There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done

Holly and Rose followed Gina at a safe pace, not wanting to get too close to the girl and set her off. Rose in particular felt bad about the direction the previous conversation had gone

I guess it was arrogant of me to try and impress my own perspective onto her, the actress thought solemnly. She had no idea what Gina was dealing with. It wasn’t fair to the other girl to pretend like she knew everything.

But even still, it’s clear that her mental state isn’t healthy. Rose didn’t need to be a psychologist to see that. The other girl had been self-destructing, and now she was trying to cling onto the role of a “good girl” even when she didn’t want to be one.

“Rose…” Holly tugged on her sleeve, keeping her voice a low whisper so Gina couldn’t hear her. “Do you think this is good for Gina?”

Rose glanced at her. “What do you mean?”

“What Gina is doing… pretending to be a good girl so she won’t be judged so harshly… I don’t think that’s a healthy mindset to have…”

“Then is seems like we’re on the same page,” Rose whispered back. “But I think it’s a little more complicated than that.” She couldn’t put her finger on it, but Gina’s mental dilemma seemed to be a bit messier than the other girl made it out to be.

Holly looked down. “So do I,” she admitted. “She kind of… reminds me of me, actually.”

Rose looked at her curiously. “Huh?”

“I can’t explain it,” Holly sighed. “But the way she’s trying to convince herself to be a good girl… it kind of feels like when I was trying to hide who I really was from Nick and everybody, you know? I felt like I had to be a good girl so I wouldn’t be judged. It’s not exactly the same thing, but it feels really similar.”

“Well, why don’t you tell her that, then?” Rose suggested. “If she got your perspective, maybe that would help her come to a decision of some kind.”

She glanced at the blonde walking ahead of them.

“Because the state she’s in now… that’s not good for her.”

“I don’t think she’ll listen,” Holly said glumly. “You heard what she said. She’s repressing herself for her parents. For Nick, for us, even. I can’t exactly say we have the same situation, you know?”

Rose felt like there wasn’t that big of a difference when it came down to it. But if Holly didn’t feel comfortable empathizing with Gina, she wasn’t about to force her.

“Guys.”

Gina stopped at a fork in the road. The hotel loomed to the right of them, down one of the paths.

“Which way should we go?” Holly asked. “Left or right?”

“It’s, um, to the right,” Gina nodded. “Dani’s going to the hotel. I just wanted to check with you guys, to see if that was okay.”

Rose frowned. “Why wouldn’t it be okay? You said Dani was headed for the hotel, right? So we should go that way.”

“Oh, yeah, totally!” Gina said. She seemed relieved. “Just checking. Because, well… there’s a box over there that I wanted to get, actually…”

She held up her Radar System, indicating a box down the other path.

“But look, like I said, I’m going to lead you guys there, first!” Gina said. “That’s the right thing to do, after all.”

“Seriously?” Rose stared at her incredulously. “You don’t have to be THAT nice. You can go get the box. It’s fine.”

“But…”

“Gina.”

Holly walked over to the blonde, and looked up into her eyes. “You can be selfish and still be a good girl.”

Gina winced. “But… but I shouldn’t, I mean…”

Holly sighed. Clearly, this was getting them nowhere.

“Look, I know we’re not exactly friends,” she said. “You don’t know me very well. And I don’t really know you that well, either. If I’m being honest, you’re the kind of girl I would have avoided hanging out with if we met in the real world.”

Gina winced. “Yeah, I mean… of course.”

“But that’s because I was trying to be a good girl myself,” Holly said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like doing the right thing. I care about people, and I try to help where I can. That’s the reason I used my 500 BP to help you out that very first day, because you needed it more than I did.”

“I, uh… I never really did thank you properly for that,” Gina mumbled, her complexion turning ashy. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. But look, what I’m trying to say is… Gina, are you being helpful because you want to help us, or because you think it’s the right thing to do, and you’re trying to be a good girl?”

Gina stared blankly at her.

Holly sighed. “I guess I need to explain that better. Look, if you’re trying to be good only so people think of you as good, that’s not really being good, right?”

“I-I guess not?” Gina still wasn’t sure what she meant.

“Let me start again,” Holly tried for the third time. “Gina, I think you’re a perfectly nice girl. I don’t think you’re a bad person.”

Gina gave her another blank stare, and then burst out laughing. “Hey, come on, enough with that,” she snickered. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”

“Well, I’ve never seen you intentionally try to hurt anybody,” Holly said, crossing her arms. “You’re not really mean. You can be rude and abrasive sometimes, and your personal habits, well… there’s no easy way to say this, but you’ve got some pretty major vices, and they’re awful for you. Drugs, alcohol, I totally get why you want to put a stop to all that, because frankly, it’s disgusting.”

Gina’s shoulders sank and she hung her head.

Holly reached out and patted Gina gently on the arm.

“But that doesn’t make you a bad person.”

“H-Huh?”

“She’s right,” Rose nodded. “Just because you do bad stuff, that doesn’t mean that you’re actually bad. …Although, I’m not really one to talk, am I?” She blushed sheepishly. “What Holly’s trying to say, I think, is that yeah, you’ve got some bad habits, but at your core, you’re still a nice person.”

“Well… okay, say you’re right,” Gina said, backing away and getting defensive. “So what? I shouldn’t be a good girl anymore? Just go back to how I was before?”

“I don’t think that’s what she’s trying to say,” Rose shook her head.

“Gina… I tried the whole ‘pretend like I didn’t have any vices’ thing,” Holly said. “I had this whole other side of myself, this part of me that did some really bad stuff. I stole Nick’s underwear! And because I was afraid of that side of me, I tried to pretend like it didn’t exist. I hid it behind my behavior and tried to become someone I wasn’t. But that didn’t work. Those feelings, those urges, they just kept building up, and eventually, something had to give. And now I’m happy with who I am! I don’t even mind if I get eliminated, because I’m finally free to pursue what I want!”

“I still don’t get what you’re saying,” Gina said bluntly. “What do you want from me?!”

Holly winced and took a step back. She turned to Rose for help, and the blonde was happy to step in.

“We don’t want anything from you, we want something for you,” Rose said softly. “Holly and I, we both know what it’s like to hide our true selves from people because we think it’s what’s best. But we just felt miserable, and hurt people because of it. So I guess… we want you to be yourself. We don’t want to see you change yourself for someone else, but be who you want to be. That’s what I want to see, anyway.”

She glanced up at the scoreboard, displaying Dakota’s set of Kings.

“…Since I’m probably not going to be here for very much longer,” she said glumly.

Gina paused, and nodded, considering that. “Um… is it okay if I go get that box, then?” She asked hopefully.

“Yeah, not a problem,” Rose nodded. “We’ll head this way. Towards the hotel. You said Dani was going there, yeah? Then that’s where we’ll go. You can catch up, if you want, or you can go that way.”

“Okay,” Gina nodded. She took one of the cards off her belt and handed it to Rose. “Thanks, by the way.”

Rose stared at the Three of Clubs in her hand. “Gee, thanks big spender. Couldn’t even give us the Four for our counseling services?”

Gina smirked. “Come on, needed to free up some space. I’m playing to win, after all.”

She paused. “Ah, fine, whatever. Not like I need it, anyway!” She tossed the Four to Rose as well. “Besides, those were yours in the first place.”

“Wait, that’s not what… and she’s gone.”

“Rose, I think she just passed her slop off to you and now your hand’s clogged,” Holly mumbled.

“Oui. I am aware.”

They turned in the direction of the hotel and headed down the path, while Gina went for the other box. She opened it, to see what was inside.

The Seven of Diamonds.

A grin spread across Gina’s lips. She’d gone after something for herself, and this was her reward, the third Seven.

Now she just needed to get the one from Dawn, and she’d have the complete set.

---

“Do you think we should have waited for her?” Holly asked, turning to Rose. They were getting closer to the hotel now. They’d exited the forest, and come upon an empty field.

Rose shook her head. “Gina will be fine on her own. If she wants to tag along, she’ll catch up. But I had a feeling that sticking with us would probably just lead her to make decisions that might not be in her best interest. She needs some time for herself.”

“I hope she figures out what she wants,” Holly nodded. “Hey, what’s up with this?”

They approached a playground, and their Radar Systems began to beep.

“It’s a playground, and there’s a card somewhere here,” Rose noted, scanning the area with her eyes. “But I don’t see any boxes.”

A playground… that sounds familiar… where did I hear about a playground before? Holly searched the haze of memories she’d amassed over the course of her time at the Harem Hotel.

“Wait! This must be the place Dakota took Nick on their date!” She realized. “Sylvia said they spent time at a playground from their childhood!”

“So this is where they used to play as kids, huh?” Rose said, staring wistfully at the slide and the swing set. The small little park practically radiated childhood nostalgia. “Must have been nice.”

“Come on, even you must have played on playgrounds when you were younger,” Holly laughed. She was shocked by Rose's flustered expression.

“Um… does it count if I was filming a movie?”

“No.”

“Then no, never.”

Holly winced. “That’s so sad… everyone deserves a chance to play around on a playground as a kid.”

“I think you’ll find that I didn’t have what you might call a ‘normal’ childhood,” Rose's laugh carried only a tinge of bitterness. “But then, what child actress does? No, my playground years were spent getting pushed around by film crews and sitting through hair and makeup. Not much time for swings and slides, I'm afraid.”

Holly frowned. “Well, that’s no good! Tell you what! After I win and I pick you as my buddy, let’s come back and go on the swings! Or the slide! Sound good?”

Rose smirked. “Just because you’re short enough to pass for a kid doesn’t mean I am.” That drew a scowl out of Holly.

“Hey! I’m 5’3’’! That’s only a little bit short!” She pouted.

“And I’m taller than that. Still, I didn’t think you of all people would suggest that!” Rose tittered. “I thought you’d be much more interested in trying out a sex swing!”

Holly blushed and fell silent. “L-Let’s just find that card.”

Rose caught sight of something white among the woodchips. “Found it! It’s… oh. Never mind.”

The Ace of Spades.

“What? We don’t want that one?” Holly asked. Rose’s hand was full, so she’d have to trade one of her existing cards for it.

“Of course we don’t,” Rose sighed. “We don’t need any more dead cards in our hand.”

“But we’ve almost got the full set,” Holly reminded her.

“And? We get what, four whole points banked? Oui, the reward for completing the Aces will probably be amazing, I’ll give you that. But until then, we’ve got to keep them on us. And frankly? That’s not good for our position. My hand is full. You only have one slot left. If we take the Ace, then we’re stuck. We still want to get that last Nine from Dani, right?”

“So why are you holding onto those, then?” Holly asked, nodding to the two Aces on Rose’s belt.

“Because there’s nothing to trade them for yet,” Rose bluntly replied, flicking the Ace back into the woodchips. “Not worth it for this.”

“Well, okay then,” Holly agreed. She still thought it was a waste though. “Should we get going?”

Rose nodded. They’d wasted enough time here. They kept walking through the park, and then when they reached the edge of the field they came across something surprising.

“It’s the botanical garden!” Holly said. “Kim was here, she said-”

“Wait, what’s that?!” Rose exclaimed. She was checking her scanner for other people, and she saw three of them charging their way.

Right on cue, Dani, Dakota, and a naked Carly wrapped in a red cloak dashed out of the hedge maze. To Rose and Holly’s surprise, Nick was with them, and he was naked from the waist down.

“Oh no!” Holly cried. “Was there an orgy and I missed it!?”

Rose was about to roll her eyes when something else caught her attention. The four of them weren’t alone.

While Nick and the girls ran across the platforms in the botanical garden, something was chasing them. A lot of somethings. They looked like Carly, except their bodies seemed to be made of semen. They shambled after the group with surprising speed, clawing after them like a hoard of zombies.

“What the hell is going on here?!”

“RUN!” Nick shouted as he approached them. “Those things, don’t let them touch you! They eat through your clothes!”

“Really!?” Holly’s eyes glimmered with possibility. She took a step closer, but Rose was having none of that. She grabbed Holly by the waist and used her strength to haul her up like a sack of flour.

“Hey! I just had an idea!” Dani shouted as she jumped down the stairs. She grabbed the wooden rail of the staircase and pulled with everything she had, ripping it free of the platform. The slime girls reached the end of the platform and ran right over the side like lemmings over a cliff, splattering into splooge when they hit the ground.

Carly held her hand over her mouth, aghast at the sight of so many copies of herself smashing to pieces. She fell to her knees and started to throw up.

“Come on, we need to go!” Dakota snapped, grabbing her arm.

“B-But…” Carly looked desperately at the pile of white gunk that had been her copies. Then the puddles began to shake. The girls were picking themselves back up and reforming.

“Figures that wouldn’t do much…” Nick groaned. Dani had bought them some time, but not a lot.

“Can someone PLEASE explain what is going on here?!” Rose demanded.

“Focus on getting away for now,” Nick replied. “Then we’ll talk.”

Nick and the girls ran back the way they came. Once they felt that they'd put enough distance between themselves and the slime creatures, they stopped to take a break and Nick explained the whole situation.

Holly accepted it at face value, but it took a while for it to sink in for Rose.

“So wait. You’re saying that those… slime things, they’re a plant?” She clarified.

“That’s right. They sucked up Carly, and then made copies of her,” Nick explained. “In order to try and milk semen out from me.”

“Well, of course they did!” Holly rolled her eyes. She blushed and glanced at Carly, trying to imagine what she looked like under that red cloak. “It’s Carly, after all… she’s so beautiful... with her curves, anyone would use her to try and get you to cum.”

Rose groaned and massaged her temples. Today had been so hectic she’d completely forgotten that Holly was still enamored with Carly thanks to her transformation.

“So what exactly are we supposed to do?” Dani demanded. She was trying very hard not to look at Nick, whose penis was still hanging out, much to Holly’s delight.

“We’ll have to destroy them,” Dakota coldly replied.

Carly gasped. “N-No, we can’t!” She shook her head frantically.

“How would we destroy them?” Rose asked. “I mean, you saw those things, they’re, like, made out of semen or something, right? If you damage them, they'll just reform.”

Dani had a plan. “Well, if I learned anything from Monster Girl Encyclopedia-”

“Doubt you did,” Holly chuckled. The blue-haired girl scowled.

“Anyway, as I was saying, if that thing is a slime, then it’s gotta have a core or something. Dakota kicked that one, remember? The one that, um… melted Nick’s…”

She turned red and mumbled something out. Nick blushed and did his best to cover his lower half. But the only spare clothing they had was the hood from Carly’s outfit, which had somehow survived, and she was using that right now.

“I did feel like I hit something solid,” Dakota nodded. “Maybe you’re right. If we break this ‘core’ or whatever, maybe the thing will be down for the count. It’s worth a try, anyway.”

“Or we could just ignore them!” Carly suggested. She looked desperate for some reason. “You know, let’s not destroy these things? The challenge will end when we get all the cards, right? And when it’s over, these things won’t attack us anymore. That's what we should be focusing on!”

Nick stared at her for a second. “Carly, are you okay?” He asked. “You’ve been acting weird ever since those things came after us. I know you’re upset that Sylvia tricked you like that, but-”

“It’s not about that!” Carly snapped. “Look, it-it’s not. I just… Just… please don’t hurt them? If you can?”

“No,” Dakota bluntly replied. “They’re dangerous, and they’re attacking us. They need to be put down.”

Carly winced. “B-But…”

“Hey, come on,” Dani said, stepping between the two girls. “Dakota, look, you can’t honestly think you can take all those things on, right? There were dozens of them! You’d get swarmed and absorbed in a second!”

Dakota scowled, but she had to admit that Dani had a point.

“Besides, Carly’s right, maybe these things will go away if we complete the challenge,” Dani said hopefully, nodding to the other girl. Carly looked gratefully up at Dani and smiled.

“So we’re just going to run then?” Dakota asked. “Because there’s still around 10 cards left to find. Who knows how long that will take?”

“That’s right,” Nick said, nodding. “Just run for now. Try to get away. We should probably split up, too, while we’re at it.”

Dakota narrowed her eyes. “Oh, no you don’t,” she growled. “I know what you’re trying to do.”

“What’s he trying to do?” Rose asked.

“Those things are targeting him, since they’re after semen primarily,” Dakota reminded her. “Nick wants us all to split up because he’s going to try and act as bait.”

“Really?” Holly asked.

Nick glanced away, his guilty expression confirming Dakota’s accusation.

“That’s so sweet!” Holly gushed, leaping into Nick’s arms and hugging him.

“Hey, come on! Let go!” Nick protested. “I’m serious! It’s the best option! It’s not like it actually counts if I find cards, anyway! This is the best strategy!”

“Unless the slime girls grab you,” Dakota replied, narrowing her eyes. “Then it’s basically suicide.”

Again, Nick couldn’t really argue.

“He’s right though, we should still split up,” Dani frowned. “There are a lot of those things. Haven’t any of you watched a zombie movie before?”

Holly and Carly shook their heads. Nick and Dakota, and Rose, of all people, raised their hands. Rose had a few clarifying questions first.

“Okay, but when you say ‘zombie movie’ do you mean the classics, or that garbage ‘plague virus’ stuff from Hollywood, because I don’t think those should count as-”

“NOT the point,” Dani groaned, shaking her head. “Look, the hoard is always WAY more dangerous as, well, a hoard. But a few zombies are easy to deal with.”

“Not always...” Holly mumbled under her breath, earning her a glare from Dakota.

“So if we split up, and the zombies come after us, then they should be way more manageable, that’s my point,” Dani finished.

“Well, whatever we’re going to do, we better figure it out fast,” Dakota said, glancing back towards the woods. “Those things are probably reformed by now and coming after us.”

“Also, um, one other thing.” Rose turned to Nick. “We should probably do something about your… situation.”

She glanced pointedly at his crotch, and he turned red.

“Look, it’s not MY fault-”

“I know, I know, but hey. You’re in luck!” She cracked a grin, and unbuttoned her shorts. “Brought you a spare! You’re lucky they didn’t rip off when I made my… adjustments.”

It took some doing to get the shorts down Rose’s enhanced thighs, but she managed it. She was still wearing panties and Nick’s shirt covered a lot, so it wasn’t like she was naked from the waist down like he had been, at least. Nick gratefully took back his clothes and put them on. Now, at least, Dani could relax a little and actually look at him.

“I think we should split into three teams,” Dakota suggested. “Dani and Carly, you two go together. I’ll stick with Nick, of course, to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid, and you two…”

She glanced dismissively at Holly and Rose. “…I really couldn’t care less.”

“Hey!” Rose scowled. She had more to say, but the sound of twigs snapping caught all of their attention. They turned warily towards the edge of the forest, tensing up. They had been planning to run in that direction; if the slime girls had flanked them, they were toast.

“So what? Did I miss the party or something?” Gina asked, stepping out of the woods with an awkward smile on her face.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Don’t DO that!” Holly cried. “You scared us half to death!”

“Only half?” Gina grinned, eliciting some eye rolls. “Well, whatever. So what, are we all friends now or something?”

“…Call it an alliance of convenience,” Dakota answered.

“Okay. Why?”

The answer to Gina’s question came in the form of slimy bodies shambling into the clearing.

“THAT’S why!” Dakota snarled. She grabbed a branch from one of the trees and snapped it off, charging at the first slime girl that approached her.

“Wait! Don’t!” Carly cried, but Dakota was SO done listening to other people. She swung the branch like a baseball bat, and the wood slorped through the girl’s chest. She felt it hit something solid, and the slime girl exploded.

Carly gasped in horror as she saw her own head tumble through the air, staring lifelessly back at her. It smashed into the ground and melted into a puddle.

“Phew, one down,” Dakota grinned, wiping the sweat from her brow and winding up to take another swing. “Just what you’d expect from the Camp Sac pinch hitter!”

She swung her branch and smashed another slime girl. Carly trembled and fell to her knees, wretching.

“Dani!” Dakota snapped, getting annoyed by how useless Carly seemed to have become the second these slime things started attacking. “Get her out of here!”

They were being overrun. More slime girls were attacking than Dakota knew how to handle. Dani helped Carly to her feet and pulled her deeper into the forest before the other girl lost what scraps of clothing she had left.

“She’s right, we gotta go too,” Rose nodded, picking up Holly again. “Come on! Gina! Nick!”

“But what about Dakota?” Gina cried, glancing at her friend as the girl in black batted off more of the slime girls. They were starting to swarm her.

“You think I give a damn? Just take Nick and get out of here!” The pale girl shouted back. Gina nodded and followed Rose and Holly into the forest with Nick on her heels.

“It’s not exactly how I planned to split us up, but I suppose it’ll have to do,” Dakota smirked, hopping back to a more fortifiable position. She twirled the stick in her hand like a spear, and her face twisted into a grin. “You little semen demons like playing zombie? Let’s see how you handle the real thing.”

---

While 2/3s of the competitors were embroiled in a chaotic struggle, the three innocent virgins were continuing on their quest to find more cards.

“Hey, is everything okay?” Mary asked, walking over to Kim. “You seem kinda out of it.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine I guess,” Kim sighed. “I guess I just feel a little… I don’t know. Cheated.”

“Cheated? Who cheated?!” Mary demanded. “Point ‘em out to me! I’ll smack some sense into ‘em!”

With an adamant scowl she punched the palm of her hand. Then she winced, feeling pins and needles. “Ow…”

Kim chuckled. “No, it’s not that,” she said, shaking her head. “I guess I just… I’m bummed that I only got 6 VP, you know? From that coin toss. If I was going to win it anyway, well… maybe you were right,” she shrugged. “Maybe I should have waited. I could have gotten even more points that way.”

“Or you could have lost more points,” Dawn reminded her.

“Yes, Dawn I could have, thanks for pointing that out,” Kim said, chuckling at her bad joke. “But still. I don’t know, I guess… maybe I shouldn’t have played it so safe.”

“Well, there’s no telling what’s going to happen,” Dawn replied. “Maybe it was good for you to make the choice when you did. Or maybe it would have turned out poorly. You never know. But you didn’t lose points, and that’s what’s important.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Kim nodded. Still, she couldn’t deny the sense of loss she felt, not waiting until at least the challenge was completed. If she got even more points, and still won the coin toss, she would have set herself up for a major sweep.

BEEEP! The three women’s Radar Systems started to go off.

“Oh! Look!” Mary said, pointing at a box that was sitting atop a small rocky ledge about waist high. “There’s another one!”

“Well, it’s your turn,” Dawn shrugged. “That’s how we’re doing this, right? Turns?”

Kim nodded.

Mary went and picked up the box. She gasped when she saw what was inside it. “Kim! You won’t believe it! Come here and see!”

Kim rushed over, while Dawn followed at a more relaxed pace.

She realizes we can check it out by looking at the scoreboard, right? She thought, glancing up at the screen hanging over their heads like the Sword of Damocles.

“No way!” Kim couldn’t believe her eyes. “What are the odds?”

Mary had found the Five of Hearts.

“I told you!” Mary squealed. “It’s because of faith! Everything’s going our way!”

Dawn winced. These girls were incredibly lucky. Maybe it was faith, maybe it was something else. But Kim was about to complete a set for barely anything, her second set, and that just didn’t seem fair to her.

Kim took the Five with gratitude. “Thank you so much, Mary! I swear, from now on, we’re going to be looking for stuff for you! This is the best!”

The card began to glow, and combined with the other Fives on Kim’s belt for her second set. A black box formed out of the light, and Kim opened it up. Five golden rings, linked together, sat in the center of the box. They glowed in the sunlight.

Kim checked the note inside to see what she’d won.

Five Golden Rings: The Contestant will receive Five Golden Rings. These rings will immediately be exchanged for 5 Victory Points.

Kim gasped. The rings began to glow, and then disappeared.

Put a Ring on It! +5 VP

Dawn’s jaw dropped. 5 VP just like that. Kim went from 6 VP at the start of this challenge to a whopping 17 VP, jumping past Dawn’s own score.

Unbelievable, she thought, shaking her head.

“That’s so great!” Mary gushed, thrilled that her friend had won all those points.

Kim, though, did not seem to share in her friend’s positive attitude.

If I had just waited… if I had waited until I completed this set to use the ring, then I would have gotten even more points. Kim bit her lip. She was supposed to be better than this. Yes, using the coin was a gamble. But it was a gamble that had paid off. And with the benefit of hindsight, it would have been better to save it, and wait to use it now… or even later, when she had even more points.

She’d won the coin toss, but it had been a pittance.

All those potential points, wasted, she thought, sighing. I was too cautious.

Kim prided herself on her patience. It was one of her best qualities. A hard day's work for an honest day's wages. Back home, she'd never felt the need to “strike it rich” and was satisfied with getting there a little bit at a time. The one time she did something impulsive for money, and it backfired.

Dawn stared calmly at the other girl, having a good idea what she was thinking about right now. Mary only saw that her friend looked down, and that was starting to make her anxious.

Well, there’s no use thinking about it right now. We can look at what I “should” have done when the challenge is over. Kim could beat herself up about her bad move later. Right now, they still had more cards to find. She forced a smile to her face, a Kim Lewis special that would soothe even the most belligerent of customers.

“It’s fine!” She said. “Let’s keep looking. Those cards aren’t going to just fall from the sky, after all!”

“Watch out!”

The three girls’ heads shot up as four people fell off the ledge above them.

Kim had a split second to recognize Nick before he landed on top of her. Rose and Holly tumbled onto Mary, a fall that probably would have crushed the poor thing if not for all of Rose’s extra cushioning from her transformation.

And of course, Gina crashed into Dawn, knocking the poor cat girl flat.

---

Sylvia winced. She’d been hoping the girls would all run into each other, but not like that. Fortunately there were no major injuries.

“Well, this should be rather interesting,” she thought, stroking her chin. “Still, how much longer are these girls going to take? This challenge can’t last forever, you know. They’ve still got a bunch of cards that need finding!”

The audience was getting restless. Anxious, and a bit curious, she checked the chat to see what people were saying.

“Boring challenge”

“Done yet?”

“LMAO I don’t think Mary can claim she’s a virgin anymore.”

“SLIME GIRLS”

“Kim is like an anime schoolgirl irl, right down to the love interest crash landing on her boobs. #KimClique”

“I don’t know who I want to get eliminated tbh”

“Oh right this is an elimination round, I forgot since it’s TAKING FOREVER”

“The slime girls were unnecessary. Shows the host has no faith in the challenges she made.”

“No the slime girls are an absolute win.”

“Challenge was boring before.”

“Agreed back to the sex stuff.”

“How long is this taking? I want to see Gina get eliminated already #CultOfDakota”

“Lol Dakotacucks still malding. Your girl’s getting gangbanged by slime as we speak lmao #GinaParty #Slimed”

“Nick has officially made more progress with the slime girls than like a third of his harem, Mary would never.”

“Mary gonna get slimed calling it now. Give Nick the full frontal. She’s finally gonna start getting them victory points. #GetMaryPreggers #ChurchOfMary”

“#GetMaryPreggers”

“I don’t want Rose to go! She’s been so sweet since she stopped acting! #RoseGarden”

“Rose x Holly is the ship. #RoseGarden #HollyTeam #HollyAndRosemary”

“Rose x Nick with Holly watching is the ship. #CuckHolly”

“Amen”

“#CuckHolly”

“Rose is probably gone. Dakota’s lead is too high. #CultOfDakota”

“Holly could lose too though.”

“I think that would actually be winning for her. #CuckHolly”

“I just want Gina to not be so depressed all the time #GinaParty”

“Nick gonna turn Gina into a good girl with his dick”

“Poor Carly, I cried. #CarlyFans”

“Rip slime girls. #CarlyFans”

“Dani and Carly alone with clothes-melting slime, sounds fun. #DaniCrew #CarlyFans #TeamGamerGirls”

“Is anyone still in #DawnPosse or just me”

“#CollarForDawn”

“I thought Dawn made a lot of progress this challenge. But she so losing lmao.”

“Yeah I think Dawn’s gone.”

“Rip cat girl.”

“Well there are still two queens and a jack remaining to be found so in theory she could get many more points #DawnPosse #CollarForDawn #NeverGiveUp #NineLivesMatter”

“Cope. #GinaParty”

“Move on from the challenge already we’re getting bored.”

“Holly should just forfeit and put a quick end to this by becoming Nick’s cuck #CuckHolly”

Sylvia sighed. Just as she feared, the audience was getting restless and the ratings were dropping.

“It’s not MY fault!” She whined. “These girls spend so much damn time talking about their issues when they should be collecting cards!”

She really hoped she wouldn’t get a call from the producers.