To The Hotel - Day 0 (Part Three)

With a name like the ‘Master’s Suite’, one might imagine a room filled with lavish luxuries beyond human comprehension. Perhaps one might think of walls of pure marble, each one etched with exquisite design, the finest of diamonds embedded into carved out holdings, along with various jewels and other sorts of noble metals. Maybe instead of that, you would imagine extravagant statues depicting gods, heroes, and deviants alike, each one depicting their latest conquests. Or even still, one might imagine something a bit more ‘realistic’, yet still obviously seen as a luxury few can afford. Rooms decorated for kings and rulers, featuring water fixtures in every room and a breathtaking view of the world around you, no matter where it is you are in the suite itself.

Instead? What Christian finds himself surrounded with not only defies his own expectations, but actually falls short of them, in a surprising fashion. Despite this sense of underwhelm however, there isn’t an accompanying sense of disappointment at the decor that embraces him, but rather one of appreciation of just how approachable the suite truly is.

In a stark contrast to the gaudiness that he thought would await him, the Master’s Suite appears far more subdued in nature. Rather than the aforementioned walls one might have imagined earlier, most of the suite is instead painted with a color best described as somewhere in-between maroon and burgundy, with the only semblance of gold being the swirling designs that lace all four sides. Of course, the reason it is only ‘most of’ the suite being this way is due to a couple of notable outliers. The first of which being the Master’s bedroom, whose walls sport a much more commanding royal blue that leads all the way to the ceiling before disappearing entirely. In its place, the ceiling appears to have a golden decal painted onto the otherwise white coloration - one that Christian has yet to see for himself. This is due to his focus instead being placed upon the other outlier of note within the suite: The room which he’s currently standing in front of. The room which currently looms behind a single door carved out of cherry oak, with a gilded engraving that simply reads “The Master’s Office” staring back at the Master himself.

Stepping through the doorway, one would think they stepped foot directly into a television set - and in a way? They would be right. The office has been decorated nearly the exact same as a televised promotion would furnish the office of its ongoing authority figure. A trio of off-white walls clash with the various furnishings of the room, with the fourth wall instead being made of pure glass. A single sliding door of the same material leads out onto a rather extensive walkout balcony, giving an impressive view of the remainder of The Palace. Inside of the room, the furnishings are what truly end up catching Christian’s eyes. Across from the doorway rests a sleek black leather couch, the size of it enough to hold at least three, if not four people rather comfortably. Opposing it, three different plaques - each one similar to those found above the headboard in each of the contestants’ bedrooms - rest directly next to each other. Like brothers-in-arms, they each link to one another, sharing one singular message, one word at a time.

“Controversy. Creates. Cash.”

To match that message, three different picture frames rest hanging above the trio of plaques. Yet not a single one of them is filled with any photos. Instead, they remain perfectly empty, as if waiting for the right moment to transpire, in order for them to be properly filled.

Finally, on the side of the room opposite of the balcony view, a lone desk chair sits in what is undoubtedly its rightful place - resting on a black chair mat, surrounded on either side by artificial greenery, and seated behind what is undoubtedly the real centerpiece of The Master’s Office. Crafted out of solid mahogany and adorned with an intrinsic carving pattern along the edges, the massive desk alone must cost far more than Christian would ever be able to afford in his lifetime, let alone what he would be willing to spend. And that’s not counting the computer monitor, headset, and keyboard/mouse combo sitting on top of it, further adding onto the room’s already astronomical value…

“Impressive, isn’t it, Master?”

Jumping in fright, Christian turns around to find the source of the voice, only to find himself face-to-face with someone who… Quite frankly? Christian has no idea how to even begin to describe.

“Is something wrong, Master?” The voice asks again, the source of it tilting its head as Christian gawks and stares.

“Ah… I-I…” Christian stutters, finding himself speechless as the source of the voice moves in even closer.

Dressed in as basic of a suit-and-tie combo as one can imagine, along with a skirt that ends halfway down its thighs, stands a girl about a head shorter than the Master. Her smile - one which by most metrics could be considered rather dazzling for a human - beams up at him. Her expression is otherwise utterly jubilant, her eyes wide with wonder and the rest of her face exuding devotion. But it is this display that the differences between her and humanity are made well apparent, as Christian struggles with the concept of her very existence.

Rather than being composed of flesh with a proper set of eyes, nose, and mouth, the being’s face instead resembles that of a computer screen. A bright aqua hue radiates off her expression, the seamless display of emotion from an otherwise robotic entity only further serving to leave Christian feeling off put. Not helping matters is the flesh-colored chrome that composes the remainder of her exposed ‘skin’, its coloration the same as one would find if they applied chromium powder onto their entire body. From where normally a person’s hair would be found, a tangled mess of artificial cherry-colored locks run down the opposite side, flowing all the way down to the middle of her back before stopping abruptly. Each lock ends symmetrically with one another, which serves to further heighten the artificial nature of her ‘hair’, and brings a deepened sense of uncanny straight to the forefront of Christian’s conflicted mind.

Finding himself speechless, Christian remains locked in place. Staring back at the artificial face before him, she lets out a giggle at the Master’s expression.

“Oh, right. My apologies, Master.” The ‘girl’ curtsies before him. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am one of the members of Serenity's Team of Artificially Formed Familiars, here to ensure that you and all the members of your harem and/or roster have as comfortable a stay here as physically, mentally, and emotionally possible. My fellow S.T.A.F.F. members and I will serve you as your loyal, obedient, and devoted assistants, playing every role that you and your harem require. Be it a backstage interviewer, an on-site medical team, a referee for matches, or any other utility that you or the members of your harem may or may not desire here at The Palace at Harem Hotel.”

Following her introduction, the artificial girl remains curtsying, giving Christian ample time to process what is going on around him.

“W-What… The fuck?” Christian asks.

The artificial girl shakes her head mid-curtsy. “Apologies, Master, but Ms. Titanne has encoded me with a law which states I am not allowed to perform any sexual actions on either the host, the Master, or his harem. I am however allowed to request that a member or a potential member of your harem be sent up to your room on demand, so as to help keep you satisfied here at The Palace. Would you like for me to request the presence of one of your possible harem members, Master?”

Snapping back to his senses, Christian immediately shakes his head negatively. “N-No! No, no, it’s… It’s okay. You… You don’t have to do that. I’m just…” Christian trails off, letting the feeling of disbelief really settle into his brain. “You… You’re real. You’re a real android.”

Ignoring Christian’s sense of unreality, the artificial girl shakes her head once more. “Ms. Titanne would prefer the term ‘artificial human’ be used when describing me and my fellow S.T.A.F.F. members. However, if that is the terminology you wish to describe me and my colleagues with, I will send that information off directly to Ms. Titanne so that she may do with it as she sees fit.”

“O-Oh, alright…” Christian looks away, still visibly shaken from the artificial girl’s very existence. “Do you… Have a name?” He asks.

The artificial girl remains curtsied, still unmoving from her position. “I am a member of Serenity’s Team of Artificially Formed Familiars.” The artificial girl repeats without hesitation. “As such, I have yet to be assigned a name, either by you or by Ms. Titanne herself.” A moment passes, before she speaks once again. “Do you wish to allow me to stand up now, Master? Or would you prefer me to remain bowing in your presence while conversing with you?” She asks, her tone without even the slightest hint of either sarcasm or irony to be found.

“Oh! Uh, right! You can stand up. That’s fine.” Christian responds, the artificial girl responding to his ‘command’ instantaneously. “You… You don’t need to bow before me, or whatever.” Christian elaborates, scratching the back of his neck. “Although, I’m going to presume that Serenity told you to do that whenever you first greeted me.”

“No.” She responds, surprising Christian with its swiftness. “It was entirely my decision to come here and introduce myself to you, as well as to bow before you as part of my initial introduction.” She explains. “Ms. Titanne is currently busy continuing her ‘research’ for the sake of this ongoing season, so she left me to come check on you, as well as to be sure you were acclimating to The Palace at a reasonable enough speed.”

“Ah… I guess that makes sense.” Christian nods. “But then, why did you-”

Before Christian can finish that thought, the artificial girl interrupts him. “Because you are the Master, and deserve absolute respect and the utmost appreciation.” She states, leaving little room for argument from the aforementioned Master. “Given your role in this ongoing season, there is no other treatment you deserve than the best, be it from your harem, myself, or even Ms. Titanne.” Being taken aback by her words, Christian blinks in bewilderment. “You are the top talent here on Harem Hotel. Therefore, you deserve to be treated as such.”

Falling silent from her beaming praise, Christian looks away from her. In his struggle not to blush, Christian’s eyes remain averted from her, leading to an awkward silence that is eventually broken by her artificial smile fading.

“My apologies, Master. I believe I have made you uncomfortable by praising you so brazenly. Allow me to atone for this by taking my leave.”

Before she is able to exit the office, Christian places a hand on her shoulder, only slightly cringing from the all too sleek feel of her metallic frame.

“No, it’s… It’s alright. Just…” Christian trails off, breaking eye contact. “You wanted to check up on me, right? To make sure I was uh, adjusting well to this place, or something?”

The android turns around, nodding her head. “Affirmative. I came here to make sure you are acclimating well enough to be ready for tomorrow. Both in terms of your upcoming date with Willow, and also in terms of the overall start to your 160-day stay here at The Palace at Harem Hotel.”

Christian nods his head, inhaling as he thinks about his answer. A moment passes. Then another. He exhales, and turns his focus toward the glass wall of the office.

“I would be lying if I said I was handling it well.” Christian admits, keeping his eyes trained on the view. “Being whisked away for the sake of some reality TV show where the objective is to get me to…” Christian pauses, “Have relations with various women that either used to be or are currently part of my life is… Certainly something that I never thought would happen.”

“So you are experiencing hesitancy towards the expectation that you are to have sex with the women that Ms. Titanne recruited to fill out the ranks of your own private harem?” She questions.

Christian winces, visibly feeling the bluntness of her statement. “Well, I… wouldn’t consider that my main problem, per se…” He says, turning back to face her once again.

“But you still consider it to be a dilemma nonetheless.”

Christian nods. As he does so, he notices how she continues to stare at him, even while he isn’t talking. While a part of him is undoubtedly weirded out by this, he is unable to comment on the matter, as she goes to address the aforementioned dilemma he is facing.

“While you may not believe this at first, Master, you should really be thanking Ms. Titanne for selecting the women that she did to be a part of your roster.” She states.

Christian face scrunches, a look of turmoil beginning to brew on his visage. “Thanking her? Why should I be thanking her?” Christian asks, clearly not buying into what is being said to him.

“Most other hosts would have made it much harder on the Master’s psyche by forcing them to bed those within their prospective harems” The slight pause taken by her is just barely not enough time for Christian to formulate a response, as she continues on, her train of thought unbroken. “For example, if you were to have been selected by another host to be the Master of their season, roughly 60-75% of them would have gone after your family, seeing the incestual implications as an easy ploy for higher ratings.” The bluntness of her words sends Christian’s expression crashing into shock. “Judging off the information provided to me by Ms. Titanne during the initial crafting of the season, the most obvious choices would be your two maternal figures in life - both your biological one who exited your life while you were still a child, and the woman that your father only recently married, just a couple of months after you moved to your apartment.” As the android’s words sink into Christian’s stomach, he fights the urge to vomit, swallowing the rising bile down as she continues with her explanation. “In addition, while the two of them were immediately seen as non-options by Ms. Titanne herself, given a few obvious factors, a more malicious host might have taken your twin step-sisters as starting options as well. Of course, that is provided that they would have to receive an automatic progression of their biological age until the both of them were at a minimum of eighteen years of age, if not old enough to match your age perfectly.” Christian’s entire body shudders with the cold, clinical nature of her speech, yet she continues speaking without a single sign of remorse for her reasoning. “Naturally, the lack of true biological relations between you and your step-family would make for some rather interesting content, easily enough to spike the ratings whenever you first managed to seduce one of them into-”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Christian cuts her off, as he roars out with an overwhelming sense of rage.

Without even flinching, the android stops speaking. An awkward silence brews as Christian fails to suppress his own outrage. The knowledge that he somehow managed to dodge those three familial bullets do nothing but to make him even more indignant at the S.T.A.F.F. member’s callousness.

“Why…?” Christian seethes. “Why are you trying to defend her like this?” He asks, raising his tone to a level beyond his normal speaking voice. “Why are you trying to make her seem better than any other host out there, huh?” His eyes meet hers, neither one of them blinking. “How do I know she won’t just bring them all onto this show anyways, huh?!” He barks out, only for the android to remain unflinching.

“That answer is simple, Master: You don’t.”

The same clinical speaking pattern carves directly through Christian’s fury. Before he can respond, she cuts him off once more.

“You don’t know what Ms. Titanne is capable of. Seeing as she’s the host and you are but the season’s Master, the amount of power you possess here would barely even scratch the surface of the unfathomable depths she possesses at any given time. If you were to attempt to completely turn against both her and the show itself, the inevitable result would see you being **** into complete cooperation, lest you risk either facing your own set of mind-warping transformations, or putting the contestants at **** risk of losing themselves completely, seeing as how they are in some ways seen as your responsibility, given your position as Master of the harem.”

For a few seconds, Christian remains silent. The conversation between him and Serenity from before the contestants were even introduced flashes through his mind, intermingled with the sight of Linda being stopped in her tracks mid-swing by the host’s power. The two scenes play out like an archaic form of a superhero’s danger sense, as if both reminding him and warning of just what might happen if he doesn’t decide to play along.

“B-But… Serenity said that she wouldn’t use ****.” Christian adds weakly, only for the android to shake her head dismissively.

“Do not ever believe a word that Ms. Titanne says to you, Master.” She says with the same serious, robotic tone. “If the ratings for this season are to be put on the line, she will cross any line between her and making sure the season succeeds. That is the true nature of hosts here on Harem Hotel.”

Another moment of silence follows, this one less awkward and more a mixture of despair and resentment.

“So… What? I’m supposed to sit here and… And just let her drag all of these people through endless amounts of pain and mental anguish?” Christian asks, still simmering with unbridled fury.

The android shakes her head. “No.”

“No? Then what am I supposed to do?” Christian asks.

Turning back towards Christian, the same smiling expression as before forms onto her screen. For a brief instant, Christian swears he can see a dash of something neon highlighting her normally aqua-colored features. Before he can call it out however, she’s already back to her usual coloration.

“Simple, Master. You enjoy it.”

In that exact instance, both confusion and irritation flash on the Master’s expression, wrestling for control over his mind at the S.T.A.F.F. member’s reasoning. With neither one able to win out in the end, Christian’s face is left in an awkward mixture of the two, before he finally snaps back to his senses properly.

“...What?” Christian asks, befuddled.

“Enjoy it, Master.” She repeats. “Do whatever you can to block out Ms. Titanne’s pursuit for ever-increasing ratings and simply bask in your current position here.” Her artificial smile widens - at least, as much as the screen allows it to. “After all, it is not as though your position does not have its own share of benefits.”

“Benefits?” Christian’s anger fades as the word slips from his tongue, his gaze flickering to the office space around him.

“Yes. Benefits.” She reiterates. “I am sure that you are sufficiently intelligent enough to figure those out for yourself, Master.” For a split second, a smug grin appears on her face, blinking away just as swiftly as it appears. “But remember - you are the Master here, not Ms. Titanne. Whatever you say goes, so long as you do not try to ‘cross the boss’, so to speak. As long as you avoid doing that, then all will work out in your favor.” The android pauses, turning away to start making her exit from the office.

“W-Wait, hold on-”

Christian’s attempt at continuing the conversation is cut off. “So please Master, do yourself a favor, before fortune itself begins favoring you completely: Relax. Enjoy your time here. Let those of us at The Palace tend to your needs.” The android pauses in the doorway, turning her head to face Christian. “And please, Master, stop pretending. For everyone’s sake, not just your own.”

With that, the office door closes, leaving Christian alone with his thoughts once more. Silently stalking towards the sliding door to the balcony, Christian steps out onto the viewpoint, and takes in his surroundings, breathing in deeply as the breeze rustles through his chestnut brown hair. As the sun finally begins its descent for the evening, Christian takes in all of the lights and the sounds of the extravagant landscape which envelops him once more, before turning around and heading back into the office once more…