Sophia Date: Part 1

Levi Summers

Levi strode down the hallway with purpose, leading Elena through the maze of rooms in the mansion. “I swear, I saw a wine room somewhere around here,” he said, his voice echoing off the marble floors.

Elena followed behind, half-amused and half-excited at the idea of exploring. “Well, look at you, Mr. Rulebreaker. Aren't you under the drinking age," she teased.

Levi laughed, knowing that she was joking. Worrying about **** laws seemed ludicrous after everything that had happened the past two days.

They turned a corner, and Levi stopped dead. While there had previously only been one door, now there were two. Curious, he opened the new door and was shocked by what he found.

The room was massive, a wardrobe fit for royalty. Rows upon rows of finely tailored suits, hats, and accessories stretched out in every direction. Sections were devoted to shoes, coats, ties, and even jewelry. Soft lighting bounced off the polished glass display cases, making the whole room glow.

“Levi?” Elena asked, stepping up beside him. Her jaw dropped when she saw it. “Forget the wine room. This is insane.”

“I know,” Levi muttered, stepping inside, completely stunned.

Elena smirked. “You’ve officially leveled up.”

Levi shook his head, realizing what this was. “No, this is wrong. I remember now. They said I was getting all of Lauren's clothes's. I'm basically stealing it."

Elena stroked her chin. "Really? Lauren doesn't seem the type to wear suits."

"No, they said they were converting it to be more masculine," he explained.

"I guess," Elena shrugged. "But there's no harm in wearing some of it while we get that sorted out."

Levi ran his fingers over the closest rack of suits, feeling the fabrics—cashmere, silk, velvet—things that felt worlds away from anything he’d ever worn. "I don't belong here," he finally said.

“Oh, you’re supposed to be here,” Elena teased, nudging him further into the room. “And you’re definitely supposed to wear one of these. Come on, you’ve got to impress Sophia, remember?”

Levi had completely forgotten about his date with her. "You don't think this is a bit much?"

"She took the trouble of signing up," Elena reminded him. "The least you could do is show your best self."

Without hearing any further argument, she pulled several suits off the rack. "Let's get you looking good!" she declared.

Wingman: +2 VP

---

Sophia Maoulin

Sophia stood outside the tower door, nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She took a deep breath, smoothing down the front of her plain t-shirt and adjusting her simple skirt.

As the seconds stretched, she wondered if she should ring the doorbell again. Yet she equally worried about being annoying if she did. Though she managed to keep the anxiety hidden in her body language, her tail swung wildly.

Finally, the door creaked open, and there stood Levi.

She immediately became painfully self-conscious about her choice of attire.

Levi looked… different. His sleek black suit fit him perfectly, giving him the impression of broad shoulders and making him look effortlessly polished. The sharp cut of the jacket and the crisp white shirt beneath contrasted starkly with the casual Levi she was used to. With a combined value of $10,000, his outfit definitely made him look like someone who belonged in this castle.

Meanwhile, she stood there in a simple t-shirt and skirt.

“Hey,” Levi said, smiling, though his voice had a touch of awkwardness. “You made it.”

Sophia’s cheeks flushed, and she **** a smile in return. “Yeah, I—uh, I did.”

Just then, Elena’s voice echoed from the top of the stairs. “I told you the suit was perfect!” She descended the grand staircase with a knowing smirk. “And look at you two. Cute already.”

Levi rolled his eyes, but a hint of a smile tugged at his lips. 'Elena, seriously?'

Elena reached the bottom of the stairs, gave Levi and Sophia a playful once-over, and crossed her arms. “Alright, I’ll leave you two alone then.”

She stepped out of the entrance and whispered to Sophia, "You got this." Sophia blushed a little deeper as Elena turned away and sauntered off. Partway down the hall, she shouted back, "La mejor de las suertes."

Both quivered at Elena's Spanish, her voice like honey to their ears. After a moment to shake it off, Levi gestured to his living room. "So, uh, come on in."

Entering the living room, she looked in amazement at the surroundings , from its sheer size to immaculate furniture. "Holy carp. This place is a palace."

Levi rubbed his arm. "Yeah, it's a bit much. Elena said that your places aren't nearly as nice."

Sophia shrugged, still looking around the room. "Eh, it's about the same as my dorm, just less messy and without a fridge. Or a microwave. Or dishes. Or anything that makes it like my dorm at all."

She suddenly remembered something and tore her eyes from her surroundings to glance at Levi. "Oh, before I brain fart and forget, I wanted to thank you. You know, for saving me."

Levi felt uncomfortable, recalling the overwhelming responsibility of holding two lives in his hands. "I'm just sorry you had to go through that," he finally managed.

"You're nice," Sophia said simply before returning to scanning the environment. "I hope I didn't freak you out, by the way."

"Huh?"

Sophia leaned down to look at a small bronze statue of Levi placed on one of the chair's side tables. "When I lost and freaked out, I hope it didn't make you uncomfortable," she apologized.

Levi most certainly hadn't found it weird. In fact, he had barely remembered it at all. "It was understandable to be upset. Besides, I probably would have cried way more if it were me."

"You're nice," Sophia repeated, not looking away from the curious sculpture.

"Do you want something to drink?" Levi offered.

Immediately, she spun to look at him, unknowingly hitting the statue with her tail and sending it to the ground. "Do you have Mountain Dew?!"

"I don't think so," Levi said, momentarily thrown off by Sophia's sudden jump in intensity. "But I do have tea and wine."

Sophia tried her best not to gag. "Oh, no wine, please. **** makes me feel weird. I know that's the point, but I have enough trouble keeping my thoughts together as they are. "

Levi nodded. "I see. So tea? I can make it."

"No, you'll probably make it wrong." Moments after saying this, Sophia's eyes widened in horror. "Wait, that's not what I meant. I meant I'm really picky, so I may do it so it tastes right. Not that anything you made would be bad. I didn't mean to insult you!"

"It's okay," Levi chuckled.

Sophia began to panic. "Why are you laughing? Did I do something dumb?"

Levi immediately stopped. "What? Oh, no. Sorry."

"Now you're apologizing. I made things awkward. And I'm making it more embarrassing since I keep talking!"

"I..." Levi began, but he couldn't get a word in.

Sophia began pacing back and forth, her speech progressively getting faster. "You know what? Can we start over? Just let me know if I'm talking too much. This is a date, after all, and I appreciate you having me. Well, you haven't had a choice since I signed up, so thank you for putting up with the inconvenience." She looked at him apologetically with these last words.

"It's no inconvenience," Levi assured her.

Sophia smiled but didn't stop pacing. "I appreciate you saying that. I just wanted to apologize because I assumed you were hoping for someone like Tomoko rather than the ugliest one here."

"You're not..."

"Oh, I know. I just meant relatively," she stated matter-of-factly. "Besides, I get that the only attractive parts of me were the things Azure gave me. You remember what I looked like when I first came here?"

"Please stop!" Levi requested, walking up to her. "You're great just the way you are. No need to apologize."

Sophia stopped pacing, the boy now standing in front of her. She looked him up and down. "I suppose giving advice's easier than following it yourself," she observed.

Levi blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You," she explained. "You're always putting yourself down in front of everyone and apologizing for things that aren't your fault."

Levi took a step back. "I..."

Sophia raised her hands reassuringly. "Hey, don't worry. It makes sense. I'm sure Lauren and Jezebel didn't help. Well, I didn't know Jezebel before the show, but she sounded terrible based on the stories I've heard. You also probably have abandonment issues from Elena and your dad, and maybe convinced yourself that you caused it because there was something wrong with you. So you overcompensate by..."

Sophia suddenly stopped dead and gasped, realizing what she was saying. "Oh shoot, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get in your business," she apologized, looking away and fidgeting her hands together. "I'm usually better at filtering myself."

Levi just stared at her, blown away by her assessment. Finally, he said, "It's okay. And you don't have to filter, by the way."

Sophia had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She couldn't count the number of times she heard that advice. "Yeah, everyone says that, but they also get upset if you talk endlessly about something only you care about."

As if by second nature, her tail curled up to her hands, which she began petting absentmindedly. "Sometimes I try to consider whether people will care about what I'm saying. But then I spend so much time thinking that the moment passes."

Levi felt like she was describing his exact life. "Oh my god, exactly. It's like a part of me is trying to fact-check everything I'm about to say, telling me how it could go wrong."

Sophia turned her face to him, nodding excitedly. "Right? And then you end up pre-correcting yourself, and it all comes out jumbled and awkward."

Levi was smiling now. "Talking becomes so exhausting that it's no longer worth the effort, and it is safer to stay quiet.

Sophia clapped her hands in excitement. "That's exactly it! Are you an Aspie too?"

"What's that?"

Sophia's smile faded slightly, though she managed to preserve most of it. "Never mind. Not important."

Levi glanced over to the staircase leading to the rest of the tower. "Hey, do you want to do something?" he asked eagerly. "I can give you a tour."

Sophia brought her hands to her stomach. "Actually, do you have any food? I hadn't had anything to eat since lunch, and I threw up when I got back to my room."

Sophia clarified before Levi could ask if she was okay. "Probably aftershocks from the challenge. Either that, or I have to deal with hairballs now."

Levi happily nodded. "Sure. Let's get some dinner."

---

Ji-Woo Summers

"It's over! It's all over!" Ji-Woo screamed, pulling her hair in anguish.

"Don't say that," Tomoko offered. The two were in their shared room, and Ji-Woo had finally started talking to her roommate after hours of asking. "You can fix this."

"Of course I can't!" Ji-Woo wailed. "He already hated me, and now it's even worse."

Tomoko bit her lip. "He was just mad. I'm sure he doesn't hate you."

Ji-Woo angrily stared at her through tear-soaked eyes. "Have you been listening at all?! It's been hopeless from the start. He immediately dismissed me in our first meeting. He's ignored every bit of seduction I throw at him. And now he thinks I hurt his best friend. "

Tomoko looked away. "I mean, you did. Have you apologized to her?"

The secretary scowled. "I told her I was sorry, but she rejected it!" She covered her face with her hands. "Besides, I was scared and alone! What choice did I have?"

Tomoko frowned sadly. "You didn't have to be alone. I wish ya told us. I had no idea you were struggling."

"Are you joking?!" Ji-Woo snapped, dropping her hands and yelling in her face. "What the hell do you mean you had no idea?! Have you seen my score? Have you not noticed how he looks away any time I got near him?"

"Of course I didn't!" Tomoko cried, throwing her arms into the air. "I'm an idiot who doesn't pay attention! I've been very upfront about being a moron!"

Ji-Woo stared at her, mouth hanging open in stunned disbelief.

"It would help if you let us know when you're struggling," Tomoko said, leaning forward and placing her hand reassuringly on her roommate. As she did, Ji-Woo couldn't help but notice how close the buxom woman was. She couldn't help but look down Tomoko's top and appreciate how her outstretched arms pressed her cleavage together.

"Also, have you even talked to Levi about this?" Tomoko asked, snapping Ji-Woo back to reality.

"Obviously," she said defensively, looking away. "I apologized for the impact my relationship had on his life."

Tomoko pursed her lips. "Do you actually feel sorry, though?"

"Of course I do," Ji-Woo insisted. "I wish I'd never done it, and OOOOOHHHHH GOOOODD!"

Ji-Woo's entire body shook violently as an explosive orgasm shocked her whole being to the core. As she locked eyes on Tomoko, thoughts of her filled Ji-Woo's head, making her feel as though she was climaxing to her body. Even as Ji-Woo's eyes rolled up to the ceiling, her roommates confused face had burned itself into the sensation.

Ji-Woo fell backward onto her bed, panting as the waves of pleasure washed over her and eventually faded.

"F-fine," she finally managed. "I regret hurting Levi, but I'll never regret falling in love with Scott. If that's what I must do to earn his forgiveness, then I can't do it."

"Especially since it would be lying," she added, returning her hands to her eyes. "What do I do?"

Tomoko opened and closed her mouth several times, hoping something wise would come out of it. Finally, she shrugged. "No idea."

Ji-Woo groaned, rolling sideways on the bed.

"But as I said, I'm a moron," Tomoko added, reassuringly. "I'm sure if the others put their heads together, they can think of somethin'"

Ji-Woo looked back at Tomoko's smile. She would have paid anything to have her optimism.

---

Levi Summers

Levi led Sophia down the long hallway, his footsteps echoing as they approached the dining room. “So, you’re gonna love this place,” he said, glancing over at her with a grin. “The dining room's got this thing going on where it turns into a restaurant. Last time, it became this super expensive sushi place."

Sophia smiled politely, although the thought of a fancy restaurant brought back self-conscious worries about her plain attire. She struggled to keep pace with Levi in her heels, trying not to trip.

Levi pushed open the door, ready to reveal the elegance he had hyped up—only to stop dead in his tracks.

Instead of a grand dining hall, they stepped into a cramped basement. The walls were lined with shelves full of board games, from classics to obscure indie titles. A plastic folding table sat in the center of the room, with a six-pack of Easy-Mac, plastic silverware, Doritos, and paper cups. A microwave and mini fridge were laid on the floor behind it.

Levi blinked and rubbed his eyes. “Uh… We might’ve taken a wrong turn.”

But before he could close the door and backtrack, Sophia’s eyes lit up. “Wait! This is amazing!”

Levi raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Amazing?”

Sophia stepped past him, her face breaking into a wide grin as she looked around the room. “It looks exactly like my cousin’s place! I used to spend hours a day here whenever I visited him—just hanging out, playing 40k, eating noodles.”

She turned to Levi, her excitement contagious. “This is perfect.”

Levi stared at her for a moment, then silently chuckled. 'She's certainly something else.'

She grinned up at him. “Come on, sit down! If it truly is a copy of my cousin's place, they should have Power Grid."

Sophia ran over to the collection, only to finally trip and collide into the shelves. Cardboard boxes raining on top of her while Levi cried out in alarm.

---

Alison

Alison was back in the void, taking the time she could before Olivia inevitably called her back for more drinks. She didn't need much time anyway, as this was a simple routine check.

She drifted over to the large crystal, still floating where she had left it. Alison could sense increased mental activity within it beyond that of simple dreams. This was concerning but not unexpected. Either the crystal's occupant was more stubborn than Alison realized, or her nightmares were more intense than anticipated.

Alison approached the human-sized gem better to see the feminine outline of the motionless figure within.

The figure inside seemed more solid than when Alison last checked, although still somewhat see-through. She was nude, her pale skin tinged blue by the crystal enclosures, and her long black hair flowing freely.

Alison spoke to the nothingness.

כתב עת 8086497.3

מתממש מהר מהצפוי LP-0
‎מחוץ לתחום המועדף
‎היא עדיין יכולה לתפקד בתפקידה כגיבוי

A few minutes later, Alison heard Nora Wolf call out her name. Turning her back from the crystal, she returned to the tavern.

---

Bonus Image