Idolization Part 3 free porn video

Breath came roughly to Rose. The scent of semen permeated her nose with every shaky breath and her throat hurt from the recent invasion. And none of that hurt as much as the hole that was steadily opening in the ragged brunette pop idol's heart. The voluptuous redhead with an incongruous cock hanging from her femininity spoke slowly, picking her words deliberately, as if searching for whatever combination of diction may cause the most impact. "The Angel's Embrace skinsuit project is a... test. A playground, no.. a testing ground for me to explore just what I can get away with with these... toys I recently acquired. Admittedly, now that I know you better, it's also been fascinating to watch how you have been... handling things. Somewhere along the line what started out as fun little field test also became a psychological experiment." Rose swallowed hard, but managed to weakly find her voice. "You're mad," she rasped. "Most likely," Carmine responded casually without missing a beat. "I've been made into the villain enough that somewhere along the way I simply began to embrace it." She widened her stance and pushed and tucked her penis back inside her vagina, licking the resulting juices from her fingers as she returned her attention to Rose. "If I'm to be blamed for wrongdoings, if my actions are deemed ill while denying my justifications, why try to make justifications at all? When everything you do is wrong, might as well do what makes you happy because nothing you do will endear the rest of the world to you when it's already made up its mind... "But I digress. Aside from you, Girly, the ones I have in mind to become substitutes, and the ones already in place... they are as interesting to me as you are. Exactly how does it change a person to take on a completely new identity? I've tried it myself, as you may have surmised." Carmine finished redressing herself in her usual business dress suit and turned back to face Rose. Her smug, condescending smile vanished as she opened her mouth wide and reached inside with limber fingers. Her tongue stretched, and Rose just barely made out a second tongue seeming to pop out of the back of her original tongue. "Alas, I am hardly unbiased, though." Carmine's lips and bizarre double tongue moved, but it was not the voice Rose was familiar with. A deep tenor, this voice was distinctly male. The revelation that the Carmine standing before her was a man under her skin was not surprising at this point, but the idea and the display together further compounded Rose's revulsion. In her male voice, Carmine continued. "It's funny how something as restricting as these skins can also offer so much freedom. You wouldn't believe what even the most upstanding boy scout may be willing to do if he knew no one could hold him responsible. The mask of anonymity is a terrifyingly powerful thing." Carmine replaced her tongue and resumed in her original voice. "Now then, I'm finished with you for today. Go clean up and go home, you reek of a man having too much fun." She chuckled a soft, husky laugh, amused by her own joke. And just like that, Carmine settled in her office chair and began reading through the paperwork on her desk, cum drenched and traumatized Rose invisible to her on the floor. Rose shakily rose to her feet, wicking away the remaining semen from her face with a grimace. In the face of such a creature that Carmine revealed herself to be, what could she do? Carmine had already overpowered her without her even noticing once already, no further direct confrontation here would end well for Rose. If Carmine was just letting her go, then perhaps she best retreat... In the hall, Rose wobbled back towards her changing room. The sticky squelch of the goo on her hand squishing against her door handle jerked Rose from her stupor. She blinked, her mind finally catching up with her after the events that had just transpired. Before anything else, she should shower. She felt dirty and stained and worried a shower might be insufficient to wash away her shame and fear. She was strongly considering burning her clothes. ---- To her relief, Rose did not encounter anyone, band mate, janitor or otherwise on the way to the showers and she hastily stripped out of her stained attire and welcomed the cold shower spray on her weary soul. It was after nine at night and she just wanted to crawl into bed. Rose shampooed and applied conditioner to her hair mechanically as her mind raced elsewhere. An experiment? A playground!? That's what this was to her? Him? And Rose staying herself was part of it. Having to watch as her friends were replaced one by one... Would Rose lash out when she found herself surrounded by strangers wearing familiar faces? Was that what Carmine wanted her to do? Oh God... the image of the overweight man putting on Azalea flashed in her mind once again, and this time, her stomach revolted before her will could repress it and her dinner shake came back to haunt her. "Rose!" Panting, Rose looked around in a disoriented daze. Azalea stood in the doorway, her face contorted in a bizarre combination of concern, disgust, and pity. Rose turned away unsteadily, not wanting to see or be seen by those kind but worried eyes. "What is this? What are you doing showering at this hour? Are you sick? Did you eat something bad?" Azalea inquired frantically. Rose stuck her face in the stream of cold water, letting it carry the remains of her dinner down the drain for a moment before wiping her eyes and answering. "I'm alright. I... uh... that protein shake thing didn't agree with me tonight... maybe pushed myself too hard working out..." she lied, punctuating it with a nervous laugh. She hated lying to Azalea, but her first instinct was to protect her friend by distancing herself. Azalea's concern remained plain on her face, but she did not question further. "If you say so, Rose. You know I'm always here for you if you want to talk," Azalea offered. Rose shook her head. As Azalea finally turned to go however, Rose changed her mind. "Wait, Lea," she called out over the running water. "Actually, I... do want to talk. Can you wait for me in the changing room?" Despite having offered, Azalea looked startled that Rose came around and accepted. She smoothed her expression though and nodded, worry creeping back into her brow before leaving. Rose finished washing and drying off and followed her friend into the changing room. Azalea was almost too supportive of Rose. The shy girl never went against her more assertive friend and Rose had overheard Narjis and Iris talking about excluding her from votes because she would just parrot Rose. She was not certain what help Azalea might be able to offer, being stuck between much the same rock and hard place as Rose was but, she needed an ally in this, even if it just someone who would listen. Rose nervously set about changing, hoping to draw some courage from hiding at least the start of this discussion behind a physical task. "So, uh, Lea..." she started as she fiddled with her bra. "Remember those suits Carmine showed us from a few days ago?" For some reason, Rose could not get the clasp on her bra to open. "Well, I went into Carmine's office this evening after we finished up to talk to her, and, uh.. the... some of the suits weren't on the hanger." Frustrated, she nearly threw the bra to the ground, but Azalea stopped her, gently taking the undergarment from Rose's clenched fists and calmly releasing the hook. Rose took a deep breath. This was Azalea. The gentle patient soul that has been Rose's life long friend. She continued. "They're already using them, Lea. I'm certain they've replaced Narjis and Iris already." Azalea looked away with a sigh, as if steeling herself. Then she met Rose's gaze, her crystal clear green eyes like deep pools. Azalea licked her lips nervously. "I... I know. I'm one of them, too." Rose stared numbly for a few moments, her tired mind racing to process. Then, her body moved on its own before her brain had finished working. Rose punched her. It surprised Rose as well, the flare of emotion that coursed through her in that moment, like lighting. All the emotional turmoil of the last two days boiled up behind the fear that another Carmine may be hiding behind those supposedly lying eyes. Rose's frustrations gathered in her fist and she unleashed it upon her best friend's impersonator in a quick right hook, catching her in the left eye. The false Azalea reeled back in alarm and pain and stumbled to the floor with a yelp that transitioned into tears. the sobbing spectacle quickly reined in Rose's outburst. This was different than Carmine, as hauntingly fresh in her mind as that experience was; with a cooled head, Rose saw the differences immediately. Awkwardly, Rose waited for the imposter to calm down and when she did, she apologized. "S... sorry about that. A lot has happened and I've been really high strung, so I wasn't prepared for that news," Rose explained with a sigh. Fake Azalea, still sniffling, shook her head. "It- it's fine. I know it must have been a shock." Rose hesitated before continuing cautiously. "Why reveal yourself to me though?" Fake Azalea took a moment to collect her thoughts. "My name is Justin. I was with my friend Sam at your last concert when my friend pulled the crazy stunt of trying to crash backstage." Despite how alarming it had been at the time, with everything that had happened since, Rose had admittedly forgotten about that event. Reminded though, she could clearly picture the real face of the boy that was wearing Azalea's face now. "After security took us awa-... no, I can say that later." Justin shook his head as if the motion could help him further sort out his thoughts. "I know a little of what's going on here, and I think it's wrong. Being 'on the inside,' I want to try to help you set it right. I'm... not sure yet what all I can actually do, but I think we'll need to work together to have any chance." ---- Rose glanced at the passenger in her car. Watching the rhythmic passing of the street lights in silence, Justin nursed what must have been a black eye beneath his mask of Azalea's face. Every now and then, he would sniffle and wince as the facial motion brought him some pain. Cautiously optimistic at having finally found an unlikely ally, Rose invited the boy back to her home, both so that they could talk more freely and so that Rose could escape the building where Carmine still resided. In reflection, Rose was still not sure how to feel about the new development though, and her ambivalence on several levels confused and worried her. Was this perhaps part of the change that Carmine was referring to? Rose pulled into her parking space outside her apartment complex. They got out of Rose's car in silence; as Justin followed her up the stairs on the side of the building, he glanced around curiously. "Don't do that. Lea's been here before," Rose snapped under her breath. Justin let his gaze drop meekly and stayed quiet. Rose sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be curt. I'm just... stressed." Justin smiled apologetically as they came abreast Rose's front door. "I understand, I just wasn't expecting this. I just figured you could afford better, being a superstar and all." "I like it here," Rose replied simply, digging in her purse for her keys. One of her neighbors' doors opened and a middle aged man came out onto the veranda. He was a bear of a man, taller than both of them by several inches, and well muscled. An unlit cigarette stuck out from his thick red, almost viking-like full beard. He offered a barely visible smile under the rust colored facial hair. "Oh, Rose, and Lea, too. Thought I heard familiar voices out here," he greeted them casually. "Sorry, we were being too loud?" Justin asked shyly. "Good evening, Mr. Darriner," Rose responded mutedly. She tried to smile but it felt strained. After everything that happened today, she was running on fumes. The man's eye narrowed for a moment, unconvinced by the half-hearted greeting. Then suddenly, he laughed heartily. "My twins have slept through fire alarms. I'm more worried about getting them up in the morning. I fear what kind of teenagers they'll be." Rose couldn't help chuckling with Mr. Darriner's infectious cheer as she finally found her keys and unlocked her door. "I wouldn't be surprised if they slept straight through their teenage years at this rate. How old are they now? Three?" "Three and a half, and showing no sign of slowing down!" Mr. Darriner joked. Abruptly, he reached for his own front door again. "Say, I know it's late, but have you eaten yet? The Missus cooked up a storm and I don't think we'll get through everything before it spoils so I've been handing stuff out to some of the others. I know you're watching your weight and all, so don't feel you have to take something." Rose's stomach voiced its opinion, reminding her that she did not get to keep her earlier dinner. "You know, I could go for some home cooking actually. Mrs. Darriner's home cooked food is worth any extra weight that may come. I'm entertaining an extra mouth anyway, so it'd be a great help." "Atta' girl. Just give me a minute to put some things together in a container," Mr. Darriner answered with a wink. He disappeared into his apartment as swiftly as he had appeared. Justin's gaze followed him thoughtfully. "I've lived here since before forming Angel's Embrace," Rose started soberly, her neighbor's positivity had improved her spirits enough to offer elaboration on Justin's earlier comment. "I was in a rough spot prior to our debut, prior to even thinking about forming a band, and my neighbors here, the whole neighborhood even, they helped me. As you see they still look out for me. So even though I could afford something nicer, why move away from the company where I'm happy when I could stay here and invest some of my extra income into making this community even better..." Mr. Darriner returned and Rose trailed off. In one hand, he balanced four Tupperware containers of various dishes. "Here you are girls, whatever you don't want tonight, you can refrigerate for later." After Justin accepted the tower of food from the man, Mr. Darriner affixed Rose with a stern look. "I won't hold you up much longer, but we just wanted you to know that we heard what happened this morning with Hazel and think it would be a real shame for things to stay that way for long." He held her gaze somberly for only a moment before relaxing into a more comforting expression. "Anyway, have a good night, girls. As always, good luck, have fun, and don't die!" With a final smile and a nod, he turned briskly and returned inside his abode, cigarette apparently forgotten. "Don't...die?" Justin asked hesitantly. "It's just something he says. A relic from his D&D days, he claims," Rose explained wistfully, opening her own door and leading Justin inside. She indicated for him to set the food on the counter top as she put down her own purse. Have fun, he says... she shook her head. Mr. Darriner had a gift for always improving her mood, but this time it felt clashing with her recent troubles - it felt somehow wrong to feel cheerful after everything else that had happened today. As she mulled over her feelings, Rose opened her refrigerator to put some of the leftovers inside. A bottle in the door caught her eye. It was a mostly full bottle of vodka that Iris had left last time she came over. A not so distant memory stirred at the sight. A disheveled Iris barging into her apartment, make-up a mess, and a bottle of vodka in each hand. She drowned herself in tears and alcohol claiming that Narjis hated her. Looking at her at the time, Rose had wondered what it took to make someone believe that alcohol could sooth their problems. Now the idea did not seem so absurd. Grabbing the dessert container first, Rose fished out a brownie and bit into it. She grabbed the bottle in the door and washed the overpowering sweetness down with a gulp of spirits directly from the bottle. It tasted disgusting; Rose was not much of a drinker, but the warmth as the alcohol slid into her stomach was strangely comforting. Emboldened more by the idea of getting drunk than for feeling its effects yet, she turned suddenly to Justin, who had defaulted to standing by awkwardly, unsure of what to do from there. Rose pointed to the couch opposite her dinner table. "Strip." Justin blinked. "I want you to take off Azalea's skin. I want to see it up close, and I want to see your real face, too. I only got a glimpse last time," Rose commanded with a quickening pulse. She finished the brownie and licked the crumbs from her fingertips. "If you want me to trust you, then you'll need to convince me that you're really on my side." That was just an excuse, but Rose desperately wanted some control back in her life and if bullying Justin a little pacified her, then he would just have to endure it. To Rose's continued amazement, Justin's Azalea face blushed furiously, but he hesitantly complied, moving over to the couch and began pulling the pinafore dress over his head. In a matter of moments, he wore only underwear and squirmed a bit under Rose's scrutiny. "Keep going." Justin winced, but reached behind his back to unhook Azalea's bra. He shed the remaining lingerie with a stripper's finesse, and Rose idly wondered in her increasingly inebriated state if he had tried cross dressing before. A day or so as Azalea wouldn't have been enough for a lifetime guy to get used to putting on and taking off a bra like that. The thought triggered a question Rose realized she had been avoiding. "How long?" Rose asked. "How long have you been Lea?" The red flush never left Justin's false face, but at that prompt, it seemed to revive in force. "Two... days...," he admitted quietly. "But!" He continued suddenly. "I didn't want to do this... I swear. I... Well, I mean, it's an honor to be able to represent Azalea, I really relate to her, but not like this. I mean to say, Carmine had Sam already in a the Narjis suit and Carmine said that things might happen to him if I didn't go along with it..." Rose sighed and took another swig from her vodka. For every moment she had suspected Narjis, Justin had flown completely undetected in Azalea's skin. Rose had seen Azalea naked before, they had a communal shower at the studio after all, but seeing Justin squirm in just Azalea's bare skin under Rose's scrutiny felt different. Maybe it was the alcohol, but knowing there was a boy under the facade of her best friend made Justin weirdly attractive. Maybe it was lingering frustration from her earlier encounter with Carmine. "Hey, can you do the dick thing, too?" "Sorry?" Justin blinked. "Oh, Carmine did it earlier. When you found me in the shower, I had just finished being forced to give her a blow job. She did this thing where she pulled her penis out from within the skin's vagina," Rose casually elaborated. Normally Rose was a bit more discreet with her diction, but her filter was one of the first things to go when booze got involved. It was one of the reasons she tried not to drink too often and only with safe company. Rose musingly assumed that the spirits were also responsible for dulling her shock and indignation at what Carmine did to her earlier. Justin looked alarmed for her. "She did what?" After a moment though, concern gave way to consternation. "I guess, now that you mention it, Carmine did say something about 'whipping it out,' but I'm not sure I heard right..." He admitted, but when he failed to show any further initiative, tipsy Rose came over to take it upon herself to explore. "Hey, what are you- aahh!" Justin cried out as Rose knelt in front of him and suddenly slid two fingers into his false snatch. It was unsettlingly realistic, much like the rest of the skin suit, with warm moistness that Rose could tell was definitely reacting to her intrusion. Rose maneuvered her thumb inside Justin's cunt, remembering how the Rose skin's pussy had stretched for Carmine before. Deep inside, in spite of Justin's moaning protests, Rose's fingers encountered an object and she wrapped thumb and fingers around the bulbed tip and pulled. It resisted at first, but then almost with a pop, it started to move, and moments later, Rose was guiding a bright red shaft out of Justin's labia. "This is...?" Rose asked, and Justin nodded with a furious blush. Protruding four, maybe five inches, it looked like a dildo with its smooth plastic-y texture and bright barn red color. "Do you put this on before putting on the suit?" Justin shook his head. "I think it's part of the suit. There's a pocket inside where I put my thing, when I'm putting it on. There's a ring like clip that keeps it from popping out even when I'm aroused. I didn't realize that it could come out like that though." "I wonder how thick it is. How much can you feel this?" Rose mused stroking the shaft, half teasing, half genuinely curious. Justin's gasp told her that he felt it well enough. A thought struck Rose. "Oh, Narjis's is navy blue then..." "Rose? Rose! Wai-" Justin cut off as Rose's lips closed around the red shaft. Azalea's hot dildo filled Rose's mouth pleasantly, though it did little to satisfy the growing need between her legs. Perhaps Iris was rubbing off on her more than Rose had realized if playing with another girl was arousing her. She felt the uncomfortable chafe of her wet panties against her inner thighs and jokingly wondered if she looked as if she had wet herself. Azalea's cute little protests only served to turn Rose on more, and the band leader continued to fellate the red shaft. "R-Rose, I'm... cumming!" Azalea's moan was accompanied by a burst of ropy, salty sour fluid into Rose's mouth. It was amazing how different it tasted when welcome compared to with Carmine. Rose happily swallowed, but kept some of it in her mouth. Rose gently pushed her best friend onto the couch, and climbed on top, planting a sloppy kiss on her lips that shared the remaining jizz between them. When she retracted her lips, the hapless, half vulnerable, half aroused look that danced across Azalea's cute features pushed Rose over the edge. Stroking the dildo to turn it back on, Rose hiked up her skirt and pulled aside her soaked panties to mount the re-hardened shaft, letting it slide in between her folds as she settled into Azalea's lap. Rose toyed with Azalea's breasts as she grinded her hips. Her friend's pert breasts undulated under Rose's palms in rhythm with their movements; her protests faded into pleasured moans. By the time Rose was coming down from her second orgasm, Azalea was pushing up into her as energetically as she had been riding down on the brunette. With another cry, Azalea came, her dildo sprayed out its love juices over Rose's insides. The two bodies slumped together in a mutually satisfied sigh. Only when Rose's stomach growled did she begin considering spending the energy to move again. Justin was silent as he helped Rose clamber out of his lap, and Rose felt no compulsion to reopen conversation just yet herself. She merely ambled back over to her fridge, grabbing the nearly empty bottle of vodka on the way. She finished it off before making a plate of food from the leftovers and heating it up. Another stomach growl dully crossed the room and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Justin blush. A twinge of guilt was quickly smothered by the smell of warm food wafting from the microwave. Rose set about making another plate. A minute later, she returned to the sitting area with a small feast spread over two plates. "Off with it," she commanded simply, holding both plates of food hostage until Justin complied. Justin stared at her for a moment until he realized what she was asking. He took a breath and turned around, putting his back to Rose. Then he slowly reached behind his head, seeming to search through Azalea's light brown hair on the back of her scalp. Finding what he sought, he pulled it down, and Rose watched in a mix of amazement and horror at the image of her best friend's back splitting open like a cocoon and the gangly blond boy extracted himself from her limp deflated limbs. When he was completely free, he turned back to face Rose, looking just as self conscious as before, and desperately trying to hide a new hard-on. Justin was thin, thinner than Azalea herself, with arms that were practically sticks. It wasn't malnutrition, but he seemed to barely have any fat on him anywhere. He had a gentle face and large brown eyes; he would have been an adorable girl, and even as a guy, he was unfairly cute. The way he squirmed under her eyes was just like Azalea back in school, when she would finally manage to speak in class and everyone would stare because her just hearing her voice caught people by surprise. A bit unnerved, Rose focused her attention instead on the skin suit Justin had just vacated. She set down the food in front of the boy and picked up the suit instead. As she examined it closely, her mind wandered and her mouth went with it. "You really are basically what Lea would have been like if she were a guy. Well, maybe. If she were born a boy, maybe her parent's wouldn't have hit her so much growing up... and if that happened, maybe she'd have had a bit more self confidence, and well who knows how else that might have changed her... Shit... I love Lea as she is, but does that mean I condone the abuses that made her that way?" Rose instantly regretted letting herself get philosophical while drunk. "I... I don't think so. You wouldn't wish it upon someone right? That means you don't support it," Justin asserted hesitantly, stumbling over the first few words as he tried to swallow a bite of pork chop and speak at the same time. His words gained confidence as he continued, though. "I... I was abused, too, but Sam helped me realize that accepting that that was part of my past is different from endorsing it. He said the good things and the bad things, they're both important to making me who I am, and I can't be true to myself if I deny part of me..." "Be true to yourself, Every smile, every scar. Don't deny even one, They all make you who you are." Rose sung softly the words to one of her own songs. She set down the skin suit and furrowed her brows, squinting in thought at Justin, who continued to shift uncomfortably, naked on the couch. Without warning, Rose sat next to Justin on the couch. She pulled him into a hug and felt him stiffen in her sudden embrace. "Thanks, Justin. You're the second one today who needed to remind me why I started this business in the first place." Uncertain of how to react, Justin mumbled his welcome and endured until Rose let him go. Rose returned to her side of the coffee table and worked through her plate of food in contemplative silence. Justin quietly picked at his own plate with the occasional longing glance at the suit beside him. Rose was not certain she wanted him putting it on again yet though. Almost finished her plate, Rose was struck by another thought. "So you said that Sam is Narjis now? I actually overheard him when he thought he was just talking with whoever is impersonating Iris earlier today. Said something about his sister." Justin visibly reacted to Sam's name. He stuttered to answer at first. "Y.. ye- he's, yes, Sam is wearing the Narjis... suit. His sister, Emily, was a big fan of Angel's Embrace. A little over a year ago, they were in a car accident. Sam was behind the wheel. He got off with minor scrapes and bumps, but Emily wasn't so fortunate. She had some kind of internal organ damage. The doctors said that there had been a medical breakthrough just recently, some kind of new special tool or device that could reform biologic matter and could be used to save her. However Sam's dad had some chip on his should about the company that pioneered the technology and so he decided to leave Emily on life support and hope some other option became available before she died. Sam never really forgave his father for that and I don't blame him. "Sam knew his sister loved Angel's Embrace, so he got into your music to better connect with her when he visited the hospital. Emily loved it and I think your music helped Sam keep going as well. Unfortunately, as his sister's condition worsened, he became more and more fanatical. He was researching everything he could find, learning trivia and even dance moves... he was obsessed. "A few weeks ago, she fell into a coma, and I think it broke something inside of Sam. Somehow he came to the conclusion that if Angel's Embrace performed live for his sister, she might wake... up... A-are you crying?" Rose wiped drunken tears from her cheeks sloppily. "I'm not cryin'... yur cryin'..." Her eyelids felt heavy. The bottle of vodka had barely a puddle left at the bottom, and the alcohol wasn't playing well with Rose's stress elevated sympathy. All kinds of thoughts and impulses tumbled through her head: that poor girl, maybe we could do a private concert. Are there any more of those brownies? Guy Azalea's cute. Guyzaelea. It's too bad he only has eyes for that Sam person... I would totally fuck him... Wait, shit. I already did didn't I? I shouldn't have done that. I should... apolo... gize... Stomach full of food and booze, Rose's thoughts failed to coalesce into anything that prompted action, and instead Rose found her vision blurring and fading to black. ---- Rose woke to the stillness of morning. The sun was just beginning to peak between the blinds in her room. As she lay in her bed, memories of the previous night sifted through the haze that was her minor hangover. She arrived at the part where she opened the bottle of vodka and the regret began to sink in. She had forced herself on the poor boy. She had hoped that the fight with Hazel may have helped resolve her to be a better person, but nope. Oh gosh, if she had taken his first time, too... that was even worse than what she had said to Hazel. "Rose, please get up. We'll be late to the studio..." Rose groaned and curled up in her bed, pretending to still be asleep. "Rose..." hearing Azalea's voice pierced through the light throbbing in her temples enough to provoke her to get up. Blearily, she looked at her best friend, fully dressed in the outfit she came over with yesterday. Her hair smelled like Rose's shampoo mixed with bacon. Wait, the bacon was not entirely from Azalea's hair. Also, this was not Azalea. "Justin?" Rose asked sleepily. The concerned looking brunette nodded. "How... much do you remember from last night?" Rose sat up and, rubbing her eyes, braced herself. "Um.. well, I got drunk and did some things I shouldn't have... I know an apology is cheap, so I'll make it up to you later, but for now, all I can say is I'm sorry." Justin blushed at the memory of last night, but shook his head. "I... I'm alright. If it helped you release some stress, then I'm glad I could be of use. It's... not like it was unpleasant for me, either." What an Azalea-like response. Even if Rose was not quite satisfied with the resolution, she forced herself to set it aside as there were bigger fish to fry. "Right. Besides that, I also seem to recall hearing that Sam's got a tragic backstory that explains but doesn't excuse his going along with Carmine's dastardly plot to fuck over Angel's Embrace because... she... thinks it's fun." Justin blinked. "She's doing all this... for fun?" He asked incredulously. Rose nodded. If Rose had understood Carmine's gloating yesterday then she was just playing with them. It made her sick to think about. Either that or it was the lingering hangover. Or both. "Well, whatever the reason, I fear she'll make new problems if we don't show up on time." "Right... I'll get cleaned up... Did... you make bacon?" Rose inquired, catching a whiff of it again. "I made breakfast. There's enough for you, too. Hope you don't mind..." Justin shifted his feet. "Guess I'll have to get ready quick then. Wouldn't want it to get cold," Rose declared, forcing aside her sleepiness and head pains to pad over into her bathroom. ---- One hot breakfast later, Rose and Justin were back on the road towards the studio, only slightly behind Rose's usual schedule. As Rose thought over what options were available now that she had Justin on her side, she realized that there was still some important information to discuss. "Do you know anything about the guy who's impersonating Iris now?" She asked. "Um... I've never seen him outside of Iris's suit. The only time I've seen him not acting his part he was asking Carmine a lot of questions about you... He was also already suited when I was made to put Azalea on. But it seemed like he was new to it then, as well." Combining that with what Rose had overheard in the shower yesterday, whoever it was they had an unhealthy infatuation with her. A pair of staring eyes suddenly appeared in Rose's memory. A greasy balding man from their last concert backstage. Could it be him? More importantly though, how much stock could she put into what she had overheard from him? ?My love for her is not so base as to revolve around satisfying my lust. That would just be... selfish,' was what he had said. Might she be able to convince him to side with her over Carmine? She might have a better chance if she were willing to... They pulled into Rose's parking spot outside the studio with time for one more question. "Where is the real Azalea?" Justin shook his head solemnly. Rose sighed. Less than she was hoping for but about what she expected. For now the rough plan was to find out how Iris's imposter stood and if he could be swayed to their side. If she could get all or at least most of the imposters to stop following Carmine she could potentially stage a coup de etat. Even if she managed to win over enough bodies to overpower Carmine though, the manager was still holding the originals hostage somewhere. Inside the studio lobby, Rose and Justin happened upon Linnea. The younger girl stared at Rose with a surprisingly heated gaze but when Rose met her eyes, she flinched and scurried away. No comments or questions about Rose and Azalea coming in together. It was exactly the kind of suspicious activity that Rose was already looking out for. She glanced at Justin who only responded with a confused shrug. Primed by her morning behavior, Rose easily picked out Linnea's inconsistencies, from her sudden choreography amnesia to trying too hard to laugh at every little thing. When she refused a bite of Iris's cheesecake dessert, Rose had already figured out her real identity. "Hazel, we need to talk," Rose said quietly but firmly, cornering the false Linnea in the bathroom. She loomed over the smaller girl, looking directly into her eyes with a determination fueled by purpose. Linnea opened her mouth to protest but she withered under Rose's intense stare. "Gonna tell me my acting is awful, too?" Hazel mumbled. "It is, though I wouldn't consider it your fault you're lactose intolerant. That's beside the point though. How did this happen?" Rose took a pinch full of Linnea's cheek and pulled. As expected it stretched ? not far, but further than was natural. Hazel jerked with Rose's tug, though it was more for fear of stressing the suit than out of any feeling of pain. "Did she threaten you?" Rose let go of her cheek, letting it slap back against Hazel's own. The other girl winced but when she opened her eyes, Rose saw fire return to them. "You may have found me out, but do you think you can convince anyone else!" Hazel jeered haughtily. "My disguise is perfect." Rose was unimpressed. "There's no one to rat you out to anyway. I'm the only one this building not wearing one of those suits. It's a problem that I've been trying to fix and you're not helping." "Eh? Really? That's... well why should I help? You made it plenty clear that you don't care about me, so why should I care about you and your band? Maybe I want to help run Angel's Embrace into the ground." Rose took a breath. Time to put to work the people skills that landed her in the leader position. "I'm sorry, Hazel." Hazel's eyes widened at the sudden apology. "I've been stressed by dealing with this whole suit thing, but that doesn't excuse what I said. I took out my frustration on you because you were there and you didn't deserve that." Hazel gaped as she listened. "You... you can't," she stammered. "Maybe I just wanted a piece of what you have. I was jealous, okay? "I'm sorry," Rose repeated, "I can't do any more than apologize right now. Apologize, and ask for your help. You're involved in this now, but if enough of the ?replacements' side with me, we can set this right." Hazel bit her lip. Rose could visualize the cogs turning in her mind, trying to decide whether she should accept or reject Rose's apology and subsequent plea for help. Finally, she seemed to come to a decision. "Alright," she said, looking up into Rose's eyes. Her gaze still seemed hesitant though. "I can't... we can't beat Angel's Embrace if Angel's Embrace falls apart. And, I'd be lying if I said this didn't feel dirty, now that I've had time to think about it. It's cheating. How did I let her convince me...?" You were probably especially vulnerable after I hurt you. Rose kept the thought to herself. Instead, she shared what she did know, that Azalea was Justin, and Narjis was Sam. That Carmine herself was a man wearing a suit as well, and that he was merely playing with them out of some sick and twisted sense of amusement and power. By the end, Hazel had found some resolve. "That madman must be stopped," she agreed. She looked down at herself, still wearing the visage of Linnea. "These are neat, and could be fun, but not used like this. It's way too easy to abuse them as he's doing." She looked thoughtful for a moment and then spoke up again. "Can we catch him outright? Like, if we called the police and just said we were being assaulted or something, when they get here, Justin or I could show them the suits we're wearing right? That should be plenty proof for our claims." It was as good an idea as Rose had come up with so far. Even without knowing how physically strong any of the other imposters were, between Hazel, Justin and herself, Rose would probably be the least helpless in a physical confrontation, and that was not saying much. Her idea of soliciting Iris's imposter was as risky as hoping that Justin would be able to convince Sam to defect against Carmine who had promised to fulfill his desires. It did not solve the issue of Carmine having the originals hostage somewhere, but it probably improved their chances than fighting back with just the three of them. Rose kicked herself for not thinking of involving the cops as soon as Justin had allied himself with her. Actually, it was still not too late though! As Rose dug out her phone, it rang in her hand. Carmine's number flashed on the LED screen. Rose and Hazel exchanged glances before Rose answered it and set it to speaker so they could both hear. "I realize now that Justin may have been too good of a match for Azalea," Carmine's voice projected coolly from the receiver. "They both share a weakness for strong personalities like yours, Girly. They're sheep that flock to natural leaders. Well, you're not the only leader type around here though." Her husky chuckle dripped of smug malice, only barely softened by the fuzziness of hearing it through the phone. "I admit, I underestimated you. I'd hoped to enjoy watching you writhe under the pressure of watching your friends be replaced one by one, but you've held out far better than I expected a woman to. Good job. But I am through with giving you time to think. Come to the stage, and bring your groupie with you. They say misery loves company after all."