Joy gets a shock.

Joy was completely immersed in her conversation with Dr. Maher, or Tim, as he insisted she call him. All thoughts of the strange sensations from earlier had completely disappeared. She couldn't look away from the professor's face-- he really was a cutie. Joy was glad that she was dressed to the nines in a costume that showed off all of her best 'assets' and hoped that Dr. Maher had noticed, too.

Marigold kept an eye on both of them. She was a little conflicted. Mari knew that the toys she had purchased for Joy really were supposed to make her feel good, a kind of good that Mari didn't exactly understand herself. But she also knew that that kind of feeling good was sometimes... distracting. And Joy looked like she was so interested in her conversation with the smartly-dressed older man. She frowned. This hadn't gone the way that she had planned it to go at all.

"So your studies are still going well?" the professor said to Joy, smiling in a way that could have made Mei's coldest ice melt. "You really will make for a brilliant engineer, Joy. I'm looking forward to reading more about your work in the future."

Joy gulped. He thought she was brilliant? But he was Dr. Maher, a professor at an esteemed school, the envy of every student (mostly interested college girls) that took one of his classes! "Actually, ah, Tim, that was something I wanted to talk to you about. I have some ideas for some projects I've been doing some planning for, and I was wondering if you could--"

Joy froze.

"Joy?" Tim said. "Are you alright? What were you wondering about?"

A shiver ran down Joy's alone, and she tried her very hardest not to react. She refused to shake in front of Dr. Maher like this. Joy had no idea what the hell was going on with her body today, but this was not the sort of occasion or environment that she wanted the professor to see her squirming like this in. She had to admit that certain other situations involving her, him, and squirming had haunted her dreams in the past, though.

In the end, Joy couldn't stop herself. The shiver spread from her spine to her shoulders and then ran all the way down her body as her eyes clenched shut. Joy uttered a quiet "Ohhhhhh" and knew then and there that she would never be able to have a normal conversation with the charismatic lecturer again. And it wasn't even her fault! What was happening?

Marigold held both the portal device and the buzzing vibrator in her hand. She knew what she was doing, but the strangeness of the device helped to detach her from it somewhat. Still, a pleased little smile popped up on Marigold's face as she ducked away, taking extra precautions to ensure that Joy and the older man with her couldn't see her. Not that either of them would ever have been able to guess at what she had been up to.

"Joy, what's wrong?" Dr. Maher asked. "Are you feeling sick? That's what happens sometimes at cons, you know."

"Nnnnnnno," Joy muttered through gritted teeth, still unable to open her eyes. "No, Dr. Maher, I promise I'm doing just fine, if you'll give me just a second."