The Grand Ambassador Hotel

Chloe was sandwiched between two tall women.

The hotel concierge, Simon, had insisted that they all take the same elevator together. It was a tight squeeze for the seven of them, and Chloe found herself being jostled between Bailey and Sarah as the elevator rose. Chloe was 99.9% sure Sampler hadn't been triggered yet, but just knowing it was there was making her incredibly self-conscious of her body. Bailey was standing in front of Chloe, facing her. Her low-cut sundress did an amazing job of highlighting her generous cleavage. Unfortunately Bailey's wedge heels meant that Chloe was eye-level with her chest, and in the close confines of the elevator it was hard to avoid tumbling into her. It didn't help that Bailey was apparently somewhat displeased, based on the way she kept wincing and pressing her thighs together. Chloe's efforts to give the woman some space meant she was bumping into Sarah behind her, nearly grinding into her.

The elevator finally stopped, and the women spilled out the doors after Simon. They found themselves on a long, richly appointed hotel hallway. The carpet was a deep hunter green with a gold geometric design, and crystal wall sconces ran the length of the corridor. Three doors were visible, mounted in the wall opposite the elevator. The hallway seemed to open up at one end into a room of some kind, but Chloe's gaze was drawn to Simon who was quietly “Hm-hmming” to get everyone's attention.

“Mademoiselles, you will all be staying on this floor for the duration of the program. Ava, your gracious Host, has asked that I inform you of your roommate assignments.”

“What? We don't even get a room-mmhm to ourselves?” Bailey asked, obviously annoyed and clenching her thighs.

Chloe couldn't stop her eyes from widening at the sound of Bailey's moan. The blonde girl had the good sense to not let Bailey see her expression.

“To promote better social cohesion within the harem everyone is assigned a roommate,” Simon continued dryly, almost like he was talking about lab animals rather then people. “Room assignments are as follows:”

Sarah Bridges and Bailey Winters – Room 301

Robin Levy and Chloe Taylor – Room 303

Cassandra Layton and Samantha Martinez – Room 305

Chloe released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She barely knew any of the other women, but Robin seemed relatively low key thus far, though the permanent goth makeup was a little unnerving. Robin caught Chloe's eye, and gave her a reassuring wink. Sarah took the news silently, but Chloe noticed Samantha was grinning excitedly. Not everyone seemed as pleased as her about their assignment. Cassandra's sad distant face seemed to fall even more somehow, and Bailey was arguing her case with the concierge Simon simply held up his hand, palm towards them, until Bailey fell silent.

“These assignments are fixed and currently cannot be changed. You are required to be in your assigned room from midnight til 6:00 in the morning, and you must sleep in the provided bed. Any deviations will result in penalties being applied.”

Bailey was noticeably panting as her thighs clenched again. She opened her mouth to say something, but Simon pressed on.

“There is a restaurant located on the first floor of the hotel just off the lobby. It serves breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner daily. Please make note of the dining hours, as food will not be served outside of these times. A full list of the hotel's amenities may be found in each of your rooms. If you have any further questions, feel free to call the front desk.”

With that, Simon strode smartly back to the elevator, which opened as soon as he pressed the call button. He stepped inside and was gone.

“Hey!” Samantha called at the closed elevator doors. “You didn't leave us any room keys!”

“No need,” Sarah said, cautiously opening the door to Room 301. “The doors are unlocked.” She took one step into the room and carefully examined the heavy wood door. “Actually, I don't think these doors lock at all.”

“Well, I don't like that one bit,” Robin declared as she stepped up to the door leading to her and Chloe's room. She gently pushed it open and peered inside. Chloe slid up next to her, apprehensive about what new surprises awaited them. Robin met Chloe's eyes and gave her a sure nod.

“It seems safe enough.” Robin walked on into the room. Chloe followed close behind.

The walls were a light sea foam green and ringed with a white wainscoting. Elaborate trim work demarcated the boundary between wall and ceiling. Two tall windows gave a good view of the theater across the street. Despite the richness of the materials, the room was sparsely furnished. A long wooden vanity with a large mirror ran along one of the interior walls. A small round stool accompanied it. Besides that there was only a single queen-sized bed flanked by two matching nightstands.

“Oh...” It had taken Chloe a minute to realize the implications of the single bed. She bashfully met Robin's eyes.

“Yeah, I can't say I'm surprised at this point,” Robin replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “Seems pretty in-line with the rest of the show. You don't snore do you?” Robin was making her way to one of the three doors in the room.

“Not that I know of,” Chloe replied, her eyes drifting back to the bed.

“Holy crap Chloe! Come check out this bathroom!” Chloe was broken out of her reverie by Robin's exclamation. She walked around the bed through the door Robin had just passed through and her mouth dropped open.

The bathroom was almost more ornate then the bedroom. White tiled walls met a floor of larger black tiles flecked with gold. The shower was large enough to fit both of them, as was the separate clawed tub. The bathroom counter was as long as the wall-length mirror that ran over it, but it only held a single sink.

“I think we're going to be seeing a lot of each other over the next ten weeks,” Robin commented dryly as she examined the clear glass shower doors. Chloe blushed slightly, and exited the bathroom. She walked over to one of the two doors they hadn't examined yet, and pulled it open. She nearly screamed in shock and delight.

Behind the door was a large walk-in closet containing her entire wardrobe from back home. Chloe quickly riffled though a couple drawers, impressed with the thoroughness. Chloe's impromptu inventory was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the hotel room door. She emerged from the closet to find Robin was already opening the door, revealing Sarah standing in the hotel hallway.

“You two settling in ok?” Sarah asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well enough. It's going to be a cozy ten weeks,” Robin deadpanned. “Where's your roomie?”

Sarah's thin lips pressed together as she seemed to be carefully considering her words.

“Bailey's...taking care of something...”

“Yeah I bet,” Robin scoffed, “If 'Jeeves' hadn't wrapped up his little tour when he did I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have made it to her room.”

Sarah did her best to look nonplussed, but Chloe noticed the quick frown that crossed her face. Undeterred, the tall woman pressed on.

“I was hoping I could get all of us together for a quick meeting?”

“What for?” Chloe asked.

“To figure out how to fight back.”

Robin frowned, but Chloe took a step closer to the door, listening carefully to Sarah.

“We all heard that phone call Ava made when she pulled in Robert by mistake. She's already on rocky ground which makes her ****.”

“Or ****.” Robin countered.

“Either way, we're not powerless in this situation. We should push back.”

Chloe was intrigued. If the later transformation rounds were anything like the first, then she dreaded what else could be done to her. She was ready to hear Sarah out. Robin crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing.

“I don't think you fully get it Sarah. You want us to push back against some...thing that has the power to warp our minds and bodies essentially at will.”

“I'd rather go down swinging then not fighting at all.”

“Yeah,” Chloe was feeling emboldened by Sarah's determination. “Me too.”

Robin sighed, rubbing her eyes.

“C'mon guys, haven't you seen this movie before? Some powerful entity grabs a bunch of victims to play its sick game where they'll have to compromise their morals to make it through.”

“This isn't a movie Robin,” Sarah said.

“Isn't it though?” Robin said. “We're here to entertain an audience, everything around us is Hollywood themed. Have you seen our Host? Doesn't she remind you of anyone?”

“So?”

“So my point is, in those movies there's almost always one person who refuses to play, and they always get brought down hard. Usually as an example to the rest of the players to show that the only way out is to play the game.

“So what, you're suggesting we just go along with it?” Chloe asked indignantly

“For now, yes. We don't know enough about the situation or our “Host” to really push the boundaries yet. As we get further into the game, maybe we can find a way to bend the rules to our advantage, or find another way out. That's usually how those movies shake out. But to resist this early? It would be suicide.”

“Fair point,” Sarah said shortly. “Except again, this isn't a movie. We're gambling with our actual bodies and lives here.”

“And again, look around you. It all screams an obsession with showmanship. I wouldn't be surprised if this entire game runs on movie logic. Hell, Ava might even have built-in a third act escape for us herself.”

Sarah's look had gone from doubtful to downright disdain. Robin sighed, and leaned against the door frame.

“Look, I get it. It's pretty clear what direction this whole “show” is going to take. I wouldn't be surprised if we're fingering each other by the end of it.” Sarah's eyes widened, but she held her tongue as Robin pushed on. “I'm not saying we shouldn't try to resist that, I'm just saying we don't have enough information right now to effectively fight back.”

Chloe's eyes nervously darted back and forth between the two women. Sarah's resoluteness was stirring and the thought that they even could push back was comforting, but Robin's words had now filled her with doubt. She watched as Sarah sighed and her expression softened.

“You've got a point,” Sarah relented. “We probably need to understand the lay of the land better before we do anything. On that note, I'm going to poke around the hotel some until curfew. Do you two want to come?”

Robin slowly shook her head.

“I'm pretty beat. It's been a long day and I'd rather get a good night's sleep and tackle this fresh in the morning.”

“Fair enough. Chloe?”

Chloe considered Sarah's offer. She liked the idea of getting a start on familiarizing herself with the hotel, but at the same time something felt...off. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

“I think I'll pass too,” She flashed Sarah a smile, “Thanks though.”

Sarah gave them both a slight nod, then disappeared down the corridor. Robin closed the door, then headed for her wardrobe closet.

“Hey, you don't sleep nude do you?” Robin called out as she dug through the closet for a change of clothes.

“No, I don't.” Chloe absentmindedly called back. She was feeling strangely warm.