"It's so unbelievable that you just came over to my house for water," Kenny said in a disappointed tone, watching Dana gulp down the contents of the bottle in one long, continuous stream.
'Hmm..She must be here for another reason,' Kenny thought as he watched her throat bobbing as she gulped down the water. He swallowed hard. 'Well, I hope.'
"Hey, can you get me another bottle of water?" Dana asked in a relaxed manner, as if nothing unusual had just happened. "It's been a wild ride since I got here."
'In this lifetime,' she might have said if she were alone.
Feeling disappointed, Kenny gave a terse nod in agreement and said, "Sure." He tried to convince himself that she was really just there for a drink. He let out a heavy sigh and walked to the kitchen.
'When will she finally acknowledge my feelings?' he thought to himself, struggling to hold back the urge to punch the wall with his fists clenched and his jaw was tight.
As she sat on Kenny's couch, Dana took a moment to take in her surroundings. The condo was nice, much like Billy Vance's condo had been in the past life.
She smirked and said to herself, "Touché, Billy Vance. Welcome now, Red." Then, playfully, she squeezed the empty water bottle in her hand and tossed it onto the floor.
[Loading Stats For…. Miss Red]
At the sound of Hollywood's voice, a smile crept up and across Dana's face. 'Aw, how cute! The robotic controller just called me by the nickname I gave myself a few hours ago. If you were a real person, I'd probably bang you. Too bad you're just an invisible computer instrument.' She thought, half-joking.
[I can hear your thoughts, Billy Vance]
"What happened to calling me Miss Red? Tchh," Dana joked. "And I know you can hear my thoughts, that's why I purposely thought so." Dana muttered under her breath, definitely annoying Hollywood.
[I know you know that I can hear your thoughts, and that's why I purposely teased you]
"Hmph!" Dana scoffed. She could swear Hollywood's response sounded a bit smug.
That robotic controller sure knew how to play the game of wits. Dana wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or amused.
[Stats For Miss Red
Vocal: Loading
Dance: Loading
Pose: Loading
Acting: Loading
Charm: Loading
Popularity: Loading]
Suddenly, Kenny's voice cut through the silence. "Here you go, Ana!" he said, presenting her with a bottle of water. She turned to see him standing there with a goofy grin on his face.
"Oh yeah, thanks," Dana said, accepting the water from Kenny. She tried to open it, but the cap was stuck.
"Do you need any help?" Kenny offered, raising an eyebrow.
"Nah, I think I've got it," Dana replied, determined to open the bottle on her own. After a few more attempts, she finally got the cap off.
"Well done!" Kenny said, a hint of… amusement in his voice. He sat down on the couch across from her and propped his feet up on the coffee table. "So what…."
[Based On Recent Update
Vocal: 79+
Dance: ?
Pose: ?
Acting: ?
Charm: 45+
Popularity: ?]
"What the heck?" Dana exclaimed, her voice a little louder than usual. She didn't seem to notice or care that Kenny was right there. 'Why the fu*k is my charm only 45?' she thought inwardly this time.
[You mean 45+?]
'Screw that!' Dana replied in her thoughts. 'And why are the other skills just having big question marks?'
[Those 'big' question marks mean the stats haven't been updated]
[Just like how your vocal stat got updated when you were singing earlier today]
'So, I need to perform actions to update my stats?'
[Exactly! So if you want to update your acting stat, you could do some acting exercises, and if you want to update your dance stat, you could learn some new dance moves]
"That makes sense," Dana said aloud thoughtfully. Then, a mischievous grin crossed her face. "Does that mean if I want to increase my popularity stat…"
Dana's statement was suddenly cut off by Kenny's raised voice. "Ana, are you okay?!"
Dana turned to him. He looked worried, standing over her. Her eyes bulged as she understood the situation.
"Ana, I've been calling your name for ten seconds and more now, but you seemed dazed and you were talking..."
"To myself, yeah," Dana completed the statement, slapping her face embarrassed. But the embarrassment lasted just for a nanosecond as she found her courage again. "My name isn't Ana anyway. You call me Red or Miss Dana Morgan, got it clear?"
Kenny swallowed hard, feeling a little displeased as Dana's voice sounded a bit strict, distant and cold. "Clear, Red," he managed to say with a shaky smile, forcing his usual goofy grin back onto his face.
"Good," Dana said, feeling satisfied that she had set a clear boundary.
[Straining your relationship with your helpers might affect your credit in your mission, Mister Billy Vance]
Dana ignored Hollywood's warning and asked him silently in her thoughts, 'So I get a reward for my Vocals right? They're about average, aren't they?'
[You get a gift]
[For vocals above average, you get a dress]
"Hmmm... that's nice. But what about shoes?" Dana thought, her mind still in the rewards store.
[What shoes?]
'The rewards shoes of course? Do I get a dress without shoes?' Dana asked in her thoughts sarcastically.
[There are no shoes, Miss Red. Perhaps you can sell the dress to get the shoes]
'Tcch! How smart of you! I should sell the dress and use the credits to buy shoes that I could wear with the same dress I'd just sold?' Dana thought with a note of annoyance in her mind.
[Hollywood was only trying to be helpful]
'You... you sly piece of…'
The mind conversation was suddenly interrupted by Kenny's voice.
"Ana... I mean, Red. Red, are you okay? You seem a little off. This isn't like you," Kenny said, sounding genuinely concerned.
'None of your business,' Vance would have said, if this were the old life. But this was a new life, so he had to be more thoughtful and considerate. Plus, Hollywood had reminded him that it was important to maintain good relationships for the sake of the mission.
So he reined in his temper and through Dana, replied, "I'm just... a little tired, that's all."
"If you don't mind my asking, what's been tiring you out?" Kenny asked, a mix of curiosity and concern in his voice.
Dana let out a long, heavy sigh. "I don't have a home, or money, or anything. I don't have a foundation here. All I have is myself... and you," Dana purposely said that last part, hoping to garner some sympathy. Typical Billy Vance.