Week 1: Turbulent Thursday (The Date)

Brianna was glad that this place had a spa that did her hair and nails for her in preparation for the date she had tonight. She also had to admit that it was very relaxing even when they worked on her temporary bunny ears. It was a weird feeling to have another set of ears on top of her head, but it wasn’t bad. She didn’t want to keep them though. She was glad that it wasn’t permanent like Crystal’s transformation. There wasn’t much conversation as the other androids diligently worked to give her the best treatment possible. Sapphire wasn’t among them, so she wondered what she was doing at the time as she was pampered by the other androids.

She could’ve used her power to speed up the process, but it felt more comfortable to relax and let the maids do their work. After her time in the spa, she was practically sparkling as the slight scent of roses clung to her skin. Brianna didn’t waste any time getting back to her room to finish preparing for her date. She picked out a nice black dress and a pair of fancy black shoes to go along with it.

The time passed by quickly and before she knew it, she was in the elevator going up to meet Max. The doors opened to reveal Max’s luxurious suite to her. Max was sitting at the table reading a manga called, ‘Brynhildr in the Darkness’. He put the book down and smiled at her as he welcomed her inside. Max had also cleaned up for the date and was currently wearing a blue long-sleeved dress shirt with some black slacks.

Max turned to her and said, “Hey Brianna, you look beautiful tonight, and the bunny ears were a nice touch.”

Brianna blushed, “Thanks, but the bunny ears were a result of a trap and not a conscious decision.”

“I’m glad that I’ve finally gotten a date with you. I’ve been looking forward to it for a while now.”

Brianna smiled, “Oh, did you not like your other dates?”

“Some were more enjoyable than others, but I wouldn’t want to spoil the mood talking about other women when a beautiful one is standing in front of me,” responded Max with a smile on his face.

“I’ve been looking forward to our date too. It's nice to have you all to myself for a night.”

“Speaking of our night together, what do you want to do for dinner? We could order the maids to bring up something or I could make something for us to eat?”

Brianna smiled, “Nothing’s better than a home-cooked meal. However, if you’re fine with cooking, then let me help too. I’m not an expert chef or anything but I can help you out at least.”

“Of course, though I’ve never actually cooked with someone else before, I’m more than happy to try,” replied Max as the two of them made their way to the kitchen.

“We should figure out what we're going to make and assign responsibilities based on that. What do you want to have for dinner?”

“I was thinking of having something chicken-related for dinner. What do you think?”

“We could have fried chicken if you’re up for it.”

“Yeah, that’s fine with me. I haven’t had any fried chicken in a while. Do you want to make the fried chicken or the sides?”

“I’ll make the fried chicken. I’m pretty good at it though I like my fried chicken spicy. Do you have any problems with that?”

Max smiled, “None at all. I look forward to seeing how it all turns out. Do you have any preferences on what you want the sides to be?”

Brianna shook her head, “No, surprise me.”

Max had decided that he was going to make mashed potatoes and stream beans. He grabbed some potatoes out of the cabinet as Brianna grabbed a bag full of chicken wings. He started cutting up the potatoes and preparing dinner as he continued to talk with Brianna.

“Hey Brianna, what made you so interested in being a mechanic in the first place?”

“My uncle used to be a mechanic before he retired. When my brother and I stayed at his place, we taught the both of us all about cars and what made them tick. My brother wasn’t interested in it in the slightest, but I loved hearing about the various facts about cars and how to fix them. It inspired me to learn more on my own, so when I was in high school, I eagerly signed up for all the engineering classes. Thankfully, I managed to put my skills to good use when I was hired by Sarah.”

“I did hear you managed to impress our boss with the skills you had when you signed up.”

Brianna smiled as she seasoned the chicken, “I’m glad that I did. After working all this time, I can’t even imagine what I would’ve been missing out on if I didn’t get hired.”

“I’m positive you would’ve found another company to hire you. It just would’ve meant that we wouldn’t have met each other.”

“That’s why I’m glad that we don’t live in such a reality. However, you never explained what you wanted to do. I have a feeling that it's not selling cars.”

Max laughed, “No, it's not. I want to create a popular video game that's known throughout the world. I’ve been studying and working on it in my spare time for the past couple of years.”

“Wow, what kind of game are you trying to make?”

Max smiled, “I’m making a JRPG. Most of the framework and coding for it is already done, but there are game mechanics that need to be improved. That’s not even mentioning any bugs in the coding as well. Nicole has actually been a great help in that regard. Any problems that I had with coding were fixed with her guidance.”

“That’s impressive, if you don’t mind, I’d love to be a beta tester for your game.”

“I’d love that. Maybe you could even voice one of the characters if you’re up for it.”

“Are you sure? I don’t have any experience with that sort of thing.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. You have a beautiful voice, Brianna. I doubt anyone’s going to complain.”

Brianna blushed as she continued preparing dinner, “If you say so.”

“I know so,” responded Max with a smile.

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence as they finished preparing dinner. Time quickly passed as they both were content with just being in the other’s company until they were both sitting at the table eating dinner. Eventually, they started talking about various things in their lives and around the resort.

“Has Lisa been a good partner for you?”

“Yeah, she’s been great. I’m glad that she approached me with the offer to be friends. However, I’m a bit worried about her.”

“Really? Is it anything serious?”

Brianna shook her head, “No, it could be a simple difference of opinion, but Lisa is very **** to help any of the other contestants. If she can get an advantage over the others, then she’ll take it without a second thought. I know someone must be first to get the wish but we're also supposed to be working with everyone to get the necessary points to win.”

Max frowned, “Lisa’s **** to win the wish, so it makes sense that she’d be **** to let anyone have a lead on her.”

Brianna questioned, “I have a lead on her though so why doesn’t she see me as a threat to her.”

“You are partners and friends. Maybe she simply cares more about your relationship than the prize. It could also be that she thinks that she could convince you to give up your wish for her if you managed to win.”

Brianna sighed, “That’s fair. Do you have anything you want to talk about?”

“Yes, I met up with Sapphire today and found out that you’ve named her.”

Brianna beamed, “Yeah, I did. They honestly deserve better names than Android followed by a random number.”

“Interestingly enough, it wasn’t Ann who named them but her boss. Their appearance was also decided by them too.”

“They certainly didn’t have any imagination in regard to their names or appearance if they copied most of Ann’s features.”

“That’s what bothers me about it. I have a feeling that they did it on purpose, but I can’t figure out why.”

“Do you think it's to a message to her?”

“To mock her?”

“Maybe to show that she’s replaceable,” Brianna winced as she said it.

“It’s possible. I haven’t heard her talk about how she got the job itself. It could be that being the host of this show has many benefits that wouldn’t normally be possible and that anyone would jump at the chance to take her place. Ann is doing her best to make it a success but that doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s **** to keep her job. She doesn’t seem to have the best relationship with her boss either, so maybe it's simply another way to get back at her for something.”

“Or worse is because they know they can get away with it.”

“If they have more power than Ann, then I wonder what exactly they can’t do.”

“I think we should move on. There’s no point in speculating about their motive when we have nothing to go off though maybe you should ask her about it herself.”

“I’ll try. Ann likes to appear at random times to talk to me. The next time she pops up, I’ll ask but I don’t know how much information I’ll get. Ann isn’t the most forthcoming when it comes to information. Have you had any conversations with her?”

Brianna shook her head, “One on one, no. I’ve been calling Sapphire if I needed any information about the resort, so I did not need to. I also doubt the others are keen to talk to her since she is the one who chose all of us to be here.”

Max went on to explain how he started cooking because his dad was always away on business trips and the many recipes he’s mastered over the years. Brianna talked about the fishing trips she used to go on with her grandpa in the summer when she was younger. Eventually, the two of them had enough talking for the night and prepared for bed.

Max changed into some comfortable black pajamas and the two of them went to bed. Max had assumed that Brianna would stay on the other half of the bed but was surprised when she felt her arms wrap around him gently and lovingly as she hugged him from behind.

Cuddling the master with clothes on: 5 VP

Brianna whispered, “Goodnight, Max.”

Max relaxed further as he responded, “Goodnight, Brianna.”

Overall Placements

1. Serena Wixx

VP: 43

BP: 1,959

2. Brianna West

VP: 28

BP: 904

3. Crystal Waters

VP: 9

BP: 569

4. Nicole Adams

VP: 0

BP: 959

5. Kimberly Smith

VP: 0

BP: 948

6. Lisa Hall

VP: 0

BP: 120

7. Jessica White

VP: 0

BP: 18

8. Gina Roberts

VP: -5

BP: 568

Brianna