Messages keep getting clearer

Vivian was feeling a little bit better after the pancakes Octavia made. She was all bundled up nice, wrapped in sheets for some refreshing breakfast in bed. It almost made her forget about how badly she’d messed up.

Until, inevitably, she remembered, and a surge of regret shot through her heart, causing her to go right back to that bad place again.

“Octavia… what should I do if I’ve made a serious mistake?” Vivian asked, looking up at her butler.

Octavia’s face was an expressionless mask devoid of sympathy and emotion. “Which of your mistakes are you referring to, Lady Carrington?”

Ouch. But she wasn’t wrong.

“I… did something bad on my date. With Nick. I hurt him, and I didn’t mean to… it was just supposed to be a joke, but…”

Vivian couldn’t excuse her actions. No matter how badly she wanted to. She’d messed up, simple as that.

Octavia looked pensively at her. “If you truly believe you have done something wrong, then you must apologize. You should already know that by now.”

“I did apologize!” Vivian said defensively. “But… but that wasn’t good enough.”

It wasn’t enough to apologize. She needed to work harder and make amends; find some way to change herself.

Until she did that, Nick was completely justified in not trusting her.

“If you have done something wrong and apologized for it, then the only other course of option available to you is to make amends, milady,” Octavia answered simply, telling Vivian what she already knew to be true.

Vivian winced.

“Yeah…”

“And if your mistake is something you can avoid in the future by changing your behavior, you may need to do so, in order to assure those you have wronged that you will not wrong them in such ways in the future,” Octavia continued, correctly sensing the heart of the matter.

She knew better than anyone how difficult it was to get Vivian to change her behavior. Even if the person trying to do that was Vivian herself.

The heiress sighed, knowing her butler was correct.

“But what if… it’s not enough?” She asked. Her voice carried the hollow, frightened tone of a young child feeling trapped. “What if I do all that… and I still can’t make it right?”

“…Then do it anyway.” Octavia’s judgment came crashing down like the blade of an executioner’s axe. “If you are changing to seek forgiveness, you are being insincere. If that forgiveness would be revoked, then you would return to your prior behavior, no? In that case, if you wish to change, then you must do so for the sake of changing, not for the sake of forgiveness from those you have wronged.”

Vivian pulled her legs up under the covers to hug them against her chest. She buried her face in her knees and sighed, as a smile tugged at her lips.

“You’re as harsh as always… you won’t even let me have a sweet, simple lie… so cruel.”

“It is your decision,” Octavia said bluntly. “If I were capable of making you act how you should then I would not waste that ability on something like this.”

Again, ouch.

But again… Octavia wasn’t wrong.

Which was why it stung so much to hear those words from her.

“…You’re right, of course,” Vivian sighed, looking up at her butler. “This is why I can’t stand you, you know?” She stuck her tongue out at the older woman.

“I know this, of course,” Octavia said, placing her hand over her chest and lowering her head in a bow. “It is as you wish, Lady Carrington.”

Vivian puffed up her cheeks in a pout.

“Okay then… in that case, I’m not going to sit around here feeling sorry for myself!” She threw off the blanket and stormed over to her closet with her head held high. “If I need to change, then the first step to doing that is changing!”

She stripped off her clothes and let them fall to the floor as she flung open her closet and looked at the sea of outfits in front of her. There was a vast array of selections for her to choose from, and she had to decide what would be best for the new, improved her she was trying to capture.

“No blindfolds.” Nick could not assert that strongly enough. “I’m serious, Rose. No more blindfolds.”

“Oh, you’re no fun!” Rose pouted. “You had a great time fooling around with your special guest in the closet!”

“Yes, that may be the case,” Nick admitted. Even if that was one of the weirdest things he’d ever gone through… what was Rose trying to do with a role play like that? He really couldn’t understand her sometimes. “But enough is enough. Blindfolding me to take me everywhere just seems weird.”

Rose sighed, but she didn’t **** the issue. After all, the blindfold hadn’t been her idea; it was just to further the aim for the night.

“It’s alright, Nick,” she said, smiling at him. “No blindfolds. Don’t worry. We have other things on the agenda anyway…”

That was an intriguing thought. Before that, though…

“One question, Rose, what about your outfit?” Nick asked.

She looked at him, surprised. “Oh? Wait… oh my, you cad!” Rose crossed her arms over her chest and turned up her nose. “Are you saying that what I’m wearing now isn’t enough for you? My word! And here I thought we’d moved past that! I had no idea you were the sort of man who would question a woman’s choice of dress, Nick!”

“What?! No, that’s not what I-! …Okay, I know that’s what it sounded like, but that wasn’t what I was trying to do at all!” Nick protested. “I just meant, well… last time…”

He blushed as he remembered a couple days ago when Rose had copied Gina’s style, and played like she was a punk girl. He’d enjoyed that a lot. “Didn’t you say one of your bounties was to mimic the style of another contestant?” He asked. “I assumed you would want to use that one on our date.”

“Mm… ah, yes, that’s true, I did intend for that,” Rose admitted with a laugh. “It’s why I was copying Gina’s punk stuff. But… I think it’s maybe better if I avoid doing that for our date, actually.”

“Really?” Nick was surprised to hear that. It wasn’t like Rose had gone all-out on her clothing choices today or anything, it seemed like a pretty easy bounty to invoke.

Then he saw the smirk on her lips.

“What I mean is… I don’t necessarily have to do it now,” she clarified, wiggling her eyebrows and leaning in coquettishly. “Remember the wording of the bounty?”

With a snap of her fingers she called up her bounty sheet again, and showed him the relevant portion.

Spend One Full Day (24 consecutive hours) Wearing the Style of another Contestant (chosen at random) – 500 BP

“You see? I have to spend a full day in the style of another contestant. It’ll be chosen at random, though. Which means I won’t be able to control who I go as,” Rose explained. “I won’t even know who it’s going to be beforehand. You can see how that might be a problem, yes?”

She raised a good point. Nick nodded.

“Yeah, that… could be an issue,” he admitted.

“It’s exactly an issue,” Rose said, nodding. “And not one I’m particularly interested in. Because it could be something wonderfully intriguing, like Gina’s punk girl clothing, but at the same time, I might end up dressed as your stepmother.”

As sexy as the idea of teacher-student role play might be on paper, there was definitely a concern about doing that on her date.

And then there was the schoolgirl uniform of Kim’s. Good for kinky bedroom stuff, bad for an intimate date based on getting close to a specific person.

“So you’re not going to use it, then?” Nick asked. He didn’t mind either way, to be honest.

“…If I said I was, would you be worried I might end up dressed in a teacher’s uniform?” Rose asked. “Or perhaps a full leather body suit?”

Well, Nick would be worried about one of those clothing styles.

“Or I could get Carly’s sense of ‘style’ and end up in a random cosplay,” Rose pointed out. “There is quite a bit of risk associated in the randomness, and it’s not like I can just trade it in for something else…”

Everything Rose was saying only made it sound more like her answer to Nick’s question was a firm “No, I’m not going to use it.”

And yet, the playful gleam in her eye was telling him just the opposite.

“…You’re keeping it in your back pocket, aren’t you?” Nick realized. “You’re planning to surprise me with it when I least expect it.”

Rose’s eyes widened and her mouth twisted into a stunned “O” shape for a moment. She recovered nicely, though. “…My, my, you’re a clever one, aren’t you?” She tittered, leaning forward and poking him in the chest. “You’ve got me all figured out! I’m actually a little bothered by that, I have to say… digging around in a maiden’s heart like that…”

She clicked her tongue and shook her head in clear disapproval. Nick just sighed and smiled at her.

“Well… I can’t say I didn’t expect something like that,” he replied sincerely. “I guess that’s something to look forward to.”

It was just like Rose, planning something to keep him guessing. It was one of the things he liked best about her.

“Now the question is, what shall we be doing today?” The blonde tapped her chin, pretending to think. Nick knew she probably had this all planned out before she even came down this morning.

“Oh, I know! I’ve got just the thing!”

She gave him a playful look and held out her hand. “Shall you let me take the lead, then?” She asked.

With Rose, that question was almost always a dangerous one. But Nick was willing to let her take the reins for a bit, and see what she wanted to do.

After spending his whole date yesterday getting dragged from one place to another by Vivian, a part of him was thinking he was taking a big risk. But he knew Rose would be thinking about what would be the most fun for him.

He just had to hope she got it right.

So he let her take his hand, and lead him down the hall towards the elevators. They exited in the middle of the Shopping District, which was about what he expected. Rose wasn’t the kind of woman to take him out on a nature hike like Carly or Dani or even Kim might do.

What he didn’t expect though, was what store she ended up taking him to.

“A craft store?” Nick didn’t do a good job of hiding his surprise. He knew Rose to be the kind of woman who bought her clothing at designer boutiques (or, more accurately, second-hand stores and bargain bins and then lie about it) but he didn’t see her making her own clothing with needle and thread.

“Is that so unexpected?” Rose sniffed. “Do I seem like the type of woman too good to make a scarf or a pair of gloves for someone else?”

“No, I’m just surprised,” Nick replied. “I mean, you could go to the boutique and buy whatever clothes you wanted, right? You don’t have to make them.”

Rose frowned and looked away, fiddling with her hair a little. “Well… let’s just say I’ve taken up a bit of an interest,” she mumbled. “Recently.”

“Really?” Nick followed her inside. He wondered just what it could have been that had brought out this change in the other woman. After all, Rose wasn’t really the type to…

…

Unless…

“Is this about Vivian?” He asked.

The way she flinched confirmed it.

“V-Vivian?” Rose looked away again. “Why would you ever think that?”

It was obvious, in hindsight. Vivian was one of the few people Rose openly and unabashedly admitted to liking and respecting, and not just because the heiress was swimming in money. Rose was a fan of her clothing label, and maybe that had even caused her to get a little envious.

Is she interested in making clothes so she has something that she can do with Vivian? Nick thought. If so, that’s one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen!

Rose rarely sought out common ground with other contestants. Normally she was content with just lording over them with her ego.

Which made Nick realize then…

“Ah, I get it! You’re trying to follow my advice, huh? And get along better with the other contestants!” Nick said gleefully, hoping to see the look of flustered protest on Rose’s face as she desperately denied such motives.

Rose turned back to look at him, her face devoid of panic.

“Is that such a bad thing?” She asked calmly.

Nick didn’t know how to respond to a question like that coming from Rose of all people. He stammered and shook his head slowly.

“N-no, of course it isn’t,” he said. “I just, um…”

“Just what?” Rose leaned forward and batted her eyelashes. A playful smile stretched up her lips. “Did you think I was some selfish little kitten to proud to make friends? Oh, mon compagnon, it’s so sweet how you can be so imperceptive.”

She reached up and patted him patronizingly on the cheek.

“…But no, that’s not at all how it is,” she calmly asserted. “I am perfectly capable of accepting good advice and acting on it. And you were right- it is essential for me to form good bonds with the other women in the harem.”

Her eyes were devoid of deceit or guile. The words she spoke came from the depths of her heart.

Nick placed his hand over her forehead.

“…What are you doing?” Rose asked.

“Checking your temperature. I think you might have a fever that’s making you delirious.” But her temperature was normal. So what was going on here?

“No fever… did you eat anything suspicious, maybe?” Nick questioned. “Or did Sylvia make you touch a strange plant?”

“What?! No, I… is it that hard to believe that I would take good advice when it’s given to me?” Rose demanded.

Nick stared at her.

“…Dakota!”

The host immediately popped up next to them. “Hmm?”

“What?! What’s she doing here?!” Rose demanded, confused why Nick had called her of all people on their date.

“Dakota, I need you to tell me the truth, now,” Nick said seriously. “Did you give Rose a new transformation without telling me?”

For a moment, Dakota was stunned, and then she doubled over with laughter.

Rose was far less amused. “Very funny,” she said, crossing her arms over her enhanced chest. “So I’m under the influence of a transformation now?! That’s how little you think of me?!”

Nick turned to look at her, his eyes brimming with sincerity. “Rose, I think the world of you,” he said honestly. “That’s why I’m so surprised. You’re not acting like yourself. I don’t have a problem with that, really, I don’t. I’m just…”

“You just don’t think I’m capable of accepting advice from others without a transformation affecting me.”

“…Basically yes.”

Rose sighed and rubbed her temples. Part of her wanted to lose her temper, but in all honesty, she couldn’t say he was really wrong.

“…Okay, well… I’m trying to do better than that,” Rose said. “You’re right. I need to improve my relationships with other people, I see that now. And maybe it is my transformation that’s influencing that behavior,” she admitted. “But not some secret one Dakota conjured up, I think it’s part of my newest transformation.”

“What do you mean?” Nick asked. “Wait, you mean the one that makes you see the other women in my harem as needing to fulfill different roles, and trying to assign them to different roles?”

Rose nodded. “Yeah. Ever since then, I’ve felt like it’s not enough to just get along with the people around me. I need to work hard and get to know them better! That way, I can figure out where they fit best in your life, see?”

Nick could see the logic behind that reasoning, but it also worried him.

“I guess that’s okay,” he agreed. “As long as you’re not taking things too far.”

Rose stared at him, not sure what he meant by that. “What does that mean?” She questioned. “Taking things too far?”

Yeah, that wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

“Trying to get to know the other girls and share their interests, that’s great!” Nick said, nodding in approval. “I’m 100% for that. But don’t try to **** them to be something they’re not, okay?”

Rose tittered and shook her head. “Of course I wouldn’t do that,” she assured him. “I would never want someone to fill a role that they’re not suited for!”

“…But you would **** them into a role that they are suited for?” Nick asked, not sure how much better that was.

“Well, not ****,” she said quickly, walking back what she said before in a way that seemed just a little suspicious. “I want everyone to see that they’ll be happiest if they’re all fulfilling their roles in your harem! And that goes for me, as well.”

She placed her hand over her chest and held her head up high. Nick looked at her in worried suspicion.

“What do you mean by that? What’s your role?” He asked warily. He already suspected he knew what the answer was.

“I’m the one who makes you happiest, of course!” Rose leaned in and wrapped her arm around Nick’s, hugging him from the side. “You see? It works out just perfectly this way. I’ll do what I need to do, to make you happy. And that includes getting to know everyone a little better. In my eyes, that’s my ideal role! And I wouldn’t have it any other way!”

“Well, isn’t that sweet?” Dakota crooned from the sidelines. “Don’t you think so, Nick?”

Nick bristled. All of a sudden, he wasn’t so sure if Rose was going down the right path or not.