Dress Off: Bryony vs. Maria

[Note from the author: This story takes place prior to the main Dress Off series, and tells the tale of another attempt by the Agency to recruit a new agent through the intense, life-changing recruitment method known as "Dress Off", a game of mental dexterity and physical prowess, where even the best players can be left wildly exposed. The story also re-introduces Angelica Highsmith, last seen in "Dress Off 00: Origins - Kate vs Jane". The main series will continue in "Dress Off 08: Hotpants in Helsinki", publishing in early March 2020.]

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[Utah, USA - 2010. Five years after the events in "Dress Off 00: Origins - Kate vs Jane" and three years prior to the events in "Dress Off 01: Sasha vs Tara"]

The gentle tapping of fingers on the keyboard sounded rhythmical against the flickering laptop screen, the woman at the swivel chair absorbed into her work as the otherwise pitch dark room gave no other indication of life or movement.

The curtains to the left of the laptop were pulled tightly shut, and the woman occasionally shivered, before finally succumbing to the cold late night air seeping through the window's old wooden frames and pulling her hoodie up and over her head. The reflected light of the laptop briefly revealed a shot of auburn hair sticking out the front as the woman moved closer to the device for a moment, and her hand seemed to pause over the touchpad, before an audible sigh escaped from her lips and a quick tap was followed by her leaning back in her chair and looking up silently into the dark ceiling.

On the screen, a progress bar silently blinked away, indicating that an image was being uploaded. It only took a few seconds for the action to be completed, and a jaunty dialog box popped up. The woman ignored it for a couple of minutes and spun her chair around a few times, and then looked back at the laptop. Hesitating again, her hand seemed to waiver over the touchpad and betrayed the conflict of emotion going on in the woman's head. Finally, a finger jerkily hit the bottom of the touchpad and the dialog box disappeared. Immediately, the woman slammed the laptop lid down, looked down briefly at her lap, and then pushed away roughly from the desk.

Standing up, she rubbed her hands slowly and then pivoted on her feet, seemingly lost in thought. Eyeing up the bed in the corner, the woman didn't even bother to get changed or undressed. Walking over, she flung herself on the bed, and covered her face with the pillow. A low sigh escaped from her lips once but otherwise she fell silent, and as late night seamlessly transitioned into early morning outside, the auburn-haired woman finally fell into a muddled sleep, her mind jumbled with emotions about what had just happened. As she slowly sunk into a deeper yet troubled sleep, even the first morning rays of the sun several hours later couldn't stir her from the dreams of what her actions might now lead to.

****

"That bitch!" seethed Bryony, as she gestured angrily at her computer screen, a rising fury marring the otherwise flawless beauty of the blonde-haired twenty year old.

Her audience of one was a much older woman, quite regal and sophisticated looking, whose only admission to having noticed Bryony's outburst was a slightly raised eyebrow. Sitting across the table, she slowly drank the coffee that had just been delivered by the fine young specimen of manhood who worked as a server at the cafe they were currently frequenting. The server had also merited an eyebrow raise, and had even graduated to the level of deserving an appreciative glance as he'd walked away, even though the woman was probably twenty five years the senior of the man in question.

Bryony turned to her older woman, expecting some kind of supportive murmur, only to realise that Bryony's concern was probably still only occupying a minority of her friend's attention, with the majority still firmly applied to an analysis of the finer aspects of the server's backside. Finally, the other woman pursed her lips, seemed to package some thought away for later review, and turned to give Bryony something approximating her full attention. She gave Bryony a small smile, and indicated for Bryony to now show her the screen.

Bryony turned the screen around, and gestured again accusingly at the silver Apple laptop. On the screen was a photo of the blonde-haired Bryony in a bikini. It was not, the older woman had to admit, a particularly flattering angle for the otherwise gorgeous Bryony.

"Well," the woman tried to say with an air of polite diplomacy, "on the bright side you've clearly lost weight since that photo was taken."

Bryony gave her a flat stare and then cast her eyes up to the heavens. "Angelica," said Bryony between gritted teeth, "I have never ever been that fat!"

Angelica Highsmith - successful businesswoman and recently assigned as mentor to bright young business student Bryony Richmond - just shrugged. "Well, the camera adds..." she started, but was interrupted as Bryony slammed the lid down on the laptop, almost to punish it for daring to show the offending image in her presence.

"It wasn't the camera that added thirty pounds to that photo... _my_ photo!" Bryony said, her tone pleading now as if trying to convince a judge that not only had she been mortifyingly wronged, but that the guilty party deserved every ounce of justice that could be flung at them, "it was that evil bitch Maria who did it!"

"Hmm..." was Angelica's sole addition to the conversation as Bryony began to launch into a rant.

"That flat-chested no-friends nerd must have... must have..." Bryony cast around for the right words and then landed triumphantly on "Photoshopped! Yes, that's right, Photoshopped an image she stole from _me_", pointing at herself to accentuate the depth of the betrayal that the theft represented, "and then manipulated it to make _me_ look fat", her eyes burned as her voice hit a higher octave. Angelica - for whom discretion was a natural state of being when work didn't require otherwise - waved a hand to indicate that perhaps Bryony should consider lowering her voice so that her audience was solely Angelica and not, say, the entire cafe and some stretch of the sidewalk outside. "And then she hacked into my Facebook account and Myspace account and posted it publicly!" Added Bryony, indignantly.

Her eyes flashed with anger as she recalled that moment that she'd received the email notifying her that a "hotornot.com" account had also been created for her, and she'd logged in only to find that awful photo blazing out across the furthest reaches of the internet and garnering a score of merely 7.1! A 7.1 for Bryony Richmond, who was clearly a 9.1 even at her most unflattering angle! That was like some average woman finding a photo of herself getting a score of 3 or less. It was an injustice of the vilest order.

Bryony slumped back into her chair and settled into a few moments of quiet seething, before throwing her hands in the air and exclaiming "and that's _after_ she posted that video to my now ex-boyfriend!"

Angelica coughed politely, and tried to give Bryony a reassuring smile. "Look," the woman said smoothly, in between sips of her coffee, "firstly the photo isn't that bad." Bryony snorted at that and shook her head, however Angelica was undeterred and continued on. "Secondly, what video? Was it really that bad?"

For a moment, Bryony's visible anger was pushed aside by a wave of red-faced embarrassment, and she lowered her head, avoiding eye contact with her older mentor. Umm'ing and ahh'ing, she made a few vague noises and then finally said - altogether more quietly than her previous outburst - "it was... well... not meant for public consumption by anyone. I mean, well... it was totally an evil move to share it and..." Bryony now coughed, and looked around the cafe wondering how many people were now secretly tuning in to their conversation, "and well, he dumped me for it." She whispered.

Angelica reached over and gave Bryony a comforting pat on the hand. "It's okay. It'll be okay. Look..." she leaned back now and fixed her young blonde-haired companion with a steady gaze, "you are young, beautiful and bright. You're weeks away from graduating at a well respected University with a business degree and high flying connections" she paused so that Bryony took the hint that Angelica was now referring to herself, "and you have the whole world opening up in front of you."

Bryony started to protest about the indignity of Maria's assault on her good image when Angelica held up a hand to quieten her. "You're about to start a new chapter in your life, and you could walk away in a few weeks and forget all about Maria and your ex-boyfriend and the video and this photo." Angelica waved a dismissive hand at the computer sitting between them. The ridiculous thing was that even with twenty plus pounds added, Bryony's bikini-clad body still looked pretty attractive. Her perky breasts put exactly the right curves in what was in reality a fairly modest bikini by the standards of the day, and what the Photoshopping hadn't done was in any way detract from the infectious smile that graced her beautiful face. Angelica wondered about that for a moment, but then shrugged it off. It was strange indeed that others would likely see a fairly attractive woman still where Bryony herself could only see a hideous vision of gluttony and wretched exhibitionism.

Bryony started to open her mouth to say something, but Angelica continued on before she could interrupt. "Of course, that said, there is also an alternative path." Angelica paused for effect and took another sip of her coffee, not breaking eye contact with Bryony and rewarded by the sight of the younger woman's eyes narrowing as she began to wonder what Angelica was leading too.

"You see," Angelica said, calmly and authoritatively, but with an undercurrent of friendly concern, "you will be starting a new chapter of course. However we are the authors of our own lives and sometimes the next chapter can take a startling new direction from the previous chapter. Sometimes we don't know where the story is leading to until many chapters later, and yet we let the story carry us on its narrative wave."

The cafe was now mostly full, with the bustle of a mid-morning trade bringing new people in all of the time, but right now Bryony's focus was now solely on Angelica. What exactly was her mentor meaning by all of this? The two woman had been paired by the University's careers services unit as mentor and mentee about a month back, and Bryony had felt an instant connection to the older woman, who had freely delivered business advice and politely listened to Bryony's occasional outbursts about how she'd been wronged, with something approaching saintly decorum. However, up to this point all of Angelica's advice had been straight out of the textbook and Bryony had begun to wonder whether she'd actually learn anything new from her mentor, or whether her apparently extensive connections would be the sum total of what Bryony could expect. Now however, she seemed to be branching into a discussion they'd never had before.

"So," Angelica, "obviously I've been helping you with preparing for that chapter of your life where you write for yourself a successful career as a high-flying business woman. A leader of industry." She fixed Bryony with a steely stare. "However, I could also help you write another chapter first. A chapter where you settle your dispute with Maria, who has slighted you so." Angelica had to pause as another snort erupted from Bryony, as if the sheer force of understatement that the word "slighted" said about Maria's multitude of unforgivable sins had physically expelled the air from Bryony's lungs. She continued when she was satisfied that her young companion wasn't going to try and interrupt further. "And whereby your dispute is settled in such a way that you never have to see each other again." She paused by her own volition for a moment, giving the impression of choosing her next words with care, before ending on "There would be risk of course, but business is risk as you know. There would be reward for whomever the dispute was settled in favour of, and for the unlucky person who fate ruled against, well, there would be a new opportunity and a new life too. Everyone would in fact win... eventually."

Bryony didn't say a word for a few moments, as the impact of Angelica's words settled in and she tried to decipher meaning from some of the vagaries of what her mentor seemed to be suggesting.

"I... I don't know... I mean... what are you suggesting, some kind of contest?"

Angelica shrugged slightly, and then nodded. "A simplification perhaps, but not inaccurate."

"And it would get Maria out of my life?"

Angelica narrowed her own eyes now and mentally tried a few sentences out before settling on "I can confidently say that I've never heard of the game failing to permanently separate the warring parties, and it always brings satisfaction to the winner."

Bryony glanced back down at the laptop. She seemed uncertain and hesitant. A little lamely, she quietly whispered "Sounds risky. Besides, " she added as she hunched over and placed her head in her hands, "Maria would never go for it." She couldn't take her eyes away from the laptop now.

Across the table Angelica leaned back, her face only slightly betraying a sense of self-satisfaction. "As your mentor I would be willing to help out and intercede with Maria. I'm sure she can be... talked around." Eyeing up Bryony, who was lost in her own private world, Angelica imperceptibly tapped a small button on her silver wristwatch, and then settled back comfortably into her chair as she contemplated having a second coffee delivered to their table. Yes, it was turning out to be a good day and she rather thought she would treat herself to another coffee delivery after all.

****

Maria Higgins shuffled out of the hotel lobby into the bright sunshine of a warm summer's day, and looked down at the business card that had just been given to her. Beside her, Bryony Richmond shied away from making eye contact and simply stared directly ahead at the sea of passers-by. She also clutched a business card in her hand, and the thoughtful look on her face was bathed in sunlight as she sucked in a deep breath. Finally, Bryony broke the silence that been an otherwise impenetrable barrier between them since they'd left the confines of the hotel room and taken an awkward elevator ride down to the lobby.

"So, if I see you again it'll be at the end of this game."

Maria nodded mutely in response, without looking.

Bryony nodded as well. "I'll win, you know. You won't be able to use your phone to figure out the clues, and we both know I'm better at this sort of thing."

Maria's nostrils flared slightly at the provocation, and she muttered under her breath "You're better at over-reacting and being a drama queen about things." Apparently Bryony heard that as the shorter blonde woman just gave a short bitter laugh.

"Says the bitch who sends private videos to my boyfriend and posts compromising pictures of me online, all because..." Bryony started to say, before Maria finally spun around and gave her a piercing stare. "Because of what?" Maria said, lips curled into a snarl and the auburn-haired woman pulling herself out of a near perpetual defensive slouch and up to her full height, "Go on, say it."

Despite an awkward sense of fashion, the baggy clothes and the long hair that ran over both shoulders down her chest evidently hid a buxom and athletic body and on the rare occasions when she chose to employ it, it was a body that could turn heads more than your typical computer nerd would be expected to be able to do.

Bryony started on a retort, but the words died on her lips, and the blonde simply shook her head sadly. "Get help Maria. Wherever you end up after I've finished with you, get help." Bryony turned and started to walk down the sidewalk to where she'd parked her car. Over her shoulder, and as a parting shot to her adversary, she called out "Don't expect mercy Maria, you're going down for this."

Maria clenched both her fists, and her jaw was tense as she stared after Bryony. The card crumpled in her hands, and as she tried to calm herself down, she mentally pictured Bryony naked, bound and embarrassed at the end of their game.

The past twenty minutes had been a confusing ride full of emotional gut-punches and unexpected revelations. Two weeks had passed since that fateful night that she'd posted the doctored photo online. While she hadn't necessarily been proud of it, given what Bryony had done to her, Maria had felt more than vindicated in a small piece of fairly harmless retribution. Naturally Bryony had over-reacted and not a word had been spoken between the two former best friends for the entirety of that fortnight. Maria wouldn't say she was particularly surprised by that, however the sudden appearance in her life of a certain Angelica Highsmith had caught her somewhat off guard. The woman - probably in her late 40s if not older, although certainly attractive for her age - had listened sympathetically to Maria as the soon-to-be computer science graduate bared her soul on what a terrible final year of study this had been. Especially with Bryony - someone she'd previously counted as her closest friend - having so spectacularly turned against her when Bryony had hooked up with Grant Tremain, the University's star quarterback. Maria apparently hadn't been cool enough. Or enough of anything, it seemed

Grant Tremain was as clean-cut and well-endowed, both physically and financially, as they came. While he was the star quarterback, that hadn't meant the man was a wild party animal. Quite the contrary. As a member of a very wealthy family with old money and strong connections with the local church, Grant had two qualities that weren't seen in combination as often as most people would think: publicly-held deep religious convictions; and strict personal observance of those self-same deep religious convictions. So it had been an easy matter to break Bryony and Grant up by sharing an intimate video, neatly offending Grant's delicate sensibilities. Again, Maria reflected, not her proudest moment, however Maria had been hurt by the way that Bryony treated her, seemingly because of her relationship with Grant. To say that Bryony had not taken that well would be like suggesting the sun was slightly on the hot side. Words had been said, very hurtful words, and now they were at the point of no return. Best of friends were now best of enemies.

So Angelica Highsmith, Maria's latest and greatest acquaintance, had made the case for settling their dispute permanently. When a friendship had turned toxic and was unrecoverable, it was better to cut it loose and end it in such a manner that would provide complete closure, and reassure both parties that they'd never have to see each other again. The game Angelica had mentioned in confidence would provide just that.

And so that conversation had led to an expensive hotel room, where Maria had been forced to sit in agonising silence next to Bryony on a couch while a mysterious voice on a laptop had begun to answer their questions on exactly what Angelica had really been proposing. The answers had left both women temporarily speechless.

The game would pit them both in a very public arena, their own University in fact and on Graduation Day no less, in a game to find locations and objects based on cryptic clues. They'd both be given official playing uniforms that - the mysterious voice at the other end of the call had solemnly reassured them - would be perfectly normal. That the voice had felt it necessary to then add the caveat "at the start" after a short pause, had made both women gulp. The first to find three objects based on solving three clues would be judged the winner of the game, and the loser would be in search of a new life, although the mysterious voice again reassured both Bryony and Maria that the organisation it worked for would be quite willing to provide assistance on that front.