Storm Before the Storm

"Emma! Hey!" Abby called out across the courtyard.

"Hey Abby," Emma responded, closing the distance between the two quickly. "So...how'd your date go?"

"It went pretty well," Abby smirked. "Was able to sock it to Becca."

"I...can see that," Emma turned her gaze to the scoreboard, seeing Abby comfortably in fourth place with 17 BP, while her own name was at the bottom with 5.

"Listen, I just wanted to make sure you were aware about...what might happen," Abby shifted the tone to be more serious.

"What, like a giant power outage? Or a random wardrobe malfunction? Trust me, Abby, I've been working on eliminating all of those variables from this date night," Emma waved her hand dismissively. "There are some perks to going last, I've had plenty of time to think about this."

"You're...way too comfortable about this whole thing," Abby's eye twitched. "I didn't even have your stupid porn logic transformation and Kendra was still able to throw a wrench into my plans for the date."

"Sounds like it wasn't Kendra then, sounds like improper planning," Emma shrugged.

"Wha-what's gotten into you lately?" Abby half-yelled.

"Dunno, just confident I guess?" Emma puffed her chest out in mock bravado.

"Confident?" Abby echoed, her voice laced with disbelief. "Emma, you've been a walking disaster since you got here! And now you're confident?"

Emma shrugged, a playful smirk on her face. "Hey, everyone has their moments, right? Maybe this is mine."

Abby groaned, rubbing her temples. "Emma, this isn't a joke. Kendra is going to try and mess with your date. She always does. Especially now."

"Especially now?" Emma tilted her head, her smile fading slightly. "What do you mean, 'especially now'?"

"Well," Abby hesitated, glancing around to make sure they weren't being overheard. "Becca's… staying in the penthouse now. With Turner. And you have that threesome transformation. What was it? 'With Rose-Tinted Glasses'?"

Emma's eyes widened, her cheeks turning a shade of crimson. "Oh," she said sullenly, her voice barely audible. "Oh, that's… that's not good."

"No, it's not," Abby confirmed. "And we wanted to warn you. To give you a heads-up. So you can be prepared."

"Prepared?" Emma asked, her voice laced with panic. "How do you prepare for that? What am I supposed to do? Wear a chastity belt?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Abby rolled her eyes. "Just… be aware. Be cautious. And if anything weird starts happening, try to… avoid it."

"Avoid it?" Emma repeated, her voice laced with skepticism. "How do I avoid it? Kendra controls everything."

"I know," Abby sighed, her shoulders slumping. "But we have to try. We can't just let her… do whatever she wants."

"That'd be nice, wouldn't it," Emma gazed off wistfully, her confidence about today being all but shattered.

At that moment, Becca approached, her expression serious. "Hey, you two," she said, her voice low. "What's going on?"

"We were just warning Emma about her date," Abby said, gesturing towards Emma. "About what Kendra might try to do."

Becca nodded, her gaze fixed on Emma. "Yeah, we need to talk about that," she said, her voice firm. "We need to come up with a plan."

"A plan?" Emma repeated, her eyes widening. "What kind of plan?"

"A plan to avoid… any unwanted entanglements," Becca said, her cheeks flushing slightly. "With me and Turner."

Emma's eyes widened even further. "Oh," she said, her voice barely audible. "Oh, that's… that's going to be tricky. Considering we're supposed to be together all night. And I'm sure you well know there's only one bed in there, and last time...last time that situation didn't go too well."

"Tricky is an understatement," Becca muttered, crossing her arms. "Kendra's going to have a field day with this. She's practically salivating at the thought of forcing us into some kind of… ménage à trois."

"Ménage a huh?" Emma asked.

"Threesome," Abby clarified.

"O-oh," Emma winced a bit. Although there was a significant part of her brain that didn't think that would be the worst thing ever.

"So yeah, just wanted to warn you about that..." Becca's voice trailed off. "Not entirely sure what you're gonna do with that information, but just wanted to let you know.

"Wait, this isn't another one of your ploys, is it?" Emma asked the redhead.

"Ploys?" Becca repeated.

"You're not just saying that because you're still upset at me for what happened however many days ago, right?" Emma clarified.

"No, this came out of the goodness of my heart," Becca said. "Now, don't get me wrong, you're still not off the hook for that, but this is just something new."

Emma didn't really buy that, but there wasn't really anything she could do about that, so she shrugged and turned back to the counter while Becca and Abby walked off to the bungalows.

"That was weird," she said to herself as she cracked an egg on the pan.

---

Paige leaned back in her lounge chair, the midmorning sun warming her skin. She'd sat down a while ago planning on having a relaxing beach day, and was idly flipping through a book. The gentle lapping of the waves against the shore should have been soothing, the quiet a welcome respite. But instead, a strange sense of unease settled over her.

She glanced around the courtyard, a habitual scan for any sign of Becca. Usually, at this time of day, Becca would be storming around, demanding attention, or attempting to sabotage someone's plans. There would be a flurry of annoyed exclamations, perhaps a thrown object or two, and the general air of chaos that seemed to follow Becca like a personal storm cloud.

But today, the courtyard was eerily calm. Too calm.

Paige sighed, tossing the book onto the table beside her. She'd initially relished the idea of Becca being out of the running, of not having to constantly deal with her schemes and tantrums. Yet, a strange emptiness had settled in her wake. It was like a familiar, irritating itch that had suddenly vanished, leaving behind a disconcerting void.

She'd spent so much energy reacting to Becca, anticipating her next move, that she hadn't realized how much of her own routine revolved around her. Now, without Becca's constant presence, Paige felt… unmoored.

She remembered their petty arguments, the snide remarks, the constant one-upping. It had been exhausting, yes, but it had also been… a kind of perverse entertainment. There was a certain thrill in matching wits with Becca, in outsmarting her, in watching her frustration boil over.

Now, with Becca gone, there was no one to spar with. No one to challenge her. No one to… annoy her quite so thoroughly. And that, she realized with a jolt of surprise, was strangely… disappointing.

She picked up her book again, flipping through the pages without really seeing them. She couldn't deny it: she missed the drama. She missed the constant push and pull, the unspoken rivalry that had defined their interactions. She missed the way Becca, despite her flaws, had always been a **** to be reckoned with.

"Maybe I'm losing my mind," she muttered to herself, pushing her sunglasses up her nose. "Or maybe I'm just… bored."

"Bored?" Sara repeated, suddenly appearing next to the lounge chair. "What is there possibly to be bored about?"

Paige jumped slightly, startled by Sara's sudden appearance. "God, Sara, you scared me," she said, placing a hand over her heart. "And I'm not bored, exactly. Just… restless."

Sara raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "Restless? Or missing your favorite sparring partner?"

Paige scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't be ridiculous," she said, her voice laced with denial. "I'm perfectly happy without Becca's constant… presence."

"Sure you are," Sara said, her smile widening. "That's why you're staring off into space, looking like you've lost your best friend."

Paige glared at her. "I am not staring off into space," she retorted. "I'm… contemplating the existential nature of reality."

Sara chuckled. "Right, sure you are. Come on, Paige, admit it. You miss her."

Paige hesitated, her gaze drifting towards the empty stretch of beach. "Maybe a little," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "But it's not like I'm… longing for her to be around 24/7."

"Of course not," Sara said, her voice laced with amusement. "You're just… adjusting to the sudden lack of chaos."

"Exactly," Paige said, nodding quickly. "It's… unsettling. Like a part of the show is missing."

"Well, it kind of is," Sara said, her smile fading slightly. "It's weird without her. And it's even weirder knowing what's gonna be happening up in the penthouse."

Paige's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Becca's living with Turner now," Sara said, her voice low. "And Emma's date is tonight. With Turner. And you know Kendra's going to try and stir the pot."

Paige's brow furrowed. "That does sound like a recipe for disaster," she said, her voice thoughtful. "Especially with Emma's… transformations."

"Exactly," Sara said, nodding. "And Becca and Abby are trying to warn Emma, but I don't think Emma's taking it seriously."

"Emma never takes anything seriously," Paige muttered, rolling her eyes. "She's always been… oblivious."

"Well, she's going to have to wake up soon," Sara said, her voice firm. "Because Kendra's not going to miss this opportunity. She's going to turn that date into a… a spectacle."

"A spectacle?" Paige repeated, her eyes widening. "Like… what kind of spectacle?"

"C'mon, use your brain," Sara smirked. "A threesome, I bet. Or something similar. Don't forget Emma has that second transformation of hers now, the Rose-Tinted Glasses one that makes her want a threesome. All Kendra has to do is push the right buttons, get Becca involved somehow, and bingo."

Paige's jaw dropped. "That's… that's insane," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "But wait, I know Becca all too well. Her and Turner aren't exactly the paragons of the most experimental couple. Far as I can tell, they haven't even fucked yet. What makes you think Kendra's gonna suddenly have them jump straight into a threesome?"

"Please...don't talk about Becca and Turner's sex life, that's not something I want to think about," Sara held out a hand.

"But I have a point, don't I?" Paige pressed.

"You do," Sara conceded, her brow furrowed. "But Kendra doesn't care about their personal preferences. She cares about drama. She cares about ratings. And a **** threesome with Becca, Turner, and Emma? That's ratings gold."

"She wouldn't do that," Kathryn entered neutrally. "Much as I hate Kendra, if there's one thing she values, it's consent."

"Yeah but even that's muddy sometimes," Paige piped up. "On my date with Turner, consent wasn't really...present."

"Wasn't really present?" Kathryn narrowed her eyes, causing Paige to shrink down. "What-what did you do to him?"

"T-that's not important right now!" Paige sputtered.

"It is if we're talking about Emma's date with Turner," Kathryn noted.

"We weren't!" Paige defended. "I don't even remember how we got here."

"We got here by discussing Kendra's potential manipulation of Emma's date," Sara said, her voice dry. "And Paige brought up her own… questionable date with Turner."

Kathryn's gaze remained fixed on Paige, her expression unreadable. "And you said consent was not present?" she repeated, her voice low.

Paige squirmed under Kathryn's scrutiny. "I… I might have exaggerated a little," she admitted, her cheeks flushing. "It was more like… ambiguous consent. He didn't say no, but he didn't exactly say yes either."

"Ambiguous consent is, by very nature, not consent, Paige," Sara said, her voice uncharacteristically sharp. "That's… problematic."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Paige said, throwing her hands up in the air. "I made a mistake. But that's not the point. The point is, Kendra doesn't always respect boundaries. And she's definitely not going to respect Emma's boundaries tonight."

"She will if Emma puts her foot down," Sara countered, her voice firm. "Emma is not helpless. She has agency. She can say no."

"You're more optimistic than I am," Kathryn sighed. "Especially with Emma's… tendencies."

"Tendencies?" Sara repeated, her brow furrowed. "What tendencies?"

"You know," Kathryn said, her voice laced with a hint of exasperation. "Her… enthusiasm. Her… willingness to go along with things."

"She's easily manipulated," Paige finished. "Happy?"

Sara's expression softened slightly. "I understand your concerns," she said, her voice low. "But we can't underestimate Emma. She's stronger than she appears."

"Stronger?" Paige scoffed. "Emma can barely walk in a straight line, let alone stand up to Kendra."

"She's been getting better," Sara defended. "She's been… finding her voice."

"Her voice?" Paige repeated, her voice laced with skepticism. "Or her… libido?"

"Paige!" Sara groaned. "That's not fair."

"It's not untrue," Paige countered, shrugging. "Emma's been… different lately. More confident. More… flirty."

"Maybe she's just… growing up," Kathryn suggested, her voice thoughtful. "Maybe she's realizing her own… potential."

"Or maybe she's just horny," Paige said, rolling her eyes. "Let's be real."

"Paige!" Sara repeated, her cheeks flushing.

"I'm not wrong," Paige defended.

"You...have a point," Sara conceded. "She did mention something about what she described as a 'spicy dream', likely implanted by Kendra, last time she was on a date with him. I'm sure Kendra did something to her...libido for her upcoming date night."

"Ergo, made her horny, thank you," Paige nodded matter-of-factly.

"That's… a crude way of putting it," Kathryn said, her voice flat. "But it's not inaccurate."

"So," Paige said, her voice laced with a hint of triumph. "We agree. Emma's going to be… compromised tonight. And Kendra's going to exploit that."

"We agree that it's a possibility," Sara corrected, her voice firm. "But we don't know for sure what Kendra's planning."

"We know she's going to try something," Paige countered. "She always does. And with Becca and Turner in the mix, it's going to be… messy."

"Messy is an understatement," Kathryn muttered, her gaze drifting towards the penthouse. "It's going to be a… train wreck."

"So, what do we do?" Sara asked, her voice laced with concern. "Do we try to warn Emma again? Do we try to… intervene?"

"Intervene how?" Paige asked, raising an eyebrow. "We can't exactly storm the penthouse and demand Kendra stop being Kendra."

"We could try talking to her," Sara suggested, her voice hesitant. "Try to appeal to her… better nature."

"Her better nature?" Paige scoffed. "Sara, Kendra doesn't have a better nature. She's a… a chaos demon."

"That's a bit harsh," Kathryn noted. "But not entirely inaccurate."

"So, what then?" Sara asked, her voice laced with frustration. "Do we just… watch? Do we just let it happen?"

"We observe," Kathryn said, her voice firm. "We watch, we listen, we analyze. We gather information."

"It's always analyzing with you," Sara rolled her eyes.

A brief silence fell over the three.

"Hey, new contestant probably tonight?" Sara tried to lighten the mood. "That'll give you something to do, Paige, since she'll likely be your roommate!"

"That's...true I guess," Paige raised an eyebrow. "Who says I'm gonna like her though? It probably won't be like...you two."

"You didn't exactly like Becca though," Kathryn pointed out.

"Wait wait a second, like us two?" Sara backtracked, hopeful for someone else to bring up her close relationship with Kathryn. "What do you mean like that?"

"You want me to spell it out for you?" Paige asked, a bit annoyed.

"No, it's fine," Sara blushed slightly, waving her hands dismissively. "I was just… curious."

"Curious about what?" Kathryn asked, her gaze fixed on Sara.

Sara's cheeks flushed even further. "Nothing," she mumbled, avoiding Kathryn's gaze. "Just… wondering what Paige meant."

"I meant you two are close," Paige said, her voice matter-of-factly. "Like… friends. Good friends. The kind that… understand each other. The kind that… have each other's backs."

"Oh," Sara said, her voice barely a whisper. "Oh, I see."

Kathryn remained silent, her gaze still fixed on Sara. Her expression was unreadable, but there was a hint of something… softer in her eyes.

---

Emma skipped happily on her way to the hotel, her eyes sparkling with excitement. The sun was shining, a gentle breeze was blowing, and she was finally going on her date with Turner. She'd put a lot of thought into it, wanting it to be fun, lighthearted, and… well, maybe a little romantic. And she wasn't gonna let Kendra rain on her parade.

She'd chosen a simple white shirt and her favorite pair of jeans, wanting to look casual yet cute. And she'd even managed to find a couple of kites in the shopping district.

"Turner's going to love this," she thought, a wide smile spreading across her face. "It's perfect!"

She spotted Turner approaching, his expression warm and friendly. He was wearing a light blue polo shirt and khaki shorts, looking relaxed and, if Emma said so herself, handsome.

"Hey, Emma," he said, his voice cheerful. "Ready for our date?"

"Absolutely!" Emma exclaimed, holding up the kites. "I thought we could go fly these on the beach. It's a beautiful day for it!"

Turner's eyes widened, a genuine smile spreading across his face. "That sounds amazing, Emma. I haven't flown a kite in...well, ever that I can recall."

"Then it's high time you did!" Emma giggled, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the beach.

They found a nice open spot on the sand, the waves crashing gently in the distance. Emma handed Turner a kite, and they spent the next few minutes untangling the strings and getting them ready to fly.

"Okay, so you hold it like this," Emma instructed, demonstrating with her own kite. "And then you run into the wind and let it go! Well, not the whole thing, but...you see what I did."

Turner nodded, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Got it," he said, taking a deep breath and then taking off running.

Emma laughed, watching as Turner stumbled a bit, the kite dipping and weaving. But then, it caught the wind, soaring upwards, a vibrant splash of color against the blue sky.

"Yes!" Turner shouted, his face beaming with childlike joy. "I did it!"

Emma clapped her hands, her heart filled with happiness. "See? I told you it would be fun!"

They spent the next hour flying their kites, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. The conversation flowed easily, their strong rapport from being around each other for a sizable portion of the last couple years evident.

"This is… really nice," Emma said, her voice soft, as they sat down on the sand, their kites dancing in the sky above them.

"Yeah," Turner agreed, his gaze meeting hers. "It's… it's been a while since I've had this much fun."

Emma's cheeks flushed slightly. "Me too," she admitted. "It's… it's been nice just being ourselves. Without all the… drama."

"Yeah," Turner said, his smile fading slightly. "The drama."

He glanced towards the hotel, a hint of worry crossing his face.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Nothing," Turner said quickly, his smile returning. "Just… thinking about things."

"Like Becca?" Emma asked, her voice soft.

Turner hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. I just… I hope she's okay."

"She'll be fine," Emma reassured him, placing a hand on his arm. "She's strong, she doesn't need constant observation. And she has Abby if she really needs someone."

"Yeah," Turner said, his voice laced with relief. "You're right. She has Abby."

He looked back at Emma, his eyes sparkling. "So," he said, his voice cheerful, "are you ready for some more kite flying?"

"Absolutely!" Emma exclaimed, her smile widening.

They stood up, grabbed their kites, and ran back into the wind, their laughter echoing across the beach.

As they flew their kites, the sky started to darken. At first, it was just a few clouds on the horizon, but they quickly grew, spreading across the sky like ink. The wind picked up, whipping the kites around erratically.

"Looks like we're in for a storm," Turner said, his voice laced with concern.

"A storm?" Emma repeated, her eyes widening. "But it was so nice just a few minutes ago."

"It's probably Kendra's doing," Turner said, glancing around and grimacing. "We should probably head back to the hotel."

"But… but we're so far away," Emma said, her voice laced with disappointment. "And we were having so much fun."

"I know," Turner said, his voice gentle. "But we don't want to get caught in a downpour. Come on."

They quickly reeled in their kites, the wind starting to howl around them. As they started to run towards the hotel, the first drops of rain fell, cold and heavy.

"Oh no," Emma said, her voice trembling. "It's starting."

The rain came down in sheets, soaking them to the bone in seconds. The wind whipped the sand around them, stinging their faces.

"This is crazy!" Emma shouted over the wind. "How did this happen so fast?"

"I don't know," Turner shouted back, grabbing her hand and pulling her along. "But we need to get out of here!"

They ran as fast as they could, the rain starting to blind them, the wind pushing against them. The beach and boardwalk were deserted, the other contestants having already sought shelter.

"I can't see!" Emma cried, stumbling.

"Just keep going!" Turner shouted, his voice strained. "We're almost there!"

But the hotel seemed to be getting farther away, the storm intensifying with each passing second. The rain was coming down so hard it felt like needles on their skin.

Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder boomed overhead, and the sky lit up with a flash of lightning. Emma screamed, jumping back in a mix of fear and surprise.

"It's okay!" Turner shouted, pulling her forward.

They finally reached the hotel, soaked and shivering, their hair plastered to their faces. They stumbled through the lobby, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind them.

"That was… intense," Emma gasped, her teeth chattering.

"Yeah," Turner agreed, his voice laced with relief. "I'm glad we made it back."

They stood there for a moment, catching their breath, the rain still pounding against the windows. Emma looked down at her white shirt, now completely soaked and slightly see-through.

"Oh no," she said, her voice laced with dismay. "My shirt!"

Turner looked at her, his eyes widening slightly. "Oh," he said, his cheeks flushing. "Yeah."

Showed Turner Her Breasts: +3 VP!

"I don't reckon you brought a change of clothes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to not let his eyes keep wandering down.

"N-no," she admitted, her teeth chattering as she tried to shield her exposed upper half.

"And I doubt Kendra would let you get one...fuck," Turner sighed deeply into the nearby wall.

"Let's just...get up into the penthouse?" Emma suggested, walking towards the elevator.

"Probably a good idea," Turner conceded.

They stepped into the elevator, the doors sliding shut behind them. Emma shivered, her wet clothes clinging to her skin. She pressed the button for the penthouse, and the elevator began to ascend.

A tense silence filled the small space, broken only by the hum of the elevator and the pounding rain outside. Emma kept her gaze fixed on the floor, her cheeks flushed, trying to ignore the awkwardness of the situation.

Suddenly, the elevator lurched to a halt, the lights flickering and then going out. Emma gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

"What was that?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I don't know," Turner said, his voice low. "But I don't like it."

He pressed the emergency button, but nothing happened. He tried the penthouse button again, but the elevator remained still.

"We're stuck," he said, his voice laced with frustration.

"Stuck?" Emma repeated, her eyes widening. "But… but how?"

"Probably Kendra," Turner muttered, kicking the wall of the elevator. "She's probably trying to… to mess with us."

"But why?" Emma asked, her voice laced with fear. "What does she want?"

"I don't know," Turner said, his voice grim. "But I'm sure it's not good."

The elevator was plunged into darkness, the only light coming from the faint glow of the emergency panel. Emma shivered, pulling her arms around herself, trying to stay warm.

"It's cold," she said, her teeth chattering.

"Yeah," Turner agreed, his voice low. "And it's only going to get colder."

He stepped closer to Emma, his body radiating a faint warmth.

"Here," he said, taking off his polo shirt and holding it out to her. "Take this."

"But… but you'll be cold," Emma protested, her cheeks flushing.

"I'll be fine, I have an undershirt on," Turner said, his voice firm. "Just take it."

Emma hesitated, then took the shirt, pulling it on over her wet clothes. It was warm and smelled faintly of him.

"Thanks," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"No problem," Turner said, his gaze meeting hers.

They stood there for a moment, the silence broken only by the sound of their breathing. The air was thick with tension, the awkwardness of the situation amplified by the darkness and the close proximity. Turner moved closer to Emma, bringing his arms around her to keep her warm.

Hugged Turner: +0 VP (But aw, so thoughtful of him!)