Day 8: Trivialities

As morning marks a new week for everyone, the girls are still reeling in from yesterday's elimination.

"Mind if I sit here?" Linda asks.

"Not at all," Kate answers.

"So what's up?" Linda politely asks.

"This mac and cheese is good. Who made this?"

"I did," Bootsie answers from across the living room. "And of course it's good; I made it," she playfully claims.

"Anyway," Linda starts. "Do you...think Landon could be, well, playing us?"

"What do you mean?" Kate asks back.

"It's just that we're not the only ones here playing for love or money. We don't really know his intentions for us."

"I don't know. He seems sincere enough. In my opinion, at least."

"You really think so? Didn't he say he and Rosetta had this connection? At least that's what Rosetta told me. But then he let her go yesterday."

"I think on sthome level he likes all of us," Pricilla joins in. "Although maybe the money does weigh in on histh decision."

"We have to keep in mind that the girl with 1 simoleon is still in this house. If he were in it for the money, he would've gotten rid of her already," Crystal explains.

"Wait, how do you know?" Linda asks.

"Mac told us. Maybe you weren't around when he said so. Rosetta had 25,000 simoleons," Crystal responds.

"And Jeannie had 50,000 simoleons. That's not exactly something to sneeze at," Kate adds.

Later in the morning, we start with our next challenge.

"Morning, ladies. You may be wondering about the computers in front of you...and the dividers separating you. You see, we'll be having a little quiz today."

"Oh God, I haven't been on the receiving end of one in forever."

"What's it about? Well, no matter. I'm ready to take it on!"

"It's about everyone's favorite subject: Mr. Landon Barnes," Mac answers. "I'll be asking you some questions about our bachelor to test how well you know him. It's been a week after all."

Author's note: The result of this challenge is based on how many traits each girl knows about Landon. Rosetta actually knew the most, but she's gone. In the event of a tie, I used the number of traits that Landon knows about the girls as a tiebreaker.

"The winner of this challenge gets to go on the first solo date with Landon."

The girls perk up on hearing this. The thought of having Landon to themselves for an entire day is a motivating prize."

"Alright, let's start. The first question is something basic: What does Landon do for a living? You have thirty seconds to answer."

"Oh, jeez, let me think."
"I think I know this one."
"I remember him mentioning it at some point."

...

"Alright, all answers are in..."

"...and everyone answered 'Archaeologist' or something related..."

"...which is correct. Landon currently works in the Department of Archaeology in Académie Le Tour," Mac says.

"Next question: What is Landon's favorite color?"

"Oh, this one's tough. I feel like he's a blue type of person."

"I'm gonna go with red."

"Orange?"

"Alright, all answers are in. The correct answer is: green. Kate, Crystal, and Bootsie got it right."

"Darn it!"

"Next question: Apart from Derrick, Landon has one other brother. What is his name?"

"I think I remember hearing him talk about his family. Was it Elias?"

"Oh no, I'm not sure. I'll go with a safe guess: John."

"It's Elliot."

"Alright. All answers in. The correct answer is Elliot. Elliot is the oldest among the Barnes siblings at 27 years old. Only Kate got it right, which means she gets to go on a one-on-one date with Landon tomorrow!"

"Awesome!"

"I'm so stoked over winning a solo date with Landon! I can't wait to see where he takes me."

"What's up, everyone?"

"So Mac, who won our challenge for today?"

"Kate did."

"Great!" Landon exclaims. "I'll start planning where we'll go tomorrow. As for everyone else..."

"Bootsie, do you mind talking outside?"

"Sure thing, Landon."

"Elliot, huh? You never told me about him," Bootsie says.

"Oh. I actually haven't seen him in a while, because he lives all across the country in Pleasantview. Derrick's pretty much the sibling I see the most often. I already told Kate this, but Elliot got married last year. I flew all the way to Pleasantview to attend his wedding."

"How was it?"

"The wedding, or Pleasantview?"

"Both!"

"The wedding was fine. The cake was this large fondant-covered thing that tasted like blueberries. It was made by this place named J'Adore Bakery."

"Oh, that does sound delicious."

"It was. I packed on a few pounds after that night," Landon laughs a bit. "As for Pleasantview, it was a lovely place. It had more of a suburban feel. I walked around the wooded areas, but it doesn't seem to have as many gemstones lying around."

"I guess I should cross that off my to-visit list."

"Nah, I'd say it's still worth visiting at least once."

"I've been to many places before. I've visited Strangetown once, and contrary to what others say, it's a lovely place. There are lots of sights to see...if you know where to look. There's even an alien crash landing site there. The locals say it's the sight of a botched abduction, but nobody has ever seen the supposed abductee around."

"Whatcha up to?" Landon asks.

"I just ate lunch," Ariella replies. "Are you doing that thing again where you talk to each person who didn't win the challenge?"

"You know it."

"So how many girls have you spoken to today?"

"Today, you're girl #2."

"I'm only #2?" Ariella asks in jokingly incensed tone.

"Sorry, darling, but Landon likes to mix it up."

Ariella chuckles a bit.

"Okay, if we're mixing things up, it's my turn with the questions. What's up with the pink clothes?" Ariella inquires.

"I dunno. I just really like pink." 

"Mac told us your favorite color is green."

"Pink's a close second I'd say."

"Well, I like pink too, as you can see. I especially like pink flowers, like carnations."

"You know, my mom does too. Back home she has a garden with carnations and all these other flowers. Dad helps around too, but he plants edible crops."

"Oh. Where did you live growing up again?"

"Remember when I told you in Granite Falls that my childhood home was nearby? I grew up in Hillwood Acres near a lake."

"Oh, so that's why you said you liked swimming in lakes."

"Yeah, I did."

"Enjoying yourself?" Landon asks.

"Yep."

"Is it alright if we go somewhere to talk?"

"Sure!"

"You know, I think your lisp is getting better," Landon asks.

"Is it? I guessth you're right. It's because of thesthe stupid braces. My sthepfather insisted I get them right before the show."

"How come?"

"My teeth were misthaligned, and he said that in order to attract a man, I needed a winning sthmile."

"I honestly don't mind if a woman's teeth are a little crooked."

"Swearsthies? Because that's what I sthaid as well. And then some alignment issues causthed my jaw to lock at times, but I think I'm getting used to it now."

"I'm glad it's starting to work out for you. I never had to wear braces, but I did tell you about my sister, Sheila, who had to get them when she was 14."

"Did she lisp too?"

"Nah, but it did suck all the same for her. She couldn't eat taffy, which she loved. And one time she tried kissing her boyfriend, but his lip got stuck on her braces."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. She was ecstatic when she finally got to take them off a few years later."

"Hey, what's a pretty lady like you doing here all alone?" Landon asks.

"Oh, I was just reading this magazine I got from the rack. Just a little 'me time'."

"Mind if I butt into your 'me time'?"

"I always have time for you, Landon," Linda smiles.

"You know, back when I was in college, I dated this guy named Jim," Linda says. "I told him that I liked metal back on our second date, and he told me that it's the devil's music and that a woman like me had no business listening to it."

"Jeez, controlling much?"

"I guess that was a red flag now that I think about it. We didn't continue dating long after that. I guess he didn't like the idea of me being a metalhead."

"When did you start listening to metal anyway?"

"I was about 15 or so. A friend of mine told me to listen to Slipknot. I liked it so much, I looked up a bunch of other bands. This was before music streaming of course, so I went out and bought their CDs."

"Oh my God, CDs. It's been a while. I used to have a ton of those in my room. And my mom would give me crap because they were just scattered around the floor. Some of them even went missing. I feel like Derrick and Bethany borrowed some and forgot to return them."

"Who's Bethany?"

"My high school girlfriend."

"What happened between you two?"

"She's...no longer with me."

"Oh."

"Crystal," Landon calls out. "Don't tell me you're having some 'me time' too."

"Oh, sorry, Landon. I was just so engrossed in this book that I lost track of time," Crystal says.

"No need to be sorry. I understand that we all need some time for hobbies and stuff."

"I was reading this murder mystery about a girl whose body was found in a lake. She'd gone missing for a few days, and an anonymous tip led the cops to her corpse."

"Sounds gruesome. So you like murder mysteries?"

"I do. There's something interesting about a good puzzle, I'd say. With all the clues the story tosses at you, you just can't help but make new deductions. It's very cerebral and exciting."

"I can see why someone like you would want to become a doctor. I'm sure you'll make a great diagnostician. Like House."

"You watched House too?"

"Yeah! I mean, some of the cases seemed to far fetched for me, but overall it was really interesting seeing him try to solve the mystery of the patient of the week."

"That's what I think! The interpersonal drama between the staff was interesting too, and amusing."

"Exactly. I liked Thirteen the best. She didn't take any crap from House."

"I'd say Taub is my favorite. He's just so adorable and hilarious."

As Landon continues chatting up the other ladies, the other contestants also bond a bit.

"Congratulations on winning the challenge!" Bootsie says to Kate. "How did you even know his other brother's name?"

"He told me about him at the park. Apparently Elliot got married last year."

"He told me that earlier too. The wedding was in Pleasantview."

"Yeah, and the way he proposed! It was so romantic."

"Maybe Landon should get a few tips from his brother, eh?" Bootsie chuckles.

"...And then the cat just digs into the cake, and it looked so happy!" Kate recounts.

"That's amazing! You've got to show it to me sometime," Crystal says.

"Hey ladies! Whatcha talking about?"

"Kate was telling me about this video she saw online of a cat celebrating its birthday, and its humans got it some cake," Crystal answers.

"That's so cute!" Landon says. "I love watching videos of adorable animals. We had a few pets growing up, and I always loved sleeping with them."

"It's too bad there aren't a lot of animals around here these days," Kate remarks.

"Yeah," Landon and Crystal utter in agreement.

"Landon, these drinks are fantastic!" Linda says. "The producers sure know how to stock up on the good ones."

"Well, I did tell them to get the good stuff," Landon chuckles. "Just in case we need it."

"I haven't tried the drinks myself," Kate says. "I try not to drink too much. Maybe the occasional glass of nectar here and there."

"Well, it's getting late, Landon. Shouldn't you be going to bed so you'll be up early for your hot date tomorrow?" Linda teasingly asks.

"You're not my mom," Landon jokes. Linda and Landon have a good chuckle over this. "I guess you're right. I had so much fun talking to you guys that I lost track of time. I wish we didn't have to do the elimination ceremonies."

"I think some of the girls would mind if they had to share you, Landon."

"Yeah, I kid, I kid. I don't think polygamy's for me anyway. Sounds like too much work," Landon jokes. "I guess I'm just more of a one-woman kind of guy."

"If only more men were like you. Well, I guess we can call it a night. Sweet dreams, Landon!"

"Good night, Linda."

Kate ends up being the last to go to bed tonight. Could she be too excited for her date tomorrow? Let's hope she wakes up in time. Nothing spoils a first date like tardiness, after all.

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And that concludes our episode for today. How will Kate and Landon's date turn out? Will they learn more about each other and grow closer? Tune in next time to find out! I'm your host, Mac, and you are watching For Love or Money.