Chef stood on the dock dressed up like Santa, complete with a loose hanging fake beard.
"Ho ho ho, it is I, Chefta Claus!" Chef announced soullessly. "Yeah yeah it sounds dumb to me too, but I gave up my dignity a long time ago and just accepted that my job is a joke. Anyways..T'was the night before Christmas when we had our last round. Not a creature was stirring, except Misty of course, stirrin' up some trouble and tryin' to turn things against those pesky lovebirds, Kirby and Nora. Nora tried to pull off a Christmas Miracle and switch the target to Fabio, but Omber was a real Scrooge and said Bah Humbug to that idea! Kirby got nothin' but coal for Christmas and a swift boot outta the island. Now seven remain and had better learn the true meanin' of Christmas before the end of the night or else Fah-Who on out of here!"
Theme Song Plays…
Confessional:
Fabio-Man last round was a BUST! I thought things were finally going my way, i was riding that gold rush all the way to the big prize and then suddenly things come to a screeching halt and I lost my buddy, Kirby.
Lex wandered through the market square of the resort, hungrily examining a batch of pastries on display. They felt a hand placed on their shoulder and turned around to see Fabio, now wearing a draping trenchcoat and a novelty pair of glasses with a fake nose…on top of the shades he was already wearing.
"Come with me if you want to live," Fabio said grimly.
"What the!?" Lex gasped as they pulled away. "Are you threatening me?"
"What? No! I'm just a helpful stranger here to tell you that you are in grave danger!" Fabio exclaimed.
"Sounds like a threat," Lex replied.
"Just…come with me and I will prove that there is nothing sinister going on," Fabio said. "Well, there is..but not because of me!"
Lex sighed and followed Fabio through an alley and down a small flight of stairs hidden in the corner of a brick building. The two entered what appeared to be an old storage area that had been cleared out.
"Now, don't be alarmed." Fabio said as he turned around, "but I can now reveal to you that behind this clever disguise, I am in fact, the one and only Fabio!"
"Yeah, I know," Lex remarked.
"What?" Fabio said incredulously. "No…you don't. Now anyways, look, we should probably talk about the last round."
Lex gave a skeptical glance and Fabio started to get a little more awkward.
"Okay, okay, I know, I know, some…things may have happened last round," Fabio said somewhat nervously. "Votes cast, some for you, some for me, maybe some…by me. Heh…"
Lex continued to appear unconvinced.
"And I know that you tried to talk with me before and I maybe, kind of, perhaps…well you know, I might not have taken it as seriously as I should have,' Fabio continued, his voice starting to rise in intonation. "But you know, that's all just some…it's really just…what I'm trying to say…"
Lex remained unflinching.
"What do you want from me!? To get on my knees and beg for forgiveness!? FINE I'll do it!" Fabio exclaimed as he dropped to his knees dramatically. "I am SORRY that I brushed you off and tried to vote you out and thought that I could just ride on through without ever having to think much about it. I was wrong, I see the light now, I have changed my ways-"
"Okay, okay, knock it off," Lex urged. "If you're serious then I'm open to talk, I think we're both in a position where we're going to need each other.
"Exactamundo!" Fabio exclaimed while rocketing back up to his feet. "This game needs a shake up! We need to rock the earth! Or else we'll be flushed down like change tossed into a hobo's hat."
"That's not really a waste…but I get your point, ethical standing aside," Lex said. "Right now Omber has this game in his grip and he is going to keep on picking off the people that don't fit into his perfect little plan."
"Ooh, diabolical! That's exactly the sort of thing that I want to be doing and he beat me to it!" Fabio pouted.
"Right…" Lex said, brushing past Fabio's sulking. "Well I think if the two of us work together we can unravel some of that control, but it is going to require some careful steps."
"Breaking out the big guns!" Fabio exclaimed.
"Something like that," Lex remarked. "Right now the Grotto Guardians are occupying a bit of a sweet spot, and that's where we'd need to focus our efforts if we're going to make anything happen. We'd need to isolate one of them that we think can be bent. The weakest link…"
"Misty," both Fabio and Lex concluded at the same time.
"What do we know about her so far?" Lex asked.
"She can't go five seconds without trying to undress the nearest man?" Fabio remarked. "Obviously I'm immune to such charms, I've committed my passion to my massive fortune that I will one day have, and that means I can't let any gold-diggers get the better of me!"
"Good for you," Lex said uncertainly while giving a thumbs up. "You're right though, Misty seems to love the attention."
"So what, we walk up to her and just pamper her ego till she gives us something we can work with?" Fabio asked.
"Not both of us," Lex said while tapping their chin pensively. "This cannot look like a coordinated effort, if anyone suspects that we're up to something then it could all circle around back to us and leave us with nothing."
"Okay, so a two-prong attack," Fabio added, "I can do that. I'll rustle up a little gossip to find its way to her ear, and then you slide in for the kill!"
"The kill? That sounds a little gruesome," Lex remarked timidly.
"Welcome to the biz, baby, if you're not ready to get gruesome then there's the door," Fabio said. "Actually I'm gonna show myself to the door, but only in the literal sense, since we've got work to do."
"Just remember," Lex advised, "discretion is key here."
"You got it! Operation Discretion is a GO, baby!" Fabio boasted.
Lex shushed vigorously and urged for Fabio to keep it down.
Confessional:
Lex-This is basically what I've been waiting for. Someone else to realize that the way we're going right now isn't doing us any favors. Fabio may have tried to vote me out the previous round, but right now I can't afford to be worried about that. Things need to change, and hopefully it's not too late for Fabio and I to pull that off.
Fabio-Push me down and I just bounce back up like a…uh…well a thing that does that. A basketball? Sure let's go with that! But one of those bejeweled basketballs because I am no ordinary mundane piece of sports equipment! But also the jewels are made from the same material, so that it can still bounce, cause uh otherwise…you know what, forget the whole thing! Point is that Fabio is here to STAY!
Nora laid upon the sand gazing out at the sea. She picked up a stone and skipped it along the waves. Omber approached from behind and sat down next to her.
"Missing someone?" Omber asked.
Just gettin' a feel for this ocean beat," Nora said. "It might just turn out to be a killer dance waiting for my feet to figure it out."
"I'm glad you're not too torn up about last night," Omber said, "I know it was a lot."
"Honey, ain't no reason to let anything get my rhythm all bungled and bunched," Nora said with a shrug. "The dance only ends when you stop moving, and I ain't slowin' down any time soon!"
"Perfect," Omber said. " And look, I think we can get Fabio out of here before he comes for you again. Right now he definitely looks like the biggest loose cannon, so if we just play it cool then it should be no problem to let him sink his own ship."
"Sweet Shoes, you know I am an all around master at keepin' it cool, no need to worry 'bout me." Nora assured.
Lex came up over the edge of the beach and made their way to join the other two.
"Ah, so this is where you guys have been hanging out," Lex noted.
"Just enjoying the view," Omber remarked.
"It is a lovely sight," Lex agreed. "I was hoping we could talk for a bit."
"Sure thing," Omber promised. "Let me walk you back to town. Nora, you coming?"
"You Perky Pigeons go on ahead, I think I'm just gonna let the sound of the sea wash over me a little longer," Nora remarked.
Confessional:
Nora-End of the day, I can't be mad that Kirby was voted out. We had a summer thing goin' that was oh so hot but like all summer things you know it ain't gonna last till September, and we've still got a game to play…but I CAN be mad about the way it's like none of my own supposed allies are even givin' a second thought to what I have to say. I thought the whole point of a compromise was to let everyone speak their piece, but I was just rolled right on over. This wasn't a move to help me, no sirree Bob, Tim, or John! It was the move that Omber wanted to make to help himself, and I guess I just had higher hopes that he wouldn't leave me out to dry like that!
Omber-I expect that Nora is a little bit upset, but that's okay, I am prepared for that. She spent all her time with Kirby while I've been building up my own spot with Ander and his allies. Now she has nothing and I have the power, so I'm not worried about her trying to pull anything off here. She and Lex both need me, and that makes me feel pretty comfortable.
Corny was exploring the contents of a dumpster behind the gift shop.
"The things people throw away, it's down right bananas," Corny remarked to himself as he hopped out with his haul. "I could decorate a small house with these little thingamabobs."
Corny then noticed Fabio walking towards him and issuing a wave. Corny quickly looked away as if he didn't see and nervously tried to make it around the bend out of sight.
"Hey buddy, wait up!" Fabio called out.
Corny sighed and stopped.
"Oh uh…Fabio, my uh…it's you!" Corny exclaimed. "What a nice surprise."
"You okay there, bud?" Fabio asked, as Corny seemed to be shaking.
"Just uh…just get it over with," Corny sighed.
"Huh?" Fabio asked.
"I mean, ain't ya gonna chew me out for votin' out your sailor friend?" Corny asked. "I swear I feel downright dirty 'bout it-"
"Nah nah nah," Fabio assured. "I haven't thought nothing about that. Whatever happened happened and we can still move on like a couple of good chums."
"You really mean that?" Corny asked.
"Of course I do!" Fabio exclaimed. "Tell me, do you think the 1% would be where they are now if they held onto every tiny little slight in their life?"
"Well I uh…I really can't say, I don't know any of them 1," Corny remarked.
"Yeah that's what I'm counting on," Fabio said quickly.
"What?" Corny asked.
"What, what? There's no what!" Fabio exclaimed. "Just a couple of good pals and uh…a sack of garbage?"
"One man's trash is another man's treasure!" Corny said while beaming proudly.
"Yeah that's something poor people say, so I'm just gonna pretend that I didn't hear it," Fabio remarked. "Besides, we're gonna need to stick together for what's to come."
"Right, right," Corny said nodding. "And uh…what's that?"
"Well you know it's pretty much between the two of us if Omber would have his way," Fabio said nonchalantly.
"Huh!?" Corny gasped. "Omber? But he seems like such a swell guy!"
""Think about it," Fabio said. "Who is he closest too? Who is he going to want to hold onto? And where does that leave us?"
"I dunno, I dunno," Corny remarked while holding his head. "That seems like jumping to conclusions."
"Yeah maybe it is," Fabio agreed. "Anyways, completely unrelated but I'm going to need your help with something."
"Oh sure, I love to help!" Corny exclaimed.
"I know you think diving into dumpsters is the way to live, but let me bring you in on some of the real secrets to success," Fabio said. "Turns out that if you bury a hat on a resort for over an hour, then it actually accrues some of the value from that property as a recognized landmark. So whattaya say we give it a whirl and wrack up the price on this old thing?"
Fabio removed his top hat.
"Wow, is that really true!?" Corny exclaimed.
"Would I lie to you?" Fabio asked.
"Well hm…I don't really know you well enough to answer that question," Corny pondered. "I'd like to say no you wouldn't, but realistically I suppose I can't rule it out-"
"Well I'm not lying!" Fabio exclaimed. "It's a trade secret of the upper class elite so you can't tell anyone about it!"
"Wow, and somehow you learned of this unspeakable secret AND decided to tell me, I'm real touched, ya know? You really are a true friend," Corny exclaimed.
"Yeah yeah yeah, don't I know it," Fabio remarked. "Now look, here's the dealio, though. I actually just remembered a booked an appointment with the masseuse, that I really can't afford to miss, so I'm gonna leave this hat here and trust you to keep an eye on it. You know, real sneaky like. I don't want people figuring out that there's something of value buried here."
"You gotta, ol' palerino!" Corny promised diligently. "Ain't no one gonna lay a hand on your precious buried treasure!"
Corny tossed himself back into the dumpster and just peered out beneath the lid. Fabio departed, but it wasn't long before Lex and Omber passed by.
"I just wanted to ask," Lex began, "what is the next step for us? How are we making sure we're not winding ourselves up to be picked off next?"
"I don't think we have to worry," Omber remarked. "We can probably keep this on Fabio easily enough. I don't see him having much in his corner."
"I guess I'm just wondering about the Grotto Guardians," Lex said. "They haven't really shown any sign of breaking apart. Do you think maybe we ought to prepare for that clash?"
"I think they'll bend easily enough," Omber said with a shrug. "Though I suppose it wouldn't be the end of the world if Corny were to be picked off sooner than later."
Corny yelped but covered his mouth. Omber paused but didn't give much more thought to the sound.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves right now though," Omber said. "We're in a good spot here. Let's not blow it."
Confessional:
Fabio-This is all phase one of the plan, the first prong if you will. And I will, oh yes I will. We need to stir up some unease without getting our own boots too dirty. Luckily Lexie and I were able to come up with a plan to time things just right and have dear gullible Corny at the right place at the right time.
Omber-Honestly I'm not terribly worried about the Grotto Guardians coming for me, I think I've done the best to make sure I have a bridge to that group and my hand on the pulse there. They're less connected than they may appear. That being said, I like to keep all my options open and Corny being swept out of the picture wouldn't be the worst thing to see happen tonight.
Misty was working on her sexy slow-motion walk as she patrolled around a fountain, imagining she was the star of her own movie. She tossed her hair along with the foam of the spraying water and gave a lithe giggle at nothing in particular. No one really noticed or gave her much mind, but this did not deter her. Lex emerged from a side lane and approached.
"Uh Misty…hello? Lex greeted timidly.
"Oh hiiii there," Misty said with a sugary sweet smile and exaggerated wave. "Is that sharp dressed sharp witted man you're always with short behind?'
"Omber?" Lex deduced.
They glanced backwards to see Omber just departing in the other direction, but quickly positioned themselves so that Misty couldn't catch sight of him.
"No actually," Lex lied. "Last I checked, he was over on the beach consoling Nora."
"Aw, is someone experiencing a little bit of heartbreak?" Misty remarked, barely hiding the wicked satisfaction in her voice. "Such a shame."
"Yeah she's a little bummed, but I think she'll pick back up," Lex explained. "I guess it makes sense Omber feels like he owes her some time right now though, it was his idea after all."
"Is that what he thinks? Well of course it was! He's such a clever guy, always coming up with a plan," Misty praised. "I'm sure it's all part of his elaborate master plan."
"Mhm," Lex agreed. "And you know it's funny but-actually, I probably shouldn't say."
"Oh no, do not pull that on me!" Misty exclaimed. "If there's gossip to spill I would just loooove to hear all about it."
"It's nothing, really," Lex assured, glancing down awkwardly now.
"It's too late for that kiss and don't tell attitude," Misty chided. "You can't tease some delicious little tidbit and then tell me it's nothing."
"Okay, okay, just don't spread it around," Lex said. "Promise!"
"My lips are sealed tight," Misty promised.
"Well the thing is, I think Omber had his sights set on Kirby leaving the second he started hanging out with Nora," Lex explained. "Since Omber has always had something of a crush on Nora. I'm not sure if he'd ever act on it, but he definitely didn't seem to like the idea of her dancing with someone else."
"Hmmm," Misty said while tapping her fingers along the rim of the fountain. "So you'd say Nora has him under her spell then?"
"Well, I'm not sure that I'd go that far," Lex said.
"Interesting, interesting, this is all very interesting," Misty mused. "But not to worry, your secret is safe, I swear it on all my honor!"
Confessional:
Lex-This is phase two of the plan, the second prong as Fabio insists we call it. Misty is the lynchpin for this to work. And for that to happen, we need to play off of her ego, make her believe that she's not the jewel of Omber's eye. If she gets jealous then she might give us exactly what we need.
Misty-So this is why Omber has been so aloof, it's not all part of his tall dark and handsome cliche, but he's just been swept up by that…temptress! I should have known something was up, and now I have no choice but to finish the job.
"Knock knock," Omber announced as he walked down the steps to the Grotto Guardian living quarters. "Mind if I pop in?"
"No one's going to stop you," Ander remarked, sitting up on his bed.
"So this is where you guys have been hanging out?" Omber remarked as he examined the interior.
"Yep," Ander replied dully. "Sorry if you were expecting something more special."
"Eh, it's about on par with what I had in mind," Omber said. "But I didn't come here to talk interior decor."
"Of course not," Ander replied.
"I figured we could keep talking shop, keep doing what we're doing," Omber explained. "I'd say it's been working."
"We're both still here, so I can't disagree," Ander said, still remaining on his bed.
"People might be starting to feel a little bit uneasy, but you and I can still steer the overall ship here," Omber said. "I fully believe that. So I don't see why there's any reason why not to-"
"Hello, hello, hello!" Nora suddenly sang as she shimmied down the steps. "Nora in the house!"
"Nora…" Omber said in slight shock. "You seem to be in…better spirits."
"Indeed I am, Licorice Pop!" Nora exclaimed. "I took all those downer feelings and packed them up all nice and tidy in a box and I shipped that box down the sea, because it's party time again!"
"Uh…hello there," Ander greeted awkwardly.
"Ander, baby, you are lookin' fine today!" Nora exclaimed. "Now then, Jumpin' Jellybeans, what's the tempo?"
"Well uh…as I was just saying to Ander, I see no reason not to keep this round simple," Omber said. "Fabio is the last hanging thread, he has nothing left in this game and is going to try to grab onto whatever he can to turn things around. I say we just hold strong and vote him out of here."
"I can tap tap tap along with that," Nora said.
"Indeed, as you say simple may be best for us," Ander said. "Let's not overcomplicate this for ourselves right now."
Confessional:
Nora-The time to be down is over and done, and now it's time to pick myself back up again! I may not be thrilled at the moment, but I cannot let that sad song sweet me on out of this game. I gotta stay in on the beat and let people know that I'm still movin' and groovin' and just as much a part of the game!
Ander-Omber has not really given the most reassuring description of Nora, and I feel like I hardly even know her, so I don't exactly consider her to be 'in' on the deal. But as soon as she showed up, of course I couldn't say any of this, so nothing to do but agree to the least offensive course of action.
Shortly after Nora and Omber had departed, Corny came rushing down the steps to the Grotto Guardians base.
"I got somethin' real important to say!" he announced.
"Well, what is it then?" Ander asked.
Before he could speak a word though, Misty came marching down the steps.
"I have something important to say!" she announced.
"Oh wow, me too!" Corny gasped.
"Well mine's probably more important," Misty replied. "And why do you smell like garbage…you know what, never mind, I probably don't even want to know."
"It is a bit of a funny story," Corny chuckled.
"Don't need to know!" Misty insisted. "Anyways, it has come to my attention that we took out the wrong half of the couple last night. Nora is a…a…conniving little minx! She has dug her claws into Omber's heart and oh…it's too much for me…"
Misty feigned a faint, but when she realized that Ander wasn't going to catch her she stopped and teetered back upright.
"Anyways, we need to do something about this," Misty said, her voice wavering with faux trepidation. "She is a menace."
"Those are some mighty harsh words," Corny remarked.
"And I mean every one of them," Misty insisted.
"Well it's funny you bring up Omber," Corny exclaimed. "You're never gonna believe who I just overheard…"
"Was it Omber?" Ander asked.
"Huh, I guess I kinda gave that away," Corny realized. "But it's not who was doing the saying, it was the what that was being said!"
"What?" Ander asked.
"Exactly!" Corny replied. "He was actually talking about possibly breaking us up. Namely breaking ME up!"
"This is clearly Nora's doing," Misty sobbed. "Oh why didn't I see the signs sooner? He is a guppy caught in a shark's vicious jaws and he doesn't even know it!"
"Let's all take a step back," Ander suggested. "You two may be overreacting to things a bit here."
"I have never overreacted to anything in my life!" Misty shrieked.
Confessional:
Corny-I know what I heard, y'all! Both Lex and Omber were talkin' bout the next move and it was clear that their choices were either me or Fabio. Maybe Ander or Misty can write that off as no big deal, but it's gonna be my butt on the line and so y'all better believe it's a pretty honkin' big deal to me!
Ander-I don't doubt that things are starting to be discussed and it would be wise to remain on guard, but I am not sure if this is exactly time for the nuclear option just yet. I intend to consider all facts before making a decision, and hope that these two don't force my hand by acting too fast.
(Later)
The final seven stood at a winter display that had been set up in the middle of the summer resort. Fake snow padded the ground that was lined with various Christmas decorations such as towering candy canes and flashing lights. In the middle of it all stood Chef in his santa costume.
"Ho ho ho!" he greeted. "Welcome to Christmas at Wawankwa."
"Neat!" Corny exclaimed.
"Uh Chef? Christmas is in December," Omber pointed out. "Aren't we a little out of season?"
"Hey I'm not complaining," Fabio remarked. "More Christmases means more gifts for me!"
"Don't you think I know that, stupid punks!?" Chef barked.
"Wow, Santa, you're not being very jolly right now," Fabio exclaimed.
"That's right, kids," Chris exclaimed, suddenly arriving from the other side. "Christmas is coming early this year. Many of our guests want the full year round experience here at the resort, despite only staying for a couple weeks, so we've decided to put together a little holiday extravaganza."
"Darlin, you had me at extravaganza, love the way that sounds!" Nora exclaimed.
"Well, that was the last one," Ander pointed out.
"True, but I wasn't sure I was gonna vibe with where it was goin' till then," Nora replied.
"For your challenge today, you'll be spreading some holiday cheer!" Chris explained.
"Hooray!" Corny cheered.
"There will be two parts to this challenge," Chris explained. "First you'll need to make it through Santa's Workshop to pick up a present that one of our guests wished for. For the second part, you will need to figure out who wished for that present and give it to them. Oh and one more thing, there's only four presents waiting to be delivered, which means the three slowest of you will be out of this challenge without a chance."
"Um. Chrissy?" Misty said while raising her hand. "Just one little thing…where exactly is this workshop you speak of?"
"We're getting to that," Chris said. "Oh Chefta Claus, the workshop if you please!"
Chef grabbed one of the candy cane decorations and pulled on it, revealing that it was in fact a lever. With a long groan, a large hatch opened up in the middle of the pavilion.
"You'll have to traverse the perilous course of the underground workshop to get to those presents," Chris explained.
"You know, perilous isn't exactly the word that comes to mind when I think of Christmas," Lex remarked.
"Well, that's what makes it a Wawankwa Christmas!" Chris said brightly. "Now get a move on, this challenge starts now!"
The group of seven scurried down the open passage to what waited below.
Once they were gone, Chef grunted to Chris, "So why ain't you the one in some sort of crazy costume?"
"Please, Chef, I'm the main host, people need to recognize me at all times," Chris scoffed. "And also that coat was two sizes too big for me, it would completely lose my figure."
Confessional:
Corny-Well ain't this just a hoot! Never been one to experience a real gosh to golly Christmas! I love seein' the lights and all the little pretty thing that pop up, but the whole gift exchange part has always been a lost art for me!
Fabio-I'm not the kind of person to rank holidays against one another, I'm happy for all of them. But if I had to, well I think Christmas has a pretty strong lead, since it's the day when everyone has to give things to ME!
Ander-Santa Claus has never been a particularly big deal at our home. My mother has tried to keep the magic alive, but it always just comes back to the question of why Santa brings gifts to other kids but not our house. Most of us stopped believing at a very young age.
The passage led to an underground base of operations, that was loosely decorated with dusty old Christmas displays.
"I'm not exactly feeling the festive joy here," Misty remarked.
"It certainly could use some sprucing up," Lex agreed.
"With some mistletoe," Misty concluded while making eyes at Ander.
"Could use a whole lot more than that!" Nora remarked. "Where are the lights, where are ornaments, and where are all those busy little elves?!"
"Wel, it's none of those things but this looks like it could be important," Omber said as he gazed upon a wide shiny floor that opened up before them. "Knowing Chris, there's probably some sort of-"
"Yeah yeah yeah, outta my way!" Fabio exclaimed as he charged forward.
As soon as he hit the floor, he flipped upwards and landed on his back.
"OOF!" he coughed painfully.
"It's…ice," Omber realized.
"Oooh sweet!" Nora exclaimed' "Love me a good skatin' rink! After all, ice skatin' is just dance with a little less friction."
Nora danced onto the floor and slid gracefully along the ice. Fabio tried to pull himself back up but kept slipping right back down. The others took slow steps, carefully trying to maintain their balance. Every time Lex put their foot on the ice, they could feel their balance slipping and immediately pulled back. Misty deliberately flung herself against Ander.
"Oh my, this is sooo difficult!" she squealed.
The two collided and fell to the ground, sliding while they did. Misty made sure that she landed on top of Ander.
"Oops, clumsy old me," she giggled. "At least I landed somewhere soft and sweet."
"I really don't think this is the best time," Ander sighed.
"But I'm having a wonderful time with you," Misty replied.
"Can someone else babysit this confused predator for a change?" Ander asked.
"I gotcha covered!" Corny announced as he helped Misty up. "We'll have ya up and skatin' in no time!"
"Oooh!" Misty cooed as she pushed her weight into Corny's arms. "Have you done this before?"
"Sure have! Course not in one of them fancy rinks with the skates and all that jazz!" Corny regaled. "But this one time I was just takin' a nap in an abandoned barn. Least I thought it was abandoned. Now mind you this was the middle of winter and I ain't go no blankets, no heaters, no nothin', so I will take a little shelter if I can get it, but when the owner found me out he was gonna wring my neck, so I ran and I ran and before I knew it I was runnin' right cross a frozen lake. Never even stopped to look back till I made it to the other side."
"Wow….that's so…" Misty said while nodding. "...wow."
Nora had a strong lead by now, but instead of racing to the end, seemed to be caught up in her figure skating motions and was now performing mid-air twirls and swoops. Omber was taking the approach of just putting one foot in front of the other and very slowly making his way across the rink. Fabio was still falling down.
Confessional:
Nora-Oooweee this just takes me right on back! So I may have lost a little bit of time, but it's been too long since I got to do some real ice dancin', you'll have to excuse me for gettin' lost in the moment!
Corny-'Course I'm gonna stay and help Misty get on her feet. This may be a race but we don't suddenly stop bein' a couple of close friends just cause of that. I know she would do the same for me, so it's all good!
Misty-(giggles evilly)
After some slipping and sliding, Nora and Omber were both able to reach it to the edge of the icy floor.
"Well, that was a fun time!" Nora exclaimed.
Omber glanced back to see that most of the others were still struggling. Misty would deliberately stumble just to force Corny to catch her repeatedly.
"Oh my, this is so hard!" she remarked with a childish tone. "Thank goodness I have your strong arms to hold me!"
Ander was trying to just brunt force his way across the rink, taking one firm step after the other, and gritting his teeth every time he could feel his feet sliding. Fabio had given up on trying to stand back up and was now sliding along his stomach like a penguin.
"Hm looks like you and I have quite the advantage here," Omber remarked, but Nora had already taken off running to the next stage.
Omber followed behind and soon the two entered a hall that was lined with giant nutcracker statues.
"Once again…this feels like a trap," Omber noted.
"Too true, Best Boy," Nora agreed. "Well, be my guest."
Omber took a cautious step forward. Then another. He waited. Nora offered him a thumbs up. With a sudden lurch, one of the nutcracker boots swung forth and bowled Omber over.
"Oooh, that's gotta hurt!" Nora winced.
"You're not wrong," Omber groaned as he hit the wall.
"Alright, let's get this timing on then!" Nora exclaimed as she swayed down the hall.
She managed to dodge the boot, but shortly after was crushed by a falling fist.
"Mm, this might take some time," she noted.
Ander managed to make his way to the edge of the rink by now and gave a sigh of relief. He quickly ran down to the next hallway. He arrived in time to see Omber and Nora both awkwardly trying to side step through the middle of the swinging obstacles. Nora bent backwards as if she was doing the limbo to dodge a disc-shaped button spinning off the nearest statue.
"Hm, I see," Ander sighed again.
Ander cautiously took a step forward, then had to swing right back to avoid a boot coming his way. "
Confessional:
Fabio-If I have to throw my dignity away to get ahead in this challenge, then don't count me out! It'll all be worth it when I'm rolling through the dough!
Ander-Patience is going to be key here, seems like none of these traps are going to be beaten by a sprint. Thankfully, this seems to be a virtue severely lacking in some of my competition.
After a few unfortunate collisions, Nora had begun to work out the rhythm of the obstacles.
'And one and two and dip," Nora sang to herself as she swayed from side to side.
Ombre tried to match her movements, just narrowing avoiding a fist launching towards him like a rocket.
"Almost there, Tootsie Top, just a few more steps," Nora encouraged.
Ander was just taking very slow steps. He would pause each time, and usually had to hop back to avoid whatever trap was waiting for him. This made his progress quite delayed. Fabio pulled himself off of the ice by now and shook himself off.
"Huzzah!" he cheered, finally able to stand on his own two feet.
Corny was practically holding Misty by the hips and having to move her body for her.
"Just one step after the other," Corny urged. "You got this."
"Just don't let me go," Misty murmured sweetly.
Lex still struggled on the ice and had fallen quite behind all the rest. Fabio approached the row of nutcrackers and saw Ander taking his steady approach.
"Ha, make way for the master!" Fabio exclaimed. "I'll show you how it's done!"
Fabio charged forward and was immediately booted to the wall.
"Noted," Ander remarked.
"Ooooh, this looks scary," Misty gasped as she and Corny approached the next obstacle. "I don't think I can do this."
"Sure ya can!" Corny exclaimed.
"Well…you go first then," Misty said. "Show me what to do."
Corny obliged and stepped forward…only to be booted right into Fabio.
"Oh my!" Misty gasped.
Nora and Omber were both able to make it across and breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was close," Omber remarked.
"My heart is pump pump pumping away like a conga," Nora said.
The two made it further through the workshop and discovered the floor suddenly ending before them. A large gap was between them and the next area. The only way across seemed to be a series of large candy canes hanging from the ceiling.
"Oh lord," Omber sighed.
Confessional:
Lex-You know, something tells me I'm probably not winning this challenge. But it's only over once I give up, so might as well keep at it and see how far I can get.
Misty-I don't even care about winning, just getting to see a dumb little doofus throw himself into harms way over and over all for me is more than enough of a prize for me.
Ander had made it halfway across the nutcracker passage. Fabio was giving another football charge. Hoping to blindly make it through by sheer might alone. He was slammed by the swinging boot once more. Corny was beginning to figure out the timing and weaved his body like a worm to make his way further down the hall.
"Not so fast, Corny, I can't keep up!" Misty called.
Corny paused to look back at her and was suddenly crushed by a fist.
"Oh no!" Misty exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Nora and Omber were preparing to make their way across the candy cane leap. Nora flung herself through the air and managed to hook her legs around one of the pinstripe arcs. Omber jumped as well, but just came up short and rather than clutching his goal, stumbled downward.
"Oooh, that ain't pretty," Nora winced.
Nora managed to swing herself to the next cane, grasping it tightly in her hands. She gritted her teeth somewhat as she felt the pull of gravity on her arms, but managed to keep her position. Omber had to pull himself back up out of the pit. As he did, he saw Ander approaching after escaping the nutcracker passage.
"I see that nothing here is going to be easy," Ander remarked.
"It's certainly not," Omber agreed as he shook himself off.
Further back, Fabio was finally able to slide past the first boot.
"Ha HA!" he cheered triumphantly while shaking his body in a victorious dance. "I'm too quick for you, too hot to handle, too-"
Fabio's victory was cut short as he was smashed by the next fist. Corny now was holding Misty's hand and hastily trying to guide her through the series of traps while also not getting himself hit.
"Quick as you can, one step two step," Corny urged.
"Like this?" Misty asked, deliberately stepping into the path of an entire leg swinging back and forth.
"Nooo!" Corny exclaimed, shoving her out of the way and being smacked against the wall.
Misty had to stifle her evil giggle, and instead just remarked, "Wow, such a gentleman."
"Happy to help," Corny grunted as his face was squished into the wall.
Lex clawed their way across the rink finally and gave a hefty sigh of relief upon finding friction once more. They came upon the nutcracker passage and their eyes widened somewhat.
"This…does not look easy," Lex remarked.
"To you maybe," Fabio groaned as his body clung to the fist that was lifting him up into the air now. "It looks like a cinch to me!"
Fabio's body became dislodged and he plummeted to the ground with a painful splat.
Confessional:
Lex-I never want to see another ice rink in my life. My legs are still shaking and I can't take another step without fear that I'll hit the ground.
Corny-I think my…uh brain…got a little scrambled up a bit there (grabs head and shakes) Ah, that's better!
With a dainty landing, Nora reached the end of the candy cane passage.
"Thank you, thank you!" she said to an imaginary audience, taking a bow.
She glanced back to see that Omber and Ander were already quickly catching up.
"Time to put some pep in my step!" Nora said to herself, continuing to rush.
She found a wide pair of doors and pushed through them. The next room was brightly lit and had four pedestals each presenting a different item.
"Hallelujah, looks like I hit the Christmas Pudding!" Nora cheered. "Now let's take a looky loo at what we have here."
The items on display included a doll, a pair of rollerskates, a box of macaroni, and a pair of tickets to the back-row seats at The Rachel Maddow Show.
"Hm, hm, what am I going to pick?" Nora mused to herself. "I think I will gooo…with this one!"
Nora grabbed the pair of rollerblades. As she did, she found the platform she was on lifted up to the ceiling which was now opening to reveal sunlight. As Nora left the room, she caught sight of Omber and Ander entering after her. She offered them a quick wave.
"Looks like we've reached our destination," Ander noted.
"And with a pretty decent lead on the others," Omber added. "Now let's grab something and go."
Ander examined the doll and decided to choose that as his item.
"Shouldn't be too hard to find someone who wants this," he remarked.
Omber picked up the box of macaroni.
"Who would want this?" he mused.
However his decision was considered made and he began to lift up as well.
"Guess I'm going to find out," he sighed.
The remaining four still struggled with the nutcracker portion of the course. Lex had watched Fabio's movements and managed to figure out the timing quicker than he did. They eventually mustered the confidence to attempt the course on their own and swiftly past Fabio. A battered Corny was nearing the end, though still desperately trying to keep Misty safe.
"You're doing soooo good!" Misty praised.
"Miss Misty, do I'm gonna try somethin' here," Corny warned. "Do I have your consent?"
"For what?" Misty asked.
Corny just gave a sheepish look.
"Uh…yes?" Misty replied.
Corny grabbed Misty by the wrists and with a sudden lurch, flung her off the ground. Misty soared through the air and rolled safely to the other side.
"Bingo!" Corny cheered before an entire head popped off one of the statues and crushed him.
Lex gasped as they managed to slip past him.
"You can do it, super stud," Misty called. "I'm just going to meet you at the end. I'd hate to be a distraction for you."
Confessional:
Nora-The goal of the challenge is to get these presents to whoever wished for them, right? Well I figured that ain't nobody gonna be unhappy with a pair of slip slidin' rollerskates! This is gonna be easy peasy!
Ander-This doll is something I could see my sister loving. I'm sure it should not be too hard to find the child that would be happy with it.
Omber-So..somebody wished for a box of macaroni? Not even one of the expensive brands, just classic no name? Huh, well who am I to judge…
Returning to the surface, Nora, Omber, and Ander were now approaching various guests near the winter pavilion. Nora held the rollerskates behind her back as she sauntered over to a family.
She leaned over a young boy and asked, "What are you wishin' for this special Christmas in summer?"
"A playstation 5," the boy answered.
"A playstation 5?! That sounds kind of pricey…" Nora remarked. "Not to mention you're only gettin' half the action playin' a game on the screen! Wouldn't you rather get somethin' you can get movin' with!?"
"No, that sounds lame," said the boy.
"Well you clearly have no taste," Nora scoffed. "And a happy holiday to you all!"
Ander found a young girl by herself, absentmindedly twisting blades of grass.
"Hello there," Ander greeted in his best jolly voice. It was far from jolly.
"Stranger danger!" the girl shrieked as she got up and fled.
"No, wait," Ander called. "There is no danger."
Ander just sighed and placed his forehead in his palms. Omber was quickly scanning the crowds, looking for anyone who stood out as the kind of person who would wish for macaroni for Christmas.
"Excuse me, ma'am," he said as he approached an older woman in a sundress sitting on a bench. "By any chance were you hoping for a delicious box of macaroni this holiday season?"
"Why would I wish for that?" the woman asked. "You, sir, need to work on your holiday spirit. There is nothing festive about a box of macaroni!"
"Yeah I know," Omber remarked.
"Then get out of my face!" snapped the woman.
"Happy holidays to you too," Omber sighed.
Below ground, Lex and Misty both eyed the hanging candy canes with trepidation.
"Well…after you," Misty presented as she took a step back.
Lex took a breath in and jumped for the nearest cane. They did not have nearly enough momentum and fell into the pit.
"Hm..I'm probably going to need some help with this," Misty noted before calling out, "Oh Corny!? Where are you?"
A battered Corny groggily pulled himself along the hall to the next stage. He gave a thumbs-up before collapsing on the floor.
"Tsk, tsk, some boys just push themselves too hard," Misty chided.
Fabio had completely changed up his strategy and was now trying to pull himself upwards by climbing the nearest nutcracker statue. Eventually he was able to climb to its top.
"Didn't see that one coming, did ya!?" Fabio cackled. "That's right, I'm always thinking outside the box. Now, to gracefully and safely make my way-"
Fabio jumped to the next statue, which proved to be hollow, causing Fabio to plummet directly into its core.
Confessional:
Nora-Call me an old soul if you must, but it just pains my heart to see young kids waste their time in front of a screen. There's so much more fulfillment in using your whole body, being swept up in the art of the dance…(sighs) I worry 'bout this world some days.
Ander-To be fair, stranger danger is real, and yet another point for why Santa Claus just makes no sense. Regardless of the day of the year, I do not want to encourage anyone to break into my home.
Nora had found a group of young children and gathered them up.
"Okay okay, exciting news for you all! Someone is gettin' a bonafide, boogilicious gift this fake holiday!" Nora exclaimed.
The children cheered.
"Now who here likes dashing down the street on nothing but the wheels on your heels!?" Nora asked.
One girl tentatively raised her hand. Nora pointed to her with excitement.
"Today is your lucky day, Lovely Lady!" Nora exclaimed as she revealed the pair of rollerskates. "Here is your Christmas present!"
The girl inspected the gift and seemed disappointed.
"These are rollerskates," she concluded.
'Yep, just what you wanted!" Nora said with a grin.
"I asked for rollerblades," the girl pointed out.
"Same thing!" Nora exclaimed.
"No, it's not," the girl said with a shake of her head. "I don't want this."
Omber continued to scan the crowds. Someone caught his eye. A young woman perched beneath a tree. She had a large sketchpad before her and wore clothes that seemed to be stained with splatters of paint.
"Excuse me?" Omber greeted.
The girl tilted her head up.
"I hate to intrude but would I be correct in assuming that you are an artist?" Omber asked.
"That's right," the woman said.
"And you may be working on an art piece this very minute?" Omber asked.
The girl nodded.
"And the finishing touch that you're hoping for," Omber concluded, "is a box of dry macaroni!"
"Huh?" the girl said in confusion. "No, not at all."
"Oh," Omber sighed, feeling rather embarrassed for presenting the pasta box with such vigor now.
"I'm actually hoping to see Rachel Maddow in person," the artist explained. "It's part of this conceptual art piece, you probably wouldn't get it."
"I probably wouldn't," Omber agreed.
Ander was now making sure to only address children that were with their parents. He spotted a mother carrying a toddler and waved them down.
"Excuse me, but I have this gift to give away," Omber said as he displayed the doll. "Perhaps it was meant for your son?"
"Oh, that's very kind of you," the mother said, "but-"
"Roni!" chirped the infant in her arms.
"I'm afraid this little fellow has decided that all he wants for Christmas is macaroni," the woman sighed. "Who's to say what goes on in his little head, but he's quite sure of his wish."
"Roni!" repeated the child.
"I know, my love," cooed the mother gently.
"Hm…I think they may be selling some down at the bistro," Ander said. "It's down that way."
"Oh bless you, sir!" said the mother as Ander directed her away from Omber.
The other boy arrived, after the pair had departed.
"Any luck?" Omber asked,
"Nothing of interest so far," Ander lied.
Below, Lex had managed to leap to the first candy cane now. Though they just hung their limply, unable to get themselves any further.
"Um…?" they sighed.
"Great form dear," Misty cheered. "Except you know…not really."
Lex's grip slipped and they dropped. Corny pulled himself back up and shook his body out.
"Okay…okay…let's get back to this thing!" he exclaimed.
"Wonderful!" Misty cheered. "And do you think it would be too much trouble to ask that you carry me while you 'do this thing?' I just don't think I have the strength left in my arms. It's too much for me!"
"Uuuuuh…uuuuuuh…..uuuuuuh…I guess I could try that!" Corny sighed. "I mean…of course I can do that! If your arms are ready to drop then ain't no reason for you to be usin' them!"
"My thoughts exactly!" Misty exclaimed.
Confessional:
Ander-Perhaps I may be sabotaging the Christmas dreams of a small child to get ahead in this challenge…but you're never too young to learn that you can't always get what you want. And it's not even a real holiday!
Corny-I'm getting pretty drained out here but that's no excuse for throwin' out my principles. A lady in need ought to be treated with a smile, and I ain't bout to let myself turn selfish now!
Omber's new strategy was to simply place the box of macaroni in a visible location and watch. Nora swerved over him to also observe.
"So you just plain givin' up now?" Nora asked.
"Just changing my approach," Omber said. "The way I see it, someone will eventually lay eyes on this and if that's what they want so badly, surely they'll come on over."
"Maybe, Baby Blue," Nora said with a nod. "Though I've got to thinkin' now we could be goin' bout this the wrong way. No one ever said the gifts were for kids, maybe there's some nostalgic adult longin' for their childhood skates…or their childhood favorite dinner of macaroni."
"Very possible," Omber agreed.
Nora stopped a portly man walking by.
"Excuse me, sir!" Nora exclaimed. "Do you miss them childhood days, carefree in the summer, skatin' down the boardwalk?"
The man paused to think. He tapped his chin a few times. He scratched his head.
"No," he decided. "I don't think I do."
"Thank you for your time," Nora sighed.
Meanwhile, the remaining contestants in the workshop continued to struggle to get across the candy cane segment. Corny was using one hand to clutch the hanging canes and the other was tightly wrapped around Misty.
"You're sooo strong!" Misty remarked.
Corny's face was red and sweaty and he could barely grunt out an incomprehensible response.
"Hang on, I need to stretch," Misty said.
Misty readjusted, causing Corny to lose his grip and plummet. Misty was expecting this though and clung to the nearest candy cane.
"Oops, so clumsy of me!" Misty called. "You know, I think my arms are feeling better now. I should be able to make the rest of the way on my own."
Misty swung herself and landed safely on the other edge.
"Um," Lex remarked as they helped Corny back up, "I think she may be taking advantage of you."
"Nah, nah, just bein' courteous!" Corny assured.
"If you say so," :Lex replied.
Misty trotted victoriously through the wide doors and found the last present remaining. She eagerly clutched the tickets in her hand and was lifted up to the ceiling.
"It truly is a Christmas miracle…for me!" she cackled.
On the surface, Ander had yet to find any interested recipients for his chosen doll.
"Why didn't I just take the macaroni?" he sighed as he sat down on a bench.
Ander felt something tugging at his leg. He glanced down to see a small girl trying to get his attention.
"Hello," Ander greeted.
The girl mutely pointed to the doll next to Ander.
"You want this?" Ander asked.
The girl nodded shyly.
"Then it's yours," Ander said with a smile, placing the doll in her hands gently. "Merry Christmas."
The girl beamed, then ran off with excitement.
"Attention everyone!" Chris's voice boomed over a speaker. "Wawanakwa Christmas is officially over! Chefta Claus will be bringing the torch to melt the snow promptly. Congratulations to our immunity winner, Ander!"
A few guests politely clapped in confusion.
"Over already?" Misty remarked as she reached the surface. "Oh well, I tried my best."
Confessional:
Corny-I know some people in this hustle and bustle society might not fully get helpin' out a friend without expectin' anythin' in return, but I've learned that bein' there for someone in need is its own reward, and I ain't gonna regret that!
Nora-Yeah well…jokes on them, I get to keep these sweet and supreme rollerskates, so who really won Christmas huh!?
(Later)
Ander and Omber walked down the street together.
"Sorry about snatching the win from you," Ander remarked. "You know how it goes, individual challenge and every man for himself."
"Hey, it doesn't bother me none," Omber assured. "You and I both had a strong lead there, so let's just keep that up. The important thing is that we're on each other's sides with the vote."
"Mm, and how is that looking?" Ander asked.
"I think we can safely kick Fabio out of here," Omber said. "Nora and Lex might need some assurances but I'm confident once that's taken care of this will be a slam dunk."
"I shall also make sure that Misty and Corny feel the same way then," Ander declared.
"Sounds good!" Omber said as Ander departed.
Only a minute later, Nora swooped in next to Omber.
"Hey hey hey, Buddy Boy!" Nora greeted. "Was that Ander there? Shoot, I missed gettin' to say hello!"
"No need to worry," Omber said. "I filled him in, at least on everything he needs to know."
"Alright, then let's get this groove on!" Nora said.
The two found Lex and clustered up together.
"What's the final verdict?" Lex asked. "Corny?"
"We could," Omber said thoughtfully. "But honestly, I don't think we need to this round. Fabio is the one I'm really worried about. I haven't seen him all day actually, he's probably already trying to schmooze up to the others."
Lex and Nora glanced at each other.
"Okay, if that's what you feel is safest," Lex remarked.
"Let's just jive on out and keep an ear open for some sweet sounds," Nora suggested. "We're groovin' on thin ice now, so let's make sure we get this right."
Confessional:
Ander-When I hear Omber say that Nora and Lex still may need to be assured, well…it makes me wonder if maybe Corny and Misty aren't so crazy for being worried about them after all. Of course I'm not going to tell Omber that. That would be moronic.
Omber-I understand why Nora and Lex might be worried about the Grotto Guardians, but I have a far better grasp on them than I do with Fabio. If we take out Corny now then it's the same result, they'll just work with Fabio to try to break us up next round, and I have no safety net left. I'd much rather leave them intact and tip Misty and Ander into cutting each other off.
Ander, Misty, and Corny gathered together.
"Well my delicious men?" Misty remarked. "Have we come to an agreement? And is that agreement removing that dancing tramp, Nora?"
"I still think we ought to exercise a bit of consideration before-" Ander tried to say.
"Oh I've exercised plenty of consideration. I've considered all the way this could go, and I've come to the conclusion that Nora is a sleek little predator who will eat us all alive if we let her," Misty exclaimed before her voice started to shake. "And I just…I just don't want that to happen! I'm scared…"
"There, there," Corny comforted as he patted her hand.
"As I was saying," Ander grunted. "While I think we should remain aware of everything going on, I do think there could be some logic in removing Nora from the game. I do not think she will do us any favors."
"If that's what y'all wanna do then I'll put in the word with Fabio," Corny remarked. "He's worried bout coverin' his own behind, so I think he'll go for it too."
"Ooh let me handle fabulous Fabio," Misty offered. "I'm sure someone with that face doesn't even dare dream of a lady like me giving him the time of day. He will positively melt in my hands!"
"Actually," Corny said, "him and I have been chattin' it up, I think-"
"I saaaaaid, I'll handle him," Misty said while she cupped Corny's face in her hands.
Misty found Fabio sitting at the counter of a cafe. The boy was tasting some display pastries that had been behind a glass dome.
"Sir, are you sure you want to be eating those?" asked the young man behind the counter. "They've been up there for months, I'm pretty sure they're quite stale."
Fabio held up a finger and chewed for three more minutes.
"I'm a man with a refined palette and I know what I like," he declared.
The worker just shrugged and went back to sweeping the floor. Misty slinked in and took the seat next to Fabio.
"Um…hi?" Misty greeted with a childish tone.
"Yo yo yo!" Fabio greeted.
"Fabio, right?" Misty remarked. "I'll admit, I've been a little bit shy to approach you sooner. There's just something…larger than life about you.":
"Yep, not surprised!" Fabio replied casually. "I have a pretty intimidating aura about me, an air of power and importance if you will. You're hardly the first to be daunted into silence."
"Is that so?" Misty asked.
"Oh for sure!" Fabio said. "I can't count the girls back home who haven't spoken to me. I imagine it's like looking into the sun."
"Uh…huh," Misty said while biting her lip. "Well look, Fabio, I think now is the perfect time for the two of us to get a little…closer."
Misty scooched her seat in closer to Fabio.
"Lay it on me, baby," Fabio said nonchalantly.
"Well, I've heard that you and Corny may have been gossiping a little bit," Misty whispered in Fabio's ear. "And I want to get in on that. I think there's a way for all of us to get what we want out of this round, and send Nora out the door."
"Nora? Not Omber?" Fabio asked.
"I know, I know, Nora's probably already got her claws into you," Misty remarked.
"Far from it!" Fabio laughed. "I just thought that Omber was the brains of the two."
"And that's exactly what makes Nora so dangerous," Misty said. "She'll slip right by and if we don't take action now, she'll be dancing on all of our graves."
"Hmm…." Fabio said while chewing on his rock hard pastry some more. "You know what…count me in!"
Misty squealed and squeezed Fabio's fingers with excitement.
Confessional:
Misty-I don't want Omber gone at all, just Nora. With her gone Omber will have nowhere to run but right into my arms, and I intend to welcome him warmly. If tonight goes well then I will have this entire game right where I want them.
Fabio-All part of the plan, baby! Misty can't know that Lex and I are working together. She thinks that she worked that little tidbit out of Lex that Omber is crushing on Nora, and of course she comes running to me ready to make a move, and after some ho hum thinking, I let her believe she's the one to push me over the fence. Acting, baby, hand me the Oscar and let it rain dollars!
Lex and Fabio met up at the Seaside Suckers shack. They glanced around before entering one after another.
"Is everything in place?" Lex asked.
"They didn't just take the bait, they gobbled it right up!" Fabio announced. "Misty thinks that she's taking your info and firing a bombshell back."
"Perfect," Lex said.
Outside, Nora approached the beach, gazing across the surroundings.
"Lexie, where you at!?" Nora called.
Nor approached the shack.
"I wanted to ask-" Nora began, before overhearing the conversation and going silent.
Nora pressed her ear to the wall curiously.
"There is one thing though," Fabio said. "They don't want to do Omber, they're set on Nora leaving."
"Hm," Lex murmured as they processed this information. "Well, I don't think we're in a position to be choosers here. We need something to happen this round, and Nora going will still tip the scales."
"Consider it done!" Fabio exclaimed.
As the two prepared to exit, Nora quickly scurried away and dived into the bushes.
Confessional:
Lex-Personally, I'd rather just take Omber out once and for all. He's the one who's holding a grip on the game. But taking Nora out will at least lessen some of his power.
Nora-Ooooh this is not good, not good at all! But I can only blame myself…well actually that's not true, I blame Omber! He's left me and Lex out to dry, so of course they'd be shaken enough to boogie on over to the other side. Ain't gonna lie I'm shaken to my core, but I ain't gonna show it! I'm gonna survive this by bein' calm cool collected…and goin' guns blazin'!
Nora followed after Lex and tiptoed up to them. She tapped Lex on the shoulder. Lex turned around with curious eyes.
"Lexie, my Shuffle Scuffler, we gotta talk!" Nora exclaimed.
"Oh? What is it?" Lex asked.
"Look look look, I ain't gonna dance 'round the bush here," Nora said. "I know you're fixin' to vote me out this night."
"What!? No that's not…I don't know how you…if you think that…" Lex stammered.
"Shhhh shhh, save your words, Baby Ballerina!" Nora hushed. "I know why you're doin' what you gotta do! Omber has done us both dirty, cuttin' out our friends and leavin' us hangin'. I knew that gunnin' for Nat was rash, but he was set in his ways, and looks at us now!"
"Oh…well look," Lex tried to explain.
"Here's the dealio, Coolio," Nora said, "rather than votin' me out, I propose you use my vote to go for the bigger fish. Let's get rid of Omber right for now. Let's not let him pit us against each other any longer."
"I…well I'd be up for that," Lex said. "But we'd need the votes."
"You think we can get them?" Nora asked.
"I can definitely check," Lex promised.
Confessional:
Nora-It's do or die now, Thunder Thumblers, and I ain't gonna hold back no longer. I won't just throw ya under the bus, I will crash the bus! I will set the whole damn bus on fire, ya hear!? Omber is my friend, but he hasn't acted like that lately, and I am NOT takin' the fall for him if I can help it!
Lex-Ugh this is making my head and heart hurt! Who knew this would get so twisted so fast? Nora really hasn't done anything wrong, and she's coming to me when she could be selling me out. I want to respect that. But if this move falls through…I don't think there will be another chance to change things.
"Fabio!" Lex called as they chased after the boy.
"Not so loud!" Fabio exclaimed as he covered their mouth. "You want the whole world to know that we're secret chums now? Nothing to see here folks! Just a couple of casual aquaintances passing in the street!"
"I think we need to change the plan," Lex whispered.
"What happened?" Fabio asked.
"Nora somehow figured out the vote was on her," Lex said. "But she's proposing that we vote out Omber instead."
"Hm…" Fabio mused, taping fingers on either side of his head. "I do love a good gamble if it lands me a golden payout. But you're the one who said that we had to play this just right. If we do what you're saying, we are basically lying to multiple sides all to save Nora. Is she worth it?"
"Maybe?" Lex said weakly.
"You don't sound convinced," Fabio remarked.
"Look, you said that Misty won't do Omber, right?" Lex said. "So there's a connection there. If we take out Nora then how do we know Omber doesn't just side with them?"
"We don't," Fabio sighed. "But if we miscalculate and this falls through, then we have zero leverage to work with."
"Uggh!" Lex sighed.
"No pressure, but we're gonna need to figure this out fast," Fabio said. "Sunset is nigh!"
Confessional:
Lex-(biting nail) I feel like I am on a tightrope here. I know I need to take a step forward, but I feel like doing that could send me crashing down.
Fabio-Go for the big risk, or play it safe? There's a time and a place for both, and a good gambler knows when and where that is. And I'm not a good gambler…I'm a great gambler!
(Dock of Shame)
The final seven sat before Chris and Chef. The latter still in his red coat.
"Chris, come on, you said that Christmas was over," Chef pointed out. "Let me take this off!"
"Come on, Chef, this day only comes once-or I guess twice-a year, let's make the most of it!" Chris said.
"Alright, ho ho ho, you sad sacks of coal!" Chef greeted the final seven.
"Ander is the nicest of the nice and safe tonight," Chris said. "But one of you is going to be on the naughty list and getting nothing but a ticket off this island."
"Fabio, boy, you sweating bullets now that you're the last of your original crew left?" Chef asked.
"No chance!" Fabio scoffed. "Fear never solved anything. I'm gonna rise to the occasion and soar to the top like I was always meant to do."
"Words to live by!" Chris agreed. "But the rest of you…are you just going to let him get away with that!?"
"I mean…I don't see why not," Corny remarked.
"Other than only one of you can win the game?" Chris pointed out.
"Well…maybe I won't let him soar to the very top," Corny suggested.
"So who are you gonna cut?" Chef asked.
"Hey you can't just ask me that!" Corny pointed out. "We gotta keep up the suspense."
"He's right you know, Chef," Chris pointed out.
"I know, I know, I was just gettin' real fed up with that goody two shoes act," Chef remarked.
"How about the rest of you? Did you get into the Christmas spirit this challenge?" Chris asked.
"Meh," Omber remarked as he ate the dry macaroni from the box.
"What a bunch of Grinches you all are," Chris sighed. "Very well, let's get to the vote!"
"First vote," Chef announced, "is for…Nora!"
"Second vote….Fabio!"
"Third vote….Nora!"
"Fourth vote…Omber!"
"Fifth vote…Nora!'
"Sixth vote…..is the same as the seventh…"
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"Omber!"
"Which means," Chris exclaimed eagerly, "we have a tie on our hands!"
"Well, this is…very confusing, I must say," Omber stammered.
"What is happening?" Misty asked.
"Beats me!" Corny said.
"Omber, Nora, you each received three votes," Chris said. "So you will now be dueling to stay in this game. Please step forward."
The two approached.
"Chef, if you will," Chris said.
Chef pulled back a curtain to reveal two large sets of green blocks. The blocks were placed around a pair of identical molds in the shape of fir trees.
"For your tiebreaker we'll be doing one more festive festivity," Chris said. "The dressing of the Christmas tree! There is only one way that all these blocks will fit into this puzzle. You'll need to deduce this and put them in place. The first two do so gets to stay here at Wawankwa Resort. Ready?'
"Let's move and groove!" Nora exclaimed.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Omber said.
"On your marks….begin!" Chris announced.
The two rushed to their respective puzzles. Nora wasted no time grabbing various blocks and began experimenting with possible positions. Omber instead seemed to be just pacing around his puzzle, examining the size and shape. Nora repeatedly jammed blocks into the mold with abandon, frequently having to take them back out when she realized they would not fit.
"Hmm…hmm, no that's not it," she mused to herself.
Omber still took his time, not yet touching any of his blocks.
"Aha! Oh wait…nope, no that won't do it!" Nora said.
Omber scratched his chin, then nodded his head. He grabbed his first block and slid it into place.
"It looks like Omber has an idea," Chris exclaimed.
Nora's eyes glanced over to her opponent, then back to her own puzzle. She grabbed two more blocks and forced them into place. Omber grabbed several more blocks and slid them in neatly. He was working his way up, gradually filling the puzzles. Nora's was still haphazardly assembled all over the place.
"Omber is closing in on the finish!" Chris exclaimed.
Omber triumphantly grabbed his final piece and pressed it down. Only to find that it would not fit.
"Huh!?" the boy gasped.
He tried twisting the block around and entering it in different angles to no avail.
"Omber may have made a mistake!" Chris exclaimed. "This could open the door."
"Come on, Honey Toes, don't fail me now!" Nora exclaimed as she slid her pieces together and began closing the gap.
"No!" Omber exclaimed as he started to take his puzzle apart again. "No no no no!"
Omber desperately searched for where he had gone wrong. Nora only had two more pieces missing in the middle. She slammed one right into place.
"Oh yes yes yes!" she countered as she brought down her final piece.
It fit perfectly in place, leaving a seamless green tree.
"The winner of this tiebreaker is Nora!" Chef announced.
"And that means Omber…you are leaving us in seventh place," Chris said.
Omber just shook his head.
As the boy passed Nora he remarked, "You know, you're going to regret this choice."
"Thanks for the input, Merry Marionette, now you can boogie on bye bye bye out of my sight!" Nora retorted.
Omber sulked in defeat as he walked down the Dock of Shame and stepped aboard the Boat of Losers.
"Now that's what I call a showdown!" Chris exclaimed. "Nora, you have survived by the hair of your afro. Congratulations, all six of you will be here to compete for another day."
Votes:
Omber-I will be casting a vote for Fabio. Nothing personal, but you don't bring anything good for me, so I think it's time for you to leave.
Nora-Omber, Bungalow Brother, we've had some ups and downs but you've let me down and I gotta break on free and do my thing, so it's time for you to shimmy away!
Lex-Omber…you're playing hard, and I have to do the same now.
Ander-I will be casting a vote for Nora. I don't think this tentative truce is going to last for both of us much longer, might as well call it now.
Corny-My vote is headed straight for Nora! You got a great beat to your step, but I'm gonna have to ask you to step on out now!
Misty-Mmm, Nora you've got a pretty face, but an ugly soul, and I don't want you around any longer.
Fabio-Let's go for the gold, the jackpot baby! Omber, I'm betting it all on you!
(Later)
"What the hell just happened!? What was that!?" Misty shrieked as the six returned to town. "So you all just want to play me for a chump, is that it!? Make a fool out of me!? Is that what this was all about!?"
"Miss Misty, I'm just as lost as you are," Corny exclaimed.
"Silence! I can't trust any of you!" Misty exclaimed, tugging at her hair frantically.
"I think some sleep would do you well," Ander said, "Let's come back at this in the morning-"
"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you!?" Misty hissed. "Just forget all about it, so you can scheme behind my back again! Forget it!"
Lex and Fabio held back and watched from afar.
"Well, I'm glad we pulled that off," Fabio remarked. "Seeing this show is definitely worth it."
"You think she's going to be okay?" Lex asked.
"I'd say 50-50 chance she either wakes up totally fine, or has a total breakdown," Fabio remarked.
"Hey hey hey, Jelly Jesters!" Nora exclaimed as she threw her arms around Lex and Fabio. "We did THAT! Hooo baby my heart is poundin' like a rabbit with a jump-rope! I am high on adrenaline tonight!"
"That's the feeling of success!" Fabio cheered.
Confessional:
Misty-(holding head in her hands) I'm just…so embarrassed right now. I got played. Played like a FOOL! Omber is gone because of me and I can't even claim credit for it because it wasn't my idea, I hate this! My game is ruined and everyone is probably laughing at me like the bunch of bullies they are!
(Conclusion)
"In the closest match yet, Omber departs the resort," Chris exclaimed. "Six remain? Can you feel the heat? I sure can! Chef, can you turn that down!"
Chef was wearing a welder's mask and using a torch to burn away the remaining snow.
"No can do, Chrissy!" Chef called back.
"Fine, fine, let's just wrap this up," Chris said, "What lies in store next? Will Misty take her revenge, or completely fall apart? Will Fabio and Nora's truce last, or will their old wounds reopen? If you want the answers to these questions you'll have to join us next time on Total Drama Resort!"