I could really really really use a rich rich friend like you

“Ah… now that’s what I’m talking about!” Vivian sat up in bed and stretched, a big bawdy smile spread across her lips.

It was early in the morning, a lot earlier than she usually woke up. But she was excited for the big day.

And more significantly… she’d had a very restful sleep.

“If only Amy spent more time in the Master’s Suite,” Vivian chortled, flopping back onto her pillow with a refreshed sigh. “Then I could have the bed to myself more often!”

“Happy to see you so refreshed, Lady Carrington,” Octavia said with an emotionless tone. As usual, it was impossible to read her as she stood at attention, hovering by the foot of Vivian’s bed.

Vivian smiled at her. “You excited for today, Octavia?” She asked.

“Extremely.” Octavia’s expression didn’t change.

“That’s my girl,” Vivian giggled. “A real, honest beach party. It’s going to be a blast! Everyone will have loads of fun, and as the one to suggest it, I’ll gt all the credit for the good times, of course.”

She was quite looking forward to all the positivity.

“Ah, I figured it might be something like that. What a clever girl you are.”

Vivian jumped. She sat up in a rush and scanned the room, only to see Dakota leaning against one of the potted plants with a conspiratorial smirk on her face. The host tapped her cane on the grass and sidled over to the heiress, her golden eyes glittering.

Seeing that it was only Dakota, Vivian could relax.

“Oh, hey. How you been?” Vivian got out of bed and waved at the dark-haired girl. “You get my invite from that Nola girl?”

“I did,” Dakota nodded, stroking her chin. The smile drained away from her face like juice squeezed out of a lemon, and she looked suspiciously at the other woman. “That’s why I stopped by to see you this morning.”

“Aww, if it’s about saying thanks, there’s no need!” Vivian chuckled. “The more, the merrier! That’s what I say!”

Dakota’s frown didn’t change. She continued to drill holes into the other woman with her eyes. “The more the merrier… right.”

Vivian blinked. “…What’s with that look?” She asked.

Dakota crossed her arms and tapped her cane against her side. “Because I don’t trust you,” she replied, narrowing her eyes. “You’re working an angle here. And believe me, as the host, I can appreciate that sort of thing on my show! But I just wanted to let you know in person that I’m not some simpering little fool who’ll fall for your happy-go-lucky playfulness.”

“Eh? I’m not quite sure what you mean…” Vivian tilted her head to the side, looking innocent as could be. But the smirk on her lips suggested otherwise.

Dakota tightened her grip on her cane.

Then she relaxed. “We can settle this amicably,” she informed the other woman. “There’s no need for you to play around with things that don’t concern you. So why don’t you tell me what you were planning, inviting me to that little party of yours? Because you’re certainly smart enough to realize that I would have simply invited myself anyway if I wanted to come.”

“Angle, eh?” Vivian stroked her chin. “Well… I can’t say you’re wrong,” she admitted. “I’m definitely working an angle. And it’s all about you!”

Dakota looked surprised for a moment.

“…About me?”

“That’s right!” Vivian walked over and patted her on the shoulder. “I’d really like if you and I became friends, Dakota!”

Dakota blinked, not sure she was properly processing what the other woman was saying.

Then she burst out laughing.

“Oh, I see… that’s rich!” She cackled, holding her sides. “Look at you… doing what all rich people do, and trying to get in good with the person in power! I knew it was the right choice, bringing you onto this show! Trying to stir the pot and get me on your side? Well… as much as I’d love to assist you in shaking things up a little, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. The sanctity of the game comes first and foremost, after all. I can’t be playing favorites.”

Dakota gave her an exaggerated sigh and shrugged. “If you want to win this, then you’ll have to do it with your own power. Not by buying off the ref.”

Vivian blinked, and then laughed. “Ah, I see, that’s what you’re thinking! No, no, you’ve got it all wrong!” She shook her head. “That’s not where I’m at, not at all!”

Dakota was taken aback once more. She quickly regained her composure and regarded Vivian with newly-reborn suspicion. She’d assumed she knew what the other girl was planning, but Vivian’s ambitions were harder to grasp than she’d suspected.

And since being amiable wasn’t getting her the information she wanted, Dakota really only had one other card to play.

“Listen here, rich girl,” she hissed, tightening her grip on her cane. “I’ve tried to play things nice. But do you think you’re the first spoiled brat who ever set foot on this island? I’ve dealt with dozens of Vivian Carringtons before, I’ll have you know. And when I was done with the last one, I had her turned into the master’s perfect little serving maid, while he was entitled to all her family’s money. So don’t go playing around and trying to get one over on me, because that’ s a game you’re going to lose.”

“…Tell me something, when things don’t go as you’ve planned, do you always resort to ****?” Vivian asked.

Dakota stared at her. “…What?”

“Nah, see, **** isn’t going to get you what you want,” Vivian said, shaking her head. “You know the old saying, don’tcha? You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Isn’t that right, Octavia?”

Octavia stared blankly at her mistress. “…While your statement is correct, the mating habits of flies lead them to center around fecal matter, decaying carcasses, and rotting fruit, than to either honey or vinegar.”

Vivian pressed her lips into a tight line. “…Yeah, let’s leave small talk like that in here, instead of taking it to the beach, yes?”

“As you wish.”

Dakota had to restrain her anger. Vivian was just playing around with her, mocking her, and she was the host! She shouldn’t face this level of disrespect! But there wasn’t anything she could do about it. It wasn’t like she had the authority to administer a punishment transformation just because the other woman was pissing her off!

…Well, she certainly had the authority to do that. But she’d probably catch a lot of heat from the producers for such a flagrant and unnecessary **** of power, so she refrained.

Before she could say anything to draw the attention back to herself, Vivian had already returned her focus to Dakota. She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled.

“Dakota, you don’t need to be so suspicious of me,” Vivian said. “Come on, you know the kind of person I am! I’m sure that an organization like yours, you ran a whole background check, isn’t that right? You’ve probably got files on me all the way back to when I was a little terror for Octavia over here!”

“I’m certain their research goes further back than just last week, young miss.”

“Hah!” Vivian let out a deep belly laugh and slapped her hip. “Classic Octavia, am I right?” She chortled, clapping Dakota on the shoulder.

Dakota recoiled like she’d been struck across the face. Her eyes widened and her pupils turned to pinpricks as she pulled away from the other woman, and she held up her cane like a blade, threatening to inflict all manner of punishment upon the hearty contestant.

“Whoa, hey, sorry! No touchie, got it!” Vivian held up her hands and took a big step back, the color draining away from her face.

Dakota relaxed, and lowered her cane. It was nice to have power again and see some good old-fashioned fear in the other woman’s gaze.

“Now that we’re on the same page,” she said, tucking her cane under the crook of her arm, “shall we get back to the discussion at hand?”

Vivian looked suspiciously at her. “And what do you mean by that?” She inquired curiously, leaning forward.

Dakota responded with a shrug of her shoulders.

“I told you before, didn’t I? I’m curious. I want to know why you invited me, why you’re so eager for us to be ‘friends’. Because you have an ulterior motive here. And like I told you before, I have no intention of giving you, or anyone else, any special treatment. Am I clear on that? I feel like I need to be absolutely clear on that.”

Vivian smirked. “Clear as crystal!” She chirped. “But like I said… I don’t have an ulterior motives here, chief. I just want to be your friend.”

Dakota scrunched up her face. “…Friend.”

“That’s right! Wouldn’t it be better if we all just got along?” Vivian asked. “You wouldn’t have to worry about all these issues and problems, you wouldn’t need to be so antagonistic! Hey, who knows, we could even have a good time.”

Dakota started to shake. She threw back her head and burst out laughing.

“Oh, I see… that’s quite rich!” She cackled. “You… you actually think that I…? Oh, that’s what you don’t understand, not at all…”

Dakota shook her head. “It’s not even close to how you envision it to be,” she said, narrowing her eyes coldly at the other woman. “Just the opposite, in fact. No… I’m not here to make friends with you, Vivian. I’m the host. I’m the one running things.”

“And that mean you can’t get along with us?” Vivian asked, raising her eyebrow. “Like I told your little leprechaun pal, it’s a party. Everyone’s invited to come by and have a good time!”

Dakota just stared incredulously at her. “…You know what I’ve done, don’t you? No, I suppose you don’t… I’m not the kind of person you make friends with, Vivian Carrington. Ask Nick or one of the other girls, if you don’t believe me. That’s the sort of person I am. Not the friendly kind.”

Vivian calmly listened to Dakota, and it looked as though she was lost in thought. But then she nodded in agreement and shrugged. “Well… I suppose I understand where you’re coming from,” she relented. “But I like to make my own judgments about people. And I will tell you this, if you become friends with me, who knows, maybe I’d even be able to help you out a little!”

Oh, that was rich.

“You? Help me?”

Dakota shook her head incredulously. “That’s rather ridiculous, wouldn’t you say? How could you possibly help me? I have control over this entire island. I can create whatever I want, and do whatever I want.”

“And that makes you happy, does it?” Vivian asked.

Dakota tensed. The air around them dropped several dozen degrees, and Vivian felt a shiver roll down her spine. Were the plants wilting around them or something?

“H-hey…”

“Vivian Carrington… the only thing that matters to me is Nick’s happiness,” Dakota breathed, her voice icy with menace as she approached the spoiled heiress, her golden eyes glittering a threat that Vivian suddenly took VERY seriously.

“H-hey, I mean, I get that, really, I do,” Vivian stammered, holding up her hands. “No need to get all aggressive about everything, you know?”

“Oh, I think there is,” Dakota said. “Because you don’t seem to understand. Like I said, Nick’s happiness is all that matters to me. So you, trying to play with me, getting on my good side, attempting to manipulate me for your own purposes… none of that will ever work. Do I make myself clear? You have nothing I could ever want. Nothing. So stop playing around. Stop trying to manipulate me. Or I promise, it will not end well for you.”

Vivian gulped, and shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other.

But Dakota wasn’t done. She leaned in close, holding her lips up to Vivian’s ear. She whispered something that only the heiress could hear, and Vivian turned pale.

“O-okay,” she stammered, biting her lip. “You got it, lady. I won’t say anything. Promise.”

She held up her hands in surrender.

Vivian couldn’t understand why Dakota was acting that way, though. She’s so suspicious. It’s not like I was trying to use her. I just thought that if we could all get along, then it would be easier on everybody, that’s it!

Well… there were other motives as well. She couldn’t deny that she saw the benefit in getting on Dakota’s good side. And more importantly, it was obvious how much Nick cared about the host, even if he didn’t show it.

Vivian didn’t get to where she was by being bad at reading people. There was obviously some tension between the two of them, and she’d hoped that by lightening Dakota’s mood and getting her involved in a positive way with Nick and the others, maybe she could earn some brownie points with him.

But it seemed like Dakota had no intention of going along with that idea.

Well… I suppose I’ll have to put a pause on making friends, then, Vivian thought, shaking her head as the host headed for the door. If I want to get in good with Nick, I’ll have to try another method, since this one’s a little… fraught.

“Oh, and one more thing.” Dakota paused in the doorway and glanced back at Vivian. The tension had left her face, and she was back to being her cruel, smirking self.

“Y-yes?” Vivian’s voice cracked a little as she tensed.

“I’m quite looking forward to your little beach party. I’m sure it will be a blast,” Dakota crooned, leaving the heiress with her thoughts.

When Dakota stepped out of the room, Vivian could finally breathe again. She let out a drained sigh of relief and slumped back down into bed, nursing her forehead with a sigh.

“…Hey, Octavia? Can I ask you something?” Vivian turned to her butler.

“Of course, young miss,” Octavia said with a nod.

“Do I just have the kind of face nobody trusts? Is that it?” Vivian asked. “Nobody seems to believe me when I tell them I just want to be friends.”

“Perhaps that would be because you don’t just want to be friends,” Octavia suggested politely. “You also wish to use that friendship to benefit yourself.”

“Benefit them, too, though!” Vivian lamely pointed out.

Octavia stared at her.

Vivian looked down sheepishly. “Okay… I get your point,” she relented, nodding and sighing. “It’s a little bit… yeah.”

Just because she thought that everything would be better if they all got along, that didn’t necessarily absolve her of her ulterior motives.

That being said… she couldn’t waste time thinking about things like that! No, they had a party to prepare for! Just because they’d all bought their swimsuits yesterday, that didn’t mean things were done on that front, no, not at all!

“Time to go see Mary!” Vivian decided, clapping her hands and hopping to her feet. “We need to discuss what we’re going to be serving!”

Or, as the case was, what Mary would be cooking up for them.

As much as Vivian had liked making hamburgers yesterday, even she could admit that she wasn’t a master at everything.

Nope, one of the finer skills necessary to being a CEO was delegation! And that was an area that Vivian excelled.

“…Plus, I’ll get to see Nick!” She smiled as the notion took root in her mind. Skipping over to her closet, she took a quick inventory of her clothes and threw together something that would definitely fit the theme they were going for today. A short skirt and a flowery sarong, with a cropped top that revealed her midriff while emphasizing her modest chest. It gave her a sunny, light-hearted atmosphere, perfect for the beach! A pair of her classic sunglasses tied the whole look together, and she skipped out of the room with a hum.

When she got to the lounge, though, she was immediately accosted by the last person she expected to see this morning.

Pale blue eyes stared into her soul.

“Oh, hey you!” Vivian was only stunned for a moment before her mood lightened again, and she waved at Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin with a perky grin. “How you been? Doing fine, I hope? Sleep okay?”

Only able to answer with a nod, that was exactly what the slender girl did. She nodded and flashed a smile, and took a step back to allow Vivian her personal space.

How generous of her.

“I gotta say… you’re looking pretty good,” Vivian continued, glancing down at the assassin’s chest. Indeed, her transformation was sure doing what Dakota had promised, because her breasts were looking bigger every day. Vivian was pretty sure they even surpassed hers in size now, not that she was the kind of woman who had a lot going on up top. Not like some of the women here, at least.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, sensing the compliment, stepped back and posed proudly, taking care to stick out her breasts.

But Vivian was pretty sure that the assassin hadn’t come here because she wanted to be admired. She’d been standing in wait. Whether for Vivian, or for someone else, it was hard to say. And the girl certainly wasn’t talking.

“So what can I do for you?” Vivian was quick to offer a hand of support, after having been rebuked by Dakota earlier that morning. After all, having a trained killer for a pal would definitely be helpful. And she certainly wanted Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin in her corner, rather than against her!

The assassin scrunched up her delicate features in a complicated expression. Then before Vivian could react, the other woman’s hand shot out and wrapped around her wrist quick as a snap!

“H-hey!” Vivian gasped, surprised by the sudden gesture. Before she knew it, Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin was pulling her deeper towards the lounge.

She decided just to go with it.

The dark-haired girl led her around the couches, and over to the Bounty Board. She gestured at it quickly, and Vivian’s eyes widened. A new bounty had been posted, right next to the one they’d all been squabbling over the other day.

“Oh, I see… you wanted me to read that to ya, huh? Okay…”

Vivian read it over quickly, and when she saw what it said, a smooth grin crossed her lips. “…Oh, okay… that’s going to be fun…”

She looked at Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin and gave her a saucy wink.

Of course, the other woman still had no idea what the paper said. So she tilted her head to the side in confusion.

Vivian just laughed as she adjusted her plans to account for this new bit of information.