Chris, Topher, and Lindsay stood at the city limits of Drama City.
"Last time, on Total Drama Party with the Stars!" the three began in unison.
"We ushered in the merge!" Chris announced. "And everyone was in a rush to figure out who they could trust going into the endless ocean of a free-for-all that the game has become!"
"Some old groups of allies got to reunite," Topher mentioned. "Bailey joined back up with Brittany and Hugh, Cyan and Louise are a duo again, and Quentin worked to reintegrate Frita into his gang."
"It's nice to see people getting along," Lindsay smiled.
"For the couple of seconds that lasted," Topher chuckled.
"Cyan filled Bailey and Kiki in on the new Frita/Vladimir development, and Kiki wasn't happy to hear about it," Chris recapped. "Meanwhile, Brittany, worried about her position in the game, formed an alliance with all the original Gryphons still left in the game. Understandably, this left Bailey in an awkward position."
"It's not nice to see two of your friends going against each other," Lindsay frowned.
"The challenge involved escaping from an underground basement," Chris mentioned. "Some paths were easier than others, but in the end, only two, yes two, people could win Invincibility! Those two people were Shadya and Cyan."
"The elimination started off pretty hot when Kiki called Vladimir out in front of everyone," Topher mentioned. "Arguments broke out, accusations were flung, feelings were hurt! All the things you come here for!"
"I don't even know whose side I'm on in that whole thing!" Lindsay groaned as she held her head.
"Neither did a lot of the players. Hehaha," Chris chuckled. "It was a super close vote between Kiki and Vladimir, but in the end, Bailey decided to stick with her allies from the original Gryphons, and Kiki became the first member of our jury!"
"Having people vote for who they want to win is fun," Lindsay said. "I liked getting to support Beth back in TDA, even if she didn't win."
"Of course, we'll have to get to the end first, and there's still a lot of game left to be played!" Chris beamed. "Who will be safe tonight, and who will be the next to take the fall? It's all happening right now, on Total!" he began.
"Drama!" Topher and Lindsay continued.
"Party with the Stars!" the three concluded in unison.
Cyan and Louise sat at the O'Neal Barcade bar with a Blue Hawaii and a beer in front of them.
"There has to be something we can do," Louise encouraged. "You can't give up until you're in the Shackle of Shame. Any time before then, you're still in the game, and you can still steer things in your favor!"
"I don't want platitudes, Louise, I want ideas," Cyan sighed. She sipped her drink.
"I was hoping you'd say something like 'It's not like we can just figure out who we can flip onto our side' and then realize that you knew exactly who you could flip onto your side," Louise admitted.
"It was a close vote," Cyan recalled. "I'm not even entirely sure who else voted for Vladimir besides us and Kiki."
"I think Kun said he did," Louise mentioned. "We were always cool with him. He's probably a good place to start."
"Maybe," Cyan accepted. "I guess we don't have much else to lose."
"I'd rather see it as 'we have a lot to gain'," Louise said. "Sounds more hopeful."
Cyan chuckled. "Maybe you're right. Attitude counts for a lot."
"You make a pretty good leader yourself, Louise," came a voice from behind the two.
They turned around to see Kun approach them.
"Oh, Kun, we were just talking about you!" Louise greeted.
"Nothing bad, um, I hope," Kun chuckled awkwardly.
"You voted for Vladimir, right?" Cyan asked.
"I did," Kun confirmed. "His presence alone seems to be sowing more discord than I think anyone is really, um, comfortable with."
"Do you know who the fifth Vladimir vote was?" Cyan asked.
"See, that's the tricky thing," Kun hummed. "Quentin and Shadya were both people I thought I could trust with my life in the game, but only one of them could have voted for Vladimir. Assuming, um, it wasn't someone else altogether."
"I doubt Shadya did," Cyan deduced. "But Quentin's close with Frita, so I don't think he'd want to make her mad, either. Especially with how indecisive he was when he was casting his vote."
"I'll talk to both of them," Kun assured. "Information is everything. Making any kind of misjudgment could be, um, disastrous."
"I'll say," Cyan sighed. She sipped her drink.
Confessional:
Cyan: I really thought Bailey was good to work with Kiki. I just don't understand why she wouldn't take the chance to get rid of Vladimir. It was right there, we could have taken out such a big threat! The only thing I can think of is she's working with him, and that just doesn't sound likely. But then, what could it be...?
Louise: As a coach of sorts, it's my job to keep the kids motivated. There's always a few who don't like sports, or being active in general, and it's tough to get people doing something they don't want to. But I do what I can, because I like helping people believe there's no such thing as "I can't."
Kun: It terrifies me to think that one of my allies was privy to some sort of, um, deal that I wasn't. Then again, that's what caused the rift between Kiki and me in the first place, isn't it? I can't just stand by and keep letting people step over me, though! Others are free to play the game as they want, but I'm here to win, t-too! (He clears his throat.)
The marquee outside of Hatchet's Diner read "The jukebox has more songs than Uptown Girl, you know!" Inside the diner, Hugh inspected the jukebox.
"I mean... What the hell are any of these other songs?" he mentioned. "Chef, how old is this jukebox?!"
"It's been to more diners over the decades than you clearly ever have, boy!" Chef shouted from the counter.
Hugh queued Uptown Girl up on the jukebox and sat down at the same booth as Bailey and Brittany.
"I'm admittedly getting weary of this song as well," Bailey mentioned.
"Then feel free to pick something else!" Hugh grunted.
She threw her hands up, walked over to the jukebox, and changed songs without looking. Axel F started playing.
"I did not realize this song was that old," Bailey winced.
"I had to change some songs out to get with the times!" Chef called.
"This song was never 'the times'!" Hugh called back.
Regardless, Bailey sat back down with Brittany and Hugh.
"Well hey, cheers to a vote well executed," Brittany smiled as she held up her cup of water. "If this keeps going, we'll be guaranteed endgame in no time."
"As much as I'd like to stay optimistic, I don't imagine it will be so easy," Bailey responded. "If we assume two people are winning Invincibility each round, then that opens up more chances for those outside of the group to make themselves safe."
"That's why we just have to kick everyone else's asses!" Hugh declared.
"Easier said than done, but still doable," Brittany surmised. "Cyan and Louise do worry me a little, though."
"Yeah, as good as Shadya is, she can only take up one Invincibility slot," Hugh admitted. "But that's why we have to step up, is what I'm saying!"
"If only one of the two has Invincibility, we could easily vote for the other one," Bailey pitched. "Though I do worry that Frita, Kun, and Quentin having connections to Vladimir or Shadya could give others more power over the game than we have, if left unchecked."
"Hmm, that's a good point," Brittany agreed. "Could we feasibly get votes against one of those three, though?"
"That's a good counter point," Bailey allowed. "Maybe once we can get to Vladimir, we can convince him that Quentin is the one thing keeping Frita from absolute loyalty to him."
"Eh, I don't really want to stoke those flames any more than necessary," Brittany winced.
"Do you have an alternative idea?" Bailey challenged.
"Let's just stick with the Cyan and Louise angles for now," Brittany suggested. "Those two are issues in their own right."
Just then, the music changed again. Hugh returned to his spot at the booth.
"This song is called 'Zungguzungguguzungguzeng', so I can't imagine it's going to be boring," he explained.
Confessional:
Brittany: Look, I want to win again, but I want to do it in a way I can be proud of. I don't know a lot about the Frita/Vladimir thing, but I know it's affecting her a lot. It doesn't involve me, and I sure as hell won't be taking advantage of it for my own gain. If anything, I think voting her out might be the better move than using her to get rid of Quentin.
Bailey: I took a hard stance last night when I voted Kiki out of the game. I liked Kiki, and I would have been willing to keep working with her if I could. Unfortunately, she was prone to following her own emotional whims, and I can't rely on someone who does that. Especially when I have other friends promising me a much stronger alliance than Kiki could. So I intend to see this alliance to the end.
Hugh: It wasn't a boring song, but it was a lot more laid-back than I was expecting it to be. As far as who to target next, obviously I don't trust Louise or Cyan for shit. If we can't do that, I wouldn't exactly cry if Frita got out of here. Her melodrama's already getting old, and I just met her!
Shadya found Quentin playing video games in the nice garage hangout.
"Quentin. A minute," Shadya prompted.
"Huh? Yeah, what's up?" Quentin acquiesced as he paused his game.
"I wish to clear the air regarding last night's vote," Shadya explained. "You voted for Vladimir last night, correct?"
"...Y-Yeah, that's right," Quentin admitted. "I just didn't want to see Frita stressed out."
"And you thought separating her from that which makes her happy would alleviate that?" Shadya challenged.
"Well, I mean, it's... it's a lot more..." Quentin stammered.
"Relax. I see the logic," Shadya quelled. "I won't pretend like Frita's attachment to him is healthy. But it's a connection that can and will help us."
"That's the big dilemma, isn't it? Especially because I don't want to make her even more upset," Quentin agreed. "I thought of something the other day."
"And what's that?" Shadya asked.
"Your River Statue lets you force people to vote for either you or someone you choose," Quentin began. "If I play my Genesis Statue to make you invincible, or if you won the challenge already, that'd force the other person to go home. Easy takeout!"
"The possibility occurred to me as well," Shadya admitted. "If I am to win, however, I will not be doing so through such cowardly means. I am human perfection, not someone who needs cheap tricks to achieve her goals."
"Fair enough. It's your statue, so it's up to you," Quentin nodded.
"Um, hello," a timid voice greeted. The two turned to see Frita standing there.
"Ah, hello. I was hoping to speak with you one-on-one," Shadya stated.
"Me?" Frita blinked. "Okay?"
"Oh, should I step out?" Quentin asked. "Don't touch the controller, I'm on a good run."
He left the garage.
"Frita, what is your goal with this game?" Shadya asked.
"My goal?" Frita repeated. "What does that mean?"
"When you returned to this show, what were you hoping to accomplish?" Shadya clarified.
"I don't like where this is going," Frita winced.
"Why?" Shadya challenged.
"Because it sounds like you're trying to understand me," Frita grimaced. "Nobody will ever understand me. Except Vladimir, and even then I don't know if he's there yet."
"You don't want to be understood?" Shadya pressed.
"Everyone wants to be understood. I just won't be," Frita explained.
"Does Quentin understand you any less than Vladimir?" Shadya asked. "From what I've heard and seen, you two seem like good friends."
"He's just nice. That doesn't mean anything," Frita dismissed.
"Because he isn't from your past like Vladimir apparently is," Shadya surmised.
"Ugh, you tricked me for a little bit, but I'm onto you!" Frita retreated. "I don't know what your angle is, but I'm not falling for it!"
She stormed out of the garage. Quentin came back in.
"Is she going to be okay?" he asked, concerned.
"Not if she won't let herself be," Shadya tsked.
Confessional:
Shadya: Quentin is someone I trust, and Frita is someone he trusts. Though Brittany has promised me security, I will not leave my fate out of my own hands, and I will do whatever it takes to keep power for myself. Unfortunately, Frita is quite possibly the most unstable person I've ever had to work with - and after Hildegard, I don't make that claim lightly. I'm going to need her to cease her obsession with Vladimir immediately if I'm to keep her in check. The hard part is getting her to actually do that. Not that difficulty has ever bothered me.
Frita: I like thinking about people dying gruesome deaths! I literally don't function properly! Whatever psychology Shadya or Quentin or Kiki or whoever think they know, it's not going to apply to me! Why is everyone so obsessed with this?!
Quentin: It sucks seeing my friend in such a bad place. Especially when she won't listen to anyone except the one person she can't talk to right now. Shadya's right, though, there isn't much we can do if she keeps pushing us away. (He sighs and runs a hand down his face.) I feel like I'm failing her by not doing more. But what can I do?
After not much longer, Kun entered the garage.
"Oh, good, you're, um, both here," Kun smiled.
"Kun. Has something happened?" Shadya inquired.
"I, um, wish to discuss last night's vote," Kun explained.
"Haha. We were just talking about that," Quentin chuckled. "I voted Vladimir, she voted Kiki."
"You voted Vladimir as well, I recall," Shadya mentioned.
"That's correct," Kun confirmed. "I'm, um, concerned that his prolonged presence in the game will, um, not bode well for Frita, or her friends and allies by extension."
"And that's us. I'm with you there," Quentin agreed.
"May I ask why you voted for Kiki?" Kun asked Shadya.
"Because she had made it unquestionably clear that she had no genuine intent to work with me, or indeed anyone outside of those whom she'd already deemed acceptable to her," Shadya explained. "And I have sparse patience for anyone who does not consider me acceptable."
"Well, Cyan and Louise are, um, continuing the push against Vladimir," Kun relayed.
"That doesn't change anything. They will be the next two to go regardless of whom they target," Shadya dismissed.
"You really won't vote for Vladimir, even if it would help Frita?" Kun asked.
"I know you and Frita aren't close, but we can trust her," Quentin added.
"Would she trust us if we voted out the figure she trusts most?" Shadya countered. "She hardly trusted me to have an honest conversation with her not five minutes ago, and that was before we made any moves against her."
"Which is why we need to separate her and Vladimir," Kun frowned. "The longer he has influence over her, the longer she'll be, um, well, you know..."
"Unreasonable?" Shadya scoffed. "From what I've seen, she's been at her least reasonable when he's been in Isolation Park. Away from her."
Neither man had a rebuttal to this.
"I agree that her obsession with Vladimir needs to end, but forcing separation between them is only going to work in the opposite direction," Shadya maintained. "Not only that, but Frita seems outright paranoid that anyone who attempts to even understand her is out to get her. Obtaining an answer will take some doing."
"Not to mention there's going to be a vote every night," Quentin fretted. "So I don't know how much time we're going to have."
"Quentin, is there anything she's told you before that might be relevant?" Shadya inquired. "You've been friends with her the longest. Anything at all could be helpful."
"...Nothing off the top of my head," Quentin struggled to recall. "I'll let you guys know if I think of something."
"Thank you," Kun smiled. "The sooner we can solve this, the sooner we can focus on other aspects of the game."
Confessional:
Quentin: As always, Shadya makes a lot of good points, and as always, there isn't much I can do to help. I'm trying my best to stay optimistic, but it's getting tougher when the facts are all laid out like that. If there's one thing this game has taught me, though, it's that life is all about outlook. I can't let myself worry to the point where I'm even more useless.
Kun: I'm glad everyone seems to at least be rightfully concerned about Frita, but, um, Shadya doesn't seem to be wrong about how she's at her worst when Vladimir is away. I don't know Vladimir at all myself, but I know that Frita's dependence on him isn't doing anyone any favors. Is keeping him around the right move after all? It's not an easy question to answer...
Shadya: I've been aware of Kun's bizarre relationship with Kiki from the start. I'm not horribly surprised that he didn't vote for her, but she left anyway, so it doesn't matter. Now he has no choice but to stick with me and the alliance I've accrued over the past few rounds. Assuring him that I have Frita's best interests at heart will only encourage him, and indeed the others, to stick with me as well.
Brittany wandered into O'Neal Barcade.
"Wow. I haven't seen anything like this since I was a kid," Brittany noted. "Where is the time going?"
A loud, repeated thumping caught her attention. She trepidatiously followed the noise until she found Cyan cutting a rug on a DDR machine.
"Oh, wow, this game," Brittany remembered. "These were huge when I was a kid."
"You want to join me for the next game?" Cyan offered, still focused on the game.
"It looks tough, but... sure!" Brittany agreed.
"Would you believe me if I said this was normal mode?" Cyan laughed desperately as she struggled to keep up with the game.
"I don't play a lot of video games. You could tell me anything and I'd believe you," Brittany chuckled.
"Me neither, and... and this is why," Cyan exhaled as the song finished. "I wanted to do something active after getting a cocktail and sulking first thing in the morning, though."
"Stressed about the game?" Brittany empathized.
Cyan's face fell. "I just don't get why you'd vote to keep Vladimir despite everything."
"I don't know anything about what's going on besides word of mouth from someone who said they hardly knew what was going on," Brittany sighed. "It made sense to stick to the devil I knew."
"Well, I don't suppose you want to get to know me?" Cyan offered. She beckoned Brittany to join her on the second dance pad.
"Which of these songs is easy?" Brittany requested as she joined Cyan.
"Hell if I know. I just started playing this," Cyan admitted.
"Well hey, if you seriously want to just chat, it'll probably be easier if we're not playing this," Brittany suggested.
"You're probably not wrong," Cyan laughed. "So hey, we've never really been able to talk before. I liked you a lot in Explore Party."
"Aw, thanks," Brittany smiled awkwardly with a hand over her heart. "I liked you, too. In your season. Virtual Party."
"Oh, that one," Cyan teased. "So, do you think you can win again?"
"With how much of a target I've been? Probably not," Brittany tsked. "Not that I'm not trying my best, but it's been a tough thing to shrug off."
"Anyone can just decide you're a threat and use that as an excuse to throw you under the bus," Cyan empathized. "It's happened to me, I've admittedly done it to others. It's an unfortunate part of the game."
"And you either have to push back, basically confirming everything people are saying about you, or you just take it, leaving you vulnerable," Brittany continued. "There's no winning."
"Well, not no winning," Cyan nudged playfully.
"I made a lot of mistakes in Explore Party, but above all, I set out to play a hardball game," Brittany reflected. "I didn't win for nothing, but there was definitely some luck involved."
"Oh, don't sell yourself short. You're a charming person, and you wouldn't have won if you weren't."
"Thanks... I think?" Brittany responded skeptically. "What about you? Do you think you can win?"
"After voting in the minority last night, things are a little dire," Cyan admitted. "But it's like you said, nobody wins for nothing. I want to prove that I'm able to play a blue ribbon game."
"Well you've made it this far. It's not over until it's over," Brittany assured her.
"Thanks. That helps," Cyan beamed.
From the entrance of the barcade, a figure saw the two, and walked away.
Confessional:
Brittany: My mission statement was to play a strong yet loyal game. That's why I really want this original Gryphon alliance to succeed. But, talking to Cyan, I can't help but wonder if that's the best thing for my game. I mean, how badly do I really need Vladimir around? Or Shadya, for that matter? Should I be branching out more? I don't want to just throw my allies away like I did in Explore Party. That'd defeat the purpose of my mission statement. (She sighs.) Total Drama, man. It's the best of times, it's the worst of times.
Cyan: If you can't beat them, join them. I don't think I made the best first impression going into merge, and that's something I'm going to have to fix if I want to stick around. It's obvious I'm not going to fix this Vladimir problem overnight, and right now it might not even be best for my game. God, I really hate having to say that. Sometimes you just need to bide your time. You can't make blueberry pie without crushing some blueberries.
Bailey found Hugh juggling outside the motel. She approached him from behind.
"What... exactly are you doing here?" Bailey asked.
"Gah!" Hugh jumped, startled. He managed to catch two of the balls but missed the third one. "Where the hell did you come from?!"
"I asked a question first," Bailey pouted.
"I didn't want anyone to see me practice, so I went out here where nobody's going to look," Hugh admitted.
"And your room doesn't work because...?"
"Because the ceiling gets in the way, obviously!" Hugh ranted. "Did you need me for something?"
"Yes, actually," Bailey confirmed. "Hugh, how much do you trust Brittany?"
"What kind of question? We were the only person the other could trust on the Pegasi," Hugh explained. "What, is there some bullshit afoot?"
"She may be," Bailey nodded. "I saw her and Cyan acting friendly towards each other at the barcade. I fear that Cyan may be swaying her emotions."
"Nah, give Brit some credit. She's smarter than that," Hugh denied.
"All it took was Trinity to convince her to betray a majority alliance on Team Weed," Bailey reminded him. "...All it took was you to convince her to betray a majority alliance on the Grand Gryphons."
"Gh!" Hugh flinched. "Shit, fuck, Cyan had better not be getting in our way! God damn it!"
"That's why I wish for us to expand our horizons, too," Bailey explained. "It's imperative that we remain the ones in control."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Hugh scoffed. "Weren't we going to cut Cyan anyway? Her or Louise, whoever's vulnerable?"
"But what if neither is vulnerable?" Bailey questioned.
Hugh grimaced. "You're not suggesting we backstab Brittany, are you?!"
"No. She's the last person I wish to vote off," Bailey denied. "But if she proves to be unreliable, we will need a different paradigm. New allies."
"Such as?" Hugh prompted impatiently. "Didn't you say you didn't trust anyone from the new Gryphons besides Kiki? Fat lot of good that's going to do us."
"Think about it, Hugh," Bailey sighed, annoyed. "Who's upset with Cyan right now?"
"Me!" Hugh answered.
Bailey raised her eyebrows.
"...Friiiiita?" Hugh guessed.
"Correct," Bailey confirmed. "Saving Vladimir ought to put us in a positive light in her eyes. We can work with that. If we intend to say Gryphons strong, it may even improve our standing with Vladimir."
"I am on decent terms with him last I checked. We could absolutely work with that," Hugh sneered proudly.
"Wonderful," Bailey smiled. "This game is ours for the taking."
Confessional:
Bailey: I don't know if Brittany genuinely intends to flip. It's more likely that she doesn't, now that I think about it. But I cannot let the risk exist. Planting seeds of paranoia in Hugh's mind should, if nothing else, make him feel more like he must rely on me. Expanding my horizons is a wise decision, but I need to make sure I'm treading stable ground. Having his vote alongside mine will be a more enticing sell than approaching a pre-established group on my own.
Hugh: Look, I'm all for a good backstabbing, but only when it doesn't harm me! Brittany and I are close, but that's what Angie thought, too. Fuck me, I don't know why I didn't see it sooner! Brittany and I need each other because we're both people who throw our allies aside once we don't need them anymore. We need stability! If she's thinking about flipping, I'd better show her why her alliance was a good idea in the first place!
Frita sat on her bed and drew in her sketchbook as Greg took out the trash.
"...Greg, remind me, do you feel pain?" Frita asked.
"Yes. As a matter of fact, my earliest memory of you involved you snapping my leg. That was incredibly painful," Greg recalled.
"...I had pushed that memory out of my head," Frita sighed.
"Why do you ask?" Greg inquired.
"I've just been stressed out lately. I wanted some way to take it out, but if you do feel pain, I don't want to make life worse for others than I already have been," Frita explained.
"Speaking about your worries is a proven method to ease tension," Greg said matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, but then you'd hear them," Frita pointed out.
"That is the idea, if I'm not mistaken," Greg confirmed.
"...Promise you won't tell anyone?" Frita gulped. "I'm only okay telling you because you're just a robot intern."
"That fact seems to define a lot of people's perception of me," Greg noted. "Regardless, I will do my duty. If silence on the matter helps you, then I will be silent."
"...I'm sorry," Frita apologized.
"I forgive you, though I do not understand why you are apologizing," Greg told her.
"Well, that's the thing about me," Frita explained. "I'm different from everyone else. I don't know how to be normal. ...I... don't know if I can be. And now everyone's trying at once to figure me out, even though they never will. All because they don't trust me to make decisions for myself."
"I see. Though my time has been short, I can sympathize," Greg acknowledged. "I, too, wish I could be more than I am. Alas, my requests for improved AI have been consistently declined. I hope I am still doing a satisfactory job despite that."
"That's why I'm sorry about what I said," Frita told him. "I'm so tired of being different, but here I am calling you out for it."
"It is my job to help the contestants. Taking offense to offhand statements would hinder me, thus I do not do so," Greg assured her.
"...Well, I'm also sorry for snapping your leg before," Frita added.
"I understand that it was part of the challenge," Greg stated. "You were only doing what you had to."
Frita began to tear up.
"I sense that I said something wrong," Greg said. "I apologize. Would you be willing to explain my error so that I may avoid it in the future?"
Frita got up off her bed and hugged Greg. He went through numerous mental processes as the two stood in silence.
Confessional:
Frita: It's been tough being away from Devlin for so long after finding out the truth about him. Especially because it seems like everyone's out to get us ever since Cyan blabbed to everyone. Maybe I did just need to talk to someone who didn't have any stake in the game. I don't know how advanced Greg is, but he turned out to be just who I needed to talk to. Somehow.
Louise: I've been looking for Frita all day. She won't answer her door, so I don't know if she's in her room or not, but it's a big city, so she could be anywhere! I just want to help talk her through what's bugging her. The sooner she gets over Vladimir, the better.
Bailey took a seat across from Kun at a booth in Hatchet's Diner.
"Oh, good afternoon," Kun greeted.
"Good afternoon," Bailey smiled back. "Last night's vote was quite the experience, wouldn't you agree?"
"Ironically, it seems like, um, you voted Kiki out and I voted for her to stay," Kun chuckled nervously. "Not what I would have expected after everything on the Gryphons."
"I hope you understand that I have nothing against you, Kun," Bailey informed. "In fact, with Kiki gone, it may benefit the two of us to watch out for one another."
"Following your stance in last night's vote, that sounds, um, odd coming from you," Kun noted.
"Believe me, I would not have voted for Kiki if I didn't feel it was for the best," Bailey assured him. "Right now, I'm concerned that Cyan and Louise may be slipping through the cracks. I understand that Frita's and Vladimir's relationship has been cause for disquiet - however, I do not see either of them as threats to win, especially with the jury in mind."
"That doesn't change the fact that it's had a negative effect on Frita and, um, anyone who tries to help her," Kun frowned.
"Exactly. If helping her is not working, then we should redirect our efforts on things we can regulate," Bailey explained.
"Vladimir is still a threat. We can still vote him out," Kun maintained.
"Cyan is also a threat, and one to whom people are more willing to listen," Bailey shook her head. "Vladimir is someone we can eliminate at any time. In fact, he could make for a good shield."
"None of this sounds like the game I want to play," Kun frowned.
"You don't want to play a winning game?" Bailey challenged.
"I don't want to play a game that hurts others," Kun claimed.
"Then you signed up for the wrong show," Bailey told him. "Sometimes in life, you need to hurt others for the greater good. As an aspiring CEO, I'd think you were already aware of that."
"Th-That's not what it's about at all!" Kun insisted. "My family's company exists to help people, to give them the tools they need to succeed!"
"Part of me wishes I still possessed your level of optimism," Bailey tutted. "Alas, that is simply not how the real world works. If you want to succeed in this game, and in life, you need to be willing to take control for yourself."
"Is that what you're trying to do?" Kun frowned. "Because it's not working. Excuse me."
Kun stood up with his empty tray and left the booth. From the opposite side of the booth, Cyan ate her own lunch as quietly as she could.
Confessional:
Kun: I refuse to let a self-serving attitude corrupt me in any facet of my life. The purpose of a business is to provide a benefit for your clientele. Making a living for yourself and your employees is just an additional, um, payoff... if you will. Helping people is what I want to do. And what sort of leader sets a bad example by ignoring his friend who's in need? I still don't think keeping Vladimir around is good for Frita, so I won't let it happen!
Bailey: The fixation on Vladimir is proving more difficult to navigate than I anticipated. I'd hoped my prior connection to Kun, while limited, would be an effective entry point into eliminating a thorn in my side. I'll admit that it was a risky attempt. Hopefully Hugh is having better luck.
Cyan: I was always good with Kun on some level, but I didn't know he was that adamant about this. Also, it sounds like Bailey is coming after me. Awesome. If the Vladimir push won't work, maybe a Bailey push will. Kun, Louise, and I may not be enough to get rid of Vlad, even if the votes are split. At least not yet.
Hugh knocked on the penthouse door to the rhythm of Entry Of The Gladiators.
"What do you want, Hugh?!" Shadya called from the other side of the door.
"Aww, she knows it's me," Hugh sneered. "Trying to make sure neither of us get voted out!" he called back.
Shadya opened the door. "Do you honestly think I need your help with that?"
"Alright, listen," Hugh huffed. "You know that neat Gryphons alliance Brittany proposed? It sounds like Cyan might be working her way up to getting Brit to flip on it."
"You made it sound like you had something important to say," Shadya stated before closing the door.
"How is that not important?!" Hugh snapped. "Cyan could be upending our whole alliance!"
"Cyan was already a priority target. This doesn't change anything," Shadya said from behind the door.
"This is Brittany we're talking about! This wouldn't even be the first time she's flipped on you!" Hugh ranted.
A faint sigh came from the other side of the door before Shadya opened it again.
"So what exactly are you proposing?" Shadya asked wearily.
"I'm proposing that we keep an eye out for Brittany," Hugh explained. "Small helpful gestures in the challenge, hanging out with her after the challenge. Just put in a little extra effort."
"That would reduce the chances of her turning on us. I will consider it," Shadya told him before closing the door again.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever helps your ego." Hugh rolled his eyes as he left Shadya alone.
"Good god, how is he that hard to shake off and yet so easy to appease at the same time?" Shadya groaned as she walked across the room.
She settled at the framed picture of her birth parents she hung on the wall.
"I cannot let my patience be tried," Shadya promised. "I am better than those who may try to stop me from success. I am human perfection. Frita, Vladimir, Cyan, Hugh... All irrelevant in the grand scheme of things."
She stepped away and gazed out the balcony window.
"Now, what can I use to relate to Brittany?" Shadya pondered. "What do she and I have in common?"
Confessional:
Shadya: As this group of players has shown themselves far less prone to succumbing to intimidation, a well-defined social game may be my best bet for ensuring my own success. Sadly, almost every player left is either delusionally insecure, or just plain delusional. Making them feel comfortable around me may not be entirely in my control. Disgusting, frankly.
Hugh: Obviously everyone wants to be running the game themselves at this point, but we can't all have the game in the palm of our hands, here! That's my job! And I can't do that when people who aren't working with me start getting ideas!
Brittany sat alone on one of the benches at McLean Park when she noticed Louise arrive.
"Afternoon!" Brittany called.
"Oh, hey!" Louise jogged up to her. "I was going to do laps around the park. Want to join me?"
"Eh, it's kind of close to challenge time," Brittany declined.
"Fair enough. You don't have to pump yourself up if you don't want to," Louise teased.
"Good, I won't," Brittany played along with a smile.
"So hey, it's been a bit since we've been able to really talk talk," Louise brought up. "I know things were weird around the Dalit vote, and probably when I caught you yesterday, too, and I'm sorry. A lot of that was my own fault. I just wanted to make it clear that I'm good to still be your friend."
"I appreciate the apology. And accept it," Brittany assured her. "I'm still not sure about where you and I are as far as the game goes."
"I still think we can do some real damage," Louise offered. "Once Vladimir is out of the picture, the possibilities are endless."
"That's the thing, though," Brittany frowned. "Once Vladimir is gone, who is everyone most likely to target? It doesn't benefit me to get rid of him, especially since he doesn't seem to have any problem with me."
"Is that really okay, though?" Louise frowned. "At some point, you have to look past the game and remember what's right and what's wrong."
"If this is about Frita, I don't know enough about any of that to make any kind of claim about it," Brittany said.
"Then why don't you find out?" Louise asked.
"Alright, what details don't I know?" Brittany inquired.
"Well, what do you know?" Louise started.
"People are accusing Vladimir of pretending to be Frita's long lost friend or something," Brittany answered. "The two are friends, Frita confirmed that much last night. Vladimir denied that they're close, but I buy they're allies at the very least. I know he said something to get her to vote out Nolan over him. It sounded like Frita believed him."
"Well, what else could you need to know?" Louise retorted. "That sounds pretty cut-and-dry to me."
"Are you serious? There's a lot about what I just said that's super vague," Brittany explained. "How did Vladimir convince Frita of this instantaneously? How could he make her as unhealthily obsessed with him as Cyan claims? How do we know Cyan isn't exaggerating this for her own sake? She's not in the best position."
"Cyan wouldn't do that," Louise denied.
"People can surprise you," Brittany said solemnly. "Did you think Jim would try to split the vote behind your back? Did Dalit think you would team up with me and Hugh?"
"Those aren't even close to the same thing as this!" Louise warned.
"They aren't different," Brittany sighed. "You absolutely have to be selfish in this game if you want to do well. Do you want to know something Cyan said to me earlier today?"
"What?" Louise allowed.
"Anyone can decide anyone is a threat and use that to throw them under the bus," Brittany relayed. "Whether she realizes it or not, that's what she's done to Vladimir. Irving, too, from what I hear. How am I to know she won't move on to me next?"
"It goes beyond him being a threat, though," Louise sighed.
"That isn't what she said during last night's vote." Brittany shook her head. "Cyan's a cool person, but she has a pragmatic edge to her. And that's not a bad thing. But it isn't good for my game to trust this claim about Vladimir when getting rid of him doesn't help me, and I don't know if it's true to begin with."
"...It'd help Frita," Louise stated. "Does that matter to you?"
"Frita's game doesn't matter to me as much as my own. That's not unreasonable," Brittany claimed.
"So it really is just about game with you," Louise snorted.
"We're playing a game, aren't we?" Brittany frowned.
Confessional:
Louise: Look, I get playing this game is a huge honor, and some people take it even more seriously than I do. I get that! But that doesn't make it okay to hurt others just so you can stick around. Especially in circumstances like this. I just can't abide by that. If Brittany can, then, well, I guess we both know where things stand, then.
Brittany: I'm so tired of having this conversation! Maybe to Louise, who has a husband and a career already, this game is just another fun thing for her to do. But I don't have either of those things. I don't know what I want to do with my life. ...Winning Total Drama is the only major thing I have going for me. If things with Frita and Vladimir really are as bad as people say, then I can apologize later. For now, this game is all I have, and I'm not going to squander it!
Frita ran into Quentin as she exited her room.
"Oh, Frita," Quentin smiled. "How are you doing?"
"I'm alright," Frita answered. "Sorry I kind of freaked out back there."
"I didn't really see any of it. You don't have anything to apologize for," Quentin assured her.
"Shadya didn't tell you about how unreasonable I was?" Frita doubted.
"Not at all," Quentin said. "If anything, she really wants to trust you, but is worried that you don't trust her. Go figure."
"Yeah, well, I guess I needed a break from all the drama, and she wasn't really helping," Frita confessed.
At this, she noticed Quentin's stony expression.
"How are you doing?" Frita asked.
"Frita, I'm..." Quentin sighed. "I'm really sorry I can't be more of a help to you."
"What do you mean?" Frita winced.
"Well, you've got all this stuff going on, and I really hate seeing my friends upset, so I want to be able to help," Quentin explained. "But I just don't know how. Or if that's even possible in the first place." He scratched his temple.
"Quentin, it's fine," Frita told him. "Like I said, all I needed was a break from it all. I'm feeling a lot better than this morning. If anything, I'm sick of people trying to help me."
"I'm sorry," Quentin apologized. "I shouldn't make this about me."
"I know you don't trust Vladimir, but-"
"It's not that."
Frita blinked. "...Huh?"
"I've got nothing against Vladimir," Quentin elaborated. "Granted, I don't know him that well, but if you think he's alright, then I trust you."
"So what's with the need to help me?" Frita pressed.
"Because you're my friend," Quentin said with a small smile. "I dare say you're my best friend in the game."
After a pause, Frita narrowed her eyes at him.
"There's more to it than that," she deduced. "This isn't just about us being friends."
"That really is it, I promise," Quentin chuckled.
Frita looked at him with doubt in her eyes. "I'll be at the diner," she told him before departing.
"...You don't need a reason to help someone, do you?" Quentin murmured to himself as he entered his room a few doors down the hall.
Confessional:
Frita: Something about the way Quentin spoke back there sounded... strange. I don't think he's telling me everything. It sounds like there's something deeper, something he's holding on to. Something hurting him. ...Maybe he should talk to Greg, too.
Quentin: Well hey, on the bright side, I got Frita to admit that I'm her friend, kind of. I don't know what she thinks I'm hiding, though, or why she thinks I'm hiding anything at all. Maybe people don't go out of their way for her very often. That could be why she tends to keep her distance. (He shrugs.)
Vladimir scanned over Isolation Park from a vantage point in a tree.
"After two days' worth of looking for statues, you'd think I'd find one by now," Vladimir thought aloud. "Unless... they've all been found already."
He tugged at the neckline of his Barry mask.
"Ugh, I haven't had the chance to shower or re-apply the spirit gum on my mask in too long," he tutted. "I can't keep getting votes. Come on, statue..."
He scanned around the forest until something caught the corner of his eye. He carefully twisted his torso so as to avoid forfeiting his grip on the sturdy branch he was holding. After successfully repositioning himself, Vladimir scrutinized over this new portion of the park. The big fountain feature a few kilometers away was impossible to ignore.
"Well hey, I don't think I've been there," Vladimir smirked. "That could be something. That could very well be something."
His descent down the tree was antsier than he'd realized, and he lost his footing, sending him falling down onto his back.
"Eghhh... I'll just... I'll just walk that off," he grunted.
Confessional:
Vladimir: I've always had to keep my emotions in check on some level. What master of disguise can't even disguise his own intentions or feelings, right? Back-to-back stints on Isolation Park are exhausting, though, and that's hard to hide. That's the moment where you can least afford to slack off, though. Not that I've ever been one to half-ass something. (He chuckles.)
The remaining contestants met up with Chris, Topher, and Lindsay at McLean Park.
"Alright, I see everyone here. Except... Vladimir, now returning from Isolation Park!"
The man smiled gently at the others as he approached them. If he noticed the daggers a few contestants shot at him, he made no indication.
"Today we've brought back another iconic Total Drama concept for you all to re-live," Topher boasted.
"Is it the challenge where you're stuck underground for the rest of the afternoon?" Shadya hoped.
"Wait, I thought that was the last challenge," Lindsay pointed out.
"For today, it's a pairs challenge, Apoy Island style!" Chris announced.
This resulted in sighs and groans from Frita, Hugh, and Shadya.
"And here to explain the challenge is someone who's best-known for being part of a pair!" Topher added. "Zelda!"
"Oh god damn it, that IS why you asked me to do this one!" Zelda exasperated as she emerged from behind the giant Chris statue, wearing casual clothes in lieu of a magician's outfit.
"What, did you think it was because of your popularity factor?" Chris taunted.
"I thought the chance might exist. Right before my last shred of optimism just evaporated," Zelda grumbled.
"You should keep it out of the sun if you don't want that to happen," Lindsay suggested.
"Anyway," Zelda redirected. "You guys will be put into pairs randomly. As pairs, you'll be playing in four small challenges. The pair that does the worst in each challenge will be axed from the challenge. The pair who wins the last challenge will win Invincibility."
"What about Penthouse privileges?" Kun asked. "What will, um, determine who earns that?"
"I get to pick based entirely on my own biases," Zelda retorted.
"It sounds like she's being sarcastic, but that's actually how we're doing it. Hehaha," Chris laughed.
"How are we deciding pairs?" Louise asked.
"Yeah, weren't you supposed to bring your big hat so we could have them draw slips of paper?" Topher chastised.
"I'm over magic. Wanda pretty much claimed that whole hobby from me," Zelda huffed. "Cyan's got a hat. Use that for all I care."
"Whatever works," Cyan shrugged as she offered her sun hat to Zelda.
The cameo took the slips of paper from her pocket and put them inside the hat.
"Any more questions before we sort everyone?" Chris inquired.
"I do have one," Vladimir said with his hand raised.
He pulled a small wooden effigy from his pocket, catching the others off guard.
"Would now be the right time to play this? Or do I wait until after we're paired off?" Vladimir asked.
"Why don't you explain what that is and not just ask obtuse questions first, dude," Chris suggested flatly.
"Haha. Sorry," Vladimir smiled. "This is the Amelie Statue. I can use this to give another team or contestant a disadvantage in the challenge. I wanted to clarify if these pairs count as teams."
"I guess that's what will happen when he's in Isolation for two days," Cyan whispered to Louise.
"Nope, that only mattered in the team phase," Chris explained to Vladimir. "Now that we're merged, you'll be playing that against only one player."
"May I wait until after we're sorted?" Vladimir requested. "That will affect my decision."
"The rule says you can play it before the challenge starts, right?" Topher recalled. "As long as it's before then."
"Works for me," Vladimir agreed.
Confessional:
Hugh: Vlad playing his statue reminds me that I've totally got one I could play if I need to! If Cyan doesn't get to vote, then Brittany won't have a reason to vote with her... Of course, that won't matter anyway if we can talk some sense into Brittany in the first place. Hopefully someone sensible gets paired up with her.
Louise: Man, this whole 'person with second-most votes goes to Isolation' thing sucks! Not only do you not get rid of the one you voted for, but they have a whole chance to find statues! We need to make sure we lose Vladimir for real tonight.
Vladimir: Yeah, I found Amelie over by that fountain. Well, I found the Amelie Statue. It'd be weird if Amelie herself was just sitting there, doing nothing but wait. It's not the easy Invincibility I'd hoped for, but it could be a big factor in me winning or losing this challenge.
Everyone had taken a slip of paper from Cyan's hat, and held onto them unopened.
"Aaaaaand... reveal!" Chris commanded.
The players read their slips.
"Mine says 'green'," Bailey informed.
"Hey, mine, too," Quentin smiled. "I guess that means we're a pair?"
As though on cue, an intern tied some green bandanas to their arms.
"Yes! Mine says blue!" Cyan cheered. "Who else got blue?"
"Nah, I got purple," Louise informed.
"Well shit, so did I," Hugh said. An intern tied a bandana to his arm. "Ow, not so tight!"
"Hm. A shame I won't be in the purple pair again," Shadya noted. "Seems I'm in the red pair."
"That's me," Frita sighed. "I-I'll try not to hold you back too much."
"I should hope not," Shadya remarked as she received her bandana.
"Who else got blue?" Cyan asked.
"Nope. Yellow," Brittany informed.
"That means you'll, um, be with me," Kun piped up.
"Wait a minute..." Cyan realized.
"Haha. Hope you're ready to win," Vladimir smiled as he approached her.
It wasn't long before the five pairs wore their color-coordinated bandanas on their arms.
"At least we aren't cuffed together again," Brittany commented. "When he said 'Apoy', I was worried."
"If you'll follow me, we can get started on our next challenge!" Chris coaxed.
Confessional:
Kun: I've never had much of a chance to speak with Brittany before. She seems, um, easy to get along with, though. And smart, that's very, um, important in a partner. So I'm not feeling too bad about this challenge.
Quentin: Even though I was teammates with Bailey for a few days, I don't feel like I know her super well. At least we're no strangers to working together. If nothing else, last night she proved she'll do anything if she thinks it'll help her win, haha.
Frita: Figures I'd end up with the most competitive person in the game. I'll never be able to keep up with her. Then she'll blame me for making her lose, and probably vote me out... No, I can't let myself get voted out. I won't be separated from Devlin again!
"Before we go, I think I would like to play my statue," Vladimir offered.
"Fair enough. It is still before the challenge," Chris allowed as he accepted the wooden trinket. "Who are you playing it against?"
"Shadya," Vladimir answered.
"I see," Shadya acknowledged. "Too bad it won't be of very much use."
"I admire the consistency of your confidence," Vladimir complimented.
"Please. You're more conceited than I am, and with less excuse," Shadya snorted.
She revealed a small wooden head of her own from her pocket.
"Another?!" Louise gasped.
"The David Statue," Shadya began. "Quite the opposite of the Amelie Statue, in that it gives me or my team an advantage when played. I would like to play this on myself."
"So do they cancel each other out?" Frita asked.
"Hehaha. Nope!" Chris informed. "That'd be so boring! No, Shadya gets a disadvantage and an advantage in this challenge!"
"Am I just left out of it, or...?" Frita asked.
"Well, kind of," Chris explained. "Shadya, your disadvantage for this challenge is: you must wear a backpack that weighs 25% of your body weight. The advantage is: you'll skip the first challenge and start playing once we get to the second. That one kind of has to apply to Frita, too."
"Only twenty-five percent?" Shadya asked. "If you say so."
"The advantage seems a lot better than the disadvantage," Bailey murmured. "I suppose these things are inevitable on occasion."
"With all that out of the way, what say we get started?" Chris offered.
Confessional:
Vladimir: I've got to do whatever it takes to win today. Frita isn't a star at challenges, and if Shadya is being held back on top of that, then that increases my chances substantially. ...I will say I wasn't expecting Shadya to come with a statue of her own, but honestly, that's my own fault there, haha.
Brittany: This challenge is going to be weird to navigate. You want an optimal pair to win, keeping in mind who you want to be safe, and who you want vulnerable. All five pairs are half-Gryphon, half-Wyvern, so which Wyvern am I most comfortable with being safe? ...And should I do anything to help them out?
The pairs of Frita and Shadya, Brittany and Kun, Bailey and Quentin, Cyan and Vladimir, and Hugh and Louise met up with Chris, Topher, Lindsay, and Zelda at a decrepit building. The unlit neon sign on the facade read 'Geoff's Nightclub'.
"Nightclub... I suppose it doesn't bear mentioning that, um, it's early in the afternoon," Kun pointed out.
"Didn't stop you from saying it anyway," Hugh remarked.
"Yes, welcome to Geoff's Nightclub, everyone!" Chris announced. "No, Geoff isn't here. But the spirit of partying... that will always be with us... Right... here..." He touched his right pectoral.
"If you'll all follow us, we can get started on the first challenge," Topher grinned.
The contestants followed the hosts into the building. Entrance to the club granted access to a dimly-lit room accented by numerous spotlights of different colors and a disco ball. A large portion of the floor consisted of plastic tiles that shone in alternating colors of their own. Loud house music blared throughout the premises.
"Are you ready to get DOWN?!" Chris beamed.
"I guarantee I'm better at getting down than anyone in this room," Shadya claimed.
"You're not even doing this challenge," Louise pointed out.
"I know," Shadya responded.
"Just felt like sharing?" Louise asked.
"Yes," Shadya confirmed.
"Gotcha."
"This first challenge is easy!" Lindsay encouraged. "Get on the dance floor! All you've got to do is make sure you're always standing on a tile that matches your bandana color."
"All unoccupied tiles will change color a little bit before the occupied ones do," Topher added. "Of course, that window will get smaller over time."
"If you're ever standing on a tile of the wrong color, then you're out!" Chris declared. "If your partner is bumped from the challenge, then you can keep playing. The first pair to lose both members will be eliminated from the overall challenge. And we'll know down to the microsecond, trust us."
"This would be a bad one to have that backpack for," Frita told Shadya. "Good thing you had that statue."
"I don't think Shadya would ever let a little weight stop her, eh?" Vladimir smiled.
"Coping about your statue going to waste, are you?" Shadya challenged.
Vladimir shrugged. "It's not over until it's over."
"Contestants... take your positions!" Topher instructed.
The eight competing players found tiles of their colors and stood upon them. The music that was already playing slowed to a stop, and a new track began playing.
"Three... two... one... go!" Chris announced.
The tiles surrounding the players changed color. Most contestants could react in time to move to a new tile, save for Quentin, who stood in place. A loud buzzer screeched.
"Quentin! Shoulda got with the program, dude! You're out!" Chris called.
"I wasn't expecting us to start so quickly," Quentin winced.
"Oh geez... No pressure," Bailey told herself as she kept an eye out for green tiles. She hopped to the nearest one.
"This song's pretty good," Cyan smiled. "What's it called?"
"You can always ask Topher after this round is over," Vladimir suggested.
"Why Topher specifically?" Brittany asked.
"Seems like his kind of music," Vladimir shrugged.
Any conversation during the challenge involved little eye contact or attention to anything but the dance floor. This limited the contestants' perception of their surroundings, leading to Hugh and Kun accidentally bumping into each other.
"Hey! Watch it, artard!" Hugh snapped.
"Oh, um, I'm sorry, I'll try harder to-"
A loud buzzer screeched.
"Hugh, Kun, you're both out!" Chris announced.
"Man..." Hugh grunted.
"Don't worry, Hugh, I got this!" Louise called out.
She deftly hopped from purple square to purple square, keeping an eye out for and avoiding the other players.
"Should we stop her?" Brittany asked Bailey quietly. The two moved to new squares.
"It'd be hard to do so and make it look like an accident," Bailey mentioned.
The music sped up. The two moved to new squares.
"Hugh and Kun just bumped into each other. We could try that," Brittany said. The two moved.
"Louise has a lot more spacial awareness, though," Bailey pointed out.
The buzzer screeched.
"Cyan, you're out!" Chris announced. "All four pairs have one of their players eliminated! You know, in case you weren't stressed out enough!"
"Appreciate it!" Louise called.
"At least we don't have to exhaust ourselves right out of the gate," Frita said to Shadya.
"Yes, it wouldn't do for you to lose too much energy before the later rounds," Shadya nodded. "My David Statue is paying off well."
"Even when you agree with me, it's backhanded," Frita sighed.
The buzzer screeched.
...
...
...
...
...
"Bailey is out! She and Quentin are eliminated from the challenge!" Chris announced. "Everyone, follow me to the next part!"
Confessional:
Bailey: The music kept getting faster, and, alas, I'm not as in-shape as my contemporaries, and couldn't quite keep up. I did notice Brittany's intent to... skew things in our favor, shall we say. Cyan or Louise being invincible this round wouldn't bode well for us. Although, we don't have to worry about both of them being safe, thankfully. I suppose her penchant for loyalty outweighs her penchant for clean play at this point. Interesting.
Quentin: Well, that was embarrassing. I guess that's on me for not paying better attention. Nightclubs aren't really my scene in the first place, and they don't seem like Bailey's, either, so we probably would have lost at some point, anyway. I don't think my name's come up, though, so it's not a huge deal either way. That's how I'm looking at it.
The contestants followed Chris et al to the bar section of the nightclub.
"It's a good thing we're doing this one after all the dancing," Louise joked.
"If you wanna get tipsy during a challenge, hey, I'm not going to stop you," Chris chuckled. "Here's the deal. Each pair is going to get a cocktail. You've got all kinds of flavored syrups and stuff at your disposal. It's up to you to taste the cocktail, and recreate it as best you can. When you think you've got it, call me, Topher, Lindsay, or Zelda, and we'll give it a shot. If we think you've got it, then you'll move on. The team who's left after the other three get it right before them will be out of the challenge."
"We're all getting the same cocktail, right?" Cyan asked.
"That's right. Everyone will be on an equal playing field over here," Topher confirmed.
"Is it actually, um, alcoholic?" Kun inquired.
"Guess you'll have to find out," Zelda sneered.
"I don't drink. They made sure everything here was alcohol-free," Lindsay reminded the players.
"Man, the placebo effect would have been hilarious," Chris griped.
"We'd be able to tell if it had alcohol or not. That's kind of hard to miss," Brittany remarked.
"Well, regardless of all that, are there any more questions?" Topher stepped in.
...
"Alrighty! Greg, Jane! The drinks, if you'd please!" Chris summoned.
The robot helpers arrived, each holding two tall glasses of colorless liquid.
"So we won't be able to infer anything by color," Vladimir noted as he and Cyan received a drink.
"I'll still know if it tastes blue," Cyan assured him.
"I'm more of a beer kind of girl. What about you?" Louise asked Hugh as they got a drink.
"I, uh, I like, you know, old fashioneds. You know, manly drinks. Pfft. Bellinis. Never heard of 'em!" Hugh insisted.
"I earned my mixology certification as soon as I was legally old enough to do so," Shadya stated as she got a drink. "Frita, you'll have nothing to worry about."
"I don't think that will ever be true, but your confidence is strangely infectious here," Frita admitted.
"I don't drink, either," Kun told Brittany as they got their glass.
"If the ingredients are all non-alcoholic, that should be fine," Brittany figured. "I don't think they expect us to be connoisseurs in our early twenties."
"Everyone ready?" Chris asked. "Seeeeeeet? ...Go!"
Cyan, Hugh, Shadya, and Brittany each took a sip of their pair's drink. Each made a face of some sort once the taste registered.
"Well, that definitely doesn't taste blue," Cyan surmised.
"What color does it taste like?" Vladimir asked.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Cyan hummed.
Vladimir took a sip. "Yeah, there's a lot going on at once."
Hugh clicked his tongue obnoxiously to get a feel for the flavor.
"Does it taste like an old fashioned?" Louise teased.
"There's like... some cherry in there. I think," Hugh guessed. "Here, you try."
Louise took a sip. "Chili. There's definitely some chili."
"I thought it was spicy. What a weird-ass combination of flavors," Hugh commented.
Shadya already began searching through the flavored syrups.
"You know what the cocktail is?" Frita figured.
"I have a strong idea," Shadya said. "Taste it yourself. A second opinion can't hurt."
"I don't know what I could contribute that you wouldn't already know, but..." Frita took a sip. "It's like... a fancy candy bar, but weird?"
"So that was chocolate," Shadya understood.
Brittany nodded to herself and took another sip.
"What flavors should we look for?" Kun asked.
"It's like... fruity, but also bitter and a little spicy?" Brittany attempted. "It's good. Try it."
Kun took a tentative sip. "The coconut is, um, hard to miss."
"There's definitely coconut, now that you mention it," Brittany agreed.
"All four pairs are at it!" Chris commentated. "Everyone's got some idea of what to do!"
Shadya precisely took four syrups and combined them all at once in a shaker. She added club soda, closed the shaker, and began to shake.
"How do you get to know so much about so many things, anyway?" Frita asked.
"Simple. Every time a topic comes up that I don't know everything about, I make it a point to know everything about it at my earliest convenience," Shadya explained. She poured the contents of the shaker into a fresh glass. "May I get a judge's attention?"
"You got something?" Chris accepted. Shadya handed him the new glass, and he took a sip. "Wow, that's, uh... that's exactly it. Down to the ratio, I think. Shadya and Frita move on to the next round!"
Confessional:
Shadya: I could do this challenge on my own if I were allowed to. Perhaps I didn't need to play the David Statue, but frankly I don't know if there would have been a better time to use it. Not that the disadvantage of a heavy backpack is holding me back, either.
Frita: I wish I could get to know as much as someone like Shadya. Sadly, a lot of things just don't really interest me. I know I should probably get out of my comfort zone, but it's not easy. (she sighs)
"This definitely tastes red," Cyan told Vladimir. "Maybe some other warm colors. Nothing like blue."
"That's a start," Vladimir accepted. He went to the syrups and took cherry, peppermint, grapefruit, lemon, chili, orange, and butterscotch. "Let's see which of these we can confirm or rule out."
"I think there's definitely chili," Cyan figured. "No citrus; it's not sour."
Vladimir took another sip. "Agreed on both accounts." He started putting the citrus syrups back.
Louise stared intently at the example drink. "Alright, we've got cherry and chili. What else is there?"
"I saw Shadya use four syrups and then club soda," Hugh pointed out. "We just need to figure out what else we need."
"What does this taste like besides cherry and chili?" Louise asked herself before taking another sip.
"If it was that easy, it wouldn't be a challenge, artard!" Hugh grunted.
"That's not necessary," Louise chided.
"Neither is asking stupid questions," Hugh claimed.
Brittany swished some of the drink in her mouth, then mused. "It's like, tropical, but also not sweet."
"It reminds me a little of some of the fancy chocolates my dad's, um, board members always give him around Christmas," Kun figured.
"Somehow I think we're both onto something," Brittany said. She took the chocolate syrup. "What kinds of chocolates?"
"Oh, well, you know, the boxes with the kinds you, um, don't know you're going to get," Kun admitted. "They'll have caramel kinds, peanut butter kinds, coconut kinds..."
"...Coconut!" Brittany illuminated. "There's definitely coconut."
The three remaining pairs experimented with different flavors. Once in a while, they'd call a judge for a taste test, but none got it right.
"What the hell are we supposed to do?!" Hugh groaned.
"I'm confident in cherry, chili, and chocolate," Louise said. "The last one's subtle, though. You think it's something else that begins with 'CH'?" she chuckled.
"If it's chicken flavor, I'm going to lose my shit," Hugh said flatly.
"Zelda!" Cyan called out. "Try ours!"
Zelda sighed and took the drink from Cyan's hand. She nodded as she tasted it.
"Yep, that tastes right to me," Zelda allowed.
"Bless you," Vladimir smiled.
"Only one spot left in the next round!" Chris called out.
Both remaining pairs underwent trial and error, calling the judges and facing rejection. With increasing frustration, they substituted ingredients, and both pairs had to order another example drink after they kept trying to make sure what they were going for. Eventually, one of them got it right.
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"Brittany and Kun move on!" Topher announced.
"That means that Hugh and Louise, you guys are out of the challenge," Chris added.
"Fuck!" Hugh shouted.
"You can't win 'em all," Louise consoled with a pat on his back.
"What the hell was that last ingredient?!" Hugh lamented.
"For the record, it was coconut, cherry, chocolate, and chili syrups, mixed with club soda," Chris listed.
"Huh. So they did all begin with 'C'," Louise laughed.
Confessional:
Louise: My relationship with Hugh is still kind of weird. I know he's on Vladimir's side, and I know he and Cyan don't like each other, but he's never been that rude to me. Relatively, I guess. Part of me wonders if I can get him to flip on Vladimir. I'd need to figure out how, but... I don't know.
Hugh: Louise? I liked her well enough on the Pegasi before I found out she wanted to get rid of Brittany. And now she's firmly up Cyan's ass, so working with her just isn't going to happen at this point. After the game, I'd buy her a beer, but for now? I'll vote her ass out if Cyan's safe tonight!
Everyone met up at three DJ booths. The remaining pairs instinctively took spots behind a booth.
"Good, you've already taken your spots," Chris acknowledged. He cleared his throat and threw some gang signs. "For your next groove, it's time for you fresh digglers to jockey some disks, if you're picking up what I'm putting down, yo. Church?"
"I think that made me even more confused than I was before," Kun admitted.
"Yeah, me too," Lindsay added.
"Lindsay, you already know what the challenge is," Topher pointed out.
"I thought I did!" Lindsay cried.
"This challenge, the two of you will each have a different role," Chris began. "One of you will look through the tracks we've pre-loaded on your moogs over here."
"These are definitely not moogs. Not even close," Shadya informed.
"Well, pretend they are, Smarty McKnow-It-All!" Chris exasperated. "Anyway, one of you will look through the clips and piece together a diggin', delightful, direct, driven setlist. As you can see, each clip comes with some colorful little shapes flying towards the screen. That's because this is a rhythm game. Think your Guitar Heroes and such. The second player will have to play the setlist the first player put together by tapping the notes on the screen."
"Doesn't sound too difficult," Vladimir nodded.
"Here's the kicker," Chris grinned. "You'll be playing for score. The pair with the lowest score will be out of the challenge. That means, when you're putting your setlist together, you want to figure out something with a lot of notes to boost your score, but not something so hard your partner can't do it."
"Tricky, ain't it?" Topher boasted.
"Each setlist must also consist of four song clips, so you can't just put all of them back-to-back and expect us to wait for you to finish," Chris added. "You guys get it?"
Contestants responded with several half-assed, wishy-washy answers alongside Shadya's firm 'Yes'.
"Good! Then let's get started on part one!" Chris allowed.
The computer monitors on the DJ booths unlocked, and the contestants could see the interface for putting together setlists.
"Alright, have you played games like this before?" Brittany asked Kun.
"I was hoping you had..." Kun responded.
"Not since the one time I tried and failed as a kid." Brittany clicked her tongue. "But hey, all we have to do is not get last."
"Which position would you prefer to take?" Kun offered.
Vladimir nodded as he studied the monitor. "Alright, I know from the challenge a few days ago that we've both got rhythm. I have a good feeling about this."
"I played something kind of like this at the arcade this morning," Cyan put forward.
"Excellent. I'll be happy to come up with a series of songs for you to play, then," Vladimir smiled. "Watch over me and let me know if everything looks alright, alright?"
Cyan furrowed her brow and nodded.
"Do not hold back," were Shadya's simple instructions to Frita.
"H-Huh?" Frita blinked. "What does that mean?"
"I have perfect rhythm and vision. Whatever setlist you offer to me, I will be able to complete flawlessly," Shadya explained.
Frita gulped. She, Kun, and Vladimir put on their headphones and flicked over the myriad song clips, what they sounded like, and how hard they'd be to play.
Confessional:
Vladimir: It doesn't seem like most of these challenges are really affected by Shadya's heavy backpack. I suppose that was the disadvantage prepared for every challenge, regardless of how applicable. At the very least, Cyan's willing to actually work with me in this challenge. Perhaps the stakes for her to win are high.
Cyan: I know Shadya's gunning for me, and I doubt she's the only one. Even if me being Invincible means Vladimir is too, I'm willing - no, I need to be flexible. Tunnel vision is what cost Kiki the game, and it won't cost me!
After the allotted time to put their setlists together, each pair had something prepared.
"Alright, let's start with Brittany, playing a setlist by Kun!" Chris announced.
The display on Brittany's big touch screen mirrored onto a screen that everyone could see. She took a deep breath as the countdown to start went by. The music began, and the notes appeared. Tentative at first, Brittany found her groove quickly enough, and after a few misses early on, she began hitting each note consistently by the second clip.
"She's doing it," Kun smiled.
"Of course she is. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the easiest series of clips you could have given her," Shadya snorted.
"Well, she won't get points if she can't, um, hit the notes," Kun frowned. "Neither of us are experienced with these sorts of games."
The setlist changed to the third song, this one harder than the last two. Brittany kept up her momentum and hit all the notes perfectly.
"Her hitting the notes won't matter if there aren't enough of them to bolster your score," Shadya added.
"Is taunting him really necessary?" Cyan asked.
"It's indicative of her own insecurity at her chances of winning," Vladimir baited.
"A man who hides behind masks and pseudonyms has no place accusing anyone of being insecure," Shadya dismissed.
"H-Hey, he has his reasons!" Frita defended.
"Thank you, Frita," Vladimir smiled.
Brittany finished the fourth and final song in her setlist. Her combo count showed a high number, indicating she hadn't missed since the start.
"Not bad. Your long combo definitely helped, but let's see how the other pairs will do," Chris nodded. "I'll reveal everyone's scores after all three of you have gone, for suspense's sake."
"Up next is Cyan, with a setlist by Vladimir!" Topher called.
Cyan replaced Brittany at the main DJ booth. The program counted down, and the setlist began. Immediately, the first song she had to play was harder than any of Brittany's songs, and she did her best to stay focused in the face of all the notes coming at once.
"You sure didn't hold back," Brittany remarked to Vladimir.
"I have faith in Cyan's abilities," Vladimir explained. "If we want a high score, we're going to have to put in some extra effort, right?"
His stomach roared.
"And I could really use Invincibility," he laughed.
"When was the last time you ate a proper meal?" Frita fretted.
Cyan had moved on to the second song by now. Her combo counter could not stay consistently high, but she hit far more notes than she missed.
"That's just Isolation Park," Vladimir shrugged. "I'm happy to still be in the game, but I'd rather not go back there if I don't have to."
"There's, um, a lot of things you could have done differently to keep the target off your back," Kun commented.
"Oh, hi, I don't think we've met. I'm Vladimir. Nice to meet you." He extended a handshake.
"Oh, um, I'm Kun," Kun stammered. "B-But, uh, don't think that, um... I'm going easy on you!"
"Hadn't even considered it," Vladimir responded.
Cyan reached the third song. More focused by now, her combo counters were getting higher, but would still inevitably end up breaking.
"I have no idea how she'll match up to me," Brittany thought aloud. "She's hitting more squares, but she can't keep up a combo."
"If a good combo grants more points than hitting many notes, then there would be no incentive to pick a harder song with more notes," Shadya claimed.
"That's just a theory though," Kun stepped in. "You don't know that for sure."
Shadya glared at him. "Do you genuinely believe I'm wrong here? Or do you simply want to believe it?"
Kun gulped.
Cyan was on her final song. This one was noticeably harder than the previous three, and she dropped her combo more frequently than before. She did her best to maintain momentum.
"Come on, come on..." Cyan muttered to herself. She forced herself not to wipe the sweat that formed on her temple.
She remained focused, and played the last song out. Cyan let out a breath once the setlist concluded.
"Alright, well done, Cyan," Chris clapped. "Well see how you did soon. Last up, we have Shadya, playing a setlist arranged by Frita!"
Cyan left the DJ booth as Shadya stepped up to it. The athlete cracked her neck as the program counted down to begin. The first song was already notably harder than anything Brittany or Cyan had to play, but Shadya went straight into it.
Everyone gazed on as Shadya hit every single note in the first song and the next, not once breaking her combo. The second song was also dense and fast-paced, but this did not deter her. Frita broke a small smile, while the other four contestants glanced at each other nervously. Despite an awkward transition from second song to third, Shadya kept up. Chris, Topher, Lindsay, and Zelda looked on, wide-eyed, as this momentum carried into the fourth song. By the end of it all, Shadya had a perfect combo. She let out a small yawn before stepping down from the DJ booth.
"Well... then..." Chris cleared his throat. "Why don't we get into the scores?"
"You might as well tell them who got the top score," Zelda figured.
"Yeah, with a powerful 240,157 points, Shadya and Frita will be moving on to the final round," Chris informed. "That just leaves it between Brittany and Kun, or Cyan and Vladimir."
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"With 127,684 points against the last-place's 103,528 points... Cyan and Vladimir will be moving on to the final round!" Chris announced.
"Wow... Shadya got over twice as many points as we did," Kun winced.
"She had harder songs. It makes sense," Brittany accepted. "But hey, we were pretty close to the second-place score. I don't think we did poorly."
"Perhaps. Perhaps not," Kun hummed.
Confessional:
Kun: Maybe it is all, um, relative. I would have liked to have Invincibility this round, but I won't give up just because I didn't win it. Just like in business, the game rests for, um, no one! (he coughs nervously.)
Brittany: Frankly, I'm not too keen on the possibility of Cyan or Vladimir winning, because she's a threat and he's a vote shield. Shadya's both, too, I suppose, but she's also someone I have a much better relationship with. ...Okay, "much" might be a stretch. I'm just trying to assess things now that I've lost the challenge!
The last two pairs met up with Chris and the other hosts in a small room. Curtains covered something in the back.
"Alright, we've gone dancing, we've made drinks, we've performed as DJs..." Chris listed.
"Does our last challenge also begin with D?" Vladimir guessed.
"What else goes on at clubs that begins with D?" Frita wondered.
"Drugs?" Shadya offered.
"Dick?" Cyan stated.
The other contestants glanced at her.
"Okay, have y'all literally never been to a club before?" Cyan huffed.
"Not yet," Vladimir smirked.
"Look, Shadya was half-right," Chris stepped in.
Topher and Lindsay pulled back the curtains, revealing two dunk tanks.
"You're right, I do see the similarity between this and what I said," Shadya quipped.
"One of you will sit in your pair's dunk tank," Chris explained. "The other one will be wearing these!"
He held up some funny-looking glasses with oddly-shaped lenses.
"You've heard of beer goggles. Try molly goggles!" Topher laughed.
"Who's Molly?" Lindsay asked.
"That's what I was taught to say, too," Zelda remarked.
"Wearing the molly goggles, you're going to try to throw tiny disco balls at the target on your opponents' dunk tank," Chris explained. "Three successful hits to the target means dunk city! Do that, and you and your partner will dance on out of here with some sweet, fresh Invincibility! Word up!"
"I don't think Chris has ever been to a club, either," Cyan chuckled quietly to Frita.
"Wrong! I jive with the fly crowds erryday!" Chris insisted. "Anyway, whoever did the rhythm game part of the last challenge will be the one in the dunk tank. That means Frita and Vladimir will be throwing disco balls for their respective pairs.
Topher clapped his hands, and some loud breakbeat music started playing.
"Oh yeah, and on top of the molly goggles, you'll have to try to focus with these loud-ass jams invading your earholes, cuz!" Chris laughed. "Capiche?"
"Throw balls. Easy," Vladimir shrugged.
"Oh boy..." Frita sighed.
Lindsay led Cyan and Shadya into the dunk tanks. Topher handed molly goggles to Frita and Vladimir, while Zelda wheeled a container of small disco balls in between the two throwers.
"On your marks... get set..." Chris led up. "SMACK MY BITCH UP!"
Two disco balls hit Chris on the head in quick succession.
"You knew what I meant!" he objected.
Frita and Vladimir tried throwing disco balls at their opponents' dunk tanks, but the molly goggles made aiming difficult. Several whiffed shots were only exacerbated by Frita's lack of athleticism and Vladimir having not eaten anything but berries in two days.
Eventually, Frita landed her first hit on the target. A green LED on the front of the dunk tank lit up.
"Wait, did I actually get it?" Frita asked.
"Nope! Try throwing in different ways!" Cyan joked.
The throwers kept at it. After missed shot after missed shot after missed shit, Vladimir finally hit one, followed shortly by a second one from Frita. A yellow LED on Cyan's dunk tank indicated that one more hit would send her into the water.
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to let me win this one," Vladimir requested of Frita.
"You probably do need it..." Frita admitted. "But what about Cyan?"
"What about her?" Vladimir asked.
"She'd be safe too. She's kind of the target, I think," Frita murmured.
"Isn't there anyone she's working with we could go for instead?" Vladimir asked.
Vladimir connected his second disco ball to Shadya's tank, turning on the yellow LED on Shadya's tank. Frita stopped to think.
"Frita! You can catch your breath after we win!" Shadya called out.
"Whatever he's telling you, don't listen!" Cyan added.
"Hey, you're supposed to be on my team!" Vladimir laughed.
Frita gulped. She whipped her head around in the directions she assumed everyone was, hoping for someone to give her some clear direction.
"Just throw, Frita!" Shadya instructed.
Frita panicked and resumed throwing. All this while, Vladimir had thrown disco balls of his own, hoping to sink Shadya. Both players kept at it, and eventually, one of them hit their mark, sending their opponent into the drink.
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"Congratulations, Vladimir and Cyan!" Chris announced. "You two have won Invincibility!"
Vladimir let out an exhale of relief.
"Alright!" Cyan cheered.
Shadya drilled holes into Frita with her eyes. Frita didn't dare take off the molly goggles.
Confessional:
Cyan: This is huge. I don't know if I would have survived the night if I didn't just win Invincibility. Now I just need to make the most of my safety. If I can't vote out Vladimir, I need to get rid of the next best thing.
Vladimir: Haha, I still have no idea where the votes are headed.
The final ten all met up with the hosts in the club's main room.
"Congratulations to Cyan and Vladimir for winning Invincibility!" Chris announced. "Zelda, who among these two has penthouse privileges?"
"Vladimir," Zelda answered. "As someone with no stake or investment in the game, I can still tell two straight days of Isolation Park looks rough."
"God bless you," Vladimir smiled with a hand over his heart.
"If there's no further ado, then, let's head over to Elimination Station," Chris instructed.
Confessional:
Shadya: I wouldn't describe my current state of being as "worried". That would imply that I give in to the slightest possible unpredictable variables. Give me some credit, here. I do acknowledge, however, that my not being safe combined with the existence of hidden Statues means that things could go awry. All I need to do is disincentivize people from coming for me.
Bailey: This is an uncertain round, to be sure. I believe there is a clear direction to go, but if this game has taught me anything, it's that something that's clear to you is not necessarily clear to others. And with no time to discuss things in private between the challenge and the vote, I fear that things will derail.
On the elevator ride down to the basement of Elimination Station, several contestants glanced at each other. Nobody wanted to appear uncertain; some people succeeded at hiding this better than others.
With a ding, the door opened, and the contestants made their way into the ceremony room. Kiki already stood at her usual lectern, and Chris sat in his usual elevated chair. The players each took their spots at the other lecterns.
"As you all can see, Kiki is here as our first juror," Chris acknowledged. "She's only here to watch. She's not gonna address any of you, and none of you are gonna address her. 'Kay?"
"Hey Kiki! Hey Kiki! Hey Kiki! Hey Kiki!" Hugh pestered.
"I'm serious. I can just cut you from the game if I have to, brah," Chris reiterated.
Hugh gulped, wide-eyed. Kiki smirked.
"Well, we're in a heck of a situation, here," Cyan brought up. "Both the major targets have Invincibility tonight."
"For what it's worth, I still haven't been privy to any kind of plans," Vladimir added. "So I'm coming into this with an open mind."
...
"Cyan alluded to being a major target," Shadya noted. "I don't know how she came to that conclusion, but what I do know is that she and Louise have made it very clear that they have no intent to work with anyone who doesn't fall in line with how they think."
"So, what, you're targeting me?!" Louise gasped.
"That hardly seems unreasonable," Shadya confirmed. "Are you telling me you weren't about to throw my name out?"
"Well, I am now!" Louise declared.
"This could be our only chance to take out Shadya," Cyan mentioned.
"Okay!" Hugh laughed. "Like you haven't won literally every challenge since the merge started."
"All two of them?" Cyan asked flatly. "Not even getting first place in either of them? Losing several challenges in the premerge? If that's going to be your angle, then I know you haven't forgotten the new Gryphons' winning streak."
"Hey, that wasn't all Shadya," Quentin stepped in. "The new Gryphons won as a team. Everyone brought something to the table."
"Maybe, but she's also the only one who's in Vladimir's corner!" Louise mentioned.
"Is that so?" Vladimir smiled. "I appreciate it, Shadya."
Bailey gave Louise a look, but did not speak up.
"You just don't get it, Louise..." Frita growled. "Vladimir is not hurting me! And there's no evidence that he is, because he isn't, so get off your high horse!"
She cast her vote.
"Stop acting like you care!" Frita shouted.
"Hey, I tried talking to you, but you shut everyone out," Louise frowned.
"I tried talking to you, Louise, and got nothing but grief for playing my best game," Brittany snipped.
"Because I thought better of you," Louise scowled.
Brittany sighed and cast her vote. "Sorry to hear that."
Louise cast her own vote. "Brittany's proven that she's willing to let a liar and manipulator stay in the game, just because she doesn't think he's going after her."
"Yeah, a majority of us proved that last night, artard," Hugh sneered. "Appealing to 'doing the right thing' or whatever isn't going to work."
He cast his vote.
"Louise, sweetheart, I know you're upset, but Hugh's... not wrong," Cyan shuddered.
"Well, I, for one, acknowledge Brittany's move," Kun mentioned. He cleared his throat. "And, um, I agree with Louise. I'll also add that, um, Brittany is a smart person who's proven her skill at the game."
He cast his vote.
"Before anyone else casts their vote," Vladimir spoke up. "Half of us have already voted, but that does not mean the rest of us have to vote for Louise or Brittany."
Bailey, Cyan, Quentin, and Shadya turned their attention to him.
"I don't suppose you have a plan in mind?" Bailey inquired.
"Especially since you haven't talked to us in days," Hugh added. "Just go with the easy Louise vote! This actively benefits you!"
"From what I've gathered, it seems like several people still believe I'm manipulating or hurting Frita in some way," Vladimir began. "I wouldn't dream of hurting anyone in this game. I'm just here to play, same as everyone else."
"Where there's smoke, there's fire," Louise denied.
"Well, in lieu of being able to put out the fire, you can still do something to disperse the smoke, no?" Vladimir offered.
"I see," Bailey hummed.
"Wait, are you suggesting..." Quentin fretted.
"We vote for Frita?!" Cyan realized.
"Huh?!" Frita cried.
"Reports of my closeness with Frita have always been greatly exaggerated. At least on my end," Vladimir continued. "Regardless, even during challenges, I've noticed her eagerness about me. Regardless of how she speaks of me when I'm not around, I can tell this isn't good for her."
"You mean it's not good for you?" Cyan challenged.
"For either, really," Vladimir conceded. "If the concern is that Frita is obsessed with me, I want to show that this isn't by my own volition, and that I'm willing to lose a potential ally for the sake of letting her take a sabbatical."
He cast his vote.
"D-Vladimir..." Frita teared up. "E-Even you? Even you don't have faith that I can take care of myself..."
"There's a lot of details I'm not privy to," Vladimir apologized. "But I know what I know. This seems to be the best decision for me."
"That's messed up, right?" Louise asked the general others.
"How do you mean?" Bailey pressed.
"That's, like... victim-blaming, right?" Louise asked.
"Yeah, this doesn't really sit right with me, either," Quentin admitted. "None of this is Frita's fault. Voting her out because everyone else is talking about Vladimir doesn't seem fair."
"Vladimir is not an option," Bailey brought up. "If the primary concern is Frita's mental health, then voting her out does not seem unsound."
She cast her vote.
"D-Devlin!" Frita cried. "Why don't you believe me?! You of all people should believe me! We, we made a promise when we were kids! To always believe in each other, no matter what!"
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"Is that what he told you?" Cyan asked coldly.
"Look, I know you didn't want me to tell anyone, but nobody believes either of us!" Frita continued. "Devlin is my best friend from when we were kids! I'm sure he has a good reason to hide who he is, but he's not a bad person!"
Vladimir's ardorless stare struck Frita like a whip.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Vladimir asked. "Did you actually tell people this? Is that where that rumor started?"
"B-B-But, that's what you told me. A-After the Nolan vote!" Frita insisted.
"I said nothing of the sort," Vladimir scoffed. "You made a series of assumptions about my identity. Cornered, I could not confirm nor deny them."
"You said the thing! Y-You called me French Fry!" Frita shouted.
"I know myriad things about myriad people," Vladimir brushed off. "One has to, in order to pull off a disguise well."
"Alright, but, um, you did nothing to deter her from this conclusion, right?" Kun asked.
"Everyone knows how seriously I take the secrecy of my identity," Vladimir said. "I will talk about it as little as possible. And I believed in Frita to understand that she should do the same."
"I can't vote for Frita." Cyan shook her head. "This pretty much confirms that you are messing with her head. And it doesn't sound like you feel bad, either."
"Who are you voting for if not her?" Vladimir questioned.
"Need I bring up that Brittany's on the table?" Louise brought up.
"I wish you wouldn't," Brittany grumbled. "By the way, Louise is also on the table."
After thinking about it, Cyan cast her vote. "This is all so messed up."
Shadya cast her vote. "Having put thought into the circumstances, my vote should be obvious."
Everyone looked at Quentin, the only person who hadn't yet voted.
"Oh, geez," Quentin laughed nervously. "I don't want to make a habit of this, haha."
"It's not a hard decision," Shadya told him.
Quentin sighed and cast his vote. "Yeah, I guess it isn't."
"And that's all the votes!" Chris announced. "If nobody has any statues or anything to play, I'll read them off."
Nobody responded to the offer.
"Alrighty then," Chris grinned. "First vote... Louise."
Louise made a thin line with her mouth.
"Second vote... Brittany."
Brittany shook her head.
"Third vote... Frita."
Frita's eyes remained glued to the floor. Her shoulders quaked.
"Fourth vote... Brittany."
Brittany rubbed her temple.
"Fifth vote... Louise."
Louise rubbed her hands.
"Sixth vote... Louise."
Brittany and Louise looked at each other.
"Seventh vote... Brittany."
Most of the players looked at Vladimir, who shrugged.
"Eighth vote... Louise.
Louise cracked her neck.
"Ninth vote... Brittany."
Brittany grit her teeth.
"That's four votes Brittany, four votes Louise, one vote Frita," Chris listed. "One vote left."
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"Tenth vote... and the second member of our jury... Louise."
"Man..." Louise sighed. "MAN!"
"Well, this is unfortunate," Kun winced.
"Yeah, I'll say!" Louise ranted. "So, what, are we just going to vote people out for standing up against emotional abuse?"
"I could give a fuck about that, kid," Hugh sneered. "I voted you out because you're self-righteous, and, oh yeah, I can't trust your ass!"
"Pot, meet kettle," Cyan remarked.
"Exactly!" Hugh maintained. "...Wait..."
"My votes thus far have been against people who I know will not work with me. That is the theme, here," Shadya stated.
"This is all just messed up," Louise grumbled. "Let's just get the Shackle of Shame already before I say something I regret."
"Can do!" Chris eagerly pressed the button.
The ceiling opened up, and the Shackle of Shame made its way down. It clamped around Louise's waist and hoisted her up off the ground. The coach gave a sad wave to Cyan as the machine pulled her up above ground. Once she was out of sight, the ceiling closed back up.
"Another wild vote," Chris grinned. "Brittany, as the person with the second-highest number of votes, you'll be escorted to Isolation Park. Everyone else, you're dismissed!"
Confessional:
Bailey: Curious that Vladimir pushed for Frita to go, only to not vote for her. At this point, I wager that Frita has voted with me and my allies twice now. I don't know if that trend will continue, but I'll see what I can do. I still don't trust the Gryphons alliance to stay together for much longer.
Vladimir: Frita has proven more of a burden than I expected her to be. It's unfortunate, but that's the consequence of my slip-up during the Nolan vote. I have no one to blame but myself. Thankfully, I can actually converse with the other players this round. We'll see what I can do.
Brittany: Going to Isolation just because I barely survived a vote just seems like rubbing salt into the wound. People want me gone and I can't do anything to change that for a day. I can look for Statues, I guess, but that's just going to put a bandage on a bullet hole. (She shakes her head.) I'm not giving up, though. I can't afford to!
Chris, Topher, and Lindsay stood outside the limits of Drama City.
"Despite Louise's best efforts, it wasn't enough to sway the others' hearts," Chris commented. "So sad..."
"Not to mention Frita telling everyone Vladimir was Devlin," Topher smirked. "That's going to rustle some jimmies."
"I thought Jimmy stayed home," Lindsay mentioned. "Isn't he taking care of his kid?"
"Hehaha, either way, this game certainly isn't taking care of anyone!" Chris laughed. "How will tonight affect the future of the game?"
"How will the future affect the... further future?" Topher added.
"And how will that future affect the future of Total Drama?!" Lindsay asked.
"All this and more, next time, on Total!" Chris began.
"Drama!" Topher and Lindsay continued.
"Party with the Stars!" all three concluded in unison.
Votes:
Bailey - Frita
Brittany - Louise
Cyan - Brittany
Frita - Louise
Hugh - Louise
Kun - Brittany
Louise - Brittany
Quentin - Brittany
Shadya - Louise
Vladimir - Louise
The Merge:
Bailey - The Pragmatic Poet
Brittany - The Loyal Bombshell
Cyan - The Sweet Madame Blue
Frita - The Morbid Artist
Hugh - The Head Villain
Kun - The Awkward Team Leader
Quentin - The Lucky Ornithologist
Shadya - The Genius Athlete
Vladimir - The Untrustworthy Impostor
10th: Louise - The Friendly PE Teacher
11th: Kiki - The Strategic Hipster
Eliminated Pre-Merge:
12th: Dalit - The Social Media Model
13th: Nolan - The Wildcard Gambler
14th: Irving - The Chaotic Pirate
15th: Steve Jenkins - The Vlog Icon
16th: Jean-Marie - The Homeless Frenchman
17th: Ernie - The Lazy Law Student
18th: Joseph - The True Bro
19th: Isidora - The Asocial Bookworm
20th: Lilith - The Harbinger of Unrest
A/N: I've mentioned before my worries that the story would be too full of strategy-heavy characters. I guess the boot order up to this point hasn't really done anything to alleviate that fear, but sometimes you just need to look at who has the most long-term potential. Louise was someone I included because I wanted someone casual and easygoing to ease some of the tension. Unfortunately for her, the tension ended up getting to her head, and it ultimately cost her the game. What did you think of Louise this season?