pedalbike | Fourth TDM: Winter's breath

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Fourth TDM: Winter's breath

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As a quick note: This will be the last TDM and Application Round of the year! Have fun everyone!

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.

Start of Winter

Thankfully things have more or less dried out, for the seasons are already changing. Or at least, the weather is, and with it...comes snow.

The grass on the island is covered, various trees lose the last of their leaves, the sand becomes crunchy, and even a portion of the ocean water becomes frozen solid. (Take THAT, water!). And with it, Wickies wake up at their feet (or suddenly in their hands if they don’t sleep) warm clothing and various ways to keep warm- or at least keep the cold from messing with their joints!

And with it, there are snow shovels and boots that are set out neatly by the door. It seems more snowk is expected, and foot protection is more important than ever. While it is possible for some (those who are not infected by the Silence at least) to use the teleporter to get from town to their homes, there are pathways that need to be cleared for everyone.

It might be a good time to offer a helping hand! Especially with some Wickies who are snowed into their homes.

Or it could be a good time to use the shovels to gather snow for snow ball fights, snow forts, and similar winter activities. The nice thing about the winter shovels is that they’ll have them for a few months.

Too bad the ground is nearly frozen solid, and these particular shovels are not good for digging into the ground.

Frosty Protections

While there may be the snow and the quiet that’s coming in, there are other things that are coming into the island too. There are tables that linger day or night, which have tangyuan. Some in the shape of various animals, and some of them that are simply balls of colored dough. They are edible, and thankfully they don’t have a negative consequence to eating them (unlike the mooncakes from before) but there are written instructions, which also proclaim outloud to a Wickie if they linger for awhile:

“For the use of protective talismans! Stick it on your chair, your door, your window!”

Interestingly enough, they do seem to work. Wickies who are Silence infected are repelled by them, feeling uneasy and nauseous around them and touching the tangyuan even with covered hands will cause a burning sensation.

Infected Wickies who eat the treats...they’re in for a rough time. Really rough.

There are also little tables with various drinks, some being fruit juice, sparkling fruit juice, champagne and of similar ilk- but not ever with water. That’s just bad luck after everything.

The inscription for this table, which is again read out loud, “Toast to others health”

Picking up the cups, they will be unable to drop it, and the fluid will refill in the Wickie’s cup until they find someone to toast to- whether it’s in humor or in earnestness.

For the next twelve hours after the toast is made, even if the drink is not drunk after, the Wickie toasted will find they will have better luck in that subject, whether it is in health, love, or friendship, or just in general.

The same applies if Wickies toast together to a group of people as well.

Of hooves and horns

The strangest thing of all isn't the sweet rice balls, nor is it the smell of evergreens heavy in the air. Instead, it's the masks set to everyone, and the ruckus music that thrums through the air, deep into the night.

The masks are of a haggard old woman, well worn and aged, and that of a man with horns and facial hair similar to a goat.

There are different effects when it comes to the masks, both happening at night with the music starts.

Wickies wearing the devilish mask find themselves wearing a ragged fur suit, prancing in the streets, ready to whip other Wickies whose behavior has been suspect or bad as of late. Finding the wicked and punishing them is an impulse, neigh impossible to ignore. And, too, there is a sense of wicked glee when they do punish someone with their reeds and whips. Krampus masked Wickies thankfully can be pacified with rum or brandy. They'll need the help of another to pull of the mask. But once it's off, the costume vanishes, and the chagrin of what happened ( or the satisfaction) follows.

Wickies wearing the woman’s mask will find that they’re not trying to scare people, but instead, they find themselves loping in and out of the crowds, searching, scanning, for certain people, all the while wearing ragged clothing, and often a scarf on their now ratty, graying hair.

It’s with a sickening horror that Wickies will realize there is something in the mask that is watching through the mask itself, and is nodding to itself far away and writing their names on a list.

And it’s not Santa Claus.

The Wickie’s wearing the old woman’s mask can be distracted by scattering seeds or threads in front of them- one inducing a true distraction to count and pick up the seeds, and a rage that comes over that of wasted thread.

Seeds make it easier to pull off the mask, and thankfully popcorn counts as a seed! But thread...well, it is a distraction too, but one that can lead to violent consequences. It might mean some rounds of bait and switching until the mask is taken off.

And that’s when the Wickie who had been wearing the mask realizing the list is of ‘bad’ Wickies, But…

how bad could they be?

Confession network

Yet again, the phone goes off. Doesn’t look like it’s anybody in town, but it’s that weird, cheesy app called The Heart Game. And it’s persistent, too: it doesn’t want to be ignored, making a series of beeps and chirps, much like a pet that wants attention.

The message that pops up is as follows:

We’re back! It’s the time for everyone's favorite game- Confession! So beloved users, our question is:

What do you love about winter? Is it the nip on your nose? The hot drinks? Playing in the snow? Tell us!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He listens to everything that gege has to say, but he is supremely confused. Why would he need to recover the city? He'd just gotten back after all, from a one-year hiatus. Gege knows, there had been lanterns, and an oxcart, and running towards him and--

--What? ]

Gege...

[ He thinks back to what he said and then thinks all the way back to the setting. The timelines are different. He shakes his head. ]

It's this place.

[ He looks concerned for only a moment, but clears his throat and clarifies: ]

It's already been a year since Tong'lu.

[ Which, if he thinks about it, means that they made it out okay, right? He doesn't have to explain the whole part about him overexerting his power to defeat Jun Wu. But that also explains a lot about how gege is acting right now, that he doesn't think that the heavens could have ganged up against them.

Suddenly, he's very glad that he's found this out now, and they're still talking shop. It would have been supremely embarrassing for Hua Cheng to offer him a kiss as he was finally getting used to being able to do without excuse or circumstance. ]

[Xie Lian's eyes widen and he nearly chokes.]

A year?

[How was that possible? He hadn't been asleep here for that long, or surely the residents of the cottage he'd arrived in wouldn't be so surprised to see him there. And Hua Cheng last remembered them sleeping in the same bed, which meant it was probably the meager accomodations of Puqi shrine, but-

His mouth is left slightly ajar, as he tries to resolve the impossibility of what's happened.]

You said this place draws people from different places and times, but- even us? No wonder...

[Oh, he doesn't like that at all. He doesn't miss the concern in Hua Cheng's expression either, brief as it may have been, and he can only hope that things will go back to the way they ought to be, once they return. He's already rubbing anxiously at his forehead.

Xie Lian knows well that nothing lasts and appreciates things while he has them, but to have the world upturned like this is still jarring.]

[ Yes, even they're not immune to this. He knows that Xie Lian hasn't been asleep for a whole year, he just saw him yesterday. And he's sure gege's figured that out by now - after all, he had insinuated that they'd fallen asleep together, and how lovely that had been. He'd run his fingers through the cold silk strands of Xie Lian's hair, and laid down on the bedroll, and let the warmth of him fill his unconscious heart.

It was a sweet memory, but fading fast, now that he's been brought to reality and it seems like the whole year had been the dream. ]

En. We will find a way to right this, and go home, and you'll remember the whole year.

[ it's just one year, a drop in the bucket. They can start over, even if Xie Lian doesn't remember those days. A lot of good things happened, but a lot of painful things happened too - there's no need to rehash them. Maybe it's better, even, that he isn't forced to relive it. ]

What was the last thing you remember? We hadn't left for Tong'lu yet?

Was it the night we fought?

[He wants to believe that, that things will return to something like normal, that there won't be this strange year of missing memories between them. Hearing Hua Cheng say it though, makes it that much easier to think it might truly happen, and knowing there was some future Xie Lian, still friends with him, it's reassuring too.

The memory of their 'fight' at Qiandeng Temple though, brings Xie Lian's thoughts back to a crashing, grinding halt. For him it was less than a day ago, the memory of Hua Cheng's hands moving over him, his hungry mouth as their lips met, and the press of their bodies against the altar, and he struggles to find words for a moment.]

Oh- that's ah- we hadn't- um. Y-y-yes. That's just it, the fight, the fight, that's the last I remember.

[He coughs.]

How, ah- how did things go? Were we able to get it under control?

[ He looks at Xie Lian then, and he has. Several questions - because he'd asked what else had happened at the time and gege had answered that nothing did. He'd been relieved about it then, but at the same time, now, with gege being so nervous again... Had he been cruel? Had that really been everything that happened?

But then he moves on, quickly, before Hua Cheng can ask.

And it's his turn to be awkward. ]

Yes. We took care of the situation. A new calamity wasn't born.

[ And Jun Wu was secretly evil the whole time and we defeated him and you're kind of now the emperor of heaven, also I disappeared for a year after giving you enough power to remove your shackles and defeat Jun Wu. ]

We were safe. And happy. I guess this place has other plans.

[ But then, he looks over at Xie Lian and smiles. ]

But we have each other.

[It should be a relief, and in some ways it is, of course he's glad there wasn't a new calamity, that everyone is safe and- they- we-

...

Surely, Hua Cheng meant 'we' as in, as in everyone, as in everyone is happy and safe because there's no new calamities to worry about, but then there's the 'we' that comes with 'we have each other' and Xie Lian can feel his face warm a little just hearing it in Hua Cheng's deep voice paired with his smile is almost too much.]

We... yes, I'm very glad for your company. Surely, if we could make it through that, we can make it through this little hiccup.

[That's reasonable, right? Could this really be worse that the birth of a new calamity?]

I was worried maybe the heavens had decided to send me a trial already, but if the worst we have is a forced vacation, I'm sure things will be fine.

I'm not sure what this is. But I don't think Heaven is involved.

[ Is that more worrisome or less? It's an enemy they don't know - that bothers Hua Cheng, sticks it to his core that he can't be of any help in this regard. He's spent so long trying to come up with every single way to be useful to his gege, but now he feels completely useless.

Still, this is just a minor setback. Soon they'll be back home, and then Hua Cheng will eventually explain.

He's done eating, but he'll wait for Xie Lian before he starts going anywhere. After all, they should stick together. Speaking of: ]

If you want, perhaps there's room for you in the house I woke up in.

Mm.

[Xie Lian had quickly come to the same conclusion. From what he knew of the trials, they were a lot more straight-forward, generally. Not some bizarre puzzle of kidnapped people across all different worlds and places.

It doesn't take him long to finish the remaining tangyuan. They've only gone a little soft, not yet mushy, no reason to waste them. He glances up, spoon in mouth at the offer. Truth be told, he very much wants to do just that; staying with Hua Cheng is comforting, he trusts him, they can look out for one another, and he'd certainly miss not having the same closeness he'd come to enjoy.]

Is that all right? The house I woke up in already has occupants, so I wasn't sure where I ought to stay. If you have the space, I'm happy to share.

[If the beds are as nice as the one he woke up in, there's more than enough room for the two of them, and they're practically the height of luxury compared to his humble bedroll.]

[ He doesn't actually know if there's room in the house, because he woke up in the bathtub. He had no idea that there was room for him in that house, or if there was room for the both of them. But he would gladly live in the streets, and build them a shelter, if only it meant he could stay with Xie Lian. ]

If there isn't, we will find a place for both of us to stay.

[ He holds out his hand for Xie Lian to take it so that they can walk around town arm in arm, which already makes up for the horribly disastrous morning of waking up in a completely different realm and time. ]

For the moment, until we find out how to return.

[Xie Lian wouldn't want Hua Cheng to feel forced out of his space to make room for him, but he would feel better if they could find a place to share. He reaches for the offered hand without a second thought, as he pulls himself up from his seat.]

It's probably wise to explore the area, either way, see what we're up against?

En. It's not a big island. There's a beach, a forest, and a lighthouse.

[ He walked around to see a few of the buildings in town, but there wasn't much to look at and the architecture was actually hideous.

He was also surprised to find that the market was entirely indoors! And had lights on at all times. So bright! But anyway. ]

I think we could make it around the entire thing quickly.

San Lang has already been so busy.

[Xie Lian, on the other hand, spent most of his morning stuck in a snowdrift, getting snow dumped on his head, and trying to chat with the occasional passerby. He'd barely even scratched the surface, really, but what he had learned, seemed fairly weighty.]

I wouldn't mind getting more familiar with our surroundings. Have you looked around town much?

No, I have only heard of these places from other people.

I can see them for the first time with gege.

[ He smiles easily, effortlessly, the way he always does whenever Xie Lian is near him. This gives him strength, just to walk alongside of him.

And so, he picks a direction, and steers them that way, his heart lighter than it had been only half an hour past. ]

Oh, well then, we have a checklist for sites to see together then.

[It shouldn't matter, whether or not they see the island together for the first time, but it still does ridiculous things to his heartbeat, especially combined with that smile. He's not felt lucky in a very long time, but Hua Cheng always seems to bring his own, and it's more than enough to share. Even if their experiences differ slightly, they were able to find one another so quickly. Neither has to work through this trial alone.]

Tell me about the people you met, anyone interesting?

Mm, there were a few.

[ But he says that noncommittally, because the only person he really cares about is Xie Lian, of course, but also because all the conversations he had with everyone else wasn't really enough to give him an impression either way. ]

They are from very different worlds. I don't even recognize the language most of them speak in, though I understand it.

I noticed that too!

[The differences were so vast in some cases, it was hard not to notice.]

I met some cultivators this morning, that's whose house I woke up in, but the rest have all been wildly different.

[He lets out a slow breath and only seems to notice, far too late, that their hands are still intertwined. It'd be awkward, to pull away now, especially when their conversation feels so easy, so he puts it right back out of mind.]

I'm not sure of the truth of it, but- it seems there's something very dangerous here. Enough that even their food needs to have warding properties, I suppose.

[ He hadn't met any other cultivators, but he's not surprised that they'd be here. It was a pretty popular occupation after all. ]

Ah, gege, but their wards don't work.

[ He looks at him curiously, coming in closer as if telling a secret. ]

I can eat them just fine.

[ Who else are they supposed to be warding, if not ghost kings? That sounds pretty unsuccessful to him. Maybe the amount of danger is fabricated to scare people from leaving. ]

I-is that so?

[Maybe the faint tingling he'd felt in his lips was only in his imagination; he could hardly say that the previous night hadn't been deeply etched into his mind.]

Surely some of them must work. The girl I spoke with earlier seemed to have contended with some pretty powerful forces and succeeded, though I can't be sure if she was using any of the tools here.

[His lips twist up just a bit, in amusement, remembering what a difficult time Fu Yao and Nan Feng had, trying to reveal san Lang's true form.]

Somehow I doubt they were expecting someone of your caliber, San Lang.

[ It was true that there was indeed, something quite powerful at work here, so he doubts that they weren't prepared for someone like Hua Cheng. But at the same time - perhaps these wards were something for those brought to the island to feel as if they were safe when in actuality, they were just placebos.

Still, he doesn't say no to such a compliment, and he doesn't discourage such beautiful smiles from gege. ]

En, you're right, but if they're just lower-level demons, they won't be a match for either of us.

[ He'd survived Mount Tong'lu after all, and Xie Lian doesn't know this yet but he will as well, so it was unlikely that the two of them would have to worry about anything that the tangyuan were trying to ward off. ]

Right down there is the center of town, I think. It has a "super" market and something called an anime shop?

En, I thought the same, but-

[His smile fades a bit. It's hard to take what one resident said as absolute truth, but there's no reason not to tell Hua Cheng.]

She was something like a cultivator, putting spirits here to rest, and I don't know the truth of it, but what she told me she found from them was rather troubling. Did you know, none of the original inhabitants here are still around? They were wiped out in a blink, and all the others here were abducted, just like us.

[He can see some of the buildings, not too far distant. A super market? It brought to mind some huge, sprawling marketplace, full of everything one could hope to find, but given the small size of the island, that seemed unlikely. As for the other... a family name, maybe? He's already met several oddly named people, and if an anime was an object, he couldn't begin to guess what it was.]

Perhaps they have been transported to where we were supposed to be.

[ She sounds like a normal cultivator to him, so he's not really bothered by this revelation, but he is bothered by how it makes Xie Lian stop smiling. ]

A soul swap. But an accident of this magnitude...

[ It would be something out of their control, like Tong'lu. That mountain really was causing quite a stir. Maybe there was something else, a more ancient magic, that worked similarly, but had long since been forgotten. ]

I would still find it unlikely. If we are here together, but pulled from different times.

[ Which means, to Hua Cheng, that they didn't come as a unit. ]

Mm, that's true. We don't have enough information yet to be sure, either way, but at least we have some leads.

[He shakes his head, feeling a bit guilty for bringing down the light atmosphere.]

I- sorry, you said a super market and an anima store? Which did you want to look at first?

It will be important to know what sort of food we can expect.

[ He starts heading towards the supermarket, which he's surprised to find is indoors and completely sterile and devoid of all the sorts of things he'd normally find about a market.

Where are all the sellers? Where are any peddlers of wares?

The automatic doors were kind of cool, he supposes.

He picks up something wrapped in plastic, absolutely fascinated by the material. ]

[Xie Lian cared much less about what sort of food there was, so long as there was enough to go around, but he was plenty curious about what these shops carried.

Nothing could have quite prepared him though, and he startles just a little, hand grasping tighter as the doors open for them. His eyes narrow as he takes it in; the glow of the overhead lights, tiled floor, and produce displayed in neat rows and bundles. Given the snow, some of it shouldn't even be in season, but it looks fresh. The rest of the products are in boxes, with realistic artwork on the front, or-

He glances at the package Hua Cheng has picked up, covered in a clear sheen, something clear as glass, but filmy as a soap bubble.]

I'm not sure what I expected, but I don't think this was it.

[His usual strategy was to ask for any day-old, things about to be thrown out, or damaged goods, but there was no one to even barter with or ask about the products.]

Do you think there's anyone...

[He trails off uncertainly, but the few others in the supermarket seem preoccupied with their own business. Carrying baskets and just picking what they want to purchase. When in doubt, Xie Lian knew that among new cultures, people-watching could be invaluable.]

[ It is a bit odd, and eerie to see all this shiny-looking fruit and veg, lit under such bright light it was even brighter than sunlight. There was something so oddly artificial-looking about it, not to mention quite comical - all these fruits and vegetables were so large and impressive, it seemed like one of those things he'd find at ghost city only to steer gege very, very far away. ]

I don't think so. They all look like they're trying to get produce the same way we are.

[ He looks up and sees some very intricate-looking cookies - at least, he thinks they're cookies, they have a cream filling and everything, they must be some sort of pastry. But they're so dark-looking that they're exceedingly unappetizing! They look burnt!

He frowns, and shows it to Xie Lian. ]

What do you think oreos taste like, gege?

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