AD NET Beach Queens Tournament

The crowd on the beach was a roaring mass once again. With each audience member throwing their support at different contestants, it was nearly impossible to tell which contestant was getting the most cheers. It'd probably be safe to say that a change much more drastic (or for the prudish) would be necessary to lose any of the ladies one of their entrenched fans.

Phero and AdjustLady had submerged themselves in the ocean, leaving the others to stand around and decide how they felt about their mandatory exposure. To nobody's surprise, HunterWoman didn't hesitate. She was alone in this regard, at least while the washed-clean Phero and occupied AdjustLady were below the water. Surf and Dart had lowered themselves and, though complying with the order to go topless, were shielding themselves with arms. Toss wasn't shying away from the audience's gaze, but she hadn't decided to go full-bore yet herself, still crossing her forearms before her chest.

The girls were probably intentionally ignoring HunterWoman and her call for a full showing, but one comment of hers didn't go unanswered. "She's not a lesbian!" "I'm not a lesbian!" Toss and Dart shouted in turn, the former laughing and the latter gritting her teeth. Toss finally succumbed to HunterWoman's request, possibly trying to keep her opponent from winding up more and making a scene that could get things moving even faster. The bounty hunter crossed her arms behind her head, finally baring her large, freckled bosom to any interested while grinning and flushing a bit more. "Now, now, give my buddy a break, will ya? At least until the girls come back up with those doohickies. Not everyone's a free spirit like you..." If anyone was going to be turned off by the hesitation the formerly raunchy girls were exhibiting, they'd have to have very sharp ears to catch it over the yells of their peers.

Speaking of which, the two who'd gone diving soon emerged with their haul. They'd managed to recover most of it, but not all: Phero had found two contest devices, but only one of AdjustLady's earpieces. AdjustLady had located two of each type... however, all of this meant that one information transmitter and two of AdjustLady's specialized devices had gone missing. AdjustLady let out a deep sigh of frustration that didn't match the fixed smile on her face. She took stock of what Phero had collected, then cleared her throat. "... Very well. We'll continue testing to the best of our current ability. Phero, with what you've got, I'd say it's most sensible that each team will retain two devices. Divide them up as you choose. I believe Dart will need one on our team, her partner will take the other-"

"Nah, you like these things so much, you wear it," Toss interrupted, waving a hand. "I finally worked up the nerve to get comfortable here, I think I'm good."

"I see. By all means, then..." AdjustLady passed one to Dart, who quickly swiped it and put her arm back in position. The mechanical Navi affixed one to her ear. "Cutie, you can distribute yours as you see fit." It seemed a bit of the good humor had come back into AdjustLady's voice, but that could coincide with her replacement of her device.

"Shouldn't I be the one deciding that...?" Surf commented idly, still sunken into the water. She started to add something in addition, but Phero, sensing her discomfort, had decided to do something about it. Surf gasped a bit, then turned her reddened face away from Phero. She didn't shrink away from her ally, though, aware that doing so in this position would expose her. "Yeah, uh, dude, I'm gonna make the call here, g-gimme-" she trailed off, grabbing one of each type of device and affixing them as Phero rubbed her head. "Phero, uh... perhaps you ought to use the other one." Surf managed to look the other Navi in the eyes now, looking flushed but smiling in spite of it. "HunterWoman can't stand these thingies. We'll just say she lucked out with the missing one."

With everyone's devices set again, it was time to get back to the contest proper. Phero took the first shot at answering the question. It'd be fair to wonder how anyone was going to hear it, since the girls were still out in the water, and the crowd was quite loud. However, MascotMan had released his former camera drones, which had reconfigured to include microphones, amplifying the voice of the speaker. Surf watched as Phero took a stab, gulping. Her mind was probably uncontrollably painting a mental picture of what the other woman was describing. She looked like she wanted to make a comment, but not on microphone.

"Ah! Well, now, that ought to be fun for everyone, hm?" Adjustlady cooed, glancing at her partners.

"How many times do I have to say it...?" Dart pouted. With the device, she still hadn't moved to bare herself, but had risen out of the water, covering her breasts with her hands alone.

"Aw, don't be a sourpuss!" Toss giggled. "Don't knock it until you've tried it, right? A lot of people seem to really love grabbing my butt."

HunterWoman had another idea, one which elicited very different responses from her opponents. "What a hare-brained idea!" Dart complained, shouting at HunterWoman. "Don't you think the six of us have shown quite enough behind to sate any appetite? For pity's sake, how much more butt do you and I have to show?!"

"Hahaha! I like it," Toss interjected. "Let's make this a nude beach!"

"No, I can see the angle," AdjustLady admitted, putting a hand to her chin. "It's completely different. The appeal of the completely bared bottom is that of a woman who is... 'readied,' you understand."

"And there are, pfft, bits, y'know?" Toss giggled. "There's the naughty bits!"

"Dammit! I-is that really..." Dart started, trailing off as her brow tensed over her jittery eyes. "W-would be required to...?"

"I suppose that'd be up to the hunter," AdjustLady reminded her. "And I'm sure she'd show her usual amount of tact in making that call. In any case, they've got one more to present. Let's hear it, shall we?"

Surf gulped again. Her mind had probably been on the suggestions of the others, and she didn't seem to have one of her own prepared yet. She looked at the microphone before her with an expression of concentration on her normally easy-going face. "Of course! I know what those dudes want. They wanna see us s-" she began, before taking a look around her at the water surface. "No way! Dude, it's totally flat out today. I didn't even think about it! Man..." The Navi began to hang her head before realizing that would easily turn into planting her face into her partner's bosom, then perked it back up. "Um, uh... Beach frisbee! But, like, topless beach frisbee, right? We've been doing a lot of stuff that's fun for the audience, but this way, we'll get to have some fun too. I think they'll get a kick out of seeing us 'wild and free' too..."

"Good idea, Bad Girl!" Toss shouted, pumping her fist in the air. "That one! Let's do that one! Man, I am gonna destroy you guys so hard in beach frisbee!"

"Mm, an athletic competition..." AdjustLady muttered dryly. "Well, I wonder if the audience will latch onto that to begin with..."

"Hey, what ya got against beach frisbee?!" Toss shouted back at her. "I love beach frisbee! Anyway, you have a better idea? You're up!"

AdjustLady noted the microphone drone buzzing in front of her and cleared her throat. "So I am. Let's see... I think the audience would like to see us model some more exotic swimwear. I've previously come up with some designs that I think the men would find most arousing, and I don't think I'll find models any more appropriate, eager, and qualified to show them off than right here."

"'Exotic,' huh...? 'Exotic' how?" Toss scratched her wet, matted hair.

"If the spirit of curiosity among our bolder viewers prevail, I expect you shall learn," she responded.

"I wonder if you'll pay for playing your cards close to your chest-" Dart whispered, drawing in her breath as the microphone got close. "My turn? Very well! I'm going to answer this question about my preferences once and for all! If I win, each of us will pick one member of the audience to kiss! And, needless to say, I will be picking a guy!!"

"Ooh, that's an interesting pick for you, buddy!" Toss commented, grinning. "If you get into making out like that with a guy, I wonder if it'll stop at just kissing...?~"

"I wonder if the audience will go for it when it singles only six guys out to get the attention," Surf whispered to Phero (and HunterWoman, but it was questionable if she'd hear it).

"Anyway! None of that's gonna be happening, cause I'm going with a proven commodity around here: *ss-slapping! If I win, all of us ladies will line 'em up right there on the beach for the whole crowd to get in on the action."

"Dude! Not cool!" Surf shouted at her. "I give you beach frisbee, and you give me more of that? Harsh!"

"Sorry Bad Girl, but I play to win," Toss said with a wink, smirking at her opponent. "Nothing personal, seriously!"

"Well, well, well! Each of the six ladies has generously given us a lot to think about!" MascotMan's voice came in loud from his bots, which had reverted to speaker configuration. "Unfortunately, we don't have time to make this one a sextuple penalty: the winner will be the one you all cheer for the loudest! For those of you guys who may have been distracted, let's go over the options once more. If you cheer for Phero, the ladies will celebrate among themselves with hugs, kisses, and steamy public displays of affection! If you cheer for HunterWomen, our girls are going to fully reveal themselves, removing their bottoms and shining some sun where the sun doesn't shine! If you cheer for Surf, we'll get to take in some x-treme beach frisbee, of the topless variety! If you cheer for AdjustLady, we'll see the ladies try on some exotic beachwear, and find out the enticing details AdjustLady is keeping under wraps! If you cheer for Dart, a lucky six among you will be selected to receive a kiss by one each of our lovely ladies! If you cheer for Toss, it's going to be open season on our contestants' backsides, lining them up on the beach for everyone to take a turn punishing their naughty behavior! So there you have it! I've talked long enough, time to hear you make some noise! Give it up if you give it to... Phero!!"

Plenty of cheers rose from the audience, causing Surf to redden. "J-just so you know, dude, if your idea wins, I'm gonna try to get into it, but that's cause I'm totally in it to win it. I'm not, uh... I mean, nothing against you, but I don't really..."

Surf trailed off there, which was just as well as MascotMan would be speaking over her. "Now, give it up if you give it to... HunterWoman!"

Another chorus of cheers came up, particularly rowdy. It was clear a lot of people were going to be cheering for multiple contestants, as a number had chimed in for both HunterWoman and Phero. That said, it would be hard to deny hearing them back-to-back that more were speaking up for HunterWoman.

"Never underestimate the base instincts of man," AdjustLady commented, crossing her arms.

"Now give it up if you give it to... Surf!"

There were some cheers here, but Phero and HunterWoman might notice many of them were the ones who appeared to be cheering for every name that came up. Surf sighed, shaking her head. "I know it would have gone over better if I could have suggested a surfing contest. Where are all the waves today? Dude..."

"Some people just don't appreciate beach frisbee," Toss added, sounding a bit disappointed herself.

"Now give it up if you give it to... AdjustLady!"

There were probably more cheers here than there had been for Surf, but at this point it was a bit difficult to compare them to Phero's and HunterWoman's previously. It didn't sound quite as loud as the roar for HunterWoman's idea, though.

"Ah! Are you quite serious?" AdjustLady spoke under her breath, sounding frustrated. "My exclusive designs are losing out to birthday suits...? Maybe my plan backfired..."

"Are we seriously going to end up showing our *sses at this rate?" Dart muttered, lowering her eyebrows and frowning.

"Now, give it up if you give it to... Dart!"

This one again got some considerable noise, more than AdjustLady had just gotten. "Oh dear, my buddy. You're popular! I wonder if all of those guys have the same idea of a kiss as you do, though...~" Toss giggled, teasing her partner mercilessly.

"... I'm prepared to do what it takes," Dart responded, although her eyes did a quick jump from side to side before resting uneasily forward.

"Finally, give it up if you give it to... Toss!"

The audience was detectably even louder for this one than Dart's. "Oh ho! What a surprise," Toss spoke up, grinning confidently. "Look who has a finger on the pulse of the crowd! Now you'll think twice before underestimating me..."

"You're celebrating a lot for a woman who may have just won the opportunity to have a beach full of men paddle her behind," AdjustLady reminded her, putting a hand to her cheek and still sounding despondent.

"Aw, dude... Screw me!" Surf dismayed, burying her head on Phero's shoulder.

"Clearly, you all are stoked for each of these ladies' suggestions! How lucky are we to have such generous contestants willing to go the extra mile? I know I'm filing all of these ideas away for the next tournament! That said, based on your response, you've chosen...

...HunterWoman!! You heard 'em, ladies: For the crowd that just can't get enough, don't stop until you're in the buff! HunterWoman said to take off the bottom part of your swimsuit and show them your bare, naked butt. Don't keep the audience waiting! Don't forget: you'll be earning a rating not just for your accepted idea, but even more for your worst behavior here!"

"Aw, seriously!?" Toss cried, throwing up her hands. "You guys are letting me down! I can't believe you're taking seeing over touching. Augh..."

"... Truly a formidable opponent," Dart added, her eyes jumping over to HunterWoman and down at the water several times in succession.

Phero would feel that, for better or worse, the lock on getting fully naked released on her headset. She'd also feel its calls intensify (although it could also simply be her becoming more aware of them, now that she'd suddenly lost the inhibition towards nudity). The headset suggested she again that she shouldn't simply remove her bottom, but show off her bare backside after doing so.

"... All right! I may not have come out on top, but I'll go bold and make an impression! For sure!" Surf shouted, firing herself up with a wild look in her eyes. "So, all you dudes out there... here's Phero's!" The leader suddenly would attempt to grab Phero's bottom half and, with a toothy grin, pull it down below her waist. If able, she'd also turn Phero to face away from the shore, making sure their audience could get an eyeful. "Watcha gonna do about it?" she asked, glancing upward with a red face, probably anticipating she was going to get some payback.

Her partners aside (and a bit ironically, considering how much of it she'd already shown), Hunterwoman was the one the crowd was currently making noise for, so she probably wouldn't want to delay in giving them what they came for.

---

The two ladies in the real world would get a message, although from her position, only Dharma would be able to see it, staring back at her from the PET Diana was taunting her with.

Quote ()

*Is this going to catfight??
*Don't worry about announcing for now — leave to MM
*At this portion you guys are basically focused on as your own show
*So — catfight??
*When the Navis finish — wrap up your bit
*Then tell the audience MM will announce the winner
*Camera off
*When show is over I can discuss your valuation and payment

Phero was used to being upset with Dharma's false, reserved public face and her cold demeanor, but it was now occurring to her how she might be exhausting to interact with sometimes in her own way... She was used to being the overly enthusiastic one without proper knowledge of societal norms, but HunterWoman had stolen that role form her today. On the other hand, she was making the average person happy, so maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.. even if she was being a little pushy with the other players. "We need those headsets," Phero reaffirmed, before making her dive. She came up with a decent haul, but felt regretful that she wasn't able to make the full recovery. "I hope AdjustLady and her operator didn't spend as much on those prototypes as Dharma and the company did on me," she thought, somewhat guilty. Then again... she, like HunterWoman, didn't see the things as particularly valuable, past their use in securing sponsorship. It felt a little silly to compare the value of one of those doohickies to her own worth.

She used one hand to fix her own piece back over her ear, then helped Surf with hers. "There we are. I agree, HunterWoman doesn't seem to care for it and, perhaps just as importantly, might not need the coaching. If that is indeed what the device is doing," Phero concurred with Surf's assessment. She smiled awkwardly, turning her head to HunterWoman. "I'm not really embarrassed... I just thought Surf might be, so..." she explained, hugging Surf to her chest again, "I thought I would help her." The sweet scent coming from Phero was somehow enough to overpower the smell of the salt water on her body. She looked surprised when HunterWoman and the others didn't seem receptive of her idea (except AdjustLady, but it was hard to tell what was legitimate enthusiasm with her and what was an act). "I-I thought it was a little strange at first too, but when my friend and I did it in the bath, it actually felt... very nice... You might turn out to like it too," she sighed, feeling a little dejected. She couldn't really imagine being the one to pull the others into it like Cheshire had with her back then.

Having gone first, Phero hadn't had the benefit of priming her own suggestion to meet or beat the others, so she was very curious to see what sort of things they would offer to try to top hers. HunterWoman began, offering a suggestion that was just as brazen as Phero had come to expect, but also just as unerringly effective in its simplicity. "Oh dear... Most humans don't go in public without anything on their bottoms, even the men. I suppose evidence has shown it's likely to make everyone rather happy if we do, though," she reasoned. "Maybe the easiest answer is also the best, in this case. Although, I certainly hope there are no more shows after this, if we do. There won't be anything left to take off..."

Their appointed team leader was next. Phero smiled at the suggestion, showing her enthusiasm. "Oh, frisbee! I've never played it before. I'd love to play a game with everyone, even if it's half-naked," she chuckled. "That's a good suggestion," Phero repeated, then began affectionately stroking Surf's head while cradling the leader's head into her bosom. "Good, good!" There was something very demeaning about her unconscious lapse into acting like Surf's mother, but also something very comfy. Unfortunately, the only other one who really seemed to care for it was Toss. "Aw... Maybe we can do it some other time then," the protype navi pouted, releasing her maternal grip on Surf's head. Though, it wasn't for sure whether it was out yet; that was up to the judges all over the beach.

AdjustLady's offer was next, but lacking creativity, Phero found herself puzzled. She came up with an answer that would really only make sense to herself, even after she said it out loud. "Ah, I get it! We must have really upset people who are fans of bikinis, since we keep shrinking ours and taking them off. If we were to wear rare bikinis, that might make them happy again! That's really quite thoughtful, Sexbot," she commended her friend, unconsciously using the name that had been printed on the back of her suit again.

Dart and Toss offered theirs next in quick succession. "Hm, kissing or spanking? They're interesting thoughts, both rather personal and intimate. They'd be sure to make people happy, but I found out earlier that sometimes, if you're too affectionate with just one person in a situation like this, you can aggravate the others somewhat. Though, it somewhat sounds like Toss would like every person on the beach to get a turn? That's..." she noted cheerfully, then suddenly had second thoughts. "Um, that might be somewhat hard on Surf here," she murmured, turning her eyes downward with a pitying look.

Finally came the judging. "Don't worry. I promise you, I'll make you feel very pleasant," Phero suggested to Surf again, though that probably did nothing to assuage her fears. She felt pretty confident by the first response from the crowd that she might have made the winning suggestion, as is befitting of a prototype navi designed specifically to inspire love in other navis like those cheering from the beach. She was astute enough to notice, however, that HunterWoman's suggestion got an even more uproarious response. "Oh my! They must really want to see naked women," she gasped, surprised that she'd been defeated, but not unpleasantly so. She didn't have as much of a stake in her perfect record at guessing people's triggers for arousal as her operator did. More votes came in, and though some came close, none quite reached the level HunterWoman's did, she noticed. "Aw. Maybe we can still play Frisbee later?" she asked the others hopefully, but all of them were probably going to be ready to leave the beach ASAP once this long competition was over.

To her surprise, she became the first of the contestants to have her bottom bared; Surf took initiative befitting of a leader, pulling down the doggy bikini and revealing her nice, peachy bottom, more clearly as the wet garment went down past her supple thighs to rest at her knees. "Oh my! Um... I'm supposed to show it off now, so I just..." she murmured, wondering how she was going to do that without being so vulgar as to be off-putting. "Oh, right!" she exclaimed, thinking back to the well-trodden territory of Bitch Get It. She turned her head over her shoulder as much as she could, then reached down, dispensing a transparent, pinking liquid over her buttocks. Rather than stiffening to cover her as the other solution did, this one just flowed out like colored water, sliding off and into the sea. For the crowd, she braced one hand upon Surf's shoulder, then bounced herself up and down on her toes as much as she could while in the water, causing the liquid to spatter off at the movements with a wet, splashing noise. "Like in the video..." she explained, watching the audience as much as she could to see if they appreciated her effort.

HunterWoman and the others might have waited their turns or may not have, but either way, she now had an obligation to fulfill. "Alright, Leader. Yours is next. I'll help you with yours, like you did with mine," she beamed, keeping their bodies close as she hooked her fingers around a few of the thin straps supporting the tie-die patterned bikini she wore. Very gently, she'd pull it down... but only if Surf allowed her to. If their leader was getting second thoughts, it would be very easy to unfairly stop Phero in the act, given that she wasn't applying much force. Surf being as short as she was, Phero would have to bend her knees a bit to continue assisting, an action that could really only be better for the crowd if she'd also chosen to part her legs. "Oh, em, we should change position," she continued, standing back up before nudging Surf to swap around and do a 360, to bare it to the crowd. "Don't worry... I can help you do it too!" Phero insisted with a smile, before very helpfully pouring another serving of cool, pink liquid down over Surf's booty. If Surf, for whatever strange reason, didn't start bouncing her butt (she didn't exactly have as much to bounce to begin with), Phero would assist with that as well. "Don't worry!" she reiterated, grabbing one hand onto her ally's butt and attempting to give it a jiggle if she could. "It's um, not really displacing much..." she spoke a bit too audibly, where the mics might catch it. "If you can rock on your toes a bit, that can help...!"

------------------------------------------------

As a card carrying sadist, Dharma felt a moral objection to being caught in the act of lying, humiliated, and referred to as a dog. As a blossoming exhibitionist, however, the thrill of being recorded and televised, crawling across some strange office floor with only her panties to cover her, was terribly thrilling. Also... as a CEO who had spent unreal quantities of zenny investing in a prototype navi and loading her with many more untold fortunes of zenny's worth of experimental compounds, a few red flags were being triggered when she realized that Artemis had just gotten a hold of the PET containing that navi. "Ha ha, yes... I'd give a new meaning to man's best friend," she played along, willing to pretend that she'd been crawling along the floor for their sake if it drew attention away from her failed capture attempt.

From this view, she could see her PET's screen clearly: it looked like Phero was about out of things to show the crowd. Surely it would be wrapping up soon? As much fun as she was having, Dharma couldn't help but unconsciously wish their positions were reversed... baring it all for those sadsacks on the beach in an unscheduled public appearance? Why, that was about as 'humanitarian' as it got, as far as she was concerned. She wouldn't have made it so easy for them, though... she would have made them beg. That's what she told herself, anyway. Nobody had really begged her to strip down to her underwear and get on all fours.

Reading over Morty's request... it seemed he really wanted the two of them to start fighting? She suddenly had a droll reminder of what a ludicrous idea it had been to start providing him free service to begin with. The idea of wrestling with Diana for Morty's amusement as he pretended to still be under some kind of armed threat somehow seemed even more degrading than stripping in front of countless people's TV and PET screens. Still, her navi was bearing her bottom, and damn if she didn't feel like her panties were begging to come off too. "Well, Anna, it's nearly time to sign off... I think there's one last parting gift we both owe, isn't there? We can't let the navis outdo us..." she beckoned, turning around to put her bottom towards the camera and staying on her knees. She propped herself forward with one hand, then looked over her shoulder. "Ready?" she asked rhetorically, hooking her hand into the side of her black, lacy panties. "One..." she murmured, inching it down on one side. "Two..." she continued, hiking her leg forward and switching to her other hand to edge down the other side. "Three...!" she continued, wiggling it down to a stopping point where only the last one or two points of her modesty could be preserved, still with the whole kaboodle very close to the camera. The panties were almost down to the base of her cheeks now, but with her legs angled as they were, it'd still just be the mounds of the cheeks visible with fabric covering the underside. "Ho ho ho! Did you fellows think I was going to go further? No, MC HP has to keep a few secrets to herself..."

Whether Diana chose to follow or not to follow the act, she had essentially been cut out of it. If she cared to be included in the closing scenes, she'd have to either move the PET and therefore the viewpoint, move Dharma, or else interject herself into the very limited space between Dharma and her PET.

...She didn't have to put on that awful earpiece? Yay! It was too bad that they lost a couple, but HunterWoman wasn't exactly going to be mourning the loss. "Too bad for you, AdjustLady! But I think I'm better off without it...you saw some of the things I was doing with that thing in there!"

And with that, answering time! First up was Phero, of course, though she didn't seem pleased by everyone's reaction. "Well, I mean, I'd TRY it if that's what wins, it's just...I dunno, the idea's just not grabbing me. And my instincts aren't usually wrong about this stuff!"

HunterWoman then gave her simple yet effective proposal, which was...not as well received by certain other girls. "Hey, as long as you have clothing on you, there's people that'll be left out! Do you want them to be disappointed? I don't!"

Next up, Surf. "Beach frisbee? That could be fun! Us all running around and having fun, the sweat on our bodies glistening as it drips off the ends of our breasts, good times for everyone!"

And then, the other team started with AdjustLady. "Modeling swimsuits? Didn't we already do that? Doing something we already did is just LAME! Especially when you won't even spit out the details about the lameness!"

Almost over. Now for Dart. "Well, I'm fine with kissing someone, but isn't that gonna leave a bunch of people out in the cold? There's just six of us, and...a lot more than six of them!" Surf had a similar thought, but HunterWoman was too busy thinking about all the proposals so far to hear. So far, she had to say that hers was the best.

Toss's proposal did nothing to shake that opinion. "I dunno, that's kinda rough for the people at the back of the line, when they finally get their turn, and we all have super red, super sore butts, and we're all just wanting it to end."

But now, it was time for the opinions that mattered. And the winner was...her! "Aw yeah! In your faces! Uh, except for Surf and Phero, their faces won't be in at all!" Granted, no one would be looking at their faces momentarily. "Guess I'll go-" Er, or maybe she wouldn't be first, as Surf volunteered Phero. "-Never mind, guess Phero's first! Ya know, it kinda looks like a peach! Similar color and everything!" She wasn't going to try eating it, though.

Besides, she could hear the cries for her to follow suit. She turned and waved at the crowd, smiling. "You guys want it, you guys got it!" However, her approach was less 'have someone else gently slide your swimsuit bottom to your knees' and more 'just rip the bikini bottom off your body', flinging it off to the side, and giving the crowd a moment of full frontal. But it didn't last; that wasn't what they were asking for, after all. And so, she turned around, and gave the audience what they were asking for; completely uncovered HunterWoman butt. "Here ya go!" She started shaking her hips, though not so fast that her rear end would get all blurry. She then bent over a bit, to put even more emphasis on that body part. They probably start seeing more than just her butt down there, but when did she ever care about basic decency? Never, that's when.

------------------

"Oh, I'm sure you would, Dha-" ...OH crap. She almost blew Dharma's cover. And she couldn't do that; if she was disgraced, how was she going to help sponsor the zoo? "-Dha...g lady. Yes, you are indeed a dog lady." And thus she essentially got away with calling a corporation's CEO a bitch. Wait, what was she..."Parting gift? What's that supposed to...mean..." Oh. Ohhhhhh. "No thank you, I'm sure no one wants to see an arse that you can practically balance an egg on. But if you want to, you can." And she...did? This had to be some sort of weird fever dream, didn't it? Standing around in her underwear, essentially serving as a camerawoman as Dharma Heart-Payne seductively slid her panties down? How was that real? Fortunately, she stopped before she got TOO much of a view. "Well, I can't speak for the viewers, but that's plenty enough for me." For a moment, she pondered the merits of quickly reaching over and pulling things down all the way...but luckily for the other woman, she had limits. "Yes, we need to save a little for next time." Next time. HA.

Because Surf had chosen to take the initiative, and because HunterWoman and Phero (through lack of shame and eagerness to please respectively) weren't the type to hesitate, the team was the first to capitalize on the orders. Surf seemed confused as to what Phero was trying to accomplish, likely because she didn't have a clear view from her angle, but everyone else seemed on board. Still, Surf did her best to keep herself braced against Phero's hand.

"Mm, so my Cutie is the first revealed?" AdjustLady commented, putting a hand to her chin and watching without subtlety. She'd finally pulled herself out of the slump from the rejection of her idea, it seemed. "I do hope that product is eco-friendly..."

Dart, meanwhile, worked her jaw as it seemed struggling between a clenched grit and open disbelief, her eyes shooting between Phero and the now bared HunterWoman, who was giving the crowd more than a fair look at what she'd been programmed with. Needless to say, the crowd was hoarse with roars and still hot with anticipation. "This is preposterous! Toss-" she started, before turning to her partner...

... and letting out a gasp, Toss was already peeling off the remaining suit clinging to her, reaching beneath the water to get it from around her knees. "What? C'mon, partner, get yours off too! This is the big finale, give 'em something to look at! You gonna make me do it for ya?"

On that note, Phero was in the process of paying Surf back. As if to occupy her hands so she wouldn't instinctively stop her assailant, Surf put her hands to her cheeks, her red face breaking into a silly grin. "Dude-" she let out in a squeaky, unnaturally pitched yelp as Phero bent to get the bottom off. The action would put Phero's face pretty close to Surf's newly revealed front, giving her a good chance to see how Surf had minimized her underwater drag below the belt. "Dude! Holy cow. Hoooly hoah!" she continued giggling as Phero turned her back to the audience, showing everyone her athletic figure and tan lines in all their detail. The young woman's expression was still frozen in a grin of disbelief. "I-I can't believe I'm butt naked on the beach I practically live on... Far out. Uh, okay, why not. I'll get it displacing, dude!" The Navi began swinging her hips from side to side, biting her lip in a gesture only Phero would be able to see. "There's cameras and everything here, dude. Oh my gooosh, dude!" she continued to squeak quietly, picking up the pace a bit frantically as though trying to work the thoughts out of her head.

In the meantime, AdjustLady had gotten her bottom off as well, which had really only required stepping out from what she'd been holding together. Again, it appeared her lower anatomy didn't include some of the biological bits one would expect from a fully biologically-modeled woman, but due to previous knob tinkering she still had a well-balanced bit of cheek to display. She wasn't in any kind of routine at the moment, though, standing with her hand on her hip and watching the others with interest.

Toss was still trying to coerce her partner out of the last holdout bottom between the six of them. "C'mon! C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon! Just listen to the thingy and do what it says! Don't make me come over there, you know I will!"

"But you don't even have an earpiece!" Dart protested, still clenching her teeth and wrapping her arms around her chest protectively.

"I don't need an earpiece to shine some sun on your buns, buddy! Do not test me! All right, I'm coming-"

"Fine, fine, okay," Dart finally conceded, quickly ducking beneath the water, removing her bottom, and raising it sheepishly between her pinched fingers to demonstrate it was off with a sour frown.

"Now get on out of there! No escaping from it this time!" Toss shouted, taking another menacing step towards her.

"Fine, all right!" Dart shouted, jumping out of the water and turning her back to the audience, giving a view of her own finely proportioned behind.

"Atta girl!" Toss grinned mischievously. "Okay, now to show it off, just do what I do! Remember, we're a team. If you follow my lead, there's nothing to worry about!"

Dart continued blushing and clinging to herself, but, perhaps unexpectedly, nodded in agreement.

"Good. Just like me!" Toss proceeded to gyrate her hips with her back to the audience, swinging her removed swimsuit in her hand like a propeller over her head.

Dart moved over to her partner and, more slowly, began doing the same. In spite of her own lack of enthusiasm, her teamwork did appear to be enough to get her moving at the same speed and with the same motions.

"Now... bring it in for the hip bump!" Toss moved her hips to meet with Dart's own. Again, the partners seemed in sync, with Dart picking up on the motion quickly, colliding her glistening wet hips with the lightly freckled exposed skin of Toss. "All right! Now slap your booty!"

Dart did as she was told, using her free hand to give her own backside a hard slap and sending it jiggling. At this one, she looked in horror to see Toss holding her sides laughing, having not gone along with it herself. "Y-you jerk! I'll kill you for that!"

"Calm down, calm down! I just wanted to show you were into it, all right? Your fans liked it!~ Think of the prize money, buddy, pffheeheehee! Speaking of, hey, yoohoo!" she shouted at AdjustLady, who was still mostly watching Phero and Surf. "You going to move that beehookus or have I got to move it for you?"

AdjustLady ignored her, finally turning around just in time to see Toss's naked body hurtling towards her. "I beg your pardon...?"

"C'mon, it's the last round, you've gotta make it count. Give 'em 110% of dat butt!" Without asking for permission, the bounty hunter swooped in and put wrapped her arms around the other lady's hips. Her tongue working from her mouth, Toss fiddled with knobs she had singled out until she got the desired effect...

... Causing AdjustLady's behind to balloon out from behind her, continuing to grow as her assailant tweaked the setting. "You-! How did you even-"

"Don't underestimate the keen eyes of a pro bounty hunter! Haha, take this! 150 perceeeent booty pooowah!"

"Cut it out! Shoo, get off this instant!" the once-thin Navi cried, trying to pry Toss from her, then pushing against her face with her hands. "You can't just- you've got to balance-"

"Heehee, looks like you're the one who's gonna have to try to balance!" the large Navi cackled, giving her victim's unrealistically huge rump a powerful slap that sent it shaking. "Daaayum!"

"Enough!" AdjustLady protested, finally covering the knobs when she realized she couldn't physically remove her partner cum adversary. "Listen, the competition's over! They're about to announce it..."

"All right, ladies!!" MascotMan's voice boomed. Microphone aside, the Navi was shouting, likely to hear himself over the crowd going crazy on the beach. "I think we can safely say we've seen all that our contestants have to offer! This contest has been head to head, neck to neck, and, as you're all aware, lady to lady! Our audience both here and around the Net have all been winners, but as contests go, we must crown a winning team and a Queen! You've shown each lady your love, but the numbers don't lie. Let's announce the winner's podium!"

With the tension thick, each of the contestants had finally stopped horseplay: Surf clung to Phero's shoulders with unconscious tightness, gulping down her nerves; Dart sunk into the water hips-deep and covered herself again, her eyes jumping around the beach frenetically; Toss remained clinging to AdjustLady's bottom, the two ladies too tense for either to spare a thought for changing their situation.

"In third place... a mover and shaker that even got her opponents moving! The booty-hunting bounty hunter, let's give it up for... Toss!!"

"Haha, nice! I hope that sticks- W-wait a sec!" Toss began, first laughing, then in shock. "That wasn't first place? I didn't win?!"

Dart's mouth twitched at the corner in a smile, but she said nothing.

"In second place... you were tickled pink with this contestant's charms! The superstar from the science labs, give it up for... Pherooo!!"

"Woah, that's sick!" Surf congratulated her partner, looking her in the face with some effort. "Nice work, dude."

Dart gulped, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

"And finally... in first place... the one you chose to be your Queen... This lady's heart-stopping head-turning jaw-dropping booty was her secret weapon, one she operated with accuracy and precision to capture the crown-"

Dart leaned forward, mouthing words silently as her eyes focused in on MascotMan on the beach.

"-That contestant... is... HunterWoman!! Give it up for your AD NET B*tch Queeeen!! HunterWoman, let us know if you have any words for your adoring fans!" On cue, a microphone drone would float in close to HunterWoman, allowing her to give any comments she chose (within reason: if she went on a full minute or more, it would finally pull away to cut her off).

The audience cheered; Surf hopped up and down a bit in excitement; Toss clapped her hands behind AdjustLady's behind while the mechanical Navi let out a sigh. Dart was furious, however, tearing at her hair and beating her fists against the sides of her hips. "Her? What was all that about butts and accuracy and precision? Why would you- I didn't place?! It can't be right!!"

"A wise man once said: the hips don't lie," Toss commented, nodding as though she'd spoken profound wisdom as she finally released her captive.

"But that's not all!" MascotMan spoke up again, even more loudly to get over the crowd. "Let's remember this is a team event: the two teams that competed used their hard work, good heads, and every inch of their body to win your affection! But who did it pay off for? The team that will be walking off the winners of the first ever AD NET B*tch Queen Tournament is... Team Surf!"

"Dude!" Surf shouted, bouncing giddily again for a second. "Aw, man, dude... I kinda wish I'd let someone else be team leader now, though. I really don't wanna become Net famous for this contest... Anyhow, you two were the top of the mountain, so high fives to you two!" The Navi would hold up her hands for the gesture, although she'd only hold up the one for Phero alone if HunterWoman seemed distracted, seeming to know her well enough by now to know when she'd be left hanging.

"Ladies, we can't thank you enough for putting your bodies, your pride, and your sweat into making this first ever, unprecedented event a success! That's all we have time for today folks: out of respect for the ladies, men, please keep your spots on the beach. I will now approach our contestants to distribute prizes."

The ladies who still had working earpieces from AdjustLady would find their .GMOs had reverted to the original setup before they'd begun taking them off, with their customized swimwear covered by an asterick-laden shirt. This would leave HunterWoman and Toss still in the buff, unless they chose to refresh their appearances. "H-hehe... Uh, I got pretty into it, but it's kinda embarrassing when everyone else isn't also naked..." Toss confessed, covering her her chest and sinking into the water a respectable level.

MascotMan was making his way out into the water and towards the contestants. At his height, he could end up about shoulders deep standing by the time he reached them, so the courteous move might be to meet him half way. Now would also probably be an appropriate time to say any goodbyes.

---

At the same time as the contest was winding down, Dharma's PET would flash with a new message, although needless to say she'd need to turn it around and face it with her other end in order to read it:

Quote ()

Good work, give a sign off and I'll cut the feed
Quality was generally lower than the beach contest but still impressive for amateurs
Disappointed you didn't really catfight but maybe just me- MC HP numbers spiked
Will distribute your personal rewards to your e-mails- write me back your e-mail addresses

"Oh, don't worry! This one's completely inert and totally useless, except for a purpose like this, of course," Phero reassured AdjustLady, flashing a thumbs-up as she bounced on her toes. One might wonder why she carried such a compound at all, if it was only going to be used for creating a picturesque fountain as it cascading across one's bottom. HunterWoman certainly wasn't shy about showing her bottom off, whether referring to her butt or her front, Phero noticed; of course, if they were going to lose any viewership over that kind of brazen exhibitionism, the time for that was long past.

Dart and Surf were the last holdouts of not thinking it was okay to sun 100% of their buns on the beach; the former was facing peer pressure from her partner, while the latter was being more directly helped out of her remaining coverage. "Don't worry! You're super cute... I'm sure you're going to be very popular after this program airs! You've got nothing to be embarrassed about," she reassured Surf. She would give her ally another stroke on the head, if she wasn't busy helping displace said ally's butt and also coating it in mostly transparent pink liquid.

With Surf taken care of, she watched the enemy team. AdjustLady revealed that she was missing some lady parts, which Phero privately wondered whether would matter to the audience viewing. Odds were, they were probably still just as into it, if they hadn't minded seeing her hidden upper body knob placement earlier. As for Dart and Toss, she found herself once again marveling that she and HunterWoman had managed to overcome opponents with such practiced teamwork and such a strong bond. Did that mean HunterWoman and she had bonded as well? In some ways, they were on the same page and in-synch, but in other ways... well, they hadn't actually agreed on a lot of plans throughout the contest. Then again, it seemed like the two bounty hunters sometimes operated on different wavelengths too. Phero smiled warmly, pressing one hand upon her cheek. She hoped she had a gal-pal she'd be as familiar with one day as those two appeared to be with one another.

Messing with AdjustLady looked fun too, in a way, though it looked to her as though AdjustLady found it more a genuine annoyance than a fun prank. Maybe Dart had too? Phero had pegged Dart as someone who doesn't always say what they really feel. At any rate, the time had come to hear results. One part of her felt that it was a certain thing that she'd win a contest like this... after all, she was specifically engineered to be the optimal being to inspire love in all beings, so how could she lose? On the other hand... she'd already seen that HunterWoman's score had been a little higher a moment ago and people certainly seemed to love everything she was showing them. It was pretty impossible to think she'd closed the gap. As it turned out, that second assumption was correct: HunterWoman had defeated both the biggest natural butt in the contest and the butt scientifically designed to fit the average preference, coming in first in the contest. "Wow! That's unexpected," she gasped, turning to HunterWoman in shock. "I'm glad you won, though! I guess you've really got your finger on the pulse of what beachgoers like to see," Phero congratulated her partner.

Of course, she was happy enough with coming in second place, but she wondered if she should talk to Dharma... the CEO would certainly not be pleased to learn she'd lost a contest of this nature. On the other hand... if she told Dharma, the pharmaceutical mogul would probably have her decommissioned as a failed prototype and rebuilt from the ground up. Surf's words of praise reminded her that the world was full of kind people who would be great friends to her, but Dharma was not one of those people. "Thank you..." she giggled in response to Surf, hugging their now starkly naked bodies together with a beaming, satisfied smile. As the announcement of their team victory was announced, she backed up slightly and clapped the team leader a high five. "Don't be so modest! This contest could be a great launch pad for a career on television or net-based shows, I'm sure!" Of course, Surf probably wasn't interested in the types of opportunities this was going to open up...

With her and Surf back to some level of modesty, she turned back to the others, noting that HunterWoman and Toss were still naked. "Wow! You two are really dedicated to everyone's happiness! Even now, you're giving the audience the full experience. No wonder you both made the top three!" she exclaimed, looking between them both. She pondered stripping back down, but she was well versed enough in the art of showmanship to know that it would be silly to do so after she'd just been clothed again. "Don't worry, Dart and AdjustLady. I had lots of fun playing with the two of you, just like I did Surf. I'd be happy to play with you again any time you want... as long as my operator agrees to it," she finished with a sigh, realizing that might be a deal breaker. It wasn't likely she'd get an opportunity like that. She'd be lucky if she ever met HunterWoman again after today, even though Dharma and Diana were apparently... getting along.

MascotMan was headed their way, so Phero splashed along in the water to go meet him. "Hello again! I hope that was what you were expecting. Sorry we lost some of the headpieces," she apologized. "I think everyone really enjoyed it though. How about you? Did you get to watch the whole thing from the cameras?" she asked, leaning down a bit and unintentionally pressing her breasts together, framing them with her forearms on either side. "I hope we did well enough to claim a reward! Oh, and I hope Morty's balls are fine. That's why we all gave 100%, after all!" She wanted to say "110%," but such hyperbole didn't come naturally to her.

-----------------------------------------

There was a moment, when Dharma's name was nearly announced, where Dharma seriously pondered if she was going to have to find some way to get a fixer to wipe out Diana, every navi from the beach, Morty, MascotMan, and anyone who'd seen the footage. Was such a thing possible? Thankfully, as she was working out the logistics in that split second, Diana managed to correct to something insulting but not offensive in the sense of actually revealing a secret she was trying to hide. "Hee he he..." Dharma chuckled, wanting to offer a woof for effect but finding herself incapable of doing so. "Ugh... What's gotten into me?" she wondered, privately. Apparently, her breaking point was making dog noises, not sticking her underside towards a live camera and starting to peel her panties off.

"Well, I hope that was enough stimulation for all of you. If not, you may want to consult an expert in erectile dysfunction," she finished, lifting her lower body a little to slide her panties back up, then covering her breasts with one arm and sliding back around to face the screen of her PET. "This is MC HP, signing off till next time!" she waved goodbye with her free hand, smiling behind her gas mask. Unlike "Anna," she meant it unironically. Running the largest pharmaceutical company on the planet, playing with the lives of others like capital, advancing science, taking steps towards conquering the world... it was amazing to think that none of that could quite provide the same buzz as teasing an unseen handful of viewers by pretending she was going to show them her ass.

She attempted to disconnect that front feed of her camera, after giving Diana a chance to sign off if she cared to. "Hmph... Morty left us another message," she murmured. He'd said he was going to handle disconnecting the feed, but she was handling that herself, just in case he felt like sneaking a few minutes longer of the free show. The rest of the message's contents were a collection of ups and downs for her: she was frustrated that he was complaining about the quality of her superior performance, though doubtless it was because Diana hadn't been holding up her end. She was disgusted that he actually thought he could make her enter physical combat... she was Dharma Freaking Heart-Payne, after all. She felt somewhat satisfied that her numbers had apparently pulled in well. She was pleased to see that she was being rewarded for her efforts, but immediately concerned about the request for the e-mail.

The president reminded herself that she had, already, revealed her identity to Morty simply by taking the mission... what a head ache. Morty's balls might end up in a vice if she decided to clean up that loose end in the future, even though they'd escaped punishment this time. She wished that she could at least keep her e-mail address private by forwarding it through a dummy account, but her e-mail address was publicly available through her website. There was no point in hiding it. She picked back up her PET with her one hand and pressed one thumb to a button, allowing her to dictate a message by voice.

Quote (Dharma)

Yes, please send the reward to DharmaHP@HeartPayne.com . Oh, and please remember... as a philanthropist, I would prefer for my role in this sort of charitable work to remain private. You can make sure that my privacy is protected in that manner, can't you?

She didn't bother with her usual signature; instead, she bit her fingernail nervously, wondering how much she might be ruining for the sake of her fling of exhibitionism. Dharma stared at her PET for a moment, not pressing send, before raising the PET up for Diana to see. "Do you want to sign this same message or will I send it as is?" she questioned, a terse request. She'd give Diana a moment to decide and act if necessary, then send it along. "Now... I'm going to get dressed," Dharma elaborated, standing and flipping her hair behind her back, before bending down to pick up her bra. Hopefully, Diana had gotten her fill of treating Dharma like a dog earlier, because, for one thing, she'd exited the exhibitionist frame of mind, and for two, her clothes were strewn around everywhere, so there was still a multitude of ways that Diana could screw with her if she wished to.

As she continued giving the crowd what they wanted, HunterWoman took a moment to look over her teammates and opponents, now all partners in nudity. Looked to her like they were all having fun. Success! Everyone got to enjoy themselves. They didn't get to do so for overly long, though, as MascotMan's microphone enhanced yelling managed to draw everyone's attention. For the last event's winner, this involved stopping and turning over to look at him, making no attempt to hide anything that was visible. "Oh man, I totally forgot about the whole queen thing! Good luck, everyone! May the best bitch win!" Her cheery demeanor and delivery made it quite clear that, despite what she'd called everyone else, she was completely sincere.

Third place was...Toss. So, she didn't finish third. Maybe she finished higher? But maybe she finished lower...she couldn't tell if it was good or bad.

Second place was...Phero! "Yay! Good job, Phero!" She happily turned over and waved at her, completely oblivious to the fact that her teammate had just lost the title. "Way to make everyone happy!"

And now, the winner. Who had been determined to be the queen? HunterWoman refocused (for a certain measure of focus) on the announcer, her mind racing with who had won if Phero hadn't. ...Surf, maybe? Eh, that didn't seem right. Or maybe it was Toss...no, wait, she'd already been crowned third. So, it was Dart, wasn't it? Too bad. Maybe next time...well, guess she might well go congratulate the winner. "Way to go, HunterWoman! You're the Bitch Queen today, but next t-" ...Wait a sec. "Hang on. HunterWoman? That's me!" So she won? "WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Fortunately, her screams had subsided by the time the microphone drone popped in. "Um, gee, I dunno what to say...thanks to Phero and Surf, for being awesome teammates! But, we couldn't have done it without you guys. Without your appreciation and hard work, I wouldn't be the Bitch Queen! Yaaaaaay!!!" She turned around and started shaking what her programmer gave her, giving them one more display of her greatest asset in the competition.

Wait, this was a team thing, too. And they won that. Double win! She noted Phero and Surf hugging, and she immediately bolted in that direction. "Winner group huuuuuuug!!" She somehow managed to completely kill her momentum upon reaching the others, and joined in on naked hug time. "We did it! We did it we did it we did it!"

Things wound down, and everyone regained clothes...most of them, anyway. "Huh? Hey, I'm still naked!" For HunterWoman, this was more an exclamation of mild surprise than embarassment or shock. "Oh well. Guess I'll get my stuff back on after I jack out."

As MascotMan came over, the huntress Navi walked a bit out of the water, until she was about ankle deep. Anyone who'd voted to see her in the buff and was still there was getting their money's worth. "That was fun! Let's do it again sometime!" Wait, what? Phero didn't seem sure that she'd be getting a reward? Psh. "Hey, we both placed, and our team won! If anything, we should be getting the super duper mega reward!"

----------------

"Well then, it seems that Team Surf's the winners, and HunterWoman as the AD NET Bitch Queen. I'm sure her operator's really proud." Of course, since said operator was herself, Diana knew that wasn't really true. Well, not really...and yet, knowing that she beat out Dharma's Navi did instill some sort of...positive emotion she couldn't identify yet really hoped it wasn't actually pride. "It's been quite the party, but all...good...things must come to an end. This is Anna2, signing off."

As soon as the feed was off, the ex-hunter clutched her head with her hands. "That...was the most disgraceful thing I've ever been a part of. Thank all that's holy it's over." Ugh. And for her, the main event wasn't even over. "Hmm? Oh, yes. Ahem. 'Send my reward to HawkinsEyed@NetMail.net.' ...That's all I have to say."

Say, yes, but do, not so much. As Dharma reached down to grab her bra, she'd notice something...it was gone. In fact, all the clothes around the room had. While playing camerawoman, Diana had walked around, grabbing everything. "Now, on to the matter at hand. You have a very simple decision to make, Ms. Heart-Payne. You can help fund Mr. Wilde's and DNN's Virus Zoo, and not only do you not only buy my silence on that disaster of a contest we took part in, but I make sure you leave this room without having to waltz around with your knockers and knickers on display. Very simple, yes?" She probably should've collected her own clothes as well, reflecting on it...but, some lady that most thought was crazy enough in full attire walking around in her underwear wasn't a big deal. Dharma Heart-Payne in nothing but a pair of panties? That was different. Once she'd gotten an agreement, she'd happily return the CEO's clothing, and start grabbing her own stuff and putting it on. The things she did for Mr. Wilde...

The audience gave another huge round of applause for HunterWoman, seeming to appreciate she was giving her 100% even after the competition had ended. Phero gave her well wishes to her opponents: Dart simply "hmph"ed in response, as per her usual attitude. AdjustLady had been busily fiddling with her knobs to set her body back to a shape that would fit the swimsuit she'd starting in, looking like she'd been facing a massive wedgie from the return of her one-piece in her exaggerated figure. With that taken care of, she set her face back into a friendly smile. "I have a feeling we'll meet again, Cutie. Hopefully, it will be under more civilized circumstances... although this sort of experimentation isn't bad every now and then. I'm not sure how useful the data will end up being, but I think the experience was worth it... Well, the experience and whatever the funny young gentleman is bringing us. I do need to recoup the loss of that equipment."

MascotMan finally made his way to the girls, his expression and demeanor still goofy and unchanging even as he came into closer proximity of the newly-crowned AD NET Beach Queen. "What a ride!" he shouted to them, back into his friendly, squeaky voice as opposed to his announcer boom. "Say, you girls did super swell! We made a load of zenny off of our partners in this one. Some of our UnderNet streams hit record numbers! People seem surprisingly starved for amateur softcore content, huh? Who knew! Anyway, we'll be passing those savings along to you ladies. Well, the portion we aren't putting in Morty's 'Life Savings,' you know!" The Navi turned to Phero and HunterWoman specifically, raising a finger. "Morty gave me special instructions for you two! Your rewards will be distributed by e-mail. Let me know which chips you want and I'll get 'em for you in a jiffy."

"I can't believe I'm going to have to pick from scraps... after such humiliation!" Dart fumed. "Mark my words, B*tch Queen, this won't be the last time you face me! In a contest that requires real wits or skill, I'll show you my true worth."

While everyone was discussing their rewards, the crowd had begun clearing from the beach. Ordinarily, that'd probably be a surprise, as the ladies were still on full-to-nearly-full display, including the Queen. However, the reason why would be clear to anyone with sharp eyes or even dull ears: a tan, male Navi in red trunks with a red helmet was loudly blowing a whistle on the shore, clearly waving to get everyone on the beach to stand back.

"You know, it's alarming how much buzz and viewership we were able to earn off this one event! Makes you wonder why people don't hold this kind of thing more often, huh?" MascotMan continued, seemingly oblivious to the scene behind him. "I can't believe Morty was able to get the permits to rent this part of the beach out, and that we were lucky enough to find a stretch of beach that allows this sort of thing! Really lucky, and good planning on Morty's part. Unusually good!"

Surf had been grinning ear to ear at her team's fortune and the prospect of good rewards. Something seemed to have occurred to her, though, and as the realization dawned on her, her lips tensed. Forcing herself back into a grin, the Navi put a hand on MascotMan's shoulders. "Well, we dudes are starting to prune up out here in the water! Let's go ahead and get those prizes, shall we? While MascotMan is so, uh, lucky and generous? If you ladies have yours already, you can peace out, Phero, HunterWoman. Thanks again for all your help! Hope I catch you on the beach again some time."

((Reward e-mails have been sent.))

Phero wasn't the jealous type in the first place, but even if she was, HunterWoman's chipper attitude and enthusiasm for group hugging would have won her over and brought a smile to her face. As was, she probably enjoyed the nude, three girl hug in ways the other girls didn't, but she had already given her word that she wasn't going to be doing any unwanted squeezing, even though she wanted to show the other girls how nice it felt. Therefore, her hands stayed around the backs of either girls, until the hug broke. "Aw! You're a big part of why everyone's smiling too, HunterWoman. This is so nice... I want to take a picture, but Dharma probably wouldn't like having it on the PET..." she murmured, privately thinking about the kinds of things that Dharma herself could have been photographed doing by now. She turned her attention back to AdjustLady for a moment, beaming cheerfully. "Don't worry, we'll definitely meet again! Sorry about your equipment, though," she giggled uncertainly. She still wasn't entirely clear on what those earpieces had been, so she was finding it a little hard to empathize on that front, but then again, she herself was a very valuable piece of equipment designed for experiments, so she probably understood a little better than the other girls did.

She turned her attention to MascotMan next; he seemed to be pretty cheerful too, though it was hard to tell if he had any other expressions. Morty could be getting his balls brutalized in some fashion and the navi probably wouldn't lose his smile. "Great! I guess everyone's happy! I didn't get any chips, but an SP base and a nice, sunny day at the beach to enjoy with the rest of you girls? That's put a big smile on my face as well," she grinned, crossing her hands behind her back and becoming a vision of girlish glee. "I think maybe Dart wants to be your friend too, HunterWoman, even if she acts a little snappy. Friends like that are good to have too!" Really, she could call just about anything a friend as it didn't act like Dharma, so her standards were pretty low. Still, she had a feeling that Dart was happy she'd found a worthy opponent in the contest, even if the bounty hunter didn't appreciated the contents of said contest.

It did seem like perhaps there was one person who wasn't so happy: the figure that was currently dispersing the large crowd that had been so eager to celebrate their new beach queen. "Yeah, um... but there might be some people who would've preferred a different kind of contest, in hindsight. I say that because-" she began, hoping to call attention to the man approaching from behind MascotMan. "Well, okay! If you two are sure, I'll head on back. Thanks again for a great opportunity! If you hold another one of these some time, I'd love to come! I'll bet my operator would let me..." she spoke more quietly, pressing her fingers together with a guilty smile as she harbored a sneaky thought. "If you told her she'll get another chance to perform, I mean. I'll bet she'd like that a lot..."

With that ominous thought lingering in the air, she waved goodbye to the others. "'Catch you on the flipside', Surf! And HunterWoman, I'll, er, 'catch you on the other side speaking PET to PET', I guess," Phero finished, raising one finger uncertainly as she tried to decide what the least awkward way to refer to that world was. She then jacked out of the net, presumably along with HunterWoman at least.

---------------------------------------

As thrilling as performing had been, Dharma was under no obligation to actually defend the Beach Queen contest nor her role in it, so she instead agreed with Diana that it was a bad waste of time and not fun at all, giving a standoffish nod and sigh in response. She should have cherished that giddiness she'd felt for a little longer, because soon enough, it was time to return to a cold reality, both literally and figuratively, as she realized all of her clothes had somehow been stricken from the equation. "I was so focused on keeping my PET under watch that I didn't watch my clothes at all! To think that this bitch would try something like this, knowing who I am. She should suffer for this..." Dharma thought, one part of her smoldering while another quieter part was privately somewhat excited by the prospect of being unable to put back on her clothes.

"You're blackmailing me? Diana, I'm hurt... I've shown you nothing but courtesy since you entered the office. I apologize if I offended you for forcing you into this competition without asking you first; I can understand if you're sore. However, it was for a good cause," the president poured out. It was all she could do to try to keep up the act, instead of going straight to unveiled threats. Part of her wanted to let Diana know exactly what happened to people who tried to blackmail her: suffice to say, they weren't repeat offenders. She realized, however, that she was in a uniquely poor situation for handling this... in the past, she'd always been very careful to cover her tracks before she ruined whoever she chose to ruin with below-the-board means. Ever since she'd started allowing herself to live dangerously in situations such as these, however, she'd dropped her guard more than she should have... Diana now had a leg up on her, as well as possibly some knowledge of her character. She'd allowed Lala to get the latter as well. She now had two nuisances to keep track of... three if you counted the perv who'd just paid her for stripping.

She clasped her hands together and pretended to be sad instead of mad, at the same time covering her breasts a little better than she had been. "I was going to give a donation to your cause anyway. You don't need to do this!" she insisted, lying. Truth be told, whatever donation she was asked for probably wasn't going to mean a heck of a lot; people always tended to dream small, in her experience, and that included when it was time to negotiate. That was the best part of having an unfathomable fortunate: people seldom managed to fathom it. "Just tell me where to send the money and I'll do it!" She still wasn't taking off the table the idea of Diana meeting some men in a black van with tinted windows or suddenly falling into remarkably bad fortune with her investments, but for now, she needed time to regroup and pick the right tool for the job.

((To be wrapped up in real world thread))

Record numbers? Neat. HunterWoman puffed out her still bared chest, apparently proud over this. Wait...chips? Oh, right, she was doing this for chips. "Oh, dang! I totally forgot about that! Diana!"

"What? I'm a little busy here..."

"I'm bringing up the list of chips we can pick from. Which three do you want?"

The list showed up on the PET's screen, which the ex-huntress checked. "Pretty simple, really. You shoot arrows, so we take TriArrow, RollArrow, and TwinFang. ...Why are you giving me that pitiful look?"

"Well, it's just...I wouldn't mind something more, uh, beachlike, to remember today by..."

"Oh, for the love of...all right. Scratch TriArrow, and pick whichever one you have in mind."

"Yay! Thanks, Diana!" She knew juuuuust what she wanted. "Okay! I'll take RollArrow, TwinFang, and Wave! Every time I use Wave, I'll think of this contest!" Phero chimed in, but HunterWoman folded her arms and looked over at her. "You sure? She still sounds kinda mean...oh, I see! She's just stressed out because she lost, right? She should touch herself, then. I mean, that's the best stress relief I know! Just lay down and really let yourself have it!" She wouldn't be helping with that, though, since that wasn't her thing. Besides, she wasn't the one stressed.

...And now it was all over. Just, say goodbye to Surf, and head off. Phero said her goodbye first, so now...her turn. "Don't worry, the beach has lots of things to hunt, so I'll definitely come back, and we can bump into each other then, and then we can be all 'oh, hi there, how are you, wasn't that contest we were in fun'! Good times! See ya around!" And, out!

(JACKING OUT)

---------------------------

Diana listened to what Dharma was saying, but just shook her head with a smile. "Sorry, but even a 1% chance of failing Mr. Wilde isn't an option for me. Besides, it's not a one sided proposition. Depending on how much you give, the Virus Zoo could well be plastered with Heart-Payne Pharmaceutical ads." Well, probably not, but it'd be noticable at least. "Just give me a way for Mr. Wilde to reach you, and the two of you can work out the details. I'm afraid I'm just the messenger lady."

...She was going to anyway? For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to believe that. Not that it mattered to her at what point she decided to donate, so long as she was donating. "Excellent. Like I said, just give me your contact information, so Mr. Wilde can get in touch." Once she had that, she'd toss Dharma her clothes, and then start collecting her own and putting it on. "And of course, not a word of this...contest...or the involvement thereof, to anyone. Not even Mr. Wilde."

((FXP awarded!

Phero/HunterWoman 27
Phero/Surf 19
Phero/Toss 4
Phero/Dart 2
Phero/AdjustLady 19
Phero/MascotMan 11
Phero/BigShotMan 8
Phero/KennelWoman 4

HunterWoman/Phero 27
HunterWoman/Surf 11
HunterWoman /Toss 1
HunterWoman /Dart 6
HunterWoman /MascotMan 6
HunterWoman /TicketMan 1

The player is free to keep and record or to discard any awarded NPC FXP.))