Won't be first to fall asleep

“Experimenting with your transformation?” Dawn’s ears twitched in surprise at what the heiress had told her.

“That’s right,” Vivian said, nodding. “If there’s any time tonight, I wanted to try experimenting with it a little. Sylvia upgraded it for me, you see. It’s my Leading by Example one.”

Dawn blinked. That came as a surprise to her. “You chose… that transformation?” She asked, raising her eyebrow. Of all the transformations Vivian had to upgrade, she hadn’t expected the heiress to pick that one. If it was Dawn, she would have tried upgrading her Investment Banking transformation, to see if she could acquire more profits from the other women’s breasts. Or potentially invest less money for a bigger breast size. Both of those had their uses. But I suppose there’s no sense in upgrading the transformation until she gets a sense of her return on investment. So maybe it’s smarter to wait, Dawn reconsidered.

“Hello? Earth to Dawn?” Vivian waved her hand in front of the genius’s face, snapping her out of her thoughts. Dawn’s eyes widened and her head snapped up.

“Oh! S-sorry,” she stammered, letting out a sheepish laugh. “Kind of zoned out a bit there…”

It seemed she was a little more affected by Serenity’s prior proximity than she’d thought. She took a swig of water to clear her head.

“It’s fine. Anyway, I got four new transformations, you know, so it was a bit hard to decide. But I really wasn’t a fan of that Leading by Example one.”

“Oh, really?” Dawn leaned in, curious what the heiress had to say. Of all Vivian’s new transformations, that one seemed pretty beneficial.

“Don’t get me wrong, this list they gave me is helpful,” Vivian said, pulling out her list of all the actions that the other girls had done with Nick. Things she would have to do, in order to get each member of the harem to view her as worthy of the position of leader. Right now, only Amelia was checked off, a fact that amused Vivian quite a lot. If she could continue to go further with Nick than her teacher (which shouldn’t be hard) then she might be able to exploit this quite a bit.

“So then why…?” Dawn was still confused. Intrigued, but confused.

Vivian shrugged.

“Because… it’s just not my sort of thing, you know? I go at my own pace. And if I’m going to be running things around here, I want it to be because I earned it.”

“And doing more sexual things with Nick than anyone else isn’t earning it?” Dawn asked.

Vivian paused. Well, when Dawn put it like that…

“…Still, there’s something about it, you know?” Vivian shook her head. “I wanted a change! Sylvia mentioned that upgrades can help people deal with the more difficult parts of their transformations, so I figured it was worth a shot!”

Dawn nodded. That was certainly true. Like with Morgana and her diary. “So what does your upgraded transformation do now?”

Vivian smiled sheepishly. It was a strange expression to see on the heiress’s face, a rueful look of doubt and hesitation. She showed her transformation to Dawn, to see if the genius could make any sense of the thing.

“Take a look.”

Dawn adjusted her glasses and took a look.

• Leading by Example: It’s important to practice what you preach, and if Vivian wants to be the manager of the harem, she’ll have to take some steps to prove that she’s up to the task. What this means is that for each contestant, until Vivian has completed each sexual act with Nick that that contestant has already performed with him, they will not view her as worthy of the position of harem manager. Conversely, once she HAS managed to complete those acts, it will increase her esteem in the eyes of those contestants, and they will be more amenable to respecting her in that position. UPGRADE: The perception of Vivian in the eyes of the other women in the harem will shift slightly. Now, instead of earning worthiness in the eyes of the other women in the harem, her actions will be seen as more of a bonding experience with them; trying to see things from their perspective. Instead of affecting how everyone perceives her, it will lead to a more mutual view of their bonds. (Harem Manager)

“…Make sense?” Vivian asked, closing the screen.

“The language is very… detailed,” Dawn said tactfully.

“It’s bloody confusing is what it is!” Vivian shook her head and took a bite of pizza. She kicked up her legs on the footrest and sighed. “Would a little clarity be too much to ask for?”

Dawn couldn’t help but agree. True, several transformations had wording that was ambiguous enough to lead to confusion about the specifics of the transformation itself, but this one seemed to be particularly imprecise. Vivian was right to be concerned.

“I do have a theory or two, though,” Vivian said, leaning forward with a sly grin on her face. “Sylvia, come over here for a sec, would ya love?”

“Okay!” Sylvia ended her conversation with Gina and Marley and flounced over to the couch with a wide grin on her face. “How can I help?”

“Remember what we were talking about, before the party?” Vivian coaxed. “My transformation and all that?”

“Mhm,” Sylvia nodded. “You upgraded it, why?”

“Well, Dawn and I were talking, and we’re not sure how exactly this upgrade is supposed to work,” the heiress explained. “What, do I not have to complete the list or something anymore? What do you think, Sylvia?”

Dawn nodded in agreement.

Vivian was glad that Sylvia was who she had to work with, because the number of things she had to do with Nick to earn the other girl’s respect was very low. Just one thing, in fact- hugging Nick.

She’d held off on doing so for this very reason. And a couple of other reasons, too, but this was the big one.

As a former host, Sylvia was a valuable asset. And Vivian didn’t want the bubbly girl in her corner until she was sure she could trust what she had to say.

To Sylvia’s credit, it probably wouldn’t have mattered either way. She was one of the girls in the harem who was most supportive of Nick’s relationships with the others. But Vivian didn’t get to where she was by being reckless. Most of the time.

Playing it safe was no good, either.

Sylvia tapped her chin, considering what Vivian had to say. “Well, I do know that I think it would be really important for you to do stuff with Daddy,” she said. “Especially hugging him! I think if you hugged Daddy, well, that would show me that you’re willing to be **** and get close to him! And that would be just great…” She swooned a little, and smiled. “…Oh, but there’s a bunch of other stuff, too! Like having sex with him, getting married, maybe even having babies…”

“Okay, I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves here!” Vivian interrupted with a laugh. She held up her hand and shook her head. “So, that’s what I’m dealing with, Dawn. Any thoughts?”

Dawn knew why Vivian was having this conversation with her, and not someone like Rose or Mary, who could be better-suited for sharing a perspective on being in charge of the harem. Because Vivian was a smart girl, and she respected that Dawn was even smarter.

“From what I can tell, it seems the details of the transformation haven’t changed all that much,” Dawn noted. “She still thinks you should hug him, isn’t that right?”

Sylvia nodded in confirmation.

“Well, hugging is the only thing to do on this sheet,” Vivian agreed. “But if that’s the case, it’s not much of an upgrade, is it?”

“Sorry!” Sylvia said sheepishly, sticking her tongue out apologetically and scratching her head.

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Dawn said, shaking her head. “If that was really it, why would she mention all that other stuff, about having sex with him? It could be that there are other conditions to fulfill.”

Vivian nodded, considering what the other woman had to say. “I see, so that might be the part about forming strong bonds, then,” she murmured.

Dawn couldn’t agree more. “That was exactly what I was thinking, yeah.”

“So in the end, the upgrade makes it harder, huh?” Vivian sighed and leaned back in her seat, resting the back of her head in her hands. “Not exactly amazing.”

Dawn winced, frowning apologetically. “Sorry, it’s just-”

“Whoa, hey, no need to apologize,” Vivian cut her off. She shook her head. “Trust me, it’s fine. I don’t mind a little extra work. Wouldn’t be the one in charge if I did, you know?”

Sylvia laughed.

Dawn shrugged, feeling a little relieved. “I guess it all comes down to why you wanted to upgrade your transformation in the first place,” she pointed out.

She hadn’t missed the way Vivian had masterfully dodged giving her a straight answer to that question.

And the heiress wasn’t doing it now, either. She pinched her lips together into a tight smile.

“It just… isn’t my style,” Vivian said ambiguously. “But making bonds with everyone… hmm…” She tapped her chin thoughtfully, her chocolate eyes running over her fellow brunette. “…What about you, Dawn?”

Dawn blinked. “What about… me?”

“Oh! Good thinking, Vivian!” Sylvia nodded her head rapidly. “What about you, Dawn?! Is there a transformation you’d like to upgrade?!”

Dawn looked at her in shock. “Huh!? Uh…”

“That… wasn’t where I was going with this, actually,” Vivian said. But then again, this could be rather amusing. She chose not to say anything and let Sylvia make her pitch.

“Yeah, there are all sorts of fun transformations you could upgrade!” Sylvia said, nodding intently. “You could boost your Poser transformation, or maybe Sexterity? Or if you’re really feeling spicy, Like Catnip probably has a really good-”

“Hold it, I’m going to stop you right there,” Dawn cut her off. She shook her head. “I’m not upgrading any transformations right now.”

“Oh…” Sylvia did a bad job of hiding the disappointment on her face. “But why not? It would be so fun…”

“Because Nick isn’t here,” Dawn pointed out. “Upgrading Vivian’s transformation is fine, because it involves the other women in the harem. But most of the transformations I would want to upgrade involve Nick in some way, and if I upgrade one now without him here, well… it would be somewhat of a waste in my opinion.”

“Good point,” Vivian nodded. “Like what happened with Rose.”

Sylvia recalled Rose’s hasty scramble to figure out the effects of her upgrade with Nick before it wore off. Dawn raised a valid concern.

“…Okay, but that thing with Rose still ended up pretty good for her,” Sylvia laughed, considering how the two of them had gotten hot and heavy in the Fashion Suite. “So maybe-”

“I already said, Sylvia, not today,” Dawn interrupted her line of thinking. She looked sharply at the young girl.

Sylvia nodded. “Right. Understood,” she said in surrender. “As you wish, my girl.”

Besides- there were other people who might be receptive to getting a transformation upgraded tonight! She shouldn’t focus solely on Dawn!

As Sylvia skipped off to do untold damage to the slumber party, Vivian and Dawn returned to their conversation.

“So back to what I was saying before, Sylvia obviously wants me to have sex with her ‘Daddy’,” Vivian murmured, scratching her chin. “That’s her idea of bonding, I would guess. So what about you, Dawn? Is my transformation giving you any signs or hints about what I’d have to do to earn your favor?”

It was a good hypothesis they were working with. Instead of making the transformation a simple binary of “Accomplish these sex acts and then people will respect you” it was making Vivian work for it. Actually forming a strong and genuine bond with the other girls, eventually leading to them putting her in charge. Something like that, it was much more Vivian’s taste. She wanted to earn respect, admiration, and friendship. Not clear a bunch of achievements for success like in that farming game Nick had showed her.

Now, to test the hypothesis, and see if Dawn had her own criteria she wanted to meet.

Judging by the flustered expression on the cat girl’s face, Vivian was on the right track her. The only problem was…

“I… I think… I’ll keep that to myself, for now,” Dawn said, hiding her discomfort behind a sip of water.

So there is something! That’s nice to know. Vivian couldn’t blame Dawn for not being willing to reveal her innermost secrets to a woman she barely knew. And while she could tell that the shorter girl did want to help…

There were still boundaries at the end of the day.

“Sorry, I know we’re trying to work this out together, but…” Dawn felt a wave of guilt wash over her, one almost strong enough to change her opinion. And maybe she would have, if Vivian hadn’t stopped her.

“Don’t worry, Dawn, like I said, it’s fine,” the heiress gently coaxed the other girl. She smiled and shook her head. “Just knowing there’s something goes a long way. Even if you won’t give me the specifics. I can work with that.”

Dawn sighed in relief. She wanted to help Vivian, she really did, but telling her everything… that still felt a little…

Maybe if we were closer… but then, that’s somewhat of a catch-22, isn’t it? Dawn recognized. Oh well. It’s not like things have to be settled tonight.

“Thanks for all your help,” Vivian said, flashing a smile. “You’ve done more than enough already! But if you don’t mind, I want to run this transformation by a few more people. See if I can get a better idea of the specifics.”

“No, of course, that’s totally fine!” Dawn nodded. “Good luck!”

Vivian smiled a thank you and stood up, heading towards the next woman she wanted to try her hand at.

I’m not sure if it affects her or not. Considering the circumstances. But if I’m going to be experimenting with my transformation, then she’s someone I’m going to have to face eventually, Vivian reasoned, walking over to Mary, who was doing a great impression of a wallflower right now.

“What’s the matter?” Vivian asked the redhead, making her jump. “Not enjoying the festivities, love?”

Mary was surprised that Vivian had come to talk to her. “No, it’s not that… the party’s great! It’s just, well…”

Everyone was eating and chatting. And while a few people had come up to talk to her before Vivian had approached, Mary really hadn’t known what to say.

What were you supposed to do at slumber parties?!

“Well, it is down time,” Vivian pointed out. “I’m sure those two have a few more activities up their sleeve.” She glanced over at Gina and Dakota. “Things should kick off then!”

“Yeah…” Mary nodded tentatively. “I just hope the party turns out to be a success, you know? Gina really put her heart into this, and it’s all for Sylvia’s sake…”

Vivian was touched. “You really are a sweetheart, aren’t you?” She murmured. “Oh honey, the corporate world would eat you alive.”

“Well… that’s just fine with me,” Mary huffed, her freckled face glowing. She sniffed and turned away from the heiress, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t care about stuff like money or fame. I just want to be with Nick.”

She really was a good wife. Vivian could see why Nick had chosen her, of all his contestants, to be the one to marry.

And she loves horses, too. She really is the perfect woman, isn’t she?

But Vivian couldn’t burn tonight on small talk. So she confronted Mary directly about her issues, being as honest as she could with the buxom farmgirl. If there was one thing Mary appreciated it was honesty, and Vivian had that in abundance.

“So you’re testing out your transformation upgrade, and you’re thinking it might have something to do with friendship?” Mary’s voice cracked with slight excitement. “I see… that does sound quite lovely, doesn’t it?” She murmured. “Getting close to others and becoming friends with them…”

The whimsical tone of her voice only lasted a little bit, before it hardened into a sterner one.

“…But when it comes to leading the harem, I’m not so sure about that part,” she said honestly, shaking her head. Mary studied Vivian closely. While it was true, the heiress had gone a long way in clearing the preconceptions and stereotypes Mary had formed about her when she first relied on the island, she still had her doubts about the playful girl.

And when Mary doubted somebody, she confronted them head-on.

“If you’re trying to put yourself in charge, I’m not sure I’m okay with that,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m Nick’s wife, after all.”

She didn’t throw that title around in an effort to intimidate Vivian or assert her authority over the other woman. She wasn’t interested in making this a competition over who deserved to stand by Nick’s side, no matter how Rose tried to goad her.

Mary wanted Vivian to know that she was looking out for Nick’s interests first and foremost, and wouldn’t tolerate some schemer trying to damage the relationships he’d carefully cultivated!

Luckily, that wasn’t Vivian’s intention at all.

“I’m just thinking about the conditions of my transformations,” Vivian assured Mary. “If I was that concerned about being in charge, I would skip the upgrade and just use the cheat sheet.”

“…True,” Mary acknowledged with a nod. If Vivian was the kind of woman to do what Mary feared, then she wouldn’t have made things harder on herself.

“Right now, I’m just trying to test it out, see what the limits are,” the heiress explained. “And that’s why I wanted to talk to you. Since you’re technically not a member of the harem, but in a lot of ways you are- I wondered if it would have an effect on you or not.”

Judging by Mary’s defense of Nick’s love life and her defiant tone, Vivian was pretty sure the answer to that question was “Yes.”

So with that in mind, there were other things to consider as well.

“…So I wanted to know, like with Sylvia and Dawn, is there anything you feel like I should do, to really cement myself as the person in charge?” Vivian asked curiously. “Something I can do to really bond with you?”

There were plenty of things Mary could think of to strengthen her friendship with the chatty girl. But in the context of proving herself worthy of the title of harem leader? There was only one thing Mary wanted from her.

“You haven’t gotten married yet,” she pointed out, casting a judging look Vivian’s way. “You expect me to take your claims about Nick seriously without a ring on your finger?”

Vivian bristled. She figured it would be something like that.