got bud? ]

[beskarad]

Yes.

[He gently sets the child back down on the ground and takes a step back. With a flourish, the droid seems to channel a cyclone, his body twisting and contorting as he draws both of his weapons in demonstration: his blaster rifle in one hand, his heavy blaster rifle in the other.]

It seems those responsible for my restoration have deemed them necessary.

[They've even adorned him with the old set of belts he'd had wrapped around his chest on Arvala-7.]

[muffled]

[ good. he wasn't worried, but it's good to confirm. ]

Don't get too trigger happy. There's no way to replenish rounds right now. I only came here with what I'm carrying.

[ he doesn't think the IG has ever seen his gun cabinet, but it shouldn't be a shock a mandalorian has guns for days. ]

Outside the monsters there aren't any immediate threats. The other people living here were taken like us. No one is particularly hostile, yet.

[beskarad]

[With a sharp nod, the droid holsters his weapons on either side.]

Understood.

[He doesn't tell the Mandalorian about one last capability of his that's been restored. There's little purpose in telling him at this point, particularly when their initial reunion was so emotionally charged. Hopefully, they should not find themselves in a situation that will require its use once again...]

There are other droids that have been brought to this location. I believe they are human replica droids.

[Chances are the Mandalorian may already be aware of their presence, but IG-11 figures it's worth letting the hunter know regardless. For reasons unknown, the man seems to harbor a deep distrust of droids.

Present company excluded.]

[muffled]

Yeah, I've met them. Same model, different units. Don't think they get along.

[ that's the impression took when one of them - the calmer one - showed total disregard for the status of the other. it isn't a bad thing, it simply is. droids, as he's been slowly learning, seem to mimic a lot of organic behavior patterns. must be a side effect of being programmed by living beings. ]

What do you make of that? The fact that they resemble humans. It isn't normal.

[beskarad]

[Duplicate models. Interesting. IG-11 had his suspicions about 2B, and he'd only met the one RK800 directly. It seemed as though the Mandalorian had experience with more than one model.]

It is highly irregular. [That much he'll concede.] However, more observational data is needed before I can make a proper assessment.

[muffled]

Let me know what you think later then.

[ he doesn't like the idea of droids that look like humans. it's deceptive and wrong. the technology of course exists, but he thinks there is good reason none of the manufacturers ever took it so far.

from behind them, a large green book waddles up toward them. the soft sound of the child's coo behind it, clutching each side tight, reverberates past the hardcover. the mandalorian turns and looks down, realizing the child must have wandered off while they were talking. the book is titled "ALL THE COLORS YOU WILL SEE - GREEN" and is decorated with some different green items. ]

Hm. You would pick that.

[ green womprat of a kid. ]

[beskarad]

[IG-11 is silent for a moment, seemingly content to watch the child and the Mandalorian at peace. Unfortunate that this peace may soon be broken by the news he plans to share next.]

There is a complication. One of these human replica droids was able to slice into my memory archive during a data transfer.

An Arkay-Atehundred. Serial Number 313-248-317-60.

[muffled]

[ even without any designation of a serial number, the mandalorian has a good sense of who it is after 'human replica' is mentioned. he turns away and walks up to the child, carefully taking the book out of its hands. ]

So? What's the complication?

[ does it have to do with the memory archive? he thought droids data transferred all the time. it's part of what makes them dangerous. ]