Chef and Chris stood in front of the statue at the plaza.
"Last time, on Total Drama Pizza Party!" Chef began. "With the number of players gettin' noticeably smaller, everyone began to realize at once how close the end a' the game really is."
"It's all fun and games until the million bucks becomes visible on the horizon, they say," Chris smiled.
"What's that from? Scripture?" Chef remarked. "Anyway, it seemed like everyone had the Pepperoni Red Pair in their crosshairs for one reason or another, while the gruesome twosome did what they could to keep themselves afloat. In Sawyer's case, it was doin' her best to assert dominance like she always does. In Orson's case, it was layin' low n' plantin' seeds of distrust whenever he could."
"Didn't really stop them from being targets, but sometimes a big group of people can decide you're beyond redemption. It happens to us all," Chris said bitterly.
"Chris, you nearly killed several minors in the past," Chef pointed out.
"Yeah, in the past!" Chris emphasized.
"Other highlights of the episode include Veronica strugglin' with the fact that others don't think she's grown as much as she thinks she has, n' Brynleigh strugglin' with the fact that she has to actually engage with people if she wants to secure her position in the game," Chef segued.
"Charlie came to realize that it's time he prioritize his own game before helping anyone else, Remi grew even more frustrated with Veronica not taking the game as seriously as he thinks she should, and Pavel and Ichabod tried their best to work past how prickly they both are by default," Chris added.
"Our challenge had the players racin' to stand on the right tile in a short time limit, else they fall into the fruity syrup below!" Chef recapped. "N' everyone's plans got thrown for a loop when the Red Pair ended up winnin' Invincibility, n' sent the Sausage Brown Pair into the Half n' Half Challenge."
"The best laid plans, eh Chef?" Chris snickered.
"You love to see it sometimes," Chef agreed. "The Mushroom Blue Pair ended up facin' the Brown Pair in the duel: a 3D puzzle. It was close, n' both pairs learned a little somethin' about listenin' to each other n' workin' together. It was almost sweet, if two of those kids didn't lose a million bucks by the end of it!"
"Eh, learning lessons is overrated," Chris shrugged.
"Even if the lesson is 'don't put minors in life-threatenin' situations'?" Chef questioned.
"Okay, you listen here," Chris grunted.
"The Mushroom Blue Pair ended up just losin' the Half n' Half," Chef ignored. "N' now we're down to our last three pairs. We've got a special surprise in store for our players today. What's it gonna be? N' who's gonna win the final Pineapple of the season? It's all happenin' right here, on Total! Drama! Pizza Party!"
After the elimination, Orson and Sawyer met up at the edge of the park. Orson waved at Sawyer, who immediately cleared her throat.
"Alright then," Sawyer said. "That did not go entirely according to plan."
"I suppose on the bright side, despite our allies being gone… things should still work out," Orson responded. "I have put some work towards turning Purple and Brown against each other, hopefully that work will pay dividends."
Sawyer twitched slightly. "You put in some work, eh?"
"Well, yes," Orson smiled. "It would be inefficient if I just sat around doing nothing all day, and unfortunately we do not have our allies anymore to discuss things with."
Sawyer laughed slightly.
"Why are you laughing?" Orson asked.
"Honestly, I'm glad our 'allies' are gone," Sawyer snickered. "All of them were nuisances that did nothing but impede my progress. Good riddance, I say."
"I considered Panic and Charlie to be my friends," Orson frowned.
As he said this, Sawyer laughed harder.
"I hardly find this funny," Orson said.
"You seriously think you and them are friends at this point?!" Sawyer yelled. "If so, you are dimmer than I took you for. You psychologically manipulated them and made Panic cry in front of the entire cast! Excellent touch, by the way."
"Well I–" Orson began.
"Do you seriously thinking that after all the damage you've caused people, and the way everyone has begun to treat you like a pariah, that you still have any friends in this game?" Sawyer smirked.
"That is the predicament," Orson sighed. "People take this game too seriously, I think."
"Taking this game too seriously is a trait most people share," Sawyer said. "Whether you want to believe it or not, some people would say you also take the game too seriously."
"Me?" Orson asked. "I treat this game as I believe it should be, a game of human interaction. The details of the interactions need to be analyzed and stored for further use. At the end of the day, after this game, none of that will have any bearing on real life."
"Sounds like you take this game a lot more seriously than the other idiots who claim to know what they're talking about," Sawyer pointed out. "Regardless, it does not matter that much."
"Well, then that's just a matter of opinion," Orson said. "I just think this game's minutiae–"
"You can lament the psychological part of this game later, there is still a game to be played," Sawyer chastised. "So get your head in the damn game and stick to the plan!"
"Plan?" Orson raised an eyebrow. "Is this another one of those 'plans' that fall into your lap and you continue to take credit for?"
"Excuse me?" Sawyer scoffed.
"No, do indulge me," Orson emphasised. "The plan is what? Win the challenge? There is no 'plan' left except for that, Sawyer."
"You are messing with the wrong bitch here if you think you are allowed to talk to me like that," Sawyer snarled at Orson.
"The authority you supposedly hold in your real life does not translate here, this is a new, separate world," Orson condemned. "Despite how much you really want to, you hold no true power here. I think I will be taking my leave now."
As Orson said this, he then turned around and walked off.
"Hey, you idiot, get back here!" Sawyer yelled, to no avail.
Sawyer: "Where the hell did he get the idea that he could talk to me like that? Huh? Absolutely fucking unacceptable! It makes me sick to know I can't even wrangle control of someone as weak willed as Orson! If I can't even stop him from being a problem, then what good even am I as a leader?"
Orson: "Sawyer is extremely certain that her ideas are the only way forward, and yet her confidence has only continued to push others away. Frankly, Sawyer has become a nuisance to me, and serves to get in my way more often than now. I see the merit in the philosophy Sawyer holds about power and authority in the business world, but that kind of thinking will only continue to isolate herself more."
As everyone wound down and headed to bed, Remi noticed Veronica sitting on a couch in the rest area, fidgeting to herself.
"Roni?" Remi asked. "You feeling alright?"
"Ah! Remi," Veronica smiled. "I... well, actually, would you mind sitting down?"
"Of course," Remi agreed, concerned as he complied.
"I..." Veronica gulped. "Be honest with me, Remi. Am I truly holding you back?!"
"Huh?" Remi blinked.
"I know you think I do, but you've been too simple and kindhearted to tell me outright," Veronica continued. "But I must hear it directly from you! I fear I may simply regress in my ways once again if you do not tell me so!"
"Roni, I've never thought you were holding me back," Remi told her. He sighed. "I know I lost my cool with you a few times recently, and I'm sorry about that. ...If you want my honest thoughts, it has been frustrating that you don't seem to care about whether we win."
"Of course I want to win!" Veronica objected. "Who doesn't?"
"I get that, but I've gotten the impression that you put more stock into whether you can have fun playing the game or not," Remi clarified. "Which, again, I get it, but... again, I've wanted this so bad ever since I was a kid. You see why I might get upset seeing you play kind of reckless when my fate is in your hands just as much as mine?"
"...Did Brynleigh tell you about the plan I told her last night?" Veronica blanched.
"No. Is that something I should know about?" Remi inquired.
"Absolutely not. Simply a passing idea, doomed to failure from its conception, which gained no traction, please do your best to forget I even mentioned it!" Veronica babbled.
"Alrighty then," Remi agreed.
"But see, you do think I'm holding you back," Veronica pouted. "Because I don't understand how all the strategy and things such as that work. I'm just that sheltered Veronica, too pure and innocent to know the difference between a smart alliance and a reckless one."
"Roni, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't put words in my mouth," Remi sighed.
"Am I, though?!" Veronica cried. She teared up. "Because it sounds to me like you still think being my partner is making everything harder for you! Like you could win far more easily if you had anyone else on your side!"
Remi sighed again, holding his forehead. "I'm sorry if that's how I'm coming across."
...
"You're sorry because it's not how you truly feel, yes?" Veronica asked hopefully.
"Roni, please don't corner me like this," Remi frowned.
"I just want you to be honest with me, Remi!" Veronica wailed. Tears streamed down her face. "Just admit that you think me trying my best isn't good enough for you! Admit you wish you had another partner!"
"Right now? Maybe I do!" Remi snapped. He shook his head. "Roni, I-" He paused. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
He headed for the boys' sleeping area.
Remi: "Of course I regret some of the things I said last night. But at the same time, it's like... she just wore me down, man. Roni's my friend and all, but it felt like she was projecting her insecurities onto me, and I don't think that's fair." Remi threw his hands up. "Sure, maybe she's not the optimal partner, but she's my partner, and we've made it this far together. Right? I don't know, man."
Veronica: "No matter how much I try, Remi still thinks I'm just goofing around and not taking this game seriously. All because I'm not playing the same way he wants to play! And now he's come out and said it outright: he wishes he had a different partner. Well, you know what? Maybe I wish I had a different partner, too! How do you feel about that, Remi?!"
The next morning, Pavel noticed Brynleigh nearby Sugari-La, and rushed over to her.
"How'd I know I'd see ya here?" Pavel asked.
"What, are you stalking me or something? Weirdo," Brynleigh crossed her arms.
"Nah dude, I just know you've been here practically every day since we learned it existed," Pavel chuckled.
"...Fair enough," Brynleigh relented. "But don't say it like that, you sound like a creep."
"What? Saying I figured you'd be here makes me look like a creep?" Pavel asked.
"Yeah, a bit," Brynleigh shook her head.
"Point taken, I guess," Pavel said.
The two stood there silently for a moment, before Pavel cleared his throat.
"Well, um, anyway, I just wanted to check in to say we did some good work last night," Pavel smiled. "We were able to take down the Blue team, they were some tough dudes, man."
"Yeah, pretty good work, especially thanks to my brilliant planning," Brynleigh smiled. "I guess you didn't do terribly either."
"You know what, I'll take it I guess," Pavel's smile faded from his face. "I'm just glad we're still here to fight another day."
"Yeah, yeah, dude," Brynleigh responded dismissively as she entered the Sugari-La area. Pavel followed her in. "We just need to make it to the end now and get that cash!"
"Honestly, I'm just happy to know we've made it this far," Pavel chirped. "It really feels like we can start to move–"
"Are you stupid?" Brynleigh raised an eyebrow. "We still need to focus on getting the prize! Seriously."
"Well, if you'd let me finish, maybe you'd realize I was gonna say that I'm happy to be here, but I am ready to get back into gear for the prize!" Pavel twitched slightly.
"Whatever, dude," Brynleigh grumbled. "It's not a big deal. Don't get your panties in a wad!"
"It is a big deal!" Pavel raised his voice. "I've deferred to you a lot in this game, and it feels like I'm really not getting any sorta respect in return!"
Brynleigh rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You're lucky I even give you the time of day after how shittily you treated me earlier in the game! But you don't need to worry about me, you need to worry about not freaking the fuck out every day and just chilling out!"
"I'll show you chill!" Pavel yelled, before catching himself. He looked at Brynleigh, took a deep breath, and rushed off.
After Pavel was out of sight, Brynleigh exhaled loudly. "Jeez, that was a rough one. I really showed him. I guess it's time for some breakfast…"
Brynleigh: Brynleigh shook her head and sighed. "I know that like, Pavel is trying or whatever… but he just blows up all the time and it's really hard to 'let him in' and all that when he's one small thing away from being a raving lunatic! I don't have time for all that, I have my own shit to deal with! Like, I dunno, winning?!"
Pavel: "It's getting so hard to keep control out here. And as we get closer to the prize, it is just getting worse. I'm really really trying to remember some of those old phrases I was taught in my program, but none of them are helping me calm down. This is something else, man. It's gonna be a rough day, I can just feel it."
The contestants gathered in front of the Burger Boy fountain at the plaza. Chef and Chris stood before them with grins on their faces.
"This had better be important," Sawyer reprimanded. "Do you have any idea how important it is that I keep everything on schedule? Projects live and die by optimization, you know."
"We're the ones runnin' the show. You ain't," Chef glowered.
"I mean, we were gonna do something nice for you guys, but maybe if you're going to be like that, we could just make you guys hang out with Jacqueline and Peter all day," Chris chuckled.
Sawyer sighed. "What do you have for me?"
"Eh, maybe we should give Sawyer her treat last, what do you think?" Chris snickered to Chef.
"Sounds good to me!" Chef agreed.
"The first shall be last and the last shall be first, they say," Remi nodded.
"Does that make you second to last?" Orson wondered.
Remi didn't respond. Orson's brows furrowed.
"Today's challenge is gonna be kinda special," Chef said. "But the challenge won't come until the usual time."
"So why'd you drag us all the way here when nothing's changing?!" Brynleigh accused. "I bet whatever you have for us isn't even worth it."
"Let's see what Pavel thinks about that," Chef decided. "Everyone, I'd like y'all to meet Clayton!"
"Clayton?!" Pavel reacted.
On cue, a man with a shaved head, blazer, graphic tee, and jeans jogged onto the scene.
"There he is! The human phoenix rising from the ashes!" Clayton smiled. "Ready to conquer the day, my friend?"
"Holy shit. What's he doing here?" Pavel asked the hosts. "I mean, not that I'm not happy to see you! Just didn't expect it, is all."
"And what do we say about when life doesn't go as planned?" Clayton led.
"Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff!" Pavel beamed.
"Who's the doofus?" Brynleigh asked.
"Clayton's my sponsor," Pavel explained. "He's done a ton to help me get back on my feet after juvie."
"I've encouraged Pavel, but true strength comes from within," Clayton said. "Always remember: the only limits are the ones you let exist in your mind."
"So true!" Pavel grinned. "Because tough times don't last, but tough people do!"
"Good, good, that's exactly what I want to hear," Clayton encouraged.
Brynleigh grimaced as he and Pavel shared a hug. "Great, I forgot about this side of Pavel. Now I see where he got it."
"Ah ah ah, negativity is a bridge Pavel burned long ago," Clayton reprimanded. "It's what's given him the drive to make it so far into the game."
"That's my partner in the game, Brynleigh," Pavel introduced.
"Oh, it's almost like you're her little sponsor, in a way," Clayton chuckled. "And I see you still aren't one to shy away from a challenge."
"Yeah, that's about the only thing he's good for," Brynleigh huffed.
"Bryn, he... eh, nevermind," Pavel said.
"Ah, what have we said about defeatist words like that?" Clayton pressed.
"Oh, uh... Defeatist thoughts are the mother of inaction!" Pavel recalled.
"Well, he seems quite the nice fellow," Veronica smiled.
Pavel: "Alright, maybe I haven't quite lived up to Clayton's standards throughout the game. But I do think I've made some real headway with keepin' my temper and bein' more open with my feelings. And he's right, it has helped me get this far! It's like he always says: Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude."
"But who ever could be next?" Veronica continued, looking around.
"Funny you should ask, here's the next loved one now!" Chris motioned over to where Clayton had just walked out before. "Meet Jane!"
A pale, somewhat frail looking woman with wispy brown hair and a plain green sweatshirt walked out. She waved quietly to the ground and smiled.
"Wow, you guys got my mom out here?" Orson asked, somewhat wild eyed. "She's usually neck deep in a jigsaw puzzle at this time of day!"
"A jigsaw puzzle? How many jigsaw puzzles can someone own to be regularly doing them?" Sawyer asked.
"Oh, you see, we cycle through them together, once we finish them all, we either buy another one or keep doing the same ones!" Orson smiled. "You don't know fun until you've done a nice jigsaw puzzle."
"Sounds like an astonishingly large waste of time," Sawyer crossed her arms.
"It makes us happy, that's what matters," Orson stared off.
Jane then walked over towards the group, and towards Orson who had walked out to meet her halfway. "I am happy to be here to support my son, who I am sure is doing a great job."
"Yeah, great at being bad!" Brynleigh laughed, and then looked around at the others. "Right guys?"
"Well, I've made it this far, so I'd like to think I'm doing pretty well," Orson said, ignoring Brynleigh. "We're at the final three, technically, as we are in pairs."
"Well, that's nice sweetie," Jane rubbed his hair. "Soon you're gonna need to introduce me to all your new friends!"
Orson then looked back at everyone, who just looked awkwardly at him, or away from him entirely. All except Pavel, who was chatting with Clayton and not paying attention. He then turned back to his mother. "We have so much to discuss."
"That sounds like a good sign to me," Jane nodded.
"This has been a very fun game so far, heck, we even met–" Orson began, before Chef obnoxiously cleared his throat.
"Yeah, y'all did sign an agreement not to disclose any of the special guests we got for the challenges, 'member?" Chef glared at Orson.
"Oh, yes, my apologies," Orson said to Chef.
Orson and Jane then walked back to the group and next to Sawyer, who simply looked over at Jane.
"Makes sense," Sawyer shrugged.
Orson: "In my average day to day life, my mom is my best friend, we do puzzles and watch TV together all of the time! It is a very meaningful thing for me, so it is great to be able to share this experience with her. It will make for a great discussion at our next tea party, I am sure."
"Let's bring out someone else, why don't we," Chef decided. "Remi, here's your bandmate, TJ!"
"Hell yeah!" Remi cheered.
A young man with shoulder-length hair, a flannel shirt, and Timberland boots ran onto the scene, both hands making rock n' roll horns.
"Remiiiiiiii!" TJ shouted.
Remi played air drums and vocalized the beat. TJ did the same with air guitar. Everyone else looked on with various levels of approval or annoyance.
"Oh my goodness... I get it," Veronica muttered in a quiet epiphany.
"Are you out here living the dream, bro?" TJ asked.
"You'd better believe it!" Remi confirmed. "How's The Crotch Episode holding up without our most valuable member?"
"I forgot that's what he called his band," Sawyer grumbled.
"I'll be real, dude, it's been rough," TJ admitted. "NWP keep selling out all the usual venues, and I think people are starting to think we broke up."
"Who are NWP?" Orson inquired.
"Our rival band, Nonverbal & The Whoopsie-Pusses!" TJ answered.
"Wow, I wonder how they came up with that name," Brynleigh remarked.
"The same way The Crotch Episode came up with ours, let's be honest," TJ shrugged.
"They always sell way more tickets and merch than we do, even though all their songs are just lazy rehashes of Loser by Beck," Remi sighed.
"Worse. They're in their CAKE ripoff era," TJ informed him.
"Those bastards!" Remi shouted. He shook his head rapidly. "But nah, we shouldn't get hung up on that. None of them are on Total Drama! And we are! So that makes us infinitely cooler than, like, most bands probably."
"Please, we were cool before we ended up on TV," TJ claimed. "Though it sure as hell does help!" He looked directly at the camera. "You hear that, Mrs. Menderchuck! I amounted to something after all!" He got up close to the camera, pointing at the lens. "How's teaching sixth grade going for ya, huh?!"
"Hey now, our past does not define us," Clayton told him. "And our future does not have a hold on us. Embrace the present; that's why 'present' also means 'gift'."
"Yeah!" Pavel cheered.
"I'll be sure to write that one down," TJ told Clayton. He turned to Remi and spoke softly. "Yeah, I'll write it down in the 'things to totally NOT remember' column!"
The two struggled to contain their childlike laughter.
Remi: "TJ's one of the coolest dudes ever. I didn't even have to tell him about Independent Worm Saloon, because he already knew! It's kind of nice getting a little slice of normality to break up all the... well, Veronica of it all."
"Eaugh," Sawyer flinched. "Could we get on with this and get anyone else here?"
"Anxious to see your loved one, eh Sawyer?" Chris laughed.
"Huh?" Sawyer asked. "No, just tired of having to listen to these people talk… is all."
"They just want to talk to their loved ones," Jane smiled faintly. "I'm sure you have a loved one out there you wish to talk to as well."
"My loved one is my business," Sawyer crossed her arms bitterly.
"Well, whatever, no matter the reason, here's the next loved one," Chef announced. "Introducin' Mortimer, Veronica's butler!"
A tall, bald, slightly broad shouldered older man dressed in a suit walked out and took a bow. "Greetings, I am Mortimer Heathcliff, faithful butler of the esteemed Gaspard Household. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Oh, Mortimer, there is no need to continue with the formalities," Veronica chuckled. "Everyone here is well aware of the status of the Gaspard House by now, so there is no need to continue with that."
"Miss Veronica, have you been touting your status in society during this game?" Mortimer asked. "The others are not jealous?"
"Oh, definitely not! At least, I don't think…" Veronica trailed off, before she stood upright again. "It really is no matter!"
"I believe it is quite important, actually, as I have been instructed by your parents to declare it as such," Mortimer affirmed.
"Well, the Veronica of the past is not the Veronica that stands before you!" Veronica declared.
Mortimer quickly scanned her up and down. "You are not injured, are you, Miss Veronica?"
"No, Mortimer! I am perfectly fine, I am simply a completely changed person!" Veronica smiled. "Right, everyone?"
Veronica turned to the group of contestants and a few of their loved ones to complete silence. After a short, awkward silence. Clayton clapped.
"Right on!" Clayton cheered out. "Remember, the only constant in life is change!"
Clayton then looked over at Pavel, who then began cheering half-heartedly.
"Thank you… um, what is your name again?" Veronica asked.
"Clayton," Clayton smiled back.
"Right, I will do my best to remember that!" Veronica nodded, and began to walk back to the group with Mortimer. "They just don't know a changed woman when they see one."
"If you say so, Miss Veronica," Mortimer said.
"It may take her a while to remember that, dude," Pavel said to Clayton.
"I don't mind," Clayton shrugged. "Sometimes the best things in life come to those who wait, wouldn't you say?"
Veronica: "Mortimer has been my companion for a lot of my life… so I am excited to show him just how much I have changed throughout my time in this game! All the things I have experienced that I never would've back home! The people I never would've met! The food! Oh, the disgusting, greasy foods! If anyone would know just how much I have changed, it would be him!"
"Alright, time to meet Brynleigh's loved one!" Chris announced.
"I don't love anybody!" Brynleigh insisted.
"Not even... your sister, Brexlee?" Chris gestured.
"Especially not her!" Brynleigh snapped.
On Chris's cue, a short, dark-haired girl in her early teens came onto the scene. She dressed in hand-me-down clothes and carried a huffy demeanor.
"Yeah, well I didn't want to be your sister, either!" Brexlee shot.
"Half-sister, by the way," Brynleigh corrected.
"No I'm not!" Brexlee shrieked. "Dad didn't leave until after Mom was pregnant with me! And that's only because he already didn't want to deal with you!"
"Yeah, or he knew you were coming and didn't even want to deal with a kid who wasn't his," Brynleigh scowled.
"I am too!" Brexlee shouted, stomping her foot.
"I, I feel like I shouldn't be witnessing this," TJ murmured. "Like, this is too real. Private kind of stuff."
"Yeah, that's, uh, not surprising for Brynleigh, unfortunately," Remi told him quietly.
As Brynleigh and Brexlee continued arguing, Pavel turned to Clayton.
"You're Brynleigh's sponsor, not me," Clayton smiled.
"Right," Pavel nodded hesitantly. He approached the two. "Hey, girls, is now really the time for this? In public, on camera?"
"Nobody cares what you think, you dropout wannabe!" Brexlee fired.
"Excuse me?!" Pavel growled.
"Ah, just ignore her, Pav. Everyone else does," Brynleigh snickered. "She's a little special. Mom didn't entirely stop hitting the bottle when-"
"Shut up! Shut up, it's not true, it's not true!" Brexlee cried. "Brynleigh always lies about me because she's jealous that I have friends and she doesn't!"
"Well... regardless of what's goin' on, provokin' each other ain't gonna get either of you anywhere," Pavel said. He turned to look at Clayton, who gave him a thumbs-up. "And, uh... you know what they say! Blood is thicker than water!"
"I'll make you bleed, you yuppie piece of shit!" Brexlee threatened.
"Like I said, just let her do her thing and don't take her seriously," Brynleigh told Pavel as she led him away from Brexlee.
Brynleigh: "Nobody believes me when I say I'm the smartest person I know, until they meet my family. They are what they are. Not much I can do about it at the moment but stand my ground and make sure they know they can't fuck with me."
Chef laughed. "Man, that kid's a psycho, gotta love it. Anyway, who's ready to meet the last loved one?"
"That's more than alright," Sawyer said nervously. "I can handle myself fine without any loved ones whatsoever!"
"Well, that's no way to talk!" Chris laughed. "Especially when your girlfriend, Ethel, came so far to be here with you!"
"Chris man!" Chef yelled. "I was supposed to introduce tha last loved one!"
As Chef and Chris argued, Sawyer sighed. Everyone looked at Sawyer, surprised.
"Girlfriend?!" Remi exclaimed.
"Someone loves Sawyer?!" Brynleigh smacked her face with her cheeks. "What the hell?"
"Yeah I bet you don't know what that feels like do ya?" Brexlee laughed, and Brynleigh pushed her over.
As the group quabbled, a tall, bouncy blonde girl wearing a red crop top and skinny jeans ran out with a cheery expression on her face. She rushed towards Sawyer, who met her in the middle, and the two quickly embraced.
"Ohmigod, I'm soooooo happy to be here with you, Delainey!" Ethel exclaimed as she rested her head on Sawyer's shoulder.
Sawyer sharply exhaled and looked back at the cast, who mostly did not react, except Brynleigh, who was holding back laughter.
"Delainey?" Brynleigh held back laughter. "Your name is Delainey? What a girly name, Ms. Big Business!"
"I mean did ya think Sawyer was her first name or somethin'?" Pavel raised an eyebrow.
"Well, uh, you see…" Brynleigh stumbled over her words.
"I think it's a very pretty name!" Veronica called out to Sawyer, who flinched slightly at hearing this.
Sawyer turned back to Ethel and sighed. "I thought I told you not to call me that if you ended up here with me."
"Oh, I'm sorryyyyyy Delainey," Ethel giggled. "I'm just so excited to be here and to get to make these memories with you… I just got carried away."
"It's okay," Sawyer laughed slightly while blushing. "You're lucky you're so cute."
"Awwww thanks babe," Delainey smiled. "You always know how to make me feel good about myself."
Sawyer then kissed Ethel's cheek and held her hand as the two walked back to the group.
Sawyer: Sawyer buried her head in her hands and sighed. "I had hoped not to have to reveal any emotions I have outside this game here. But having Ethel around… is going to make this tough. In a game like this, emotion is a weakness. I love my girlfriend, but the others didn't need to know about that! They'll smell the weakness like there's blood in the water and pounce!"
With a considerable amount of time to kill before the challenge, the contestants split off from one another to spend more time with their visitors. Orson and Jane went to The Vaguely International Tour to eat at a pan-Asian fast food place called Panda Express.
"I do love their honey walnut shrimp," Jane smiled as she took a bite of her food.
"Indeed. It is most satiating," Orson agreed. "How have you been, mother? I can't remember the last time we've been apart for so long."
"As a matter of fact, I've begun watching a fascinating television program that Helen suggested to me. You remember Helen, right?"
"Mother, you've been friends with Helen since I was in elementary school," Orson chuckled.
Jane tapped herself on the head. "Of course I have. I don't know what I was saying, there," she smiled. "But yes, she finally convinced me to give Grey's Anatomy a shot, and I'm quite enjoying it."
"Sounds downright splendid," Orson encouraged. "Meeting new people in this game has made me want to familiarize myself with media I hadn't thought to check out, too. I made an acquaintance - who's been eliminated - that was quite into punk music. Perhaps if I become more familiar with it, they will look past the fact that I had to eliminate them."
"I imagine making it this far hasn't been easy," Jane hummed. "You know how all the strategy tends to go over my head. The only places I can think ahead are in our jigsaw puzzles, and Tetris."
"You are the best Tetris player I know, mother," Orson smiled.
"Oh! I haven't thought to ask you how things are going with you," Jane realized. "Having the time of your life, I imagine."
"It's everything I wanted and more," Orson told her. "And you're right, it has not been easy. As I alluded to before, I've had to leave behind some people whom I consider friends. But, once we eliminate Brynleigh and Pavel, the final challenge ought to be a piece of cake."
"You're paired up with Ethel's girlfriend, right?" Jane tried to recall.
"Correct," Orson confirmed. "Sawyer's rough around the edges, but I think she ended up being the best partner I could have had."
"That's nice to hear," Jane smiled. "You two get along?"
"Not really, but frankly, it's us against the world," Orson told her.
"Oh?" Jane blinked. "Why is that?"
"You know how people tend to come into this game saying things like 'I'm not here to make friends, and I'll make whatever dirty moves I have to'?"
"I suppose."
"...Turns out Sawyer and I are the only ones who meant it."
Orson: "Seeing mother puts a lot of the game into perspective. Last time I saw her, I was timid, hesitant to make waves. I think the urgency of trying not to get eliminated shows us all who we truly are, in some way. It's affected Peter, Lazarus, Panic, Pavel, just to name a few. I don't think I'm much different from the others in that regard."
Jane: "I'm just happy to see Orson feels comfortable in his own element. He's such a fan of the show, and if he won, why, it would just make his whole life."
Pavel and Clayton strolled over to an area in the Faire with a considerable number of food trucks. The two ordered and sat down with their food. Pavel reclined slightly in his chair and sighed contently.
"Y'know, it's good to be able to get away from the game for a bit," Pavel smiled.
"That is true, relaxation is never a bad thing for one's psyche, as long as you remember to stay engaged," Clayton nodded, taking a bite of his burger.
The two sat silently and ate for a while until Clayton broke the silence. "Have you had a good time so far?"
"Mostly, but right now I'm feeling pretty good," Pavel responded. "I feel like there's a real shot I can take this, man."
"Mostly?" Clayton raised an eyebrow. "Anything bad happen?"
"Well, sorta," Pavel sighed. "Early on I kinda blew up my spot… but I managed to stabilize, I think."
"Why would you blow up?" Clayton asked. "Did you forget to breathe?"
"I felt… like I wasn't being respected," Pavel clarified. "The person I blew up at, at least in my mind at the time, kept trying to poke and prod at me and it upset me."
"Did you stop to consider that perhaps they were just trying to help?" Clayton said.
"Not at the time, but I have every single day since," Pavel shook his head. "He did mention something like that when we did talk, though."
"Is this person still in the game with you?" Clayton prodded further.
"No," Pavel shrugged. "I won a Half n' Half Challenge against him last night and ended up sending him and his partner home."
"Hmm, well that's unfortunate, "Clayton scratched his chin. "That is going to make making amends a lot harder."
"Well, me and Charlie did talk things through a bit at the time," Pavel interjected.
"That is a good start, did you do what we talked about when attempting to apologize?" Clayton asked.
"We both admitted that we may not have been in the best headspace at the time," Pavel said.
"Remember, it is important to realize that people simply taking interest in you is not a threat," Clayton explained.
"I know," Pavel shifted in his seat.
"Heck, when I met you for the first time when you got back into society, and I said that I wanted to sponsor you, how did you take that?" Clayton smiled.
"I don't wanna think about that time in my life," Pavel crossed his arms and looked away.
Clayton sat up slightly and leaned in. "Well, I do remember that time. You were quite hostile at the time. You felt that I was simply intruding and that you wanted nothing to do with me, but I was not going to give up on you. I saw something special in you, and that is something everyone needs to hear at least once in their lives."
"And I appreciate that, man," Pavel said.
"You learned to be alright with our friendship through the power of positive thinking, so why not discard all these pointless negative thoughts?" Clayton offered. "Ultimately, you have said you are having a good time, and you are possibly able to win. Focus on the good solely for now. Remember the affirmations."
"Maybe you're right," Pavel sighed. "I have been kinda eatin' myself alive out here…"
"Of course I'm right, I've been in the game a while," Clayton squeezed Pavel's shoulder. "Let's just keep things positive and light, man."
Pavel: "Being back with Clayton has really shown how far I've strayed from the ways I used to deal with problems in my day to day life. I'd honestly almost forgotten about that part of me entirely. I like to think I had done a good job being more of myself out here, but after listening to Clayton I'm not sure. Have I really been improving? Or am I just falling back into worse habits?"
Clayton: "As Pavel's sponsor, it falls to me to pick him up when he falls down. This game seems to be taking its toll on him, I mean he seemingly has completely stopped practicing what we used to do in our meetings! I want to see Pavel succeed, so while I am here I will continue to instill the values I always have. The power of positivity, my friends."
Veronica and Mortimer sat at a table in Fast Food Festa. Veronica had a mountain of fries in front of her, which she ate neurotically.
"Is something troubling you, Miss?" Mortimer inquired.
"Oh, no, certainly not, whatever would give you that idea, ahahahaha?" Veronica answered unconvincingly.
"You just ate the wrapper that came with your drinking straw," Mortimer pointed out.
"I did?!" Veronica gasped. "...Oh, Mortimer! Surely you of all people must see how much I have changed since I saw you last! Look at me! I'm eating greasy foods and wearing a 'tee shirt' that says Wienerschnitzel on it for some reason!"
"That is quite the departure from your usual activities," Mortimer nodded. "Though, if I may, it sounds as though you wish for others to notice more than what's changed on the outside."
"Oh, Mortimer, you get it!" Veronica wept. "I've really come out of my comfort zone, and nobody seems to appreciate that! I've had such fun engaging the trite novelties of lower-class living, but everyone else still thinks I'm no different than I was before! Look at me! I'm a modern woman, breaking free from the chains of expectations and doing what she wants to do! Why, I'm rebellious as heck, gosh darn it!"
"Miss Veronica, you seek to truly understand the others, correct?" Mortimer asked.
"If understanding the others comes alongside bettering myself, then yes," Veronica answered.
"And if it doesn't?" Mortimer wondered.
"...Whatever do you mean?" Veronica winced. "Of course it does!"
"Of course, Miss. I apologize if I spoke out of turn," Mortimer hummed.
Veronica ate a couple more fries, then spoke up again.
"No, wait! You can't just say that and not explain yourself! What do you mean I don't understand the others? What do you think I've been doing the past few weeks?!"
"I spoke purely hypothetically," Mortimer claimed. "However, I'm well aware of how easy it is for one to assume they understand another, only to remain ignorant of any nuance or reason behind their thoughts. Of course, you have become a more capable, worldly person since I saw you last, so it stands to reason that you've made it a point to understand others just a much as you've wished for them to understand you."
"Of course, of course..." Veronica responded. "I am Veronica Adelheid Remi Gaspard, the queen of understanding things! Ignorant is the opposite of my middle name! Both of them!"
"That's good," Mortimer nodded. "It can be easy to forget that others, especially those who live vastly different lives, are complex people with their own desires to improve, just like you and I."
"Yes... Yes, that is true," Veronica conceded.
"Tell me about your partner in the game," Mortimer smiled. "Remi, wasn't it? A humorous coincidence, that you should share a name."
"Ah, yes, well..." Veronica cleared her throat. "He's one of those rock and roll sorts of individuals. And he's very elitist about how you're supposed to play the game! It is very frustrating!"
...
"You must have something nice to say about him," Mortimer hoped. "He struck me as someone easy to get along with."
"Not at the moment! He and I are not getting along, because he doesn't understand how important my freedom is to me!" Veronica pouted.
"I see," Mortimer responded.
Veronica: "Why, if I didn't know better, I'd say Mortimer thinks I haven't made any effort to learn more about the others as people. Which is ridiculous, because... because... I very clearly have! Brynleigh, for example, she... um... tsk... I-I know it's in there somewhere; I am simply experiencing mental flatulence." Confidence slowly drained from her face as she struggled to bring anything to mind.
Mortimer: "Oh, dear. I do truly care for Miss Veronica. I never had children of my own, but I've been with her since the Gaspards had her. I daresay nobody understands her more than I do, and that's why it pains me to admit that I see exactly why the others haven't noticed the effort she's no doubt put into self-improvement. The only question is how I can set her on the right path without making it seem like I'm trying to boss her around."
Later, Remi and TJ walked around aimlessly throughout the Faire. The two continued looking at the sights and laughing to themselves as they joked around.
"Man, y'know, the band had to turn down a couple of live shows, but I'm just glad that you're out here getting to live your dream!" TJ smiled.
"Damn, thanks man, I do feel bad you guys are having to put the whole band on hold because of me though," Remi said.
"Don't even worry about it dude," TJ laughed. "There's a million gigs in crappy bars out there for later, but there's only one chance for you to come out and do this!"
"That's true, and I'm glad you understand," Remi nodded.
"'Sides, you being out here is free publicity! Right?" TJ nudged Remi in the side with his elbow.
"Oh don't worry, I've been sure to talk about it while out here, we just gotta worry if it'll make the edit," Remi mentioned.
"The edit?" TJ asked.
"It'd take too long to explain," Remi chuckled.
TJ smirked. "Yeah I bet."
"We're just gonna have to get out there and rock even harder when I get back for good!" Remi yelled out, doing air drums.
"Hell yeah man!" TJ pumped his fist. "But shit man, how's the game been? You were gushing all about the possibilities before you left… been what you'd hoped for?"
"Oh yeah man, it's been good!" Remi excitedly responded.
"I don't really get reality tv all that much, but I'd love to hear all about it," TJ responded.
"Man, I've just been having a blast," Remi gushed. "It's been just as tense and dramatic as the show is and more! Because it's happening in real time right in front of me! And I've got a real good feeling about this!"
"Right on, man," TJ nodded along.
"Hell, even the challenges feel as crazy and dangerous as they are on tv!" Remi continued.
"Anyone broken a bone yet on here?" TJ asked.
"Nah, a lot of the crazier injuries are from the earlier seasons, things've kinda calmed down by now," Remi explained. "But they've still been pretty crazy."
"What about your teammate?" TJ inquired.
"Well, I mean we've had good times in this game," Remi admitted. "But right now, honestly, I just feel kinda burned by her."
"What's goin' on?" TJ looked at him. "Did she say something uncool? She kinda looks like the type to be–"
"Oh no, nothing like that!" Remi denied. "It's just… I don't know if she takes this as seriously as I do. Winning this game would mean so much to me, and I know that sounds entitled to say, but it would, and I worry that she just… doesn't think that way."
"Have you told her how you feel?" TJ asked again.
"Yeah, well, sorta," Remi hesitated. "It was during an argument though, so not really my best moment."
"Hey man, everyone's got their moments, don't beat yourself up over it," TJ pat Remi on the shoulder. "But like, you're one of the most calm, level headed dudes I know!"
Remi looked down.
"When the band is arguing about stuff, you're always there to put a positive spin on it, and make sure everyone's all grounded and stuff man," TJ continued. "Just think of this as another band!"
"Another band?" Remi looked at TJ.
"Yeah man!" TJ nodded. "You and your partner gotta make sure you're working together to make things work yeah?"
"That's true," Remi acknowledged.
"And I mean, I don't know her, but I imagine this has gotta mean something to her, dude, and you two can agree on that at least!"
"You're right man," Remi smiled. "I knew I could always count on you to help me clear my mind, man."
"Hey, it's what I do brother, it's all good," TJ held out a fist for Remi to bump, who promptly did. The two both looked around after this.
"Man, wanna get something to eat?" TJ asked. "I'm freakin' starving here!"
"Hell yeah man, let's go, I have too many places on the list of places to show y'all…" Remi looked around as he walked through the Faire, the possibilities endless.
Remi: "Man, TJ's right. I know deep down I'm being selfish with thinking Roni doesn't take this seriously. She does! Just in her own way, and not in the same way I do. I've watched this my whole life and I don't think Roni has. It's just how it goes. But now I gotta get to her and talk this stuff out, hopefully things will get better!"
TJ: "Honestly man, I wasn't sure what to say in that whole conversation. Like, I could've easily fucked it up and made it worse. Hopefully what I said works!"
Sawyer took Ethel to the Garden of Eatin', where they sat down at a restaurant called Kale Me Maybe.
"I missed you so so so sooooo much Delai- uhhh, Sawyer," Ethel smiled.
Sawyer looked around to see if anyone was watching before she responded. "I missed you, too. You're my rock, don't ever forget that." She displayed an earnest, tender smile.
"Awwwww, you know you're my rock too," Ethel giggled. "And this is going to be so big for you! When you win, you'll finally get to start your own business like you wanted!"
Sawyer's smile deflated.
"Did... I say something wrong againnnn?" Ethel worried.
"No, no, I... you..." Sawyer sighed, burying her face in her hands. "I'm so fucked, Ethel. I'm so fucked."
"Sawyer...?" Ethel touched Sawyer's hand.
"It's everything I was afraid it would be," Sawyer told her. She sniffled, then quietly wept.
"Delainey, I..." Ethel gently took one of Sawyer's hands from her face and held it. "What happened?"
"I was doing so well at the start. I established myself as someone not to mess around with, and people took me seriously," Sawyer told her. "Then... I don't know. Over time, people took my status as a threat for granted. And then..." She wiped a tear from her eye. "Fucking Orson."
"He's your partner, riiight?" Ethel asked.
"That's what they tell me," Sawyer laughed bitterly. "I chose Orson to be my assistant because I could tell he was the type who would do what he was told. Someone mild-mannered, maybe a bit insecure, someone who needs the kind of direction I know I can give." She squeezed Ethel's hand. "Then all of a sudden, after we make a big move against someone who had issues with me from day one, he takes all the credit, even though he got along really well with them, and now everyone - including him! - is acting like he's the big threat of this game."
"Oh noooo," Ethel sympathized.
"Yes, now Sawyer is old news, let's pretend like Orson ever had an effect on anything!" She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why does this always happen, Ethel?" Sawyer couldn't stop more tears from crawling down her cheeks. "First my father, then my old coworker, and now this?! I'm putting in everything I have! Busting my ass to make sure things go smoothly. And for what?!"
"Hey, it's aaaaall going to work out, Delainey," Ethel assured her. "You're the smartest, most hardworking person in the world. If the others don't recognize that, then it's just going to make them look silly when you're all successful in the end."
"That's what I keep telling myself," Sawyer tried to smile. "That, and there's no way I'll forgive myself if I don't live up to your expectations. You're the one person whose opinion means a damn thing to me anyway."
"You aaaalways live up to my expectations, babe," Ethel beamed.
Sawyer blew her nose into a napkin. "Whew. Sorry about all that. I needed to get that off my chest. What have you been doing since I saw you last?"
"Ummmmmmmm..." Ethel thought about it. "I started watching this one makeup YouTuber. She actually came up with this color combination I'm doing right now."
Sawyer kissed the back of Ethel's hand. "You look divine."
Sawyer: "I... was not expecting to let my emotions get the better of me like that. Even when we're together in private, I don't think I've ever cried in front of Ethel before. That's just not who I am. I'm the boss, of my self, of my destiny, and of this game. Crying is for children and drunkards, not someone with agency over their life!" She sighed. "I am glad I get to see her, though. It's a reminder of what this is all for."
Ethel: "Sawyer's usually so cooooool and compoooosed. I think the game is stressing her out a whole whole lot. But I just know the others will see her for the awesome leader she is! She's Delainey Sawyer, and she can do anything!"
Brynleigh stomped towards Sugari-La with Brexlee in tow. Brynleigh completely ignored Brexlee, who whined louder the closer Sugari-La they became.
"I don't want sugar!" Brexlee complained. "It'll make me fat like you! B-T-W, you should think about your health a bit more, you're starting to put on a few pounds…"
"Ugh, shut up!" Brynleigh growled. "If you don't want what I'm gonna eat for lunch, then fuck off somewhere else."
Brexlee looked around at the people milling around her, then snickered. "So many fat, smelly, stupid looking people in this area, no wonder you wanted to come over here so badly! You fit in finally!"
"Just leave me alone," Brynleigh sighed. "I don't want to talk to you right now."
"Well, soooooooorry for coming out here to support my big sis!" Brexlee mocked. "Unfortunately for you, you're stuck with me because nobody else bothered to be the one to come out here and support you because you're a loser!"
"I know that isn't true!" Brynleigh countered. "You probably just whined like a little baby long enough for mom to relent and give you what you want just like she always does! You just like the attention of being on a show like this."
"Nuh-uh!" Brexlee shook her head. "Mom's too busy working anyway!"
"What else is new," Brynleigh grimaced. "Whatever then."
Brynleigh walked into Sugari-La and was followed closely by Brexlee, she turned around to her sister angrily to see her laughing.
"What?" Brynleigh asked. "What's so damn funny?"
"Oh, I just had a thought…" Brexlee covered her mouth. "That's all."
"That's new for you, I bet," Brynleigh countered.
Brexlee rolled her eyes. "Uh, actually I have plenty of thoughts a day, thank you!"
"Could've fooled me," Brynleigh said.
"Well, how about this one?" Brexlee smiled. "I think mom probably just works so much because she hates to see her FAILURE of a daughter living in her house still!"
"I'm only eighteen!" Brynleigh scoffed. "Why would I be moving out immediately?"
"Well, I guess college isn't on the table because of how stupid you are…" Brexlee giggled.
"You don't even understand what situation we even live in, do you?" Brynleigh balled her fists "That's not why I can't go to college."
"Oh yeah? Why's that then?" Brexlee immediately countered. "Because you're afraid nobody would like you there either?"
"It's because mom had so many kids to feed!" Brynleigh exploded. "So my life got fucked!"
"Well I–" Brexlee began.
"I ended up becoming a babysitter for you and all our younger siblings because our mom was too busy working her life away to support us and dad was gone!" Brynleigh yelled.
"Ugh, well… I hate you!" Brexlee yelled and ran off.
Brynleigh sighed loudly to herself before looking around at the people who had gathered around to watch. She hurriedly ran away from Sugari-La.
Brynleigh: Brynleigh held her face in her hands. "Why did it have to be her? Of all people… why would they bring Brexlee here?!" Brynleigh lifted her head and sighed. "Probably just to bring drama or something. This is such a nightmare. I was so happy to be away from her, and here she is again to make me miserable!"
Brexlee: "I don't really give a fuck if Brynleigh does well, honestly. I am just happy to be on TV! It's a big moment for me! Shout out to my girlies back home! Love you!"
The contestants and their guests met up with Chris and Chef in front of another yet-unexplored district of the Faire. Labeled 'La Bouffe Chère', those who looked past its entrance saw few restaurants, but would immediately sense the money and effort spent within their walls.
"Ah, La Bouffe Chère," Chef basked, motioning his hand as if taking in the very smell of the area. "See, in places like this, there ain't no higher title in the world than 'Chef'."
"Please, like there's any position more prestigitarious than hosting Total Drama," Chris claimed.
"Obviously," Chef groaned.
He led everyone further into the area. What little exterior decoration existed was reminiscent of European plazas, and unlike the other areas, there didn't seem to be anywhere to eat outdoors.
"It's kinda eerie, with no one else around," Remi opined.
"That's what Brynleigh says to herself every time she eats lunch in the bathroom at school!" Brexlee interjected.
"Is that truuuue?!" Ethel gasped.
"I stopped doing that years ago!" Brynleigh objected. "I mean, wait, no, it was never true!"
"Hey, no shame," TJ chuckled. "The bathroom is a sacred place, where all your best ideas come from."
"Is that so?" Veronica considered. "I must put this to the test at a later time. Mortimer, add it to my list of goals!"
"Already done," Mortimer told her, pocketing a small notepad.
"A list of goals? That's what I like to hear," Clayton smiled. "Being the best version of you means realizing that there's always room for improvement."
"And there's no law against making yourself a better person!" Pavel responded reflexively.
"I suppose that all depends on how one defines making themself a better person," Orson murmured to Jane.
"That reminds me, I found this awesome Taco Tuesday recipe that I think you'll love," Jane smiled at Orson.
"That sounds delicious," Orson smiled back.
"So what exactly is the challenge?" Sawyer called up to Chef and Chris.
"Glad ya asked, 'cause here we are!" Chef announced as the group stopped in front of a building with trendy, minimalist 2010s architecture simply called 'Dallas Grill & Smokehouse'.
"I could go for some grill. And some smoke," TJ grinned.
"Here's how it's gonna work," Chef began. "Each pair, along with their loved ones, will be placed into three separate, identical rooms. Your goal is to make your way out of the room!"
"Sounds like an escape room," Jane smiled. "Just to warn you, Orson and I are pretty good at puzzles."
"Right on the money!" Chris confirmed. "Getting out won't be as easy as opening the door. You'll have to figure out how to get that door open, and it won't necessarily be straightforward."
"When one door closes, another one opens," Clayton said.
"Loved ones are free to help out as much or as little as they want," Chef snickered. "The first pair to open their door will win the final Pineapple of the season! N' this late in the game, that's a lot of power!"
"If there are no further questions, let's get it on!" Chris said with a clap.
Veronica: "See, these are the types of restaurants I'm more familiar with. It's an odd sense of melancholy, looking at that which I once considered to be enough. But now that I've had a taste of the low life, I don't know if I can ever go back! Unless they have Monte Cristo sandwiches, then of course all bets are off."
Orson: "Mother and I have always wanted to try an escape room, but, well, once we start rewatching The Office, it's hard to stop. How fortunate that we now get the chance, and on my favorite show no less."
Brynleigh: "Ugh, I'm just glad that opening the door is how you win, because if you had to get all four of us through the other side, we'd be screwed. Not that I doubt Pavel could drag Brexlee across by force, but he sure as hell won't with that creepy guru breathing down his neck!"
Sawyer, Orson, Ethel, and Jane stood in a small, dimly lit room lined with shelves full of cleaning equipment. Various cleaning products lined the floor. A single door was the only way out of this room.
"Well, what do we do now?" Ethel asked, looking around.
"I do love puzzles, this is quite exciting," Jane smiled. "If this is anything like doing a good crossword puzzle, then this will be quite easy. Orson and I actually joined a jigsaw puzzle club back home… it's quite a delight."
"Yeah?" Sawyer raised an eyebrow. "Is that all you talk about? Puzzles?"
"Be nice," Orson chided.
"You're one to talk," Sawyer scoffed. "Anyway, we need to just look for a clue."
"But Delainey… you know I'm no good at this kind of thing!" Ethel whined.
"It's okay, I'll be sure to take charge here, just do your best," Sawyer smiled.
Orson pointed to a ring of keys hanging from a nail on the wall by the door. "All it seems we have are these keys. It is not too farfetched to say this is our way out of here."
"You think?" Sawyer sighed. "Well, that much is obvious."
"You know, it could potentially take a collective effort to complete this challenge," Orson noted. "Perhaps it would be advantageous to not discourage your fellow teammates, as they may not perform well at all, leaving you to do this yourself."
"Alright, your shtick isn't going to work on me," Sawyer crossed her arms. "It might've worked on the idiots, but it will not fly with me."
"What shtick?" Orson raised an eyebrow.
"You know what you've done," Sawyer narrowed her eyes.
"You've been playing up a shtick out here?" Jane asked. "Oh, you are quite the card. I imagine it is just lovely."
"I beg to differ," Sawyer said.
"Ooh, I think I see something!" Ethel hopped up and down, interrupting the others. "Look!"
Ethel pointed to an empty shelf with four color-coded spots: blue, red, yellow, and green. Connected below this shelf was a large box with a key symbol on the front.
"Good job, babe," Sawyer smiled. "Knew you could do it."
Ethel smiled and Orson walked over to look at the shelf. "Curious. At the risk of pointing out the obvious again, it appears we need four objects of these colors."
"That would make sense," Jane nodded.
"It can't be far," Sawyer said. "Considering how tiny this room is, this should not be hard."
"I assume it has to do with these cleaning products on the ground," Orson pointed out, looking down. "It appears there's a few bottles that are close in color around here."
Jane then walked over, and picked four bottles matching the colors on the ground. "Sure is messy in here, huh?" Jane commented.
"Yeah, guess so," Sawyer laughed slightly.
The four then put the bottles on the shelf in their respective spots. The box underneath the shelf opened up to reveal a large picture of a red key with a circle at the end.
"It would appear that is the key we need to use, easy enough," Orson nodded. After fiddling with the ring of keys for a brief moment, he retrieved the key on the picture and opened the door.
"Ooh, this is quite exhilarating," Jane balled her fists in excitement. "I haven't felt so excited since finding a full series collector's edition of Friends on DVD."
"I've seen that show before!" Ethel smiled. "I like the funny blonde girl."
"Oh, but which one?" Orson questioned.
Sawyer smirked, ignoring the others.
Sawyer: "Is that the best you can do? If that's all this challenge is going to be, then consider me disappointed. No skill whatsoever, just a small room with four bottles on the ground. I mean seriously, it would genuinely take a gaggle of idiots to not be able to figure this out!"
"Dude, I don't know if I can figure this out!" TJ panicked.
"Of course we can!" Veronica assured him. "We may not look it, but Remi and I are both incredibly smart and worldly. We wouldn't have made it this far in the game if we weren't."
"Uh, yeah, for sure," Remi half-agreed. "Well, look, it's a small room, right? There can't be a whole lot of red herrings, so keep an eye out for anything that looks important."
"Well of course there can't be any red herrings, they'd all expire here," Veronica said. "If they had any, they would be in the refrigerator."
"If I may, Miss Veronica-"
"No, Mortimer!" Veronica disallowed. "I appreciate your desire to help, but I'm a new woman! I will solve these puzzles without any help!"
"Of course," Mortimer pledged.
"Does that mean I can't help either?" TJ asked.
"You're not on the Gaspard payroll, so I have no sway over your actions," Veronica shrugged.
"Yes!" TJ fist-pumped.
He moved forward a few steps, only to stumble over something. He regained his footing, but kept his arms extended on either side, looking around to make sure nothing else would trip him.
"You good?" Remi asked.
"What do you mean? Nothing happened, I'm good, I'm good," TJ claimed.
"What the hell is on the ground, anyway?" Remi bent down and picked up the bottle of red mop soap. "Was this always on the floor?"
"Aha! It appears as though there are additional strange bottles over here!" Veronica announced as she held up a bottle of green dish soap. "They don't expect us to... drink these, do they?"
"Cleaning fluids are toxic, Miss Veronica," Mortimer told her.
"I told you I didn't want your help!" Veronica whined.
"My apologies." Mortimer bowed slightly.
"It might have something to do with these colored spots on this shelf," TJ informed the others.
He put the red bottle on the red part of the shelf.
"It very well may!" Veronica deduced, stars in her eyes. "Come, everyone, let us locate the remaining bottles!"
"Oh, I already found them," Remi informed her, holding up a bottle of blue toilet cleaner and yellow table cleaner.
Veronica pouted. "Alright, just hand them over so we can move on."
Veronica: "How else am I supposed to prove to everyone that I understand the lifestyles of the poor and downtrodden if I can't find my way around a janitor's closet and solve whatever obstacles it presents towards me?! Nobody will take me seriously!"
"Stop standing on the damn bottle, you brat!" Brynleigh yelled, pointing at the blue bottle under Brexlee's foot.
Pavel peered over at the shelf, which held three out of the four bottles needed to open the box, and back at Brexlee, and sighed.
"Oh, am I standing on something?" Brexlee smirked. "I had no idea!"
"Come on, stop screwing around," Pavel rubbed his brow. "Let's just win this challenge."
Clayton clasped Pavel's shoulder. "This could just be Brynleigh's cross to bear. Perhaps this is how the two of them develop a more healthy relationship. Situations like this can lead to deeper bonding!"
"That's stupid!" Brynleigh exclaimed. She then shoved Brexlee off the bottle, who then dramatically flailed towards the wall. "Get off the fucking bottle!"
"Ugh! You stupid fucking brute!" Brexlee screeched. "Do you solve all of your problems with violence? I sure hope you never end up with a child of your own…"
Pavel's eyes widened, and he looked over at Clayton.
"I…" Clayton hesitated. "I don't really know what to say about that one."
Brynleigh then angrily grabbed the bottle and slammed it down on the shelf, releasing the picture of the correct key.
"Go fuck yourselves," Brynleigh seethed as she fumbled with the keys, eventually finding the right one and unlocking the door.
The group walked into the next room and found a kitchen in utter disrepair. All the burners were on, the sinks flooded, and knives strewn about the room.
"Geez, did a freakin' tornado rip through here or something?" Pavel asked.
Pavel then noticed two large knife blocks sitting on the counter, and in between them a large box with an equal sign.
"Huh," Pavel muttered to himself, as he dislodged a knife from the counter. "Guess these have to do with this.
Pavel turned around to the other three, only for Brexlee to scream loudly and put her hands in the air.
"Oh my god, I'll give you all the money I have, just don't hurt me!" Brexlee begged. "Guys, I'm so scared, I think he's cracked!"
"Pavel has left that life behind," Clayton insisted. "He has turned a new leaf, and is no threat to anyone."
"Thanks, I didn't really want that mentioned… but thanks, I guess," Pavel sighed.
"Brexlee, can you just shut the hell up, and go back to being silently useless instead?" Brynleigh complained. "You were much more tolerable that way."
"Oh, was I?" Brexlee laughed. "If being loudly useless is such a burden to you then I guess I have no choice but to start being loudly useless instead!"
Brynleigh then cupped her face in her hands and screamed.
"Guys, come on!" Pavel interjected. "These knives clearly have something to do with the challenge, and hell, even without Brexlee's help, we can do this!"
"That's the spirit, Pavel!" Clayton cheered.
"Anyway, I think it's got something to do with this…" Pavel flashed the handle of the knife, which was engraved with a number 4.
Pavel: "Brexlee's… uh, existence, is putting a lot into perspective here, honestly. I really wanna say something, but I know Clayton wouldn't want me to get involved with something that could mess up my self improvement like that. And I do put a lot of stock in what he says. I mean, he's my mentor! I hope the rest of this challenge can just go smoothly from here…"
"Oh, this is easy," Sawyer told the others as she looked at the knife blocks and the box between them. "The knives all have numbers on the handles, so we have to put them in the blocks so that the numbers add up to the same result."
"Heyyyyy, I can do that!" Ethel realized.
She put a knife with a 4 on it in one block, and two knives with a 1 and a 3 on them in the other block.
"Now what?" Ethel asked.
"It may expect us to use all the knives," Jane realized. "I'll go pick up after whoever left the kitchen in such disarray. Don't get too rowdy while I leave you alone, haha."
"Haha. Oh, mother," Orson laughed.
"Soooooo, Orson, what's it like working for Dela- er, Sawyer?" Ethel asked.
"Sawyer puts her all into everything she says and does," Orson smiled. "I can tell her convictions are real, and that she genuinely believes she's going to make a difference in the long run."
"Awwwwww, I feel the same way!" Ethel clapped. "She's so cool and smart. I just know she's going to be the most successful woman in the world someday."
"Haha, yes, well..." Sawyer blushed, albeit not without flashing Orson a quick leer. "Perhaps Orson should go help his mother gather the knives."
"But I want to get to know your new friends, Delainey," Ethel frowned.
Sawyer took a deep breath. "Of course, my treasure. Whatever makes you happy."
"So, Ethel, what are your aspirations in life?" Orson inquired.
"Huh?" Ethel blinked.
"You know, what kind of career are you trying for?" Orson clarified.
"But... Delainey's the one who'll have a career," Ethel answered, somewhat confused. "I'll be the one who makes sure the house stays nice and she has a true warm home to return to."
"That sounds like a worthy goal," Orson told her. "I'm almost a bit jealous of Sawyer."
"Sorry, but I'm aaaaall hers," Ethel giggled.
"Why don't you tell Ethel all about you, Orson?" Sawyer twitched. "Like all the big moves you've made in this game."
"Oh, I don't know," Orson denied. "Would you even be interested in hearing about all that?"
"I can watch the show when it's on TV," Ethel decided. "But you haaaaaave to tell me who your favorite Friends character is!"
"Believe me, I could go on about my Friends opinions for hours," Orson assured her.
Sawyer turned around and walked away, trying her best not to scream.
Orson: "Maybe I'm reading too deep into it, but it suggests a lot about Sawyer that someone like Ethel is her type. Which is no disrespect to Ethel; she's a lovely woman and I wish her nothing but the best. The way that us clicking gets under Sawyer's skin also helps remind her that she is not in charge of me, which is an added bonus."
Veronica looked at the knife block, which had a 1 and a 3 in one, and a 4 in the other. She frustratedly stamped her foot.
"Why is nothing happening?" Veronica groaned.
"I got nothing," TJ scratched his head.
Mortimer reached toward the blocks, only to be swatted away by Veronica.
"I'm trying to do this myself!" Veronica snapped. "Why are you trying to interfere in that?"
"You know the whole point of the challenge is that we have extra people to help, yeah?" Remi reminded. "If they can help, they should."
"That makes sense to me, dude," TJ nodded. "Preach, brother man."
"The whole reason I even came here is to be freed from the shackles of dependency!" Veronica cried out. "If I can't do that even, what is the point?!
"I understand, Miss Veronica," Mortimer sighed.
"You should be trying to win, you know, even if you don't want to, perhaps your partner does," Remi snipped.
"Well of course I want to win!" Veronica retorted. "I don't see any of you putting knives in the blocks!"
"Respectfully, Miss Veronica…" Mortimer began. "You have explicitly told us not to."
Veronica began to say something, and then paused. "Oh, so I have. Um, ignore the part where I said don't do anything!"
"Hell yeah man," TJ laughed. "I'll get right on it!"
TJ walked over, picked up two knives with a 2 engraved on the handle, and stuck them in each of the knife blocks. He then put his hands on his hips, satisfied.
"That's a good start, but I think every slot needs to be filled," Remi pointed out.
TJ laughed at Remi. Remi paused, and then also laughed.
"Hmm," Mortimer shook his head.
Veronica then looked at Mortimer. "Why are they laughing? I don't get it…"
"You shouldn't concern yourself with it," Mortimer responded.
"Why are you trying to shelter me again?" Veronica balled her fists. "I told you to stop doing that!"
"I do not feel comfortable discussing this with you, I apologize Miss Veronica," Mortimer bowed his head.
"That's fair," Veronica nodded. "I can't force you to do something you're not comfortable with!"
"Thank you for your generosity, Miss Veronica," Mortimer said.
"You're welcome," Veronica smiled. "Now, let's win this challenge."
Veronica then walked up to the blocks, and began moving knives around at random.
"What are you doing?" Remi asked.
"I am helping, obviously!" Veronica giggled. "Can you not see that?"
"I don't think moving them randomly will make it work–" Remi began.
Veronica interrupted him. "What? Am I not allowed to help?"
Remi sighed and looked over at Mortimer, who exhaled exhaustedly.
Remi: "I understand that people have different motivations for coming on this show, but it's super annoying when she's impeding out progress! I'm willing to put up with a lot, but not if it's going to make it to where I can't win! This is my dream! I need to step up now and make this work!"
Veronica: Veronica sat in the confessional, before a look of realization dawned on her face. "...Wait, that's what they meant! Ew…"
Having solved the knife puzzle (thanks in no small part to everyone's haste in ensuring Brexlee didn't get her hands on any knives), the Sausage Brown Pair and their loved ones found the box in between the two knife blocks open up to reveal a number 1058 marked on its interior.
"Hey, this probably goes with that door!" Pavel realized.
He approached a nearby door with a keypad and input 1058. The light on the keypad turned green, and the door clicked. Pavel opened the door and gestured. "After you."
"Desperately simping for me won't make me want to indulge your sick fantasies, creepazoid," Brexlee sneered as she and the others entered the room.
"Tch," Pavel twitched.
"Why's it so f-f-f-freaking cold in here?!" Brynleigh observed.
"This appears to be a walk-in freezer," Clayton noted.
"I don't see any other door here," Brynleigh realized as she looked around.
"Maybe something in here'll give us the way through the other door in the kitchen," Pavel guessed.
"Mehmeh mehmeh meh meh meh meh meh meh meh meh mehmeh meh meh meh mehmeh," Brexlee mocked Pavel's cadence in a high-pitched, irritating voice.
Pavel took a deep breath.
"That's right," Clayton assured Pavel. "Like water off a duck's back. If you're 70% water, then water is 100% you."
"I know, I know," Pavel grunted.
"Now, if we want to win, we all have to work together," Clayton smiled. "Brexlee, do you want to win?"
"Heh. No!" Brexlee cackled. "I could give two shits about this game! In fact, if Brynleigh loses 'cuz of me, even better!"
"That's about all you're going to get out of her," Brynleigh groaned. "Just ignore her and help us figure out whatever the stupid challenge is."
"Now, now, now," Clayton reprimanded. "I don't think we'll get anywhere - in the challenge, or in life - if we can't take a look inside and work past our worst aspects."
"Y-Yeah," Pavel nervously added. "It's, uh, it's like they always say. Being a jerk is both a crime and a punishment."
"Is that why you're trying so hard not to flip out, ese?" Brexlee beamed. "Because you don't wanna commit another crime and get locked up again?"
"Believe me, if I wanted to commit a crime right now, there'd be one more piece of dead meat in this freezer." Pavel clenched his fists.
"Pavel," Clayton said firmly.
Pavel sighed and unclenched his fists. "I'm sorry, Brexlee."
Brynleigh balked. "Uh, no. Fuck that." She marched up to Clayton. "I don't know what sort of weird psychological bullshit you're pulling on Pavel, but you'd better stop it right this second! Yeah, we all know Pavel can lose his temper. You think I haven't seen that shit firsthand?"
"Bryn, please..." Pavel murmured.
"But you know what? At least when Pavel fucks up, he doesn't hide behind the whole Book of Proverbs and act like everything's hunky-dory! If something's not right, Pavel always stands up for himself and his friends! And guess what! When he went too far, he was able to man up, learn from his mistakes, apologize, and face the road ahead of him!"
"Bryn, I..." Pavel muttered.
"If you're out here trying to make a better man of Pavel, then you're doing a fucking awful job!" Brynleigh told Clayton. "Because I've only known this big dumbass for two weeks, and I've seen him reflect and grow more in that time than I've seen some people do in their whole lives! So miss me with this bullshit about letting Brexlee walk all over him! Like he doesn't deserve to stand up for himself, like it's okay to treat him like shit! Is that what you're trying to teach people? That they're on the same level as shit?!"
"Brynleigh, please, that's enough," Pavel told her.
"Oh, I'm just getting started," Brynleigh insisted.
"You made your point," Pavel insisted. "And... I appreciate you standing up for me."
"Gaaaaaaaaaaay!" Brexlee called.
"...But we have a challenge to finish," Pavel concluded.
"Nrrgg... Fine!" Brynleigh acquiesced.
Clayton stood there, forcing a smile and shaking his head.
Brynleigh: "Brexlee can talk shit to me all she wants, because we both know I'm way better than her, and she's just coping. But I'll be damned if I let anyone else think they're beneath her, you got that?! Screw Clayton for making Pavel think Brexlee is above him!"
"We have to do what?!" Ethel asked, staring at a large stack of boxes sitting in the middle of the walk-in freezer.
"We have to move the boxes, dear," Sawyer explained. "It looks like there's something buried in there, and it's too high to risk just trying to pull whatever it is out from the bottom."
"Ohhhhh…" Ethel nodded.
Orson sighed. "We probably ought to get going. As being quick and not just standing around doing nothing is the key to winning a race."
"If you continue to be snide like that, you'll be sorry," Sawyer stared at Orson.
"I'm sure he is just wanting to win," Jane interjected. "It's okay, no need to be upset. Let's just have some fun!"
Sawyer groaned and then picked up a box.
"Yay! Fun!" Ethel exclaimed.
After a while of moving boxes, Sawyer and Jane ended up next to each other at a pile of boxes they had transported away from the main pile.
"So, Jane," Sawyer began. "What is Orson like outside of the game?"
Jane laughed slightly. "Oh, surely you two have been able to talk about your lives in the down time by now."
"Of course," Sawyer glanced away briefly. "Sometimes it just gets so… busy, so what does he enjoy doing?"
Jane and Sawyer walked back to the main pile to pick up more boxes, all the while Jane thought silently. "Well, he does quite enjoy collecting stamps and rocks! He also keeps his collections quite neat and tidy. It's wonderful."
"Huh, I did know he collected stamps," Sawyer mentioned as she grabbed another box..
"Oh, and he and I do go to a mother and son knitting club," Jane smiled following suit. "The other mothers get quite jealous of how much Orson truly gets into it. He has a wonderful career as a tailor if any of his ambitions don't pan out quite as he expects them to!"
"Ambitions you say?" Sawyer asked.
"Well, you know, what he wants to do when he gets out there in the working world!" Jane said.
"I know what–" Sawyer began raise her voice before she caught herself. "Whatever."
"Now, I don't know exactly what his ambition is… but it has something to do with math, I believe." Jane mentioned. "He is a bit private about that kind of thing, but back when I was his age I was kinda the same way. Teenage rebellion, eh?"
"Right," Sawyer responded flatly. "Anything else? Anything kind of… weird, or off?"
"Weird or off?" Jane rubbed her chin as she set the next box down. "Well, there is one thing."
"Oh yeah?" Sawyer raised her eyebrow.
"Well, please promise not to make fun of him for this," Jane insisted.
"I promise," Sawyer smirked.
Jane breathed in. "He also collects plushies."
"...Plushies?" Sawyer asked.
"Yes, plushies," Jane confirmed. "Some of them are just regular stuffed animals, but some of them also look a bit like those 'anime' characters he's mentioned enjoying. Man, any time I help him fold his laundry one of them, this girl with a red dress and black hair, was staring back at me, I swear!"
"I bet it was," Sawyer sighed.
"It may be a bit odd, but I won't question what makes him happy in that respect… I believe letting kids figure out what's right for them helps cultivate healthier mindsets!
"...Well that didn't work," Sawyer muttered to herself.
"Did you say something? I couldn't quite hear you," Jane asked.
"Um, if it works it works," Sawyer quickly responded.
Jane smiled faintly. "I'm glad you agree."
Sawyer: "The apple surely doesn't fall far from the tree with this one. Jane has that same vacant look in her eyes, the lifeless stare. It's quite bizarre. Hell, she didn't even mention much of anything about what made Orson the way he is… this is really frustrating. How else am I supposed to make people turn against Orson and recognize me as the true strategist of our group if I don't have anything on him, dammit!"
Veronica began to sweat as she kept rearranging the knives between the two knife blocks. Remi, Mortimer, and TJ stood off to the side, displaying varying levels of impatience.
"You okay, dude?" TJ asked Remi, the most impatient-looking of the three.
"It's fine, it's fine," Remi coped. "It's just one of the most important challenges of the season, what does it matter if we lose when it means she feels like she accomplished something?"
"Damn!" TJ reacted. "I'm gonna be real, bro, I don't think I've ever seen you this wound up about anything."
Remi sighed. "Don't get me started. Roni's my friend and all, but..."
"Nah, I'm serious," TJ frowned. "Like, I know you dig this show and all, but it's just a game, man."
"You've known her since birth, right?" Remi asked Mortimer. "You can get through to her, right?"
"Miss Veronica desires to figure things out on her own," Mortimer stated. "It's my duty to ensure she's able to do so."
"That's not what I asked, man," Remi said. "Don't tell me you can't grasp what she's thinking, either."
"I resent your doubt in my abilities," Mortimer responded.
"You guys know I can hear you, right?!" Veronica cried. "I'm sorry! I'm doing everything I can, but it's not working!"
"Then why don't you let one of us solve it?!" Remi called. "We could have moved on to the next room ten minutes ago!"
"It's not just about finishing first, Remi!" Veronica huffed.
"Yes it is! That's the whole point of a challenge!" Remi snapped.
"Why can't I just be happy to enjoy the moment?!" Veronica cried. "Why can't I just accomplish something on my own, no matter how hard it is?! Huh?!"
"Because you're not on your own!" Remi argued. "We're a pair! We've never been on our own! It's not just Veronica, and it's not just Remi, it's the Onion Purple Pair! And you're being kinda selfish by holding us back because you want to satisfy your own ego!"
"Ah! My ego?!" Veronica accused. "You're the one who's always going on about how I'm holding you back! About how much it all matters to you!"
"You've always done that, too!" Remi shouted. "And I was cool with it in the early game, because it was still kinda fun and good times, but now it's serious! Now even the smallest slip-up could cost us everything! I care too much about this show to let you lose me the game!"
Tears streamed down Veronica's face. "Well I'm sorry I'm not a good enough partner for you! I'm sorry I'm ruining your time on Total Drama! If it makes you feel any better, you're ruining mine, too!"
She covered her face and wept as she headed to the corner of the room. Mortimer rushed to her side.
"Tch. What a spoiled child!" Remi exasperated.
...
"You good, bro?" TJ asked uncomfortably. "No, that's a dumb question. You're not good, bro."
"I've had to put up with a lot, dude," Remi sighed. "And I've told her she's been kinda selfish before. It's not news to her."
"Well, save it for the lyric brainstorming sessions," TJ said firmly. "Because what I just saw was not my bro Remi. I don't know who it was, but it wasn't him."
"Come on, not you too..." Remi groaned.
Remi: "Am I the bad guy here? Because I feel like everything I'm saying is correct and justified. Maybe to some people it is just a game, but besides rock n' roll, Total Drama is my biggest love in life. Words cannot express how much this all means to me, and Roni's obsession with proving herself - whatever that means - is getting in our way. Full stop."
Meanwhile, Brynleigh, Clayton, and Pavel moved boxes quickly as Brexlee sat on one of the boxes, filing her nails. Pavel walked up to Brynleigh, who threw the box she was carrying into the designated zone.
"I'm surprised," Pavel said.
"What for?" Brynleigh raised an eyebrow.
The two began walking back to the pile of boxes briskly as Clayton passed them.
"Well, for standing up for me earlier," Pavel explained. "That was a lot different than usual…"
"Oh, um," Brynleigh stammered. "Don't feel too good about that one. I just needed to lay the smackdown on that stupid 'guru' over there and my dumbshit sister."
"Is that so?" Pavel asked.
"Yeah, that's it," Brynleigh firmly responded. "It was nothing more than that.
Pavel smiled slightly as he picked up one of the boxes. "Sure thing dude, I get it."
"Don't you go looking too hard into it or whatever, dude," Brynleigh scoffed. "It was nothing!"
"I am so glad to hear you two behaving so… positively," Clayton said, suddenly appearing right behind the two of them, causing Brynleigh to jump.
"Ugh!" Brynleigh exclaimed. "Maybe a bit of warning, you dick!"
"I guess we are acting pretty positively, huh," Pavel laughed.
From over on the boxes, Brexlee made an obnoxiously loud gagging noise.
"You know, you can just leave, right?" Brynleigh growled. "Stop being weird and making so many gross noises!"
"I thought you'd be used to the sound of gagging," Brexlee smirked. "I guess it is what it is."
"First of all, ew," Brynleigh grit her teeth. "Second of all, grow the fuck up!"
"Nanananana!" Brexlee put her fingers in her ears. "I can't hear you! Are you saying something? I can't hear it!"
"Oh, just let her be," Pavel sighed. "She's clearly not gonna listen to nothin'. Not even worth the energy."
"Aw, so glad your hulking, scary boyfriend can control you so easily!" Brexlee giggled. "Pavel and Brynleigh sitting in a tree! F-U-K-... wait, shit, F-U-C–"
"Don't even TRY to finish that you fucking weirdo!" Brynleigh screamed over Brexlee's obnoxiously loud singing.
As the two continued to argue, Pavel and Clayton began hauling boxes even faster until they were down to only a few left.
"Are y'all done yet?" Pavel asked, as he dropped another box down. "We're almost done, we just need one more box."
"Ah, yes, one more box," Brynleigh smirked. "I know just where to find that one box!"
Brynleigh then walked over to Brexlee, grabbed the box she was sitting on, and pulled it out from under her.
"Ow! What the hell?!" Brexlee snarled. "Can't you see I was sitting on that?"
"Sorry! I think I needed it more!" Brynleigh laughed. "Actually, I'm not sorry at all!"
"Ugh, you are the worst EVER!" Brexlee sat on the ground and crossed her arms.
Brynleigh smiled.
Brynleigh: "Oh, to make her mad is music to my ears, truly! You guys have no idea just how horrible she is outside of this place! If you think she's awful here, you should see how she acts back home! Trust me, she fucking deserves it!"
After moving every box from the pile, the Pepperoni Red Pair and their visitors saw some kind of image on the floor. Nine dots in a 3x3 grid, with a long arrow going through each of them, starting from the top-right dot, going down, up and to the left, down, and wrapping to the middle.
"Ohhhhhh!" Ethel realized. "It's like when you unlock your phone, you have to swipe through those dots!"
"Nice thinking, Ethel," Orson complimented. "But where do we have to input such a sequence?"
"Probably a lock. Probably the other one in the kitchen," Sawyer figured.
"I'll keep an eye out for more clues," Jane offered. "For some reason, I can't shake the feeling that this has all been too straightforward. Maybe I'll find something if I retrace my steps."
"Sure, whatever, do what you want," Sawyer said dismissively.
She, Orson, and Ethel returned to the kitchen and headed for the one locked door they hadn't opened yet. Sure enough, it had a touchpad on it with a 3x3 grid of dots.
"Would you care to do the honors, love?" Sawyer offered Ethel.
"Teehee. Okayyyyy!"
Ethel ran her finger across the grid, but it didn't unlock.
"Wait, I think I messed it up, hold on."
She tried again, stopping halfway through.
"No, wait, I didn't mean to touch that one."
She ran through more and more tries while Sawyer and Orson stood in wait.
"The immense amount of patience you reserve for her is actually kind of sweet," Orson told Sawyer quietly.
"Keep talking. I have no qualms about spending the rest of the game with a cadaver as a partner," Sawyer sneered.
"Okay, I got it!" Ethel announced as the door clicked open.
The three crossed and found themselves in a big dining area, dotted with round tables decorated with expensive tablecloths and decor, and fitted with varying levels of placements involving chairs, napkins, and silverware.
"Oohhhhh, I'd love to eat somewhere like here someday," Ethel giggled.
"After we win, the very first thing I'll do is take you somewhere even better," Sawyer promised. "But first, we must win. How do we proceed from here?"
"Is that a safe over there?" Orson gestured to a small, heavy-looking box situated on a side table.
The three approached and examined it, noticing it had a keyhole.
"Did one of you bring the keys?" Sawyer asked.
"Of course," Orson smiled, revealing the ring of keys. "But how do we determine which one to use?"
"I'm brute-forcing it," Sawyer told him. She swiped the keyring and began trying each key. The sixth attempt opened the safe.
"Wowwwww, you're so good at this Delainey!" Ethel clapped.
"Thank you, I try," Sawyer adjusted her tie with a proud smile.
Orson eased open the hatch. Inside the safe were three coupons.
"'For the Total Drama pop-up cafe in Tokyo'?" Sawyer read.
"That's... generous of them," Orson hummed. "But only three? There are four of us competing in this challenge."
"It's probably a mistake. We're wasting time! Look for another way forward!" Sawyer ordered.
Orson: "Sawyer may actually be right: with the possibility of winning within our grasp, I should focus less on seeing mother and meeting a new friend, and more on ensuring our victory. Haha, even I'm not immune to flights of emotional whimsy from time to time."
"I think I may have gone a bit far," Remi grimaced as he looked over at the corner of the kitchen, where Veronica still stood crying, with Mortimer nearby comforting her.
"Yeah dude, you did," TJ nodded.
Remi quickly looked at TJ, distraught. "I just… it's been my dream, man! And we're so close to the end! I just… might've gotten a little too self-absorbed about it."
"Look, broski, it ain't me you need to justify it to," TJ replied. "I know you've been about this show for a while now, made the band watch it in the van too!"
"Sorry again if that was awkward at the time," Remi apologized. "I just love sharing it with y'all!"
"You kidding? The farting guy killed me, dude!" TJ assured Remi. "Your passion isn't a problem, bro."
"It sure seems like it is right now," Remi sighed.
"Nah man, it ain't that," TJ corrected. "You dreaming of winning the show and being all in love with it, that's super cool bro! But you gotta remember it ain't just a you game."
Remi nodded solemnly.
"I mean, shit dude, the Remi outside this game is all about the team!" TJ smiled. "It's part of being in a band, man! It's even just about being a friend. I mean, y'all two are close, yeah?"
"I'd like to think so, at least before this we were," Remi added.
"Well then maybe you should go over there and talk to her!" TJ suggested excitedly.
"Right now?" Remi asked.
TJ then looked over at Veronica, who was still crying in the corner with Mortimer.
"Uh, maybe when she's less crying and stuff," TJ added.
Meanwhile, in the corner, Veronica continued to cry. Mortimer stood by, comforting her.
"I am sorry that this is happening, Miss Veronica," Mortimer said, gripping her shoulder. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"No, probably not," Veronica shook her head. "I'm just sad… that I'm ruining everything!"
Mortimer twitched at the mention of this. He shook his head. "Miss Veronica, if I may overstep for a moment, respectfully I disagree with your assertion that you are ruining everything."
"Huh?" Veronica looked up at Mortimer.
"This is simply quite a tense moment in this game," Mortimer continued. "It appears you are close to the end of the game, yes?"
"Yeah," Veronica sniffled. "We're one of the last three teams."
"I suspected as such," Mortimer nodded. "It is simply down to the wire, and unfortunately, tensions do run high in these types of competitive situations."
"I still don't like what he said… it really hurt," Veronica looked down again.
"Miss Veronica, do not feel like your feelings are not valid," Mortimer reassured her. "What you are going through, and what you are feeling, is entirely normal in a situation like this. Allowing yourself the grace to feel upset for a time is an important step to being able to be independent."
Veronica sniffled again and smiled, she looked up at Mortimer again. "You do always know what to say when I'm feeling down. I thank you."
"Yes, quite," Mortimer cleared his throat, before patting Veronica on the shoulder again. "It is what I am here for."
"But what am I to do when I go back over there?" Veronica asked Mortimer.
"Well, that must be up to you," Mortimer reassured you. "Have faith in your own judgement, Miss Veronica."
"Okay, I will!" Veronica smiled slightly.
Veronica: "I have always been appreciative of having someone like Mortimer in my life. It truly is like having a father figure around all the time to help guide me through difficult times! He helps me feel grounded. I do realize it is quite a privilege to have, but I feel blessed to have that privilege in the first place!"
The Sausage Brown Pair and Co. made it to the dining area, and searched around for clues. Clayton approached Pavel as the two searched a fair distance away from the girls.
"Hey, Pavel," Clayton smiled. "May I begin by saying that I'm proud of you for keeping yourself in check in the midst of such a stressful environment?"
"Uh, thanks," Pavel responded. "Is this gonna be one of those compliment sandwiches?"
"Well..." Clayton trailed off. "I understand you chose Brynleigh as your partner in the game so you can guide her the way I have guided you."
"What the heeeeeeck are you talking about?" Pavel asked, stopping himself from saying another word.
"The way Brynleigh snapped at me isn't conducive to a healthy mindset," Clayton frowned. "And you haven't helped guide Brynleigh back onto the right path."
"That's not really my place to step in," Pavel claimed. "Aren't you always sayin' you should pick your battles? It's like that."
"In a perfect world, there will be no battles," Clayton said with a serene smile. "But if someone is relying on you, squandering your responsibility will only make things worse for everyone."
"Bryn's not my responsibility," Pavel established. "We're partners. I don't have anythin' over her, and she don't have anythin' over me."
"Is it not your duty to help others in need?" Clayton lightly reprimanded.
"We're helpin' each other in the game plenty," Pavel twitched.
"I meant in regards to her attitude," Clayton said. "And I think you know what I meant."
"Clayton, you don't know the first thing about her attitude," Pavel grunted. "And you know what? I think she's right. Letting people like Brexlee just have their way is how you stay trapped in toxic relationships, and..."
"The only kind you'll ever know, Tuco!" Brexlee taunted.
Pavel grit his teeth and clenched his fists.
"Deep breaths," Clayton instructed. "Resenting others is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to get sick."
Pavel took a deep breath in, and then a deep breath out.
"Just like that," Clayton encouraged.
"You know what?" Pavel smiled. "Maybe Brynleigh was right!"
"Of course I am!" Brynleigh grinned. "What are you two talking about?"
"Clayton, I'm so grateful that you've helped me get back on my feet." Pavel said. "I would be in such a worse place if you haven't been helping me out."
"...This is a compliment sandwich, isn't it?" Clayton frowned.
"But for fuck's sake, there is a difference between helping others and controlling them!" Pavel shouted. "I don't know where you got the idea that you can mold me into some perfect cartoon character superhero, but that ain't me! It ain't ever gonna be me! It ain't gonna be Brynleigh, either. Or Brexlee, or even you! Because that shit's not real! People will always make mistakes! And that's fine! You know what? I'm tryin'! And despite what you might think, so is Brynleigh!"
"Hey, don't act like you know me!" Brynleigh huffed.
"I'm never going to turn into whatever idealized version of me you think exists!" Pavel realized. "Because that's not who I am! I'm me, and when I feel, I feel a lot! Brynleigh's got under my skin so many goddamn times."
"Ha!" Brexlee laughed.
"But you know what? She's still my friend!" Pavel continued. "Because we trust in each other. We rely on each other." He sighed. "I've... said stuff to hurt her, but she still trusts me. And if anythin', it's made our bond even closer!"
"Told you they're fucking!" Brexlee mocked.
"Pavel, chill out," Brynleigh stepped in. "The sooner we get this challenge overwith, the sooner we can get back to the game and forget these assholes."
Pavel took another breath. "You're right, Bryn. You find anythin'?"
"What, with how much you've been squawking?" Brynleigh sneered.
The two walked away from Clayton, who sighed and shook his head.
Pavel: "I've... been holding onto that for a while. I didn't want to seem ungrateful to Clayton, because he has done a lot for me, but... that's no excuse for him to exploit my position, because I've suspected for a while he knows I'll do whatever he says out of indebtedness. I've felt awful about myself for so long because I haven't lived up to what he expects for me, and that's no way to live! Not when I have real friends who accept me for who I am and will help me get past the bad times!"
Meanwhile, in the Pepperoni Red dining room, Sawyer feverishly ripped a tablecloth off a table and threw it into a pile of other identical tablecloths while Ethel and Orson stood by watching.
"Ugh, this isn't fucking working!" Sawyer exclaimed. "I thought the clue would have to be underneath one of these! I know I haven't missed anything yet!"
"You're the most attentive girlfriend in the whole wide world!" Ethel cheered on.
"Thank you, love," Sawyer sighed. "This is really starting to get on my nerves though!"
"Perhaps it is in another room?" Orson pondered. "It would make sense, as the 'continuing to pull tablecloths off the tables' strategy appears to not be working."
"Shut the fuck up and do something then instead of just standing there looking stupid!" Sawyer barked out to Orson. "You're wasting time!"
Orson then turned away and shook his head. "It isn't me who looks stupid in this situation." He muttered.
"Excuse me?" Sawyer raised an eyebrow. "What'd you say?"
"Oh, nothing," Orson said as he began to walk away.
"He said something about not being the one who looked stupid, or something," Ethel said.
"Oh, I see," Sawyer growled. "If you're gonna try to backsass me, then be prepared because you're barking up the wrong tree, dammit!"
"I would appreciate it if you stopped yelling at me," Orson responded. "It distracts from the mission."
"It's not like you're doing shit anyway!" Sawyer continued to yell. "Don't act like you can just tell me what to do, that is not how this partnership works! I tell YOU what to do!"
"Continuing to be extremely loud does not replace actual respect, and being high and mighty will not garner it either," Orson snapped. "It will only continue to push away the love from others that you so clearly crave, as you were likely ignored as a child."
"What the fuck?!" Sawyer exclaimed, clearly taken aback. "Wh-what makes you think that I–you.."
"Oh? Tripping over your words? Did I happen to strike a nerve?" Orson taunted.
As the two continued to argue, Jane walked into the room carrying a platter with a large piece of meat with a bone through the middle of it.
"Oh, mother!" Orson smiled suddenly.
"Is anyone hungry?" Jane asked, setting the platter down on the table.
"Oh boy, am I!" Orson sat down immediately, he turned to Ethel and Sawyer and motioned for them to sit down. "You absolutely must try mother's cooking. It is to die for."
"Go fuck yourself," Sawyer crossed her arms. "Besides, why did you even cook this… meat?"
"Oh, well, originally I felt I would be most useful helping to fuel you young people with a delicious lunch!" Jane explained. "However, as I was cooking this, I noticed one of the sides of the bone popped out and a note was in it!"
"And you didn't bring it out here earlier?" Sawyer narrowed her eyes.
"Well I couldn't simply leave food cooking on the stove, it would catch fire!" Jane defended.
"I suppose you've got me there," Sawyer shrugged.
"Yeah, it appears the note has something to do with the challenge–" Jane began, before Sawyer grabbed the note from her hand immediately.
"'Number of tables, number of forks, number of coupons'," Sawyer read out. "It's the combination to the lock!"
Sawyer then rushed off into the dining room while Orson ate, and Ethel sat quietly.
"This is delicious, mother," Orson said as he continued to eat. "Thank you for cooking for us, it reminds me of home."
"Well, I couldn't stand to see my boy without a nice homecooked meal!" Jane smiled. "You are welcome!"
"Would you like some?" Orson said to Ethel as he motioned towards the meat.
"Oh, no thank you, I'm good," Ethel said, shifting in her seat away from Orson, who frowned.
Moments went by, and eventually Sawyer rushed over to the lock on the front door. She input the numbers. 12 tables, 46 forks, 3 tickets. She then grabbed the doorknob and turned it, swinging the door open to see Chef and Chris standing there.
"Oh, looks like we got a winner!" Chef announced. "Congrats to the Pepperoni Red team! Y'all have won the final Pineapple of the season!
"Fuck. Yes!" Sawyer exclaimed.
Ethel ran up behind Sawyer and hugged her. "Congrats Delainey! I knew you could do it!"
"I–thank you," Sawyer said and hugged her back.
Sawyer: "I knew I could do it! It's so vindicating! I am going to use this Pineapple to finally ensure that I am going to make it to the end and win this game! Even if everyone else in this my enemy, even my own partner, I don't care! I am going to win this game, and nobody will get in my way!"
Orson: "It really is thanks to my mother for winning us this challenge. If she hadn't thought to cook that delicious meal, we likely would have been stuck in there a lot longer. She truly is a spectacular person, thank you mother."
The six contestants and their visitors reconvened outside Dallas Grill and Smokehouse. Chef and Chris stood before them. In contrast to when the challenge had begun, the sky was dark and the moon shone dimly above them.
"Congratulations once again to the Pepperoni Red Pair n' their loved ones for bein' the first to make it out of the restaurant," Chef grinned. "Orson n' Sawyer will get to use the Pineapple on one'a the other pairs... probably in a minute."
"But for now, it is time to say goodbye to your visitors," Chris chuckled. "And make it quick. I'm getting eepy."
"I will pay you to never say that again," Brynleigh recoiled.
"With what money?" Brexlee taunted. "Oh, wait, there's only one way you know how to pay people!"
"Yeah, whatever," Brynleigh dismissed.
"It's sex! Because you're a whore!" Brexlee laughed.
"People knew what you meant! Explaining the joke just-" Brynleigh let out a breath. "Just get lost before I make sure you leave by ambulance."
Brexlee flipped the bird with both hands as she left, cackling to herself.
"What an unpleasant girl," Jane frowned.
"Of course, if we were watching this on TV, we just might see the humor in how awful she acts," Orson noted. "Just like on The Middle."
"Hmm... Maybe," Jane realized. "Well, I'm glad I got to see you again, and I'm glad you've made it this far. I just know you can win."
"That's the idea," Orson chuckled. "Don't worry. I didn't make it this far by accident."
Jane gave her son a hug before departing.
"Damn, you almost forget dude's kind of a sociopath," Remi murmured to TJ.
"Wait, he is?!" TJ reacted.
"Shhhhh!" Remi insisted. "Did I not mention that?" he asked quietly.
"Mostly you just bitched about... someone else," TJ mentioned unsubtly.
"Yeah..." Remi sighed. "I'll have to address that soon. Unironically, thanks for reminding me."
"I mean hey, thanks for picking me to be on the show," TJ beamed. "We're gonna sell so much merch after this!"
"Hell yeah!" Remi agreed.
The two played air-guitar-and-drums and shared a fist-bump before TJ headed off.
"I'm glad I got to see you, Pavel," Clayton smiled. "We'll have a lot to discuss the next time I see you."
"We will," Pavel agreed neutrally.
After an uncomfortable silence, Clayton extended his hand for a shake. Pavel obliged, then Clayton departed without another word.
"Well, Miss Veronica, I bid you good fortune in the twilight days of this game," Mortimer said with a slight bow.
"Thank you, Mortimer," Veronica said with a small smile. "It won't be easy, but... that is what I signed up for!"
"Capital attitude," Mortimer complimented. "I've little doubt you can see this through to the end. I'm sure your parents would agree."
"How could they? My parents don't know I'm here!" Veronica responded.
"...Right. Forgive my misspeaking," Mortimer said with another bow. "Until I see you again. May smiles fill your days."
"You too, Mortimer!" Veronica returned.
Mortimer bowed once more before departing.
"Awwwwww, Delainey, I'm gonna miss you," Ethel told Sawyer as she took her hands.
"And I'll miss you, of course," Sawyer said. "But it won't be much longer til I come home a truly self-made woman."
"I can't wait!" Ethel squealed. "Go show them what you're made of, Ms. Sawyer!"
"You wouldn't catch me dead doing anything else," Sawyer said with a confident swagger.
Ethel kissed Sawyer before skipping off.
Pavel: "I'm still not sure if what happened in the dining area was an instance of standing up for myself, or just losing control again. I... don't feel like I did the wrong thing. Like Clayton said, it'll be something to discuss. But for now, it's back to the game."
Remi: "Today put a lot of things into perspective for me. And I definitely buckled under the pressure, which wasn't cool of me. If I'm gonna be a part of the grand Total Drama history, I don't want to be remembered as a jerk who makes his friends cry. Which puts me ahead of a concerning number of past players... But regardless, I need to get my act together, because Roni and I can still win this!"
Sawyer: "Orson may choose to bully myself and others with his mean-spirited tactics, but I see myself as a classier player. So fuck what Orson thinks, I'm going to win this game! Not for him, but for me and Ethel! And that's that!"
Chef raised his hands in the air to signal to the others. "Welcome to the final Pineapple ceremony of the season!
"You don't need to announce it, you just directed us to the stupid burger boy statue after the loved ones left!" Brynleigh rolled her eyes.
"Right, well, to remind y'all, the Pepperoni Red team has won the Pineapple," Chef continued. "And they will be using it on of y'all two teams! Whichever of y'all gets it will have a disadvantage in the FINAL Invincibility challenge!"
"Yeah, and you definitely don't want a penalty in THAT challenge!" Chris laughed. "Oh man, it's gonna suuuuuck for whoever gets it!"
"That sounds terrible! Surely we are not getting it, right?" Veronica gulped.
"Well, y'all got a decision?" Chef asked.
"Yes, Chef, we do," Orson nodded. "The decision is–"
"Ahem, yes, I have come to the decision," Sawyer interrupted, to which Orson glared at her. "I am going to be using the Pineapple on…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"The Sausage Brown Team," Sawyer crossed her arms and smiled smugly.
"Wow! Shocker!" Brynleigh shook her head.
"It's only fair, bitch," Sawyer sneered. "You two used the Pineapple on us last round, and now it's time for the consequences for your actions."
"For the record, I would like to clarify that it was simply a strategic decision, at least for me.," Orson added.
"Sure, whatever man," Pavel sighed. "Like it ain't personal for you."
"Believe what you wish to, it's not like you would believe my perspective anyway," Orson retorted. "It never has been about anyone else's perspective for you, only your own."
"I–" Pavel began, before shaking his head. "Y'know, y'all won the last time with the Pineapple, guess we'll just have to try to do the same."
"I'd like to see you try," Sawyer laughed.
Chef cleared his throat. "Alright then, that'll be all for the FINAL Pineapple Ceremony! I expect y'all to be right back here bright n' early for your final challenge. Get some rest, you'll need it!" Chef laughed.
Brynleigh: "You know, today fucking sucked! But… I have to admit it, it's been a long time since someone's actually stuck up for me like that before. Pavel even called me his friend! For… some reason, or whatever. So, I'm gonna make sure to give it my all, dammit! I mean, how else are we–I mean, how else am I gonna win if I don't try my best!"
Orson: "Ultimately, whether or not everyone else continues to take things personally seems to simply be out of my control. Therefore, why would I continue to have to bear the cross that is other people's emotions taking things as anything but a game? Well, no more. I will win this game, and if people take issue or offense to my methods, then that's on them. Sawyer's gotten one singular thing right this entire game, and it's that no matter what, Pepperoni Red will be the last team standing. No matter how."
Chef and Chris stood at the statue in the same place as before.
"Man, it's getting TENSE between those teams!" Chris exclaimed.
"Damn right it is, Chris-man," Chef laughed. "They really got their work cut out for 'em next time though…"
"Yeah, I don't envy them, these final challenges always rip the cast apart!" Chris smiled. "Sometimes literally!"
"Right you are," Chef nodded. "But with the finale on the horizon, who'll rise? Who'll crumble under the pressure?! To find out, you'll have to tune in next time to Total! Drama! Pizza Party!"
Pepperoni Red Pair:
Sawyer - The Businesswoman
Orson - The Ordinary Guy
Onion Purple Pair:
Veronica - The Sheltered Heiress
Remi - The Superfan Drummer
Sausage Brown Pair:
Pavel - The Reformed Gangster
Brynleigh - The Brat
Mushroom Blue Pair:
Charlie - The Aspiring Therapist
Ichabod - The Terse Perfectionist
Jalapeno Green Pair:
Jenna - The Last-Second Recruit
Panic - The Disillusioned Punk
Bacon Pink Pair:
Lazarus - The Offbeat Hippie
Alex - The Friendly Actress
Cheese Yellow Pair:
Dede - The Retro Romantic
Sunshine - The Lover of All
Anchovy Gray Pair:
Peter - The Surly Cynic
Aoi - The Complacent Model
Not Picked:
Flick - The Isekai Survivor
Jacqueline - The Proud Nerd
Kiko - The Mushroom VTuber
Toby - The Optimistic Reporter
A/N
Asujoll: I've always appreciated moments in shows like this where we get to see a small glimpse into their life back home. While the contestants can feel like self-contained characters in the overall story that is their season, seeing another side of them serves as a reminder that they're people, just like you and (presumably) me. Doing it in the context of Total Drama fics also means I get to introduce a bunch of characters for people to bounce off of when the game's nearing its end and there isn't as much for the players to discuss! And I hope all those things were exemplified well in this episode. We had a ton of fun with this one, and we hope you did too!
Max: Surprise! While this may be a non-elimination, having a family visit certainly gave this episode a very unique flavor to it and especially this close to the end, it really helped showcase our cast in a much different light than before. Some of them showed how much they've changed, while others showed maybe not so much… Family visits in reality tv and fanfics I feel generally are somewhat underutilized in general, and do open up a lot of unique avenues for characters to develop, and while this episode was fairly light on inter-team interactions, there was plenty of intra-team development to make up for it. Hopefully this episode worked out and entertained you guys as much as it was fun to write. We're nearing the end of the season, but there's still plenty of content left to deliver, so stay tuned!