Shopping and Investing

“We’re shopping here!?” Stella reacts in awe as Becca directs the five of you to enter a high-end boutique in the city.

Becca picked Stella, Cassie, and Maddy up from your apartment so that they can go shopping for acceptable evening dresses for tomorrow night’s gala event. You initially voted not to join them and stay at home, but Becca said she was hoping to speak with you further so you ultimately came with them. Paige was already with Becca in her car, so it was actually necessary for you to come with them to drive anyway.

“Yes.” Becca answers Stella’s question. “Is this boutique not to your liking?” Becca asks, and Stella immediately rushes towards Becca to join her in entering the boutique before Becca changes her mind. Once all of you are inside the boutique, you notice the store manager placing a gilded A-Frame sign in front of the door. You can’t see what it says, but you’re pretty sure it says the boutique’s closed if she’s blocking the door with it.

“Look around, take as much time trying on dresses. We have the store to ourselves this afternoon.” Becca informs everyone, and Stella immediately runs to a rack of dresses without hesitation. Cassie follows Stella, and Maddy follows Cassie as all three girls start chatting. Paige, on the other hand, talks to Becca first.

“Are you sure about this, Ms. Hoffman? I’m not even technically your employee yet.” Paige asks Becca shyly.

“What did I say about names, Ms. Halliwell?” Becca sternly asks Paige.

“Oh, right. I only call you Ms. Hoffman in the office. Sorry, Becca.” Paige answers her.

“I honestly do want you to relax around me, Paige. So please acclimate yourself to calling me Becca when we’re not in the office. Otherwise, we both won’t be comfortable around each other.” Becca tells her. “— and before you ask again, yes. I am sure of this. You’re going with us tomorrow. You need to be dressed for the occasion.” Becca assures her, giving her a reassuring smile to not be shy about looking for a dress for herself.

“This is really nice of you, Becca.” You tell her after Paige joins the other girls who are looking at dresses.

“It’s no big deal. I’m the one who invited all of you on such short notice. I should at least be able to accommodate any problems that occur due to the lack of time I afforded you to prepare.” Becca answers you.

“It doesn’t change how generous you’re being. So, still, thank you.” You reply.

“It seems you won’t accept any response other than ‘You’re welcome’. So, you’re welcome.” Becca replies playfully. “Come. There’s a seating area over there. I still have things to discuss with you.” Becca points to a lounge area, and the store manager even offers the two of you coffee after sitting down.

“What more do you want to discuss, Becca?” You ask, as the two of you sit next to each other on the sofa of the boutique.

“Have you talked to Brooke yet?” Becca asks.

“I have.” You answer.

“What did she say?” Becca continues.

“She said she already knew about the freedom I’ve been given by my girlfriends and that she agrees to that kind of set-up as well.” You inform her.

“Wonderful. Then we may proceed.” Becca reacts calmly, as if she was expecting as much.

“Proceed to what exactly?” You ask to clarify.

“Planning the efficient utilization of…” Becca begins to answer, before she trails off after seeing the store manager approach your area. The store manager places two coffees on the coffee table, and the both of you thank her, before the store manager gives you and Becca your privacy once more.

“Becca, can I ask? Why are you so invested in me utilizing the app more ‘efficiently’?” You say efficiently with air quotes. “Was there a trait I mentioned yesterday that you’d want me to buy for you? You already mentioned you’d want Youth and Love at some point, but is there something more I’m missing?” You ask Becca, genuinely curious.

“I’ll answer those questions in reverse order. Yes, you’re clearly missing something if you need me to tell you why you should not only efficiently utilize your app, but utilize it more in general. No, there wasn’t a specific trait you mentioned that I’d want for myself that motivated me to have this talk with you. Actually, I’m not invested in your usage of the app.” Becca answers, before pausing to take breath through her nose.

“I’m invested in you.” Becca adds, taking you aback a bit. Although, it really shouldn’t be all that surprising since she has confessed she likes you and wants to date you. Still, it’s mind boggling how someone like Becca is even interested in you.

Then again, you do have magic on your side.

“Also, yes. You can and you may ask.” Becca then adds, snapping you out of your shock.

“Why do you look so surprised?” Becca asks you. “I can be humorous too, you know.” Becca then adds, and you and her chuckle for a bit.

“I never said you couldn’t be!” You reply in faux defensiveness, as you and Becca chuckle some more.

“Humor aside, one of the things that motivates me to help you in your utilization of the app is because you told me about it. An act I don’t take lightly. I myself would keep that kind of information close to the vest if I was in your position. The world need not know that it’s my oyster. I’ll just shuck it for all it’s worth.” Becca informs you.

“Is that just you being humorous, or…” You ask jokingly.

“Not even. Despite his belief to the contrary, I am my father’s daughter — a ruthless capitalist. Recognize opportunity, capitalize on it — by any means. The wise unoriginal words of the great Aviel Hoffman. As such, if I was in your shoes, no one can ever know about my power because it lessens opportunity.” Becca answers you.

“Is that what I am, Becca? An opportunity?” You ask her sincerely.

“An opportunity for me to explore something more? Definitely.” Becca answers just as sincerely, but she didn’t really answer your question. You want to clarify what you meant, but Becca continues before you could.

“An opportunity for me to exploit your powers? It’s not completely out of the question.” Becca says, taking you by surprise at the nonchalance she expressed the statement. “I would be lying if I said otherwise. Ruthless capitalist, remember?” Becca says with a chuckle, and you can’t help but chuckle too as you realize an important detail that lessens the blow of what Becca just said.

“Not so ruthless if you’re willing to lessen opportunity by informing me of your plans.” You point out.

“What can I say? I like you. Lesser opportunities are worth sacrificing for better ones.” Becca responds, looking into space with an amused smile on her face when she says it.

“Also, since we’re already talking about it, why did you tell us about the app?” Becca asks you.

“The app affects the people I care for by default. I wasn’t sure how genuine everyone’s feelings were before everyone knew about the app. I didn’t know if what you all felt for me was because of the app brainwashing you, or if it was genuine emotions that the app has helped me get out of everyone. I needed to know. So I told everyone. Everybody I intend to include in our relationship will have to know about the app because of that. Just for my own peace of mind.” You tell Becca, who gives you an understanding smile.

“You have a stronger moral compass than I.” Becca replies. “I probably wouldn’t have cared.” Becca adds self-deprecatingly.

“You’re not giving yourself enough credit. You definitely would have.” You ask her jokingly.

“For one person maybe.” Becca admits, and you look at her curiously. “No, not you. Someone else. In the hypothetical that I was the one who acquired the app, you and I would probably have never met.” Becca clarifies.

“Who’s the one person in your life you would have told then? Your father?” You ask Becca, and she scoffs upon hearing your guess.

“You’ll know once you meet her; and you will meet her. At least, if this relationship moves in the direction we both hope it does.” Becca tells you. The both of you let that idea sink in. You let out an awkward chuckle to break the tension, but Becca raises an eyebrow to your chuckle, making it more awkward for you.

…

“It just occurred to me though…” Becca then says. “I never realized how frightening it must have been to see what people really thought of you. I can’t imagine finding out that the person I care for the most doesn’t actually care for me back, or only cares for me out of professionalism.” Becca says, sharing her realization.

“Finding out something like that is frightening with or without a magic app, Becca. You probably would have distrusted the app if it showed you something different than what you genuinely felt from that person.” You point out.

“How’d you manage it?” Becca asks.

“Manage what?” You ask to clarify.

“Finding out that some people didn’t genuinely have fondness for you the way you thought they did.” Becca clarifies.

“I’m still managing it to be honest; but having found myself a group of women who show their love for me on a daily basis, it’s definitely helping me forget the pain a lot quicker.” You tell Becca sincerely, even though you know that’s not what she was asking.

“As for when I find out something like that with the app, I’ll tell you when it happens.” You add on with a chuckle.

“You’ve never seen the scores of people you’ve known before to be lower than you anticipated?” Becca asks you.

“No. They’re always incredibly higher than I think they would be.” You answer honestly, and Becca seems to find amusement in that, but she doesn’t bring it up.

“Well, hopefully, the strategy we come up with in terms of utilizing your app won’t affect your likability then.” Becca says in reaction, and you can hear a bit of a tease in her delivery.

“How do you plan to go about that by the way?” You ask her.

“First, tell me what’s in your portfolio and how much capital you have.” Becca tells you, to your confusion. “App-wise, of course.” Becca tries to clarify, but you still have no clue what she means. “The traits you’ve already bought, and the amount of points you already have.”

“Oh~! That makes sense.” You react, finally getting what she means. “You’re really treating this like a business venture, huh?” You ask jokingly.

“You should be too, if I may be frank. You are your own corporation to begin with. Investing in yourself, with or without a magic app is a healthy habit. Invest in your health, your career, your personal life and its returns are immeasurable in the long run.” Becca answers you quite seriously, making you laugh a bit.

“Thanks, Tony Robbins.” You respond to Becca teasingly.

“Just… give me the details I asked for.” Becca replies in annoyance. You laugh a little bit harder this time knowing your tease landed. You take out your phone, open the app, check the history of your purchases, as well as the amount of points you currently have, and relay all this information to Becca.

Available points: 300 Friendship points / 250 Love points / 250 Lust points

“As for future investments for growth, you’ve already mentioned Normalized Polyamory and Youth and Love. Although, buying us Youth and Love is more like releasing dividends to your investors. In any case, are there other traits you plan on buying?” Becca asks you, and you tell her about Steadfast Lover.

“I see. Quite a useful investment for management, but also has potential for efficient growth.” Becca assesses. “Is that all?” She then asks, so you confirm; and you nod to answer her.

“Steadfast Lover is bought with Lust Points, correct? My advice would be to not buy it yet and convert those points for Normalized Polyamory for tomorrow.” Becca advises you.

“Based on what you’ve told us, Love Points would be the hardest to generate and one that you would consider quite unethical to farm. However, it also has the most powerful traits under it. Normalized Polyamory, Normalized ****, Youth and Love — reality altering magic.” Becca pauses to emphasize her point.

“On the other hand, Lust Points are the easiest to generate. Especially with your Magic Touch. The traits it can buy are also traits that are built to generate more Lust Points if you don’t limit yourself. Magic Touch makes it easier and quicker to increase score, while Normalized **** expands your pool. Affection Score, you generate much slower, but more consistently. The traits it can buy are mostly for quality of life improvements based on what I can tell — Non-Smoker, Good Neighbor, Great Host, Supportive Family. That’s probably the reason why Infertile isn’t bought with Lust Points either.” Becca systematically breaks down for you.

It took Becca a day after learning about the app for her to have a better understanding of it than you do after almost two weeks of having it.

‘You really have taken the app for granted.’ You think to yourself.

“As such, converting Friendship Points wouldn’t be efficient, as its generation is much more dependent on having longer relationships with people; instead of one night encounters.” Becca explains her thought process why you should convert Lust Points for Normalized Polyamory instead.

“If I were you, spend your Friendship Points for traits it can buy that can help you generate more Friendship points while also improving your quality of life. The Great Host trait has that potential. If you throw parties in your apartment, you may be able to generate more points through that trait alone. Speaking of, that might be a trait you may want to buy Vivian at some point. The grand opening of her restaurant is the weekend after Memorial Day, so it can be a great gift for her.” Becca suggests.

“What about you? You’re the head of operations for hotels and restaurants right? Sounds like something that would benefit you a whole lot more.” You point out to Becca, who gives you such a fake shocked reaction, making you realize that was her plan all along.

“That’s your prerogative. I’m not your girlfriend after all. Just a… an advisor.” Becca answers you. You place your hand on top of hers after hearing her answer. Becca flinches at first, but ultimately accepts your gesture. You squeeze her hand a little bit.

“Stop. You’re a part of this relationship now. Let’s not pretend that you’re not.” You assure her. Becca lets out a sigh, then smiles appreciatively with her eyes closed right after.

“Okay. Let’s not pretend. I agree. Theoretically, Great Host would benefit me a lot if the guests of the hotels and restaurants I co-own will be affected by it. However, it’s still your prerogative whether—” Becca begins to reply. You squeeze her hand again as she starts to give a caveat to her initial answer.

“It’s done, Becca. I bought it for you already.” You inform her.

Available points: 380 (-20) Friendship points / 250 Love points / 300 Lust points

“I-... Thank you.” Becca responds.

“You’re welcome.” You quickly reply.

…

“Does that trait have a counterpart? Like something for when you’re a guest? It could help you for tomorrow night at the gala.” Becca suggests.

“I can check.” You tell Becca, before you go back to looking at your phone which is still currently in the trait catalog. You don’t progress much in your search, as your daughter comes up to you and Becca.

“What do you think?”