The Guilds:

The Sahra Guild: Eleanor, Hansel, James, Jianne, Kairo, Laurie, Luna

The Majraa Guild: Amethyst, Braden, Declan, Katniss, Larissa, Lizzy, Vivielle, Sister Vivian

The Kaniun Guild: Evelyn, JT, Tony, Wendy, Winter

The Aljibal Guild: Christopher, Cole, Harry, Mason, Rosa

Desert Exiles: Allen, Jeremy

Chris's Recap

"Last time on Total Drama Qatilat…

"Aljibal became more divided than it was before. Hansel, James, and Eleanor branched out from their little group to seek better roots with the rest of Sahra. Sparks flew in Majraa, in more ways than one. Nice! Wonder how Larissa said there was only one ship in the guild? Huh. Kaniun was bummed about losing Lizzy indirectly, but they had more things to worry about. Like camp chores.

"In the desert, Allen and Lizzy hooked up, and Lizzy had no intention of explaining to Allen that his strategy sucked. That's pretty wicked. The challenge was a four square competition. Wonder why we haven't thought of it before, but we're doing it now! Amethyst dominated the Ace square and won the challenge for Majraa. Majraa determined that Jeremy pay the Loser Tax, sending him to the desert, and Kaniun lost the challenge. They deemed Drake as their least sociable guild member and signed him out of the competition.

"At the end of the day, Lizzy was able to crawl her way back into the competition, but had the utter shock that she will not be going back into Kaniun. Which guild will Lizzy end up in? How long before Allen rejoins the competition? Which guild will swing their steps back into elimination? Your guess is as good as mine. Here! On Total!

"Drama!

"Qatilat!"

Da Shoppe

Contestants: Evelyn, Wendy

The sun broke upon the horizon. Evelyn and Wendy were the first to awake from their guild, so they made a morning trip to the stand.

"Would ya look at that." Wendy held her cowboy hat and gazed at the sunrise.

"Wow, I usually don't get to see the sun go up."

"Ya sure do on The Jazira!"

The two girls traveled upon the ups and downs of the canyon until they reached Da Shoppe.

Chef was asleep, clad in his blue striped pajamas and his teddy bear in his hands.

Evelyn shrugged. "I guess Da Shoppe is not open yet."

"Nonsense! Chef!" Wendy dinged the bell a few times.

"Uh! O- Stop the advancement! Onwards, soldiers, onwards!" Chef pointed forwards. He realized where he was and stood to present himself. "Uh, why are you here so early?"

Evelyn brushed off her experience of waking Chef. "Well, dinner has been sucking so hard. We need some actual food if we don't want to lose the next challenge."

Chef slammed the gabble down. "That ain't no reason to wake me up! We almost reached our victory! I could taste it." Chef's eyes widened. "It tastes a whole lot like drool though."

Wendy shook her head. "It sure is a damn hell of a reason to wake you up! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!"

Chef sniffed. "Alright, you got me there. So, what are we cooking?"

Evelyn placed eight coins on the counter. "Nothing much if we don't have our pot."

"One pot coming right up." Chef handed the pot to Evelyn.

Wendy gazed at the menu. "I'm deciding between more food or more to hunt."

"Well, the beans are cheaper."

"Yeah, but what about the quality of our life? It's not as fulfillin' eatin' beans seven days when we could vary it up by huntin'. That's my debate."

Evelyn shrugged. "Well, if you have the coin, I say go for a hunting tool."

"Aight." Wendy nodded. She placed eleven coins on the table. "I want that survival knife."

"Here you go, soldier!" Chef yawned. "Now, is there anythang else you need?"

The girls shook her head.

"Then scram!" And Chef went right back to sleep.

Kaniun Kove

Contestants: Evelyn, JT, Tony, Wendy, Winter

Wendy and Evelyn approached the camp and started their campwork. During their trip to Da Shoppe, the rest of the guild awoke.

"Nice!" JT cheered. "I was really hoping that breakfast wouldn't be another porridge bowl."

"Well then, Mr. Hopeful, I sure hope ya don't mind deboning and skinnin' these bunnies I picked up along tha way."

"I'll head over to the river then, so I don't make a huge mess."

"No, no," Wendy shook her head. "The farthest you can go is outside the entrance. The river is the cleaning area. I can bring the river to you." Wendy picked up the pot.

Evelyn handed out the water bottles. "I also got these filled up."

Winter shook her head. "Wow, guys. Now I feel bad not participating in this trip. How could I help everyone?"

The guild looked towards Wendy where she stood and thought. "Well, I'll tell you this. Ain't no way those bunnies'll be ready for breakfast, which means we need breakfast. You and Tony can fetch some berries, and here," Wendy gave Winter the pot. "Gather 'em in this. JT can use our drinking water to clean up for now. Evelyn's gettin' started on our fire, and I'll help JT out with the bunnies, and whatever he needs. Deal?"

Evelyn and JT affirmed Wendy's plan.

"Umm," Winter hesitated.

"Sounds like a lovely idea, Miss Wendy." Tony nodded.

Confessional: Winter: The Kaniun Guild

"Ugh, no! I do not like going off and gathering berries with Tony of all people! I've seen the guy's work ethic around camp; he's pretty lazy. So, why couldn't he have dealt with the fire? On top of that, I feel super awkward around him from last elimination ceremony. I really thought it was going to be me on top of this guy's list! He's going to use the time to get a pick at my head with how gleeful he sounded, so I just have to make sure not to give him too much information." Winter looked up at the confessional's roof. "But I don't even have anything! Maybe I should work on a girl's alliance for this guild and get rid of the two guys like that."

End Confessional

While watching the fire, Evelyn worked on roasting their rice for them to eat at lunch. Later, Evelyn would be tasked to chop some more rice from the fields and place them outside to dry. Wendy continued to assist JT with preparing their bunnies for their lunch that day.

"I'm glad we developed a way to survive out here." JT commented. "When I first arrived in this camp, I was spooked."

Wendy shook her head. "This ain't no different than livin' out on the farm. Ya have a shop to buy a few things. Ya have what the land can provide. Things are better after our trip from Da Shoppe."

JT shook his head. "Things will only get better once we start winning challenges."

"Maybe to you, but you are an athlete. It makes sense that you think about the competitive aspect. I just think that if we can survive in camp, we can survive in the game. That's where I choose to tunnel vision, but once we get all this together, maybe we can succeed as a guild."

"Mhmm." JT continued deboning.

Evelyn focused on the fire.

Confessional: Wendy: The Kaniun Guild

"This kinda sucks. No one here is givin' me an ear. I wonder if they ain't talking because they don't like me bein' the boss 'round here." Wendy shrugged. "I'll just keep on keeping on."

End Confessional

Confessional: Evelyn: The Kaniun Guild

"I appreciate Wendy for trying to have some conversation, but I can't talk about this game with everything getting so heavy. I mean, I joined an alliance after the first one failed with not the most ideal person, and I eliminated one of my friends, who, in turn, willed me his coins. That sits on the soul heavily. Like MacBeth killing off his friend, the King, for the throne."

End Confessional

Confessional: JT: The Kaniun Guild

"Like I said earlier, everyone is freaking out because the elimination ceremonies are intense, but it won't matter if we don't lose! On top of that, we could gain our survival items back if we win and down another guild of one of their members if we choose the right person. Winning is everything. This game literally works that way!"

End Confessional

In the Woods

Tony and Winter poked around in some of the bushes, looking for food, but failing.

"Are we in the right place?" Tony asked.

"Yes," Winter answered. "This was the place Amethyst sketched out. Maybe she was trying to lead us to a source of food after taking our pot. That still wasn't nice of her at all, and I have no interest in this cross-guild alliance if we're still considering that."

"I think we should consider it. An alliance with a whole guild is beneficial. We can share camp items or teamwork in challenges. Should we not go hard on this one guild, we can foster this alliance even more. It's one of the benefits to being on a multiple team season."

"Maybe this is something we can bring up during breakfast or lunch."

"Perhaps," Tony preened his chin. "There was actually something I wanted to discuss with you, Winter."

"Which is?"

"The last elimination ceremony."

"You would rather discuss that with me right now than have a talk before the ceremony took place?"

Tony rose an eyebrow. "I'm not sure where this is coming from. You had no votes last night."

"I had no votes, but they did not fall where I thought they would."

"Allow me to say my piece. I have been able to deduct that you voted for me last ceremony. Now, whatever caused you to do that, I will apologize. I never meant to get on your bad side. To make it up to you, I want to offer a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Winter asked to gain perspective.

"An interesting one. Should either of us get eliminated, we will our coins to each other. Does that sound fair to you?"

Winter shook her head. "No, I don't want that one. There needs to be some more collateral to prove that this deal is legit."

"Then, I hope the next best thing will be to vote with you for the next elimination ceremony."

"Well then, that's one we can go through with."

Tony nodded. "Great. Now if you don't mind, I will go have a chat with Majraa's Artist."

Tony walked deeper into the woods leaving Winter to pick the guild's berries alone. She groaned.

Deeper into the greens, Amethyst was sketching on a stump. She smirked as soon as she heard him approaching.

Tony found her and stopped. "How did you manage to be alone without any of your guild figuring out where you went?"

"They're not early risers." Amethyst spoke in her usual soft spoken way. Not too shrill like when she was at the Kaniun Kove.

Tony rose his eyebrows. "I'm not sure about the rest of my guild, but I know I want a deal with yours."

Amethyst gestured out to the stump in front of her. "Have a seat. I would like to sketch your portrait."

Tony sat on his stump and crossed his legs. "I wouldn't expect someone like you to be making deals across guilds. You strike me as a reserved type."

"There isn't much on my guild to work with. I have already built myself in. Let me ask you a question. Why did you come without any of your other guild members?"

"They simply weren't interested whereas I was."

Amethyst smirked. "So that makes you the scheming type. Going off without their knowledge?"

Tony smirked back. "Believe me. They know I'm here."

"So, what's it like over on your guild?"

"We are a well balanced team. We have the leaders, the organizers, the strong, there is very little to worry about over there." Tony nodded.

"Then how did you lose the last challenge?"

"We had lost a member previously that would have been good in the foursquare challenge. In turn, we eliminated someone who was weaker, and less capable in challenges?"

"Drake?"

Tony narrowed his eyes. "Yes, we did."

"To present an argument to your case, I lasted almost the whole challenge, and yet I am not the most physically capable."

"Perhaps you played some as a child." Tony concluded.

Amethyst shrugged. "Perhaps." She continued sketching. "So what deal did you want to strike?"

"I'll let you present yours first."

"I have no deal to offer if there isn't at least another person."

Tony held in a groan. "Then here's mine. To keep this alliance going, I ask of this. You and your guild will not nominate me for Loser Tax and in turn, we will not nominate you."

"Hmm," Amethyst pondered the deal. "It seems like a good deal. We won't have to worry about hoarding our coins so much, but I have a large and strong guild. We do well in challenges. Yours has proven to not do as well."

"Well then," Tony continued to smile, "is there anyone on your guild you would also like to protect? An ally maybe?"

"How about we make a deal for our deal?" Amethyst tapped her pencil to her lips. "If you don't come in last, we can honor our deal, and the same thing can apply for Majraa."

"Sounds good to me." Tony held out his hand to shake. Amethyst took it.

Kaniun Kove

Tony and Winter had returned to camp with Winter's berries. After some washups, they had sat around the fire to eat their much needed and hard earned breakfast.

"Who are we sending to the duels today?" Evelyn said. "I can go again if you want me to, but I'd rather save it for someone else."

"I've thought about this." Tony spoke up. "I want to take matters into my own hands and go for us. I think it should only be me to avoid a situation like last time, and we do not have the people to be sending two."

"I hear that one." Wendy nodded. "If it were up to me, I say nobody goes. Go ahead, pardner, but don't be actin' too reckless."

"I'm doing this for all of us. I will make it back. That is a promise."

Confessional: Winter: The Kaniun Guild

"Tony has been making a little too many moves as of late to be heading off to the duels willy-nilly. Honestly, just spending the morning with him made me uncomfortable. I will be bringing this up with the others now that I have the chance."

End Confessional

Aljibal Campsite

Contestants: Christopher, Cole, Harry, Mason, Rosa

Christopher drew in the shallow snow as it melted into slush. He sighed.

Cole drew open Christopher's tent flap. "Are you going to eat breakfast with the rest of us?"

Christopher sighed again. "Yeah, I still have the rest of you at least."

Cole nodded. "I think I can understand why you're down about Jeremy leaving. He was the leader type of the guild since Trevore left."

"First Trevore, and now Jeremy! I don't know how much more I can take!" Christopher dropped his stick and stood up with his fingers drilling into his scalp.

Cole smirked. "How dramatic…" He also stood up to comfort Christopher some more. "Perhaps we can resolve this by coming up with pirate code names for the rest of the guild."

Christopher smiled a bit. "Yeah, that sounds like fun."

Confessional: Harry: The Aljibal Guild

"So, while I set up breakfast, I was a little upset with only half the guild initially showing up, but hey, Christopher needed a moment, and for some reason, Cole wanted to waltz in to save his mood. I'm not complaining, but I will complain about Jeremy not being on this guild anymore. He was good at organizing us, and he was a good strategic focus too. Hopefully, I can down a Sahra in today's duels. That'll teach 'em not to mess with the Aljibals that are us!"

End Confessional

Confessional: Mason: The Aljibal Guild

Mason leaned back in the booth with his hands behind his head, and his legs were crossed. "So, while Harry set up breakfast, I was pretty happy with losing another leader. I mean, it's not good for the team that there's another leader gone because we'll probably lose more people, and then it'll just be me and Rosa on the team, but that's what I'm going for…. Huh? You mean, you think I should be saying guild? Well, I would be saying guild if I were a guild member, but I am instead a team-player."

End Confessional

Rosa stubbornly stabbed her 'spoon' into her porridge.

Cole and Christopher smiled. Cole became Sly Ruse. "What do ye say, clan? We name the lot a ye?"

"I have a better idea." Harry smirked and pulled out of his jacket pocket, shuffled, and bridged a deck of cards. "How about we host a little duel of our own? Of course, we don't keep exactly the same rules as the game."

"Look," Rosa didn't dare to be nice today, "we as a guild should try to hang onto our coins. I don't like the idea of the duels."

"Well," Harry tried to suck down Rosa's bitterness, "I do like the Duels, and I think that playing you all would be a good warmup for me because I am going and if anyone wants to go too, there is an extra seat. On top of that, we don't have to bet our actual coins if we want. We could find a few pebbles to gamble around."

Christopher clapped his hands. "Ooh, I love playing games."

"How 'bout some Hold 'Em. I can teach a no-limit version. It'll be easier."

Rosa looked away, but kept her arms crossed. "Fine. Let out your wild side here but be conservative at the duels. I don't like a good player being kicked off the guild because he couldn't pay the tax."

"I have something to say about that." Cole held up a finger. "Let's say Harry does go to the Duels and gets a bunch of coins for us to divvy up as a guild. We get called on the tax and nobody has to leave the guild."

Rosa dropped her arms. "Okay, you got me there."

"And the best part!" Cole held up a couple of rocks. "We can use these as poker chips! Harry and I spent all morning looking for the right rock to use as poker chips."

"The cards at the store cost 4 coins." Rosa presented her final point.

Harry reached back into his coat and held out a brand new pack of cards. "Don't worry. I brought some of my own."

Rosa shrugged and followed the rest of the boys to a tableish area that Cole and Harry likely spent some time preparing and gathering. The five sat around in a circle and distributed the rocks evenly.

Harry began expositioning. "So each of us has 40 rocks. Let's say that each rock is worth 25 dollars or coins, if you will."

Cole cleared his throat. "Ye be right!"

"Anyways, that gives us a thousand each. Texas Hold 'Em works like this."

Game: Texas Hold 'Em (for those who do not know the rules)

Rules: There are five big phases to the game: the Blinds, the Pre-Flop, the Flop, the Turn, and the River.

the Blinds: The game begins with a small blind and then the big blind. The small blind will be the first bet of the game, and it is made by the player left of the dealer. The players do not have their cards in their hands during the blinds. Once the small blind is made, the big blind will be made by the player left of the player who made the small blind. The big blind is always twice the small blind.

the Pre-Flop: Once those bets are made, the dealer passes 2 cards to every player. After the players glance at their cards, the first round of betting begins. The person who begins this first round will be the player left of the Big Blind (they are called the first act). Players can call, raise, fold, or check (which is basically a pass in the poker world, and a player can only check when there is no money due). The players who did not execute a Blind will have to even out with the players who did execute a Blind and vice versa, meaning that all players will wager the same amount when the Pre-Flop ends. When all players who have not folded check, the Flop begins.

the Flop: The Flop introduces the player to the community cards. The community cards are what players use to form their 'final hands' by forming the best hand out of seven using two cards from their hand and five from the middle. However, the Flop only introduces three out of the five community cards. After burning (or putting to the side) the top card of the remaining deck, the three community cards are dealt out in the middle of the table. After is where the next phase of wagering begins. When all players who have not folded check, the Turn begins.

the Turn: The Turn is where the fourth community card becomes flipped over. After is where the next phase of wagering begins, When all players who have not folded check, the River begins.

the River: The River is where the fifth and final community is revealed to the players. After is where the final phase of wagering begins. When all player who have not folded check, that is when the Showdown begins. The showdown is where the players see who can form the best hand out of the two cards each of the players own. The value of the hands goes like this: (from lowest value to highest value)

High Card: The highest card in your hand

Pair: Two cards with the same value

Two Pairs: Two different pairs in the same hand

Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same value

Straight: A sequence of 5 cards (Ace can be low or high, but not connecting a two and a king)

Flush: Five cards of the same suit (not in sequential order)

Full House: A combination of a Pair and Three of a Kind

Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same value

Straight Flush: A sequence of 5 cards that are the same suit.

The player who has not folded with the best hand wins the entire pot.

After the game ends, the players can choose to play again. If they do, the dealer changes to the player to the left of the original deal/the player who made the small blind.

Order for the first game:

[1000R] Harry (Dealer)

[1000R] Rosa (Small Blind)

[1000R] Cole (Big Blind)

[1000R] Mason (First Act)

[1000R] Christopher

"That's a lot of rules…" Christopher frowned.

Harry shuffled his deck, forming all sorts of tricks with his hands. "It'll be easier as we play along. I'm thinking we should do two games. The first for a quick how-to to clear up any questions, and the second to get a real game out of us. I'll be the dealer for the first game. That makes Rosa the Small Blind."

Everyone looked towards Rosa. "So what are you betting?"

"Um," Rosa played with her ponytail. "I'm not really familiar with these types of games. How much should I bet?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, we have a thousand coins in rock, essentially, so anything, as big or as small. The stakes really aren't that high, but for starters 25 rock would be fine."

"Okay." Rosa placed one rock in front of her.

Cole proceeded to place two rocks in front of him.

Harry nodded. "Great! Now we can get our cards." One by one, Harry slid all the cards across the 'table' like a pro. Each card glided right across the table and landed in front of the player it belonged to.

Christopher picked his cards up and held them as if he were playing 'Go-Fish.' Cole, Harry, and Mason glanced at their cards from the table. Rosa picked up her cards at first, but placed them back on the table.

Harry chuckled. "You usually don't want to pick up your cards in case someone out there is looking to cheat. If you're careful, you can get away with holding your cards, but keeping your cards on the table zeroes out the chance of someone cheating completely." He nodded. "This is great. I think I'm teaching you all plenty about gambling etiquette."

Cole shrugged. "That was only one thing."

Harry pointed. "But it's something very important if you want to win big!"

Mason stared straight at Christopher's hand. "Nope! Definitely not cheating at all!"

Christopher put his cards back onto the table.

"So when do we start betting?"

"Whenever you're ready, Mason." Harry clarified.

Mason placed two rocks in front of him to pay his due. Christopher did the same as Mason. Harry smirked and placed three rocks, forcing everyone who wanted to play to pay 25 more rock or 75 rock in total if you're keeping up with the currency. Rosa, shrugging at what hand she had, placed two more rock in front of her. Cole raised the ante by placing two rocks in front of him. The rest of the players called to Cole's wager.

When the turn went back to Cole, he tapped the table twice. Mason did the same. Christopher followed, but then asked, "What does that do?"

Harry tapped the table twice as well. "It's how you communicate a 'check' in the poker world."

"Oh! But I wanted to say 'check.' It would be like playing Chess." Christopher frowned.

"If you really want to, you can do it here. Maybe not at the actual Duels though."

Rosa tapped her area twice, and the Pre-Flop was over. Each player paid a total of 100 rock (or four rocks) to the pot. Everyone gathered the rocks and placed them in between Harry and Rosa.

Harry dealt four cards in the center. The first of which was placed face-down by the deck. The other three were face-up: The Queen of Spades, The King of Spades, and the Four of Diamonds.

Rosa placed a rock in front of her. Cole followed the same. Mason did the same as well. Christopher fiddled his thumbs. "Is there any way I'm supposed to fold?"

"No." Harry shook his head. "Just say that you fold and show everyone your cards if you like."

"Okay!" Christopher flipped his cards over. The Eight of Clubs and the Six of Diamonds.

"Good choice." Cole nodded. "It would be difficult to win with a hand like that. Difficult, but possible."

"I, however," Harry pushed two rocks in front of him, "will take you up on your deal, Rosa."

"Good." Rosa tapped the table. The rest of the players still in the game did the same.

Harry flipped over the next card. The Two of Spades.

Rosa tapped the table. Cole nodded and placed another rock in front of him. Mason flipped his hand over. "Yeah, I'm not getting much farther with this." His cards were a Seven of Diamonds and the Jack of Spades.

Harry nodded as well. "The odds aren't in my favor this time. I think you have some good cards, Cole." His cards were the Ace of Hearts and the Nine of Spades.

"Yeah… my cards aren't great either…" Rosa flipped her hand over, revealing a Jack of Hearts and a Five of Hearts. "I was going for a straight."

Sly Ruse joined the party. "Well, if ye whipper-snappers be givin' up, ne'er there be a day where the lotta ye win der coin!" Cole pulled the rocks towards him.

Mason flipped Cole's cards over. Cole had a King of Clubs and the Two of Hearts. "Two pairs. There's no way any of us could beat you."

"Not unless ye pull off a darn good bluff!" Sly Ruse loudly whispered into Mason's ear. "I get de loot! Now get outta me cards, Pointed-Whip!" Cole realized what he had said and reverted back to his normal voice. "Oh, uh, I meant *ahem* Pointed-Wit!"

"Nah nah nah!" Mason shook his head. "Pointed-Whip is so much cooler than Pointed-Wit!"

Rock Totals:

Harry → 875

Rosa → 875

Cole → 1475

Mason → 875

Christopher → 900

Rosa shuffled the deck, peeling a couple cards from the top of the deck at a time.

Harry nodded. "If you're going to do it that way, make sure you go through the deck exactly seven times."

"Why seven?" Christopher asked.

"It's a math thing." Harry winked.

"Ew, no math!" Mason scoffed.

Harry shook his head.

Rosa finished shuffling the deck.

Cole nodded. "Thee small blind shall be mine!" Cole scratched his imaginary beard. "How about 200 dubloons!" Cole pushed forward 8 rocks.

Mason slammed his head against the big rock they were playing on. "Ow!" Mason rubbed his head. "Fucking… why?"

Cole smirked. "Ye suffer thee consequences of not being a scalawag, Vagabond!"

Mason smacked his fist against the 'table.' "Ow!" He rubbed his hand and forced his own pirate voice. "That's Pointed-Whip to ye! uhh, Vagabond!"

Rosa facepalmed. "Oh dear…"

Cole ignored Rosa. "How 'bout we strike a deal? Whoe'er wins this hand gets ta be captain of de ship!"

Mason pointed at Cole. "Sounds lika deal!" Mason slid his 16 rocks (or 400R) in front of him.

It was Christopher's turn to act. "I wanna pirate name too!"

"Jolly Chris ye be!" Cole threw his hands up.

Rosa dealt the cards out to everyone.

"Argh! I be raisin' a tonna coin!" Christopher said in a southern accent as he pushed 17 rocks in front of him (or 425R).

Mason held his laughter in an obvious way. "Ye ain't wrong, Sly Ruse. Ye ain't wrong."

"Why you, Scalawag! The lad got it from ye!"

Harry placed his bid forward, calling to Christopher. "I would join to talk sense into both of you, but I'm not quite sure how good of a pirate accent I can do."

"Ye don't need one!" Mason brushed off in a Scottish accent.

"Ugh," Rosa rolled her eyes and pushed her call forward, "I'm only doing this as practice for the Duels. In any other circumstance, I would fold. This just seems like a waste."

"Think of it this way." Harry gestured to the bids. "This is the potential that you can win if you know what exactly to do."

"What if my cards just suck? Then it'll be a waste, and the probability of my cards sucking is higher than my cards actually being good."

Harry bopped his head around. "That's not exactly the case, but since you're new, it's understandable that you think that way. It's not about what cards you get, but how you play with them. This is why I'm here to teach you these things and tell you what to do. A good gambler would not fold at the loss, but recognize the possibility."

"Ye had ye last word, Sharp-Hand Gold Eye!" Cole nodded and evened out the bet, placing 225R more in front of him.

Mason shook his head as he rolled one more rock in front of him. "That's too long! Ye must pick one or de other!"

"Naurr! Sharp-Hand Gold Eye be too important to lose one!"

Christopher tapped the table.

Harry did the same.

Rosa tapped the table as well.

The table was tapped by Cole and followed by Mason. The Pre-Flop had finished.

Rosa placed one card to the side and flipped the first three cards. The Seven of Diamonds, the Five of Spades, and the Jack of Diamonds.

Cole rolled a raise towards the table. "Put ye money where ye mouth goes!"

Mason rolled his call.

Christopher called as well.

Harry flipped his cards over. "There wasn't much I could do with these anyways. Besides, I'm mainly here to help rather than try to beat you all." The King of Heart and the Three of Hearts.

Rosa nudged Harry. "Seems to be a waste on your part then." Rosa rolled her call in front of her.

Everyone went around and tapped the table. It was time for the Turn. Rosa flipped over a Three of Spades.

Cole hid a smirk and tapped the table. Mason did the same. As did Christopher. Rosa shrugged and also tapped. The Turn had just finished. The River was in sight. Rosa flipped over a Two of Clubs.

Cole tapped the table.

Mason smirked. "Ye scalawag thinks ye can't win, eh?" He rolled a rock forward.

"Nope!" Christopher replied, oblivious. He flipped his cards over. The Jack of Spades and the Queen of Hearts.

"I can't either." Rosa also flipped her cards over. The Nine of Clubs and the Four of Hearts.

"Oooh!" Cole reacted as if he took a bullet. "Iceblade cuts 'er game short!"

Mason threw his arms up. "Who are ye? Chris?"

"That's Jolly Chris ta ya!" Christopher joined in with his southern accent.

"That host ya dingo!" Mason called out.

"Hey! Don't call Christopher a dingo!" Rosa glared.

"Jolly Chris indeed." Christopher nodded.

"I take ye up on ye wager!" Cole rolled his rock forward.

"I'm ready for a showdown, ye scalawag." Mason slowly tapped his table. He tried to appear threatening that way, but he was a short king, so it didn't work.

Cole also tapped the table.

They both flipped their cards over.

Cole had the Jack of Spades and the Seven of Hearts. Two pairs.

Mason had the Ace of Diamonds and the Eight of Spades. Ace high.

Cole cradled his hard earned rocks in his arms. "Me is de winner of de guild!"

Rosa shook her head. "Why would you try to bluff with an Ace High?"

"Because," Mason tried to amp up his pirate voice as best as he could, but as already established, it came out Scottish, "the best lies start with the truth!"

Rock Totals:

Harry → 450

Rosa → 425

Cole → 3275

Mason → 400

Christopher → 450

Confessional: Harry: The Aljibal Guild

"I figured out a lot about that little game of ours. Christopher is a little too oblivious for something as high stakes as the Duels. We should never send him unless it's a friendliness competition. Cole is an actor, so it makes sense that he's able to hide his good cards, but that means that I couldn't get a good read on how he bluffs. He's one to look out for for sure. Mason, I could tell from a mile away that his cards weren't the best, but they were still worth playing with. Ace high is never bad. He just didn't have the confidence to keep betting higher to intimidate Cole. It could've been a bluff that worked. I don't think Cole is as good at reading people as he is at concealing or even bluffing himself, but we never got the chance to see him in a low position. Maybe another game. Rosa's competitive with how she wanted to hoard her coins. It's not so good that she doesn't understand the concept of bluffing though. What is good is that she's conservative and level. Sometimes that really is all you need in a cast of coin-hungry players, and those who really want that million, like me!"

End Confessional

Confessional: Rosa: The Aljibal Guild

"I really don't like the gambling aspect this season, but I guess it's something I have to get used to. Harry did calm me down from earlier. I'm just in a bad mood because Jeremy isn't here." Rosa held her face in her hands. "This isn't good."

End Confessional

Sahra Sanctuary

Contestants: Eleanor, Hansel, James, Jianne, Kairo, Laurie, Luna, Selena

The morning dawned upon the sanctuary. It also dawned upon them that they were running low on firewood.

The guild naturally turned to Kairo. "What do you think we should do?" Laurie asked.

Jianne shrugged. "We could go collect some sticks."

Kairo shook his head. "The most appropriate thing would be to go to the shop. Sticks are only one coin a'piece. We should have that."

"Look Kairo," Jianne placed a hand on his shoulder, "I understand you are trying to be safe in your survivalist world, where things need to be as safe as possible. Most of us out here are trying to survive this game. We need to conserve our coins. No one wants to be in the Desert and use up our days that we might actually need later in the competition."

"Well," Kairo cleared his throat, "I understand your concern. I don't think it's the best course of action, but… I mean, if everyone else thinks it's best…"

"I think it's best." Eleanor jumped on the opportunity.

"I also think it's best." Laurie nodded her head.

James shook his head. "It is the better option."

Selena nodded. "I'm with the gang here, Kairo. We might need more essential things from the shop if a worst case scenario ever happens."

"Okay then, okay," Kairo took a few gasps of air. "A few of us should collect sticks then. No one will ever go alone. We can't afford to get lost in this desert-beach area. I will need a physically strong female player."

"Yo!" Selena jumped at the opportunity.

Laurie nudged Eleanor. "Guess I was too slow to that one."

Selena shrugged. "You snooze, you lose!"

Kairo nodded. "The two of us shall be on our way then!"

Confessional: Selena: The Sahra Guild

"Talk about perfect! We're guild leaders, so we can talk about guild leader things, like… team dynamics, challenges, that kind of stuff. And it totally helps that Kairo is suuch a hottie!"

End Confessional

Confessional: Eleanor: The Sahra Guild

"This is an ideal situation. Two of our guild leaders will be out. This gives us perfect ground to discuss who will be going home, and if we should enlist anyone into our group. We might need it, but it's likely that we may not."

End Confessional

The rest of the guild huddled by the remains of the fire amidst the cool beach breezes.

A breeze went past that made Laurie shiver. "I never thought I would miss heating."

"We'll be okay." Hansel rubbed Laurie's shoulder. "We need some sort of distraction to keep us from thinking about how cold it is."

"If there's anyone who can do anything, it's me." Jianne smiled. "Come on Sahra! We've been doing great so far! We can't keep a little cold from crushing our spirits, can we? We haven't gone to elimination yet! We are the largest guild in this game! The fools are going down, constantly getting less and less numbers. Our numbers will not change! We are Sahra!"

"We are Sahra!" Luna cheered back. "We have brains, brawns, survival, and style!"

Laurie giggled. "All this is great, but I'm still cold."

Hansel nodded. "Well, Kairo and Selena are probably collecting wood for the whole next week. I'll go with Eleanor and James to get some more for now."

Eleanor stood up. "That sounds like a great plan. That way, we can also have lunch for Kairo and Selena when they get back. Selena will want something too if she's going to the Duels."

Jianne stood up. "I like that. Three of us collect firewood. Three of us hunt."

Laurie pointed. "Now that sounds like a good distraction!"

Luna rolled her eyes. "I suppose."

"Alright guild! Break!" Jianne shouted.

"Break!" Shouted the others.

Confessional: Jianne: The Sahra Guild

"You see, viewers. Guild leader was totally supposed to be my spot! You saw the way I just solved everyone's problems at once and brought the guild together. Sure Kairo and Selena's skillsets are specialized, but that's not something you necessarily need! A logical and even brain is what you need."

End Confessional

Hansel, Eleanor, and James were off collecting different types of sticks for their new fire. James found an abandoned bird's nest, and his collecting work was finished. Hansel worked on gathering logs to maintain the fire. Eleanor was working on finding dry kindling.

Hansel hauled the logs under his wing. "So, we should probably discuss at one point who we should eliminate."

"I'm all for a strong plan," Eleanor nodded, "but we will constantly have to update each other if we start discussing now."

"That's fine by me." Hansel sat on a fallen tree next to James. "We just need to discuss who should be given priority. I think, that way, we won't be scrambling when elimination comes, and no one will suspect a thing between us."

James shook his head. "I think they are already onto us. We are always with at least one other person in this alliance. If they aren't, then they're just self-absorbed."

Eleanor shrugged. "You never really know. Not until we get to elimination."

Hansel interrupted. "The main things I want to figure out is priority, and who we should reel into our alliance. We won't be able to do much as three, at least, not for long."

Eleanor stopped collecting her kindling and turned to the boys. "Here's what I think: Kairo and Selena are vital to the guild's success. It sounds like the exact opposite of what we are trying to do, but we definitely don't need both of them. So if we keep one, we have to be okay with that decision because the rest of the guild portion. If we stay in this one guild, we'll be with that leader for the rest of that time."

Hansel nodded. "I like your thoughts, but I think we should eliminate the other girls. If the Duels are anything like James has been telling us, I think Selena may get herself out, either there, or through Loser Tax. She would be a great candidate for the other Guilds. She leads us through the challenge; that's what they see. She's strong and fast. I think we're going to lose her and somebody else along with her. A double leader elimination may not be the best situation for us. The change needs to be gradual."

Eleanor tilted her head. "But there is also a chance she gains at the Duels, just like James did."

"One of us should go to the Duels with Selena, just so we have primary knowledge of what went down that round." Hansel nodded his head.

James shook his head. "I played level headed the whole time though. We don't know what situation will happen, but we do know that we can easily group together the people on this guild: Kairo or Selena and Jianne or Luna. I think we should spare Laurie… for now. Once we figure out who we want from each group, we can come up with a signal or codeword to tell each other which of the two groups we wanted to eliminate someone from."

Hansel nodded. "That's cool. I like that."

"Allow me to go first," Eleanor cleared her throat. "I think it should be Kairo. The six of us at the fire were able to divide up tasks on our own without him. It's more valuable to have Selena who can divide us up in challenges for the optimal benefit of us winning. If she ends up becoming too much of a threat to where she gets eliminated, that is more power to us, and that is the goal of the alliance. Of the other two girls, I think Luna should go. She hasn't proven much to us, and honestly I don't think we should keep her around."

After a small moment of silence, James spoke. "As much as I really don't like the guy, I think Kairo is much more important to Sahra's success and keeping us more prepared for the physical challenge which, let's face it, I'm not quite sure some of us are as good as some other people. Selena will probably get herself eliminated in a season where we have to play carefully. As for the others, I think neither Jianne nor Luna have proved much to be honest. Jianne is much more pleasant to be around though."

"Alright, my turn." Hansel started. "I think that we should consider Kairo. I think he was vital to our success, but everything he helped us build is not going anywhere. The survival skills he taught us aren't going anywhere. Only he will leave the competition. And we may see Selena leave. If not, I don't particularly mind her as a leader. She's not strict and lets us do our own things. She's easier to communicate with, too. I fail to see that in Kairo. As for the other group, I think it should be Luna too, so I'm glad we can agree on that one. With that in mind, maybe we should consider reeling Jianne into the group."

Confessional: Luna: The Sahra Guild

"I don't think they noticed how close they were to the river. I peeled off the other girls to figure out if those three were in an alliance, and they totally were. Yes! But, I mean, if anyone here was really paying attention, it was so obvious that it would at least happen. Now I have to get in, one way or another." Luna smirked as the confessional came to a close.

End Confessional

Luna scooched closer and closer to the group, pretending to find a stick that would work best as a fishing rod or spear. Once she got too close to where it would be unbelievable if she didn't notice the other three discussing and collecting, she waved. "Hello!"

Hansel narrowed his eyes. "Why aren't you with your group?"

"Well, I was looking for a rod." Luna said as if the answer was obvious. "Kairo only made two."

Eleanor crossed her arms.

After another short moment of silence, James spoke up. "So, why aren't you still looking?"

"Hm?" Luna said, shocked out of her stupor. "Well, I just thought it was strange how you were talking, and then when I show up, you stop talking?"

"If you knew we were talking, then that means you were watching us talk." Eleanor rolled her eyes. "Nice try."

"Well," Luna shrugged, "I shouldn't be the only one who should be feeling guilty. Even if we go to elimination as seven, you still need a fourth person to have power over the vote. You can't actually eliminate me! Especially if I offer my vote to the three of you~"

Confessional: Luna: The Sahra Guild

"And this is great because if I ever need a favor from them in the future, I can always ask and bring this up!"

End Confessional

The three of them exchanged glances.

James pursed his lips. "Okay, fine, you won't be going home."

"But what does that mean exactly?"

"You kept up with our conversation if you knew we were semi-targeting you. Instead of you, we will semi-target Jianne." James shrugged. "It's not that difficult."

"Well then, I expect updates." Luna turned around, her hands free of any stick for a fishing rod.

Confessional: James: The Sahra Guild

"I purposefully didn't give her any solid answers. Yeah, I prefer to play solo. I don't appreciate Luna thinking that she's all of a sudden with us because we said we won't target her. We can target her later. This promise doesn't change anything."

End Confessional

After she exited that area of the woods, Eleanor turned to James. "What was that?"

"I just wanted her to leave us alone." James shrugged again.

"But we could've just told her that we needed to think about it."

"And… clearly she's a social player if she was eavesdropping." Hansel nodded. "James might have been doing damage control. If we said we needed to get back to her, she might have tried at an inconvenient time for us and even risked blowing our covers. Or, maybe we don't get back to her, and she makes a counter-alliance targeting us."

"Besides," James added, "we don't have to honor that deal. We could very easily have Luna throw her vote to Jianne and have the rest of us vote Luna for a tie."

Eleanor sighed. "I don't like it. Not at all, but if that's what we have to do to protect ourselves then so be it."

Confessional: Eleanor: The Sahra Guild

"In an ideal world, I'd be the nice guy. I would say that lying to someone is the last thing I want to do here. Unfortunately, we're in a competition for a million dollars. I have to play realistically, not idealistically, otherwise I might get out too soon. None of that means that I have to like it though.

"Besides, the boys and I really get along. We give each other space when we need it and a safe place to vent as well. We're all frustrated; that's why we're here. I can't help but think that maybe we don't need to hate what's going on if there is concrete evidence that it's working." Eleanor shrugged. "Maybe it's some messed up metaphor for society."

End Confessional

Hansel folded his hands. "I'm glad you understand. Now, all we need is a name. Too bad our names don't make a good acronym."

"Smarty Party!" Eleanor suggested.

"Aahn!" James vetoed that option.

"Smarty City."

"Aahn!" James vetoed another option.

"Sand storm?"

"Da dadadada da dadadada da dadadada di dadadada di dadadada dadadadadada da dadadadada di dadadadada di dadadadada…doo doo do doo doo do doo doo do doo doo do doodoodoodoodoodoodoo-" Hansel sang.

"Okay no, we are not doing that." James vetoed Hansel.

"How about Brainstorm?"

Hansel's jaw dropped. "Okay, you just peaked with that one."

"Yeah, I like that one too." James nodded.

"Okay cool. Anyways, we should get back. That way we'll have a fire going by the time the rest of the guild gets back. No one else should suspect a thing."

Confessional: Hansel: The Sahra Guild

"Our alliance is working out great. There is a strong level of understanding, which is good. We should continue to be strong, at least after this first vote. If we do go to elimination, I will get with them afterwards, just to see what's going through their heads. Are they thinking of staying loyal? Are they going to betray soon? These are all things to pick at when the ceremony just took place. That's why I wanted to have this conversation now. It didn't go off without a hitch, but at least we took care of it. We're prepared for all the circumstances now."

End Confessional

Kairo and Selena trekked across the desert sand back towards camp, both of their arms loaded with as many sticks and branches as they could carry.

"So how did you know which branch to choose and which ones not." Selena asked.

"What do you mean?" Kairo asked.

"Well, it seemed like you were being super picky with what to pick up."

"Ah, that's the eye of a survivalist, dear." Kairo nodded. "Some branches burn faster than others. I aim to pick up the branches that do not burn quickly at all."

"Ah, I see." Selena nodded. "But shouldn't we pick up all types of branches? Say we save the quickest branches for when we need a quick fire, like lunch before a challenge gets called, and we save the longer burns for nighttime. That way, we can use all types of wood."

"Say we have a fire burning throughout the challenge, so much so that it still burns when we get back?"

"Okay, no. Fucking. Way."

"Way!" Kairo stopped his tracks and turned to face Selena. "We had a segment in Survivalist Camp. We had to go into the forest alone to collect firewood, find the right branches, and see whose fire goes the longest without manual prodding. I was a close second, but it is possible to burn a fire out for hours."

"I'm not sold." Selena shook her head. "I'll have to see it in order for you to prove it."

"Okay then." Kairo stepped on ahead. "You'll see it after the challenge today."

Confessional: Selena: The Sahra Guild

"I mean… it's a pretty hard fact to believe and simple, too, but I think if I can make a wager on it, say… each other's camp chores… I think I can get excited to see a fire still burning when we get back from the challenge. Kairo is valuable to the guild. He's knowledgeable and never doubts his skills. I like that."

End Confessional

Confessional: Kairo: The Sahra Guild

"I often don't appreciate others doubting my knowledge, but I'm certain Selena will find a way to make it into a sort of game. She's good for that. She's the social leader and challenge leader. Now, I could be a fantastic challenge leader too, I'm sure. I have never gotten the opportunity to showcase my skills that way, but perhaps there was always someone else who should be focused on the game whilst I focus on the camp." Kairo shrugged. "It makes making it to the merge easier with just a bit less of a target on my back."

End Confessional

Kairo and Selena placed down the absurd amount of firewood for the next two weeks.

"Wait, wait, wait." Selena panted. "We walked all the way out, and all the way back, just for the rest of you to forage for firewood on your own."

Laurie sat by the fire. "Well, we got cold. Besides, I need some of that…"

"Actually, Laurie," Kairo sat opposite to Laurie, "I will take over that." Kairo's stomach let out a huge growl. "The survivalist's roar. I smell food."

"Do you mean you want to go hunting?" Jianne asked. "Last time you said that, you were referring to the lobster in the ocean."

"No…" Kairo turned to Hansel, who had a plate of Kairo's food. Kairo took the plate and gobbled his food down.

Selena also sat down with a plate of food. "Okay, I see the play. Well done." Selena swallowed. "Also, Kairo and I bet each other's chores on if we could leave for the challenge and come back with the fire still burning."

"We did not." Kairo smiled and narrowed his eyes at Selena. "But it's something that I will take up."

"I'm not so sure if your chances are that high, considering Laurie used wood that the others foraged, and they made the fire themselves, and not with you."

"Well, anything is possible with a survivalist at the helm."

Selena scraped and ate the remainder of her plate. "Well, I'm headed off to the Duels! See y'all after!"

"Oh wait!" Hansel jumped up and ran after Selena. "I wanted to come too."

"Woah!" Selena stood back to admire Hansel. "I didn't expect that from you."

"It's mainly strategic." Hansel shrugged. "And also because Kairo doesn't want anyone peeling off on their own."

Majraa Campsite

Contestants: Amethyst, Braden, Declan, Katniss, Larissa, Lizzy, Vivielle, Sister Vivian

Lizzy could see the glow of the fire amongst the trees. She sighed, shook her head, and approached the Majraa camp.

Confessional: Lizzy: The Majraa Guild

"I am frustrated that I don't get to go back to Kaniun. I would have gotten my coins back from Evelyn, and I would have been so rich. Not only that, but all that game that I built over there is pretty much wasted! I mean, it's not completely wasted, but now I have to build myself up to a whole new group of people again. I'm not worried about elimination though. Look at me!" She gestured at her eleven's abs through her red crop top.

End Confessional

Lizzy approached the group with her map clearly visible. "Hey new team!" She said in her 'cheerleader' voice.

Sister Vivian looked warily at Lizzy. "Uh," she looked around at the camera and production crew around her, "what is going on here?"

"Hmm," Larissa thought to herself, "a new guild member?" She stepped up to Lizzy. "I'm Larissa. Welcome to your new guild and campsite!" Larissa took Lizzy's hand. "Let me show you around!"

Confessional: Larissa: The Majraa Guild

"Okay, so a new guild member is AMAZING! Like the best thing. OMIG. There can be a new shift in chemistries, and maybe there might be some more potential couples on this guild." Larissa flipped to an old page in her journal of love. "Oh wait! No! Now my chart will be out of alphabetical order!"

End Confessional

Declan returned to camp with some more buckets of water. "Where did you want these, Katniss?"

"Put down here. Us talk." Katniss ordered.

"Oh, you want to talk?" Declan approached Katniss. "What's going on?"

"New mem…ber. La..rissa help her. You help me make friends with new mem…ber?"

"Of course I can help you be friends with the new girl. I wanna meet her first."

"In tent with Lar…issa."

Declan nodded and approached the Majraa shelter.

Larissa was explaining the bedroll situation with Lizzy. "So, we need to make a bedroll for you. Oh good! Declan! You can show Lizzy how to get her bedroll."

"Yes! We can go with Katniss too." Declan nodded. Afterwards, he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you." Lizzy nodded. "Well, let's go find Katniss, so I can plop somewhere after today's challenge."

Declan and Lizzy left the shelter to see a fire about as tall as Katniss' person and a newer, larger apparatus holding both of their pots.

Katniss held her hands at her hips, proud of her new contraption. "Big fire. Two pots, same time. More food. Good for new girl."

Lizzy's jaw hung open. "Uh… huh…"

Declan smiled. "Wow, Katniss! You really stepped it up!"

"Me show new girl a…round camp now." Katniss grabbed Lizzy's arm and led her around camp.

After her house tour, Lizzy set out to collect firewood with Braden, Amethyst, and Vivielle. It was silent amongst the four, but there were still a few things noteworthy.

Confessional: Lizzy: The Majraa Guild

"Amethyst and Braden aren't the biggest talkers here. Vivian only came in once the camp really needed fire, but ever since she came in, Braden has seemed to have gotten even more uncomfortable. Maybe he's just uncomfortable around women or something."

End Confessional

"So," Vivielle broke the silence, "how was like on Kaniun?"

Amethyst's ear twitched.

Lizzy went on. "It wasn't as good as life is here. You all got lucky with the river. We were stuck in a canyon cave with potential predators roaming around. We probably slept next to one without knowing it."

"Believe me," Vivielle held her hand out while collecting more sticks, "we get our fair share of predators too. We have some large cats, though none of us are really survival savvy except for Katniss, and she doesn't really know the names of animals like that. But Katniss is one of our gems when it comes to our guild. Hopefully, we don't lose her."

"Is she the reason why you all have been faring well in challenges?"

"Well… yes and no. Like, she isn't the one to win the challenges, but the rest of us might not be so up to strength without her. She's really hard working, but also requires a lot of attention at the same time… Did you have anyone like that in your guild?"

"Well, we had Wendy, but she didn't take charge as much as we needed her to. Everything doesn't feel as organized over there as it does here." Lizzy looked around at the florals.

"I see. Well, hopefully this new guild will help make you feel at ease. I know we can be a bit of a comfort/cozy bunch, but maybe that's good for you."

Lizzy shrugged. "We'll see."

Confessional: Vivielle: The Majraa Guild

"It's interesting that she gave that information on her old guild so willingly. It's almost like she wants to turn on them. I like her."

End Confessional

After collecting firewood, Amethyst sat down with Declan and Katniss at the fire. She sketched Declan in her sketchbook.

"So, Declan…"

"So, Amethyst…" he played along.

"Do you enjoy it here on the island?"

"I do, actually." Declan nodded. "My home life is pretty boring and all, so I'm enjoying being out of the house and into the wilderness. This is sort of like a twisted vacation in a sense."

"Interesting… do you enjoy the people in this guild?" Amethyst decided to go for it.

"Yeah, everyone is really cool, and it's a good thing that we all get along great!"

"What about Lizzy?" Amethyst asked. "Do you think she'll change things around here?"

"I mean, it's definitely going to be different around here, but I don't think she'll change things too much. She's like a new best friend."

"I see. She does appear to be loyal to us as well. She's a cheerleader, so she's competitive I imagine. That's good for a new guild member. How do you think this will affect Larissa?"

"What do you mean?" Declan asked, confused about why Amethyst randomly brought up Larissa.

"Well, she enjoys putting people together."

"Ah," Declan nodded, "I wonder if she'll update us on the pairing situation. She probably will if something pops up." Declan took a chug of water. "You know, I'm surprised. Pleasantly surprised, I should say. It's just that you're much more talkative now than before. I thought you'd be all choked up again, just like you were the first couple of days."

"Because of Lizzy?"

"Yeah, because of that." Declan got a lightbulb in his head. "Wait a minute… Is the reason why you're asking about all of this is because you think that Larissa is going to pair someone up with you now that Lizzy is here?"

"What? No." Amethyst shook her head.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that. I just got excited that maybe you wanted someone to be with."

"No, no. I'm just… not looking for a relationship is all."

"That makes sense. If you're here for the million, then I imagine you wouldn't really want anything that could distract you. Anyways, is lunch about ready, Katniss?"

"Yes, sir." Katniss nodded and divided up the food into several little plates.

Lizzy walked to the fire once she heard that the food was ready. "Oh, you mean we don't scoop our own servings?"

"No." Katniss shook her head. "More fair this way."

Everyone gathered around the fire to eat.

"Hey," Sister Vivian broke the chatter in the camp, "where did Amethyst go?"

A note sat in Amethyst's spot.

Larissa read out the note. "I am at the Duels. Wish me luck. -Amethyst. Well, good luck, Amethyst." Larrisa put the note back down and continued eating.

Sister Vivian nodded. "I guess we did forget about the Duels today, huh?"

Lizzy rolled her eyes. "It's a good thing somebody went then."

Confessional: Lizzy

"Okay, maybe they aren't completely organized."

End Confessional

The Duels

Contestants: Amethyst, Hansel, Harry, Selena, Tony

Chris walked around the empty table as he shuffled his Chris McLean branded card deck. He stopped in place, but continued to shuffle his cards. "Here they come!"

The contestants walked in from the four different directions to sit in their seats for the Duels. "It's Hansel and Selena for Sahra! Amethyst for Majraa! Tony for Kaniun! And Harry for Aljibal!" Chris bridged the cards. "Let's see who will come out on top of the deck! Here! On Total! Drama! Qatilat!" Chris held his arms out. Still for a second, he came back for another second. "Welcome back to Total Drama Qatilat! We have our Duels' Participants." He gestured to the contestants. "It's time to play It Suits Me!" Chef appeared in a suit, straightening his tie. "Rules go as follows. Each guild is assigned a different suit: Diamonds for Sahra, Hearts for Majraa, Spades for Kaniun, and Clubs for Aljibal. Each of you will be dealt five cards. You will wager who has more of their assigned suit with… your coins! The deck is reshuffled at the end of the hand. I mean," Chris chuckled, "it would make sense not to if two from each guild actually showed up, but we'll keep the rules the same. The lawyers get mad if we don't."

Confessional: Hansel and Selena: The Sahra Guild

Hansel sat on the left side of the toilet with his arms crossed. "Someone's having trouble going without their morning coffee."

Selena held her head. "Any caffeine would be a blessing right now. I could go for some coffee. We should bring this up to Kairo. Get some seeds planted or something, I dunno."

"That sounds like too much effort to grow, harvest, and grind. It's better if we win big, take our winnings to the shop, and see if we can convince Chef to sell us some instant."

Selena pointed at Hansel. "You, sir, are a good thinker."

"That's what I do." Hansel rolled his eyes.

End Confessional

Confessional: Amethyst: The Majraa Guild

"This game is a bit foolish for something like the Duels, but I'm a beginner when it comes to gambling. Maybe this will be a good warmup for the future."

End Confessional

Confessional: Tony: The Kaniun Guild

"I wonder how many of these children's games we'll play until we get some real games. Only time will tell. Some of the real games are a bit easier, but we're playing Chris' game."

End Confessional

Confessional: Harry: The Aljibal Guild

"These folks got nothing on me. As a gambler, it's important to scan the people you choose to play with just to give a rough estimate of what the odds might be of potentially winning. It's all assumption based, but when you do this long enough, it's kinda something that gambler just naturally does. But luckily, we're in a game of Total Drama and not in a casino playing Roulette, though, there is someone here playing Roulette. I still have to be careful."

End Confessional

Duel: It Suits Me

Rules: Each guild is assigned a different suit. Each contestant receives five cards at the start of the hand. Contestants bet on who will have more of each suit in their hands than the other. Ties are resolved with the highest card of that suit. Decks are reshuffled.

Special Rule: In the event of a tie, the winner goes to whoever has a higher number value of their suit. If tie still persists, it moves onto the leftover cards.

Gambling rules are similar to the last game. Each player places a coin before the cards are passed out to play. Contestants can raise, pass (if no payment is due), call, or fold. Once all payments are due, a showdown follows. If a contestant calls an all-in, no other raises are allowed for the rest of the hand.

Suits:

Sahra: Diamonds (Hansel and Selena)

Majraa: Hearts (Amethyst)

Kaniun: Spades (Tony)

Aljibal: Clubs (Harry)

Round One

Order: Selena, Hansel, Amethyst, Tony, Harry

Each contestant placed one coin into the pot. The game had started. Each contestant scanned the face of another for information. All held impressive poker faces.

Selena rolled another coin in front of her.

Hansel called.

Amethyst folded. Her hand consisted of two hearts.

Tony folded as well. His hand consisted of two spades.

Harry also folded. His hand did not contain any clubs.

Selena was about to roll another coin in front of her, but Chris interrupted. "All fees are due! That means it's time for a showdown!"

Selena held her coin in her hand. "But I wanted to bet more…"

"Why?" Hansel scratched his head. "We're in the same guild."

"I guess you're right, but for the future. We're not following Hold 'Em rules?"

"Nope!" Chris smiled. "No checking!" Chris stood in shock. "Huh, I haven't mentioned that one in a while… Anywho, reveal your cards!"

Selena's hand contained two diamonds.

Hansel's hand contained three diamonds.

"And Hansel wins seven coins! Round Two!"

Confessional: Harry: The Aljibal Guild

"That right there was an interesting game. I learned quite a bit about one of the Sahra's. The other, I'm sure, I will get to learn about."

End Confessional

Round Two

Order: Hansel, Amethyst, Tony, Harry, Selena

All contestants placed one coin into the pot.

Hansel passed.

Selena passed.

Tony sighed and flipped his hand over. His hand contained one spade.

Harry nodded and raised the pot to three.

Selena smirked and called.

Hansel followed.

Amethyst folded and flipped her cards around. Her hand contained no hearts.

Harry placed another coin in the pot.

Selena called.

Hansel squinted his eyes. Harry held up a good face, slight smile, nose twitching ever so slightly. He must've had good cards. Hansel folded. His hand contained two diamonds.

Chris blew his airhorn. "And that concludes Round Two! Harry, Selena, reveal your cards in three, two, one!"

Selena's hand contained no diamonds.

Harry's hand contained two clubs.

Confessional: Hansel and Selena: The Aljibal Guild

Selena facepalmed. "Hansel, what the heck. You totally could've had him."

Hansel shrugged. "I thought he had good cards based on how he was betting. He folded on the first game pretty soon."

"You could have beaten him with your ten and eight as opposed to his four and two."

"I'm not the only one who messed up. Why did you bet until the end if you had nothing?"

"Well one, because Harry was bluffing his ass off, and two, because I don't quit."

"It wasn't even a convincing bluff on your end! At least try to look like you have good cards if you're going to the end of the round."

Selena shrugged. "Well, we aren't going to be winning any coins if we don't call bluffs, but… fine. Need to work on my own bluff technique, I get it. Not that it matters at this point."

End Confessional

Round Three

Order: Amethyst, Tony, Harry, Selena, Hansel

All contestants threw one coin into the pot.

"All-in." Selena called.

"Wha- Are you serious?" Hansel asked.

"Already?" Tony sighed. "The game hadn't even truly begun."

Selena shrugged. "The game should have begun a long time ago. If you're upset with only losing coins, stop folding and take a risk or don't come to the duels. At least I knew what I was signing up for."

Confesional: Tony: The Kaniun Guild

"Bold words from someone whose lost more coins than I have because she didn't know when to call it quits with terrible hands."

End Confessional

Chris had his hands on his hips. "Well then, we're done with Round Three. Let's see if Selena's game temporarily stops here or if she still has a small chance to participate further!"

Hansel's hand contained two diamonds.

Amethyst's hand contained two hearts.

Tony's hand contained one spade.

Harry's hand contained one club.

Selena's hand…

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contained one diamond.

"And Selena is sent to the Desert! Amethyst wins this pot, thanks to her ten."

Confessional: Selena: Deserted

"Well, I can't say much besides I'm happy with the way I played. Well, way I'm still playing, technically. Can't stop, won't stop. If I'm sent to the desert then so be it. I'll get out. I'll come back. I won't even take a night."

End Confessional

Confessional: Hansel: The Sahra Guild

"Welp, there goes one of this guild's leaders. I didn't earn much, and I'm not quite sure how happy the guild will be with Selena in the Desert. This only means that Brainstorm is one step away from accomplishing our first goal."

End Confessional

Confessional: Amethyst: The Majraa Guild

"I did not get much opportunity to earn as much either, but I have to say, that was quite an impressive play from the gentleman from Aljibal. Perhaps I should learn more about his art."

End Confessional

Confessional: Tony: The Kaniun Guild

"Well, I did not earn a dime and instead lost a few! This is ridiculous! Who would do such a thing as waste their life in this game just for a cheap thrill? Unbelievable!"

End Confessional

Confessional: Harry: The Aljibal Guild

"If these are supposedly the best gamblers in each guild then I won't have a single problem in this game. I would say that they could just hand me the million, but I'd rather keep my integrity and earn it."

End Confessional

Coin Totals:

[7] Selena → [0]

[17] Hansel → [18]

[9] Amethyst → [12]

[19] Tony → [16]

[15] Harry → [22]

The Sarim Desert

Contestants: Allen, Jeremy, Selena

Allen dug in an area surrounded by potholes. He held a coin up in the air. "Aha! Finally!" He ran upon Selena and Jeremy who were both digging at holes of their own. "I will be seeing the both of you back in the competition~!"

Selena looked Jeremy in the eyes. "And I will be next!"

"Well, technically, you and I have been on the same timer, considering I began this morning. You just got here."

"Well, it might help that you got here earlier. I'm quick on my feet!"

Jeremy smiled. "Well, see about that!"

Confessional: Jeremy: Deserted

"There's something about how competitive Selena is that just makes me miss being a part of Aljibal… oh, Rosa was always the competitive one. Maybe it's that… oh no."

End Confessional

Qailat Canyon

Chris rubbed his hands together. "I've been waiting for this moment all season."

Chef's eyes widened. "It's only the beginning."

"I know! There was a whole four episodes to get through!" Chris whined.

Allen stood in between Chris and Chef. "Look around. Notice that Lizzy is on Majraa as our first Desert survivor, Selena is absent from Sahra, and Drake was eliminated from Kaniun at last Harq Muzayaf Bonfire Elimination Ceremony. Allen, you can make your way to the orange colored mat. You are now in the Kaniun Guild as the second desert survivor."

Everyone watched as Allen walked his way towards Kaniun. "I suppose I am on this guild now. Yassou guild, I hope we have a good time working together."

JT stroked his chin.

Confessional: Kairo: The Sahra Guild

"Selena's not here. Well, I suppose I'm the leader of the challenges now. Guess I'll have to deal with a bit of a bigger target after all."

End Confessional

Confessional: JT: The Kaniun Guild

"I suppose some extra muscle will help us finally win. This might be good, but I don't want to jinx it."

End Confessional

Confessional: Lizzy: The Majraa Guild

"There doesn't seem to be many leaders on this guild. Maybe I'll rise to the top of this one? Makes sense." Lizzy chuckled. "I am head cheerleader back at school."

End Confessional

"Your challenge today is a special form of Square Dancing that took place here on The Jazira. Now we could offend a whole culture and attempt to Square Dance like the merchants, or we can just do the Square Dancing we're familiar with, and lawyers prefer we stick with the one we're familiar with."

Chef smiled next to him. "And we have a special guest."

Chris nodded. "Please welcome Zero Sum's Southern Belle, Persephone Porter."

Perci appeared from behind the production crew. "Hey y'all. Pleasure to judge today."

"Howdy." Wendy winked.

"Oh, howdy!" Percy winked back with a gentle smile hiding excitement at seeing a fellow countrywoman.

Chris stood with his hands behind his hip. "Contestants, decide your pairs. For odd number guilds, we'll have an intern sub-in."

Sahra leaned in for their circle. Kairo took charge. "I have the perfect pairs for us."

Eleanor spoke up. "Actually, I think we should decide as a team."

"Ugh, well…" Kairo was about to argue.

"I think the same." James agreed.

"I third that." Hansel threw in.

Luna shrugged. "I think it would be better for chemistry, and, thus, the guild if we decide for ourselves."

Confessional: Jianne: The Sahra Guild

"Or, someone who hasn't spent all their time around Selena should decide." She put her hand on her chest. "Someone more socially aware."

End Confessional

"Guys we shouldn't be fighting so much. It's eating into our time." Laurie tried to comfort the guild.

"I'll dance with the intern." Jianne called. "No one else should have to dance with a stranger."

"I'll dance with James." Hansel put his arm around James.

James pushed Hansel's arm off of him.

Luna smirked. "I'll dance with Laurie."

Kairo sighed. "Then that will leave me with Eleanor. Let's see how well we fare in the challenge."

Majraa huddled up as well.

"I think I know just who to pair up." Lizzy went for it.

"But… you just got here." Sister Vivian objected.

"Yeah… but I'm head cheerleader. I pair my girls up all the time. Our chemistry is unmatched."

Sister Vivian chuckled. "If there is anyone who knows chemistry, it's Larissa."

Larissa giggled. "I can handle this one as a matchmaker, Lizzy."

"But cheer has dancer portions."

"And I've done ballet for twelve years." Larissa shrugged. She opened her journal of love and scanned everyone's faces. She scribbled the pairs in her book. "Okay, for this specific challenge, I'm pairing Declan and Katniss, Vivielle and Lizzy, Braden and Amethyst, and myself and Sister Vivian. Any objections?"

"Sounds perfect, Larissa." Declan nodded. "Sorry, Lizzy. Maybe in the future you can lead a challenge."

"Yeah, I'll save it for later." Lizzy sighed.

Kaniun huddled up as well.

"How should we pick who to pair up?" Evelyn asked.

"I'll dance with the new guy." Winter piped. "Allen, was it?"

"Yes, dear. It would be an honor."

"Okay," Evelyn nodded. "Now the rest of us. Do you boys know how to square dance?"

"A little bit." JT nodded.

"Not at all." Tony shook his head.

"I'll dance with Tony then." Wendy tipped her hat. "Partner."

"That leaves you and me, JT." Evelyn held onto JT's prosthetic arm.

"Alright." JT pumped his fist in the air.

Aljibal gathered into their huddle.

"I wanna dance with the intern! I wanna dance with the intern! I wanna-"

"Okay, buddy." Cole smiled. "You get to dance with the intern. But why?"

"Because he can be another one of my friends!" Christopher smiled with glee.

"I'll dance with Rosa!" Mason was going to grab Rosa's arm, but-

"No!" Rosa pushed his head away at arm's length. "First, I hate you. Second, I think that we should stick two experienced dancers together. Only one pair has to make it to the end. I should be paired up with Cole, unless Harry is a master square dancer that never told us."

"Nope! No master dancer here." Harry held his hands up. "I'll dance with Mason then."

"This is unfair!" Mason crossed his arms. "What if I was a master square dancer?"

"I wouldn't dance with you anyway. It would interrupt our chemistry."

Cole shrugged. "If that's what you say, Madame. We might actually have a chance this challenge."

"Maybe." Rosa smiled.

Challenge: Square Dancing

Rules: Each pair/contestant will be under a spotlight. Judged by Perci, if the spotlight goes out, it means that the pair was not dancing well enough. Pairs are not allowed to stop dancing or else their light automatically goes out. The last guild left standing on the platform wins immunity.

Pairs:

Sahra:

Eleanor and Kairo

Hansel and James

Jianne and intern

Laurie and Luna

Majraa:

Amethyst and Braden

Declan and Katniss

Larissa and Sister Vivian

Lizzy and Vivielle

Kaniun:

Allen and Winter

Evelyn and JT

Tony and Wendy

Aljibal:

Christopher and intern

Cole and Rosa

Harry and Mason

The pair stood by each other on the dance floor. All the lights were out on the stage. Perci stood by the control panel. Once she hit the 'DANCE' button, the stage lights lit up over all the pairs and the music played.

Everyone danced with their fullest energy to the music, following the orders Chef is calling out.

"This challenge is so fun!" Christopher cheered to the intern. He spun them around. "We're going to be best friends." They spun around for a few seconds, but missed the next call. His light went out.

"Christopher is out of the challenge!"

Christopher looked out at this intern. "Does that mean we don't get to dance anymore?"

"Sorry, bro, I don't get paid overtime."

Tony scoffed. "This seems like it would be fun for old people."

"They do it all the time at elementary school." Wendy rolled her eyes. "Just go with it for a bit."

Chef gave a devil's smile. He called out directions faster than he did before.

Tony stepped on Wendy's foot. Their light went out.

James and Hansel couldn't keep up. Their light went out.

Winter bumped into Allen. Their light went out.

"And three more pairs join the loser bench!" Chris announced.

Chef continued to announce beat after beat.

Perci kept watching the contestants. "This is so much fun to watch, though it's been about 7 minutes at this point… we've got some strong dancers."

"Yeah, maybe you should be judging harsher or this will turn into an endurance challenge."

"I thought this was an endurance challenge." Perci hit a button on her board. Eleanor and Kairo's light went out.

"What was that?" Kairo asked.

"I got tired, and I guess I just stopped processing the commands."

"Sure sucks to be Kairo." Chris nudged Perci.

Confessional: Kairo: The Sahra Guild

"You know, contrary to how I felt during the deciding phase, I'd like to think that I would divide the guild up not too much differently than they did. Hansel and James would be together as the weak ones, surprising that they're still in. Laurie and Luna as the strong bunch. But I would have put Jianne and Eleanor on their own and opt to be with the intern. If something were to go wrong, it would surely be the intern's fault. I am great at taking orders."

End Confessional

Chef sped up his commands once again. The weary contestants pulled through, but a couple fell out of the ring.

"Harry, Mason, and Jianne are out of the challenge!"

Shortly after Chris' announcement, Sister Vivian tripped and fell over a rock. "Ouch! Larissa and Sister Vivian are out of the challenge! Let's see who can beat Chef's commands." The music picked up, but Chef's commands remained the same.

Perci used both hands to push three buttons at once.

"Ooh!" Chris gave Perci finger guns. "That's three couples all at once! Braden and Amethyst! Evelyn and JT! Laurie and Luna are all out of the challenge! One problem, that means that Kaniun and Sahra are booted out of the challenge at the same time. Perci here hasn't seen any of this season, so she doesn't know who's been on what streak. Which couple bit it first? Evelyn and JT or Laurie and Luna?"

"It's Evelyn and JT. They missed they're hold on the return."

"The whatty on the what now?" Chris asked. "Majraa still has two couples as compared to Aljibal's one! Will this be Aljibal's first win? Or will this begin a new streak for Majraa?"

"I heard that one." Perci mentioned.

"Twirl your partner in the air." Chef commanded.

Katniss put Declan on her shoulders and began spinning.

Cole grabbed Rosa by the waist as Cole spun her around as if they were on ice.

However, both Vivielle and Lizzy expected to be picked up. Their light went out.

It was down to two.

"Put her down and form a conga line!"

The four place their hands on each other's shoulders. They all shimmed and marched to the beat.

"Now, plié et grand jeté."

Cole and Rosa held their hands and were able to fulfill Chef's demands.

Declan and Katniss however… their light went out.

"Ooh! And Majraa is out of the challenge, meaning that Cole and Rosa have won it for Aljibal! Aljibal, reunite, and determine who will be forced to pay the loser tax from Sahra!"

Confessional: James: The Sahra Guild

James sat in the booth with his arms crossed. "And based on Brainstorm's performance today, it won't be either of us three. Maybe Luna, but that's not a huge loss for the guild, and she's technically not a part of the alliance anyway."

End Confessional

Aljibal went in for another huddle.

Harry began the discussion. "Based on their performance this far in the competition, I would say either the warpaint guy or the girl with the french braid."

"Why them?" Cole panted slightly.

"Because they seem to be the strongest on that guild, physically."

Mason wiped away a bit of sweat. "I say, go for the girl. She seems more useful in challenges, and that's good since we're next to get someone on our guild, if this is going the way I think it is. What do you think, Rosa?"

"Unfortunately for me, I have to agree with our class clown."

Aljibal broke their huddle, and Harry pointed at Laurie. "We're nominating her."

Chris held up his hand. "Pay up. Thirteen coins."

Laurie counted her pouch and handed it to Chris. "I don't have enough…" She looked back towards her guild and waved. "I'll make it back."

"Promise?" Eleanor smirked.

Laurie shyly smiled. "I'm not really in the position to make any."

"Laurie," said Chris, "your time starts tomorrow morning! Kaniun, I'll be seeing you for yet another bonfire elimination ceremony. Expect to be visited by an Aljibal before then. That's all I have for everyone today. Move out!"

The guilds traveled back to their respective campsites, though one Aljibal followed Kaniun to their campsite for convenience.

Kaniun Kove

Contestants: Allen, Evelyn, JT, Rosa, Tony, Wendy, Winter

"...and Cole ended up winning an even bigger pot with two pairs, again!" Rosa explained the Aljibal Texas Hold 'Em game from earlier.

"Wow," Evelyn listened excitedly, "that sounds like lots of fun! So, it sounds like you all get along really well!"

"We're always up to something, but things aren't usually as sweet as it seems." The Kaniun Guild Rosa made it to the Kaniun Kove. They all stood around the dying fire as Rosa looked around. "This is pretty sweet, actually. It's like you have a whole living room/dining room. Sort of."

Tony nodded. "We're a quaint group, but hey, Rosa, while you're here, you might as well get a little something for your time here."

"Um… this better not sound like what I think it sounds like…"

"I want a cross-guild alliance."

Rosa nodded. "Maybe once your guild wins a challenge, I will reconsider, but as of right now, the lot of you don't seem all too impressive."

JT took offense. "Not impressive? Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"I am someone that helped my team win a challenge. We won through teamwork, and that teamwork consisted of careful consideration with who we paired up with. I'm a competitive athlete, so I understand teamwork, even if my sport appears to be individual-based."

"And what sport is that? Gymnastics?"

Tony stepped up. "JT, why don't we not make enemies too soon? Okay Rosa, we have a conditional deal. If we start winning challenges, we'll stop by your campsite to form an alliance. Until then, we are separate."

Rosa shrugged. "Works for me. It's enough time in between to where I can talk to my own guild about it. Well, it was nice chatting with you all on the way here, but we've been lacking something to eat our rice with." Rosa picked up the bag of beans. She looked at their pot. "Is that rice?"

Wendy tipped her hat. "Sure is! We've been harvestin' our own rice!"

"That's cool." Rosa waved from the cave exit.

The Kaniun Guild waved back as Rosa left.

Wendy turned to her guild. "Well, let's get some things ready for dinner."

JT had his arms crossed. "Won't be much dinner without our beans."

The cowgirl twirled her survival knife. "I'll get a catch. We should check the bear traps too."

Allen remained sat on one of the 'living room' rocks. "So, how exactly do things work around here?"

Winter sat from across him. "We're a 'go with the flow' type of group. And by 'go with the flow,' it's more like 'go with the Wendy.'"

"I see. Well, I would like to make myself useful before the ceremony. I wouldn't want to be eliminated right after entering the game."

JT hung by the exit. "Nah, bro. You've got some good muscles. You will probably help us win challenges if anything, so consider yourself free." He beckoned Allen towards him and whispered in Allen's ear. "Just in case you were wondering, I'm going to vote for Winter tonight." JT left with Wendy. Evelyn left with the pot of uncooked rice. Allen shrugged and followed after Evelyn.

Winter scrolled through her camera roll, but came to the realization as to who she was stuck with. Again.

Tony sat from across her. "So, since we're alone, you can tell me who you're voting for tonight."

"Oh, that's not something I really considered…"

"I'll wait then…"

Winter scanned the cave to make sure there was no one else watching the transaction. She whispered her vote in his ear.

Tony bowed his head. "Your wish is my command."

Winter rolled her eyes. "You're not a genie."

"Hmm." Tony hummed. "I could be."

Confessional: Wendy: The Kaniun Guild

"JT is all talk. He keeps saying that we should win challenges, but he don't do nothin' about teamwork like that Aljibal gurl said. Just like how he's all talk with the new guy, Allen. New boy did nothin' to help us win. JT is only lookin' at the muscles and not at the person. I advise him to do the opposite. Maybe then his time here'll be better."

End Confessional

Wendy slashed through another animal off-camera.

"Ugh!" JT came back after another lap running around the area Wendy decided to hunt in. "This running isn't working the way it usually does! I need a bike. Or the ocean! Or something else!"

"You're so hung up on winnin' that you're alienating the guild!" Wendy cut into his frustration.

"And you aren't hung up on winning enough!" JT facepalmed. "It's like nobody gets it!"

"Nobody includes yourself, I hope you realize."

JT sighed. "I do. Why are we on such a bad streak? We came in second on the first challenge, and we've lost ever since. On top of that, we also lost Lizzy."

"Look, JT." Wendy placed her knife down. "If you're so hung up on winnin', then you ain't gon' win. Think of it this way: moral'll go down so much that there won't be no point to even try. You hear me?"

"Regardless, I don't think that's going to change my mind. If you're trying to stop me, you're going to have to try harder than that."

"Let's just not bog anyone down for losin'. We just gotta survive in guilds for a bit. Reframe the game, so that it's not about the challenges so much. Go to the Duels if you have to."

"You've given me some good ideas, but I think we should focus on our minds and bodies. Speaking of bodies…" JT got up and walked towards the woods. "Dinner isn't going to catch itself."

"That's what I'm talkin' 'bout, partner!"

Evelyn collected some river water in her bottle and poured it into the pot.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Allen appeared from behind her.

"Oh! No, please join me." Evelyn patted the spot next to her. "I could show you how to cultivate rice, if you want."

"No no. Not yet." Allen smiled. "Evelyn, is it?"

Evelyn nodded. "How was the desert?"

"Awful. It took quite a while for me. I won't be going back though."

"Well, you can't. You… don't have any days left."

"It will be a good strategy, though, I didn't know about all these… extra things. Loser tax? Looting?"

"Oh yeah… all of this was explained after we got back from the Desert."

"Could you tell me everything that I'm missing?"

Evelyn explained all the game mechanics to Allen.

"This is an intense season. I wonder why Lizzy never told me about all this."

Evelyn shrugged. "She probably didn't want to tell you about your poor strategy so that she could get an upper hand on at least you. She was on this guild, so we had an alliance for a bit, but she lost big on the Duels and got sent."

"Ah, she told me she spent everything on survival. I see her type. I can see yours as well."

"Oh, and what type is that?" Evelyn asked.

"Mine~" Allen winked.

Evelyn blushed. "How is settling in going? Good?"

"Not really." Allen admitted. "This guild is almost worse than the modeling industry. So much tension. Not good for the skin. I don't think I'll be going home because of it though, so that's reassuring, to say the least."

"Need help deciding who to vote for?"

Allen nodded. "I think I have a good idea where the popular vote is headed, but do tell regardless."

Evelyn whispered the name of her vote.

"Ah, I see… interesting." Allen helped Evelyn carry the pot of rice back to the cave. "We shall see where this goes tonight."

Evelyn sighed. "I hope it goes well."

Harq Muzayaf Bonfire Elimination Ceremony

Contestants: Allen, Evelyn, JT, Tony, Wendy, Winter

"Kaniun, Kaniun, Kaniun." Chris approached the host stand. "I know you can't get enough of me, but I want to see more drama on the other guilds."

"Believe me," Evelyn held her hand up. "I want to be out of the drama too. There is so much going on because we've lost three people at this point!"

"But! You gained one! How's life, Allen? Enjoying my game?"

"As usual, Chris." Allen nodded. "Though, Evelyn is correct. This guild is quite the frightening one to be on. It was a rather harsh welcome that I have walked into."

"And my game?"

"Your game is one that I was not expecting. I thought there wouldn't be this many gimmicks. What is the purpose of this?"

"It makes the game interesting, and let me ask the questions here!" Chris leaned against his stand. "So, where do you think you sit on this guild?"

Allen thought about it. "In the middle. What seems to be going on is extremes. There are people high on the ladder, and there are those that are low. Depending on who they are, those arrangements vary. That's where I come in. They know little about me, and that puts me in the middle. Hopefully, across all ladders, I get placed unanimously higher."

"Interesting…" Chris was happy with Allen's contributions. "Tony, what do you think about how Allen analyzed the guild?"

Tony thought about it. "I think that the guild is more straightforward than that. For one, I don't see very many extremes, but a couple of people in the middle, and then the extremes. But where Allen placed himself, yes, I agree with that. Because we know little, we are more neutral towards him. He has little chance of going home tonight, is my guess."

Winter scoffed. "I actually think Allen has the whole guild pegged."

"Wendy, what do you think will bring your guild more victories?"

"I think we need to stop trippin' on the things that are non-essential, like the game, the challenges, these votes, and focus on the things that matter: each other."

"Um…" Chris couldn't look Wendy in the eye, but went back to ask his question. "Care to explain?"

"Well, to put it in terms y'all would understand, this game is called Total Drama. We gotta focus on the friendships and fix the issues at the root. I think Rosa was right. Maybe our teamwork really is fallin' apart, and all we gotta do is have a meanin'ful talk. Sorta like we're doin' now. This bonfire ceremony is actually doin' a lot for us."

"It sure is!" Chris smiled. "Winter, how you feeling about tonight's vote?"

"I think I have a better idea of where these votes are going tonight. Maybe next time I'll tell you what I'm really feeling, but for now, I'm keeping my cards in my hands."

"JT, what do you think this vote will be based on tonight?"

"I think that this vote will be based on power. More or less, we're voting out the least powerful member. We all have different definitions of power, but I think that our own definitions of power will give us different votes."

"It is time to vote." Chris announced. "Winter, you're up first."

Confessional: Winter: The Kaniun Guild

"I have a good feeling about the votes this time."

End Confessional

"Wendy, you are next."

Confessional: Wendy: The Kaniun Guild

"Well, if we're basing our votes to be the least powerful member, then it's you. I sure hope you understand."

End Confessional

"Tony."

Tony went up to the booth to place his vote.

"JT."

JT followed after Tony returned.

"Evelyn."

Evelyn conformed with what was happening with the others.

"And Allen."

Confessional: Allen: The Kaniun Guild

"I'm voting with you because you seem to understand what I am worth. I know I won't regret this."

End Confessional

Chris returned with a plate full of coin pouches. "The votes have been tallied. Contestants, these coin pouches represent your safety in this game. If you do not receive a pouch, you must immediately depart to the Ride of Shame, and leave The Jazira for good. If I call your name, you're safe."

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… "Allen, you received one vote."

"You wouldn't mind telling me who?" Allen smirked.

"I would. It's a game advantage if you have the coin."

"Very well, then."

"The final pouch goes to…

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… "Winter."

"What? But I'm literally the strongest player in this game! Why eliminate me?" JT exasperated.

Wendy shrugged. "I tried warnin' you literally all day!"

"Well then." JT tossed Wendy his coin pouch. "That's for believing in me until the end. For the rest of you who voted for me, I hope I never see you again. Adios, Kaniun." JT boarded Chef's ATV, and Chef drove JT to this season's Playa des Losers.

"We have learned tonight that even the most powerful players can screw their game up in a nutshell. That's all I have for you, Kaniun. Get a good rest to ensure that you do not come back here again, goodnight."

Kaniun treaded back to their campsite as Chris signed off the episode. "Kaniun bids goodbye to their third guild member, but it's not over yet! Will Kaniun be able to circle back to any place higher than second? How much more exciting guild reshaping will there be? How will the waters test who will come out on top next time? Here! On Total!

Drama!

Qatilat!"

*Final Confessional: JT

"Psh! That was a shitshow! Really, now that I lost, I think I'm right. Winning was everything. How could everyone else not see it? I really don't think Kaniun can even win a challenge without me. Seriously. It's always the strong people who get eliminated first. What's with that? Anyways, I want Wendy or Lizzy to win, and if not them, then Allen was pretty chill. Other than that, the rest of Kaniun are a bunch of losers, and I didn't really meet anyone else, so I can't really speak for them. Everyone else didn't really seem like they deserve it though. Anywho, that enough of the Storm that you'll see on this show. Maybe flip to a sports channel. You'll see me there if you miss me on your screen. Later!

End Confessional*

JT places 28th. He wills his remaining coins to Wendy.

[19] Allen → [21]

[21] Evelyn → [22]

[16] Tony → [17]

[2] Wendy → [6]

[11] Winter → [14]

Sarim Desert

Contestants: Jeremy, Laurie (on hold), Selena

The duo sat outside of Allen's structure.

Jeremy yawned and his stomach growled. "Ugh, it sucks not having a team out here."

"Yeah, I know." Selena got up. "But that won't matter much to me anymore."

"You're done already?"

"Not quite. I got two more coins I need to get. It shouldn't be hard without the stupid sun."

"Well, it's kind of hard to see without the sun."

Selena turned back to Jeremy and smirked. "My name isn't Selena for no reason. I'm getting these coins tonight, and I'm getting back into the game. You snooze, you lose."

Jeremy shrugged. "I'm not stopping you. Though I am close, myself, I know I won't make much progress until daybreak."

"That's on you, detective."

Selena searched into the night and found the two and even three coins that she needed to win her way back into the game. She crossed the finish line, and the intern on standby handed her a map.

"A different guild?" Selena nodded. "Okay, McLean. This is game on!"

27/30 Remaining. 2 Deserted.

The Votes:

Allen voted for… Winter

Evelyn voted for… JT

JT voted for… Winter

Tony voted for… JT

Wendy voted for… Allen

Winter voted for… JT

Camp Items:

The Sahra Guild: Dried Meat, A Bag of Rice, Salt and Pepper, 20 Sticks, 1 Pot, Tarp, 3 Buckets, First Aid Kit, The Sponge, A Bag of Beans

The Majraa Guild: Rice, Bow and Arrows, Flint and Steel, Rope, 2 Pots, Large Knife

The Kaniun Guild: Self-Purifying Water Bottles*, Flint and Steel, Dried Meat, Bear Traps, Pillows and Blankets*, A Pot

The Aljibal Guild: Flint and Steel, Large Knife, A Bag of Rice, A Compass, Duct Tape, 3 Buckets, A Bag of Beans

*items contestants are not allowed to loot

AN:

And JT is the next contestant eliminated, and that honestly shocked me going into this version of the outline. He fared much better on previous versions despite his temper, but a losing streak can set a temperamental, athletic camper off. He's just one of those characters that either does really well or really not, and unfortunately, luck was not on his side in this iteration. Thank you to yutohase for sending JT in. I really hope I did him some justice in his short time on Qatilat.

Having studied his actions during his game, I give JT the status of: Neutral.

Why? Again with most other early boots, they really don't do much on either side of the pendulum. There were a couple of really tiny things that may steer him to villainy, such as being competitive or relatively unfriendly, but these are mainly things that need to grow in order to be classified as villainy. Here, it's just a personality trait.

Favorite Moment? My favorite moment of JT… I don't think I have a favorite moment than I do a favorite dynamic. My favorite moments with JT are when he's with Wendy. The two of them are honestly a great comedic duo. Looking back, there are so many moments with JT and Wendy that I read and giggle to myself. They were plenty of fun. If I had to pick a favorite, I'd say when Wendy was dancing with JT and initially asking about his arm. JT responded in his JT way, but Wendy took it the Wendy way. The two of them are simply great. That's all I can say.

But that's not all to be discussed! How did the Zero Sum fans enjoy the cameo? How much will the dynamics of Sahra change now that Laurie is temporarily out of the game? Will Kaniun be able to win more challenges now that another physical player has left the guild? Will Aljibal continue to play more Texas Hold 'Em? Who do you think Larissa is shipping on Majraa? Okay, okay, I'm done with the questions for this episode, but find out next time~

EN: Shit goes sideways for Sahra and Kaniun: The Episode.
Anyways, I'd agree with JT's neutral status. I was really hoping to see him make it further because the dude is right. These strong athletic players do have a habit of getting voted off strangely early. I think that line is probably my favorite JT moment because like, obviously it's about himself, but it's not *just* about himself, which to me hints that if he did continue, he likely would have been able to overcome any personality/character flaws about being too focused on winning/being strong and learning to instead try and boost morale. Him losing right now was probably sadly the worst thing that could've happened for his immediate character development.

As, of course, Zero Sum's number 1 fan, I really enjoyed the Perci cameo. She deserves more love even if she played a fairly small part in that story.

The Dynamics of Sahra are going to be wonky as all heck now that Laurie's temporarily out, and is it just me, or is the Brainstorm alliance kind of all complaints no solutions? It's giving early Fudo energy.

Aljibal will hopefully branch out into more games than just Texas Hold 'Em!
Larissa is shipping every duo she paired up on Majraa, obviously. And if two pairs don't work, she'll swap partners between them. She must see love prosper, one way or another.

Okay that's enough meme answers from me.

AN2: Also, Doobop has a discord server that I also happen to be on. The link is in either of our profiles. Become one of us, and don't be shy.

AN3: And, as always, thanks for reading!