Blowing bubbles in the bath, I can’t stop from thinking lately

Vivian leaned back on the plush loveseat in the Romantic Suite, and let out a sigh.

“Well… I guess she did warn me,” the heiress murmured, biting her lip. “Can’t complain about that.”

Vivian knew that her roommate was planning to have sex tonight. Maybe not with Nick himself, but in a context adjacent to Nick, anyway. She warned Vivian that she would need to be prepared for that when it happened.

The heiress appreciated her honesty. And she wasn’t surprised. The tomboy knew better than most how annoying it could be to deal with transformations and their consequences, so it made sense she would have warned Vivian in order to give the heiress a heads up.

Still… Vivian had underestimated her. “Seems like Dani is having quite a lot of fun. Kim too. At least they’re the only ones getting lucky tonight.”

She stood up and stretched, cracking her neck. The more frequently she had to deal with these feelings, the more used to them she got. Vivian wasn’t a very sexual person. That wasn’t to say that she didn’t have any sexual drive at all, of course- it just wasn’t as much of a priority for her as so many other things were.

Like horses, or designing clothes, or making money. Vivian would much rather go on adventures than deal with things like sex and pleasure that were, ultimately, more of a distraction.

But boy, she was really feeling things now. Things she never expected to be feeling.

“Here’s hoping I have a good night’s sleep, at least.” Vivian walked over to the bed and checked her nightlight three times to make sure it was plugged in. Just to be safe. “Octavia? Are you ready to turn in for the night?” She called to her butler.

Octavia stepped into the room. “Are you ready now, Lady Carrington?” She asked politely.

For obvious reasons, Vivian didn’t want to be around other people when she was feeling the things that her transformation made her feel. Not even Octavia, who certainly wouldn’t look down on her or make her feel embarrassed.

Still. No way.

“I’m feeling much better now,” she said. “I was going to take a nice, cold bath before turning in for the night. Would you please draw it for me?”

Octavia raised her eyebrow. A simple gesture like that was enough of an accusation; she looked at Vivian like she couldn’t believe a grown woman needed her butler to draw her bath for her.

She didn’t say anything though. Because of course, Vivian didn’t need her to draw a bath. She could draw her own bath if she wanted to.

But why would she want to? That’s what a butler was for. And Octavia was very familiar with how her charge thought.

“A warm bath, as you wish, Lady Carrington,” Octavia said. She placed her hand over her breast and nodded slightly.

Vivian puffed up her cheeks. “No, weren’t you listening?” She huffed. “A cold bath! It’s gotta be cold! What if I burned my gorgeous, silky-smooth skin? We’ve been over this a million times!”

“Yes, of course. As you wish.” Octavia was quite used to Vivian’s absurd demands. Even if it was warm as hell outside, even if Vivian’s transformation was giving her plenty of heat, the idea of calling your butler to draw a cold bath just seemed absurd.

But it was a request Octavia had granted countless times before in the past. What was one more?

“You realize, Lady Carrington, that you have gone into the hot springs multiple times since coming to this island, yes?” Octavia sarcastically pointed out the obvious hypocrisy in Vivian’s request.

“Uh, obviously?” Vivian rolled her eyes. “That’s a hot spring. We’re talking about a bath here, Octavia. Come on.”

“Yes, of course, how could I have made such a foolish mistake?” Octavia dryly replied.

“Hey!” Vivian huffed. She crossed her arms over her chest. “You shouldn’t talk about yourself so negatively! Anybody could have made a mistake like that! It’s not your fault! Don’t be so hard on yourself!”

“…As you wish, Lady Carrington,” Octavia replied with just the faintest trace of exasperation in her voice. She went to go draw the bath.

“Oh, and I want lots of bubbles, please!” Vivian called after her.

“Of course.” Like Octavia had to be reminded of that.

Once Vivian’s bath was drawn (it went a lot faster when you didn’t need to adjust the water temperature) she stripped off her clothes and handed them to her butler to take care of. She stepped into the tub and sank down into the bubble bath. As the cold water rose up around her and chilled her to the bone, Vivian let out satisfied sigh.

“There we go… that’s perfect.”

“Thank you for your kind words, milady,” Octavia said, lowering her head in a slight bow. She stood in the doorway with her back turned, giving the heiress all the privacy she would like. Of course, Octavia had already seen her naked countless times in the past. But it was the dignified thing to do.

Not that Vivian cared much about the dignified thing.

The heiress yawned as her body cooled down, allowing her tiredness to take over. She stretched out in the tub and wiggled her toes, enjoying how spacious he fancy clawed bathtub was. It was the sort of rustic antique you just didn’t see anymore, unlike the more modern tubs she suspected were in the other suites’ bathrooms.

…Well, maybe not all of them. The Garden Suite’s shower and bath combination was more like a steamer, and Vivian suspected that the Candy Suite would probably be filled with syrup or be edible itself or something, which sounded pretty gross. But she doubted the Luxury Suite would have a clawed bathtub like this one! It matched the gothic, romantic air of her suite perfectly.

“Hey, Octavia, wanna come join me?” She called to the taller woman. “This is the Romantic Suite, after all, they made the bathtub big enough for two!”

“I do not believe that would be proper, Lady Carrington, so I must decline.”

Vivian pouted. She didn’t like not getting what she wanted. Which was why Octavia irritated her so much. She just wouldn’t do what Vivian wanted! …That was also why she adored her.

“Well, what if I ordered you, then?” Vivian challenged her.

Octavia responded without flinching. “Then of course I would do as you asked, milady.” Her tone was a challenge; like she was daring Vivian to give her the order.

Or more like calling her bluff.

Vivian pouted again and sank deeper into the tub. “Fine…”

It was no fun to just order Octavia to do what she wanted. She wanted her butler to want to get in the bathtub with her! Mainly because she wanted to splash her a bunch. She knew Octavia sure wouldn’t appreciate that.

But of course, that was probably why Octavia had rebuffed her in the first place, it had nothing to do with being “proper” or anything like that.

Octavia was just no fun.

Vivian soaked in silence for a little longer, just enjoying the feeling of luxury. She sure missed her bathtub back home. That was really great for giving her an icy, cool bath.

“…Hey, Octavia… can I ask you something?” She asked quietly.

“Is there a reply I could give you that would result in your not doing so, milady?” Octavia replied.

Ouch.

“Very funny,” Vivian pouted. But again, Octavia was right on the money. “You know me so well.”

“Of course I do.”

It was so simple and certain. But it made Vivian’s heart flutter.

“Of course I do.”

What a sweet thing to say.

“Do you think… I push things too far?” Vivian asked. “Nick said… that I don’t know when to stop. That I have so much fun pushing people and getting a rise out of them that I can hurt them, even when I don’t mean to. And obviously, of course I don’t mean to! It just… it just happens, you know? But that… that doesn’t make it okay. Do you think that’s really true? Am I really that insensitive?”

Octavia remained silent. The longer she went without speaking, the less comfortable Vivian suddenly felt in her cold, comfortable bath.

“…Octavia? Say something already,” Vivian said, anxiety creeping into her voice.

“My apologies, Lady Carrington. I was at a loss trying to think about how to respond.”

“Hah?”

“The thought that you could be so completely in the dark about your insensitivity as to not realize the impact of your own actions towards other people until now simply took me by surprise. I truly must apologize for my lack of perception.”

“…Very funny,” Vivian said dryly, scrubbing her hair. “You see me laughing?”

“Of course not, Lady Carrington. My back is turned.”

Well, Octavia was just a little comedian tonight, wasn’t she? Vivian let out an irritated huff. Then she sighed. “…It’s not like… I like being this way or anything,” she mumbled. “I just didn’t know any better.”

“If you are under the impression that ignorance is a justification for poor behavior, then I’m afraid I cannot aid you in your delusion, milady.”

“Of course it’s not!” Vivian splashed in frustration. “It’s just… I’m trying, okay? I really am. I just don’t know… how…”

“What have you done in the past?” Octavia asked. “When you did not know how to do something you wished to do.”

It was a simple question, and one Vivian knew the answer to clearly. She just didn’t like it.

“…I mean… obviously, I would… learn how to do it. But I can’t exactly do that with this!” Vivian protested. “They don’t make a book for this sort of thing, and I can’t just trial and error my way to success! Even I have limits of what I can accomplish with savvy, charisma, and a dazzling smile, you know!”

Octavia was silent.

“…Well?” Vivian asked after stewing in concern for another couple seconds. “Anything to say about that?”

“…Of course, Lady Carrington,” Octavia replied quietly. “I was simply appreciating the moment. To hear such modesty from you left me stunned to silence.”

Vivian rolled her eyes.

“But to address your concerns, I would say that you are not necessarily correct. There are in fact several books on this subject, if you would like to read them.”

Vivian perked up when she heard that. “Wait, there are?”

“Yes. I believe ‘Making Friends for Dummies’ is one such title. If you like, I could likely acquire one for you by the end of the night.”

“Okay, I think that’s enough of your cutting wit,” Vivian snapped. “I don’t pay you for your witty retorts, you know.”

“Of course not. That would require a significant increase in my salary.”

“Octavia… I mean it. I really want to get better.”

“At what?”

Octavia was as blunt as always. Her sharp words cut to the heart of the matter and left Vivian momentarily speechless. The heiress turned and pondered the mountain of sparkling white bubbles in front of her for a couple seconds.

“…I don’t want… to hurt people,” she admitted. “I want them to like me. But when I try to get them to like me, I say the wrong thing.”

Why couldn’t Vivian always just say the right thing and make everyone laugh? People did that all the time, so why couldn’t she?

Why did it have to be so hard to get everyone to like her?

“Lady Carrington, may I be honest with you?” Octavia asked.

Vivian stared incredulously at the other woman. “What do you call what you’ve been doing up until now, then?”

“My duty.”

“Well… fine.”

“Thank you. Then my honest opinion, as you wished, is for you to accept that not every single person you meet will like you. There is no one in this world who is universally loved or even liked by every other person. Such a wish is an impossible one. And thus it is pointless for you to worry yourself about your inability to acquire the fondness of every individual you interact with. I would suggest instead that you focus on the people in your life who are already fond of you, and treasure them. If you wish to feel truly content and loved.”

Vivian sat in silence for a long time and contemplated the meaning of Octavia’s words. The slow drip of the faucet was echoed through the spacious bathroom, punctuating her thoughts.

“…What if I asked you to make it possible, then? For everyone to like me?” Vivian asked, stubbornly refusing to accept her butler’s harsh truth. “Would you do it?”

“Of course, Lady Carrington,” Octavia replied without hesitation. She nodded her head. “If that is what you wish, I would devote myself to that task wholeheartedly.”

That finally brought the smile back to Vivian’s face. She leaned back in the tub, content. “Then there’s nothing to worry about,” she chirped. “If you’re in my corner, then I can do anything.”

Octavia’s words still stuck with her, though. She didn’t like them, but they burrowed into the back of her mind.

I’ll just have to try even harder, she decided. Maybe Octavia is right, and there are people out there who won’t like me. But that doesn’t mean that’s the case for everyone here! Nick and the others definitely will like me if I just show them how great I am! They’ll like me for me! I’m sure of it! I just have to stop being so insensitive, that’s all!

Vivian hummed to herself as she splashed in the tub, delighted.

“You sound quite content, Lady Carrington,” Octavia noted. “Are you enjoying your bath?”

“Of course I am!” Vivian chirped. “The water’s perfect!”

She leaned back in the large clawed tub and rested her head, letting her brown hair flare out around her in the water. She stared up at the ceiling in bliss. “I’m just so happy right now. I’m going to try my best and get everyone here to like me… and then I’ll finally have real friends.”

Vivian could hardly contain her joy at the prospect.

Octavia kept her face an unreadable mask, even as she kept her back to the heiress. She closed her eyes, letting no trace of her true feelings on the matter surface.

“Indeed, Lady Carrington. I cannot wait either.”

“Don’t worry, Octavia. I’ll still keep you around once I make all my friends. I would never let you go, ever!” Vivian assured her butler, sitting up in the tub.

“I did not doubt that for a second, Lady Carrington,” Octavia replied calmly.

“Good!” Vivian chirped, and proceeded to finish with her bath.

It took a lot of doing to get Vivian out of the bathtub. By the time she was done, she had no idea how late in the evening it was. She didn’t feel the twinges of pleasure from sexual stimulation, though, so she figured that it was late enough in the night for Dani’s threesome to be finished.

That must have meant it was pretty late. No wonder she felt so tired.

“Haah… that really was great…” Vivian twirled out of the bathroom in a long, fluffy pink robe, and flopped down on the bed. “It’s really great to have the whole room to ourselves, don’t you agree, Octavia?”

She turned over on the mattress and looked to her butler for confirmation.

Octavia nodded slightly from the corner of the room. “It is as you say, Lady Carrington.”

Vivian giggled and turned back over. “Still… I need to get to bed… and plan for tomorrow. I don’t want to go too far, since tomorrow is Kim’s day with Nick. Even though she was already with him today, too…”

She remembered how things had gone earlier in the boutique. How much fun she’d had shopping with Dani. It was a pity that her connection with her roommate may have been founded on the effect of the Romantic Suite. She hoped that wasn’t the case. No, Dani liked her for who she was, right? Of course she did!

“Mmm… yeah…” Vivian closed her eyes, and pulled the covers up to her chin. She let her eyes flutter closed with the lights still on, thinking back to all that shopping.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before her brain turned to a much less fun part.

The part with Nick.

I still felt weird around him. I was so scared… I thought he would… I don’t even know. Vivian couldn’t figure out why she was still so wary around Nick. It had been days since their disaster of a date, and he hadn’t said a word about it since. And they’d made up by the end, more or less, hadn’t they?

So they should be fine. Everything should be good between them! Her head was telling her that she had nothing to worry about.

But why couldn’t she get her heart to believe it?

I’m scared. What if he’s only tolerating me because there’s no way to get rid of me now that I’m in his harem? What if he doesn’t actually like me at all anymore? What if he never likes me? What if… what if…?

Vivian stared to shake. Suddenly, the comforter wasn’t as warm and comforting as it used to be. All those pleasant feelings were fading away, replaced by the Dark Place.

“Octavia?” She cracked open an eye and looked desperately for her butler. Thankfully, Octavia was right there, like always, standing at the foot of her bed.

Watching over her like a guardian angel.

“Yes, Lady Carrington?” Octavia asked softly. “Would you like to go to sleep with the lights off tonight?”

She wouldn’t turn the lights off until Vivian asked.

Vivian bit her lip and let out a little whimper. “Mhm…”

Octavia nodded. “As you wish, Lady Carrington”

Like always, those simple words from her beloved Octavia were enough to dispel all the nasty feelings about the Dark Place. Vivian’s smile returned and she closed her eyes, and she felt nice and warm and comfortable again.

“Octavia?” She called out into the darkness of her oncoming sleep.

“Yes, Lady Carrington?”

“How much longer are you gonna keep looking after me like this again?” Vivian asked drearily, knowing the answer but wanting to hear it anyway.

“84 years, Lady Carrington.”

Vivian’s smile widened. “Yeah… 84 years… don’t you forget it,” she murmured.

“Never, Lady Carrington,” Octavia assured her with the faintest of smiles.