I never had the dad who stuck it out, no corny jokes or baseball gloves

To answer Nick’s unspoken question of what Dani and Vivian were doing at the hot spring, you would need to rewind back the clock a bit to right after Dani and Nick finished working out together.

And yes, the answer was more complicated than “The hot springs are open to everyone”.

As Dani headed back to her room, ready for a nice cool shower followed by some good rest, she found herself thinking about the earnestness in Nick’s eyes back when he was talking about doing right by Morgana and how he wanted to spend the day with her to make up for how recently he felt like he’d been neglecting her.

It really got Dani thinking about how she was spending her own time… and made her realize that she’d been rather complacent herself.

…And no, she didn’t mean her bounty. She was working on it. Dakota had given her clemency and let her work on it at her own pace, which was a relief, because she honestly didn’t know who the last girl she should try and bring to orgasm was. She hadn’t reached the point of desperation yet where she would just go to Dawn and tug on her tail until her friend came herself silly, but… she was getting close.

Not that Dani would do that without asking, of course.

No, she had something else occupying her thoughts at the moment, and it was burning a hole in her pocket as she returned to her room.

Vivian was right where she left her, snoozing her day away and generally lazing about in bed, a satisfied grin on her face.

Aren’t we supposed to be copying the qualities we admire in each other because of this room? Dani wondered, looking down at the heiress. So does that mean she doesn’t think my hardworking attitude is worth emulating?

Dani was almost insulted. Then again, Vivian was a fairly hard worker herself… when she wanted to be. Other times, she was like this. Dani really had trouble understanding her free-spirited roommate at times.

At least Vivian was awake by the time Dani got out of the shower. She was trying on different outfits in the mirror. That’s how she spent most of her free time, Dani had come to realize. Admiring her reflection. …Okay, maybe that sounded a bit vain. More like… making sure she looked perfect.

And Dani had to admit… she looked pretty good.

“Oh, hey Dani, so that was you in the shower,” Vivian said, noticing her roommate coming out. “I assumed as much, but I figured you’d be at breakfast by now…”

“What, did you think Nick snuck into your room or something?” Dani joked, not sure just how serious the heiress actually was.

Vivian batted her eyelashes playfully and turned around, clasping her hands behind her back. “Well… a girl can dream, can’t she?”

Dani knew for sure she was just joking around now. It was hard to tell when Vivian was being sincere or just putting on a façade, but when Nick was involved it was usually the latter.

If Vivian was capable of sincerity where Nick was concerned, things between the two of them wouldn’t be as tense as they had been ever since the heiress’s botched date.

But that wasn’t what Dani wanted to focus on right now. She could try to play wingwoman (a fitting role, given her most recent transformation) and attempt to repair their relationship, but knowing Vivian that would be a difficult ask. The heiress was just too slippery to get a firm grasp on.

And besides… Dani wanted something else from the sly woman right now, and bringing up Nick would be an unnecessary complication.

“I’m glad you’re awake,” Dani said. She glanced at Vivian’s outfit. “You look great as always. You planning to wear that today?”

Vivian tapped her chin thoughtfully and glanced back at the mirror. “Well, I wasn’t sure… but I think I’ll go with it now.”

Dani didn’t miss the fact that her approval had been the deciding factor. Vivian played it off like no big deal, but the tomboy was more perceptive than that.

Still… she didn’t push the issue.

“Great. Because I actually wanted to do something with you today,” Dani said.

Vivian blinked, surprised. “Oh? Uh… you mean go get breakfast? I was gonna eat in, but if you want to go to the Banquet Hall-”

Dani shook her head. “No, not that,” she said, determined not to let Vivian control the flow of the conversation. “Actually…”

“Right, your bounty!” Vivian clapped her hands together loudly, cutting the tomboy off. “How’s that going? Still got one more name to add to your list? Well, I’m sorry I couldn’t be all you wanted me to be, but if you want me to help-”

“Vivian! Can I get a word in? Please?” Dani pleaded with her, scowling.

Vivian’s eyes widened slightly, and for once, she actually closed her mouth. It was a miracle. Not even Dani was sure how she’d gotten that to work, but it happened.

Suddenly her face felt hot. But she pushed through the momentary awkward silence and expressed her feelings with all the sincerity she could muster.

“Vivian, you remember Gina’s party, and the boons we got?”

A shadow crossed the heiress’s face, but she wiped it away with a **** smile. “How could I forget?” She laughed. “For my boon, I got a date in Dream Alley… and that didn’t mess everything up, no, absolutely not…”

Dani winced. Yeah, she’d kind of brought that on herself. But she didn’t let the awkwardness of the situation distract her from what she needed to do.

“Well, the reason I asked was because for my boon, I got a spa day for two, and I have to use it this round, and time’s running out. So I wanted to use it today,” Dani explained. “…What do you think about that?”

Vivian nodded in approval. “I think that’s a lovely idea!” She laughed. “You and Carly together, just relaxing without a care in the world? Talk about cute!”

Dani sighed. She wasn’t getting it. The tomboy shook her head. “No, Vivian, I meant… what do you think about you and me?”

Vivian stared blankly at her. “You and I… what?”

Okay. So she was really being difficult here. Dani would be irritated if she didn’t have a pretty good understanding of why Vivian wasn’t picking up on what she was trying to say.

Sighing again, Dani pulled up her screen, and showed Vivian the boon.

Spa Day: Contestant gets two free tickets to the spa, to invite anyone they wish to enjoy a spa day with them. All sexual facilities will be suspended during this time, meaning all amenities will be consequence-free.

“I have two tickets to the spa,” Dani said bluntly. “I was planning to take Carly at first, but… it’s only good for the two of us. And she wants to spend time with Emmy. Plus, well…”

They could go to the spa together anytime if they really wanted to. Suspension of sexual facilities wouldn’t be as necessary if it was just the two of them. Not that Dani was thinking about that.

“…Anyway, I wanted to invite you, Vivian,” she said sincerely.

Vivian laughed and rolled her eyes. “Come on, what? No you don’t, don’t be silly!” She waved her hand playfully. “Get outta here.”

“I’m serious,” Dani said, not backing down. Her temper started to flare up. Confusion and ignorance was one thing, but now Vivian was making a conscious decision to deflect. “We’re roommates, and we’re friends, is it so weird that I’d want to spend the day just hanging out with you at the spa?”

Vivian’s mouth fell open. For the first time, she looked like she was getting that this wasn’t some big joke.

“…You’re serious,” she said dumbly, shaking her head.

“Yeah, no shit,” Dani rolled her eyes. “Come on, you and me. Are you in or out?”

She wasn’t going to drag Vivian to the spa kicking and screaming. She’d made her offer. She’d told the heiress that she wanted to spend the day with her. What Vivian did with that was her decision, Dani wasn’t going to press the matter.

But Vivian looked like she was having trouble even comprehending.

“Look, uh… Dani, that… I don’t really know what to say,” Vivian mumbled, not sure how to turn this into a lighthearted joke, and thus left stupefied. “…There’s gotta be someone else you can take besides me! …Go with Kim. She’s, like, one of your best friends. And besides, she needs it! She works all the time, and even before coming here, I mean, I’ve been to plenty of spas. But when she and I went, it was like the first time she’d ever been! If someone’s going to appreciate it, then it’d be her.”

Dani saw the merit in Vivian’s suggestion, to be fair. Kim probably deserved a spa day more than Vivian Carrington, billionaire did. But then, Kim had just taken yesterday off. She wasn’t going to do it today. And Dani didn’t want her spa day interrupted by her guest having to go take a four hour work break.

And besides that…

Dani wanted to invite Vivian, not Kim. Sure, Kim might have appreciated a day at the spa more than Vivian, who could spend her whole life being pampered at a spa if she wanted to… but Dani was certain no one here would appreciate being invited more than Vivian.

“I don’t want to take Kim,” Dani said simply, shaking her head. “I want to take you.”

Vivian’s mouth flopped open and closed like she had, for once, run out of things to say. Finally she managed to stammer out a very perplexed and questioning “…Why?”

Dani shrugged. “Because I want to hang out with you. Isn’t that a good enough reason?” She questioned.

Vivian didn’t know how to respond to that. She chewed on her lip fretfully, trying to maintain her cool guise but having difficulty keeping her composure.

Just as Dani had anticipated.

“Lady Carrington.”

Vivian nearly jumped out of her clothes when she heard Octavia’s voice from the corner of the room. Her butler was waiting on her as diligently as always, her sharp eyes focused on her employer’s flustered visage.

“Whuh-what?” Vivian straightened up and played with an errant strand of her hair, trying to seem unfazed but failing miserably. From where Dani was standing she was doing everything she could to not freak out.

“When a friend extends an invitation, it is considered discourteous to reject them without a suitable reason,” Octavia calmly informed her. “As you do not have any conflict in your schedule today, would it not be proper of you to oblige her request?”

Dani wasn’t sure that Vivian would be motivated by anything “proper” but before she had the chance to dwell on it, Vivian spoke up.

“W-well, when you put it like that, I suppose I have ****, then!” Vivian said, a brilliant smile all but breaking her face in half. “I will do you the honor of gracing you with my presence, since you asked so nicely!”

Right, sure, she was doing it for Dani’s sake, absolutely. That’s why she looked like she was about to explode with happiness.

Dani **** herself to keep her grin under control. “Well, I’m glad to hear it,” she said, beaming at the heiress. “I really think this is a chance for us to get to know each other better.”

Vivian nodded eagerly. “Uh-huh, sure, definitely! Um, and you’re really sure you want me to come, right? You’re not just, like, being nice because you’re my roommate or something? You really want me to come as… as a friend?”

Dani nodded. Sure, there were some ulterior motives behind her offer, because part of choosing Vivian was rooted in her sympathy for the feeling of isolation that the heiress was experiencing. But that was just a small part of it.

Vivian needed a friend. Maybe she needed one even more than she realized. And Dani, as perhaps the first person on the island to pick up on that, resolved to be the one to make that happen. Not because she felt bad for the heiress, but because she had been where Vivian was once upon a time, and friends had been what she needed to bring her out of that depression.

So she could do for Vivian what Nick, Carly, Kim, and so many others had done for her.

The fact that Vivian seemed like the happiest woman Dani had ever seen was just a bonus.

So that was what brought Dani and Vivian to the hot springs for a quick dip before their spa day could begin in earnest. Part of Dani’s boon gave them unlimited time in the water as opposed to the daily half-hour the others were limited to, so they were intending to get as much use out of it as possible.

To Dani’s chagrin, it seemed like Vivian was having some serious regrets right about now.

The heiress, who up until this point had been enjoying herself immensely while trying to pretend like the hot spring was just “okay” compared to ones she’d gone to on her own, was now huddled at the edge of the water with her knees pressed to her chest and her back to the door, trying to look as small and insignificant as possible.

Dani’s heart ached in sympathy for the poor girl. She looked back at Nick and Morgana, who were likewise very flustered, and mentally cursed the universe for this mishap.

“I-I’m s-s-sorry,” Morgana stammered, aghast. “I didn’t… I didn’t think anyone would c-come here so early, I-”

“Don’t apologize, Morgana, it’s not your fault,” Dani said, rising up to comfort the goth girl before she started to freak out. “It’s not like we reserved the hot spring or whatever. You guys had every right to come here.”

“Yeah, but we still should have checked to make sure you guys weren’t using it,” Nick said, staring dutifully down at his feet. Even though he knew Dani’s transformation made it so she wasn’t bothered by him seeing her naked, he was still being considerate of her. Dani was so grateful for his kindness and sincerity.

“You did catch us by surprise a little bit,” Dani conceded. “But really, it’s not a big deal. I think Vivian just-”

“Hmm? You think I what now?”

Dani jumped, nearly slipping on the wet rocks beneath her feet as she turned to see Vivian hovering behind her, eyes wide and shiny. She’d snuck up behind them, moving silently in the water, and her lips were curled up in a grin.

She wasn’t naked anymore, either. Her slender figure was wrapped in a tight swimsuit, much to Dani’s confusion.

“Y-you… you’re wearing… huh?” Dani wasn’t sure what was going on here. She knew Vivian could change fast, but this was really pushing it.

“Oh, what, this?” Vivian placed her hand on her hip and winked at her roommate.

“I used New Style to copy Sylvia’s transformation,” Vivian explained. “Skimpy clothes only today- like this swimsuit. At least, I think it’s a swimsuit. It looks like one, anyway…”

So that was it. She was so **** not to be seen naked by Nick that she used her transformation to borrow someone else’s clothing. Dani felt so bad that this mess had occurred, just when things were going so well between them.

And she didn’t miss that Vivian was trying very hard to ignore Nick’s presence entirely.

“It, um… it looks good on you, Vivian,” Morgana stammered, forcing a smile. She tried to overcome the uncomfortable feeling welling up in her chest, but that was almost impossible given the circumstances. She hadn’t seen any of this coming at all!

Vivian beamed at the goth girl. “Thank you, Morgana, that’s lovely to hear,” she said sincerely, placing her hand over her chest. “…And as for you, wow. That… you’ve really changed.”

For the first time, Vivian was calm enough to see that Morgana looked completely different. Dani had noticed that too. But unlike Vivian, she was tactful enough to not bring it up.

Morgana’s face turned redder, and it wasn’t due to the steam of the hot spring.

“Oh, um… yeah… I… uh…”

Dani’s heart broke a little as she watched Morgana slip into the water, shedding her towel and hugging her legs to her modest chest much in the way Vivian had just been doing, trying to make herself look as small as possible.

Her self-consciousness was plastered all over her face.

Even Vivian could see she was having a rough go of it. The heiress bit the inside of her cheek.

“It’s not a big deal!” Nick blurted out, finally getting back into the conversation. “She, uh… she suspended some of her transformations, that’s all. For our date together.”

Morgana bobbed her head up and down. But she also hugged her legs even tighter. Dani glanced down at her own curvaceous figure and wondered if she had a hand in making the young girl feel so self-conscious. Or if it was Vivian’s model-like physique. Or maybe a combination of both.

Whatever it was, it was clear that the shy girl was really having a hard time right now. Dani’s heart went out to the poor dear.

Vivian, still very flustered and **** to get as far away from the fact that Nick had seen her naked as possible, came up with a “brilliant” idea.

“I know! I still have a small bit of money saved up!” She said enthusiastically. “If you like, I could use my Investment Banking to give you a small boost to your chest size, and get you a little closer to how you used to be!”

Dani sighed. She knew Vivian was just trying to be helpful, but the heiress always went about it in the worst possible ways. Morgana may have been going through a bout of low self-esteem, but she’d made this choice for a reason. Vivian’s offer was almost insulting, even if it was done in total sincerity.

“…N-no… that… that’s okay…” Morgana sank even deeper into the water, so deep that what came out of her mouth next was just a string of bubbles.

Nick sighed. “Vivian… thank you for the offer, but it’s really not what we need right now, okay?”

Vivian shivered. It could have just been a physical response emerging from the fact that she was standing out of the water and exposing her soaking wet body to the wind, but Dani knew better. That look of horror in the heiress’s eyes… she was mentally freaking out.

And that wasn’t something Vivian could handle easily.

“Look, it’s not a big deal, we were just getting out actually,” Dani said, quickly splashing through the water to lead Vivian back to the changing rooms. “You guys enjoy the hot spring! We don’t want to get in the way of your date, right, Vivian?”

She wished she could mentally order Vivian to back her up on this.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to.

“Right! Uh, y-you two enjoy your date! Don’t tease him too badly, Morgana!” She said, giving the flustered goth what tried to be a coquettish wink but really just came off as awkward and uncomfortable. A moment later the two of them disappeared into the changing room, leaving Morgana and Nick alone in the hot spring, feeling very confused and flustered by what had just transpired.