“Are you sure about this?” I asked.

Julie nodded back pensively. “I’m positive. I was the one who did this, so… I need to face my actions head-on. As much as I don’t want to.”

“I approve of your mindset. Though, again, I really hate that we have that in common now.”

“Yeah, me too.” She sighed, then knocked on the door.

A few moments later, a casually-dressed Sumi opened the door to her flat. “Oh, Jay? What’re you doing here? And… Violet? What’s-”

Before she could finish, Julie lunged forward and gripped her in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry Sue, about everything. I’m sorry this had to happen to you, and I’m sorry I had to betray you like that. I literally had no choice. I really hope you can forgive me.” Tears were streaming down her face as she held her friend tightly in her grasp.

Sumi was taken aback at first, but then returned the hug. “Julie, I… I forgive you. I mean, you helped me remember that I was Violet’s slave, so I can’t possibly be mad about that! It’s the best thing that’s happened to me! I love being her slave, and I’m so happy you helped me realize it!”

That only made Julie groan and sob harder into her shoulder. “I, I really hope that beneath all of that crap that Violet put in your mind, you’d be willing to forgive me. I really hope the person you were would be understanding enough of my situation to forgive what I did to you. Because I still don’t, I just… I…” Her words dissolved into more sobs, as Sumi stood there speechless. She looked to me for directions, but I threw up my hands defensively and shook my head. 

Sorry, Sumi. As much as I’d like to help… this is between you two.

“Jay, let’s… let’s get you inside and we’ll talk this over, okay?” She asked, petting the back of the sobbing girl’s head. Eventually Julie’s head rose from Sumi’s shoulder and she released her embrace, and we all walked inside as I closed the door behind us. The two of them sat on the edge of Sumi’s bed, while I took residence on the chair at her computer desk.

“I’m sorry Sue. What I did was unforgivable. I may have been under orders to do it, and you may not see the problem with it now, but… I still did it. You came to me in your time of need, when you were desperate and out of options. I then took your trust and faith in me as your best friend, and then broke it a-and twisted it without hesitation. It doesn’t matter what the outcome was or how you feel about it now, what matters is that I broke your trust. I know you’ll forgive me now, and I don’t expect the person you were to ever forgive me, but… I just needed to express my feelings about it directly to you. I regret ever doing that immensely, more than anything in my life, and I wish that I could go back in time to prevent myself from doing it.” She stared straight into Sumi’s eyes, letting her tears flow unabated as she apologized profusely.

Sumi softly pulled her into another hug, and I could see the troubled look on her face. As she slowly ran her hand up and down Julie’s arm, she quietly spoke to her friend. “You’re… you’re right. I can’t deny it when you put it like that, and… I kinda agree. You did break that trust, and I really did put all of my faith in you. I knew there was a risk there when I asked you, I had no idea how much Violet actually influenced you, but… I was scared, and you were the only person I could think to ask. There’s a part of me that wants to apologize to you for this, but… I think that’s the mind control talking, not me. It’s hard to say how I’d feel about this if I wasn’t under Violet’s influence right now, but…” 

Sumi bit her lip. “I think I would at least understand your position. I mean, it’s probably an apples to oranges comparison, but I’ve had to fight with my parents my whole life about a lot of things. If it were up to me, I’d probably be in a band doing gigs somewhere. But my parents refused, and they practically forced me to go to college. Until I have enough things to call my own that I can comfortably leave them behind, I’m stuck under their thumb and catering to their whims. And given what Violet’s said about you, it sounds like you’re in a… similar situation. Trapped by circumstance, clawing for an escape and fighting back where you can, but ultimately… unable to break free. You’re obligated to do these things, and you just don’t have a choice in the matter. I… I can empathize with that.”

Julie looked back up at Sumi as she continued. “Like I said, it’s hard to tell whether I’d be able to forgive you fully. I do now, but… I’m not sure I’d say the same thing without your roommate’s voice in my head telling me otherwise. But, I can at least understand where you’re coming from. You really are my best friend, you’ve supported me through so much, and I do feel like I owe at least some of that back. I wouldn’t be your friend if I couldn’t at least try to forgive you.” She matched Julie’s gaze, smiling softly at her friend as she comforted her.

Julie sniffled and sobbed some more, before finally responding. “T-Thank you… I, I really needed to just… talk it over with you.” She started wiping her tears away and recomposing herself. “I-I know things won’t ever be the same now, given all this, but… for now, I think this will help me b-bury the hatchet. I don’t think I’ll ever fully forgive myself, but I appreciate your honesty so, so much.”

Sumi simply pulled her into another hug. “It’s okay. I think we should just… move on now, let the past stay in the past. I don’t want anything else to come between our friendship. If things change and we need to confront it again… then we’ll deal with it then.”

Julie drew a long breath. “Yeah. A-At least for now, let’s just… move on.”

The two hugged it out for a few more moments before finally releasing each others’ embrace. Julie flopped onto the bed, exhausted - I can only imagine how much of a toll that must’ve taken on her emotionally - and Sumi looked at me expectantly. “So, uh, was this all that you two came here for? I mean, not that I don’t mind having either of you here, I just… I’m wondering if you two had any other plans involving me?” 

“Well, not particularly,” I replied. “I mean, Julie might’ve thought of something, but that’s up to her. I just wanted to make sure everything went well between you two.” And also… because I needed to support my friend. I leaned over a little and called out to the redhead sprawled on the mattress. “Did you have any other plans, Julie?”

Julie slowly sat back up, rubbing her swollen red eyes. “No, not anything here at least. Um, I figured maybe we could go grab some lunch together now that we’re done with all that, and just… h-hang out for a little bit? What’s your schedule like, Sue?”

“Oh, I have a couple classes this evening, but not for another 3 hours or so.” She glanced at the clock on the wall behind me. “Right? Yeah, about 3 hours from now. I haven’t eaten anything either, you guys want to head to campus?”

“I actually just found this crêpe stand over near the law buildings the other day, a friend from my labs recommended it to me!” I chipped in. “I’ll pay, if y’all are okay with hiking to the opposite end of campus with me!”

It’s the least I can do, given I’m the one who put you both through all this.

Julie shrugged and offered a small smile back. “Sure, I could go for something sugary right now! Besides, a nice walk will probably help clear my mind a little.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Sumi said as she bounced off the bed and slipped some sneakers on. “And hey, if you still need to talk to me about things, we can do so along the way, alright?”

She offered her hand to Julie, who smiled appreciatively as she allowed Sumi to help her up again. The door closed behind us with a soft click, and we began meandering over to the other end of campus, chatting along the way.

I sat there, rubbing my eyes as I stared at the blinking cursor of the text document. I willed it to move, for words to form underneath it, but it refused just like it had for the past 20… no, make that 30 minutes now. I brushed my curly auburn hair out of my face, then buried my head in my hands and groaned.

God, I hate writer’s block SO much…

I’d come to the engineering library and reserved this self-study room thinking that maybe a change in location and sitting somewhere intentionally quiet would help my brain come up with something. Then I peeked through my fingers at the laptop sitting in front of me, and felt pure dread as the empty document stared back. I rewrote this short story about three times now, each time ripping my own work to shreds and starting over. And now, the words just weren’t coming. My motivation was completely tapped dry.

And it’s not like I didn’t have the inspiration for the story! I mean, I knew exactly what I wanted to write: a young girl wakes up one day to find she has the ability to control water with her mind. She then experiments with her powers and becomes a superhero in the process, saving her neighborhood from similar people. I even knew a few of the exact plot points I wanted to cover, starting with an introspective look into her shock at these newfound powers.

Because, well, I was writing from experience. And not in the way I usually mean that.

I thought back to a couple weeks ago. I stepped into the shower groggily, like most mornings, but then noticed something was off. I was cold. I looked up and saw an ice rim forming on the edge of the showerhead, and the water was frigid as it ran down my skin and sent shivers through my body. Living in college dorms meant I was used to there being very little hot water in the mornings, but this… this was entirely different.

The shock of it immediately sent me into a panic, and I almost fell out of the shower. But as soon as I moved away, the hot water began flowing again and melted the ice on the faucet. I remembered thinking that was strange (to say the very least), and over the course of the next few days I kept encountering similar strange events: my hot coffee turned frigid in a matter of moments. My cold water bottles were warming up way faster than they should. 

And then, I finally figured it out. I sat in my room alone, filled a disposable plastic bottle with a small amount of water, closed my eyes, then concentrated. I opened them, and the water was frozen. I closed them and tried again; then I heard a pop, and when I opened my eyes I saw steam escaping from the previously closed bottle. A moment later, I heard the cap bounce and then roll to a stop on the floor beside me. 

I couldn’t believe it. I undeniably had awakened to some kind superpower!

Or, whatever you’d call this. Superpowers was just the first thing my mind came up with, really. I mean, it doesn’t seem like the magic I would usually write for my stories, anyway.

So, why isn’t this cursor moving?! Writing from experience is literally what they tell you to do! So why is it so hard to just make something good out of this?!

I leaned back in my chair and groaned quietly in frustration. I then looked at my water bottle, pointed my finger at it, and began lazily drawing circular motions with my fingertip. The water inside began moving on its own, swishing around spontaneously in a circular motion. I try to control my powers and not use them when I’m in public (because, y’know, superhero 101 is to not parade around displaying your powers in public), but these tiny little self-study rooms only have a window on the door. I seriously doubted anyone would notice me doing this, and I could just brush it off if need be. 

Seriously, this just isn’t fair! I have firsthand experience with something that most people would kill to have, yet I can’t even make anything out of it!!! If only writing about this came as easily as actually doing it now…

I think I need a power nap.

Yeah, that’s not a bad idea, honestly! I could use a quick moment to recharge, and I’ve got this room reserved for another half hour or so, so what’s the harm? Good thinking, brain! I closed my laptop, laid my arms on the table and rested my head atop them. I took a big breath in, and closed my eyes.

I should just clear my mind and relax.

Yeah, that sounds pretty nice. It’ll give me a bit of a mental reset, hopefully.

I should imagine every muscle in my body relaxing deeply.

Mmm, I can imagine it already. It must feel so nice…

Imagine every breath in makes me relax, and every breath out makes all the stress go away.

I can see it in my mind’s eye, my body completely relaxing as I just let go… No more stress, no more due dates, just relaxing…

It feels so warm and comfy, I should just let my thoughts take me deeper.

Yeah, that sounds really nice. I should just follow and see where they go, like a lucid dream…

As my body relaxes, so does my mind. My thoughts are leaving along with all the stress.

That makes… sense…

Every thought is evaporating, and my mind is too relaxed to think anymore.

Yeah…

My mind is now blank as I continue to follow this voice in my head.

…

I’m now entering a state of hypnosis.

I’m so relaxed, so peaceful, nothing could disturb me.

I can maintain this state while I open my eyes, staying completely relaxed.

My eyes fluttered open slowly, staring at the water bottle beside me but not seeing anything.

I will pack up my things, remaining deeply hypnotized.

My body moved as though it was filled with lead, but it complied. I slowly inserted my laptop back into my bag, alongside my mouse and my water bottle.

I will slowly exit the room once I am finished.

I gently reached down and pulled my bag up over my shoulders, then unlocked the door. I turned the handle, stepping outside of the room.

I will listen to everything the person next to me says, they will send me deeper into this pleasant state of hypnosis.

…

“Good girl, so relaxed for me.” I heard a soft voice whisper in my left ear. “Now follow me, but stay in this nice, relaxed state…”

Holy shit, that actually worked?!

I know that’s probably the millionth time I’ve thought those words, but I’ll stop repeating them when they stop being true!!

I slowly led the hypnotized girl through the mostly deserted isles, my heart racing and my clothes soaked with sweat. I chugged some more of my energy drink, then slowly led this new girl by the hand over to the nearby reserved group study rooms. Specifically, the one that Jas was currently residing in that I’d snagged for us earlier today. It was kind of a lucky break, too, those spots tend to fill up fast! 

Jas saw me approaching and quickly opened the door, ushering me and my new prize inside. As she closed the door behind me, I sat down in one of the plastic chairs and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. 

“I cannot believe that worked!” I quietly exclaimed, pumping a tired fist into the air as I looked at my newest conquest. She had curly auburn hair that was very long and fluffy, complemented by hazel eyes and some light freckles. She was wearing some faded bell-bottom jeans and a loose white tunic that served to hide her figure. She was curvy, and I could tell she wasn’t a very active person, but she didn’t seem to be overweight or anything.

Plus, she’s got a nice rack! Though… I glanced over at Jas, who blushed slightly when she noticed where my eyes were located. Nah, Jas is still the queen. Good effort though, uh… right, literally don’t even know who the hell this is.

“Go ahead and sit down in front of me, then tell me your name,” I ordered quietly. The girl slowly eased herself into the chair, setting her bag down on the table to her side clumsily.

“Christy… Bowman…” she replied in a monotone voice as she adjusted to the plastic chair.

“Good girl, Christy,” I cooed, “let yourself continue relaxing as you sink deeper and deeper into hypnosis. You love listening to my voice, and every word I say makes you sink deeper and deeper. Not a care in the world, all you want to do is listen and follow my voice, isn’t that right Christy?”

She slowly nodded.

“Good girl, you love it when I call you a good girl too. It makes you feel so wonderful, so appreciated, so… sensual. Being called a good girl turns you on, makes you feel so horny, and you find yourself wanting me to keep calling you that. Tell me, Christy, how do you feel when I call you a good girl?”

A soft smile formed on her blushing face. “It makes me feel… so uncouth, and erotic… but it’s such a warm… tender feeling… it’s such a great pleasure… one I’ve never experienced… in my life… I desperately want more… it makes me feel so amazing…” She squirmed in her chair slightly, and I could see her peaks going stiff through her garb.

Jas and I looked at each other, mirroring each other’s surprise. “Christy, what field are you studying?”

“2nd year English major… minor in mathematics…” she intoned softly.

Huh. That checks out, I guess. I looked back at Jas, and her reaction was about the same before she focused back on her laptop again. “Good girl. Now, do you have any classes you need to attend tonight?” I asked.

“None.” She whispered dreamily.

“Any other commitments or things you need to do in the next few hours?”

“Return the key… for the study room… then make dinner…”

“Alright, then be a good girl and listen closely. In a moment when I snap my fingers, you’ll wake up from your hypnotic trance believing we’re good friends and that you wanted to hang out and study with us. You’ll remember that you need to return your key, you’ll excuse yourself to do that, and then you’ll promptly return it and come back. Once you sit back in this chair again, you’ll immediately fall back into a deep hypnotic trance just like you are now. You won’t find anything about the situation strange, and you won’t question anything about us or why we are your friends. Do you understand?”

“Your wish is my command.” She replied.

My… what?

I didn’t tell her to say that.

I… guess it’s fine, though?

“Good girl, now wake up and find yourself carrying out those instructions without realizing it now.” I snapped my fingers, and Christy blinked awake. 

“Whuh…” she hazily blurted out as awareness returned to her. She then looked at both of us, and smiled cheerfully. “Oh, thanks again for letting me hang out for a bit, you two! This project’s really got me stressed out, I needed some time to take my mind off of it.”

“No problem, I know exactly how you feel.” Jas groaned, typing away on her laptop like she had been for the past hour or so.

“Oh!” Christy realized what she was holding, and looked at the clock on the wall. “My hour’s almost up, I should run this down to the front desk real quick. Do you mind if I leave my stuff here with you?”

“That’s no biggie,” I replied. “Be a good girl and run it back real quick before they get angry at you!”

I immediately saw her cheeks flush, and I had to hold back from snickering at her. “Um, o-okay! Be right back!” She then darted out, jogging her way towards the stairwell through the quiet halls of the building.

“Really?” Jas said mockingly once the door closed, raising an eyebrow behind those big glasses of hers. “‘Your wish is my command?’ Are you sure you’re not turning to the dark side?”

I threw my hands up in surrender and shook my head furiously. “Nuh-uh, not me! That was all her, I swear!!! I did not tell her to say that, she just did it on her own!!!!!”

Jas rolled her eyes, and continued typing away on her keyboard. “Whatever you say, Mistress.” She replied, thoroughly unconvinced. 

…where did you get all that sass from?!

Julie, you are such a bad influence on her, I swear.

I was midway through plotting my revenge on my roommate when the door opened again and Christy walked back in, panting slightly from her jog down to the front desk. “There we go, all done!”

“Cool! Go ahead and take a seat then!” I said as I gestured towards her chair.

“Don’t have to tell me twiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii… uhhhhhhhhhhh…” The moment she sat back down, her body relaxed and she melted into her chair. I got up and closed the door behind her as she sank right back down into a nice, hypnotic slumber.

“Good girl, sink right back down for me. Now, sit up and open your eyes for me, remaining in this deeply hypnotized state.” She slowly picked herself up and stared ahead into nothingness. “Good girl, just follow my voice and obey everything I say. Now, tell me: why did you respond the way you did earlier when I gave you that suggestion?”

“It’s what I thought… someone hypnotized… would say… like in my short stories…”

I turned towards Jas and motioned at the hypnotized girl emphatically, and Jas threw up her hands in surrender. “Alright, you win! My bad!” She admitted.

I blew a raspberry at her, then turned back to the hypnotized girl. “So, what are those short stories typically about?”

“I like espionage… medieval fantasy… currently writing a superhero story… modern day, like the movies… for my assignment…”

“Is that what you were working on in the other room?”

“Yeah, but… writer’s block… really bad writer’s block… should’ve been easy…”

“Why would that be? Do you already have it all planned out or something?”

“Writing from experience… have superpowers now…”

Jas stopped clicking away on her laptop, and we immediately looked at each other in surprise.

“You… have superpowers?” I asked the hypnotized brunette. “What do you mean? Can you demonstrate them for me?”

She slowly reached over and pulled out her water bottle. “Sure, it’s… control over water…” She placed the bottle down, pointed at it, and with a flick of the wrist the water jumped up to the top of the bottle. 

Jas and I stared in awe, our jaws dropped to the floor.

Holy shit, we found another magic user already? And by pure coincidence, she’s also under my control?!

“How… how long have you had this power for?” I asked, barely containing the excitement in my voice.

“Just noticed about… two weeks ago…?”

Jas and I both stared bug-eyed at each other. “That’s… that cannot be a coincidence, can it?” Jas wondered out loud. “With both of your testimonies, and what your friend said… does that mean, I-I was right on the money?”

“Honestly, unless we find evidence to the contrary, I think you totally nailed it!” I cheered, trying my best to keep my voice down despite the excitement running through me. “Good job, Jas!”

She blushed and squirmed in her seat at the praise. “Ahh, Thank you, Mistress! I-I’ll keep looking into any cover-ups later today, since I’m now confident that there has to be some evidence floating around!”

“You read my mind! I think we might be close to thinking this whole thing out! And again, great job with everything you’ve done for me so far, Jas! I… I truly appreciate it.”

“Mmm, thank you, Mistress! But now, what do we do with her? I assume you have some sort of plan for her?”

I looked back at Christy, who was staring idly at her water bottle. “That’s a great question, actually. I did have an idea or two, but I think I need to calm down for a moment. Hastiness has been my downfall, after all.” I then shot a sneaky grin back to Jas. “Oh, but first: run titty_slave.exe.” Jas’ head sank into her chest, and she began quietly murmuring her mantra.

God, that will never stop being hot.

I took a deep breath in, then got up from my seat. “Now, while I did just compliment you a lot, let’s not forget your little moment of sass towards me, slave.” I licked my lips as I sauntered around the table towards her. “So, here’s a new temporary program that you’re going to run. When I snap my fingers, you’re going to wake up not realizing you just went into trance, and you’ll immediately excuse yourself to the restroom. You’ll bring your bag with you, and once you’ve sat down you’ll put your shirt and bra inside your bag. For the rest of the day you won’t be able to wear anything but that sweater of yours over your chest, and you’ll find the sensitivity of your chest is double what it normally is. You’ll be more aware than usual of how your sweater feels against your skin, and every sensation will send ripples of pleasure through your body.” I accentuated it by groping and teasing her breasts as I walked behind her, and she simply continued her mantra unimpeded. “Do you understand, Jas?”

She slowly nodded, continuing to chant away under her breath.

“Good,” I said as I completed my circle and walked back to my chair. “Go ahead and let that program run now.”

I snapped my fingers and Jas blinked herself awake, then set her laptop to the side. “Hey Mistress, I need to go use the restroom real quick. I’ll be right back!” She said happily, as she grabbed her bag and walked out the door. I snickered once she was out of sight, and I couldn’t wait to see her face when she got back. For now, though, I turned my attention to the curly brown magician sitting blankly in front of me.

So, what to do with you… 

Well, there’s no question that you’re becoming mine. You’re way too valuable for me to just let go. The question is rather how I want you to become mine. I could just do what I did with Sumi in the end, since (ignoring how I didn’t realize my thought-projecting powers were temporary) that worked out pretty well, but… I still want to experiment a little. Maybe I’ll even put that writing skill to use!

…

Oh, actually, that sounds super interesting now that I think about it…

…

Heh, super…

First things first, though, I need to make sure she doesn’t freak out about her current situation. She literally doesn’t know who I am, so I’ll have to create a workaround for that. 

Or… maybe I won’t?

A devilish grin crept up my lips as I looked at my soon-to-be newest slave. Oh ho ho, this is gonna be very fun!

I opened my mouth to start enslaving Christy, but I was interrupted by Jas barging through the door. She was glowing bright red, and I could see some nice stiff peaks poking through the thick cotton of her turtleneck sweater. She quickly closed the door, then turned to face me, absolutely steaming with embarrassment and horniness in equal measures. 

“M-Mistress, what was that?!” She demanded in as quiet a voice as she could muster. Her face made it clear she was trying to sound authoritative, but failing miserably.

I quit chuckling at her long enough to answer. “Well, that’s what happens when you try and sass me!” I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair, grinning smugly at her.

She gave me a very annoyed staredown, then let out a defeated sigh as she shuffled back to her seat. “Mistress, you can be very petty, you know that?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I’ve heard that once or twice. Be glad it was just your top this time, though!”

Jas immediately looked down and tucked a thumb under her skirt’s hem to check, and quietly let out a sigh of relief when she realized she was, in fact, still wearing her panties. She pouted back at me embarrassed when she heard me chuckling at her all over again.

“A-Anyway,” Jas cleared her throat and tried to compose herself, “do you have a plan for Christy here?”

I managed to stifle my laughing fit long enough to respond. “Y-Yeah, I do! I want to run it by you, j-just to make sure, though.” I cleared my throat, took a deep breath in, and focused. “So, uh, here’s what I was thinking…”

“Hey Chris, I’m heading out to grab some ice cream, you want to come with?” Avery peeked out from beyond my bedroom’s door frame to ask.

I glanced up at her, shaking my head a little to break my concentration and focus on what she said. “Uhm… ice cream? I… honestly, I really want some, but I’m absolutely dying trying to write this story for my assignment.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Ah, it’s no biggie. From the looks of it you were super focused on your work, and I almost didn’t want to disturb you! Want me to just bring your usual back?”

I instantly perked up. “Would you? Here, lemme grab my purse-”

“Nah, don’t worry about it!” She replied back. “You’re stressed, it’s my treat! Just make sure you get that story written, aight?”

I couldn’t help but blush appreciatively. “Oh, t-thank you! I’ll get us both ice cream next time!”

Avery chuckled as she turned to head out. “Alright, bet! Catch you in a few!” And a few moments later, I heard the front door of the loft close and lock.

Avery’s too nice, I swear! How did I even end up with a roommate like her? Anyways! Right, I was…

…

What the fresh hell?

I… was writing the story?

Holy crap, where did these twenty pages come from???

Wait… it’s already 9:30?! I’ve been writing for TWO HOURS STRAIGHT?!?!?

What the heck happened?!

I guess… I just had a flash of inspiration, and struck while the iron was hot? Man, I don’t think I’ve ever been so focused on writing in my life! And to think I had writer’s block earlier today, too! Maybe going to the library really did help! I’ll have to go back there tomorrow and crank out the rest of this.

I don’t even remember writing anything, the last couple hours have been such a blur. Did I enter some kind of… fugue state? Eh, whatever, I should probably just look over it and check for mistakes.

…Wow, this is surprisingly clean, too! I guess I must’ve been proofreading as I went.

And all these story beats are pretty much as I thought! She learns about her powers, experiments in secret, starts thinking about becoming a superhero…

Wait, what’s this section about a library? I don’t think that was in my original plans for the story. Maybe I wanted to do some worldbuilding, or have a neat set piece for a fight?

And, wait, who’s this Violet character?

Why does she sound so…

Familiar…

…

Huh, she sounds pretty interesting! I kinda like the direction I took with her, but I can’t remember much more than what I wrote down. I can see her in my mind’s eye, though, and she’s… honestly kinda hot? I can see the allure, and she’s got this layer of mystery to her! Man, I can’t believe I didn’t think of her sooner! I think she’ll make a great supporting character for Tsunami, and I might see if I can fit her in elsewhere!

For now, though, I should probably give my brain a break. Ice cream now, rest of my story later.

I closed my laptop, laid it down next to my bed, and grabbed my phone. I scrolled through social media until I heard the front door open again, at which point I clambered out of bed to go greet my roommate and consume some delicious, sugary, soft-serve dairy.