There comes a time when even Camdin's just like "yeah, no, this isn't going to go how we want it to."

And so they left without even encountering Rhoda or Catalina, and there were no consequences to their presence whatsoever.

(This is the part when I whistle innocently and look anywhere but at the readers.)

Regarding next comic being Saturday

The next EGSNP is going to be Saturday due to some minor rewriting.

To clarify, by "minor", I mean it's not huge changes to the story or its direction, but in how exactly the next few comics go. I wasn't satisfied with what I had planned, and am currently sorting it out.