Oh, I don't know, where the future goes

Nick was a little worried about Cinder after she ran off like that. But the other girls had convinced him that it was for the best to just leave her alone, and let her deal with her issues on her own time. She had been irritated, and even though she had apologized, the anger in her eyes hadn’t dulled in the slightest.

That was what had convinced him. If he went after her, then she would just get even angrier, and he wanted to avoid that. If he could keep from upsetting someone, that was for the best, wasn’t it? This wasn’t like the time with Rose.

He didn’t know what he could possibly say that would get through to her. So he wasn’t going to try the impossible.

But, he was surprised by Dawn’s behavior.

“Shouldn’t you have gone after her?” He asked Dawn as they walked through the Shopping District, towards the Spa and the hot springs within. “You two are friends, aren’t you? Maybe you could have helped her calm down…”

Dawn gave him a rueful smile. “It’s possible,” she conceded, shaking her head. “But… I don’t know if it would work out. I’m close to Ella, but with Cinder… it’s complicated.”

Nick nodded. He could definitely agree with that!

“She is complicated,” he conceded. “But… I still think that she could use a friend right now.”

Dawn bit her lip. Maybe he was right. But…

“I’ll always be there for a friend,” Dawn said firmly. “As long as that friend wants me around. Cinder… she doesn’t. She doesn’t want me around right now. I don’t think she wants anyone around…”

It was difficult, being a friend with Ella. Because even though Ella and Cinder were the same person, they were different facets of each other, and that made things difficult for them.

Still- Dawn would do the best she could.

“I think it’s important to give her a chance to cool off,” Kim said, agreeing with Dawn’s perspective. “She’s got a temper, but she’s not a bad person. She just needs to be a little more honest with herself, that’s all!”

Dani nodded slowly. She could understand where everyone was coming from here, but she felt hesitant to share her own thoughts on the matter.

“…I’m glad you care about her, Nick,” she said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving his arm a squeeze. “Having someone in her corner like that… like you, Dawn… that’s an important thing, for someone going through a struggle like her.”

Honestly… I think Cinder might be a lot like me, Dani considered, remembering the look of embarrassed rage on the other girl’s face. We’re both struggling with our roles on this show. I don’t like the idea of having sex with men, and neither does she. But for me, it’s because I’m a lesbian. For Cinder, it’s a lot more complicated, isn’t it?

It wasn’t even that she didn’t like Nick, either, that was the strangest part in Dani’s mind. It would be much easier if that was the case- if Cinder just hated him and that was that.

But… she didn’t hate him. No matter how hard she tried to convince everyone that she did.

The geek side of Dani almost thought about calling her a “tsundere” but that seemed too much of a stretch- too offensive to the girl who was struggling with a split personality and struggling to control her own emotions.

Maybe I should have tried to spend more time with her, Dani thought. Maybe if I did, then she wouldn’t have reacted that way.

Dani remembered what it was like to be so opposed to the mechanisms of the show that she would react with a violent temper whenever she felt like the rules were screwing her over. It had taken a long time and a lot of effort and personal growth to force herself out of that mindset.

In time, Cinder might be able to find her own way, like she had. But, on the other hand, the mercurial girl was far more likely to cross a lot of lines before that happened. That was what worried Dani the most. At least she’d been able to muster some degree of self-control.

She wasn’t sure if Cinder was capable of doing the same.

Dani chewed nervously on her lip. Come on, Cinder, she thought, looking back at the hotel in the distance. You can change. I know you can.

Whether or not Dani should try to befriend the other girl was hard to say. But she was at least willing to look at her directly and make an honest effort.

Maybe she could change, maybe she couldn’t.

All Dani knew is that once upon a time, the idea of Nick looking at her naked body would have made her feel scandalized and a little grossed out. And now, as they walked up to the entrance of the Spa, she had no qualms at all about getting in a hot spring naked with him.

I know it’s mainly because of the transformation, she thought, but is that really it?

Dani’s feelings were difficult to unpack. Way back when she first became cognizant of Nick’s crush on her, she wasn’t in the proper headspace to address it maturely the way she should have, and she harshly turned him down.

She regretted that immensely, even back then. They had been friends, and because of Dani’s own trauma, she had damaged that friendship so severely it probably never would have been repaired if not for this demented show.

But now, everything was a lot more complicated.

Those thoughts persisted with her as the girls went to their own changing room and Nick went to his, to give them some privacy.

Dani had never been shy about her body. Back when she had been working out all the time, she’d loved showing it off. Even though all the rest of her free time was spent wallowing in her parents’ basement, she would still go out to the gym just because she liked the feeling of working out where people could see her. Where they could recognize her hard work and her efforts.

It didn’t matter to her back then if guys were checking her out, even though she would have preferred girls.

In that case…

What about Nick?

Dani tried to imagine what would have happened if she’d been seen in a compromising position the way Cinder was. Would she have been bothered by it?

No, probably not, she realized. Nick and I are friends, after all. Even though I would know that he’d be checking out my body, it’s not like that would really make a difference for me or anything.

It was a complicated subject, to say the least. And one that Dani wasn’t sure about even thinking on it now.

Like… what if Nick had accidentally stepped into the shower and seen her naked, like in one of those anime cliché moments? Sure, she’d be embarrassed, but mortified?

Probably not.

I guess the main reason I was so opposed to it was because of how hard the show was pushing me at first, to subvert my sexuality. If they hadn’t gone that hard against me, maybe I wouldn’t have reacted the way I did, she considered thoughtfully.

It was worth thinking about, anyway.

Which brought Dani’s attention to the other two girls in the changing room.

Both girls were in their underwear at this point, and in the process of getting out of it. Dani admired their physiques, and noted how their flushed skin was still glistening with sweat.

As a lesbian, she could appreciate the beauty of her friends. And they didn’t seem to have any problem with her checking them out. So… maybe it wasn’t just because of the transformation. Maybe people just had different levels of comfort with their bodies.

…Still, though, getting in a hot spring with Nick was one thing. Going beyond that? No, not even her transformation would make her comfortable with that!

The text of her transformation popped into her head, as if to contradict her.

• Just One of the Guys*: Dani’s a tomboy, she doesn’t really care that much about her appearance like the other girls. And because of that, it doesn’t really matter to her one way or the other if one of her close guy friends sees her in the nude. Come on, dude, it’s just some skin! Why would I be embarrassed about something like that when we’re just friends? It’s not like you’d be checking me out or anything! UPGRADE: Now, not only will Dani no longer care about being seen naked by her close guy friends, but she’ll be fine with a little skinship as well! The occasional boob touch, a casual brush against the ass, none of that’s a big deal anymore! After all, when you wrestle with your best buds, it’s kind of impossible to avoid a little touching here and there! It’s not like it means anything, after all. (Tomboy)

Okay, well, that’s different, Dani told herself, knowing that she was rationalizing but not caring. A little skinship is totally fine. It’s not like I’d be willing to have sex with him, or go any further than that, of course not!

Dani was quite in control of her own sexuality and her feelings. And she wasn’t about to let Echo or anyone else turn her into just another girl in Nick’s harem!

…So…

Maybe she could extend Cinder the same courtesy.

We really do need to talk at some point, really talk, Dani thought, chewing on her lip. Just the two of us. Maybe I could help her.

Assuming, of course, that Cinder even wanted her help.

Dani wasn’t so sure that would be the case.

“Hey, Dani, what’s up?” Kim turned to look at the tomboy on her way to the showers. Her voice shook her friend out of her thoughts. “You feeling okay?”

“O-oh… yes, I’m feeling fine,” Dani nodded. “Thank you for asking!”

She gave Kim a smile, and Kim returned it, even though she wasn’t sure what was going through her friend’s head.

“Well, Dawn and I are going to hit the showers. You finish up getting changed, I guess.”

Dani looked down, and realized that she hadn’t taken a single bit of clothing off. She’d been so busy thinking about how she’d feel about Nick seeing her naked body that she’d completely forgotten about the whole “Getting naked” part in the first place!

Well, that was a different kind of mortifying embarrassment, to say the least.

Shaking her head, Dani went and hastily began to change out of her workout gear. She entered the shower just as Dawn and Kim were stepping out of it, having given themselves a quick rinse-off before heading out to the hot springs.

Dani was eager to go join them, but she could also take the opportunity to enjoy some peaceful shower time. She’d really worked up a good sweat, and the kiss of the cold water on her warm muscles was a delightful treat. She scrubbed her feathery hair, trying to rinse all the sweat out of it and smooth it out as best she could, but given the new texture, that was rather difficult.

Before she realized it, she had spent almost five whole minutes just washing her body.

“Oh, I’m wasting time!” She gasped aloud, and hastily dashed out of the shower. She barely had the presence of mind to throw a towel around herself before stepping out into the steamy back garden courtyard.

It took a second for Dani to make out the figures of her friends in the water. When she did, she nearly dropped her towel in shock.

“Wh-what!?” She exclaimed, drawing attention to herself. “What are you two- you three-? …What are you guys doing?!”

Dani felt like she’d just stepped onto the set of a porno being filmed in a hot spring. Nick was sitting in the water at the other end of the pool, and he had a girl on each arm, or at least the appearance of such. Kim was on his left and Dawn was on his right, and both girls were devoid of their towels as they all but cuddled up to him.

Dawn’s tail was twitching behind her, showing just how much she was enjoying this, as if her smile wasn’t signal enough. At least with Kim, the tomboy had a bit of a sheepish expression on her face, indicating that she was the more reluctant party.

…Well, as long as one didn’t take Nick into consideration, anyway. Nick looked the most hesitant out of any of them, even though he couldn’t hide how much he was enjoying the doting treatment from the two girls. It was written all over his embarrassed face.

All three of them jumped when they saw Dani’s presence.

“Oh, uh… hey, Dani!” Kim was the first to recover, and she gave her friend an awkward wave. Her face reddened slightly.

Dawn squinted. She didn’t have her glasses on, so she couldn’t tell what sort of expression the blue-haired tomboy was making. But, she suspected going by the tone of her voice that Dani wasn’t exactly thrilled.

Oh, well. Not her problem.

“Something to say?” Dawn asked, lounging back against Nick’s arm with a playful smile on her face. “Come on in, Dani, the water’s great! Don’t worry, we wouldn’t be getting up to any funny business in the hot spring, not when we know that you’re going to be joining us.”

Dani pinched her lips together. Normally, she wouldn’t have any reason to doubt Dawn’s words. But right now, the cat girl didn’t look like her most rational self. Just the opposite, in fact.

She remembered the way Dawn had been clinging to Nick back when they had been working out in the same vicinity. And now, she was practically purring. Her eyes glazed over, and that was the last straw. Dani flung off her towel and stomped into the hot spring, startling the cat girl and making her ears stand on end.

Dawn looked at Dani with wide eyes as the loud sounds of Dani crashing in snapped her back to her senses. “Err… D-Dani, you’re, uh… …Hey…”

“…Hey yourself,” Dani said, unamused. She crossed her arms over her chest, giving the other girl a stern look before her face softened. “Are you thinking clearly right now?”

“Uh…” Dawn instinctively reached up to adjust her glasses, only to remember that she was without them. No wonder everything looked blurry- it wasn’t the haze of lust after all. “…Yes,” she said after a moment’s consideration. “I am.”

Dani let out a low sigh of relief. “Good,” she said with an approving nod. “That’s a relief to hear, anyway…”

Even as she said that, though, she wasn’t entirely relieved. Her eyes slid past the sheepish Kim and landed on Nick.

“…You don’t have to look like you got sent to the principal’s office, you know,” she gently told her friend, drawing closer to him. She didn’t even care that he could see her body right now as she slid into the water with only a few feet of distance between the two of them. “I’m not upset with you or anything. I know you guys were just enjoying yourselves.”

“Not in that way!” Kim hastily broke in. Her face was turning even redder. “I wouldn’t do that, Dani! I was just relaxing!”

She had enjoyed being around Nick in such a casual environment. It wasn’t often that she just got to hang out with him. And that was all they were doing! Hanging out!

“Mm! Hmm!” Dawn nodded swiftly, backing Kim up 100%. “There’s nothing to be worried about, Dani, really.”

“I’m not worried,” Dani corrected the both of them. She shook her head. “And I’m not concerned, or upset, or any of that other stuff.”

“Oh… you’re not?” Kim let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, good…”

“We really were just relaxing,” Nick assured her. He did feel a little embarrassed, because he could still remember the sensation of the two girls (mainly Dawn, though) rubbing up against him, but he forced himself not to let those thoughts linger.

“Nick, if you’re feel self-conscious because you have an erection, just stop,” Dani said with a sigh, holding up her hand.

“I-I don’t-!” Nick’s face nearly exploded with heat. “I-! …Dani!”

He wished she wouldn’t say stuff like that, he really did. Dani gave him a crisp look and slowly shook her head. “Like I said,” she murmured, leaning back in the water and lounging on the palms of her hands, “it’s fine.”

Okay.

Maybe she was giving him a bit of a hard time, as a little “gotcha” but could anyone really blame her for that?

She’d been so embarrassed by walking in- or rather, out- on that!

“I think the heat is getting to me,” Kim said, standing up and fanning herself. To Dani’s amusement, she had no qualms about baring her naked, trim figure to Nick’s appraising eyes- or her own, for that matter- and she didn’t have anything to be ashamed of, either.

“Not me,” Dawn chirped. “I just have to remember to keep calm, that’s all.” Her playful tone had regained some of its even objectiveness, and Dani noticed the way she calmly scooted away from Nick, keeping him at a bit of a distance.

Almost like she couldn’t trust herself around him right now. Which was surprising.

I didn’t think that Dawn was the type of person to get this horny in public, Dani thought. Was it really just because of how intensely they worked out together?

She remembered the look on Dawn’s face as they exited the Gym. She had interpreted it as fatigue from a strenuous workout, but now she was wondering if there could be another source to blame for all this, instead.

She filed that away for future use. Dawn working out with Nick and being exposed to his scent in such conditions would get her horny and eager even almost an hour later.

What she was going to do with that information, she didn’t know. But she was just glad that everyone had calmed down. Even Kim seemed to be more relaxed, now that she was sitting on the side of the spring and just dipping her toes in the water.

Now, if only Nick could actually calm down, things would be perfect. But he looked way too tense to do that.

Oh, well. His loss. Dani was still going to make full use of the relaxing hot spring’s soothing waters to wash away her worries about Cinder, with or without him.