Heel for heel and toe for toe

Nick stared up at the massive church that he was fairly certain hadn’t existed the day before. It had just sprung up into being right next to the hotel.

He turned to Sylvia. She’d arrived at the venue with all the other girls in tow, save for Mary, and now they were all ready to go inside. But before they did, he just had to ask.

“Sylvia… what did you do?” He asked, not even upset. Just… exhausted.

Sylvia responded with a beaming smile.

“Whatever do you mean?” She asked innocently. “We couldn’t exactly enter the chapel by means of the elevator, could we?” She twirled her cane in her hands. “So I did a little bit of finagling, and now… well, here we are! All it took was a bit of warping of space-time, I’m sure you understand.”

He didn’t understand a bit. But it didn’t really matter. He had more important things to consider, like the fact that he was about to get married.

“Hey, you doing okay?” Dani asked, walking over to Nick. “You seem a little tense.”

“Yeah, I… I’ll be fine,” he said, nodding. He glanced at the other girls, who all seemed to be at various levels of anxious and excited. Save for a couple, like Dakota, who were completely relaxed. She was so relaxed that she was actually chatting with Holly like nothing was wrong.

He wished he could feel like that.

“Anyway, Nick, we must be going!” Sylvia said, tapping her wrist and the watch that wasn’t there. “You don’t want to keep your guests waiting!”

Nick only had a second to process that before she started shoving him towards the large double doors of the church.

Guests?

There shouldn’t be any guests.

And yet, when they entered the chapel, the seats were packed with people that Nick had never seen before.

The majority of them were beautiful women.

“What the heck?!” Gina’s eyes bugged out in surprise. “Who are all these people? What are they doing here?”

“Welcome!” Sylvia declared, stepping forward. She held her head high, her face beaming like the sun. “Before we begin the proceedings, I’d like to thank you all for coming today!”

She turned on her heel, looking directly at Nick, and leaned forward on her cane to show off her chest. “May I introduce you… to the other hosts of Harem Hotel?”

It took a second for that to sink in for everyone.

Other… hosts? There are other hosts? Nick couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but it made sense. Sylvia had always alluded to the presence of other hosts, other seasons before. So the thought that there would be other people stuck in the same situation as him shouldn’t have been an odd one.

But he never thought he’d actually get the chance to MEET any of those people!

“So wait, these are all… other showrunners?” Kim looked out at the sea of faces, several of whom had already risen up to come greet them.

“Yes, precisely!” Sylvia chirped. “And they’ve all been just dying to meet you! Shall we get introductions out of the way?”

She scanned the crowd of faces for a familiar one, and brightened up. “Ah! Leah, there you are! So lovely to see you!”

Nick took in the beautiful woman who stepped out to greet Sylvia with a smile on her face. She had olive skin and bewitching black eyes, and her midnight hair cascaded down to the swell of her shapely rear. The slinky red dress she wore showed off the deep cleavage created by her full breasts, and she spoke with a lovely English accent that reminded Nick of his mother.

“Who’s this?” Rose asked suspiciously.

“This is Leah,” Sylvia introduced her. “Like I said before, she’s one of the other hosts of Harem Hotel, and is currently running as both the host of the season, and as a contestant in the master’s harem!”

Now THAT was interesting.

“Wait, you’re a contestant? How does that work?” Dawn wondered.

Leah waved aside the concerns with a smile. “It’s nothing you dears need to worry about,” she assured them. “It’s a rather surprising position to find myself in, but not one I’m particularly opposed to. I’ve gotten to know Jake quite well as a result of it.”

Jake must have been the name of the master on her season, Nick realized.

“And I’m certain that helps you manipulate him even better, right?” Sylvia giggled.

“Something along those lines…” Leah mysteriously replied, her eyes twinkling. “…But we aren’t here to talk about me. Nick Reynolds… that’s the name of your master, if I recall?”

“That’s right! Nick! Right here!” Sylvia slapped him on the back, pushing him forward. Nick stared weakly up at the gorgeous woman, and tried to smile. But something about her seemed to look right through him.

“I’m happy for you,” she said, taking his hand. “Really, I am. This happiness you’ve found… allow me to be the first to congratulate you on it.”

“…Thanks?” Nick was genuinely appreciative of her kind words, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that they were brought on by this suspicious circumstance.

“It’s a lovely party, Sylvia,” Leah continued, turning to the blonde. “Quite a relief from the storm my season is trapped in… but let’s not talk about such unpleasant things!”

She tilted her head to the side and smiled. “The other hosts are just dying to meet you… so allow me to get out of your way.”

And with a seductive flip of her hair, she walked off to mingle with the others.

“That was odd… she seemed… kind of normal,” Kim said, confused. Compared to their rather acerbic and tempestuous host, Leah seemed more of a reasonable sort.

“Looks can be deceiving, though,” Dakota pointed out. She glanced at an approaching figure, as the room temperature dropped. Something about this new woman gave very, VERY bad vibes in spite of her demure appearance.

“Ah. Sylvia River, yes?”

Sylvia froze in place. A chill ran down her spine, and Nick’s eyes widened. For the first time, he thought he saw genuine fear in her eyes. But the look quickly faded as she **** a shaky smile to her face.

“Y-Yuki! You made it! I’m so glad…” Sylvia turned to the approaching woman, and Nick stared at her, surprised by her ethereal beauty. She was japanese in descent, wrapped tightly in a fancy white kimono with a pattern of snowflakes on the hem. It hid what he assumed to be a very womanly figure. Her skin was as pale as snow itself, and her long black hair trailed down her back like silk, giving her a regal and ephemeral countenance, like a reflection in ice.

Her pale lips pressed together in a thin smile, but her lifeless black eyes carried no mirth whatsoever. It was like she was looking through them, not at them.

“Arigatou gozaimasu,” the ghostly woman greeted Sylvia, bowing her head politely. “I do believe this is the first time we’ve met, is it not?”

“Um… maybe?” Sylvia averted her eyes quickly. If Yuki didn’t care about her enough to remember her existence, that was an absolute win.

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for quite some time now,” the other host continued. “So you’re the new one? The successor…” Her eyes looked over the girls in Nick’s harem dismissively.

“Yes! Yes, that’s right, yes, that’s me!” Sylvia quickly stepped in front of the others, almost looking defensive.

“Mm, yes, your predecessor spoke quite highly about you.”

Sylvia looked elated. The fear completely disappeared from her face. “R-really? She did?”

Yuki’s expression didn’t change. “…No. But don’t be discouraged, you’re doing quite well… for a first-timer, of course.”

Her tone was so polite that it could almost be mistaken as a compliment. But the condescension in her cold gaze spoke volumes.

Amused at having gotten the response she intended from Sylvia’s crestfallen expression, Yuki moved things along. “Now, I hear that a gift is customary in an occasion like this, yes?”

“Um… n-no, that wasn’t-”

“I’ve taken the liberty of having mine personally delivered.” Yuki gestured a pale hand towards the wall, and Nick’s jaw dropped in shock.

A table sat in the corner, or more like a bench. It was made of wood and black stone, with two holes about halfway through it, like bells. They were currently occupied by the large breasts of a woman with long black hair. She might have been a goth, judging by her makeup and tattoos, but it was impossible to tell because besides the ropes and bindings holding her in place and the ballgag between her black lips, she was completely naked.

“The bride-to-be is a cow girl, yes? I thought it would be best to bring her something to help relieve some of the… pressure. What, for her big day and all.” The cold woman’s laugh was unnerving. “As you can see, my Callie there is proving just how… effective it is.”

The woman, whoever she was, seemed to be in absolute bliss from her milking. Nick was glad for that, at least. Was she a contestant on another show? Or had she been eliminated from her season? He had no way of knowing, but at least she looked happy.

“…A milking machine… um… thanks?” Sylvia tried to smile. “Oh! Um… yes, I should introduce you… need to be polite and all… Yuki, this is my master! Nick!”

She practically dragged Nick over to the snow woman, and Nick could feel her nails dig into his arm. Her hands were shaking.

“…Ah. The master. Yes…” Yuki stared at him like he was walking garbage. “Have a good day,” she said politely, walking past him and approaching the girls.

“And you must be… the contestants. I’ve been watching your adventures very… closely.” Her exhaled sigh stained the air with vapor. She looked at Dakota first. “Especially you… my, my. Quite a daring one, aren’t you?”

“And?” Dakota seemed to be the only person there not intimidated by the host. That seemed to amuse Yuki even more.

“And? And nothing… just… the way you’ve pushed your master so splendidly to embrace you all… quite impressive. I’m serious!” She smiled. “Someone with your impact on him… yes, the show would have been a masterpiece if you had been the host.”

“…I’ll take that as a compliment?” Dakota said, furrowing her brow.

“Take it however you’d like,” Yuki replied. “Now where’s… oh! There you are!”

With surprising **** from someone who’d been so elegant up until now, Yuki pushed through the crowd and seized Morgana. The goth girl stared up at her in shock and horror, recoiling at the chill of her touch.

“I must say, Morgana… of all the contestants on this show, you’re my absolute favorite,” Yuki breathed, caressing the goth’s pale cheek. “So expressive and bold with your desires while being so shy… oh, what a waste that Sylvia got to you first. What I could do with someone of your potential…”

She trailed her finger down Morgana’s cheek, towards the swell of her breasts.

“I… um… thank you?” Morgana whimpered. She was frozen solid by the woman’s caress, and too afraid to stand up for herself.

Nick considered intervening, but before he could, Sylvia placed her hand on his shoulder. She shook her head.

“You’ll just make things worse,” she said softly.

For the good of the wedding, Morgana would be sacrificed to appease Yuki’s attentions.

“Sylvi!”

Sylvia perked up and her face brightened. She whirled around, her solemn expression replaced by a look of joy. But before she could even take a look at who called her, Sylvia was greeted by a face full of boobs, as the woman hugged her tight and pressed her face against her cleavage.

“Chrissi! It’s so great to see you!” Sylvia beamed after being released from the bear hug she had just received. She turned to Nick and the others. “This is Chrissi, another one of the hosts. Chrissi? This is Nick Reynolds, and the girls in his harem.”

Chrissi was the epitome of a blonde bimbo bombshell. With smooth skin, bright blue eyes, a disarming smile, and, of course, a big pair of bountiful breasts, this recent arrival was also dressed to impress: a long sleeved silver dress shone in the light as she moved, the many sparkling details of the fabric giving the constant impression of moonlight reflected on the surface of a lake. She wore high heels, her cleavage was given ample space to be admired by all who dared to look, and her shoulders and back were also showing some skin, but her look couldn’t be complete without a beautiful silver tiara adorning her head, simple yet elegant as it complemented her dress.

“Nick! Come here, you little doofus, I hope you’re treating this girl right. She’s a cute little innocent thing and deserves to be maintained like that for as long as you possibly can, you hear me?” She approached the groom and bent down to kiss him on the cheeks, her breasts almost shoved in his face. “And besides, she also has a nice pair of knockers, doesn’t she?”

Then she looked around, confused. “Wait, where’s Mary? This is her wedding, isn’t it? Shouldn’t she be here?”

Sylvia rolled her eyes. “Chrissi you moron… the bride doesn’t make her appearance at a wedding before the big moment.”

Chrissi laughed. “Oh, whoopsie! Totally slipped my mind!”

After Chrissi said hello to Nick and the others, Sylvia noticed that she wasn’t alone.

“Oh, interesting. I see you took me up on my offer to invite some guests of your own!” Sylvia smiled. “And who are you all?”

Chrissi turned to introduce her fellow guests.

“Oh, these are all the folks that came with me: my assistant Susie, the master of my season Lin, and one of the contestants, Bianca.”

A small woman who could only be described as an explosion of pink popped out from behind Chrissi and immediately mingled in the crowd. She was wearing a cute pink dress, her red hair in pigtails, and, perhaps most weird of all, a maid’s apron and a pair of rollerskates, which allowed her quick movement amongst the crowd. The woman in pink quickly gave her energetic “Hi!” and “Hellos!” to go around, grabbed a strawberry milkshake from one of the waiters.

“And that’s Susie for ya.” Chrissi announced, with a **** smile that barely concealed her anger and contempt towards her pink assistant. To Sylvia, she whispered: “I did say I wasn’t gonna keep an eye on her, right?”

“I… I suppose so…” Sylvia had to admit, offering a shaky smile. Chrissi’s other friends were often a handful.

After Susie made her entrance, two more people showed up from behind Chrissi: one was a shy and nerdy young man. He had black curly hair and a small bushy beard, glasses in a thick frame, a little bit of a belly, lighter skin, and was wearing a simple tux. The woman beside him couldn’t be more of a contrast; tall, strong, dark skin and confident posture. She had curly dyed blond hair and was wearing a very short and tight slutty pink dress that emphasized all of her great assets, particularly her strong muscular legs, but that was also clearly picked despite of her, given how many times she kept trying to adjust it in the hopes of somehow making it longer. Clearly the contrast between the two was night and day, the only thing they had in common was how uncomfortable they were at the moment, though for very different reasons.

“That’s Lin, and… Bianca!” Chrissi clarified, even though the others could have figured that out already from her prior words.

Bianca approached Dani. She took a glass from the waiter, took a sip, and directed her words to the younger woman.

“I noticed you’re the only one around here not dressed for the occasion. Why is that?”

“Uh…” Dani didn’t know quite what to say. She was intrigued by the woman’s aggressive nature, maybe even a little turned on, and the fact that the beauty in front of her clearly took good care of herself in a physical sense went a long way as well. Dani couldn’t help but admire her muscular figure, with just a small bit of envy.

Then she realized that she’d been asked a question, and that she probably should be responding to it.

“Well… Mary, she’s the bride… she has a transformation right now, one that forces her to dress up like this,” Dani explained, gesturing at her farmgirl outfit. “And it just didn’t seem right that she wouldn’t be able to get married in her wedding dress, so… another one of the contestants, Dakota, has a transformation that lets her take a transformation from one of us and pass it onto someone else, so… I volunteered.”

It sounded kind of stupid, putting it that way.

“Hm, that’s something very nice of you to do. Perhaps even selfless, not everyone would have done it.” Bianca responded while sipping her drink.

“W-well, I mean, if I didn’t do it, then I’d have to wear a dress, anyway, and I don’t really like those,” Dani quickly clarified. “So this is sort of… a win-win, I guess?”

“Still, it doesn't change the fact you’re the one to do it, you're a good friend.” Bianca took a nonchalant sip from her drink once more, but her face quickly turned from curious contemplation to annoyance as she tugged on her clothes again. “But don’t even get me started on these things, I wouldn’t have been caught dead in this, especially to a wedding, if I still had a choice in the matter.”

Dani continued to ogle her, unable to resist. She fought back the urge to drool a little. Then she realized that other people were watching, and quickly sobered up.

“Hi, nice to meet you all,” Nick said, forcing a smile to his face. It was kind of odd, meeting other people stuck in the same position as him. He glanced at Lin, wondering if the other guy had anything he wanted to say. But Lin just looked away bashfully.

“Well Sylvi, I gotta go!” Chrissi wiped away fake tears from her eyes. “Need to say my hellos! Come on, everyone!” She strutted off, practically dragging the rest of her entourage behind her.

“Phew. Now that’s refreshing,” Sylvia said, relieved of the pressure Yuki had placed on her by some quality time with her bimbo bestie. “Now then, who else should I introduce you to… oh! Well, that works just fine! Excuse me, you there!”

Sylvia snapped her fingers at a young woman who, to Nick’s shock, was walking around the church like a serving girl, passing out drinks from a tray like this was a cocktail party and not a wedding. She had curly black hair and bronze skin, and wore a waitress uniform that was nearly as skimpy as Holly’s usual getup. But unlike Holly, she had curves that really filled it out, with an exposed figure completely out of place at a wedding.

Also out of place at a wedding? The scowl that stretched across her lips when she made eye contact with Sylvia.

“Can I help you?” She asked through gritted teeth, approaching Sylvia. Her face immediately warped into a **** smile, one that didn’t seem to be entirely by her own doing.

“Yes, you’re, um…” Sylvia tapped her chin thoughtfully, blanking on a name. “Lonnie, right?”

“Ronnie,” the waitress half-snarled.

“…Yeah, sure. Listen Bonnie, is Ruby around? Or that semi-human sack of fecal matter she’s shackled to?”

The waitress who named herself Ronnie stared blankly at the blonde for a second, her eye twitching. “…Yes,” she finally answered, as politely as she could. “Yes they are.”

“Lovely. Go fetch them, please?” Sylvia asked cheerfully.

“That won’t be necessary.”

Nick looked up to see a gorgeous redhead approach Sylvia. She wore a strappy red dress, and her frilly hair was remarkably reminiscent of Rose. One look at her body made the comparison even more apt; it suddenly dawned on him why Sylvia had such a penchant for shoving Rose into those red dresses.

“Sylvia, I appreciate the invitation you extended, but honestly, did you have to invite… him?” Ruby’s lips formed a sneer on the word “him”. “If it’s just about a representative from my show, I would have been more than happy to do my part.”

“She’s like a bitchier version of you,” Dani whispered to the actress.

Rose rolled her eyes.

“Don’t be so cold, baby! It’s a party. You take everything too serious.” A new voice joined them. Nick turned to look at one of the only other men in the room. One of the only other men he’d seen in weeks aside from Lin.

He kind of wished he hadn’t.

The man in question looked rather out of place among all the beautiful people in the chapel. Fat and repulsive, his slicked-back hair, shiny sunglasses, and ill-fitting suit made him look more like a mafia capo than someone who Nick would ever voluntarily invite to his wedding. He held a hefty cigar on his lip that filled the area with smoke, and did so jovially, clearly not giving a damn who he bothered with it.

“Ugh…” Ruby scowled, rolling her eyes.

“Al, so nice of you to come,” Sylvia said, forcing another smile.

“Well, you invited the host, so… here I am.” He held out his arms and laughed. “Ain’t that right, baby?”

He turned to Ruby and blew a buff of cigar smoke into her face, which she waved away.

“Wait, so… which one of you is the host?” Dawn asked, looking between the two of them.

“I am!” Ruby practically shouted.

“Hah! In your dreams,” Al chuckled. “Maybe in a millennium or two, once you stop sitting at the kiddie table.”

The redhead’s eye twitched.

Al ignored her and turned to Nick. He extended a meaty hand. “Nice to meet you, Nicky. Name’s Alphonse, but you can call me ‘Big Al’. So you’re Sylvia’s master?”

“Ahem, no, he’s the master of my show, get it right,” Sylvia corrected him, clearing her throat.

Al withdrew his hand and took a long puff of his cigar. “…Yeah. Sure thing, babe. Anyway, must be nice, living the dream like that, huh?”

Nick stared at him, repulsed. “…The dream?” He scowled. “What dream is that?”

“Having all those beautiful women throwing themselves at you, of course!” Ruby hastily inserted herself into the conversation. “It’s not every guy that gets to have his own harem out of the women in his life, you’re a very lucky young man!”

“I’ve been trying to tell him that, but he just won’t listen,” Sylvia scowled, rolling her eyes.

“Probably because he doesn’t respect you, baby,” Al chuckled. “After all, the only reason you got this gig in the first place is because that miserly old cunt wanted to move onto bigger and better things! Now you’re basically just a babysitter for a crowd of bitchy broads and bimbos.”

He glanced at the furious expressions on the faces of Dakota and the other girls. “…No offense intended, of course. Love you gals!”

“Don’t you have a waitress to go hound somewhere?” Ruby snarled through gritted teeth. “We were having a perfectly lovely conversation before you showed up.”

“And for the record?” Sylvia sneered. “At least the producers trust me enough to run my own show.”

Ruby scowled. Al burst out laughing.

“Sure they do, baby, sure they do.” He turned to the dark-haired waitress. “Ronnie, where’s my drink?”

“…Right away, sir,” she replied through gritted teeth, scurrying off.

Ruby sighed. “I can’t believe you ACTUALLY brought her…”

“What? The invite said we could invite whoever we wanted,” Al chuckled. “She’s one of my girls, so of course I’m going to bring her along! It’s probably nice for her, seeing so many familiar faces!”

“Who was that?” Kim asked, concerned.

Sylvia shrugged. “Connie something. Not important.”

“She was a former contestant on a previous season,” Ruby informed them. “…And she got eliminated. Since then, she’s been doing odd jobs for the other hosts here and there.”

“Not the best fate, but at least she was good for something,” Al grinned. “Of course, she recently got brought back for a second chance, on my show.”

“Our show,” Ruby corrected with a hiss.

“Sure thing babe. Whatever you say.”

Holly looked a little pale. “Wait, so… that could have happened to me? If I got eliminated?”

“It could have,” Sylvia nodded. “Aren’t you glad that Nick decided to take me up on my offer? Now you’re just his sex ****, not something to be passed around from show to show!”

Nick felt sick to his stomach.

“Isn’t there anyone normal here?” He muttered under his breath.

“Um… hey there.”

Nick turned and to his surprise, he saw another man at the wedding.

And it was kind of telling that this was a surprise. Men made up about half of the human race after all, and yet there was maybe 5 of them in total at this little event.

The man was a little older than Nick, and carried himself with an awkward sort of confidence. He was tall and fit, wearing his suit nicely, and smiled as he offered Nick his hand.

“Eric Stuart,” he introduced himself. Nick took his hand and gave his own name as well, and the two shared a look of mutual understanding.

“You too, eh?” They both thought about the other.

“So you’re a master? You’re, uh, the first one I’ve met, besides myself,” Nick admitted. Well, the first one who I actually had a conversation with, he added mentally, remembering Lin. “So how did it happen? Were you also just plucked out of the world or something?”

Eric sighed and nodded. He had a resigned look on his face. “Well… my girlfriend, she wanted us to go on this fancy cruise for a vacation. HH Cruises. And, well… I couldn’t really help myself,” he admitted. “I signed on without even reading.”

“A vacation?” Nick groaned and shook his head. “That’s how they got me, too. Sylvia was pretending to be my shrink, recommended me for an island getaway, and, well…”

The two commiserated for a bit on that.

“So you’re getting married, huh? To one of the girls in your harem?” Eric asked.

“Yeah, Mary,” Nick nodded. “She’s a really special girl.”

“Was she your girlfriend before you came onto the show?” Eric asked curiously.

Nick shook his head. “No, actually… well, not quite… it’s complicated. We knew each other, we had feelings for each other, but… some stuff happened.”

He glanced pointedly at Holly, who turned away, her face burning with shame.

“…I didn’t really have anything like a girlfriend or anything like that,” Nick admitted.

“You guys talking about me?” A woman sauntered up to them, interlocking her arm through Eric’s. Nick glanced at her, and had to do a double-take.

She was blue.

The girl in question had skin as blue as the sea, with seafoam hair and coral eyes. She wore playboy bunny costume and had golden chains around her wrists and ankles, and a sunny smile on her face.

“Nick… this is Trinity,” Eric said, introducing the blue girl.

Nick remembered where he was. This was Harem Hotel. Given the things he’d seen Sylvia pull off, was a blue girl really that outside the realm of possibility?

“…Nice to meet you, Trinity. So were you Eric’s girlfriend?”

Trinity and Eric exchanged a tense look.

“…It’s a long story,” Eric finally said. “Don’t worry about it. The point is, we’re happy now.”

“I can’t wait to catch the bouquet!” Trinity gushed. “I wish… oh, never mind.”

“I, uh, don’t know if we’re going to do that,” Nick said, not sure what else he could say. “So who’s your host, then?”

“Over there,” Eric said, pointing at a beautiful woman in a business suit. She had dark skin and hair the color of warm chocolate. Her dark eyes carried a gleam of professionality. “Talking with your host.”

“Ciela, hello there!” Sylvia greeted the brunette with a smile. “You, um… came out of retirement, huh? Cool…”

“Yes I did,” Ciela said, giving Sylvia a thin smile in return. “My sister made one mistake too many, and, well…” She shrugged. “I was **** to step in and pick up the pieces.”

Sylvia winced. “Damn. That must be rough.”

“Indeed,” Ciela nodded. “Take care that the same thing doesn’t happen to you.”

“Hah! Yeah, no way!” Sylvia laughed. “That wouldn’t happen.”

Ciela just smiled at her.

“…Ciela? Ciela?!” Sylvia started to panic as the host politely walked away.

“Eric, let’s go have sex!” Trinity urged him, tugging on his arm. Eric looked awkwardly at Nick, then back to her.

“Not right now, we’re at a wedding,” he said.

And yet, he allowed her to pull him away regardless.

Nick sighed. It was pretty awkward, dealing with a situation like this one.

“Sylvia! Hey!” A new girl burst out of the crowd and rushed over to Sylvia. She had a big smile on her face, which gave her a wicked vibe. And the clothes she wore really stood out. While most of the other people here wore fancy clothes as expected for a wedding, this girl wore a school uniform. It was black, with a very short tartan skirt, and unbuttoned down the front to reveal her cleavage which was held by a lacy black bra. A long tie dangled down past her hips, and she wore high boots that reached her knees.

That was certainly odd, but what stood out more was her hair. It was strawberry blonde in color and flared out into two wild pigtails that made her look like an anime character. Those things practically ended in tendrils! And her blue eyes carried a wicked gleam to them.

Nick recognized her immediately, and he wasn’t the only one.

Carly gasped. “Junko-!”

“…Enoshima?!” Dani finished.

The two girls looked at each other and then glanced away awkwardly.

“Sally!” Sylvia greeted the woman instead.

“Sally?” Nick asked, confused.

“I’m so happy to be here,” the woman named Sally but clearly a clone of the video game character Junko Enoshima said. “Seeing a wedding between a master of a season and one of his girls has always been a dream of mine!”

“Excuse me, but, um, you’re a host, right?” Dani asked, approaching the woman.

“That’s right,” Sally nodded. “Why?”

“Well… I mean… you look just like this girl from a video game…” Carly explained. “You aren’t… really Junko Enoshima, are you?”

The woman narrowed her eyes, and a dangerous smile crossed her face. “Would you care to find out…?”

Dani and Carly both shivered and took a step back. Nick stared cautiously at her.

“Cut it out,” Sylvia said, lightly slapping the girl in the back of the head. “No, this is Sally. She’s currently running a season where all the girls are placed into the bodies of video game characters.”

“Seriously?!” Carly’s eyes widened. “That’s gotta be so cool!”

“Since I had the opportunity, I decided to remake myself,” Sally said, posing. “New face, new boobs, new… well, you get the idea.”

“Sally and I were good friends, even back before we became hosts of our own seasons,” Sylvia explained. “She’s always been a bit of a daddy’s girl, see, and when her father retired, he pulled some strings so she could host her own show!”

“Says the woman with a mommy complex so big she vetoed a transformation to **** a breeding fetish on one of her contestants,” Sally snorted, rolling her eyes. “It’s a little cringe to still be pining for your mom when you have a child of your own, don’t you think?”

“Well, at least I raised my girl right!” Sylvia said, a point that Marley was strongly considering debating. “Better than locking myself in my room playing video games.”

Yes, they were certainly friends alright.

“A host who’s a NEET,” Carly said, shaking her head. “What are the odds?”

“So who else did you invite?” Sally asked. She made a face. “Judging by the cigar smoke, I’m guessing that Al prick is here…”

“Oh, you know, the usual crowd,” Sylvia laughed. “I was just saying… oh! Look, it’s Kendra! Hey, Kendra! Over here!”

A statuesque beauty approached them both. She had dark skin and loose dark hair, and she wore an emerald green dress that didn’t leave much to the imagination. She greeted her fellow hosts with a smile.

“Sylvia. …Sally.” Her voice oozed **** politeness, and she spoke with a southern drawl.

“Kendra,” Sally replied, with just a hint of a sneer.

“I’m glad you could make it,” Sylvia said, much more genuine. “Are you still copying Leah, by the way? Miss fangirl?”

Kendra scowled and her complexion darkened. “That… that was just fer a little while, I was only startin’ out… are y’all ever gonna let me live that down?!”

Sally and Sylvia glanced at each other.

“No.”

“Never.”

Kendra fumed in frustration.

“You’ve gotta admit, it’s funny, though!” Sally cackled. “You idolize her so much, you even pretended to be her!”

“As opposed to you, who can’t even show her real face?” Kendra flung back. “Hiding behind the mask of’a video game character, eh?”

Sally’s smile faded away and her expression darkened.

“What exactly are you saying?”

Kendra smirked. “I may’a been playin’ off’a Leah at first, but I’m still my own person. Whereas you’re selling your show off the popularity of video game characters. Sounds to me like you’re afraid to stand on your own merits, hon. What, daddy couldn’t buy you any creativity?”

“At least my ratings are better than yours, bitch! You’re just, what, ‘it’s another island this time’?! Fuck you!” Sally exclaimed.

“Hey!” Sylvia exclaimed. “I like my island, thank you!”

“Says the woman who put her hotel on top of’a big golden dick!” Kendra fired back.

Sylvia could see the two of them were going to go at it. She looked sympathetically at the cast of Kendra’s season, who were all watching with a mixture of amusement and shock as their host feuded with another woman like a teenage girl.

“Okay, Sally, that’s enough, leave her alone,” she said. What had started as some light ribbing of a fellow host had gotten way out of hand.

“Fine,” Sally sighed, heading back into the crowd.

Kendra sighed and shook her head. “That woman…”

“Look, sorry for giving you a hard time,” Sylvia apologized. “Honestly, I get it. I had a hard time getting started, too. And finding my own way was really rough, since it felt like I was just copying my predecessor half the time.”

“…Well, I found my own path,” Kendra said, standing a little taller. “I ain’t got nothin’ to be ashamed of.”

“I know you don’t,” Sylvia nodded. “Kendra, do you think I just invited you here to make fun of you? Of course not! The way you’re handling your show is great! And I think it says a lot about the bonds you’ve made with your master and the contestants, that you’d bring them all here to the wedding.”

Kendra beamed. “R-really? Thanks.” She wouldn’t consider her relationship THAT good, but still.

“It speaks volumes of your ability to manipulate them and bend them to your will,” Sylvia clarified, and at that Kendra smiled wickedly.

“You know it girl,” she nodded.

Sylvia took her hands. “We both got our starts at about the same time. We should really encourage one another to keep doing our best!”

Kendra smiled. “Couldn’ agree more, darlin’,” she nodded in agreement. The two women hugged, and Kendra went off to go chat with her cast.

Sylvia sighed in relief. She adored Kendra, she really did, so she was glad the girl was standing up for herself. She viewed herself as part of the “new krew” with Sally and Kendra and a few others, and they wouldn’t let the experienced hosts walk all over them.

“…Yeah, the other hosts can be a little hard to deal with,” Sylvia said, turning to Nick and her own group. “But they’re a great bunch of gals. And Al.”

In terms of representation, Al being the only male host wasn’t the best look.

“Kendra and I came up together,” Sylvia explained. “So I’m giving her my support! And then there are a few… newcomers, as well.”

Then she spotted a certain duo, and brightened. “Oh! On the topic of newcomers, I almost forgot! Al isn’t the only guy here anymore! Justin! Justine! Over here!”

Two people that seemed to be twins walked over at Sylvia’s summons. Justine was of chinese descent, with black hair that flowed down her back like liquid onyx. She wore a modest sunset red dress of chinese origin, making her one of the few hosts that looked respectable instead of trashy. And yes, Sylvia was counting Al in the “trashy” category.

Standing at her side was a taller man, also chinese, dressed in a fancy suit and tie and waiting on Justine like a butler. Justin resembled his sister quite well, in both appearance and mannerisms.

“Nick, girls, this is Justine Liu. Justine? These are my contestants, and of course, the master, Nick Reynolds,” Sylvia said, introducing Nick and the others to the dignified woman.

“A pleasure to meet you, I’m quite certain,” Justine said with a small, polite smile. She lowered her head in a respectful bow. “I must apologize that only my Justin and I could make it. I hope the gift we left can make up for it?”

Nick shivered. Another gift? What now? This woman looked dignified and respectable, but then, so did that ice witch. What would she have for him? A coat rack that you could hang women from, or something?

“I left you and your bride some of the nicest Victorian dining plates. I do hope you enjoy,” Justine said with a smile.

Nick calmed down. That… was an actual gift. Shocking.

“And of course, my Justin here will be helping out around the place, taking orders and things like that,” she added, gesturing to the tall man beside her. Nick then realized he wasn’t only dressed like a butler, but he held a serving tray as well, like that other woman.

Um…

Tonnie?

Sure. Sounded close enough.

“Now, Sylvia, to business,” Justine said, turning politely to the host. “I believe Justin mentioned something about catnip wine? Where would that be?”

“Ah, yes, about that… I know you had a fondness for the stuff, but it’s not exactly easy to acquire…” Sylvia mumbled.

Justine’s smile pinched into a tight frown. “…I see.”

“But I have the next best thing!” Sylvia said quickly. She grabbed Dawn by the arm and dragged her over. “Look at that! A stress cat girl! You can pet her and take the edge off, go ahead! Enjoy yourself!”

“What!?” Dawn’s ears and tail stood on end.

“Oh, my! Yes, quite lovely,” Justine said, eyeing up the other woman with a gleam in her eye. Dawn started to sweat.

“Well, you crazy kids have fun!” Sylvia called, leaving another one of her contestants in the hands of another host.

Before anyone had a chance to regain their bearings, a dark-looking woman approached Sylvia and the group, causing Sylvia to wince.

“…Oh, it’s you… um…” She looked carefully at the tall woman. Her skin was as pale and smooth as porcelain, and she wore a black dress against Mary’s specific instructions. Not that anyone would have dared press the issue with her. A snake wound itself around her arm, glaring menacingly at the others. And that wasn’t even the scariest thing. What was most terrifying of all was the fact that she wore a goat skull on her head like a mask, covering the top half of her face; only her blood red lips could be seen, and they sneered.

“…Amora? Or Liliane?” Sylvia asked cautiously, not sure which personality she was dealing with at the moment.

“Liliane, of course,” the woman sniffed. “You think that soft little thing would wear something as daring as this?”

“…I sure hope not,” Sylvia muttered under her breath.

The woman laughed, and then turned to Nick. “Greetings, master of the harem! I am the Sorcerer Queen Liliane, servant of the Dark Masters!”

Nick stared at her incredulously.

“…Morgana?”

“Yeah, it’s totally her, isn’t it?” Rose held her sides and burst out laughing.

Sylvia suppressed a smirk.

Liliane turned to her, a scowl on her crimson lips. “Sylvia, your contestants are rather impertinent, are you aware of that?”

Sylvia blinked innocently. “Them? No… really?”

“To mock one of my distinguishment shall not be permitted!” Liliane snarled. “And here I thought I was doing you a favor, coming to a dingy place like this for such a shabby wedding!”

“Hey!” Nick exclaimed. “I don’t even know what you’re doing here in the first place, so don’t come in here insulting the wedding that my bride and the others worked so hard on!”

And in a puff of smoke, the woman in front of him completely changed. When the dust cleared, she wore a toga dress now, white as snow, and perfectly accentuating her curvy figure the way the revealing black dress had done, only much more modest. Like before, the top of her face was hidden, though instead of it being due to a grotesque crowned skull, it was hidden by a helmet.

“I-I’m sorry!” She exclaimed. “It wasn’t me! Please don’t get upset! It’s really a lovely party, honest! I simply adore the wholesome and sweet atmosphere!” She assured him.

Nick was thoroughly confused. He turned to Sylvia, who just smiled.

“Amora! Right on time!” She chirped. “I knew I could count on you! How are you doing?”

“S-Sylvia… please excuse Liliane’s wickedness. It is rather difficult to maintain my control,” Amora apologized.

“So what, it’s like she’s got a split personality or something?” Gina groaned, rolling her eyes. “That’s gotta be a pain in the ass.”

“Okay, Amora, let me be perfectly frank,” Sylvia said, offering her fellow host a sweet smile. “Mary, the bride? She’s not a big fan of witches. Or magic. Or people who talk in the movie theater. So I think it would be real good for everyone involved, if we kept you around, instead of… her.”

Amora smiled and nodded. “Yes, I couldn’t agree more,” she agreed. “That would be best for all parties involved, I feel.”

Sylvia smiled. “Great! So long as we understand one another.”

She turned to Nick. “Nick? This is Amora. She’s the OTHER host of… whatever it’s called. The isekai one.”

“…Adventure Edition,” Amora softly corrected her.

“Yeah, who cares? The point is, you guys wouldn’t let me on it, so…”

“I already said I was sorry about that!” Amora exclaimed. “And besides, you can’t blame me, given the foul creature that sired you!”

“Hey! That’s my mother you’re talking about!” Sylvia snapped. Why did she even invite these two?

…Oh, right. Because she was such a nice person. She’d almost forgotten.

“Well, I think you’re alright,” Holly said, approaching the goddess-like figure. “And I bet you’d get along great with Mary!”

Amora beamed at that praise. “I hope so as well. I wish I could say the same about my own cast, but alas, I didn’t feel comfortable bringing them all with me.”

She nodded to another woman, who was tall and wore a dress that seemed vaguely asian, but it would be difficult to pinpoint exactly what kind. She wore a sword on her waist and her hair was gathered in a loose braid over her shoulder.

“Allow me to introduce The Dragon Lady,” Amora said, gesturing to the woman to come over.

“Greetings,” the woman coldly introduced herself. She scanned over the crowd, before nodding at Rose, causing the blonde to respond strangely.

“So what’s your name?” Kim asked curiously. “You aren’t just called ‘The Dragon Lady’ are you?”

“I am now,” the woman calmly replied, as if that was normal. “I used to be ‘The Gunslinger’ before I got recast.”

“You’re an actress?” Rose’s eyes widened. Now she understood the nod. Game respects game.

“Her real identity is a secret,” Amora explained. “But she’s an actress on interdimensional TV. Long story. Don’t worry about it! She’s got a lot of experience working with other hosts, so I thought it would be nice to have her stop by.”

“Well… nice to meet you,” Nick said, offering her his hand.

She didn’t take it.

“Good luck,” she said, giving him a cynical smile.

That left him sufficiently weirded-out, to say the least.

Amora and The Dragon Lady said their goodbyes, and finally Sylvia felt like she could breathe.

“I definitely invited too many people,” she said, shaking her head.

“Oh? Does that mean you wish I hadn’t come? But I definitely wanted to come! I’m so glad I could come! Thank you so much for the invite, Sylvia! It really means a lot! Oh, are these your contestants? Oh, and your master! My gosh, what a hunk! A hunkety-hunk!” The erratic words came at them like a waterfall, nearly overwhelming Sylvia. A girl popped up in front of her, wearing a green dress. She had a top hat like Sylvia’s, only hers was green to match her outfit. A tangle of pink curls tumbled down her back, framing a cute face with sparkling green eyes.

“O-oh, Nola. As usual, still talking up a storm,” Sylvia said, smiling. “How are things going? Still trying to keep those kids from getting their hands on your cereal?”

Nola burst out laughing. It was a wild, eclectic laugh. “Oh, Sylvia! You’re the best! Ha! Nonononono, things are going great! I just love, love, L-O-V-E my season right now, although one of the girls just got eliminated, which is like a super-duper bummer but not letting it get me down, nopers! Well, I’m sure it’ll all sort itself out, Leo can be left to his own devices, as for the rest of you, hello! Nice to meet you all! You’re Nick, yeah? I’m Nola. We should totally chat. I’m a Leprechaun, by the way? Did I tell you that? I probably told you that. And you’re marrying an irish girl? Aww! Did you do that for me? It’s okay if you did. I won’t tell her.”

She winked, and Nick didn’t know where to even begin to respond.

“…Nice to meet you?” He greeted her.

He really should have taken more advantage of the lull in the conversation, because Nola was quick to seize the momentum for herself.

“So, tell me about yourself? Who’s your favorite girl? Oh, that’s obvious, it’s the one you’re marrying, right? Or is it? Do you like Dakota? Rose? Ooh, what about Kim? Or maybe Carly? Dani? I can’t decide, they’re all too great! What about transformations? Forget the girls. The transformations are hot, right? Goth boobs? Or the cat girl one! We have a cat girl on my show, actually. Although more of a cat woman… oh, but she just got booted off. Oof. Major ouchie. Is Dawn leaving? I don’t want Dawn to leave. She’s so cute! And in that emerald dress? Green is definitely her color. And my color. Oh, but my cat girl is in the blue room right now. Or, you know. She was. Whoopsies.”

The pink-haired girl was saying such weird and strange things with a bright smile on her face. It only served to emphasize how inhuman she was.

“Look, um, I don’t really have a favorite,” Nick said, struggling to answer her first question. “I love all of them in different ways, and Mary, I love her too, and-”

“Oh, she’s just perfect!” Nola wasn’t even giving him a chance to respond at this point. “She’s just a total angel! And I should know, there’s actually an angel in my branch. Only, he’s not a she. At least not yet. Who knows? You know what they say about Harem Hotels and femboys, right? Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. But really, she’s such a sweetie, I’m so happy for you! Almost makes me wish I could be in your harem! Haha just kidding. I’m having enough fun where I am, mister, so get your head out of the gutter! But seriously, if you’re interested, give me a call sometime, and-”

Sylvia finally shut the leprechaun up by shoving a pastry into her mouth. “Leave him alone, Nola. Remember to breathe next time.”

“Rigghnghl.” Nola nodded in agreement before scurrying off.

Sylvia sighed. “…Sorry. She’s great, but… she’s exhausting. I’m surprised her contestants are still sane.”

“Some might say the same back atcha, Sylvia,” a southern accent called out. Sylvia perked up in surprise. “Oh, hey! Vanessa! It’s you!”

A gorgeous, slender redhead in a yellow dress sauntered up, and a guy in a suit trailed behind him. The woman in question, Vanessa, looked thrilled to be there, while the guy seemed kind of put-off and uncomfortable, but Nick thought he seemed friendly enough. He was tall and a little bulky, with stubble that he probably should have shaved before coming here.

“This is Vanessa,” Sylvia said, introducing the southern belle. “Like me, she’s another newcomer who took over for her predecessor! And that’s Dan, the master of her season.”

“…Hey there,” Dan said, waving awkwardly to the girls.

“Rather brazen of you hosts, just bringing your masters around like this,” Gina commented. “Don’t you think they might try to run?”

“Oh, him? Nah, my darlin’ wouldn’t do somethin’ like that!” Vanessa laughed from her gut and wrapped her arm around his. “He an’ I’re like two peas in’a pod! Or however the sayin’ goes.”

“It’s not like I know where we are, anyway,” Dan said quietly. “Vanessa here just popped in this morning with a suit and dragged me here before I even knew what was going on. I didn’t have time to even say goodbye to the others.”

“You mean the girls in your harem, right?” Kim clarified. “How is that, by the way? I’m kind of curious how other people are getting along.”

“What?!” Sylvia gasped, distraught. “Kim, are you planning to leave already!? Just because Nick hasn’t had sex with you yet?”

Kim’s jaw dropped and her face turned red. Did Sylvia really announce that in front of an entire wedding party of strangers?!

“That’s… NO!” She exclaimed. “I was just curious!”

Rose snickered and Kim shot her a seething look.

“Oh, phew,” Sylvia said, wiping her forehead. “Besides, I don’t think you’d fit in well among Vanessa’s girls, anyway. You know, since you’re a woman and all.”

It took a second for Nick to process that. There were a few words in that sentence that didn’t add up properly.

“Hold on, back it up,” Dani said, putting a stop to the conversation. “What do you mean by she wouldn’t fit in among ‘Vanessa’s girls’ because ‘she’s a woman’ I don’t get that.”

“Oh, right, I forgot to mention,” Sylvia said, barely suppressing her smile. “All the girls in Dan’s harem? They used to be guys.”

“WHAT!?” Nick’s entire harem, and Nick himself, reacted with shock at that. To varying degrees of confusion and interest.

“Is… is that even possible?” Nick asked out of reflex. What a stupid question. Of course it was possible, this was Harem Hotel. Anything was possible.

“It’s true,” Dan nodded. “They were all guys.”

“And what, you still have sex with them?” Dakota asked bluntly. “Wow, that’s impressive. I’d have thought there’d be some apprehension there.”

Dan didn’t say anything. He wasn’t exactly comfortable discussing his sex life with strangers.

“It’s alright, darlin’, you don’t have to say another word,” Vanessa assured him, patting him on the arm. Then she turned to Dakota. “Now listen here sugar, while my show may not be the most conventional sort, I’m not goin’ around tryin’ ta make it someone else’s problem. So if you’ve got an issue…”

“Whoa, hey, no issues,” Dakota said, raising her hands. “You do you.”

“That’s gotta be weird though, a bunch of guys turning into girls,” Carly said, shaking her head. “Can you imagine?”

“Yeah…” Dani was thoroughly confused and intrigued herself. It sounded wrong and weird, but at the same time…

“Can you imagine if NICK was turned into a girl?” Holly popped up, saying just the worst thing for Dani to hear.

“Aww, that would be just adorable!” Rose tittered. “We could dress him up in all sorts of cute outfits!”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it,” Gina smirked. “Seeing him get all flustered and nervous.”

“Hey! No thank you, please!” Nick exclaimed. “I would NOT like to turn into a girl, thank you very much! I like my penis just the way it is!”

“Come on, Nick, we’re just teasing you,” Gina said, socking him in the arm. Her mood had improved since this morning. “I have no intention of letting your penis get away, don’t worry.” She dropped her hand and cupped his manhood, causing him to back away.

Vanessa laughed. “Don’t worry hun, it’s not a big deal. We all have our own kinks and tastes, don’t worry. Though if you ever change your mind…”

“Okay, I think that’s enough,” Sylvia said, hastily pushing Vanessa and Dan away. “Please don’t implant any weird thoughts into my master’s head, thank you very much! We’ve had enough weirdness here to last a lifetime!”

“Ah, so zis must be ze wedding party, yes? I ‘ave been looking for you for hours!”

A deep, masculine voice shook the room, and to everyone’s surprise, a hulking giant of a man seemed to rise from the floor itself. He towered over the other guests, standing nearly eight feet tall, dressed in garb completely unsuited for a wedding. A white tunic covered pantaloons in a black and red checkerboard pattern. Horns jutted out of the creature’s skull, curling up over the brim of a floppy hat. He carried a gnarled walking stick in his black-gloved hands, and he stroked his thin beard as he scanned the crowd through the eyeless sockets of his stylized half-mask.

Nick nearly shat himself in fear, and he wasn’t the only one. The guests, creatures and beings from countless different dimensions in their own right, scrambled away as the beast of a… man? Thing? Creature? Approached.

“And you must be ze host, yes?” The thing greeted Dakota with a smile and a small bow. “Sciora River, it iz ze greatest pleasure!”

Dakota stared blankly at him and then smirked. “Yes, yes, I am the host, Sciora River, this is my show-”

“No! No, no, no, it’s not, it’s not!” Sylvia dragged her away and leapt to the front of the crowd, waving her cane frantically. “I’m the host me! Sylvia River! Yes! Don’t talk to her! She’s just… you know. Crazy. Haha… me! I’m the host!”

The creature laughed. “Excellent! As zey say, no wedding is complete on Harem Hotel without a devoured host or two!” He licked his lips juicily.

Sylvia blanched.

“…Oh, no, I’m just kidding, the host? Yeah, sure, she’s the host! Go ahead, just, um… no devouring me, please… I’m just a helpless little-”

“I am only kidding, of course,” the man laughed. “I know it iz you, Sylvia River. And I am ever so grateful to be receiving ze invitation to zis wonderful bacchanal!”

Sylvia was pretty sure she would have remembered inviting a mountain like this. “Um… yeah, the invitation… I definitely sent that… um… you’re sure you’re in the right place, yes? The wedding between Nick Reynolds and Mary Mactaggart?”

“Zhat is ze one, yes,” he nodded. “Ah! I almost forgot. Zis is a party, no wonder you are so confused! Zis is certainly not formal attire, no…”

With a snap of his fingers the strange harlequin costume disappeared, and a vague approximation of a suit took its place. It was clear that he wasn’t used to wearing such a thing, because the tie was backwards.

“Zis iz what passes for formalwear in a setting like zis, yes?”

Sylvia stared blankly at him. Because his clothing was the problem here, right.

“About that invitation…” She pressed, trying to shoo away what was no-doubt a lost titan clearly belonging in some other dimension as delicately as possible.

“Yes, it was personally sent to me by ze producers. Unfortunately, Bub and his ladies could not make it today.”

Bub? Who the heck is… wait!

“You mean Bob?”

“Yes, Bub. Zat is his name.”

“Bob… Dobbs? Heidi’s master?” Sylvia pressed.

“Heidi? No, you must be mistaken,” the man said, shaking his head. “Zere iz no… oh! You mean my Columbina! Ah, yes, I understand now. You were not made aware? Ze producers have made a bit of a shakeup, you see. Columbina was not a suitable host for the Maestro, and zus… here I am. Ellecan. At your service.”

He bowed politely and Sylvia’s blood went cold. Hellequin. She’d heard about him from her predecessor.

And none of the things she’d heard were good.

“I… I invited Heidi… the invitation was meant for Heidi…” She stammered, not sure what else to say. Hellequin just waved it off.

“If it iz Columbina you are looking for, zen look no further! I have brought her along, yes?” With a tap of his gnarled walking stick, a figure spun into being.

Nick guessed this was Heidi. The blonde woman was stark naked, save for bondage gear wrapped around her arms and legs. Her limbs were folded back on themselves and locked up in strangely wide leather socks, meaning she was **** to walk on her elbows and knees, and quite poorly at that. Her large breasts brushed against the ground as she slowly trudged forward, her eyes hollow and empty. A gag in her mouth kept her silent, a chain around her neck kept her bound to the monster in front of him. Given the ratty and tangled state of her once-lovely blonde hair and the sunken-in expression on her face, it was clear that she’d been in for some very rough treatment.

It was disgusting, and horrifying. He couldn’t believe such a foul sight was at his wedding, and he was grateful Mary wasn’t here to see it. He quickly looked at the others and saw that they were all horrified, even Dakota, though she seemed only slightly perturbed. Even Holly was revolted by the sight in front of her.

But no one was more horrified than Sylvia. “H-Heidi?” She asked weakly.

Heidi said nothing. She didn’t even look Sylvia in the eye. She was completely broken.

“It iz such a pleasure to be here, Sylvia,” Hellequin continued, patting Sylvia on the shoulder with his massive hand. He casually brushed his finger against her breast. “It iz not every day zat I get to spend time with ze other hosts! For ze wedding presents, I have brought quite a few glorious things…”

He was still talking but Sylvia couldn’t hear him. She couldn’t take her eyes off the sight of the former host in front of her. Heidi was a testament to what could happen if a host failed to properly satisfy the producers.

And with her blonde hair and blue eyes, it was like Sylvia was looking at her possible future self.

Hellequin went off to go mingle with the other hosts, starting to cause trouble. He flirted with Ruby and feuded with Al, and tried to hit on Chrissi who rebuffed him with an awkward laugh.

The wedding was falling apart around Sylvia, and she didn’t know what to do. This wasn’t part of the plan!

Then an arrogant laugh snapped her out of her stupor and her blood began to boil.

“Sylvia! So this is how you spend your time?” A woman with fiery red hair that flowed behind her like a cape strolled up to Sylvia with a smirk on her face. She wore a strapless ball gown the same shade of her hair, which pushed up her chest. Another girl, dressed in a maid outfit, waited beside her. She was shorter than the redhead, with a short crop of blue hair that hung around a face as expressive as a blank canvas.

Sure, Nick thought. Snow demons, waitresses, leprechauns, towering giants, why would a maid be out of place here?

Sylvia turned to the two of them with a smile **** to her lips. “Alison! You’re here! Great to see you!”

Azure smirked, and then sighed. “Sylvia, it’s so like you to make that sort of mistake. The maid is Alison. I’m Azure. Remember?”

Sylvia stared blankly at her. “Yeah, I know,” she bluntly replied, walking over and hugging the blue-haired maid. Alison didn’t react in any way.

“You know her?” Holly asked, raising an intrigued eyebrow. Another maid?

“Of course I do, Alison here is another one of my friends!” Sylvia bragged.

Nick still couldn’t wrap his brain around the idea that Sylvia actually had friends. He wasn’t the only one.

“You have friends?” Azure snorted, half in disbelief. No one was sure if the question was directed to Sylvia or Alison.

“…Friends is a strong word,” Alison monotonously replied.

“What?” Sylvia smirked, hugging the blue-haired girl tighter. “You thought that invitation was for you?”

Azure didn’t respond, but the atmosphere around her changed.

“I really wanted my Alison to come,” Sylvia continued. “Unfortunately, you just happened to be along for the ride!”

Nick anticipated the redhead losing her temper, but she didn’t. Instead, she turned to him, giving him a smile that looked more like a smirk.

“You’re Nick Reynolds, correct?” She asked. “Congratulations on your wedding.”

Her eyes slid over to the girls in Nick’s harem. “…And your collection. You’ve certainly been lucky with your haul of property.”

Nick’s expression darkened. “They’re not my property,” he nearly growled.

Azure giggled. “So modest! Just like my own show’s master. I must admit, you selected well, Sylvia.”

“…Why thank you,” Sylvia said, keeping a cautious smile on her face. “I appreciate your kind words.”

She took the hand that Azure offered, and the two women shook. Azure squeezed a lot harder than she needed to.

“Oh, it’s my pleasure,” Azure said. “It must be so lovely the producers granted an amateur like yourself 100 days for your show. It’s such an honor. The benefit of nepotism, perhaps?”

The temperature in the chapel had dropped to sub-arctic levels at this point.

Alison’s words interrupted the chilling cold war. “Excuse me, mistress, but you’re currently hosting for the first time, so would that make you an amateur as well?”

Azure turned her chilly smile towards the maid. “Oh, you're such a silly jokester, Alison. Careful, though. Someone might take you seriously and think you're an idiot.”

Nick could tell that Sylvia was on the verge of snapping, but she actually managed to keep her composure. “…Again, your kindness is too much,” she said, with just a hint of venom in her voice.

Azure laughed. “Of course. As I am someone whose work served as such an inspiration to you, I'm proud to see what you accomplished.”

Sylvia stared at her in confusion. “Inspired? What are you talking about? I’m pretty sure I started before…”

Sourceless, hollow music filled the chapel out of nowhere and Azure turned directly to one of the cameras.

“And for those at home who want to see where your favorite content came from, check out Harem Hotel: Payback edition!”

Sylvia gasped. “Hey, wait a minute! What are you…?!”

Azure didn’t stop there. “Starring a bullied young man as master, we gathered seven people who hurt him and aided in the master's **** by turning them into his perfect concubines. We got TF, expansion, age alteration, mind control, ENF, body control, goths, milfs, and schoolgirls. Whatever fetish you have, we've got you covered.”

“Are you seriously starting an ad read on my-?!” Sylvia sputtered in disbelief.

Azure shoved Sylvia’s attempts to stop her aside and continued. “With brutal eliminations and sadistic transformations, we have quite the treat for anyone into domination. But at the core of it all is also a touching tale of forgiveness and love.”

“I’m serious!” Sylvia shouted, pushing her away. “Stop trying to hijack my-!”

Azure pushed her aside one more time, shoving her way back in front of the camera. “So check out Haren Hotel: Payback Edition, available on TV and streaming. Furthermore, if you follow this QR code, you can get behind the scenes…”

“Out! Out!” Sylvia finally managed to push her away from the cameras. She wiped the sweat from her brow and turned to Alison. “Is she always like this?!”

Alison nodded. “Only when she has something to prove. …So yes.”

“Azure, beat it!” She growled, and Azure just smirked.

“I’ll enjoy the wedding, Sylvia. Try to live up to my expectations,” she called over her shoulder, walking off into the crowd with Alison following dutifully behind her.

Sylvia took a deep breath. Arguing with Azure had actually helped her calm down, believe it or not. But the time for greetings was over.

She turned to Nick with a smile.

“Now then, Nick, I’m sure this has been quite a morning,” she said calmly. “Believe me, there have been some… surprises… that I didn’t anticipate. But don’t worry, there’s just one more guest I have to introduce. And believe me… I bet she’ll be a surprise.”

Nick shivered. He’d seen a lot this morning, including many things scarier and more intimidating than Sylvia.

But those things had just been in passing, and he could forget that Sylvia was in a uniquely qualified position to torment him.

What had she done this time?