Five minutes until the doors opened and the event began and Madison Smith was finally ready to sit back and watch the event unfold.

She stood in the center of the hotel ballroom wearing a gown that she plucked out for formal events. She felt like the host to an event like this should at least be presentable, plus there was a certain person she wanted to impress.

“Okay, chairs are laid out, beads are ready…” she mused to herself, looking over the set-up. It was almost 8pm on the final night of the hypnosis convention and she was in charge of the Meet’n’Flirt event. Soon the doors would open and convention goers would swarm the room, take a bead or two and begin mingling.

It was nice to feel helpful in a way which facilitated so much joy from her peers.

On the table before her lay a series of items. A box of colored pens, some name tags, a stack of lanyards and four piles of beads. One yellow, one blue, one red and one black.

The space she’d been given was quite large. Larger than she assumed she would need, though extra space was always a welcome addition for a social event. If things were too cramped up then the noise would become more than she could bear, but the wide area and tall ceilings promised that it would be a comfortable time curating.

The doors opened and a pile of con-goers shuffled into the room. It was a bottleneck to the table, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind more of an excuse to keep up their conversations as they had been before the doors opened.

Madison spotted some familiar faces in the crowd. Those she had seen and spoken to earlier in the weekend, those she wished she had made time to pull aside earlier and a few she was surprised to see at all.

Of all those familiar and animated faces, caught up in their dialogue and socializing fun, one stood out to her. A wavy curtain of red hair contrasting a forest green dress that would have looked suitable for a bridal party, she was in stark contrast with the remainder of the hall who stuck to more street casual affairs.

She was hoping to see Belladonna Cooper at this event tonight. She had always been fond of her and was excited for a rare opportunity to spend some time with her. The entire weekend had been filled with near misses and lost opportunities. This event was her final chance to turn months of online entanglement into something tangible.

“You look a little excited to be here.” Madison exclaimed, once the redhead made their way to the front of the line, “You expecting someone tonight, Bell?”

The redhead, Bell, averted her eyes a moment and shook her head, “Sort of, yeah. Though now I see everyone else, I kind of feel like I overdressed for the occasion.”

The pair had met in one of the many hypnocommunities of a bygone era when credit card companies hadn’t chased them into obscurity. Much like their cat and mouse game at the convention, online the pair had missed many opportunities to turn their casual friendship in to something more dynamic. It had only been in the last 6 months that they had found a stable enough environment to really discover how much their unique styles of flirting and teasing were in harmony.

“Nonsense, I think more people should put on a shine for these events. Why even have amazing outfits like that if you’re not going to wear them? I’ll have to see who else shows up looking fancy so I know who you’re putting the shine on for.” a conspiratorial wink punctuated her words, though she did not give enough of a pause to see her friend react. “Anyway, pick a name-tag and take the beads you like. Yellow is for flirting, blue is for trancing, red is for romance and black is for sex.”

Bell gave a wry laugh, “I guess I’ll know to avoid the black beads, then.” She joked while scribbling down her name Bell C before selecting a blue and yellow bead.

“It’s okay, Bell. The con is full of ace folk like the two of us. You’ll be fine, especially when you’re dressed up like that.”

“I–” Bell began, before becoming deeply aware of the line behind her. Realizing she could not compose herself to give any form of adequate reply she hurried off towards the socializing space, trying to disguise a smack of crimson amidst her medley of freckles.

“We’ll talk soon!” Madison called to her as she disappeared into the crowd. She meant it.

All in all the flirt event was a rousing success. The turnout was on the high end of average and there were no issues with predators or consent violators, Madison made sure of that. Her vigil eyes keenly trained on the hall for any tiny trait that betrayed discomfort. Should attention seem unwelcome she would simply approach with a kind word and a check-in and the situation naturally diffused from there.

For her part Bell remained social and flitted from group to group, though never truly finding a place where she belonged. Certainly she did not look like she had put her beads to good use. Madison wanted very much to instigate a conversation, but her role as event organizer kept her from committing.

It had not escaped her notice that the pair of them were the only two in the room wearing formal wear.

The hour rolled by swiftly and though many of the people in the room may have liked to continue to use the space, if only for a little longer, the schedule dictated that an end had arrived and it was time to collect beads, move chairs and clear the room for the next event.

A few people stayed to help Madison with the task. One of those people was Bell.

“So, did the person you got all dressed up for ever arrive?” Madison asked, with a playful tint in her tone.

“Turns out we’re the only two who bothered to get all nice and dressed up.” Bell shot back, a coy grin aching her cheeks.

Madison couldn’t help but smile to herself. This banter was well within their existing rapport from online flirting. It was a relief that it translated so naturally from the chatroom to the ballroom.

She scooped the leftover beads into her purse and turned back to her friend, “Oh, you’ve still got your blue and yellow beads.” she said, raising her eyebrows.

Bell stammered and reached towards her lanyard in a fevered panic, “Sorry, I-”

Madison just chuckled and shook her head.

Someone was going to have to instigate. If they kept on acting like this the event would be over and they would miss all of their windows, “Silly. Put them back. Who knows. If you ask for what you want, you might just get it.”

It was rare of her to be this forward. But she really did want to do some scene play with Bell. She had wanted it all weekend. If she didn’t do it now then she couldn’t be sure of when she ever would.

“Sweetheart, I mean you’re dressed up all nice and those beads tell me that you’re looking to flirt and looking to trance…” she watched Bell squirm on the spot, something about those shy little shuffles pushed her buttons and put her in a playful mood, “Maybe you should ask.”

Bell jolted, crimson washing over her face as she took a step back.

Madison could see that this required a leap of faith.

“Sweetheart. It’s okay. It’s okay, I promise.”

“...would you like to…” Bell began, she could feel her throat closing up as she pushed herself over the hurdle, “Do some play?”

Madison couldn’t help but break into an unguarded smile.

“I was hoping you’d ask.”

Bell’s expressive face erupted into a blend of surprise and delight. “Wait, really?”

“I’m fond of you.” Madison stated, “I’ve said as much online, haven’t I? And I am pretty sure we agreed that we’d do some play should the time and opportunity come up.”

“I just thought you’d be busy…” Bell said, consumed by a wave of bashfulness, swaying back and forth on the spot.

Madison placed a hand on Bell’s shoulder and tried to get into the view of her averted eyes, “Hey. I’m offering. I want to spend time with you. If you don’t want to, that’s okay, but I am saying it’s okay.”

Bell’s head bounced up and down, “Right, right! Then let’s do it.” she squeaked, her voice carried a gust of enthusiasm and her wide, round eyes shimmered with hope.

“Good!” Madison declared, taking Bell’s hand and guiding her on, “Come with me.

As Madison led the way, Bell followed awed at the will and strength of the woman she had spent the better part of a year developing a crush on. Her hand was warm. Her grip firm. Somewhere inside her there was a swooning school girl exploding in delight over the concept of held hands.

The journey pulled the pair through a labyrinth of hotel corridors and finally ended when Madison plucked a keycard from her purse and pulled her friend into a well lived hotel room.

“Make yourself at home. Get some water. Hydration is important.” she mused, setting down her purse by the door and finding a place to sit, “Then we can start negotiating.”

For Bell, everything was happening so fast, she was confused, overwhelmed. But this is what she wanted. She knew that. She’d never fully admit it, but her entire presence at the flirt event was for this outcome. Now she had found herself in the moment, she hadn’t truly examined what she would do next. Her nervousness evaporated into caution and her body shifted to reflect the change.

“Are you alright?” Madison cautiously asked, clearly noticing.

“Oh. Yeah. I just. I’ve not done negotiations before. Not really. I’ve only ever played with people I know the ins and outs of pretty well. We spend a lot of time together, but I’m only now realizing I don’t know how much our interests align.”

Madison nodded and indicated the bed, for Bell to sit, “And that’s what negotiation is for.” she said, plainly, “Just be honest. We’ll have things that match. We like enough of the same things, we just need to see what works for you and what works for me.”

“Okay. Well, let’s start with hard limits. No genital contact. I just. I can’t do that. No changing my personality, even temporarily. No programming that lasts beyond today and if you do anything that changes my perception of reality, please ground me again afterwards. I don’t mind that kind of play, I just need to have a reset.” Bell’s eyes were on her hands and there was a faraway gaze to them, Madison could see there was a lot there, and some would need to be elaborated on for safe play, but she wasn’t going to push hard.

“I have difficulty with it, is all.” she finally added, shame welling up in her throat and working against her gaze to move it anywhere but the other woman, “I…” the words were not coming out easily, “keeping myself grounded. I–” she paused and pushed away a thought, shook her head vigorously, “I just have some brain stuff going on and need extra grounding. I hope that’s not a turn-off.”

“Sweetheart, no. I appreciate you trusting me enough to say something. It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into what to say and I want to make sure you feel heard..” Madison waited a beat to see if Bell had anything to add and sensing it was okay, proceeded, “I can sometimes have abreactions that make me go non-verbal, if I stop responding then try to draw me back up gently and put a pause to the scene. I have a hard limit on forcing power dynamics. If we treat the energy of the scene as organic we’ll be fine.”

Bell continued to wring her hands, “That works for me. I can never tell if I’m going to be a Top or a Bottom from one moment to the next, anyway…”

Something in processing her words after speaking them clicked and caused her to pause, close her eyes and tighten her fist.

“I should probably mention that. There are times when I just lose my grip on Topping in the middle of a scene. Like I’ll be really affectionate or domineering one moment and then withdrawn or panicking the next. It just happens and it can ruin something perfectly good. I wish I knew how to warn you or prepare for it. It’s just a thing.”

Madison took a moment to consider this. “Does that kind of thing happen when you’re bottoming too? I feel like it’s important to know, so we cover all our bases.”

Bell took a moment to consider, “I’ve never seen it happen in bottom space…” she finally settled on, “I don’t know if it could.”

Madison nodded, checking off a mental note, “Then we’ll treat it like an abreaction. No shame. No regret. We pause the scene, do a check-in and see what we do next. No expectations. Does that work for you?”

Bell nodded firmly, “I like that. I can work with that.”

The pair worked out the minor hitches and interests for some minutes, nervousness melting into bouts of laughter. Bell admitted that when she was feeling toppy she liked freezing scenes, whispering into ears and mindless mantras. Madison in turn revealed she enjoyed fractionation, chin grabs, forceful stares and hair pulling.

As the discussion died down from planning to performing, Bell tilted her head up and to the side, stuck in consideration for a moment before giving an affirming nod.

“Okay.” she said, “I think I’m ready. May I go first?”

Madison couldn’t help but grin, she had expected it would take a little more doing to break the shy spell. She’d mentally prepared herself to run the scene until the energies felt a little more natural. “By all means.”

Bell pulled herself to her feet and approached, head tilted low, eyebrows raised, movements slow and fluid like a snake moving in on prey, eyes locked on Madison’s with full intention.

“That’s right…” Bell cooed, watching Madison’s shoulders arch backwards, watching the way her features softened, “You know this dance quite well, don’t you?” her tone was low, a seductive growl now, eyes flaring with purpose, pinning the other woman down with an invisible but inescapable force of will.

“Just keep staring… and let yourself go. I know how many times you’ve been in trance before, I know how easy you find it to just give yourself permission to fade away. To find peace and comfort in deep hypnosis. Maybe you’ve felt it this weekend. We are at an event, after all…” as Belladonna’s hypnotist voice picked up momentum, Madison’s body language opened, arms going limp, facial expression becoming just a little dazed, lips gently parting.

“Is it easier for you to sink while listening to my words, I wonder, or to drop with my lulling touch…” a hand reached out and began to stroke a feather touch down Madison’s arm, all the while sharp azure eyes grew closer and that salacious voice become a soft hymn for Madison’s ears only, “No need to decide, my dear. You can let me do that for you. I can just take your thoughts away and guide you right down, down, down into trance, for we both know that’s where you want to be… isn’t that right, my dear?”

Madison blinked helplessly at the other woman, her head dipping between flickers of her eyes, a subtle but obvious agreement to the question. Moments ago she was so nervous and tense about the idea of participating in a scene and now she was in full command with but a few scant moments to perform the metamorphosis. Madison’s head was already feeling the light tingle of trance, somewhere outside her perception she was vaguely aware that the other woman had collected her hand and was pulling her to her feet. All she could focus on was those blue eyes, nothing else pinged attention as her body glided upwards until the two were level.

“That’s it, following along so effortlessly. You can just let me guide and continue to drift away. It’s so easy to just go with the flow and let my words maneuver you and pull you up—- and down—” her thumb and index finger caught Madison’s chin and gently tilted her head to follow as she rocked her up and down, matching the tone of her words. “That’s right… you’re doing so well for me and so quickly too… we had discussed hair pulling–” she paused the rocking motion and held Madison’s gaze “may I?”

Madison blinked a little, she’d already let herself go so far, so quickly, but an important check-in required a little more attention. “You may.” she softly whispered, a bubbly smile on her lips. Not every person she played with would have checked in before doing something pre-negotiated. It made her feel safe to have the warning in advance.

“Very good, lass.” the redhead chirped pleasantly, her spare hand snaking around to work against Madison’s scalp. “Though I prefer “Yes, Miss Donna.” if you are willing to say that for me.”

Madison shivered, her smile all the more pronounced, “Yes Miss Donna.” she sighed for the first time, unaware of how familiar and comfortable that phrase would become in time.

The fist closed with a sharp tug and Madison emitted an unguarded whimper of bliss, her arms dangling freely at her sides, her knees weak and head still feeling the gentle tingle from the edges of trance.

“That’s right…” Miss Donna purred, a heavy smirk on her lips. She maintained eye contact and turned the pair around. “Caught, captured, captivated. Drawing deeper, deeper still, into my eyes, falling and fading, drifting and dropping, endlessly and inexorably. Helplessly spiraling down as my words dip you deeper and deeper.” with the repetition of the word ‘deeper’ she tugged on the hair again and yet more of Madison’s grasp on the waking world faded in the sheer presence of the hypnotist.

Miss Donna pulled in close, resting her forehead against Madison’s, swaying her head back and forth with the leverage of the grasp on her hair. “Don’t resist me.” she commanded firm enough that Madison let out an unbidden whimper of desire, “That’s it… just sink into my eyes… just let yourself go… just…”

Miss Donna slowly pulled back and pressed a thumb to the other woman’s head and pushed back. “Drop.”

Madison obeyed.

Her body flopped backwards and splashed down on the hotel bed, the reverie of trance surrounding her even as Donna climbed on the bed above her and bared down at her. “Moving back to get more comfortable…” she whispered, crawling along the sheets to keep her eyes available for the entranced beauty below, settling against the pillow and headrest.

Fingers moved to temples and began a gentle spiral, Donna pulled in and whispered “Repeat after me. “I can go deeper, so I must go deeper.””

Madison’s lips moved and a soft whisper parroted Donna’s words, even matching her inflection.

“I can go deeper, so I must go deeper.”

“Again.” Donna husked, still drawing those soothing circles on Madison’s temples. “I can go deeper, so I must go deeper. Repeat it again and again, as long as that sentence is true or I have you stop. If you can go deeper, you must go deeper.” as Donna spoke Madison repeated, her closed eyelids fluttering with every repetition.

Years of friendship. Months of flirting. Days of beating around the bush. It had finally culminated in this perfect moment.

“I can go deeper, so I must go deeper… I can go deeper… so I must… go deeper…”

Donna’s heart raced as adrenaline propelled her actions, it was finally sinking in that her friend was completely under her spell, mindlessly chanting and sinking deeper with every passing second. “Eyes open. Eyes on me.”

Madison’s eyes opened, entranced, empty, blank. Her lips kept moving.

Donna’s heart skipped a beat. The momentum of the induction had possessed her and it had gone so swiftly, so well. Reality began to mingle in with the fantasy and there was only this connection.

“And stop.” she finally said. Madison obeyed, her shoulders sinking into the bed. Eyes still open and empty.

“That’s it. Just breathe in. Calm and relaxed… I want to bring you back and just check in quickly. But we’ll come back real soon. I know how much you enjoy fractionation…”

Madison’s chest rose and fell with a long breath in and out, the beat of the moment passed.

“Then coming back up, refreshed and alert… on 1— 2—- 3. Wide awake.”

Madison’s eyes blinked hard and she sighed out, melting into a broad smile. “Having fun?” she asked, basking in the aura of a blissful haze.

“Plenty.” Miss Donna grinned, “How are you doing? I want to ensure I am not moving too fast for you.”

Madison shook her head sleepily, “No, no, you’re doing great.”

Miss Donna was still above Madison, her red hair spilling down and creating a curtain that covered Madison’s face in shadow. She looked so beautiful, open and fragile. So trusting.

Madison looked up at Belladonna and affection blossomed in her heart. Months of flirting and fondness was paying off in ways so much more powerful than anything she had ever expected. Her hand reached up and pressed against the other woman’s cheek, stroking it softly and pouring all her feelings, trying to memorize this moment and sensation. Above her Belladonna swooned, her heart melting into the touch. One of her own hands rose to hold the hand on her cheek.

And she softened.

All the dominant force and possessive intention melted in with affection. Her eyes, so sharp and forceful a moment ago, had become rounded and soft. Her shoulders sank back and she seemed to shrink up like the petals of an orchid closing up after bloom.

“Oh…” she sweetly sighed.

Madison was still lightly entranced, the promise of going back into trance lingering and tethering her to the heady sensation.

But there had been a sincere shift in the emotions of the moment.

Something was different.

Her mind drifted back to the warning from the negotiation. Sometimes she loses top space in the middle of a scene. She had expected a crash from how it was described, but this was surely what Bell had meant.

It was the eyes. The fire within had not died. It had transformed. The wind had changed so swiftly and dramatically that she couldn’t describe it. She felt it.

Swallowing in and blinking her eyes back to full awareness, Madison drew herself up, pushing back against the headrest. “Hey, hey… are you okay?”

“Hmm?” the redhead chirped, leaning back, clearly surprised by the change in tone. “Wh— what’s up?”

Madison scrutinized Bell’s features. She looked tight, closed up, nervous. Just as she had been when they entered the room. “Your energy shifted…” she began, “I just want to check that you’re okay.”

The redhead’s expression was that of pure guilt, her gaze could no longer meet Madison, the closed posture began to rock back and forth, foot bouncing as if the emotion could not be contained inside her body and needed to be released, “Oh… sorry. I…”

“You warned it could happen.” Madison calmly reminded, “Could you tell me what happened?”

Another shift occurred, this time less dramatic and more firm, like a sheet of ice had been placed in the room between the pair. The closed posture solidified into tension, the momentum had ceased.

She closed her eyes, breathed in and spoke, plainly and naturally. “I just lost my grasp on Top Space.”

Madison nodded slowly, watching Bell’s expression carefully, “Well, we agreed we’d stop the scene and check in if that happened. Can you tell me what was going through your head, so we know what to do if it happens in the future. I think it was when I touched your cheek.”

Bell nodded, “It was. I was in the moment. Engaged and then…”

She paused and took a pensive moment to collect herself. Madison could see her eyes flicking up and to the corner, her brow furrow and soften in thought.

Bell heaved a sigh and shook her head. This encounter was a dream come true. She had a crush on Madison for months and they were really hitting it off… and now right out of the gate she was tripping over herself. Ruining everything.

No. She’s not rejecting us. She cares. She noticed.

Bell sat with the thought for a second and nodded. This required a leap of faith.

“Look… I…”

“Take your time. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” Madison said, kindly.

“I don’t know how this works. I don’t know how any of it works.” she admitted, flatly, “But my moods. They just. They shift and I just have… different perspectives and priorities. Like one second I’ll be strong and bold and confident and the next I’ll be gentle and timid… I literally can’t tell from one moment to the next where I’ll be or how it will feel like.”

Madison didn’t say anything. She watched. Ensured Bell felt safe opening up.

“I think what you saw was my dominant headspace– Miss Donna– slipping into that shy and soft mode, Bella. I suppose if you wanted to give me the default name I’d use Bell.”

Madison caught it, especially now she was looking for it. A flicker in Bell’s attention, a thought being firmly discarded. An intrusive thought. Perhaps some kind of IM window registering complaint for the idea of ‘default’?

Bell closed her mouth and took a moment to consider before continuing, “It’s… I wouldn’t use plural language. Like DID or anything. I don’t have memory blocks or anything like that, it’s just… what Donna does, I can’t do it. I’ve tried. I need to be in the right headspace and when I am… it becomes easy. Like the emotion takes form and– it’s like a trance, I go in trance and just start acting more bold and capable and… like her.”

“How long has this been happening?” Madison asked, carefully gauging Bell’s visible level of comfort.

“I honestly don’t know.” Bell admitted, “Like I may not have memory gaps between my facets… I call them facets, by the way, but I do have emotional permanence issues and gaps in the past. I can kind of recontextualize things, like remembering it happening a bunch of different ways or I’d feel like I was acting contrary to my nature. Any time I’d act hyperactive and immature, I used to get really angry at myself… but then I started to understand that it was just Bella. I was so caught up in joy or excitement that I lost control of myself and became her. I kind of feel bad now. Hating myself for acting the fool was okay, but hating her for existing… just felt mean.”

Madison tilted her head, “Hating yourself for any reason is mean. It’s just easier to forgive others than yourself.”

“I guess, yeah.” Bell conceded, “But it’s been something I’ve dealt with for a long time… and I don’t know how ‘real’ it is or anything. I said I needed grounding in reality after a scene. It’s because I have difficulty sometimes. Like I’ll see or hear things that aren’t there or see the wrong reflection in the mirror and I’m never quite sure if I am remembering things correctly. Like, I have to admit, I’m having a fantastic time here and I know that, but I’ll forget this feeling and start worrying that I had decided things were going smoother than they were and doubt will creep in.”

“Then so you know. I am having a good time and you haven’t ruined anything.” Madison firmly clarified.

“Thank you.” Bell sighed, taking in another breath and shaking her head, “I’m not used to telling people this.”

“Thank you for trusting me.” Madison said, earnestly, “You don’t have to share anything if you don’t want to. But I do want you to feel safe in sharing.”

“I’m not used to people noticing.” Bell shrugged, “I usually think it’s more of an internal thing and not something I can talk about.”

Madison’s calm features cracked, betraying surprise for a heartbeat, “I can’t imagine why. It’s so… obvious.”

Bell blinked. Her lip quivered and she just stammered, unable to fill the silence.

“I mean, sure, it doesn’t show as much online and I didn’t know to look for it. But now we’re together? I can’t imagine not seeing it.” she paused, watching the stunned redhead, “I couldn’t imagine not seeing you.”

There was another flash in Bell’s eyes, her stiff and defensive features evaporated in a gentle gasp and her lip trembled. With the descriptions that had just been shared Madison knew that this was Bella.

“I think there’s a lot for us to discuss. I want to be able to make sure I see you how you want to be seen. But I do. I see you.” the swaying had started again. Bell’s version of fear was to close her body language and glare downwards, that wasn’t what was happening now, this was nervous energy stimming back and forth with eyes that moved with more emotion than the adorable redhead knew what to do with, “Bella. I see you.” she added.

Tears stung at the corner of Bella’s eyes and she pounced forward, burying herself in a hug. Madison closed her arms around the other woman, stroking her hair.

“I’m here, precious.” she cooed. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I believe you.” Bella whispered in return. Her voice was gentle, open, flooded with brightness, even while crying. Madison couldn’t understand how anyone wouldn’t be able to perceive it. “I’m so glad.” she sobbed, “So, so glad.”

The moment passed and eventually Bella drew out of the hug and bashfully smiled back at Madison. “I’m sorry I pulled you out of your scene. I thought it was really going well.”

“It was…” Madison admitted, “I'll just have to remember that tender gestures like stroking your cheek are to be saved...” she performed the action as she said it and watched the redhead shiver with delight, “...for when you’re in your soft moods.”

Bella’s expression poured into a beaming grin, the affectionate touch on her face confirming that which was already known. Madison cared.

“We can try again, if you’d like, precious.” Madison offered, feeling that the serious moment had come to an end. “If you’d like.”

“Of course!” Bella cried, giddily, “But I don’t know if I can just pull Donna back. It’s not easy for me to just…”

“Oh, precious…” Madison fondly sighed, “I didn’t mean her. I meant you.”

Those round eyes sparkled with passion again, “Yes please. Please. Oh please, Madison. Please hypnotize me! Please! Please I would love that oh so very very mu–” her pleading was cut off as Madison raised a hand to stop her.

“Oh very good, precious.” Madison chuckled, “You understood exactly what I wanted.” Madison’s transformation into top space was far less dramatic than Bell’s had been and yet no less stark in contrast. The signals were telegraphed and Bella understood to follow and obey. “That’s it. Eyes focused. I wonder if you’ve noticed that you stopped swaying. You know to sit up and focus, don’t you, precious?”

“Yes Miss!” Bella enthusiastically chirped in reply, still and attentive as instructed.

“Oh you’re so good at following instructions.” Madison cooed with a grin, “I wonder if you’re good at letting my words wrap tightly around your mind. Oh… yes, I can see you like that. Letting everything fade away so you can listen to my words and focus. Just like that. Just focus. And relax… and drop.”

Bella’s eyes rolled back as she collapsed in a heap on the bed, her hair matted around her in a chaotic array.

Madison chuckled, “So eager… but I think we can get you a little deeper. Up, up, up, precious. Wide awake.”

Bella pulled herself up and erupted in a fit of giggles. “Wow, that was fast.”

Madison’s smile was plastered on thick, “Really?” she asked, candidly, “I would have thought this was quicker.”

Bella blinked, “Wait, what was qui-”

She was cut off by Madison copying the thumb to forehead maneuver that Donna had used on her, “And drop.”

Bella crashed to the bed in obedience, her green ball gown cascading across the sheets.

“Don’t hurt yourself, precious. No matter what happens, when you sink into trance, you’ll guide yourself down safely. Won’t you, precious?”

“Yes, Miss…” a vacant voice squeaked.

“Then let’s test that. Up. up, up.” she patiently waited for Bella to pull herself up before switching gears, “And down, down, down.”

With another flutter of eyelids Bella flopped down peacefully, crashed to the bed in a state of pure comfort.

“You make such a cute puddle…” Madison sighed, affectionately.

The trust between the pair continued to be offered and rewarded. With every passing moment they found themselves opening up more of themselves and exploring their little routines.

Madison performed a freeze scene and an amnesia trigger upon Bella.

Donna performed a litany of instant inductions and a scene where the more Madison struggled more docile she became.

Time slipped off the clock faster than either could have imagined, even as the scene continued on with energy switching and changing organically, as had been discussed and promised. No lasting triggers were installed and no plans for the future were made. It was a closed circle. A taste of what could be if they intended to continue.

Play came to a close and the pair sat up against the headrest, holding one another and shaking off the cobwebs of their experience. A gentle haze lingered over both women as they rode the waves of afterglow.

“This was amazing…” Bella swooned, contentedly.

“It was… and I hope we get to do it again some time. It really is a shame we didn’t get to do this sooner.”

“Right… I have to get going soon.” Bella sighed, knowing that this embrace would eventually have to end.

“There will be another time and we will keep talking online.” Madison assured, “This isn’t the end of anything. It’s just a step.”

Bella’s head tilted down and she just enjoyed the hug. Not wanted to say anything more which could weigh on the moment.

“Hey, hey, it was fun. Stay with me now.” Madison chimed, tilting Bella’s chin up. “Was it everything you hoped for?”

“It was…” she responded, eyes averted, “I just…”

“You’re worried you’re going to overthink things?” Madison asked.

Bella nodded, shyly.

“I’m not going to make any promises, precious.” Madison began with a calm and confident voice, “I’ve seen too many people in our community dive in the deep end from a quick encounter and there’s a lot of things we need to iron out… but I’m interested.”

“I understand.” Bell responded. “That’s sensible.”

Madison raised her eyebrow. She had no heart to penalize her play partner for a facet shift in response to news she didn’t want to hear, but it did betray her emotional reaction.

“Bell.” she said, gently, “I mean it. I am interested. Don’t take a lack of yes as a no.”

“I know…” Bell nodded, feeling exposed and vulnerable from having been named directly, “I just. I don’t want this to end.”

“Nothing’s ending. We’re just moving to the next stage. Do you trust me?”

“I do.”

“Then come over here…” she got up and walked over to the door, “I want to say goodnight right.” as she awaited Bell her hand dug into her purse. There they were. Kept from the event.

“What are you up to?” Bell asked, curious.

“Hold out your hand.” Madison commanded, looking Bell in the eye. It was trust, not compulsion that caused her to obey.

Just one more leap of faith. Every one up until now had been justly rewarded. One more couldn’t hurt.

Madison put her hands in Bell’s and looked her in the eye. “I can’t say what happens next. I can tell you right now, I want to see where we go together. But neither one of us is lucid enough to commit to anything and we need to see if we still feel this way in a week. In two weeks. In a month.” as she spoke, Bell's lip curled, braced for the pain of rejection, “I want to explore this responsibly.”

Her hand retreated. Something remained in Bell’s palm.

“I know your meanie brain is going to try to doubt what happened here. You’re going to start worrying about if you did something wrong or misread some signs. So I want to make sure you have proof.”

Bell looked down in her hand. A red heart shaped plastic bead rested there.

Red is for romance.

“We will talk about this.” Madison promised. “And any time you doubt it or forget it, you look at that bead and remember. I gave it to you. Freely and of my own volition. I give you a piece of my heart.”

Bell looked between the bead and Madison, stunned to silence. What could be said against such overwhelming sincerity. At physical proof that the desire was real.

“I am so smitten.” she sighed, “And it’s because I’m smitten that I want to be sure. Will you trust me?”

Bell’s head bobbed up and down, “I will. I do!” she proclaimed.

Madison reached in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I believe you.” she smiled.

Bell swallowed and looked behind Madison at the door. The night was going to end. She was going to leave. It was going to be over.

But there was a bead in her hand that proved this wasn’t over yet.

“Before you leave tomorrow. I want to make sure we say goodbye.” Bell said, “I don’t want this to be goodnight. Can it please be ‘see you in the morning’?”

Madison nodded pleasantly, “It may. And I would like to say goodbye at least three times. One for each of your beautiful facets.”

Bell blushed deeply and hung her head, “I– I would like that. They would like that.”

“Then see you in the morning, sweetheart.” the door opened and Bell took a daunting step across the threshold.

It wasn’t over. It was just a step forward.

There was mutual desire.

There had been trust given and rewarded.

With a determination that Orpheus wished he had, Belladonna Cooper marched away to her own hotel room, not daring to look back. The red bead remained present in both her hand and her thoughts. Thoughts that remained calm and still, bonded across the spectrum of facets in their mutual desire for the promise Madison had given to come true.

For now the bead represented a will to flirt while looking for a relationship. One day it would become a holy relic, reminding of that first weekend together. The moment friends who were flirting became hopelessly smitten with one another.