And it's been awhile since I could hold my head up high

Nick did his best to defuse a very difficult situation. All the girls were encouraging him to drink, and with the best intentions, too. (For the most part, anyway…)

But he didn’t want that.

They were only two events into this party. As late as the night was getting, he knew that Dakota was running things on a schedule, and he suspected that getting him plastered was a big part of that schedule. The drunker he got, the more likely he was to lose his inhibitions. And that would lead him to play right into Dakota’s hands.

As much as he wanted to have fun and wanted to make this party a success, he doubted that if he became a sloppy mess that would have the desired impact. But just as he was trying to figure out to dissuade all the eager girls looking expectantly at him, his eyes met with Amelia’s and they shared a look of mutual understanding.

“Excuse me, young ladies.”

Amelia’s sharp voice cut through the crowd like a plow through a field. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the elegant woman as she loudly cleared her throat.

“I understand the desire to share one’s favorite beverage with the star of the party,” she said, using language Nick never would have expected from her. “But a lady of standing must always be vigilant of her surroundings.”

She glanced past the girls, over to Octavia and Mary, who were particularly focused on the events, and neither looked too happy about it, in contrast to the other judges. Holly and Serenity both seemed to be having a blast with this turn of events.

Amelia refocused on the party guests.

“A noble lady does not push her opinions on another so directly,” she said simply. “Such behavior could be considered rude. And rudeness will not do you well with the judges, I imagine.”

Her words were probably harsher than she’d intended, but Nick didn’t care at this point. Her stern tone and lack of consideration for how her words would be taken was a blessing for once, and the looks of embarrassment on some of the girls’ faces spoke volumes.

“That’s right!” Mary said firmly. “Give Nick some space, please. You all know he cares too much about all of your feelings to risk turning you down directly, so he’s trying to save face. But this is difficult for him too, you know! Do you want to get him falling over drunk?”

“Mary’s right,” Rose said, realizing that she might have gotten a little too caught up in what was happening. “Sorry, Nick. I didn’t want to pressure you into anything.”

“I think everyone got a little overbearing,” Dawn said. “But it’s nobody’s fault. In the future, Nick, you should voice your concerns directly.”

“…I know,” Nick said, giving a lame excuse for an obvious problem he’d continued to have difficulty with even now. “For what it’s worth though, I’m not opposed to drinking more! I just don’t want to overdo it too much, you guys understand.”

“Yeah, moderation is key,” Gina said, nodding. A remarkable statement coming from her- Dawn actually looked shocked! “…I’m not always the best at it, but I’m trying.”

The main culprits behind the sudden swarm were Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, Vivian, and Sylvia. They had been the ones pushing the hardest for Nick to try more wine.

“Sorry, Daddy,” Sylvia apologized. “I got a little overzealous, since my score wasn’t very high, you know?”

“I was just trying to have a good time,” Vivian clarified. In spite of her conciliatory tone, she distinctly did not apologize. “I thought a cool guy like you would be used to drinking wine with beautiful women all the time, you know? But we don’t need **** to have fun.”

To prove her point, she took her glass and tossed out the contents over her shoulder.

“Inelegant conduct. Deducting points.” Octavia sharply critiqued Vivian’s actions, narrowing her eyes.

Vivian’s jaw dropped. “Octavia, seriously!?”

“It’s my duty to ensure you comport yourself as a woman of your standing must at all times, Lady Carrington,” Octavia replied. Her flat tone carried about as much smug satisfaction as she could plausibly pass off.

“You’re enjoying this,” Vivian huffed.

“I would never say something like that to you, Lady Carrington,” Octavia replied honestly, holding her hand over her heart. “I care too much about your future to do such a rude thing.”

Vivian glowered at her. “…That wasn’t actually a no, though.” She pointed out.

Octavia blinked. “…Indeed.”

Clearly she was quite adept at holding her own on these matters of class herself.

That just left one last person, the one who started this mess in the first place. And the sad look she gave Nick as she gazed into his eyes was the worst of all. But for once, she didn’t **** her position.

She didn’t really have to. He remembered the whole reason this mess had started in the first place.

“…Okay, I suppose one more couldn’t hurt,” he relented, taking the spicy wine from the table and pouring himself a glass.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin’s eyes widened and she looked hopefully at him as he took another sip.

It… it was still as strong as he’d remembered. Nick had been hoping his grade was too harsh, but no, he was right on the money with his score. It just wasn’t the kind of drink that suited his palate. But that really wasn’t the point, was it?

He wanted to enjoy it, for her sake. So he tried to. He drank the whole thing, and gave the assassin an awkward smile.

“…It’s not very good,” he admitted sadly. She looked crushed for a moment. “But I’m glad you picked it anyway,” he added. “It’s definitely strong. I’m not going to forget this flavor anytime soon. It’s gonna take some getting used to, I imagine.”

That was a subtle way of implying that he was going to keep drinking this stuff in the future, for her sake. And judging by her smile, she understood.

Maybe there was something to be said about the classiness of subtlety that came with high society after all.

There were other matters to discuss though. Namely, getting some food in his belly.

“I could really use something to eat,” he admitted, rubbing his stomach. “If I’m gonna keep drinking like that. I think I’m getting lightheaded, and these appetizers sure aren’t helping.”

Nick wasn’t dizzy, or even really tipsy, but he was exercising caution. And a good thing, too, because before he knew it he already had Dani and Kim helping him over to a chair to sit down in.

“You rest up,” Dani said, cracking a grin. “Don’t want you passing out and spoiling the mood tonight, right?”

“Is… is there anything I can do?!” Morgana looked around fretfully. “Can I get you something?”

“Do you need water?” Ella rushed over with a cup of water. “I’ve heard that’s good for sobering someone up!”

“No, thanks, it’s fine, I’m not drunk,” Nick assured both high-strung girls as he accepted the water gratefully and took a sip. “I just need something to eat.”

His eyes gradually slid towards Mary as they so often did, but before he could voice his thoughts Rose was already there in front of him with a plate of food.

“Anything for you, mon compagnon,” she tittered, tucking a napkin into his collar and setting down the plate of sizzling roast pheasant in front of him. It looked delicious, but man, what Nick wouldn’t give for a slice of pizza right now.

Nick began to dig into his meal, but he only got a couple bites in as he realized that he was eating in front of everybody, and all eyes were on him.

Blushing, he scooted back. “Uh… anybody else want anything?” He looked around at the banquet that surrounded them, only just now realizing that it was mostly untouched.

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Dawn pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest and sighing. She looked over at Dakota, who was preening in the corner, watching them all carefully with her shiny golden eyes.

She curled up her lips into a smirk.

“Oh?” Dakota mused, batting her eyelashes.

“Dakota revealed it earlier, so I might as well say,” Gina said, glancing over at Sylvia. “The next event is gonna be about table manners. So we’re not eating yet, because we need to wait for that event to start. Kind of hard to do a food thing on an empty stomach, you know?”

Right, Nick had almost forgotten. Probably because he couldn’t imagine what had possessed Gina to come up with such a stupid event. Her table manners were atrocious, after all.

Serenity smirked. “Useless,” she muttered under her breath.

“Oh?” Octavia looked sharply at the dripping girl. “You think proper dining etiquette is useless?”

Serenity was already standing off to the side, finding it hard to mingle with the other girls given her special circumstances. So being put on the spot like this was a little unusual for her. She raised her eyebrow and pressed her lips together in a tight smile.

“Something like that,” she said, refusing to enlighten Octavia further on the matter.

“…I see.” The look the butler gave the siren was a fierce one, even if she masked it well behind a visage of detached professionalism. For the first time, Nick sensed an air of hostility lingering between the two judges, and it concerned him.

“Hey, guys…” He stood up, only to realize he was a little more lightheaded than he’d thought. That zinfandel from Gina had done a number on him, and he needed to get some food in him before he was completely useless. So he kept eating, watching the two of them bicker as he did so.

If you could call it bickering, anyway.

Octavia wasn’t the type of woman who would needlessly snipe down others (except Vivian) and Serenity wasn’t much one for talking at all. Their eyes spoke volumes, though, and everyone could see it clear as day.

The atmosphere of Gina’s party had turned uncomfortable, and not at all because of the guests.

It wasn’t lost on the siren why Octavia was so hostile to her presence here. It may have been a long time since Serenity was **** to properly socialize with people, but she still had a good head on her shoulders. Octavia was a high-class sort of person. She must have been asking “Who is this strange wet woman, making such a scene? Ruining a dress like that so classlessly after appearing in a bikini? Why was she of all people selected to judge the elegance and class of other women with her opinion worth just as much as mine, when she has neither elegance nor class herself?”

…Or something less lowbrow than that, probably. Either way, Serenity got the message loud and clear.

And frankly, she was a little surprised herself. But she wasn’t going to be making objections or anything.

“If you want to know why I’m here,” Serenity said slowly and deliberately, consciously deciding that her usual silence wasn’t getting her anywhere, “it’s probably because Dakota wanted a counter to someone like you.”

That got a reaction out of Octavia.

Her eye twitched. For all of two seconds.

Still, Vivian took a cautious step back.

“That’s all I’ll say,” Serenity decided. “I don’t have beef with you, butler. I’m just doing a job because it’s nice to be around others for once, you know?”

She stretched her arms over her head in a flagrant disregard for elegance and class, revealing her pits to the crowd. If she were up for review, Octavia certainly would have docked her some points. But she was a judge, not a guest.

“Let’s just try to make this work, okay?” She jammed her dripping hand towards Octavia in an offered shake, getting a few droplets of water on the butler’s fine suit.

Nick leaned forward hesitantly and Vivian winced. Everyone was wondering what Octavia’s response would be. Would she accept the other woman’s hand, or not?

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Octavia stepped forward and accepted the handshake. It must have been hard for her to do, given Serenity’s cold, clammy skin, but she did it anyway. And she didn’t break eye contact with the siren, either.

“Of course,” Octavia agreed. “I always work with absolute professionalism when I conduct my obligations.”

Vivian sighed in relief, and she wasn’t the only one to do so.

Meanwhile, Dakota watched all of this with glee, absolutely loving the tension between the judges. Not half as much as Nola was, though.

“So why did you ask her, and not me?” Nola asked, trying not to sound like it was a big deal or anything, even though it was tearing her up inside that Dakota had relied on some nobody like Serenity over her trusted assistant!

Dakota smirked. “Why do you think?” She asked cryptically.

Nola glanced at the twisted look on the host’s face, and figured it out pretty quickly. Having been in Dakota’s place herself as a host once upon a time (and **** to get back there any way she could) she had some good instincts as to what had motivated the decision.

Serenity’s guess was right on the money.

A show like Harem Hotel thrived on conflict, and there was unlikely to be much of it if Dakota had stuck to what Gina wanted to do, which was just let Nick, Mary, and Holly be the judges.

That would have been so much fun! But they’re all super nice. It wouldn’t have been intense or difficult at all! Nola reasoned. And they’d probably give out a bunch of friendly points, too. But because Octavia knows all about classy stuff, she’s the perfect villain for this event! Someone who grades harshly and holds everyone up to a high standard! That’s brilliant! But then there’s gonna be a contrast, and that would be Serenity. Because she was a jock back when she was a human, right? That’s what she told me, she was a super-good swimmer who was gonna compete in the Ozempics before she got brought here. Not exactly the classy, high-society type.

Not to say the siren was to play the hero, but…

“I was tempted to include you,” Dakota admitted. “Up to the last moment, I thought you would be the very good foil to Octavia’s high standards.”

“Really?” Nola looked at Dakota with shining eyes. “Oh, Dakota, thank you so- HEY!”

As the meaning of Dakota’s words sank in, Nola’s gratitude quickly turned to humiliation and rage.

“You… you mean you thought I was low-class?!” Nola hissed at her boss.

“…What do you mean by ‘thought’?” Dakota asked, looking at Nola with a raised eyebrow.

Oooh, Nola could just strangle her! …And her chances of regaining her position as host one day along with it.

So she swallowed her righteous indignation and **** a smile to her face. “…I would say you made the right choice, then,” she determined. “Serenity is indeed the perfect fit for the role of judge in contrast to Octavia’s high standards.”

“Exactly,” Dakota nodded. “And unlike you, I don’t have to worry about her giving long-winded speeches explaining each and every one of her scores. That was the actual deciding factor.”

Nola wanted to scream. And file a report with H.R. But neither of those things were going to accomplish much, so she held her tongue and seethed.

“Besides,” Dakota mused, looking at the smirk on Serenity’s face as Octavia stepped away from her, subtly wiping her hand clean with a handkerchief. The butler seemed mildly perturbed, as if she was experiencing something she hadn’t expected.

“Serenity has… her own advantages.”

Dani accosted the siren as Serenity left the crowd, making sure to stay five feet away from her.

“Serenity, I know what you did,” she said, keeping her voice low so that the other girls couldn’t hear. Except maybe Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, but she didn’t seem to care much about anything other than Nick and Kim.

Serenity blinked and tilted her head to the side. She smiled brazenly at the tomboy.

Dani sighed. “Play mute if you want. I’ve been dealing with that one enough now to work with it,” she said, nodding over her shoulder at the dark-haired assassin.

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Serenity said, shrugging.

“That power of yours? Being able to turn people on if they get too close to you?” Dani reminded Serenity. “Remember all that stuff you said, about how you don’t like it? And what about all the talking you’re doing?”

Serenity cradled her throat. “Talking is fine,” she said bluntly.

She didn’t bother defending the other accusation.

“Look, Octavia might have said some bad stuff, but you’re better than that,” Dani reminded the other girl. “Don’t pick petty fights, okay? And you really shouldn’t have used your power on her.”

Serenity shrugged again. “Tell her,” she replied.

Dani blinked. “…Wait, for real? You’re serious right now?”

The siren nodded. “Don’t mind. Let her know. I meant it. Hatchet. Buried.”

Okay, that sounded more like the Serenity Dani had gotten to know. But she was still confused. “Well… then why did you get her aroused?”

“Party,” Serenity replied. “Have fun.”

She smirked.

“Needs to loosen up a little.”

Dani didn’t like the sound of that. This wasn’t at all like Serenity.

“You’re not that kind of person,” she said again. “You tried to warn me about your powers, and I’ve been noticing you keeping your distance from the others.”

A shadow crossed over Serenity’s face, and that was all Dani needed. She could see the look of regret in the siren’s eyes.

“…Sorry,” she mumbled, looking down. “First time. Too long.”

She’d only used a few words, but they were enough for Dani to realize what was going on here.

“You lost your temper, is that it?” Dani asked softly.

Serenity gnashed her teeth together in response.

“Mean woman. Looked down on me. Got mad.” She shook her head, and sighed. “Got even. Wasn’t thinking though. Big mistake.”

Dani nodded. “Yeah, yeah, it was a big mistake alright,” she sighed, scratching her head. “But hey, you’re not the only one who did something dumb and drastic as a kneejerk reaction and then regretted it. Let’s go apologize to Octavia, I’m sure she won’t mind.”

Actually Dani expected the butler to mind quite a bit. But that was just going to have to keep. She felt like she owed Serenity a lot, and she wanted the other woman to take responsibility for her actions. Making someone aroused out of petty spite for them looking down on you wasn’t okay to do, and Serenity knew that.

It’s been a while since she was around people like this. Maybe she should get out more and spend time with the rest of us. Dani was giving the siren a lot of latitude because she knew what she’d been through, but if Serenity hadn’t shown remorse for her actions, that would be another story.

Thankfully, the siren seemed like she wanted to make things right.