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It’s a last resort, as she witheringly looks across the way, and the starts of an island Tango and Skizz have started.
Cleo is not used to not having alliances, but here she is, with no one who wants her. She’d feel hurt, but Cleo doesn’t really care. Not that much.
(Ok, she does, but she’s not upset at Lizzie, because she was being annoying with placing the base in such tight quarters. Not her fault her task was a weird one.)
The problem with basing with these two is the fact that they’re desperate. They’re quite honestly pleading with her, play fighting as she’s considering joining them. They’re silly. They’re Tango and Skizz, planning on manipulating people with hearts. While Cleo can enjoy a good manipulation, she also foresees this failing on them… very obviously.
“So, we’ll have a system, giving everyone hearts. You like a good gamble, Clebert,” Skizz says, seeming to force her to accept the idea that she will be gambling.
Cleo doesn’t like people telling her what to do or what she likes though. She’s not anything if she’s not stubborn and clearly unable to put in a box. “Depends if it’s in my favor.”
“We’ll be the game masters,” Skizz says, clearly excited about his mastermind plan. Unfortunately, Cleo isn’t delusional enough to assume they will succeed by Skizz getting any buyers on this. “People will up their chances to win by sending in hearts and we’ll give them hearts if they win. Everybody will want to be friends with us, you know.”
Cleo doesn’t believe it for a second. Mostly because she knows how easily people can be swayed by a tense situation and an escape route via betrayal. She’s seen it from far too many allies. Skizz and Tango are nice people, but they are living in a fantasy and Cleo is not. Unfortunately, this is her last option.
(Well, there are a few people she still hasn’t asked, two of which happen to be in that weird territory of previous “exes,” and do those still translate over to these worlds? Either way, Cleo will not be taking her chances with Bigb, at the very least. Martyn and Jimmy have been barking too much for Cleo to ever consider stooping as low as their alliance. So she only has the option across from here… and that option is the person who spent the whole session spoiling his task. But at least Etho’s not as delusional…)
Tango and Skizz are planning bases. Joking about building something that looks like Cleo’s outfit, specifically her pants, and she’s not sure if she should take that as an insult or a dirty joke. Either way, she doesn’t appreciate it, and she’d like to go, please.
“We can be called the heart foundation! And ooooooh the island can be a heart made of wool.”
Cleo blinks. Doesn’t Skizz realize how flammable wool is? Does he have a death wish? Probably. She sighs.
Tango agrees. Of course he agrees. They’re both so stupid. “Etho’s got wool, right?”
“He’s been making beds,” Cleo says. Maybe she can lose them when they rush on over there. She can hope, at least.
“We can ask for a few beds and access to his wool,” Tango decides.
A few minutes more of hanging around them brings Cleo to the conclusion that there will clearly be a power struggle within this alliance if it happens. Tango and Skizz are already hardheaded enough, butting heads constantly. Cleo can’t have anyone control her like that.
When they get over to Etho’s base, Skizz and Tango do their pitch, Skizz very obviously buttering Etho up. It’s very cringe.
She needs to get away from them. She might just die of embarrassment and annoyance if she sticks around the “Heart Foundation” any longer.
“Etho,” she says, unsure of herself, but needing to find someway out. “Can I be your teammate?”
“Oh, look, now she’s going and leaving us,” Skizz says, frustrated. His attitude alone reminds Cleo of why she needs to get away.
“What did we ever do?” Tango asks defensively.
Cleo looks back at Etho, and he looks at her. Last season was weird, yes, but Etho hadn’t actually betrayed Cleo, so she can work with this. At least Etho isn’t like Skizz and Tango, overly assertive and annoying, stupid while hardheaded.
He has some brains which is far better than no brains and full confidence.
“Do you have anyone else here?”
“No, just me. …you can… stay if you want?” For fair reason he sounds unsure. Cleo did just spring it on him.
“Please. I need to get away from them.”
“Jerk!” Skizz seems only able to prove how right Cleo’s decision is.
“I have nowhere else to go. I’ll literally do anything.”
There’s a pause. “Anything?”
“…within reason,” she says witheringly. Perhaps Etho isn’t any better at all.
“Yeah, you can stay.”
“Thank you.”
Tango and Skizz get the wool situation set up, promising a tentative alliance with Etho. They leave. Cleo goes back over to their island to see if she can get any of her stuff back (which isn’t much, she really hadn’t set up shop here).
“OUT!” Skizz yells.
Yeah, she couldn’t live with this all the time. Cleo willingly leaves, only to get away from them. She won’t bother swindling anything out of them, it’s better for her to just head on her way.
Etho’s place doesn’t look that much better on the outside, but at least it’s not Skizz and Tango.