Samantha shows up early

Cerve has you apply some basic makeup. You find that you already have the muscle memory for a process you'd never done before. It felt a bit strange but you were proud to be able to do a satisfactory job with just some basic instruction. You're finishing up the last touches when the doorbell rings.

Cerve : "That'll be Samantha"

She was the only person, besides Cerve, the staff at SFC and your mysterious benefactor that knew Alexis even existed and you were glad she'd be there for support when you brought the guys into the loop. You walk briskly to the door, noticing how excited you are. You wonder what exactly Cerve had told everyone to expect.

The door opens itself just as you reach it revealing Sammy looking excited.

Alexis : "Thanks for coming!"

Sammy : "Of course! Reintroducing yourself to your friends is a big, and scary step. I'm more than happy to help."

She walks in and the two of you walk over to a glorious solid rosewood table Cerve has materialized.

Alexis : "yeah..."

She obviously hears something in your voice.

Sammy : "How are you holding up? I've been where you are and know how scary this is."

She's right, she's one of precious few people in the world who could possibly claim to have any idea what you're going through.

Alexis : "How did it go... for you?"

She briefly fails to suppress a frown. That's... pretty concerning.

Alexis : "It went poorly for you a take it?"

Her face hardened and then softened.

Sammy : "Yeah... But from what Cerve has told me you have much better friends than I had growing up. They didn't really like me that much as Sam, I was never very good at making friends, especially back then when I was still pretending to be like the other boys."

She looks distant, clearly reliving a not so pleasant memory.

Sammy : "Honestly it would mean a lot to me to see this go well."

You don't know what to say and just pull her into a tight hug.

Alexis : "Hey, if this goes bad at least we'll have each other."

It was kind of a pathetic thought, you knew that even as you said it, but it was true and you found that you could live with that. After breaking the hug you think Sammy understands. She reminds you of James, you'd always been able to just say what you thought and trust they'd understand what you meant.

Cerve comes in an breaks the tension.

Cerve : "Hello ladies, the guys will be here soon. They know Alexis has some big news she's worried about sharing and some friends to introduce them to. I know you're worried but you shouldn't be. Trust me, everyone is going to have a great night."

You don't have much of a choice but to trust the AI as the doorbell rings and you feel your heart beat in your chest.