As much as it hurts, ain't it wonderful to feel?

“So your prize for that threesome was a free night in the Proximity Palace?” Nick had almost forgotten about that place, since they hadn’t used it at all this round. The magic of the Proximity Palace was quite similar to that of Dream Alley; while staying on the premises, it would change to adapt to whatever you desired. Essentially serving as your dream house/party pad/safe space, or whatever else you needed it for.

In the back of his mind, Nick questioned why such an amazing power was sequestered out here on the other side of the island, as opposed to somewhere more practical, like the Master’s Suite. Wouldn’t it have made for a more tantalizing offer if his living quarters could be changed to whatever his heart desired? While he had gotten used to the golden color scheme by this point, in spite of its garishness, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d have put up less of a resistance had he been able to sculpt his room to look however he wanted.

…He probably would have, right? After all, his opposition to this disgusting show had been one of principle, not because he had to shit in a toilet that was probably worth more than his entire house back home. (Then again, with modern property values…)

Anyway, he was getting off track. He’d been so caught up in his thoughts that he’d completely missed Kim’s reply to his question, and now she was giving him a look.

“…Do you need me to say it again, but slower and with smaller words?” She chided playfully, sticking out her tongue.

“Sorry… I was just lost in thought,” he said, scratching his head sheepishly. No excuse, he had completely tuned out his own date. Moron.

“Well, it’s fine, not like it’s important or anything,” Kim said, waving her hand. “One night in the Proximity Palace, whoopty-doo. As if that matters?”

She rolled her eyes. “Come on, Dakota, is that really a prize?”

Dakota looked back from her spot ahead of them, leading the way, and raised her eyebrow. “You were the one who made the choice for that bounty,” she pointed out. “There were two you could have picked from, remember?”

Kim gave her a look and crossed her arms over her chest. “Sure but the other one needed me to get off five women,” she reminded the host. “And I don’t even swing that way. And to do it in 24 hours, to boot?”

The flinch in Dakota’s face was delicious. Kim couldn’t say anything overtly for the reasons Sylvia had made abundantly clear, but seeing the flicker of concern in the other woman’s eyes as she glanced swiftly to Nick for a second out of worry that he’d noticed was a good salve for her frustrations.

Nick didn’t pick up on the insinuation, which was good. But Kim’s point was clear, and she hung it over Dakota’s head like the Sword of Damocles, even if they both knew the blade in question was as dull as a plastic prop.

Dakota didn’t like being jerked around. She settled in on Kim with a glare, but it only lasted a couple of seconds.

“Can I ask you something?” Nick looked at Dakota, and when she snapped around to meet his gaze he wondered why she was so jumpy. But as he asked his question, the host relaxed considerably. “Why exactly is this place out in the middle of nowhere? And why doesn’t the Master’s Suite have this power?”

“On some shows, the Master’s Suite can in fact alter itself to suit the whims of the master, as the Proximity Palace does,” Dakota revealed.

“So you copied another season with a derivative gimmick and it isn’t even as useful as it is on there? Wow, that’s like the opposite of innovation, yikes,” Kim said, not even bothering to keep the venom out of her taunt.

Dakota stared at her in open-mouthed shock at the flagrant disrespect, and Nick just shot her an incredulous look.

What the hell is she doing!? Nick had been trying to ignore the tension he’d picked up on between the two bright-eyed brunettes, but it was hard to do that now. He was more certain than ever now that something had gone down when he wasn’t looking, but what? Kim and Dakota are mixed up in something. If it was important than Kim would tell me, but she hasn’t said anything directly to me at all. So is it not that big of a deal? Then what’s going on?

Nick had an uncomfortable feeling in his chest that only grew the more he focused on the present situation. He remembered when Kim had pulled Sylvia aside earlier for a talk, and how awkward the tomboy had been around the former host. They’d both said she was consulting Sylvia on getting her transformation upgraded, but now he wasn’t so sure that was the only reason.

What could he do, though? If Kim didn’t want him involved, then it would be wrong to push too hard, and might even drive her away. But she was also getting him involved by taunting Dakota right in front of him!

Something was definitely going on.

Dakota took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down the way she used to when they were kids. But Nick remembered that move usually had mixed results. Thankfully it seemed to work this time, though, as when she opened her golden eyes he saw the familiar look of superiority he was used to seeing from her now, mixed with just a touch of indignation.

“…It would be entirely possible to outfit the Master’s Suite with such functions,” Dakota calmly replied, tapping her cane on the ground to prove her point. “But in my experience if you make the Master’s Suite too hospitable, it becomes quite troubling to convince the master to leave in the first place and engage in the game. I’m sure Sylvia can tell you all about that.”

Good point. Nick remembered his little “deal” with Sylvia to get him to play along with this show in the first place. It was a testament to the insidiousness of this whole setup that it had been months since the thought of resisting had occurred to him; this was Nick’s new “normal” now, for better or worse, and he had just kind of accepted it.

Dakota narrowed her eyes into glittering golden slits. “As I’m sure you’ve realized by now, Kim, resisting the will of Harem Hotel is not something that usually ends positively. For anyone. The producers and the audience have a tendency to… get their way.”

Well, there were veiled threats, and there were “veiled” threats. And there was whatever Dakota just did, which was akin to holding up a sign that said “threat” and beating Kim over the head with it.

To Nick’s surprise, the tomboy didn’t back down. She just let out a disgusted grunt and scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Whatever.”

Dakota actually took that in stride. Her expression shifted to one of amusement, and she covered her hand as she laughed. “On top of preventing the enabling of recalcitrant masters, keeping the powers of the Proximity Palace separate from the rest of the hotel allows me to use it as a prize to be awarded… like so.”

She tapped her cane, and suddenly they were standing in front of it. In a display of her powers more subtle than the usual warping of reality around her, Dakota had brought them to their location before anyone noticed.

“Yay, it’s my own personal shack!” Kim’s voice oozed sarcasm as she mockingly applauded her “prize”. She turned to Dakota with an emotionless expression on her face. “You really shouldn’t have.”

“I just thought it would be best not to overwhelm you,” Dakota calmly replied. “So I had it take the form of surroundings that would be familiar to someone of your… status.”

Kim wasn’t at all surprised by the dig at her impoverished background. And she didn’t take it lying down, either.

“Hey, at least I know the value of a good day’s hard work,” Kim pointed out. “How much money did you make again? …Right, you drowned before you ever worked a day in your life.”

“Kim!” Nick snapped at her. That was crossing the line. Taking shots at Dakota was one thing, he could understand the impulse she had to do that, even if he didn’t exactly know why. But mentioning that day…

It wasn’t only Dakota who had suffered. Nick had been traumatized by that as well. And even if Kim’s intentions were for the best (and he had no idea whether or not they were) bringing up a painful memory like that… it was almost as bad as what Vivian had done.

Kim seemed to realize that she’d gone too far, judging by the way the color drained from her cheeks. “…I’m sorry,” she said finally, more to Nick than to Dakota. She didn’t even look at the host, not sure if she wanted to see the result of her handiwork.

Nick did though. He saw the quiet fury burning behind her gaze, and he felt a churning in his stomach. This was Dakota’s chance to be the bigger person for once and put an end to all this, but he had a distinct feeling that she would double down.

Call it experience.

“…I’ll let you have that one,” Dakota said after an eternity of waiting, leaving both Nick and Kim stunned in surprise.

The host narrowed her eyes. “For Nick’s sake… I’ll let that go. Just this once. Since I expect him to make good use of your body tonight, after you worked so hard getting him excited for it. And I’d hate to deprive him of his prize by being… petty.”

Nick wasn’t sure if Dakota had actually considered throwing a punishment transformation onto Kim or if that was just bluster to save face, which was the problem. Once upon a time he had been close enough to Dakota that he could foresee even her most unpredictable of actions. But it had been a lifetime since they were kids playing in the neighborhood park, and now the woman in front of him was a complete enigma.

The wall she’d constructed around herself… it was impenetrable in many ways, and yet porous in others. And if he pushed against the wrong spot it threatened to come crumbling down, burying him alive.

He’d rather that didn’t happen, if he was being honest.

Kim bit her lip. Like Nick she didn’t know if she was being let off the hook, or if this was just bluster and bravado from the other woman. And honestly… did it matter?

Dakota was being a total cunt either way.

“…If we’re talking about prizes, then this is mine, right?” Kim turned and looked at the dilapidated shack, determined to change the subject. “I can make it look however I want?”

“Assuming you’re using it tonight, yes,” Dakota said with a nod. The tone of her voice almost sounded relieved, like she was just as glad as Kim to move on from that topic. She waved her cane and called up the text of Kim’s bounty. “If you’ll look here at what the bounty says, you’ll see it doesn’t specify a time, other than night, of course. And that’s still several hours off…”

ENGAGE IN A THREESOME WITH THE MASTER AND ANOTHER CONTESTANT

REWARD: FREE NIGHT IN THE PROXIMITY PALACE

Kim raised her eyebrows. She opened her mouth to reply, but Dakota cut her off.

“And before you start complaining like a whiny schoolgirl in her mother’s fancy dress, don’t worry, I have no intention of pulling the proverbial ‘fast one’ on you,” Dakota scoffed, rolling her eyes and waving her hand, dismissing the screen. “I’m not going to say something to the effect of ‘Oh I never specified when you get to spend the night, so you get it ten years from now’, don’t be so paranoid.” She shook her head.

“…I wasn’t gonna say that,” Kim said, only half-lying. It had been a concern, sure, but she doubted Dakota would try and pull something like that right in front of Nick.

Right now, she was far more worried about the insinuation that they would still be here ten years from now, as was Nick. But judging by the sarcasm in Dakota’s voice, she was being facetious so they didn’t press it.

“Well, lovely,” Dakota huffed, tapping her cane. “In that case, you’ve got your prize. You may redeem it whenever you wish! …Oh, but only for the remainder of the round,” she clarified. Her eyes shot over to Nick. “Using it tonight on your date… that would be quite a coup for you, I’m sure. But then again, you could always use it on your own, as well,” she pointed out. “In case you’d like a night without the scent of candy filling your nose, or the feeling of Gina’s knee pressing into your spleen.”

“Nah, I had a job at a candy store for a few weeks,” Kim scoffed, waving her hand. “Smell of candy doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, had to quit because it was making me too hungry working there all the time.”

The part about Gina, though… that was valid. Kim took another look at the Proximity Palace and wondered if maybe she should reconsider using it tonight.

“I have a question myself,” Nick said, raising her hand.

“Oh?” Dakota looked his way, surprised. She raised her eyebrow slightly. “What is it?”

Nick got a distinct feeling of openness from Dakota for a moment, almost like she was energized by his active participation. It was an opportunity, at least.

“Is it only Kim who gets to stay here?” He asked, not bothering to clarify that he was talking about the both of them. Obviously he had a standing invitation be default. “Or can she invite other people if she wants to?” He thought that could be for the best. That way, instead of being separated from everyone, including Mary and Holly, Kim could invite the others to hang out with them tonight. It wasn’t that he was angling for a threesome specifically, but another Dream Alley scenario where he couldn’t spend time with anyone else wasn’t something he was sure he was up for right now.

Kim perked up curiously. Good question.

Dakota had to suppress a smirk. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised you would ask that, given the conversation I overheard earlier,” she said, informing the both of them that she had in fact been eavesdropping. “And while I feel a little hurt that you’d reject Dream Alley out of hand, Nick… it does gladden me to hear you’re taking a more active role in engaging with your harem.”

“I’m just trying to be fair to everybody,” Nick said. “Gina, for example. It sucks that she and I don’t get nights together anymore,” he pointed out. “Don’t you think that’s kinda low? I mean, wasn’t part of the rules that I get to spend a night in private with each of the contestants for my ‘harem’? And yet Gina has to share her night with the other girls.”

“That was what the audience chose for her,” Dakota replied, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s not my fault. And besides, Gina has every right to hold a private party for just the two of you if she is so inclined. But that girl simply loves to party too much to make a move like that, I’m afraid. When Skylar had a similar transformation on her last season, the contestant in question made far more judicious use of it.”

“Yeah, well, next time, consider your audience,” Kim sniffed. “Gina’s not the type to selfishly hoard boons and pick and choose who gets them. She’s the kind of girl who wants everybody to have a good time, unlike you.”

Dakota didn’t bother even pretending to be upset by that. She just settled for ignoring Kim completely instead.

“…If you’d like to spend private time with a girl, you can always ask,” she pointed out, by literally pointing at Nick and then poking him in the chest. “The problem is you’re just too complacent. Always have been.”

Nick frowned. He wanted to object, but she was right.

“I’m not here to hold your hand all the time,” Dakota said, stepping back and crossing her arms over her chest.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Kim blurted out, her eyes bulging in shock. The fucking audacity! Dakota, who micromanaged every single fucking thing on this show with her fascistic control over the island and its inhabitants, who ensured that her will was done no matter what roadblocks emerged and flew into violent temper tantrums whenever things didn’t go the way she wanted…

That bitch had the audacity to say that she wasn’t here to hold Nick’s hand!?

What a fucking crock of shit!

Nick’s response wasn’t much better. But at least he kept his cool.

“Dakota…” he looked over at Kim, and bit his lip. He wasn’t going to rebuke her for her outburst; she was completely right. But he hoped that Dakota wouldn’t overreact, either.

This was one of the things he hated most about the present situation. He supported the other girls in principle. But in practice it felt like he always had to side with Dakota against them, in order to mollify her.

Forget about being complacent. He was being complicit. And that was so much worse.

“…” Dakota finally turned back to Kim. She looked tired. In a very bad way. Like the thing she was tired of was permitting Kim to even talk back to her.

It looked like it was taking more restraint than Nick even knew Dakota had not to devolve into a petulant shouting match like she would have when they were kids.

“…Complacent,” Dakota finally stated, a little louder and yet duller than either of them would have anticipated. “Adjective. To show smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements. And it fits him to a T.”

Kim just stared blankly at her. “…Huh!?”

“Sure, I could **** my hand, and make things happen. I do that on occasion, I won’t deny,” Dakota said with a shrug. “But at the same time, Nick, YOU can’t deny that you’ve been taking advantage of the structure of this show for your own convenience.”

Nick frowned. “What do you mean by that?” He demanded.

Dakota stared directly at him this time.

“…For example, you’re only just now starting to have a problem with Dream Alley, because you’re only just now becoming aware of how certain women in your life are put at a disadvantage by it. Gina, for one. Holly and Mary, of course. And don’t even get me started on Marley…” Dakota shook her head, giving him a rare look of disgust that she usually saved for the girls on the show. “That’s complacency. Thinking that you don’t have to do anything, because the women will all come flocking to you, as the show forces them to. Tell me, Nick, if it wasn’t for Cinder or Ella coming up to your room every night to clean, how often would you even speak to them? Only on their nights? When was the last time you and Morgana really talked? Have you even spoken to her once this round? That girl’s a bundle of nerves, and she’s only getting worse. You’re being complacent. And that can be serious trouble. If you want to spend time with Gina, the solution isn’t bitching at ME for the audience giving her a transformation that she uses to spend her night with multiple girls instead of just the two of you. It’s to get off your ass and have a fucking conversation with her and let her know that maybe for once the two of you should go out to do something together, like you and Holly did today. Well? You think MAYBE that could work? Or are you just going to whine about it, huh?”

Nick was not unaccustomed to being the target of Dakota’s bile. It had been quite a while since she went after him like this, though.

And she was completely right. That’s why Kim wasn’t leaping to his defense, and why he wasn’t speaking up for himself, either. Because they both knew that Dakota’s statements were right on the money, and any attempt he made to justify his behavior up until now was frankly laughable.

He and Kim had both agreed less than an hour ago that Nick needed to actually start expressing what he wanted with the other girls more, and let them know he wanted to spend time with them. They’d both realized the truth Dakota was only now hammering home with her harsh rebuke.

The way Harem Hotel just delivered girls right into Nick’s lap HAD made him complacent. He was so overwhelmed with all the back to back dates he was just drifting from one to the next, doing the best he could in the moment and reacting to the situation, rather than reactively trying to work with the others to develop a plan that was in everyone’s best interest.

What a fuckup.

“…So to answer your question, Nick, no, this is just for you and Kim to use, you can’t invite all your other girlfriends over for a slumber party,” Dakota said with her usual hostile sarcasm. She sneered. “And if you’ve got a problem with Kim getting a prize that’s an actual prize for her, maybe you should stop being so complacent and actually work to please the other girls, too.”

He couldn’t argue with her in the slightest, as much as her words may have stung.