I'm the last man as the world stops turning

Dakota could tell that her attempts to persuade Nick were not having the results she’d hoped for. It was rather aggravating; she could understand why Nick no longer looked at her as the reliable, trustworthy friend she’d been back when they were kids. But it still stung that he didn’t trust her AT ALL. Even when she gave her word!

Oh, he wanted to. She could see it all over his face. But wanting wasn’t enough anymore; in the back of his mind, there was still that voice that was casting doubt. Telling him that Dakota was still trying to manipulate him.

“…It seems you won’t be convinced unless you see it for yourself, then,” she said with a sigh, and raised her cane into the air.

Nick’s eyes widened in surprise. “Dakota, what-?”

“You’re doubting me that I would really do something for Kim’s benefit, right? Even when I promised?” Dakota tried not to let him see how much that stung. “Well, there’s only one thing to do then, isn’t there? I’m going to let you see the truth with your own eyes. Maybe if you peek in on how Kim is doing, you’ll see that there’s really nothing to be worried about.”

She waved her cane and a black screen appeared in front of the bed. While Nick remained stunned she smoothly guided him back down onto the mattress and slipped in beside him, her cold fingers curling up his arms.

“It’s been so long since we last watched a movie together,” she hummed into his ear. Nick stared at the screen as it shifted, and Kim’s face appeared.

So there’s no tricks here? He wondered. Dakota… she’s really showing me the truth? Of course, he doubted that Dakota would do something as insane as whipping up an outright lie; she had to know that when Kim returned he would ask her about everything that happened, and when he heard the truth then he’d be even angrier at her. But still… it just seemed strange how hard she was trying to convince him.

I guess she really is worried about my feelings here. Nick knew that Dakota could be **** to him. He didn’t take advantage of that if he could help it. But in this instance, she was trying to get on his good side, so he’d let Kim reap the benefit of that.

“Don’t get it twisted…” Dakota’s cold breath kissed against his cheek. “The reason you’re seeing this is simply because without proof, I know that you’ll be moping and doubtful and worried all day… and that simply wouldn’t be fair to Ella, who’s been so looking forward to her date with you… or was it Cinder? One of them, anyway…”

Her chuckle didn’t convince him at all. Sure, maybe part of that was true. But Nick was confident his own reasoning was more true to Dakota’s heart. Whether she admitted it or not.

He didn’t press the matter, though. He just watched the scene play out.

“So why exactly am I here?” Kim demanded as the perky shopkeeper led her naked figure through a veritable labyrinth of clothing. “I got a punishment transformation, but it doesn’t make sense. Am I supposed to be working for you, now?”

It would be just like Dakota to find a sneaky way to make Kim work even on her Sick Day. Now that she wasn’t playing nice and trying to get Kim to see the benefits of using that transformation, she was going all-out. Clearly she didn’t care if Kim never used it again.

Little Miss clicked her tongue and laughed, shaking her head. She turned back to Kim with her sparkling green eyes and looked playfully at her. “Oh, don’t be silly! I don’t need any help from a mere human!” Maybe what she said was supposed to be nice, but it sure didn’t sound that way.

Kim was a little irked. But she let it go, since she didn’t want to work here in the first place.

“Then why am I here?” She asked again.

Little Miss blinked, looking like she was confused by the question. “What do you mean?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. “Your transformation explained it! We need to get you in the proper mindset! Apparently, you’ve been dragging down the mood of your whole season!”

“Bullshit!” Kim exclaimed. “I’m in the lead!” She waved her hand, showing off the amount of Victory Points she’d accrued. “And I’m right up there in the Popularity Polls, too!”

Little Miss shrugged. “I was talking less about the meta stuff, and more, like, the general vibe,” she replied. “I think you need to learn to relaaaaaxx, girl. And clearly, Dakota thinks the same thing! Otherwise, she wouldn’t have sent you to me.”

Kim had no idea what part of the slender saleswoman standing in front of her was supposed to be relaxing. Not to mention this confusing shop she was stranded in.

“Oh, really?” She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Little Miss nodded. “Yup. Really. Dakota said, you needed, um… what was it again?” She scratched her head thoughtfully. “…Right, you needed to stop being a pain in the butt!”

She snorted out a giggle and Kim didn’t look amused. Before she could snap at the other woman, though, Little Miss quickly sobered up and returned to a more professional demeanor. “What she means by that is you need to lighten up and have some fun! At least, that’s my read into it, anyway.”

Yeah, right. Kim didn’t buy that for a second. What she actually means is I’m on time-out. She might not be planning to work me to the bone, but she sent me here as a punishment since I’m not dancing to her tune anymore.

“To start with… let’s find you the perfect outfit to relax in!” Little Miss declared. “Would you like something in that sort of style?” She asked, indicating to the qipao in Kim’s arms.

Kim looked down at the garment, surprised. She hadn’t even realized she’d had it. “…No, I’d rather not, it’s not my style,” she replied, tossing it away without a second thought. It poofed into a puff of smoke, and secretly she hoped it was gone for good. But she suspected it had probably been transported right back to her closet.

Little Miss shrugged, unfazed. “Oh well! Then what would you like? It says here that you enjoy wearing schoolgirl uniforms-”

“No, I don’t!” Kim’s face turned red.

Little Miss raised a concerned eyebrow and frowned. “Then… underwear? We’ve got plenty, do you go for functional or sexy?”

“Regular clothes!” Kim begged. “I’m fine with perfectly regular, ordinary clothes!”

Little Miss looked very confused now. “Are- are you sure? Because the note Dakota gave me was VERY specific-”

“She’s messing with you,” Kim interrupted. “I only wear that stuff because my transformations **** me to. Even that qipao, I only had it because I got special permission to wear it, and it’s the only thing that would fit.”

Little Miss nodded, understanding. “Alright, then what kind of clothes would you like, then?” Her face lit up with a bright, cheery smile. “Here at the Harem Hotel Store, we have everything your heart could desire! Literally, everything!” She assured her with a cheery grin. “So what’s your poison?”

Kim paused for a second, not sure if she was being baited or not. “…You’re for real? I can wear anything I want?” She looked at the vast expanse of clothing stretched out before her eyes. Because of her Sick Day transformation she no longer had to follow the restrictions of her other transformations, including those restricting her clothing choices.

“Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh!” Little Miss nodded rapidly. “You want the aviator gear Amelia Earhart wore on her final flight? We got it! An authentic suit of Roman battle armor? We got it! The uniform Hitler committed suicide in? We got it!”

“Why would anyone want that!?” Kim screeched in disbelief.

Little Miss shrugged. “Dunno. You’d be surprised. But we got it. Literally, Kim, anything you want to wear, just say it, and it’s yours!”

The bubbly woman was being very generous here. …Almost suspiciously so. Kim looked warily at her and squinted. “…What’s the catch?” She asked. Forget the show or Dakota’s machinations. Kim had worked for enough sleazy bosses to know that nothing in life was free. If it looked too good to be true, then it probably was.

“No catch!” Little Miss shook her head.

“Then what do I have to pay for it? You want my soul or something?” Kim pressed.

“Nah. We got enough of those in the back,” Little Miss chirped. “Seriously! It’s all free of charge! …Oh, but you can’t take it with you. This is just to try on! You know, indulge? Dakota mentioned you really like to play dress-up…”

“That’s part of my job!” Kim groaned. “…And that one time, for a bounty…”

“Right, you dressed up like a pirate, I believe?”

Kim rolled her eyes. “Can we just not bring up my shameful memories, please?” She begged sarcastically, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “This is kind of a lot to take in.”

Little Miss quivered, fighting off the urge to blurt out “That’s what she said!”

Instead, she just said, “Well, take your time! Like I said, we have LITERALLY everything, and this is just the start! Dakota told me to spoil you silly!”

Kim raised her eyebrow. So that was Dakota’s game, then? If she couldn’t manipulate or bully Kim into silence, she was trying to bribe her?

“She said that the reason you’re such a pain is because you can’t just take what’s given to you and relax, you gotta be working all the time,” Little Miss added. “So she felt that the perfect punishment for you was not being ALLOWED to work! Isn’t that clever? You gotta take it easy and be pampered, whether you like it or not!”

Kim stared incredulously at Little Miss as she skipped off. All this was still having trouble sinking in. She looked around at the incredible amount of clothes towering around her, and didn’t even know where to start.

Supposedly, this was to spoil her or something? Well, she was definitely spoiled for choice. How did you even begin to pick out what you wanted to wear when you had every possible article of clothing, outfit, and style across all of human history to choose from?

Kim was left paralyzed with indecision when all of a sudden Little Miss popped back up in front of her. She was carrying a bowl of steaming hot soup and she had an urgent expression on her face.

“Here, more spoiling!” She chirped, holding the bowl up to Kim. It smelled delicious. “You’re on sick leave, right? Well, nothing cures what ails you like a little chicken soup for the soul!”

“I’m not actually sick,” Kim said, taking the bowl awkwardly. There wasn’t exactly a table she could sit at to eat- oh, wait, it was right there. Of course. She could have anything she wanted here. “…Also, chicken soup for the soul isn’t actually chicken soup…”

“Hush now, it is in my neck of the woods!” Little Miss shushed her, smiling proudly. “Now go on, drink it up before the soul goes bad!”

“Wait, WHAT?!”

“I think that’s enough,” Dakota said suddenly, switching off the screen. Nick jumped in surprise. He didn’t even realize that her fingernails were trailing across his naked back.

“That… that was…” Nick shook his head, remembering that he wasn’t actually there with Kim, sharing in the moment with her. The screen had practically dragged him inside it!

Dakota grinned from ear to ear. “Perfect, no?” She chirped. “Quite a good idea, if I say so myself. Kim likes to work and feel useful. You’ve noticed that yourself, haven’t you? She doesn’t indulge, unless prompted. She doesn’t even really have any hobbies, you’ve gotta twist her arm to get her to enjoy herself! That’s a girl whose whole life has been hard work. And what could be a more fitting punishment for someone like that, than to be **** to relax?”

The look in Dakota’s eyes was intense and it gave Nick pause. But he could hear the truth in her tone.

“…So that’s really it, then?” He said warily, looking at her and hoping that another shoe wasn’t going to drop. “You sent her to that store so she could take it easy and be pampered?”

In some twisted way he could see how that might be a punishment transformation for Kim, especially if she resisted every step of the way. But it just seemed so… simple.

Dakota looked seriously into his eyes. “Nick… you know Kim better than I do. So you tell me. Do you think she’s a fun girl?”

“Of course I do,” he said. “Yesterday was amazing!” He couldn’t believe how much fun he’d had with her, just talking to her.

Dakota nodded. “And do you think that she thinks she is?”

Nick paused. “Well… yeah, I guess? Why wouldn’t she?”

“What I think is that Kim is trying her best to have fun with you. And don’t get me wrong, I’m sure she is. But you remember your three-way date with Dani the other day, don’t you? She tried hard there, too, and it got a little…”

“That was different,” Nick interrupted in protest. He shook his head.

Dakota shrugged. “I agree. But my greater point is that Kim doesn’t naturally think of ways to have fun. She’ll do what you want to do, because you suggest it. Or Dani. Or anyone, really. She’s spent so many years taking orders from her bosses that she doesn’t know how to take the initiative and do what she wants to do solely because it’s what SHE wants. Do you understand?”

Nick frowned. He could understand what Dakota was saying, and the more he thought about it, the more he saw that maybe she had a point, but at the same time…

“If she’s happy, does it really matter?” He asked. Kim’s happiness was the most important part. And if Kim liked working hard, he didn’t want to change that about her. He admired it.

Dakota looked perplexed by his response, which wasn’t a surprise. She recovered from her stupor pretty quickly, though.

“Here’s what I know,” she said, leaning forward in bed. “Kim is wasted just being stuck doing grunt work for the rest of her life. Sure it might give her purpose in some vague way, but we both know that the actual job itself? It’s beneath her.”

Nick nodded. “Of course it is,” he agreed. “And that’s why I think you’re wrong, Dakota. Kim and I, we talked about her future. She wants to study economics, and use what she’s learned to help other people. I think that’s a perfect example of her taking initiative, like you said.”

“Or is it just trading one job for another?” Dakota asked. “Don’t get me wrong… it’s important to love your work. Fulfillment in one’s career? That’s something irreplaceable if you ask me.” She cracked a smirking smile and placed her hand over her breast.

Nick frowned. The worst thing about agreeing with Dakota was when she twisted that agreement back to reflect something negative about herself, like she was doing here.

“Dakota…”

“But you and I both know Kim needs more than work to be happy. More than you to be happy, too! She needs hobbies, interests, things that bring her joy. Working out is one of them. Plants, too, even if she’s not in the Garden Suite. But I think the most important thing… is that girl needs to learn how to indulge herself.”

She flickered her lidded eyes towards him in a crooning smile. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

Nick bit his lip. “…Yeah, you’re not wrong,” he conceded.

But that wasn’t good enough for Dakota, it never was.

The wicked woman nodded. “So if I’m not wrong, then I’m…?” Her voice trailed off as she prompted Nick for those two words she just loved to hear.

Nick sighed. “…You’re right,” he said reluctantly.

That was just what Dakota was looking for. “Exactly, I am right. You saw the same thing! Kim needs to indulge, to enjoy herself! The more opportunities she takes, the more opportunities she makes for herself, then the more she’ll open up and smile with joy! That’s what I aim to see here, Nick. Do you understand?”

Nick nodded. Frankly… Dakota really was right, as far as she was talking about Kim, anyway. He remembered how she’d behaved when they first got to the island, and on his first day with her, and how he’d practically had to **** her to indulge herself. Eat food that she wanted to eat, do things that she wanted to do.

“…We did walk on the beach because it’s what she wanted to do,” he reminded Dakota of their date the night before. “And we had a great time.”

“That’s right, you did,” Dakota said, nodding softly. “And don’t you want more of that in the future, Nick? Don’t you want more wonderful dates where you get to see more sides of that girl? See her open up to things that she never thought possible?”

Yeah, he did want that.

“…So why are you doing this?” Nick asked, looking warily at his oldest friend. “After everything that went down between you and Kim…”

“What would you know about that?” Dakota asked, a little more aggressively than Nick expected.

Admittedly… he didn’t know a whole lot.

Dakota looked deeply into his eyes. And as Nick gazed back into hers, he wondered just how much those golden pools of hers really saw.

It was hard to say.

“I want you to be happy, Nick,” Dakota said, reaching out caressing his cheek.

He let her.

“I know you do,” Nick replied. “But the way you go about it, Dakota… …Even like this. You could have just had a conversation with Kim, instead you just flung her somewhere else without notice and now she’s going to be pissed at you.”

Subtlety was not Dakota’s strong suit. Nor was communication in general.

Dakota didn’t seem bothered by that, either, which was Nick’s biggest concern.

“What’s going on between Kim and I doesn’t need to reflect on you at all,” Dakota said, indicating in her own way that Nick would be better off if he just dropped it. “Kim would likely not listen to anything I said, and if you asked her, well… she would try to do it for you. But she has to want it for herself. Hence, the more stubbornly she resists, the harder Little Miss will push. And then, eventually, I’m sure she’ll give in.”

The way Dakota said that and the smile on her face made it seem like that could only be a good thing. But Nick didn’t see it that way.

He sighed and hung his head. “I just wish… you didn’t have to be like this sometimes,” he mumbled. “Dakota… you could be so much better. We could work together, you don’t have to handle everything on your own.”

“…I’m the host,” Dakota said stonily. “That’s my job.”

The grave tone of her voice carried a finality to it that Nick knew he couldn’t reason with. Not being able to say anything else, he just nodded warily and sighed.

If only he could get Dakota to have the same revelation she was trying to get Kim to have, then maybe she could be better off for it. But somehow, Nick doubted that would happen any time soon.