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Princess Carry! +1 VP

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin flashed a look of smug triumph as her VP increased by one. Even though she didn’t know her letters and had absolutely zero capability of spelling the thing she’d just been rewarded for, she still felt very pleased with her accomplishment.

Especially because Nick didn’t drop her. Rose could not say the same. The blonde was miffed as she stared at the skimpy bimbo, but she refrained from pushing things too far. The last thing she needed was to turn this into some competition, especially when there were plenty of sexual acts Nick had yet to perform with Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, which would no doubt push her up to Rose’s VP score and beyond- and Rose still hadn’t figured out what to do for that last VP point, since Nick was reasonably hesitant for her to just start twerking right in the middle of the lounge.

Yes, for once, Rose was able to keep her competitive side in check, if only for the sake of a more important competition.

She wanted to be the first one on the show to get to 100 VP so badly; she didn’t want anything to jeopardize that.

And since this might be the last chance she had to do anything with Nick for several days, she could feel the urgency of a ticking clock guiding her actions.

Whatever. I should just do it! Even if it’s embarrassing for the both of us, I need that last point! Rose started to stand and turned her back to Nick, bending her waist and sticking out her butt.

Nick’s eyes widened. “R-Rose?” He stammered, tightening his grip on Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin out of reflex.

Dawn’s eyes widened in surprise and her tail flicked behind her as she leaned forward intently, wondering if the actress was going to go through with it or not.

Rose had just begun to shake her ass up and down when someone else stepped into the lounge.

“What is going on here?”

Nick stiffened up and his eyes bulged out of his skull. He didn’t need to see the person standing behind him, he recognized that voice all too well. The last time he had heard that tone from her, he had just gotten caught sneaking an extra bowl of ice cream out of the fridge in the middle of the night.

“Oh man,” Dawn cringed, slinking back. “Amelia.” Her face went pale and her ears drooped. She tried very hard not to look like she was any part of this at all.

The scene Amelia had walked in on was far from an easy one to explain. Nick was standing in the middle of the room with a slender girl in his arms, while another woman was leaning in front of him paused mid-twerk, her face red as a raspberry at being caught. Sure, there were far worse things that Amelia could have stumbled across, especially with this particular group of girls, but everyone involved still felt pretty ashamed as the older woman surveyed the situation.

…Well, not Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin. She didn’t really feel ashamed about anything.

Amelia walked around them, her eyes never leaving the trio as she approached the kitchen attachment in the lounge to get her morning cup of coffee.

“…Explanation?” She asked in a tired voice.

“…Yeah,” Nick said, nodding his head in a startled jerk. “There is one.” He knew his stepmother well enough to understand that she was asking if there was an explanation for what was going on here, and not necessarily demanding he give it to her. Amelia was rather private about stuff like that, in fact- or maybe she just didn’t want to know the details.

Either was a safe bet. And either way, a faint tinge of relief thrummed in her otherwise tired voice, and she nodded. “I see. Good. Carry on then.”

Rose’s mouth fell open and Nick was so stunned he nearly dropped Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin on the floor.

“Wait, seriously?” Dawn asked. She was far enough removed from Nick and his pheromones (and the situation itself) that she was practically the only one capable of thinking rationally, and she looked incredulously at the older woman.

Amelia raised her eyebrow as she began to prepare her morning coffee. “I’ve realized there is no point in trying to prevent sexual acts from happening in public spaces,” she said with the resignation that came with having been stuck on this island for almost two rounds now.

Nick’s face burned with shame. “We, we weren’t, uh…”

“It’s not like that!” Rose blurted out, jerking upright. She shook her head frantically sending her blond curls bouncing. “Nick was just helping me out, that’s all!”

Amelia stared pointedly at her.

“Not like that, she means,” Nick said. He wanted to go aid Rose but Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin was clingier than ever. “She’s at 99 VP, and I just… I wanted to help her get to 100, that’s all…”

Amelia nodded ponderously. Her stern countenance relaxed a hair, though it was almost impossible to tell with her.

“I see. That is… admirable, I suppose. Very well, carry on.” She cleared her throat. “I am curious to see.”

Rose looked back at Nick, still blushing. “C-curious?” She stammered, turning to Amelia again. “About… twerking?”

Amelia gave her a “Do you really think that’s what I was saying?” look.

“Curious about what will happen should someone reach 100 Victory Points,” she clarified. “I have learned more than enough about ‘twerking’ from your generation’s social media.”

Dawn stifled a laugh.

Rose found herself trapped between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, she really wanted that last point. But she’d been hesitant enough as it was before Amelia had pulled up a chair and turned this into a spectator event, and the idea of doing something like that in front of someone who she respected and wanted to win over…

She’ll think I’m a total skank! Willing to debase myself just for points! There’s no way she’d want someone so lacking in respectability as a daughter-in-law! Rose bemoaned her misfortune, completely forgetting that Amelia had already witnessed far greater acts of debasement from Mary, her actual daughter-in-law, at their wedding.

Plus, Rose had shot Amelia in the last challenge and knocked her out first. If something like that really mattered to the older woman, then her ship had been sunk several times over.

Nick took this opportunity to talk. “Hey, um… actually… there might be another way you could get that last point, Rose,” he said quietly. “Without twerking, I mean.”

Rose snapped over to him like a metal rod beside a super-magnet.

“What, really!?” She gasped.

Nick managed to set Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin down, much to the mute girl’s chagrin.

“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “I almost forgot, um… on my date with Vivian, she got a Victory Point for a lap pillow. It was only worth 1 VP… or, well, doubled because she was the first one, but that’s enough for you, right?”

Rose’s face lit up. That was just perfect! Nice and wholesome and wouldn’t lower her standing with Amelia in the slightest.

Dawn cleared her throat. “Curious how you’re only just now bringing that up,” she said slyly. “Could it be you were hoping Rose would give you a little twerk show, so you kept quiet?” She knew that wasn’t the case, obviously, but it was still fun to tease him.

“No!” Nick turned red like she knew he would. He turned to Amelia and gave her an insistent look. “I really just remembered it.”

“Of course,” Amelia said ambivalently. With her detached, emotionless expression he couldn’t tell if she actually believed him or not. He really hoped she did.

Nick sighed and scratched his head. He turned back to Rose. “Sorry I didn’t think about it until now,” he apologized. A lot had happened on his date with Vivian and he’d been trying not to think about it. It really had just come to him.

At least now they had a way to conveniently move things forward. And he was really curious himself what would happen when Rose got to 100 VP, especially after the conversation he had last night with Dakota.

Rose in turn had rebounded quite nicely. She hopped onto the couch and flashed a grin, patting her lap. “Alright, one lap pillow, as you requested!” She chirped.

Nick blinked. “…Uh, no, it, uh, it was the other way around actually.”

Rose stared at him.

“…Huh?”

“The lap pillow.” Nick scratched his head. “It was the other way around. I mean, there could be VP for doing it this way, too, but the one I did with Vivian it was her resting her head on MY lap.”

Rose stared at him some more. Her cheeks slowly turned pink. “Ehehe…”

Things quickly flipped on their head. Nick sat down on the couch and Rose knelt on the couch beside him, her gaze fixed on his crotch with an almost hungry stare. To anyone looking on from the outside, they might have thought that the frantic hesitation in her eyes was due to her debating whether or not to give him a blowjob or a handjob or something else involving his penis.

That was not the case. Rose was completely petrified by the prospect of merely resting her head in his lap.

It was almost silly. After all, the actress had gone much further with her beau, and they’d done so many things together (as her long list of sexual exploits could testify towards) that something as simple as a lap pillow seemed rather pedestrian in comparison.

But the unquestionable intimacy of the act still left her heart racing, and she swallowed her doubts with a wary look in her eyes as she slowly lowered her head and laid it down on his thighs.

“Is… is this good enough?” She whispered. Rose was too embarrassed to look up at him so she rested her head on its side and stared at the far wall, hoping he wouldn’t be able to see the blush on her face or hear the pounding of her heart.

Wrong on both counts.

“I wonder how long it has to go to count?” Dawn mused. “The princess carry was pretty fast, so this one should be-”

Received a Lap Pillow from Master! +1 VP

Rose jumped in surprise. Her eyes widened and she raised her hand to take a peek at her wrist.

100 VP.

She’d done it.

She’d really done it.

Rose almost felt like she was going to cry.

“I was the first one,” she said softly, her voice teaming with pride. “The first one to get 100 VP…”

“Congratulations,” Dawn said evenly, taking a look at her own score. 82 VP. A good score. But not in first. Not even close. She only felt a tiny bit jealous about that. “You really worked hard for it.”

Rose was still resting her head in Nick’s lap. It was comfortable here; she’d gotten used to it by this point. Feeling him so close, feeling his warmth radiating against her cheek, knowing he was here, looking over her, sharing this moment with her…

A small smile touched her lips.

It only lasted a short while, though.

“…So that’s it?” She asked, her voice loudly echoing through the lounge. No fanfare? No confetti? No tickertape parade? I got to 100 VP and just… nothing?”

“Did you expect a statue to be erected in your honor?” Dawn asked with an amused smile.

“Well, maybe a tiny one!” Rose protested, looking up at her and pouting.

“You should take pride in the accomplishment for its own merits,” Amelia said calmly, taking a sip from her recently-brewed coffee. “Congratulations.”

Rose’s blush intensified.

“Well, isn’t this a tender little moment?”

Nick raised his head to see a familiar face leaning against the hallway entrance, wearing an amused smile on her lips.

It was Kim.

“Nick just giving out freebies now, or is this a special gift just for Rose?” She joked, coming over to them and sitting down in an armchair.

“Wait your turn,” Rose said snippily.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin quickly bounded over to Kim, her eyes wide. She smiled at the schoolgirl and Kim smiled back before turning to Nick.

“I’m serious, you look really cozy… oh, hey! Wait a sec!” Kim’s eyes widened when she saw the number on Rose’s hand and she leaned forward. “Did you… you did! You got to 100 VP?”

“Yep,” Rose said, flashing a toothy smile as she nestled her head deeper into Nick’s lap. She’d been so embarrassed at first to even try it, but now that other women were expressing their desire for a lap pillow, no way was she going to give up her hard-fought throne.

“Rose was really frantic to get to 100 VP before someone overtook her today,” Dawn explained.

Kim nodded. “Right, yeah, I get that. It’s Dani’s night, after all. You know how she’s such a go-getter for those Victory Points.”

She snorted out another laugh and Rose rolled her eyes. “You’re just jealous that I’m in the lead right now, and you’re not,” she said like the brat she was.

The smile slid off Kim’s face for a moment, a rare occurrence for the skilled customer sales representative. It quickly returned, though, with a trace of mischief in it as she leaned forward and rested her chin in her palms.

“Well, you’re not wrong,” she said. “Though, I’m looking forward to this afternoon. Remember? Dani said I could join up with you guys once I’m done with my shift. And tomorrow is my night with Nick all to myself…”

She wiggled her eyebrows. “Who knows? By the end of it, I might have more Victory Points than even you, Rose!”

It was no idle threat. It was a threat Rose took very seriously. Kim might have only had 83 VP, but that was nothing. Especially since she had a threesome lined up for today. And Rose knew how much of a go-getter she was.

“Try your best,” Rose said calmly, refusing to let on how rattled she was. “I’ll look forward to seeing you jump in points.”

It almost sounded sincere. As sincere as Kim’s salesgirl smile. The two traded icy stares as the pleasant atmosphere slowly dispersed.

“…One thing I’m curious about though, why is Nick giving you a lap pillow instead of the other way around?” Kim questioned. “I thought you’d be all about showing off how great of a caretaker you are, Rose. Did your desire to be pampered like a princess take priority?”

Rose sniffed. “I offered it first,” she replied. “But Nick said that Vivian earned 1 VP on her date by being given a lap pillow, not giving one.”

“That’s right,” Dawn said, nodding. “We wanted to go with the safe bet.”

Amelia watched the girls discuss with another sip of her coffee.

Kim raised a curious eyebrow. “Nick said that? Huh…” She turned and gave him a sly look. “See, ‘cause on my date with him, I gave him a lap pillow. And it was worth 2 Victory Points.” Which had doubled to 4, since she had been the first one to do it.

Rose blinked. She let Kim’s words sink in. Then she squirmed on Nick’s lap and turned to look up at him questioningly.

Nick turned his head away, acknowledging his guilt in one single motion.

“What?!” Rose tore her head out of his lap and sat upright, staring at him. “What’s this now!?” She reached out and pinched both his cheeks, pulling them outwards. As angry as she was though, she took care not to give him any serious pain.

A little casual pain, though, that was deserved.

“Hey, I thought it was cute!” Nick said defensively, holding up his hands. He tried to calm Rose down with a smile but it was kind of hard to do while she stretched his cheeks out like marshmallows.

Kim held her stomach and cackled. “Hah! Knew it. He just wanted to give you a lap pillow so he kept it to himself!” She wiped a tear from her eye. “That’s just adorable…”

Rose continued to glare at him as her face turned red. She wanted so badly to keep being mad, but the fact Nick had tricked her in order to give her something nice really let the wind out of her sails.

So she snapped his cheeks back into place and let out a huff.

“Fine, then I’ll give you one!” She patted her lap insistently. She wasn’t about to let Kim, or Nick, make a fool out of her.

Kim was still laughing as she stood up. “Well, this is all very cute, but I have to get to breakfast. Don’t want to waste valuable work time by showing up late, you know!” She winked at Nick. “That would mean less time for us later!”

A very valid point. Nick opened his mouth to respond, only to realize that any response was unnecessary. The younger girl had already made for the elevator, with Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin in tow.

Nick turned to the frustrated blonde sitting beside him. “Kim’s right, Rose, let’s go get breakfast,” he said, standing up.

Rose stared at him in disappointment. “But… lap pillow!” She protested, patting her thighs.

“Later,” he promised. “After you’ve changed, maybe. Wouldn’t it be nicer if you were wearing something other than tight jeans?”

Rose blinked. Nick had actually made a very valid point himself. He deserved only the best, after all.

“…Okay, fair,” she agreed, standing up after him. They headed out to get breakfast with Dawn tagging along, leaving Amelia alone in the lounge to finish her coffee.

“Well, it’s nice to see they’re all getting along,” she noted.

Amelia was the last one to make it to the Banquet Hall for lunch. Even Vivian had managed to drag herself out of bed and join the gang. She was chatting up Morgana, trying to convince her to change her wardrobe again.

Morgana was being very adamant for once. Yesterday was a one-time thing, at least for now.

“…Lively,” Amelia mused, her voice barely above a whisper as her eyes drifted from table to table. Everybody seemed to be getting along. Dawn had gone over to check on Ella and see how she was doing, and Kim and Dani were having a discussion with Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin chowing on ice cream beside them. Sylvia was chatting with her roommates, Marley in particular, while Carly listened in patiently.

“What costume is that?” Gina asked, coming over to check out Carly’s outfit. It was a very simple one. A single white dress with buttons going halfway down the front. There was nothing under it; on a less-endowed woman it would look very modest, but with Carly’s assets it was pushed to the limit, showing off a great deal of cleavage. Her brown hair was tied up into a short ponytail by a pink ribbon.

“It’s not one I’m a fan of,” Carly said, giving Gina a sad smile. “It’s a tragic character. But… it’s fine.”

Amelia went to go serve herself breakfast, and just as she was preparing to sit down she was reminded of the fact that, no, she was not the last one to arrive.

That honor belonged to Mary and Holly, who stumbled into the Banquet Hall with confused expressions on their faces.

“Mary? Holly?” Nick stood up when he noticed the two of them. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Not sure,” Holly said with a shrug.

Mary frowned. “Nola said we had to come,” she grumbled. “Said Dakota insisted.”

“That’s right!”

Dakota suddenly appeared in the center of the room. She pressed her fingers together and smiled politely.

“I wanted everyone gathered here this morning,” she said, scanning her eyes across the Banquet Hall. “…And it looks like we’ve all arrived! Good. I didn’t want to have to go drag someone out of bed.”

“What’s up?” Dani asked, raising her eyebrow. “Something happen?”

Dakota gave her a sly smile. “You could say that,” she purred, twirling her cane. “I’ve got some wonderful news for you all!”

Rose sat up a little taller in her chair, smiling smugly. But Nick felt a stab of concern as he remembered his discussion with Dakota earlier.

Hopefully this “news” would really be as wonderful as Dakota claimed it would.