I want the same for her, to enjoy, to endure one small victory

Dakota tapped her chin thoughtfully. “What to do if there’s a draw… ooh, that’s a toughie. Since I wasn’t the one who came up with this idea in the first place, I must say I’m a little stumped myself,” she admitted with a shrug. “It’s quite a stumper, yessiree…”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Dakota, stop being difficult,” he pleaded.

Dakota scoffed. “Fine, fine. How about this? If there’s a draw, and two or more people get the same amount of points, why not just let them both get the boon?” She suggested. “That would be fair, wouldn’t you agree? And in keeping with the nature of this party being fun and casual, no?”

That was a good point.

“Wait, so if it’s a draw…” Dawn’s voice trailed off as she considered the implications of that criteria. Her mind began to race, and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Hmm?” Dakota looked at her with a curious expression.

Sylvia gasped. “But wait! That means-!” She clamped her hands over her mouth and shook her head.

“What? What does it mean?” Morgana asked. She was starting to get antsy and nervous about what was going on. “You guys? Excuse me?”

Sylvia shook her head. She wasn’t going to be the one to say it. But a few of the other girls were starting to look at her as well.

“This isn’t a trick, is it?” Cinder asked, glaring at Dakota. “You wouldn’t do something that nice,” she spat at the host.

“Of course I would,” Dakota chirped. “It’s a party, isn’t it? I’m just getting into the party spirit, that’s all. And if you all take advantage of that…”

She shrugged.

Nick wasn’t sure what she meant by “take advantage” of that. It didn’t seem like there was anything wrong with that. On the off chance that one of the girls got a tie score, then…

“Wait…” His eyes widened as he realized.

“Ooh, that’s so sneaky!” Holly couldn’t believe it. “Can we really do that?”

“What?” Mary asked, confused. “Do what?”

“I do not believe that would be in the spirit of the event,” Amelia noted. “But if it is in the spirit of the party…”

“I’m totally lost here!” Gina groaned. She looked around at the sea of faces, several of whom had figured out more about her own party than she clearly had.

It was starting to make her feel anxious.

“Come on, Teach, it’s no big deal,” Vivian smirked. “I can’t say I’m the biggest fan myself. But still, it’s okay to be magnanimous every now and then!”

Octavia glanced over at the heiress and raised her eyebrow. “…Is that right?”

“Yep!” Vivian chirped.

Dawn nodded. “It should technically be allowed by the rules,” she said definitively, as if that answered everything.

But whatever it was she and the other, more savvy contestants (save Rose, who was just as confused as Mary) were not cluing Gina in on events.

And that was getting her a little worried.

“Guys? What’s going on?” Gina asked.

“It’s a loophole,” Dawn revealed. She turned and looked at Nick. “If none of the judges realized I wasn’t going to say anything, but I think it’s only fair if I share, don’t you?”

“You sure?” Sylvia asked, uncertain. “Because I swear, Dakota, I had no idea when I came up with the events and the ranking system! I really wanted it to be competitive, I did!”

“I know you did,” Dakota said, nodding gently. “But this is fine. It’s rather amusing, in fact, that nobody considered it until now.”

“What?” Dani asked, frowning. Like Gina, she was totally lost, because she didn’t have a scheming bone in her body. “Considered what?”

“We’re the ones who can make the decisions, right?” Holly pointed out. “How many points each of you gets.”

Dakota nodded and crossed her arms over her chest.

“And also, if anybody gets a tie, then everybody who ties gets the boon,” the short girl continued with a gleeful expression on her face.

Dakota nodded again.

“Ah!” Morgana’s eyes widened as she finally figured it out.

“What? Someone tell me!” Cinder snapped, irritated.

“I believe what she is trying to say is that because of the nature of the judging,” Amelia mused, turning and looking at Holly, “if the judges wished for it, then everyone here could be given an acceptable number of points so that the last event results in a complete tie in the scoring system.”

A hush fell over the crowd as everyone who hadn’t figured that out yet suddenly understood what she was trying to say.

Dakota nodded a third time.

“What!?” Rose exclaimed. “B-but… then there wouldn’t be a winner, then!”

“Is that even allowed?!” Gina screeched in surprise.

“It’s your event,” Dani pointed out. “Wouldn’t you be the one to decide whether or not that’s allowed, then?”

Gina’s mouth flopped open, and unable to think of anything else to say, she turned and looked to Dakota for advice.

Dakota held up her hands. “It’s your event,” she said with an amused smile. “I’m not going to be the one to tell you that you can’t do it.”

“Mercy from Dakota?” Marley frowned. “That’s definitely suspicious.”

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin narrowed her eyes and nodded.

“Come on, don’t be like that, sis!” Carly laughed, patting her sister on the shoulder. “This is perfect! That was kind of hard to judge anyway, who’s having the most fun! This is way better! Now we can just enjoy ourselves dancing, and we don’t have to worry about any of the big stuff! It’s perfect!”

“I-I guess… if that’s okay, then… maybe?” Morgana considered. She still couldn’t believe Dakota would actually go for it.

Nick was surprised himself. He approached the host warily, still uncertain whether or not he should trust her good will.

“Is that really allowed?” He asked. “You’re not trying to set up for something, are you?”

Dakota shook her head. “Not at all,” she assured him with a warm smile. And yet, the mischievous glimmer in her eyes still gave him pause. “This is the kind of party Gina wants to hold. And if that’s what she wants, I can agree to that this one time. A nice, pleasant party where everyone gets along well and has a good time together. Isn’t that just delightful?”

“Seriously Dakota? Why didn’t you mention it before, then?” Gina asked, frowning.

“Because it’s better if you work it out for yourselves,” Dakota replied. “And just to be clear- I don’t want you girls thinking that will be the case every time. In the future, Gina, I want you to really think about your transformation and the ramifications of using it the way you are. You planned a fun party, certainly, but the events were somewhat unbalanced.”

Gina blushed, and nodded slightly, unable to rebut that statement.

“But you powered through, making the best of it anyway,” Dakota continued. “It was a learning experience for everyone. And because of how much work you’ve all put into having a good time this evening, doing your best at meeting the criteria, I have no problem with allowing a slight exploitation of the rules… provided Gina’s okay with it.”

“Of-of course I’m okay with it,” Gina sputtered.

“Then we’re agreed!” Dakota clapped her hands together and smiled. “After all, it’s not like we have anyone here who would oppose to everyone receiving the same boon from the party, right? Nobody here is the kind of person who would be upset about other people winning and want to hog all the riches to themselves, I’m sure.”

She turned and looked at Rose, Dawn, Vivian, and Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin. The four of them all looked back at her as innocent as sweet little lambs.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Rose said, feigning a yawn and batting her eyelashes.

“Yes, this, this is fine,” Dawn said, fumbling to push up her glasses before remembering she wasn’t wearing any.

“Whatever you say,” Vivian chirped.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin shrugged and flashed a smirk.

“I still don’t understand!” Cinder exclaimed, putting her foot down hard. “Will someone tell me what’s happening already?!”

Everyone turned to look at her.

“Cinder, what Dakota is trying to say,” Morgana gently tried to explain, “is that you don’t have to dance with anybody. You’ll still get the points, and you’ll still win the boon to earn double BP. But it won’t matter how you do!”

Cinder blinked, taken aback. “So I… won’t have to dance?” Her voice sounded confused, and almost disappointed, but mostly just perplexed by the situation.

“Ahem.”

Dakota loudly cleared her throat and everybody turned to look at her.

“…That is not strictly true,” she said.

Nick frowned. He was expecting this. The other shoe was about to drop.

“What now?” Kim grumbled, not liking the sound of this. “I thought you just said that it doesn’t matter if we do it or not, because we’re still going to get the points?”

“Yes, that’s true, the judges may assign points however they wish!” Dakota assured her, nodding. “…But the regular rules still apply, don’t forget. You still have to actually do the event. If you don’t dance at all, there’s nothing for the judges to score, right?”

“…I mean, that makes sense,” Carly pointed out.

“Fair enough,” Dawn nodded. “Gina, you good with that?”

“Oh, uh, sure, yeah,” Gina nodded. “We’ll just do the dancing like normal, then, and it won’t matter how we do.”

Cinder frowned. “Well… then that’s fine then,” she muttered, looking sullenly down at the dance floor.

“…I have a concern,” Dawn said, frowning. “We’re all good with the plan, right? All the judges? We’re all going to coordinate our scores together?”

“Of course!” Mary nodded vigorously. “That’s the perfect idea!”

“Obviously I’m okay with it,” Nick agreed. “And Holly, I’m sure you are too, right?”

Holly rolled her eyes. “Do you even have to ask?” She sniffed. “All that BP, it will only ever be used for your sake, master!”

Ah, master, an old classic. Nick should have guessed.

“As for Octavia, she’ll do anything I order her to, she’s onboard too,” Vivian boasted.

“That is not correct,” Octavia sharply contradicted her boss.

Vivian’s jaw dropped in shock.

“Octavia?!”

“…However, I will comply with the consensus of my fellow judges,” Octavia added after sufficiently unsettling her employer. “Facilitating the festivities of this party to a satisfactory conclusion is part of my duties, after all. If that is the will of tonight’s hostess, I will comply.”

She nodded to Gina, who sighed in relief. “Thanks,” she murmured.

Vivian puffed up her cheeks and shot Gina a sharp look.

“Of course, if anyone should choose not to comport themselves as a young lady should, I may see fit to deduct points,” Octavia said sharply, looking pointedly at Vivian.

The heiress gulped, then sulked.

“…Fine,” she mumbled. “Still, thanks anyway.”

“Right, that’s all good, we’re all in agreement.”

Dawn turned and looked at the stage, where Serenity was resting, her dripping wet bare feet kicked up onto the table and a smirk on her lips.

But there was still one judge left to convince, someone who could completely throw things off.

“I’ll go talk with her,” Dani said. “She’ll listen to me.”

“No, that’s okay,” Gina said, stepping forward. “It’s my party, after all. It’s my responsibility.”

Amelia nodded. “Admirable,” she agreed.

Gina headed over to Serenity and they chatted for a bit. Then she returned to the group with a thumbs-up.

“We’re set to go,” Gina beamed. “She agreed to it!”

“Well that’s a relief,” Vivian laughed. “All this talking woulda been for nothing, then!”

“I’m so glad this worked out for everybody,” Dakota purred. “And I’m sure the judges can be trusted to keep their word. Now, since we’re all here, shall we get this event started? Amelia, I believe you’re the first one to dance?”

“Indeed,” Amelia nodded.

“Before that, we can pick any judge we want, right?” Marley asked. “That’s still the rule? And just to be clear, um…” She looked over at her sister, then at Dakota.

“…Yes, you can break the 10-foot limit,” Dakota confirmed. “Now go on, let’s clear the dance floor for our first guest!”

That would be Amelia. The girls all pulled away, leaving her standing in the center of the dance hall, head held high.

Nick realized the four judges, everyone but Serenity, were standing isolated from the rest of the crowd. So they were next up?

Octavia stepped forward, surprising Amelia. But she wasn’t addressing the older woman.

“For anyone who is interested,” she said, “I am qualified to instruct in the art of dance. Should anyone like to use their turn to get some instruction with me, I would be amenable to that.”

“Oh, really?” Dani’s eyes widened in surprise.

“That could be nice,” Kim nodded. But at the same time, she’d rather dance with Nick… after all, when would she ever need to know how to ballroom dance?

…Well, maybe for her wedding…

The thought of that caused her face to light up in surprise, and she quickly shook her head, embarrassed. That was quite a thought.

Serenity came down from the judge’s table with a silent smirk on her face, watching patiently as Amelia made her selection. For a second, Nick almost feared that she would choose him again… but instead, she stopped before Mary, much to the redhead’s surprise.

“M-me?!” Mary stammered.

Amelia nodded, extending her hand. “I noticed you did not dance at your wedding,” she said quietly.

“She was occupied with other things,” Dakota pointed out with a smirk. Mary’s face turned crimson as Holly and Sylvia both burst into laughter.

Mary’s face was on fire as she shook her head. “I-I never learned how,” she stammered, looking away, embarrassed.

“I expect as much.” Amelia’s voice was almost gentle. “Let me show you.”

Mary nodded, and accepted Amelia’s offer to dance. Dakota flicked her cane and music filled the room as the dance floor cleared, and Amelia took Mary into her embrace, beginning the elegant dance.

Nick watched them together, entranced by Amelia’s graceful movements. He knew she would be good at this, but he didn’t know how good. She more than accounted for Mary’s own failings in that area, and as clumsy as the redhead was, it was almost impossible to tell given how effortlessly Amelia corrected for her mistakes.

And by the end, it seemed like his stepmother had turned his wife into a natural.

Mary looked a little dizzy by the end of it, but her flushed face was glowing and she had a delirious smile on her lips.

“I-I had no idea dancing was… was so energizing!” She stammered, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “Wow!”

“It really can be, huh?” Vivian laughed, sauntering forward. She swaggered over to the judges, and for a moment, her eyes locked with Nick’s. She extended a hand to him and he reached to take it, surprised, only for her to yank it back at the last moment.

“Wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise,” the heiress said, giving him a coy wink. Instead, she turned to Octavia.

Octavia raised her eyebrow.

“What?” Vivian’s smile faltered slightly. “You’re always saying I could do with more lessons, right?”

“…As you wish,” Octavia nodded, and accepted Vivian’s offer with a graceful bow.

If Amelia had shown just how graceful an expert can be even while performing with an amateur, Vivian’s performance highlighted just how amazing a duo could be when they both knew what they were doing. The two women danced arm in arm, gliding elegantly across the dance floor like they were born to do it. As if they’d danced this dance a thousand times before, and this was just the latest in a lifetime.

Nick let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding when the music finally stopped. Vivian really could have won this whole thing, he thought. That was amazing!

The dance floor had barely cleared out when someone pounced on him from behind.

Nick let out a gasp and whirled around, surprised. He met the sparkling gaze of Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, and before he knew it he was captured hand in hand.

When was the last time Nick had shared a dance with someone? He couldn’t really remember, but it certainly wasn’t like this! Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin practically dragged him around the dance floor, gliding with far sharper and more graceful moves than he would have expected from her. It felt like he was strapped into a roller coaster, going through the motions as she carried him with strength and momentum, practically flinging him about like a ragdoll. All he could process was that his hand was on her hip, hers was around his back, and their other hands were intertwined with one another as she carried him in time with the music, her crisp blue eyes never leaving his.

The ballroom spun around him, but he didn’t even notice. And when the music finally stopped, she continued to hold onto him, refusing to let go.

Dakota cleared her throat loudly, but the mute girl just kept right on dancing. It took her wielding her cane to magically pry the slender killer off of him, and she begrudgingly parted with a sour pout on her lips, glaring at the host for ruining her fun.

“So sorry to cut in like this,” Dakota crooned. “But we really must let other ladies have a chance tonight, you know.”

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin puffed up her cheeks in a pout and crossed her arms over her chest. But she nodded begrudgingly and let the next person take her cue.

That would be Cinder.

As Nick stumbled away, feeling a little dizzy and quite grateful to be free, his eyes met the fiery latina’s, and he froze.

Why was she staring so intently at him?

Cinder stormed over to him, face hot and fists balled up.

“Will you… dance with me?” She demanded through gritted teeth.

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You… you want to dance with me?” Nick asked, amazed.

It looked like it was going to kill her to admit.

“I don’t like it any better than you do!” She snapped, unable to meet his gaze. “So just do it, alright!? Dance with me! Now!”

How polite and elegant and classy of her to ask. Clearly she understood the nature of this party.

“I-I’m not very good at this,” he stammered, trying to give her an excuse to back out. “You saw me out there with-”

“Well I’m not either!” Cinder exclaimed. Her blush deepened. “And that… that’s why… it has to be you! Because it doesn’t matter if I mess up with you! …Yeah, that’s it! Even I might feel bad if I stepped on the toes of another girl, but with you, it doesn’t matter! So… so just dance with me already, puta!”

Well, how could he deny when she asked him so sweetly?

“Okay,” he agreed, nodding. He offered her his hand, wary that she might bite it off. “If that’s what you want.”

The look on her face told him that it wasn’t. And yet at the same time, it looked like it was.

Regardless, they were going to dance in the end. Even if the points didn’t matter anymore, even if everyone would come out of this contest successful, he would still do his duty and dance with anyone who asked. Even someone who wanted to maul him to ****.