Four Foxtails

Mary and Merida came out to the lounge and found everyone else already there waiting for them. Mary immediately started to prepare breakfast, starting with coffee.

Hilde said, “Mistress, I really like the hair.”

“Thank you, Hilde.”

No one missed the four foxtails trailing behind Mary or her new ears. Flora sidled over to Merida and whispered, “Seems like you had a good time last night.” Merida blushed slightly and looked a little guilty. “Hey, it’s okay. Merida, we’re good. You are allowed to have a good time, especially with Mary.”

Chloe said, “We’ve been filling in Ellen on what she missed while ****.”

Ellen nodded, “So, what is the plan with our prisoner?”

“I intend to bring her to the darkside.” Mary said firmly.

Ellen pursed her lips. “Is that wise? I feel like that might not end up like you think it will.”

“Why is that?” Flora asked her.

“The way most of the other team interacted with her. She’s different. She clearly doesn’t know about the show and thinks all this is real, but behaves differently than the other NPCs.”

Mary poured coffee for everyone. “I know. That much was obvious while talking with her yesterday. I also think Cassandra intends to add her to my harem. Hilde, do you have any clue about that?”

Hilde shook her head. “Sorry, Mistress, if I was told about it, that would definitely be something that Cassandra would have clouded over.”

“Really, another woman?” Chloe complained. “How many more are we going to have to share you with?”

Mary shrugged, “I don’t know. Hopefully not too many. Ellen, don’t worry, I’m not going to **** Ethel or anything.”

Flora said, “Mary, I assume you and Merida saw the notification from Cassandra about the BP store?” They nodded. “Well, my thoughts are this: we swing by the BP store after breakfast and then try to complete a few tasks. I feel like we underutilized our time yesterday. Chloe, you said last night you would tell us about the upgrades. What happened?”

“Well, while I was working in the workshop, it suddenly glowed and everything was suddenly a lot better, and we got new tools and recipes available to us. Enough that I was able to complete a task this morning, letting a concoction brew overnight.”

Task: Alchemical Workshop Upgrade

• Risk: Very Low
• Reward: Workshop Upgrade, 5 CP, 200XP

Go to the workshop and create 10 different types of creations, one of at least rare quality.

“When I picked up the concoction this morning, the same thing happened. Everything got better.”

“What did you make?” Flora asked.

“Well beyond what I gave you yesterday, Flora. I made a few healing potions, a mana potion, several molotovs, and a resurrection vial.”

“I assume that last one brings someone back from being incapacitated?”

“Yes, but only if done within five minutes of incapacitation, and only ten percent of their HP is healed. Sorry, but we can’t use this to have Ellen do stuff today.”

Flora turned to Mary, “Sorry, no can do from me either. I mentioned that I can only bring someone back if I get to them quickly. That vial Chloe made, I get one a day, right now.”

Chloe walked over to Hilde, “Meaning you should be carrying the other one.” Chloe held out the vial for Hilde.

Hilde took the vial but asked, “Why me?”

“Because you’re fastest, and that should be saved for Mary if at all possible. Since that is the only way to bring her back up on our team.” Chloe then walked over to Flora, “Here’s another hundred dildo arrows and another twenty lactation arrows. I’m going to be honest, guys, you should all look over the stuff Cassandra gave you about your class abilities. I learned a lot doing so, and even gained quite a bit of XP while practicing. Also, Aubrey, you will be coming to the workshop after breakfast, before we go to the BP store. There is a milking machine. I think it should work as long as I’m operating the machine instead of you.”

Aubrey frowned. “B’a baa ba baa!”

Chloe sighed, “Yes, I know you aren’t a cow, but you’ve gained what six or seven cup sizes? You need to be milked.”

Aubrey grumbled but didn’t respond.

Mary brought out three massive plates of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Everyone quickly dug into the food. Chloe asked, “So, if you can cook this well, why is it that we are supposed to learn how to cook, like we are some housewife? I mean, I really feel like you should be the designated food maker, Mary.”

Mary glared at Chloe as she chewed her food. She said, “Because I’m not going to have time. Even if I had time, I would still need help with how many people are going to be in the household. Besides, we are definitely employing someone to cook for us, either Astrid or a professional cook, whom we simply hire.”

“Don’t go with Astrid,” Hilde said. “Seriously, don’t. She’s banned from the kitchen for a reason.”

“Really?” Merida asked, “I thocht she wis the ane wha made a' the food when we ordered it.”

“Eh… sort of. Astrid is the one to operate the magical scripts that produce the food, but there isn’t any cooking involved. Freya mentioned that some of your sci-fi shows have a pretty close equivalent of how it works. I think she called it a food replicator.”

“Mary did mention somethin' like that last nicht.” The others turned to look at Merida in curiosity. “Weel, Mary prepared dinner for the twa o' us. She picked a dish that she had made in the past. It was apparently an exact replica o' it. She… she also got me some o' my faither's fudge.”

Flora saw the wistful expression on Merida’s face and squeezed her hand.

The group quickly wrapped up eating breakfast. Chloe dragged Aubrey off to get milked, though Aubrey was very much not happy about it. Mary asked, “So, where is the store?”

“I’ll show you,” Flora responded. “I feel like Cassandra is referencing something, for your benefit, because I don’t get what is up with it.” Flora led the way towards the entrance of the lair. Just inside the entrance stood an individual wrapped in a black trench coat with a purple bandana covering their face.

The individual said, “Over here, Strangers!” It was definitely Slevia’s voice, but deeper. As the group approached her, she pulled aside one flap of the trench coat, asking, “What’re ya buyin’?” As she did so, a digital menu appeared in mid-air in front of them.

Mary just shook her head, “You’re right, Flora, this is a straight copy. Which is slightly funny because I bet I’m the only one of us who gets the reference, and I’m the only one who doesn’t need to talk to her to shop among us. Slevia, I have a question, can you give me advice like normal or not?”

“Aye, Stanger. I got what ya need.” The screen changed to show a list of options.

Merida asked Mary, “Umm… why are the first couple juist ca'd ‘I telt ye so’?”

Mary frowned at Slevia, “Seriously?”

“Good stuff, Stranger.” Mary swore she heard Slevia chuckle.

Merida tapped on the first ‘I told you so’ to see what it was. The entry just read: ‘Do I really need to tell you what you should be upgrading, again? It hasn’t changed.’ “Slevia, why are ye sassin' my girlfriend?” Flora looked a little surprised at Merida’s statement.

“Having trouble deciding, are we? I reserved some items just for you!” A new set of items was displayed for Merida. The first option read, ‘Go Fuck Yourself’. Merida did not look amused, but tapped on it. ‘She knows exactly why. Also, I can’t talk normally right now. Also, congrats.’ Below the joke item was an actual list of suggestions. Some of them seemed to be discounted. “Why are the prices lawered?” Slevia’s eyes narrowed. “Actually, never mind, ye cannae talk richt noo.”

Mary answered the question, though. “Apparently, there are limited-time sales. They happen randomly. You likely will have until you walk away to make use of the sale.” Slevia nodded.

Merida looked through the sale options. Then at Mary, then at Slevia. “Wis this sale sponsored by Sally or somethin'? A' the options are tae mak' my breasts even mair muckle.”

“Oh?! Slevia, is this sale available to me too?” Slevia shook her head. Merida glared at Mary.

“Och, whit are ye playin' at! I’m already muckle. I dinnae need tae be bigger.”

“Slevia, what about me? Can I buy stuff for Merida at a discount?” Flora said, smirking. Slevia shook her head but laughed.

“FLORA! I dinnae need tae be bigger!”

Mary lifted Merida’s breasts a little with both hands. “I don’t know, I mean, I would like a plusher set of pillows to rest my head on. You want me to be comfortable, right, Merida?”

“Yeah, Merida, don’t you want your girlfriends to be comfortable when sleeping with you? Just think about it. Mary, resting her head on one breast, me resting my head on the other. I bet you would just LOVE that. I really think you should buy something.”

“Bloody HELL! Fine!” Merida pressed the option to upgrade her A Posh Pillow TF. Stupid girlfriends, gettin' me a' worked up.

-1250 BP (Half Priced) Upgrade A Posh Pillow Merida -> 4175 BP

A Posh Pillow: Soft fur, luxurious pillows, and a warm bed. Sounds like a posh hotel, but in reality it’s Merida. Merida’s fur and hair will become extremely soft and luxurious. She will find having her hair or fur groomed to be pleasurable. In addition, Merida will find she is extra cuddly when sleeping, wanting to make sure her partner is warm and comfortable. To help provide that comfort, Merida will gain a bit of extra padding in her most magnificent chest pillows. [Posh Vixen] Upgrade: The most comfortable pillow ever. That is what Merida will feel like. Merida’s breasts and thighs will become plumper and softer to provide some extra cushion. Merida will also find someone lying on her to never be uncomfortable and find herself happy to let others use her as a pillow.

Merida’s breasts expanded by another two cup sizes, and her thighs gained some nice, attractive thickness. Merida then grabbed Flora by the arm, saying, “Awe richt, Kitty, ye are comin' wi' me. I’ve got anither kitty for ye tae lick.”

As Flora was being dragged off, she said with a smile, “Work, work, work.”

Chloe and Aubrey passed Flora and Merida as they left. Mary saw that Aubrey was flushed and that her breasts had decreased quite a few cup sizes.

“Get it all out?” Mary asked.

Aubrey sighed, “Yeah, but my breasts haven’t reverted to their normal size completely.”

“Well… they do tend to stretch permanently if they get too full.”

“They better not have.” Aubrey complained, “That wasn’t a problem before.”

“Either of you planning on buying anything at the BP store?”

Aubrey nodded, “I was considering upgrading one of my boons. I figured it would help a lot this round if I did.”

“Maybe, but I think it will have a smaller impact than you might first believe. Remember, Cassandra did restrict Flora’s boon for being too powerful. If you are picking one, pick your hair.”

“Really? I figured the other two would ba better. Oh come on already!”

Chloe chimed in, “I actually agree. I know you probably want to upgrade your pink TF, but outside of simply increasing its effectiveness, which most upgrades haven’t done, what do you think the upgrade could look like?”

Mary agreed, “Yeah, honestly, the fact that you think Magic Hair is underwhelming is the reason I would upgrade it the most.”

“Baa…” Aubrey crinkled her face, much to Chloe’s and Mary’s amusement. “But pink, I could improve pink.”

Chloe looked at Aubrey, “I thought pink was already the perfect color. Are you saying otherwise?”

“BAAA! Fine, you win. I’ll baa a different baaaaaa. Also, this is Baaaaaaa… bullshit. I shouldn’t ba baaaaa already.”

Aubrey walked over to Slevia and looked through the options next to Ellen and Hilde. She found the upgrade option.

-2500 Upgrade Magic Hair (Aubrey) -> 1775 BP

Magic Hair: Aubrey’s hair will become glorious gold and extend down to the floor. Her hair will have minor healing and stamina restoration magic, and it will self-style as Aubrey wishes, with her being able to control it like it is an extra limb. [Rapunzel] [Boon] Upgrade: Her hair’s current magic will increase in effectiveness and ease of use. She creates a passive aura of healing for those she wishes to include. Finally, the strength and dexterity of her hair as a limb will increase significantly while also growing in length.

Aubrey’s hair grew in length and started to have the faintest glow about it, which would have been rather easy to miss if not for the low lighting in the tunnel. Everyone present suddenly felt a little bit better and perkier. Aubrey tried maneuvering her greatsword in her hair, finding it much easier than yesterday. “Okay, I’ll admit this is baaaaa.” She put down the greatsword and then wrapped her hair around Mary’s waist and lifted. Mary was quickly six feet off the ground.

“Put me down!” Mary exclaimed, with a hint of panic in her voice, while flailing about.

- 1 VP Negligently Scare the Master

Aubrey hurriedly lowered Mary. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Mary was breathing rather heavily. “That did not feel safe. If not for the aura from your hair, I’m pretty sure I would have had a panic attack. DO NOT put me in a position where I can fall and get hurt.”

“I’m sorry, really, I forgot.”

Hilde rushed over and gave Mary a tight hug. Mary wrapped her arms around Hilde, taking calming breaths. “Thanks, Hilde. I needed that.”

“I know. I could sense it immediately, Mistress.”

+1 VP Hug the Master/Mistress

Aubrey looked embarrassed. “Mary…”

“Aubrey, it’s okay, I understand. You wanted to test out your new abilities, I get that. You got excited and you wanted to see if you could lift a person. I’m just glad I didn’t have a panic attack that would have cost you quite a few points.”

Curious, Chloe looked at the VP scores. “She did lose a point.”

“Baa ba was an accident!”

Mary shook her head, “Sorry, Aubrey, but even if that’s the case, you knew about my fear. Cassandra said she was going to be less forgiving about stuff like this.” Aubrey hung her head. Mary walked over to her and hugged her. “It’ll be okay.”

“You’re not mad baaa me?”

“Not really. I’m still a little shaken, but I’m not mad.” Mary turned to Chloe and Ellen, “Either of you buying anything?”

Chloe shook her head. “Nope, I told you before, I’m saving for a large purchase. Flora is, too, which is why I assume she didn’t buy anything.”

“Right, you mentioned that. Care to share?”

“No, I don’t.”

“What about you, Ellen?”

“I’m thinking about a path change. Specifically [Actress]. I’m pleased that I got Alter-egos from it, but honestly, that path has been somewhat of a pain. No one, including myself, noticed how bad my first TF from that path was affecting me. Then the bimbo speech TF… finally, even with Alter-egos, I found out what being a prisoner in my own body was like. It wasn’t pleasant.”

“Wait! Did Lucia forcibly take over your body?” Mary seemed angry.

“Please calm down, Mary. Yes, she did, but it was to save me from myself. As soon as I was safe, she gave back control without a fuss.”

“What happened?”

“You yelled at me, triggering my TF to follow your orders. I would likely have been captured yesterday if not for that.”

“Ah… okay, that’s not a problem then. Sorry, Lucia.”

Ellen shifted to Lucia, and Lucia said, “It’s all good, I understand.” A moment later, while mostly staying the same, her hair reverted to brown.

“Ellen, I have a question for you. Do you know why your hall would have had an inky blackness in the mirror? Before it was half yellow and half gold, but those are mixed too, which I understand since now Lucia is a separate personality.”

“I would guess Symbietta.”

“You have a new personality already?” Mary seemed worried.

“Not exactly,” Ellen said. “Symbietta is the name I gave the symbiote that I picked up in the dungeon. She can talk now. I do sort of expect that she will merge with me permanently, though. Since, as she feeds on me, she becomes more like me.”

“You seem at peace with that.”

“Uh… I’ve accepted it. I wouldn’t say I’m pleased by it.”

“If it’s a problem, I’ll figure out a way to get rid of the symbiote.”

Ellen felt Symbietta writhe beneath her. A moan escaped her lips. “Mary, please don’t worry about it.” “Symbietta, I’m not getting rid of you.”

“Good. Thank you for telling Mary off.”

Chloe asked, “So, Mary, what are you buying? I ask because you keep asking all of us, like you are trying to get us to scuttle off so you can buy something by yourself.”

“If I wanted to buy something secretly, I could just use my phone. As far as what I’m thinking about buying…” Mary walked over to Slevia. “I need to know something. Will the other me get any upgrades I do immediately or only after we remerge?”

Slevia looked like she was listening to someone. “Having trouble deciding, are we?” A new item showed up. Mary tapped rules clarification: ‘You will both get it immediately.’

“Darn, I was hoping that wasn’t the case.”

Hilde walked over, “Why? Does it really matter?”

“Yeah, it does. Think about it. If I were to upgrade any of my TFs, the other team benefits too. If the other me doesn’t do that too, then I’ve given away an advantage.”

“Mistress, you worry too much about fairness sometimes. Life isn’t fair, and neither is the show.”

Chloe cut in, “Hilde, please don’t encourage Mary to help the other team.”

“I’ll just wait to buy the upgrades. That being said, Aubrey, I’m glad you’re here. I want to buy a TF for you.”

“Baaa?!” Aubrey exclaimed. “What?”

“I was debating which one to buy, honestly. I was considering, You're My New Dream, and two others.”

“Why do you baaa… want to buy anything for me?”

Mary turned to face Aubrey seriously for a moment. “Would you prefer that I upgrade BAA-vine or Nobody Like Mom at the end of the round? Because those are my only options at the moment. As a note, I’m telling you right now, it will be BAA-vine between the two of those TFs.”

“I… baaa! Okay, that’s a good point. Thank you for being on top of this, Mary.”

“Here, come take a look at the other two TFs I was checking out.”

A Magic Touch: When Mark/Mary touches Aubrey, she will become quite giddy and happy. If Mark/Mary wishes it, she will also become giggly, too. [Tickled Pink]

Bound In Gold: Aubrey will find that her hair will wrap around parts of her body, unless she actively controls it. While she can unbind herself, it can take some effort. Mark/Mary can actively cause this binding to occur, and it isn’t possible to undo while Mark/Mary are actively present and wish for it to continue. [Rapunzel]

Aubrey frowned. “Really?”

“I take it you don’t like them?”

“I guess it depends exactly how A Magic Touch works, baa I figured it will ba on the excessive side of baaaaa… things. Please don’t baa the other baa. Either of the two TFs baaa… that didn’t baa… win last time would ba baaaaa… be better.”

“Okay, good to know. I still might buy A Magic Touch, though. I’ll think about it a bit more.”

Chloe stepped between her girlfriends, seeing that Aubrey was not pleased with Mary’s response. “Aubrey, just let it be. It could be a good thing for you.”

Aubrey sighed, then she turned and walked back to the lounge.

Mary cocked an eyebrow. “You think it would be a good thing for her? Or were you just placating her?”

“A bit of both. You won’t actually get that without asking her, will you?”

“Probably not. I’m worried about her, though. It seems like things just keep going wrong between us.”

“Bosslady, that’s because she needs a good fuck.” Hilde said, butting into the conversation.

Chloe retorted, “Hilde, butt out of this. No one asked for your opinion.”

Hilde looked at Mary, rolled her eyes, shrugged, and then walked back down the hall. Ellen waved to Mary and Chloe and left them at the shop.

“Chloe, how are you doing?”

Chloe didn’t answer that immediately. Mary noticed she was biting her lip. “I… could we find somewhere and you let me suck on your nipples for a bit?”

“Is it bad?”

“Not… not yet, but I’m out of suckers right now, and when it says the only way to decrease the craving, it means it. I was actually here to see if I could buy some more suckers, even if I am loath to spend my BP right now, since I want to save. Even if I can, I would really appreciate it if I could get some relief.”

“Hmm… You do realize that would be me doing you a favor? Even if I enjoy it, right?”

“What do you want?”

“Tell me what you are saving for. I’ll find out the second you buy it anyway.”

Chloe walked over to Slevia and searched through the BP store. “I want this.”

Permanently copy one Boon from another contestant (10000BP)

“Which one?”

“Not saying, I told you what I’m saving for, and you made a deal with me.” Chloe quickly tapped through the BP shop and spent some BP to buy some extra suckers.

-200 BP (24 suckers) Chloe -> 6000 BP

Chloe grabbed Mary’s hand. “Well, come on. I got some tits to suck.”

Flora’s head was between Merida’s thighs. She was licking Merida’s pussy, and Merida was gently squeezing Flora’s head between her thighs. Whoa, her thighs are soft. The most comfortable pillow indeed.

Merida reached down and started to scratch Flora’s ears. “Oh, Kitty! Aye, richt there, keep that gaun.” Merida wrapped her legs tightly around Flora as she came for the second time. Merida didn’t release Flora, though. “Mair, my Kitty. I need mair.”

“Ye ken it’s a wee bit mean tae keep her locked atween yer legs like that an' no' return the favour. I could dae it if ye wanted…” Merigold said.

“Kitty, wad ye like a reward?”

Flora let out a “Mrow!” while slightly nodding her head and continuing to lick Merida.

Merigold appeared behind Flora. At first, Merigold was tempted to just lick Flora out, but decided to instead grab one of the spare dildos from the Eros dungeon. After lubing it up with her own mouth, she inserted it into Flora’s wet snatch.

As it entered, Flora tried to pull her head back but couldn’t, as she let out a loud “NYA! MROW!” After a few thrusts, Flora finally resumed licking Merida, but because of the sensitivity increase from the dildo found herself a quivering mess before long. Flora lay her head down on Merida’s crotch, quickly taking a cat nap.

Merida was frustrated as she was still horny, but Flora was done. “Weel, noo, whit am I supposed tae dae?”

“I could get ye aff?” Merigold suggested. “Either directly or I could pleasure mysel' an' ye share my senses.”

“No. Thanks. I'll aiblins calm doon in a wee bit.”

“Suit yersel'.” Merigold shrugged. Merida unwrapped her legs from Flora, and Merigold helped to reposition her so Merida could properly hold her. Then Merigold lay down next to Merida. They sat in silence for a while. Merigold eventually said, “Merida, wid ye tak' my advice aboot the ithers ye summon?”

“I’ll tak' it, but I micht no' follow it.”

“I think ye should pick anes that Mary wid be interested in, an' who wid be interested in her. Flora, tae, whaur possible.” Flora opened one eye at the mention of her name and then nuzzled her agreement while purring, then closed her eye. “I ken that it micht no' seem like it is that important tae include, but imagine if the Merida ye brocht here absolutely hated Mary. Thir are Meridas that hae had things go puirly for them. I can think o' an easy case o' how we could hae ended up hatin' Mary: we simply never stopped blamin' her for abandonin' us a' thae years ago.” Merida seemed to consider that, while running her fingers through Flora’s hair.

“I guess ye hae a point. It wadnae be great tae pull ane that got eliminated because they hated Mary. Dae ye hae ony mair advice?”

“Aye, I think ye should pick Meridas wha fulfilled Mary’s requests.”

“Ye want me tae pick a hoosewife version o' us? Really?”

Merigold nodded. “Merida, think aboot this; if there is a ye aroond that embodies a stereotype ye are less likely tae become it. Mary dinnae need twa, hoosewife Meridas.”

“Sure… I guess, but it isnae like my paths lead tae bein' a hoosewife ony mair.”

“I dinnae ken aboot that. I could see somethin' comin' frae bein' posh or oor Merida path that could at least push ye that wey. Like say, ‘A proper lass is refined an' elegant an' kens her place is as the raiser o' bairns an' managin' the hoosehold’ or somethin' similar.”

Flora finally chimed in, “Listen to yourself, Merida. You’re smart, but Merigold has a perspective on the matter you don’t.”

Merida nodded, “Fair, noo Mary thinks I should summon baith richt noo. Dae ye agree?”

“Aye, I think ye should.”

Flora just nodded her head while pushing into Merida’s breast.

Merida focused on the type of Merida she wanted. A Merida wha likes Mark an' Flora. Ane wha kens the show… Merida suddenly felt odd. Merida got up and started to look through her wardrobe. Hmmm, heels, I should get some heels. Showin' aff my legs an' bum tae Mary, bendin' ower…

Flora sat up, annoyed that her pillow had left. “Are you going to summon another Merida now or not?”

Merida was slipping on a pair of five-inch heels, “Oh! Richt. Sorry, I got distracted.” Okay, let’s lock in whit I wanted then.

Merida felt one of her tails twitch. It appeared to transform into red dust, and a woman materialized next to her, leaning over slightly as if in a near-perpetual tiny bow. She was wearing a French maid outfit with a feather duster in one hand and very high heels.

“Oh là là!” The woman walked over to Merida and kissed both her cheeks, “Zank you, zank you so much, Maîtresse. Je suis très grateful!”

Flora couldn’t take her eyes off the new Merida, who had a deep red hair color closer to Merida’s original hair color. “MROW! Merida, dear, I like your choice very much. Why pick a French maid, though?”

“I didnae really think aboot a French maid. I juist thocht aboot ane that wad like ye an' Mary.”

“Aha! Non, non, non! Zat is not ze truth at all! You also wanted one to show off ze lovely legs, and ze cute little derrière to ze Maître!” The woman placed a hand on her chest, “Je m'appelle Meribelle.”

“Meribelle, huh? That has a nice ring to it.” Flora said. “Also, what is this about showing off your butt and legs?”

Merida frowned as she stood up. “I… I dinnae ken, I juist…” Merida looked down at her feet. Why did I decide I needed tae put on heels an' bend ower tae show aff my bum tae Mary?

“Not meaning to read your zoughts, Maîtresse, but I believe zat is because of your TF, non?”

Merigold added, “I agree wi' Meribelle. It is likely yer Fiery Lassie TF. Why dinnae ye tak' aff thae heels?”

“Whit! But Mary hasnae even seen me bend ower once in thaim!” The room went silent at that for a minute. “Oh… I… Aye, that is weird as hell. Like juist the thocht o' her starin' at my rear end…”

"I know, n'est-ce pas? It is so très enticing, and zen to 'ave ze little fessier smacked. Mwah! Zat is ze best zing!"

Merida blushed as right now she very much agreed with Meribelle.

Merigold started to laugh, and then said, “Och hae a look at me, I cannae be bothered wi' bein' treated like a hoosewife, but I’ll glegly serve as yer maid, my Mistress.” Merigold and Flora leaned into one another, laughing.

“Har har.” Merida was not amused and desummoned Merigold.

“That wis rude!” Merigold complained.

Merigold reappeared, but in a matching outfit to Meribelle. Merida smirked. “Ye did say ye wad serve as my maid, didnae ye?”

“Och, I deserved that, I reckon.”

Flora asked, “Meribelle, can you tell us about yourself a little?”

“But of course, Mademoiselle. I was ze Maître's first girlfriend. We 'ad to end zings w'en 'e went off to college. I was not bright enough to go myself. I end up working in a big 'otel as a maid. Zat is why I receive it as a path. I lose my temper wiz ze Maître and I slap 'im across ze face, très 'ard. It was not my first offense, and I was... éliminée.”

Merida asked, “Dae ye mind tellin' me why ye lost yer temper wi' Mark?”

“But of course, Maîtresse. I lose my temper wiz ze Maître because 'e was taking ze liberties wiz me zat I did not appreciate. Ze Maître was always very 'andsy w'en we dated before, too. It was quite a bother.”

“I’m confused.” Flora said, “Merida said that you should be interested in being with Mark or Mary. I mean, did a little bit of touching really set you off?”

“Mademoiselle, I would not call sticking 'is finger up my derrière just a little bit of touching, non! Especially wiz no warning.”

“I’m sorry, Meribelle. I didn’t mean to offend. I was just confused, because if he wasn’t respecting your boundaries, I was just a little confused why you would want to be with him, still.”

“Ah, do not trouble yourself, Mademoiselle. I did care for my Maître, 'e simply goes overboard and indulges sometimes. Ze show did not 'elp zings... I... I would not be upset to return, but I fear what ze Maître may become w'en ze show is finished wiz 'im. Especially since wizout your TF, Maîtresse, suppressing my elimination a little bit, I cannot tell ze Maître non. From what I 'ave seen of your memories, Maîtresse, I zink I would prefer to stay 'ere.”

“Weel, I cannae mak' ye permanent this round, but like I telt Merigold, unless ye cause a problem I wid raither nae send ye back if ye wid prefer tae stay. Can I ask why ye ca' me Maîtresse, while ye ca' Flora Mademoiselle?”

Meribelle replied, “Because you 'ave ze authority over me, Maîtresse, w'ile she does not 'ave it, non.”

Merigold said, “No' tae cut the meet an' greet short, but Merida, if ye are gaun tae bring ower anither today, ye should get that done quickly.” Merigold vanished in a puff of golden flames, returning to be Merida’s tail. “I figured ye wad want tae summon her an' let the ithers meet her.”

“I suppose I should.” Awe richt, let’s see… it wad be nice if she liked heels as much as I dae. Wait! No. This is temporary… I hope. Likes Mary. Likes Flora. I suppose I can humour Mary an' include different paths because the theme wis different. Has a useful skill or TF that I dinnae hae.

Merida’s tail twitched, and she materialized another version of herself, though they looked rather different. The new Merida was wearing a black leather jacket, leather pants, knee-high boots, and fingerless gloves. Her hair was dyed a pinkish purple.

“Sup bitches.” She nodded to Merida, “Thanks for getting me out of that hellhole. I need to pick a new name, huh? Fine, I can see how that shit would be confusing if we all went by Merida. Call me Mira then.”

Meribelle frowned. “Excuse me, Mademoiselle, but must you use such terrible, vulgaire language in front of Maîtresse?”

“I see you got turned into a fucking sex dream. You have my sympathies, but bitch you can fuck right off if you think I’m going to watch my mouth.”

Flora said, “Well, Ellen’s not going to be pleased at all.”

Mira looked confused. “Who?” She seemed to be thinking about something. “Oh, the actress chick. She can go fuck herself for all I care. Don’t really know the skank. She wasn’t on my season.”

Merida walked over to Mira, getting right up in her face. “Mira, are ye gaun tae be a problem? I dinnae want tae send ye back, but I will if ye are gaun tae cause shite. I dinnae mind the swearin' that much, but actively antagonisin' someone else in the harem is a different story. Mary winnae be happy aboot that.”

“Right… Mary. So Mark can turn into a fucking babe here. Nice! Look, Merida, I’ll try, okay? One of my paths for this fucking freak show was [Delinquent].” Mira seemed to hunch her shoulders slightly. “Please don’t send me back. That shit was utter hell. I can’t fucking control my language exactly. I’ll do my fucking best to behave, though.” Mira’s eyes were getting moist. She nearly sobbed out, “Please… just don’t send me back.”

Merida softened her stance and gave Mira a hug. “It’s okay. I kent that there micht be some problem cases, I guess I juist didnae ken how bad things could be.”

Flora furrowed her brow, “Mira, it sounds to me like you were still competing in the season.”

“I was… or am? I can’t say too much, but we just came off the sixth challenge, I won and crossed 100 VP, and was given an offer. I could stay and not compete anymore, or I could try my luck here. I took that fucking deal without hesitating.”

“Is it really that bad?” Merida asked. “I thocht ye were supposed tae like Mark?”

“I did like Mark, but that asshole is hardly Mark anymore. The transformations he received twisted him. I’m still getting the hang of looking at your memories, Merida, but I gather your Mark still gives a damn about consent, right?”

“Aye, whiles I think he is o'er preoccupied wi' it, that he misses when someone is actually enthusiastically throwin' thaimsel' at him.”

“Be fucking glad that is the case. My Mark was like that at first, too. I didn’t even mind all that much when the transformations started making him more of a badass and less of a fucking pansy nerd. The beginning of the third round was when everything went to shit. Can’t go into details apparently.”

Merigold said, “Mebbe ye will be able tae if Merida maks ye permanent.”

“Maybe Goldie, not sure that it matters, at that point.” “Merida, I don’t care what you want from me. If I need to gargle Mark’s fucking cock daily to stay, I will. I’ll… I’ll even put on some stupid fucking clothes like Frenchie here, and let him fuck my ass, if I have to. Just…” Mira put her hands on Merida’s shoulders, “Just don’t send me back.”

Merida put a hand on Mira’s shoulder, and with a kind smile.“I dinnae plan tae. Wid ye like tae go meet everyone, or dae ye think ye need a wee bit?”

“I don’t mind meeting the gang, not sure how much use I’ll be with this nerd crap you’re up to, but I can introduce myself.”

Flora stood up and put her gear back on, and the four of them went to the lounge.