Under an old brass paperweight is my list of things to do today

Rose was all sunlight and smiles as she walked into the Banquet Hall. She was wearing a white shoulderless crop top and black pants, which gave her the appearance of a classy but stuck-up celebrity.

…Or maybe that was just Rose being Rose.

“You’re in a good mood,” Dawn noted with a bit of hope in her voice. “Are things going well with you and Ella?”

A shadow crossed Rose’s face and she sighed when she reached the buffet table, dropping a pastry down onto her plate.

“Ella?” She looked back at the door. “Don’t you mean…”

The door to the Banquet Hall creaked open, and the grumpy face of Cinder emerged from the other side, scowling.

“What?” She growled as she approached the table. “What are you looking at?”

Kim tensed. “Nothing, ma’am.”

Dawn shook her head and **** a crooked smile. “It’s okay.”

Cinder ignored the cat girl, and looked questioningly at Kim. “Ma’am?” She tilted her head to the side, confused. “The fuck?”

Kim sighed and looked down. “It’s a long story.”

Dawn questioned why Rose was in such a good mood given the circumstances, but right now she was more curious about Cinder’s presence. She doubted that Ella would just give her free rein so liberally- so what was she doing active?

“Good morning, Cinder,” she said politely, smiling as best she could. “Did you have a good night in your new room?”

Cinder looked uncomfortable for a moment. “…It was fine!” She snapped, scooping some baked beans onto a plate and stomping over to another table to eat by herself. “Leave me alone!”

Dawn watched her go with a forlorn expression, but she didn’t push the issue. As someone who valued privacy herself, she didn’t want to make a fuss.

Ella had been hard enough to get to open up to her. She didn’t want to put undue pressure on Cinder and ruin both relationships.

…Or was it the same relationship? Dawn may have gone to med school but that didn’t make her an expert on human psychiatry, unfortunately.

She sighed and shook her head, turning back to her half-eaten breakfast. Well, Cinder wasn’t lashing out violently, so that was progress, at least.

“When I woke up this morning, she was already out,” Rose said, sitting down next to the cat girl. Her voice was lowered to a hush, a standard gossiping tone, much to Dawn’s chagrin. She didn’t like talking about people behind their backs. “I was worried at first, but she wasn’t very hostile. Compared to how she was yesterday, I mean.”

“What, when she stabbed you in the back and made you cum your brains out?” Kim snorted. “That was a riot.”

Rose gave her a sharp look.

Kim straightened up and a sheepish expression crossed her face. “Um… ma’am.”

“That’s better,” Rose sniffed. “…What’s up with you, anyway?” She asked. “Why are you being so polite all of a sudden?”

Her eyes widened. “Have you finally realized that your role in the harem is the sexy, respectful student who dutifully treats the older, more mature members of the harem with their proper deference?” She asked hopefully.

Kim stared blankly at her.

“…Wow, you really drank the kool-aid, didn’t you, ma’am?” She asked, slowly shaking her head incredulously.

Rose gave her a dirty look.

“This is your transformation at work, then?” Dawn inquired. “Getting you to see Kim as, what, some kind of idealized sexual fantasy of a schoolgirl?”

“Among other things,” Rose said defensively. “It’s just expanding my way of looking at everyone, that’s all. It’s not like I actually think less of her or anything like that.”

“Do you even think anything of me at all?” Kim raised her eyebrow. She and Rose weren’t exactly the closest of friends.

Dawn was concerned about Cinder, but she was also curious about Rose’s transformation. The mental transformations that affected the perspective of other girls always got her thoughts racing with possibility.

“So what does this transformation of yours do, anyway?” She pressed, leaning in closely and studying Rose. “Does it affect the way you see me?”

Rose scrunched up her face and looked thoughtfully at Dawn. “By my estimation,” she said, stroking her chin, “your role in the harem is the precious source of care and advice to the girls who need it most. And Nick, when the need arises. You’re also there to be used as a tool for his pleasure, whether that’s one of us including you as a prop, or Nick himself.”

Dawn’s cheeks heated up and her ears flared. “You could have just stuck to that first part, you know,” she griped, narrowing her eyes.

Rose shrugged and gave Dawn an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry?” She said with a giggle. “It’s just the way I’m seeing things now.”

She reached out and petted Dawn’s head like a kitten. “But don’t worry, it doesn’t mean I think about you any differently! You’re still a perfectly lovely woman, and a close, dear friend.”

Dawn’s eye twitched. “Maybe not for long if you regard me as a sexual tool,” she said, irritated that her Poser transformation actually made that sound like not such a bad idea.

“Well, it seems like Rose won’t change that much, at least,” Kim mused with a smirk. “After all, she always did tend to look down on people most of the time anyway, right, ma’am?”

Rose shot her another dirty look.

“So why were you in such a good mood this morning?” Dawn asked. “Ella’s a good girl, but Cinder…” She glanced warily over her shoulder at where the fierce latina was enjoying a rather gluttonous breakfast, only to meet her piercing gaze. It was enough to make her turn away.

“Oh, it has nothing to do with her. Them. Either of them,” Rose assured Dawn, shaking her head and leaning back in her seat. She flashed a coy smile and fished into the pocket of her pants, presenting a sheet of paper to both girls. “It’s because of this!”

This Round’s Bounties:

Bring Holly to Orgasm in Front of the Master – 100 BP

Perform a Dual Strip Tease with another Contestant for the Master – 100 BP

Accept a Random Temporary Clothing Transformation (24 consecutive hours) – 300 BP

Bring the Master to Orgasm with Your Feet – 300 BP

Use Method Acting to Copy a Sexual Transformation on your Night with the Master – 500 BP

Spend One Full Day (24 consecutive hours) Wearing the Style of another Contestant (chosen at random) – 500 BP

Provide another Contestant Oral Sex – 500 BP

Have Sex with the Master in front of other Contestants – x300 BP per Contestant

Prepare a Dish for another Contestant with the Master’s Cum as a Key Ingredient – 1500 BP (must be fully consumed to get the reward)

Get Pregnant – 5000 BP

Dawn and Kim both recoiled in shock when they read that last bounty.

“Wait… are you serious?” Dawn looked at Rose, her mouth wide.

Kim shook her head in disbelief. “You aren’t actually considering this, are you?” She questioned.

Rose blinked, confused for a moment. Then her cheeks flushed scarlet. “Wait, did you think… no, I didn’t mean that last one! Of course I’m not going to go through with that! I can’t even control that if I tried to, you know!”

Sure, she may have been willing to participate in anal sex with Nick, and this bounty was worth twice that one (or equal, factoring in the boon she’d received last round) but a modest amount of discomfort in the bedroom was a far cry from conceiving a child!

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Dawn noted. “Remember, Mary still has those pills that can induce ovulation at will. If you really wanted to guarantee it…”

“We have a wonderful selection of maternity clothes at the boutique, ma’am,” Kim said, cracking a grin. “If you’d like to come shopping with me when I’m done here, I might be able to arrange a discount for you…”

Rose glared at the two of them and huffed. “I was just trying to show you my bounties because I wanted to share in the good times, and this is what you do? Tease me?” She sounded genuinely hurt. “How rude! I have more than enough BP as it is, I don’t need to go through with anything drastic like that!”

“Sorry, Rose, we were just having a bit of fun,” Dawn apologized, genuinely feeling sorry for how the other woman took their little joke.

“Yes, ma’am, we won’t do it again,” Kim apologized as well. It wasn’t the first time her horribly dark sense of humor had resulted in serious issues.

Rose looked at the two girls for a moment, and then relaxed. “…I suppose no harm done,” she relented. “But again, that last option is off the table! As for the others…”

“Are you thinking about that one where you have sex in front of a bunch of people?” Kim jumped in, immediately forgetting her previous mistake just a second ago. “I bet Carly would go for that, if you asked her.”

“I wonder, would Marley count as an additional pair of eyes, then?” Dawn mused. She looked over the sheet again in her mind. “No… judging by the wording, I don’t think it would…”

Rose rolled her eyes. “I’ll consider it,” she replied. “Some of these are weird, though. I mean, the feet one? Really? Is that even a thing? And as for giving another contestant oral sex… that seems a little too much, even for me.”

“Oh, but preparing someone a dish loaded with Nick’s cum, that’s totally fine with you, ma’am?” Kim laughed, imagining what it would be like for someone to wind up with that.

She noticed Dawn was being suspiciously quiet.

“…Wait, ma’am, you’re not thinking…” Kim made a face. “I know you have that transformation that makes you aroused by the smell of Nick’s semen, but eating a meal made with the stuff, that’s a little bit…”

Dawn’s face turned red and her tail stood on end. “That wasn’t what I was thinking about at all!” She hissed. “I was… thinking about other strange sexual acts that transformations may encourage, that’s all!”

Kim blinked, and then remembered the conversation they’d been having before Rose arrived on the scene. Her eyes widened. “Oh! You mean-”

Dawn silenced her with a glare.

Rose looked back and forth between the two women on opposite sides of the table. “What? What am I missing here?” She asked.

Dawn gave Kim a look that said “Talk and you’re dead.” Kim, having gotten much better at reading the facial expressions of others since spending so much time on a regular basis with Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, acquiesced.

Before either girl could say anything else, though, the doors of the Banquet Hall opened again. It seemed like the morning rush was starting in earnest now.

Carly, Marley, and Sylvia swarmed into the room, giggling up a storm. They were so caught up in each other that they didn’t even notice the other girls, and all got their meals.

“…Hey, you could always copy Sylvia’s new style of clothing,” Kim pointed out, indicating to the skimpy punk vibe the dyed redhead was rocking.

“Or Carly’s,” Dawn laughed. “What show is that outfit from?”

Rose couldn’t hazard a guess. Carly was dressed in a short-sleeved pullover white top that showed off plenty of cleavage and tight blue jeans, and she wore a large tool belt around her waist. She looked like some fetishized home renovator.

“…I don’t think that’s my style,” Rose said, shaking her head. “Either of ‘em.”

“You could always go goth,” Dawn suggested, glancing at the door. She hadn’t seen a trace of Morgana this morning. The fact that she hadn’t received a sexual fantasy in her dream (well, not one from Morgana, anyway- thanks, Dakota) suggested that her former roommate had found someone else to rely on for her transformation’s needs.

It couldn’t have been her new roommate, could it? Dawn would be shocked if Amelia had allowed Morgana to unleash her sexual fantasies onto her.

If she had, well… it would definitely not be a mistake repeated a second time, that was for sure.

“Where’s your roommate, by the way?” Rose asked, turning to Kim. “Mine’s busy sulking off by herself, but where’s Gina?”

“Still sleeping, probably,” Dawn guessed. “I had no idea you cared so much about the presence of others, Rose!”

Rose shifted in her seat and shrugged. “I had some ideas I wanted to run by her for the upcoming party, that’s all.”

“Right, right… sure it’s not because you need a willing oral sex recipient, and Gina’s the one who wouldn’t make it weird, ma’am?” Kim teased, earning her another pout from the short-haired blonde.

Kim raised up her hands defensively. “Hey, you’re the one who doesn’t like having short hair,” she pointed out. “I’m just trying to help as best I can.”

“Speaking of your hair, you’re not wearing your sweater,” Dawn noted. “Don’t tell me it comes with a time restriction?”

Rose shook her head. “No, I could have worn it,” she replied. “But it kind of clashes with this outfit, don’t you think?”

Dawn’s eye twitched. Only Rose would sacrifice pragmatism to look amazing like that.

On the topic of making sacrifices for fashion, another contestant entered the Banquet Hall, and with her appearance came the signal for Kim to get the hell out of dodge.

“Good morning,” Vivian said, approaching their table. She was dressed stylishly as always, even when dressed down- a sleeveless jean shirt left unbuttoned halfway down, and a long billowing black skirt. Her smile was as impeccable as always, even in the face of Kim’s sour expression.

“Sorry, I was just leaving,” Kim groused, rising from her seat in an exaggerated show of “making room” for the other woman, when really she just wanted to get out of there as fast as she could before she ended up referring to Vivian as “ma’am” and throwing up in her mouth a little because of it.

Of course, Vivian didn’t take the brush-off all that well.

“Kim?” She turned to pursue the other woman, looking worried. “Is everything alright? I thought we put our differences behind us?”

“Sorry, ma’am,” Kim said, letting one slip out through her gritted teeth. “But I really have to get going. I have work.”

And with that, she ran off before Vivian could press any further.

A sorrowful expression crossed Vivian’s face for a fraction of a second before she took Kim’s seat, and looked at the other two questioningly.

“Was it something I said?” She asked with just a note of desperation in her voice.

“…No,” Dawn said, sensing something amiss from the other girl. She seemed a little more on edge than usual. “Kim’s just had a really weird day, that’s all. I don’t think she meant anything against you personally. She just had to get to work.”

“Oh, phew,” Vivian said, sighing in relief. “I thought I’d done something to offend her again…” The heiress’s smile relaxed considerably and she looked at Rose. “What about you, Rose?” She asked.

Rose blinked. “Hmm? I don’t have any problems with you at all,” she said, shaking her head.

“Really?” Another wave of relief seemed to wash over the heiress, but it went unnoticed by everyone except the incredibly perceptive cat girl. “After my new transformation, well… Let’s just say the two of you have done quite a lot with Nick. More than I’ve done, certainly.”

“No kidding,” Dawn said, stirring her scrambled eggs with a fork. “Rose even touched his boobs. Try topping that one.”

Vivian’s eyes widened. “I know!” She nodded. “I read about that on my sheet! Dakota gave me a list of everything you girls have done with him this morning, and I’ve gotta say… Very thorough of you, Rose. You’ll have to tell me how that happened.”

“It was this whole thing with the mirrors, not important,” Rose said, waving her hand. “Good luck trying to replicate that one.”

“Well, I’ve got to,” Vivian said, sounding just the slightest bit sad. “After all, if I don’t, you’re never going to respect me.”

Rose’s eyes widened. “What? What makes you say that? I respect you! You’re an amazing businesswoman, and your fashion sense? It’s incredible! In fact, I’m actually wearing something from your spring line!”

“Oh, you do?” Vivian didn’t even hear the part about Rose taking fashion advice from her, she was too relieved that the blonde didn’t think less of her now as a result of her transformation. “That’s such a relief to hear.”

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I support you becoming the harem manager,” Rose added, her gaze sharpening as she narrowed her eyes at the heiress, who was caught off-guard by that.

Dawn tensed, and Vivian looked confused.

“Wait, but…”

“I can respect you as a person,” Rose said. “But this and that are two different things.” She narrowed her eyes. “Frankly, the only person who’s suited for the role of managing Nick’s harem is a woman who he truly loves, someone who he wants to spend the rest of his life together in wedded bliss with, raising a pair of absolutely adorable little children together…”

Her eyes glazed over and she sighed wistfully.

“…So you mean Mary,” Dawn interjected. “His wife. Who’s pregnant.”

Rose’s expression soured. “I was talking about me!” She snapped. “I’m the obvious choice for harem manager! After all, I’m the one he loves most.”

“No, again, that’s probably Mary.” It hurt for Dawn to admit, but she was a rational person who could separate her feelings from her objective observations, and objectively, Nick’s feelings for Mary were a lot stronger than his feelings for anyone else.

“Only right now!” Rose protested. “Just you watch! I’ll show him that my proper place is right by his side!”

Dawn didn’t want to belabor the point or turn this into some big argument. She turned back to Vivian, only to see that the heiress was practically on the verge of tears.

“I’m glad to hear you feel that way,” Vivian said, pretending like she hadn’t been about to cry just now. Dawn admired the control the heiress had over her emotions. “After all… if I’m going to be managing this harem someday, I want it to be because I earned your respect.”

Rose shifted uncomfortably. “I respect you just fine,” she said again. “But this and that are two separate matters.”

Vivian’s eyes twinkled. “We’ll see,” she replied. “In the meantime, there’s someone else I have to talk to right now. Someone who I need to bury the hatchet with.”

Vivian couldn’t stand the idea of someone not liking her. Which meant that right now, she had to see a certain latina about a certain betrayal.

Before Dawn or Rose could stop her, Vivian rose from her seat and sashayed over to the isolated Cinder, who regarded her approach with nothing short of pure dread.