Every time I open my mouth, steps right in to put me out

After Amelia finished comforting Gina, a lot had changed.

“I’m… I’m gonna go to bed,” Gina said, offering the other girls a lopsided smile.

“Really?” Rose asked, surprised. “But it’s so early.”

“Are you that tired?” Dawn raised her eyebrow.

“Yeah, uh… it… it’s been a pretty long day,” Gina mumbled. “I need some time to think about a lot of stuff.”

She glanced over at the bar. “That’s the reason why I wanted to get a drink in the first place,” she admitted before turning to Amelia. “But maybe thoughts like this are better to have when I’m not drunk off my ass.”

Amelia nodded slightly and smiled. “I think that’s a good decision,” she agreed.

Gina smiled back at her, and looked a little bashful. It was a strange occurrence to the other girls present; they were used to Gina being brash and snarky and freewheeling, but seeing her behave so reserved was unusual.

The punk girl said goodnight, and then retired to her room, even though the sun was still shining high in the sky. Due to the timeline-warping effects of the challenge today, they were still pretty early in the afternoon.

And someone was ready to take full advantage of that.

“Um… Amelia…”

Amelia turned to Mary, who looked like she was working up the confidence to say something.

“Yes?” The blonde asked, raising her eyebrow curiously.

“I… I was wondering… could… could you please try some of my cooking!?” Mary exclaimed.

“Oh?” Holly leaned forward, intrigued.

Rose gasped.

“Your… cooking?” Amelia wasn’t sure what to make of that for a moment.

“You want to cook for her?” Dawn asked. “Aww! That’s so sweet!”

“Yes,” Mary said firmly, nodding. “I… I’m Nick’s wife, after all. I need to prove myself to you!” She declared.

Amelia was silent as she let the other girl’s words sink in. Then she shook her head. “I don’t think that’s necessary,” she replied. “Proving yourself to me… prove yourself to me how?”

“By cooking!” Mary bluntly repeated herself. “As a wife, I need to show you that Nick is in good hands! That I’m going to take care of him.”

Mary’s eyes were burning with a passionate fire that needed to be fed by Amelia’s approval. It was almost overwhelming for the woman.

“…I… if that’s what-”

“Wait! Hold on a minute!” Rose cut off Amelia’s sentence, butting into the conversation with a ferocious gleam in her eye. “Why do you get to be the one to prove yourself to her, huh, Mary!?”

“What?!” Mary turned to Rose, surprised. “Rose, this is between me and Amelia, not you!”

“Well, it is now!” Rose’s stubbornness wasn’t about to let her take a backseat to whatever Mary was planning. “I want Amelia to try my cooking, too! I’m good! You know I am! And I’m an excellent patissier!”

“You need to know more than just baking pastries to be a good wife!” Mary replied. “You should know that!”

“I know that you’re not the only one in the running here to be Nick’s top wife!” Rose replied. “Why are you just pretending I’m dirt, when I’m the one who’s posed to be the head of the harem now that you’ve dropped out?”

“Doesn’t Morgana have more VP than you, though?” Dawn pointed out.

Rose rolled her eyes. “She’s just a kid! She’s not a classy, elegant lady like me, I’ll overcome her this week for sure.”

“…Doesn’t Amelia have more VP than you, though?”

“Dawn, you are not helping right now,” Rose replied, shooting her a dirty look. Then she recomposed herself and pointed at Mary. “Mary! I’m not backing down! I’m going to cook something for Amelia too! I’m going to prove that I’m the one best-suited to being Nick’s wife!”

Mary gave Rose a frosty stare and crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, really now? Oh, really now?” The coldness in her voice dropped the temperature of the room a couple degrees.

But Rose didn’t baulk.

“That’s right, a cooking contest!” She declared.

“Fine then.” Mary narrowed her eyes and flexed her fingers. “I suppose it’s been a long time coming, proving which one of us truly deserves to stand at Nick’s side. Don’t go thinking I’m so easy to beat, just because I’m no longer an official member of his harem, blondie.”

“Don’t think I’ll be easy to beat either, just because you happen to be his wife,” Rose fired back with a smirk.

Amelia looked back and forth between the two of them, struggling to get a word in. This was exactly the sort of situation she wasn’t adept at handling.

Why are you two fighting!? And over cooking, of all things?! And why are you making me the judge?! Nicholas, what’s the matter with these two!? Are they always like this the second your back is turned!? What’s the matter with women these days!?

Mary and Rose had been filled with fawning adulation towards both her and Nick for most of the day. But the moment he vanished the knives came out.

Amelia wasn’t able to put her concerns into words, but if she could, she would have made it clear that she wasn’t the right person to be judging a cooking contest.

“And I thought I was the competitive one,” Dawn said, smiling in restrained amusement.

Amelia sighed. “You’re not planning to enter yourself, are you?” She took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Dawn laughed and shook her head. “No, not a chance. I’ve only had a few cooking classes! I’m more than smart enough to not let my ego get anywhere near those two.”

Sparks were flying between the two buxom beauties as they flung taunts at each other.

“Your boobs are full of milk, while mine are all natural!”

“Yeah, well, I’m pregnant and you’re not, so there!”

“You’re going to get so fat in a few months, and it’s going to look amazing! You’re practically glowing already!”

“I can’t believe you can pull off short hair so well, it never looked that good on me! You’re playing right to Nick’s tastes!”

Amelia stared blankly at the feuding women and then turned slowly to Dawn.

“…They are fighting, right?”

“Yeah, don’t worry, this is normal,” Dawn assured her with a nod.

Having exhausted all the compliments flung at one another like insults, the two girls “humph”’d and stormed off in opposite directions.

“Wait right there!” Rose snapped.

“You wait here, okay?” Mary ordered.

Apparently, Amelia would not be free to avail herself of the luxuries of the hotel any time soon. With nothing else to do, she walked over to the couch to see what was on TV.

“It’s gonna be all porn,” Dawn warned, following after her. “You’ll need to ask the faeries to bring you something that’s actually worth watching.”

“Ah, I see… appreciated,” Amelia replied. It sounded weird in her mouth, actually verbalizing her gratitude. She glanced up at the cat girl, and saw her tail whipping behind her while her ears twitched eagerly.

“…It’s strange, seeing you with those ears and that tail,” she admitted. “I suppose that’s just how drastic these physical transformations can be. I suppose I should be grateful I avoided them.”

Amelia hadn’t really had much in the way of physical changes to her body. The only physical transformation she’d gotten was the one that made her warm up when she had physical contact with other people, and it hadn’t really gotten a chance to trigger yet. But she couldn’t deny she was curious about what would happen when it did.

“Yeah, you’re lucky,” Dawn agreed, sitting down next to her on the couch. “These transformations definitely can get a little ****. And mine are some of the tamest. You should have seen what Mary looked like before she was given so many physical transformations!”

Dawn could still see the freckled redhead the way she was the day they’d first met, just as clearly as if she was standing in front of her. Messy tangles of short hair flopping every which was on her head, a slender frame with a modest chest covered beneath even more modest clothes, and certainly no lactating! Practically the only part of Mary that had remained the same was her bubble butt, which was just as thick and breedy back then as it was now.

“…Compared to all that, some ears and a tail aren’t that bad,” Dawn laughed. “Not to mention this!” She opened her mouth, and her long tongue dangled out.

Amelia raised an unnerved eye, but still examined it. “That’s… quite an appendage,” she noted, not sure what else she should say.

Dawn rolled her eyes. Yeah, an appendage, that was a good word for it. It made her snort with laughter at the notion.

“Well… like I said, it’s just one of those things,” she shrugged. “I wouldn’t get too worried about it. But don’t be surprised if you get some big boobs in the future, or if Dakota ages you down a couple years to make you more like us.”

“I could do that myself already,” Amelia pointed out, reminding Dawn of the special ointment on her shop list. “I doubt I will, though. Being the same age as Nicholas… or even younger? It would certainly be unnerving.”

Dawn nodded and laughed. “You can say that again!”

“And you’re sure, then?”

“Hmm?” Dawn blinked, a little confused what Amelia was getting at. She glanced up at her. “Sure about what?” She asked.

“Sure that you won’t be joining the two of them in their inane competition to prove which of them would make the ‘better’ wife for Nicholas?” Amelia took off her glasses and rubbed between her eyes. “What a ridiculous competition. And why make me the judge in the first place?”

Under her breath, she added, “It’s not like I’m all that aware of what makes a good wife or mother myself…”

Dawn was a little taken aback by the sudden transition. Perhaps this was related to the issues Amelia had with communicating her feelings to the people around her, like with Gina.

“I think the reason they want you to judge is because you’re Nick’s stepmother,” she pointed out. “It’s kind of a stereotype, you know? Getting the approval from the mother-in-law? Probably it’s because they want to rub it in each other’s faces that they’re the superior one.”

“Even if I’m just the stepmother?” Amelia shook her head incredulously.

Dawn nodded. “Even then.” Her tail whipped behind her. She shuffled on her seat, trying to find an opening to talk. “But, um, if you don’t mind… could I ask, why… why do you think I would be interested? I mean, I know I said I’m competitive, but a competition like this…”

“You’re sleeping with Nicholas, aren’t you?”

Dawn’s ears snapped up and her tail straightened out as a wave of shock shot down her spine.

“Err… that’s… well, you’re not wrong,” she stammered, squirming a little. “That’s your transformation, right?”

“Mm,” Amelia nodded. She placed her hand over her chest. “It’s strange… I can feel my emotions have changed, not just towards Nicholas, but towards several of you, as well. I always regarded Nicholas as my son before… or at least, I thought I did… but things have changed.”

“Changed?” Dawn tilted her head to the side. “Changed how?”

Amelia shook her head. She couldn’t find the proper words to verbalize the difference. But she could definitely feel it.

“…I do see you as my daughter as well,” she said, changing the subject again. “Which is strange. After all… we hardly even know each other.”

Amelia still couldn’t find the words. Normally, she would have just let the conversation die, thinking she’d expressed her feelings towards Dawn enough to get the message across.

But her body thought differently. Before she even realized it, she reached up, and began rubbing Dawn’s head, scratching her ears.

Dawn purred. Oh, yes, that felt quite nice indeed!

Holly, feeling much like a third wheel (and happy to be so!) headed back to the Master’s Suite. Nick wouldn’t be there tonight, but she still wanted to make sure it was as clean as a whistle; after all, the new maid wouldn’t be working tonight.

She never got there, because someone clamped their hand over her mouth and dragged her down one of the hallways before she could leave the common room.

“MMm! Mm!” Holly squirmed in delight as a dozen possibilities flashed through her eyes. Wasn’t Nick supposed to be with Marley!? Oh! Did he change his mind, and is he about to fulfill my **** fantasies?! Oh, gosh! I wish I could, but he should be doing this kind of thing with someone who would really appreciate it! I know we shared a lot together last night, but still, you have other women, master, and you should be giving them your affection, not me!

“Holly, stop squirming!”

Rose’s voice immediately killed any excitement Holly was feeling. She slumped down and sighed into the other woman’s palm.

“…Mmungle,” she muttered, not thrilled in the slightest.

“Well, sorry to disappoint,” Rose said sarcastically, letting her go. Holly turned around and brushed herself off, looking curiously at the other girl.

“What’s up?” She frowned. “I thought you would be busy cooking or baking or whatever, for your competition with Mary?”

“That’s exactly why I’m here,” Rose said, staring adamantly at the shorter girl. “I need your help.”

Holly blinked, not sure she heard that right.

“…Wait, what?”

“You heard me.” Rose crossed her arms over her chest. “I need your help. You’re an excellent chef, right? So lend me your skills to take Mary down.”

Yeah, no, Holly still wasn’t getting it.

“Wait, so you actually know Mary is a better cook than you? Then why are you even doing this, anyway?” Holly asked, shaking her head incredulously.

“Huh?” Rose tilted her head to the side like she didn’t understand what the other girl was asking of her. “What do you mean?”

Holly just gave her a blank stare.

“Why would you challenge Mary to a cooking contest if you know she’s going to win!?”

“Because she’s not going to win if you help me, that’s why,” Rose replied. “You and me together, we’ll be able to kick her butt! With your skills, and my attention to precise detail, we’ll be able to bake the perfect confectionary to show Mary what for!”

“…Okay, but you get that’s basically cheating, right?” Holly rubbed her temples in frustration. “The whole point of this contest was to advertise your skills to Amelia, right? As in, YOUR skills. Not mine. You’re supposed to be competing with Mary one on one.”

Rose stared at Holly like she was an idiot.

“…But then I’d lose.”

“THAT’S EXACTLY MY FUCKING- Okay, sorry, tamping it down.” Holly could throttle the dumb blonde in front of her. “Don’t you see how pointless this is, then?”

“It’s not pointless!” Rose shook her head. “Mary’s gotten way too big for her britches. Little miss ‘thinks she’s the perfect housewife’ isn’t going to know what hit her! I’m gonna knock her off her pedestal, and show everyone that I’m the one on top!”

She threw back her chin and laughed maniacally while Holly just shook her head.

“…Yeah, no, they’ll just see you’re cheating.”

“Ah, but it’s not cheating,” Rose replied, straightening up and crossing her arms in front of her chest with an amused smirk. “A good wife uses whatever tools she has at her disposal to make her husband happy, even if that means asking for help! The end result is what matters here, not just the steps taken to get there! If I put all my heart and soul into making something, does it matter if I got a little bit of help along the way? As long as the person is receiving my feelings with a taste that can’t be beat, that’s the important thing!”

Holly couldn’t deny there was a kind of twisted logic in Rose’s reasoning. But still…

“So wait, I’m just a tool to you then?”

“Are you unsatisfied with that?” Rose raised her eyebrow.

“…Well, no…”

“Come on, Holly! You and me! Let’s team up again, and take Mary down a peg!” Rose chortled, patting her on the shoulder.

“You know that’s my best friend you’re talking about, right?” Holly reminded her. “What makes you think I’d even go along with your crazy plan?”

“Do you think you’d lose to Mary if you tested your cooking skills against hers?” Rose inquired. “Because I think the two of us, working together, can beat her!”

“…Well, it’s not that I don’t think I can beat her, but…” Holly bit her lip contemplatively. What Rose was suggesting…

Rose sighed. “Okay, I get it, you think it’s cheating, right? Sorry for bringing it up. But come on, please? I need the help! I don’t want to get humiliated by Mary!”

“Rose, you’re a fine cook!” Holly tried to encourage her. “It’s just, well… you’re competing with Mary.”

“And she always WINS!” Rose groaned. “She’s better than me at everything! It’s not fair!”

Holly could think of a few ways Rose had Mary outclassed. But she didn’t volunteer that information because she was pretty sure when Rose said that Mary was better than her at “everything” what she really meant was that Rose wasn’t better than Mary at everything.

The blonde had the sort of ego that didn’t allow herself to be upstaged in any way whatsoever.

And Holly could respect that, to a degree.

“I’ll make a deal with you,” Rose said, her blue eyes shining with determination. “If you help me out with my cooking, then when it’s my time with Nick in the Master’s Suite this round… I’ll let you have that one.”

Holly’s eyes widened. “…Go on.”

“Remember that first night? Your night with Nick, on my first round on the island, the way I goaded him into looking down on you and treating you like garbage?” Rose licked her lips. “How about a follow-up performance? Only this time, he and I will go all the way, and I’ll make sure to treat you like absolute garbage while we do it.”

Holly’s face began to heat up and hearts flashed in her eyes. “And… and you’re sure you can get Nick to go along with that?” Her voice ached with lascivious hope.

Rose nodded, knowing she had the other girl on the hook. A wicked smile crossed her face. “Of course I can.”

Holly couldn’t say yes fast enough. All her objections sailed off like a baseball being knocked out of the park.