Priscilla Wants to Help

"Um, do we have to do it now?" Nicola asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty serious. Our beloved landlord Tommy has just announced via text that he wants to raise our rent by fifteen per cent, and we need to come up with a response. He's coming over to discuss it pretty much imminently, so we don't have time to mess about"

"Right, okay...well I'm not wearing anything"

"Then maybe get dressed?" Liam suggested in a confused tone.

"Do I have to? Can't we just talk through the door?"

"Nicola, put something on" It was Diane talking now, in a no nonsense manner "I'm not standing in the hallway and shouting through your door"

Nicola wasn't sure what to do here. She had to think quickly.

"I'm actually not feeling very well, so perhaps I can stay in bed but let you guys into my room?"

"Okay I guess.." Liam agreed.

"Alright then. I'm going to unlock the door but don't open it until I say it's okay for you to come in, right?"

"Sure, whatever Nicola"

Diane sounded like she'd had enough of this shit already. Nicola moved quickly to the door and turned the lock before scurrying back to her bed and diving under the cover.

"Okay, I'm good!"

Nicola's housemates were soon in the room with her as she covered her modesty with her duvet. But before the conversation had even begun, the naked girl was suddenly looking panicked.

"Huh, what's up Nicky?" Liam asked, increasingly baffled by her strange behaviour.

Nicola wordlessly pointed straight ahead of her.

"What?" Diane asked "Something outside?"

"They can't see or hear me, silly" Priscilla informed her beleaguered client cheerily from the other end of the room "So if you try and argue with me like you usually do, you are going to look like a bit of an oddball in front of your friends. Which is just as well, as I think you might be ready for another wish, and I don't want any complaints this time. And don't worry, wishes can stack, so you can carry on enjoying the first one as well"

"I think we can agree to a slight raise, maybe five per cent so we don't look unreasonable and piss him off. But fifteen per cent is crazy" Liam suggested.

"We do that, we end up on ten per cent, that's still too much" Diane argued back "Let's resist outright at first and we can hopefully get five"

"Looks like you get the deciding vote Nicky, what do you think?" Liam asked.

"Uh, sure fine"

Nicola couldn't even think about her rent right now, let alone what the best negotiation tactic might be. All she could do was wait with dread to find out which long forgotten "wish" of hers was about to get twisted, as Priscilla gave her a sickly smile and stroked her wand.

"But do we start with five per cent or flat out refuse an increase? What do you think?" Diane pressed for an answer.

Nicola was willing her housemates to just shut up about the rent already as she lay in bed, still acutely aware than she would be totally exposed if anyone ripped her duvet away, trying to hear what her fairy godmother had in store for her.

"So, last time you seemed a little mad at me for using such an old wish, and I like to work with my clients' feedback to help improve their overall experience with me. So this one is much more recent, and it's work related, which you also expressed a preference for last time"

Nicola wanted to yell at her fairy godmother that she didn't give a shit about work in this moment and that her only wishes currently were to be given her clothes back and left alone. But she realised there was no point wasting her breath. Priscilla was just going to do whatever she wanted anyway, so all Nicola would achieve by complaining would be to make her roommates think she had lost her mind.

"It was just a few weeks back. Your boss took all of the credit for your work in front of his boss, and you just let him. Well, later on when talking to one of your colleagues you said" Priscilla paused a moment and shot Nicola a mischievous grin "I wish that, in future, when some jerk tries to screw me over I will stand up for myself and not just take it lying down" The fairy waved her wand "Well now you won't!"

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

"That must be Tommy already, the jerk probably came as quickly as he could so we didn't have time to discuss tactics" Diane figured "Well, I guess Liam and I will go and talk to him if you aren't up to it, Nicola"

The blood almost drained from Nicola's face as she realised what she was about to do.

"Don't worry guys, I'll deal with this!" the naked young businesswoman announced purposefully as she threw off her duvet and jumped out of bed.