I took my baby to the doctor with a fever, but nothin' he found

“Okay, we need to think strategically about this.”

Of the two girls who were tasked with cleaning up the suites, it was no big surprise who said that.

“Okay,” Sylvia nodded in agreement with Dawn’s proposition. “What were you thinking?”

“To start, let’s go over what we know,” Dawn said, holding up our hand. “The Luxury Suite has the bed effect. The one that amplifies some quality of the person sleeping in it, right?” She held up a finger, feeling a little sick as she did so. The effect the room had on her every morning wasn’t exactly something she was proud of.

“Right, the one you hate,” Sylvia nodded again, stating the obvious as usual. “Because it makes you so lazy.”

Dawn shot her a dirty look.

“Next,” she hissed through clenched teeth, “is the Fashion Suite. That one we know, too. The two contestants who sleep in that room have the ability to try on any of the outfits in the suite whenever they want.”

“Yeah, so you don’t have to buy any clothes from the boutique if you want to change your outfit for a special date,” Sylvia said. “Pretty convenient, especially now with Kim pushing for those sales as hard as she is.”

“Those two we know. And Carly mentioned something about the Arcade Suite, right?” Dawn recalled, holding up a third finger.

“Yeah, in that one, the two contestants who live in the suite can play the games, and if they get a high score, they get some BP,” Sylvia noted. “That’s what Marley told me.”

“So with that, we know three of the rooms and what they do,” Dawn said, wiggling her three fingers. “Which means there are three left. We still don’t know about what the Candy Suite, the Garden Suite, and the Romantic Suite do. So I think we should start with one of those three.”

Sylvia nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. Which one did you want to go for, then? The Romantic Suite? I’d sure like to know what kind of special abilities my room has, since I haven’t noticed anything too special about it yet.” And it wasn’t like she hadn’t been looking. Sylvia was pretty sensitive to the tricks of Harem Hotel, and she’d been keeping her eyes peeled for any special characteristics that the rooms might have.

“It’s a good option,” Dawn agreed. “Keep in mind, we’re trying to clean as many of these rooms as possible before the party. And we’ll still need some time to prepare before the party, too…”

She glanced at the clock. “…That should leave us with just under five hours,” she noted, quickly doing the math. “We can clear everything if we can clean each room in about 45 minutes. But… it would be best if we start with the easy ones first.”

Now, which rooms would be the easiest ones to clean? Dawn had some ideas. Her own suite was an obvious choice, since she was a very meticulous person, her recent laziness notwithstanding. Morgana could be a bit of a slob, but her mess wasn’t very much. They could easily clear the room in the timeframe.

Only problem was, they already knew what the Luxury Suite did.

Kim and Dani’s room would also probably be pretty easy. Dani could be a bit of a slob, but like Dawn, Kim was a pretty neat person. Not a big deal to clean. But they already knew what the Fashion Suite could do, too.

In spite of the size of the Arcade Suite, Dawn though that might actually be the easiest one to clean. After all, even with three people living in it, Carly, Marley, and Rose were all fairly neat people. Not much mess, she imagined.

Just their luck that the three easiest rooms to clean were the ones they already knew.

“…There’s two options we can go with,” Dawn finally said. “We can prioritize clearing as many rooms as possible to rack up the BP, and start with the easy rooms first. Or, we can begin with the harder rooms, which may take more time, but will also give us some much-needed information. What do you think, Sylvia?”

Sylvia pondered that.

“Well… are the other three rooms really that hard?” Sylvia asked.

“One of them is made out of candy and another is a small jungle. You excited for those?”

“I see your point,” Sylvia admitted sheepishly. “But what about my room then? No candy and no plants whatsoever!”

“You live with Gina,” Dawn bluntly replied. “It’s going to take at least an hour to clean that room. And that’s charitable.”

Sylvia couldn’t really argue with that.

“…I think we should start with the Candy Suite first,” she decided.

Dawn was surprised. That wasn’t what she would have thought. “Really? That one? Why?” She asked curiously.

“Because we can eat the candy to get our energy up!” Sylvia declared, smiling proudly.

Dawn sighed. “Sometimes I’m amazed I was ever frightened of you,” she said dryly, shaking her head. “But if that’s what you want…”

“Nah. I was just kidding around,” Sylvia chuckled. “The Garden Suite is the right one to go with.”

“Oh, really?” Dawn asked. That had actually been her assumption too. “Why do you say that? Cleaning the garden must be pretty hard. I know you have a green thumb, Sylvia, but-”

“Amelia stays there,” Sylvia cut Dawn off, reminding her of the responsible older woman. “She would never allow her room to fall into disarray, my girl! And don’t forget Vivian!”

Dawn blinked. “…Vivian doesn’t exactly seem like the kind of person who bothers to pick up after herself,” she replied.

Sylvia’s eyes twinkled mischievously.

“My point exactly,” she sniggered.

Octavia’s expression when she answered the door was hard to discern. She stared at the two women with a blank look on her face.

“What do you need?” She asked. “Lady Carrington is not here. As for Miss Campbell-”

“We know, that’s not why we’re here,” Sylvia said, barging into the room like she owned the place- and once upon a time, she did. “We’re here to clean up the room!”

Octavia actually did show a trace of an emotion this time- confusion. She blinked and looked quizzically at the two girls.

“You’re here… to clean?” She asked.

“That’s right,” Dawn nodded. “We’re doing a bounty. To clean up each of the girls’ rooms in the hotel. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Not at all,” Octavia replied, stepping aside to let the more polite of the two young women enter after her partner. “But I think you’ll find that there will not be much need for your services. I have already completed most of the required chores.”

Sylvia shot Dawn a triumphant look and the cat girl rolled her eyes. So Sylvia’s hunch was right on the money after all.

“I think I’ll be the one to decide that, thank you very much.”

Dawn and Sylvia both jumped.

“Oh, Dakota!” Sylvia was happy to see her creator, but wary, as well. They’d just gone their separate ways a few minutes ago, and here she was, already back? That just smelled fishy no matter how you gutted it!

Dawn was just tense in general. “What now?” She asked suspiciously, her ears and tail sticking out. “You come here to ream us out for cheating?”

“No, not at all,” Dakota said, shaking her head. “But Octavia is correct, she’s completed most of the necessary cleaning. All that remains is to wipe down the bathroom, scrub the toilets, stuff like that, and then water the plants. Isn’t that about right, Octavia?” She turned to the butler.

Octavia nodded slightly. “Correct, ma’am.”

Dakota smiled cheerily. “Well then, get to it ladies!” She clapped her hands together. “Do well, and you should be out of here in no time at all!”

“Sounds great!” Sylvia nodded happily. “Thanks for the tip, Octavia! Big help!”

Octavia gave a slight grunt in response.

After Dakota left, Dawn could breathe again. She turned to Sylvia. “So what do you want to do, then? Bathroom or plants?”

She picked up a watering can resting on a tree stump. “There’s only one can, after all,” she pointed out, looking around the room. “And quite a lot of plants.”

It was a pity they couldn’t do the tasks together. But knowing Sylvia…

“Plant duty, please!” Sylvia raised her hand like a teacher’s pet. “I just love taking care of plans!”

Dawn cracked a grin. “I should have figured,” she said, passing the watering can over to the redhead. “Octavia’s support wasn’t the only reason you decided to do the Garden Suite first, was it?”

Sylvia giggled. “Aww, you know me so well! And you’re right.”

She skipped over to start watering the plants, as Dawn followed the tiny stream over to the bathroom. Why is there a river indoors? That’s just going beyond the realm of excess, she thought as she walked inside.

No denying, the Garden Suite was beautiful. Dawn always loved tranquil, peaceful places like this. In her travels around the world, she’d been to several outdoor gardens and tea gardens before, not to mention enjoying the beauty of open nature itself. Through the window of a train car, of course, but still.

Still, the garden in that room was quite lovely. Capable of giving any of them a run for their money! Dawn let out a wistful sigh and imagined what it would be like to spend her days in such a tranquil place, enjoying the blissful painted sky.

She didn’t even notice how lightheaded she was feeling, and how warm and tingly she was getting. Whatever plants were growing back there, she could still smell them even from the bathroom. None of the usual foul odors from a bathroom were present as she wiped the place down with a hand cloth, just the sweet scent of minty grass.

Of course, the fact that there were also plants in the bathroom probably had something to do with it. The bathroom was all glass walls, like a greenhouse. That should have concerned Dawn, given how private such things should be, but she had a feeling that the “outside” beyond the walls was really just another fake exposure. The sun sure felt real, though…

The temperature inside was rather humid. Yep, definitely like a greenhouse. And fittingly, there were a lot more plants inside, too, suspended in hangers or stuck in pots. Sylvia would probably have to come water these, two, when she was done wiping everything down. Thankfully, the humid air gathered a lot of condensation, so she wouldn’t even need to use water.

Still, the mirror was pretty much useless. The sweet, hot air fogged it up nice and thick.

Dawn took a deep whiff and let out a sigh. She’d been feeling so tranquil thanks to the Luxury Suite’s effect on her, but now it was like a completely different story. She was energized, incredibly so, like the heat welling up inside her was spreading to every corner of her body.

Gotta clean! She thought, moving so fast she was practically a blur. Gotta clean! Gotta clean! Gotta clean!

Dawn had never experienced a rush like this before! It was like sex, but instead of arousal she was just feeling more energy! Worked up into a heat, pushing herself forward, **** to just feel her body in motion as she-

…Oh, wait. There was arousal too, yep, there it was.

Dawn’s cheeks flushed as her vision turned hazy. Her mind was slowing down, and on some level, she knew that, but the slower her mind was moving the faster the rest of her was. The liquid ecstasy pumping through her veins was pushing her further and further, driving her to do whatever it took to accomplish her task. And when it was done…

When it was done…

…

Wait. Was she done yet?

She didn’t even know. She had no idea where she was, or what she was supposed to be doing. Her mind was caught in a haze of that delicious scent, and she smiled a slovenly smile as she let the rag drop from her hands.

“Hmm hmm hmmmmm…” Sylvia hummed to herself as she went from one plant to the next, making sure each got the precise amount of water they needed. “There you are, drink your fill… yes, yes, good, you’re going to grow big and strong, aren’t you?” She cooed.

Sylvia loved gardening. It wasn’t just Mimi that she had treasured growing up. For her, the Botanical Garden and all the plants growing there were beloved companions that had been there for her during the lonely times. And this room was no different!

Plants were always there for you when you needed a friend. They were always bright and supportive and warm, and sometimes they smelled really nice.

Like right now.

She took a deep whiff, and then gasped.

A familiar scent touched her nostrils and she yanked back the watering can.

“Oh! So that’s it!” She’d only been here for a couple minutes, but already she was figuring out the secret of this room.

There were plenty of plants here. Familiar and unfamiliar ones. But not just ones from earth.

She recognized the heart-shaped leaves of that ivy. And the suspiciously red bulbs growing on that bush.

These were “special” plants! The kind that Dakota had cultivated in the restricted area of the Botanical Garden! Plants that had certain characteristics. Like aphrodisiacs, brewing love potions, relaxants, even **** that would make your breasts grow.

Amelia and Vivian had no idea, because neither of them had a green thumb. But someone with the proper knowhow could make great use of the treasure trove hidden within this room.

…You know, if they were the kind of person to **** their fellow contestants. Which Sylvia would definitely never do.

“I should probably tell Dawn,” Sylvia decided, looking at the last section of plants. She’d be done in a couple minutes, but Dawn probably would want to know what she’d found out now, right?

Luckily for Sylvia, she wouldn’t have to choose, because right then Dawn came shambling out of the bathroom with a blissful expression on her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were clouded, and her tongue hung out of her mouth. Her tail swayed slowly behind her side to side like a pendulum, and Sylvia could swear she even heard the girl purr.

“Dawn, you okay?” She dropped the watering can and ran over to the cat girl. “You look out of it! Something happen in the bathroom? You weren’t shirking your duties to schlick yourself off, right, Dawn?”

“Hehe… smells puuurrrrddyy…” Dawn giggled like a bimbo, tilting her head to the side.

“Is everything alright?” Octavia approached the two of them, her usually stoic features twisted with concern.

Sylvia shook her head. “I don’t know, she was in the bathroom, and then… Look, Vivian’s a rich kid, but she doesn’t keep any **** in there, right?”

Octavia stared blankly at her.

“…Okay, that’s a relief at least.” Sylvia turned back to Dawn. “So what happened to her?”

“There is little ventilation in the loo, in order to properly maintain the temperature for all the plants inside,” Octavia revealed. “It tends to be rather like a greenhouse.”

“What, so when anybody uses the bathroom, they just end up all loopy like this?” Sylvia wasn’t sure if that was a genius idea or not. She should have come up with that back when SHE was the host!

…Err, no, this was such a horrible thing to do! …Yeah, that was the appropriate response.

Octavia looked perplexed. Which was unusual, given how composed she normally came across. She stroked her chin thoughtfully.

“This is a unique phenomenon,” she replied. “I have not observed this in Lady Carrington OR Miss Campbell, or observed it myself, for that matter.”

“So what, cleaning the bathroom just made Dawn go crazy?” Sylvia looked at the screen door. That seemed… unlikely.

“Hehehe… the plants smell nice…” Dawn giggled, her ears flicking up and down as she batted at something invisible with her hands.

Sylvia sighed. Yep, she’d need to do something about this.

“Can you look after her?” She asked, turning to the butler. “I’m gonna go finish cleaning up in there. Somehow, I doubt that she finished the job.”

Sylvia had watered all the plants in the main room, so once they finished with the bathroom they’d be done. She picked up her watering can and trudged inside, leaving Dawn in Octavia’s capable hands. The sharp-eyed butler would make sure she didn’t end up drowning in the river or something.

To Sylvia’s surprise, the bathroom was spotless actually. Every surface sparkled. Well, except for the parts fogging up from the humidity. So as dazed and out of it as Dawn had been, she’d certainly done a fine job.

There were also plants in here, so she got started watering them, wondering which ones were giving off that refreshing minty scent. It was the kind of odor that one would prefer a bathroom to have, like an air freshener.

Then she froze when she got to the last of the potted plants, a tiny little bushel with long stems ending in frilly green leaves.

“Oh no… oh man…” Sylvia groaned, while giggling at the same time.

Catnip. Dawn had been hotboxing in catnip for the last ten minutes.

She rushed out of the bathroom to see Dawn running around and doing cartwheels and somersaults through the grass.

“Whoopie!” The cat girl cheered, rolling about with a bright smile on her face. “Sylvia! Come on, come on, comeoncomeoncomeoncomeoncomeoncomeon! This is so much fun!”

“Dawn, snap out of it,” Sylvia said, unable to hide her amusement at being the responsible one of the duo for a change. “We’re done here, we’ve got more rooms to get to you know!”

“Well, it seems like you two have had a good time here.”

Sylvia turned to see Dakota sitting on a stump, looking just as amused as she felt.

“That’s the secret of the room, right? Enchanted plants?”

“Something like that,” Dakota confirmed, rising to her feet. “You’ve completed your bounty, so I can tell you. In the Garden Suite, you can order any plants you like to grow here. For a small fee, of course, you may purchase something from our catalog and cultivate it. When you do, you get to reap the effects. Everything else here, it’s just… free samples, of course.”

“Good to know,” Sylvia nodded. “And the catnip…”

“Ah, yes, well, that may be a tad bit stronger than the usual stuff,” Dakota chuckled. “The minty-fresh aroma is just perfect for the bathroom, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Ah, yes, that’s why,” Sylvia said, giving the other woman a knowing smile. “For the minty freshness. Of course.”

“…Well, it does seem to have quite a profound effect on our little cat girl over there, doesn’t it?” Dakota said, looking over at Dawn, who was balancing on her hands. “Spry little thing, isn’t she?”

“That would be her Like Catnip transformation,” Sylvia pointed out. “I’m a little sad she hasn’t triggered that one as much, but if it had to happen, did it have to happen now?”

Dakota shrugged. “The effect should wear off soon enough,” she assured Sylvia. “…Probably.”

The wicked gleam in her eye and the delighted smile on her face showed just how much she hoped that wouldn’t be the case.

“Well, I’ll have to make it work,” Sylvia said. “Hopefully, I can channel that energy to good use! Now, about the rest of our reward…?”

“Right, of course,” Dakota said, summoning up a screen.

Dawn: 2000 BP + 1000 BP = 3000 BP

Sylvia: 2400 BP + 1000 BP = 3400 BP

Sylvia sighed. “Well… that’s one room down.” She looked over at Dawn again. The cat girl was in no condition to be making decisions right now, so it would be up to her to figure out which suite to clean up next.

“You should get a leash for that girl,” Dakota warned, disappearing with a flick of her cane.

Sylvia sighed again. “A little help, Octavia?” She asked, turning to the butler. She’d need the tall woman’s strong hands to help hold Dawn down.