Things were a bit tense in First Class at the moment. And it was because of a certain Psycho Hose Beast, who was still sleeping in her little part of the room. The plane was finally getting ready for takeoff, which Chris' announcement called out to make sure everyone was on board.
But Izzy didn't even react at all when the PA, rather just stretching out so she was taking up two seats, lightly snoring as the entire flying fortress began to move.
In the seats closest to the bar, Eva and Noah looked out the window and watched as the city skyline disappeared below. "Goodbye, New York", the bookworm droned out, "and hello whatever torturous place Chris is taking us to next…"
The Fitness Buff grunted. "As long as it isn't as bad as the Sahara, then we're fine."
Noah hummed in agreement, then stood up. He tried to spot his redhaired friend, but he could only catch the slightest glimpse of her legs from the gap between the chairs. With a sigh, he sat back down.
"Worried about her?" Eva asked in a hushed whisper.
Noah shrugged. "I just would've expected her to try and throw Owen around in a very violent flamingo dance. But she's just… sleeping. Not a shout out of her."
"Yeah, it's… weird." The Raging Bull leaned into the lane, but could only catch a glimpse of Izzy's new boots. "I knew something was up when she showed up to the Gemmies with that new look."
"It's like Izzy was swapped with someone else when she vanished after Action…" The bookworm let the memory of the first Aftermath play in his head, how jarring it was to see two giant robots completely level a good chunk of the movie lot, and the seeing Izzy vanish in a blinding light with a group of people even weirder than themselves.
"Maybe they did something to her…?"
"Whatcha' guys talking about?" Owen asked innocently, sitting across from his two friends with a platter filled with food.
"Izzy, and how she seems… off, this season", Noah explained. "I'm sure you noticed."
"Yeah, we talked about it earlier…" The loveable lug muttered in a hesitant tone. "She said she's just changing. Like Heather and Courtney and Leshawna have. She's going through a lot, so I think we should help her!"
The other two members of Team E-Scope shared a glance. "You don't sound the happiest with that, Lunchbox…"
The season one winner sighed. "It's hard. Izzy is being a different kind of scary I can't explain… Like, it is her, just… She's not all there. And…" He fell silent.
Eva leaned forward a bit. "You don't like her anymore?" That piqued Noah's alarms, and he faced his large friend in worry.
"More like she doesn't like me anymore…" Owen glanced over his shoulder towards where his girlfriend was. "When she kisses me now, there isn't this spark that used to be there. It's like I'm being struck with lightning. But now… there's no spark."
Noah hummed. "I getcha', big guy. Love is a fickle thing, so maybe Izzy is just… stuck. She does still care about you, I know that, but whatever happened to her over the last year got to her bad."
"She hasn't told us what, though", Eva said in frustration. "We're in the dark, so what can we really do to help her?"
"Whatever we can, E", Noah said, leaning forward. "Whatever we can."
Owen frowned slightly, unsure if he really should say anything. He looked down at the plate of food, and let his mind wander to all the times he and Izzy shared in the past. They weren't… They weren't the best couple, were they? The two of them barely did much, because they barely had time together during Action. And while they did chat and hang out over the past year, it only ever felt like they were friends that kissed.
The more he searched, the more he realised he and Izzy weren't much of a couple. They were friends, best friends. But… maybe Izzy didn't see it like that. Maybe she does see it as a relationship, and just doesn't know how to express it properly?
Looking over his shoulder again as he munched on his snacks, he let his worried gaze land on the only visible part of his sleeping girlfriend. This was going to be a very messy season, he knew that, but no matter what, he'll make it through. He always will with his friends by his side, no matter what.
He let himself smile in confidence, and began to go to town on the food. Eva and Noah rolled their eyes, but let him be as they talked about other stuff. Unaware to the trio, however, Alejandro was listening in from the bar. He turned away, but kept a curious look on his face, wondering how he could take advantage of this…
As he eyed Tyler, who was playing with his yo-yo at the other end of the drink bar, the Spaniard plotted.
All while Izzy slept peacefully, oblivious to it all. Deep within her dreams, she spotted Merida, and the lightest smile graced her face.
Elsewhere in the plane, things were a lot more tense. Team Amazon and Team Victory sat across from each other, the air of Economy Class choking with how harsh the glares Heather shot at Leshawna and Lindsay were. Off to the side, trying to get away from the tension, was Merida, who stared at the luggage compartment above her as she laid down on the hard wooden bench.
The fact she just realised her feelings for Izzy not an hour ago was still making her crash harder than a blue-screening computer was impressive. In her mind, she played out everything herself and the other redhead had done. From when they first met, all the way till now.
And yeah, she couldn't deny it, she liked Izzy. There were moments she was so impressed with Izzy's skills that she could feel her face heating up. They hung out endlessly together whenever they had the chance, and when they didn't they texted.
And as she let her thoughts run rampant, a memory popped into her head.
A few months ago, when the two of them were doing their weekly archery lessons…
~
Izzy let go of the bow's string and watched her arrow shoot through the air, almost a blur until it stuck in the distant target a few metres away. She grinned happily, proud she nailed her third bullseye in a row.
Off to the side, Merida clapped, smiling with an impressed nod. "You've been crushing it, Iz. I mean this with all honesty, you've really improved."
"Awwww, thanks Merry!" The Psycho Hose Beast cooed with a sweet smile. She quickly picked up a fresh arrow from the massive quiver next to her, and drew out another shot. "Do you think I'll be able to out match you, soon?"
The princess snorted, her frizzy mess of hair bouncing around. "Maybe. I've been doing this since I was a wee lass, however, so I've got the experience."
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up, cheater." Izzy fired the next arrow, nailing it right next to the previous one, and shot her friend a smirk. "You had all that forest. I was stuck in the suburbs."
"No excuse, Iz!" Merida walked over and snagged the bow from Izzy, who walked off as they traded places. "You could set something up in your backyard, it has enough space."
Izzy rolled her eyes. "Tried that once… Let's just say my neighbour had a lot to complain about whenever I missed my shots."
"And how many did you miss?" Merida smirked at her friend.
Izzy looked off to the side. "All of them…" Her voice, which took on a squeaking and embarrassed tone, made the princess burst out laughing. The Psycho Hose Beast shot her friend a glare and put her hands on her hips. "Hey, cut me some slack! I never did it before!"
"I know, I know." Merida shook her head, taking a deep breath to calm back down. "I just love teasing you, Iz."
Izzy huffed and shook her head. When that knocked some loose hair into her face, she made a move to try and correct it.
It just so happened Merida glanced at her friend at this moment, just as she was drawing her bow. The princess watched her friend, and her heart began to feel weird when she saw Izzy brush a strand of hair out of her face.
The princess' eyes widened ever so slightly, and her grip began to waver. As did her legs, which she noticed and tried to correct.
This, most unfortunately, made her stumble and release the arrow, sending it flying through the air and into another part of the military hangar. There was a very distant, very faint crash, which made Izzy and Merida share a wide-eyed glance.
"What was that about?" The Psycho Hose Beast asked.
"I… I don't know", the princess admitted. She shook her head, and returned focus on the target in front of her. She pulled out another arrow, took aim, and fired.
It landed right in the bullseye, but Merida could've sworn she felt her heart thump when the pointed tip pierced the soft surface.
~
Merida let out a deep breath through her nose, kicking herself she didn't notice sooner. But… this couldn't be actually happening, right? She was Merida of Dun Broch, a princess who refused to accept a hand in marriage.
But maybe that was the issue. Unlike the clan leader's sons, she actually got to get to know Izzy, got to be herself. And they hung out over the course of a whole year, and not just a single morning. So they were just… closer, by retrospect.
The princess sighed and shielded her eyes with her arm, blocking out the world. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to help Izzy with her inner turmoil, not suddenly get sucked into her own. But then she thought… She didn't need to let that happen.
Sitting up carefully to not look suspicious, she let her thoughts wander towards how she could possibly deal with this. And it clicked: Be there for Izzy. It really was that simple. She could stay casual around Izzy, no crush was going to distract her. Then, when the Psycho Hose Beast felt better, she'd talk to her about these feelings.
Right now, Izzy's well being was the focus.
Merida steeled herself and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. When she opened them, she screamed when Sierra appeared right in her vision. The princess yelped and flinched back, catching the attention of everyone else.
The princess glared at the fangirl, then looked around her and looked at Heather angrily. "Bloody 'ell, Heather! Keep your damn dog on a leash!"
The Queen Bee scoffed. "She's just making sure you're ready for the next challenge. We almost lost last time!"
"And were saved by it being a reward challenge…" Leshawna said with a dangerous edge. "If Chris just decided to make it an elimination…"
"Get over that already, what's done is done."
Merida rolled her eyes and shoved Sierra away. The fangirl stumbled back and landed next to DJ, the brickhouse giving the disgruntled princess a glance.
"Mind explaining to me why you were right in my face?" The princess spat at the fangirl.
Sierra simply smiled obliviously. "It's just, after Izzy said everything she did, I was hoping you could tell me more about yourself so I could update my blogs when I get the chance!"
Merida was silent, let out a bark laugh, then shot the fangirl a dead-pan look. "No."
"What?!" The fangirl shot up and fell to her knees, making the princess uncomfortable at how desperate she was. "C'mon, please, I'm going to be doing the same to Alejandro, so just help your teammate out here."
"Yeah… No." The princess used her foot to push the superfan away. "My life is my own business, and you've done nothing to make me consider you an acquaintance, much less a friend."
"Just listen to her, Sierra", Courtney boredly droned out. "We all know Merida is pretty stubborn. And if she's Izzy's friend, I doubt she has much really going on."
Everyone jumped when Merida was suddenly standing over the Ex-CIT, slamming a fist into the metal wall next to her. Courtney flinched at the dark glare the princess was shooting her, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.
"I suggest you don't back talk my friend when she's not here to defend herself", Merida said in a low tone. "Because she doesn't need to put up with you. So just shut up."
Gwen looked uncomfortable, Cody looked nervous, and Heather looked bored. Sierra, meanwhile, pulled out a pen and notepad out of nowhere, scribbling down everything that was going down. With all the attention on her, the archer sighed and leaned back, massaging the fist she slammed in the wall with her other hand.
There was a noticeable dent, which made the Ex-CIT gulp fearfully.
When a certain Queen Bee scoffed, however, Merida whirled onto her. "So what, are you just Eva 2.0 now?"
"No", Merida said in a chilling tone. "I'm worse. So don't ever back talk Izzy or her friends." The princess began muttering in a thick Scottish accent as she left, hoping it would mask the downpour of curses she had built up over the last hour. Some understandable ones did slip out, which made DJ and Cody wince, while Sierra stopped her scribbling and very slightly paled.
But just before she could make it to the Common Area, the PA system sprung to like. Chris sounded through, mentioning something in German before speaking English. "In preparation for landing, please unbuckle your seatbelts and head to the Cargo Hold."
The princess rolled her eyes and walked into the Common Area, standing off to the side as everyone else headed towards the back. As soon as Team Chris walked by, with a somewhat tired Izzy trying to wake up and trailing behind them, Merida slid up and joined her friend.
"How was First Class for the second time in a row?" The princess said smugly, hoping Izzy moved on what Beth said yesterday.
"It was… fine…" Izzy said, her voice stuttering as she tried to avoid looking in Beth's direction.
Merida's smile fell. "So you're still held up about earlier?"
"How could I not be…" She looked off to the side. "Let's just drop it and move on."
The princess nodded and returned her attention to the group ahead, trying to suppress the urge to hold Izzy's hand in comfort. When they all reached the cargo hold, they all stood in a spot that rang a lot of red flags in the two redheads' minds. So, as discreetly as possible, they both took a step back.
"Now what?" Leshawna asked.
Immediately, the floor gave way, the very same hatch opening when they were in New York. Both redheads glanced down, shared a bored look, and jumped after their fellow contestants. They took more graceful poses as they fell, all the time soaring in the sky on previous endeavours really working out, and they landed firmly on the snow.
Instantly, Merida shivered and Izzy cursed under her breath. "We should've got ready…"
"Agreed…" The princess said through chattering teeth. She wasn't used to things being this cold, which made the Psycho Hose Beast glance at her in worry. But then she noticed how she wasn't shivering, and wasn't honestly that cold, and-
Merida nudging her snapped her out of her thoughts, and she glanced at her friend. The princess gave her a hard look that said everything, and Izzy silently looked down in understanding.
As everyone recovered from the sudden drop, Chris came down with a parachute and large fan, in the loneliest form of hang gliding ever.
"Guten Tag und willkommen to Deutschland!" The host whispered. "AKA Germany." There was an ominous shake. "We're in avalanche territory soooooo… You might might want to keep it down."
"What!?" Lindsay suddenly screeched excitedly. "There's a sale at the Kacky Barn?!" She let out an ear-shattering squeal that echoed through the snowy peak, making everyone wince. When the snow above began to shift dangerously, Tyler and Cody covered her mouth.
"Welcome to today's musical challenge", the host continued. A familiar double ding sounded off, making Izzy's eye twitch. "Avoid The Songalanche! To avoid a potentially fatal tumble down the mountain and a sucktaular climb back up, you better keep the singing nice and not loud."
A musical backing started up, but all Merida did was roll her eyes and start the arduous climb up. Izzy was watching it all go down, only to be tugged along when the princess grabbed her hand.
"What are you doing?!" Izzy hissed, glancing nervously at the peak.
"I'd rather sing at the top or on our inevitable slide back down", the princess grumbled back. "I am not singing now. Especially this… whatever this is…"
"Maybe we can just do our own thing?" Izzy whispered. "Like back when we first took off before Egypt?"
"That's better…"
The Psycho Hose Beast nodded, and pulled her phone out and began to cycle through the massive list of songs. Soon, she came across what she was looking for, and selected it.
As the redheads climbed, separating themselves from the others, the soft melody of Northern Downpour be Panic! At The Disco began to hum through the air. Izzy sang softly as the twin redheads began to scale a more rocky but snow free part of the mountain.
If all our life is but a dream
Fantastic posing greed
Then we should feed our jewelery to the sea
For diamonds do appear to be
Just like broken glass to me
Merida took over the next part, closing her eyes and swaying with the calming rhythm of the beat. Izzy found herself somewhat distracted, watching her friend with this odd feeling bubbling in her gut. When she noticed, she buried it.
And then she said she can't believe
Genius only comes along
In storms of fabled foreign tongues
Tripping eyes, and flooded lungs
Northern downpour sends its love
For the next verse, Izzy took one like while Merida took the other, both of them so accustomed to this sort of impromptu singing because of most of their friends. Especially Maria and Manolo. Those two were crazy good.
Hey moon, please forget to fall down
Hey moon, don't you go down
The wild child and princess sang together, their movements synced as they hopped from rock to rock. They both had massive smiles on their faces, and occasionally helped each other up some fairly large boulders.
Sugarcane in the easy mornin'
Weather-vanes my one and lonely
Izzy sang solo again, twirling on one of the larger rocks. She kept her eyes closed, and thus didn't notice Merida staring at her with this stare. One that wished for more. When the Psycho Hose Beast stopped singing, the archer shook her head.
The ink is running toward the page
It's chasin' off the days
Look back at both feet
And that winding kneeI missed your skin when you were east
You clicked your heels and wished for me
As Merida took over again, both redheads looked over as they watched Tyler shout in joy, triggering a massive avalanche. While all the contestants were swept up in it, both girls shared a smile as they continued their climb uninterrupted.
Through playful lips made of yarn
That fragile Capricorn
Unraveled words like moths upon old scarves
I know the world's a broken bone
But melt your headaches, call it home
The princess continued to sing as the song winded down. As she helped Izzy over a cliff so they were on the main path, the wild child felt something bubble in her as she and Merida locked eyes. Both of them smiled at each other, and when they were situated, they continued towards the peak.
Hey moon, please forget to fall down
Hey moon, don't you go down
Izzy looked over her shoulder and spotted Owen. But when he looked at him… she felt different. She couldn't quite place it…
Sugarcane in the easy mornin'
Weather-vanes my one and lonely
With the song ending, Merida repeated the previous chorus two more times as Izzy sang a separate part. Despite being entirely different lyrics, it was still beautifully in sync, almost harmonious.
Sugarcane in the easy mornin' (Hey moon, please forget to fall down)
Weather-vanes my one and lonely (Hey moon, don't you go down)
Sugarcane in the easy mornin' (You are at the top of my lungs)
Weather-vanes my one and lonely (Drawn to the ones who never yawn)
With the pair at the top, they were greeted with Chris in a funny hat and brown coat standing before one of three massive machines with piles of raw meat resting next to each of them.
"What the bloody 'ell is this?" Merida asked in confusion.
"Just slow your roll, Merida", Chris said with his hands raised. "Wait till everyone shows up, then I'll explain."
The princess shrugged while Izzy giggled, and the two of them stood by and waited for the others to show up. Knowing how tall this mountain was, and the fact everyone was sent right down to the bottom, both girls knew they'd be here for a while.
~X~
After a half hour of waiting, both redheads nearly falling asleep until a gasp jolted them awake.
"Food!" Owen cried out. He ran over the crest of the peak, the others all coming up behind him, and dove straight into the closest mound of meat. "It's beautiful!"
Izzy cringed as she and Merida joined the others.
"Easy tiger", the host said. The loveable lug paused his eating, and everyone looked at Chris as he grinned.
The host gestured towards the meat. "Don't think of this as raw meat. Think of this as raw building material. Over fifteen hundred species of sausage call Germany home, hence the theme of out most efficient challenge yet!"
"SHUT UP UN STUFF IT!" Chef shouted as he suddenly appeared from the meat mound Owen was eating.
"Danke, Chef." The host said before walking off. "Each team must make a giant German sausage by shovelling meat into the grinder, push it down, and grind the mixture into an oversized sausage casing. All without losing a finger or toe."
"Meat grinding…" Izzy heard Alejandro mumble. It clicked in her head, and she smiled lightly.
"What about thumbs?" Owen asked as he glanced at his. "Are they cool…?"
"I'm sorry… Sausages?!" Heather complained. "This is the most disgusting challenge yet!"
"I don't know, I've been stuck with you all season and been fine", Merida mentioned out loud with a smirk. Heather's eyes bugged out as everyone tried and failed to contain their laughter. Even Chris and Chef were struggling to hold it in.
The Queen Bee shot a venomous glare at the princess, who returned with one of equal strength back in opposition. It was a sight to behold, and Izzy admitted it was kinda hotimpressive.
"Anyway…", Chris said as he took a deep breath to get back on track. "Just be glad you aren't making hot dogs. No beaks, butts or hooves in this meat pile."
Merida and Heather both paled, Izzy gagged, and DJ turned around so he could throw up.
"You'll have to shovel fast", the host continued, "or risk getting stuck with an incomplete sausage. Which will be a lot harder to ride down the hill." The host pointed in a general direction, and everyone glanced over to see a fairly calm and relaxing hillside. "Uhhhh, no, not that hill." Everyone looked over a bit more and saw a steep hillside with dead trees and jagged rocks in the way. "That's the spot!"
Lightning suddenly struck a random spot as everyone looked at the descent in horror. Izzy, particularly, looked very distressed.
"Of course", Chris mentioned. "If you had a shiny new electric meat grinder, just plug'er into our portable generator and Voila! Sausage stuffed in seconds!"
Alejandro held up Team Chris's meat grinder won in the last challenge with a grin, which made Owen and Tyler cheer, Eva and Noah smirk, and Izzy smile lightly. Her mind was still stuck on the hill. Heather and Merida glared at each other and started butting heads, angry they lost such a simple advantage.
"Speakin' of rewards", Leshawna pressed. "Can we expect one at the end of this salmonella challenge?"
Owen's gut rumbled. "Mmmmmm, salmonella."
"Oh, there will be prizes who make it down the hill alive", Chris said with a smirk. "And, there will be punishment for the one sorry loser on the last place team." He spun around and gestured to Chef, who held up a very small lederhosen. "Behold, the Penaltyhosen!"
The cook blew the massive horn he was next to, and Chris called for the challenge to start. The teams all headed towards a grinder each, with Team Chris in particular heading over with an intern pushing the generator closer.
"So how does this work exactly?" Eva asked as she looked between the small grinder, the large one, and the generator.
"I think we plug our grinder in here", Noah said, opening a little hatch that had a different sort of outlet. Alejandro held up the small grinder, confused, until he realised it had two cords.
"Excellent eye, amigo!" The Spaniard praised, quickly plugging in both cords (one into the generator and the other into the large grinder). With it all hooked up, the team leader clicked on the small grinder, and the large one started to turn it's crank on its own.
"Perfect." Alejandro turned to his team. "Owen, you're on stuffing duty. Noah, make sure he doesn't eat any of the meat. Eva and Izzy, you're on shovel duty. Tyler and I will get the meat into the grinder.
Everyone nodded, although the bookworm and fitness buff were slower than the others, and everyone went to work.
Merida watched all of this from her team's grinder, her eye twitching when Heather and Courtney got into another argument.
"Well I was the one that got the baby carriage!" Heather roared from atop the grinder. She flinched when more meat was shovelled up next to her.
"Just shut up, Heather!" Courtney spat in frustration. "We don't care about what you did back in New York!"
"So just try and do your part!" Gwen complained from her spot next to the casing.
"What, like her?" All the Amazons looked over, and much to their disgust and mild horror, Sierra was building a Cody sculpture out of some of the meat, even going as far as to kiss it.
Merida saw it all with wide-eyes, and snarled, gripping her shovel tightly. Realising she was just dragging the team down, the princess stopped over to the fangirl, tapped her shoulder.
And when Sierra spun around, and slammed in the face with the flat end of Merida's shovel.
All of Team Amazon winced at the comical sounding bang, and watched as Merida dragged a now unconscious Sierra and the meat Cody back over, a frustrated scowl on her face. With a burst of strength, the princess tossed the fangirl at Cody's feet, before shovelling the meat sculpture apart and back into the main pile.
"Heather, you better stuff", Merida growled. "Or I'll have you be some of the meat we use."
The Queen Bee scoffed, only to eat a fateful of raw meat from her teammate rival. Merida smirked and shared a high-five with Courtney before focusing on her task. As she shovelled the meat, the princess looked over at Team Chris, watching Izzy join Noah in keeping Owen from eating the raw meat. It was endearing, being an outsider to their hyjinx.
It reminded her a lot of how herself, Izzy and Majima would try to spark trouble. Of course, Merida would be the voice of reason, and rein things in if they got too extreme. But that's what she liked about Izzy, and how she listened to the princess.
Glancing at Izzy again, Merida frowned again when she saw the Psycho Hose Beast kissed Owen on the cheek as their sausages filled up. The princess shook her head, not wanting these jealous thoughts to warp her. So she just returned her focus to shovelling and ignored the bubbling inside her when she spotted Izzy shake her head, sending her new pigtails bouncing around wildly.
Merida fought to not visibly blush, trying her best to ignore how pretty Izzy really did look.
Luckily, she was snapped out of her stupor when Team Chris cheered with their finished sausage. Team Victory followed shortly after, and Team Amazon watched as both opposing teams headed down the hillside. Luckily, their sausage was finished just then, and the team scrambled to catch up.
Sierra was luckily coming back to consciousness, and Gwen decided to sit behind her so the fangirl didn't fall off, with Courtney in front. With one big push, the final team was barreling downhill after the other two. Snow from the other sausages kicked up and made it hard to see, but the Amazons persevered and pushed on.
"Forgot to mention!" Chris called down at them. "Watch out for the rabid mountain goats! They're super deadly!"
"Oh of course!" Merida cried. Her team sped along, with Heather steering. Sadly, that was a huge mistake, and the Queen Bee decided to try and steer the team towards what looked like a faster path. All that did happen was their sausage getting launched into the air and crashing with Team Victory, which snowballed into them colliding with Team Chris. Everyone was sucked up into a massive snowball, which flattened the mountain goat Chris warned about with no mercy. Then the snowy boulder hit a rock, which split the three teams up once again on their appropriate sausages.
Everyone was so shocked about what just happened they didn't move till the crossed the finish line, Team Chris in first, Team Victory second, and Amazon in third.
Sadly, no one registered when they stopped, which still resulted in everyone crashing into a beautiful heap of carnage.
Chris smiled down at everyone as they all groaned. "Congrats on arriving first, Team Chris Is Reeeeeaaaaalllly Hot!"
"Dids we won???" Owen asked in delirious confusion, poking out of a mound of snow and sausage meat.
"Onto part drei of today's challenge!" The host continued. "Competitors must learn and perform a traditional German dance on this very platform." He gestured to the wooden platform he was standing on, which had twelve mats right out of Dance Dance Revolution on it. "The mats are rigged to deliver a hilarious, and painful, jolt every time one of you missteps. Or, when I need a laugh. Last team standing wins!"
"Where's the reward you promised?" Leshawna demanded, making Izzy and Merida simultaneously roll their eyes. She's been demanding about rewards since after the first challenge, it's getting kind of stale.
"Patience, min flower", Chris said, before continuing his explanation. "Team Chris Is Really Really Really Really Hot, first to arrive, first to get the reward." Chef tossed Izzy's team four heavy biker helmets with a spike on top.
Noah barely caught his, but struggled to hold it. "These weigh a ton!"
"Yes they do. Team Victory…" Chef tossed them four fluffy ushankas.
"Ooooo, these are all the rage in Paris!" Lindsay said gleefully.
"And in last place… Team Amazon." Chef tossed them four hats that looked identical to the one the host was wearing, orange feather and all.
"Maybe it's reverse psychology?" Sierra said, fully lucid and aware, as she put on her hat. "The losing team gets the best reward?"
"Whatever lets you sleep at night", the host deadpanned. He smiled again right after. "Now then, since Team Elusive Victory is down by two, let's even it up. Amazon and Chris Is Really Really Really Hot, four dance, two sit out."
On Team Amazon, Heather, Sierra, Cody and Gwen stepped forward.
On Team Chris, Izzy, Noah, Owen and Alejandro did.
"And Victory, all of you have to dance. Got it?" The third team nodded.
The host grinned, pointing to the Amazons. "And which member of the losing team must wear… du Penaltyhosen?"
Izzy cocked an eyebrow as Chris decided that Cody would be the unlucky one to wear the small outfit, despite Sierra jumping up and down and crying out that she wanted to wear it. Izzy adjusted her helmet as Cody mumbled towards a temporary changing booth, dread painted all over his face.
Merida decided to walk over right then, glancing her friend up and down.
"What's with the look?" Izzy asked with a smirk.
The princess shrugged. "Just looking. I will say, you do look good in a helmet like that." She paused to think for a moment. "Maybe after all of this is over, we can bug Zomboss to make you one."
"Oooooooo, yes! That'd be awesome!"
As the two redheads chatted, Owen glanced over at them, a thoughtful look on his face. Maybe what he wanted to say could wait… And even then, it was clear it wouldn't be that bad.
~X~
A while later, all of the selected dancers were on the platform and ready. Noah was next to Cody, and the bookworm laughed at the geek's misfortune. "How are the hosen treating ya'?"
"It feels like someone gave my wedgie a wedgie", the poor boy whined. They were silenced when Chef blew his horn from earlier right in their face.
"That German, for shut up!" Chef barked. "Follow my lead and no one gets hurt! Yet…" The strong-man cook tossed the horn away effortlessly and began to show off the dance, with all the other contestants mimicking his movements. Izzy sighed, not at all happy she was being subjected to this.
She saw Basic Straining, and Chef just isn't a dancer… kind of. At least not one good enough to be an instructor.
Of course, however, no one actually ended up paying attention to the cook, and soon everyone started to just dance on their own volition. No one was replicating Chef's slap dance, and it was kind of sad to watch.
But Izzy wasn't focused on that, no. It was the fact that everyone were getting the moves wrong, and not a single electric shock was being delivered. That changed when Owen, who looked faint, was shocked harshly.he released a burp, which forced Alejandro and Izzy next to him not to gag.
With the danger made very much real, everyone soon started copying Chef's movements. But that seemed for naught, as Chris soon pressed the button, and everyone was electrocuted. For a good minute. Izzy's teeth clenched together as her whole system locked up, her pupils dilating in pain.
"Chris, you psycho!" Merida roared, glaring at the host. Courtney held her arm to keep her from assaulting the host, who simply grinned at the threat.
"It's challenge time!" Chris announced as he released the button. All selected dancers stumbled around, dazed and somewhat smoking from the excessive electrocution. Izzy stumbled around before she landed on a mat different from her own, which soon raised into the air.
"Last person standing on their platform wins a challenge for their team", the host explained. "This is gonna be fun… GO!"
Izzy looked at who she was facing, and twitched when she saw Lindsay.
"Oh, hey Isandra", the blonde obviously said. "What… What are we supposed to be doing?"
"This", Izzy said bluntly before kicking the blonde off her mat and into the snowbank below. She glanced at her teammates and cringed. Noah, and Owen were both out, leaving only her and Alejandro. Looking around, she saw Amazon had only Heather and Sierra left standing, and Victory only had DJ and Leshawna.
Chef brought the platforms down again, and Izzy was paired against DJ. The brickhouse looked scuffed, and definitely not battle ready.
"Sorry about this DJ", Izzy said sympathetically before kicking the brickhouse off his pedestal. When he recovered, he shot the Psycho Hose Beast a thumbs up in understanding, which made Izzy smile. As she glanced around, she saw Leshawna, Heather and Sierra were all still standing, which made her shiver.
And rightfully so, as she was paired against Sierra, the girl she knew looked at strong as Eva.
When Chris announced for the final round to start, slaps and kicks went flying between the two girls. It was intense, and from below, Merida was cheering on Izzy. She knew she should cheer for her teammate, but right now she needed Izzy to win. The Psycho Hose Beast needed this.
As the two hyperactive girls clashed, there was the sound of confrontation behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, Izzy's eyes widened to the sighed of Leshawna attacking Heather. Not even in the context of the challenge, just straight up attacking the Queen Bee when she already lost.
Sierra noticed too, and paused as they watched Chef pull the two apart.
"Just focus on winning, Iz!" Eva cried.
"Smoke her, Sierra!" Courtney called out.
The rest of their teammates all began to cheer them on, and sent a glare at the superfan.
"C'mon, Sierra", the Psycho Hose Beast growled as the two pulled apart and stood in stances that bobbed in time with the music. "We both know you can't beat me, so let's just make this simple."
The fangirl scoffed. "Unlikely. I know so much about you, I need the content for my blogs after all."
Izzy's eye twitched. "No, you don't."
Sierra paused. "Yeah, I don't. But is you told me what you did when you vanished from action, then I really would."
A jolt of rage coursed through Izzy. "I won't ever tell you, and you won't ever know."
"Well, I know you have a lot of friends…" The fangirl tried to do a cheap slap, but Izzy dodged it. "They must really mean a lot to you."
"Shut up!" The wild child roared. Before anyone could react, Izzy did a sweeping kick that tripped the fangirl, only to follow up with a powerful slap that sent her off the platform and into the snow. As Izzy let out heavy breaths, her team cheered and clapped and the Amazons sans Merida groaning in defeat, she looked at her arm. She could make out the faintest appearance of what looked to be a lime green fire grazing her skin, and remembered something important.
"Remember, Izzy-Chan", Majima said with a sadistic grin, standing over the pile of defeated thugs. "You can use what I taught you whenever. Just be sure to be discreet about it."
She blinked, staring off into space as her team cheered more. She just cheated. She used something she wasn't supposed to in the game. She did something she never should've been able to.
Before her thoughts spiralled more, Chris, out of sheer boredom, pressed the button on his remote. Izzy cried out as electricity coursed through her, her hair frizzing and pupils dilating.
Merida growled and chucked a snowball at the host, forcing him to drop his remote. He shot Merida a glare, but she just shrugged innocently.
"Well, with that, Team Me Is Really Stupid Crazy Hot wins for the third time in a row!" The host announced with his usual show stopping smile. "There'll be fresh baked strudels waiting for you in First Class!"
Team Chris all did calmer celebrations, with Alejandro simply smirking and nodded.
"Team Amazon, once again you're in winner not total loser purgatory." Heather, still in pain from Leshawna's beat down, scowled the best she could while the rest of the team looked downtrodden. Except Merida, who was happy they didn't need to boot someone.
"Team Opposite Of Victory, you're voting someone out." Said team frowned, with Lindsay and Beth sharing a sad look. Seemed like they already had an idea of who to vote out.
"With that, we're done here. Everyone back to the plane!" The host jumped off the platform and began to walk towards the plane, which had landed not too far away. Izzy, still frazzled from the shock, joined her team who all congratulated her.
"Gotta say, Iz", Noah said with a smirk. "Didn't know you had it in ya'."
"It was awesome!" Owen cheered, his volume making Alejandro cringe.
"Seriously wicked moves back there!" Tyler complimented.
"Where'd you learn that?" Eva asked with a raised brow.
"My friend…" She glanced to make sure Sierra wasn't listening, then continued. "Majima. The yakuza I told you guys about, he taught me that."
"I must say, his skills are not like I've ever seen before", the Spaniard said in a calm tone. "I bet he's proud of you, if he's watching the show."
"I think he is", Izzy said with a smile. She kept smiling as everyone boarded the plane, but before she had a chance to catch up with her team, Merida swooped in from nowhere and dragged her off into the Cargo Hold. Izzy was left so confused as her friend sat her down on a box, then looked at her with hands on her hips.
"Merry, what's this about?" Izzy asked.
Merida remained silent for a moment before sighing and crossing her arms. "I called Caleb during our break after New York. When you came in to chat after opening those apples."
Izzy suddenly didn't have the courage to look her friend in the eye. "It was just an episode. Don't worry about it."
"Izzy, that wasn't-"
"I said I'm fine!" Izzy said firmly, maybe a bit too loudly. She caught herself, and looked off to the side. "Sorry, it's just this show is just really stressing me out. Right now I want to enjoy some strudels with my team and relax, okay?"
Merida was silent, before sighing. "Okay, yeah. Just know I'm here for you, got it?"
Izzy nodded with a smile and left the Hold, leaving Merida to stew in her own thoughts. She let out a tired grown and sat down on the crate Izzy did earlier. "What am I supposed to do, Caleb?" She asked into thin air. "Izzy just locks herself up. She won't open up to anyone…"
The princess gained a downcast look, her hair covering her face.
"And it also doesn't bloody help I've got a god forsaken crush on her!" The princess hissed and jumped up, whirling around and kicking the crate. With everything stilling after, the archer sighed deeply. "Just do what you can, Merida. Izzy is your friend, and she needs you."
With that, the princess straightened herself out and left the Cargo Hold, hoping things will pick up soon. She could only hope…
~
(Confessional - In the heat of the Alps)
Izzy - "I gotta say, I do feel a bit better." She smiled at the camera. "After everything that happened between the end of New York and the start of here, I've been… off, is all I'll say. But now I feel so much better!"
She giggled. "I got to completely destroy Sierra, and me and Merry had another song together! Yeah, things are going to get better… I hope. I'll update that after next challenge."
~
Merida - She sighed, then gave the camera a determined look. "My team has lost three times in a row, and I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen again." Her eye twitched. "It's just so bloody hard with Heather and Sierra. One's a bitch and the other is a freak. Both of them make me lose my mind!"
She took a deep breath to calm herself. "No, no, no. I'm going to relax, and not let it get to me. I need to help my team, and help Izzy. Both are my top priority." She gave the camera a confident look. "I'm not a princess for nothing."
~X~
And thus ends another chapter! First chapter of the second quarter is done! Yes, I'm breaking this fic up into quarters, where each Aftermath episode is the end of the quarter. It's just easier to group them up like this.
Now, this is more of a chapter just continuing things that were set up previously, not a whole lot new. Yes, I am doing this with the crush, and I am keeping up the continuity from DCT. You ain't gonna stop me.
But regardless, this was a fun chapter. Hope y'all enjoyed!
Up next: A trip to the world's largest and densest jungle brings with it a whole host of problems, where Izzy's bond with the rest of E-Scope is tested, and Merida's patience with her team peaks…
~Caleb~