I'm starting with the man in the mirror

Morgana woke up in bed with a yawn and rubbed her eyes. She’d had a really good night’s sleep. With only one bad dream where she’d woken up in a fit because one of her spells had backfired on her!

…As far as nights went… that was pretty good…

“Hah…” Morgana trudged into the bathroom and checked her reflection in the mirror. Thanks to her Moonlit Alabaster transformation, her acne-marked skin had turned into a smooth, porcelain complexion that she adored. But it sadly couldn’t fix the bags under her eyes. Yawning, she washed her face, and started to brush her hair.

I want to keep practicing my magic today… but I’m worried. What if I mess up again? What if I end up screwing things up? Morgana was determined to be more outgoing and positive, and since she’d started staying in the Luxury Suite last round, her confidence had really started improving. But how long could that last? Once she moved to another room, would all the positivity she’d built up come crumbling down, like a house of cards?

She didn’t like thinking about that. Especially not now, when it felt like her confidence was already starting to wane, even though she was still sleeping here! That just didn’t make any sense at all, did it?

Morgana gasped and her eyes widened. “Wait… oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” She cradled her cheeks and shook her head. “I can’t believe I didn’t even think of this!” She groaned, slapping her face. “Of course… of course that would be the problem!”

The Luxury Suite was designed to give you an abundance of what you wanted, and for Morgana, that had been confidence.

But that had been last round. And since last round, she had indeed grown more confident and sure of herself, and willing to put herself out there. It was the whole reason she occasionally started wearing her hair in twintals, like all the cool tsundere girls who eventually won in the harem anime she watched religiously!

…So now that she had the confidence, it wasn’t what she desired anymore. She had it now. So maybe, on a subconscious level, she wanted something else, and the Luxury Suite was fulfilling that in excess, instead of giving her more confidence boosts.

Morgana wasn’t the smartest girl around. She was no dummy, but she certainly couldn’t compete with Dawn in terms of intelligence. So figuring out what she currently desiring most might have been a little harder than she would have liked. But she was determined to do it! Because if she couldn’t even figure that out, then…

Her heart sank as doubt began to creep into her chest. That feeling of concern and uncertainty was starting to spread through her breast, and she went pale.

Nononononono! She hastily shook her head when she saw the look of horror on her reflection. Come on, Morgana, you’re better than this! You don’t need to start panicking! Even if the Luxury Suite isn’t helping you out right now, that doesn’t mean you should just go back to that meek, insecure girl who had no idea what she was doing!

Morgana clenched her fists in front of her chest and shook them in a challenge. She wasn’t going to give in! She was a cool and awesome witch and she could even do magic now, real magic! Sure, the last time she’d gotten so full of herself, things had gone bad, but the mirror she was looking into wasn’t like one of those other mirrors, the bad ones!

No, the only Morgana reflected in that mirror was herself. And she was going to do her best as herself! But she had to go about this the right way, and that meant one thing and one thing only.

Morgana reached up and tied her hair into twintails. She put on her hat and adjusted it so it looked right, then smiled at the face she saw in the mirror. Yeah… this looked perfect! Morgana was ready to go!

She had the looks down, and already she felt her heart swell with the confidence to do what needed to be done. She only needed to keep from falling to her doubts!

Morgana stepped out of the bathroom determined to figure out what was going on. Normally, she would have just gone to Dawn and relied on the other girl’s genius to figure things out for her, but she wasn’t going to do that this time. Even if Dawn was the person she would usually ask for support in situations like this, and even if she had the perfect tool to do that, now that she had a psychic link with her.

Dawn was cool and smart and amazing, and probably Morgana’s best friend right now. But if Morgana kept relying on her for everything, how would she be able to grow as a person? She wouldn’t. She would just stagnate. And that wasn’t good at all!

No, Morgana could figure this out herself. She was going to be the confident and self-assured Morgana today!

And she could start by doing something she so rarely did, and wish her roommate well.

“Oh… good morning,” Morgana said carefully, making sure not to stumble over any words. Amelia was just getting out of bed and picking out her clothes for the day.

Amelia turned to Morgana and adjusted her glasses.

“A good morning to you, as well.” Her tone was polite, and her words lacked their usual curtness, which was a good sign. But her expression was inscrutable and it twisted Morgana’s heart in knots all the same.

Because of her transformation, Amelia is supposed to think of me as her daughter, right? She questioned. Because I’ve had sex with Nick before. Is… is this how Amelia treats her daughter? So coldly? It’s not just me, right? She’s cold to everyone, I think.

Not that that made it any better. There was little warmth reflected in Amelia’s gaze, and it stung. But Morgana wasn’t the kind of girl who would be swayed by something like that anymore. She was too cool and awesome to let those fears and insecurities get the best of her! No.

She pushed herself forward, and **** out a smile. “Do you have any plans for this morning?” She asked, trying to be sweet. She’d been rooming with Amelia for a substantial portion of the round at this point, and she still felt like she was no closer to the older woman than she had been before.

It didn’t help that Amelia was so beautiful and unapproachable. Morgana didn’t have the best relationship with her real mother; Pam was the one who had never understood Morgana and her problems, but even Morgana could admit that at least her mother had tried. Not very well, though. She’d wanted Morgana to be just like her cousin, and of course Morgana wasn’t.

Well… now we’re the same. Morgana cringed with guilt as she recalled her rampage with the transformation gun a few rounds back, and how that had ended up working out. Thinking about her family now just made her feel like shit. As she bemoaned her cascade of mistakes, she’d missed Amelia answering her question.

Realizing the other woman had finished talking and was now giving Morgana an appraising look made the goth girl jump.

“O-oh… I-I’m sorry… I didn’t hear you…” Morgana’s pale cheeks burned with shame and she hung her head.

Amelia raised her eyebrow. Her delicate lips pursed into a frown and she crossed her arms over her chest. “If you ask a question, it is polite to listen for the answer,” she sternly reprimanded the younger girl. “Yes, common courtesy dictates that making conversation with others about their lives is admirable; but if you cannot pretend to be interested in the other party long enough to pay attention to their response, then doing so is more impolite than not.”

Morgana’s heart sank and she slumped her shoulders. Amelia was right, mostly. And even though she was talking more than she usually did, her words were no less scathing and critical- and accurate.

“I’m sorry,” she sincerely apologized again.

Amelia’s expression softened briefly. She reached out a hand and awkwardly patted Morgana on the shoulder.

The goth girl’s eyes went wide and she stared down at Amelia’s hand on her arm like she was an alien lifeform trying to infest her body. It was such a bizarre gesture of affection, and one Morgana had seldom received.

“Uh…”

“Of course,” Amelia cut her off, pushing up her glasses with her other hand, “if you are still feeling tired, that is perfectly understandable. I myself am not always fully alert before my first cup of coffee in the morning.”

How sweet of her. Amelia was giving Morgana an out, so she wouldn’t have to feel guilty for her wandering mind.

Morgana shook her head and her pigtails bounced. “No, that’s not it,” she said solemnly. “I wasn’t feeling sleepy. I really did just lose track and zone out. I’m really sorry.” She lowered her head again. “I was thinking of something else and it distracted me, when I should have been paying attention to you. That was wrong of me.”

In the past, Morgana would have leapt on that excuse and clung to it with all her might to keep Amelia for thinking less of her. She used to do that all the time. After all, if you made up an excuse, then the other person wouldn’t be mad at you, right?

But that was wrong. She couldn’t lie to Amelia. Even if being honest meant the older woman would be upset with her, well… she deserved it for not listening.

She looked up cautiously and saw, much to her surprise, that Amelia didn’t look upset. At least, not any more than usual.

It almost looked like she was smiling.

Amelia withdrew her hand and nodded. “In that case, I appreciate your honesty.”

Morgana’s eyes widened. “R-really?”

“Yes. You could have lied, but you did not. That is admirable. It does not excuse your transgression, but it does not need to.” This time, Morgana was sure she was smiling. Barely. Her green eyes had a gleam to them, it almost looked like she was…

…Proud?

“Be more mindful of your conduct around others, young lady,” Amelia advised her young roommate. “The most important part of being an adult is taking responsibility for your actions.”

“I… yes, I will!” Morgana said, nodding fiercely. She was so happy, Amelia… she actually looked like she was impressed! Almost! She had just been so cool…

“To answer your question again, I will be spending the morning teaching Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, should she decide to come to her lesson,” Amelia informed Morgana. “After that, I should think to enjoy a nice lunch at one of the cafés in the Shopping District.”

She had her own night with Nick coming at the end of the round. She needed to think carefully about how that would go, and how far she was willing to go with him. The last round had proved that trying to accrue Victory Points simply through challenges was not as foolproof of a strategy as she had hoped. With Rose having reached 100 VP and other women climbing in the point totals, it was hard to say for sure just how many more rounds they would have in store for them.

Amelia would need to play this carefully and consider all her options.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must freshen up, then put on a pot of coffee,” Amelia said, turning towards the bathroom.

“W-wait!” Morgana reached out and grabbed Amelia’s hand without thinking. It was an impolite gesture, she knew, but her desperation had kicked in.

Amelia turned to look at her and Morgana immediately let go.

“S-sorry,” she said, looking down. Her face burned with shame. “I-I didn’t mean to…” She swallowed and tried again. “I’m sorry.”

Amelia shook her head tersely. “Don’t be.” Who was she to complain? She’d been making physical contact with the girls in her stepson’s harem ever since she came to this island, thanks to her transformation. “What do you need?”

“I… I was just… I was curious about something.” Morgana puffed herself up, reminding herself that she wasn’t going to be meek right now. “You know what… this room does, don’t you?”

Amelia raised her eyebrow. “The Luxury Suite? Of course.”

Duh, obviously she would. What kind of question was that? Morgana felt like a complete moron.

She shook her head. “Um… last round, it was really boosting my confidence in myself, because that was what I thought I needed. But now, I’m not so sure. I’m not feeling that same effect, so I think it might be changing something else about me… what do you think?”

Amelia blinked and looked curiously at Morgana for a moment before straightening up and shaking her head. “I’m sorry, but I do not think I am the person you should be asking that of,” she said firmly.

Morgana’s heart sank and she sagged a little. “O-oh… right… of-of course…”

Amelia shook her head. “Ah. It appears you misunderstand me. It is not that I do not wish to help you, I am simply not able. I don’t know you well enough for that,” she confessed. Connecting emotionally with other people had never been Amelia’s strong suit. This marked the longest conversation she’d ever had with her roommate, even after already spending eight nights with her.

Morgana’s eyes widened. “OH! No, um, I wasn’t talking about me…” She giggled awkwardly. Amelia thought her concerns were about herself… well, that made sense. “I… I meant… have you been feeling anything?”

Maybe if she knew what the Luxury Suite was changing about Amelia, it would help put her own feelings into context. She only knew about what it had done to her last round, and how Dawn had suddenly become lethargic and lazy.

Amelia looked surprised for a moment, an expression that seemed utterly bizarre on her. But she quickly regained her standard composure.

“…That is a very personal question,” Amelia pointed out. But in spite of her tone, she couldn’t find it in her heart to fully rebuke the other girl. After all, Morgana’s concerns were perfectly understandable, and if Amelia’s insight could help her, then why shouldn’t she? “…But I will answer it.”

“Oh!” Relief surged through Morgana and she smiled again.

“I believe that the Luxury Suite is currently aiding my verbosity,” Amelia explained.

Morgana stared blankly at the other woman.

“Uh… say again?” She squeaked. This time she’d been paying complete attention to Amelia, and it still didn’t help her understand.

Amelia pursed her lips again and gave Morgana a rueful expression. “My apologies. To be verbose means to use more words than are needed to convey something. I have always had a problem with being incapable of fully expressing my thoughts, you see,” she admitted, looking down. “I have been taking steps to correct this behavior, and it seems that as this round has gone on, I have become more comfortable with speaking for longer periods of time.”

As a teacher, that had never been a problem for Amelia. She could go on for hours during her lectures. But in an interpersonal discussion like this one? The taciturn woman had the unfortunate habit of using few words, assuming that others would understand her meaning implicitly.

That was rarely the case.

“Well… that’s good!” Morgana said, nodding. It made so much more sense now, why Amelia was talking so much with her today. “Isn’t that good?”

Amelia looked at her with a polite smile, and then slowly shook her head. “Indeed, in the past I would have thought that was the case,” she admitted. “But apparently, it is akin to treating the symptoms of the disease, and not the disease itself.”

Morgana didn’t quite understand that, either. “What do you mean?”

A small chuckle escaped the older woman’s lips. Morgana looked at her in shock; she’d never seen Amelia laugh before!

“Simply put: The use of more words does not necessarily mean those words themselves will be more useful,” she explained.

Yep. Morgana still found herself totally lost. More or less. While she couldn’t fully understand Amelia’s sentiment, she kind of understood the meaning behind her statement… maybe.

She scratched her head beneath her witch hat and nodded. “I… tend to babble a lot myself,” she admitted. “Sometimes it takes way more words than I need, to get out what I’m thinking.”

Amelia nodded. “Precisely correct.” She could still be succinct when she needed to be, at least. Anything more than that would be unnecessary.

Sadly, as Amelia had come to realize, just because she used more words in conversation now, that didn’t mean she had become any more capable of expressing her feelings than she was before. It just meant that instead of containing her feelings to a short sentence, she might go on for a full minute of discussion without actually properly connecting with someone else.

If only the Luxury Suite could fix that part of herself. But evidently her subconscious thought differently.

“I-I was actually thinking something about the Luxury Suite myself,” Morgana said suddenly, drawing intrigue from Amelia.

“Oh?” The other woman raised her eyebrow.

Morgana nodded. “See, it’s like… well, I think maybe if we no longer feel that the thing we wanted before is as important, and our subconscious believes it’s more important that we work on something else, then the Luxury Suite will shift it and work on another part of us instead! …You know? Does that make any sense?”

She looked hopefully at Amelia, who regarded what she was saying with a curious expression. The other woman nodded slowly.

“I see… that could be very possible,” she agreed. “It would explain the change in your demeanor you were experiencing, would it not?”

Morgana swallowed and nodded. “Y-yeah… guess so…”

“Fascinating.” Amelia adjusted her glasses. “In that case, I hope you can figure out what it is your subconscious is trying to tell you very soon. In the meantime, I must be going. But thank you for this stimulating conversation.”

Morgana’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe Amelia had actually thanked her! How wonderful!

“You-you’re welcome!” She stammered as Amelia headed off to the bathroom.

The older woman had a lot to think about.