Chapter 31: Napoleon, Naruto, and Reddit Nonsense.

February 6, 12:15 PM. Residential District of Dreamside, DreamArts College.
Lunch at DreamArts usually lasts an hour, but it starts fifteen minutes ago. In the large faculty cafeteria, two people sit at a distant table by the floor-to-ceiling window: a man and a woman. The man sits with his back to the window. He is the well-known 32-year-old cinematography professor and student favorite Danton Beaudouin, especially among female students. He wears loose black trousers, lightweight black shoes, and a blue shirt. Across from him sits 29-year-old Ava Schneider, professor of poetry history. Ava wears a yellow t-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers.
Danton speaks in an excited tone and waves a french fry in the air.
“So the famous ASMR-tist Amy Kade and her friend, the famous model Lila Chen, invited you to be some kind of ‘crisis manager’ at their Château des Rêves? Wow!…”
He notices Ava silently roll her eyes and adds, “Come on, don’t react like that. Just because I don’t like mansion parties doesn’t mean I can’t know those girls.”
Ava picks up her fork and stabs a cherry tomato with deliberate force.
“Danton, I don’t need to justify my job to you. But since you’re so curious…” She leans forward and rests her elbows on the table. “I’m not just some glorified babysitter. I’m there to keep the house running smoothly, prevent scandals, and mediate when things get… complicated.” She lets the word hang in the air and watches Danton’s reaction. “And trust me, things get complicated in that place faster than you can say ‘group therapy.’”
Danton chuckles and takes a bite of his burger. “Group therapy? Sounds like you’re describing a cult, not a mansion party house.” He keeps talking while he chews. “Okay, let’s say that’s true.”
He takes a swig of cola from his cup. “But look—you work here, and you’ll basically work there too. Are you sure you can handle it?”
Ava smirks and rotates her fork between her fingers. “Oh, I can handle it. What I don’t know yet is if they can handle me.” She raises an eyebrow. “These people—especially the staff—have no idea what they’re getting into. I’m going to analyze every interaction, every little drama that unfolds. I’m going to know exactly what makes them tick.”
Danton laughs and shakes his head. “Jesus, you sound like you’re running a psychological experiment. Is this what you wanted—your own personal lab?”
Ava’s smile turns sharp at the corners. “Something like that. I think I can learn a lot about human behavior in that environment. Especially the darker sides.”
Danton lets out a theatrical groan. “Again, everything’s vague and concise—classic you. Fine, don’t fill me in on the details if you don’t want to. But I could help them too, you know.”
He takes another swig of cola from his cup. “I’m starting extra cinematography courses for Dreamside residents right now. Yes, cinema isn’t just my job, it’s my passion. Amy, Lila, and even Madi could attend. They need to get out of that mansion for at least a little while.”
He tosses a fry into his mouth. “Especially Madi. She’s such a sweet physician—I was at her appointment last month. And the month before. And this month…”
Danton trails off dreamily for a second, then snaps back. “Poor girl works both at Health&Cozy and Château des Rêves. I feel bad for her. She definitely needs something relaxing—and personalized cinématographe classes would be perfect for her.”
Ava raises an eyebrow. Her fingers tap rhythmically against the table. “Madi? Really? You’ve been to her appointments three times in a row?” She smirks, clearly entertained. “Danton, that sounds suspiciously like… stalking?”
Danton waves his hand dismissively. “Don’t be ridiculous. I just happen to be in the area. And Madi’s appointments are open to anyone who needs a doctor, so…” He shrugs and grins. “I needed a doctor. Multiple times.”
Ava chuckles and shakes her head. “Of course. And I’m sure the timing was completely coincidental.” She leans back in her chair and studies him with a teasing look. Almost everyone at DreamArts knows that Danton Beaudouin is not only an excellent cinematography professor but also a repeated appreciator of the female form. And it is only thanks to his “incredible decency and respect for women” (in his own words) that his female students manage to avoid unplanned pregnancies.
Danton rolls his eyes. “Yeah—‘the timing was completely coincidental.’ Enough with all these baseless accusations already,” he says in his rehearsed neutral tone. “Madi’s an excellent doctor. I genuinely believe the best doctors are women. And by the way…” He takes a sip of cola from his cup. “My courses are actually interesting. I’ve got a ton of material on the Stanislavski system… magnificent Russian.”
Danton pauses. “Speaking of Russians—how’s Kate’s caddie doing? I mean Mademoiselle Shirova. Daria could come to my courses too.”
Ava tilts her head slightly and watches Danton with an amused expression. “Oh, now we’re getting somewhere. You’re not just stalking Madi—you’ve got a thing for the Russian girl too.”
Danton rolls his eyes and pours the last of the cola from the bottle into his cup. “Fuck… Ava, enough with the teasing already. I’m in my ‘Russian period’ right now. So I figured Daria could teach me a bit of Russian in her free time. Plus, I love meeting new people. And doing it in a calmer setting, not at those mansion parties. For example…”
Ava interrupts him. “…she could teach you Russian after your cinematography course, right?” Ava smirks and leans her chin on her hand. “Or maybe you’d prefer private lessons with her? In a horizontal position, on a giant fold-out couch-bed, say? Exclusively for better understanding of Russian grammar.”
Danton nearly chokes on his soda. He sputters as he sets the cup down. “Ava, for fuck’s sake,” he mutters and dabs at his mouth with a napkin. “You’re really laying it on thick today.” But he doesn’t deny it.
Ava keeps talking. She smiles and draws out her words. “Hmm… You French have had this national thing since Napoleon’s time, right? I mean trying to get into everything Russian.”
Danton groans dramatically and rubs his temples. “I swear to God, you’re the worst. I just—“ He gestures vaguely, then points a finger at her. “—you just love ruining my life, don’t you? You enjoy watching me squirm.”
Ava grins, unrepentant. “Oh, absolutely. It’s one of my greatest pleasures in life.” She leans forward and rests her elbows on the table. “But really, Danton, you should be flattered. It means I care enough to tease you about it. I wouldn’t waste my time if I didn’t think you were interesting.” Ava leans back. “Anyway, sex-related humor is more your thing. Consider today I beat you at your own game. But fine, my platonic little friend. I can pass on your invitation to Daria without any subtext. But from there, you’re on your own. Without me.”
Danton exhales dramatically and runs a hand through his short brown hair. “Thank you, oh great Ava. Your kindness knows no bounds.” He takes a slow sip of his soda and gathers his thoughts. “Seriously though—if you talk to her, just mention that it’s purely professional. I’d love to pick her brain about Russian cinema and language. The Stanislavski system is fascinating, but I feel like she could give me a whole new perspective.” He lowers his voice conspiratorially. “She’s really intelligent, you know. Sharp. I like that.”
Ava raises an eyebrow and watches him with amusement. “Professional, huh? Sure, sure. I’ll make sure to stress that.”
February 6, 12:05 PM. Château des Rêves, Daria’s room.
Daria lies on her back on her large bed, head on a big pillow, legs stretched out. She wears pink shorts and a purple t-shirt with Naruto anime characters while she plays Pokémon Scarlet on her Nintendo Switch.
A knock sounds at the door.
“Yes?” Daria says.
The door opens. Amy enters, dressed in a blue t-shirt and loose white pants. She closes the door behind her and sits on the chair near the desk.
“So… looks like things aren’t as bad as we thought. Ava comes this evening for the ‘damage assessment,’ and I do an ‘interview’ with her. Tomorrow the new maid arrives, and… five minutes ago Kate texted me. She comes back from Topanga soon.” Amy looks thoughtful. “So, what do you think about all this? Brian at Château des Rêves? Kate with him? Alex moves out on February 28?”
Daria shrugs without looking up from her game.
“Yes, looks like the situation develops in its own way. I don’t know if it’s good or bad. It just… happens.” She moves her character in the game, frowning in concentration. “Alex is sad, but he does not fight. Kate is happy, I guess. Brian… he is just being Brian, I guess.”
Amy laughs softly. “Yeah. That’s a pretty accurate summary.” She leans back in the chair and studies Daria. “You know, I don’t think you tell me everything.”
Daria pauses her game and finally looks up at Amy. “What do you mean?”
Amy crosses her legs and rests her chin on her hand. “Oh, come on. You’re like a little Russian sphinx. So quiet and mysterious all the time.” She taps her fingers lightly on the armrest. “You always observe everything and take it all in. But when it comes to sharing your own thoughts…” She gestures vaguely. “You stay pretty closed up.”
Daria exhales softly and sets the Switch down beside her. “I don’t like talking about things that are not my business.”
Amy smiles knowingly. “See, that’s exactly what I mean. You always watch, but you never say much about what you think. Like now—you just confirm what I already suspect.”
Daria looks down at her game again, fingers idly tracing the controller. “What do you want me to say? That I think it’s stupid? That I think Alex is too nice to Kate? That I think Brian is just a… a replacement?”
Amy raises her eyebrows. “Wow. That’s actually pretty blunt for you.”
Daria shrugs. “It is what it is. Alex does not fight. Kate moves on. Brian… he takes what he wants.”
Amy studies her carefully. “Yeah. Pretty much. And that’s why I’m curious—because you don’t usually say things like that. You keep your thoughts close.”
Daria sighs and shifts on the bed to prop herself up on one elbow. “Maybe I don’t say much because it doesn’t matter what I think. It happens anyway. Kate… makes her choices. Alex makes his. Brian is just there.”
Amy leans forward, elbows on her knees. “Does that mean you don’t care?”
Daria hesitates, then shakes her head slightly. “I care about Alex. But I don’t know… what to do.”
Amy smiles softly. “That’s actually a good answer.” She looks into Daria’s brown eyes with her own brown eyes. “I think you could influence Alex, Daria.” She pauses. “The only problem is… I think you remind him of his former life.”
Daria’s fingers tighten slightly around the Switch controller. “Yes. I know.” She looks down at her game again, avoiding Amy’s gaze. “I am Russian. I remind him of things he wants to forget.”
Amy observes her closely. “It’s not just that, though. You’re… similar in some ways. Both of you prefer to stay in the background and watch things happen rather than make them happen.”
Daria scoffs softly. “That is not me. I do things.”
Amy smiles. “Sure. But you don’t force things. You don’t push. You just… are.”
Daria exhales, sets the Switch aside, and sits up properly. “So what?”
Amy leans back. “You’re both similar, but you don’t overlap. You’re alike, yet at the same time different examples of the immigrant experience. I mean, you and Alex don’t really talk that often, do you? Alex doesn’t tell anyone how he lived before the US. Not even Kate. Though it seems Kate gets everything without any words.” Amy pauses. “I’m saying this in the context that he avoids you. As if he is afraid you will start speaking Russian with him.”
Daria does not look up from her game, but her movements become slower and more deliberate. “Yes,” she says softly. “We don’t speak Russian. I don’t ask. He doesn’t offer.”
Amy nods. “Exactly. He hates everything Russian in general. He probably didn’t even come to terms with you right away.” She pauses. “I don’t know why I bring up this topic. Probably just trying to distract myself from all this upcoming horror with Brian moving in here.”
Daria finally looks up from her game, expression unreadable. “Brian is… not subtle. Like a storm. He will… change things. Not just the house.”
Amy exhales and runs a hand through her hair. “Yeah. And Alex will have to deal with it all. I wonder how he really feels about this.”
Daria shrugs. “He does not say. But I think… he wants to be close to Kate. But also far from Brian.”
Amy chuckles. “That’s the gist of it, yeah.” She stands up and stretches. “Anyway, I should go help Lila with something. She stresses about all this too.”
Amy walks to the door, but before she opens it and leaves, she turns to Daria. “Thanks for not speaking Russian with him. Or about anything Russian. Alex asked me to pass that on… in a way. It means a lot to him.”
Daria’s fingers twitch slightly against the controller before she nods, not looking up. “Yes. I understand,” she says quietly. “He doesn’t want to be reminded.”
February 6, 12:00 PM. Cheryl Hill estate.
Cheryl sits in the brightly lit living room on the big soft blue couch facing the wall-sized TV. Yes, the same TV that streamed live footage from the hidden cameras in room 13 of the Topanga Canyon Inn last night. She, Aria, and Tara watched Kate and Brian have sex for the first time. Now the screen stays off.
Cheryl wears a red crop top that leaves her midriff bare and loose blue cotton pants. She leans back against a couch pillow, thinking about the conversation she overheard this morning through the same cameras. Kate and Brian discussed their new dynamic.
Tara’s voice pulls Cheryl out of her thoughts.
“You’re way too into this, Cheryl,” Tara says angrily. She stands in front of Cheryl in yellow home pants and a pink tank top. “You’re smarter than that Italian idiot. Why the hell do you get mixed up in all this? You know perfectly well Kate isn’t going to leave Alex. But Aria’s actions turn the entire Dreamside into one big toxic swamp.”
Tara crosses her arms and speaks in a softer tone.
“Listen, I know you. We’ve been together four years—same as Alex and Kate. Did you at least plant the idea in Aria yesterday that she needs to slow down? What did you two even talk about? Did you get Aria’s revelation?”
Cheryl sighs and rolls her head back against the cushion to look up at the ceiling. “Yeah, I got it. And I already told her to pump the brakes.” She turns her head slightly to look at Tara. “She’s just so caught up in the drama she can’t see how deep this hole gets. She thinks it’s all just a game.”
Cheryl sits up straight and swings her legs over the side of the couch. “And you’re right—Kate isn’t going to leave Alex. But Brian has her. And he isn’t going to let her go easily. Which means Aria’s plan works—just not in the way she expected.”
“Aria’s revelation,” Tara says shortly. “Did you manage to drag that out of her? So Aria likes Kate? I thought she always went for boys with big dicks.” She giggles.
Cheryl groans and rubs her face. “Yeah. And apparently she’s got a thing for Alex too. Not in an ‘I wanna fuck him’ way—more like a ‘he’s so perfect I want to watch him get fucked over’ way.” She glances up at Tara. “She’s been helping Brian from the start, but she wanted to see how far Kate would go on her own. And now that Kate has gone to Topanga with him, Aria convinces herself it all happens the way she wanted.”
Tara huffs and shakes her head. “Of course. She’s been planning this since September.”
Cheryl stands up and stretches. “And now she’s got you involved.”
Tara says grimly, “So Aria wants both guys. Brian as a wild black animal with a big dick, Alex as… I don’t even know what. And she also needs Kate. Right?”
Tara rolls her eyes. “She’s fucking insane. She belongs in a mental hospital.”
Cheryl moves to the window and looks out at the pristine Dreamside gardens. “Yeah. But she’s also brilliant. She saw the perfect storm forming and decided to be the rainmaker.” She turns back to Tara. “Brian was the wild card. Aria knew Brian would be into Kate the second he saw her. And she knew Kate would be curious about him. All she had to do was grease the wheels.” She rubs her temples. “And now we’re all watching this big-ass train wreck happen in slow motion. And you know what’s worst? I’m part of it. I put those cameras in the suite.”
She raises her head, suddenly tired. “The main thing is that Kate doesn’t find out about this.”
Tara giggles. “Though Aria seems to have brainwashed her so thoroughly that Kate probably wouldn’t even care anymore.”
Tara pauses, thinking. “By the way, Cheryl… does that mean Alex is now allowed to go on his own ‘boundary expansion’ spree? After all, everyone knows he’s only been fucking Kate all these years.”
Cheryl inhales sharply, her fingers curling into the fabric of her red crop top. “Tara, don’t. Don’t even go there.”
But Tara doesn’t back down. She steps closer and tilts her head. “Come on. You know I’m right. If Brian gets to go wild, why shouldn’t Alex?” Tara smirks. “Why can’t he just go up to Kate and say something like, ‘I want to push boundaries too. I also want to have sex with another girl besides you, Kate’. Or what, will it destroy their entire mansion? Like, Kate can, but Alex can’t? You hang out with them more than I do—maybe you can clarify this point?”
Cheryl exhales slowly through her nose. Her gaze flickers with something unreadable. She turns back to the window and crosses her arms over her stomach as she watches the sun glint off the perfectly manicured hedges outside.
“You really think this is the same thing?” she mutters. “Brian moves in, fine. Kate fucks him, fine. But Alex… going off and fucking someone else?” She shakes her head. “He’s not like that. He’s too connected to her. It would be like he’s cutting off a piece of himself.”
Tara moves closer and rests her hand lightly on Cheryl’s shoulder. “You don’t understand, Cheryl. I mean, if Alex says something like that to Kate, how will Kate react?”
Cheryl turns her head slightly, a wry smile crossing her face. “You really want to know, huh?”
She steps away from the window and moves back toward the couch. She sinks into it, her fingers drumming against her thighs as she considers the question.
“Kate would laugh, probably,” she says finally. “At first. Then she’d get this look—like she’s considering it, but she’s not sure if you’re joking or not.” Cheryl pictures it: Kate’s face, that slightly confused smile as she processes something unexpected.
“She might say something like, ‘Oh, so that’s the plan now?’” Cheryl continues, her voice mimicking Kate’s tone.
Tara giggles. “Yeah, sounds just like her. But seriously—if I were a guy in Alex’s place, I’d be asking the obvious question: ‘Why can she do it, but I can’t?’ He could totally find himself some cute Asian girl. Guys have that fetish for Asian girls, just like girls have the fetish for black guys, right? At least if you believe the Reddit nonsense. Plus, they’ve got like five hundred people in that mansion and tons of sexy girls. Parties and all that…”
Tara tilts her head. “By the way, most of the success of the parties at Château des Rêves is thanks to you—the best Kate’s showgirl and sexy Dungeon Master.”
Cheryl rolls her eyes, but a small smirk plays at the corner of her lips. “Tara, you’re impossible.”
“Just being honest,” Tara shrugs. She plops down beside her on the couch. “Besides, you’re the one who got those cameras put in the suite, so you can’t act like you don’t love watching this shit unfold.”
Cheryl doesn’t deny it. Instead she exhales and shakes her head. “Yeah. I love it. I hate it. It’s fucking fascinating.”
Tara wraps her arm around Cheryl and rests her head on her shoulder. “Yeah, I’m the impossible girlfriend for the impossible red Dreamside bitch. But in our couple, at least one of us has to act like an adult, my dear Queen, right? And honestly, it’s good that their Château des Rêves took over the lead from our Cheryl Hill in the party scene. I wouldn’t be able to code calmly for new games if artists, writers, models, directors, producers, actors, and sex workers made noise everywhere.” She huffs a quiet laugh. “I know, I know. You’d be so distracted you’d never finish The Corsair Strip.”
Cheryl nuzzles into Tara’s shoulder and exhales. The tension in her shoulders eases slightly, though her thoughts stay tangled in the mess of Château des Rêves. “It’s just fucking complicated, you know? I put those cameras in there to see if Aria’s little plan would work. And it did. Too well. Now it’s not just a game anymore. It’s real life.” She looks up at the ceiling, brow furrowed. “And I think Aria is really starting to believe her own bullshit now.”