forum basically total drama island but with murder (group rp, open!!)

Started December 09, 2022 by @menace-to-society

tune

Noel cleared his throat, waiting for the crew to count down to one as he stood waiting. This was big day for him; the first official day of Outlast Island. Up until now, he had only been in small commercials or acting as an extra in daytime television shows, but this was his big break. He was going to go from an undiscovered small-time actor to a big-time game show host. This show promised to be something that would captivate many Americans, and at least be something others would watch when they were bored and not much else was on. Hell, maybe this would even garner world-wide attention as it gained traction. But that was not what Noel needed to be thinking about right now. Right now, everyone was watching as the video started rolling.

This part was going to be where the contestants were first introduced to both the public, and to each other. They had all arrived the previous day with their one allotted suitcase and sent to separate rooms, warned to not have contact with each other until everyone was formally introduced on camera. This way the audience could watch the contestants react to each other in real time. Sure, most of the later footage would be edited and stitched together for time, but this right here was live. This game show was going to be different from the others; more authentic in more ways than one.

Noel grinned before starting his small speech. This part was mostly scripted, but the contestants themselves didn't have a script as they were all meeting here for a big midday barbecue behind Noel. As he spoke, they would be in the background, eating and chatting to each other, and then eventually having to introduce themselves–on camera! There were a few cameramen back closer to the contestants, trying to some shots of them interacting that might be used later, or that they might switch to after Noel finished talking.

"Welcome to Outlast Island!" he announced proudly, still looking jovial. "I know most of you watching haven't heard of this show before, but let me tell you, this is the most authentic game show that you'll see! You will get to experience the struggles that each contestant goes through in order to compete for the grand prize of $500,000! With Outlast Island, you, the audience, will be apart of the island life our contestants get to participate in as you come along for each part of the journey, and root for your favorite on social media! However, before we meet the contestants, let me explain how the game itself works.

We have twenty contestants this season, and we have already put them into two teams of ten! They were assigned their team before they came over last night, able to see which team they're apart of in their welcome packets we left in their five-star hotel-class rooms! Each team will undergo a series of trials both physical and mental in order to win! Each round, someone on the losing team will be eliminated! This is determined by a vote from the losing team themselves. Cheaters will be automatically eliminated. Everyone who is eliminated will be sent to a separate–but equally nice–island while they wait out the results, able to enjoy a first class island experience in the meantime. There will be one round each day the contestants are here, which means one big challenge a day! Once the teams get lower in numbers, it will be every man for himself! That's right folks, this will be one tough competition to win!

Okay, now that we know the rules, it's time to meet the contestants!" Noel crowed, giving the camera another grin. He waved for the cameraman to follow him as he went over to a nearby contestant, a young man enjoying a hot dog obliviously. The man looked up as Noel approached, noticing the camera crew with wide eyes. Geez, this kid was not observant at all, was he?

"What's your name?" asked Noel as he neared the young man, putting the microphone he was holding up to the contestant's mouth. There was a smear of ketchup on his nose. That was unfortunate for him, but Outlast Island was being marketed as a more up close and personal sort of game show, seeing the reality behind the facades that contestants might put up, so Noel wasn't about to change anything. The young man seemed entirely unaware of the ketchup on his nose.

However, despite the momentary deer-in-headlights look the boy had given at the approach of Noel and the camera crew, he now seemed as excited as he was nervous. "I'm Max!" he said cheerfully.

"Hi Max," Noel responded in an equally sunny manner. "Tell us a bit about yourself. Your age, hobbies, that sort of thing."

"Well, I'm twenty-two," Max began, putting his hand in his hair in thought for a moment. "I just graduated from Florida State University and I was part of the swim team there! I've been swimming basically forever, but I like other sports too! Uh, I also like video games! Oh, I hope my family is watching this! Hi, mom! Hi, dad! Hi, Sydney!"

"Alright, thank you Max," Noel said, keeping him speaking for longer. These introductions were supposed to be short, not a contestant's entire life story like some shows were prone to do. "Now, it's time to move onto our next contestant." Noel walked over to a young woman this time, named Jessica, and began to ask her the things he had asked Max as the young man went back to eating his hotdog enthusiastically. The kid seemed to do everything enthusiastically.

For today it was mostly brief introductions and having everyone speak to each other before the real fun started the next day. The first challenge would be held then, and some more information about the contestants would be voiced over the footage that was gathered today and tomorrow. For now, it was peaceful, but soon, this island would become a battleground.

Jason was practically ignoring the feast of food that had been laid out for the twenty contestants, or rather his nineteen competitors. It seemed like this show was sparing no expense with their budget, which meant they probably wanted to really make a splash on local networks and really cement themselves further in the public consciousness as something spectacular. The barbeque smelled amazing, and the snack table was piled with enough food to feed everyone there for the whole day if they tried. Even the little cups they’d been given to drink from had the initials of the show in black lettering on the red plastic and Jason was 80% sure if he squinted he’d find the same on the plastic knives and forks.

Since they’d been released, Jason had been keeping an eye on both the people, crew, and food. He’d prepared a list of five short questions that should let him start working out his opponents strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of his teammates. When the cameras started rolling, Jason was already three questions into his list, grilling a girl on his team, a short mousy thing with red hair, who he’d be hard pressed to remember the name of. Running a hand through his hair, he let the frustration bleed into his voice. For emphasis he waved the notecard he had in her general direction.

“What do you mean you don’t know how long you’d survive on the island by yourself with no tools? Didn’t you ever think- Hmph- Fine, I’ll mark you down for none then. And one more question!” The girl shrunk back from him and by the time he looked up from marking down her answer, she’d disappeared. She’d slunk off to the drink stand and was currently pouring as many sugar packets as she could into her drink, glancing about warily as if making sure he didn’t follow her. Jason sighed lightly and just made up her answer for the fifth question, scribbling it down quickly.

Instead of finding his next victim, the man decided to focus on what they’d be doing today. The staff hadn’t been allowed to give them any clues, and the pamphlets they’d been given last night had been useless except for finding out their team name. (He still brought it with him just in case, carefully tucked into a back pocket. Who knew if it would have clues for later.) Deciding to play it safe, Jason had worn large cargo pants today for the extra pockets and a short sleeve, white t-shirt. Food was definitely a good thing to start eating now, in case he needed the calories, but he didn’t want to overeat in case their first challenge was physical… As a compromise, Jason ate a few slices of fruit and picked at a fluffy roll of bread, eating it in strips, while surreptitiously trying to shove as much of the less perishable food into his pockets.

He was just about to see if he could wrap a hamburger patty in a paper towel and hide it in his cargo pants, when a camera was shoved in his face and a man with the largest smile Jason had ever seen appeared. This would be Noel, the show’s host, and also the person who nearly stabbed his eye out with a microphone.

“And what’s your name?” Noel spoke in a loud voice, flashing the camera another smile. Jason blinked twice, recalculating in his head. He’d been planning to introduce himself last among the contestants, so he stuck out more in the audience's minds, just in case audience voting ever came to play. He threw that idea out, and stared from the mic to the camera before clearing his throat and saying in his best stage voice, “Jason Michael.” and giving his own smile. Not as bright as Noel’s but what he hoped was more of a smirk, showing his confidence.

“Jason? Or Michael? Is it both?” Before Jason could respond, Noel laughed, the one that all game-show hosts seemed to have perfected but only ever used for their own jokes. Jason grimaced slightly, taking one tiny shuffle away from the cheerful man. “Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself then?”

Now was his time to shine, straightening his shoulders, Jason looked directly at Noel and ignoring the camera.
“I’m twenty-three years old, I graduated as valedictorian from Double Oaks HighSchool. Go Beavers.” Here, he gives a little sigh and gives a weak fist-pump. His voice is mostly flat and sarcastic, but as he prepares for his next sentence Jason smirks again, eyes lighting up with excitement and looking at the camera dead on. “And I’m going to win.”

Noel laughs, nodding enthusiastically at the bold statement. “You sound quite confident! Any particular reason why?” The banter lasted for another few seconds, and then the host bounced along to the next contestant, leaving Jason still holding his paper towel wrapped hamburger.

                                      Bridget's POV

And on the other side of the table, watching with excitement and a massive grin, was Bridget Wells. Wearing a dark blue tank top and ripped jeans, she’d been busy introducing herself to everyone, chattering away about how excited she was and how fun this was going to be.
The food was good and she was tearing into a hotdog, smothered in ketchup, mustard, and relish. Everyone was mostly nice so far, except for one odd guy that asked her some questions. She’d thought he was the host for a while, until she saw Noel going around interviewing everyone with a cameraman trailing behind.

Lowering her meal, Bridget quickly got a napkin, dabbing carefully around her mouth. Watching with wide eyes each person get asked questions, she felt the anticipation rising, and she could hardly keep still. She started shifting her weight from one foot to the other, helping break in her new tennis shoes. The second she made eye contact with Noel she moved forwards, gently shouldering a few people out of the way.

Without waiting for the host to draw a breath, or even ask her a question, Bridget spoke in a chirpy tone, waving with her hands as she talked.
“Hi! I’m Bridget Wells, I’m twenty, and I am SO excited to be here!” She grinned both at the camera, Noel, and the world. She saw the host take a moment to open his mouth, probably to make a joke about how much complementary coffee she’d had that morning, when she cut him off again.

“About me? Uhm- I like to hike and camp, and I just adore nature! Again, I’m so excited to be here, I’ve always wanted to be on TV!” She waved at the cameraman, before making a heart with her hands at the camera. Looking back at Noel, she swore maybe she saw a flicker of annoyance in his eyes, before it disappeared, replaced again with his smile. Bridget felt a moment of unease before it passed, she was probably imaging it anyways.

“Well you heard her folks! What do they even pay me for!” He laughed, but didn’t continue talking to Bridget like he did some of the others, moving on to the next contestant. Bridget giggled, waving goodbye to both of them, slightly amused at the idea she had taken over the interview. She glanced around at the other cameras, waving at any of the crew she saw, before continuing her meal. Just because she was excited, didn’t mean she shouldn’t eat! It was the big day! Even after trying out for the show, she still couldn't quite believe she'd made it. Bridget kept pinching herself periodically to make sure she wasn't dreaming. This would be a great time.

After the interview, Max decided to go socialize some more with his fellow contestants. Sure, they were competing, but maybe he could make some new friends or form an alliance or something. At the very least he could establish a good rapport with his teammates. Being well-liked was always a plus on these sort of shows, he figured, since people would be less likely to vote him off if he was likable. Besides, the cameramen who weren't following Noel were getting additional footage of every eating and talking, and if people saw him be sociable it might raise his likability with them as well, right? At any rate, Max was going to do what he enjoyed doing–talking to new people.

He walked to a girl who had recently been interviewed; she looked nice. It didn't hurt that she was pretty, even if she was so tall that they were basically the same height. She looked like the kind of person he would have befriended at school or work. Most of his work experience had come from part-time jobs as a lifeguard, but he'd worked at a convenience store as well at one point. Not simultaneously, of course. He still wasn't sure what to do with his life now that he'd just graduated, which was part of the reason he had applied for the game show. It was partially a way of prolonging the rest of his life for a little while, even if only a few weeks. Who knows? He might even win the prize and have even more time to decide, since with that much money he definitely wouldn't have to worry about his current finances. All the more incentive for him to win.

At any rate, seeing as his feet were now carrying him toward the pretty brunette, he should probably talk to her. "You seem pretty confident," he said, referring to what he'd seen of her interview portion after glancing her way. "Always a good trait to have. Oh, I'm Max, by the way."

(btw he is talking to Bridget to clarify lol)

Clearly related and sitting side-by-side in the middle of the crowd, were Nikola and Mischa Antonov. They talk quietly with each other, in their own little sibling world. Mischa, from the corner of her eye, watches the host flutter from contestant to contestant, already planning what to say when the man finally lands on her. With a small grimace, she bites into her hamburger. Nikola is talking quietly but nonstop. As soon as he finishes one topic, he moves onto the next. He points out details about their competitors, ideas for the games, and even strategies the two of them could pull out to come out on top in the games.

When the host comes a little too close, Mischa kicks at Nikola's leg, effectively shutting him up.

Mischa instantly decides that she can't stand the host. His smile is fake.

"And who are you two?" He inquires before shoving a microphone in Mischa's face.

"My name is Mischa Antonov. I'm twenty-two and attending school to become a paramedic." She shrugs as she finishes her brief introduction, taking another bite of her burger. To be fair, she doesn't exactly want to be here. Nikola was the one who brought it up. One last hurrah together before Nikola takes a job overseas and Mischa begins her relentless work as a paramedic.

Noel does not seem impressed by the short introduction. Nevertheless, he gets the idea and moves on to Nikola. "How about you?"

"HI!" He instantly begins, radiating with all the light of the sun. "My name's Nikola, this is my sister Mischa and I'm sure that if I don't win, she will!" He gives her a side hug; Mischa frowns into her burger. "I'm also twenty-two, granted we're twins, and I'm about to become a photojournalist working overseas. I thought this would be super cool, so why the hell not!?"

Noel seemed much happier with the sunnier twin's introduction. "Thank you very much! Mischa, Nikola, I wish you both the best!" He flashes that stupid, fake smile of his and moves onto the next contestant. Mischa turns her gaze to the rest of the crowd, searching and observing and picking apart what she can.

Bridget had finally finished up her hotdog, licking the last bits of condiments off her fingers, before wiping her hands off on her jeans. As long as it didn't stain, she didn't really care. For the moment she was just enjoying the sun on her skin and the chatter of people all around her. It took her a moment to notice the other brunette, but when she did, she was pleasantly surprised to find herself looking him dead in his coffee brown eyes. She took a pause to appreciate his eyelashes, mildly annoyed she couldn't get half the volume with mascara. Still, it was nice to meet someone friendly! Most people were nervous, but excited, and were too busy watching the cameraman and Noel in tow, itching for their chance on the screen.

She flashed Max a smile, giggling softly at the introduction. Bridget stuck out her hand for the man to shake, gripping it firmly. "Nice to meet you Max! You probably heard, but I'm Bridget!" She had a chirpy voice, and she cocked her head to the side like a puppy when her grin got too big, or her sentence started to drag on.

"You seem quite confident yourself! It's a shame there's no second or third place though! I never really win anything, except maybe my third grade spelling bee." The girl gave a light laugh, shaking her head as she did so. Bridget didn't really have much of a filter, she opened her mouth and words poured out directly from her brain. Thoughts flitted about haphazardly like drunk hummingbirds, and most of them were put into words. Conversations with Bridget tended to flit from topic to topic rapidly. Things tumbled out one after another, most of the time it was fluff, but sometimes things popped out that she didn't know were lurking in her brain. An unchecked tongue was dangerous on live-television, but that's what editors were for! Besides, Bridget was never embarrassed about what she said, it was who she was. All these thoughts were sort of were running as background noise as she spoke to Max, as well as her thinking of the wind, the noise, what she did yesterday, where her parents were right now, a million different things running. Her internal task manager was always having a stroke.

She looked Max up and down, clearly thinking for a moment, before popping out with: "What team are you on anyways? Before you ask, I'm on the antelope one, I mean- With legs like these?" The brunette motioned at her legs, which took up a large portion of her body and gave her, her height. She'd been on the track team in highschool and had endurance to match her speed. She stared up expectantly for an answer from the male, her amber eyes were extremely friendly and her questions seemed lighthearted. Even if her new friend was on the other team, didn't mean they couldn't get along. Artificial boundaries were stupid.

---

On the flip-side a certain someone was making very many artificial boundaries, Jason was observing the crowd, identifying potential allies and enemies, drumming his fingers against a table rhythmicly. His eyes mostly trailed Noel, watching and listening to the contestants brief interviews. He locked eyes with one of the twins, the girl, and he hesitated. The black haired man narrowed his eyes just briefly, before looking away, making a mental note that they would be trouble. Too observant, definitely competitive. Should he engage? Dangerous allies, but a bargain. Sucking on his teeth in thought, Jason continued to scribble down little notes on his cards, trying to profile as best he could. The twins shared a card, and he listed each other as possible weaknesses and strengths, and at the top he labeled it with a tiny snort Double Trouble.

Max was glad at how friendly this girl was, though based on the part of her interview he'd heard he wasn't at all surprised. She was chatty, extremely so, and Max found he could sort of relate to that. He loved talking about almost any subject, especially things he actually knew a lot about, but honestly he could talk about anything. Sure, sometimes his interjections weren't the most thought out of replies, but usually he knew how to befriend new people. He did have a sunny disposition that people seemed drawn to, and he noticed this girl was similar. She practically radiated excitement and friendliness, which was why he had decided to approach her in the first place. Honestly, with his confidence, Max could have approached basically anyone here with little trouble on his part, but he figured it would be better for him to talk to someone who would actually have an interest in it, unlike the weird guy with the note cards. What was he doing? And the two people who looked like twins, they were keeping to themselves, talking in hushed tones. So naturally, Bridget seemed like the logical choice of conversation partner in comparison.

"Damn, I'm on the bison one," Max responded, slightly disappointed to be on a different team than her. They could still definitely be friends though; no sense in drawing lines in the sand too early. Besides, maybe it would be helpful to have a friend on the opposite team? "And the only things I've won are for swimming, so I get that. I got out super early in my third grade spelling bee. But everyone has their thing, ya know? I'm really interested to see what these challenges they're gonna have us do are. To be honest, my sister and I watched some other game shows in preparation for this, but I doubt it'll help that much. I think she might be more excited than I am about all this." He chuckled.

Bridget gave a tiny laugh, she seemed to do that a lot, nodding her head along with anything her new friend said. It took her a moment to process the words and her brows twitched down at Max's mention of being on the Bison team. It was a shame, to find someone so nice and then find out they have to compete. At least they'd never have to vote each other off, that was the thing Bridget was most worried about. You could be as nice and friendly as possible, but if your team wanted you gone, there wasn't much that you could do about it. She made a conscious effort to relax her frown, giving Max the common courtesy of actually listening to what he was saying.

"Swimming huh? That's cool!" Bridget rocked back, then bounced a little on the balls of her feet. "I've never really been too into game shows, you get it? So I'm going in pretty blind! Just excited to be… Here!" She waved her arms enthusiastically, nearly knocking over someone abandoned cup of soda. She steadied it with her free hand, smiling sheepishly.

"But yeah. Yeah this is all pretty cool. Swimming though! Did you know shark in Swedish is haj (Pronounced 'Hi')?" Bridget spoke pretty quickly, and she suddenly latched onto a new thought. "What's your sister like?"
With her hand still wrapped around the abandoned cup, Bridget lifted it to her face, sniffing it, then shrugging and taking a sip. She was pretty sure she read somewhere once that Coca-Cola killed bacteria anyways.

(Omg, I'm so late, sorry. (0-0''))

Topaz observed everything and everyone around her from her secluded corner. She took a bite from the mixed fruit she had compiled; she wasn't in the mood for hotdogs or hamburgers. Cameras, there were so many of them, or so she thought. You're just here for the experience, not the cameras, not the drama; just the experience… and the money.

She pulled up her strawberry hood, her icy blue eyes glancing again at the group, some people were socializing, some weren't, some were being interviewed. Topaz looked back down at her food and let her brain cells ramble over the "What ifs?" stored in her mind.

Eventually, the host and cameraman walked towards her, she tried to avoid their gaze, but nevertheless they noticed the girl. "So, how about you, dear? Tell us a bit about yourself."

"Dear?" Don't you have some wife you can give your stupid pet names to? She lifted her head up a bit, "Um, my name's Topaz. I just turned twenty. I work at my local restaurant and I'm currently studying culinary art."

"Well, looks like we'll be cooking up something interesting with you around." The host laughed at his own pun, as he did with the other contestants, Topaz attempted to smile back. He wished her luck and headed off to interview another contestant.

Topaz shuddered, At least that was over. The young girl brushed her black hair out of her face and resumed her quiet observation.
______________________

Cassandra stood among the group, she cast a friendly smile and waved at anyone who passed her. She would have loved to approach someone and strike up a conversation, but she was too nervous to. So, Cassandra waited patiently, hoping someone would talk to her, or want to be talked to.

She poured herself some fruit punch, then sat down calmly on some chair she found. She anxiously re-adjusted her mint-green blouse and closed her eyes, letting the sunlight beam down on her. Hearing someone approach her, she quickly blinked her eyes back open and sat up straight, the host was busy interviewing some other contestant beside her.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins; she took some deep breaths to calm herself down. Before she knew it, the host was in front of her. Beaming, Cassandra nodded politely as the host asked her the standard question. She looked at the host as she introduced herself, "Well, my name is Cassandra, but you can call me Cassie or Cassia. I am twenty-six years old, and I am a full-time barista. Also, I promised my little niece and nephew that I would say hi to them from the TV."

She turned to the camera, "Hi, Baxter! Hey Diana! Take care of Mommy and Daddy for me, okay? Auntie loves and misses you both! Mwah!" She blew a kiss to the camera, knowing that the kids would go crazy once they saw her on TV.

Once the host had finished talking to her, he moved on to the next person. Cassie couldn't help but smile, this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Bridget gave a tiny laugh, she seemed to do that a lot, nodding her head along with anything her new friend said. It took her a moment to process the words and her brows twitched down at Max's mention of being on the Bison team. It was a shame, to find someone so nice and then find out they have to compete. At least they'd never have to vote each other off, that was the thing Bridget was most worried about. You could be as nice and friendly as possible, but if your team wanted you gone, there wasn't much that you could do about it. She made a conscious effort to relax her frown, giving Max the common courtesy of actually listening to what he was saying.

"Swimming huh? That's cool!" Bridget rocked back, then bounced a little on the balls of her feet. "I've never really been too into game shows, you get it? So I'm going in pretty blind! Just excited to be… Here!" She waved her arms enthusiastically, nearly knocking over someone abandoned cup of soda. She steadied it with her free hand, smiling sheepishly.

"But yeah. Yeah this is all pretty cool. Swimming though! Did you know shark in Swedish is haj (Pronounced 'Hi')?" Bridget spoke pretty quickly, and she suddenly latched onto a new thought. "What's your sister like?"
With her hand still wrapped around the abandoned cup, Bridget lifted it to her face, sniffing it, then shrugging and taking a sip. She was pretty sure she read somewhere once that Coca-Cola killed bacteria anyways.

Max smiled at her compliment, listening as Bridget continued. He let out a small chuckle at the soda incident, glad that she managed to steady it before it ended up spilling. Having a camera crew around, able to see your every move, was a bit nerve-wracking. Sure, it was exciting as well, but Max would be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little nervous about it. He gave a concentrated frown at the mention of the shark, not having known that. Before he could respond that he didn't really know any other language than a little Spanish from school, Bridget continued on. Her excitable nature made him smile. It was kind of cool how into what she was saying she got. It was a trait that Max definitely could relate to, and seeing it in someone else gave him a bit of a happy feeling. Still, she was definitely more of a ramble-y person than he was, but if anything, he enjoyed that aspect.

"My sister?" he asked, finally having a chance to interject. He laughed slightly to himself. His sister would probably say something very different to describe herself than Max would, since he usually liked to tease her and she was so driven, wanting everyone to know that she would make it big someday. He decided not to go the teasing route (mostly) when she wasn't here to defend herself. "She's pretty cool. She's only sixteen and in high school still, or she probably would have signed up for the show herself. She likes to do anything that grabs her interest, so she's in way more clubs than I was at that age. She's one of the smartest people I know. Well, I say that, but she did stick tinfoil in the microwave not too long ago." He laughed. "But yeah. She's a bit of a dork, but she's cool. Do you have any siblings?"

Taking another sip of her recently acquired drink helped Bridget not to interrupt Max he spoke, and a tiny, more genuine smile started to pull at her lips as she listened to him talk. He had a nice voice to listen to and he seemed to really love his sister. She watched the way he smiled and laughed when talking about her, and the teasing which made up more sibling interactions than anything. It was incredibly sweet to watch, and his sister did sound like fun. Bridget started to lean against the snack table, laughing at the comment about the tinfoil in the microwave. She made a conscious effort to not mention that she herself had done something similar a while back. She had wanted to reheat a burrito and had almost set the house on fire.

"Er, I guess? My mom's still pretty young, so I'll be getting a little brother some time in the next six or seven business weeks!" Bridget gave a crooked grin. "I don't know whether to be excited or scared I guess?" Bridget had.. Well, a lot of opinions about this topic, so she was trying to just skim the surface, push any other thoughts to the bottom and just make pleasant conversation. Her and her mother never had the best relationship, but… there was cameras here. Bridget's smile stretched wider and she glanced around.

"Actually, how about we grab some fruit or chips or something while we chat? I need to do something with my hands other than knocking things over." Bridget tilted her head, looking expectantly at Max. Looking at him, she felt a bit of the anxiety unknot from her stomach. She was away from home, pursuing her dreams, and competing on television. But at least she had a friend, one who was friendly and tall. (What a bargain.) Her shoulder muscles relaxed a fraction and her smile softened again. They all had such a bright future ahead of them, and Bridget was certain this was only the start of her career on TV.

---

Jason had finished stuffing as much food as he could fit into his cargo pants while leaving space for anything new that might be important. He'd briefly put aside his more aggressive interrogations of his opponents for this food break, but he decided it might be time to resume. Tearing a roll of bread into fourths and eating it that way, he started scanning the crowd, avoiding people he'd already spoken to and leaving alone those he viewed as a threat for now. He decided to go for the girl who'd just been interviewed, she seemed friendly and perhaps would still be open to answering questions.

He approached, holding his notecards and waterproof pen, Jason didn't smile much and when he tried it looked more like a grimace, so his mouth naturally twisted into his more comfortable smirk, not the most friendly expression.
"Excuse me? I overheard your interview, you said you were.." He glanced at his card. "Cassandra?"

"Would you be willing to answer a few of my questions?" He clicked the pen, poising to write.

Cassandra looked around the place, beaming like the sun. She took a deep breath and stood up, figuring she should get something to eat.

However, another man approached her, asking about her name, "Well, yes. Yes, that's me. Can I help you?" She asked, quickly scanning the man in front of her. He seemed very confident about himself.

Once the other man asked another question and clicked his pen, she raised an eyebrow. He didn't look like someone from production. She carefully checked if there was anyone behind him just in case. No-one was there, "Um, sure. Go right ahead." Cassia nodded and smiled questioningly.
__________________

Meanwhile, Topaz still scanned the barbeque. She noticed a pair of twins chatting with each other, one looked like he was talking his sister's ear off, the other looked half done with life.

"At least someone feels the same way about this." Topaz muttered under her breath and stood up to grab something else from the table and possibly try to avoid more people as she did so.

Jason perked up noticeably once Cassandra agreed to answer his questions, not all the others had been so forthcoming. And smiling was a good sign, although she might have be trying to lull him into a false sense of security so he didn't expect betrayal later. He dimmed a bit then, but shook it off as best he could. He wasn't here to make friends, he was here to win.

"Oh, right. Ahem- Question one! What is the largest and smallest animal you believe that you could beat in a fight? No weapons, just hand-to-hand combat." He was ready to record her answer, before he'd gone straight for the 'list your strengths and weaknesses' but that hadn't gone so well with some of the other contestants, so he changed the question.

Jason didn't like to move around much, he kept his feet firmly planted and gave the person he was talking to all of his attention. He barely even fidgeted, only occasionally moving the pen side to side as he waited. He'd noticed the girl had been perhaps going to a table for food, but made no effort to offer her anything. Best to keep them off balance and at a disadvantage. Though he felt a pinprick of guilt for interrupting her, while he quite literally had pockets full of food. He reasoned it would be more odd to pull some bread from his pocket to offer her, so he stayed quiet.

Taking another sip of her recently acquired drink helped Bridget not to interrupt Max he spoke, and a tiny, more genuine smile started to pull at her lips as she listened to him talk. He had a nice voice to listen to and he seemed to really love his sister. She watched the way he smiled and laughed when talking about her, and the teasing which made up more sibling interactions than anything. It was incredibly sweet to watch, and his sister did sound like fun. Bridget started to lean against the snack table, laughing at the comment about the tinfoil in the microwave. She made a conscious effort to not mention that she herself had done something similar a while back. She had wanted to reheat a burrito and had almost set the house on fire.

"Er, I guess? My mom's still pretty young, so I'll be getting a little brother some time in the next six or seven business weeks!" Bridget gave a crooked grin. "I don't know whether to be excited or scared I guess?" Bridget had.. Well, a lot of opinions about this topic, so she was trying to just skim the surface, push any other thoughts to the bottom and just make pleasant conversation. Her and her mother never had the best relationship, but… there was cameras here. Bridget's smile stretched wider and she glanced around.

"Actually, how about we grab some fruit or chips or something while we chat? I need to do something with my hands other than knocking things over." Bridget tilted her head, looking expectantly at Max. Looking at him, she felt a bit of the anxiety unknot from her stomach. She was away from home, pursuing her dreams, and competing on television. But at least she had a friend, one who was friendly and tall. (What a bargain.) Her shoulder muscles relaxed a fraction and her smile softened again. They all had such a bright future ahead of them, and Bridget was certain this was only the start of her career on TV.

Max nodded along as she spoke, understanding the feeling somewhat. Sure, he had only been six when his sister was born, but the emotions were similar. He couldn't imagine getting another sibling at his age, though his parents were also a bit on the older side now. They hadn't had him until their late twenties, and they had Sydney in their thirties. Max was happy with the one sister, though; he didn't really want another sibling.

Honestly, fruit and chips sounded amazing to Max. He loved both of those things, and being an athlete he knew how important it was to fuel your body–though he didn't always eat as healthily as he probably should. He nodded in agreement, chuckling at her comment. "Yeah, sounds good to me," he said, making his way over to the table with the food, assuming Bridget would follow.

He was relieved that the first person he had the luck of speaking to was genuinely so nice. It made him relax a bit, feel a bit more at ease with someone to talk to. It didn't matter that most of what they were saying was just sort of small talk, any conversation with a friend felt good to Max. With a smile, he realized that was what they were becoming now–friends. He was sure Sydney and his parents would be glad that he had managed to make a friend so quickly, as well as relatively unsurprised. Either way, Max was grateful. This was a good way to start.