Follow your heart 'til it bleeds

“So what are you planning to do?” Nick asked, turning to Kim once Dakota left. His emotions were still in a frazzle and his heart felt conflicted about what had just transpired with Dakota. He was concerned about Kim, but as for Kim herself…

Kim paused for a second and looked at him.

“…What are you thinking?” She threw the question back at him in a way. “Remember what Dakota said before? Complacency isn’t a good thing, Nick,” she said, shaking her head. “You need to be more proactive, and go after what you want.”

Kim held up the key. “So maybe now’s a good time for it.”

Nick could understand what Kim was saying, but he didn’t fall for it. He could see it in her eyes. Kim was conflicted, obviously, and with good reason. She’d been feuding with Dakota like the host was a disapproving mother-in-law from practically the moment Dakota popped up, and in their most recent bout Dakota had gotten one over on her. So by forcing him to make a choice, it was, strangely, a way for Kim to assert her authority and take charge of the situation.

He could appreciate that, to an extent. And he did understand that she was also using this as an opportunity to help him grow.

Dakota and Kim had only agreed on one thing tonight (other than Kim’s new physique looking pretty delicious, something he agreed with as well) and that was the fact that Nick needed to stop being complacent and be more proactive.

So they wanted him to express his feelings and say what he wanted, instead of being led around like a Holly on a leash?

“Well, I think you should take the key and decide for yourself,” he said bluntly.

Kim raised her eyebrow, but other than that, she didn’t seem surprised. She almost smiled. “…Really, you think so?” She asked quietly.

Nick nodded. “You guys were right, I need to stop letting myself just ‘go with the flow’ and actually start pushing against the current,” he admitted. A difficult metaphor given he lacked any real experience with actually swimming against a current given his circumstances, but not an improper one. “And I think part of that is saying what I want? Well, I don’t want to take away your prize, Kim. You earned that fair and square. That’s not me being complacent, that’s me giving you what you’re due.”

Kim’s eyes widened slightly and a faint smile touched her lips. She nodded slowly, seeing things from his perspective.

“Well… maybe you’re right,” she admitted, feeling the key go hot in her hand. “I wouldn’t want to be complacent myself.”

One of the first lessons Nick had taught her was that she needed to start expressing herself and going after what she wanted, instead of holding back. The same lesson she had been trying to help him see now.

Maybe they could both be a little complacent at times.

“For what it’s worth, Kim, I think you know what I want,” Nick said cryptically. “Don’t let it influence your choice.”

Kim raised her eyebrow. Just by saying that her choice was being influenced now. She gave him a curious look and frowned. What Nick wants? Well he said before he didn’t like Dream Alley, but then… no, wait, I’m overthinking this, aren’t I?

She grinned.

“…I think we’re both on the same page here,” she said with a chuckle. “We both want to take a nice break here in the Proximity Palace, away from the rest of the hotel. To just relax and unwind, and enjoy ourselves.”

Nick didn’t answer her, but he smiled. That was good enough.

Kim turned and used the key, opening the door to the Proximity Palace. As she turned the key in the lock it crumbled away to ash, and a wave of light rolled over it. It didn’t physically open, though, and Kim wasn’t surprised.

“We do have another hour or so to kill before nightfall, that’s what Dakota said, right?” Kim stretched her arms over her head and looked up at the late sun high in the sky. She turned to Nick. “Any ideas what we could do to pass the time?”

The first thing Nick thought of was the bounty Kim had just picked up, asking for spankings. But there would be time for that later.

“You like nature walks, right?” He said, looking around the grassy area. The Proximity Palace was right at the edge of the forest, overlooking the ocean atop a sharp cliff. There was plenty more to explore here if they wanted. But it would involve Kim getting her dress dirty-

“Sounds good to me,” Kim said with a grin.

…What was he thinking? Of course she wouldn’t care about something like that.

“One thing first,” she said, holding up her hand. “A conspiratorial smile flashed across her face. Nick was intrigued.

“Oh?”

Kim nodded, and stretched her arms again. “All that talk about the bounty, it brought the idea of earning more VP to mind,” she pointed out. “And while there’s no way I’m gonna spank my way to 200 Victory Points, I can at least advance my total forward a little more, don’t you think?”

True enough. Nick had only recently started engaging in sexual acts with Kim. He was sure that if they thought about it, they could find some more ways to get her more Victory Points if that was what she cared about.

“What were you thinking?” He asked.

The grin on her face was a dazzling as ever, but for some reason it sent a shiver down Nick’s spine.

“Well, I’ve got these nice new muscles,” Kim pointed out, flexing her arm. The scantily short sleeve of her qipao showed off plenty of the soft, seductive pale skin of her arms, and the distinct lack of muscle there. But behind the soft surface was a body with incredible strength.

“Don’t worry,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows as she took a surefooted step forward. “I won’t drop you, promise.”

Nick had to admit- he was intrigued.

It was strange, Kim trying to give him a princess carry. When Dani did it, it felt natural, due to the nature of their friendship and the kind of person that she was. But with Kim it seemed completely different. After all, they were sleeping together. So for someone he was in a romantic relationship with to scoop him up in her arms and hold him tight…

…It definitely brought some interesting feelings to his heart.

“You’re so light, Nick,” Kim said breathlessly. She still couldn’t believe she was carrying him like this, even after showing off in the gym earlier. “I wouldn’t mind doing this more often if I’m being honest,” she admitted.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” Nick replied, smiling politely back to her. She beamed down at him and winked.

“Well the important thing is whether or not you’re enjoying this,” she reminded him. “As for me, well… like I said, I can get used to just about anything, even carrying someone I like as if he’s a delicate little baby…”

She gave him a gentle rock back and forth, but stopped when she saw the look in his eyes.

“…Right, uh… maybe that’s a step too far,” she conceded, returning to a normal princess carry. Hopefully it would kick in soon…

Gave the Master a Princess Carry! +2 VP

“…There we go! 96 VP!” Kim chirped, looking at the number change on her hand. “I just got myself out of a hundred spankings with that one!”

“You aren’t seriously thinking about going through with all those spankings, are you?” Nick shook his head incredulously. “That’s 5200 spankings left. Come on, Kim, even if you have Dani’s enhanced strength and stamina now, I don’t. My hand wouldn’t be able to keep up with that!”

Kim laughed. “I know,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not being serious, obviously. Still, it’s kinda nice, you know? Having victory in the palm of my hand right now.”

She looked slyly down at him. “…Or in the palm of your hand, I should say,” she teased playfully.

Nick rolled his eyes. “Very funny. Come on, Kim…”

“Nick, Nick, I’m joking,” Kim said, shaking her head. “I don’t want to go through with it, either. But come on, you gotta admit it’s tempting, right? I could use this right now and be done with it. We could win the whole thing, and then everybody goes home.”

Even as the words left her lips she could hear how hollow they sounded. Fact was, Kim didn’t actually want that, not any of it. And they both knew it.

After all… if they went home now…

“You could win now,” Nick conceded. “But then what? Only you and Rose are above 100 VP. Everyone else, they wouldn’t get any beneficial transformations to help them out.”

“You don’t have to tell me that,” Kim said, shaking her head. “Believe me, Nick, I get it. I know what’s at stake here.”

She looked firmly at him. “This isn’t just some game, it’s reality. And I know better than to risk my friends all to get us out of here as fast as possible. Fact is… we need to play Dakota’s game a little longer, so we can help everyone.”

Nick nodded in agreement. He was glad that Kim had gotten the bounty instead of anyone else. He could easily imagine someone like Rose or Gina grabbing the bounty without even thinking about it, just **** to win (or get spanked) and not realize the consequences until it was too late.

Kim wasn’t like that, though. She may have been competitive at times, but she thought things through carefully. Most of the time.

“…Hey, Kim, you know you can put me down, right?” Nick asked, realizing that she was still carrying him like a princess.

Kim laughed. “Aww, you’re no fun,” she giggled. “Come on, I’m only going to have this strength for a little while, let me enjoy it, okay?”

Nick couldn’t really argue with her when she put it like that. He just sighed and relented, letting her have her way with him.

“Well, at least you’re enjoying your upgrade,” he commented. “Maybe it’s worth investing in after all, Kim.”

She frowned, considering that. “…I’ll think about it,” she finally relented. “Hey, who knows, Dani would probably enjoy letting me have an opportunity to flex my muscles every now and then, don’t you think so?”

Nick laughed. He could definitely see that.

As for Dani herself, while Nick and Kim had been enjoying their date and dealing with the walking ball of conflict that was Dakota, Dani found herself in a slightly different situation.

Carly had roped her in to helping Emmy learn how to swim. Not that Dani had needed much convincing. She liked Emmy a lot, and she was happy to lend a hand.

Only problem was, the only swimsuit she had was designed for her enhanced, curvaceous physique, not the body she originally had. Dani didn’t do a lot of swimming back in the day. So while Carly and Marley went with Emmy to try on swimsuits in the other room and Sylvia went back to her own room to fetch hers, Dani was stuck trying to make what she had work.

“…Nope,” Dani said, looking at her appearance in the mirror. “This definitely doesn’t fit at all.”

Even if she tied the strings of the bikini up higher it just wasn’t a proper fit. The fabric was designed to cup and carry breasts that were far rounded than her regular, more modest proportions, and no amount of playing with the length could change that fact.

And she absolutely did NOT want to buy another skimpy swimsuit that she would only get to wear for today.

Just as she was about to give up, she heard giggles coming from the side room, where Emmy was getting changed.

“You look adorable, Emmy!”

“Not bad at all.”

Carly and Marley were both lavishing the young woman with praise, and that made Dani smile. It also gave her a second wind. Not wanting to be distracted she went over and closed the door all the way, taking advantage of the room’s soundproofing. She wanted things to be a surprise.

Then she got back to focusing on how to make this swimsuit actually fit her, because she needed something. After all, if it came to swimming lessons, she had a pretty good feeling it was going to come down to her doing most of the work.

Could Sylvia swim? Did she even know how? Dani couldn’t imagine Dakota giving her that ability considering her own demise in the river, and she was hesitant to broach the topic with the former host for obvious reasons.

As for Marley, well, if she got too far away from her sister she would turn into a puddle of slime. Even if Carly had given Dani the necessary payments to bring their babysitting contract to a close, that didn’t change the fact that she had to stay with SOMEONE.

So that just left Carly. Carly, who might be able to leave her sister’s side, but who couldn’t change out of her cumbersome Supergirl costume unless it was stripping down to her underwear or going buck naked. And given that it was Emmy they were dealing with, somehow Dani didn’t think that was likely to happen. And even if her watch recharged again, there was no telling if she’d unlock the shark girl morph or something else.

Yeah, so Dani really had ****, she had to be the one doing the swimming today, for better or worse.

Not that she could just go naked…

Lost in thought, Dani didn’t even notice the door opening.

But she noticed Vivian’s scream.

“AH! INTRUDER! OCTAVIA, HELP!” She shouted at the top of her lungs. “There’s a stranger in my room, hurry, come quick!”

Dani recoiled, flinching. “V-Vivian!?” She squeaked out. “Wait, hold on, it’s not what you think! It’s me, Da-!”

“HELP! OCTAVIA!” Vivian wailed. “There’s a strange lady, making a massive fashion disaster! I’m so scared, Octavia, save me! My eyes are burning! Waaaaah!”

Dani stopped panicking and switched to giving Vivian a venomous glare. “…Seriously?”

Vivian placed her hands on her hips and scoffed. “I’m the one who should be saying that,” she replied coolly, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “Look at yourself, Dani, what are you wearing? Come on now. No way is that gonna fit. It just looks tacky!”

“Gee, thanks a ton,” Dani scowled.

Vivian winced, her confident smugness draining away. “Sorry, uh… I guess that was kinda out of line,” she said contritely, brushing her bangs aside. “So look, um… I will say, you look pretty great like that!” She struggled desperately to make her compliment sound as sincere as she meant it, but she was so used to speaking with her witty snark.

“…What happened?” She finally asked awkwardly, raising her eyebrows. “I mean…”

She waved her hand up and down in an exaggerated gesture at the tomboy, searching Dani’s face for clarification. “That a transformation or something…?”

“This is how I originally looked,” Dani informed the heiress, placing her hands on her hips and showing off her physique. It would have been impressive if not for the ill-fitting blue swimsuit hanging off of her shoulders. “Before those transformations turned me into that walking sex doll.”

Vivian nodded, and Dan saw a flash of approval in her eyes. “Well, I’ll say this, you look pretty cut,” she mused, whistling. “It can see the appeal. Damn.”

“Well, uh, thanks,” Dani said, brushing her feathery hair. She’d almost forgotten what it was like to get compliments about her muscles. “I really worked hard for this body.”

“So what did you do?” Vivian was still curious. She walked forward, not taking her eyes off Dani’s body. “Did you buy the temporary transformation negation from the shop or something?”

Dani shook her head. “No, it’s, uh…”

She remembered Kim’s plea to not tell anyone about her upgrade, and specifically not Vivian, and realized that maybe she should just keep her mouth shut. “…Not important. Just a thing happened.”

“Ah, gotcha. And this ‘thing’, did it also rob you of your fashion sense?” Vivian inquired cheekily.

Dani rolled her eyes and scoffed. “No, that’s what’s called a pre-existing condition,” she replied. “Someone of your background probably hasn’t heard of them before.”

Vivian’s lips turned up in a grin. She just loved it when people snarked back with her like that. It showed that Dani wasn’t afraid to dish it out.

“Well, maybe I can help,” she said, rubbing her hands together.

Dani knew where this was going and she stopped the heiress before she could even try. “No, no way,” she said quickly, holding up her hands. “I know where you’re going with this, Vivian, and the answer is no.”

Vivian blinked. “Oh? What do you mean?” She asked innocently.

Dani looked at her. “You’re planning on using that transformation of yours to enhance my breasts, isn’t that right?”

“Well…” Vivian’s eyes dropped to Dani’s chest. “If I did, you’d definitely fit in that swimsuit,” she pointed out.

True enough. Dani still wasn’t biting.

“Don’t throw your money away,” she advised Vivian, not sure how much the heiress even had left at this point given how loose she’d been with that transformation. “Nick won’t be touching these at all, no matter how big you make ‘em. Better to invest in a market with more… room for growth.”

She chuckled at her own joke, and Vivian did as well. The effect of the Romantic Suite was definitely leading the roommates to embrace their similarities.

“Fair enough,” Vivian agreed, lowering her hands and shrugging. “That being said, I’m not the kind of gal that will let a fashion disaster like that go without stepping in to fix the problem.”

Dani recognized the glimmer of passion in the heiress’s eye. She’d seen it many times in art school. It was the look of inspiration and desire; the look of someone who’d captured the muse.

Great, just great. Dani’s heart sank in her chest as she conceded to Vivian’s advances, knowing that she needed SOMEONE’S help to make this mess of a swimsuit actually look half-decent. Oh, why couldn’t the Romantic Suite kick in right now and give her a taste of Vivian’s fashion sense!?