This morning I was feeling dressy. Mother thinks I’ll get it messy.

“Good evening, everyone!” Dakota cooed, her golden eyes flashing as she got the attention of the partygoers. “Welcome! As you all know, tonight’s festivities are being sponsored by Gina DeAmico here. Gina? Would you like to come up and say a few words?”

“Eh? Uh…” Gina blinked, wide-eyed and taken a back. She quickly glanced over at Nick, but when she saw the way he was looking at her, she got even more embarrassed. He still wasn’t used to seeing her in such a fancy dress.

She approached Dakota cautiously, tottering awkwardly on her high heels. It was obvious she had little experience walking in these.

“It’s okay, Gina, you got this!” Sylvia called to her roommate as Gina passed her. “I had trouble learning how to walk on them too!”

“I’m doing fine!” Gina hissed. She reached Dakota and turned to face the other girls, coughing a little out of awkwardness and to clear her throat.

She took a deep breath and tried to look confident.

“Um… thank you, everybody, for coming here tonight,” she said, looking around. “The theme for tonight’s party is maturity and elegance. I wanted a night where we could all get along with one another and do something classy. So… yeah, uh…” She scratched her head, clearly not used to being the center of attention for something like this. “…Let’s just chill and have some fun, sound good?” She cracked an awkward smile.

Dakota smirked, amused by how flustered her friend had gotten. “How nicely put,” she murmured. “You’re a natural at this. Now, run along and mingle with your guests while I explain how tonight’s festivities will work.”

“Eh? Uh… but isn’t that my duty as the host?” Gina asked, looking at Dakota in confusion.

Dakota blinked. “…But you’re not the host,” she pointed out. “I’m the host. Remember?”

“No, I mean, yeah, but… you know, the host of the party, not…”

“Yes, yes, I know what you mean,” Dakota scoffed, rolling her eyes. “But again, that’s my responsibility. You’re just here to have fun and participate.”

She flashed Gina a beaming smile. Then her eyes scanned across the room. “Now, before we discuss the particulars of tonight’s event, we have some bookkeeping to take care of…”

“Excuse me!” Vivian raised her hand.

“What is it?” Dakota asked, her pleasant expression marred with frustration by Vivian’s interruption.

“Why is Octavia here?” Vivian asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “And why is she dressed like that?”

“This is my uniform, young miss,” Octavia pointed out bluntly.

“Right. But I picked out that silver dress for you!” Vivian pointed out. “I thought you were going to wear it tonight!”

Octavia stared blankly at her. “…Your thoughts are appreciated, Lady Carrington,” she said with a slight bow. “But you need not concern yourself with me in that regard.”

Vivian’s eye twitched in frustration. “…Fine, whatever,” she grumbled, rolling her eyes. “Keep talking then.”

“Yes, thank you for your permission,” Dakota sarcastically replied. “Now, as Miss DeAmico so helpfully announced, the theme of tonight’s party is classiness and elegance. And in the spirit of that, I would like to encourage everyone to be as classy and elegant as possible tonight.”

She glanced at Holly with a sharp look. “…Even those who haven’t paid for the privilege to be here tonight.”

Holly snickered, but she sobered up when Mary mirrored Dakota’s sharp look.

“On the topic of privilege,” Dakota continued, turning to the other women, “I do believe it’s time to get to that bookkeeping I mentioned before. Each of you who has come here must pay a small fee of 500 BP for the right to remain in this party. Except for Nick, Mary, and Holly, of course.”

“Huh? How come they don’t have to?” Dani asked, confused. “If Carly is gonna pay for Marley to come, then shouldn’t someone be paying for them, too?”

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Mary said, glancing over to Gina. “We’re not exactly taking part in the party, so…”

Dani nodded. “Oh. Well, okay then.”

“Exactly, they won’t be eligible for the competition,” Dakota assured the others. “Now then! 500 BP from each of you, please! …And Carly, 1000 BP.”

“Man, this is really starting to add up,” Carly groaned.

“Actually Marley, I can pay for you tonight!” Sylvia chirped. “I just got a ton of BP from the bounty I did this afternoon, I’d love to pay for you, my girl!”

“Really?” Marley asked, surprised.

“Thanks Sylvia, but it’s okay, I’ve got it covered,” Carly assured her with a smile. “I just need to win a couple games back in my room, and I should claw my money back soon enough!”

Sylvia nodded. “Well alright then,” she acquiesced.

Dakota cleared her throat. “Now, where were we…”

She spun her cane, and summoned up a large black screen, detailing everyone’s transactions.

Amelia: 1800 BP – 500 BP = 1300 BP

Vivian: 2700 BP – 500 BP = 2200 BP

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin: 4200 BP – 500 BP = 3700 BP

Ella: 3700 BP – 500 BP = 3200 BP

Kim: 6100 BP – 500 BP = 5700 BP

Dani: 4700 BP – 500 BP = 4200 BP

Carly: 7200 BP – 1000 BP = 6200 BP

Rose: 9500 BP – 500 BP = 9000 BP

Morgana: 3800 BP – 500 BP = 3300 BP

Dawn: 6000 BP – 500 BP = 5500 BP

Sylvia: 6400 BP – 500 BP = 5900 BP

There were some surprised reactions to the shifts in BP on the board.

“Whoa, Dawn, Sylvia, where did you guys get THAT much BP?!” Dani asked, shocked.

“That’s so much!” Morgana’s eyes widened with wonder.

Vivian whistled in agreement and nodded. “Gotta say, that’s a lot more than I would have expected you to make off one bounty, whoa.”

“It was a tough bounty to complete,” Dawn replied. “Sylvia and I cleaned a bunch of the suites, at 1000 BP each.”

“Yeah, it was great!” Sylvia nodded. “We had a lot of fun doing it, and Dawn got high on catnip in the Garden Suite!”

“Sylvia!” Dawn’s face turned bright red.

“Hah! Oh, that’s just hilarious!” Vivian cackled, doubling over in amusement. “I know we’ve got a lot of plants in there, but catnip?!”

“We also learned about the special rules of each of the rooms,” Dawn said quickly, trying to change the subject. “We can talk about that later, though. Dakota, what else do you have to say?” She asked, turning to the host.

Dakota smirked. “Trying to get out of this, eh? Fair enough.” She shrugged her shoulders and looked at the other girls. “As I was saying, this is just a quick fee to pay, to have the privilege of enjoying this party and competing for a chance to earn a boon. As usual, you’ll be assessed on how well you fit the party’s themes.”

“Is it gonna be another vote?” Marley asked, glancing at Gina. Last time, she had won by a landslide, which had caught her completely by surprise. She was curious to know if that would happen again, and if the audience would vote for her again this time.

Gina shook her head. “No, it’s not going to be a vote,” she said. “I wanted something a bit more… well…” She smoothed out her hair, clearly not used to it being this straight, and glanced at Sylvia out of the corner of her eye. The redhead had come up with some fun ideas, but Gina hadn’t implemented all of them.

This one was one of hers, though.

“For tonight, your performance won’t be graded by the audience, so you can rest easy,” Dakota assured the other girls with an even smile. “No, you’ll be graded by someone with a much more discerning opinion.”

She glanced pointedly at Nick, who shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other.

“Oooh, I see,” Vivian smirked, figuring it out immediately. She sashayed over to Nick with a sparkling flame in her eyes. “So you’re going to be the one judging us, hmm?”

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin circled the two of them, keeping a close eye on Nick herself. She might not be saying anything, but Nick could see the gears turning in her head.

“Nick’s going to be the judge?” Rose pressed her fingers together in delight. “Excellent! I’ve got this in the bag, then!”

“Don’t be too sure,” Amelia said gently. “I was not here for the last party, and what it entailed. But I cannot imagine it would be something so simple. Even if Gina was the one to devise it.”

“Hey!” Gina was wounded by that insinuation.

Amelia’s cheeks reddened slightly. “…My apologies,” she replied. “That did not come out the way I had meant it to.”

Dakota laughed. “It appears that you’re the center of attention again, Nick, even if you’re only one of the judges tonight.”

“Wait, ‘one of’?” Dawn asked, her ears twitching in surprise. “What does that mean?”

“A-are… are there going to be other people?!” Ella reached for her wrist, only to remember that she’d left her rubber-band behind. She’d been terrified of doing it. But it didn’t go with her dress at all, and Cinder had been behaving herself. But now that the idea that someone other than Nick might be watching and judging her, she wished she had taken it anyway.

“It’s nothing you’ll need to worry about,” Dakota assured them. “Just that we can’t count on Nick to be the only objective eye here, you know. He might just pick someone because he likes them, not because they’re the best choice for the contest.”

Dakota knew, of course, that there was no way that could happen. Nick was too soft and too considerate to do something like that. No, the real reason for the multiple judges, if she was reading Gina and Sylvia’s intentions properly, was to split the burden between multiple people.

“Holly and Mary are also going to be judging,” Gina explained. “I wanted it to be a panel of three people judging the events.”

“Wait, events?” Morgana’s eyes widened. “What… what kind of events?”

“Well this sounds fun,” Carly said, intrigued. “But it’s gonna be stuff Dani can do, too, right? I mean, I’m not opposed to classy blowjobs myself, but-”

“I don’t believe oral sex would be categorized under an act of class,” Amelia sharply admonished the other woman.

“That’s because you’re so stuck up, Teach,” Vivian laughed, cradling the back of her head with her hands. “I bet someone like you could do a lot of classy shit with a-”

Dakota loudly thumped the tip of her cane against the floor. Her smile was gone.

Once everyone was looking at her again, though, it quickly returned.

“…I believe we are diverting from the conversation,” she said calmly. “Allow me to explain what will be happening tonight. Throughout the evening, you will go about your business as you normally would at a fancy party, talking with your fellow guests, entertaining, sharing good times and sampling the food nicely. But then, when you hear this sound…”

She tapped her cane again, and loud blowing sound like someone saying “HUSH!” swept through the room.

“…That will be your cue to put the festivities on hold. Because we will be holding a special event. This could happen at any moment, so be sharp!”

“What kind of event will it be, though?” Kim asked.

Dakota gave her a look. “…A classy one,” she replied testily. “The sort of event that tests the maturity and dedication of the woman taking part in it. So, for example, if it would be an event that determines whether or not you can hold discussion like an elegant young lady, someone who interrupts a person while they’re trying to explain would not score very highly.”

Her point made, Dakota relished in the awkward look on Kim’s face as she looked down.

“Oh, this is also really important,” Gina added, seeing the looks of discomfort on the other girls’ faces. “See, there’s not just going to be one event! I decided there are going to be five different activities tonight, grading everyone on their classiness!”

“That’s right,” Dakota said with a nod. “We have five events scheduled tonight for you ladies to show off just how elegant and mature you all are. And after each event, our panel of judges will give you a score from 1 to 10. 10 being the most mature, of course. Each of those scores will be combined together to give a total score.”

Dawn nodded. “Okay, so kind of like a gymnastics competition, I think I get it.”

“That’s right, a very simple process,” Dakota confirmed. “Nothing to get bent out of shape over, don’t worry.”

Dawn rolled her eyes, not at all impressed by the pun.

“At the end of the night, we’ll combine your scores for each event to get a numerical total,” Dakota explained. “And the woman with the highest total will be determined to be the most mature and elegant woman in Nick’s harem! And she’ll receive a prize for that. …But be careful. Any behavior that is deemed as ‘inelegant’ that we observe from you, even if it isn’t a part of the contest, and we will deduct points from your final total.”

She smiled and looked around the room. “Remember, you can’t just be ‘on’ when it’s time for an event! No, being mature and elegant is a lifestyle! Isn’t that right, Amelia?”

“…In a manner of speaking, perhaps you could say that,” Amelia replied after a brief pause. “It is important that one always carries themselves with elegance and dignity.”

“Rrgh… um…” Ella stammered, already feeling a massive weight heaped upon her. This was going to be so hard… she didn’t know anything about being mature or elegant! She was just some maid from somewhere, after all!

This was really starting to freak her out.

Morgana also felt uncomfortable about this idea. But she held herself tight, and tried not to freak out either. That wouldn’t be very mature of her.

She’d come so far this round, she wanted to see things through.

“So Nick, Mary, and Holly are going to be the judges, am I getting that right?” Kim asked, looking at the three of them. “I suppose that’s why they’re here?”

“Yes, that’s correct,” Dakota nodded. “They’ll be the ones on the judging panel. Now, if you’ll allow me…”

She turned to the stage, and waved her cane. The red curtain parted, revealing a long table stretched out across the glittering platform, overlooking the rest of the ballroom.

“While they’ll be mingling with you all during the party, we’ll confine them to that table up there for the events in question,” Dakota explained. “After all, dressed as they are, only Nick really would fit to come out and present himself for appraisal.”

She winked at him. “You look quite dashing in that tuxedo, if I may say so,” she added.

Nick blushed. “Uh… thanks,” he said, scratching his head. “But it’s fine if Mary and Holly aren’t dressed up fancily, too. It’s not a big deal…”

Dakota shook her head. “It’s certainly a big deal! But I won’t make a stink about it. Tonight is all about having fun in a mature way! And I can’t wait to see you all try your hardest. …But I will say, while mingling is encouraged, don’t try to influence the judge.”

She looked sharply at Vivian. If she suspected anybody of trying something like that, it was the bold heiress.

Vivian just smirked.

“I’m a little nervous,” Marley admitted, playing with one of the flower decorations sewn onto her dress. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for all this maturity and elegance stuff.”

“You’ll be fine,” Carly assured her. “It’s Dani and I you should be worried about! I’m not exactly much one for behaving myself, you know?” She joked. “And Dani, well…”

“What? Come on, I can be elegant!” Dani groused. But even as she responded defensively, she knew that Carly raised a valid point. Behaving like a mature and elegant lady wasn’t very high on her list of priorities.

“I’m kinda excited,” Kim said, smiling. “I can’t wait to see what these contests are going to be about, you know?”

“What about the prizes?” Dawn wondered, stroking her chin. “Dakota said that the winner would get something, but what about the other girls? What do they get? Last time, the prizes were spread pretty evenly among the competitors…”

Dakota cleared her throat. “Yes, well, all parties are held differently,” she replied. “As for the distribution, well, we’ll wait until the end when all the scores are tabulated before revealing the prize distribution.”

She narrowed her twinkling eyes at the cat girl. “If you knew how many points you had to accrue in order to get something, well, that would remove the spirit from the competition, wouldn’t you agree?” She pointed out.

Dawn frowned. Dakota raised a valid point there.

“Oh, and I almost forgot! Everyone?” Dakota clapped her hands together to get the attention of the others. “There’s something else we need to keep in mind here, too.”

“What? What is it?” Nick asked.

“I-I think that’s everything,” Gina said, frowning.

“Oh, yes, it is, don’t worry,” Dakota assured her. “But I thought it would be a good idea if we… expanded the pool of judges slightly.”

Gina’s eyes widened. “H-huh!?”

Sylvia gasped. “Does that mean, you’re going to be joining in too?” She asked in alarm.

A few people were concerned about that. Dakota strong-arming her way onto the judge’s podium seemed like a recipe for disaster.

But Dakota shook her head. “Oh my! Certainly not!” She scoffed. “I’m the host after all! It wouldn’t do to have a biased perspective like myself added to the mix, no, not at all! But there is someone here who is the perfect fit. Someone who’s spent most of their life holding herself and the people around her to a high standard of elegance and decorum.”

Dakota’s eyes scanned the room, and for a moment Amelia wondered if she was going to be taken out of this competition (which she already didn’t care about in the first place) and made to be the judge instead.

But then the host moved past her, and looked at someone else.

“Octavia, if you would?”

The butler blinked in subdued her surprise. “…Excuse me?”

“Wait, what!?” Vivian exclaimed. “You… you want Octavia to be a judge?!”

“It only makes sense,” Dakota replied. “After all, she’s a butler of the highest caliber, is she not? Is there anyone else you could count on to provide an objective estimation of you young ladies’ elegance and demeanor?”

Vivian considered that and nodded slightly. “Yeah, uh… I-I guess you’re right,” she admitted, smiling proudly at Octavia. “…But only if she wants to do it!”

Dakota glanced at the silver-haired woman. “Well? What do you say? Are you interested?”

Octavia pondered the offer with an unreadable expression on her face. Then she nodded. “If that is what you wish,” she acquiesced. “Do not worry. I will hold everyone here to the highest standard I know.”

A wave of discomfort and concern washed over the group. Not everyone was thrilled by this idea, to say the least.

Gina in particular had her own concerns.

“Wait, but then we’ll have four judges instead of three,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, will that even work?” Sylvia asked.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ve accounted for that,” Dakota assured them both. “I have someone else in mind, to fill in for the fifth judge.”

Nola’s eyes widened and she smiled. She quickly rushed over to Dakota, practically sparkling with excitement. “Oh! Oh, oh, oh! It’s me, right, Dakota? You’re talking about me? Oh, thank you! I’d just love to be the judge! Thank you so much!”

Dakota smiled serenely. “…Oh, Nola… I told you, I wanted you to take the night off! No, I brought in someone else.”

With a wave of her cane, another woman appeared in the center of the dance floor.

She was dripped wet.

“…?” Serenity looked around, perturbed. Her glowing wet skin shimmered in contrast to her dark bathing suit, giving her an appearance that looked completely out of place at a fancy party like this one.

There were a few gasps of surprise, while Gina brightened up a little. Dani blushed, and nodded, while Carly just laughed.

No one was more shocked than Nola, however.

“WHAT?!” The leprechaun screamed, stamping her feet.