Watch this, I took my demons into the bank of life

Vivian’s eyes widened when she opened the door to the next room and saw what was within it.

“Welcome!” A girl with bright pink hair tied up into a ponytail greeted her with a smile. “To Little Miss’s Secret Bazaar! A hidden room for helping lost contestants get what they need to journey forward!”

“Lost?” Vivian shook her head. “No, I’m not lost! I’m right where I’m supposed to be!” She said with a giggle. “Thanks to my transformation, I’ve been able to find my way through this maze quite easily, I’ll have you know!”

Little Miss’s smile left her face and she raised her eyebrow. “…Are you sure?” She asked, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Because… from my side of things, it seems like you’re pretty far behind actually.”

Vivian flinched. “W-well, that… that’s just because…”

“You’ve been wandering in circles for some time now,” Little Miss pointed out. “Almost like you haven’t been following the map at all…”

Vivian flinched again. The answer was written all over her face.

Little Miss gave her a sympathetic look. “…That is it, isn’t it?” She asked with a sigh and shook her head. “You haven’t been following the directions to bring yourself to orgasm in order to find a way through the maze! And so you’ve been dawdling while the other girls have been getting through!”

“Well-!” Vivian’s cheeks reddened and she **** herself not to respond. She was smarter than this. She took a deep breath and recomposed herself. “…To obtain a map of the labyrinth, I would have to do something… rather untoward,” she confessed. “To do something like that… to myself, it’s a little…”

“What, you mean masturbate?” Little Miss bluntly stated, making Vivian turn red. “Don’t tell me you’ve never-!”

“Of course I have!” Vivian hastily interrupted her. “That-! That isn’t the point! But to do it, with… with Nick watching, that’s just-!”

Little Miss blinked as the heiress’s voice trailed off. Then her eyes stretched wide. “Oh my goodness! You-you’re really-! …Awww, that’s so cute!”

“What!? Cute?!” Vivian sputtered. She wasn’t used to being called “cute” so it had taken her completely aback. “No, I-”

“You don’t want the boy you like to see you playing with yourself,” Little Miss giggled. “That’s what I’d call cute!”

The pink-haired girl’s view of sexuality may have been a bit twisted but that was the last thing on Vivian’s mind at the moment. She furiously shook her head.

“Don’t, don’t call me… no, it’s not… I… …Nick and I aren’t like that!” She proclaimed. “Sure, I think he’s a swell guy, but calling him ‘the boy I like’ that’s just-! No, not when… not…”

Not when their last date had ended in such a disaster. What right did Vivian even have to crush on him at this point? Not that she had any feelings for him yet. Sure, spending time with him was fun and it made her smile, but there was a limit. She wasn’t the sort of woman who could just… gush over a boy. Especially not in a situation like this. Not when he had so many other people he was close to!

“Nick and I… we’re just friends,” Vivian said quietly. “That’s all it is. …If we’re even that.” She wished so desperately that they could be friends. But she also knew that, due to the rules of this competition, they needed to be more than that.

Vivian wanted to marry him. That was the resolve she’d carried onto this show. But since getting to know Nick as a person and getting to like him for who he was, she found herself thinking less and less about her ambitions and goals, and more just embracing the moment like she always did.

It would be nice to marry a guy like him, she believed that from the bottom of her heart. But Nick…

“…He won’t like me that way,” Vivian said finally. “He’ll only fall in love with someone who loves him back. That’s the only way we could ever be together.”

Little Miss frowned. “And you don’t love him back?” She asked. “Not even a little bit?”

Vivian laughed, a bitter feeling welling up in her chest. “I should, right? He’s listening right now, after all, I bet. I should puff out my chest and say I love him, but… I don’t want to lie to him or trick him again… not… not again…”

The look of betrayal and hurt on Nick’s face after the “prank” she’d pulled on him had crushed her. Vivian never wanted to hurt him (or anyone else) like that ever again.

“…You aren’t even sure about your own feelings, then…” Little Miss scrunched up her face and frowned. Oof. This was WAY above her pay grade. She was only supposed to be giving girls helpful items and boons to aid them on their journey through the labyrinth! She wasn’t qualified to be anyone’s therapist! But now she was stuck in the middle of all this drama, when it wasn’t even any of her business! Agh, what a nightmare!

Little Miss sighed and shook her head.

“Okay… look,” she said, staring Vivian down to show the other woman that she was serious. “I don’t know if you’ve ever liked anyone before-”

“If by ‘like’ you mean ‘love’ then the answer is no,” Vivian interrupted her. “Nobody. Not like that, anyway…”

What was “love” even supposed to look like? She knew about love from the perspective of loving her parents. Loving Octavia. Loving her friends, what few she had…

But love… in that sense?

It was a completely foreign concept to her.

Vivian fought to keep the smile on her face. “I just want… to make everyone happy,” she said tiredly, hanging her head. “I don’t need to win challenges or make him fall in love with me… if we can all just be happy together, isn’t that enough?”

“But are you happy?” Little Miss asked.

Vivian didn’t even know how to respond to that. She looked at the other woman with a shocked expression on her face.

“I-I’ve been happy,” she replied. “Going horseback riding with Nick, teaching the other girls, our burger cookout, spending time with Dani… I’ve had a lot of great times on this show!”

Frankly… Vivian would almost be content to keep going like this. If she never had to leave this island, that could even be happiness to her.

Little Miss saw that on her face, but she didn’t like the idea at all.

“…I don’t think you would be happy,” she said quietly, shaking her head. “Not with what you just told me, Vivian. Maybe I’m overstepping, but… don’t you at least fancy the idea of falling in love?”

Vivian bit her lip and cast her eyes downwards. “…Of course that would be nice,” she mumbled. “But come on. I can’t even make friends without messing things up. Falling in love… I guess it’s just not meant to be. Shame, really… …But hey, maybe Nick will do me a solid and marry me anyhow, just on paper, so I can get my inheritance? Then maybe I could pay him back, and…”

She stopped herself, her words tasting disgusting in her mouth. Vivian felt like she was going to throw up.

“No, that… that’s not… what I want,” she said finally, shaking her head. A contemptuous expression crossed her face. “I’m not going to do that, no… I just… I don’t know, okay!? I don’t know what the right thing to do is!”

Vivian was greedy. Most billionaires were. But Vivian’s greed couldn’t be satisfied by golden yachts or companies or massive mansions or any of the other fancy toys other billionaires spent their money on.

Vivian wanted to be friends with everyone. She wanted people to love her. Adore her. Cherish her. It was utterly selfish on her part, but she would do anything, for anyone, just to see them smile and value her even a tiny bit.

Little Miss sighed. “Take it from the woman who has everything- literally- it isn’t always satisfying. Just giving people what they want.”

Vivian looked at her in shock.

“Not too long ago, I hosted another girl from your season,” Little Miss chuckled. “Kim, I think her name was? I showered her with riches and rewards, but… she just wanted plain, simple things. It was incredibly strange! But… endearing, in its own way.”

Vivian laughed. “Yeah… that does sound like Kim,” she agreed.

“My point,” Little Miss continued, “is that in a situation like yours, it can be tricky, very tricky, to find the right balance. Sure, if you throw your money around you’ll attract people, but-”

“You can stop there,” Vivian interjected, holding up her hand. “Believe me, I’ve had this conversation more than enough times.”

She didn’t need to hear the “If you just give money to people they’ll only value you for your money” speech again. She knew it by heart at this point.

That wasn’t it at all.

“…I want Nick to like me for who I am, him and everyone else, of course I do,” she said with a sigh. Her heart throbbed with embarrassment knowing that Nick could hear every word she was saying. “But… when I think about how I’ve messed up so many times…”

“Just be yourself,” Little Miss chirped. “That’s the best gift I can give you! The thing is though, being yourself won’t make everybody like you. Nobody can be liked by everybody. You need to find the people you can connect with, the people who do like you, and open yourself up to them!”

She winked. “Do that, and who knows? Maybe you’ll find yourself falling in love before you even know it!”

The way Little Miss saw it, Vivian was so focused on being liked and crafting her public image to please the people around her that she’d never truly let down her walls to others and revealed her real self. And until that happened, she wouldn’t be able to connect with them sincerely. (She wasn’t omniscient, so she had no idea that Vivian was already taking those steps with Dani.)

Maybe if Vivian did that, if she opened up… then she could even fall in love.

It was worth trying, at least.

“…You’re right, of course,” Vivian conceded with a sigh, scratching her head.

Little Miss frowned. “You’re not just saying that to go along with me, so I’ll like you, right?” She asked firmly, narrowing her eyes.

Vivian flinched. “Of-! Of course not!” She sputtered, shaking her head quickly. “Don’t be absurd, I wouldn’t-! I just-!”

She sighed and slumped over. “…I just don’t know what to do…”

“Not everybody does,” Little Miss admitted. “But the first step is working on yourself! And being nice to others! And on that front, you’re already doing a GREAT job!”

She flashed a bright grin. “Don’t you think?”

Vivian would like to think so. But she could always do better.

“Now then… it’s time to give you your reward!” Little Miss rubbed her hands together excitedly. “And I think I have just the one! Since you’re the only contestant who hasn’t made it passed the halfway mark of the maze just yet-”

“Wait, so I’m in last place!?” Vivian interrupted. Of course I’m in last. I’ve been too ashamed to show my sexuality to Nick, so it only makes sense… of course it does.

Little Miss gave her a pouty look. “…Anyway. What I’m offering is a shortcut through the maze! What do you say? It’ll help you close the gap between you and the other girls!”

She stepped aside and waved to a box with a red curtain draped over it.

“This is my special Teleportation Box!” Little Miss declared. Not the most creative name, but whatever. “It will warp you clear across the maze, pushing you closer to the finish line! …Oh, but it’s got a bit of a catch to it.”

Vivian winced. “What… what kind of catch?” She asked hesitantly, bracing for the worst.

Little Miss giggled, her eyes twinkling. “The fun kind!” She chirped. “Stepping into this box and using its ability… well, the further it sends you, the more orgasms it gives you.”

Vivian blanched. “Orgasms!?” She sputtered, her eyes widening.

“That’s right!” Little Miss nodded. “Makes sense, no? You’re so far behind because you refused to bring yourself to orgasm to get a peek at the map! But now… well, if you want a shortcut, and you want to get to the end? Only way to do that is to cum your brains out! It’s a fair trade, wouldn’t you agree?”

She winked at the blushing heiress, enjoying watching Vivian squirm.

Vivian bit her lip and glanced away. She knew that Little Miss was making sense with what she was saying, but…

…But it was so embarrassing!

“…Fine,” she said, pushing aside her shame and holding her head up high. “I’ll do it! It… it’s just a little orgasming anyway, nothing I can’t get past.”

The other girls had been through worse. Hell, Vivian had probably been through worse herself!

So no sense trying to pointlessly preserve a sense of modesty that was completely unneeded here. Vivian pushed hose feeling aside and pressed forward, stepping into the box and dropping the curtain down behind her.

As Little Miss listened to Vivian orgasm with a gleeful smile on her face, she wondered how Jess was doing right now…

“So which way is it?” Rose asked, trying her best to be patient. “Left or right?”

“Um…” Jess squinted at the fork in the road, trying to remember. It should have come to her immediately, but her mind was still in a haze from that gas. “It… it’s definitely one of those two, I know that much…”

Amelia adjusted her glasses and sighed. “Indeed, it certainly is,” she said, trying not to sound condescending but doing a bad job of it.

Jess winced.

“…Left! It’s definitely left!” She said, pointing down the left path.

Rose wasn’t nearly convinced. But she held her tongue. “Alright, we’ll go left,” she agreed, and headed down the path.

Even if Jess was steering them wrong, Rose had no right to complain. It was only because of her insistence that they open the third treasure chest that their guide had gotten a blast of dumbifying gas in the face and been turned scatterbrained (even more than usual!) on them.

So Rose had to just accept that this stuff happened and make the best of it. Anything short of that would be rather rude of her, and she didn’t want to get into even more hot water with Jess’s boss/lover.

With that in mind, there was really no other option than to follow the fox girl and hope everything would turn out alright.

One step down the path and the ground gave out beneath Rose’s feet.

“Hyaaaaah!” She shrieked, plummeting into a pit of slime.

It wasn’t a long fall, thankfully, but it was maybe the grossest experience she’d ever had! And she’d fought off actual slime girls before! This was nothing like that. The slime clung to her body, almost like it had a mind of its own, filling every crevice of Rose’s skimpy sailor suit and wrapping around her like a sticky soaked blanket. Rose thrashed and tried to swim her way out of it but the material was too viscous to properly move through, even with her strength. It took the combined efforts of Jess and Amelia to actually pull her free.

“That… was… AWFUL!” Rose screamed, shivering. “When I get my hands on whoever voted for me to fall into a slime pit-!”

“Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh, I’m so sorry!” Jess wailed fretfully, bowing her head up and down repeatedly. “I’m so sorry, Rose, I swear, I didn’t mean to do any of that, I’m sorry! I totally forgot about the slime trap!”

“Are you certain this is the correct path?” Amelia brushed some of the slime off of her wrist with a frown. She was grateful that the outfit she’d picked out at the bazaar didn’t come with sleeves.

“No, I mean, yes, it’s definitely the right way to go!” Jess assured them both with a firm nod. “It’s just, um… I, uh, I don’t… I don’t quite remember where all the boobytraps and obstacles along the way are, so, um… …yeah…”

She playfully stuck out her tongue and rapped her knuckles on the side of her head with a sheepish smile.

Rose was not amused. But again, she had brought this on herself.

So complaining seemed a little unfair.

Sighing, the actress stood up, scraping as much slime off of herself as she could. At least it was just slime and not something disgusting like aphrodisiacs that would have made things harder for them.

Even if her clothes were probably never going to dry off.

“It’s fine, Jess,” she said, gently soothing the fretting fox girl. “I’m not upset. You could even say I’ve got this coming… it’s not your fault.”

“Eh?” Jess looked at her in surprise. With Rose’s personality she expected the other woman to be blaming her left and right, even though Rose had been the one who made her inhale that strange gas in the first place.

Rose shook her head. “I’m so amazing and skilled, the audience obviously voted against me, in order to handicap me,” she said with a sigh, cradling her cheek. A distant look crossed her glassy eyes. “It’s truly tragic… but I suppose I understand…”

Jess sure didn’t understand. Maybe it was another effect of the gas, or maybe Rose was just talking like a lunatic.

She wasn’t quite sure.

Amelia adjusted her glasses and gave Rose a frosty look.

If I was the one who fell in the slime pit, she would have likely justified it by saying that she was so beloved by the audience that they couldn’t do such a thing to her, Amelia figured.

Somehow, Rose had a way of interpreting reality to suit her ego, and asserting it as fact.

Amelia found that it was easier to just not argue.

I wonder if the others have to deal with something like this, she thought, glancing at the pool of slime beside her.

The other girls weren’t dealing with slime pits. But as far as Dani was concerned, maybe that would even be better.

“…What the heck am I looking at?” She wondered, stepping into a new room with more doors than she could count lining the walls.

As the two witch girls came inside and looked around the room themselves, amazed, Dani could tell from the pile of giant puzzle pieces stacked up in front of her that this bizarre room was going to be a headache all on its own.