Day 28/30

With the lack of running water in the house, there was only one alternative left for the participants to use as a way of bathing: the pool. Due to its openness to the cameras, Emerald had volunteered to destroy the one that filmed it. Sorry, but the viewers wouldn't be getting another dose of fanservice before the end.

As 1:00 approached, it was that time of day when Emerald came to clean the pool. How she ended up the pool maid she did not know, but someone had to do it. Her job was just getting nastier with people using it as a giant bathtub, and the last thing she wanted it to be used as next was a sink.

So of course that was what happened next.

"Oh, come on!" Emerald snarled as she walked up on Adam spitting into the pool. He turned around, his mouth foaming from toothpaste.

"Is something the matter?"

"Don't spit in the pool, you idiot! People take baths in that now!"

"Ah, I see," Adam nodded, deciding he should just spit on the pavement instead, "Better?"

"No! Stop spitting!"

Suddenly, the Lieutenant's head popped up from under the water. "Hey! Adam can spit if he wants too!"

"How long were you down there?" Adam asked his subordinate.

"…How long have you been brushing your teeth?"

Emerald was not in the mood for this. "Both of you! Outta the pool!"

"I'm going to decline that demand," Adam said, spitting once more into the water.

"Yeah! We're not finished yet!" the big guy said, also spitting. Both Adam and Emerald stared at him, not sure if that had just happened.

"Did you… Did you just spit into your mask?"

"…I will neither confirm nor deny that."

A few weeks ago, Cinder wouldn't have cared if Weiss Schnee was even alive. The two had started off on the wrong foot from the start, and nobody would have ever expected them to share a friendly conversation, let alone a bond of any sort. Now Fall was worried sick about the heiress's current state of health.

She sat at Weiss's bedside with Ruby, Blake and Yang, the former holding a nearly empty box of extra soft tissues in her lap. Schnee reached out and brought another one to her nose, blowing it loudly and dropping it on the floor. Just the slightest ingestion of the toilet water had made her incredibly ill, having woke up this morning with a stuffy nose and a sore throat. It was the latter condition that made Cinder anxious.

"Are you sure you don't want a warm glass of milk?" Ruby asked.

"No - cough! - thank you, Ruby," Weiss wheezed, "But a bowl of soup sounds quite good right now – cough!"

"We'll get Ren to make one right away," Yang assured, patting Weiss on the shoulder, "Chicken noodle or tomato?"

Blake gave Yang an odd look. "Why didn't you offer her tilapia soup?"

"You mean the fish? I don't think they put that in a can, Blake."

"It's what I always have when I'm not feeling well."

"Of course it is, kitty cat."

"Yang, we talked about this. Enough with the cat jokes."

"Stop making it easy for me then."

"Excuse me," Weiss interjected quietly, getting the girls' attention, "I actually – cough! - like clam chowder soup."

"Eew!" Ruby stuck her tongue out, "Clams are gross, Weiss! How can you even chew those hard shells they have?"

Rather not wanting to correct Ruby, Weiss just sighed and laid her head back into the pillow. She noticed Cinder hadn't spoken much at all, and figured it had something to do with the future of their duet at Ruby's party. "…Could you three go grab that soup? I - cough! - can feel my stomach growling."

"All of us?" Blake asked curiously, "Does it really take three of us to carry a bowl up the stairs?"

"I'd like an extra-large bowl, actually."

Ruby gave Weiss a thumbs up. "Then we'll make it super-extra-awesome large! Come on, let's go make Ren make food!"

Once the rest of her team was well out of range, Cinder went and closed the door. She let out a small laugh when she sat back down by Schnee. "Ruby's eccentricity never ceases to amaze me."

"She'd be much calmer if her sister wasn't just like her," Weiss said softly, "But I don't mind - cough! - it anymore. It's what makes her who she is."

"…Your voice sounds like it is getting better."

Weiss looked away from Cinder. "I'd thank you if that was the truth."

"What are we going to do then? We were going to sing together. That's how we rehearsed it. I learned my lyrics and you learned yours."

"…You'll have to learn a few more then."

Cinder felt an uneasiness in her gut. "Weiss, no. I can't do it by myself. I need a partner."

"Who then? Adam? I've – cough! – heard him sing, but it's not good in the slightest."

"Don't joke about this!" Cinder hugged her shoulders, turning her back to Weiss, "You remember how I feel about singing in front of others. I only agreed to do it in front of the entire house because I had you as a partner!"

"So are you – cough! – just going to walk away from it?"

She considered it for a brief moment, but Cinder knew she couldn't say yes to that. "…What if I make a mistake? If I screw up everyone will notice. Some might even laugh."

"Nobody will laugh at you… Except – cough! – maybe Mercury. But don't think about him. Think about Ruby. Think about Emerald. If you – cough! – focus on those who you know believe in you, you'll do wonderful on that stage."

Feeling a surge of confidence rush through her veins, Cinder smiled over her shoulder at Weiss. "I want you in the front row, so you better be well by Friday."

"I wouldn't – cough! – miss it for anything."

"Alright now, you minuscule hellspawn," Virulet announced, pacing back and forth in the upper basement before his new forced recruit in his master plan of vileness. Mr. Tibbs was lying on his back, trying his best to touch his trunk to his tail. "I am here to instruct you on how to be – wait for it - evil! Mwah-ha-ha! Yes, you shall grow hundreds your current size and crush my enemies! Doesn't that sound like such a scintillating plan?"

Mr. Tibbs plopped onto his side, giving up on his calisthenics routine.

"Listen to me, or I shall tie your trunk in a knot and use you as a sponge!" Virulet ignored how little sense his threat made and picked up the tiny pachyderm, "You are a Grimm! You must adopt your primal urges to destroy! Otherwise, you shall die! Do you not understand my words?!"

A bonk to the forehead with his trunk was Mr. Tibb's way of saying he didn't really care that much about Virulet's mission. He had already absorbed enough of the A.I's constant rage and violent thoughts to survive for a whole year. All the elephant wanted to do now was have fun with his new fluffy friend Zwei.

"Fine! Be gone with you then, insipid beast!" Virulet tossed Mr. Tibbs into the air in anger. Thankfully the little guy landed safely on his feet with a squeak, completely unharmed. "I need nothing of your incompetency! I can call upon a beast with tenfold the lack of ferocity you have! Such a useless peon you turned out to be!"

With a trumpet of apathy, Mr. Tibbs trotted out of Virulet's domain in search of his Corgi companion. Virulet stomped his feet furiously at a huge aspect of his master plan literally walking out on him. He noticed in his harsh movement that Penny's joints were becoming tight. It seemed being splashed by the burst of water yesterday had done more damage to her body than he had initially diagnosed.

"Ah, poor Miss Polendina," Virulet chuckled, clenching his host body's fists, "It seems you're running out of juice. But don't worry. You're usefulness is nearing its end. You can join your comrades in death soon enough… MWAH-HA-HA! Ah yes, I am so diabolical, it makes my body tingle with joy! Or perhaps its the toilet water doing that..."