Episode Two
"Uninvited Pests"
Yuriko ignored everything Rita and Starlow said, focused solely on Talon and The Doctor. When Talon made his choice, she smiled. Taking The Doctor's comments as a sign of compliance, Yuriko nodded.
"So, the decision has been made, then? All right: Starlow will be executed." There would be no time for goodbyes, no time for last words. With a snap of her fingers, Starlow's net flew up to the ceiling at record speed, right into the bell. Even in the night, Starlow would find that the bell was lined with thousands of spikes. Suddenly, the bell would move up, forcing her to slam into one side.
BONNNG!
The bell violently swung the other way.
BONNNG!
Again.
BONNNG!
Again.
BONNNG! BONNNG! BONNNG! BONNNG! BONNNG! BONNNG! BONNNG! BONNNG! BONNNG!
At the twelfth ring, the group would notice something flitter to the ground. It was fine like sand, but glittered as if it were diamonds. The net would slowly descend to the ground, the inside completely covered in the glittery substance.
"No way…is that stardust?" Jack hopped off the platform and grabbed the net.
"I could make a fortune off this stuff!
"How…delightful." Yuriko didn't really want to dwell on that. She would focus her attention on the group, who would now be free of their nets.
"Well, um…that's the end of that. I believe you all have a ferry to catch now, so-"
"Reprehensible."
Yuriko flinched, forcing herself to turn towards Yumeko. Again, her face contorted as if she dreaded every word out of Yumeko's mouth.
"I-I'm sorry?"
"You. What you've done. It's utterly reprehensible. You've made a complete mockery of what gambling stands for. Using it as a way to kill someone, an innocent little creature who did nothing wrong, due to the whims of one man…you would have been better off picking names out of a hat. That would be better than this pathetic display! Yes…one by one, a name is called, and we die. Then the rest could be free to go."
"Well, y-you see-"
"But you don't take the easy way out, do you? You want us to go off and play other games, picking us off one by one. Why? Why prolong this all? Unless...there's something more to this whole ordeal. Is that it, Yuriko? Am I right?"
"No, of course not! I-!!!!!!!"
In an instant, Yumeko was in Yuriko's face.
"I am right, aren't I? Manipulating my memories…producing some tape of us all being criminals…revealing we were killers and now must kill each other out of nowhere…you and Kirari and your entire council has something brewing beneath the surface! There's a reason why we're all here, isn't there?! Something none of us even realize! But you know, and that's why you feel no fear! You can sit confidently and judge us all because no harm will come to you!!!"
"I…I…" Yuriko struggled to say more.
"That…that's not…no!"
Yumeko snatched the container from Yuriko. Her eyes had gone from a soft brown to a violent red, a maniacal grin on her face. It was as if she had become possessed.
"No, no, no, no! Gambling is meant to strike fear into both players, with bets on the line! But what if you and I switch places?? You take a turn in the net, feel what you made us feel! After all, you took two lives! A life for a life, isn't that right?!?!?!"
"P-Please…Yumeko!!" Yuriko's pleas fell on deaf ears. Yumeko began shaking the container.
"Come on, Yuriko!!!! Don't refuse me!!!!! Let's share this thrill, this fear, this excitement!!!!!!!!"
"L E T ' S G A M B L E ! ! ! !"
"...Let's not."
The net that had held Starlow now held Yumeko. Jack peaked over from behind her.
"Last boats in the ferry line leave in ten minutes. Trust me, my boss is more of a freakshow than you, so you're gonna have to take a raincheck on that little gamble of yours." He slung the highschooler over his shoulder, and anyone who caught a glimpse of her face would see Yumeko was back to normal. Her eyes had reverted back to brown, and she had a look of surprise on her face as she was carried off. Jack looked around at the rest of the group.
"Are the rest of you coming, or do you all wanna play more rounds of this game?"
With not much of a choice, everyone would be led out of the room. As the last person left, the only noise in the room would come from Yuriko. She fell forward, hands barely catching her. The dignified young girl had become disheveled in only a minute. Strands of hair flew every which way, sweat pooled down her face, and she just could not catch her breath.
"Hah…hah…hah…d-damn it!" Damn her, damn that Yumeko Jabami! No matter what, that girl just existed to wreak havoc and chaos and disrupt order and tradition!
As the fear started to gradually subside, Yuriko found herself feeling a different emotion. Guilt. She really had killed people, didn't she? Even knowing The Truth…she still took two lives, something she'd never done before. Did that…did that make her a killer? Even if she knew more than she let on, just like Yumeko guessed, and she knew what was really going on here on this island…did she still have blood on her hands?
An arm around her shoulder would shock Yuriko back into reality.
"Oh!" She turned to the person next to her.
"P-Pardon me, Im, uh, I just…"
"Shhhhhhhhh." I-No put a finger on Yuriko's lips, giving her a smile.
"Relax. I know you just went through a cacophany of idiocy. I actually came here to bring you some tea. Figured you could unwind a little."
"…thank you." Yuriko took the cup I-No offered her.
"This was more stressful than I'd thought."
"You still did a good job, dear. Switching up the rules all over like that-you succeeded in confusing them, that's for sure."
Yuriko sighed, staring into the tea.
"I suppose…though, I was honestly panicking back there. I wanted things to work well, but the constant thought of killing someone…I guess I got a little stressed."
"I can imagine. That's why I added a little something special to that tea-consider it my special witch's brew." She winked, and Yuriko relaxed.
"That's very kind of you," she said, bringing the cup to her lips.
"Oh yes," I-No replied. She tapped her right index finger on her thigh, the grin on her face growing wider the more Yuriko drank.
"Kindness is my specialty."
--------------
Even late at night, Delfino Plaza is warm, but at least now, there's a soft breeze that blows, especially from the ocean. There are a few clouds in the night sky, but they fail to hide the multitude of stars and the beautiful full moon.
Jack led the group to the docks, waving to those already there-who just so happen to be the police Piantas.
"Boy! What took you guys so long? We were worried we'd have to arrest you all for skipping work!"
Before anyone could speak, Jack shrugged.
"Bell Tower took longer than expected." That seemed to be all anyone would be able to say on the matter.
The officers took that at face value. "I see! Well, luckily, the boats are good to go. As a thank you for cleaning up Delfino Plaza, you guys get a bit of freedom in where you head next, as well as a nice little stay on our Delfino Ferry. You'll all get to sleep in nice beds and eat delicious fruits and seafood while going to your next destinations. But in the morning, you're all working, got it?"
The other officer picked up. "These boats go to three different places-all dealing with troublesome wildlife thanks to the goop everywhere. The first boat goes up a river to Bianco Hills, a nice little community that's having issues with a giant monster. The next boat goes to Ricco Harbor, which has an infestation of Bloopers and gross oily goop. Finally, the last boat takes you to Gelato Beach, which has local Cataquack creatures jeopardizing the Sand Bird by causing the solar panels around its incubator to be unstable! Pick the job you want, then head out."
Jack walked to the Ricco Harbor boat and unceremoniously dumped Yumeko onto it.
"Oh, great! All the stardust got on you!" He didn't seem to care that the stardust was technically the remains of an innocent star sprite.
(Tag
@thatguyinthestore for Bianco Hills,
@Yun Lee for Ricco Harbor, and
@Mason Moretti for Gelato Beach)
Starring:
@Archmage Jeremiah as
Risky Boots (Shantae)
@Bucky as
Honoka Kousaka (Love Live!)
@Cromartie Sarkissian as
Tony Stark (The Superior Iron Man)
@Crow as
Ernesti Echavalier (Knights & Magic)
@CrunchyCHEEZIT as
Kars (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)
@dark as
Colonel Mael Radec (Killzone)
@Glostechk as
Tsuyu Asui (Boku no Hero Academia)
@Gummi Bunnies as
Maria Ushiromiya (Umineko no Naku Koro ni
@J A Y F R OM T H E 6 I X as
Toshinori Yagi (Boku no Hero Academia)
@Jeremi as
The Fourth Doctor (Doctor Who)
@Kaykay as
Hina (Hinamatsuri)
@Kentucky as
Peter Parker (The Amazing Spiderman)
@Klutzy Ninja Kitty as
Yusuke Kitagawa (Persona 5)
@LuckycoolHawk9 as
Rita Hanson(Groundhog Day: The Musical)
@Mari as
Yamashiro (KanColle)
@Midnight Maiden as
Hiyori Iki (Noragami)
@Minerva as
Ritsuka Fujimura (Fate/Grand Order)
@Otto as
Talon (League of Legends)
@ShiroKiyoshi as
Kusanagi (Phantom of the Kill)
@Takumi as
Yato (Noragami)
@thatguyinthestore as
Shantae (Shantae)
@The Myrmidon as
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (Magic: the Gathering)
@Verite as
Gon Freeces (Hunter X Hunter)
@York as
Ami Kawashima (Toradora!)
@Yun Lee as
Yumeko Jabami (Kakegurui)
In Memoriam:
Mary Saotome - Hit on the Head!
Nagihiko Fujisaki - Impaled!
Starlow - Turned to Dust!
