Rock Bottom

Aria's raft bumped against the Love Siren's hull with a hollow thunk.

She stared up at the pink monstrosity, her nose wrinkling at the overwhelming scent of rose-scented candles wafting from the deck.

The crow's nest—a lace bra big enough to fit three people—swayed mockingly in the breeze.

"This is rock bottom," she muttered, tying her raft to the ship's ladder.

Her boots clanged against the Cupid arrow rungs.

The ladder swayed, making her heavy chest bounce slightly under the damp tank top. She cursed, climbing faster to hide her flushed skin.

Of course the ladder's extra cringe.

When she reached the top, Lucas stood frozen at the helm, his lyre dangling from one hand.

She looked exactly like a swimsuit model: wide hips, long legs, and breasts that threatened to rip the buttons off her tank tops. Black hair framed a innocent face that could star in a pirate pin-up calendar.

"Uh. Hi," Lucas said, voice cracking. "You're… not here to shoot me, right?"

"Depends," she said, nodding at the lyre. "You gonna play me a love song?"

Aria crossed her arms, pushing her chest upward. The movement made Lucas' eyes flicker down for half a second before he forced them back to her face.

Luca's face turned tomato-red. "No! I mean—it's part of the ship's system. I didn't choose this."

[Affection +1 (Current: 1/100)]

A glowing pink heart flickered above Aria's head before dissolving. She blinked.

"What was that?"

"The… uh, Harem System." Lucas cringed as he said it. "It's not what it sounds like! The ship needs crewmates with high 'Affection' to generate supplies. Otherwise, we disintegrate in…" He checked the timer.

[01:32:11]

Aria's smirk faded. "Wait, we?"

"If you stay on board, the timer resets. But we still need to hit 30 Affection to assign you a role. Roles give us food, water, all that."

She stared at the heart-shaped portholes, the rose-embroidered sails, then down at her cracked binoculars.

The Black Mist rolled closer, its tendrils licking the horizon.

"Fine," she snapped. "But if you try anything creepy, I'll feed you to the Mist myself."

[Affection +2 (Current: 3/100)]

So honesty works, Lucas noted.

Aria stomped through the ship, Lucas trailing behind.

She bent over a heart-shaped chest, her cargo pants stretching tight across her full, round hip. The torn hem of her tank top rode up, exposing a strip of toned stomach and the bottom curve of her breasts.

Lucas quickly looked away.

She yanked open heart-shaped cabinets, kicked empty storage chests, and glared at the skull in the bridal suite.

"No food? No water? Just… lip gloss?" She held up the jar.

"It's strawberry-flavored," Lucas offered weakly.

[Affection -1 (Current: 2/100)]

"Why?" She massaged her temples. "How are you alive?"

"I just got here a few hours ago! The system said to recruit—"

"Girls. Yeah, I read Global Chat." She eyed the rotting wedding cake in its heart-shaped box. "This is expired. By centuries."

"Don't touch that!" Lucas lunged as she lifted the lid.

A cloud of mold spores erupted, coating Aria's tank top in gray dust.

[Affection -1 (Current: 1/100)]

"You're kidding me." She swiped at her clothes, coughing.

"I tried to warn you!"

Back on deck, Lucas pulled up the system screen.

"Okay, if we hit 30 Affection, I can assign you a role. Chef, Gunner, Medic, Navigator…"

Aria squinted at the hologram. "I was a Navigator on my last ship. Let's try that."

Lucas tapped [Navigator Role].

[Error! Affection too low (Current: 1/100). Minimum 30 required.]

Aria crossed her arms. "How do we even raise this?"

"The journal says 'shared experiences.'"

"So we have to… bond?" She grimaced.

"Or pretend to. The system can't tell the difference."

[Affection +1 (Current: 2/100)]

Lying also gives points? Lucas filed that away. Women like both honesty and telling lies?

They sat on the deck, the Mist now a dark smudge on the horizon.

Aria sipped from her canteen—the last of her water—while Lucas fiddled with the lyre.

"Play something," she said.

"It's embarrassing."

"More embarrassing than this?" She gestured to the lace bra crow's nest.

Lucas plucked a clumsy tune. The lyre shimmered, and pink sparkles fluttered around Aria.

[Cupid's Lyre Activated!]

[Audience: 1. Affection Boost: 10%]

[Affection +6 (Current: 6/100)]

Aria gagged. "Why does it feel like I'm inhaling glitter?"

"That's the 'boost.'"

"Make it stop."

He stopped playing.

[Affection -2 (Current: 4/100)]

"Why did it go down?!"

"The system knows you hated it," Lucas sighed.

Global Chat Flashed:

[TinCanTony]: Update: Love Siren's still afloat! Saw a girl on board.

[GunNut]: NPC or masochist?

[Breadbasket]: Maybe she's into pink?

Aria snatched Luca's journal and typed:

[LoveSiren]: Ship's a dump, but the captain's less creepy than you virgins.

The chat exploded.

[SaltQueen]: Ooooh, girlfriend's defending him!

[DeepDiver]: Raven says "Affection +5." Whatever that means.

[Affection +5 (Current: 9/100)]

"Don't get used to this," Aria warned, handing back the journal.

While Aria scavenged the ship, Lucas checked her stats using the system:

Aria Lovelace (Potential Crewmate)

Hunger: 37/100

Thirst: 29/100

Sanity: 49/100

She was worse off than him. He grabbed the last non-moldy candle (pink, heart-shaped) and approached her.

"Here. The system says candles 'restore Sanity.'"

She stared at it.

"Is this a joke?"

"Just… light it. Please."

Reluctantly, she struck a match. The candle emitted a soft vanilla scent.

[Aria's Sanity +10 (59/100)]

[Affection +3 (Current: 11/30)]

"Huh." She sat cross-legged, watching the flame. "Thanks."

By sunset, the timer hit:

[00:14:56]

Aria's hunger hit critical.

She leaned against the mast, glaring at the empty ocean.

"We are dead."

Lucas hesitated. "There's one thing we haven't tried."

He pointed to the [Captain's Harem System] rule: Romantic Actions Boost Affection.

"No."

"It's just acting!"

"I'd rather eat the lyre."

The Mist loomed, now a towering wall of shadows.

Aria shuddered. "Fine. Do it."

Lucas cupped her face, her breasts pressed against his chest through the thin layers of their clothes.

He could feel their warmth and weight even through the panic—soft yet firm. 

She smelled like salt and something sweet, her breath hitched as he looked into her lips—

"Wait." She shoved him back. "I can't. This feels… gross."

[Affection -10 (Current: 1/30)]

A system alert flashed:

[Warning!]

[Affection cannot be forced!]

["Love is a battlefield, but even wars have rules."]

They sat back-to-back on deck, the Mist's chill creeping into their bones.

"We're gonna die because I can't fake-love you," Aria muttered.

"Don't blame yourself. We gave it a shot, no regrets." Lucas stood up, and staring at the encroaching mist. 

Aria sighed, running a hand through her tangled hair. The motion made her chest jiggle as the twin rocks pulled the tank top's neckline dangerously low. 

A bead of sweat trickled down her chest, disappearing between the soft curves.