Close Out Sale

Mark and Sam were back in Mark’s suite after they were whisked away temporarily to write fan mail to another season. Sam was particularly grumpy to have been woken up abruptly and not even given coffee. She was now nursing a cinnamon latte while the two of them ate breakfast.

“So Mark, how was the party? I know you sort of didn’t go, but you also did?”

“Andy was nice. It’s weird, there are parts of the party that seem blocked off. Which is odd because that should only happen if it would affect the LARP. It was interesting to meet someone else who could swap back and forth between sexes, where that wasn’t their natural state. I take it you're still annoyed with Cassandra for waking us so early?”

“Yeah, utter bullshit is what it is. So I take it I’m not going to get to see you much today, and maybe tomorrow, too.”

“Why not?”

“Because you are dealing with the Mad Cow-Girl outbreak. Since you should be immune. I figure Sadie is going to send Allie, Isabella, Laura, and you to deal with it. While her, Talia, and I go do something else.”

“Maybe. Not sure. Could be new info comes up that makes Sadie reconsider stuff.”

Sam nodded as she was scrolling through the tablet, which had apparently self-repaired. Mark noticed she was going through each woman’s TFs and mentally ticking them off and mouthing different ways they might be triggered. They ate in relative silence with Sam’s occasional mutterings. That was until Sam got back to Mark’s TFs, where she abruptly stood up and slammed the table. “MARK! WHAT THE FUCK!?”

Mark was surprised by her sudden outburst. He was startled for a moment and then annoyed. “Sam! Calm down. There is no cause to yell at me.” Sam closed her eyes and took deep breaths. Mark could see her mouthing words to herself. After a moment, she sat back down and opened her eyes again. “Care to explain why you yelled at me? Also, was what you just did because of ‘controlling your emotions’ being on your active list?”

“To answer your second question first. Yes.” Then, in a rather stern voice. “Now… care to explain this?” Sam slid the tablet over to Mark, showing his TFs. He read them over and came to the newest additions to his page. “I’m fairly certain I explicitly asked you NOT to upgrade your points again, and you went and did it TWICE.”

“First of all, I told you I wouldn’t promise that. Secondly, Mary did that, and I can tell you Mary wasn’t aware of our conversation since it would affect how the LARP went.”

Mark could see that Sam wanted to be mad at him, but she couldn’t muster it. Her shoulders sagged. “Fuck…”

“Sam, this isn’t really that bad.”

“Mark, what happens when you get hit with something and lose all your inhibitions?”

“If that happens, a few of you are likely to get some TFs. I won’t deny that. I was tempted to do that even recently. But it wouldn’t be the rewrite.”

“How can you be so sure? Slevia seemed sure, too.”

“I’m not interested in it.”

“Mark, do you really expect me to believe that? I know you get off on our transformations. I’m not judging you for your kinks, but I’m not going to ignore the practicalities of them either.”

“Sam… that would be too fast and complete. Yes, I get off on transformations, but some are better than others.”

“You’re saying that one isn’t to your tastes?”

“Essentially. If something like that came up while I was reading seasons, I wouldn’t vote for that option because it just isn’t all that compelling. The only way I would even consider it is if I really hated the person as presented. Even then, the option itself isn’t compelling to me; it would have been the act of punishing someone who is a right bastard.”

“What’s to stop you from punishing us?”

“Sam, look, is there a combination of things that might be dangerous? Yes. The brownies didn’t make me want to do things. They just lowered the voice that came up with reasons why I shouldn’t do the things I want to do. Sam, I know the things I want to do. Even if sometimes I feel ashamed about my wants. I don’t want something like that. I’m not saying you are wrong to be concerned about the brownies. You should be, you are just concerned for the wrong reasons. There are plenty of things I want to do, but I know that I shouldn’t.”

“Like?” Sam said, clearly pushing for details.

“Like adding some people to the harem. Like picking you up, throwing you on the bed, and ravishing you. Like buying some TFs I do actually find really hot, but some of you might not like being on the receiving end, at least initially. I’m not trying to tell you not to worry here, Sam, but you aren’t going to be able to remove all the options to inflict real lasting damage. What you should focus on instead is preventing such a situation from occurring in the first place.”

Sam seemed to consider that. “Yeah, but that’s not realistic either.”

“I know. I would point out that so far, even when I’ve been compromised, I’ve been able to rationalize why I shouldn’t do something, and I removed myself from situations where I would do irreparable harm before I could do that harm.”

“Oh? Even the thing with Laura?”

Mark considered that, and at the same time got a flood of info from Mary’s date with Ellen and the following conversation with Cassandra. “Oh, well… yes, actually. Given her reaction, according to Ellen, about what I just learned about, I don’t think that would have been the end of the world. I also just learned something you will be happy to hear about.”

“What are you talking about? For both issues.”

“Well… hmmm, I’m not actually sure it’s my place to mention the thing with Laura, but I’m willing to bet if you ask her about it, she would gladly tell you. As for the other thing… well, for reasons I will not be going into, both of my forms will be protected from things that would compromise my judgement for the duration of the challenge.”

“Really!” Mark thought Sam’s reaction was like that of an excited puppy. Her tail was gently swishing behind her chair.

“Yes. Don’t ask, because I won’t say more than that.”

“Okay… Mark, I hope you know I will still be encouraging you to exhaust your resources from now on. Same with the others. I won’t push, but I will highly encourage.”

Mark sighed and nodded, “Okay, I understand. What are you going to buy with your BP then?”

“I…” Sam seemed cagey, but ultimately said, “I have a few options, but would like your opinion on them.” Mark indicated to go ahead. “I was thinking of picking up one or both of the TFs from the second round of TFs that lost or this.” Sam slid the tablet to Mark after pulling up a TF option.

Mark read over the new option.

Preventative Fixer: Sam needs to fix Mark’s problems, but a good fixer solves the problems before they emerge. Sam will find that she knows when problems will happen before they actually occur and has a basic understanding of the problem. It will be up to her to fix it, though. [Left-Hand Woman]

“Is this what you really want to be, Sam, my fixer?”

“Not just that, but I’m going to be your fixer, whether I want to or not. I have to resolve your problems.”

“I could get rid of that.”

“No.” Sam shook her head. “It’s in my nature to keep things in order. I hardly even feel that compulsion because of how natural it is to do that anyway. The only time that it has gotten overwhelming is when there was a serious threat to Flora’s safety, and that could have been the fact that it was compounded with a few other compulsions.”

“Hmm.” Mark looked like he was carefully considering his response, and he noticed Sam watching him intently, with her eyes narrowing into vertical slits. “I’m not sure.”

“Mark…” Sam said, with a slight whine in her voice, to let him know she was annoyed.

Mark held up his hand, “I’m really not. I won’t tell you to pick one, but I will give you my thoughts on the options you have presented. I think Flowers of Adversity is potentially dangerous. After rereading it, I noticed a glaring flaw. It doesn’t have a limiter. You will simply become more beautiful over time.”

“How exactly is that a problem?”

“Eventually, every blemish, wrinkle, and flaw will be removed, at which point, how do you become more beautiful?”

“Sadie thought I would get curvier.”

Mark nodded, “Maybe a little bit, but I don’t think all that much to be honest. No, you will start to get an unearthly beauty as I have, while Mary. I could eventually see it becoming an issue, since, as you mentioned before, you are going to live for hundreds of years. Let me give you an example of a rather large challenge we will be facing someday. Lightning breathing baby dragons.” Sam’s face went pale. “Yeah, that’s what I thought about it too. Possibly flying babies, too. That is going to be a massive challenge. For which you will become more beautiful for surviving that challenge. That’s not to mention all the little challenges we face day to day.”

“Okay, yeah, that one is off the table; you don’t need to sell me more on not getting it.”

“For Preventative Fixer, I’m letting you know that if you get that, you will be getting Trusted Fixer, too. I want to make it clear that this is non-negotiable. I just worry that Trusted Fixer might end up messing with your head. Since I’m pretty sure you will end up taking the knowledge of how I would want you to act as feedback, or it could trigger your compulsions. Since that one doesn’t limit itself to problems, but is for any situation.”

“That last part you pointed out is actually why I thought it might be helpful.” Mark was the one to look befuddled this time. “I was just thinking… if this works like I think it would, I wouldn’t have had the issue with my list that I did in the first round. I would have known that what you would have wanted me to do wasn’t become an obedient submissive housewife with no thoughts of my own. Essentially, I would simply know how you would react and what you would want me to do.”

“And you are okay with that? Because you could easily have your compulsions triggered where you have to do those things, effectively losing your free will.”

~Ping~

Sam said, “Check that it is probably Cassandra, wanting to stop a circular conversation that won’t go anywhere.”

Cassandra: To stop a conversation that won’t go anywhere. Is it possible that her compulsions are triggered? Yes. Though, assuming you don’t actually want her to lose her free will, she wouldn’t because of her compulsion to resolve problems for you. I’ve already simulated the interactions. She’ll be fine on that front generally. But you aren’t wrong that there might be times when she does have to act on the information she receives.

Mark slid the message over to Sam. After she read it, she said, “That’s generally what I thought would happen based on how the TFs have impacted me so far. Really, it’s a matter of whether I trust you, which I do.”

“Fine, I’m not telling you to get them. Just if you are going to go down this road of being my fixer, I want you to do the job right.”

“So, I take it you would prefer I buy Trusted Fixer first, then?”

Mark shrugged, “I’m less fussed about which is first. I will be getting, Trusted Fixer for you eventually, even if you don’t get it yourself, if you buy the other one, though.”

Sam stood up and moved around the table, giving Mark a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to go see if Slevia is still in the courtyard. Hopefully, I’ll see you before you leave.”

Mark stood up and scooped Sam up in his arms as he did so, surprising her. “Oh no, you aren’t getting away so easily.”

“Mark! What are you doing?”

Mark moved towards the bed. “Helping you not to forget your goal, apparently.” Mark sat down on the bed with Sam in his lap and kissed her. She reciprocated slowly at first and then passionately, soon after.

They made out for a while before Sam broke the kiss. “Thanks, I had actually forgotten. You’re right, I would probably have tried to come find you if I didn’t take care of this before we parted.” Sam pushed Mark down onto the bed and took off his pants. She turned around and didn’t hesitate to blow him. Mark relaxed, enjoying the experience for a short while. Soon after, he grabbed the base of Samantha’s tail and pulled her rear down so he could reciprocate with her. The two went relatively quickly. Mark came inside Sam’s mouth first. MMMM, Goddess, I could get addicted to this taste. Damn, is his tongue good. I might need to see about getting him some of the gummy tongues. Mark finished Sam off after another minute or two. Sam cuddled Mark for a time but eventually said, while getting up, “Okay, thanks for that. Both remembering and reciprocating. I’m going to go now, though. If you head out before I see you again, good luck and stay safe.” Sam kissed Mark swiftly on the lips and ran out of the room towards the courtyard.

Mark looked at Sam as she ran out. Damn, she looks super sexy. Mark got up to finish his coffee and consider if he should spend any more of his BP right now or not. He did notice that the BP store was still open, which he figured meant that Sam would find Slevia in the courtyard. It was after a few minutes that Mark found out he had made a mistake when he sprouted horns, a tail, and scales on his arms. “What the fuck?”

~Ping~

Cassandra: You failed to pick a TF to copy. I have selected one for you. Have fun.

“GODDESS DAMNIT! Seriously! I have to consciously pick each time? Whatever, I can just eat out, one of the others, it shouldn’t be a big deal.” Mark grumbled but resumed his search of the store.

---

Sadie woke up to Laura sitting upright in bed so forcefully that the covers went flying. She was annoyed at being awoken so abruptly for the second time this morning. This time, though, she sighed and went to get dressed. I can’t believe I joined Talia and Laura last night. I can’t believe I masturbated watching the two of them either. It did help relieve some of the lust, though. Sadie saw the abrupt change of emotions crossing Laura’s face and how it changed several times. A few minutes later, Laura got up as well. Sadie asked, “Talking with Talia? I’m sorry if I created problems. I could see that you were upset at various points of your conversation.”

Laura shook her head. “Not Talia. Ellen. Our mom and dad are getting married to each other.”

“I’m confused… wait, you mean your mom and her dad, right? Huh, that must be both confusing and pleasing. I guess that would explain some of what I saw. You did seem really happy for a bit.”

“That… that was because of something else… My mom is pregnant.”

Sadie’s eyes went wide. “Really!? Congratulations! I think anyway.”

“I’m happy too,” Laura said with a dopey grin. “I didn’t realize how happy having siblings would make me. I went from having none to having ten in the span of around two weeks.”

“Ten? How pregnant is Jennifer?”

Laura laughed, “She is going to have quadruplets, apparently. Then I have at least five other half-siblings courtesy of my cheating father. Then there’s Ellen.”

“You really think of Ellen as a sister?”

“Yes. It’s complicated, but yes. That’s at least part of why you might have seen less than ecstatic expressions on my face. Ellen was upset with me. Both because I yelled at her last night, and… and because she was still thirty-four years old.”

“Can you explain that last bit? I assume it’s something to do with a transformation, but I’m still trying to remember all of them.”

“Sure. When I selected my main path, my Youthful Vigor boon gained an effect that, as long as I love someone, they will be as young and fit as I am. You said you watched the second challenge, right?”

“Yeah, but in the auditorium, we were shown all of you at once.”

“Well, I’m sure you noticed my mom was particularly young.”

“Yeah, honestly, I thought she was you when I first saw her. She actually looks like you from before your first set of transformations.”

“Right. Well, that’s because I love my mom. The thing is, Ellen was thirty-four, and Ellen was pretty sure that Lucia’s form was also older than twenty-seven, which is my current physical age. She went on a date with Mark and visited our parents. That’s how she knew my mom was pregnant. I think it hit her hard that she wasn’t covered under the effect of my boon, with how excited and readily I accepted my other siblings. She’s not been shy about making it clear she thinks of me as her sister.”

“Ah, so for you not to at least love her like a family member, even if not as a girlfriend…”

“Right. I don’t know if it was because I was conflicted or hadn’t said that I loved her, but it affects her now.”

“I’m glad you were able to resolve things with her. I’m actually more interested in the fact that you can communicate with the other team. Can you also communicate with Talia whenever you want?”

“Yeah, I can, why?”

“Remember, you, Allie, Isabella, and Mark are likely going to be going separately from Sam, Talia, and me. It would be nice to get updates on how things are going and to send your group messages.”

“Huh, I guess long distance communication is at a premium with our phones set to only be able to contact Cassandra.”

“Yeah. Could you get a message to Mary about Chloe?”

“Already did.”

“Thanks. I’ve got enough to worry about with Mark; I don’t need her to deal with too. Also, thank you for last night. It was nice to feel included, even if we didn’t do anything together directly.”

“Sadie, look, I was serious last night. I don’t want to do things with you because I want to help resolve things between you and Chloe. Not because I’m disinterested in you. Not sure if you were told about this or not, but Cassandra has these videos of our alternate selves.”

“I was. I was also told that it wasn’t uncommon for me to end up in a polycule of some sort, including some combination of you, Chloe, Aubrey, and Mark. I find that hard to believe, but it’s the multiverse, so anything that can happen would happen.”

“Well, two corrections about your statement. First, that isn’t necessarily how branching timelines work, at least from my understanding. It isn’t every minute choice creates a branch, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a bunch of them. The other thing is that in the videos of us, they are alternate universes where at least one of us ends up happy with Mark, where the universe isn’t substantially different than our own. So we are clear, the only thing Mark or I could notice that was different between our lives until we got together during the first alternate was that I essentially dragged him to a party. That’s it. In fact, that was repeated in the majority of the alternatives that worked out between the two of us. Essentially, I just asked him out to something. So the fact that you and Chloe worked out in some of them means that things weren’t that different for you two either.”

“Seriously? That’s it, you just asked him out? Come to think of it, why didn’t you do that?”

“Hmm… that’s a good question.” Laura thought about it. “Well, crap. I’m fairly certain that the reason is that I thought Chloe had her eye on him, and I was already scouting her for our sorority. He was a freshman, too, so I didn’t want to be too aggressive with him as well.”

“Hmm, interesting, I’m surprised he didn’t get scared off after you had sex with him and he started to learn more about you in those timelines.”

“That’s the thing, though, I did try just to have sex with him pretty much immediately in those realities. He told me no. Like that was a consistent thing. He would almost always tell me no.”

“Seriously? How did things work out between you two then? Not that you wouldn’t respect that, but I figured that would sort of be a deal breaker for you.”

“Yeah, if you had asked me back then, I would have said the same thing. Not that I was really interested in a romantic relationship, but apparently, Mark and I would just talk for hours after he turned me down for sex. He also ignored everyone on campus telling him that I was just using him for sex and that I was a slut. Like it didn’t matter to him at all. In the first one, it took nearly six months before I took Mark’s virginity. A month later, I found out I was pregnant, and we eloped during spring break.” Sadie just stared at Laura in disbelief. “Yeah, that was my thought at first, too. You want to hear something funny, though. That nearly played out here. I essentially asked Mark repeatedly to have sex during the first round. He consistently said no. We hardly did anything before my first date night with him, despite my repeatedly offering the opportunity to do more. He relented for my date night, which was second to last in the first round. Then, at the beginning of the second round, I have a pregnancy scare. I confessed that I loved him later that round. This might be the brownies talking, though I don’t think it is, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to marry that man.”

“Hmm… any suggestions on how I can repair things with him?”

“Apologize.”

“But I didn’t do anything wrong,” Sadie complained.

“I don’t agree with you about that. Look, you explained what you said to Mark last night. I’m not saying lashing out at him wasn’t called for, and I am 100% behind you on the Isabella matter and the tags. I told Mark that was the case yesterday. What I have an issue with is you threatening to do real harm to him and that you would be spiteful to do that harm too.”

“Laura, he assaulted me.”

“I understand that. As I said, lashing out at him and yelling at him for doing that were called for. You threatened not only Mark but the rest of us by implication. That wasn’t called for. Sadie, you need to apologize for taking things too far. You need to do that more for yourself and for the rest of us than for Mark. I think you realize you’ve backed yourself into a corner, which is part of why you are stressing so much. I assume you didn’t apologize, as it would essentially make you seem like you were backing down and weak. Here’s the thing: if Mark crosses that line again, for whatever reason, you either have to put up or shut up. Both results will be horrible for you. If you follow through and punch Mark, your best-case scenario is a punishment TF.”

“As if the transformations we are receiving aren’t already punishments.”

“They really aren’t. I know I’ve been relatively lucky, but plenty of the transformations are positive, and even the ones that might push us into something aren’t intrinsic punishments. I don’t know what the specifics of a punishment TF would be, but when Sam punched Cassandra, Sam was given a choice. Either have all her transformations upgraded, and she has to set a goal with Mark each round that she is compelled to complete, or she would have gotten a punishment TF that Cassandra’s producer designed. She chose the former, and I think she was right to do so.”

“Why? What do you think her punishment TF would have been?”

“Cassandra gave Sam a hint before she chose, as to what the punishment would be. She said it would make Sam look back fondly on her time in ROTC. If I had to guess, either Sam would have been completely unable to refuse sex, only be able to get off on rough sex or ****, or make it so people would physically **** themselves on her repeatedly. Probably all three of them. You haven’t had a chance to interact with the ASTRIDs that much yet. The more we do, the more horrific I think that transformation is. In the first round, Aubrey sort of blew up when she found out. She went to confront Cassandra about it and was told it was the least bad option. She was shown the next bad option, and Flora told me Aubrey immediately vomited seeing it. Freya apparently confirmed that what happened was the absolute best option available to Cassandra later. Astrid isn’t just now a sexbot, though she is that. The real Astrid is apparently aware of what she is doing; she just can’t help herself. We’ve found some examples of eliminations and heard of more. Honestly, I bet that Merigold was eliminated.”

“She’s the alternate Merida, right?”

“Yeah, she is. The point is that what happened to Merigold might even be on the lighter end of eliminations. Sentient cocksleeves, literal blow-up dolls, or being turned into a pet, are all not off the table. We’ve gone on a tangent, though. If instead of punching Mark, you do the smart thing and not attempt **** on him, you’ll have shown you are all bluster. That’s why I think you need to apologize for taking it so far. If you do it now, it will leave the point you want to get across, which is that you don’t want to be treated like that, while conveying that you aren’t completely inflexible and willing to admit when you make mistakes. Yes, it will make it seem like you said something stupid during the heat of the moment, which you did, but it will also make it clear you can recognize that fact and temper your response to something more appropriate. So, apologize not for yelling or for anything to do with Isabella. Apologize because you understand that while what Mark did wasn’t okay, you might have gone a bit overboard in your response to Mark manhandling you.”

Sadie sat down on the bed with a pensive look on her face. Laura let her stew in silence for a while she got into her own equipment. Sadie eventually said, “I’ll think about it some more.”

“Don’t take too long. Honestly, today or tomorrow is the optimal time frame to apologize; much longer and it will seem like you aren’t doing it because you thought about it with a calmer head, but for an ulterior motive. Shall we go meet up with the others?”

Sadie nodded, and the two went off towards the courtyard.

---

Sam entered the courtyard to find Allie, Isabella, and Talia already there. She noticed that Slevia was packing up but hadn’t left yet. “Hey, you three, you’re here early.”

Allie walked over and threw her arms around Sam. “I know, these two wouldn’t let me go back to bed. Isabella didn’t even bother writing a letter; instead, she spent the time cooking for me, and she wouldn’t let me go until I had finished every last bite.”

Sam looked confused, glanced at Talia, who was smirking in amusement, and wearing a pair of sunglasses she hadn’t seen before, and Isabella, who was pouting. “I’m confused. Talia? Isa… Isa… okay, what the fuck? Why can’t I say your name properly, Isa? I thought that only impacted Mark. Actually, never mind, not important, why is Allie talking like she was tortured?”

Allie grasped Sam’s shoulders. “Because I was. It was delicious, yes, but how can one person be expected to eat that much food?”

Talia said, “Isabella might have gone and cooked an eight-course meal for Allie.”

“It isn’t a big deal,” Isabella said.

“Sam, either Talia’s Anime Physics comboed with her cooking TF or Cassandra has a skewed idea of what constitutes cooking skills.”

“You know, dear,” Isabella began, “I did make that with love for you. You could stop acting like it was ****.”

“You are clearly trying to make me FAT!. That is the only explanation. Treachery is what this is!”

Sam noticed Slevia seemed about to leave. “Okay, Allie, I’m sorry, but I really want to catch Slevia before the shop closes. I’ll be right back.”

Sam rushed over to Slevia. “Slevia, wait!”

“OH! It is girl who has poor hearing! What does the pretty, partially deaf, dragon want?”

Sam was super confused. Is everyone just messing with me this morning? “What are you talking about?”

Slevia tsked and said, “I told you my name twice yesterday. The name is Slevinia.”

Sam took in a deep breath. It isn’t Slevia’s fault that Cassandra is forcing her to play a bit. “Slevinia, I was wondering if you were still open for business.”

“Much of wears packed up. Would be annoying to unpack. Hmmm. Here.” Slevia tossed a crystal. “Special two for one. Pick two things I want less to travel with.”

Sam examined the crystal and saw a notification. ‘BP Store is imminently closing. Close Out Sale: 2-for-1. One purchase permitted, then the store closes. 5 minutes remaining.’

Sam skimmed through the available options. Okay, we got Trusted Fixer but not the other one right now… Sam was going to ignore the deal, but found that she either would have to wait or buy a second option from the store. Hmm… well, there were other things that I saw that weren’t horrible, maybe I should just ask. “Slevinia, could you tell me of the options here? Is there one you would recommend? I want Trusted Fixer, but the other TF I was thinking about isn’t here.”

Slevia had dropped the act somewhat and said, “Safe Harbour or My Reflection Shows Who You See Inside.”

Safe Harbour: Samantha has found a safe harbour in Mark’s arms. This will be supernaturally reinforced. Samantha will be unable to feel anything other than safe and calm in Mark's arms; all stress and worries will wash away. [Sailor]

My Reflection Shows Who You See Inside: Samantha's body will accrue subtle changes over time, so she will look closer and closer to how Mark's subconscious envisions her. [Mulan]

Sam turned around and shouted, “ALLIE, COME OVER HERE! QUICKLY!” Allie ran over to Sam, seemingly pleased to leave others, who now included Laura and Sadie as well. Though the others looked in her direction. Sam saw Sadie say something to Laura.

“What’s the matter?” Allie asked.

Sam noticed the others had come over to join her, causing Sam to hesitate slightly. “Umm… I don’t have a lot of time. I wanted a second opinion. I have a TF I actively want to buy, but I have to use this two-for-one sale, apparently. I actually think both of these options are interesting, but I have like two minutes left to pick.”

Talia acted before Allie could respond. She stepped forward and put Sam, Allie, and herself in a time bubble. “I gave you a bit more time to consider your choices. Can I see them as well?”

“Thank you, and yes.” Sam showed both Allie and Talia the options. “I’m actually tempted to come back and buy whichever one I don’t pick later, but maybe I’m missing something.”

Sam saw Talia’s eyes glow behind her sunglasses as they flicked over the text of the options.

Allie said, “Well, neither will negatively impact your Walkthrough as far as I can tell. I do have a question, though. Are you interested in these because you want them or feel like you need to get them? I could see your lists pushing you to get them.”

Talia’s eyes returned to normal. Talia took a few calming breaths while biting her lower lip. “Sam, if I were in your shoes, I would get both, no questions asked. For you, though… I think you shouldn’t get Safe Harbour.”

Allie said, “Really? I thought it would be the better of the two. Especially since the other one says Mark’s subconscious, which could end up being weird.”

Talia tilted her head side to side. “I’m not saying it would be horrible. Just right now, Sam, you’ve made such significant progress on your own. Yes, your transformations have **** you to work on your trauma, and Allie’s Walkthrough has helped show you a path to do so, but they haven’t simply gotten rid of the issue. Yes, Swab the Dick makes Mark’s dick more appealing to you, but I’m willing to bet it doesn’t actually remove your aversion to it directly, and you still had to do the work of handling it in the first place. Which to me just sounds like enhanced exposure therapy. My point is, I think it will feel more meaningful to both you and Mark that you naturally feel safe in his arms, and not because of magic. Even if that means it takes longer for you two to have sex. As for Allie’s point about Mark’s subconscious being weird… Sam, you’re a dragon now. I don’t think Mark is capable of not associating things like cool, badass, and fierce with you anymore.”

“That’s… those are good points,” Sam replied. “Allie, to your question, a bit of both. Like I want to look better for Mark, and the second one will do that. I don’t feel like I must buy it, though, but I do feel a tiny nudge from my lists.”

Allie pursed her lips in thought. “Is there a reason you need whatever this other TF is now? Why not wait and think it over?”

“FOMO.” Talia quipped. “Though this is actually a good deal, in my opinion. Buying this means you took an action to improve your appearance. Every time it triggers, it should fulfill the compulsion to look better for Mark, since you got it yourself.”

“Talia, can you think of any reason I shouldn’t get the Reflection one?”

“You could stop being Allie’s type. I find that unlikely, but it is technically there. Though considering that Allie seems to find everyone in the harem attractive, I don’t think it is a real issue. Besides that, you are essentially giving up control of your body shape. Though I can tell you are actually okay with that… I’m sorry, Sam, that might be my fault.”

“It isn’t Talia. My lists can’t **** me to change my mind about things. It can **** me to do things, but it can’t **** my thoughts and feelings. If it could, I would already be over my trauma. Also, what do you mean you can tell I’m okay with that?”

“Umm… these sunglasses are from Laura. They are a divine relic. They let me… see things about people. I actually purchased the options to make them permanent this morning. They are called the ‘Fetish Detectors’.”

“So you just know all my fetishes?” Sam said, glaring.

“Yes and no. It’s more like it has an AR interface that I can sift through to get information about whom I’m looking at.”

“AR?” Sam asked.

“Augmented reality.” Allie and Talia replied together. Allie continued. “Think virtual reality, but laid on top of the real world instead of replacing it. Like a hologram sort of.”

“Okay, the point is that feels invasive.”

“Sam, I can promise you that I won’t **** these. I’m not sure that I can **** them, as that would go against Laura’s tenets. It isn’t a vow of secrecy or anything, but I won’t simply be sharing this info with people to embarrass you. I might share more of Isabella’s, but that’s just because she would actually enjoy that.”

“Whatever, it probably isn’t that big of a deal. Thank you.”

Sam selected Trusted Fixer and My Reflection Shows Who You See Inside, then purchased them.

-4000 BP Samantha -> 525 BP

Trusted Fixer: Sam has earned Mark’s trust and respect. She will gain a deep understanding of how Mark would react in a given situation and how he would want her to handle a situation. [Left-Hand Woman]

My Reflection Shows Who You See Inside: Samantha's body will accrue subtle changes over time, so she will look closer and closer to how Mark's subconscious envisions her. [Mulan]

Sam expected a significant change, especially from Trusted Fixer, but she didn’t feel different. Talia let the time bubble drop.

As the bubble dropped, Laura said, “Talia, wait! Well shit. I’m guessing you already bought something, Sam?”

“I did, yeah. Why? Is that a problem?”

“You’re still under the effects of those doughnuts.”

“So ? Don’t tell me you weren’t considering buying something.”

“I was, but I see I missed Slevia before she packed up this morning.”

Sam looked back towards Slevia on a merchant’s wagon, with a sign on the side that said ‘BP Shop Closed’. Slevia had the horse start to pull the wagon out of the courtyard.

“Then why does it sound like you’re judging me since you are under the effects of the brownies Mark ate?”

“Because I was just planning on gaining a flight spell. What did you buy?”

Sam realized this has been a recurring issue for Mark with Laura. Hmm… okay… I guess I can try handling it like that. “Laura, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so hostile towards you. Thank you for looking out for all of us. I got Trusted Fixer from the second round of TFs and a TF that will make me slowly change physically based on how Mark views me.”

“That was the one that lets you know how Mark would respond, right?”

“Yes, also how he would want me to respond. Interestingly, I can ignore the knowledge.”

“Why get the other one, though?”

Samantha looked over Laura and noticed a weariness underneath her composure. Sam sighed, “Laura…” She walked over and hugged the Amazonian Goddess. “Could you trust us some more? You’re trying to carry the weight of protecting all of us and Mark, yourself. I discussed these purchases with others both now and previously. Let some of the rest of us help with the burden, Laura. You don’t need to worry about everything all the time.”

Laura was surprised and confused at first by Sam’s reaction. Then, as the others looked at her, her shoulders released a tension she didn’t know she was carrying. Laura wrapped an arm around Sam. “Sorry if I sometimes feel like I’m being a nag about things.”

“We all know you care. Now I’ll answer your question, but could you try to relax some more? For your own sake?” Laura nodded. “I got it for two reasons, one, I wanted Trusted Fixer now. I would have preferred a different secondary TF, but it wasn’t available. That said, I do actually really like the idea of the Reflection TF. It will both let me know how Mark really sees me and help with one of my compulsions. I think I’ve realized Mark is also right, we need to essentially be all in on making things work. With Mary upgrading their Points TF, we just have to prevent Mark or Mary from becoming compromised. Luckily, Mark said both of them are going to be immune to those sorts of things for the rest of the round. I’m still going to encourage you all to spend your BP down, but it’s not like we can actually prevent Mark from being able to purchase the dangerous stuff in the store now.”

Talia said, “Sam, I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but we couldn’t stop that before anyway. Not since Mark got the ability to copy our TFs. Mark could just copy Ellen’s breast expansion TF and use it as Mary getting as much BP as needed, and revert to Mark for a round.”

“Well, shit. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because it involves a lot of different moving parts, and there are frankly a lot of them. If it helps at all, Sam, Mark isn’t interested in doing something like that.” Talia said while making a point to adjust her sunglasses.

Sadie cut in, “Sam, I was wondering, would you mind getting an early start with Talia and me? Also, being our ride? Last night we discussed a plan, but it would be a lot smoother if we could ride on the back of a dragon to go from place to place.”

“I don’t mind.” Sam squeezed one last time around Laura’s waist while burying her face in a wondrous pair of pillows before finally letting the early hug go. “When did you want to head out?”

“Now, preferably. I would honestly like to avoid Mark right now.”

“Okay, but know we will be talking about your issue with him today.” Sam transformed into her dragon form at about the size of a Clydesdale. She lowered her slender frame to the ground so that Talia and Sadie could climb aboard the saddle that Sam had picked up for this form. Talia gave Laura a goodbye kiss.

Sadie looked at Laura, “Good luck with the Mad Cow-Girls. Message Talia if you run into problems. Nothing we are doing is particularly critical. So if you need a flyby dragon for assistance, let us know.” With that, Sam took off and headed west as Sadie directed her.

Laura walked over to the guard who managed the quest board and asked for any information on the Mad Cow-Girl outbreak and any tasks related to it. A few minutes later, Mark came and joined the three remaining women. Laura turned to Mark, “Hey, I thought you weren’t going to be a dragon for a while.”

“I didn’t mean to be one either.” Mark sighed, “Apparently, each time I eat one of you out, I have to consciously think about the TF to copy, or Cassandra picks one for me. She made me a dragon again for some reason.”

Allie replied. “That’s probably because that is the best TF Sam has for you to copy. Plus, Cassandra has made it clear that she wants you to be more dominant with us.”

“Yeah, well, I was hoping to swap it out. Any idea where Sam is?”

Laura raised an eyebrow, “Why do you need Sam? The three of us would be more than willing to oblige you, I believe.” Laura looked at Allie and Isabella, who both nodded.

“Well, I would have to do that to three separate people, to do that. Apparently, Mary upgraded that TF. I can now have three TFs copied, but only one per person. I had Sam’s knots TF copied, and it was replaced with this.”

“Oh, well, you missed her a few minutes ago. She and the others have already left.” Allie said. “Laura could probably call them back if need be. Then again, you could just eat all three of us out…” Allie offered as well.

“Don’t bother calling them back. This might actually end up being a good thing. If we are facing effectively a zombie horde, having a massive breath weapon and flight will be super helpful. As for eating all three of you out, I actually already checked. Allie, you and Isabella count as one person for this TF. So I can’t actually get rid of the Dragon TF with just the three of you. That being said…” Mark looked in thought, “How about the three of us head back to my room for a quick round of fun.”

“All of us? At once?” Allie said a little skeptically.

“Well, if that makes you uncomfortable, then no. But I think it might be worthwhile for me to copy one of Laura’s TFs and one of Isa’s TFs. Which means I have to take care of Isa after you, Allie, so I can keep her TF. Because, despite you two counting as one person, I can only copy the TFs from the individual I actually ate out.”

“Umm… Master?” Isabella said hesitantly with her ears pressed flat against her head.

“What’s wrong, Isa? Why do you look nervous?”

“It isn’t that I don’t want that… just…”

Allie stepped in, “Mark, I’m inviting Isa to join us tonight, so nothing against you, Laura, but…”

“Oh no, it’s fine,” Laura said, holding up her hands. “I get it. You three had a pre-existing relationship. If at a later date, you are cool with me joining, I’m totally up for it. Isa-bella’s a virgin; at least she’s never had a dick inside her down there. Not going to intrude on your first time. Mark… what TFs did you want to copy?”

“I was thinking Gifts from Grandma, from Isa. From you, Laura, I was thinking either Amazonian or your Goddess TF. I’m curious how either one would combine with the Dragon TF from Sam. I figure Amazonian would become something like Herculean, and we already know I become a god when copying the other TF. I could be a dragon god.”

“Huh… Mark… don’t take this the wrong way.” Laura began. “But no, I’m not letting you become a dragon god. Not right now anyway. If you won’t promise to pick a different TF, then no.”

“I’m cool with Amazonian. I figured I would be far more durable that way.” Mark turned to Isabella and Allie. “So, I take it you two want to wait until tonight, then?” They nodded. “You mind if Laura and I…”

“Go ahead, Mark. I don’t mind.” Allie smiled at him and Laura warmly, and Mark was fairly certain he saw Allie blush slightly.

Okay… noting that for later. “Shall we, my goddess?” Mark said, slightly bowing and offer her is hand.

Laura took it, “You know I got the message when you swore earlier, right? If you keep that up, you might just become a worshiper for real.”

“Hmm.” Mark pulled Laura close. “I’ll have to keep that in mind, but I should let you know something.” Mark leaned in and whispered into her ear. “You should watch out about that too, considering how much you said ‘Oh God Mark’ yesterday.” Mark then swept Laura off her feet and started flying towards his bedroom, causing Laura to let out a yelp of surprise. It took longer than Allie thought it would, and longer than Mark and Laura had planned on it taking, but Mark copied the TF as he intended, and damn was the result to Laura’s liking.

+1 VP Princess Carry