Question and Opinion

(Leo POV)

Leo watched as all the members of the harem disappeared in front of him. He hadn't even really had a chance to talk to them since the end of the game. He didn't really have a problem with the game itself. To be honest, he thought the game would be much more... perverse. If it hadn't been for Nola's speed challenge, he'd probably have enjoyed the game. Leo was, after all, a gambler. He liked to solve problems.

Now he was alone again, as he had been at the start of the challenge. Only Nola remained. Well, no, there was still Kitty, but he really didn't know how to talk to her. So, he decided to speak to Nola, at least he'd understood how she worked, or so he thought.

"So now what's the plan?" asked Leo.

_"You've got your evening all to yourself. I thought you'd appreciate a bit of solitude and if you need company, you've always got Kitty. She'll do anything you ask. In fact, she's in charge of looking after your room for the duration of the show," _said Nola.

"I'm at your disposal, Myaster," said Kitty.

Leo was very uncomfortable with this answer. It really didn't fit in with her previous behavior.

"Was it really necessary to bring Olivia and Maria back into this show? Did she too have a tragic future without your intervention?" asked Leo.

_"I did it mainly to please Abigail, but I confess that Olivia and Maria were on my list in 23rd and 29th place respectively. Olivia would have been tortured to **** by the Iranian secret service and Maria was much more mundane, a car accident," _replied Nola.

Leo didn't know if this was true. But either way, it was good to hear. If Nola had been telling the truth, Olivia and Maria's appearance on the show could almost be good news, unless of course they ended up being eliminated and becoming a shadow of their former selves like Kitty.

_"Can you guarantee that you won't be enlarging the harem in the next round?" _asked Leo.

_"Who do you think I am, Leo? If I enlarged the Harem every round, the show would be endless by the time each character was introduced and developed," _said Nola.

"Character?" quipped Leo.

"Never mind. It's a term used by the producers" replied Nola.

Leo decided to listen. He had a hunch he wouldn't like the answer if he tried to get to know her.

"If not, I'd like to ask you a few questions, Leo, so I can evaluate this first round," said Nola.

Leo had the feeling he'd regret not answering these questions, so he simply nodded.

"Firstly, are you satisfied with your transformations? I've tried my best to make you appreciate them. And I expect honest answers," said Nola.

Leo took his time to think about the question. He hesitated to tell the truth, but finally decided to do so.

"I can't complain. Apart from the extra transformation, my transformations are pretty decent" says Leo.

"Just decent?" says Nola.

"Okay, they're fine. Are you happy with that answer?" says Leo.

"Very happy. Now for my second question, are you satisfied with your stay on this island? Is your room to your liking? Is the food to your taste? I know you haven't had much time to enjoy it, but I'd still like your opinion." says Nola.

"Let's just say that if it weren't for the show, this island would be a paradise," Leo replied summarily.

"Thank you very much. It's always nice to hear that kind of answer. Now to the more personal questions. Who's your favorite girl and why?" asked Nola.

Leo really dreaded this question, but he was having a hard time figuring out why.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"You know what I mean. Which one attracts you the most? Which one is your favorite?" said Nola.

These were questions Leo didn't want to hear. He didn't even want to think about them.

"My opinion doesn't matter anyway. You and the audience decide their fate," said Leo.

"Leo, I thought I'd made myself clear I want answers and your cheap rhetoric doesn't work with me." said Nola.

Leo sighed. He would have at least tried.

"Hanna." he said.

"Oh Hanna. Why is that? We were under the impression that your favorite was Daphne," said Nola.

"I love Daphne. I love her and she's my best friend. But ... but I know she'll never be in love with me. I made up my mind years ago. That's just the way it is. On the other hand, there's Hanna. Hanna is both energetic and shy. Innocent and determined. And then there are all the memories you've added to my head. All the conversations, the heated debates. I remember promising her we'd meet one day. I remember dreaming of spending the night with her. I remember feeling for her. But..." said Leo.

"But what?" asked Nola.

"But I know it's all a lie. That you created her memories out of thin air. That we're being manipulated just to satisfy an audience. I can't even trust my own thoughts anymore. It's unbearable," Leo finally said.

"I see. However, you're wrong about one thing. I haven't changed your memories, or at least not directly. I've changed the story. Just little details here and there, the rest is just your natural way of behaving." says Nola.

Leo didn't answer. He was too busy thinking about the consequences of what Nola had said. If it was true, did it make a difference? Were these modifications really so weak? Did it even matter?

"And if not, what do you think of Abigail and Jessica? You must not have been indifferent to them," said Nola.

_"Abigail and Jessica are wonderful women and that's where their similarities end. They're nothing like each other and I don't know them well enough yet. I hope to get to know them better before I can give you a real opinion," _says Leo.

"I suppose you'll get to know them better this week. I'm going to drop Eric's case as it's rather peculiar and dwell instead on our new arrivals. What do you expect from them? What do you expect?" asked Nola.

"I don't expect anything from them. They're free to do what they want. I'll do my best to help and support them. Felicia is a good friend and doesn't deserve to be here. She's a good person who spends her time helping others. She didn't deserve all this. Then Maria seems to be a girl full of energy even if I'm not sure how it will turn out. As for Olivia, I'm afraid it's a very bad idea to put her with Daphne," says Leo.

"Thank you for your answers, so I'll finish with one last question. Are you unhappy since you've been on this island?" asked Nola.

Leo was tempted to answer Yes immediately, but something held him back. Had he really been unhappy since the start of this show? He'd had 5 dates, and he didn't dare dream of having 1. He wasn't bored. The food and the hotel were very pleasant. He was surrounded by people he liked. People were nice to him, and he wasn't considered a bastard here. Admittedly, this didn't make him automatically happy, but could he really say in such circumstances that he was unhappy?

"I don't know. Probably not. But that in no way excuses or justifies this show, let's be clear about that," Leo said.

"I understand, Leo, and thank you again for your answers," says Nola.