There's somethin' happenin' somewhere

“There we go… finished!” Rose put the final touches on her creation, and her face lit up with pride. “What do you think, Nick? You like?”

She turned and presented the totem of her hard work to her date, who was rather surprised by what Rose had so carefully crafted. It wasn’t clothes like he had expected, rather it was…

“Is that… a stuffed animal?” Nick asked with more than a small amount of incredulity. Rose had dutifully sewn together a stuffed bear, which she was now proudly displaying.

“Yes, it is!” Rose declared. “Isn’t it just the cutest little thing you ever did see?”

In Nick’s opinion Rose’s joyful face was a lot cuter than the stuffed animal, but he had to admit she had put a lot of effort into the little guy. She had used some pieces of fabric to make a flannel shirt and some overalls for the bear, giving it even more personality. He had never known Rose to be this detail-oriented, but apparently she was still showing him skills that would surprise him.

“I think I’m going to name her Beary,” Rose decided. “Beary the bear!”

“Isn’t Barry a boy’s name?” Nick questioned.

Rose rolled her eyes. “It’s not ‘Barry’ with two R’s Nick, it’s ‘Beary’, you know, like a bear? I mean, English is my second language and I still understand it better than you!” She said with a haughty laugh, earning her a roll of the eyes from Nick.

“Yeah, whatever you say,” he said.

“Now help me find some red yarn I can use for the pigtails…” Rose went back to rummaging through one of the drawers as a lightbulb went off over Nick’s head. He decided to keep his mouth shut though and just humor her.

As long as she was enjoying herself, that was the important thing.

They left the craft store a few minutes later with Rose’s pigtailed farmer bear stowed safely away in a bag.

“I’m sorry I sort of left you alone in there for a little bit,” Rose apologized, surprising Nick. He wasn’t used to Rose being so thoughtful when it came to the time of others.

“No, it’s not a problem,” he assured her, shaking his head. “Did you have a good time? That’s what really matters.”

Rose puffed up her cheeks and shook her head. “No, you having a good time is what matters,” she asserted. “Which is why after lunch, we’ll do whatever you want to do! In fact, I’ll even let you pick the restaurant! Where do you want to eat?” She asked, her eyes shining with intense determination.

Nick smiled. Seeing Rose so dedicated to making sure he had a good time really warmed his heart.

“How about something simple?” He suggested, not wanting to devote too much time to just waiting and eating. “Want to get some burgers?”

Rose immediately frowned. “Burgers, huh?” She said, trying to **** out a smile while playing with her hair. “Well, if that’s what you want…”

“We don’t have to, though,” Nick quickly changed course. He wanted this to be about more than just his own fun and enjoyment. After all, this was Rose’s date too, he didn’t want to eat somewhere she wouldn’t like. “If you’d prefer something fancy for lunch, we can get that instead.”

“No, I said, we’re doing what you want to do,” Rose said firmly. “And don’t think this is my transformation kicking in or anything, okay? This is me! I don’t always eat food like that, but if you’re hungry for burgers, don’t change it up for my sake, okay?”

Nick could see that Rose wasn’t going to back down on this argument. But he also noted something else that surprised him.

“Rose… I know that you can be a thoughtful person without your transformation,” he assured her. “What we were talking about before, that doesn’t mean I’m going to assume every act of good will on your part is being influenced. Okay?”

“Oh, really?” Rose let out a faint sigh of relief and relaxed slightly. “Good. Because someone as magnanimous as myself, well, it’s only natural I lend a hand and help others, don’t you think? I’d hate for you to assume I was being influenced.”

Nick could see a few issues with the way Rose was framing things, but he let them slide with a smile. “Sure thing, Rose,” he said, nodding.

“Also,” she added, “I have another surprise for you later, and I don’t want you to think that’s because of my transformation either.”

Her expression was firm when she looked at him. He could tell that whatever she had planned, she was taking it seriously, and he could sympathize with that.

“Of course,” he agreed. “Whatever you want, Rose. It’s your day, after all.”

Nick expected that Rose would be put at ease after hearing that, but apparently just the opposite happened. Her face tightened into a frown and she tensed up, like she was nervous about something, before relaxing and forcing another smile. It was more natural than last time, but he could tell that she was still trying harder than usual.

“Is something wrong?” He asked. With Rose, it was necessary to cut to the heart of the matter; if you didn’t, then things would just go off the rails. “You’re acting a little weird.”

Rose pinched her lips together tightly and shook her head. “No, there’s nothing wrong,” she assured him. “It’s just… I realized that this is going to be our first real night together in the Master’s Suite in forever, that’s all.”

Nick felt her words sink in and he nodded. “…Oh.”

That’s right. Practically as soon as she could afford it, Rose was taking Nick on dates to Dream Alley and putting all of her money into that. And now she had more than enough BP to keep buying dates to Dream Alley, but instead of doing so, she’d decided that she wanted to spend her night with him in the Master’s Suite instead. Maybe it was out of consideration for his schedule, or maybe because there was something else she wanted from the hotel, he still didn’t know for sure. But what he did know was that Rose was focused on something, something that was occupying a lot of her thoughts.

“…It’s going to be strange,” she said quietly. “…With your wife around, and everything.”

Nick bristled. “That’s… true enough, I suppose,” he murmured, averting his eyes.

There it was, the elephant in the room. Or one of several elephants in the room, in this case.

Mary was going to be present for his night with Rose. Nick could already tell that would be a bit of an issue; after all, the relationship between Rose and Mary was a complicated one, as the bear in Rose’s shopping bag could attest to.

Rose spending the night with Nick while Mary breathed over her shoulder would probably make for a lot of discomfort. Nick could definitely picture Rose trying to show off for the redhead and compete with her, proving that she was superior. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d done something like that; so why did she think it mattered so much that it would be happening on her night this time?

“Nick…” Rose turned and looked at Nick with a firm expression on her face.

“Yeah?” Nick asked.

“I’m cooking you dinner,” she said bluntly. “Understood?”

That… wasn’t what he’d been expecting her to say.

“…Huh?”

“I’m cooking dinner!” Rose said even more forcefully, staring fiercely at him. “You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

“No!” Nick shook his head quickly. “No, of course not! I’d love for you to cook me dinner, Rose! You don’t even have to ask!”

Rose stared at him for a moment, almost like she was trying to judge whether or not he was lying. Determining he was telling the truth, she relaxed, and let out a sigh of relief.

“Okay then,” she said, calming down and straightening up. “Then… that’s good then. Great.”

“Uh-huh…” Nick nodded. “And you know, now that you’re prepped me for it, I’m actually getting pretty hungry! So about those burgers…”

Rose got a little flustered. “Well… it’s not going to be a big deal!” She scoffed. “I’m an expert chef, after all. You know that. So yes, you SHOULD be looking forward to it!”

“I already said I am.”

“Good. You should.”

“Again, I-”

“Nick!”

Nick paused, and saw that Rose’s cheeks had a light dusting of pink over them. She was practically fuming.

“…Enough!” She said finally, turning away from him. “Let’s go! You wanted to get burgers, right? Well… we’re wasting time!”

As Nick followed the flustered Frenchwoman, he realized that she was embarrassed. He’d made such a big deal out of looking forward to her cooking that now he’d put a bunch of pressure on her.

…

Nick was fine with that.

Rose either buckles under pressure or rises above it. I’m really kind of curious which one it’s going to be tonight. Nick knew that on some level what he was thinking was pretty bad. The fact that part of him was kind of hoping that Rose would mess up dinner was really unfair to her.

But he couldn’t help himself. Rose was so adorable when she messed up.

I really need to keep my worst impulses in check, he urged himself. If I don’t, then things are just going to get even more awkward for her. And as funny as that would be, it’s not fair to Rose for me to hope that things go crazy.

He just hoped that Rose would be able to have a good time. That’s what she wanted for him, so that’s what he was going to want for her.

Whatever the surprise she’s got prepared is, I hope she ends up enjoying it. As usual, Rose is putting all of herself into something again, huh?

While Nick was enjoying himself on his date with Rose, the woman he’d been on a date with the night before was currently in the process of exploring her newfound way of life.

…Well, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. Vivian had no intention of changing herself completely, that would be completely anathema to her morals. She was the sort of woman who lived life doing things the way she wanted, and she had no intention of turning herself into a completely different person.

No, right now, she was focused on becoming the best Vivian she could be. And what that meant was lending a hand to someone who needed it. To prove that she could be a good person who helped others, instead of someone who just played pranks on people and made them uncomfortable.

I messed up on my date with Nick. And I’ve gotta make up for that. I wanted to work with Dani and try to help her out, since she’s got a pretty rough situation in the harem, but it seems like she’s got something else to work on right now. Which means… I’ve got to talk to somebody else.

There was only one person Vivian could think of at the moment who might be receptive to her new change in attitude, and unfortunately it was someone she didn’t know very well.

But no time like the present to make new friends, right?

“Hello, Morgana? Are you in there?” Vivian called, knocking on the door of the goth girl’s room. “It’s me, Vivian! I wanted to talk!”

She could hear some rustling from inside. The door cracked open a second later, and she saw a big red eye peeking out of it.

“Hey there!” Vivian greeted Morgana with a cheery smile and a wave. “Good morning! Hope I didn’t wake you up!”

“Vivian?” Morgana opened the door a little wider and stepped out, looking at the heiress with an expression that radiated confusion. Vivian could tell just by looking at her that Morgana was the kind of woman who wore her heart on her sleeve. Which was honestly something she could admire.

“I know it’s a little strange, me knocking on your door out of nowhere,” Vivian said, starting off with some small talk. “I mean, we’re not exactly close, after all.”

Morgana wasn’t sure how to respond, so she tentatively shook her head. “No, I guess not… I’ve always thought you were kind of a rich snob who didn’t want anything to do with me… …Oh! Um, sorry, I didn’t mean for that to come out so… …Sorry.”

“No, don’t worry, it’s fine,” Vivian assured her with a dismissive wave. “Believe me, I’m cool. And I get it, you know? I say stuff I wish I could take back all the time.”

Morgana looked at the heiress with wide eyes. “Really? You do?”

Vivian nodded, biting her lip. “As a matter of fact, my date with Nick yesterday? Completely blew up in my face because of that.”

She sighed and shook her head. “…I was just playing a little prank, you know?” She murmured. “At least, that’s what I thought. But Nick didn’t see it that way. He was really hurt and offended, and that’s when I realized I needed to make some changes with my life, you know?”

Morgana blinked. “Um… and you’re here… because of that?” She questioned, fidgeting awkwardly. She didn’t see how Vivian’s story applied to the situation. “I mean, I… I don’t know if I can really be of any help to you…”

“No, no, like I said, it’s about me helping you,” Vivian said. “It’s this whole thing I’m trying out, see? I’m a pretty generous person by nature, but I should do more of that! You know, to make amends. So what are you planning to do today? Let me help!”

Morgana didn’t really know what to say to someone who looked so… eager. Vivian was like an enthusiastic puppy, and unfortunately Morgana was more of a cat person.

“I-I still don’t get it,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean… Vivian… all the stuff you’re saying, it’s kinda… really confusing, so…”

Vivian blinked. “Confusing? Confusing how?” She asked.

“Well, because… you were already being nice and helping people, right?” Morgana pointed out. “So I don’t know how doing more of that’s supposed to, um… make up for all the other stuff.”

Morgana had her fair share of screw-ups. And she’d tried really hard to make things right, too! But she still didn’t understand Vivian’s perspective.

Maybe it was a rich person sort of thing?

Vivian bit her lip and frowned. “You don’t think it’s a good idea then?” She asked.

“Well… I…” Why did Morgana have to be so bad with words?! Not to mention she was talking to someone she found kind of intimidating, which was pretty much everybody who wasn’t her close friend. “…Okay, so, I get it, okay? I’ve been there before! I… I made a lot of mistakes when I came to the island myself…”

Her face burned with shame as she recalled all the stuff she’d said and done when she came to the island. Those memories made her want to curl up into a little ball and die!

“…I was really arrogant and smug,” Morgana mumbled. “I thought that, well… that my dreams had come true, that I was living my ideal harem life… I pictured myself as the queen witch with everyone else beneath me, imagining Nick was my… my… gyaaagh!”

She covered her face as the shame overloaded her, nearly making her pass out. “It’s too much! Oooghaaa…”

“Okay, um, if this is making you freak out, you can stop,” Vivian said, holding up her hands. “I don’t want you to pop a blood vessel or anything.”

Morgana peeked out from behind her fingers.

“…Sorry,” she mumbled. “It’s just… bad memories.”

Vivian nodded, biting her lip. “Yeah… I have a few of those myself.”

Of course, Morgana’s memories were more of the “self-inflicted public humiliation” kind, which was especially embarrassing. She sighed and shook her head.

“…I just think, um… look, I made a really big mess. And I got on a lot of people’s bad sides, because I was just saying whatever popped into my head, without thinking about how it affected other people. And that was really bad,” Morgana mumbled. “I’ve never been good at making friends.”

Vivian winced. While she had always been a social butterfly, the stuff Morgana was saying about not thinking about the consequences of her words and actions, that was hitting pretty close to home for the heiress.

“But… I made it better!” Morgana said. “I… I changed things around, I… I showed more of my real self to people, and tried to make an honest effort and be friends with them! …It was hard at first,” she admitted, handing her head. “But I wanted to change. I didn’t want to be some haughty, rude witch… I realized that all that stuff… it was me trying to hide my insecurities and stuff. So maybe, um… you’re doing the same thing?”

Morgana really hoped she wasn’t stepping over the line here. But Vivian didn’t seem upset. She looked contemplative, like she was actually considering what Morgana was saying.

That was a good sign, right?

“…Maybe you’ve got a point,” Vivian said finally, scratching her head. “You’re right, just token gestures of niceness and trying to help people out, that… that really doesn’t mean a whole lot, does it?”

Morgana shook her head. “Not really, no.”

Plus, I don’t think I could ever be as nice as Mary, she silently added.

“So what should I do then?” Vivian asked, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “If just being helpful and doing favors for people isn’t enough, then… what should I do?”

Morgana shrugged. How was she supposed to answer that!?

Vivian answered her own question with a laugh, thankfully. “Well… I suppose it’s not a question with an easy answer, huh? Just being myself… without being a selfish version of myself. Think things through I guess, right?”

Morgana nodded tentatively. “I try to remember, um… that everything I do… it could have really bad consequences,” she explained. “Like with my magic… I was just experimenting with it, and then something bad happened because I was reckless…”

She shook her head. “Not good at all.”

Vivian nodded. “Fair enough, that sounds like a bit of a pain,” she agreed. “Well, I don’t have magic. But you’re right. It’s certainly not going to be easy.”

She’d have to watch herself. Everything she did could have consequences, and she needed to consider potential issues that could arise from them. And do so without turning completely neurotic like the goth girl in front of her.

“…Thanks for the advice, Morgana!” Vivian said, flashing a grin. “I’ll take it under consideration, sound good?”

Morgana swallowed. “Um… yeah… …Vivian, wait!”

“Hmm?” Vivian stopped and turned back to the other girl. “What’s up?”

“Um… it’s not exactly helping, but, uh… do you want to maybe hang out?” Morgana wanted to help Vivian, but she also wanted to try expanding her friend circle, even if a woman like Vivian was a little outside the norm for her.

That didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends, right?