Adora opened her eyes, and saw that she was face first in her captor.  Squeaking, she tried to squirm away, but Ivy had a solid grip on her.  Giving up for the moment, Adora sniffled again and then wiped her nose in Ivy’s vines.  “Sorry”, she said, clearly not sorry in the slightest.  Ivy rolled her eyes and huffed, and then handed her a box of…yup.  Kleenex.  How Ivy got Kleenex here was a mystery, and she blew her nose noisily and then tucked it into a vine.  Or she tried to.  As soon as the tissue left her hands, it vanished.  Squeaking, she tried it again, and then again.  The same results each time.  Whenever she dropped the tissue, it immediately disappeared.

“Having fun with that, pet?”, Ivy said, amused.  Watching her pet experiment with the silly little cantrip was fun.  “Now…are you ready to go over the rules?  There aren’t a lot of them, but they ARE important.”

“Let me guess.  No trying to get back home, no trying to kill you, no trying to destroy your little sacrificial Altar”, Adora grumbled, and then squeaked again as she was turned and sat on Ivys lap like…like she was sitting on Santas lap.  Naked.  Squealing, she covered herself, and watched as Ivy laughed.  “Hey!! It’s not funny, I need some clothing!!”

“Well, it is, to be honest.  I was just literally stamen deep inside you…and you’re worried about clothing?”, she said with some humor.  “But clothing is something that you can earn, little one.  Here are the rules, and they aren’t in any particular order.  You can try to leave here.  In fact, if you think you’ve figured out a way, let me know so I can watch. And as for killing me…darling, you couldn’t.  Not even if you tried.  And by the time you have the power to actually harm me, you won’t want to.  No, the very thought of doing something like that would make you cry and beg me to help you never think those thoughts again.  But seeing as it’s going to get tiresome…Attacking me will get you punished.  And I don't mean corner time, my little mageling.  THAT is reserved for when you need to cool down, when your temper threatens to get the better of you.  Your second infraction gets you a session with the paddle.  The first one gets you either a spanking, the not fun kind, or some time with that”, and she pointed at what looked like a small square of some material that was in some kind of case on the wall, next to a paddle that had metallic knobs coming out of it.  “Believe me, you DON’T want to know what punishment three is.  Do you understand me so far?”

Adora looked at the implements, and looked up at Ivy.  She looked serious, seemed serious, an odd cast to the leaves that framed her “face”.  “I…I understand”, she said, worried now.  Punishments?  Rules?  This sounded like…well, it sounded not like what she was expecting with the whole soul-harvesting thing.

“Good girl”, Ivy crooned, rubbing Adoras back.  The spell she was thinking of was an easy one, quickly cast, and not noticed.  But that was ok, since it would build as time went on.  And sure enough, Adora didn’t even notice.  “Now for the actual rules.  There is no going into the lab without permission.  There are dangerous reagents there, and you could get very badly hurt.  Do you understand?”

“Yup.  Creepy-ass psycho lab is off-limits.  That’s good, cuz my ass doesn’t even want to be in there.  Or here, but you get the idea.  Nothing good comes of having a weird Altar stone like that thing.”

“Actually, it’s a really good focus and it…you know what, never mind.  I’m glad that we agree.  The second thing, and this is a rule that you already know, is that your pleasure is mine.  Entirely and completely.  That means no self pleasure.  No masturbation of any kind.”

“Wait, what?!?!”, she yelped.  “Ivy, listen!! You’re…you’re not being realistic.  It’s bad enough you’ve kidnapped me and brought me here.  And I'm not even sure I see a front door or windows or anything to use to escape.  But now you’re telling me that I can’t rub one out?”, Adora said, looking angrily at Ivy.  “Just let me go home and we can just make believe that this didn’t happen.”

“Well, first off, I’m being very realistic, and I have several fun toys that can make that a reality if I need it.  Secondly, I don’t need a front door, because magic.  And if I need a window, well…”, and she waved a hand at the far wall, which shimmered and disappeared.  Wherever they were, it was in a meadow.  Long grasses waved in the wind, and the sun was shining.  But that’s where the similarities ended.  The sun looked oddly sharper, bigger, and the grass was blue.  Something that looked a bit like a deer moved through the grasses, but it had six legs and an odd hump on its back.  It turned, and flicked an ear as it looked directly into the house, the warm breeze now inside and lifting Adoras hair.  

She sniffed, smelling the same thing that she would have smelled on Earth.  Grass, trees, Sun. “Umm…how…I didn’t see any windows”, she whispered.

“That’s because I don’t need windows, not when I can make the very walls so insubstantial that their atoms are only loosely held together by my Will.  That trilipa could just walk in here if it wanted to”, Ivy said, grinning at Adora.  “And the effect is only one way, so while things from outside can come in, nothing from here can go outside.  You can try if you want to, little mageling.”  Ivy set her down, and gave her a little pat on the butt, enjoying the affronted squeak that followed.  “Go on!! You can check for yourself.”

“And I won't get in trouble or anything?”, Adora asked, looking curiously and carefully at Ivy who shook her head.

“Not a single bit.  Go on, see for yourself”, Ivy said, waving a hand towards the wall.,  Or the place where the wall used to be.

Adora nodded, and took a deep breath, then walked carefully to the wall.  Covering herself, she looked outside, and around.  If not for the weird grass and the odd sun and the strange creature, she would have thought she was back on Earth, somewhere in the countryside.Raising a hand up, she pushed it out, and felt her hands flatten on what looked like empty space, but was clearly not.  So she pushed harder, and got nowhere.  Got nothing, other than another warm breeze that felt REALLY good on her naked skin.  Convinced, she turned around and looked at Ivy, folding her arms across her chest.  “Great.  So I’m your prisoner as well.”

“What?  No, little mageling.  We’ll be able to go out when it’s time.  I told you, you’re my little mageling, my…my familiar, i think is the term that you humans are the most familiar with.  See what I did there?”, Ivy asked, grinning at Adora.  Adora huffed, stamped her foot, and managed to look cute the whole time.

“You're a…a….oooooh!!!!!!”  She gave Ivy a look after she stamped her foot again.  “What?  What are you staring at?”, and then lowered a hand, blushing, to cover her crotch.

“Nothing, little one.  Any other questions?”, Ivy asked, grinning.

“Yea, actually.  Any other rules I need to know about?”, Adora asked.

“Well, obviously the one where you have to obey me quickly.  THAT goes without question, but it’s also the cornerstone of everything.  Especially when we begin your studies.”

“My studies?  What studies?”, Adora asked, blinking.  “You mean like school?  There’s gonna be tests and homework and stuff?”

“Well, there will be homework, but think of this as a self-guided study course.  I’ll be teaching you the basics, and then helping you find your interests, and then working on those with you.  No graded tests, since most of them will be in the real world, and will be pass/fail.  It’s my…well, not a job, but my responsibility and my pleasure to train you."

"And what do you get out of it?  Why not have these 'studies' back  on Earth where I belong???  I'm quite certain you're not doing this out of the goodness of your heart.  If you even have a heart, you fucking cunt", Adora spat out, and then quickly retreated a step or two as Ivy looked at her and frowned.

"First off, you will not speak to me that way", Ivy said, her voice now stern and forbidding as she got off the couch, looming over Adora.  "If there's one thing I cannot abide, it's a little mageling who doesn't know her place, and doesn't speak with respect.  Secondly, you will be my student and familiar.  Which will not only increase my own power, but will…you are my pet.  Like…like you humans keep puppies, or kittens."  Ivy frowned, and waved a hand.  In the blink of an eye, Adora sported some equipment on her head.  Straps ran up and over her skin, pushing her hair back as it melded seamlessly with her skin.  Straps covered her face, her mouth open with a small circle held inside it while a metallic plate appeared in her mouth, pressing her tongue down.  She watched as Adora yelled wordlessly and tried to pull the straps off, and failed.

Adora tried to scream as this…this device sprang into being on her face.  Her mouth was suddenly forced open, something appearing and pushing her tongue down.  She tried to get it off, but her fingers couldn't get underneath what felt like straps.  She screamed again as she realized that the straps were part of her skin, even the rings where they joined.  She looked at the mirror-wall and traced the straps.  She tried to pull the ring thing out of her mouth, but it was wedged behind her teeth, and wouldn't budge.  Screaming again, she tried pulling, and then yelled again, turning around  and glaring up at Ivy.  "Maqqqhhggg maaahhhj Oooowwwww!!!", she yelled, stamping her foot.

"Little pets who abuse the power of speech will have it taken away until they learn their lesson and can behave", she said as Adora yelled again.  "And the same holds true with everything else you have.  Now, you've just earned yourself ten minutes in the corner.  Keep going and you'll earn yourself a spanking, and you won't like that at all."  She waited a moment, watching Adora try to calm down.  "Now, you can march yourself over to the corner, little one, and I'l explain how this is going to work."

Adora stood there, not moving.  She tried to get this thing off her face again, and failed.  Miserably.  Just as quickly as the rage appeared, it vanished, leaving her with nothing but this thing on her face.  She whined, looking up at Ivy and pointed at the straps.  "Ngggeeeee ooooowwwww phhheeeeeee", she said.

"Not yet, my little mageling", Ivy said, but not unkindly.  New pets needed a deft touch.  Too soft and they learned nothing, too stern and they shattered.  No…this was more like wrangling a feisripa who was new to their collar.  "Now, off to the corner, my little mageling.  It will be quick and painless, I promise, and then we can discuss taking that off."  She took two steps away and pointed to a corner of the room.  Unadorned, plain gray walls, the perfect place for a recalcitrant pet to consider their mistake.  "Come on, little one."

Adora whined, looking up at Ivy as she walked away.  She wasn't a child, she didn't need corner time!!  Stomping her foot, she turned around, folding her hands across her chest.  She wasn't a child, damn it!!!

Ivy bit back a smile as Adora huffed and threw her little tantrum.  "Keep going, little one, and you're going to have twenty minutes AND a spanking.  And believe me, your cute little butt will wear out far quicker than my hand will."   Adora turned around, and Ivy nodded to her.  "Come with me, little one", she said softly and stepped forward, holding a hand out.  "It's ok, little one.  No spanking now, just some time in the corner so you can think about your actions and what you can do to avoid it.  Ok?"  Adora shied away, whining, and then looked at the corner, her, and then back at the corner.  She pointed at her face, and made some more sounds.  "No, my little mageling.  That comes off after corner time is over.  Ok?"  She took another step, and laid a gentle hand on a trembling back.   "Shhhh, its ok.  You made a mistake, that's all.  Come with me", she said, guiding her little mageling to the corner.   She never let go, keeping Adora grounded and moving through gentle pressure.

Halting steps aside, soon Adora was standing in the corner, looking at the intersection of two bare walls.  She turned, and looked up at Ivy.  She whined again, tears forming as she waved at the thing that prevented her from speaking.   

"No, my little mageling.  Ten minutes, and then that comes off, ok?  Now…if you turn around, or look at me, or anything else, the time starts again.  Do you understand?  Nod if you do, little one", she said gently.  Once she saw Adora nod, she smiled even as Adora sniffled again and gently rubbed her shoulders, soothing the frightened magepet .  "I'll be right here, little one.  Right on the couch.  You won't be alone, ok?  Now turn around, and think about what you did."

Adora turned, and felt Ivy step away, like this pressure that suddenly was gone.  She took a deep breath, feeling the gag as she tried to close her mouth again.  Swallowing again, she tried staring at the wall, but she couldn't get her mind to clear.  Her thoughts were racing; thoughts of her classes, Savannah, the odd deer thing she saw.  Ivy and how she was stripped naked, but how Ivy also stroked her hair and comforted her.  She didn't understand how someone could be so kind and yet so cruel and then there was this contract that she had apparently made without realizing.  Sniffling, she shifted, and then turned around, seeing Ivy sitting on the carpeting, cross-legged and watching her.  Just like she said she would.

"You're doing well, little one.  Turn around, and we'll start from the beginning.  You're not alone, and you never will be, ever again.  I promise you that", Ivy said kindly, her eyes twinkling and catching Adoras.  Letting her voice soothe the scared human, she nodded, and made a 'turn around' motion with a hand.  "Go on, my little mageling.  The faster you turn around, the sooner you can come out of the corner."

Adora sniffled, feeling something that she had never felt before, and turned back around.  Staring at the wall, trying to organize her thoughts, she realized what it was.  She felt vulnerable, in a way that she had never felt before.  Stripped of her life, stripped of her clothes, even this world wasn't hers.  And there was nobody to help her, nowhere to turn.  Nowhere except Ivy.  She stared at the wall, thinking over what had happened, what she'd said.  Before she realized how long it was, Ivy spoke.

"Times up, my little mageling.  Come here", she crooned, and held her arms open.  Adora turned around, sniffling as Ivy smiled at her.  "It's alright, little one.  All is well.  Come here, and I can take that off of you, ok?", she said.  She expected Adora to come over.  She DIDN'T expect Adora to basically charge into her.  "Shhhhh, it's ok.  It's over, little one.  Here, look up", and Ivy gently lifted her chin with a single bent finger.  Making an arcane sigil, Ivy smiled as the gags and straps, collectively called a 'silencer' disappeared.  Adora looked up at her, eyes filling with tears and lower lip wobbling, and then the dam broke.  

Adora buried her face in the closest surface, which happened to be Ivys shoulder, as she cried.  She wasn't quite sure why she was crying.  Well, she knew why, but she didn't.   Ivy hadn't harmed her, hadn't spanked or paddled her.  But she HAD been taken, her life forever altered by this deal.  A deal she hadn't even known she was making.

Ivy smiled and cooed as Adora cried, holding her tightly.  Her voice was pitched at a certain tone and timbre to induce a feeling of tiredness in anything with a nervous system, even as she comforted Adora.  Ivy rubbed her magelings back, giving her some of the security she craved, some of the touch she needed.  She held Adora, not stopping until her sobbing diminished, only the occasional hiccup.  "Now, my little mageling.  Can you look up at me, please?"

Adora hesitantly looked up and saw Ivys eyes shining again.  Twinkling, somehow shifting colors, demanding attention.  But before Adora could stare for too long, she felt an odd cooling whisper across her face, and her nose was no longer running, and her eyes no longer pufft from crying.  "I…ummm…", she said, confused.

"Can you tell me what just happened, Adora?", Ivy asked her gently.

"I..umm…I yelled at you and I called you..umm…that.  So you strapped that torture device onto my face and then..umm…you", and she blushed.

"Go on, my little mageling.  And then I…?"

"You…umm…you…made me stand in the corner. "

"That's correct.  So you could reflect on your actions, and how to improve on them.  First off, little one.  While I may accept a certain amount of joking and backtalk, you will NEVER disrespect me like that again.  You will speak to me with the respect due me as your teacher and as Nilaouna.  Secondly, and this is almost as important, is your lack of control.  We who wield the fires of magic must be in control, not only of our surroundings, but of ourselves.  Imagine what would happen if someone with my power got mad and lashed out.  The pain and horror is unthinkable.  You MUST be in control."

Adora listened, thinking.  "But…but what if I don't want this power?  Or this…I just want to go home", she said, voice breaking.

"You are home, my little mageling.  You Called to me, and offered yourself to Me.  I accepted, and brought you here to be Mine.  No force in Creation can undo that", Ivy said firmly but not unkindly.

"But I don't want to be here!!!", Adora whispered emphatically, and then shrank back as Ivy nodded.

"I know, my little mageling.  And yet here you are, and here you stay.  Now…you must be exhausted after all that.  How about I show you to your room, and you can take a nap before dinner?"  Ivy smiled at her mageling, letting her eyes draw her in and calm her slightly.  No sense in making it too obvious.

"My…my room?", Adora asked, off balance from the sudden shift in conversation.  She took a deep breath, a bit upset, but there was…something…

            "Yes, your room", Ivy said again in that tone and watched as Adora visibly calmed.  "I've got a room all for you.  Nice comfy furniture, with some books and even a tv in the wall.  So that'll be nice, right?  You must be very tired, after all."

"I…umm…yea.  Can I see it?", Adora asked after she yawned once, squirming so she could get up.  Ivy held onto her for a second, and then let her go, and Adora blushed as she stood up, covering herself.  "Ummm…when do I get clothing again?"

"Of course you can, little one", Ivy said after she let go.  "Clothing?  If and when you earn it, little one.  But why care?  Its not like I havent seen everything already."  Standing up, she stretched, and then led her pet to her room.  

Adora was confused.  REALLY confused.  For one thing, what did that mean, 'if'?  And for another, when did this arch appear in the hallway?  She knew, knew, that it wasn't there when she'd walked down the hallway before.  And yet, here it was.  "Thats right.  Your room is through there", she was told.  Confused, she looked up and down the hallway, convinced that the doorway was new.  And for that matter…"Wheres the door?"

Ivy smiled as Adora looked at the hallway.  'She is smart', Ivy thought with approval.  "Well, why do you need a door?  Only people who are going to be doing things they want to hide need a door.  You wouldn't be one of those people, right?"

Adora huffed, and successfully resisted the urge to stomp her foot.  But it made sense.  She wasn’t one of those people.  Choosing the wiser path, she stepped into the room and gasped.  Her bedroom waited, but it was more a suite. The carpeting was thick and fluffy and soft, an extra layer of padding underneath for an extra layer of comfort. There was a bed, not an ordinary bed, but rather a three quarters enclosed nest, about five feet circular, filled with blankets and pillows, perfect for an anxious pet to burrow into and hide.  A few other pieces of furniture waited, a pair of chairs designed in odd designs. A few squishy bean bag chairs. And a wall sized tv currently displaying its default background, softly swaying fields of blue corn in a gentle wind.  A few shelves were there for knickknacks and other objects.  "This…this is mine?", she asked, and then looked a bit closer at the "bed."  "Ummmm…Ivy?  Why is there a doggie bed in here?"

"The bed's for you, little one," she told her brightly. "I thought it would be more comfortable than a regular bed. And there's all sorts of blankets and pillows and cushions in there that you can nestle yourself into. Go on and try it, I'm sure you'll love it."

"But…but it's…it's a pet bed", Adora protested.  "It's…I mean, it's not a people bed.  I'm…I'm not..", and then she looked up at Ivy.  “I’m not a pet.”

"I made that especially for you, little mageling.  I thought you'd enjoy something special, something nice and cozy.  I even put a weighted blanket in, just for you."  Ivy shrugged.  "But if you want some boring old human bed, thats fine too."  The fact that there were mild spells of relaxation and rest woven into the blankets and pillows was a side note.  Ivy figured that what Adora didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.  “But maybe just give it a try?  Just to see if you like it?”

Adora stared at Ivy, trying to figure out the angle.  "No…its ok", she said.  "I'll try it out."  She walked in, and ground her toes into the carpet, enjoying the feel of it.  So soft, so warm, she couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face.  Sliding into the bed was something that Adora hated to admit how much she liked.  Especially one especially fluffy blanket that just felt nice on her skin.  She flopped over, and then again, and let out a sigh, since Ivy hadn’t been lying.  This WAS comfy.  She looked up and saw Ivy standing there, smiling.  Was it her, or were Ivy’s leaves just a bit greener?  Maybe?  She didn’t know.  “What?  What is it?”

Ivy smiled wider as she saw her little magepet enjoying the bed and the blankets.  She just looked so adorable all wrapped up in her blanket, and now she was yawning in the cutest way possible.  “Nothing, little one.  But I have a question for you.  Do you want me to stay here with you until you're sleeping?  I can do that, give you a nice relaxing back rub.  Or would you prefer to be alone?”

Adora huffed, and closed her eyes as a wave of exhaustion, followed very quickly by a wave of sadness, hit her.  Tears again bubbled up to the surface, and she didn't bother hiding them.  "I....I don’t know", she said honestly in a voice thick with them.

"Then I'll stay for a while." Ivy decided. Pulling a bean bag over to the edge of the bed, she took a seat, discreetly altering her lower half so she didn’t squish the chair and send the filling flying everywhere. And she reached in, covering Adora up with the blankets. Leaning on the opening of the pet bed as she reached in, easing a hand under the covers, gently rubbing her palm and back and forth across Adora’s bare tummy.  “There, isn’t that nicer?”

Adora didn't understand why this was happening, what Ivy was trying to get from all this, and this simple kindness pushed her over the edge.  Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she let out a huge barking sob, followed by another.  She let go, crying.  For her life, for her dreams that now would never be.  For friends she’d never see again.  Holding herself, she tried rocking back and forth, hoping that would help her feel a bit better. 

"It's okay, let it all out. I've got you." Ivy soothed her, eyes softening as Adora finally broke. The poor thing. She'd been carrying all this around inside her.  Ivy let her struggle for a few moments before she sighed, simply climbing into the bed with her. Scooping the girl up into her arms and holding her tight, cradling her head against her shoulder. Stroking her back, rubbing with the heel of her hand at the tender spot right between her shoulder blades. "I know, sweetheart."

Adora sobbed, somehow not noticing when Ivy got into the bed with her, since she was still trying to figure out a way to self-soothe.  Suddenly she was in her arms, Ivy holding her, rubbing her back and cooing.  Adora flailed her limbs instinctively, and then gave in, knowing that there wasn't anything she could do anyways.  She simply kept crying, accepting the comfort, even if she was still mad about being forced into it.

Eventually her cries dissolved into hysterical hiccups, and her eyelids began to drift closed.  Still being held by Ivy. 

"Good girl, that's better. That's better."  Ivy held the sobbing girl in her arms, cooing sweet nothings to her as she slowly eased down into something approaching calm. Once her eyes started to droop, she coaxed Adora down into the blankets and the pillows, building her a little nest. Covering her up, making her snug, but staying close, going back to rubbing her tummy under the covers.  She stayed there, rubbing her back and tummy until the little magepet had fallen asleep, her face calm.  Then she slipped from the bed, and silently left the room, and went to her lab to get some work done.