Cocky-Leeky

Breakfast was, in a refreshing change of pace, a lighthearted affair. After collecting food, Maddy joined everyone at the big table, where everyone was chatting cordially. It wasn’t about anything in particular; they shared stories about their past experiences, things they’ve seen on the island. If someone were dropped into the breakfast hall now without any experience with what came before, they might make the mistake that this was a well-adjusted group of friends.

“So, it’s the middle of the night. Curfew has passed like three hours ago, and I’m stuck on the other side of campus in the honors boys’ dorm.” Stella was in the middle of talking about one of her college escapades. “The guy I was with didn’t want to be caught, so he kicked me out of his room. I’m barely dressed and know no one else. Also, I may have already been warned several times about being in other dorms after dark.”

Maya was enthralled, listening starry-eyed, and Maddy, despite her timidity, found herself caught up in the other woman’s story, “So what did you do?”

The imp waved her tail, “Well, I couldn’t go out the front door, it was watched. And like I said, I didn’t know anyone else and couldn’t risk that they wouldn’t rat me out if I knocked on a rando’s door. But there was a power line outside the third-story window. I lost my shirt going through it, but I was able to climb down and run tits-out across campus back to my dorm.”

Lily snorted as she laughed, “Why didn’t you grab your shirt when you lost it?”

Wrinkling her nose, Stella looked thoughtful, “Either someone started coming my way and I got nervous, or I was too far down by that point to risk doubling back. It was only like a five-minute run anyway, not a big deal.”

“That and you barely have anything that would draw people’s attention…” Smirked Noemi, pushing her own chest out.

“Not everyone is blessed by the breast fairy in puberty, Maddy, you know how it is, right? You make do with what you got.”

“I-um, I g-guess so?” Maddy managed to get out.

Noemi relaxed in her seat, “I was just teasing, your college stories are much more interesting than mine. But I also lived off campus and commuted to classes, which meant I didn’t really get the whole college experience.”

“I got some good stories,” Lily smiled, “Problem is, most of them involve dragging the good name of the Master through the mud.” She chuckled watching Caleb’s face redden.

Stella pumped a fist, “Yeah, even more reason to tell them! Let’s hear it, green thumb!”

Lily smiled and opened her mouth, but as she started picturing the things she was thinking of, her face turned red and her face fell into her hands.

Caleb smiled sympathetically as Stella began to badger her, he then noticed Eliza looking over at him and as their eyes met she opened her mouth, as if she had been waiting for just that, “If you’re done eating, do you have a moment to talk?”

“Oh, of course.” Caleb pulled out his chair and gave a sideways smile as Maddy tried to hold Stella back from shaking Lily, as he put his plate away and moved to follow Eliza to the corner of the room. He took a second to regard his old professor.

She was tired, with no visible bags under her eyes, but in her body language, he could see that it was as if she was carrying something that was actively pulling her down, making each movement look laborious as she leaned back against the wall. There was something else too, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. A determination in her eyes that he hadn’t seen before, but he had no idea where it was directed, and when she looked towards him, it was like she was looking beyond him, towards something in the distance.

She then opened her mouth, “Today is our date.” A statement of fact, she looked at him as if looking for recognition that this was correct and only moved forward when he nodded, “I have a date planned, if it’s not too much trouble.”

Caleb didn’t bother to hide his surprise, “Are you sure you’re not pushing yourself? I was under the impression you were pretty out of it; you don’t need to make this a big deal. All your date requires is that you stay in my room at night.” Whatever Caleb had expected in response, it was not the look of simmering irritation that Eliza shot his way, like he was making things difficult for her.

She made no hiding of it either as her eyes narrowed, “I said I had a plan, alright?” She stopped and exhaled, “Sorry, it’s just, it’s been a difficult week. I’m doing my best, and I don’t need to be treated like I’m made of glass.”

Caleb matched her stare and wanted to push, but there was something about her demeanor, it was hard but brittle, like one too many questions would cause it to shatter. So with an exhale he relented, “Ok, you have a plan. What do you need from me?”

Expression softening, Eliza smiled at Caleb, “Thank you, Caleb.” Before her tone shifted to the professional voice she used in classes, “I’m going to be under the effects of a sabotage, similar in nature to the one that affected me on our first date.” Seeing Caleb about to open his mouth, she lifted a finger to his lips, “Let me finish. I want you to go in knowing that everything, from beginning to end, is a choice that I am making. I understand Maddy did something similar on her date.”

Caleb’s face turned bright red, and he shifted his weight to the side bashfully, “Yeah, um, she did. Just, are you sure?” Seeing her temper flare, the master held up his hands defensively, “No, what I mean is…we haven’t really had a chance to be together one-on-one normally. Wouldn’t a sabotage get in the way of us…you know, connecting?”

Eliza burst out laughing, there was an edge to it though, that made Caleb feel uncomfortable. If there was a joke or something humorous, he was fully in the dark on it. After a moment she just shook her head ruefully, “Sorry, it’s just…no, nevermind.” She waved her hand dismissively, “It will still be me, Caleb, right? Did Maddy stop being Maddy during your date?”

“No, but…” Caleb couldn’t help but relive the conversation he had had with Eliza on their last date about the insidious nature of the show. Everything she was saying right now contradicted her point then, but she didn’t let him bring it up as she put a hand on his shoulder.

“Regardless, Caleb, if you’re still uncomfortable about it, think of it this way: this week has been very hard for me. And right now?” She smiled while looking him in the eye, “I wouldn’t mind being someone else for a little while. We have plenty of time to connect later, let’s just have fun, ok?”

Opening his mouth a few times to protest, Caleb saw the conflict in Eliza’s eyes and felt how tense her hand was on his shoulder. She was pushing hard for this; something was off. He didn’t know what, but he trusted Eliza. Finally, he put his hand on her’s, “Alright, sure, when do you want to meet?”

Her expression relaxed just a bit as she pulled away, “Meet me out front closer to noon, ok?”

“Sure, that’s no problem.” Caleb tried to keep the worry from showing on his face with a smile and it ended up as a grimace.

Eliza pat his cheek, “Relax Caleb, don’t think too hard about it and enjoy it, ok?” She then walked back in to the breakfast hall and stopped in front of Mira, her expression morphing to a glare before saying out of earshot of anyone else. “There, it’s all set.”

The Bengali woman looked conflicted as she put down her coffee, looking up at the blonde, “Eliza, listen, if you’re not comfortable with this- we don’t have to.”

“-So it’s about my comfort now, is it?” Eliza snapped at her quietly, and Mira flinched but leaned in.

“I just wanted-” She started, but Eliza didn’t let her finish.

“I don’t care, just stop, ok? This is your damn plan. Just do your part. Noon. Think you can do that?”

Mira’s hand jerked, looking like she wanted to reach out before pulling herself back and reaching into her bag. She then fell back into her chair, her eyes cast downward, “It will be done.”

“Good.” With the final word, Eliza turned and relaxed her expression, waving to the girls at the table before exiting.

Caleb had made his way back to the table where the conversation had turned down a very different place, Maya was pestering Amy about something.

“-I know it likely won’t be the same, but any hints about what might be coming up could be helpful.” Caleb recognized the look in her eyes. This was Maya, the player, speaking currently.

Amy just frowned, “I mean all I have are transcripts, the most I could get is a basic description. It’s not like they give a play-by-play of what’s happening.”

Undeterred, Maya leaned in, close enough for their noses to touch, “But it’s better than nothing!”

Putting a hand on her forehead, Caleb gently put some distance between the lottery winner and the oni as he sat down, “What’s this about, then?”

Amy shot him a look of thanks and gestured lightly to Maya, “Maya wanted to know if my program could help us with the upcoming challenge. I was explaining its limitations. It’s not magic; it can’t play video or create information from nothing. It’s a program, it makes me digestible lists more than anything.”

“If it’s a video you want, that can be arranged.” The group froze as Lucian and Reyna materialized in a burst of flames. Amy shrank back in her seat, and Caleb tensed in his chair, making Stella raise an eyebrow before the demon continued, ignoring them all. “Did you forget that a large portion of this hotel is occupied by a theatre?”

Maya was nervous but not one to let her emotions get in the way of what she wanted, rose up, “So…we can watch other challenges?”

“You can watch whatever you desire; our library is fully stocked. Reyna will facilitate any viewings you wish to have.” At this, Reyna saluted and winked.

“What’s your game here?” Caleb finally found his voice and stood up, “What, you’re fine now? No ulterior motives? We know what you did to Amy yesterday. You expect us to believe it’s good now, all back to normal?”

Lucian's teeth clenched before relaxing, letting out an exhale, and smiling as he rolled his eyes, “I think you’re fundamentally mistaken, Master.” Only Lucian could fit so much contempt in an honorific, “Regardless of my personal feelings, I have my duty as a host.”

“Yep Yep!” Piped up Reyna, “You could pull down Lucy’s pants, and he would still have to do his job!”

“So, you’re nothing then, you’re Pat Sejak like Stella said. You don’t have any real power.” Caleb said, his tone was mocking and Noemi reached out and smiled in support as Maddy shrunk back and Amy tried to get him to sit down.

“Haha!” Reyna tittered away, “Pat Sejack, that’s a good on-hrk!” Her voice was cut off, and Maddy gasped in horror as Lucian's fingers wrapped around the assistant’s throat, and her face began to turn blue.

“This is not a game you want to play, Master. Am I bound by rules? Yes, and I will follow them to the letter. But, I still have an amazing amount of latitude in how I encourage you all to play the game.” Flames flicked all around the Host’s form as his voice came out with controlled menace, “Make no mistake, you’re all going to pay for the humiliation I have suffered at your hands, but it will be within the confines of the rules. You see, Master, the difference between you and me…is patience.” He released Reyna’s throat and tossed her into the group, “Enjoy your viewing.” The host then vanished in a burst of flames.

Lily and Maddy went over to Reyna’s side and helped her up, as Amy looked to Caleb, “Caleb…you can’t be doing this.”

“I also can’t sit idly by, while he…he-” Caleb pressed his fist against the table, “It’s my job to protect-”

“Who did that protect, Caleb?” The oni snapped, gesturing to Reyna on the ground, “You need to slow down and think things through, because you may not want to hear it, but Lucian is right about one thing. You're rushing in without a plan, is only going to hurt us.”

“I…I” Caleb’s shoulders slumped, “Alright, I’ll…try”

Amy looked him over and then nodded, “Good. Just you don’t need to be everything all at once, ok? Slow down, that’s all I’m asking.”

Caleb nodded, and Amy leaned over and punched him in the arm, “And don’t start sulking now, either. There’s someone you should be focused on, right?”

It took a bit, but eventually Caleb nodded and, with a shuddering breath, straightened his back, “Yeah, you’re right, sorry. I let myself get carried away. I’ll go get ready to meet Eliza.”

Amy slapped his shoulder, “There we go, focus on that, ok?”

Caleb gave the oni a small smile and went to leave the breakfast hall, as soon as he was out of sight, Amy’s expression fell, turning to the rest of the group, unsure where to go from here when her thinking was interrupted by Stella.

“Sooooo, are we gonna watch the challenges or what?” Her tail was flicking back and forth impatiently as she leaned across the table.

Maya’s voice was small as she tentatively raised her hand, “I would still like to.”

Amy frowned, “Stella, Maya, I’m not sure anyone is in the mood to-”

The imp cut her off, “And let the shortstack being choked out be for nothing? Like yeah, the situation sucks, but otherwise that moment of bullshit was for nothing and we’re no closer to learning anything about the upcoming challenge.” She turned to the group on the ground, “What do yinz think?”

Maddy looked over at Reyna, who was sipping a glass of water, “Are you ok? Are you up for it?”

“Don’t worry about me!” Reyna put the glass down and gave a big smile and a thumbs up, “I’m just here to help!” She then had a coughing fit that made Maddy’s eyebrows furrow with concern.

Lily didn’t answer for a second, and then nodded, “Stella’s right, we’re always going to be on the back foot if we stop what we’re doing because it’s uncomfortable.”

Mira stood up at this point and walked out of the breakfast hall, with everything that had happened, the rest had forgotten she was there. Amy looked to Noemi, “What do you think?”

“Oh don’t worry about me I-” Noemi looked to the side towards the exit, “I just,” She paused and then waved, “I’m just gonna head out here, you guys have fun with whatever!”

Stella’s eyes followed Noemi’s ass as she left, “Huh, weird…well, sounds like we’re in agreement. To the Theatre!”

Amy frowned, still feeling ill at ease, “To the theatre…”

Caleb had gone back up to his room for the remainder of the wait between the confrontation in the dining hall and his date. He had tried his best to do what Amy said and just focus on his upcoming date, but without knowing what was going to happen, he didn’t have much to focus on, and not knowing made him feel more anxious. He walked across the room and grabbed the umbrella in the stand and felt his heart rate slow down just a tad.

It was almost time, so he lifted the umbrella and went down the elevator. Seeing no one around, he figured they had gone to the theatre or were otherwise engaged. Eliza had said out front, so he crossed the lobby and exited the doors and as the door opened he heard a voice ring out playful, but harsh.

“Bout time you showed up, don’t you know it’s rude to keep a lady waiting?” Caleb turned and saw…it must be Eliza, but the woman in front of him looked like some twisted reflection of the woman he knew. Even after being reduced to the age of 21, Eliza had dressed in clothes for her age, cardigans, nice dress tops and skirts, and relatively simple makeup under her glasses.

For starters, the woman in front of him was not wearing glasses and was wearing a thick layer of eyeshadow that made the grey in her eyes pop, along with the Cheshire cat grin on her face. She was wearing a spiked leather jacket and a black form-fitting t-shirt. The jeans that she wore were ripped and between her black painted fingers she held a cigarette as she exhaled a plume of smoke. She threw the cigarette to the ground and dug her foot against it, shooting Caleb a look that spelled trouble.

“Eliza- what sort of-” His question was cut off by Eliza crossing the distance between them, grabbing his collar, and shoving her tongue into his mouth. When she finally pulled away, Caleb was left frazzled and with the faint taste of ash in his mouth.

“C’mon, Master, it’s time for a night on the town.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him forcibly to the docks.

SABOTAGE! Jekyll to Hyde: Everyone has parts of themselves that hide away while others take the spotlight, but everyone deserves time in the limelight. Target Contestant has their weakest character traits become dominant and their dominant character traits diminished for the next 8 hours, it’s still them with the dials adjusted a tad. WARNING may mess with aesthetic integrity.