Oh, in five years time I might not know you

Nick and Ella (and Cinder, even!) had a wonderful time at the zoo. It was like they were in their own little world, just the two (or arguably three, but technically two) of them.

But while they were on their own and enjoying themselves, time had not stopped. No, the rest of the day continued on the main island. To see how things went with everyone there, it was vital to turn back the clock slightly, and see what happened once Nick and Ella set off on their own to begin their date in earnest.

Which meant following Rose.

The blonde actress watched the two of them head off, waving until they were out of sight. Then she let out a sigh of relief. “Well… that’s all done and dusted, isn’t it?” She mused, stretching her arms over her head. “I’m glad. They seem ready to have plenty of fun together! Hopefully it’s going to be a good day for them.”

Rose knew that Ella was planning a trip to the zoo, and was surprised that Dakota had gone for it. And pleased, too. With how much stress the girl had been feeling over her plans (after all, who conspires to spy on your prospective date while invisible except someone with catastrophically low self-esteem?) Rose wanted her to have a good time.

Of course, without Nick here, the island’s attractions had a sadly dull appeal to them.

Still, Rose had other things she could do to distract herself. She’d dressed up for a date, even if it had just been part of a ruse. No sense in just lazing around the lounge area all day!

So she headed out to see what trouble she could get herself in.

True to form, it wasn’t long before she ran into someone. Her co-conspirator, in fact.

“Oh, hey, Rose,” Vivian said, coming up to greet the actress. “How’s it going? Nick and Ella off for a jaunt okay?”

Rose nodded. “Plan went off without a hitch,” she confirmed. “Pity though. I’d have liked to tag along with them…”

Vivian laughed. “What, to the zoo? I had no idea you were so fond of animals, Rose!”

Rose shrugged. “Eh, take ‘em or leave ‘em,” she replied. “I was just looking forward to spending time with Nick, that’s all.”

Of course it was a lie, and an obvious one at that. She could tell by the way Vivian was looking at her that the heiress sensed her honest intentions, and the smile she wore showed that she agreed with Rose’s feelings.

“Well, maybe you can tag along on my next date,” the heiress mused, leaning against the wall with a playful smile on her face. “I think our guy would be a lot more receptive to that, if I’m being perfectly honest.”

The playful tone never left her voice. And yet Rose could still here a definite note in her words that left her feeling uneasy.

Normally Rose wasn’t the type of person to pry. …Well, okay, yes, she was. But not when it was about sensitive, deep stuff like this. Rose only pried into things that would embarrass people.

Right now, though, she was concerned about Vivian, so she couldn’t help but ask…

“Is everything okay?” She stepped forward, closing the distance between herself and the other woman. “Something happen with you and Nick?”

Vivian blinked, surprised by Rose’s inquiry. “Something else, you mean?” She asked, then she shook her head. “No, not at all. Still just the same thing going on as always!” She passed it off with a laugh but Rose wasn’t convinced. She looked warily at the woman in front of her and bit her lip.

“Vivian… I’m not very good at comforting people, but if there’s something you want to talk about, I’ll listen,” Rose tried. She had a lot of respect for the heiress; even affection. But there always seemed to be a wall between Vivian and everyone else, even as she acted so close to everyone around her.

Of course, the heiress was completely unreadable. She tilted her head to the side, flashing a coy smile at the blonde, and batted her eyelashes.

“I appreciate that, Rose, really, I do,” she murmured. “But I’ll be just fine. Nick and I… we have an understanding, I suppose you could say. And today went well! It really did. I’d be much more focused on Ella as a rival then on me!”

Rose frowned. “It’s not about rivalry,” she asserted. “I’m just… worried.”

As the future head of Nick’s harem, it was her job to show consideration and concern for the other members of his harem. Especially Vivian, who seemed to be on the outside, looking in. Thanks to Rose’s most recent transformation, she’d developed a bit of an eye towards figuring out where all the women in Nick’s life belonged. And for the heiress… it was hard to say which role she fulfilled.

Sometimes I forget we’re the same age, Rose admitted to herself, gazing at the composed heiress with a look of respect. Something very hard to earn from her. But even though she’s so mature and she’s so popular and respected back on earth, when it comes to dealing with Nick… she’s an amateur compared to me.

For once, she wasn’t even being condescending. Rose was genuinely concerned about Vivian finding a place in Nick’s harem. Although she could sense that this topic wouldn’t exactly go over well with the heiress herself if she pressed the matter…

Vivian smiled playfully at her, her eyes flickering as she seemed to be delving into Rose’s heart. It was a very unnerving and yet comforting expression she made.

“…I think I see what’s going on here,” the fashionista said with a sly grin.

Rose blinked, not sure what she meant by that. “Uh… excuse me?”

“It’s the transformation, isn’t it? Don’t worry, I don’t mind,” Vivian said, waving her hand “It’s just a little something I’ll have to get used to.”

Rose was still a little lost. “I’m sorry, but… what about my transformation?” She was trying very hard not to let her Fill Out the Cast transformation change how she treated the other women in Nick’s harem, even if how she saw them had subtly changed.

Vivian laughed and shook her head. “No, not that one, silly!” She chortled. “I’m talking about my transformation. Leading by Example? The one where I’m obligated to do things with Nick in order to earn the respect and admiration of you lovely ladies.” Her eyes twinkled playfully and she leaned forward, subtly pushing out her modest chest and forcing Rose to look down at her.

Rose’s eyes widened as she replayed the text of Vivian’s transformation over in her mind. She hadn’t even considered that, she’d just been thinking about her own transformations!

• Leading by Example: It’s important to practice what you preach, and if Vivian wants to be the manager of the harem, she’ll have to take some steps to prove that she’s up to the task. What this means is that for each contestant, until Vivian has completed each sexual act with Nick that that contestant has already performed with him, they will not view her as worthy of the position of harem manager. Conversely, once she HAS managed to complete those acts, it will increase her esteem in the eyes of those contestants, and they will be more amenable to respecting her in that position. (Harem Manager)

Rose had been very proactive. She had likely done just about every sexual act with Nick possible at this point, including at least one that was impossible thanks to the fact that he no longer possessed a set of breasts.

For Vivian to be worthy of the position of “Harem Manager” in Rose’s eyes, it would take quite a lot of doing. But that was completely unrelated to how Rose treated her as a person… right?

She frowned, considering what Vivian was saying carefully and replaying her previous thoughts about the heiress to herself. It was hard to say whether or not her more critical view of Vivian’s actions was indeed a result of her transformation, or if it was because she had gotten to know the heiress as a person, instead of an icon.

Seeing the turmoil play out across the blonde’s face, Vivian decided that it would be better for everyone if the subject was simply dropped.

“…Don’t concern yourself with my transformation,” Vivian said, stepping forward and placing a hand on Rose’s shoulder, drawing her attention. “I don’t pay it much mind myself, after all.”

Rose looked warily at her. “You don’t?” If Rose had that transformation, she would be going crazy trying to do as many sex acts as possible (although she already had done that…) just to make sure she didn’t lose esteem in anyone’s eyes.

Vivian laughed and shook her head, patting Rose on the shoulder again. “I can see how you’d be confused,” she admitted. “But you see… if I have to compromise my actions that way just to earn the respect of others, have I really earned their respect? A transformation that makes me adored by the rest of the harem just because I’ve done some things with Nick… I just can’t see myself feeling proud to earn the title of ‘Harem Manager’ in that way, you understand?”

Rose nodded slowly. When Vivian put it like that, it made sense to her.

“Well… if it makes you feel better, I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that position,” Rose informed the other woman.

Vivian raised a curious eyebrow. “Oh? I won’t?”

Rose shook her head. “That’s my role in this harem,” she asserted, cocking her hip to the side. “I have the most Victory Points-”

“Do you?” Vivian interrupted her, raising her eyebrow. “I think Kim is ahead of you now, after last night…”

Rose shot her a look. “…I have the most Bonus Points,” she said, changing the subject.

Vivian shrugged. “I mean, I have way more real money, though.”

Rose’s eye twitched. She respected Vivian and she wanted the heiress to like her, but it was hard to hide her frustration with people who talked back to her and didn’t give her the respect she deserved.

“…And everyone likes and respects me!” She declared. “That’s the important thing about being the manager of a harem, you have to earn the respect of all the women in Nick’s harem!”

“…I can agree with that in principle,” Vivian said after a brief pause. “But do you really think that you- …Never mind.”

Seeing the fierceness in Rose’s eyes convinced Vivian that maybe now wasn’t the time for a needling joke about how not every girl in Nick’s harem actually respected Rose as the prospective Harem Manager.

…Still. She had a lot more going for her than Vivian did, that was for sure.

“…I know I have the Harem Manager transformation path,” Vivian said diplomatically, trying to find a way to smooth out the rough conflict present between the two of them at the moment. “But to be honest… that isn’t necessarily my ambition.”

Rose perked up when she heard that. “It’s not?” She asked, leaning in intently. “Then what do you believe your role is, then?”

Whatever insight Vivian could provide would go a long way towards helping her discern what the heiress’s role should be in the harem.

But unfortunately Vivian offered no specifics. She just gave a rueful smile and shrugged her shoulders awkwardly.

No help there.

“Right now, I’m just trying to enjoy every moment I can,” the heiress said wistfully, gazing past Rose with a serene smile on her face. “And I really appreciate that you’re here, talking to me.”

“Oh?” Rose raised her eyebrow in surprise. Vivian had spent most of yesterday hanging out with Dani and Carly and the others, so what made Rose so special? Well, apart from her good looks, her lovely hair, the fact that Nick was head over heels for her, her acting talents…

“You wanted to go see the zoo, right?” Vivian said suddenly, snapping Rose out of her engaging process of recounting all of her many great features.

“Well, uh…” Rose didn’t actually see much point in checking out a bunch of caged animals. Like she’d said before, her desire to go to the zoo with Nick and Ella had mostly been an excuse to spend more time with Nick.

…Oh, and she wanted Ella to assert herself, right, that was the reason she did it.

“There may not be a zoo here, but there are certainly other animals!” Vivian pointed out excitedly. “Would you like to go horseback riding with me?”

“Uh…” Rose was stuck between two difficult positions here. On the one hand, she liked the idea of spending more time with Vivian. Rose had always looked up to and admired the heiress for having everything that she’d wanted as a kid, and the chance to deepen their friendship together was compelling.

…On the other hand, it would mean horseback riding.

Still, when it came to those two options…

“Sure, I guess, if you’re inviting me,” Rose nodded. “Oh, but… wait… I can’t!” She groaned, scratching her head. “I promised Morgana already that I would help her practice her magic today… she’s really worried about her date with Nick coming up tomorrow, and I want to help her get as comfortable as she can with it.”

Morgana wasn’t exactly a planning person. She had no concrete idea of what exactly her date with Nick would entail, which Rose could already tell might be a bit of a problem. Unfortunately, that took precedence over what Vivian wanted to do.

But to Rose’s surprise, Vivian didn’t look disappointed. Surprised, sure, but not disappointed- in fact, she almost looked happy.

“Really?” She blinked, nodding slowly. “You’re helping Morgana? Well, I’ve gotta say… you really are a sweetheart, Rose. First Ella, now Morgana, you’re just trying to help everyone have a nice time with Nick this round, huh?”

“Well, of course I’m sweet,” Rose said defensively, crossing her arms over her chest. “Who says I’m not sweet?”

Vivian laughed. “Nobody, I just meant… never mind.” What she’d been about to say might not have come out the nicest. But could you blame her for thinking that way?

Given how Rose tended to treat others, it wasn’t unreasonable for Vivian to be surprised that she’d go to so much trouble to help girls like Ella and Morgana get closer to Nick. Unless…

“…And I’m definitely not doing it because I’m trying to help them get more comfortable with their roles in Nick’s harem,” Rose asserted, a little too specific to be a coincidence. Vivian raised an amused eyebrow and smirked.

“Right, no, of course not,” she said, nodding in agreement. “But hey, how about this? The more the merrier! Why don’t you and Morgana both come and ride horses with me? That could be fun, right? Horseback riding?”

There was a strange note of urgency in her voice that Rose picked up on, but she wasn’t sure what to make of it. She just looked at the heiress with a scrutinizing gaze.

“I mean… that would be up to Morgana,” Rose pointed out. “But hey, I don’t have a problem with it. Let’s go ask her.”

The two of them passed through the lounge and headed to Morgana’s room. It was a fair bet that they’d find her in there. While Morgana had done a lot of growing as a person in the last few rounds, she was still the kind of girl who would rather hole up in her room watching anime than go out and take in what the island had to offer.

Once she learned that the faeries would actually bring her food in her bedroom, they might never see her again.

…Which was why it was such a surprise when Rose knocked on the door, and they got no response from the goth girl.

“You sure she’s in?” Vivian asked, turning to Rose. “This the time you agreed to meet?”

Rose shook her head. “We never actually agreed on a time,” she confessed.

“Well… then where did you agree to meet?” Vivian asked instead. “Maybe she’s already there?”

Rose gave her another blank look. “…Now that you mention it, we didn’t actually set a fixed location, either…”

Vivian fought off the gleeful look struggling to take up space on her face, and sighed, shaking her head. “Oh my… Rose…”

“What? I just assumed, well…” Rose looked at Morgana’s door again, as if she was expecting to see the dark-haired girl poking her red eyes out through a crack.

“We aren’t all players in your script, you know,” Vivian pointed out, shaking her head. “Some of us, we have things to do. Things we’re passionate about. We have our own lives to lead, and Morgana’s no different.”

“You’re exaggerating,” Rose replied, her face aflame. “I know you guys have your own lives! I’m not seeing you as just characters for my own convenience!”

Okay, maybe she’d dropped the ball in this ONE instance by assuming that Morgana would always be in her room whenever Rose needed her.

But other than that?! No, Rose was a very supportive girl! Mostly.

Even if she didn’t have the faintest idea where Morgana would be if she wasn’t in her room. It wasn’t like they were friends, after all. Could she really be asked to remember every little detail about the goth’s likes and interests!?

…

Okay, maybe Vivian had a point there after all…

“Well, it’s not a big deal!” Vivian said, not wanting Rose to be upset. “We can make an adventure of it! Scour the hotel and see where she is! I’d reckon we’d have a jolly good time, don’t you think?” She asked excitedly.

But Rose was already coming up with a plan of her own.

“I’ll admit, Morgana and I aren’t all that close,” she said, shaking her head. “But I do know who she IS close to! She and Dawn are thick as thieves! Let’s go see if Dawn knows where she would be when she’s not watching those Japanese cartoons of hers!”

Vivian sagged a little, but quickly rebounded. Even if it wouldn’t be some grand adventure they could still have a good time!

“Right you are!” She chirped, nodding in agreement. “Dawn will definitely know where she is! And even better? Once we get her help to find Morgana, all four of us can go out riding horses! Doesn’t that sound great?”

Dawn loved animals, so she’d definitely go along with that!

“Uh… sure, why not?” Rose, on the other hand, was not convinced. She cast a shaky smile towards Vivian and nodded. “If the others are okay with it.”

She liked the heiress, she really did, but Vivian seemed a little pushy when it came to stuff like this, Rose felt.