Ringmaster Ch. 05: Holding Off

I took a deep breath as I managed to hold myself together. It was too risky to use the ring at all. I barely managed to hold myself together from using it last night. Plus, I am willing to admit that I was never the best when it came to self control. If I started making changes, I'm not sure I'd be able to stop until it was too late. Plus, this was in the middle of a class. At least with Vanessa, any changes were between me, her, and Regina.

I got this. I'm in control. I am the film nerd and classes like these are mine. I can do this. Just stop perving on your classmates, Maria! You're still the same old Maria as before. You just like girls. You are in control. You're the new ringmaster. You are beingcalledoninclasswaitshitpayattention!

"Miss O'Connor," Ms. Carver said, snapping her fingers, awakening me back to reality. "Your thoughts on the warehouse scene from 12:31 to 13:19?"

"Oh, uh, yes," I stammered as I flipped through my notes. "I thought that the use of the camera angle emphasized the juxtaposition between the brother and the sister. The use of the beams showed the divide between them, despite being something they could easily cross if either of them budged from their spots."

"Very good," Ms. Carver said. "Pay a bit more attention. Just because you might be one of the best students in here doesn't you get to slack off while in here."

"Ah, yes Ms. Carver," I said sheepishly as I sunk into my chair. Come on, I'm probably THEE best student in this classroom. Why did it feel like I was getting hit with a dunce cap? However, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something.

It was Danna, across the table, silently giggling at me, but something inside me told me that it wasn't malicious. In fact, I caught her looking at me and I swear that I saw her bite her lip softly. She quickly looked away and turned to the teacher. This happened off and on again as the class continued, and I even caught Summer sneaking a few glances. A few times, I think I saw Danna blush. What in the world was going on?

I looked down at my ring in wonder and a tinge of horror as my mind began to recall last night. I remember making Vanessa Regina and I's girlfriend, and making her affectionate, but there was something else. I had made one other change, but I couldn't remember what it was. This ring made me like girls, sure, and my word were they all adorable and sexy. I may or may not have snuck some glances around the room, but my eyes kept landing on Danna and Summer. The ring's only change to me was making me like girls, so what was with the looks I was getting from the two of them?

It couldn't possibly be that I made a change that made me more attractive to girls. Otherwise, I would have been getting looks from the rest of my female classmates. No, this was something different. Still, it lingered heavily in my mind that there was a change that I made that I wasn't aware of. I guess this was something that I'd have to ask Regina about later.

As class wrapped up, I praised myself a little for not using the ring at all. It may be an all powerful ring that can warp the reality of women, but it was still wielded by me and under my control. I packed up my things and ran over my schedule in my head. I had plenty of time between now and my next class. I could make it back to my apartment and talk things over with Regina.

"Oh, hey Maria."

Summer's voice suddenly pulled me out of my thoughts. "Oh, Summer! Danna! Hi," I said, nervously like a fangirl meeting a celebrity.

Danna began to sign some phrases and Summer started translating them. "We have some time until Danna's next class. We were wondering if you'd like to get some food with us."

"Oh, uh," I said nervously. I did really want to get back and check in with Regina; but another part of me wanted to know more about what was up with Danna and Summer. "What were you two planning on getting?" I had no idea what kind of crazy meal someone as rich as Danna could be getting.

Danna signed something quickly with a happy look on her face. "Food Truck Big Burgers," Summer said with an equally large smile.

Seriously!? Out of all the lunch options open to this girl, she chooses one of the local food truck!?

"Oh, uh...Yeah, I could go for some burgers," I responded. Danna's face lit up and she began signing very excitedly. I didn't understand sign language at all, but from her body language, I could tell she was happy. Summer nodded and the three of us began to make our way to the Food Truck Big Burger.

It was only a short walk out of the building, but I could feel a strange energy coming from the two of them as we walked. It wasn't a bad energy at all, it was a good warm feeling emanating mostly from Danna. It was just an unfamiliar feeling. In fact, it felt similar to how I was feeling about Vanessa last night. I looked down at the ring and flexed my hand a little. I'm fairly certain that I hadn't subconsciously done a change or anything. Was this feeling I was getting from Danna all her?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts as we approached the yellow and red food truck. It was fairly busy at this time of day, though not nearly as crowded as the dining halls were at this time. The smell of freshly cooked patties lingered in the air as the sizzle filled my ears.

"Ey, Danna. How's my favorite customer?" a large greased up man from the truck asked, poking his head out as the three of us approached. He waved us down as Danna took the lead.

"Good and hungry," Summer translated as Danna began signing.

"Have your usual?" the man asked as he handed another student their food. Danna nodded her head excitedly and then turned to me. The man turned his gaze as well to me. "Ah, haven't seen you dine here before. What'll you have?"

"Oh, uh..." I stammered, looking frantically over the menu. As I felt my nervousness begin to overtake me, Danna excitedly pointed to something on the menu. "Oh, the, um... Tank Burger? That's what you're recommending?" Danna nodded happily. "Okay, I'll take a Tank Burger." Danna clapped as Summer handed the man in the truck the money for the food.

The three of us sat down at a nearby table, with Danna practically bouncing in her seat with excitement. I kept trying to look away, but her fidgety nature just drew my attention to her bouncing tits. "So, how often do you two come here?"

"Pretty much every day," Summer said with a small grin. "I know that you might think that Danna goes for all this fancy stuff. Honestly, most people think that." Danna gave a small pout. "But Danna's just like any other girl here at this college. Well, minus the whole unable to talk thing, but that's why I'm here for her." She gave Danna a little side hug and the two of them smiled at each other.

Man, they are really cute together. I wonder if the two of them ever did anything together? Quickly, I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Stop perving on people, Maria! You're in a relationship with Vanessa now. Don't do something like this to her.

"Ah, nice," Summer said as she got up and headed to the food truck. "Food's done." This left me alone with Danna for a few moments. The two of us sat awkwardly for a bit, but I could see that she was nervously trying to sneak glances at me and got a little red in the face. "Alright, eat up." Summer then proceeded to drop a large load of meat and fries in front of me.

No wonder this was called the Tank Burger! This thing was massive! I could barely fit my hands around this thing. I looked over at Summer and Danna, who both seemed to have gotten the same thing. Was this how their tits got so big!? I stared down the burger and tried to fit as much of it in my mouth as possible.

At first bite, it was paradise. The meat was so tender and cooked so well, the buns were soft with a seasoning of salt, and the condiments were absolutely fresh. No wonder these two ate here. This was delicious! How did I not know that this food truck was on campus and how did more people not know?

I continued to eat my burger happily, occasionally eating some fries that were a crispy golden. Danna and Summer both ate their meals at around the same pace as me, smiles wide on their faces.

"Oh, Maria? Hey!"

"Oh hef Vanesha!" I said, waving to her. It doesn't matter if you have the power of reality in your fingertips, it is still difficult to talk with a mouth full of burger. I swallowed my bite as she came over.

"Hey Maria!" Vanessa said as she sat down next to me and lightly gave me a kiss on the cheek near my lips to wipe up some of the sauce from the burger. I blushed a little at the cute display of affection. Right, I made Vanessa very affectionate towards me and Regina. "I usually don't see you on this side of campus around this time."

"Oh, yeah," I said, swallowing another bite. "Danna and Summer invited me to check out this place. Vanessa, you have GOT to try this thing," I said, holding the burger to her face. Internally, I cried as I wanted the whole thing for myself, but I was at least willing to share one bite with her.

Vanessa chuckled before taking a bite of it. "Oh my gosh, this is so good," she said as she swallowed. She moved in to take another bite, but I stopped her my putting some fries in her mouth.

"No, my burger," I said greedily, taking another bite. Vanessa tapped me on the shoulder and whined softly, batting her eyelashes at me and pushing her arms into her chest teasingly. Dammit, I was weak. "Fine, a few more bites," I said as I held the burger out for her to take another bite.

It was only then, since my attention wasn't on the massive thing of meat in front of me that I noticed Danna on the other side of the table. Even for a mute girl, she got even quieter. Her gaze was turned downward and she was eating much less energetically than before. Summer had noticed this as well and leaned in, whispering something. Danna signed something to Summer with hardly any energy. In fact, it almost looked like her face was red and on the verge of crying.

"Ah, well, this lunch was lovely, but we have an appointment we have to get to," Summer said, finishing off her burger. She stood up and helped Danna get up out of her chair.

"Huh? Leaving already?" Vanessa asked, turning from the burger, allowing me to snag a few more bites.

"Well, such is the life of the daughter of rich," Summer said, clearly getting between Danna and us. "We'll see you around."

"Wait, don't go!" I said, feeling the ring's warmth flare up softly. Danna and Summer turned to each other before sitting back down. It was at this point that Vanessa noticed Danna's demeanor.

"Hey, Danna, are you alright?" Vanessa asked, sitting more upright with concern in her voice. There was a slight linger of guilt in her voice that suggested she guessed Danna's energy drop was due to her presence. Danna softly shook her head.

"You can tell us," I said, feeling the ring pulse again.

Danna turned to Summer, who nodded at her. Danna bit her lower lip and began to sign, her hands shaking nervously. "So, the reason that Danna had actually brought you here wasn't just being friendly." Summer looked over at Danna again for conformation to keep going. Danna nodded. Summer cleared her throat before continuing. "In fact, it was to be more than friendly."

"Wait, with Maria?" Vanessa asked. I nervously looked over at Vanessa as my mind began to race. Should I use the ring to diffuse the situation? Was Vanessa about to yell at Danna for trying anything with me? I mean, Danna didn't know that I was with Vanessa. That all happened last night.

Last night.

There was something else that I changed last night right before I blacked out. What was it?

"Oh, well why didn't you just say so?" Vanessa said with a smile. She breathed a huge sigh of relief. "And here I thought it was because I said something to insult you or something like that." She chuckled a little. Goddamn was her laugh cute. "Whew, that's a relief."

Danna and I both gave Vanessa a curious look. "Can you explain?" Summer asked, translating Danna's hand gestures.

"If you wanted to become more than just friends with Maria here," Vanessa said, giving me a gentle pat on the shoulder, "you could have just asked." Danna's eyes lit up in confusion and excitement. Mine were having flashbacks about last night as I recalled the final change I had done before blacking out.

Vanessa is now polyamorous.

At the time, it made perfect sense. I had made Vanessa both Regina and my girlfriend. If Vanessa wasn't polyamorous, it would cause conflict for her between me and Regina. Especially if I did anything with Regina. And now, this also meant that Vanessa had no issues inviting other girls into our relationship. I also had a feeling Regina had no issues with that.

Danna's hands gestured slowly, a little unsure of herself. "Um, what exactly are you saying, Vanessa?" Summer translated, confused herself.

"Well, what Maria and I have is a very open and shared relationship," Vanessa explained. "Meaning if you and Maria wanted to have some fun with each other, you can." She gave me a little pat on the back and a kiss on the cheek. "On the condition that I don't get cut out of the loop too and that I can have some fun with you as well." She gave Danna a wink, which made Danna turn completely red. "You're invited too, Summer."

Danna looked like she was about to burst out of her skin in happiness. She had a wide smile on her face and was completely flustered. Summer, on the other hand, was more composed. "Well, Danna, that sounds like quite the lovely offer. What do you say to that?" Danna immediately nodded. "Then I believe we have our answer. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun together." Summer gently laid a hand on Vanessa's, who smiled back at her. Vanessa's free hand moved to hold mine while Danna reached a hand out and laid it on my other one. The three of them smiled at each other before turning to me.

My brain was going completely haywire in utter gay panic. This was all so much in a short amount of time. I literally went from being a single pringle nerd yesterday to having three girlfriends, maybe even four! I still wasn't quite sure where Summer stood in this whole situation. Instinctively, I interlocked fingers with Vanessa and Danna. I could feel how red my face was and I could notice it on Danna as well. Both Summer and Vanessa, however, had no sort of changes or blushing.

"Well, Maria, what do you say we christen this with a little bit of harmless fun?" Vanessa said seductively in my ear, turning me somehow more red. Summer's eyes lowered as she glared at Vanessa. "I don't mean anything like that. Just a harmless little bit of kissing. Sheesh! I'm not that big of a pervert to do something risque outside." She then winked at Summer. "But, in the privacy of a room, however, that's a different story." She finger walked her way up Summer's arm, whose expression changed from wary to flirty.

"I say...Let's have some fun together." My heart was beating out of my chest. Sure, the only girl I had really kissed up until now was Regina, and that was just to confirm that I did now like girls. Now, I had two incredibly attractive women wanting and willing. I mean, I was going to be kissing both Vanessa AND Danna! My newly gay heart could barely take it.

Danna quickly finished her burger and Summer threw away our trash. "So, you ever do anything with her?" Vanessa asked, gesturing over to Summer. Danna blushed and quickly began to sign, but neither of us could understand her. However, she did frantically shake her head, but I could see her bite her lip as she looked over at Summer.

Her nice ass swayed as she walked over to the trash can. She was very attractive for her age at a young 23, only a few years older than Vanessa, me, or Danna. She had a wonderfully slim figure with a rocking rack, sitting at what I presumed to be D cups. Her hair reached down to her shoulders, which she kept professionally tied in a ponytail. Summer had a nice tan to her skin, though not nearly as dark of skin as Vanessa.

I looked down at my ring before looking back at Danna. I could make it so she could speak, but something held me back. It wasn't that I couldn't do it. I mean, Regina told me this ring could alter any woman in any way. Rather, it was something that I felt like I shouldn't change. There was an important dynamic between Summer and Danna that I just didn't want to disrupt, despite how much I wanted to hear what Danna's voice sounded like. Still, if she suddenly became able to talk, I think there might be a bit too much investigation into it.

'Great, I know a perfect place," Vanessa said as Summer came back. She took me by the hand, which made me lead Danna by the hand. Summer followed behind us as Vanessa took us to a secluded place around one of the buildings.

I never even knew this place existed. It was like a small garden that was well-kept and maintained. The sun was shining down, peeking through the leaves of the trees. A few birds chirped, sitting on some branches and fences. Everything was green and it was serene. Most importantly, it was private.

As we walked in, Vanessa pulled me in and grabbed me by my waist. She looked deeply into my eyes as I blushed looking back. The lighting, her hair, everything. She was just so damn attractive, I couldn't help myself. I wrapped my arms around her neck and kissed her on the lips. If I felt an electric tingle course through my body when I kissed Regina for a few seconds, my lips touching Vanessa's was a warm fire. Not a fire that would burn down, say, a forest, but like a warm fire. Like sitting next around a campfire with close friends roasting marshmallows. I could have stayed like that for hours on end, but Vanessa ended up pulling away from me. She was clearly blushing and fanning herself softly.

"Oh my, Maria. Didn't know you were quite the kisser," she said with a chuckle. "But, I can't hog you all to myself." Vanessa gestured behind me to Danna, who was completely red in the face.

Summer gave her a gentle pat on the back. "Go on, Danna." Danna softly bit her lip and walked over to me. She was absolutely gorgeous with large beautiful lips. Feeling a tad bit more adventurous, I put one hand on her hip and the other around her back between her shoulderblades. She put her hands up and around my shoulders as we kissed. Again, the same warmth and the same passion as with Vanessa. Her lips were so soft and I could taste a sweet cotton candy lip balm she used. I pulled her in tighter as I held her lips with mine. I could feel the ends of her mouth curl upwards as I did. After a few moments, she broke away from the kiss. She was softly panting like how I was with a warmth behind her eyes. She may have been hot, but she was certainly damn adorable.

"You two make a very wonderful scene together," Summer said, clapping her hands softly. Danna and I both looked at each other, red in the face.

"Did you want a go?" Vanessa said eagerly. Danna looked over at Summer, then Vanessa and nodded her head.

"Oh, certainly," Summer said, lifting Vanessa's chin up with a finger and softly kissing her lips. Danna and I watched as the two of them locked lips much longer than I did with either Danna or Vanessa. Vanessa's eyes fluttered softly and I could see her one leg raising up in the air gently.

With a smile at the two of them, I turned back to Danna and pulled her in for another kiss, this one a bit more passionate. Her eyes went a little wide in surprise, then closed blissfully. Gently, I ran my tongue against her lips and I could feel her shiver slightly. She wrapped her arms around me again and held me close. The two of us were so into our kiss that I didn't even notice Vanessa and Summer approach us. Vanessa carefully pried Danna from me and kissed her on the lips while Summer pressed hers against mine.