38.11-First-world problems

Eight contestants became seven with Hannah's departure. Before that, the contestants were split up into pairs, working together to light candles. Trust and teamwork prevailed, with 50/50 points in the pot, making it 569/800 points. Will this goodwill continue to last?

Julie: "Hi guys, Hannah said I could sit with you all."

Carl: "And when I met them months later, the Vietnamese women were living a much better life than before."

Julie: "Ahem."

Abbie: "Oh hi Julie."

Julie: "Can I sit?"

Abbie: "No need to ask. Just take a seat."

Julie: "Thank you."

Julie: "I can't believe there isn't a single TV in this house. Things get pretty boring when we're not doing misions."

Abbie: "Not everyone can afford a TV."

Julie: "But this is the Smole."

Carl: "I personally think TV is just mindless entertainment."

Morgan: "You're sounding pretty entitled with your first-world problems there, Julie."

Julie: "Wait, don't leave!"

Quinn: "But we're done with breakfast. There's a lot of things I need to do. Come on, Abbie."

Ivy: "I'm full too."

Julie: "Fine. This food is crap anyway."

Julie: "It's so inedible it gives me food poisoning."

Morgan: "That was uncalled for."

Ivy: "I made it. If you don't appreciate it then just don't eat it. Make your own food. You don't have to be so rude about it."

Julie: "Wait, I didn't mean it. I take it back."

Ivy: "Too late. There are some things that you can't take back."

Julie: "Why does this world hate me? When Shirley was nice to me, she was executed. When Hannah was nice to me, she was executed."

Julie: "Am I a jinx?"

Carl: "Oh dear. I hate to see a woman cry."

Julie: "I regret joining. I should just quit."

*

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Carl: "Hey Ivy. I always wanted to know how you keep your skin so flawless."

Ivy: "Magic."

Carl: "I know what you need to make it better. I have some skin cream I want to introduce you to."

Ivy: "Didn't you just say my skin was flawless?"

Carl: "Well, yes, but that's why you need this cream to maintain perfection."

Ivy: "I can afford any cream I want. What makes yours so special?"

Carl: "Firstly, it matches your complexion. It's touted as the cream for goddesses. It has anti-ageing properties, allowing you to look forever 21. It also helps to retain moisture, which prevents your skin from dtying out so that it can remain supple."

Ivy: "Sounds like every cream out there in the world. There are only a few shops I buy my products from. I am not putting just anything on my body."

Carl: "But this isn't just anything. It's the cream of goddesses! It uses a special formula--"

Ivy: "Maybe you can't take the hint, but I'm not interested."

Carl: "Don't be so quick to reject it. Just give it a try. I'll even give you a free sample if you want."

Ivy: "No means no."

Carl: "Don't be like that, Ivy. Aren't we friends? You have to support me and try this."

Ivy: "If we really are friends, then you wouldn't be treating me like a consumer or an ATM machine. So you better stop trying to sell me your junk or I'm cutting off our friendship."

*

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Quinn: "I wonder why the two of us were dropped off here."

Julie: "It appears to be a train station. We're probably taking a train."

Quinn: "To where?"

"The train has arrived at the station. May all passengers please board the train now. Thank you."

Julie: "We're the only ones here."

Quinn: "Then it looks like we're getting on board this train."

Julie: "The note that was passed to us...what did it say again?"

Quinn: "Head to Cabin 4."

"May all passengers please board the train now. Thank you."

Keith: "Wow that whistle is loud."

Ivy: "That's our cue."

Keith: "All aboard the Smole train! Choo Choo!"

Ivy: "Remember that we are to head to the third cabin and await further instructions."

Morgan: "All that's here is the schedule."

"The train has arrived at the station. May all passengers please board the train now. Thank you."

Carl: "I think we have to board the train. There's nothing else of interest here."

"May all passengers please board the train now. Thank you."

Abbie: "I wonder what's in store."

Abbie: "This looks like the first cabin."

"Contestants, welcome aboard the Smole express. Each of you are in one of the four cabins. Your task is to be in the correct cabin by the time the train reaches the last stop. Every cabin correctly occupied will fetch 20 points for the pot, so this mission is worth 80 points. However, there may not be more than two contestants per cabin. If any one of you is made aware that there are more than two contestants in the cabin, that cabin will be ineligible for points. Good luck."

Keith: "What was special about this train was that it was box-shaped. Usually, to get to the third carriage, you have to cross one carriage first. However, in this train, you can reach the third carriage directly. Each carriage had two doors in general, meaning to say you could access two carriages from one room."

Julie: "There was no mode of communication, like phones or walkie-talkies. We were thrown into different carriages and had to rely on telepathy or something."

Morgan: "There is a sign over there."

Morgan: "Two Executives."

Carl: "That must be who this cabin needs."

Morgan: "Out of all of us, I'm the one who fits the bill most."

Carl: "But production wouldn't put you in the correct place from the start."

Abbie: "That's it?"

Abbie: "What am I supposed to do now? How do I know who should be where?"

Julie: "How are we going to know where to go?"

Julie: "And how do we get to the other cabins? There are supposedly only four cabins. Each one of them is occupied."

Quinn: "There is one cabin with only one contestant. Once we identify where everyone is, we will be able to make progress. But first, we should start exploring this cabin."

Quinn: "Books are a great place to hide information."

Julie: "Oh my gosh. They even carved the nipples. This is porn!"

Keith: "Two who love royalty. Do you love royalty, Ivy?"

Ivy: "Not particularly. What is this supposed to mean?"

Ivy: "Abbie wants to be a princess. She's our best bet."

Keith: "But who is the other one?"

Ivy: "I feel like this is related to our song preferences."

Carl: "Who once held an executive position?"

Morgan: "We need to ask the others."

Carl: "How are we going to do that? We can't have three or more in one room."

Morgan: "We need to find a way to signal. Shouting is a plan, but unless you want to scream your voice hoarse to be heard over the locomotion, we need to come up with something louder."

Carl: "Smashing glass?"

Morgan: "Possibly, but then we need to be careful how we use it. Or..."

Morgan: "I have an idea."

Julie: "Quinn! I found something! This sign says 'One odd one out'."

Quinn: "Good work."

Julie: "Thank you. But how are we going to relay this to everyone else?"

Abbie: "Two hands-on learners...I'm hands-on. So that's one. Who could the other be? Quinn loves to read and Keith has to study notes, so it can't be them. I think Carl will learn best by talking about what he learns. So that leaves Morgan, Julie and Ivy."

Carl: "Do you think this will work?"

Morgan: "We just need to be very noisy."

Carl: "Shit. I missed."

Morgan: "The point is to be noisy, not to win. This means hitting as many balls as possible."

Carl: "Oh god, my head is spinning. I think I'm getting s bit of motion sickness."

Morgan: "Alright. I'll take over."

Morgan: "Now, how should I do this so that we can best grab the attention of the rest?"

Carl: "I still think throwing glass is more effective."

Morgan: "And then what? Clean it up? Not all of us are wearing proper footwear, so throwing glass at the door is dangerous."

Quinn: "Shh. Do you hear something?"

Quinn: "I think it's coming from over there. They're trying to warn us not to go over."

Julie: "Your ears are really good."

Julie: "I think that's what we need to do too."

Quinn: "I'll go try to warn those in that cabin. You respond to that one."

Julie: "Oh, I see Carl."

Julie: "Morgan is on the other side too. We can't go there."

Julie: "How do I tell them not to come here either?"

Quinn: "DO NOT ENTER!"

Quinn: "Maybe kicking and pounding on the door on top of yelling will work."

Quinn: "As a teacher, it is important that I set a good example for my students, who will indubitably watch the show. But today, I threw my image all out the window."

Keith: "Oh, there was also one song by Imagine Dragons that sang about royalty. How did it go again?"

Keith: "This is my kingdom come, this is my kingdom come~"

Ivy: "Shh. Keith. I think I hear something."

Ivy: "It sounds like someone is pounding on the door."

Keith: "Are you sure it's not just the wheels of the train?"

Ivy: "It could be. But if it's someone knocking, we must not let them in."

Ivy: "In fact, we should be quiet so that we can listen more carefully to determine the source."

Quinn: "Is anyone there?"

Quinn: "PLEASE RESPOND IF YOU HEAR ME!"

Julie: "Quinn...Quinn!"

Quinn: "Oh, what's up?"

Julie: "I saw Carl and Morgan on that cabin. We can't go there."

Quinn: "That means that the solo warrior is either there or in the last cabin."

Julie: "I see Keith, but he can't hear us."

Quinn: "What? I shouted until my throat was dry. I even kicked the door."

Julie: "How about we just enter? It looks like he's the only one."

Quinn: "No. That's a risk. We need to be systematic."

Carl: "We're almost out."

Morgan: "I think we made enough noise."

Morgan: "I'll go see if I got anyone's attention."

Morgan: "What is Abbie staring at?"

Morgan: "Abbie! Abbie, can you hear me? How many are on your side?"

Carl: "I'll try to hit a ball at the wall."

Carl: "OW!"

Carl: "That completely backfired."

"We have arrived at Indigo Station."

Abbie: "Are we supposed to alight?"

Morgan: "Where is Abbie going?"

Morgan: "At least I can enter now."

Morgan: "There's nobody. Abbie was the only one around."

Abbie: "Okay, now what? Do I wait for the next train?"

Morgan: "Two hands-on learners...it's not me. I better get Abbie back."

Morgan: "Abbie, what are you doing? The train is going to leave soon."

Abbie: "Oh. We're not supposed to alight?"

Morgan: "Are you trying to sabotage? Get back in."

Morgan: "So we're at Indigo Station. Based on what I saw before I boarded, that means there is one more stop before we reach the end station."

Abbie: "I know I'm supposed to be here. I'm a hands-on learner. Are you?"

Morgan: "No. My cabin requires two executives. That should be me and someone else. Are you or have you ever been an executive?"

Abbie: "No."

Morgan: "Okay. We need to come up with a way to get the attention of those in that cabin. Abbie, devise a plan. I'll go back."


Quinn: "I hear someone knocking at the wall."
Julie: "They're trying to call us over."



Julie: "Morgan, what is it?"



Morgan: "That cabin..."



Morgan: "It has only one contestant."


Julie: "I don't understand."

Quinn: "Could you repeat?"

Quinn: "We don't understand."



Morgan: "That cabin on my right has one contestant."
Quinn: "Oh! I think he's saying that he found the cabin with only one contestant."




Julie: "Then Keith is with someone."

Quinn: "That someone is trying to hide from us."



Keith: "Let's take a look at this again."



Ivy: "Wait, someone is standing there."



Abbie: "Yoohoo!"

Keith: "Abbie! Your side..."

Keith: "How many? One?"


Keith: "Or two?"


Abbie: "Oh. He's asking how many contestants I need. That's two."

Keith: "Two..."
Ivy: "That side? The one on your right? How many?"



Abbie: "I think Morgan said two."
Ivy: "That means that the cabin over there has only one contestant."


Keith: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Ivy: "Wait!"


Ivy: "Only one of us can go over."



Keith: "One of us should stay and one of us should get Abbie to come over and discuss."

Ivy: "You go. I'll stay."

Keith: "Okay."

Keith: "Fuck."

Quinn: "Huh? Oh no."

Quinn: "Why did you come in?"

Keith: "Abbie told us that there were two in her cabin, and two in the adjacent one. There were two in mine, so that meant that this cabin only had one contestant."

Julie: "Abbie lied."

Quinn: "Who were you with?"

Keith: "Ivy. She wanted to stay behind and talk to Abbie."

Keith: "Fuck."

Quinn: "Mind your language."

Keith: "We should have gotten Abbie to show us who she was with."

Julie: "And this cabin only required one odd one out."

Keith: "At least we can freely enter now. This cabin has been forfeited."

Quinn: "Who do you need on your side?"

Keith: "Two who love royalty. We decided that one is Abbie."

Abbie: "I think the other is Quinn. She's crazy about magic and witchcraft. I have a hunch it's her."

Ivy: "It does sound like she's in a fantasy land. Keith and I were brainstorming songs and lore."

Ivy: "And your side?"

Abbie: "I need two hands on learners. One of them is me."

Ivy: "It's not me. I'm a visual learner."

Ivy: "Wait, did you say I? Weren't there two of you?"

Abbie: "Huh? I was alone for the most part. Morgan came in but then he left."

Ivy: "But we asked you how many were in your cabin!"

Abbie: "Oh, that's what you were asking? I thought you asked how many contestants my side required. Which was two."

Contestants have reached Andorran Plaza Station. Just one more stop.

Carl: "No matter what, I can't stay here."

Morgan: "Abbie is alone over there. You can go there. Then I'll motion one of them to enter."

Carl: "I'm going."

Carl: "Hey, where is everyone?"

Morgan: "Hey, someone come over."

Quinn: "I think he's asking me to go over."

Morgan: "I need two executives. Are you an executive, or have you ever held such an appointment?"

Quinn: "No. My side needs one odd one out, but there are three."

Morgan: "What? Why?"

Quinn: "Keith came over, thinking there was only one in my cabin. So you are free to come over any time you like."

Morgan: "I heard about what happened. I'm not going to point fingers because time is of the essence. Keith, tell me about your cabin."

Keith: "I was with Ivy in Cabin 3. We needed two who loved royalty. One of them is Abbie. The other could be Quinn."

Morgan: "Okay. Julie, Keith, I need two executives. Are either of you an executive, or have you ever been one?"

Keith: "No."

Julie: "No. Do you think someone with my personality can be an executive?"

Morgan: "You've given me food for thought. I remember that we were to take the Myers-Briggs test before coming on this show. I was an ESTJ-A, and I vaguely remember calling this personality 'the executive'."

Keith: "So we are looking for personality types. I'm an ESFP though."

Quinn: "I don't remember what my personality type was."

Keith: "Let me try and guess...you look like an INTJ. No matter what, I think your personality will be different from Morgan."

Julie: "They say birds of a feather flock together. You are close to Ivy. I think she can be an executive."

Morgan: "I'll go over."

Keith: "Wait. She's with Abbie right now."

Morgan: "Then I will re-route."

Carl: "Morgan, I went to Abbie's cabin and found nobody. But later Ivy entered. The third cabin requires two who love loyalty. The first cabin requires two kinesthetic learners."

Morgan: "The last cabin just needs someone who doesn't fit anywhere else. Is Ivy alone?"

Carl: "She should be."

Morgan: "I will check."

Morgan: "She saw me. Good. She can't avoid me now."

Ivy: "What does he want?"

Morgan: "Ivy, is there anyone else there?"

Ivy: "No."

Morgan: "I don't see anyone either...I'm going over."

Morgan: "Ivy, have you ever been in an executive position?"

Ivy: "I wish. I worked in retail before but that was it. Enough to scar me from work for life."

Morgan: "Such a pity. I think you would do well in the position. Then, may I ask, what is your Myers-Briggs personality type?"

Ivy: "I...I can't remember. INTP, I think."

Morgan: "So it's not you. Don't tell me it's Abbie."

Ivy: "Abbie? An executive? She wouldn't last five minutes."

Morgan: "Then that leaves one."

Morgan: "Carl, are you ESTJ by any chance?"

Carl: "As a matter of fact, I think I am."

Morgan: "Then you're the one I've been looking for the entire time."

Carl: "Me? But that's impossible. That means we didn't have to move at all."

Morgan: "Or we did, but eventually needed to return. They're playing with us, Carl."

Abbie: "Hi guys. Since we can all come here now, I want to ask you if any of you love royalty."

Abbie: "Quinn, you do, right?"

Quinn: "Actually I don't. As a matter of fact, I hate the monarchy."

Ivy: "That's where the party is."

Ivy: "I want to know what kind of learners you are. I'm a visual learner, for one."

Keith: "I'm quite the visual learner too. I actually can learn in any way."

Quinn: "I prefer a hands-on approach to things. I love experiments. All of you should know that. I feel that that's the best way to learn."

Julie: "I learn best by listening."

Abbie: "I'm definitely not a hands-on learner after Ivy explained to me. This was the question in Cabin 1."

Quinn: "So that confirms that that I must be in Cabin 1."

Julie: "I think I'm the odd one out."

Quinn: "I'll head over to the first cabin."

Ivy: "Take that door behind me. Nobody was there when I left."

Abbie: "I'll go to my cabin too."

Keith: "Come on, guys. We either love royalty or learn best by doing things. I'm not either."

Julie: "Neither am I. I've never dreamed of being a princess. That's stupid and unrealistic."

Keith: "Maybe loving royalty is a metaphor. Perhaps for materialism."

Julie: "I think Ivy's the most materialistic."

Ivy: "I resent that statement."

Julie: "Sorry! Then it's not referring to her. But it can't be me. I wear cheap black hair clips."

Ivy: "I think it's Carl. He's obsessed with money making. It's a miracle how I have only run into him once on this train."

Julie: "You're probably right. Where is he?"

Keith: "Could he be over there?"

Keith: "Yes, he is."

Ivy: "That means Carl was the one Morgan needed to find. So it can't be him."

Keith: "Quick, guys. Think. What could be related to royalty? Gods, kings...planets? A lot of planets are named after gods. Anyone has a favourite planet which isn't Earth?"

Julie: "Not me. I have zero interest in astronomy."

Ivy: "Is it...me? I have a favourite...planet...named after a god. Neptune."

Keith: "King Neptune. It was you all along."

Ivy: "Then it's down to the two of you. Julie, you are certain that you learn best by listening. Keith, you can learn in any way."

Ivy: "And I believe the both of you. Keith, you fit the most. Keith, go to Cabin 1 first. I'll wait a while before going to my cabin."

*

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"You have reached the final stop: Itstana Hall Station. May all passengers please alight. Please bring all belongings with you. We hope you had an enjoyable trip. Thank you."

"We have reached the end station. Are you at the right cabin? Cabin 1 is looking for two hands-on learners. That is indeed Keith and Quinn. 20 points."

"Cabin 2 is looking for two executives, or more specifically, two ESTJ-A personality types. They are Morgan and Carl."

"Cabin 3 is looking for two who love royalty. Abbie loves the idea of royalty and wants to be a princess. Ivy's favourite constellation is Cepheus, which is named after a king. 20 more points."

"This means that Julie is the odd one out. Unfortunately, the points in this cabin have been forfeitied. Hence, 60/80 points have been earned, resulting in 629/880 points for the pot."

Morgan: "This mission exposed how little we know one another. I had to go around asking for personality types. We didn't know what kind of learners we were. All these should be information we should have obtained from the start. It should have been information we shared, but yet it wasn't. And Ivy lied to me. She said her favourite constellation is the Big Dipper, not Cepheus. What is going on?"

Overall, the mission has been a success, but distrust permeates the air once again as the teamwork present in past missions got left behind at the final destination.