Reaching the abandoned hotel involved another one-and-a-half-hour bus ride from Jiran Station. The roads, for the first half hour, were well paved but afterwards, the roads got progressively worse. Narrower and spotted with potholes, the bus’s travel speed slowed to half of what it had been by the time they reached the sleepy town of Lockweed. The hotel was on the outskirts, roughly a couple of longstrides along the road that led into the town.
The bus ride had been sleepy as whatever social interactions Joe wanted from the cast had been satisfied. Instead, he and the video/audio editor had been going over the footage on a dinky laptop, muttering to each other. The next stage of the plan was for the six of them, and half the number of camera persons, to set up a campsite a couple of fields down the hotel. The show’s staff had already been to the abandoned compound, making sure that it was still structurally sound. Not that Yuriko thought the place would be a crumbly ruin: it had only been abandoned for a couple of decades, and according to Joe, it had been built to last.
Lockweed consisted of a single main road and a secondary road that intersected near the town square. A church of the Trinity was prominently next to the town hall, looked far more ornate, and definitely the social centre of the town. There was a plethora of stores and businesses around the square and along both highways, until the town just petered out. A couple of small inns doubled as pubs, and the majority of the residents were either farmers with their own steads or folks who provided a vital service to the town. The school was built behind the church and couldn’t have held more than a hundred students across year levels. It honestly reminded Yuriko of Faron’s Crossing, so much so that she felt herself tear up a bit. Both of her bodies.
Her true body was in meditation so nobody noticed, though her lovers did come up to her and cuddled. As for her incarnation body, she simply closed her eyes and looked away, surreptitiously wiping her tears.
It was around four in the afternoon by the time they settled down in the campsite, which was a barren field with a stream across the centre. There were a couple of raised stone grills for cooking, and several portable toilets set up near the road. There were no places to take a bath though, and when she brought it up earlier, Joe told them that they could head over town and bathe in one of the inns, he’d already arranged for it. A half-hour walk on dusty roads after a bath wasn’t the best idea, though she could probably hitch a ride in one of the show’s mechanised carts.
“The first challenge is…” Joe said while hyping up the tension when they gathered in front of the stone grills “... to make dinner for yourselves.” He ended with a grin. Yuriko rolled her eyes, wondering why that was considered a challenge. A quick check at the others had her blink in confusion.
The boys were glancing at each other warily, while the two girls looked mildly worried. “Are we hunting, foraging, or buying ingredients?” Yuriko asked.
“Buying,” Joe replied, “and you’ll do it in pairs.” He whipped out a bunch of popsicle sticks, holding them so that half of each stick was concealed. “Pick one.” He offered the bunch to the group. Yuriko chose one at random and flipped it over to check the marking.
“1”.
“Ah.” Alexis jerked as he showed his stick, which had the same number as hers. Perhaps ironically, Michael and Zachary got “2”, and Haley and Christine got “3”.
“As for your budget,” Joe grinned, “you’ll have twenty-five Torries to buy ingredients to make a satisfying meal for two. Enough to fortify you for tonight’s adventures.”
“Tonight? What are you planning, director?” Haley asked curiously.
“You’ll find out after dinner.” Joe chuckled. “Well, I suggest you six get going soon. Your shadows will record everything; try not to act too deliberately for the camera.”
Alexis took the proffered envelope containing the twenty-five Torries. He handed it to Yuriko, and she felt a bit of a zap as his fingers brushed against hers. Both of them jerked at the sudden sensation, and he shrugged apologetically. It wasn’t unpleasant, just surprising, though she wondered how he built up a static charge when there was no carpet to run his shoes against. Perhaps the sandy ground?
The envelope contained twenty-five one-Torrie bills, and she hung on to them as they began strolling towards the town. Half an hour’s stroll that would have taken a third of the time if they brisk-walked, but the leisurely stroll was requested of them—and that they chat instead of staying silent, something that troubled the young doctor more than her.
“How are your studies?” Yuriko ventured to ask.
“I’m done with them,” Alexis said. “I’m on my residency.” He looked a bit annoyed at correcting her mistake.
“Oh, I apologise, I don’t know the educational process of the medical profession,” Yuriko said with a warm smile, which caused the young man to redden slightly and cough awkwardly.
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“No problem. A residency is practical training rather than book learning,” he explained. “Unlike the years I spent in NPMU, my residency cannot be fast tracked,” he grumbled, “which means I’ll be in my late twenties before I can truly begin my career.”
“I hope you’re getting paid? Half a decade more of training…” Yuriko said.
“A pittance compared to what mature doctors make,” Alexis said offhandedly. His face and hands grew more expressive as Yuriko drew him out of his shell. “But I’ve a backer who takes care of my financial needs, and being so young, I did study with a full scholarship.” He paused and gazed at her, turning a bit shy again. “My mom pushed me to look for more than work or study relationships, and a mutual acquaintance pushed me here. I wasn’t so sure but I think I don’t regret it.” He added under his breath, “Anymore.”
“Hmm, that’s nice.” Yuriko nodded.
“What about you, Lily?”
Yuriko hummed at the familiar address. She hadn’t told anyone to call her that way, but she supposed she didn’t really mind. “What about me?”
“Why join Luvblooms at all? I’m sure you don’t have a dearth of suitors.”
Yuriko chuckled. “I guess not. My agency recommended I join, so I did. I’m still a rookie actress…I’m not really good at it, to be honest, but they keep pushing these jobs on me.”
“You’re wonderful in them!” Alexis blurted out. His elbow brushed against her side and sent even more pleasant tingles across her skin. Since it was the midst of the hot Season, Yuriko had only worn a crop top and a short, pleated skirt. She wore ankle socks and sneakers and kept her hair in a ponytail. The other girls were attired in a similar manner, while the men wore shorts and t-shirts. Well, Alexis insisted on wearing jeans and a collared shirt. He was also just a little bit taller than she was, even if he was quite lanky.
“Thank you.” Yuriko smiled as she felt the burgeoning connection between the two of them. She had not checked on the thread just yet, considering they’d only met earlier today. Perhaps she should have been surprised by how quickly the connection had been established, but this was not the first time it happened. She only kept the thread away from her dreamscape body since she did that reflexively anyway.
Their conversation lapsed into silence while they strolled the rest of the way into Lockweed. The other two couples followed behind them since they spent a few more minutes conversing. Every now and then, Alexis’s elbow, or sometimes his hand, brushed against hers, and while the tingles were pleasant, they were somewhat distracting. Yuriko adjusted her Anima to repel the electric touch, and she noticed him flinch the first time it happened. Either there was unpleasant feedback or he’d been deliberately doing it. Hmmm, curious.
“Do you know how to cook?” Yuriko asked.
“Er, not anything more complex than boiling an egg,” he admitted. “And even then, I sometimes get hardboiled when I want soft.”
“Isn’t it only a matter of timing?”
“Exactly.”
“Ah. Well, I guess I’ll be the lead chef then. Twenty-five Torries should be enough for us. Any preferences?”
“How about a steak?” Alexis ventured, “I know a good recipe for a rub or maybe a marinade, and a good cut would only cost us ten Torries…”
“We’ll see what's available, then,” Yuriko agreed. “And let’s grab some veggies and condiments.”
“Of course, but why ruin a good steak with vegetables?”
A raised eyebrow later and Alexis giggled. Yuriko rolled her eyes as they approached the town. The grocer was in the main square and another five-minute walk. Every now and then, his elbow or hand brushed against hers, and he flinched every time from the feedback. The idea that he was an Altered with control over electricity wasn’t farfetched, considering Johann of the Conclave of Technocracy had a similar power,
After they reached the grocer, they managed to buy four IJin of beef, cut suitably to grill, for fifteen Torries, and she spent the rest buying butter, garlic cloves, a bit of salt and pepper, potatoes, carrots, and asparagus. The portions should be enough for the two of them, though thankfully, her increased appetite had eased up once she was back to her original height.
They returned to the campsite by half past five, and both of them began prepping dinner without a word. Yuriko washed, peeled, then diced the potatoes and other vegetables, then prepared them to roast, adding a bit of butter, salt and pepper to the preps. Alexis rubbed salt and pepper over the steaks, then added a dollop of butter before setting them on the grill. Yuriko took over the actual cooking and asked him to set the table. Her senses allowed her to cook the meat to a perfect medium and made sure the buttered vegetables were roasted properly. It was nearly a quarter past six by the time they finished. The other two pairs finished their cooking a few minutes later, and while Yuriko and Alexis had been ready to eat, Joe stopped them from doing so and had them wait for the other four.
Like true carnivores, Michael and Zachary bought twice the amount of steaks as Yuriko and Alexis and grilled them to perfection. Christine and Haley managed to make pasta with tomato-based sauce. All of the food was placed in the middle of the table and Joe said, “Well, all six of you will share the food since none of you made something inedible.”
Shrugging to herself, Yuriko didn’t bother complaining since the spread smelled wonderful. She ate her fill, noticeably more than the other two girls and more than a match of the boys, while they chit-chatted amiably. Zachary shared anecdotes of his time as a child star, while Haley spoke about her start as a Network sensation. Christine muttered about the difficulty of writing good songs. Michael didn’t speak or boast much, though he did reveal he enjoyed painting more than managing an art exhibit. Alexis didn’t speak at all, merely nodding and listening to everyone.
Finally, when they were done with dinner, they were allowed to freshen up and prepare their tents for the night. All the girls would sleep in one while the boys shared another.
Inside their tents, Yuriko and the other two didn’t speak much, but she suspected they were drowsy from the good food. She spent most of the intervening hours before midnight in meditation, and she noted that the other two looked curious at what she was doing. They didn’t disturb her, however.
Half an hour before midnight, one of the staffers called out from outside the tent.
“The hotel is ready for the challenge,” he said, a bit of glee seeping from his voice. Yuriko and the other two crawled out of the tent, none of them having changed out of their day clothes.
Hotel De Lune was illuminated by spotlights and Yuriko felt an ominous vibe from the place.