Looks like you need my services, give me a call

All in all, Sylvia did end up buying the pajamas, and a few other clothes to go along with it. Some for her, and some for Marley. And she was even happy to pay full price for them instead of doing a fashion show, much to Kim’s delight.

“You’re really paying?” She asked, her eyes shining with excitement. She didn’t want to remind Sylvia of the free option, but she felt obligated to do so, considering that she wasn’t exactly hurting for money; she had a good chunk more than Sylvia did, after all.

But the former host didn’t care about that.

“Fair BP exchange rates are part of the thriving economy of the show!” Sylvia explained. “I would never subvert the economy by hoarding money and flooding the market with cheap products! That’s just taking money out of the system!”

As a student of economics Kim knew that wasn’t exactly how it worked, but she didn’t say anything, and just accepted the money.

Sylvia: 9900 BP – 400 BP = 9500 BP

Kim: 11600 BP + 200 BP = 11800 BP

“Okay then!” Sylvia clapped her hands together. “Thanks for the clothes! Now- time for a haircut!”

Marley looked at her mother hesitantly and raised her eyebrow.

“You sure about that?” She asked as she followed Sylvia out, trying to hide her disappointment. “I thought you said before, you liked your hairstyle and length because it was something we have in common…”

Marley didn’t do a great job of hiding it. But Sylvia gave her a reassuring smile.

“It’s fine,” she said, beaming from ear to ear. She patted her on the shoulder. “We’ll get matching haircuts! You know, some mother-daughter bonding time!”

Sylvia had bright stars in her eyes. “I’ve always wanted to do stuff like that,” she admitted with a sheepish smile.

Marley clutched her heart and doubled over.

“Marley!?” Sylvia cried.

“Too sweet,” her daughter mumbled, shaking like a leaf. “I can’t stand it!”

“Aww!” Sylvia felt all floaty herself. “Of course!”

Marley couldn’t exactly turn her mother down after that bit of diabetes. And besides, maybe a haircut would be just the thing she needed!

When they got to the salon, she started flipping through pinups while Sylvia chatted up the faerie at the counter.

“See anything you like?” Another faerie asked, popping up and startling the brunette.

Marley’s eyes widened and she shook her head, shutting the magazine. “I- …W-well, no, not really,” she admitted, blushing.

“She wants a new hairstyle, to really wow Daddy,” Sylvia chirped, outing Marley’s hidden motive.

“I-I thought I kept that secret!” Marley sputtered, her eyes bulging. “Sylvia, how did you know about that?!”

“Oh, come on,” Sylvia snickered, covering her mouth. “You thought you could hide it? I can read you like a book, Marley. You were thinking about changing up your look in order to get Daddy’s attention- it’s written all over your face!”

Marley turned red and fumed. But she kept her mouth shut. Saying anything more than that would just vindicate what Sylvia was preaching.

“…It’s not that simple,” she muttered, looking down. She tossed the selection of photos onto the table and sank down into one of the chairs. “You have no idea what it’s like to deal with what I’m dealing with, looks-wise.”

She gestured to her plain hairstyle.

“When you turned your hair red, Sylvia, Nick had a pretty big reaction, right?” She asked.

Sylvia nodded, wearing a dreamy smile as she recalled her date. Maybe that was insensitive to Marley, but she couldn’t help herself. “Daddy really liked it.”

“Because it was shocking, right? Well… that’s not how it works for me.” She shook her head. “Because of, you know, my sister.”

“Carly?” Sylvia blinked, surprised. “Wait, because of… her Anime Black transformation?”

Marley nodded, biting her lip. “Yeah. Carly and I, our faces are basically identical. And she can change her hair to whatever length, style, and color she wants, whenever she wants. Compared to that, a simple bland hairstyle like mine… it doesn’t stand out very much.”

She sighed and hung her head. “If I get a haircut, would Nick even notice?”

In spite of how crummy she felt, it was really relieving, to get all that off of her chest. Ever since she’d come to terms with her feelings for Nick, and resolved to actually be honest with herself and try to properly confront the nature of their relationship, maybe even try to have something more with him, feelings of inadequacy compared to her sister had begun to boil up again the way they had back when they were teenagers.

Sylvia sighed and shook her head. She plopped down next to Marley and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, come on. You know better than that,” she said firmly. “Daddy isn’t the kind of guy who cares about-”

“Hair length?” Marley interjected with a laugh. “Come on.”

Sylvia puffed up her cheeks. “I was gonna say, Daddy doesn’t care about you looking special or unique like your sister. He’s not like all those stupid boys in high school, the ones who didn’t see that you were the real catch compared to Carly!”

Marley laughed. “I know that, of course,” she said. “You think I would have fallen for Nick if there was any chance he would compare the two of us? I know he’s the kind of guy who likes me for me. That’s not the issue.”

Now Sylvia was confused. If that wasn’t the reason Marley was worried and insecure, then what was? “Is there anything I can do for you?” She asked. “I-I don’t… I don’t know what to say in this situation, to be honest…”

“Well, the fact that you said I was the catch compared to Carly, that already goes a long way,” Marley laughed. She wasn’t thrilled about the idea of competing with her sister; in her mind, they were both good catches. But at the same time, it was still sweet.

“That’s my job as your mom, my girl,” Sylvia laughed, ruffling Marley’s hair. “I’m always supposed to see you as the best!” Her voice wavered slightly and Marley winced. She knew the feelings hidden in Sylvia’s words.

“…So you think I should go through with it, then?” Marley looked back at the catalogue and bit her lip. “Even if Nick won’t really react to it?”

“I think he will,” Sylvia clarified with a shake of her head. “Daddy’s always gonna look at you as your own person. Just because Carly can change her hair to however she wants, that doesn’t mean you can’t still look your best, right?”

Marley nodded, appreciating that perspective.

“Besides, I was thinking a nice perm, and I bet that Daddy would love that…”

Marley rolled her eyes. “Not a chance!”

She did feel a lot better about her insecurities though.

“Besides. If you really want to stand out compared to Daddy, then just don’t eat the flower tomorrow!” Sylvia urged her. “Let Carly eat it. That way, you’ll keep those massive bazongas, and Daddy will definitely pay attention to you then!”

Marley stared blankly at Sylvia, and slowly shook her head.

“You’re really trying to get me into this, aren’t you?” She sighed, rubbing her temples in frustration. “Sylvia, come on.”

“I’m just saying, you looked really happy when you had those huge breasts!” Sylvia exclaimed.

“They’re a massive pain in the ass!” Marley shot back. “I felt like my back was breaking!”

“Necessary sacrifice.”

“Remember when you had to walk around in heels all day for that bounty?” Marley asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Or trying to, anyway- it wasn’t easy to do when she was sitting and her massive boobs were practically in her lap. “How difficult that was, because you were used to not having to care about that as a host? Maybe you should try out the cactus for yourself, and see how hard it is to carry these things around.”

“Okay!” Sylvia chirped.

Marley’s eye twitched. “…On second thought, no. Not a chance. That will just mean more flowers to go around.”

“Okay, fine,” Sylvia sighed in resignation. “I won’t do it…”

She shook her head and grinned at the other girl. “…But still, you should think about it.”

Marley exhaled loudly and rolled her eyes.

“So what about the haircut?” Sylvia questioned. “Maybe keeping the boobs is a little bit over the line, but you up for a little change?”

Marley laughed. “Yeah. I think I could be talked into a haircut, at least,” she agreed. “Maybe cut it really short, just how Nick likes?”

“I wouldn’t take that option, but that’s just me.”

Surprised, both girls looked up to see Rose saunter into the room with an exasperated expression on her face.

“Rose? What are you doing here?” Sylvia questioned.

“Especially considering you’re still a little… sparse,” Marley pointed out with an amused grin. Rose’s hair was still shorn as short as when they were on the beach.

“Oh, poke fun,” Rose huffed, puffing up her cheeks. “Anyway, I saw you both from the window, and I was surprised. I didn’t think you’d be getting another styling so soon, Sylvia,” she noted. “And Marley, well… can you even afford a haircut on your salary?”

Marley glared at her.

“I don’t think you’re one to talk, little miss short hairs,” Sylvia said, coming to her daughter’s defense. She didn’t have any ire in her voice, though. “I’m curious. You haven’t gotten any BP since the round started, I’m surprised.”

Marley was also a little surprised by that. She would have thought that Rose, given her behavior the round before, would have gone miles to accrue more BP and grow out her hair again. But it felt like this week, the blonde was rather subdued.

“Well… it’s complicated,” Rose muttered with a sigh, reaching up to finger her chopped off fringes. She looked disheartened.

“Wait, I know!” Sylvia’s eyes widened. “It’s because of your transformation, right? What happened last round. You got your hair really long, and it became really inconvenient. So you don’t want to go through that again, so you’re being a little stingier about earning as much BP. Is that right?”

Rose glared at her. Just for that, she used her Method Acting transformation, and copied Carly’s Anime Black transformation just to grow her hair back to its original length.

“I can get back to normal if I want to,” she snapped, running her fingers across her tumbling blonde locks. It was a lot more satisfying this time around.

“Yeah, well, so can I,” Sylvia replied with a grin, wiggling her eyebrows.

Marley stopped her before she could. “Sylvia, we’re here to get our hair cut the natural way, remember? Or maybe not cutting it, maybe just styling it… …Anyway, Rose, did you want something?” She found it hard to believe that the blonde would stop by just to say hello. While Rose could certainly be nice to people, it usually wasn’t spontaneous like this.

Maybe the actress could sense Marley’s suspicion, because she suddenly looked very uncomfortable. She shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other and bit her lip, and glanced over at Sylvia.

“…I wanted to talk with you, actually,” she admitted, blushing. “Sylvia.”

“Oh? Go right ahead!” Sylvia chirped. “I’m happy to consult with anyone who needs advice! Back on earth, my psychiatry practice got very good ratings on Yelp!”

Marley winced. That was… a statement, alright.

Rose suppressed a smirk. “Not that kind of talk,” she said, shaking her head. It was nice, feeling the bounce of her hair again. “To be honest though, you’re right. I’ve been a little more hesitant to collect my bounties this time around, after how crazy my hair got at the end there.”

In Rose’s desperation to regain her normal length, she had worked her butt off all last week to get her hands on as much BP as she could. It had worked perfectly- she’d managed to acquire more money than anyone else on the show.

But in exchange, her hair had gotten so long it was an active hindrance. So she wasn’t exactly enthusiastic for a repeat performance.

“I wanted you to use your transformation,” Rose said. “The one that lets you upgrade other people’s transformations temporarily.”

Sylvia’s eyes widened. “What a coincidence!” She gushed. “We were just talking about that this morning, actually!”

“You were?” Rose asked, surprised.

“Mhm,” Sylvia nodded. “I upgraded Carly’s My Dress-Up Darling transformation so she could do a photoshoot in a few different outfits. I don’t think she’s going to bite the bullet and buy that one, though…”

“Probably not,” Marley agreed. “It’s not her style.” She knew her sister well. And while Carly wasn’t a huge fan of Dakota choosing her outfit every day, she probably wouldn’t be thrilled about the audience voting every morning, either. It sounded pretty inconvenient, and Carly was more the kind of person to roll with the punches and make do with whatever situation she found herself in.

“Also, she’s been saving up for that camera, and she finally has enough to buy it and still have money to spare thanks to that quadruple bonus she received from me,” she added.

Sylvia nodded. “Makes sense. So Rose, what were you thinking of upgrading? Side Piece of the Action? It might give you a more exhaustive list of bounties, or maybe improve your rewards.”

“It would only last a day, though,” Marley pointed out. “Not exactly a lucrative investment. Though it might be useful, just for some foresight into what it can do. Rose has the money to spare to buy the whole upgrade, after all.”

Marley had a pretty good head on her shoulders- people always said she was the smart one compared to her sister. And she knew that someone as mercenary as Rose would see the value in a short-term investment into an upgrade now if it meant more revenue later.

In spite of the many jokes made at Rose’s expense, the blonde wasn’t completely incompetent.

But Rose shook her head. “Not that one, I actually was thinking-”

“Upgrading Golden Fleece?” Sylvia interrupted her. She leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. “Done and done! Maybe you’ll get more hair per BP earned, or maybe the rewards will be better!”

“No!” Rose turned pink. “Will you let me-”

No, Sylvia wouldn’t “let” her, she was having too much fun with this. Her love of transformations and the possibilities they presented made Rose’s presence in the conversation frankly less than a second thought. Her mind raced as she came up with more ideas for Rose’s transformation upgrades. “Upgrading Method Acting today probably wouldn’t do much, since you’ve already used it… but maybe it could let you copy multiple transformations, or keep them for longer… or maybe it will be the obvious thing, and you’ll get the upgrade of whatever transformation you copy?” Sylvia stroked her chin thoughtfully. “I really can’t remember… and it would be really convenient to find out, seeing as how we both have that transformation, don’tcha think?”

“Sylvia, just let the woman talk,” Marley said, shaking her head in exasperation. She loved her mother, she really did, but sometimes Sylvia could be a little out of control.

“Thank you,” Rose sighed. “Now, the transformation I want to upgrade is actually, um… All Work and Role Play.”

Sylvia blinked. “…Really?” She asked.

“What’s that one do?” Marley couldn’t remember Rose ever using that transformation.

“It, uh…” Rose blushed. “It lets me, um… w-well, why don’t I just show you?”

She was embarrassed, which was a surprise. Sylvia and Marley weren’t used to seeing an expression like that on the blonde.

Rose called up her screen, and showed her transformation. It was technically registered as her first, even though she’d gotten several upon her introduction on the show.

• All Work and Role Play: As an actress, Rose really knows how to get into a role and play her part. Now that experience will translate to the bedroom! Rose will be able to perfectly attune her sexual nature to any role necessary, whether a sexy nurse, a sexy librarian, a sexy police officer, or a sexy... well, you get the idea. (Actress)

“Oh yeah, I remember this one now,” Sylvia said, nodding. “You’ve hardly ever used it.”

“Well, why do you think I want an upgrade?” Rose huffed. “I mean… before, well…”

“You don’t have to say anything, I get it,” Marley said gently. For once, she and Rose were on the same page about their feelings. “You haven’t been using this one because you’ve been trying to be genuine with Nick, right? Get him to know the real you on your dates together?”

Or the idealized you, anyway, she silently added, knowing Rose’s personality all too well.

Rose flushed scarlet and huffed, turning up her nose. “Well, aren’t you just so clever?” She said with a sneer, earning an eyeroll from Marley.

Difficult as always. Some things never change.

“Anyway, will you upgrade it or not?” Rose asked, starting to sound a little impatient. “I-I haven’t really been using this one… at all. And I just thought that maybe… maybe the upgrade would help me out a little bit, somehow… maybe…”

“Maybe appeal to Daddy better?” Sylvia giggled, staring intently at the actress. “Instead of just perfectly embodying a role, maybe it would tune you towards Daddy’s desires, right? Let you be everything he wants in the bedroom?”

Rose flinched for a second, which didn’t go unnoticed by either of them.

Bulls-eye, Marley thought.

“Is… is it so wrong, wanting to appeal to the tastes of someone you love?” Rose asked, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking her hip to the side. As usual, when she was cornered, she responded by getting confrontational.

Sylvia and Marley looked at each other, recalling the conversation that they’d been having before Rose had come by and interrupted them.

“…No,” Sylvia said, shaking her head and turning back to the actress. “There’s nothing wrong with that at all.”

Marley couldn’t disagree there.

Rose’s face lit up. “So… you’ll do it?”

“Sure thing!” Sylvia chirped. She was always happy to help another contestant embrace their transformations as a positive. “But… you’ve gotta do something for me, first.”

Marley looked at the other woman in alarm. It wasn’t like Sylvia to ask for something in return, especially not for something like this.

Rose eyed her warily as well. She felt the same way. They both waited for the other shoe to drop.