Frivolités

The dinner began to wind down naturally as stomachs were filled and the darkness of night replaced the jovial camaraderie with muscle aches and soreness, a reminder of the day's exertions. The last thing the group did together was head out to the board in the lobby, the only light coming from the moon overhead.

In the front of the group, Lily tapped the screen to reveal the finalized room placements for everyone to see.

• Pierrot Suite: Noemi and Lily
• Columbina Suite: Stella and Mira
• Brighella Suite: Maddy and Maya
• Innamorti Suite: Amy and Eliza

Amy turned towards the others, “Everyone, remember what each room does?”

Noemi raised a hand, “Innamorti makes you horny.”

Clicking her tongue, Eliza frowned, “Unfortunately, that's what it amounts to,” She shifted her legs slightly, “Pierrot enhances what you see as your worst trait.”

Shifting uncomfortably, whether from nerves or the effects of her transformation, Maddy piped up, “Brighella m-makes you more assertive with your instincts?”

“And Columbina makes keeping secrets hard,” Amy said, looking over to Stella for confirmation. The imp glanced over and made a so-so motion with her hand and then shrugged. The oni pressed on regardless, “As long as we keep this in mind, we can avoid the worst of it.”

Caleb nodded as he stood towards the back of the group, “We’re almost halfway through, guys, we can do it.”

Maya, who had her head down, suddenly perked up, “And…tomorrow, we’re playing board games together?” The end of her statement sounded uncertain.

Lily looked over and tilted her head, “Yeah? We told you we’d do a board game night. That way, people can relax during the day still.”

A small smile crept onto Maya’s face, even if it was still mired in uncertainty.

Stepping out from the group, Stella began to walk towards the bar, “Are we done with this little whatever? I’m sore, cranky, and I want to get soused before climbing into a shower and then bed.”

Caleb frowned, “I mean, you’re always free to do what you want, Stella. No need to make it sound like being around us is a chore.”

Stella groaned, “Caleb, I’ve spent all day being around, yinz. I’m ready for things to be quiet now. Besides, Mads is probably ready to cream herself with how much she’s being tormented by that TF.”

Maddy jumped up and yelped, “I-it’s fine!”

Stella didn’t respond, merely giving a lazy wave as she left for the bar stand.

Noemi moved over to Caleb and pressed her chest against his arm, “You know, Caleb, you don’t have to spend tonight alone if you don’t want to…I’m sure Lily wouldn’t mind getting the bed all to herself.”

Lily frowned and grabbed Caleb’s free hand, “No, but I do mind you butting in line and trying to get extra time alone with him.”

Noemi pouted, “As head of this sisterhood, I deserve certain perks!”

“As his girlfriend, I think I take priority.” Lily sniped back.

“Ex-girlfriend, you relinquished your special privileges. Though I don’t mind sharing if you-” Noemi was cut off by Caleb’s hand on her face, playfully pushing her back.

“Enough, Sorry, I’m tired. I honestly just want to shower and head to bed.” Caleb said, infuriating most of the audience.

So the group split off to their separate rooms, most to shower and ease their weary bodies before bed. Leaving Stella with a bottle of bourbon, drinking straight from the bottle.

Noemi had her hair tied up in a towel as she sat on the bed, the sound of the shower in the background as Lily had quickly claimed it. She lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She must have lost track of time doing so, too, because it wasn’t long before Lily was out, wrapped in a towel of her own.

Looking over at the plant woman, silence filled the space without the sound of the shower as a backdrop, then Noemi spoke, “Why does everyone keep trying to get in my way?” The question was contemplative rather than aggressive, and she looked at Lily with genuine curiosity.

Lily paused as she finished with her hair, and leaf-based pajamas began to form on her body, “I’m sorry?”

Noemi held her hands in fists in her lap, “It’s just, it feels like whenever I try to assert myself or whenever I try to do something I think would be good for the harem, people always try to stop me. Like Stella today, or you just earlier.”

Lily’s gut response was to dismiss Noemi for being crazy, but she saw the sincerity in the Chilean woman’s eyes that gave her pause. Hanging her towel on the back of the side table chair, Lily crossed over to the bed, “Noemi, when you act…I know you say you’re trying to do things for the good of the harem, but do you ever think about what other people might want?”

Noemi raised an eyebrow, “Of course I do, I always think about how things will be better for people if they just listen.”

“I-uh…no.” Lily blinked and pinched the bridge of her nose, “For starters, have you thought about how many of us are uncomfortable with the concept of a harem in the first place?”

“But…that doesn't matter?” Noemi’s tone was incredulous, “We’re here, Caleb’s here. It’s going to happen, destiny has willed it. I’m just trying to do things in the way that's best for everyone, and it feels like no one is trying to help.”

Lily wanted to shake her, but held back, “It’s just…if you don’t take the time to think about how other people feel and what they want, how can you expect them to do the same for you? Don’t you have younger siblings? Don’t they have lives of their own?”

“I- uh,” Noemi paused, thinking hard about her younger siblings and the lives they lived, and in general how their family functioned. “Yeah, everyone has lives of their own, but we all know that family comes first. If the family needs something, you do it.”

Feeling herself approaching dangerous waters, Lily tried to be careful with her phrasing, “Just maybe something to consider, that everyone might be trying to do what’s best, right? So maybe taking a moment to think about why others are doing what they’re doing might make them more open to listening to you?”

Noemi frowned, and Lily wondered if she had heard her at all. But as Noemi unwrapped her hair, she paused, “I’ll think about it. I just…” she let the words hang, “I’ll think about it.”

Nodding, Lily went to lie back on the bed as Noemi readied herself for bed. She admittedly had been dismissing the Chilean as nothing but a bullheaded brute with big tits. Maybe she needed to take some of her own advice.

Amy and Eliza were both drying off and readying for bed, getting their pajamas on, when Amy looked over at deaged professor, “Your new transformation, it mentioned amping up your arousal, have you been feeling those effects as of yet?”

Eliza frowned and sighed, “Unfortunately, yes, it's been persistent since the transformation was given, and I imagine it will only get worse given the room we are both saddled in.

Amy sat down on the bed, looking away, “If you ever need help dealing with that, I can offer a hand.”

Eliza snorted, “I’m sure you can, I um…” She looked off to the side, “My only dalliances with other women have been rather…loaded up to this point.”

Nodding slightly, Amy frowned, “That's a word for it.”

Giving a bitter chuckle and a rueful smile, Eliza continued, “I’m not saying no, I’m just also wondering where this is coming from.” She held up a hand, “Not that I’m not flattered or grateful for the offer, but it just feels out of left field.”

The oni lay down on her side, “It’s just…given my transformation, I expect there will be a point in this round that I become next to useless. It would give me solace of mind to know that someone was looking out for the group.”

“Wait,” Eliza turned and looked down at Amy, “Are you offering to help get me off in exchange for…taking responsibility if you suddenly find yourself bereft of intelligence?” Amy quietly nodded, and Eliza scoffed, “Can’t you just ease up in the bedroom and be fine?”

Amy chuckled, “Well, for starters…if I’m going to have sex, I’m going to have sex I enjoy.” She rolled over to look at Eliza, “But more to the fact, Caleb is many nice things, he’s also given to impulse. I can’t guarantee any encounter with him is going to result in anything less than my horn breaking. I suspect that’s half the reason it was designed the way it was.”

Eliza lay down on the opposite side of the bed, “And just…avoiding sex is not an option?”

Amy paused, “If the bounties are extremely kind and generous? Maybe. But the stagnation rule means that short of that…not having sex at some point during the week puts any of us at risk for losing points.”

“Do you think it was on purpose that they waited until now to implement it? When it would be so much harder to earn points in general?” Eliza searched Amy’s expression appraisingly.

The oni thought about the other shows she had reviewed, “I haven’t encountered anything exactly like it in my research, but diminishing returns are often used to drive up stakes and make the cast more ****, more likely to do things we might regret. They don’t want us getting comfortable. The audience wants sex, but they also want drama.”

Scoffing, Eliza rolled her eyes, “I think we were doing just fine on that front.”

“For now, but it’s only natural that an equilibrium forms as we get to know each other better and work together better. They’re trying to avoid that.” Amy said plainly.

Eliza looked Amy in the eyes, “Do you think it's an effective strategy against our group?”

The oni turned over and grabbed the blanket. “We should get some sleep.”

“Yeah, me too…” Eliza muttered to herself as she reached over to turn off the light.

The shower echoed in the distance as Maddy stood in front of her closet. So far, her shower robe was the only thing remotely comfortable, and that was only after taking off her underwear beneath it. Every attempt to put on something like pajama pants left her feeling like her mound was throbbing, and there was no way she could sleep in that state.

Eventually, she found some yoga shorts and a tank top that she had forgotten she owned, remnants of a previous attempt at getting in shape that had been forgotten when trying to fit working out into her packed schedule had made her lose the iota of motivation she had. Squeezing into them, her thighs swelled at the edge of the legs, and her stomach and meager bosom threatened to poke out of the top, but at least it left her calm enough to sleep even as her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

Finally feeling like she wasn’t ready to leak from down below, Maddy made her way over to the side table where her treats for the round were situated. As usual, the three treats were on display on a small silver tray with little notecards that described their effects. This time it appeared to be a small, brightly coloured meringue with clear sprinkles that seemed so filled with air it was almost translucent, a small brown jelly in a round serving bowl surrounded by cream, and what appeared to be a cluster of pull-apart licorice rope that was a vibrant purple colour. Maddy lifted up each card in turn.

Mirage Meringue: This tasty, airy treat creates a perception filter around the consumer for one hour. While not invisible, people will naturally not notice them as long as they don't draw attention to themselves, ??? ????????? ????? ???? ????? ????

Expresso Gelee: A premium coffee jelly that will fill the consumer with supernatural energy and agility with the ability to move in a flash for one hour. ?? ???? ????? ??? ???? ???? ? ????? ????.

Grapevines: A grape-flavoured varietal of the classic licorice candy. Brings a person of the consumer's choice to the hotel for one day. ??????? ???? ??? ???????? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ??? ?????? ??????

“Do they always have question marks like that?” Maya's voice suddenly over her shoulder sent Maddy a foot into the air, hitting Maya on the chin as she gave a short, sharp yelp.

“Ow,” Maya massaged her chin.

“S-sorry! You surprised m-me. I thought you were still in the shower.” Maddy explained

Maya gave a short shake of her head, “I was getting out when you first walked over, I only saw the last one. Do they always have question marks like that?” she repeated.

Maddy looked down at the card and then gently placed it back on the tray, “N-no, they haven’t. I don’t know what it means.”

“Hmmm,” Maya hummed and looked over the tray, picking up each description, “They all have it, but in different amounts.”

Maddy looked over, “Yeah..I guess they do.” She looked at Maya who was now putting down the cards, “Do you think you know what it means?”

Tilting her head, Maya looked at Maddy’s face, “Maybe, I think I understand the game at least.”

“O-oh?” Maddy had no clue what Maya was referring to now. When did a game start?

Maya narrowed her eyes, “Yeah, but I’m not going to tell you.”

Maddy felt a pang in her chest, a reminder of previous interactions in her mind, “Why?”

Maya gave her a look of confusion, like it was obvious, “We’re rivals. I’m not gonna let you beat me.” The purple-haired girl climbed into bed. “Good night!”

Maddy looked on, simultaneously confused and slightly bolstered by the words, as she went to turn off the light.

In the Columbina suite, Mira was fully settled in and changed by the time that Stella stumbled into the room. She had been idly toying with the collar on her neck as the imp barged in, reeking of booze, red in the face, and singing under her breath. Mira had offered her a small greeting, been given the bird in return, before the bartender stumbled off to the shower.

That had been around fifteen minutes ago and the shower was still going. That wasn’t the problem; the problem was the other sounds coming from the shower

“Aw yeah! Fuck!” The high-pitched cry echoed into the bedroom, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, fuck!” Stella’s voice pierced through the walls.

And so it had been since the water had started running. Mira frowned and grabbed a pillow and wrapped it around her head as she lay down on her side, trying to create a blockade between her and her roommates' indulgences.

This went on for nigh on an hour before the water stopped, and Stella tumbled from the bathroom naked and dripping from head to toe, using the wall as a support. She then jumped haphazardly into the bed, soaking the bed and sheets that she touched.

Thankful that the noise had stopped at least. Mira clamped her eyes shut right as the sound of Stella's snores kicked in as she turned out the lights.

Up in the Master’s suite, Caleb sat in the armchair looking out the large window in the sitting area, in just his bathrobe. The heat from the bath provided succor to his aching muscles, which he knew would return tomorrow, but hopefully less intensely than if he hadn’t showered.

He looked out at the inky waters of the canal, the slowly moving buildings as the isles shifted over time. He thought idly how strange it all was that there was any sense of normalcy to all this. How adaptable humans are that even in the most perverse situation, they might come to see a place like this as if it were a vacation spot. Or this room he was stuck in was his room.

The trappings of it all were still disgusting, but it was still interesting to Marvel at how, in two weeks, what had once been alien was now…what was. And, as he stared down at the ring on his hand, how disturbing what was felt abnormal.

He let out a long breath. He was tired, and his brain was just running this thought in circles. So the only answer was sleep. And so the tired master climbed into bed, to prepare for all the other ways what was would change.