Salades Vénitiennes

As the well-endowed woman rose to her feet, brushing off her robe, Lily was the first to speak, her voice tentative, “Sabotage Shop? Is that exactly what it sounds like?”

The woman who must be Arietta stretched out her arms and yawned again before answering in a voice that almost was akin to a purr, “That’s right ladies, here you’ll find everything you need to get ahead in the competition specifically be pulling out the rug from your competitors.”

Maya stepped forward eagerly, earning her a look from Lily, “What sort of things are there?”

Arietta gave a languid wave of her hand around the shop, “By all means peruse at your leisure, your rings allow you to purchase anything you like provided you have the BP for it. We sell tools that can make your competitors' lives a little less convenient, they tend to be pricier. Mostly though we sell Sabotages™, a special type of temporary transformation you can apply to others. They’re cheap as far as BP is concerned, you can only carry one at a time, and only three may be applied to a target at a time.” She gestured vaguely to the shelves covered in stacked Silver cards that lined them.

Maddy raised an eyebrow, “If you can only have one at a time how could someone be targeted more than once?”

Mira answered before Arietta could, “I presume people can team up, especially if the target is someone that they all feel threatened by.”

Leaning against a shelf Arietta yawned again, “That would certainly be the easiest way for sure,” She stretched out her arms, “We also have the premium selection…”

Eliza, already nervous about the nature of the shop felt that nothing good could come from this, but knew being in the dark would be worse, “What’s the premium selection?”

Arietta gave the girls a sly grin and led them to the far wall. Embedded inside was a glass display and three lines of conveyor belts. On each conveyor belt were displays of bright white porcelain masks. All the masks on the bottom row were trimmed with bronze, while the ones in the center were trimmed with silver, finally the ones up top were trimmed with gold.

Narrowing her eyes, Amy looked at each mask and then noticed one had curled horns, “They’re our faces!”

Arietta winked before continuing lazily, “Correct, the priciest items in our shop are these masks of each of your faces. They’re each a form of heavy advantage relating to the play whose mask you purchase,”

She leaned in a pressed a button on a wooden stand in front of the display and the conveyor belts began to move, showing the contestants each of their faces.

“Bronze masks at the bottom? They cost 25 BP per pop and they let you read the mind of the individual the mask is of at close distances while you have the mask on you. Should help in figuring out how to outmaneuver your rivals eh?”

Stella smirked, she almost pitied anyone who bought her mask thinking it might help them out, there was so much noise going on up there she doubted it would be of much help to anyone listening in.

Meanwhile, the idea of someone peering into her thoughts and being privy to everything she though was setting Maddy on edge.

Arietta languidly gestured to the middle rack, “Silver masks are 50 BP each, but with a price increase comes more opportunity. Silver masks allow you to turn into the individual the mask is of for three hours every day.”

Maya grinned at this, the game was getting increasingly complex and interesting. She didn’t have the money for it now but once that bounty board was up, she’d be raking in those points.

Stella meanwhile was distracted by the thought of making out with someone who looked exactly like her. Amy reached over and tapped her chin to close her roommates drooling mouth.

Finally, Arietta came to the top row, “Gold is the most expensive as is tradition and they are worth 75 BP each. Each Gold mask lets you learn a deeply held secret of the competitor whose face it’s of and impose one permanent transformation of your choice on them, pending the host’s approval of course.”

Noemi’s eyes widened reliving the opening ceremony, “Wait, permanent? Are there no restrictions?”

Arietta gave a lethargic shrug before letting out a droll, “Only Host approval, it’s why it’s so expensive. I should also mention that there’s only one of each mask. Once they’re gone they’re gone for good.”

Reyna grinned behind the group as unease began to set in and cheerfully waved, “Now you know how the game is played! It’s not enough to do well on dates, you have to play the game or risk someone ruining your hard work by tripping you underfoot.”

Stepping forward Eliza held out her hands, “You say that, but there’s no reason to do that if we all agree-”

Her words were interrupted by the sound of a chime, the group looked over and saw Maya holding a silver Card

Maya: 10 BP - 3 BP: 7 BP remaining

Reyna clapped her hands together, “Our first purchase!”

Eliza looked over at Maya, “Hey, what are you doing? There’s no reason for any of us to spend money on any of this. If we just focus on the dates and work together, then we don’t need to play this game.

Maya raised an eyebrow, “But I want to play the game?”

Eliza stared in disbelief as Maya continued, “Maybe things work different from where you’re from but I’m not exactly in the habit of trusting strangers not to screw me over. Even if that wasn’t the case…is there any real reason not to play? It sounds fun?”

Lily spoke up this time, “Fun? Messing with each other's bodies and minds sounds fun to you? You saw what happened to those people!”

Maya shrugged, “Yeah I did, but overcoming obstacles is what makes games interesting. Also, really? You’re actually questioning this? Miss Professor’s strategy sounds all well and good but is the jilted lover really so keen to reignite things with the man who cheated on her?” Watching Lily’s face fall Maya’s smile broadened, “See? This is a way for you to even the playing field.”

Maddy put a hand on Lily’s shoulder, and spoke up her voice strained, “You say that but you don’t really care! I’ve seen people like you, wealthy people who think they can always get their way, you’re just bullying us into agreeing so you can feel better about your choices!”

Narrowing her eyes Maya fanned her face with the Sabotage card,

“Think whatever you want, all I know is that I’ve been placed here in a game. I’m not going to sit idly by while everyone claims kumbayah and then be surprised that the moment times get tough someone buckles. If I’m in the game I’m going to be a player, not a bystander,” She looked over to Reyna, “Is that the end of the tour?”

Reyna gave a cheery salute, “Yes Ma’am you’re free to spend the rest of today and tomorrow as you please!”

Maya touched the Sabotage to her lips and looked at the rest of the girls, “Good, the air in here is getting a bit stuffy.” With that, she sauntered her way out of the shop.

The moment she left, Noemi looked around and then with a panic-filled expression ran to the shelf and grabbed a sabotage, “No no no, I can’t afford to be left behind, he already hates me.”

Noemi: 10 BP - 3 BP : 7 BP Remaining

The Chilean woman then hurried out of the shop taking care to avoid eye contact with the other girls as she scurried out.

Maddy looked over at Eliza, visibly shaken by the experience, “What do we do now?”

Eliza looked over at the shorter woman and frowned, she wanted to tell her that they could just stick to their plan of cooperating, but if everyone wasn’t on the same page as them she knew realistically it put them at risk. Especially people like Lily who were already at a disadvantage. Maybe they could-

Her thoughts were interrupted by Mira clapping her hands together, “I think we all need to take some time to think about how we want to approach things going forward. I don’t think it would be wise to act purely from reacting to that display,” She looked down eyes narrowed and Eliza felt a glimmer of hope, “That said I don’t think we should dismiss any advantages out of hand.”

Eliza’s chest fell and it was Lily that rose her voice, “What you also think we need to play the game and screw each other over?”

Mira clicked her tongue, “Take a look at these “Sabotages” Breast expansions, behaviour modifications, things that make you obsessed with giving blowjobs, we’re on a dating/sex show and these make you better at it. What’s one person’s poison is another’s medicine.”

Arietta gave a wry smile on the sidelines as Mira continued, “We just need to be smart. We’re in a strange place and I think we need to be careful not to let traditional mores shackle us lest we all suffer for it.”

Lily looked at Eliza for support, the professor sighed “It’s clear it’s not as cut and dry as I’d like it to be…” She looked at Maddy and Lily, “We can keep talking about this together, I meant what I said. Our best route to victory is working together and I’m not changing that just because of a speed bump. For now, let’s leave and regroup our thoughts.”

Stella had been watching the whole display and was keeping out of it. All this talk of right and wrong was going straight over her head. Still, she had no interest in purchasing a Sabotage at the moment. She eyed the glass display. Not when there were more fun things available.

The group began to file out, but Amy stayed back with Reyna and Arietta, “Is there a reason that this shop is run by Arietta and not a faun? What are you anyway? A magical construct? Another demon?”

Reyna’s lips pursed and Arietta smiled, speaking in her heavy fry, “The fauns not being able to talk makes them incapable of answering the nuanced questions that are likely to result from you all perusing my wears. As for what I am, what is important right now is I am the shopkeeper of the Sabotage shop and I am here to help you contestants out.” Reyna’s expression seemed to relax.

Amy’s face stayed even, “So whatever you are is tied into something behind the scenes I’m not allowed to know. Got it. I’m satisfied for now.

Reyna grabbed Amy by the arm and began guiding her outside, “Come on, let’s catch up with everyone!” She practically dragged the Oni out the door with Arietta smiling behind them.

Outside, Mira finally found Maya sitting on a bench by a fountain, she looked utterly content which irritated the Bengali woman, “You couldn’t have given me a heads up before you pulled that move in the shop?”

Maya looked over and smiled, “I thought we’d be on the same page about using these Sabotages. From our earlier talk you struck me as a kindred spirit.”

Mira clenched her fists, “Yes, I don’t disagree about using whatever edge we can get to get ahead in this competition, but why did you bait everyone like that? You could have easily snuck back later and done it without everyone’s eyes on you.”

A bemused expression crossed over Maya’s face, “But I wanted everyone’s eyes on me when I did that.”

Throwing up her hands Mira rolled her eyes, “Why? Why would you remove the element of surprise? Why would you want everyone immediately hostile against you?”

“Because it started the game.” Maya said simply, “Now everyone is participating whether they want to or not. Their choice to not purchase sabotages is just as much a strategy now as doing so but it leveled the playing field so now everyone is playing.”

Mira pinched the bridge of her nose, “I don’t understand why that’s important but fine, next time though you run these things by me. If we’re going to be working together, I can’t be caught blindsided like that again.”

Maya gave her partner a gentle smile, “Sure thing roomie, I’ll run all future plans by you.

The ease with which she acquiesced put Mira on edge, but there was nothing for it but to accept it for now.