I won't find a way out looking inside

Dani probably could have explained to Nick that it had all been one big misunderstanding. That she hadn’t really intended to get his swimsuit wet in order to **** him to wear those shorts. She was charming and she had the charisma to convince him of just about anything.

But being an honest woman at heart, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“You’re right,” she admitted sheepishly, hanging her head. “I was playing around, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry,” Nick laughed. “I’m not mad.” He shook his head. “And I know you meant what you said before. All that stuff… if you want to do it, I’m up for it. When we dry off, anyway.”

Dani cracked a grin.

“As long as you’re okay with it, of course,” he added.

Dani’s face fell. She fought back the urge to groan her frustrations out loud. How did this guy still not get it!? She had made her case as passionately as she knew how, but he was still treating her like she was made out of glass. True, it was due to her own prior behavior and outbursts that Nick had been led to assume that just making contact with a penis would cause her to melt like a bucket of water on the wicked witch, but come on. She was an adult. She could handle basic nonsexual contact with a guy friend.

She didn’t have a chance to verbalize her concerns, though, unfortunately.

“…Considerate.”

Dani and Nick both jumped in surprise. They turned and saw Serenity’s head rise out of the water. Her blue eyes glowed as she stared at them. She must have snuck up to them, swimming in the silent, effortless way that only a siren could. How long had she been there, listening?

“S-Serenity…” Dani stammered in surprise. She still had a bit of a weakness for the elusive aquatic girl, even though they’d become closer as friends.

Nick’s response was a little more defensive. “Should… should you really be this close?” He asked cautiously, scooting back on the tile. He was well within the five foot restriction.

Serenity blinked, turning her focus on him for a moment. Then she curved her glowing lips into the faintest of smirks.

Then she rose from the pool, gliding up to the surface. She stood with her feet flat on the water for a brief moment, as though standing on an invisible sheet of ice, dripping wet and glowing like a radiant goddess in her dark swimsuit. Then she stepped onto dry land and looked down at Nick, towering over him.

“Safe now,” she said finally, gnashing her teeth.

Nick felt his pounding heart slow slightly, but he still felt a surge of hesitation as he looked up at the siren. He should be feeling aroused just being near her, but…

“Boon,” Serenity said bluntly, as if that explained anything. Nick remained just as confused as he had been before, if not moreso.

It was Dani who realized. She gasped and her eyes widened. “Wait, that’s right!” She covered her mouth. “You were… at the slumber party, with the rest of us!”

Serenity glanced over at her and nodded.

That was enough to clue Nick in as to what was going on. “Wait, so… you mean… you got a boon too?” He asked.

Serenity glanced back at him and nodded again. “Boon,” she repeated, pointing at herself. She drew a circle in the air around her with her finger, sending a spray of water onto his shirt. “Safe.”

Now if she could only say more than one word at a time, maybe Nick could have a conversation with her. How was it easier to understand what Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin was trying to communicate with him, when she couldn’t say anything at all?

Fortunately, Dani was pretty adept at translating the siren’s language. She held back a grin, and patted Nick on the back. She hoisted him up to his feet and stood up as well, then approached Serenity and held out her hand.

“Dakota’s boon… let me guess, your limit is gone, is that right? Your powers, they won’t work on us right now?”

Serenity nodded slightly. “Dry land,” she said quietly, glancing down at the pool. “Safe.”

Even Nick could figure out what she meant by that. On dry land, her powers were nullified, meaning she wouldn’t arouse either of them.

He sighed in relief. “Well, that’s good, I was afrai-”

“For now,” Serenity interrupted. She smirked again and gnashed her teeth.

Nick paused mid-sentence. The gleam in the siren’s eye carried a promise of danger, and he suddenly felt very unsafe.

“So… I’m guessing it’s a delay, then,” Dani theorized, earning her a nod of confirmation from the siren. But Serenity hadn’t come here to discuss her boon and the limits of her transformation powers.

“Came over,” she said, looking to Dani first, then to Nick. “Considerate. Sweet. Stupid.”

Nick’s eye twitched. He didn’t need Dani to tell him which one of them she was talking about.

“Well, sorry for being so stupid,” he apologized sarcastically. “Why am I dumb again? Just the usual reasons?”

Serenity shook her head. She pointed at Dani. “Considerate.”

“Yeah, you lost me,” Dani said, scratching her head. “I’m happy that Nick’s looking out for me. It’s better than… the alternative.”

While Dani liked Serenity, she was uncomfortable around her, too. While the glowing girl could be nice (rarely) she also existed as a testament to a bunch of things Dani feared for herself. Serenity wasn’t always a siren. She used to be a regular human like me. An exceptional athlete. Then she got caught up in Harem Hotel, and was transformed into this… because she’s a lesbian. Her master wasn’t as considerate as Nick is.

Serenity must have been able to tell what Dani was thinking just from her expression, because her brow furrowed and she frowned.

“Different,” she said, pointing at Nick. “Different.”

“Of course I’m different,” Nick said, turning red. “I’m not like the guy who… the person who… did that to you, Serenity. I don’t want Dani to be in my harem, I wish she could be free of all this.”

Dani smiled. He really was a sweet guy.

Serenity nodded slightly. “Free. Different.” Then she sighed. It was almost like a song; a soft, melodious sound, but filled with frustration and bemusement.

Clearly, she didn’t think very highly of Nick’s attempt to set himself apart from her previous experience with a master.

“Serenity…” Dani said softly. “I don’t…”

Serenity sighed again, louder this time. Only it wasn’t so melodious. “…Fine. Talk then,” she griped, rolling her eyes. “If you want.”

She turned to Dani again. “He’s being considerate,” she said in flawless English. “And that won’t help you.”

Dani winced. She’d suspected as much. “I know he is.”

Nick frowned. “Wait, so all of a sudden being considerate is a bad thing?” He asked.

“If it doesn’t help.” Serenity may have been speaking in complete sentences now, but her answer were still as brusque as always.

She gestured at herself. “My master… not considerate. I’m sure you can imagine.”

No one said anything. It wasn’t a difficult scene to picture.

“I tried to do it,” Serenity murmured. “Go along. Compromise myself. …Didn’t work. Started with small things. Things I was willing to do. But then… no. Had to go further. Had to do more. Had to…”

Her voice trailed off and she closed her mouth. Her eyes flicked down momentarily, and even though her face hid her shame completely Nick and Dani both understood how it must have felt for her to do those things.

“…Wasn’t enough,” she said finally, raising her head. She gestured at her shimmering skin as evidence of her actions.

Nick winced. “So you’re saying… even if I try to do all the things that Dani is comfortable with… it might not be enough?”

Serenity nodded. “Considerate. Pointless.”

Dani bit her lip. “Yeah, but… that’s up to me to decide, don’t you think?”

Serenity looked at her and raised a curious eyebrow. She hummed curiously.

“Maybe you’re right, and I won’t be able to get to 100 VP just with chaste acts,” Dani said, placing her hand on her chest. “But I’m still going to try. And I appreciate Nick for being considerate of my feelings on the matter. That makes me feel much more secure with doing this stuff.”

Serenity stared blankly at her, unfazed by Dani’s passionate statement. “…Wasted,” she finally said, sliding her eyes over to him. “Better to understand now. Just… a warning.”

“And it’s appreciated,” Dani said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest. She wanted to show Serenity that she was grateful for the siren’s concern, but also that she wouldn’t let her position change her actions. “I still need to try.”

“One thing you’ll learn about Dani is that she doesn’t give up,” Nick said, laughing a little to try and turn the temperature down.

Serenity considered that carefully. She nodded ponderously and the faintest hint of a smile touched her lips.

“Considerate…” The siren leaned forward, nearly pushing Nick over. She was so close she practically mashed her nose into his, and he could smell the faint hint of the sea coming from her. “Glad.”

Serenity pulled back and smiled a dazzling smile, far less restrained than the ones she’d shown so far. It was the smile of a magician who had just performed an amazing magic trick.

And even in the silence of that smile its meaning was clear to both Dani and Nick.

“Wait… that was a test?” Nick asked, staring at her in shock.

“You were just trying to test my resolve?” Dani questioned. “No, wait…” she shook her head. “You were… hoping I wouldn’t back down, weren’t you?”

Serenity gnashed her teeth and took a step back, towards the water.

“Difficult ahead,” she warned, looking over to Nick. “Considerate. Consider. It.”

Nick heard two distinct warnings coming from her lips. He looked at Dani and wondered if she had heard the same.

Dani smiled softly. “Thanks, Serenity,” she said, nodding. “I’m going to be careful.”

Serenity continued to smile, but she looked sadder. As if she was staring at her past self, and hoping that she would make different choices.

Dani wished she knew what those choices were. Serenity still felt like a shadow to her; a woman who had been placed in the same position she had been, and made choices that Dani had heavily considered but rejected. If I had let the show push me to do those things with Nick… would I have ended up like she did?

It was a scary thing to think about. Serenity may have been safe now, but the life she lived was a lonely one. The sort of existence Dani wouldn’t wish for herself. Dani watched as the siren lowered her head and sank back into the pool, swimming silently off to the other side and leaving the two of them with their thoughts.

They looked hesitantly at each other, not quite sure what to say.

I have to keep trying my best, Dani thought. If what happened to her happens to me, Nick wouldn’t be able to forgive himself either. For my sake, and Nick’s, and Carly and everybody, I need to get to 100 VP at least. If I do that, then I’ll at least get a transformation that will make things easier for me. That’s what Dakota said.

Dani didn’t know if she could trust a transformation meant to make her life easier, especially not one coming from Dakota. What that twisted woman considered “easier” might end up being even worse than Serenity’s fate.

But the alternative was to do nothing. And Dani knew for sure THAT would result in a horrible outcome. So she didn’t have a choice.

Will I be able to handle things? She wondered. How much of myself can I give to Nick without compromising who I am?

That more than anything felt like what Serenity had been trying to warn her about. And it definitely brought doubts into her mind. But she couldn’t let those doubts win. As long as she trusted herself and trusted Nick, Dani was confident that she could make things work out in the end.

She turned and looked at Nick. “Sorry for putting you in a position like this,” she apologized. “Serenity was just trying to help… sorry if it made you feel a little… targeted.”

Nick shook her head. “She has reason to be concerned, given what she’s gone through,” he pointed out. “And it’s not like we’re close friends who can talk with one another. Remember how she was when we first met?”

True, Serenity’s trust in Nick appeared to have increased considerably since then.

“Anyway, I don’t blame her for being worried about you,” Nick continued. “I’m actually glad for it. I just hope you aren’t worried.”

Dani laughed. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,” she admitted. “But it’s not you I’m worried about, it’s this stupid show.”

“Yeah, that’s reasonable,” Nick agreed. “Given how Dakota acts, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was trying to **** things to go the way she wants. It’s what she does, after all.”

Dani nodded, biting her lip as she considered her past interactions with Dakota. Compared to Sylvia, Dakota seemed far less forceful in terms of trying to make things happen between her and Nick. It was almost like she supported Dani in her intention of remaining a lesbian.

But Dani didn’t trust her. Anyone who would treat Sylvia the way Dakota did… it was clear they didn’t think very much about the feelings of others. Whatever compelled Dakota’s behavior, it wasn’t out of consideration. She was after something. Maybe she had backed off because the audience didn’t want Dani to be with Nick. And if that was the case, the second their fickle hearts shifted, the second Dakota would change her approach.

It was careless and stupid to rest easy when in a situation like that.

“I just want you to know that I’m here for you, Dani,” Nick said, reaching out and taking her hand. It was an awkward gesture to make towards a platonic friend, but he wanted her to feel like she had his support. “If Dakota tries anything, I’ll put a stop to it. I promise.”

Or I’ll try, at least. Nick wasn’t so sure Dakota would listen to him, either. But it was the best card he had to play.

Regardless, Dani clearly appreciated the sentiment. She smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Nick. But I’ll be okay.”

They both were in agreement though that Dakota’s motivations were suspect. It was the same reason they both doubted that Emmy had been brought onto the show just to make Carly happy.

Oh, how wonderful would it be if they both ended up being wrong? Maybe they were overthinking the whole thing.

But neither one of them were confident enough to take that chance blindly.

Kim strolled into the pool area feeling a little overdressed. It would have made sense to throw on a swimsuit for the location, anyone would think that. But she’d rather not go to the trouble of changing into a school swimsuit, thank you very much. Her workout clothes were nice enough- even if they were a set of bloomers and a white shirt, like something out of an anime.

“Hey guys,” she said, greeting Dani and Nick. Serenity had already left before she arrived, so it was just the two of them again. “You get in all the relaxing you wanted?”

Kim’s dazzling smile did a great job of hiding the venom in that question. After all, SHE’D spent the hour and a half since they last saw each other working. But she didn’t want to let that ruin their afternoon.

To her surprise though, the mood in the pool room actually did feel pretty relaxed and laidback.

Dani and Nick were both lounging on deck chairs, enjoying their time together. Kim had anticipated some awkwardness, what, with the bikini and everything, or Nick being nervous about this afternoon. But it seemed like it had been a helpful break.

That was good.

“Hey Kim,” Nick said, sitting up and waving at her. “You’re not going swimming in that, are you? That shirt’ll show through immediately if you get it wet.”

“Very funny,” Kim said with a sarcastic laugh, walking over to them. “No, this is just the only workout gear Dakota will let me wear when I asked her, that’s all.”

Nick raised his eyebrow. “…I know that’s not true,” he said. “I’ve seen you wearing sports bras before. Dakota treats them like any other kind of underwear, and…”

His voice trailed off as Kim’s smile turned into an irritated scowl and she crossed her arms over her chest. She glared at him until he stopped talking.

Dani gently swatted Nick in the arm, and he cleared his throat. “I-I mean, wow, that’s really inconvenient, so you have to wear that to work out in? Well, it could be worse, you look really cute in that outfit if you ask me.”

Kim’s frown immediately turned upside-down. “Aww! Thank you, Nick!” She gushed, cupping her cheeks as her face lit up. “That’s so sweet of you to say! I really appreciate it.”

“Well, it’d be pretty hard for me to say otherwise,” Nick said tactfully, pressing his lips together into an even smile. He got out of his chair. “Anyway, Dani and I had plenty of time to relax. You ready?”

“Oh, sure thing,” Kim chirped. She glanced at Nick briefly. “Don’t you need to get changed first, though?” She asked, indicating with her eyes to his swim trunks.

Nick glanced down. “Well, actually…”

“Kim, you won’t believe this!” Dani pouted, sitting up in her chair. “Nick didn’t want to go swimming at all! He didn’t want to get his swimsuit wet, because he’d rather wear those, instead of those nice shorts we picked out for him.”

“Those shorts didn’t conceal anything,” Nick reminded her.

Dani shrugged. “Hey, I’m wearing a bikini over here. You don’t hear me complaining.”

Kim nodded. “Valid point, Nick,” she agreed in a singsong voice. “But he’s right, too, Dani. No point in changing out of his swimsuit into something more appealing if his clothes are perfectly dry.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Thank you!” He said. “Finally someone gets it.”

Kim held up her hand and formed a tiny ball of water the size of an orange. She plopped it own on the front of Nick’s swimsuit, soaking it through.

“Oh no…” Kim said in complete deadpan. “Your swimsuit is soaked… whatever will we do now? What an unfortunate and unavoidable turn of events…”

Dani giggled in amusement as Nick just stared at her, exasperated.

“Very funny.”