Roleplays after Salmon is For Desire: Part 1

The Calm Before The Storm ((Open RP w/ Ry))
After everyone had safely exited the dining room, Ry stood back and glanced over his shoulder at the disturbing ribbon streams that were hanging to and fro from the interns’ sloppy designing. He wasn’t disgusted by them because they were pink—but supposed to be salmon—he was disgusted that they were for the challenge Chris was bound to set into motion.

A kissing challenge.

Where does Chris get off on this one? There were obviously some people who would rather kiss a cactus—including Ry himself—than another one of the people here. What even was this challenge going to force them to do? Kiss each other? Kiss an old contestant? Kiss an intern? With the lack of males on this show, Ry was going to end up having to kiss a girl. It was bad enough he already felt queasy about that thought.

Removing his attention from the streamers behind him, he sighed softy, glanced at the clock overhead and decided he was going to need a few minutes to notwant to vomit everywhere. Turning around, he headed into the lobby, flopping down on the couch and yanking out his cellphone.

For the next fifteen minutes, he’d probably be a couch potato, a rotted potato but still one on the couch. Leaning his head back and slamming his phone down beside him, he stared up at the ceiling, not noticing the person who’d entered the lobby after him.

The Baroness:
The Baroness was absolutely livid at the events of this day’s challenge. A kissing challenge; bah! The Baroness didn’t believe in love, let alone kissing from a Romantic standpoint. She could tell that no matter who she had to kiss, she would be absolutely livid. However, if she ends up having to kiss Ashley….chances are someone’s going to wind up dead.

With a bitter stupor, The Pirate Girl stormed into the lobby, needing a break before having to meet Chris in the forest. Bah, what if she had to kiss him!? She would physically vomit if she had to do that, yuck! The fact that this challenge had the audacity of being themed to the fishy color of “salmon” (when it was actually pink), was quite atrocious to the Baroness, a proud seafood lover.

She hadn’t noticed Ry until the slam of the phone on the coffee table. Unfazed, she turned around to face the source of the sound, of course noticing Ry. Upon that, the pirate gal walked closer towards him, glad that she at least had him on her team, despite the presence of Ashley.

“…Ye be hatin’ this bilge of a challenge too matey?”

Ry hadn’t taken notice to Baroness storming into the room, which was evident by his actions prior to her coming up to him. When she did, though, he snapped his head around to face her, eyes widening that someone was actually back in the lobby instead of sucking up to Chris’s ask back in the forest.

“Oh, yeah… I really don’t want to kiss anyone on this damn show. I don’t want printer ink, fish, dragon breath, or Dakota to kiss me anyway… I like men, but that is pushing my limits a little farther than I hoped.” He sort of lied, glancing away toward the corner, which he thought could use a television, albeit a crappy one. “Why the fuck does he want us to kiss each other anyway? Is it some sick ass joke?”

Kicking his feet up on the coffee table, he barely avoided hitting his phone and sighed, enjoying the soft jingle of his cat charm as the table shook in response to his converse clad feet. “After the last challenge, I’d think he’d give us a little break, but I think he’s run down on the fact that not enough people are getting into ‘ships,’” He raised his hands, spouting air quotes, a bad habit he’d picked up from Dennis. “Fuck,” he muttered, grabbing one wrist and slamming it down into his lap.

The Baroness paused for a moment trying to decipher who printer ink, fish, and dragon breath were. It took her a moment, but she figured he meant Derby, Benny, and Dennis. Ry mentioning he liked guys didn’t result in much of a reaction from the pirate, after all, she has absolutely no reason to judge for- well, anything. “Ay, be understandin’ ye there lad. Don’t be likin’ no one in that. Love just be addled, ain’t no other way ye can be puttin’ it.” She stated rather bluntly, again, not content with that day’s challenge.

With a swift movement, Baroness took a seat next to Ry as he shifted his feet about, thinking about kicking her feet up on the coffee table as well. She decided against it, however, figuring she might cause the relatively weak looking table to buckle and collapse under the pressure. “Chris be a scurvy swab Ry; he’s probably just gonna be takin’ some sorta sick, personal ‘joyment outta seein’ us make out like otters.” She explained, using her rather….unique mannerisms

Ry’s tongue stuck out at the mention of the word ‘love’ and he shook his head at it, wondering why she’d bring that up. There’s no love on this damn show, anyway, but he didn’t see love anywhere anymore; or he rather saw it as a terrifying concept to submit to. Ha, he’d never do that shit… Ever. “Please, love doesn’t exist.” He muttered, looking up at her, face deathly serious. “It’s just something that people pin on another to claim them for themselves…or a group of themselves. It’s a stupid ass concept that is either not there or so thought to be real that people trick themselves to marry and ‘love,’ until it fades with time.” He bitterly spat out his point of view, crossing his arms and yanking his phone off the table.

“If he even watches me kiss someone, I’ll fucking knock his scratchy chin into the stalagmites I saw in the hospital a few blocks from here. Seeing his head slide down that would be a miracle to us all…” Stamping his foot on the table, he let it wobble under his feet, not caring if it broke or not. “He didn’t even tell us what the challenge is… Ugh… What if it’s truth or kiss?” He looked over at her, face scrunched up in disgust. “Answer a question Chris can determine is true or not, or kiss someone that he ‘randomly’ spins on the wheel of suckitude… Ugh… This day feels like it can’t possibly get worse…” He groaned, throwing his phone back on the table in front of him.

Although the Baroness smirked when Ry colorfully mentioned that, in his opinion, love doesn’t exist, the pirate girl was absolutely desperate to change the subject. She didn’t want those bad memories to start flowing in already. “Aye lad; can be understandin’ ye there. Ain’t no good ever be comin’ from that bloody load of bilge. Just… pain.” She continued, getting a tad bit more solemn towards the end of her statement. Hopefully it wasn’t enough for Ry to pick up on.

“I’d love t’ be joinin’ ye n’ placin’ a black spot on the poxed blaggard.” The pirate girl then spoke, a bit of a joyful smirk crossing it’s way onto her face, once Ry out right said he would beat the ever-living crap out of Chris- or at least, Baroness interpreted him as saying that- during the kissing challenge if he watched him kiss someone. The Pirate was glad to see that, outside of their hatred of Ashley, the two utterly despised the idea of the kiss. Especially if a greasy, washed up reality show host was watching them do it. Ignoring the comment on his day not possibly getting any worse, the Pirate’s eyes gleamed with a, although twisted, joyful spark, as if she was the kid in the candy sword. Taking Ry’s comment about Chris rather seriously, she practically bounced on her heels as she anticipated what she could do. “Ooo, lad! I be havin’ a cutlass in me quarters! Want me t’ go n’ fetch it!?”

Ry picked up on the subtle hints that Baroness wanted the subject changed from love and obliged, deciding it best to not comment on it. He knew how gross the subject was to some, and he only wanted to jab Jillian about it; so he didn’t have to handle hearing Ashley blackmailing her later on about it. “I hear you there…” He mumbled as his only response and fingered his phone calmly, then reached into his pocket to retrieve his items others had given him so far.

“Get your cutlass? Well, why not? I mean, if you stir up some drama, then your team might get some kind of advantage, and you might get cookie points to stay longer,” Ry told her, using advice he’d heard from before. Standing up, he pulled the scrunchie, bracelet, and necklace on his arm and placed the pictures into his pocket. “I have to put some things in my room before we compete, so I avoid anything Ashley can use against me later, you know? So why don’t we do that, paint her door, and get your cutlass, hm?” He asked, making his way to the elevator without waiting on her answer.

The Baroness was on her way towards the elevator in an attempt to follow Ry, when she turned her head and happened to get a look at the clock… of course, it was then she remembered that they were on a time limit, and that chances are Chris would have their heads if they were late. How fun would it be to get eliminated already just for not wanting to do a kissing challenge - and possibly stirring up some drama.

Thankfully the Pirate was quick on her feet, and - despite nearly crashing over a sofa- managed to make it towards Ry before he got inside. “Arr, listen lad, I don’t be thinkin’ we be havin’ ‘nough time t’ be doin’ all this now; after all, Chris be havin’ our bloody heads if we don’t be meetin’ the bilge sucker smartly! He be sayin’ we only be havin’ ten minutes t’ be findin’ ‘em!”  The girl spoke honestly, a tad bit of worry in her voice. After all, she didn’t want to go home at all during this competition, especially not for something as minor as being late to a challenge. And knowing Chris, they would have a punishment worse than death if they were late.

Ry stopped at the elevator, finger already on the button before he heard Baroness clambering behind him. He moved his head to the side and stared up at her in a moment of silence, regretful that he wasn’t faster to the punch with moving. To be honest, he couldn’t give a shit about being late to the challenge, seeing as Mika had been plenty late to the very first challenge. The only problem with it was that her team was pissed off. He really didn’t have to worry about letting his team down, though, since he was the smartest member of the team, after all.

“Look, I know your cardiovascular muscle is in the right place, but I don’t frankly give a flying fuck about what Chris has to say if I’m a few seconds late. He can go suck Chef’s cooking if he’s convinced I care that it’s a half hour show.” He couldn’t help but admit mentally that she was right on getting to the challenge area before the challenge started, but her logic was slightly off on this. “Plus, he gave us fifteen minutes. If you think we’re going to be late to the challenge area, then that’s fine with me and we’ll go; but I’ve never met a pirate who feared bending the rules before.” He calmly stepped away from the elevator and lifted his head up to stare up at her. “Besides, I’m a fast runner and from your muscles, I would think you were decent yourself…but if you’re scared, I suppose we can have a race or something to the challenge area to give this day something to not despise later.”

“…Me cardio-what?” The Baroness blinked blankly, confused at the term. The Baroness knew some things, but human anatomy was certainly not one of them. In fact, Ry’s entire tone put a slight scowl on The Baroness’ face. She kept up her cheerful demeanor though, sure to not let her fiery temper to get the better of her here. Instead, she just calmly listened to what Ry had to say.

Taking a deep breath to clear her emotions, the pirate girl waited a moment before saying anything. Was Ry right… probably. Was she right… probably; they both had their points. It would be better if they arrived earlier, but hey, what’s life without a little rule bending. If Mika could do it and get off scot-free, so could they.

A slight smirk formed on her face. “…Ye know, ye be right matey; it be best I belay the bilge talk n’ we be gettin’ t’ work befer we be runnin’ low on time!” She shouted, vigor returning to her, her expression changing to a more pleasant one. “Handsomely now Ry, we be havin’ work t’ do!”

Ry moved his lips to tighten them in a line at her ignorance of the human anatomy. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was wondering if she got her education from a Captain Crunch cereal box. “It’s your heart, Baroness,” he informed her still, not wanting to piss her off if he let anything slip off his tongue. She was smart, but he still felt a damper when he remembered she knew very little out of the realm of the 1600’s. Maybe he should offer to teach her about the current time line, so that she could maintain her pirate charm but still have a grasp on the current events at hand. Perhaps he could invoke that into his next art piece. He could call it “Where have the Pirates Gone?” and include a ship that has clearly decayed beyond repair washed up on the shore of a modern city.

“Inspiration comes and goes like the tide of the ocean,” he mumbled to himself, smashing the elevator button once more. He wondered if they were going to get her sword or going to ruin Ashley’s door with a huge splash of red paint. Should they maintain an alibi or admit it up front? Would it be safe to admit it up front like that? He would have to hide his belongings better if he did admit it in front of that wretched scumbag.

When The Baroness resumed her shouting, he placed his hands on his ears and resisted the urge to dig through his pockets for his silencing stones. There was no point in shoving a stone up into her oral cavity for the sake of his mind right now. “What do you have planned, hm? Are we just getting your cutlass or are we going to grab my paint from my room and give Ashley’s door the ol’ Razzle Dazzle?”

Thankfully the pirate paid no attention to Ry’s lips as they tightened. Instead, she mustered a rather modest “oh” once he had told her what he had meant. Boy, did she feel silly for not knowing that- of course, she was ‘home schooled’ from the 5th grade up until the time she eventually dropped out. Home schooled was used loosely there, though - in fact, she rarely was ever home long enough to be schooled. Most of the time she was just out in her local bay, and others she was out abroad. Her brother helped her get some-what with the times, in fact, he introduced her to Total Drama in the first place, but alas, her heart belonged in the golden age of pirating. It’s where she felt most comfortable, after all.

“Well, it be a good thing ye be havin’ help from a pirate!” The Baroness proudly said aloud to Ry’s comment about the tides. The elevator soon began to rise, and before they know it, they arrived on the floor they had been meaning to arrive on.

The Baroness had paid no attention to Ry’s reaction, rather, focusing on her own little discussion. Of course, that was when Ry had asked her a question about what they should do. The girl mulled over the choices for a bit before deciding on what to say.

She - evidently - decided on something, as an idea came forth. “..We already be here, so let’s be savin’ some time n’ just forget the cutlass.” She spoke, before realizing that didn’t clear up what she wanted to say. “..What I be meanin’, is, let’s put a blackspot on that wench, n’ be painin’ her door!”

Ry shook his head calmly and headed into the elevator. It shouldn’t surprise him, but it really did that she wouldn’t understand the human body. “Well, I guess it’s not a common term anyway…” He mumbled softly, bringing his hand up to press for the third floor. “It would have been easier for you to just say heart, huh?” The fact he was even doing something like this before the challenge surprised him to no end. What if they were late and did get kicked off the show? Who was he kidding? Chris would just be a dick to them and make a sarcastic quip. Besides, he wouldn’t kick them both off.

Hearing the Baroness mention dropping the cutlass mission, he turned and raised an eyebrow at her. “You don’t want your cutlass? I mean, as much as I enjoy an advantage over another team, I would think that you’d want to cut through the forest. Who knows what Chris has in there? Why don’t you go get your cutlass while I grab the paint? It won’t take us but two minutes to make that door look like the boss battle door of a video game.”

She nodded quietly once Ry said it would have been easier to have just said “heart”. “Aye lad,” She started to reply with, “I be knowin’ what yer heart be!” Although she was a bit nervous about being late, Ry’s rather unenthusiastic presence slowly helped calm her nerves. She was not looking forward to this challenge, but at the same time didn’t want to go home, and the pirate figured he felt the same way. Why he wasn’t showing any, she didn’t really know. If only she had learned more about Ry, then she might understand why.

Once Ry asked her if she wanted her cutlass, she was adamant on saying no. With a turn of the head, she faced Ry. “Naw lad, it best if ye be havin’ a look out just in case someone be rearin’ their ugly head while we’re pantin’, that way we can at least make it look like it ain’t be us if we get caught too earlier. Don’t be wantin’ the blackspot on us, do we?” She said, thinking her logic was completely sound. “’sides, we Penguins can make it through any obstacle! If we gotta get through Underbrush, we be able t’ do it!” She continued, stepping out of the elevator, motioning Ry to join her.

“I don’t think anyone truly knows where my heart is, unless you mean inside my chest,” Ry confessed to her. He knew the hatred she felt for Ashley was something of a burning suns, but he wondered if she would keep wanting to be his friend if he ever played his trump card… Would she even speak to him? “It’s a rather ambiguous heart, full of death, destruction, and other bits of information I shouldn’t share with others; yet for some reason I shared them with another before… What a fucking mistake that might be for me.” The calming environment of the elevator didn’t soothe his frayed nerves. As this competition went on, he would dive headfirst into something foul. How many would really want to stick by his side then?

Ashley was evil, but he wasn’t the good guy here. The only reason he even attacked Ashely was on the premise that Todd had been nice to him and she pushed his buttons for far too long. Everyone else who knew the story of it, considered it an action of justice…but really it wasn’t like that at all.

When the elevator dinged and opened the gates to the top floor, he strolled out, hands gripping the bottom of his shirt tightly. “Hmph,” he managed to make out, turning around to face her. “Trust me, I have a scapegoat for all my misdeeds now; you know him, you probably hate him, but it’s Dennis. The last few times I said I’d blame him for something, he told me I could. I don’t know if he’s confident I won’t get him completely doused in gasoline while the person I screwed over holds a match, but I’ll take his offer and use it to my advantage here.”

The Baroness paused for a moment as he stated the rather obvious. “…Arrr, of course ye heart be within’ ye rib cage.” The pirate girl spoke, taking what he said literally rather than the metaphor he had begun to say. Of course, that was when Ry continued on with the discussion on what his heart actually represented in such a metaphorical sense. She closed her eyes and listened, trying to comprehend what he had to say. The girl’s brain really couldn’t wrap her head around what he had meant; so the only response she could muster was a rather quiet “Oh…”.

Once the elevator had reached its destination - and both The Baroness and Ry had made it out of it alive - a scowl started to form on her face when Ry insisted she go get her Cutlass. “Lad, I said I be fine without it, so I be fine without it.” She spoke aloud with a pout, her temper notably flaring in her eyes. Of course, she took a moment to take in a deep breath, and simply exhaled, mentally counting to herself to let go of her fury. “…And as much as I be lovin’ the idea of havin’ that blaggard a floggin’, I’d much rather be putin’ a black spot on the door t’ Ashley’s quarters.”

Ry decided to drop the subject of his heart and shove it aside quickly. What would it matter if he told her, though? People never really stayed around him long enough to actually convince him he mattered or that they wanted to be his friend for a long time. If the people on this show actually meant what they said to him, then he’d finally understand the world, but he knew that was a farfetched ideal, driving him further into a state of vulnerability. She, Dakota, and the others would likely drop him off the face of their mind to avoid having to remember him once he was eliminated. He’d probably go back home and vanish off the face of the Earth. “This is our stop,” he only mumbled before he stepped off.

Feeling the energy from Baroness’s anger, he turned his head around and sent her his best icy cold stare. He didn’t think making steam up in the hotel—in a sense that was unsexual—would help them before a competition, but what did that matter when he had no idea what Chris had in store for them? He doubted he’d make them sit in a circle and talk about crushes and magazines for the next…few hours, though he would probably strangle someone if that happened—whoever sat next to him would have to beware. “Right…” He muttered softly, making his way to his hotel room to open his door. “I think it’s time she learn a fucking lesson.”

He quickly entered the room and reappeared with two rather heavy-looking buckets of paint. It was obvious from his body being slumped over that he was in moderate pain from dragging them, but he wasn’t in any mood to drop them. “They’re…filled with the red paint…from when Todd was…eliminated. I found them…behind the elimination area…after the challenge and took a few for my wall.” He explained, panting from the extended pressure of gravity. “Should we just splatter her door in them…?”

Ry’s icy glare didn’t illicit much of a response from the Pirate girl - if anything, it just annoyed her. The Baroness and Ry were literally like fire and ice; she was hot-headed, passionate, and her temper flares up big time once her fury takes over, while he was cold, sadistic, and frigid. A fiery pirate and an icy emo kid definitely seem like an odd pair - which they were, but in the end they managed to get along with similar interests; and especially with out much they loved a certain contestant by the name of Ashley. Once Ry said it’s time Ashley learns her lesson, a bit of a smirk worked it’s way on the pirate’s face. “Godspeed then, me bucko!” She spoke aloud, her temper fading into her normal, more cheerful personality.

The Baroness was about to follow Ry into his own room, when he suddenly stepped out with two buckets of paint, both obviously in his hands. She noted how much pain he looked like he was in, but listened as made an explanation about where he got the paint from. “Aye lad, I be rememberin’ his ‘liminatin. Such a sad day fer a nice young lad t’ dance with jack ketch fer another’s actions.” She spoke aloud, a growl forming her throat from what Ashley had done to Todd. Once Ry suggested splattering her door, The Baroness took one of the paint cans he was carrying - with relative ease for her - and shook her head. “I be up fer whatever ye be wantin’ t’ do, but if we be sendin’ the wench a warnin’, a jolly roger - er… a skull be best fer it.”

Ry’s body relaxed when Baroness took the paint can from him. He was relatively able to lift himself back up to a near perfect stance once more. How he managed to move these paint cans further than when he first found them was a slight accomplishment for him—perhaps, he was becoming stronger. In his years of living, he’d always been able to kick extremely hard but never lift extremely well, which was always so annoying to him and others around him—namely his father—when he couldn’t help with heavy-lifting. He digressed, though, and gripped the bucket tighter in his hands to avoid dropping it to the floor below him.

“You make a valid point, but we can’t make the skull look like those ones on pirate ships… It has to be cartoony and overly…dumb looking. You know, something like bowl cut would make in his spare time.” He knew his teammate had very little artistic ability, though that could be a lie he said for no reason except to catch Ry off guard later, but Ashley didn’t know about that. “If we add a little straw hat on it, do you think it’d create more of an allusion?”

Without waiting on her answer, he plopped his paint can on the floor and strutted back in to his room to retrieve paper and tape. “Do you know how to…” Hesitating he turned his head to the side and cleared his throat. “…draw a skull and hat…?” His voice came out voco sotto, implying his discomfort of saying that.

Ry’s body relaxed when Baroness took the paint can from him. He was relatively able to lift himself back up to a near perfect stance once more. How he managed to move these paint cans further than when he first found them was a slight accomplishment for him—perhaps, he was becoming stronger. In his years of living, he’d always been able to kick extremely hard but never lift extremely well, which was always so annoying to him and others around him—namely his father—when he couldn’t help with heavy-lifting. He digressed, though, and gripped the bucket tighter in his hands to avoid dropping it to the floor below him.

“You make a valid point, but we can’t make the skull look like those ones on pirate ships… It has to be cartoony and overly…dumb looking. You know, something like bowl cut would make in his spare time.” He knew his teammate had very little artistic ability, though that could be a lie he said for no reason except to catch Ry off guard later, but Ashley didn’t know about that. “If we add a little straw hat on it, do you think it’d create more of an allusion?”

Without waiting on her answer, he plopped his paint can on the floor and strutted back in to his room to retrieve paper and tape. “Do you know how to…” Hesitating he turned his head to the side and cleared his throat. “…draw a skull and hat…?” His voice came out voco sotto, implying his discomfort of saying that.

At first, a slight pout began to form on The Baroness’ face once Ry stated they can’t make the skull look the way she was used to seeing them. But that pout soon turned to a rather - well, certainly less angry, but still upset expression. “Aye, be understandin’ ye lad.” She spoke in a neutral tone. A glimmer started to form back within her eyes once she realized this meant she could frame Dennis for something; although few currently know this, the pirate girl absolutely loathed the trickster. “A straw hat be all the better, give it more… err.. ‘character’!”

When Ry asked if she knew how to draw a skull and hat, the pirate girl eagerly nodded with glee; revenge on her mind. Despite not being the most artistically inclined contestant this season, if there was one thing the Baroness could do, was draw a decent looking skull. “Of course I be able t’ lad! I pirate that ain’t be knowin’ how t’ draw a skull be a lubber in disguise!”

Ry almost sighed in absolute annoyance when he saw the pout forming on the Baroness’s face. Did she want to get away with this or ''not? ''Sure, he didn’t like—actually he did like sinking to Ashley’s level to do this to someone; in fact, he had permission and it wasn’t like Ashely would really target Dennis anyway. She’d yell at him and throw things, but he’d basically still be on her lower end of her worries with Ry and Baroness having the upper hand. “Hm,” he hummed, retreating back into his room to grab a paint brush off his floor. “If he were a character of fiction, maybe I’d tolerate him more.”

When she called him a lubber in disguise, he grunted in distaste for the insult that meant nothing toward him. He didn’t give a fuck about being more inclined toward the land, but he’d have no problem going on a cruise ship. If he did manage to keep his friends, he may actually force them to watch a movie about a sinking ship and demand they go on a cruise together—a morbid thought brought to you by Ry. “Great,” he simply responded, shoving the paper, pencil, and tape her way. “When you’re done, come to me and I’ll get the door covered, but make it fast since we don’t have a lot of time.”

The Baroness watched Ry saunter over into his room, not having heard him mention tolerating Dennis if he were a character of fiction. Instead, she accepted Ry’s - while rude in gesture - supplies. Although her eyebrows furrowed slightly in annoyance of Ry’s posture while doing so, her face had a smirk on it. “Aye, be done with it handsomely!” The pirate girl boasted, quickly going to work on drawing the skull.

She tried her best, first drawing a some what crude looking sketch onto the paper before copying it over towards the door. It took her a couple of minutes to get it looking exactly right, but soon she had drawn a rather decent looking skull - complete with a straw hat as Ry had requested. With the help of the tape, she covered over all of her lines, that way, when they splattered the door with the paint, the skull would remain once the tape was removed.

Her handy work done, she quickly marched into Ry’s room. “Skull be on me bucko!”

Ry sat down on his bed, quietly sketching in his sketchbook, completely ignoring the Baroness as she worked on her makeshift frame device. This challenge, albeit easy sounding, left him worrying about the outcome. Who would he kiss? Would he have to kiss a girl? What if he had to kiss Dakota again? “Shit fucking hell…” He mumbled to himself, throwing the sketchbook aside with an unfinished forest drawn on it. Though it looked normal at first glance, staring longer would reveal the warped trees, small lines mimicking winds, and bushes with large thorns protruding from them. “This challenge is going to leave me dead inside…”

Hearing the Baroness’s exclamation, though, he stood up fast and made his way back out into the hallway. “Well… I was going to offer to cut it, but I see you used your mind to find another solution to the issue of producing a decent skull for our door.” It was actually quite impressive work, he had to admit. She even took notice of the ribbon on Dennis’s hat, which was an added plus for Ashely to perceive it from him. “There’s a chance she’ll say we put him up to it, but it’s better than her being able to blame us entirely.”

The nitty gritty work load down now, all they needed to do was splash the door and then throw the evidence in the basement on the way to the challenge. “You ready to give her door a makeover…?”

Ry sat down on his bed, quietly sketching in his sketchbook, completely ignoring the Baroness as she worked on her makeshift frame device. This challenge, albeit easy sounding, left him worrying about the outcome. Who would he kiss? Would he have to kiss a girl? What if he had to kiss Dakota again? “Shit fucking hell…” He mumbled to himself, throwing the sketchbook aside with an unfinished forest drawn on it. Though it looked normal at first glance, staring longer would reveal the warped trees, small lines mimicking winds, and bushes with large thorns protruding from them. “This challenge is going to leave me dead inside…”

Hearing the Baroness’s exclamation, though, he stood up fast and made his way back out into the hallway. “Well… I was going to offer to cut it, but I see you used your mind to find another solution to the issue of producing a decent skull for our door.” It was actually quite impressive work, he had to admit. She even took notice of the ribbon on Dennis’s hat, which was an added plus for Ashely to perceive it from him. “There’s a chance she’ll say we put him up to it, but it’s better than her being able to blame us entirely.”

The nitty gritty work load down now, all they needed to do was splash the door and then throw the evidence in the basement on the way to the challenge. “You ready to give her door a makeover…?”

It was right when Ry threw his sketchbook across the room like it was a softball. She dared not ask him what was wrong, however; there would be plenty of time for that later! And besides, they had a door in the need of being splattered.

The Baroness beamed with pride once Ry noticed she had surprised him with making a large-scale variant of the skull on her door. She didn’t expect Ry had meant just taping the skull onto the wooden barrier, but in the end, he was pleased with what she had done. And with a bigger skull etched into the door, the harder it’s going to be to remove it. Ashley’s going to learn not to mess with people; especially not these two.

She gave a small nod once he acknowledged the fact that there’s a chance that Ashley could assume that they had put Dennis up to the act. “Aye, like ye be sayin’, better we don’t be gettin’ the full blame.”

A smile creeped its way onto her face once Ry asked if she was ready to coat the door red. “Hell yeah I be ready!” Was her reply. “ I be addled in the brain if I ain’t this task. The wench’ll learn not t’ mess with us, that be fer damn sure!” Excitement boiling through her veins,  the pirate girl rushed out of his room and over to the paint can she had helped him carry not even five minutes in the past.

He followed suit, not wanting to take any longer than he needed to on this challenge. He knew that Ashely was probably long far away from them right now, standing near the entrance of the challenge area. If he didn’t know any better, he assumed she was asking ‘Where’s Henry at?’ to someone on his team as of now. This thought only fueled his annoyance and ambition to leave a mark on her door.

He was rather impressed that she’d managed to draw this in such a short amount of time. He could never do anything like this with months of practice, much less three minutes of effort. It burned a slight bit of envy in him that she could do something so well when he could only draw scenery; he’d never achieve his dreams if he didn’t learn how to do something like that.

Bending down, he retrieved the bucket of paint he’d carried out of his room for himself and made his way toward the door with her. “This bitch is going to learn about messing with people…that I actually give a shit about.” He muttered, lifting the bucket up in his arms, this time with little difficulty. “Move back against the wall so we can avoid splatter and can easily make our escape through the stairs if needed,” he advised her, moving himself back to press his small frame against the door of Bailey’s room. “Make sure to also move your splash up to minimalize the amount that could drip on to the floor; that’ll make it easier to peel off the skull without getting our shoes covered in paint.”

“On three… One. Two….” He paused, readying his bucket by tilting it from the bottom of it. “And…THREE!” With that he sent the paint splattering across the door, coating it in the blood red paint.

The pirate girl paid little attention to Ry as she walked towards the container of paint. She felt as giddy as a kid in a candy store; here they were, finally about to show some semblance of revenge to a person oh so deserving of it. After all, Ashley had done nothing but been cruel and deceit not only her team, but the majority of the contestants as well. And to that, The Baroness felt was worthy of a fair warning before harsh punishment were to come her way. Oh, if only she knew the truth about Ry; maybe she would be far less furious with him if what he was planning on doing happened before she formed the alliance with.

With relative ease, the girl picked up the can of red paint, managing to carry it with only one hand. A smirk grew on her face one she heard what Ry said. “Aye lad; let this be a sign fer that poxed wench t’ learn t’ not be such a bilge-suckin’ lubber!” Shouted The Baroness, holding the can in a way that would allow for easy paint tossing.

Once Ry mentioned backing up to the wall, The Baroness did as told; after all, it would be far better for her to avoid getting caught if at all possible. In fact, she had a hunch Ry was feeling the same way. The sooner they do this, the better.

With a quiet hum, the girl listened as Ry finished explaining what needed to be said. Her ears perked up once he started to count. “One….two….” she heard in a quick succession. With a sly grin, she positioned the can in a way to allow the most amount of paint to splatter out. And once Ry said the magic number of three, paint flew further and faster than the New Horizons space probe.

Thankfully, she didn’t manage to get any paint onto her. Upon her face was a wide grin - essentially plastered on. She was proud of her handy work- and the tape hadn’t even been removed yet! She was sure this would serve as a warning to the one she hated the most; Ashley. And, as she watched the paint slow trickle down the door and the wall, pooling onto the carpet below, Ry began to speak.

The paint thankfully splattered mostly on the door and walls, leaving the floor mostly untouched. It was a successful warning splash with both participants completely paint-free. This was actually the best case scenario, which Ry hadn’t expected to happen at all. Reaching over, he grabbed the now empty bucket from Baroness and made his way quickly into Todd’s empty room, dropping both buckets on to the floor. He dusted his hands off as if he’d just finished cleaning something and turned on his feet, pausing briefly.

This would be too convenient, wouldn’t it?

Gritting his teeth, he thought about this some more, then snapped his fingers. Reaching into his pockets, he yanked out a lengthy piece of straw. A deadly smirk snaked its way on to his features as he let it drop on the floor just inches from the metal containers. “You want people to see you as an insufferable bastard, right?” Was all he mumbled before turning around and making his way out of her room.

Before long, he emerged from Todd’s room and dusted his hands off once again to signify the evidence had properly been disposed of. If Ashley peered into Todd’s room later, she’d see the damage and hopefully see the straw near the cans. It wasn’t a serial killer-esque frame, but he sure was proud of it somewhat. “The evidence is nicely placed, the door is paint-coated, and….” He reached forward, gently peeling the paper off the door, enjoying the sound that followed it. “The door is now riddled with death, warnings, and a good reason for me to hear a loud screeching banshee later on.” That is…if she believed the frame work. If she didn’t, then he’d have to think on his feet later on.

He once more threw the dripping paper into Todd’s room and stuck his finger into his mouth. Glancing at Baroness, he raised an eyebrow at her concerned look from him sticking his paint-covered finger into his facial orifice. He figured that if Alexandria had been able to have a giant splash of paint go down her throat, then he’d be fine by pulling some of this paint off; however, he still swished the liquid around in his mouth and sent a large spit on to her door. “There we go… Now…it’s authentic.”

The paint thankfully splattered mostly on the door and walls, leaving the floor mostly untouched. It was a successful warning splash with both participants completely paint-free. This was actually the best case scenario, which Ry hadn’t expected to happen at all. Reaching over, he grabbed the now empty bucket from Baroness and made his way quickly into Todd’s empty room, dropping both buckets on to the floor. He dusted his hands off as if he’d just finished cleaning something and turned on his feet, pausing briefly.

This would be too convenient, wouldn’t it?

Gritting his teeth, he thought about this some more, then snapped his fingers. Reaching into his pockets, he yanked out a lengthy piece of straw. A deadly smirk snaked its way on to his features as he let it drop on the floor just inches from the metal containers. “You want people to see you as an insufferable bastard, right?” Was all he mumbled before turning around and making his way out of her room.

Before long, he emerged from Todd’s room and dusted his hands off once again to signify the evidence had properly been disposed of. If Ashley peered into Todd’s room later, she’d see the damage and hopefully see the straw near the cans. It wasn’t a serial killer-esque frame, but he sure was proud of it somewhat. “The evidence is nicely placed, the door is paint-coated, and….” He reached forward, gently peeling the paper off the door, enjoying the sound that followed it. “The door is now riddled with death, warnings, and a good reason for me to hear a loud screeching banshee later on.” That is…if she believed the frame work. If she didn’t, then he’d have to think on his feet later on.

He once more threw the dripping paper into Todd’s room and stuck his finger into his mouth. Glancing at Baroness, he raised an eyebrow at her concerned look from him sticking his paint-covered finger into his facial orifice. He figured that if Alexandria had been able to have a giant splash of paint go down her throat, then he’d be fine by pulling some of this paint off; however, he still swished the liquid around in his mouth and sent a large spit on to her door. “There we go… Now…it’s authentic.”

The Baroness watched as Ry - rather gradually - hid the evidence. She wasn’t exactly sure why hiding it in Todd’s room would be the best plan, but she didn’t question it; they sooner they rid of this stuff, the better. In and out, in and out, he emerged several times from the room, peeling the outline of the skull from the door to toss that within Todd’s room, and eventually peeling the paper from the door.

Of course, she shot him a look of concern once he stuck his paint-daubed finger in his mouth, but his expression told him it would be fine. And once he began to speak again, a smile creeped its way across her face.

“Aye lad; it be lookin’ better than a trove of booty!” She spoke, enthusiasm pepped up in her voice. “That damned wench be learnin’ not to mess with us now, less she wish t’ be dancin’ with Jack Ketch!”

Ry leaned back and shut Todd’s door, finger completely devoid of any red hues from the paint on the door. It almost looked like he’d just come up from downstairs to check on his room. His eyes read calmness and his body posture almost seemed neutral on the matter, evidence that he’d done something similar to this before at some other location—which he had. Ashely not being able to blame Todd kept him sure that she’d either take detail into that skull and blame Dennis or look toward him immediately. He honestly didn’t care either way, but he hoped it would go for Dennis.

He glanced at the doorknob and hummed before changing his mind on slathering it with red paint so Ashley would check. “Well, the framing would do wonders if she actually believes that we didn’t do it and it was straw hat idiot,” Ry mumbled softly, crossing his arms. “Let’s just hope she loses sight of Dennis before the challenge is over so she can blame him thoroughly. If not, then I don’t mind taking the brunt of the blame; she’ll likely keep her eyes set on me most, so it’s not like it really matters.”

He moved aside and headed toward the staircase. “Come on, we have to go do Chris’s stupid challenge before he starts doing role call on us.”