It was yet another ordinary day in Goiky.
Team 2 *especially* wanted that to be the case, considering what they've just gone through. Well, at least *one* of Team 2 wanted that to be the case, anyway. Snowball had spent so much time being separated from his bros, and he just couldn't handle being away from them for a second longer. First, he and his pals got split up into different teams during the Battle for (Battle for) Dream Island. Then, Blocky ended up staying behind as the rest decided to switch to Two's cool, new, *awesome* show. That should've allowed them to get back together (for the most part, anyway), and they did... except for SB. While Eraser and Pen were able to get up to all sorts of shenanigans, messing with GB and TB or something like that, SB had to contend with a whole bunch of nobodies, nobodies he had absolutely no faith or confidence in, nobodies that weren't all too keen on following the directives of someone famously known for not being able to spell his own name. Though he was eventually able to make a name for himself all on his own, and was able to somewhat shape up his little grouping to be *somewhat* close to being The Strongest Team on Earth, it just didn't cut it. He knew that, so long as he wasn't with his long-time pals, the friends he had endured the torment of the Tiny Loser Chamber with (from a respectful distance, anyhow), he wasn't gonna be quite complete.
Fortunately for him, luck seemed to *finally* favor him. The Team Swap came and went, giving everyone the chance to set things right and pair up with those they *knew* they could work with. ...In theory, anyway. Though it was all ultimately decided by random chance (or what felt like it, anyway), probability decided to throw Snowball a bone, allowing him to take on the world with Snowball by his side. For the first time in quite a while, things were looking to be *great*. Team 2 would manage to succeed in its first ever challenge, placing second in the *one* time where that's actually the most ideal spot to be in. With such a strong start, with such a bright future ahead, what could *possibly* go wrong?
Then they lost the very next challenge. Then Eraser got eliminated.
That's just not fair, is it? That was completely dumb, and Snowball *knew* dumb, if not much else. What sort of cruel world makes him suffer for so long, then *finally* gives him a brief bit of hope, only to seize it and crush it without a second thought? He tried his hardest to pretend like everything was fine, that he could move on from this little hiccup just like he last time. But the rest of Team 2, especially Grassy, could notice that he wasn't taking it all too well. Which is *especially* bad, considering that he was the main strength (in a physical sense, anyway) of the team. Though there was plenty they could achieve with mere smarts and wits, there were just *some* problems that needed some good old-fashioned violence to solve, and that wasn't exactly something they could dish out all too well. Though they wouldn't want to say it, they'd secretly wish that Snowball could eventually get over it and move on with his life, hoping that he does so before the next episode inevitably arrives.
Until that moment of truth arrived, however, there was no point in getting so concerned and worried about all that. These breaks in-between episodes, though far, *far* longer than the actual events themselves, felt like they go by in an instant, giving them little to no time at all in order to rest, recuperate, and rethink their strategies.
Especially Ice Cube.
The cool cube sat atop an inconspicuous hill, taking in the fresh breeze. There she'd silently stew, watching over all the other contestants, looking at what they were getting up to. Especially *her*.
She thought that she would no longer have to deal with Pencil for the rest of her life. Their connection had been a complete trainwreck from start to finish, with Icy always wanting to feel like she belonged in her little clique, and the writing utensil constantly trying to push her away. Though there were times where they were able to patch things up, to act like they *were* friends, those always ended up going sour after a little while, eventually returning to the status quo before they knew it. Though the refrigerated water tried her hardest to stick with her all throughout, not really knowing what she'd do without her (what with her lack of arms and all), there came a point where she just couldn't withstand it anymore, where she felt like she was gonna crack. It became extremely clear that that drawing implement couldn't care less about her supposed 'friends', only thinking about herself, and occasionally Match every once in a while (though she was stuck in a box most of the time, so usually just herself). When she eventually got what was coming to her at the hands of Four, the cube really couldn't care less. It was very much deserved, she reckoned, and though she couldn't personally get her revenge on her herself, seeing her suffer due to someone else was just as gratifying.
