Blue Rose

It takes me getting to the top of the stairs to finally figure out exactly where the sound is coming from: my room. It doesn't take a genius to know what that means...

Rose.

I was worried about that. Who knows what could be upsetting that girl? With how all over the place she is, it's basically impossible to tell. But it's definitely my responsibility to see what's wrong. And it's not like I want her to cry. I feel like I've already made this clear, but in general, I'm trying to make sure the girls I use the remote of are taken care of. If that means I have to console my obsessive girlfriend, then so be it.

...did I just call Rose my girlfriend? You know what? I have more important things to deal with now. There will be time to unpack that thought later.

As I approach my bedroom door, I see both of my sisters standing next to it, clearly trying to hear what's going on inside. They both jump slightly when they see me, but neither makes any effort to move. It looks like they were too invested in Rose to notice me approaching.

"Oh, um, hey Matt," Julia stutters. "We weren't doing anything bad. It's just... uh... something's wrong with your... wife..."

Oh right. I forgot. Julia thinks Rose is playing my wife in our game of house.

"I can hear that. Do either of you know what's going on?" I ask.

"No idea. The house was totally quiet a few hours ago. Then she just burst into tears out of nowhere. She's been in your room the entire time we've been home, so we haven't even seen her. All of a sudden, we just heard sobbing from our bedrooms," Michelle explains.

"Alright, I'll talk to her. Thanks, you two," I tell them.

As weird as it sounds, I think this might be the most normal conversation I've had with my sisters in quite some time. They both seem pretty concerned about Rose, which is about how I would expect them to act if someone started crying out of nowhere. Even the old Michelle had a soft spot for when tears started flowing.

I walk over to the door and prepare to enter. Just as I'm about to go in, I glance over my shoulder to see my sisters are still standing there.

"Uh, do you mind? I'd like a bit of privacy..."

Neither of them move. I can tell they both really want to eavesdrop. I suppose I can't blame them. I'd be curious too. I didn't want to have to do this, but if they won't leave on their own...

"Michelle, I think it's time you got started on dinner. Don't come back up here until it's done," I order in a commanding voice.

"O-of course! Right way," Michelle replies almost automatically before quickly heading downstairs. I then look at Julia.

"Oh no you don't. That won't work on me. I'm staying," Julia pouts.

"Go to your room right now, young lady," I tell her firmly.

"But Daddy!" The second the words leave her mouth, she tenses up and goes red in the face. I wasn't sure that was going to work, but boy am I glad it did. "Uh... I'm gonna go..."

Julia runs down the hall and into her room. I wasn't expecting things to go in this direction with her, but hey, when you're dealing with the Random Remote, you can't really know what to expect. It seems like with a little bit more pushing, I might be able to turn Julia into the perfect little princess. Also, I'm pretty sure her makeup was a bit softer today. Less profession-looking, if that makes sense. It seems like her most recent attribute is starting to work. Hopefully she'll start adjusting her wardrobe soon.

But enough about my sisters, I'm here to deal with Rose.

I walk into the room to see the redhead sprawled out on the bed with her face down on one of the pillows. I slowly approach her, but she doesn't even react. She doesn't seem to be aware of my presence. This is... a lot. Even for Rose. It doesn't strike me as some weird fetish thing either. I think she's genuinely upset about something.

"Hey, Rose? Are you feeling okay?" I ask, not sure what else to say.

Rose finally looks up at me. Her eyes are red and I can see the streaks of water on her face from how much she's been crying. And seeing me only seems to make it worse, as she starts to hyperventilate. Staring into her teary eyes is like a giant punch in the gut. Did I do something wrong?

"Matt... I'm... I didn't... and then... love you... horrible person..." Rose gets out between her sobs. Or at least that's all I manage to discern of what she says.

I still have no idea what's going on, but I desperately want to fix it. I can't stand seeing Rose like this. I walk over to the bed and sit down next to her. Without saying a word, I wrap my arms around her and pull her into a tight embrace. Luckily, she makes no effort to get away, which is a good sign. The small girl buries her head into me chest and continues to cry. I just hold her for a few minutes until she is able to calm down slightly.

"Shh. It's okay, Rose. Everything's fine," I repeat every few minutes. Once she's recovered a bit, I start trying to get more information. "Why don't you try to tell me what's going on again?"

Rose looks up at me while still remaining as close as possible.

"I'm sorry, Matt. I'm the worst girlfriend ever," she tells me.

"Don't be ridiculous. Why would you ever say something like that?" It doesn't matter how out there Rose is. There's no reason for her to be this hard on herself.

"Because... because... I... started having thoughts about someone else!" She yells as her eyes well up again.

Wait... what?

"You mean like...?"

"Yes... I think I might have feelings for someone else. I don't understand why. They started coming up out of nowhere! And the worst part is that I don't even know who it is! All of a sudden, these images popped into my head for someone I don't even know! I can't believe I would do something like that to you! I'm so sorry!" She wails.

Hold on a second... someone she doesn't even know? The whole reason she's obsessed with me is because of THE ONE CONSISTENCY. Could that mean...?

"I swear I love you more, Matt! You'll always be the love of my life! You have to believe me!" Rose begs.

"This person you keep imagining? What does she look like?" I ask.

"W-what?"

"Please, Rose. Can you just describe her to me?"

"H-how... how did you know it was a woman?" Rose looks up at me with big eyes. She's clearly very **** right now.

"Rose... Please..."

It takes her a moment to fully collect herself before she says anything.

"Well... she looks like she's an older woman. Maybe 40s or 50s. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Big b-boobs and butt. And in ever image I have of her, she's always in business attire. I don't know why she seems so sexy. I've never been attracted to anyone like her before. But every time I think about her, I just want to..." Rose bursts into tears once again before she can finish that sentence. Afterwards, she just keeps repeating "I'm sorry" over and over again.

So that's what's going on. Rose is obsessed with Helen. I didn't even think about that possibility, but it makes sense. The RIGHT HAND attribute works on any attribute that refers to me. That includes THE ONE CONSISTENCY. I guess it's more like two consistencies now. Probably not the best time for a joke, Matt.

Poor Rose. This must have been a lot for her brain to handle. To be completely convinced that she's in love with me, only to start fantasizing about someone she's never met before. It's interesting that she can picture what Helen looks like despite the two never meeting. I guess she kind of has to if she's going to be obsessed with her.

Well, now that I know what's going on, I might be able to actually help.

"It's okay, Rose. I'm not upset at you," I say.

"Y-you're not?" She asks while looking up at me again.

"Of course not. I don't mind you finding other women attractive."

"But... but... we're supposed to be soulmates."

"And we still can be. I mean, you already said you don't mind me being with other women, right?" I ask.

"Well... yeah..." she responds quietly.

"Then what's stopping us from having a whole harem full of soulmates?"

"That's not how it works," Rose says, though her words are somewhat weak.

"Says who? No one should be allowed to tell us how our love works." I can tell Rose is considering my argument, but isn't fully convinced yet. Luckily, I have one more card I can play. "You know, I think I might actually know the woman you've been imagining. I could introduce you to her."

"Really?" Rose says hopefully. After a moment she quickly shakes her head. "Wait, no! I don't want to meet her! I want to be with you! No one else!"

Again, her resolve sounds weak. I think I'm getting somewhere. I place me hands on her face and wipe some of the tears off her face.

"Come on. I'm giving you permission, Rose. Aren't you curious? I think you should at least give it a chance. I have a feeling she might even feel the same way about you..."

"I... I don't know..."

"How about this? If you agree to let me set up a meeting, we can do whatever you want for the rest of the day. I'm sure you have at least one fun idea for something you want us to do together. You always do. It can be absolutely anything," I explain.

Yes, I know it's a risky deal, but I think it will be worth it if I can get Rose and Helen in a room together. Helen is incredibly smart. I'm sure she can find someway to get Rose fully onboard the harem idea. Come on, Rose. I know you want to...

Rose goes quiet for a moment. Eventually, she makes eye contact, her big blue orbs gazing directly into my soul. She's still very clearly in an emotional state. After a solid minute, she finally opens her mouth.

"Anything?" She asks.

"Just name it," I answer.

"Well, I did have this one idea..."